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hi, everyone, i'm tamron hall the "newsnation" is following what it calls the choice for republicans with automatic budget cuts. joined by first responders, president obama, step one in sequester in game. once again using that bully pulpit and power of persuasion to call on congress to act. saying the jobs of emergency workers, military and even teachers are on the line. >> my door is open. i put tough cuts and reforms on the table. i'm willing to work with anybody to get this job done. none of us will get 100% of what we want. but nobody should want these cuts to go through, because the last thing our families can afford right now is pain imposed unnecessarily by partisan

recklessness and ideological rigidity here in washington. >> and the president asked congress to avoid what he referred to ameat cleaver cuts, $85 million cut with a mixture of spending cuts and closing tax loopholes. senate minority leader mitch mcconnell fired back saying "tote's event at the white house proves once again that more than three months after the november election, president obama still prefers campaign events to common sense bipartisan action." protesters and debt simpleton bowles rolled out their new plans to balance the books. one that will spread the hurt on both sides of the aisle. >> it's become clearer and clearer to us, that if in fact we're actually going to get a bipartisan deal, that we're going to have to push both sides to get out of their comfort zone. >> if anybody can't understand what we're trying to do, and if

anybody can't understand the sequester isn't really -- it's just going to do total disruption. >> joining me noun john harwood, cnbc correspondent. last week it was the meteorite, i guess bruce willis needs to roll into town and save us from another countdown. i think everybody at home believes this is ridiculous and we can't fathom how we're here again. >> well, it is ridiculous. but we're here again because we have two parties that are ideologically apart. and don't like each other very much. the president is counting on republicans to blink again as at the did at the end of the year on revenue by agreeing for tax increases on upper income. as they did on the debt limit when they pushed it into may. the question is, can he do that again. if he can't, the white house may look back at the deal they made

in late december, early january as a mistake because they again get all the revenue they needed. that is what he's hold ought for before he lays out the magnitude of entitlement cuts that he'll ultimately agree on. he has laid out some, but not as much as republicans are demanding or in that bite you just played as simpson and bowles say are necessary. one republican member of congress told me today, tamron, that if republicans cut a deal on revenue to avoid the sequester, any republican leader who is tied to that deal would be booted out of his leadership position. not two years from now, but right now. >> okay. let's talk about the next step as far as perhaps bringing in some of the republicans into the fold. folks like tom co-burn, mark kirk who is said to be prepared to receive an invite from the president and get into that building and start negotiating. what is the next likely step here that may not actually

include speaker boehner? >> the question is, does the next step occur before march 1 or after? it may be that a backlash from the public alan simpson and erskine bowles were talking about the party lines getting out there. and the bipartisan group of senators, if they could make a deal tomorrow, if they were empowered to do so, but they're not. but i'm thinking it's more likely if we get a deal to undo the sequester, it will be after it takes in effect, sometime after march, perhaps associated with that march 27th deadline when funding for all the government is scheduled to run out. >> joining me now michael smerconish and a bill boykin and lois romano from politico. forgive me with the cold here.

i'm going to hang in here. michael, i want to show you some of the headlines out. the boston globe has head line "massachusetts will lose 60,000 jobs if congress enacts sequestration." wtl radio, don't left sequestration happen. these are some of the local and state headlines that we're starting to see. you heard john harwood talk about the possibility of lawn lines at the airport. but again, there is a stalemate. there's nothing, at least on the calendar, that we are aware of that, that indicates there's some kind of negotiation here with the folks in washington. >> i think the largest impediment, tamron, is that all politics are local. when you have someone as conservative as mitch mcconnell or as conservative as lindsey graham who are nevertheless looking over their shoulder and wondering what tea party candidate might emerge and give them a run for their money in a primary election therein i think lies the real obstacle. because these republicans have

been intransient with regard to the president. i don't think they're going for any deal that has tax increases. they're all spending. that's not something that the white house can live with. and there is the issue. >> lois, the whole point of the deal that the cuts would be so painful for both sides. they would be forced to negotiate, forced to come up with something. i want to play what the president said earlier today regarding compromise, let's play it, please. >> republicans in congress face a simple choice, are they willing to compromise to protect vital investments in education, health care and national security and all the jobs that depend on them? or would they rather put hundreds of thousands of jobs and our entire economy at risk just for protect a few special interest tax loopholes that benefit only the wealthiest americans? that's the choice. >> when folks here that at home, lois, is this something that boils down to republicans being seens the losers.

