stories we're following four. wildfires in colorado threatening hundreds of homes and thousands of people and rough weather that could impact millions of americans today. good morning i'm richard lui in for chris jansing. let's begin with the wildfires out west. 92 homes that have been destroyed outside of colorado springs. another 3,500 homes and businesses are in danger. in a news conference the el paso county sheriff gave the latest estimates for the scale of the fire. >> right now we're roughly at 8,500 acres affected by this fire. we anticipate possibly another 3,000 acres bringing that total to around 11 to 12,000 depending on our weather conditions. you break that down it affects somewhere between nine and 9,500 citizens. it will be another hot day in colorado as well with temperatures expected to break 90 degrees. now to the massive storm system taking aim at the mid-atlantic states.

it's already been raining in washington, d.c. possibility of strong storms firing up later in the day. this is the same system that spawned possible tornadoes and produced large hail and flooding in the midwest yesterday. let's go to nbc meteorologist bill karins for the latest. bill we've been talking through the morning, the system will affect one in five americans. >> starting last night, chicago, indianapolis, ohio valley woke a lot of people up but didn't take any lives or injure many people. the storm was weaker than expected. here's what we're dealing with. in philadelphia the storms just rolled through 60 mile-per-hour winds. out here in westchester where the u.s. golf tournament is trying to be played. they had to delay the play. right now lightning is clearing out and heading in to areas of new jersey. wider view, show you down to the south clear in baltimore, clear in d.c. storms have crossed the potomac and across the bay and rolling over through areas of maryland and delaware and then off the

coast. a wider view shows you we still have a digital storm that's firing up getting stronger, this is round two for the mid-atlantic later on today. from columbus southward towards northern kentucky you're dealing with strong storms, damaging wind and hail. not too many tornadoes but, again, we have millions of people at risk. this area in red is at the greatest risk, our nation's capital, towson, atlantic city, few tornadoes with damaging wind. this will be round two later on this afternoon. the worst of it will be d.c. southward, the areas to the north because they got hit this morning maybe less. wider view of the entire threat including all our friends in the southeast damaging wind and hail. we showed you that fire story too. it was windy, hot and dry that remains the case today, richard so the fire weather is not great either. dry and windy all afternoon. >> tough stuff out there. bill karins thank you so much.

to our other story. newtown families planning a push to coincide with the six month anniversary. they plan to hold a news conference with a group of lawmakers this afternoon. i want to bring in senator richard blumenthal. he's been talking with newtown families since the tragedy happened and will be with them this afternoon. senator, thanks for being here. the families want to keep this issue front and center right now and there was so much passion as you know personally in the weeks after sandy hook. when you look at the difficulties now, is the problem that too much time has gone by? >> the key question, richard, has always been whether we can maintain and even enhance the momentum, and i believe very strongly that we can and we will because these families are so powerful. they give a face and a voice to the unspeakable tragedy they suffered but also to the 5,000

victims since newtown, victims in santa monica most recently in a mass killing but every day on the streets of hartford and d.c. and new york and in rural and suburban areas as well. so, the majority leader who is going to be with us today, has committed he's bringing this bill back, we are bringing families back again and again and again whenever we can make an impact and they have been enormously impactful and will continue to be. >> what needs to be changed in the bill to get it passed this time around? >> not so much anything sub tantive needs to be changed in the bill but i think votes need to be changed, people need to hear from their constituents. 90% of the people are for these common sense background checks and the administration has taken some very important steps yesterday in the 23 executive actions relating, for example, to mental health parity regulations, more research by the cdc and other measures it

can take on its own improving the background check enhancing the data that goes into it. i think this issue is moving. we still have momentum and very strongly we're going to keep pushing it with the same passion and determination that these families have brought to this issue despite the unspeakable grief they have suffered. >> mayor bloomberg and a piece in the "new york times," the revenge of magic mike about the politics of this and mayor bloomberg's push to stop democrats that are against background checks. she writes in her speech the democratic leaders are double furious. they argue that if the democrats lose control of the senate in 2014 there will be no gun bill to vote for because mitch mcconnell as majority leader would never allow one to get to the floor. when you look at this how will the politics of this get worse in 2014 if republicans take

