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tv   Weekends With Alex Witt  MSNBC  July 20, 2013 4:00am-5:01am PDT

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and that is our show. >> thanks for watching. broiling point. another day of heat warnings across the cub. will the weekend bring relief? and the one hot number that could surprise. >> you trayvon martin could have been me 35 years ago. new reaction this morning to president obama's remarks on race in america. will it start a new conversation across the country? the numbers behind the disaster in detroit. how did one of america's greatest cities fall into bankruptcy. royal baby rumor mill in the middle of the great kate wait. we separate fact from fiction.
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is there any real baby news today? good morning, everyone. welcome to weekends with alex whitt. we can all expect another day of relentless heat. it is the largest and longest heat wave in more than a decade. it has affected 130 million americans. at least 13 deaths are being blamed on the hot weather. 50 firefighters were overcome by the heat at the scene of a fire in jersey city, new jersey friday. 23 were taken to hospitals of heat-related conditions. 27 more treated for heat exhaustion. meteorologists are calling this weather pattern unique because this heat wave moved from east to west. >> just about all weather systems in the u.s. move west to east. heat waves generally begin in the plains. this developed in the east coast. the heat bubble shifted west during the week. >> this week-long bake put pressure on the power grids.
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con edison said it hit a record for demand. and new york kennedy airport, heat index 107 degrees at 1:00 yesterday. the highest mark yet this week. although temperatures will remain in the 90s today, some relief is expected. nbc meteorologist dylan dreyer is here with the forecast. good morning. >> good morning, alec. we are still talking about one more day of this heat wave in the northeast. it has been so hot across the country on thursday all but one state hit 90 or degrdegrees or . alaska did not hit 90. it will be cooler in chicago. cooler air settles into sunday. so today is the last day of the extreme heat and humidity. but there is a cold front that is going to move in. with it comes showers and storms. we have seen very strong storms back through the cleveland area. a closer look shows you that the heavy rain is falling south of
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cleveland, moving into northwestern pennsylvania. this whole cold front will move into the northeast into this afternoon. and the area in yellow is where we will see our strongest storms from maine into areas like northwestern west virginia and northern kentucky. we could see damaging straight line wind gusts and large isolated hail, along with heavier downpours. that is something we will keep our eye out for this afternoon. and extreme heat in the southwest again. 90s through dallas, into san antonio. some relief in the midwest. we should be in the upper 70s in minneapolis. still one more day of this extreme heat in new york city. alex? >> thank you, dylan. in washington, new action to the unexpected personal remarks about race from president obama. he spoke for the first time about trayvon martin in the not guilty verdict of the george zimmerman trial. here's the president in his own words.
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>> when trayvon martin was first shot i said this could have been my son. another way of sating that, trayvon martin could have been me 35 years ago. there are very few african-american men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. that includes me. there are, frankly, very few african-american men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. that happens to me. at least before i was a senator. there are very few african-americans who haven't had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off. that happens often. and i don't want to exaggerate
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i ask people if trayvon martin was of age and armed, key have stood his ground on that sidewalk? and do we actually think that he would have been justified in shooting mr. zimmerman who had followed him in a car because he felt threatened. and if the answer to that question is at least ambiguous, then it seems to me that we might want to examine those kinds of laws. let me just leave you with a final thought that as difficult and challenging as this whole episode has been for a lot of people, i don't want us to lose sight that things are getting better. each successive generation seems to be making progress in changing attitudes when it comes to race. it doesn't mean we're in a
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post-racial society. it doesn't mean racism is eliminated. but when i talk to malia and sasha and i listen to their friends and see them interact, they're better than we are. that is true in any community that i've visited all across the country. gentlemen, glad you're both here. james, i'll begin with you. the president surprised the press. he walked in the briefing room unannounced on a friday afternoon. first of all, your reaction to what he said and then also the timing of this message. >> i feel like the the press corps was like, whoa. we were on air as this was unfolding. there was a lot of excitement and surprise that the president was going to deliver these
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remarks. i think the timing -- normally that friday afternoon slot is reserved for stories that politicians want to see buried. we started early this week with the zimmerman verdict. you had all this discourse and civil unrest in response to it. i don't know if people got a chance to see fruitville station, about oscar grant, which is also related to this. and the president's comments last night. it seemed we had reached critical mass around these issues of racial profiling, bias in the criminal justice system. and the president had to address it from the fact of not explaining black people's pain but placing it in context. he connected the office of the president to racial profiling and the bias in our criminal justice system. >> for the the president to make clear to americans, this is what african-american males go
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through. do you think most americans don't understand, james? >> i think there are a large portion of americans that don't understand. but it does two things, alex. one, it valid 80s the experiences of those who are profiling and those connected to this particular kind of history. yes, there is putting into context so people can understand the outrage, pain, and emotion and communities that are connected. this civil unrest is a diverse group of folks out there protesting right now. so when you look at people responding to these younger folks, people of color, the president is helping to understand how this fits into context is really important here. >> clinton, same question to you. do you think most americans don't understand those scenarios that the president even described. >> even worse is they're not will to try to understand. that is one of the things that is extremely harmful.
