under a federal program launched today, nearly 2 million young people can now apply to temporarily live and work in the u.s. without the fear of being deported. the majority of the applicants latino. in chicago, organizers say more than 12,000 people had applied by 9:30 this morning to apply. many brought sleeping bags with them. >> i think i can be a great asset to the country. i mean, getting a great education at a great institution. i don't want to go anywhere else. i want to stay here. >> we won the battle but still have yet to win the war. >> many know no other country. now, the program to qualify applicants must be under the age of 31, must have been brought to the u.s. before 16 years of age and have to have lived in the "uss continuously for at least five years. they must currently be in school or have a high school diploma or ged and cannot have a criminal record. the plan sparked a lot of debate over the nation's immigration policy not to mention the possible implications on the

presidential race. let's bring in our political panel, sandra lily, web producer, stephen nuno from northern arizona university and raul andreas, columnist for "usa today" newspapers. thank you all for being with us. >> thank you for having us. >> what is the importance of this for not only the kids that are lining up there and will be doing so for weeks and months, but for the latino community? >> i think for the community, it's a game-changer. as you know, many in the community have been advocating for this for years. i think it's worth noting that it's not just latinos, but if you look at university officials across the country, business groups, this is in pillows the majority of americans say if someone is willing to stay here and either go to college or be in the military, they support that that person not be deported. i think it's more of a national issue, not just a latino issue. >> raul, it's temporary, for two

years. only the folks under 30 years of age or less and have been here for five years and got here it under 16 apply. that means a lot of their parents are not going to be fulfilling this requirement. older brothers and sisters out of the picture. those deported already under the obama administration the last three years, 1.5 million people have been deported. there, stiff out of luck. >> they are. that's why this whole process, because of the politics involved, it's going to be watched very closely by both sides. if we see a lot of fraud or if we see that there's problems in how this posse is implemented, you're going to have criticism from both immigrant rights group and the anti-immigrant crowd. for some families unfortunately, you'll end up with mixed status families where maybe the kids are on a path to temporary legalization and yet submitting documents and papers with their parents' names and when they came. that's the irony for undocumented people eligible for this policy. now they have to submit travel

documents, journals, paperwork, grades, transcripts. >> because they have to prove they were here before they were 16 years of age, they have to say my parents brought me here, ie my parents are undocumented and don't appear as of right now on the american radar picture of the undo you wanted. >> that's the risk. >> it's worth noting. they've had to spend a lot of time saying that this is the citizenship services so nothing will happen to the families. but there has been a lot of fear in the community about what could happen if you apply. >> stephen nuno in 2012, nothing happens in this country as far as politics unless there is political repercussions to this. this is clearly for barack obama a very positive statement that he is giving to the latino community. >> well, it's a very small offering to latinos. >> unless you're one of the 1.18 million who is going to get it. >> here's the thing. the first three years of his administration he spent

implementing the largest deportation program since eisenhower. 1.5 million latinos have already been deported under his administration's policy. it's a sign of hoip thpe that ps in the future obama can make some immigration reform. it's a small offering in the hopes that the first three years of his administration he's been busy deporting them. >> the fact of the matter is that there might be family separation as a consequence of this. but you know what? in capitol hill, zero, nada, zilch has been done on immigration reform. it doesn't seem like there's been anything happening in the near future. so when there is nothing, you've got nothing to lose and you're helping 1.8 million kids who had know no other country but the united states. many don't speak spanish. what do you do? do you just stand back and let this continue?

isn't this a very positive step? >> well, the problem with this is that we're three and a half years into the administration. could you have done this three days into the administration when latinos voted for him, he promised he would make progress on reform. this is something the executive could have done three days into the administration and the republicans wouldn't have changed their stance on immigration. they would have continued to say he president obama wasn't doing enough. he hasn't changed the face of the republican party. the republican party has instead hardened on immigration because they're insisting on making sure anything president obama does he's going to seem like a loser. so the republican party hasn't changed on immigration. president obama claims that he hasn't changed on immigration but this is a policy that could have been done 3 1/2 years ago. >> i want to talk to raul. there's an old exflexion spanish [ speaking foreign language ] when he could he didn't to and when he wanted to, he couldn't. is this a case where he

