morning. senator marco rubio and james inoff joining three other senators who say they will filibuster a new bill. the president trying to bring us back to the way the country felt after we learned of the 20 killed at sandy hook elementary. and adam lanza and his mother had a virtual ammunition in their home. and the mother of two children who survived describe in shocking detail what it was like that day. >> as i waited, finally one of the police officers came out and he was carrying one of my daughter's daisy friends in his arms and she had long brown hair like my daughter. i had to look very hard to make

sure it wasn't my daughter and it wasn't. she had a gun wound in her head and he held her there until he could get her to an ambulance. i waited and at that point i thought maybe this is just, you know, a crazy parent. and then the second child came out and she was the sole survivor from the other class, and she was absolutely head to toe covered in blood and flesh, just hanging on her whole body. and her mother was in that parking lot that day luckily but when i saw her i knew it wasn't a shooting, it was a massacre. >> casey hunt is a political producer here at nbc news. we are also joined by congressman meeks, a democrat from new york. thank you all for being here. extraordinarily powerful stuff obviously. and that mother really takes us back to december 14th, which is exactly, josh, what the president wants to do. does he think emotion is going

to help this cause? >> i think it's the only thing that can. it's a very strange thing we've seen over the last few months. a lot of issues that used to be very divisive, gay rights, immigration, they're falling by the wayside yet this issue and guns and opposition to any kind of new regulation of guns seems to be as powerful as it's ever been, as though nothing has really changed since three months ago. >> the president is planning to go to colorado next week to continue this push for new legislation. he seemed to be speaking off the cuff and was very emotional himself yesterday with those newtown families. let me play a little clip from the president yesterday. >> i read an article in the news just the other day wondering is washington -- has washington missed its opportunity because as time goes on after newtown, somehow people start moving on and forgetting. let me tell you, the people here

they don't forget. grace's dad's not forgetting. less than a hundred days ago that happened. and the entire country was shocked and the entire country pledged we would do something about it and this time would be different. shame on us if we've forgotten. i haven't forgotten those kids. shame on us if we've forgotten. >> casey, again, very powerful stuff. the reality is something very different, though. and we've seen what the nra has been able to mobilize. obviously the forces on the other side are trying to mobilize as well. but what can the president do beside having a news conference like this and taking a trip.

>> that's the trouble. the legislation has stalled. they need to maintain the emotion and momentum. this is such an event-driven issue. we didn't talk about gun control hardly at all during campaign whereas one this newtown shooting it exploded all of our c consciousnesses in the worst way. >> congressman, what do you think the president can do? there was an interesting tweet saying manu raju and others had not heard from president obama at all. there had been no phone calls, no invitations to lunch or anything like that. what can he do? >> the president has the power of the bully pulpit.

i happened to be with him the day the shooting took place. we were there for a signing of a bill. i never will forget his face when he told the members what had taken place. he needs to make private phone calls to democrats as well as republicans saying this is what's at stake here and reminding them. i think all of the attention needs to be put there. the polls show 90% of americans believe that there should be some new laws, especially with background checks and minimizing the magazines, the number of clips. >> in the case of background checks, it's not just that overwhelming support from the american people in general, it's from members of the nra. >> absolutely. and that has to continually be out there and then demand that there's a vote. see because what's happening now is when i hear that senators are talking about filibustering, they don't want to vote. put them on record. there should at least be a vote. if nothing else, there should be a demand that there's a vote so that everybody's on record and

the american people know how they will vote on this issue. the reason why you want to filibuster is so you don't have a vote on the floor. that should not be. >> what can people like do you, people who feel passionately about this issue. should every democrat who supports this go to a republican they've been able to work with in the past and try to talk to them? it's hard to imagine someone standing in front of that mother and having the same kinds of arguments that they would have on the floor of congress or before some television cameras. >> but what happens is, and i know on my part what i will tell and talk to some of the senators that we ordinary support that it would be hard, for example, for members of congress to go in to support certain senators in their reelection bids because of some of the base voters that we have in some of those areas. and so that kind of message has to get out there. that's why i think it is important that mayor bloomberg is sending out a message and having something else going to counter what the nra is doing on

television, what the nra has done from the time of the shooting till now, they've been very much out there and putting a lot of money out there on television trying to effect the public with no counterbalance. weep need the president's bully pulpit and the counterbalance that's now reminding people what took place, how we felt and what we need to do to make things better. >> yet we went from one to three to five senators who say they're going to filibuster. led me read from the statement of marco rubio statement yesterday. he said "we should look for ways to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill prone to misusi uu them. we should work to reduce tragic acts of violence by addressing violence at its source. where is this legislation? is it doomed?