when you got americans, workings folks, standing behind the president in this bully pulpit forum. we don't expect to have a press conference tomorrow with teachers behind him saying i'm okay with losing my job? >> that's right. the president and the white house have done a very effective job in framing this. you know, his speech this morning was really, the sky is falling. the sky is falling. prisoners are going to be let free. the borders aren't going to be protected. you know, you're going to be in danger flying. and the reality might not quite be as dire because 30 days after the sequestration goes in, there's something called the continuing resolution where all this money goes back into a big pool and it can be shifted and used in all manner of things. but what the president is banking on is things like the boston globe head line where people are going to start getting hysterical about it and pressuring their politicians. >> some of the things that you

mentioned take affect, 4,000 faa workers furloughed per day. 125,000 families lose rental asafety tns. $3 billion budget shortfall, according to the "the new york times." to your point, the president will-d talk about criminal cases that may not be filed. to show. extreme of what can happen. with florida said, would he go to this extreme examples? would that help or hurt his point to the point where people say, oh, it's not going to get that bad? >> well, you know, i think the examples are valid. >> right. >> and if you go down the list and you take a dollar amount and say, yes, this would impact the air traffic controllers, but the point is, he's got the bully pulpit. and he can define this crisis any way he wants. and moving all this money is very fungible in a way. and if you move down in a few week, you know, jurisdictions can choose to use the money for different things. but he owns the argument right now. >> yes.

>> and the republicans, you know, i think they're going to cave at the last minute. i mean there's not a good sense here in d.c. that that would happen but i don't know how they'd avoid this. >> in fact, wow they avoid it, lois? >> i don't know how they can because i think there's going to be so much pressure. you know, he shows up today with all of these people behind him saying they're going to get rift. so i'm not sure there is a way, you know, prwise, that they can avoid this and still be sane, as we're saying, you know, they don't want to see any more new increases. that worries me. >> keith, let me bring you in. today, the president advanced an argument republicans have been making for a year, his sequester is the wrong way to cut spending. first of all, it's not his sequester. they all agreed to it. hill, gop lawmakers don't fear political impact of sequester taking effects. lois said there's nowhere for the republicans to go.

but then you have the countering headlines that some republicans have this bring it on at study, according to john harwood's point that they won't see the sky as falling as threatened? >> it's hard to make it as a gop argument. on the one hand, they're on the record, many saying they're oppose today a sequester. saying it would be devastating the cuts would hurt the military. lindsey graham saying it would be dumb to take the cuts. >> your point, at least real quick, i want to play what paul ron and mr. boraso said regarding the cuts. >> i believe it's going to take place. there's no leadership on the other side of the aisle, therefore no agreement. >> let me be very clear and i'll say it to you. these spending cuts are going to go through on march 1st. >> and that's to your point about the message from the republican keith? you see the inconsistency in those two messages. but you have to remember, as you

indicated earlier, 174 republicans in the house of representatives voted for this-only 95 democrats. more republicans than democrats voted for this deal. they're trying make it seem like it's a democratic idea or obama's idea, but they went along with it all well. i think there's a meeting that started earlier, if president are obama just reached out more, somehow that will bridge the differences. but the reality is these guys haven't even started to work with him. john boehner and mitch mcconnell wouldn't even take the president's phone call on election night. so in that political context, it's very difficult for the public to see why they should trust republicans who don't want a compromise when the president says he does want a compromise. >> michael, what are people saying to you when they're calling into the radio show to ask you what's going on? i guess is the best way to put it, in washington? >> well, it's a complicated issue. what i hear from most people on

