hello, everyone. it's high noon in the east, 9:00 a.m. in the west. welcome to "weekends with alex witness." here are the five trends of this hour, kerry kennedy arrested. new search for the amelia earhart's plane. mom who's bieber for hearing loss. casey anthony's tell-all book and plus happy bastille day. two front page politics and president obama on the stump in virginia today, he'll speak to veeters in glen allen in an hour. meanwhile, mitt romney's media blitz is getting a lot of attention, the former governor giving five interviews saying he ended his management with bain capital in 1999, after the obama

campaign rather picked up on a boston globe report that mr. romney's names were listed on regulatory filings on a company officer through 2001. during his interview governor romney responded to a question that romney may be guilty of a felony by misrepresenting to the bain to the fcc. >> the president's campaign i think has been outrageous in making the charlgs they have. i think the kind of attacks are beneath the dignity of the president. i think the president needs to rein in his campaign and talk about the real issues that people care about, which relate to our economy. >> meanwhile, president obama is weighing in, speaking to wjla-tv in virginia shortly before the interview hit the air waves. >> ultimately i think mr. romney will have to answer the questions because if he aspires to be president, one of the things you learn is you're

ultimately responsible for the conduct of your operations. >> well, joining me now for more front page politics, msnbc contributor and political editor for the grio.com perry bacon jr. and molly ball. hello to you two. thanks for joining me. >> thank you. >> i'm going to play more. molly, listen to what mr. romney said during that interview. >> i didn't involve myself in any way with bain capital's enterprise after february of 1999. >> not participating in a single meeting either in person -- >> i don't recall a single meeting or single participation in an investment decision by bain or personnel decision. i left the firm. i was full-time running the olympics in 2002 and in the years leading up to it. >> molly, one of your latest articles is titled "romney's clear as mud bain explanation." i'm guessing you don't think he managed to clarify too much with these interviews. >> i don't think so. i mean, you look at the answers he was giving. i mean, he scheduled five

network interviews pretty much simultaneously, clearly his campaign felt there was a way to put these questions to rest and have him make a big statement, a big splash. instead it seemed like he just muddied the waters even more. you had him say, well, i was controlling investor in this entity and a lot of this sort of business verbiage that was not very clear. and, you know, i would say that the truth does appear to be somewhat complicated. that may be the problem that romney is having, that it's difficult to boil down in a simple way a complex situation. but, you know, if the idea behind this network spade of interviews was to offer a clear sound bite, i don't think he did that. >> how about you, perry, do you think mr. romney's media blitz will help put this issue to rest or will it fan the flames even more? >> i think it will fan the flames even more, both on the tax returns issue, where he was unequivocal only on these two

years am i giving out, why not release more of the records? and the bain stuff, you see the answer we just showed, i don't recall is often a phrase that inspires reporters to look into, well, you don't recall, what does that exactly mean? did you do something you just don't remember or you didn't do it? which meetings du attend? i think he only opened up more questions with his very legalistic kind of answers. >> how about this, molly? you're you were with president obama yesterday in virginia. of he is scheduled to speak there in an hour or so. during an interview on friday he says he thinks governor romney will have to answer these questions about bain. does all the bickering over bain just feed partisans on both sides? >> no. i actually think it's only feeding the democrats at this point. you don't hear a lot of republicans, you know, rising to romney's defense and saying, oh, get off his back, you know, this is great stuff, we're proud of what he did in business. >> but why not? >> i think they're nervous. i think what they sense is that

the obama campaign has done a very good job of changing the subject here. republicans, including mitt romney, want to be talking about the economy. you heard romney keep trying to turn the page in those interviews yesterday, and he couldn't do it because there is a feeding frenzy right now on this bain issue. romney complains a lot about the fact that obama doesn't want to talk about the economy, but he hasn't been very successful in preventing the democrats and obama from changing the subject to things like this and other things that romney may consider a distraction but people want to know about. >> i'm going to change tinges i alittle bit. the latest quinnipiac poll in virginia shows president obama winning by 6 points. do you see either campaign having an edge in the state of virginia? >> it's the big swing state, virginia, ohio, florida, they're the swing states they're spending a lot of money, pretty much tied in the polls. obama leads in virginia more than other states to be clear. the key thing in virginia and why obama has an advantage is

unemployment there is 5.6%, unemployment nationally is 8.2%. so romney's argument about the economy not improving is hard to sell in virginia because of those numbers. therefore, obama has a really strong advantage in virginia. >> molly, you just posted literally about an hour ago another article for "the atlantic," your title "why obama may be safe in virginia". >> it's exactly what perry was saying. i would only add to that part of the reason the economic and employment picture is so good in virgin virginia, not only do they have jobs but with the government, the federal government in northern virginia and a huge proportion of the work force is milita military. both of those are people essentially getting paychecks from the united states government. when they hear romney talking about cutting spending, cutting the cope of government, that's not necessarily an argument people in virg sirnlg are receptive to. there's also a very large

minority population here in virnl virg. it is a state where the demographics are trending in obama's favor. it's getting younger, less white, where as a lot of the states in the rust belt like ohio are getting older and whiter. i think the trend lines are moving toward the obama. >> speaking of the paychecks, the president is urging congress today to pass the tax extension for families making less than $250,000. where do you think this battle is headed? how much do you think this will resonate with the all-important independent voters? >> this is a good issue for the president for two reasons. one, he's emphasizing the fact that for 98% of americans, which is a big number, most people, of course, he's going to keep the tax rates in place. and then if you look at the polling, most americans actually agree with the idea of raising taxes on upper income folks. they might disagree on what level constitutes upper income, but essentially the president is calling for tax increase on 2% of americans. polls show most americans agree with the proposal. this is a good issue for him to

keep pressing on so as we talk about bain and this issue as well, these are good issues for the president because they allow him to paint mitt romney as a candidate of the wealthy. >> do you see it that way as well, molly in. >> yeah, absolutely. i would add to that, it's sort of a populist argument. nothing is going to happen in congress in all likelihood. the president is framing this as a call on congress to do now, act now on this one piece of the expiration of the bush tax cuts. this is a political argument for obama where he thinks he can get an advantage but congress is likely to sit on its hands and wait until after the election to racket act on all parts of the bush tax cuts. >> many thanks, guys. here's what we're asking all of you today. how much does mitt romney's bain controversy of matter to you? here are some of your responses beginning with this -- bain does not matter.

transparency and trust matter. a president's character matters. i'm concerned about a candidate that avoids questions. will he be kandity with the american public? mitt's bain record only matters because he says his business experience will help him create jobs. it matters a lot, because it goes to the core of who is mitt romney. it shows his character and also shows he has no problem with jobs going overseas. keep talking to me on twitter and facebook. i'll be reading more later on. a new report shows former penn state coach joe paterno negotiated one lucrative contract with the school at the very height of the sandusky investigation. the u.s. times reports he began his talks in january 2011, the very same month he testified before a grand jury. now, months later the $5.5 million deal was finalized as police closed in on sandusky. earlier today i spoke with a

"sports illustrated" reporter who said there's a lesson for other schools. >> it's necessary for other schools to take from this and realize that maybe internal investigations periodically are a good thing and maybe ensuring that coaches don't become too powerful and that people don't become afraid of speaking out against coaches. i think that was a major part of this story. i also think it's important that we hold people accountable. the fact that the college president was fired and could be criminally charged is a lesson to other college presidents. >> that was michael mccann. we're told special counsel is being hired to deal with possible ncaa sanctions. west coast headlines are next, "from russia with love" high siberia's loss became seattle's gain. also, casey anthony's life one year after her acquittal.

we'll hear from her attorney who wrote what he calls a tell-all book. let me tell you, i've got lots of questions, coming your way next. ♪ don't delay act now supplies are running out ♪ this is new york state. we built the first railway, the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com.

the global ready one ? yeah, but you won't need... ♪ hajimemashite. hajimemashite. hajimemashite. you guys like football ? thank you so much. i'm stoked. you stoked ? totally.

