hi, everyone. i'm tam rron hall. all eyes will be on the rose garden in just a few moments as president obama reaffirms his confidence in susan rice. rice will become national security adviser for the administration. this coming nearly six months after withdrawing her name from

consideration for secretary of state after republicans viciously attacked her. questioning her intellect as well as her credentials. following the benghazi talking points controversy. susan rice will replace tom don lan who is stepping down after nearly four years in that job. but first we wantç to take you philadelphia where a massive building collapse -- the rescue mission is under way right now in the middle of philadelphia. crews have frantically been searching for at least one person believed to be trapped beneath the rubble. a four-story building collapsed just before 11 eastern time this morning. now the building once housed a sandwich shop and an apartment above. when it came down, grease spilled on to the salvation army store next to it, trapping two people. one has been rescued but crews are unsure if anyone else is inside. joining us on the phone is a reporter for the philadelphia daily news. thank you for joining us. what is the latest as far as, if

this is a rescue mission at this point? >> hi, yeah, the latest is that the firefighters are actually still working the scene, a very active scene. they brought out a police dog to help in this search to look for what they hope will be live bodies. at this point, they are not confirming fatalities. however, they are still looking for at least one body. >> take us back to what we know happened. i lived in philadelphia for many years. this is the middle of philadelphia. it is surprising more people were not injured. given the time of day and location. what has been going on? >> it's been going for for some time. at least a few days. there were two bookstores, hoagie çshops, apartments. they had completed at least half, if not most of the construction, when work was under way today. the area is bounded by chain link fence. and there is already heavy material bulldozers there when this happened, about 10:45 this

morning. and the mayor says that the contractor was properly permitted. though we have reporters now that are looking to verify that. and that the owner did have the proper clearances to do that work. >> so as we know, the focus was at least one building demolishing that building. and those that were near it, it seemed that they were sharing a wall. what can you tell me, at least physically, about the scene itself and how close these buildings were to one another? >> they were actually attached and in somewhat of a dilapidated condition. that's why they were being removed. there was a little salvation army thrift shop on the corner. the building immediately adjacent to that is where they were doing the demolition and behind it. what happened today is the real wall of an apartment that backed up to the property, which was apartment buildings, fell down. and you know, like you said, it is center city.

only eight blocks away from city hall. so it is a high traffic area. we talked to a witness walking aì(lc% he said he helped pull out at least four or five people. when we talked to him this morning right after it happened, there were another five or so trapped. but i think they are down to one and that's why they have the police dog and extra people there to make sure. >> dana, do we know more about the condition of the people who were rescued? . >> the mayor said at a press conference at the scene that it was minor injuries of the 12 that were transported to the hospital. however, they did say that there were some people still heavily entrapped, and they would not comment at all on their conditions. >> pretty frightening ordeal there. we will keep our audience up-to-date. thank you very much for the information. also developing, new reaction to what could become the biggest performance enhancing drug case in american sports history. espn reports major league

baseball could be set to suspend around 20 players including new york yankees superstar alex rodriguez for using performance enhancing drugs. it all reportedly traces back to anti-aging clinic in miami that allegedly supplied players with performance enhancing substances. espn announces that founder of that clinic, tony bosh, is ready to tell about the players he supplied with banned substances. major league baseball could suspend ryan çbraun, melky cabrera and a-rod for a hundred games. earlier the baseball association issued a statement saying in part the commissioner's office assured us that no decision regarding discipline had been made or will be made until the interviewis are completed. it would be unfortunate if anyone prejudged those investigations. new york yankees manager also reacted to the news. >> you no he what i worry about?

i worry about baseball being affected as a game. the whole thing. and what it's been through in the last 15 years. and that's my concern. but i always worry about my players. always. for. >> joining me now, sports editor for the nation and the editor of edge of sports.com. also, usa today baseball columnist bob nighten gail. thank you for joining us. joe girardi said what a lot of fans are stating. on the heels of the movie "42." bob, here we are with the revelation that we could see the biggest scandal in the history of sports. >> yeah. i think everybody thought the steroid era would be cleaned up an all of this would go away. but everyone still keeps looking for that edge. it can be as many as 90 major league and minor league players involved in this clinic. it is up to baseball to find out