the right, they see this entirely as a spending situation, they've been told and buy into the narrative that washington needs to tighten its belt and that the republicans leadership is standing up for cuts that are necessary and they don't want to hear about tax increases. i'm not telling you that's the consensus. but there is an argument out there and that's the argument that's being made. >> and, lois, that points again to this gaping hole, if you will, the ideological hole between the gop and the president. i mean, this is not just something that's been revealed to us. this is part of the election. we saw in the exit poll, most people supported a tax increase for people making over $1 $250,. out we're still in the same spot at the end of the year that was concluded with the election. a lot of people are entrenched to michael's point because that is what they believed ideologically. >> well and it just hurts everyone. ultimately, i mean, obviously, congress' approval ratings are

in the single digits but i don't know how much the president can push this, too, without feeling some of the belowback. blow back. right now, he seems to be having the message and putting it in congress and the polls are supporting him. but at a certain point if everything starts going south and complete goes south, the president feels that blowback, too. >> thank you, lois, thank you, michael. thank you, keith. the u.s. supreme court has decided to delve into the controversial issue of campaign finance learning how much they can give to individual or candidates. joining me, pete williams. pete, at the heart of this, an alabama man, we know the tremors from the decision could be felt throughout? >> there could be. depending on what the court says. there are two kinds of limits. there are the limits how much money you can give to an individual candidate. now, that's not being challenged

but what this alabama businessman backed by the republican national committee says, he's following the other limits, two-year limits on how much total money a person can give to all candidates put together andal the political parties and pacs put together. it works out to $115,000. they say it's unconstitutional for a couple of reasons. they say the number is too low given modern politics. but the reason, they say the reason it limits how much a person can give to a candidate it to avoid corruption. quid pro quo corruption. so he's not challenging the quick limits to each individual candidate. he's challenging the total of how much you can give over any two-year period to all the candidates put together. now, if the fact that the supreme court has agreed to take up this case means that it's

again going into delve into something that has been sort of precarious for the last 37 years and that's a decision after the watergate scandal where the supreme court said you can limit contributions but not spending. anytime the court opens this litigant, and starts tinkering around with the machine, there's a possibility saying you know what these limits on that are unconstitutional, too. we'll be watching the case. this case will be argued not this term but next term. >> pete, thank you very much. coming up, for the first time, olympic runner oscar pistorius denies he murdered his girlfriend on the same day that reeva steenkamp's funeral was held. he's denying he murdered her on on purpose. he's claiming it was an accident. plus, a group of u.s.

senators visit mali for the first time since al qaeda sent its troops in. and the u.s. says what must happen before they provide direct military assistance. breaking news on general allen, the white house has said that allen has withdrawn his name from becoming the top nato commander. the president said today i met with john allen and accepted his request to retire from the military so he can address health issues within his family. he called him a leader and a true patriot last month. allen was cleared after allegations that he sent improper e-mails to a socialite connected with the david petraeus scandal. ll be our new senior social media strategists. any questions? since we make radiator valves wouldn't it be better if we just let fedex help us to expand to new markets? hmm gotta admit that's better than a few "likes."

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for the first time, we are

hearing oscar pistorius' version of what happened the night he fatally shot his girlfriend reeve are virginia steenkamp, on the same day her family laid her body to rest and are demanding more answers. in a bail hearing this morning, pistorius broke down as his attorney read a statement describing the night pistorius shot steenkamp in the bathroom of his home. oscar pistorius said he felt a, quote, sense of terror that night and felt that an intruder had broken into his home. steenkamp's family ordered a private funeral. chapman, can you tell me a little more about that statement read by pistorius' attorneys, at least his version of what happened that night? >> reporter: that's right, tamron. pistorius' lead attorney read out an affidavit by pistorius that said they were deeply in love. he in no intentions of killing reeva steenkamp and that it was

a pure accident. his version of events said that he woke up, was alarmed that there was possibly an intruder in the home. went without putting on his prosthetic legs with his .9 millimeter handgun by his bed. yelled for the intruder to identify himself. shot four bullets through the door of the bathroom killing reeva steenkamp. hitting her with three shots. he yelled out for her to please call the police. and realized she wasn't coming back and realized it was her in the bathroom. he used a cricket bat which has been in the stories recently to beat down the door and try to revive her. this is contradictory to what the prosecution claims. they say it was premeditated murder. he got out of bed, put on his artificial legs and went to the bathroom door to shoot her. they say if you put on your legs, walk to the bathroom door