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it was very important for the president to say this. again, factors of racism that exist are not perpetrated just by people that are over outright racist. it's the people that look the other way because they don't want to look inside themselves and understand being part of the problem is just standing by while it happens. >> you know, clinton, we're surprised that it took the president six days to comment on the zimmerman verdict. after releasing that written statement, looking at a little bit co, the headline reads obama weighs in on race, reluctantly. do you think there was reluctance, clinton? >> no. i think the guy just decided to think on it for a while. the fact that he went off script. i mean, there was no prepared remarks. he just spoke candidly about the the heart about this shows you it's not something he has been thinking about. it is con just a contextual thing but reality. >> the timing, this is before
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the national action network. of course reverend al sharpton's network. they are asking for all of these demonstrations today. >> that's right. >> but a peaceful protest, these demonstrations to be calm. do you think the president was thereby lending his voice for calm and do you think this will have that effect? >> i think the demonstrations have been largely calm already. so i don't think there's any need for the president to try to hedge against some kind of violent outbreak. these protests largely have not been violent in any way. people want to express themselves. some people are angry and frustrated. in part because clinton raised a really, really important part. sometimes it's refusal to see the iniquities in our society. we have to move beyond that. people have to become more empathetic. that's the only way we can begin
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to erode some of those challenges. >> yeah. >> a lot of people poo-poo the conversation piece. the symbolic nature of trayvon martin case will shape younger folk who will ultimately have power over the criminal justice system. >> charles barkley, off outspoken, as we know, he said we never talk about race until something bad happens. and he also said this. >> when people talk about race, they always want to act like it's only white people who are racist. listen, there are black people who are racist also. that's one thing i always want to talk about. i consider racism the greatest cancer of my lifetime. unfortunately to some people i'm always going to be black. >> how do you think those statements advance the dialogue if at all? >> i don't think they do much. racism as perpetuated against
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blacks and other people of country has been most harmful. a lot of black people feel they have been raised and lived in a society which forced them to feel they have been put down. therefore they are racist. i don't think it is necessary. the point here is to let people genuinely be honest about what they feel inside so we can get to a point where we can bridge a gap. the fact is in this country if you are labeled a racist you are out cast. so nobody wants to bring up the issues. >> in terms of finding harmony, the president says when he listens to sasha and malia, they are better than we are. they are better than we were on these issues. is that your experience? do you think the next generation is better? >> i would tend to agree. if i look at the cross-sections of the college students i've taught the last 10 to 15 years,
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in that time span, students are coming with more open minds than we were when we were in university classrooms. mr. barkley i think is flat out wrong here. we're having conversations about race. it may not be on national news networks. but there are scholars, writers, thinkingers and organizers engaged. and the way we tend to define race is structures and systems. black folk can be prejudice but it's difficult for a black person to be racist. you have to have the tools of the system to make that racism hurt. yes, we do see progress. with each generation as long as we're prepared to connect them to these important histories, we'll be better than the previous generation. that's just sort of how it works. >> i want you to weigh in in terms of how much better is better if you agree with what james is saying and the president as well? is better good enough? >> no. better is not good enough at
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this current state. i would like to think i'm of the generation that's actually doing something and not simply saying, look at that generation. they happen to be getting it better. as an american and human i'm out to try to make this a better situation. kids were taking a summer class at georgetown university yesterday. they asked me about this. they said what do you do to try to make this better? i said you teach people that not everybody, just because they're different than you is a problem. say hello to people when you walk down the street. go for it and you will achieve it. >> absolutely. great discussion, guys. thank you so much. >> thanks, alex. >> all of you please share your thoughts on the president's comments on race. talk to me on twitter. my handle is @alexwitt. we will read your tweets throughout the show. what happened to send one of america's biggest cities into bankruptcy and what's next for the motor city? can it be saved?