actually, the president let the political capital pass on other issues and not immigration reform and now he's finding that he really does need to fulfill a promise and this is a very strong first step? >> i understand what stephen's saying and i agree. there is an element. i think we would agree. could have, would have, should have. this is the reality. we have so many young people who want to be in the military. they want to apply for scholarships and work and live openly. i'm an optimist. i see it as a down payment on future immigration reform. for these young people, it's a tremendous opportunity. >> you're a tremendous optimist. >> i was speaking to people in chicago in the lines. we spoke to an active yists who said what the young people are telling us is there's no going back. this opens the door. >> by the way, that's what he dns and ins has been saying to 1.5 people they've deported. 45% according to statistics, 45%

of those are noncriminals. ins has been ripping apart families for 3 1/2 years saying the same thing. we're sending you out, an and there's no coming back. >> remember again, when it comes to dreamers, the american people see it in a very different light. they say children who who came here willing to study or work hard and join the military, i think they have more public support than others. >> stephen lives in arizona. the land of sb-1070. the sb-1070s of the world exist. the politicalism i jen exists because there has been no real movement on comprehensive reform in this country. there hasn't been in 3 1/2 years. my question to you is, is this enough to get the tens of -- well the hundreds of thousands and millions of latinos registered to vote in the this country to come out eithering to support obama or romney, whoever they decide? is this enough to get them out to the polls? >> i hope so. so far it is. there's been such a tremendous

outpouring among young people and all around the country, the spanish language media, there has been so much interest in following the progress or lack of immigration. one thing i have to mention that i think the obama administration has been very wise in this policy is being implemented by u.s. cis, the citizenship immigration services not i.c.e., which is customs immigration. they're the ones deporting 400,000 people a year. >> stephen, i spent weeksing in arizona when sb-1070 was under way. and just describe to folks, you know, because you're in ground zero of the debate. there is fear on a regular basis for hundreds of thousands of peep, probably millions in this country. the simple act of walking outside their home is an act of courage and fear. they don't know the if husbands will be coming back because they'll get picked up. wives won't get back so they can get the school bus for their

children. there is real fear. is that fear mitigated for kids to come out and say, here i am, although you don't know i exist, i'm registering as an undocumented immigrant and i'm telling you that both of my parents crossed the border illegally? is there fear that same government that has deported 1.5 million people is going to keep its word when it says trust me it, everything is going to be okay? >> absolutely. there's no real historical evidence that latinos don't have anything to fear by the promises of the administration. i mean, the day after president obama announced his deferment program a 6-year-old was detained by sheriff arpaio and was detained by his police officers. so every time a latino steps out into public space in arizona, it's a political act. and there's the other day, two days ago, joe the plummer said he wanted to point guns south of the border and shoot anyone that

tries to cross the border. i mean, this is the environment that latinos are living in in arizona. it's any latino. it's citizens who are here who have family member who are under different statuses with immigration status. it's very disheartening and here we very another promise by the administration that he's going to make progress and perhaps there's hope but latinos face a decision in november. are they going to continue to support obama and continue to vote for him or are they going to stay home? he doesn't have a vote choice problem. latinos that do go out are going to vote for president obama overwhelmingly. his problem is, are they going to come out and turn out for him. >> that's a great political discussion point. bring it down in a funnel today. 1.5, 1.6, 1.7 million young kids have the opportunity to come out from under the shadows and say here i am. give me the opportunity for the next two years to prove to you

that i am here to contribute. and not to take away. stephen, raul, sandra, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> by the way, for more coverage of the dreamers in english, go to nbclatino.com and if in. spanish tonight, on telemundo we've got this covered. both languages on nbc. thank you very much. now developing new in pennsylvania, a judge has refused to block a tough new voter i.d. law from going into effect that requires allstate voters to show valid photo i.d.s at the polls. pennsylvania is a key state in the presidential election. democrats say the law will make it harder for minorities, young people and the poor to vote. republicans say it's necessary to prevent voter fraud. justice correspondent pete williams joins us with the latest. pete, good afternoon. >> good afternoon to you. this whole fight over photo i.d.s has been largely along the problem for both sides has been that it's a somewhat theoretical problem for both of them. what the judge said today, this is a state court judge is, even