... and he says, "under the mattress." souse le matelas. ( laughter ) why's the new guy sending me emails from paris ? paris, france ? verizon's 4g lte devices are global-ready. plus, global data for just $25. only from verizon.

some headlines making news on the west coast, the napa valley register has a front page story on how community colleges across the state may give priority enrollment to students with clear academic goals. it's part of an effort to encourage successful student behaviors and help ration classes during a time of scarce resources. on the front page of the seattle times a story about how smoke from wildfires in siberia are creating beautiful sunsets in the pacific northwest. smoke from dozens of wildfires

on russia's east coast has climbed into the jet stream and made its way to the washington state. air quality has remained normal in the seattle area. well, tuesday marks one year of freedom for one of america's most infamous mothers, casey anthony. a jury acquitted anthony of murdering her 2-year-old daughter. she walked out of that florida courthouse with her attorney. she has not been seen out and about since. that attorney, jose baez, authored a new book "presumed guilty," giving us a look at a very unexpected legal victory. jose joins me live. welcome. >> thank you for having me. >> here come the questions. first of all, casey's life right now, is there any sense of normalcy there? i mean, does she go to the grocery store? does she go out and about? what is it like for her daily? >> well, as i write in the book, the last chapter is a prisoner in her own freedom. that's basically what casey is right now. she's not brazen enough to go

out to the mall or the shopping -- to go shopping at public's or anything like that. you know, she basically is in a new prison, and that is a prison of seclusion. >> yeah. does she have friends? does she reach out to you? do you serve almost like a friend to her now? >> well, you know, i keep in contact with her about as much as i do with any other previous client. there's no -- my job ended after the acquittal, and, you know, i of course, like many other people, are concerned for her, and she does have people who care about her. >> one of those being her mother, which, while not surprising because it's her mother, there was certainly a reconciliation there because for a while they were on the outs. talk about their relationship now. >> you know, i -- a lot of people wondered why i stopped -- why i actually let everyone know that i stopped representing her.

and it was for this purpose. you know, i can't go on speaking for casey and her life and getting calls anytime there's a sighting or something like that. i've withdrawn from that. my job was that of a lawyer and that's pretty much what i do and what i talk about with the book, her case, what happened. >> how about this -- the allegations of abuse by her father. talk about that. this is a man who reportedly attempted suicide. what was all that about? how much do you believe of those accusations? >> you know, in these situations it's troubling because, number one, you have a type of crime that is the most underreported crime of all crimes, and these deep, dark secrets get buried for years. we had mental health professionals who evaluated her and told us that she showed classic signs of someone who was a victim of sexual abuse.

and she didn't come forward and tell me this right away. it took a long time for me to gain her trust, and there were certain signs at certain points in the case where, when she finally did tell me what she had been through, it didn't come as a great shock to me. >> so is this how you explain the way you describe her at points, which is just living in her own reality? is this the kind of thing you think led to that? >> well, you know, what's interesting about casey anthony, about the casey anthony case, that a lot of people don't know is, for example, the lies. the lies were there for many, many years before caylee actually ever died. you know, the nanny had been in existence two years. this is a girl who got up every morning, got dressed, and pretended to go to a job that didn't exist. >> right. >> and got her daughter dress and pretended to drop her off at

a nanny that didn't exist. for two years. we're not talking about two weeks. we're talking about two whole years, maintaining this, and a circle of imaginary friends that also did not exist. so there was a significant amount of issues that we had to crawl through and try and get the truth from. >> what about that 911 call that we've all heard with casey's mother screaming into the phone about wanting the police to come because it smells like there's a dead body in the trunk of the car? and then that sort of goes away. talk about that and how you had to use that to still defend your client. >> well, you know, when we heard the 911 call, we heard it just like everyone else and evaluated it, and the first thing that you hear when you listen to that is, this does not look good, especially for our client. but once you listen a little closer, there's a point actually

when george walks into the home and cindy tells him that caylee had been missing for a month. and his first and natural reaction i guess was dead silence. and aull of the testimony that occurred that night from law enforcement testified that the only two calm people in the house were george and casey, and cindy was basically hysterical. >> so what do you take from that? >> well, you know, it's a subjective thing. however, if it were my granddaughter and she were missing for a month, i think i would have reacted more along the lines of cindy as opposed to that of george. >> so where is the truth here, jo jose? do you think you know it? >> i have a firm belief -- i believe caylee drowned in the swimming pool. i think this was a very common

traj dhai happ tragedy that happened to an uncommon group of people. >> so why would they try to cover it up? >> in the book i give various scenarios. >> oh, we're buying the book. don't worry. >> i talk about different possibilities of why casey didn't step up. i talk about different scenarios as to why george may not have stepped up. >> he was a former police officer. >> that's correct, he was. you know, that i think played a role in this case. i think there are certain expectations that you would have from someone bwho is ex-law enforcement that i discuss in the book. and we will never know all of the answers in this case. that's what people have to know right off the bat. so there are certain facts that are undisputable, and i think once we look at these facts that were never made public, many of them didn't make the news and

many of them didn't even make the case or get into the discovery, so there's some significant facts in this case -- what's interesting is, the book is 420-something pages long. it's super thick. i don't cheat anybody on the information. so i had to get everything out there for people so they can have one place and try and determine or make their own conclusions as to what happened or didn't happen. >> can i ask you, do you know whether casey goes to see caylee's grave site and lays flowers or goes there at all? >> caylee was yes creigh mated. >> is there a memorial? >> there was a memorial held by george and cindy that was highly publici publicized, 1,000 people showed up. i think a year or two cindy testified that she still believed caylee was alive even

after that service. this case has lots of twists and turns, some that you just won't believe, and i think that's why it makes such an interesting story for many people. >> author of "presumed guilty," jose baez, such a pleasure. thanks so much for sharing part of it. >> thanks for having me. right now we'll go to the president who just started speaking a short while ago in glen allen, virginia, that of course a big swing state. let's take a listen to the president. >> doesn't mean at some point you're not going to experience tough times, but it does mean that the trajectory of people's lives in this country, if you work hard, you can make it. and that's what made us special. that's what made us the greatest nation on earth. that's what made us an economic superpower. now, when i ran in 2008, a lot of people -- we came together

not just democrats but republicans, independents, because we're not democrats or republicans first, we're americans first. and we came together because we felt like that idea had been slipping away for too long, for almost a decade people had been working harder but getting less. and then the worst financial crisis in our lifetimes hit, worst economic crisis in our lifetimes, millions of people lost their jobs or homes or savings and that made the dream that much harder to reach for. but what i've learned over these last 3 1/2 years is, even though the crisis put us through some very tough times, the american people are tougher. fol folks may have got knocked down

sp, but they got back up. the crisis didn't change who we are. it did not change our fundamental character as a people. it hasn't changed our sense of purpose from 2008. our mission right now, yes, is to put people back to work and, yes, to strengthen the housing market. or but our purpose is also to rebuild our economy so that it lasts. so that work pays off, an economy in which everybody, whether you are starting a business or punching a clock, you can have confidence that if you work hard you can get ahead. that's our goal. that's our central purpose. that's what this campaign's about. that's what i've been working on for the last 3 1/2 years. that's why i'm running for a second term as president of the united states of america.