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i'd be happy to listen to any other plan someone can come up with given the restraints we're working under. the reality is with $12 billion in unsecured debt, there's precious little we can do. >> that was detroit emergency manager kevyn orr. detroit's financial crisis has become more complicated with the county judge ordering them to withdraw the the bankruptcy filing saying it violates the state's constitution. the only thing certain at this point is the motor city needs solutions fast. former top lawyer for the city of detroit and candidate for this year's mayoral election. >> thanks for having me. >> 16.3% unemployment. an hour for emergency services to arrive on average. 40% of the streetlights don't
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work. how did it get so bad? why did it come to this? >> a lot of people who were in charge of making sure we got the services we should get didn't do their jobs. i'm not going to apologize for it and say something else other than what actually happened. but the path we are going down with this bankruptcy and this emergency management here in the state of michigan is not the answer. we need to make structural changes to the way city government operates. we have had a number of people come to the table with ideas and plans. no one has been willing to implement the plans. >> crystal, one thing you said is detroit does not have a financial problem. it has a collection problem. can you explain that? >> absolutely. and the number we're dealing with is not 12 billion, 16 billion. every time there's a press conference there's another number given with respect to the city's debt. we do not collect money that's owed to the city of detroit. we have a lot of weighty people who do business with the city without paying their fair share
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in taxes and other obligations or in a owed to the city. we have laid off all the people who are responsible for collecting money. i had one lady tell me the other day she's the only person left in her department and she collected $11 million in 18 months. if we just do the math we realize we need to add people to those departments that generate and collect money for the city. >> crystal, you were right there in the middle of all of this. you were the city's top lawyer. do you believe detroit was capable of getting out of this crisis without mr. or, an emergency manager? >> absolutely. i still believe we can. we need to have a mayor in place who is going to put people in the key positions who know how to get the money, who know what to do and who know how to make the change in order to be a viable and solvent city. >> pension benefits. opponents say this is the city just trying to get around obligations to pay the pension
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benefits. what do you think about that? >> i think that's absolutely what's happening. there are people who don't believe if you have worked for the city for, say, 25 or 30 years, under the the promise that when you retire you would get health care and pension that you should get it. >> yeah. >> i happen to believe that you are entitled to it. now, the unions have indicated that they are willing to come to the table and change that model going forward for current and future employees. but what do you do with those people who are in the system now who have these pensions that they were relying on in order to live. i had a gentleman say a month and a half ago, i'm 80 years old, i'm a retired police officer. i retired 30 years ago. they want my pension and health care. they want me to die. that's basically what he would be looking at if we pull these benefits that he was relying upon out from under him. >> so, about a quarter million people fled detroit between 2000 and 2010. this is seen as a one-trick pony
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town. they have the auto industry. so in order to build it back up, don't you need to entice new business to come in, building permits to be put into place. will bankruptcy slow the ability of people to be able to do that? and, i mean, if it does, what's the incentive for people to come back and invest in detroit? the only way to revive this town is to diverse any, get people building again. >> i agree. there are people moving and relocating their families and businesses to the city every day. we have never, ever taken advantage of the fact of our geographic al position here in this region. >> crystal, will people get those things that are expected when you want to invest in the city? will they get new business tax credits, detroit city credits? because this city has declared bankruptcy. >> that's a very, very good question. this bankruptcy matter will be tied up in courts probably for many years to come. i doubt very seriously within
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the next year or two years we will have any finality with respect to what this police station means in the city. i'm agreeing with this judge that the way this was done is unconstitutional. we did reveal the emergency manager laws here in the state that actually brought him to detroit. >> crystal, good luck with the election and getting through all of this in your hometown. thank you so much. >> thank you. it's back! home flipping has returned, but only in some places. head over to facebook and search weekends with alex witt. ♪ [ crashing ] [ male announcer ] when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast with tums. trusted heartburn relief that goes to work in seconds.