>> i'm not sure it's doomed. i think background checks have a chance. you see what marco rubio says there. he wants to prevent these things but he's willing to do nothing on the legislative front. i think it's possible if the president makes a focus of this, at least demanding a vote, it's possible. but it is sobering and demoralizing to see, you know, three months ago we were wondering if there might be sort of dramatic action. background checks would be great but it's sort of the minimum anyone could have imagined three months ago and now that may not even happen. >> the shift you've seen from republicans is pretty remarkable. that's the difference time has made. when the shooting first occurred, they were pretty reluctant to be out front talking about second amendment rights and second about the tragedy. >> in spite of those public opinion polls, which is the interesting thing, but it's clear that the nra, which seemed

to be caught flat-footed in the beginning in the few weeks after newtown regain that footing pretty quickly, casey. >> to the point they're even putting robo calls now the newtown, which has generated a s certain amount of anguish out there. >> joe donnelly and kay hagan say they're open at least to the possibility of background checks. i know you've been covering town hall meetings with lawmakers. what are you going to be watching for in that front, if this can be something that is changed by pressure from constituents? >> senators are affected by what they hear back home. we're on a two-week break from congress. senator tom coburn in particular i'll be keeping an eye on. he has a series of town hall meetings starting on monday in oklahoma. he's been one of the few republicans that's been willing to be out there openly -- not openly but acknowledging he's negotiating with democrats on this issue. if he gets really hammered at

home, it could impact the legislation in the senate. >> we saw the protesters yesterday near newtown. now the brady campaign has another major push but we haven't seen sort of that one coordinated effort. we haven't seen a thousand people or thousands of people marching. is it going to take something like that, congressman? >> i think the president now, what you saw yesterday, that statement, people are starting to get riled up because i think at one point because right after the shooting we thought that there would be a a change and for that period of time until recently all-we heard was the nra's voice. they were out there making the robo calls, up on the tv ads. the counterbalance is now coming out in strong force and we need that. we need the people to begin to rally together so that you can have that kind of counterbalance to the nra. >> is that what it's going to take? to both josh and kacie's point

when you look at other issues, like gay marriage, there was a sea change. something shifted. the big part of it was people around the country couldn't look a friend or a piece or a nephew or a daughter or a son if you want to look at rob portman, in the eye and say you don't have the same rights at other people. so, you know, is there really -- do you see in congress a chance for that kind of constituent influence? >> yes. if the people's voices are heard. that's why it's important to have the counterbalance to get out there, make people aware of what's going on in washington because once they hear that, they think about their child. once they see the images of what took place and hear the pledges that individuals made during that particular time, that begins to reverse things. i think that's what has to happen. i don't give up hope here. i have faith in the american people that we're going to do something that makes common sense. and sometimes it means pushing your elected officials to get it done and that's what's happening with all of the other issues that you talked about. didn't happen overnight.

it took a shift by individuals talking to one another and looking at what's going on around them to say, look, i want to do the right thing and i want my legislator to do the right thing. that's what has to happen here, same thing. >> there also has to be an answer to what marco rubio said. and gene robinson pointed this out in the "washington post." "he said the issue here is mental health, not firearms, but there are plenty of young men who play gory video games and harbor violent fantasies. that's going to be a big part of the argument here going forward, isn't it, josh? >> i think what it really comes down to is when you talk about, again, gay rights, immigration, in those cases there are big, engaged communities who really care about this ongoing over time. you have gay americans, their friends and families, a whole