though pennsylvania can't show that -- can't document any problem in the state with in-person voter fraud which is what the photo i.d.s are intended to get at, nonetheless, the judge said he's not convinced that even if this law is enforced it's going to disenfranchise either immediately or eventually inevitably a large number of voters. he said he's satisfied it will be implemented in a nonpart and way. he says in the opinion there are undoubtedly some republicans in pennsylvania who voted for it intending to suppress the minority vote but he says there's no indication that all legislators voted that way. secondly, he says with absentee voting and provisional ballots and a very concerted public education campaign going on in the state, he thinks that the balance of the equities tilt in the state's favor so he declined to issue an injunction to stop

enforcement of this law. those people who think that it does violate the state election law are going to appeal but if they want win in the pennsylvania state courts, it's basically over because this whole legal challenge was aimed at state law, not federal law. so that's probably the end of it if they can't win in a federal appeals court. >> pete, thank you so much. coming up, brand new comments from the ann romney about the issue that's troubled her husband's campaign for months. tax returns. >> very transparent to what's legally required of us. but the more we release, the more we get attacked. >> we'll play more of romney's exclusive interview with rock center. plus gutter ball, both campaigns not holding back when it comes to harsh language. the latest on the controversy over vice president biden's back in chains remarks. find us at "news nation." if you want to chat with me, jd balart. i do this in english and

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♪ sleep train ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ the presidential campaign seems to have reached a new level of nasty in the past 24 hours. it started with vice president biden's comments yesterday about romney's fiscal policies. he spoke for an audience that included several hundred african-americans. >> romney wants to let -- he said in the first 100 days, he's going to let the big banks once again write their own rules. unchain wall street. they're going to put you all back in chains. >> the romney campaign rushed out a statement call willing the remark a new low and romney had more to say. >> the comments of the vice president as i heard them, i

thought were one more example of a divisive effort to keep from talking about the real issues. look, no one is talking about deregulating wall street. >> meantime, governor romney delivered one of his harshest attacks yet on president obama last night in ohio. >> this is what an angry and desperate presidency looks like. his campaign strategy is to smash america apart and then try to cobble together 51% of the pieces. mr. president, take your campaign, the division and anger and hate back to chicago and let us get about rebuilding and reuniting america. >> the obama campaign responded to that with a statement saying "governor romney's comments seemed unhinged and particularly strange coming at a time when he's pouring tens of millions of dollars into negative ads that, demonstrably false." romney fired back today. >> i think unhinge have had to

to characterize what we've seen from the president's campaign. the president seems to be running just to hang on power. i think he'll do anything in his power to try and get re-elected. >> president obama got in the act yesterday during a speech on energy policy slipping in a reference to the romney dog who endured a family trip on the roof of the car. >> that's what he said about wind power. you can't drive a car with a windmill on it. now, i don't know if he's actually tried that. i know he's had other things on his car. >> joining me now with more on what's going on, joy reed, managing editor of the grio.com and msbc contribute per what a pleasure to see you. >> great to see you again too. >> talk about the last 24 hours, the dialogue and the semantics are really getting quite ugly on both sides. >> it must be summer. these campaigns seem like they need to fire it up. i think the problem i think for, let's start with the biden comment. >> i think it's a good start. >> it's a good start. this is one of those cases where

it's an inappropriate message that republicans hoped they could read in some sort of racial aspect to the comment because there were some black people in the room. this is also a story about the media. the associated press story sort of read that into it which as an african-american i found offensive. if you say the word canes and there are any black people in the room you're talking about them leaps to a conclusion unfair both to biden and to african-americans. >> two things, one i think regardless of what happens, this is taking away from the democrats' focus on the plan that the republican house has put forth which includes massive changes to medicare and even to social security. so that's a plus for the republicans if that's not the issue being discussed on the cycle for 24 hours. but let me ask you a question.i've been thinking a lot about this because i have a lot of comments on this issue. if you and i are at a party and some white guy we don't know if he's a democrat, republican, good or bad guy, he says if