those seats? >> if republicans take control of the senate there will be no gun violence prevention measures. i'm looking ahead to the time, well before 2014 when we're bringing this bill back for background checks in addition to a ban on illegal trafficking, and other common sense measures maybe even an excess capacity magazine ban that will give the american people their say, their day in the united states senate because we've stood up to the nra, schoolyard bully that held sway over this issue foreclose to two decades just six months ago nobody would have thought that gun violence prevention had a chance and clearly we came within just a few votes if we can sway those votes even before 2014 we will have an enormous victory. >> do you think mayor michael bloomberg's move, those is not good for what you're trying to do? would you like him to take a

step back a little? >> i welcome mayor bloomberg's involvement and initiative to help counter the enormous impact of the nra. it has had a stranglehold over this process and all of the allies we can enlist with different strategies and different tactics. but the science of politics or the art of politics as one of my colleagues once told me is the science of addition not subtraction. we need to add our allies and i think that ought to be the focus to reward our friends and our allies with support, and that's what i'm going to be focusing on doing. >> senator, i want to switch here to the nsa surveillance programs, director of the nsa saying recently dozen of terrorist threats have been stopped because of these programs. what's your reaction -- what should happen to the leaker edward snowden in your view. >> i would support a

prosecution. he's violated the law. he betrayed his trust. he has broken the contract that he signed. but the legal violations have to be pursued. whatever his issues of conscience and admiration that in some circles may exist for him he's broken the law and should be prosecuted. >> thank you so much. very much appreciate your time, senator blumenthal. i want to bring in "the washington post" political reporter and national correspondent. thank you both for being here. i want to get back to what we were talking about. at the top with the senator there. they have a news conference with harry reid, nancy pelosi, important influential people on capitol hill but the question we keep asking when it comes to guns why is this time different? >> you know, thus far it hasn't been different. and i think there's a real

fallacy the money. nba has a mind melt with the gun culture. these are single issue voters that won't be open to a candidate who opposes them on this issue even if they agree with him on everything else. you don't see that kind of focus and don't see that kind of intensity on the other side. what mayor bloomberg is doing could help some on their side at the edges but what you really need to see is an entirely different kind of mindset among gun control advocates and that this is the issue, the one issue and that they will not consider a candidate who oppose them on this. >> ron, let's talk about what karen was alluding to there about the politics involved. we know new york city mayor michael bloomberg is going after the four democrats who voted against background checks but there's a flip side. here's the ad the nra put out against joe manchin. >> as your senator i'll protect your second amendment rights.

>> that was his commitment but now he's working with president obama and new york mayor michael bloomberg. concerned? you should be. tell senator manchin to honor his commitment to the second amendment. >> what we haven't seen is a huge backlash against republicans. is this issue going to end up backfiring and hurting democrats as well? >> you know, i think we have to look at this differently. this is not a short term issue. it's a long term issue. there's a couple of things that are happening here right now. one the nra no longer has a monopoly on the debate. it will take a while for mayor bloomberg and senator blumenthal and other advocates to build up a smarter case. it won't happen overnight. not going to happen this election. it's a long term thing. plus you have a generational issue here. the generation that's slowly taking over this country and will take it over in the next ten to 15 years are a lot less ideological and more pragmatic. we'll see it play out on this

issue. the nra will not have a monopoly on this issue in the public square and long term they will have a grouch voters who are much more open to common sense gun safety than the current culture is. >> the other big issue behind you on the hill today and yesterday was abortion. i want to play something congressman trent frank said. >> before when my friends on the left side of the aisle here tried to make rape and incest the subject, the incidents of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low. >> well later clarified saying what he meant was the incidents where pregnancy from rape results in an abortion in the six month or beyond very rare that's what he told nbc news. karen, what's your reaction to all this? >> i'm wondering whether these politicians have learned anything from the last election. i mean, as kevin madden, the