very big, even a majority of the country now who believes this is an important issue. you have the overlapping hispanic and immigrant communities in the u.s. the advocates on this issue have not been able to create that kind of -- you say there is 90% of american support background checks but the support tends to be thin. it's not people who deeply, deeply believe in this and are ready to vote on the issue and stuff like that. that's the kind of transformation that you have to have to have that sea change and the people who believe this is important, you know, i'm optimistic, too, not giving up on it but that kind of sale hasn't been able to be made yet. >> and the key here is, though, what has happened with the nra, they tried to cloud the issue, trying to say what we're trying to do is take away people's second amendment rights. that's not what this legislation is about. it's not about taking away

people's second amendment rights, it's not about taking away people's ability to hunt or do target practice. it's common place things. i hear the ahead of the nra if a grandfather wants to pass an antique weapon to his grandson, he can't do it. well, listen, everybody has to have a registered car to make everybody safe. and if i'm someone who wants to transfer an antique car to their grandson, he's got to go down -- >> to the dmv. >> why not for guns? we have to get that message out, that it's good for the public as a whole and we're not trying to take away people's rights. >> thanks to you all. have a great weekend. >> a couple of updates on my profile shooting cases. prosecutors have rejected an offer by james holmes to plead

guilty in exchange for not being sentenced to the death penalty. >> ward and another man pleaded not guilty in court yesterday. ward's attorney says the high profile nature of this case might have led prosecutors to pile on the charges. just hours later pendleton's mother attended president obama's speech on gun control at the white house. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: upbeat ]

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for the first time we're hearing from cate edwards, the daughter best known for sitting beside her father, john edwards, during his trial last year. she said she loves her father and decided to support him

because that's just how her family is. >> i did not fault my dad for the trial. he made those mistakes, there's no question, but i never thought he did anything illegal so i didn't think it was right. >> was it hard to sit in that trial sometimes? >> yeah. i mean, it was difficult for family to see this very private, very difficult part of our lives rehashed in front of everyone, but there was nowhere else i would have rather been at the time. >> savannah guthrie, "today" co-host landed that exclusive interview for "rock center." so many things go through your head as you're watching that amazing interview. i guess as she said it was a difficult time, one of the understatements it has to be of the year. but she's handling it with so much calm and grace and what were your impressions? >> i was really amazed at that, but then again it's right in line with the public cate that we saw certainly during the trial, being there every single

day, such a steadfast presence by her dad. she at any time come on wanting to unburden herself, she didn't have scores to settle. she answered the question. she was honest, she was straight forward, but really she wants to move on. this is not a focus of hers. the family went through a hard time but she wants to move on. she's doing lot with the elizabeth edwards foundation and that's where her focus is. >> you talked to her about the other woman in this. >> rheal hunter, have you ever met her? >> i have, a long time ago early in the campaign. >> i'm sure she's not someone you spend a lot of time thinking about. >> that's correct. >> she wrote a book and said some pretty unpleasant things about your mom. i'm not going to repeat them. did that make you mad? >> yeah, of course. yeah, i mean, i just thought it was a poor choice, i guess, is

all i can say. >> was it hard to forgive him? >> i think it's easier to stay angry than it is to forgive someone. forgiveness is the tough thing. but, yes, it was hard but we worked through it. >> do you think your mom forgave him? >> i think she did. i don't know the answer to that. i think she had a mix of emotions. >> but one of the remarkable things i think is that, and maybe this is part of how she was able to go to the trial, is that her dad was at her mom's bedside when she was dying, right? >> she was. and i think there was some kind of reconciliation. you never know what goes on inside someone's relationship but elizabeth edwards wanted him there at her side in her final homes and she wa moments and he was. since she was a teen-ager, she lost her brother. and to have the heights and depths.