things change around here, you guys are going to go back to chains, what are we going to think? we don't know who this person is. >> this is the problem. if joe biden said that in a black church where the entire audience. >> that's not my question. i'm talking about a white guy, whether there's black people or not, majority, minority, if you're in a place and some white good night you don't know whatever happens politically, that means you guys are going back to chains. a lot of people come from latin america and some right and left wing dictatorships, going back to chains is very relevant and it happens to all of us. >> i think the context always matters. if the republican party was saying we want to unshackle wall street and you comment they want to put you back in chains and you're talking about wall street. >> you heard them say that? >> absolutely. unshacking wall street is part of mitt romney's talking points. >> what does that have to do with people? now we're saying orp indications our people?

>> they have said tattoo. >> now everybody else is saying now because you're saying that an institution has changed that you can bring that down to people? >> i'm sorry, the problem is number one the assumption that only the black people in the room were being singled out. that is it the assumption i think the mitt romney campaign is making. secondly, they're not the appropriate messenger. this is the guy who went to the naacp and felt that it was appropriate to try to pointedly use the word obama care and then went to a fund-raiser and said if they want free stuff they should vote for obama who is running an ad that brings back the old welfare queens. >> you're absolutely right we need to put everything in context. >> exactly. >> back to my initial point. either republicans or democrats who use this kind of language when they're talking about people i think should be pointed out as being something we should not be including in the national dialogue. there's a lot of things to criticize one side to the other. >> right. >> but to use that term, i find

it interesting and i think that the democrats have you know, lost the focus for the last coup of hours on the criticism. >> i think that the speech he was talking about wall street. they were talking specifically about reforms that would remove the capital gains tax meaning somebody like mitt romney. we've got to keep the focus there. >> issues. >> at the same time, if you're saying you want to unshack it will wall street and someone makes a pun on that, don't be surprised. we put this to our audience and people almost to a person said you know what, wrong messenger for the republicans. we get what joe biden was going to say and don't assume because there were any block people in the room he was talking about us. a lot of people were offended at the context that the media put on it assuming he was isolating just the black people. >> thank you very much. i so appreciate seeing you. >> it's great to see you, too. miami in the house too. >> two miamians on the set. >> thanks so much. still ahead, i'll talk to a stupid applying for a chance to gain temporary legal status in

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get that great taste anytime with kingsford match light charcoal. we're back to you with more on the new immigration plan that could bring more than a million undocumented young people out of the shadows. take a look at the scene in chicago. thousands lining up today to apply for the obama administration's new program that temporarily protects some undocumented who it were brought to the u.s. as children from deportation. many of them educated right here. their families and friends are here. they know no other home. diego sanchez is one of those people and joins us now live from miami. good afternoon. >> good afternoon, jose. nice to be with you. >> likewise. how did you hear about the program and i understand you're going to apply tomorrow. how do you feel? >> very excited and relieved honestly. i mean, from living in fear for so many years you know, it's a big -- it takes a big load out of your back. >> is this a fair solution or

pretty much the only thing that can be achieved barring comprehensive immigration reform? >> well, it's a fair -- is it fair? we can talk about it all day. but i mean, the d.r.e.a.m. act has been used politically for a long time, and i think that this is the closest that we can get to something very, very, how would you say, very tangible, something very concrete, would relieve -- that would provide relief for a lot of aspiring americans. >> diego, give us a picture of just how this affects families, neighborhoods, towns, and cities throughout the country? i mean, what does it mean to be undocumented and not be able to say it? >> yeah, well, i mean for me personally, because i can't speak for everybody else. >> sure. >> everyone has a different case, but for me, for example, i've been driving without a license for like three years just because i have to. i commute to my school 40, 50 minutes sometimes. so that means not looking at the