what's true and whatç isn't. it'll be a long legal foit here. >> we are hearing again, this doctor, who we heard about a lot in reports, tony bosh, that these reports are accurate that he will connect the dots that have been lingering out there for so long. >> right. major league baseball is thrilled by this. we will see what he has to say. we will see how honest he will be. before he denied knowing anything about this. he said he didn't know anything about the players. never gave drugs to anybody. now with the threat of a lawsuit against him by major league baseball, worried about criminal charges. he is telling major league baseball, i will cooperate if you help me. >> we saw roger clemens go before congress of all places, deny, or at least keep their mouths shut. with barry bond, admissions from a friend said he once helped him, then denial, then admission

again. it is not odd for them to lie then cover their tracks. but this is different than anything we have seen in recent memory. >> and it is different because of the laws of performance enhancing drugs. let me explain what i mean by that. major league baseball can suspend players for 50 games or a hundred games on the basis only of, if theyç have been in contact with the clinic that distributes performance enhancing drugs or they can do it on the basis of, if they have lied to major league baseball, about performance enhancing drugs. so one of the things that major league baseball will do, which the union will appeal and this is very dicey this they are doing this, is they are trying to get a lot of these players, even if it is just their first offense as if it is their second offense. so they can suspend them for 100 days, the second offense penalty, by saying not only are they involved with this clinic but also they lied to major league baseball about what took place.

>> let me play a bill bit about what a rod says it 2007 during "60 minutes" interview. >> for the record have you ever used human growth hormone or any other performance enhancement substance. >> no. >> have you ever been tempted to use any of those things? >> no. >> bob, going back to the denial, i mean, listen, lance armstrong took this interview if oprah and then falling on the sword after all of the evidence was undeniable for him to come clean. again, we don't know what a-rod will say or what will come out but he is the biggest name associated with it and this cloud has been over him for far too long. >> yeah bp that's what will make these charges almost impossible to stick. you remember now the government was involved with barry bond and rogerç clemens. only charge they got with either one was obstruction of justice with barry bond, which he is

appealing. and they had subpoena power and everything else. major league baseball does not have subpoena power. the most they can get is 50 games but it'll be tough for baseball to prove this. >> why is it so tough to prove? according to reports, the doctor kept records. there were files and information -- go ahead, dave. >> first of all, he is not a doctor. which makes it more scuzzy. it is like he runes this clinic. this anti-aging clinic. >> thank you. >> but the second thing is, all they really need to do is to get it agreed upon with the union that suspensions will take place. it is not a formal legal process but the way major league baseball has gone about this will think, also make this more difficult. like this won't happen in one fell swoop. this could take months, if not years, to get through. >> do you see them cleaning it up? >> major league baseball does want to clean it up p. but the way they've gone about it is -- they have done three

things. one, paid someone from the clinic for records. two, as bob said, threatened a lawsuit against tony bosch as a way it compel him to turn over his records and go to the justice department to get a criminal case taken off of him. and what that means in practice is, three, a union will say major league baseball has not acted in good faith no get the evidence. it'll be a long arbitration process, long appeals process before we see what happens. >> thank you for your time. great pleasure having you both on. now switching back it politics. breaking news out of the white house. president obama about to name susan rice as his new national security adviser. president will announce a nomination of samantha power to replace rice as ambassador to the u.n. rice will replane tom don lan who is stepping down after three years on the job. the appointment which does not require congressional approval will bring rice further into the inner circle of policy decision makers at the white house. but the pick is drawing

criticism from some republicans who spent months targeting susan rice for what they say was her role in the benghazi talking points. senator john mccain, frequent critic, one of the most vocal of rice tweeted that he disagrees with the appointment but that he will try to work with her on important issues. but just months ago, mccain was one of the republican voices slamming the u.n. ambassador, vowing to block her possible nomination to become secretary of state. and throughout the benghazi scandal, president obama passionately defended susan rice from repeated attacks, from republicans. >> if senator mccain and senator graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me. but for them to go after the u.n.ç ambassador who had nothi to do with benghazi and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence she had received. and the smirch her reputation is

ridiculous. >> we just goot two minute warning. andrea, let me get a quick reaction to what this means. >> it shows defiance in the face of criticism. shows royalty and he wants her at his side. that was clear from the beginning. and she was largely vindicated by the release of the e-mails showing she had no role in the writing of the talking point. some questioned if she should deliver them as is, but that was her assignment that day. we have mike rogers saying it was a curious appointment. he seemed to say he will try to work with her but he thought she was too political and too much after lightning rod if you can blame someone for being alightening rod. she attracted attention from critics. samantha power does need to be confirmed to go to the u.n. >> there is concern that if rice can't go to the u.n. then power will feel the brunt.