republican strategist said republicans need to learn that when the subject of rape comes up the only thing they should say is that it is a horrible thing and it is a crime. period. the end. >> ron, i'm not sure you read this. right away after frank said this we heard this from, after we said that we heard this response. >> i just find it astonishing to hear a phrase repeated that the incidents of pregnancy from rape is low. that's not -- there's no scientific basis for that and the idea that the republican men on this committee think they can tell the women of america that they have to carry to term the product of a rape is outrageous. >> ron, why are republican men still talking about rape? >> because they are ignorant. because they are politically

stupid. why would you be talking about this. i'll go a step further. why deny science. you have the same problem with global warming. there's undeniably a fact that global warming is a problem. 99% of the scientists say so. the republican party denies it. when they deny science, deny facts they make themselves irrelevant. >> dana millbank wrote an article. trent frank's abortion claim and the manly republican party. there's not one woman on the panel. if they push legislation like frank's bill that ban abortion after 20 weeks don't they have an optics problem because of people behind all of this are men. >> again, this goes back to last year. i really am surprised where how many months past the great self-examination report that the republican national committee

commissioned and that the party still hasn't figured out how to even talk about this issue much less deal with it. i just find really surprising. >> richard, the irony here is because of science, because children are more viable, fetuses are more viable than ever republicans are gaining ground in polls on the abortion issue. why not leave it at that. argue on the merit, on the science instead of claiming that rape does not lead to pregnancy. that's silly. >> a lot of fellow republicans asking why that was brought up by trent frank. thank you so much. i appreciate your time. >> thank you. >> 10-year-old sara is resting this morning in a hospital in philadelphia after a six hour lung transplant surgery. a judge's controversial ruling allowed sara to be considered for adult lungs. her aunt said the lungs came through normal channels and not because of the publicity. >> they were able to resize the adult lungs without any issue.

it was a perfect fit into sara. and the surgery is done. and she's heading to recovery. we expect her to be, you know, doing some things within the next couple of days and taking her first breaths. we can't wait for that. she really did well. so we're very, very excited and we're very, very thankful. [ male announcer ] erica had a rough day.

there was this and this. she got a parking ticket... ♪ and she forgot to pay her credit card bill on time. good thing she's got the citi simplicity card. it doesn't charge late fees or a penalty rate. ever. as in never ever. now about that parking ticket. [ grunting ] [ male announcer ] the citi simplicity card is the only card that never has late fees, a penalty rate, or an annual fee, ever. go to citi.com/simplicity to apply. every day we're working to and to keep our commitments. and we've made a big commitment to america. bp supports nearly 250,000 jobs here. through all of our energy operations, we invest more in the u.s. than any other place in the world.

in fact, we've invested over $55 billion here in the last five years - making bp america's largest energy investor. our commitment has never been stronger.

the federal emergency management agency announced it won't give additional aid to the town of west, texas. fema has since provided over $7 mill thrown individual families but the agency is now saying the town and state government can handle the rest. texas governor rick perry issued a statement yesterday saying quote president obama said his administration would stand with

them ready to help. we anticipate the president will hold true to his word and help us work with fema to ensure much-needed assistance reaches the community of west. joining us now is the mayor of west, texas. how are you. what was your first response to the news of no more funding from fema? >> well, i guess my first response was shock. little bit of anger there and disappointment. more disappointment, i guess, than anything. >> were you surprised? >> i then called my contact in washington with fema and i asked them to interpret the letter because i thought maybe i was reading it wrong. but he said i wasn't reading it wrong, and that, you know, the request was denied. so, yeah, i guess at this

point -- >> the tone of the letter was in question. how do you find the tone of the letter? >> well, you know, i'm just like a little definition what they consider a disaster. you know, if they would see what i see and if they saw what i saw and what i still see, i can't see how they cannot see that it's a disaster and doesn't merit a major disaster declaration. of course that's what public assistance is going to be needed and that declaration has to be done before we can get public assistance. individual aid is being delivered, it's not affected so the individuals that need the help are getting it through small business administration and fema, but this is regarding the schools that are damaged and destroyed. new got four schools, i understand, are damaged. how much money do you need all together and how much did you ask fema for? >> our city's bill, our estimate

was like $17 million. and the schools was, i think, around 30 something, i'm not quite sure what theirs was. 30 or 40,000, somewhere in that neighborhood. >> now, you read "the dallas morning news," an editorial says governor perry may have brought this on himself somehow given how he used the disaster itself to criticize greater regulation, unlike governor chris christie's approach which we've been watching which yielded a large relief package for his state. how has perry maybe done this. how could he have done it better? >> he's been a champion as far as i'm concerned, i think, you know. there's red and blue, and of course, you know, there's no love lost between our great governor and our great president. there's no secret about that and i hope politics doesn't play into any of this because if it is i'll be doubly disappointed. this is not a time for politics.