but this is not somebody who sits around waxing philosophical and thinking about those things. she's about moving on and heading into the future. i think she showed a lot of restraint with some of those questions. you can imagine how she might feel or what she might really want to say about some of the people surrounding her father, but she didn't. and i think that's because she does want the focus to be on the best part of her family. >> tell us quickly about the foundation because it clearly does seem to be something that is motivating her to come outonout and talk. >> no question about it. they just launched the elizabeth fellos program. in raleigh, north carolina they match very promising but underprivileged students with mentors who will take them through the years of high school, guide them and get them through the first year of college. she said her mom was a great encourager. she said her mom a driven her around to something like 15 schools and made sure that she really focused on college and the goal, the vision of the program is that everybody has

that opportunity. she wrote about it on the "today" show web site, she wrote a blog explaining about the program. >> folks can watch your exclusive interview tonight on "rock center." it's good to see you. >> you, too. >> as many as 7,000 tulsa, oklahoma residents may be at risk for hiv and hepatitis. dr. harrington has voluntarily given up his license and is said to be cooperating with investigators. clients are always learning more

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racial slur in a radio interview. 79-year-old don young used the term when he was talking about immigrant workers on his family farm in california. in a statement he said "i know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and i meant no disrespect." new york city council speaker christine quinn announced a deal to give workers in the city paid sick leave. the bill would require businesses to give workers five paid sick days starting next year. there was a federal bill introduced again this week to make a similar rules. >> the obama administration will propose new rules for auto emissions. the price of gas will go up by less than a penny a gallon but the oil industry says it can be 6 cents to 9 cents a gallon. >> and proof anyone can be a victim of credit card fraud because it happened to chief justice john roberts. someone got ahold of his number. "the washington post" reports he

even had to use cash at a starbucks this week telling the barista he had cancelled his card. and "the washington post"'s seventh annual "peep show." that's supposed to be clarence thomas, finally making a peep when he finally spoke on december 14th. and peep obama delivers the peep of the union address to, of course, his peeps. you can vote for your favorite at "washington post".com/peeps. this is not my usual must read but it reveals one of my secret loves, two movies, "before sunviez" "before sunset." they have a very strong following, motional power and the third movie in the trilogy is going to be come being out

and the whole cult-like anticipation is explained and it's on our facebook page at facebook/jansingco.

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i don't think i'll ever go back to another product. see. interesting in a new marijuana tax appears to be at a new high, no pun intended. as we report on local, state and federal budget woes, colorado's congressman, a supporter, makes an argument summarized in politico. they wrote "get marijuana out of the hands of dope dealers, tax it like you do cigarettes, then sit back and watch the money pour in. colorado lawmakers met last week to figure out a way to tax the drugs, which voters legalized for recreational use in november. a bill in maine would legalize and tabs recreational pot. it has 35 co-sponsors. joining me republican strategist and pollster chris wilson and principal of impact strategies,

angela rye. the colorado center on law and policy says it would bring in $24 million in excise tax revenue, $14.5 million in local tax revenue. they are framing it by stressing this is a potentially huge windfall powin windfall for states, cities that need that money. is that argument going to work? >> i do think it's a bill strange that the thought process here is that the same anti-state liberals who want to ban sodas and significant rats want to legalize a carcinogen product because that's going to create more tax dollars. if it's created by a big company, it must be bad but if you have a couple of guys in birkenstocks in boulder growing it in their back yard, it's a good thing and let's tax it. the day phillip morris starts making this, they're going to

decide it's bad and ban it. it's a whole strange argument that instead of cutting spending and solve problems there, let's find additional things to tax. >> is this, angela, a bunch of hippies in tie-dyed shirts who like to do something in their back yards in their birkenstocks? >> hardly. folks are utilizing marijuana for all types of things, whether it's recreationally or for medical usage. it has caused or been the result of a lot of folks benefiting from, you north caroliknow, the and not suffering harm any longer. you can watch any pharmaceutical drug commercial and there are a laundry lives of side effects and a lot of people don't experience that many side effects from marijuana usage. am i a strong proponent?