>> now, i want to say this. because we've gone through tough times i think there's a tendency sometimes for some of the commentators to say, you know, this time it's really different, we're lose iing our number one status and all this stuff. i don't buy any of that. we're still by far the greatest nation on earth. and what's holding us back from meeting our challenges -- what's

holding us back from meeting our challenges is not a lack of big ideas, it's not technical solutions. you name it, whatever it is, education, housing, the deficit, we have the solutions in front of us. what's holding us back is we've got a stalemate in washington that has more to do with just two candidates for president or two political parties, it's two fundamentally different visions about how we move this country forward. this election is about breaking that stalemate. the outcome of this election will determine not just what happens next year or the year after that but what happens for the next 20 years. see, my opponent and his allies in congress, they believe in a top-down economics. they believe that if we spend trillions of dollars on tax cuts

mostly for the wealthy, even if we have to pay for it by gutting education or gutting job training programs or gutting investments in basic research or turning medicare into a voucher system or increasing middle class taxes, that if we do that somehow all of you are going to benefit. that's otheir idea. they also believe that if we roll back regulations on banks and insurance companies and credit card companies, regulations that are meant to protect people and our economy, that somehow everybody is going to be more secure. that's their basic argument. they'll spend a lot of time talking, but if you cut through all the stuff, what they're really saying is, tax cuts for the wealthy, roll back regulations. that's essentially their plan. now, you know, it is a plan.

i mean, it's a theory. it fits easily on a bumper sticker. but here's the problem. we tried it. we tried it for a decade before i took office. it did not work. we tried it, and we turned a surplus into a deficit. we tried it, and we had the most sluggish job growth in decades. we tried it, and your income and wages on average went down -- went down -- even while the cost of health care and education and gas were all going up. and then it culminated in the worst financial crisis that we're still cleaning up after. so it's not as if we haven't tried their theory. it would be one thing if we hadn't tried it. then they could say, well, let's try this, and maybe everybody would say, all right, that's worth trying. but we did this.

and it didn't work. it we can't afford to go back to top-down economics. we need somebody who believes in a middle-up economics, a bottom-up economics, somebody who will fight for you and working people all across virginia and all across america. that's why i'm running for a second term as president of the united states. you know, when the american auto industry was about to go under and my opponent was saying, let's let detroit go bankrupt, i made a bet on american workers, on american ingenuity, and we got management and workers to sit down and work things out. and right now gm is number one again. and the u.s. auto industry is back on top.

well, let me tell you something, what can happen in the auto industry in detroit, that can happen in manufacturing all across this country. in richmond and in raleigh and in pittsburgh and in cleveland. which is why i've said, let's stop giving tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas. let's give tax breaks to companies that are investing right here in the united states of america and investing in american workers so we can make american products stamped with those three proud words "made in america." that's how we build an economy that lasts and that's why i'm running for a second term as president. you know, mr. romney has a different idea. you know, he invested in companies that have been called pioneers of outsourcing. i don't want a pioneer in

outsourcing. i want some insourcing. i want to bring companies back. and part of that is making sure we change our tax code, part of it is investing in basic science and research. we've always been at the cutting edge of technology. we've got to keep that. we've got to maintain that. and, you know, four years ago i said i would end the war in iraq. because of our veterans, because of our outstangd men ading men n in uniform, we've been able to keep that promise. we're transitioning out of afghanistan and starting to bring our troops home. so now my attitude is, after a decade of war, let's take half of those savings on war and let's use that to reduce our deficit and use the other half to do some nation building here at home.

let's put folks back to work rebuilding our roads and our bridges and our railroads and our schools and putting broadband lines in the rural communities all across america. that's how we build an economy that lasts. that's also, by the way, how we take care of our veterans. now they're coming home, they shouldn't have to fight for a job after they fought for us and they should get the benefits that they've earned. so we'll be fighting any kind of cutbacks on veterans services. we've got to take care of folks who took care of us. i'm running to make sure our kids get the best education in the world. you know, i want to help our schools hire and reward the best teachers, especially math and science. i want to give 2 million more

americans the chance to go to community colleges and get trained for the jobs that folks are hiring for right now. i want colleges and universities to bring down tuition so young people aren't burdened with debt. higher education isn't a luxury, it is a necessity in this 21st century. i want to make sure that middle class families can refinance their homes and save $3,000 a year. that's good for you, but it's also good for businesses because you'll spend that money. i'm running because i believe we've got to keep going on the affordable care act. it was the right thing to do to make sure that everybody has health care. the supreme court has spoken. it is the law of the land. we are going to implement it.

and, because we're implementing it, young people can stay on their parents' health insurance plans until they're 26 years old. and if you've got health insurance, the only thing that's going to happen is you have more security and insurance companies can't jerk you around. and 30 million people, including those with preexisting conditions, can finally get health insurance. it was the right thing to do. we're not going backwards, we're going forwards. i'm wrapping up. everybody's wet anyway so it doesn't matter. it's too late. those hairdos are all gone. >> o

>> four more years! four more years! four more years! four more years! four more years! >> let me talk about one last thing, and that is the deficit and the debt. because the other side, they'll say, well, you know, this is the most important issue. and what i've said is, you know what, along with putting people back to work, we do need to bring down or deficit and our debt. after a decade of irresponsibility where i inherited a trillion-dollar deficit, i'm ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work. we've already cut a trillion dollars worth of spending that we don't need. i'm willing to do more because not every program works. government can't solve every problem. government can't help somebody if they don't want to help themselves. doesn't matter how much money we put into schools if parents aren't telling your kids they need to work hard in school.

but what i'm not willing to do is what my opponent proposes, which is pretend like you're lowering the deficit and then cut taxes for folks like me by $5 trillion on top of the bush tax cuts because we can't afford it. what i've said to congress is, let's make sure that everybody who's making $250,000 a year or less, that your taxes don't go up. that's 98% of americans. but let's ask folks like me who can afford it, the top 2%, to do a little bit more so that we can still help young people go to clen college, so we don't turn medicare into a voucher system, so we're still investing in basic research, so we can still build roads and help folks with the housing situation. and, by the way, we've tried

that, too. a guy named bill clinton tried it, and we created 23 million new jobs. and we had surpluses instead of deficits. and, by the way, rich people did just fine back then. here's the thing i think the other side doesn't understand. when working people do well, everybody does well. that means businesses have more customers. that is how we grow an economy. not by everybody just looking fourt themselv out for themselves but by all of us coming together and working hard. whether it's bringing manufacturing back, putting construction workers back to work, protecting health care, making sure our kids get the best education, caring for our veterans. you know, all these things that

make up a middle class life, they all tie together. they're all central to that idea that if you work hard you can get ahead. that's the promise that our parents and our grand winterpard our great-grandparents made to future generations. some of them came here as immigrants. some came here not wanting to come. but when they got here all of us, whether they were working on farms or whether they were working in mines or working in a factory, that idea that, if i work hard now things will be better for my kids, that's what built this country. over the next four months, you know, the other side is going to spend more money than we've ever seen in our lifetimes on a bunch

of negative ads, and they're going to try to pedal this economic theory that everybody knows we tried and it didn't work. and since they know, that probably isn't going to sell, really what these ads are going to do is really say the economy isn't where it feeds to be and it's obama's fault. that's their message. they'll use the scary voices in the ads a, you know. but that's basically their message. and that's a plan for maybe winning an election but it's not a plan for creating jobs or helping the middle class. it's not a plan for rebuilding our economy. and so i don't worry about the kind of money they're spending because what you taught me in 2008, same thing i learned in my first campaign, was that when ordinary folks come together,

when they cut through all the nonsense and they remember what makes this country great, they tap into those core american values and they remember what's true about our lives, when you come together, nothing can stop you. when you come together, change happens. when you come together, people get a fair shot and everybody does their fair share and everybody plays by the same set of rules. when you decide. and that's the choice you have now in this election. so, you know, i have to tell you, when i ran in 2008, i tried to make sure that any promise i made i could keep. so i said i'd end the war in iraq, we ended the war.