we're americans, the president talked to me when he was at the memorial. and said that he was going to be behind this. that he was not going to -- he was going to see us through this and i think he is a man of his word. and i believe, you know, that although, you know, governor perry, you know, may have done some things to initiate this i don't think it has anything to play with it. >> thank you so much. >> you're welcome. thank you, richard. >> it's fourth day of jury selection in the george zimmerman murder trial. attorneys for both sides interviewed about two dozen potential jurors. key question how much exposure they've had to media coverage on the shooting death of trayvon martin. they need a total of 30 potential jurors to move to the more in depth questioning. zimmerman pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder claiming he shot martin in self-defense. ♪

there's a new way to fight litter box odor. introducing tidy cats with glade tough odor solutions. two trusted names, one amazing product.

vo: i've always thought the best part about this country is that we get to create our future. you get to take ownership of the choices you make. the person you become. i've been around long enough to recognize the people who are out there owning it. the ones getting involved and staying engaged. they're not sitting by as their life unfolds. and they're not afraid to question the path they're on. because the one question they never want to ask is "how did i end up here?" i started schwab for those people. people who want to take ownership of their investments, like they do in every other aspect of their lives.

i don'without goingcisions to angie's list first. you'll find reviews on home repair to healthcare written by people just like you. with angie's list, i know who to call, and i know the results will be fantastic. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. energy efficient appliances. you can get a tax write off for those. a programmable thermostat, very smart, saves money. ♪ cash money sorry. i see you have allstate claim free rewards, for every year you don't have a claim, you'll get money off your home insurance policy. put it towards... [ glass shatters ] [ girl ] dad! dad! [ girl screams ] noise canceling headphones? [ nicole ] that's a great idea. [ male announcer ] home insurance that saves you money for not having a claim? that's allstate home insurance with claim free rewards. talk to an allstate agent... [ doorbell rings ] and let the good life in.

to politics now. where it seems like there's a split between former president clinton and president obama when it comes to syria. clinton says obama should be more forcefully supporting the rebels. he made the comments during a closed press event us the with senator john mccain. it comes in a brand new report from the u.n. shows 93,000 people have been killed in syria since the start of the fighting. that includes 1700 children. for the first time ever a woman will take the number two spot in the cia. president obama nominated admiral haynes to replace retiring director. she's a lawyer for the national security council. another smaller victory for women, the senate ladies room is finally getting renovated. there were frequent traffic jams in the john because of the historic number of women senators. 20. senator ted cruz is taking to twitter to respond to senator

bone "jansing and company." >> what would you say to ted cruz. >> he has obamaphobia. >> if supporting real immigration reform not path to citizenship is obamaphobia guilty as charged. if you're a fellow obamaphobic. >> chris christie slow jamming on jimmy fallon. >> what we don't sneed an unelected politician just sitting around the congress. whether it's in the senate or the house of representatives. >> take it from my man the love gov. when he sits around the house of representatives he really sits around the house of representatives. ♪ et toujours ♪ me amour

♪ how about me? [ male announcer ] here's to a life less routine. ♪ and it's un, deux, trois, quatre ♪ ♪ give me some more of that [ male announcer ] the more connected, athletic, seductive lexus rx. ♪ je t'adore, je t'adore, je t'adore ♪ ♪ ♪ s'il vous plait [ male announcer ] this is the pursuit of perfection. we make meeting times, lunch times and conference times. but what we'd rather be making are tee times. tee times are the official start of what we love to do. the time for shots we'd rather forget, and the ones we'll talk about forever. in michigan long days, relaxing weather and more than 800 pristine courses make for the perfect tee time. because being able to play all day is pure michigan. your trip begins at michigan.org.

i gotta go deposit a check, transfer some money. so it's your uncle's turn. what? wait, wait, wait... no, no, no, wait, wait. (baby crying) so you can deposit a check... with the touch of a finger. so you can arrange a transfer in the blink of an eye. so you can help make a bond... i got it. that lasts a lifetime. the chase mobile app. so you can.