no. if they're going to use it, they're going to tax it and the fed could benefit from an additional revenue raiser. >> even republican senator rand paul said even though he's not for legalizing marijuana, he's for decriminalizing it. let me play that. >> there a lot of young people who do this and later on in their 20s they grow up and get married and quit doing things like this. i don't want to put them in jail and ruin their lives. the last two presidents could conceivably be put in jail for their drug use. it would have ruined their lives. they got lucky. a lot of poor kids in the inner city don't get lucky. >> we're seeing change on a lot of issues in washington. is marijuana one of them? >> i think it is. it's difficult to argue with what senator paul said. there are a lot of people prosecuted because they don't have the resources to protect themselves legally. there's an argument worth making. but the process of looking for additional things to tax is what

bothers me most. it's not about the legalization of it. it's the fact that washington and even state governments can't cut spending enough to where ne can balance their budget so they look for more things to tax and legalizing marijuana is just the next on the laundry list. where do they go from there? that's probably the bigger issue to me, the fact they can't get their spending under control. >> angela, we have two states now, a third considering it. is this just the start? >> i think it is just the start and i wholeheartedly disagree this is about an out of control spending problem. we have an economic crisis we're just recovering from. we have to figure out some real basic, common sense solutions. >> great talking to both of you. >> former south african president nelson mandela remains in the hospital but is said to be in good spirits and had a full breakfast. president obama praised

mandela's strength and character during a meeting with african leaders at the white house. >> obviously we're all deeply concerned with nelson mandela's health. he's a hero, i think, to all of us. i'm sure that i speak for the other leaders here. and, you know, we will be keeping him in our thoughts and prayers and his entire family. >> what more are we hearing from doctors about the former president's condition? >> well, they are saying he is making steady progress, chris. this was his second night in the hospital. it is the third time he has been in the hospital in the last four months. and it is reported that he has now been visited by some close relatives. he was actually photographed a month ago with his great grandson, looking fit and healthy. but he has been troubled by lung issues ever since he was a political prisoner and spent all of that time in prison. and he suffered at that time

tuberculosis. it has dogged him since. back in december he spent three weeks in hospital. he had gallstones removed and was treated for this lung infection. clearly they will keep him in the hospital for as long as they need to. but as we know about nelson mandela, he is, through his history, a very strong man and people are praying clearly that he will return here to his home behind me in the days to come. >> keir simmons in south africa for us. thank you. >> the pentagon keeping a close eye on north carolina of a king jung unordered his forces on standby. he's not happy the u.s. flew two stealth bombers over the peninsula in a show of force. secretary of defense chuck hagel. >> i think their very

provocative actions and belligerent tone has ratcheted up the danger. and we have to understand that reality. >> it could be months before some residents have full access to their homes after wednesday's landslide on whidbey island in washington state. officials say the ground is still unstable. natural resources officials say the land might even have started moving back in 2002. one home and a two-lane road were taken out. at least five other homes are said to be in immediate danger. >> a terrifyingly close call for a philadelphia sub rider. watch what happens when the 63-year-old walks off the platform and on to the tracks. a bystander jumped down to rescue him, risking his on life. he was taken to the hospital for treatment. >> an american astronaut and two russian cosmonauts are now on

board the international space station less than six hour after blasting off from kazakhstan. it's the first time the express route was used to fly a crew to the space station. it normally takes about two days. >> the markets are closed this good friday holiday but stock d and the quarter on a high note. the dow celebrated its best first quarter since 1998, soaring more than 11%. bank of america's ceo is enjoying a 70% raise. brian moynihan was awarded $12 in base salary, stock awards and other compensation for 2012. the bank says the increase is based partly on the bank's growing profits and progress toward resolving mortgage-related woes. >> and google is testing same-day delivery service.

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thursday. pope francis visited a youth detention center, allowing two female inmates to join ten male prisoners in a ceremony where he washed, dried and then kissed their feet in a gesture of humility. here to talk about the impact of this new pope, father bainbridge and joshua mcelway. i think i pronounced that wrong. >> that's fine. >> this is so curious to me. when i was in rome there was a lot of i think stunned disbelief when they named the new pope. but it's so amazing the reaction to him. what have you found? >> it's an exuberance, people are excited that we have this new pope, gives us the example of justice. took the name of jesus. his whole life was committed to