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find out how a woman fell to her death from a roller coaster in texas. they saw her fall shortly after 6:30 last night. >> when they pulled up the daughter and son of the lady that flew out of the car were hysterical. they were saying their mother flew out of the car. and the guys that were sitting right behind the lady said that right when they came down off the first bump and hit that first turn she flew out. >> officials are looking into whether staff members properly secured the woman in the seat. katherine jackson, mother of late singer michael jackson, will continue her testimony in the trial of aeg live. she said when he died she lost everything. she believes aeg is responsible for putting michael in conrad
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murphy's care. >> it is really hot. we went to the streets today and ask new yorkers if we could pour a bucket of cold water on your head. >> would you mind if i pour a bucket of cold water on your head? >> not in the slightest. >> i'm going the dump a bunch of water on you, all right? >> bring it. om walmart and secretly served it up in the heart of peach country. it's a fresh-over. we want you to eat some peaches and tell us what you think. they're really juicy. it must have just come from the farm. this right here is ideal for me. walmart works directly
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man slaughter and negligence for the shipwreck of "costa concordia". today marks the first anniversary of the shooting spree at an aurora, colorado movie theater leaving 12 dead, 70 injured. survivors of that theater attack from last year's connecticut school massacre held a rally where they read the names >> a new york woman fraudulently received $480,000 claiming she suffered a traumatic brain injury from the marathon bombings. she is the second person accused of trying to defraud the charity. and a man accused of stealing a bus in san francisco and going on a 100-mile joyride. in maryland, a tractor trailer knocked a car off the chesapeake bay bridge. the 22-year-old driver managed
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to escape and swim to nearby rocks. she sustained nonlife threatening injuries. she's lucky >> new reaction to president obama's highly controversial remarks about race in this country. he drew this personal comparison to trayvon martin. you know, when trayvon martin was first shot, i said that this could have been my son. another way of saying that is trayvon martin could have been me 35 years ago. and when you think about why in the african-american community, at least, there's a lot of pain around what happened here, i think it's important to let's go to the white house and kristin welker. good saturday morning to you, my friend. tell me what went into this decision to make this surprise
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appearance friday and talk about the timing as well. what's behind that? >> well, alex to put it into a broader context, african-american leaders have been calling to the president to speak out about the george zimmerman verdict. behind the scenes, white house officials said the president had really been monitoring the reaction to the zimmerman verdict since it was handed down in the african-american community and also all across the nation. he spoke with how he should respond. on thursday he talked to senior advisers and told them he wanted to address the nation. it was really an extraordinary day at the white house because his remarks came as such a surprise. i have been covering this two years now, alex. every time the president comes into the briefing room, the reporters get some type of a heads-up. the the president wanted this to be a surprise. he didn't want reporters sitting around thinking about what he was going to talk about.
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they wanted the speech to be straight up. and that's really what it was. his most extensive comments on race since 2008. back in 2008, of course, he was a candidate. now he's a second-term president. you could really hear that in terms of how deeply personal he spoke about the george zimmerman verdict. part of his goal was to put heated reactions to the verdict in a broader context. he got personal. african-american men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. that includes me. there are, frankly, very few african-american men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. that happens to me. at least before i was a senator. >> as you can imagine, alex, the reaction has been mixed even within the african-american
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community. reverend jesse jackson saying this was a good thing the president spoke out. tavis smiley said that the president really has led from behind on the issue of race. we're also getting reaction from the key players themselves. the parents of trayvon martin released a statement saying, "what touches us is that move that president obama took the time to speak publicly and at length about our son, trayvon. the president's comments give us great strength at this time. >> while we acknowledge the racial context of the case case we hope the president is not saying this follows racial disparity because we think it does not.
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>> kristin, do you get a sense ultimately what the president hopes to accomplish with lending his very powerful voice to this conversation? >> yeah. i think it's a great question, alex. i think he was talking not only to the african-american community in sort of addressing and validating their heated reaction to the verdict. but i also think he was addressing the members of this community who are not in the african-american community reminding them and putting into context why you have seen people take to the streets to protest the not guilty verdict. in his written statement, president obama called for calm. and i think that his comments on friday were really a follow-up to that, saying let's all take a breath. let's all have a moment of reflection when it comes to race. he acknowledged how far they have come but made a point that the nation still has a long way to go. >> trayvon martin's parents are expected to attend two of the
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vigils. they are planned across the the nation today. people will gather outside deposit buildings to call for federal civil rights charges against george zimmerman. in tallahassee today, stand your ground law protests are gathering. they have been gathered out week demanding a special session. three big money headlines. back flippers, blockbuster grid lock, fading barbies. joining me now is regina lewis. beginning with the housing market here, house flipping, is that back? what does it mean? >> it means buying and selling within a six-month window. home prices are up 12%, so you have margins to work with. the new average gain is $18,000.