i said i'd keep your taxes down, and i've lowered taxes for middle class families $3,600 on average. if somebody tells you i've raised your taxes, tell them, that ain't right. that's just not true. but the main promise i made to you, i said i wasn't a perfect man and you can ask michelle about that. and i told you i wouldn't be a perfect president. but i told you that i'd always tell you what i thought, i'd always tell you where wii stood. sometimes it wasn't popular, but i'd tell you what i thought, what i believed. and i'd also wake up every single day fighting as hard as i knew how for you, to make your lives a little bit better. and you know what? i've kept that promise. i've kept that promise.

because i see myself in you. when i see your grandparents, i see my grandparents. when i see my children, i see your children. we are in this together. we rise and fall as one nation. i still believe in you. and if you still believe in me and you stand up with me and make phone calls and knock on doors and get out there and organize with me, we're going to finish what we started in 2008. we're going to win this election. we're going to win virginia. we're going to put this country on the right track. and we'll remind the world just why it is that the american way is what is the envy of the world and we are the greatest nation on earth. god bless you. and god bless the united states of america. >> and there you see the president.

he is there in glen allen, virginia. i want to explain a little something. we've got some video to help illustrate this. if you see the president, he's wiping his brow here. that isn't sweat. what happened was a torrential downpour a little earlier. you can see the evidence on people's clothing behind him. people got soaked. the president moved up the speech, when they saw a break in the weather, they said, let's head out there right now. he's at a place with lots of history, the president specifically chose this as a place to speak about what he wants to clish theaccomplish th. in virginia it's a tossup swing state. it had been a red state for many, many years, but the president won virginia by six points in 2008.

right now the latest quinn ip yak points has the president up by six points or so. it's still a very, very close race. i want to talk quickly with former penn penn governor ed rendell with me former and former rnc chairman and msnbc analyst michael steele. i'm glad you're here with me. we'll talk further after a break, but ed i want to ask you about the substance of what you're hearing there. the president says the way to grow this economy is building it out from the middle not from the top down. did he make that point clearly? >> i think he did make it clearly. i think he has to campaiombine with more detailed suggestions, investing in our infrastructure, investing in research and development. those are the things that i think americans understand, particularly infrastructure. they can see those jobs. those jobs are created relatively quickly. but, yes, i think he's made the point to people that trickle-down economics never worked. it hasn't worked in the last 60 years. it won't work this time.

>> i'm curious, michael, if you see the very end of the president's speech as being a dig at mitt romney, when he said, look, i told you i would be the kind of man who would always tell you where i stood. is that an attack on mitt romney flip-flop stereotype and perception among many? >> well, it's not so much an attack, but it's just a subtle reminder that, you know, i'm a straight shooter, you know where i stand, you know what i've said to you before and i'm telling you where we're going to go next, and that's not something that you've seen from my opponent who can't even show us what he's earned on his income taxes. you know, yeah, it's the subtlety of what obama says at the end there that furthers the narrative that we've seen play out over the last ten days, which unfortunately the romney campaign has been trailing behind and tried yesterday valiantly to get in front of but still has yet to do that. >> we'll have more of your expert analysis on the other

side of a short break. we'll be right back. rk state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com.

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. [ strings breaking, wood splintering ] ha ha. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. ♪ what's in your wallet? ♪ what's in your...your...

we are back with strategy talk. joining me, former pennsylvania governor ed rendell, former rnc chairman, msnbc analyst michael steele. welcome back to both of you. governor, we heard from the president speaking on the campaign trail in virginia saying mitt romney only has a plan to get elected, not one to fix the coeconomy. do you think the president has effectively explained his plan to fix the economy? >> well, i would be explaining it in a little more detail. i think he did in the jobs bill back in october, but i don't think in the themes that he's been striking he's quite detailed enough. he should go back and talk to people about the jobs bill because there was good stuff in the jobs bill. as michael knows, stuff that republicans have supported in the past almost uniformly, some support for every aspect of the jobs bill. and those things work. there's no question they work. and the president should spell them out a little bit more clearly. his plan is to reduce the

deficit, at the same time we're raising revenue, cut spending, but invest in the things that will create jobs in the short run. >> speaking of jobs, michael, in virginia the major swing state, unemployment only 5%, well below the nation's average. how worried is the romney's campaign about this relatively strong economy in this and other battleground states? >> i 30's a genuine concern there. as you recall, the campaign encouraged governor mcdonnell not to tout the success of virginia too much because if gives a chance for obama -- >> you have to feel sorry for him, though. he's the governor of virginia saying, wait a minute, i've done a good job. >> that's the key thing, alex. the reality is lot of this is done at the hands of the governors of the state, not the federal government. the governor's policies are the

predon't nant ones. the work force in virginia is a lot different than a lot of other swing states with much more r & d, research and development, technology firms, and defense contractors. so there's a lot that's pushing that economy in a way that makes the narrative much more favorable, which is why i think you see the numbers where they are right now in virginia for obama than for rom fe. i think romney has a bigger argument that he can make and the governor already touched on this. in terms of the spending by this administratio administration, yes, the president likes to tout, we saved a trillion dollars but you spent 5 trillion. so we're now 4 trillion in the hole. there are numbers you can talk about in terms how the economy has been shaped by this administration since 2008 and what romney wants to do going forward. >> listen, guiys, the live bit with the president has put this show fatter than a christmas hen. i've got to get going. thank you both. >> never heard that before.

>> don't quote me. we invite all of you to watch "up with chris hayes" tomorrow, one of his guests will i be a former partner of mitt romney on bain. that will be tomorrow morning 9:00 a.m. on msnbc. back with "must see must avoid" after a break. home of the brave. ♪ it's where fear goes unwelcomed... ♪ and certain men... find a way to rise above. this is the land of giants. ♪ guts. glory. ram. ovider is different. but centurylink is committed to being a different kind of communications company by continuing to help you do more and focus on the things that matter to you.

throughout our entire lives. ♪ one a day men's 50+ is a complete multi-vitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. ♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day men's 50+ healthy advantage.

we're going to quickly squeeze in "must see must avoid," for all of us going to see the movies. all the buzz is about the new batman flick "the dark knight rises" will happen next week. there is your sneak peek. give me an idea about this. is this a must see or must void? >> must see. this is the final installme installmentmeinstallment. i'm so excited about this. anne hathaway plays catwoman, christian bale. you've got to see it. >> what about the "ice age" movie this weekend?

>> must avoid if you're an adult. it's definitely for children, the dialogue is simplistic, all-star cast, jennifer lopez, queen latifah, just not for us. >> i've heard on the "today" show, we'd love to keep doing this. >> these movies bring in huge money. if you're an actor, it's great. you don't have to do hair or makeup. go to your voiceover booth and get a big check. >> right. what about "american idol"? big news two days in a row. bye-bye steven tyler, bye-bye j. j.lo. >> the first episode will be a must see. the rest of the season may be must avoid. the ratings are going down every year. we want to know who will be in the judges' role, first episode is must see. >> randy jackson? >> some rumors, will he stay or will he go? i heard "idol" doesn't want to pay big money anymore. their ratings are going down.