>> that was worry inside the white house, that samantha power has been controversial with some. she is experienced, close to 3% obama. the odd man out might, john kerry, secretary of state. who got secretary of state when susan rice was derailed by the republican uproar over benghazi. >> pj, let me bring you in. john kerry could be the, quote, odd man out here. how do you see the dynamics of individual, at least continuing president's policies and direction he would like to see before the second term ends? >> well, susan rice and samantha power have close relationships with the president. they are already part of his inner circle. he has confidence in them and those are important relationships. whenever the president makes a major national security decision, the last person he talks to is the national security adviser. offusly john kerry has to build his own relationship with the

president. but these are people that they all know each other. they have shown ability to work effectively together. i don't expect any major problems. >> what do we believe, susan -- excuse me, susan powers and at least her relationship, with samantha power and susan rice, their relationship, there's been a lot pj written about the dynamic. especially in clinton years between these two. >> they have a close relationship with the president. i think they see the world in similar ways. they are great believers in the strength of american power and influence.ç obviously that would be put to the test early on in terms of adjustments the president makes with regard to policy towards syria. >> let me pause you here as the president is approaching the microphone. a show of confidence there, affirmation of confidence, in susan rice. >> come on down.

[ cheers and applause ] . yay! thank you, everybody. thank you. please, everybody have a seat. good afternoon. it is a beautiful day, and it is good to see so many friends here. of all the jobs in government, leading my national security team, is certainly one of the most demanding, if not the most demanding. and since the moment i took office, i've counted on the sepgsal experience and insights of tom donlan. nearly everyday, for the past several years, i've started each morning with tom leading the presidential daily brief. hundreds of times. a sweeping assessment of global developments and the most pressing challenges. as my national security adviser, his portfolio is literally the entire world.ç

he has advanced our strategic foreign policy initiatives while at the same time having to respond to unexpected crises and that happens just about everyday. has overseen and coordinated our entire national security team across the government. and it is nonstop. 24/7, 365 days a year. today i am whistful to announce that after four years of extraordinary service, tom decided to step aside at the beginning of july. and i am extraordinary proud to announce my new national security adviser, our outstanding ambassador to united nations, susan rice, as well -- [ cheers and applause ] as well as my nominee to replace

susan in new york, samantha power. [ cheers and applause ] and when i first asked tom to join my team, i knew i was getting one of our nation's premier foreign policy leaders. somebody with a deep sense of history and keen understanding of our nation's place in the world. he shared my view that in ordgr to renew american leadership for the 21st century we today fundamentally rebalance our foreign policy. and more than that, he knew how we could do it. see, tom's that rare combination of the strategic and tactical. he has a strategic sense of where we need to go and a tactical sense of how to get there. moreover, tom's work ethic is legendary. he began as public service in the carter white house when he was just 22 years old. and somehow he has been able to

maintain the same drive and the same stamina and same enthusiasm and reference for serving in government. he helped shape every single policy of my presidency, from forthing a new strategy rooted in our economic strength at home to ending the war in iraq. here at the white house, tom oversaw the operation that led us to bin laden. he helped keep our transition on track as we wined down the war in afghanistan. the at the same time, tom played a critical role as we bolstered the enduring pillars of american power. strengthening alliances from europe to asia and enhancing relationship with key powers and moving ahead with new trade agreement and energy partnerships. and from our tough sanctions on iran to unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation withç israel. it's true. from new start with russia, to deeper partnershipes with emerging powers like india to

stronger ties with the gulf states. tom has been instrumental every step of the by. i'm especially appreciative to tom for helping us renew american leadership in the asia specific where so much of our future, security and prosperity will be shaked. he worked tirelessly to forge a relationship with china. i'm grateful that tom will be joining me as i meet with president of china this week. and finally, tom, i'm personally grateful for your advice, for your counsel and most of all for your friendship. whenever we sit done together, whether in the oval office for the situation room, i do so knowing that you have led a rigorous process, you challenged assumptions, you have asked tough questions. you led an incredibly hardworking national security staff and presented me with a range of options to advance our national interests. a president can't ask for

anything more than that. and this is a testament to your incredible professionalism and also your deep love of country. i know this relentless pace has meant sacrifices for your family. for kathy, who is here. dr. biddí's former chief of staff, who i was proud to nominate as our new global ambassador for women. and for tom and kathy's wonderful children, sarah and teddy. so today i want to publicly thank all of the donolan's for their abiding commitment to public service that runs through the family. [ cheers and applause ] you've been with me every step of the way the past four years. the american people owe you an enormous debt of gratitude for everything you've done.