[ dog ] we found it together.upbeat ] on a walk, walk, walk. love to walk. yeah, we found that wonderful thing. and you smiled. and threw it. and i decided i would never, ever leave it anywhere. because that wonderful, bouncy, roll-around thing... had made you play. and that... had made you smile. [ announcer ] beneful. play. it's good for you. we got breaking news. supreme court has ruled on

patenting human genes. let's go to nbc pete williams who is outside the court. hey, pete. >> reporter: the supreme court has unanimously said that you cannot get a patent on human genes. now let me explain why this case is important. you may remember angelina jolie who recently had a double mastectomy. she decided to do that after getting a test that looked at two of her genes to see whether she had a mutation that predisposed her towards getting breast cancer. that test is owned by a company in utah and it claims a patent not on the test, that's not what's disputed here. it claims a patent on the actual human gene that is tested to see whether there's this predisposition to cancer and today the supreme court said no you can't patent human genes. now, what they claimed is in order to do this test they to pull away certain parts of the gene, protected proteins to get at the intestines of the gene to do the test and the court said sorry that's still a product of

nature and you can't patent a product of nature no matter how clever the approach is, it's still trying to patent a product of nature. so, the impact of this will be that it's going to raise a question about thousands or hundreds of other patents on human genes that have been issued over the years by the u.s. patent and trademark office. and it will now open up a human genes to researchers by other companies. the case involved a number of scientists, doctors, patients, researchers who had come to the supreme court and said we want to do research on these genes but we can't because of the claim that those genes are patentable. the decision was unanimous. this was by far the news worthy and interesting. none of the biggies. we'll still be back here on monday for more decisions. there's 19 cases now for the supreme court left to decide,

richard. >> all right. justice correspondent pete williams. thanks very much. in front of the supreme court. thank you. also getting news into us at msnbc, an explosion coming out of louisiana. what we understand is a fire and explosion according to the state police there that took place at williams chemical plant in geismar, louisiana. hazmat is on the scene. multiple roadway closures. police saying it's a largely industrial area not many residents within a mile and all industrial. the fire appears to be contained within the plant. it's unclear at the moment according to state police in terms of number of injuries, the extent ever injuries, or possible fatalities. igei in geismar, louisiana. >> yesterday the judiciary

committee sent a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. >> the incidents of rape and resulting in pregnancy are very low but when you make that exception there's usually a requirement to report the rape within 48 hours. and in this case that's impossible because this is in the sixth move gestation. >> i'm joined by political strategist with impact strategies who is co-hosting the cycle this week and republican strategist and latino contributor. the comments from congressman frank here are being compared to the controversial remarks as you probably remember that were made by todd aiken last year. here's frank after the hearing trying to explain what he meant. take a listen. >> the reality is that the bill we have doesn't do anything to restrict abortion before the beginning of the sixth month of

pregnancy. and the incidents where pregnancy from rape that result in abortion after the beginning of the sixth month are very rare. that's all we're saying. >> so, angela we got a lot what was being said. how do you distill it. >> i don't know. i don't know he can. the reality of this situation is that the republican men sitting on the house judiciary committee of which there are 23 and no women needs to be quiet on this issue. that's not just a democratic thing, democrats aren't the only ones saying this, you also have their own party asking them to please quiet it down on these moral issues. >> isn't there a memo out there about don't talk about this. >> what's even more important the house considered this legislation. we have folks who are concerned about issues like god. we want to be concerned about a woman's body. there's no place for a

legislator there. >> help us understand this. why are republicans going there? why are they pushing more anti-abortion bills at this moment? >> well, that's a good question. frankly i think the focus really ought to be on those more important issues like jobs, like the economy, like deficit and debt like the war on terror. this is a distraction. the fact that it's disingenuous. it's politically and intellectually lazy to say it's this war on women. there's an incredible level of incense activity towards victims of sexual assault, this is an ideological effort on something that's law. but to use the term war on women is disingenuous. we have to focus on those key main issues we have to worry about as a country. >> i absolutely disagree with that. it's not disingenuous. that's how people feel. as a victim of rape, as a victim of incest, if you are going to