they want new flavor. >> thank you so much. >> we got it in, my pleasure. office politics in nerd land, melissa harris-perry analyzes the meaning of of the first black president. can be such a big thing in an old friend's life. purina one discovered that by blending enhanced botanical oils into our food, we can help brighten an old dog's mind so he's up to his old tricks. with this kind of thinking going into our food, imagine all the goodness that can come out of it. just one way we're making the world a better place... one pet at a time. vibrant maturity. from purina one smartblend. ♪ i want to go ♪ i want to win [ breathes deeply ] ♪ this is where the dream begins ♪ ♪ i want to grow ♪ i want to try ♪ i can almost touch the sky [ male announcer ] even the planet has an olympic dream. dow is proud to support that dream

by helping provide greener, more sustainable solutions from the olympic village to the stadium. solutionism. the new optimism.™ ♪ this dream

would you mind if to be soli go ahead of you?omer.ism.™ instead we had someone go ahead of him and win fifty thousand dollars. congratulations you are our one millionth customer. people don't like to miss out on money that should have been theirs. that's why at ally we have the raise your rate 2-year cd. you can get a one-time rate increase if our two-year rate goes up. if your bank makes you miss out, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. according to ford, the works fuel saver package could literally pay for itself. jim twitchel is this true? yes it's true. how is this possible? proper tire inflation, by using proper grades of oil, your car runs more efficiently, saves gas. you could be doing this right now? yes i could, mike. i'm slowing you down? yes you are. my bad. the works fuel saver package. just $29.95 or less after rebate. only at your ford dealer.

so, to sum up, you take care of that, you take care of these, you save a bunch of this. that works. > good day to all of you and welcome to "weekends with alex witt" where it's 1:00 p.m. here on the east coast, 10:00 out west. president obama just wrapping up a virginia campaign event, he appeared rain-soaked and he thanked the crowd for waiting through the storm, which was pretty torrential. it's the president's second trip to the state in as many days. let's go to nbc white correspondent mike viqueira, live from the white house where it's not as soggy, it looks like to me. >> reporter: no. >> he took a beating in the rain. >> reporter: a distant rumble of thunder from that location, it was a pouring rain as you can see, the president soaking right through his shirt. at one point after it waxed and waned a little bit, picked up a

bit, he said those hairdos are gone. obviously supporters of the president, glen allen, virginia, that is eric cantor leader of house republicans is his territory, just outside of richmond. the president continue to hammer home his theme of this is a choice not referendum, a choice of economic policies you've heard the president give in his stump speech time and time again. his second trip to virginia in as many days, underscoring this is a key part of the campaigns electoral strategy. talking about not going back to the policies of the past, top-down economics as he put it. casting it as a choice between two economic theories. the president also hitting mitt romney on that insourcing/outsourcing, this continue rage between the campaigns with charges flying back and forth. let's listen to a little bit of what the president had to say just moments ago. >> but we did this. and it didn't work. we can't afford go back to

top-down economics. we need somebody who believes in a middle-out economics a bottom-up economics, somebody who will fight for you and working people all across virginia and all across america. that's why i'm running for a second term as president of the united states. >> reporter: and, as you can see, no damping of spirits from the president or the crowd. that is his first stop in virginia today, all together there will be five. he heads to centerville, virginia, not far across the river in northern virginia. >> the president surviving the rain with about 900 others who stood with them. thank you very much, mike. good to see you. joining me now for more frofrnlt page politics, chara tup lets and david nakamura. glad to have you. >> good afternoon. >> david, the pros sapresident

says if he wins virginia you'll win four more years in the white house. he won that state in 2008. what is the sense from the white house about the president's chances in virginia? >> i think the president's campaign feels good about virginia. it's not a coincidence that two months ago when the president officially launched his reelection campaign he picked virnl virg and ohio on the same day to sort of make his first speeches. he's back again the last two days. he'll spend a lot of time there. i think you'll see the polls right now show him with a bit of a lead over mitt romney. it's all the more important pause i think in neighboring north carolina the president's going to have a little tough er i'm. it will be nip and tuck and the numbers don't look as good there. i think that puts more emphasis on virginia, the demographics in virginia are growing a bit more faivlg to the frez and you have a popular former governor tim kaine who will be engaged in a tight vote for the senate there. it will bring out the votes. that's an important battleground state that the president will go back to.

>> how crucial is the win in virginia? >> i think virginia is important for the president. i don't think it's this the must-win category liking ohio or pennsylvania. but it's definitely important. i think there are 13 electoral votes there. the latest real politics average show barack obama with a three-point edge over mitt romney. it's very competitive. romney has taken campaign trips to virginia but not as froektly as barack obama. perhaps because that's also because the white house is just a few short miles from virginia. but it highlights what an important state it is for the president. >> let's switch gears, david. i want to talk about mitt romney is fighting back about his time at bain capital. here's what mitt romney told nbc's peter alexander. >> the president's campaign has been i think outrageous in making the kind of charges they have. i think the kinds of attacks are beneath the dignity of the presidency. i think the president needs to rein in his campaign and start talking about the real issues people care about, which relate to our economy. >> david, are you hearing any

new reaction from the white house based on what they heard in the five interviews mitt romney gave yesterday? >> i don't think the white house will back down from this. the reason is i think they think they're getting traction. polls show in swing states mitt romney is being hurt by some of these accusations whether they like it or not. just this morning the president released another tough advert e advertisement that goes to offshoring and bank accounts in the cayman islands. and that ad is very damaging, shows mitt romney singing "america the beautiful" super imposed with clips from newspapers talking about these accounts that are hidden offshore. i think like you said no matter what mitt romney says in these interviews it won't really change the obama campaign's mind this is an area of weakness for mitt romney. >> and i mentioned these five back-to-back interviews. how unprecedented is something like this for mitt romney? do you think this issue will move independent voters come november? >> i think it's very unusual for

mitt romney to do so many television interviews. in the past he's actually taken a lot of criticism for not being as open with the press as some of his predecessors on the ticket. i think what mitt rox ne's campaign wanted to do was to shut the door on a lot of these accusations on bain, to get rid of the tax issue by talking to all these news organizations and letting it all out in the open. and i'm pretty sure it did the opposite. i think we still have questions. a lot of reporters still want to ask various things about this. and the obama campaign, as david pointed out, is still on the attack about it. i don't know if the campaign was very successful. >> i want to ask you, shira, the governor who was on defense about releasing more tax returns. here's what he said about that. >> i understand that the opposition research people at the obama campaign want more information they can try and dig through. you know what? i've put out as much as we're going to put out, once i've added this year, and that's the information that gives people more information than is required by law.

>> he released, shira, a ton of informations to the mccain campaign in '08 when they were vetting him as a possible veep candidate. why not release the last four years of tax returns? i mean, you know what it leads people to believe? >> it leads people to believe the worst, al elf. it leads people to believe he is hiding something, whether or not he is. mitt romney is right, the obama campaign would like him to release his tax returns because it is more opposition research fodder for them to dig through. but when he cited the requirement by law, the truth is the law doesn't require candidates to release that much about their personal financial situations. we at roll call go through personal financial disclosures for every member of congress and they don't tell us that much. in many ways he is actually not releasing that much information by just releasing what is required by law. >> david, why not just release more of his tax returns and put this issue to rest? it's not like everybody doesn't already see him as a wealthy, successful businessman which one would expect to be refleblgted

in the tex returns. >> it makes people wonder what the obama campaign is hitting him on, what else is in there. would it raise more questions if he released them? at the same time, reporters still continue to do their investigating. we see story after story, "the boston globe" had two this week talking about mitt romney's time at bain and sort of how secretive some of his dealings might have or have not been. the romney campaign no matter how hard they try can't put it to rest. >> what about one-time rick santorum appearing at a romney campaign center? is that a sign that senator santorum is fully behind mr. romney? >> i'm not sure about that. it's been a slow courtship. usually the number two runner-up in republican politics tries to angle himself and be next in line. santorum definitely has that title. he was number two runner-up in the primary. it's a very unusual case because it's been this outstanding

tension between him and mr. romney. i wouldn't call it a full-throttled endorsement or anything like that. i 30think there's still tension between the two. >> do you think it at least gets santorum's supporters to throw their support behind mitt romney? >> i think that's important, consolidating the support on the republican side is what mitt romney has done fairly well. you see that with campaign finance donations and now getting people to the polls is going to be an important part of it. any of this kind of consolidation and unity on the republican side is very helpful. >> david and shira, thanks so much. >> thanks. right now kerry kennedy is awaiting a court date for allegedly driving while impaired by drugs. she continued on to the next exit, pulled over where she was reportedly found past out behind the wheel. her attorney tells us she was shaken but not injured.