you help red store our nation's prestige and standing in the world. you positioned us well to continue to lead in the years ahead. i think that tom donolan has been one of the most effective our country has ever had, and without a lot of fanfare or fuss. thank you for your extraordinary service. [ cheers and applause ] now, i am proud that this work will be carried on by another exemplary public servant, ambassador susan rice. [ cheers and applause ]ç susan was a trusted adviser during my first term of president. i am absolutely thrilled that she will be back at my side leading my national security

team in my second term. with her background as a scholar sb susan understands that there's no substitute for american leadership. she is at once passionate and pragmatic. i think everything understands susan is a fierce champion for justice and human dignity and also mindful we have to exercise our power wisely and deliberately. having served on the national security council staff herself, she knows how to bring people together around a common policy and push it through to completion so we make a difference where it matters most. here in the country that we've pledged to defend and in daily lives of people we're trying to help around the world. having served as assistant secretary of state, she knows our policies are stronger when we harness views and talents of people across government. so susan's the consummate public servant. a patriot putting country first, she is fearless, tough, she has a great tennis game and pretty good basketball game.

her brother's here who i play with occasionally. and it runs in the family, throwing the occasional elbow.ç but hitting the big shot. as our ambassador to the u.n., susan has been a tireless advocate. she has reinvigorated american diplomacy in new york. put tough sanctions on iran and north korea. defended israel. stood up for citizens and supported independent south sudan. put simply, susan exemplifies the finest tradition of american diplomacy and leadership. thank you for being willing to take on this next assignment. i'm absolutely confident you will hit the ground running. and i know after years of commuting to new york while ian, jake and marries stayed here in washington, you will be the first person ever in this job

who will see their family more by taking national security adviser's on. job. now, normally i would be worried about losing such an extraordinary person at the united nations and be trying to figure out how are we ever going to replace her. but fortunately i'm confident we've got an experienced effective and experienced u.n. ambassador in waiting in samantha power. samantha first came to work for me in ç22005 shortly after i became a united states senator. as one of our country's leading journalists, i think she won the pulitzer prize at age 15 or 16. one of our foremost thinkers on american policy. she shows us we have a moral responsibility and profound interest in resolving conflicts and defending human dignity. as a senior member of my national security team, she has

been a relentless advocate for american interests and values. building partnerships on behalf of democracy, human rights, fighting the surge of anti-semitism and combatting human trafficking. to those who care deeply about america's engagement and leadership in the world, you will find no stronger advocate than samantha. she worked hand in glove with susan in her role because samantha has been at lead white house staffer on issues related to the united nations. i'm fully confident she will be ready on day one to lead our mission in new york while being an indepensable member of the team. she knows the strengths, the weaknesses, show knows that american interests are advanced when we can rally the world to our side and she knows we have to stand up for the things we believe in. to show we have principal lead we need in the united nations, i would strongly urge theç senat

to confirm her without delay. samantha, thank you, to kass and you and declan and wren for continuing to serve our country. this team of people has been extraordinary dedicated to america. they have made america safer. they have made america's values live in corners of the world that are crying out for our support and leadership. i could not be prouder of these three individuals. not not only their intelligence. not only their savvy. but their integrity and heart. and i'm very, very proud to have had the privilege of working with tom, very proud that i'll continue to have the privilege of working with samantha and with susan. so with that, i would invite tom to say a few words. tom? [ cheers and applause ]

>> thank you, mr. president. you know, you mention the many hours we have worked together in "the situation room." put together here by john kennedy, without windows. >> no windows. >> no windows. i would first like to thank you for this rare opportunity to be outside and experience the natural light. we also mentioned how i began my public service here under presidentç cartener 1977 when was 22 years old. i still remember leaving at the end of the day, walking up west executive drive, past the office of then national security adviser and looking up at the windows of the white house. the lights always on in that office, no matter how late. and i with think to myself, don't these guys ever go home? now many years later, i have the answer. no, they don't go home as often or as early as their families