and go to shoot, that's premeditated. now, it seems that the magistrate is going along with the prosecution's series of events that it's premeditated murder and pistorius' claims is not true. this has made the bail hearing, for some, they say, a little more difficult for him to get bail because this is a higher crime, i guess you could say. and it's less likely for him to get bail for this. tomorrow, we're told that the lead investigator in the case will be put on the stand and he will support the prosecution's claim that it was premeditated and really destroy pistorius' claim that it was a pure accident. thousa now, as you said, pistorius broke down in court today uncontrollably several times when hearing this. he and his defense team claim it was a horrible accident. and they will be trying to prove that this is true. while he also continues to try to get bail for this crime.

now, i've spoken to some people familiar with the case in south africa. and they told me it would be unheard of for him not to get bail, even though some say it's more difficult now. he's not a flight risk. he's offered to turn in his passport. he is well-known. he has the funds to secure a high you tail. and they've cited other cases that have been very dollar. people accused of cold-blooded murder in the street and they have gotten bail, particularly if it's a first offense, tam ran. >> and chapman, will we perhaps learn more tomorrow, what the prosecutor believes was the motive here? >> reporter: well, there have been rumors, well, and stories coming out of the police actually that witnesses heard screaming just before the shots. and we're hoping that there will be more information coming out. and as i said, with the lead investigator on the stand tomorrow, giving his version of events that support the prosecution's claim. there must be more events to

motive perhaps or what they think actually happened that evening that led to the death of reeva steenkamp. >> chapma maman bell. thank you for joining us. coming up, a security firm looking into more than 100 incidents of hacking in the u.s. they say their investigation has led them to china. according to that report, this building is where the chinese military essentially set up shot. we'll get reaction from the white house. plus, first lady michelle obama -- well, she is finally explaining, not that she has to, but she's explaining the motivation for her new hairstyle. the huffington post called total shock to the system. >> i couldn't get a sports car. they won't let me bungee jump. so, instead, i cut my bangs here. >> so you went for the bangs? time for "your business" entrepreneur of the week.

joanne and christy created decorations for the school lockers when others wanted to buy them, too, they created locker looks. for more, watch "your business" sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. i'm only in my 60's...

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targeting american companies and organizations for years, stealing huge amounts of data in sophisticated cyberattacks. and a computer security firm which put together the report says it's traced these cyberattacks to a military unit in shanghai in an office building. the security firm says it tracked the unit for six years and observed hundreds of hacking attempts in that time. chinese officials deny the accusations joining me now huffington post technology reporter gary smith. thank you for joining us. okay. so the chinese military, does this come as a huge surprise? we know there have been, a guess a short list of suspects, for lack of a better description behind these making situations here? >> yeah, it's not so much of a surprise. security experts have been claiming for years that the chinese governments may be experiencing hacking teams, this report from ambient actually went into an unprecedented amount of detail.

they're able to chase the source of the attacks and profile the hackers that they believe to be working for the chinese military. >> we're showing this office building. this is where the security firm, i believe they're based in virginia, says that this activity is coming from. how are they able to pip poipoin pinpoint -- when you think about hackers this is not just an address where a tweet came from. it's more than that? >> right. even though they're very sophisticated, some of them are not so good at covering their tracks. >> that's surprising. >> yeah, the security firm was able to trace back the digital bread crumbs that the hackers were leaving behind. i.p. addresses, e-mail addresses that they used to register for online forums. using the addresses, and especially the i.p. addresses, they were able to pinpoint that the hackers were operating from a building in shanghai. >> a "the new york times" report

says mr. president is facing a vexing choice in a sprawling vital relationship with china. is it worth a major confrontation between the world's largest and second largest over computer hacking? >> it's a debate to happen between the u.s. government and the chinese government. the chinese government continues to deny that they have any role in sponsoring these hacking teams. while the u.s. intelligence and security experts are saying that, in fact, the chinese government is behind this. so, you know, as far as the diplomacy is concerned, it is a very delicate, touchy issue. >> and with china continuing to deny this. and with this new evidence and new report, congressman mike rodgers saying the report is completely consistent with the type of activity that the intelligence committee has been seeing for some time here. what is the likely next step? >> well, one of the steps that we saw last week during the state of the union, the president said he signed an executive order on