kennedy spokesperson says there were no drugs in her system, but sources familiar with the case tell nbc news that blood and urine tests were sent to a police lab and it could take days for the result tosz come back to show my type of proof of drugs in her system. now to our big three money headlines, record profits despite one whale of a loss. could it be turning around? and 60-day test drive. author and retail analyst is here with the latest details. nice to see you. >> dp to see you too. >> let's talk about jpmorgan's bottom line, which came out just fine in the end. >> right. they reported record earnings for their second quarter despite the billions of dollars of trading losses, as you had mentioned, the whale of a loss. it was done by this rogue derivatives trader out of london known as the london whale. and despite all of those trading loss losses, the company was reporting better than expected earnings. they said despite they might have some blanking fees in terms of making money, the banking

fees may cause them a loss going into the next quarter, that they will actually -- they're making more money with bank loans, up 30% this quarter. >> but the word is this london whale, what a name, the word is they've cut him loose. what do we know about him? >> well, his name is -- i just want to make sure i get it right -- bruno iksel. he was trading upwards of $100 billion out of london. these are the types of trades he was dog. based on that and because of the egregious losses it caused jpmorgan, they cut him loose as well as a couple of other executiv executives. >> let's get to home sales. there's positive signs for the first time in seven years. do you see the housing market as finally being set to bounce backing? >> right. well, the case-shiller index, the first time we're seeing a positive move upward. as you had mentioned, you know, almost seven months now.

and this is the first time we've seen any sort of positive movement since this housing bubble burst. now, in may housing -- purchases of homes had gone up 10% versus last may so that's definitely a good indication. as well as housing ichblttories, that's really the key. you have to look at housing inventories. they are becoming less on the market. but are we back where we are at 2002 levels? no. housing analysts are looking to see us back at those levels. shoppers can take new chevy models on a 60-day test drive? >> that's right. i'm going to be taking that chevy out to the hamptons. i want to see what this is all about. actually, chevy, during the summer, a lot of other automobile manufacturers have these promotions to get rid of their inventories. chevy, this is similar to what

lun d hyundai did during the recession where they allowed people to take out these cars just to get people in the doors. chevy is saying, come in, test-drive a chevy, see if you like it. we can almost guarantee you will. if you don't, 60 days later you can return that. what irthat not going to give back -- they will give back the price of the car and some of the taxes, but they're not going to give back some of the fees and refinancing fe fees and that sort of thing. >> understandable. very good to see you. thanks. up next is a key issue in the battle for the white house that could greatly influence the outcome of the presidential election and it's not the economy or health care. stay with us. you're watching "weekends with alex swit t vivitt." ovider is dt

but centurylink is committed to being a different kind of communications company by continuing to help you do more and focus on the things that matter to you.

♪ power surge, let it blow your mind. [ male announcer ] for fruits, veggies and natural green tea energy... new v8 v-fusion plus energy. could've had a v8. hey. hey eddie. i brought your stuff. you don't have to do this. yes i do. i want you to keep this. it'd be weird. take care. you too. [ sighs ] so how did it go? he's upset. [ male announcer ] spend less time at gas stations. with best in class fuel economy. it's our most innovative altima ever. ♪

pf. >> a three-judge panel is deciding texas's voter i.d. law. texas has sued the justice department for blocking its new law that, like similar measures in indiana and georgia, would require government-issued photo i.d.s at the polls. opponents of the law say they disproportionately affect black and hispanic voters and violate the landmark 1965 voting rights act. omar van honey has been covering the voter i.d. laws, thanks for join being us. >> thanks for having me. >> take a look at your latest article, it looks at the impacts of the voter i.d. laws on the presidential election. how big of an issue is this for president obama's campaign? >> they're taking it very seriously. on the campaign already subtly and overtly they're going and telling people in these really main-based groups that you

talked about, african-americans, hispanics but also young voters disproportionately affected by this, they need to turn out, african-americans at even a better rate than they had in 2008, and there's concerns that these voter i.d. laws in some swing states could have a real effect. >> we're talking about how many battleground states where this might be effective? >> it's really a handful right now, but there's places like pennsylvania, for example, which you can even question if it's a battleground state, most polls show it leaning to obama, little tighter this time around, but you look at the number in pennsylvania. there was a recent study that the pennsylvania government did and you have basically 180,000 just in philadelphia alone democratic stronghold majority african-american city that don't have the two most common state i.d.s. >> wow. so if you talk about nationally,

how many people do you think we're talking about here? and do you think it's enough to swing the election? do we expect the election to be that tight? >> well, the election is going to be very tight so there is reason to be concerned. nationally you're talking about 20 million people, according to a brennan center study, of the number of people that don't have state i.d.s. >> 20 million people? >> about 10% -- according that the brennan center, yes. and that's nationwide. a lot of these states are not in play. texas -- the case in texas i think is extraordinarily interesting. texas isn't going to be a play in election, but texas is a state that's growing hispanic. the population is booming. this is a state that's been traditionally republican, but in a matter of less than a y generation, democrats really think texas could be a state they could play in. >> aside from the justice department suits, what has the obama administration, reelection campaign, what are they doing to

combat these laws? are they getting out there and registering folks and getting all this cleared up? >> absolutely. they've gone out and registered folks. they've been -- the first lady even and from the first rally on has been reminding both african-american voters, young voters, all voters really but particularly when she's talking to those groups, hey, get your snuff order, because you've got to get it done now. this could be a problem if these voting laws end up being -- holding up and being in play come november. so get it done now. make sure, with young voters at colleges, you have your driver's license with the correct address. make sure everything is up to date. >> of course there are many that are clamoring this is being done intentionally to try and sway the vote. do you see evidence, do you see proof of that? >> well, it's interesting. back in pennsylvania again, the house republican leader of the

state assembly there, you know, he said when he was talking to a republican state committee, he was amongst friends but he mentioned that, you know, he ticked off a list of reasons why the state should go to romney. among the things he ticked off was the voter i.d. law there. >> okay, well thank you very much from "usa today" aumer, thank you. >> thanks for having me. still ahead, office politics with melissa harris-perry on her uncle the tea partier andherita. i'm not kidding. it's very interesting. we'll talk about it next on "weekends with alex witt." pioneers in outsourcing us jobs supports tax breaks overseas. insourcing. industry and favors bring jobs home. it matters.

i'm barack obama, and i approved this message. unner,marathon r

in absolute perfect physical condition and i had a heart attack right out of the clear blue... he was just... "get me an aspirin"... yeah... i knew that i was doing the right thing, when i gave him the bayer. i'm on an aspirin regimen... and i take bayer chewables. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. so he's a success story... [ laughs ] he's my success story. [ male announcer ] learn how to protect your heart at i am proheart on facebook. let's go now to today's

snapshot of ups and downs beginning with more money. fortune magazine says there's i record amount of money in circulation, $1.1 trillion, 75% of it in $100 bills. get this, $30 million in cash is circulating in denominations of $5, $1,000 and $10,000 bills. seen one of those recently? not so much. lots of shareholders of groupon stock is selling. it hit a record low this week, shares down about 60% since groupon went public last november. now to a top cat. this feline's no run of the milhouse cat. stubs is the cat mayor of at that ta keen na, alaska. he's held the honor for 15 years, he's become a local tourist attraction. nothing is run perfectly since taking office, but what do you expect from a cat? how low will she go in octomom performed last night at a florida strip club. she didn't take it all off,

we're told. she has also starred in pornography to pay the bills.