rearview mirror anymore. and being nervous that you may get pulled over. and then be referred to i.c.e. or be stopped at a train station or a bus stop or not be able to get work or you know, be able to put our school degrees into work and be able to contribute to our communities honestly. so it also provides a lot of relief for our parents. they're always worried about us being in the streets. so it's a big relief. it's not the long-term sugars that we need but it's a big relief for us. >> what about the fact that some in the same family are going to qualify and others maybe even in the family family unit aren't? >> yeah, well, in my family, i'm the only one. you know, so the fear remains there. i'm still afraid. i have family members that you know are not going to be protected by this. so the fear remains. you know, but that's why i'm saying that this is not a long-term solution that we need. we're going to continue push for

the d.r.e.a.m. act and comprehensive immigration reform. >> you say it's not the solution we need. who is we? is this something positive? would immigration reform be a positive for the undocumented only or for the country as a whole? who's we? >> no, it's for the country as a whole. not only the immigrant community but you know, a lot of the immigrant community majority pays taxes so it's not only -- this will not only affect the undocumented community. but it would affect the whole country as a whole, you know. so i mean, the immigrant population provides a lot to the community, as well. and sometimes we forget to say that. >> diego, thank you from miami. appreciate your time. >> yes. >> both campaigns are going on the offensive when it comes to two taxing issues in the campaign. taxes and medicare. both campaigns are up with new tv ads. mitt romney is the first showing him and running mate paul ryan

together. >> you paid into medicaid for years. every pay economic. now when you need it, obama has cut $716 billion from medicare. why? to pay for obama care. the romney/ryan plan protects medicare benefits for today's seniorses and strengthens the plan for the next generation. >> the paul ryan medicare plan turns medicare into a voucher system. >> the cuts in medicare that he's proposing, the replacement of medicare by a voucher system would in the end mean that tens of millions of older americans would not be able to afford essential health care. >> nbc news senior political editor mark murray joins us live from washington. good afternoon. by running its ad, the romney campaign is it signaling the candidates that it intends to provide air cover that transforms medicare in the future? >> that's right, the republicans want to send the message not only inside the romney campaign and these down ballot contests

for the senate for governor, for the house of representatives that they're not going to shy away from this fight. if the dras are actually going to try to use medicare tore hit mitt romney to, hit paul ryan, they're going to hit back. what they're doing is resurrecting a charge from the 2010 midterm cycles where republicans said look, the health care law takes some $700 billion away interest medicare. therefore, president obama, you're touching medicare, too. >> you know, the romney campaign has also has to deal with an awkward packet. the ryan plan assumed a slower growth rate for medicare spending which ryan was challenged on in a fox news interview yesterday. >> doesn't your budget also contemplate very major savings from medicare on something like the same amount? >> only president obama raids $716 billion from the medicare program. he cut $716 billion from the ped care program to pay for obama care. we don't do that. >> you make savings. how much? >> the point is -- i joined the

romney ticket and what mitt romney is proposing to do is repeal all of obama care. >> didn't really understand the answer but could that be a problem? >> it is a problem. you see it's highlighted by the fact that paul ryan himself acknowledged that those same cuts, the assumption of those cuts, were in the latest version of the paul ryan budget and one of the reasons that paul ryan's budget is able to reduce the deficit is due to those cuts. the obama campaign and advocates say that the cuts that president obama ended up making in 2010 under the health care law had to do with things like recipients to providers to health care providers and medicare advantage twhag mitt romney is actually talking about and paul ryan is substantially transforming medicare where it actually impacts recipients, dates say the health care law didn't impact recipients at all. >> let's turn to another subject, whether the romneys will release any additional tax returns. here's what ann romney said in an exclusive interview with

brian williams. >> we have been very transparent to what's legally required of us. but the more we release, the more we get attacked. the more we get questioned, the more we get pushed. and so we have done what's legally required and there's going to be no more -- there's going to be no more tax relations given. >> she said there's nothing we're hiding but the questions don't seem to go away by at least the media, right? >> right. and also by members of congress. we saw harry reid, the senate majority leader just make up -- well, actually, raise in a blanket thing. i heard mitt romney never paid any taxes over a ten-year stretch of time. if democrats continue to do that, you can see how the tax issue keeps on getting raised. it probably doesn't go away, jose. >> mark murray, a pleasure to see you. thank you so much. nine bream killed in monterrey, mexico on monday. the latest violent episode in what has become a bloody drug war that claimed more than