would like. we have been able to protect the united states an prove the role of the united states has been a privilege of a lifetime. to serve under you. those many hours of meetings and briefings have given me the opportunity to see you as few people do. behind closed doors, away from the cameras when a leader's character is revealed. with your permission, i with like to share with what i have seen. i've seen you make the most difficult decisions a commander has to make. the decision to send our men and women into harm's way. i've seen your care in making the decisions and i have seen your fierce patriotism. your love of ourç country. when confronted with competing aswren agendas and interest you bring the discussion back it one

question. what's best for america. i've seen your commitment to core values that define us as americans, our constitution, civil liberties, rule of law. time and time again you remind us our decisions must stand up to history. finally, i have seen you represent the united states around the world and what you mean to the people around the world when you represent our country. when you step off that plane with the words united states of america. reach out to foreign audiences and speak out to the aspirations we share as human beings. you share a clear massesage that america want to be a partner and forging new bonds and advocating our interest and ideals as well. to vice president biden and jill, kathy and i have considered you dear friend for more than 30 years and it has been an honor to make this journey with you. to my colleagues and friend at the white house and government, american people will truly never know how hard you work in their defense. to my long time partners and

senior leadership of the national security council, i could not have asked for better brothers or sisters in this effort. to you and all of our remarkable nationalç security staff, you' a national treasure. everyday you get up, come here, devote your days to keeping our country secure. you are the best our country has to offer and i'm privileged to have served with each and every one of you. i'm so glad so many of you are here today. and to my friends and colleagues, susan and sam, congratulations. the nation is fortunate to have leaders of your intellect, compassion, character and determination. susan, you'll be an outstanding national security adviser and sam you will be an outstanding

ambassador. thank you. and finally to katherine, sayre why and teddy, as the president said, this job has been a sacrifice for each of you. i couldn't be more grateful. mr. president, thank you for the extraordinary opportunity to serve you and to serve our nation. you know, i stand here 36 years ago, almost to the day, when i first came on the 18 acres of the white house to come to work. and i must tell you, i leave this position much less cynical and never more optimistic about our country and its future. thank you very much, mr. president. >> thank you. >> susan? >> mr. president, thank you so

much. i'm deeply honored and humbled to serve our country as your national security adviser. i'm proud to have worked so closely with you for more than six years, and i'm deeply grateful for your enduring confidence in me. as you have outlined, we have vital opportunity to seize and ongoing challenges to confront. we have much still to accomplish on behalf of the american people. and i look forward to continuing to serve on your national security team to keep our nation strong and safe. tom, it's been a real honor to work with you again. you have led with great dedication, smarts and skill and you leave a legacy of enormous accomplishment.

all of us around the principal's table will miss you. and i wish you and kathy and your family clu above all, i want to thank my own wonderful family for their unfailing support. my mother, lois. my wonderful husband, ian. our children, jake and marris. and my brother, john, have all been my strength and my greatest source of humor. i'm also thinking today about my late father who would have loved to be here. i'm forever grateful to my family for their love and sacrifice. i want to thank my remarkable colleagues at the u.s. mission to the united nations. i am so proud of the work we've done together under your leadership, mr. president, to

advance america's interest at the united nations. >; y1 congratulations. you're a tremendous colleague and the united states will be extremely well d served by your leadership at the united nations. and i'm so glad we get to continue to work together. mr. president, having participated in the national security decision making process, over the last four years, iç admire the exemplary work done everyday by our colleagues at state, defense, the intelligence community, and across the government to make our nation more secure. . i look forward to working closely with you, your extraordinary national security team, our country's most experienced leaders, from both

parties. and your superb national security staff. to protect the united states, advance our global leadership, and promote the values americans hold dear. thank you very much. >> thank you, mr. president. from the day i met you with, and you told me you had spent a chunk of your vacation reading a long dark book on genocide, i knew you were a different kind of leader. and i knew i wanted to work for you. it has been my privilege here at the white house to serve you, and it would be honor after lifetime to foit for american values and interest at the united nations. now that i have two small children, declan and wren, somewhere, the stakes feelç ev

higher. thank you tom and susan. i consider myself immensely fortunate to have collaborated with both of you. there are two no more dedicated professionals on this earth, no more strategic stewards of our foreign policy, than these two individuals. and i'm honored and immensely humbled to share the stage with you. i move to the united states from ireland with my parent who are here, when i was nine years old. i remember very little about landing in pittsburgh exception i was sure i was at the largest airport in the history of the world. i do remember what i was wearing. a red, white and blue stars and stripes t-shirt. the t-shirt i always wore in ireland on special occasions. even as a little girl with a thick dublin accent who had never been to america, i knew that american flag was the symbol of fortune and of freedom. but i quickly came to learn that to find opportunity in this country, one didn't actually