this is new york state. we built the first railway, the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business.

find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com. busy day out there in times square. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." time for your fast five headlines. secretary of state hillary clinton has arrived in cairo with her feefirst meeting with president muhammad morsi. in paris today, pomp, pageantry and patriotism, it's bastille day that markses the beginning of the french revolution in 1789. among the festivities, a parachute show that drove one parachuter off by a half mile. he wound up suffering a sprained knee. back in this country, visa, mastercard and several of major banks have agreed to pay

retailers about $6 billion to settle a lawsuit. as part of the deal, merchants are going to be allowed to charge customers a fee to use a credit card. we'll talk more about that. the effects of thursday's massive solar flare could interfere with electronics. power grids are most vulnerable, the solar storm also may generate a display of northern lights this weekend. and in the year's final running of the bulls a bit earlier today, four people were injured but no one was gored. over the course of the eight stampedes there in spain, the bulls got the better of 38 people who needed to go to the hospital, which includes four people who were gored. and those are your fast five headlines. new reaction today defending new york city police and its controversial stop and frisk policy which could set the stage for the rest of the country. just yesterday, new york's mayor michael bloomberg says said to

certain groups of people, quote, everything the police does is wrong. the mayor argues stop and frisk saves lives but nubz don't really show that. opponents say it unfairly targets minorities. joining me is randolph mclaughlin. thank you for joining me, professor. as we talked about the mayor defending the stop and frisk program, as you said in the "new york times" article this week, judges read the newspapers, they get the details on all of this kind of policy. so do you think the courts are likely to stop it? >> the courts have so far stopped it on two occasions. two young african-americans were arrested, stopped, frisked. they actually found guns on these two individuals and the appellate courts threw out their convictions and reversed it. there's a federal judge right now in manhattan who has certified a class action lault essenti lawsuit saying it appears she's thinking the policy violates the constitution. >> there's been public outcry,

opposition discussions, opposition marches. do you think that will influence the mayor and nypd? >> i don't think anyone will influence the mayor or or kell except a federal court order that orders them to stop this basically unconstitutional -- it's starting to look like a racist policy. >> i was going to ask you about that. unconstitutional because of that? are there racial overtone here you can point to and really say that's what it is definitively? >> there have been 685,000 stops in one year alone, 2011. this year every month 2,200. 87% of the individuals stopped are african-american and latinos. they've stopped more black men, young men, in new york city than there are black young men in new york city. >> okay. now, there are many people who say new york city residents and the mayor will say this is what they're clamoring for, which is to keep this city safe at all costs. >> here's what the facts really

show us. of the 685,000 stops, 1% of those stops resulted in a gun being taken off the street. so you have a greater likelihood of getting a gun take offen off the street by random stops not these kind of stops. here's what's going on. they are literally stopping and frisking people in the streets of new york at the rate of 2,000 a day. we used to have a policy called community policing. now we're policing the community. that's what's going on. >> how do you see this being different or similar than that which goes on at the airport. you look back at 9/11, and how policy changed and at least to this point we have been kept safe because of what people say are invasive policies, to many. >> well, the airport security or court security where you have to pass through a metal detector, that's a limited situation. what we're having in new york is, you essentially are criminalized by being black and walking on the streets of new

york. they're stopping you without any suspicion you've committed a crime or are about to commit a crime. enact, on their forms they check off, we stopped him because he's in a high crime neighborhood. so essentially if you live in what they consider a high crime neighborhood, you're likely to get stopped and frisked in the street. >> and do you find that of those statistics you're putting out there the majority of people getting stopped and frisked it does happen in areas with a higher level of crime? >> it's happening in african-american communities -- there may be a higher level of crime. what's critical you want good policing in those communities. >> how does that come about? do we need better education for police officers about what they should be looking for? >> here's what you need. you need community policing. you need the police to engaged with the community, not as an occupying force, arresting and frisking people, but you need them to engage in the community because the community knows who the criminals are. and the whole notion of just randomly stopping people on mas is not resulting in any better

policing. >> how do you see this playing out? >> i think a federal court in new york city will rule that this policy -- it is tea policy- is unconstitutional and they will strike it down. >> do you think as some who look to new york will look to new york and how new york goes may the rest of the country go? >> i think the rest of the country is waiting and seeing to see what actually hatches in that court case. and i think once the federal court strike it's down, which i believe it will, we'll see the stop of stop and frisk as we know it. >> pace law school professor, thank you so much. the obama campaign has unleashed a new attack ad targeting mitt rom fe as an outsourcer while raising questions about overseas accounts. ♪ purple mountains majesty above the fruited plains ♪ ♪ america america god shed his grace on thee ♪

>> and a new gallup poll shows governor romney's wealth could cost him votes while 75% of voters say it doesn't make a difference, 20% say they are less likely to vote for him because of it. in this week's office politics, i talk with our own melissa harris par i are about a couple of things her fans may find surprising, her family's mormon heritage and her tea partier uncle. plus the origins of everyone's favorite hash tag nerd land. but also i spoke about president obama and her thoughts about a post-racial america. >> i whatthink what's important he's both african-american and a democrat. the question of how important is race by itself we could only have known had the first african-american president not been a democrat. so african-americans are giving more than 85% of their vote to the democratic party since the 1950s, the fact that the fist

black president is also from the democratic party suggests to me that it's almost overdetermined how much black support you get. had the first black president been colin powell or someone else from the republican party, then i think the question of how much of it was a racist act we could have known by saying, normally republicans get, say, 10% of the vote, this time they got 20% of the vote. there was that sort of 10% that was clearly just about race. >> what about the post-racial america? i mean -- >> is it here? >> which is your answer to that? we still looking for it? >> i'm not looking for it because for me the goal is post-racist, right, where we would be able to talk about racism and racial inequality as something of the past. i really like my racial history. i can remember during the primaries in 2008 i would get calls from reporters because i was very much at that point just a contributor.

and folks would say, are you supporting hillary clinton because she's a woman or are you supporting barack obama because he's black? and my response was always, i'm supporting mitt romney because he's mormon. and it's because, you know, i've talked about this on the show, my mother's people are mormon, my mother graduated from brigham young university. so my story is, yes, i'm a woman, yes, i'm african-american, yes, i also have mormon heritage. all of those things are true and so, you know, i wouldn't want any of that to become irrelevant. i wouldn't want any part of who i am to become post. what i am excited about is the possibility of moving towards a world that is post-racial inequality. >> it's interesting you bring that up about your mother and i know that you did an article right around mother's day where you talked about people's surprise at hearing that. my jaw, like, what? >> yeah. my uncle fred who is one of my dearest -- i mean, this is an uncle who from the time i was a little bitty girl was -- is in

the tea party in california, right? >> really? and you're actually admitting that? >> and i can remember when -- when president obama gave as a candidate the race speech in 2008 in philadelphia and he talked about what happens when you're in relationships with of intimacy with people who are different than you, your grandmother, your best friend, there is -- there's all the realities of the structures of race, but a lot of that falls away when it's like, you know, your uncle fred who sent you one of your favorite of gifts when you were 7 years old for your birthday party, help us to expand our idea of who is like us and who can we find some point of commonality with. >> it seems like your mother has influenced you in so many ways. >> my mother -- my mom and dad were not together in my childhood, although they were very much part of raising me. my mom was basically a single parent who, you know, worked in nonprofit organizations, who was

herself an activist within early feminist organizations. so, for me, the really cool part of the career i have now is i get to do a little of my mom and a little of my dad, a little of the advocacy and the academics. >> it's sort of percolating very young in you. that was like your dinner table conversation if your entire world. you're doing exactly what you are doing. except why do you call it nerdland? >> i was having a conversation before the show launched with a "new york times" reporter and one of my producers jamil, as soon as he saw it, nerdland, that's our hash tag. we are nerdland. we live in new orleans monday through thursday. then james and my daughter come up on friday night. >> after school. >> after school and work they fly up. and so, you know, that means that he is -- he's on single daddy duty all day friday, getting her packed, getting her on the airplane, getting her to new york. they have had some stories, you know, over the time. >> have you ever had one of those days you're up and getting

ready for work and say, oh, that belt is in new orleans! you have to lun two houses now. that's hard. >> every once in a while that happens, it's true. but really i try to dress up for the hoe and when i'm in my casual life in new orleans, even my professorial dress tends to be much more casual. >> and she's cool, too. more of my conversation with melissa tomorrow at this time when she talks about mitt romney's speech this week at the n cc k cnc k cnc kc -- and be s show tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. eastern. next with the big three, mitt romney's media blitz and a battle over bain. does thou protest too much? when you use your visa card, you're entered for a chance to win a trip to the olympic games for life. to cheer the summer athletes to new heights, starting in 2016...