cyberauthority. and this is to protect the power grid, experts say if hackers were able to get ahold of the power grid's computer network, the power could go out in parts of the country for hours or even days. so it's really up to congress in some ways to create -- pass legislation to secure the nation's critical infrastructure. there was legislation last year to do this. but the legislation was blocked by republicans who had sided with lobbyists who felt the legislation was too much regulation. >> thank you for joining us. we appreciate it. i'm sure we'll be talking about this and a potential legislation. thank you. and it is the white house versus senator marco rubio. at least when it comes to immigration reform? our team asks, is this bad news for the process or exactly what is needs to get immigration legislation passed? we're going to talk with msnbc senior director mark murray.

first, there's a lot going on today. there's some things we thought you should know. >> they were all the talk, of course, of the president's inauguration. the first lady's new bangs. the first lady explaining what was behind the decision of the new look. here's what she told rachael ray. >> i couldn't get a sports car. they won't let me bungee jump so instead i cut my bangs here. >> the first lady's interview airing on "the rachael ray show" tomorrow. and this morning on "today," former south carolina governor mark sanford acknowledging mistakes in his personal life as he tends to make a political comeback. >> the reality of our lives if we live long enough, we're going to fail at something. i absolutely failed in my personal life, my marriage. but one place i didn't ever fail was with the taxpayer. [ male announcer ] why is kellogg's crunchy nut so delicious?

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immigration reform, our "first read" team says, "if you're a republican supporting immigration reform, you eagerly want to highlight any differences with the white house. this culls after marco rubio, dead, dead on arrival, half baked, seriously flawed. the website talking points says the republicans rubio needs to win over to pass a bill will be a lot more comfortable if they think they're somehow thumbing their nose at obama by voting for it." take a look at "the miami herald," immigration plans for obama -- wait for it -- and rubio are similar. the headlines didn't say "wait for it." there are no similarities between these two. but, mark, you and your team point out that the republicans perhaps feel a need to appeal to the line of marco rubio with the

constituents in their base by saying no to the president? >> that's right, tamron. the politics on immigration has been harder on the policy. i've been following immigration reform for about ten years now. and everyone in the immigration reform community seems to align that, look, there needs to be tougher border security. there needs to be prohibition about employers hiring illegal immigrants and there needs to be a pathway to illegal status or citizenship. you can hammer out the differences here but the broad framework remains that's with rub rubio or a group of eight senators. and the white house. that's what marco rubio has been trying to do on the right. trying to win them over but walk a tight rope but not feel sewing cozy on the white house. >> but in the end something passes and looks similar to the proposal leaked from the white house or by "usa today," and the proposal from marco rubio, in

the end, when it comes out in the rinse, and it looks similar, how do they say this is different? >> well that's where the rhetoric comes in, and, tamron, just today, marco rubio's office blasted out with here are the items that are different than the obama are draft. here's what are not included which we think should be included. again, there are details that need to be worked out and a lot of sound and fury in the months ahead as this is hammered out. but the broad framework is the same. i think when it comes to details you're going to hear marco rubio talk a lot about republicans to show some fight. but at the end of the day to try to make a deal. a lot of republicans tell me republicans need immigration reform than democrats do. >> how much this is to persuade, i get, latino voters that were made the first move to come up with immigration reform? we know the president had that

big speech, but the day before, we had that bipartisan group come out discussing immigration, which includes marco rubio, how much is this tour taking the leadership role? >> in washington, there's always a lot of people that wanted to take the first credit. but while marco rubio might want to get credit for this, particularly warming over conservatives, being able to point to a legislative achievement, something that congress passes and gets signed into law is a whole lot more than actually taking credit on who actually did something first. >> mark, thank you. delaware senator chris kuhn said america may play a more active role in the african nation of mali.