come to these individuals and say at the six month period you didn't report this rape -- look what's happening in the military. the military is estimating up to 26,000 cases of sexual assault. people are not reporting them because there's only about 3300 reported. there's a challenge that victims face and it's not fair for people to say oh, it's not a war on women because it's intellectually lazy. that's not what is it. this is really what's happening. folks are deeming it an attack on women that you are involved in what's happening with their bodies. >> danny, as you listen to the arguments that are being made on both sides an you listen to what was said in the hearing yesterday, what is the political gain when you look at the republicans of moving forward on this and we look at 2014, what's going to be the overhang? looks like we have lost his audio. angela to you then on this.

what's your thought? >> think as we go into the mid-terms -- mid-terms is a time where people don't come out and vote as they do in presidential election. when you see what happens with gun safety and michael bloomberg saying hey we need to be single issue voters that could happen in this instance as well if there's continues to be an assault or deemed to be an assault on women's bodies could it very well happen. they could come out in droves. >> thank you so much. danny, we lost connection we apologize. thank you both for being with us. home foreclosures are rising and that could be a good thing. we have what's moving your money today and details of a new report. >> reporter: good morning. the report is from realtytrac and more americans are finding themselves struggle through this foreclosure process but not necessarily a bad thing could it mean that banks are trying to draw down the number of distressed properties that are out there. the report shows overall

foreclosures were up 11% from the month before, repo session were up 11% as well. still it's worth noting for the year foreclosures were down more than 28%. foreclosure activity was up 2.3%. part of the trend and indicate that banks are feeling that the housing market is strengthening so now it's a good time to take control of these homes and to resell them. >> thank you so much. if you're planning on traveling somewhere this summer trip adviser took a look at the most affordable cities for a night how to. honolulu is the most expensive city surpassing new york but just some change. the cheapest the las vegas where you can get the same for about $to 30 less. head south for the most savings. cities like miami and new orleans are among the least expensive. overall trip adviser say four star hotel rates are up 18%. internationally cities like

hanoi and bangkok are the most affordable. come here, boy. ♪ there you go. come on, let's play! [ male announcer ] there's an easier way to protect your dog from dangerous parasites. good boy. fetch! trifexis is the monthly, beef-flavored tablet

that prevents heartworm disease, kills fleas and prevents infestations, and treats hook-, round-, and whipworm infections. treatment with fewer than 3 monthly doses after exposure to mosquitoes may not provide complete heartworm prevention. 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. visit our website to save up to $25. spokesman i have to look my so bbest on camera.sing

whether i'm telling people about how they could save money on car insurance with geico... yeah, a little bit more of the lime green love yeah... or letting them know they can reach geico 24/7 using the latest technology. go on, slather it all over. don't hold back, go on... it's these high-definition televisions, i'll tell ya, they show every wrinkle. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. ok s o i' 've been having with greek nonfat yogurt, loaded with protein 0% fat that thick creamy texture, i was in trouble. look i'm in a committed relationship with activia and i've been happy and so has my digestive system. now i'm even happier since activia greek showed up because now i get to have my first love and my greek passion together, what i call a healthy marriage. activia greek. the feel good greek. ♪ dannon

breaking news out of geismar, louisiana. a chemical plant explosion. according to the louisiana state police captain doug cane there he's saying the reported explosions touched off a fire at the williams company plant. they are saying there are injuries. apparently there are injuries there. cane also saying that he does not know how many people were hurt but he does see ambulances taking a couple of folks from the plant. some injuries. they produce about 1.3 billion pounds of ethylene and propylene. president obama will deliver an address at the white house today as part of the administration's celebration of june as lgbt pride month. this comes at a critical time