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john poulsen said he thinks real estate remains one of the best investments you can make. buy a home. the second best investment, buy a second home. he explained it this way. say a house was $100 and you put 20% down. if a year later it was worth $112, you have made 60% on that $20 that you put up. how also are you going to make 60%. >> good point. what about hollywood. hollywood is losing millions this summer. they are saying it's of their own making. why? >> well, they are saying they crowded themselves out. it's called blockbuster fatigue. the movies that cost more than 100 million to produce. just too many of them, alex. they're crowding things out. pacific rim, white house down, lone ranger. it doesn't have broader ramifications within the movie industry. so the movie theaters themselves are doing a-okay. they don't care with the studios have to write off the losses.
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they're still selling popcorn and the seats are still full. the movie seats and theaters up 14%. some of the studios, when they flop they flop big. barbie, flopping here a little bit? on the losing end of the popularity contest. >> you know, she's had a great run. 54 years. but four consecutive quarters of slowing growth. this is a fascinating and smart move by mattel. who is she displaced by? goth barbies. they have a little vampire theme going on. tag lines make your dreams come true is make your fears come true. there's interactive components. instead of a yearbook there's a fear book. you get the idea. a lot of components is certainly a toy trend. and the industry is going online. as kids become more tech savvy. and overall age compression.
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kids outgrowing toys faster. >> i think kids are just cooler. it's true. it is the way kid are. thank you so much >> health care reform will make 1 million people quit their jobs. that's next. a real gate keeper. here's kevin, the new boyfriend. lamb to the slaughter. that's right brent. mom's baked cookies but he'll be lucky to make it inside. and here's the play. oh dad did not see this coming. [ crowd cheering ] now if kevin can just seize the opportunity. it's looking good, herbie. he's seen it. it's all over. nothing but daylight. yes i'd love a cookie. [ male announcer ] make a powerful first impression. the all-new nissan sentra. ♪
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veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. the president playing offense this week as he continues his push to sell the new health care law to the president. >> health care costs have slowed trafficly in a lot of areas since we passed the affordable care act. we have a lot more work to do but health care inflation is not skyrocketing the way it was. >> nbc/wall street journal poll found only 37% believe the affordable care act is a good idea. 49% believe it's a bad idea.
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where does the truth lie? if it is to save money and it is a good thing, why are people not buying into it? >> low bar. i understand that. i think the problem is it is a complex piece of work. and it's only partially in effect now. the biggest part, which are these health care exchanges for people who don't get coverage with can go to get lower priced health care insurance. that doesn't start until next year. if you talk to the people benefiting from some of the rules that are in place right now, families whose kids up to age 26 are getting coverage, people with pre-existing conditions, they're going to say very good things about it. look, like i said, there's a lot of moving parts. it hasn't fully kicked in yet.
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>> proof that it is working to some degree. they are spending half a billion dollars to 8.5 million consumers. can you explain that? >> right. that's a really interesting part. you can bet they are feeling good about the affordable care act. it has to do with, again, every piece sounds complex. the the medical loss ratio. it's just a complicated way of saying if you're an insurance company and you're kind of taking too much of your premiums and not devoting them to people's health care, you have to rebate some of the costs. but the things the president was focus on is so important that the idea that the reforms around obama care as he himself calls it are actually slowing the cost of health care. that's a very important economic issue for the larger economy. the u.s. spends way more than other countries on health care not for better results. but that isn't the thing that gets you good results.
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people don't say, hey, it slowed down. i do think that health insurers themselves have to provide more health coverage and less profitability. that part is probably favorable to people. >> i want to look at the state of new york. because the white house is point to go reports regarding the state saying new yorkers are expected to be up to 50% cheaper when the state's health insurance marketplace opens october 1st. is this a fair assessment? >> yeah. it's a fair assessment. i've got to say i love this story both as an economist and someone who is a supporter of the affordable care act. i was working for the white house when we put that together. the idea was that if you can get insurers together into a marketplace, and it's called a health care change, and be very transparent about their product, it would force them to compete in ways that would lower costs. now, that's pretty theoretical. so when you actually see that happening and costs coming down
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by 50% in the nongroup market, meaning part of the marketplace where you yourself, not through your employer, have to go out and find health care, that's a tricky business. so to put that under the rubric of the exchange and to see competition prices coming down is a positive indicator, as the president suggested, this does seem to be moving in the right direction. >> so the house voted to delay two key provisions, the individual and the employer mandates. however, the obama administration announced they will be demanding the mandate because of the logistics of it. how much sense does it make to delay one and not the other. >> well, one is a very small deal. the other is a very big deal. the employer mandate is a relatively small part of the law. it makes a difference. it's going to help keep some employers from shedding their current agreement with their workers. so it will be important to come
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back to place in 2015. but the individual mandate is absolutely key to the results we're talking about so far. one of the things that happens in a health insurance program that works, this is how every other country does it, you have to have everybody in the pool. the the younger, healthier people have to subsidize everyone else. so it is key to the economics, the architecture of the whole thing. >> you heard the tease before the break that that health care reform will make a million people quit their jobs. true? do you see how that would happen? >> i don't see how that would happen. if someone decides to leave their job because they can get coverage through obama care, that's certainly a possibility. but the problem with that kind of calculation is that it assumed that people go to work for one thing and one thing alone, to get health care. let's face it. most of us -- every viewer who is hearing my voice, this is going to resonate with you.