50,000 lives over the last six years, in monitor ray, the center of a turf battle between rival drug cartels. it's it's no coincidence the violence takes place near the american border. the american drug consumption is fueling the narcotics industry. the situation in mexico reminds many of what took place in colombia in the early '80s and '90s. that's me in early 1983. had i hair back then at the pablo escobar funeral in meda yeen. special aelth javier peña was part of the operation that brought down escobar and joins us now from houston. agent, thank you for being with us. >>. >> thank you, jose. >> for many years in colombia, it was touch and go as to whether the drug cartels would control the country or the republic. how was columbia able to succeed in fighting the cartels? >> well, jose, colombia got together their intelligence,

their operations, and they made a full-fledged commitment to going after escobar as everybody knows, escobar was responsible for thenceportation, the shipment of the majority of the cocaine that was reaching our streets. and escobar i said ruled with intimidation, probably the worst narcotrafficker that we have seen. his barbaric tactics responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people. so we all got together and went after one target, which was pablo escobar. the u.s., the colombians all came together sharing all sorts of intelligence in dismantling his organization. >> now many say that what columbia lived in those years is now what in many years mexico has beeen living with in the fight against the cartels. and no one is stronger it seems as far as cartel worlds are concerned than he will chap

poguzman. tell us who that character is. well, el chapo guzman is one of mexico's leading traffickers. a lot of the loads come from him. we will see the violence. he's a significant trafficker in mexico. and you know, and everybody's going after him. we're seeing mexico doing a great job in combating their traffickers. extraditing them. so again, you know, we've got to remember that this traffickers want to get their dope to the rest of the world so the rest of the world can use that dope. they'll doll whatever means it takes to get it across. >> is that why, and i think it's important that we pinpoint all of this. is that why much of the violence that we've been seeing over the last five and a half years in mexico has occurred mostly in the northern border with the united states? the southern border of the united states? is that why the violence has

been pretty much limited to there although it has spread to other parts? >> well, with any trafficking organization, violence they do not care how they get their dope across. they'll use whatever violence they can killing people as we saw. the medellin cartel doing it on innocent placing the car bombs. we saw the bombing of the dos.building in columbia. they do not care. trafficking and violence, it's out there. they'll do whatever means they can to traffic their dope. and i think you know, the border areas, i mean, they like the border areas. >> because that's where their clients are in the united states. but mexico's president, the president elect has appointed a new retired colombia general adviser calling columbia an example of the success in the drug war strategy. i spoke to the president elect recently. listen to what he had to say about mexico's on going

strategy. >> translator: we have to take what works and what we have strengthens in the last few years. give me an example. >> we have a better police force, a better police force that we didn't have before. it's a federal police force with more members, with more equipment, with better weapons. and this is a job that we have to continue to build on. >> agent, do you think there's morse that the u.s. and mexico can doing together to help fight this problem? >> right now, we're at an all-time high. cooperation is great. we're working hand in hand. in fact, the general our general maranco was with us in the medellin. like i said, cooperation couldn't be better right now. we're all working because it affects everybody. >> dea javier pena, thank you very much. appreciate it. are prudent person next certainly coverage of what's become one of the worst droughts in history. i'll talk to a reporter live at a dairy farm in missouri hit

hard by the extreme conditions. first, here are some of the things we thought you should know. could there be another clinton in politics in chelsea clinton says she's not ruling out a run for office. in a new interview with "vogue," she embraced her political legacy and said she would consider a run for political office if "if it was something i felt called to do." and condoleezza rise has a new job modeling wearing a cleveland browns jersey. rice says she is supporting the nfl and showing mad passion for the cleveland browns. jersey is part of the new nfl women's wear apparel line and those are the good things we thought you should know. hey! did you know that honey nut cheerios has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does!