need to wear the flag, one just needed to live up to it. for the next three months i came home from school everyday as my mother can attest, my dad can attest, and i sat in front of the mirrors for hours straining to drop my broeg, so that i, too, could quickly speak and be american. not long ago, my husband, kass, cameç across a letter written toward the end of world war ii by his father, who was a navy lieutenant. dick happened to stop briefly in san francisco after his two years fighting for this country in the pacific. and he wrote to his family on april 25, 1945. the very day that the nation's of the world were coming together in san francisco, to establish the new united nations. and in this letter, to my mother-in-law who i never had the chance to meet, he wrote, excitedly, conference starts today. the town is going wild with excitement.

it is a pleasure to be here for the opening few days. let's pray that they accomplish something. let's pray that they accomplish something. the question of what the united nations can accomplish for the world and for the united states remains a pressing one. i have seen u.n. aid workers enduring shell fire to dleliver food to the people of sudan. yet i have seen them fail to protect the people of bosnia. as the most inspiring country on earth, we have a critical role to meet the necessities of our time. it can do so only with american leadership. it would be an incomparable privilege to earn the support of the senate and play a role in this essential effort.ç one which our common security and common humanity depend. thank you. >> thank you, everybody.

the president making the news we have been discussing all day, official. that susan rice will replace tom donolan. he is nominating samantha power to take over the position of u.s. ambassador. kristin, the image here of the president talking about these two women, referring to them as strong and tough, as well as lawyer and watching the image of the two of them now, the white house standing certainly behind the president's word, at the height of the benghazi back and forth with susan rice. this adorable picture there. we just saw samantha powers' son run behind them. the republicans today, some of them still going after susan rice. >> that's right, tamron. you only heard one sort of veiled ref ren to the criticism that susan rice got after the benghazi talking point controversy. you heard her thank the

president for his enduring confidence in her. that is the one veiled reference that we had to the ben gedict x gau -- benghazi issue. these areç two strong outspoke women. susan rice led the charge to some extent in terms of the u.n. involvement in libya. and also, in terms of increasing sanctions, in iran and north korea. president obama referenced that, of course. this is someone who has been very outspoken on a number of those issues as well as human rights issues. same is true for samantha powers. she has long been an outspoken advocate against human rights abuse, genocide. she wrote a book about this. she famously got herself into trouble back under 2008 for calling hillary clinton a monster. something she had to apologize profusely for. these are two women who will be a strong part of the president's foreign policy at this really pivotal moment. and i want it talk about the timing for one moment, tamron.

according to a senior administration official, this timing is no mistake. it allows tom donolan to oversee the trip we have been reporting on for several days. at the end of the week, the president set to meet with the president of china in southern california at the end of the week. it is a chance for the two leader to strength then their relationship personally. and talk about issues such as cyber security. as we have been talking about, tom donolan helped lead the large in terms of shifting u.s. foreign policy to the asia-pacific region. so heç will be there. he will be there through the beginning of july. so the president emphasizing the role that tom donolan played in that as well. >> let me quickly bring in pj. it is worth noting, pj, the president referring to samantha power and members of congress urging them to confirm her quickly knowing there is no battle at least, a vote to be

had, regarding susan rice but something we could see with samantha power. >> i thought samantha did a tremendous job in her remarks. she is an immigrant. she lives the immigrant story. transition, you know, trying to get rid of her brogue. it still creeps into the conversation now and again. it'll be very, very hard for the senate to filibuster her nomination. i expect there to be no problem. >> thank you, pj. appreciate you sticking around during big announcement on the rose garden bit president. thank you as well, kristin welker. get you caught up on breaking news. wcau is reporting there's at least one fatality as a result of this building collapse in the heart of philadelphia's downtown area. we are waiting to hear more from the police department but we know at least at this hour, 14 people removed. 13 of those transferred to hospitals.

not in position to come -- not in a position to comment on the 14th person. that's according to the fire department. department. a they have two dogs working with rescue teams right now searching the debris. as we speak. this all happened around 11:00 a.m. eastern time. building collapse. near a salvation army. you see the damage there, it is incredible when you look at before the and after images. wcau is reporting there may be at least one fatality with the building collapse.