for gay rights with the supreme court poised to rule on two same sex marriage cases before the end of the month. joining me now is political strategist and gay rights advocate david mixer. so you've gone to these events at the white house in the east room, several before, right? >> yes, i have. >> what will the president need say today to those who are in the community and what do they want to hear from the president? >> what they want to hear and what i think they will get are two different things. they want to hear that the president is ready to sign an executive order that would make it illegal for contractors with the u.s. government to discriminate against lgbt people. i think they would thereof hear some words of encouragement about the repression going on in russia against the lgbt community they just passed horrible leverage jays and the president's meeting with president putin in ireland this coming week. >> when it comes to the contractor that was something the first lady was at an event, one of the attendees had

approached and said something to the first lady, is that correct? >> that's right. she actually heckled the first lady. the fact of the matter is that this is something that the president can do. but what we're seeing happening with the supreme court decision is like a democratic party has put us on hold. they are hoping that the supreme court will take some pressure off of them on a lot of these issues. i think that's why we didn't get the law passed in illinois. immigration reform, they hope that they don't have to include it in the immigration bill. >> let's talk about until integration bill, immigration reform which is in the full senate right now. senator leahy discussion the issue of lgbt couples and attaching another amendment. he proposed that amendment. what's your thought on that. will that happen and what if it comes down the point where it sinks the bill? >> don't think it will happen until the supreme court rules by the end of the month. we're talking about 14 days now. the fact of the matter is what's going to sink the bill is not the lgbt community that's what

the republicans would like to you believe. the fact of the matter is once this bill gets to the house of representatives, they are going to try to tear it apart. piece by piece, amendment by amendment because the right-wing of the republican party does not want immigration reform. and they are looking for scapegoats. the fact of the matter, if we're included in this bill or not is not going to kill the bill. but if we're not included in the bill it's an amoral action by the democratic party. >> that's including lgbt couples and getting the same treatment as other families. >> if i'm a relationship and can get married in new york with an englishman he can be deported and if i was in a marriage to an english woman she wouldn't be deported. it's totally immoral and unfair. >> human rights commission, human rights campaign issued a statement praising the president's recent appointments, specifically alluding to susan rice and samantha power for those key foreign policy position. how has the president done on

appointments of lgbt appointments. >> he's done brilliant. he's absolutely done brilliant. this is something the president can take a great deal of pride on. ambassadors into position of power. >> again supporters of gay rights. >> supporters and actually lgbt people themselves who are holding position of real power and at last able to contribute their talents an gifts to make america great. >> i was talking about rice and power. the federal government is not defending the defense of marriage act in the supreme court case. but has the administration done enough for marriage equality? what's your thought >> we couldn't ask for anything more on marriage equality. he made calls in illinois to try to get it passed in illinois, in rhode island and in delaware. i think not defending doma before the supreme court is a huge, huge step. now it's in the hands of the supreme court. nobody will do anything more until they see what they say. >> thank you so much.

today's tweet of the day comes from nbc pro sports football talk saying several nfl players have put their names and numbers on lgbt pride shirts. [ male announcer ] i've seen incredible things. otherworldly things. but there are some things i've never seen before. this ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. which is good for business. because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. suddenly, faraway places don't seem so...far away.

♪ energy efficient appliances. you can get a tax write off for those. a programmable thermostat, very smart, saves money. ♪ cash money sorry. i see you have allstate claim free rewards, for every year you don't have a claim, you'll get money off your home insurance policy. put it towards... [ glass shatters ] [ girl ] dad! dad! [ girl screams ] noise canceling headphones? [ nicole ] that's a great idea. [ male announcer ] home insurance that saves you money for not having a claim? that's allstate home insurance with claim free rewards. talk to an allstate agent... [ doorbell rings ] and let the good life in.