that, to becoming another christ, right down to the receiving of the wounds of christ, his own body. he bore that. this pope has embraced that idea, the simplicity, the humility, the mercy, the love of god. >> you say some catholics have been reacting to him with shock and awe. what do you mean by that? >> what a lot of people have told suss this pope seems to be connecting in a way the previous pope just didn't with his message of hope and mercy and peace. he's inspiring a lot of hope in people. but there's also people who are a little concerned. they're not sure what he'll do in the next few days. we've seen a lot of style, as you said, washing the feet of women or choosing to live in different apartments than previous popes but we're not sure what that will do in terms of substance issues. a lot of waiting here. >> it was interesting because very quickly, father, we saw

some people criticizing the pope for washing the feet of women. a vatican spokesman felt they needed to respond to it. "here the rite was for a small unique community made up also of women excluding the girls would have been inopportune in light of the simple aim of communicating a message of love to all. people are talking about and saying to me, hey, your pope isn't wearing the red shoes anymore. >> he's wearing the right shoes. yesterday he told the priests, i want the smell of the sheep to be on you, he's wearing the shoes that an ordinary pastor would wear, he's going to get stuff in the grooves of those shoes, they're going to get scuffed and dirty. this is a man who says true power is in service. he is bringing us back to the essentials of our faith, to the clear and concise message of

jesus. we see he wants us to follow the path closely. this thing with women is silliness. it is for jesus to go out and wash everybody's feet, not just those who follow us, who listen to us, because everybody is a child of god. that's the clear, concise message he has preached. instead of saying the standard i accept, he says i am a sinner who has experienced the plemerc and patience of good and in that contest i accept the burden that has been placed on me, the burden of placing the sheep on our shoulders and close to our heart. what a beautiful example he's giving us. >> it is that humility that has attracted catholics and noncatholics alike. you mention we don't know what

that means for the church itself in terms of the basic tenets of church. does that mean he'll have a wider role for women, for example. also what we saw in argentina, which was he tried to effect public policy, the political process. and with his whole message of poverty, for example, here in the united states where we're talking so much about how to apportion our money. you have a lot of high pro fight catholikha -- profile catholics who are leaders in congress. >> now we ask what happens next. we're getting a hint of it. he was the leader of one of the largest diocese of the world. he picked someone who he what worked with in the past as an auxiliary bishop, someone who had been a pastor and someone who probably knew the area very well. we wonder if those little signs

give an example of what he might be looking to do or the people he might be looking to empower in his new pontificate. >> good of you to come in on friday and thank you, father, as well. today's tweet of the day comes from father james martin. he writes "pope critiqued for breaking cannon law to wash people's feet. another guy broke the rules, too, to love more. can't recall the name, hash tag begins with j. ♪ keep on going in this direction. take this bridge over here. there it is! [ man ] so i used mine to get a whole new perspective. [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] earn points with the citi thankyou card and redeem them for just about anything. visit citi.com/thankyoucards to apply. stay top of mind with customers? from deals that bring them in with an offer...

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today's flashback friday focusses on a hot button issue in the news today -- immigration. it was 13 years ago that 6-year-old elan gonzalez was caught in the middle of a highly politicized custody battle between his relatives in miami and father in cuba. his mother, stepfather and eight others drawn when their boat struggling them out of cuba capsized. he was rescued clinging to an

inner tube. here's today's flash bagfriday. >> i'm chris jansing, live in miami, florida. it does look like the reunion between elan and his father could happen in days. it is clear the relatives of elan gonzalez are not going to turn him over without a fight and it could get nasty. 6,000 demonstrators take to the street to show support for 6-year-old elian gonzalez to stay in the states. andy garcia joins us live. >> the child has declared time and time again that he wishes to stay here in america. i think we as americans need to grant the child the ability to have that kind of right. >> the situation here continues to be tense, as you mentioned, pete, with all these protesters

and the growing police presence. >> eight federal marshalls stormed the home just after 5:00al eastern time this morning. you can see a female federal agent who went into the building, got into a white van, shut the door and slammed the door and backed up and whisked the boy away. >> they broke the door down, got elian, put a gun there and took him. >> we're getting more information today about how the decision was made today to go into the little havana home of elian gonzalez's home and to take him to return to his father. >> he returned to cuba to live with his father juan miguel. today he is 19 years old. he's a freshman in college and lives in a fishing village in cuba. his father has been elected to

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