kuhns is leading that push. the u.s. has been providing logistical support and intelligence to french and african troops in mali. joining me now "time" magazine international editor jim frederick. jim, this is obviously important for many reasons, but especially here. you have the influence or the infiltration of al qaeda, another country where if there's not military action by the west, could fall into a yemen-type situation or worse? >> yeah, absolutely. historically this has been under france's purview and france has gone in there unilaterally with the united states support. i think the french are trying to scout out the scene. but as you point out no intervention would be possible without a democratically elected government in mali. the current government is western friendly. they're trying to push back western jihadis coming from the north. not without its dangers.

there was a second front soldier killed today. i think these are positives. but everybody on both sides of the aisle are concerned with coming out of a war, another quagmire, we show what we're getting into it. and the exit scenario, are things going well for the french? i'm not sure that they're right now. >> likely, you have several senators on the ground, what are they there to assess? >> i think they are there to assess the degree to which the united states is involved already. they're involves in transportation. >> very little but strategic? >> anything that can be construed as mali forces. they're helping the french. i think they're there to see what is or what isn't possible and to provide a recommendation back. but i think that they're going in there with a very serious aura of caution. because i really think that people do not want to get involved in, for lack of a better word, another quagmire

just as they're exiting two wars. >> to your point, you and i were talking on a commercial break, there is a concern that this is not discussed today and perhaps not today if senator koons had not kraeaddressed this legislat. >> yeah. it's really falling off the mainstream press awareness. when these are actually very huge developments. there has been a power vacuum in northern mali for a while. only with the first push down to the south has it been reignited in western consciousness. but even in the past couple of weeks, this has really fallen off the radar. and there's very important things going on. even in terms of the obama administration oversight. critics of the obama administration say there's a shadow war happening without strict oversights. >> senator chris coons will join

us upon joining us from his trip. we'll talk more with you, jim, as it continues. thank you. gas prices now at a four-month high. we'll tell you what's behind the jump and when prices are expected to come down. not in my house! ha ha ha! ha ha ha! no no no! not today! ha ha ha! ha ha ha! jimmy how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico? happier than dikembe mutumbo blocking a shot. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more.

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since enbrel helped relieve my joint pain, it's the little things that mean the most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. gasoline prices have now risen for 33 straight days for record highs for this time of the year. the national average of regular is now $3.75 a gallon, up two cents just since yesterday. up 15 cents in the past week and up 45 cents in the past month. some gas stations in california are charging over five bucks a gallon. economists say the rapid increase poses a threat to our fragile economy. joining me now oil industry analyst cnbc contributor john killbuck, thanks for joining me. >> good to be here.

>> i heard it's be the blend. we're getting ready to switch to the summer blend and this is why. is that a legitimate reason here? >> you know, normally in past years it would. there's a certain time of year where that's happening. but what's really happening here, the refining industry is doing what the airline industry is doing and that's reducing capacity really massively. we lost over a million barrels of refining capacity just to shutdowns over the last year now. >> why would they voluntarily do these shutdowns? >> believe it or not, they weren't making enough money for themselves and they decided to get out of the business. i'm fearful normally i can tell you why, it has to deal with cutbacks by opec. war issues. this time, it may be different. this time we may not see the price break in coming months that i'd expect to happen because of demand at the pump. with the refineries off of the

market, we could be stuck with these high prices for some time. >> john, that's scary, i think that speaks to the helplessness, you've got folks, you know this, 45-minute, hour-long commutes. where i'm from in texas, you see that daily. when you have the refineries, as you put it, a feeling they're not making enough money. this is a choice made. as a result, we're looking at 33 straight days of record highs. this is why people feel so helpless when they talk about gas prices. or they feel like we're giving them a line when explaining what's happening. it's memorial day or something out of the air. >> i agree, i'm one of those people who give that line sometimes. i like to think it's rationally based. that's why i'm laying it straight out to everybody here what i think it really is. what's frustrating, i think it's going to turn to anger. we're producing all this crude oil. we're going to become one of the biggest producers in the world over the next several years. but if we don't have the