checking the news feed this morning for nascar driver jason leffler died. his car flipped over several times. leffler was a single father who leaves behind his 5-year-old son charlie. a federal judge has approved a plan to make the plan b one step morning after pill available to all girls without a prescription. earlier obama dropped its fight to keep the age lip mitt on the controversial pill. the drug could be on store shelves by mid-july. the carnival "triumph" sails again. the "triumph" has since had 115 million dollars in repairs and

upgrades and today passengers will once again board the "triumph" for a four night cruise. >> south african president is paying tribute to nelson mandela who is in the hospital. chris jansing is live in pretoria. what's the latest on mandela's condition at this moment? >> reporter: we did get an update earlier today. it's almost 5:00 in the afternoon now and they said that nelson mandela is continuing to respond to treatment. there's been a lot of pressure on the government here by an anxious nation wanting to know exactly what's going on. in fact some people suggested that the government should be giving updates hour by hour. what they have said is that yes he's responding to treatment, yes he remains frail and we know that his family don't visit. we've seen at least six members of his family including his wife and several grandchildren who have gone in and out of the hospital behind me throughout

the day today but that's all, those are all the people who are visiting him. they have severely restricted who can see him. there's a very practical reason if none other and that he's very susceptible to infection so they don't want people carrying infection in and out while he remains in the intensive care unit. the government is asking people to be patient. they are asking people to respect the family's wishes. and it's two hours before visiting hours will close at the hospital. we do not expect any further statements either from the government or nelson mandela's family today. >> chris, you had the opportunity to go into the town to meet the locals there and find out their reaction to the developments there with nelson mandela. what have they been telling you? >> reporter: you know, i think it's very diverse and there's a lot of anxiety here. it's tough to overstate the importance of nelson mandela, not just to the world but particularly to people of this nation and there's obviously

been a lot of discussions in the newspapers as well as on local television about what he continues to mean to this country. i did spend some time today at the place he called home. in soweto, there were large grouches school children there learning about the man who was called the father of democracy here in south africa. also went to the apartheid museum where they had a temporary exhibit that started on nelson mandela in 2008. quickly became the most popular exhibit there seen it continues to draw thousands of visitors every year, richard. >> thank you so much. >> we're getting news into msnbc at the house judiciary meeting right now. fbi director mueller being asked a number of questions about the nsa and the data sweeps and threw see him answering some questions now. in previous answers so far

during this meeting he defends the program saying it is necessary and would have helped if available in past terror plots. defending the nsa surveillance program so far at the house judiciary hearing there, fbi the director mueller will continue to watch i had statements. that wraps up this hour of "jansing and company." i'm richard lui in for chris jansing. thomas roberts is up next. >> good morning to you. the agenda next hour have republicans learned anything? it seems the war on women is back. it's after they comments about rape and abortion from a different congressman trent franks. we'll talk to democrat sanchez about those comments. a 10-year-old girl who wins the battle to get an adult lung transplant. and then latest on a major decision from the supreme court, can you patent human genes? we're still waiting for the supreme court to decide on the defense of marriage act and prop 8 how gay supreme court clerks might be influencing the

justices decisions. we'll examine that and much more at the top of the hour. i'm an accountant. a mechanical engineer. and i shop at walmart. truth is, over sixty percent of america shops at walmart every month. i find what i need, at a great price. and the money i save goes to important things. braces for my daughter. a little something for my son's college fund. when people look at me, i hope they see someone building a better life. vo: living better: that's the real walmart.

how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed much is the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪ a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function

so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions, or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion.

hi everybody. good morning. i'm thomas roberts. polling and aiken another be republican is making headlines about controversial comments on rape and pregnancy. congressman trent franks of arizona who is disappear heeding a bill that would ban all abortions after 20 weeks. >> incidents of rape and resulting in pregnancy are very low but when you make that exception, when you make that exception there's usually a requirement to report the rape within 48 hours and in this case that's impossible because this is in the sixth move gestation. >> so as you can imagine reaction came lightning fast. the democratic party tweeting out from its official handle with these comments. representative frampgs will give todd akin a run for his money. >> during the examine you wonder who these people are that go out

and say these things. >> to get into such specifics with the sense of, you know, i know what i'm talking about when clearly that's not the case. >> these latest comments come as wisconsin's legislature is poised to pass a trio of bills that limit access to abortion. they require twoem undergo ultrasound to ban public money for abortions. >> sit down. you're not recognized. the question before the house is nondebatable. call the roll. >> joining me right now is congresswoman loretta sanchez a democrat from california. she's founder and chair of the women in the military caucus. congresswoman, great to have you with me today and certainly i think for a lot of people it feels like deja vu. they relaunched not just akin website and as we