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today msnbc joins all our plat fors in providing special coverage of what's become one of the worst droughts ever in the u.s. a new report issued today shows it's the worsts in more than 50 years and covers more than 57% of the lower 4 states. think about that, shows no signs of easing centered in the nation's midwest farm belt. expected to result in higher food and other prices in the months ahead because crops, particularly corn and soybean crops have dried up. farmers struggling to feed their animals and barge traffic banned or restricted in parts of the mississippi river because of near record low water levels. increasing transportation costs. jay gray joins us live from lowly var, missouri, to tell us about the plight of one farmer there. jay? >> hey there we're at the family dairy farm. it's milking time right now.

misters on to deal with all the hot weather. let's get a look at the process going on right now. we'll talk also was david who has been out here. hey, thanks for having us here. your dad has run this farm for more than 50 years. you've been out here almost 40. this summer is a little different than before. >> it's unlike anything we've seen or experienced, jay. it really is. >> what's the biggest issue you face with all the heat and the lack of water? is it the ability to feed the cat? >> it's the ability to feed them. i mean, hay wise and grainwise, the grain prices went extremely high as well as commodities. we've put up no hay since the middle of june. that's a big issue when you run an.0 ration like we've got. >> you have to buy that hay or feed to supplement them, right? >> absolutely. we've been buying big alfalfa square bales out of kansas and bought nine loads equivalent to about $80,000 that normally we're not going to spend.

that comes right out of the checking account. it makes for very rough times. >> we talked earlier, you said the cost of that feed is actually more than you're making on the milk you produce right now. >> at the current rate, we're paying around $20 a hundred for our feed and milk has been around $15.50 a hundred. that don't come out when you start pushing the pencil. you need to get more for your milk than you're paying for feed. >> not a good business plan. >> not a good plan. >> what do you do at this point? where do you go? >> we're trying to survive day to day and trying to stockpile as much good hay as we can get. all indicators are if you don't get it now, there won't be nothing to be had. we've got a long way to go between next growing season. >> thanks for letting us be here. it's that rain that they desperately need as we walk back out of the milking area. you can see the milk being produced, all these tubes and wires comes down to right here and eventually ends up on your

table. jose, understand that with the struggle they're dealing with here, it's going to cost more to buy that milk in the near future. >> jay, thanks very much. really, really difficult critical situation across much of the country. and coming up on "the cycle," our coverage of the drought of 2012 continues. janet chamblyian explains how you're going to suffer from the drought even if you're not living in the drought zone. the fbi is investigating the shooting behind a christian lobby group. a man shot a security guard in the arm at the headquarters of the family research council, the shooter in custody, police say it's too soon to know if the group was targeted because of its conservative beliefs. the longest being is female prison inmate has been released. betty smythy spent the past 49 years in prison. the arizona board of executive clemency granted the 69-year-old woman parole on monday. when she was 23, she was convicted in the murder of a

15-month-old child she was baby-sitting. our "news nation" gut check is next. first, another selection from my play list. go on facebook./"news nation" for a list of all the songs playing today. [ female announcer ] did you know the average person smiles more than 50 times a day? so brighten your smile a healthy way with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only rinse that makes your teeth two shades whiter and two times stronger. ♪ listerine® whitening... power to your mouth. anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. by what's getting done. measure commitment the twenty billion dollars bp committed

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♪ >> you can join the "news nation" on twitter. find out at "news nation." and time for "news nation" gut check. firefighters from australia outraged at the virgin australian airlines. when johnny took his seat next to two young boys, a flight attendant told him he had to move because the airline has a policy of not seating adult males next to unaccompanied children. he said he was made to feel like

a pedophile on board. other airlines often seat women next to children rather than men. u.s. airlines have no such policy. do you agree that this policy of some airlines prohibiting male passengers from sitting next to kids traveling alone? what does your gut tell you? go to facebook "news nation" to vote. that does it for this edition of "news nation." tomorrow tamron hall returns to "news nation." the cycle" is next. the perfect use of the 7th inning stretch. get that great taste anytime with kingsford match light charcoal. woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inches of water caused all this? [ heart rate increases ] woman #2: but i don't even live near the water. what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you --

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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. >> i'm steve kornacki. we're 3 days out from the presidential election. today, the obama team is trying to walk back the latest biden gaffe and the romney team is running with it. i'm crystal ball. are you ready for another clinton on the ballot? the private former first daughter is going public. >> i'm tourre with the other green economy. we'll meet a man who claims making guns illegal could lead america