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the most common adverse reactions were vomiting, itching and lethargy. serious adverse reactions have been reported following concomitant extra-label use of ivermectin with spinosad alone, one of the components of trifexis. prior to administration, dogs should be tested for existing heartworm infection. to learn more about trifexis, talk to your veterinarian, call 888-545-5973 or visit trifexis.com. you don't have to go to extremes to protect your dog from parasites. you need trifexis. visit our website to save up to $25. available by prescription from your veterinarian. right now developing news in the worst case against a rogue u.s. soldier sent to vietnam. robert bales, accusing of the massacre of 16 afghan villagers. most of them women and children sleeping. what can you tell us regarding what happened in court today? >> it is clear from a defense

standpoint that there was over whelming evidence against staff sergeant bales, who more than a year ago, is accused and now pleading guilty to entering not one but two afghan villages one night and opening fire on unarmed civilians, many of them women and children. he pleadedç guilty to 16 countf murder. six counts of attempted murder. and according to his own lawyer, he even understands that while this will avoid the death penalty, if the court accepts the pleas, and the conditions under the plea agreement, bales will avoid the death penalty in this case, but even his lawyer told nbc news that it is expected that he will spend a large part of the rest of his life in a military jail. >> did we get any more answers as to motive here in you had

sergeant bales' wife and others saying in the initial investigation that this was not him. this was -- the description of what he had done never came to their minds. do we know any more about his mental state of mind, motive here, why this happened? >> the defense had been talking earlier about injuries that he had suffered in iraq. he was deployed several times to both iraq and afghanistan. there was a traumatic brain injury as a result apparently of a vehicle rollover. but also that he was suffering from ptsd. but there's been none of that discussion today. the primary objective today was to plead guilty, to make sure he didn't get the death penalty. and the only question now is will a jury and judge decide to sentence him to life in prison with parole or life in prison without parole.ç and again, the lawyer has pretty well resigned to the fact that his client will spend much of the rest of his life in jail. >> nick, thank you very much.

still ahead, before we go, "news nation" has one more story for you. first lady michelle obama has a rare confrontation with a heckler during fund-raising event. >> wait, wait, wait. one of the things i don't do -- one of the things i don't do, well this is this -- we will play more of the audio from that fund-raiser. take a look at what happened. and you can join oconversation n twitter.

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>> you hear the crowd applaud the first lady. she went on and approached the protester and said, listen to me or you can take the mic. but i'm leaving. the first lady then told the audience, you all decide. you have one choice. the crowd cheered. the heckler was removed. the crowd was there to see the first leady and hear her remark. that's why they cheered. what was the motivation of the protester there? >> she was concerned about an executive order that president has not signed that the guy rights community has been urging him to sign for a couple of years now. for almost two years. which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender eye didn'ty by federal contractors. the white house has been talking to activist for a long time but have been very vague about what

they are going to do. >> we were just showing a second ago of video of a heckler that interrupted the president during his big speech on counter tris many a few weeks ago. so these instances happen with the president and even vice president. we have seen them during congressional hearings. but the first lady doesn't often have to face this. and she is getting praise about how she tried to put a button on that situation but also in a respectful way. >> yeah. the response is very interesting. a lot of people are saying h she was right to do what she did. but if you listen to the protesters and groups that actually orchestrated this, they really like her. she have seen her as an ally on gray righ gay rights issues when the president came out talking with his wife and daughters. they see her as an ally and they wanted to do this, they say. they say that they think it

worked in getting attention to the executive order. but you know, i guess you know, it remains to be seen about whether they've made her so mad that she won't be an ally any more. >> i don't think that will happen. that is a jump over the river. but certainly, it was an interesting moment, peter. thank you very much. i grately appreciate you joining us. >> you're welcome. >> that does it for this issue of "news nation." thank you for joining us.

developing right now on "the cycle", a power play. and republicans can't do a thing about it. >> i'm krystal ball, not susan rice, but who could replace her has the makings of a political standoff. >> i'm toure. a brewing major league scandal. is it already game over for some of baseball's biggest stars? >> i'm s. e. cupp.

are americans defending the president about using drones? >> this is a jam-packed wednesday on "the cycle." >> as ambassador to the u.n., susan has been a tireless advocate in advancing our interests. put simply, susan sem exemplifies the finest leadership. thank you, susan, for being willing to take on this next assignment. >> that was president obama just moments ago announcing susan rice as his next national security adviser. rice was of course the the ambassador -- the embattle ed