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most of us go to work because we need the paycheck. so the idea that you can quit because now there's an alternative form of health coverage i think has been way exaggerated. >> thanks thanks so much. any new movement in the great kate wait. that's next. ally just need "kid" softsprings got both, let me show you. right over here. here, feel this. wow, that's nice. wow. the soft carpets have never been this durable. you know i think we'll take it. get kid-friendly toughness and feet-friendly softness, without walking all over your budget. he didn't tell us it would do this. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now, get whole-home installation for just 37 bucks.
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right now firefighters are battling a massive fire outside of palm springs, california, making it worse. those firefighters are dealing with dangerously hot temperatures. miguel is there for us. miguel, good morning, what is the latest? >> alax, good morning. just after 4:00 a.m. here and getting closer to 5:00 a.m. and already 85 degrees here in palm springs. we certainly expect it to be triple-digit heat. that blaze is certainly on the move and so will be firefighters later on this afternoon. they'll use the city's air tram system which is usually a very
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visual scene for the public. this fire is being mostly attacked from the air, some 29 helicopters have been flying across a 40 square mile swath of land and the burn zone here is huge because this area is so ripe to burn. the hillsides haven't been scorched in decades. the fire is explosive and the potential is huge and for the most part, most of the major communities and idyllwild, the two biggest communities under threat are not in imminent dangers because firefighters have been laying so many a miles of fire break here. tough day, though, on the fire lines. alex? >> we hope all stay safe there in idyllwild and palm things. thanks. anticipation for the royal baby. more than a week since they thought she was due to give to birth. the royal couple's return to london yesterday afternoon only returned the excitement.
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joining me now nbc royal contributor robert jobson. that was not nice, that fake will and kate, come on. >> just a publicity stunt for a national newspaper, alex. they're all going quietly crazy at down there at the moment. i was down there and the reporters had quite enough of it. going on for a fourth night now. maybe some did jump the gun. going on for too long for some of them. >> why did they jump the gun. was it the palace being very generic on when she was due and do we have any further details on when she might actually be due? >> they didn't actually ever give a due date because they said this was personal. i think it would have been better saying that the due date was a little bit later on. i did hear it was a little bit later on just kate said on an engagement it was mid-july and
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speculation ever since. they issued a memorandum which was a private memorandum to the news organization spelling out the details on how the press pen would work and the facilities would work and i think that got everybody to jump the gun and ladders went down and camera crews down there. >> i believe that the queen wants to get the show on the road because she wants to go on holiday. >> the queen who is usually tight lipped about this and a little dwugirl asked her in the crowd. she said do you want a little boy or a little girl? she said i just want to go on holiday at the end of the week. if the baby is not born until the end of the week that they'll go and see her. >> we're all waiting here. we appreciate your time. that is a wrap of this hour "weekend with alex witt."
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straight ahead more political talk on "up with steve kornacki." stay with us. ♪ [ male announcer ] clearly this isn't one of those speed-eating contests. that's a hebrew national hot dog. a kosher hot dog. that means we're extra choosy about the cuts of beef that meet our higher kosher standards. and only a good, old-fashioned slow-motion bite is gonna capture all that kosher delight. and when your hot dog's kosher, that's a hot dog you can trust. hebrew national.
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if including advair could help improve your lung function. [ male announcer ] advair diskus fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder. get your first prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. president obama makes a major statement on the george zimmerman verdict. president obama made a surprise appearance at friday's white house press briefing. the verdict in the george zimmerman case in the killing of trayvon martin. >> when trayvon martin was first shot, i said that this could have been my son. another way of

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