refineries to turn it into gasoline, we're not going to -- >> what is the logical pushback here? we're talking for example, what's happening with the sequester. folks could be losing their jobs, the economy is fragile, it's recovering. this money adds up and it takes away in some cases food, paying for rent. this is a major dent when you're paying five bucks a gallon in california. >> this is part of a triple threat to our economy. the sequester as you say, now these high gasoline prices and the payroll tax increase that hit are all going to be very problematic for the coming gdp quarters coming up. and the american people, you know, until just recently had fought back against gasoline prices by driving less. only in the past several weeks, that the employment picture proved, we were seeing that down. before that, down 4% 6% week in and week out. this is a tough one to get out of if the refineries don't get

bought up. >> if we're looking at 45 cents up in the past month, what are we looking at over the next two weeks? >> the approaching $4 a gallon mark has been where consumers pull back and prices stabilize and go down. i think we're going to see that again. that this will be the breaking point. but we are, as you say, see $5 and start to go over $4 for sure, national average in my view. >> john, thanks a lot. coming up, our "newsnation" gut check, it's about the red light cameras that officials say brought in so much revenue. and one new jersey lawmaker well, he now wants to say bye-bye to those cameras. [ jackie ] it's just so frustrating... ♪

the middle of this special moment and i need to run off to the bathroom. ♪ i'm fed up with always having to put my bladder's needs ahead of my daughter. ♪ so today, i'm finally talking to my doctor about overactive bladder symptoms. [ female announcer ] know that gotta go feeling? ask your doctor about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents, for 24 hours. if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma, or can not empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz. get emergency medical help right away if your face, lips, throat or tongue swells. toviaz can cause blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and decreased sweating. do not drive, operate machinery or do unsafe tasks until you know how toviaz affects you. the most common side effects are dry mouth and constipation. talk to your doctor about toviaz.

time now for the "newsnation" gut check. the controversial cameras used to catch drivers who run red lights. they've become a big source of revenue for communities. 21 states and washington, d.c.

use them. but 12 states now ban them, arguing they're often inaccurate or unfair in court. you can question a police officer about a traffic ticket, but you can't question a camera. and the camera presumes you're guilty, not incidenct. nbc's tom costello has the story. >> reporter: they can be horrific crashes. red light runners dangerous because they people they hit are usually caught completely by surprise. each year 700 people die and 122,000 are involved in a driver who ran the red. to cut into that rate, 540 communities nationwide have turned to red light cameras. in washington, d.c., the police chief is a firm believer. >> even in the last five year, we've cut 54 traffic fatalities to 19. that's dramatic. >> reporter: the insurance newt for highway said said fate

fatales are cut by 17%. so why then is this lawmaker in new jersey determined to tear them all out? >> because they're a rip-off. because they are designed to steal money from innocent people. >> reporter: assemblyman declano said they're designed for cash. catching people who just stepped over the white line. who doesn't quite clear the intersection before the red. who turned right on a red, who were waved through by a construction crew or were forced into the interaction by a passing emergency vehicle. >> probably 80% to 90% of people who get tickets at these ent intersections are behaving correctly. >> reporter: and the fines are ridiculous, $75 in colorado, $200 in illinois. in dallas, nbc 5 found the

cameras add up. some bring in the size of an nfl paycheck. there's one camera that's generated $2.5 million in four years. >> reporter: nbc 4 tallied up the fines. >> we found drivers in the d.c. capital region received $18 million in fines in just a one-year period alone. >> reporter: and then there's the yellow light issue. there's no national standard, sometimes, no state standard. the less time on yellow the more red light tickets. in new jersey, steven castman got one but he wasn't even in town that day and he could prove it. someone else was driving his car. so why should he pay for a moving violation someone else committed? >> i was frustrate and i was angry. it was an unfair burden placed on me as the owner of the car. >> reporter: out of principle, he spent a small fortune fighting the ticket and on. out of 24 states, big brother is

watching the red. >> what is your position? for the new jersey assemblyman who wants to get rid of that? thanks for joining us meanwhile "the cycle" is up next. ♪ no two people have the same financial goals. pnc works with you to understand yours and help plan for your retirement. visit a branch or call now for your personal retirement review. five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story.

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