as you experience every moment, every emotion, every four years... for the rest of your life. visa. supporting athletes and the olympic games for 25 years. people everywhere go with visa.

i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital

that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral. see why millions of people have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. don't wait. call now. it's time now for the big three and today's topics, the bain game, who's taxes are going up, and best week worst wiek.

we'll bring in my panel right now, "washington post" columnist dana mill bank, msnbc contributor susan del percio and cnbc contributor and democratic strategist keith boykin. hi, guys. susan, i'll begin with you. we'll start with the bain game here. mitt romney doing five tv interviews on friday saying that he ended his management involvement with bain capital in 1999. do you think that was the right move to make? do you think these interviews are going to help close the book on this, or are they going to fan the flames even more? >> they should close the books on it unless someone finds more documents that conflicts with what is said. as long as the romney team is confident this is everything out there and they won't have to explain it again, they'll be fine. the other thing is, maybe it will keep going for a few days but this is july. so i don't think at the end of of the day it's going do have any real influence on the race come november. >> keith, you know, the obama camp really focusing on the bain attacks, accusing mr. romney of being an outsourcer.

here is the president today in virginia. let's listen. >> mr. romney has a different idea. he invested in companies that have been called pioneers of outsourcing. i don't want a pioneer in outsourcing. i want some insourcing. i want to bring companies back. >> so, keith, let's say in november the economy is still flat. is this going to really become an issue? do you think the obama camp is trying to create some sort of distraction from the economy? >> it's definitely working, especially if you look at the swing states where romney's perception is starting to weaken because of these ads. you know, you have today president obama out there in virginia campaigning in the rain while mitt romney is at his 11-acre estate in new hampshire relaxing. you know, the campaign for the obama team they are not letting up. they put out a new ad just today which was relentless, using mitt

romney's own word singing "america the beautiful" against him? i don't think this is it a message they'll give up on because i think they're seeing the american people are reacting to this and they will continue to push on it. >> do you think so, dana, the independent voters will it resonate with them come november if the economy doesn't tick up substantially by then? >> this is potentially dangerous to mitt romney because this is the silly season between the primaries and the conventions when things really get going in earnest. this is the sort of time when something like this swiftboats theme kind of comes up. i think this is what's happening, that the obama side is trying to swiftboat romney with bain and other things. the economy will probably be all-decisive in november, but obama is unexpectedly gaining the advantage at this early stage. so i do think that this is toing to be something that's enduring that we are going to see right through to november. >> except, dana, i wouldn't call it swiftboating.

i would say it's swissboating because the swiss bank accounts are having an impact. >> really good, keith. can i ask you quickly, susan, before we move on, with regard to what keith brought up, the fact you have president obama working hard, he's out there in the rain and there's this picture of mitt romney hanging out in a relatively privileged environment there. do you think that mitt romney right now is hunkering down and trying to figure out his next move? do you think it's just he's frying to figure out how to get out of this? >> i think what you mentioned earlier, they did a series of five television interviews yesterday to put it out there. they're going to let it settle. it makes sense for today to be a day off. let all the news settle, let anyone ask any more questions they'll possibly ask. there's no doubt mitt romney has had a very aggressive campaign schedule going back to the primaries. no one thinks he's just laying back and taking it easy at all. so i think there's nothing wrong with him take being a day, letting the news settle. >> dana, our next topic we'll go

to now, whose taxes will go up, which depends. here's more of the president in virginia today. >> what i've said to congress is, let's make sure that everybody who's making $250,000 a year or less, that your taxes don't everybody who is making $250,000 or less a year, your taxes won't go up. but let's ask folks like me who can afford it at the top 2% to do a little bit more. >> so dana, if congress doesn't act, the taxes will expire for everyone on january 1st. do you see much room for compromise on this issue? >> i don't see congress act og this or any other issue. i don't know anybody on capitol hill who thinks anything will act on the tax issue. i think this is all about politics at the moment and who has the advantage after the election in that lame duck

session where they'll have to hammer out something. i think the smart money says everybody is briefly going to get their current tax rates extended. >> keith, everyone says the tax cuts will hurt the the economy, so why not keep the tax cuts for everyone? >> we turned it the other way in the clinton administration with the higher tax rate and we created 23 million jobs. the reality is everybody's taxes are going to go down under president obama's proposal. i don't think he's explained this very well. even millionaires and billionaires get a tax cut in the $250,000 of their income. it's the income above $250,000 that don't get the tax cut, so he needs to make that more clear. >> so if you make $350,000, you're only getting a tax on 250,000. susan, what were you saying? >> it seems the consistent problem with this administration is their communication issues. they couldn't explain health care, they can't explain what they're proposing here, which kind of tells me if they can't

explain it, maybe it's not the best thing for us to be doing as a country. >> maybe mitt romney could explain why he won't release his taxes. the guy has a lot of explanation problems going on in the last week. he's not really the one who should be making the charges. >> i think everyone agr there is a uniform problem with the olympics. >> coming up, we vote on the best and the worst weeks out there. [ male announcer ] don't miss red lobster's four course seafood feast,

just $14.99. start with soup, salad and cheddar bay biscuits then choose one of 7 entrees plus dessert! four perfect courses, just $14.99. come into red lobster and sea food differently.

we are back with the big 3. it's time to find out who had the best week and who had the worst week. we're bringing back in the panel. dana milbank, susan and keith boint on. keith, who did you think had the best and worst weeks? >> the best week was barack obama after what was a really bad unemployment number. he turned the week around somehow and managed to focus it on the person who had the worst week, which was mitt romney. >> why do you give him the worst? >> because here's a guy who spent all week struggling to explain his taxes, struggling to explain bain. these are the issues that were supposed to be his strong suits,

the economy, the financial things, and he ends up spending the whole week on the defense. i've never seen the democrats be so aggressive before as they have in this campaign. >> dana yur, you're next. best and worst. >> i think the best goes to condoleeza rice who is just sitting there being professional, enjoying the weather. she doesn't want to be vice president, but everyone is flattering her right now. she's having a terrific week. i think the worst week goes to the cayman islands. this has been a political hurricane for them. this beautiful slice of paradise is really being abused this week. that's not fair. >> that's a pretty picture, though. susan, we'll finish with you. how about your picks? >> for best i gave it to senator lieberman. he stood up to his conference and said we're not going to take the easy way out and just proposed some tax cuts without dealing with the deficit problem. for standing on principle, i gave it to them. the worst has to be the olympic

uniforms. not only do they not look good, i think they created the only bipartisan agreement in washington this week, which was, they were made in china and that's not good. i hate to do it, but the berets, not good. >> that's a wrap-up of "weekend with alex witt." next we have "rock center with brian williams." ♪

[ male announcer ] you've reached the age where you don't back down from a challenge. this is the age of knowing how to make things happen. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have.