what's happening in congress now, they are revising and extending the president's august deadline. clearly now the senate not going to meet that. the house is waiting to see what the senate does. the house has that bill and is going to be changed quite considerably in the wake of the president's comments last night. that floor for income where you would have to pay a sur check, the president last night pretty much said he wants to see that 350 go to 1 million. so now, the house of representatives is going to have to figure out how to pay. the senate not acting throws doubt in there. the president telegraphed this deadline for three weeks, almost a month. he stated last night, there are generations of congressional history that say he's right.

even given that, they could not meet the deadline. it does not portend well if members of congress go home without passing anything. >> the white house says that the senate majority leader has assured them that the necessary steps to be taken, the mark-ups, the revisions, the amendments will be done before they go on recess, but it may not be that the vote actually happens. let me bring in the panel now. ezra klein, mark whitaker. mark, what's your sense on the house side, whether they could get a vote and then wait for the senate to come back. >> congressmen in the house don't want to go on record in supporting any plan they think could be revised by the senate.

particularly one that involves raising taxes as the current proposal does. so as mike has been saying, i think this means you're not going to see full bills passed before the august recess. this puts even more pressure now on the president who scheduled this trip to ohio, thinking he might meet that august deadline, to keep making the case to the american people because the fear in the white house is that if nothing is done before the recess, that just gives time for the opposition, people who don't want to see reform, to gather their forces. >> all right. mark, we're going to -- hold on, wait for the president here, but go now to a news conference with ben roethlisberger, the quarterback who's been accused of assaulting a woman. >> her false allegations, an

attack on my family and me. i would never, ever force myself on a woman. i'm going to fight to protect my family and reputation. i'm not going to discuss my private life or this civil case in the media. i'll respond to outrageousal fwa in the appropriate form.

i have an obligation to remain focused on the pittsburgh stealers and i will do that. the allegations against me are wreckless and false. as much as i'd like to answer everyone's questions, i'm going

to respect the legal process and i am confident that the truth will prevail. thank you. >> ben roethlisberger, the pittsburgh stealer who has been accused of sexual assault by a woman in lake tahoe. she says it happened more than a year ago. the criminal investigators, the law enforcement authorities, have refused to even open a case because they say the woman never filed even a police complaint. she says the casino authorities had put the tamper on anything that she told them about the confrontation. but at least $50,000 from harrah's officials and punitive damages enough to deter roethlisberger and others from engaging in such conduct in the future. but there you heard from the football player, a complete denial and he says he will fight those charges. we're watching and waiting for the president to come out in shaker heights, ohio. he say cleveland clinic is a great example of what works right now. let me bring back in my panel. ezra, let me talk to neutral, how does he solve the underlying problem? why we pay so much for health care if the only point to this is covering people? >> so there's cost control and there's coverage expansion. the two as the president said in an interview with "the washington post" yesterday, are different. they work on different schedules. it is hard to get and slow to

get the health care system to change the way it does business. >> can you give me an example of one proposal addressed at lowering or managing rising health care costs? >> the medpac proposal. this is the only proposal that the white house has sent in draft form to congress directly. what it would do would create a panel of experts, a republican created panel of experts to oversee medicare which would allow them to reform medicare year by year, which would allow them to cut costs and it would be a pretty radical change in the way we do it and has the possibly to have a real serious impact. >> we hear a lot about whether republicans are standing in the way. whether they're just being the party of no on this. a lot of republicans come forward and they have ideas.

but do you get the sense that republicans as a whole are ready to buy this thing and yes, they want amendments and have alternative ideas, but wapt health care to happen. or just to be done on arrival? >> they want to be helpful in the process. they realize americans are underinsured and want to be helpful to the process, but don't want to throw out the bath water. we have the best health care system in the world, but we don't want to rush to judgment and buy something that's going to bankrupt the economy. at a time when unemployment is skyrocketing, it's in double digits in a number of states, this bill could drive it even higher because if you doubly tax small business owners, they're going to be forced to layoff people or go out of business.

>> payrolls of less than $250,000, we'll keep our eye on that. i appreciate your input in the discussion, but we want to look at another live event. this one in new york city. let's turn to the funeral for walter cronkite. you're watching live pictures coming into us. the legendary journalist died last week and today's service taking place where the family has worshipped for decades. michelle franzen is outside the church now. >> reporter: we're outside the church and just a short time ago, they allowed some of the public members that have been gathering to go inside. the family had said this would be a private funeral, but would not shut the doors to anyone. people have filtered in for that service. it is a traditional service

here. it is a church where walter cronkite and his family worshipped for decades. and today, the family returning here as well as his family from his professional career. they include many of the cbs workers, nbc, tom brokaw and a few of the speakers will include his son, chip, this afternoon. also, his colleague andy rooney. a lot of tributes being paid here. a memorial will be held in a couple of weeks where work and professional colleagues will get a chance to talk about walter cronkite and how they knew him. we all have a collective idea of how we knew the man throughout these years, coming into our home and we'll get a chance to hear a little bit from his

family about how they know the father, walter cronkite. >> michelle franzen outside the funeral right now. we'll keep our eye on that. and dozens of officials across new jersey arrested. mayors, legislatures, rabbis. and in ohio, president obama expected any moment to arrive and talk about the need for health care reform. 3... 2... 1. ever wonder how cheez-it bakes... so much real cheese in such small bites? ♪ baking complete! well, now you know. cheez-it. the big cheese. my daughter was with me. i took a bayer aspirin out of my purse and chewed it. my doctor said the bayer aspirin saved my life. please talk to your doctor about aspirin and your heart.

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we're waiting for president obama to come out and talk about health care.

he's getting a tour of the cleveland clinic and we're told saw a demonstration of robotic surgery. he points to the clinic as an example of what works. it's a group practice of 1800 physicians that don't have any financial incentives beyond their salaries. and they undergo an annual performance review to determine if they have their one-year contract renewed. new jobless claims have climbed again and the number is higher than expected. 554,000 newly laid off workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, however, the total number of people collecting

benefits dropped to 6.2 million. the national association of realtors says home sales rose to an annual rate of 4.9 million last month and taking a look at wall street right now, we are up in a big way. up 181 points above the 9,000 mark. we've not seen that number since january and we're seeing a similar trend across the board. the s&p now up 22 and nasdaq up 45 points. updating you on the breaking news in new jersey, a major bust in what could be the state's biggest corruption scandal ever. police have arrested about 30 people including three mayors, a state legislature, several rabbis from new jersey and new york. a massive bust. the result of a ten-year investigation involving money laundering, corruption and the sell of human organs. in seattle, performances of catch me if you can have been canceled after a woman's brutal

murder. the woman is the sister of one of the stage actors. she was stabbed to death. her partner was wounded by a man who attacked them while they slept. seattle police released a sketch and have sent out a mobile briefing to catch this guy. they're calling it random, but leaving open the possibility it was a hate crime. we're watching that event in ohio. president obama is expected to arrive any moment. we'll bring you the president's remarks as soon as they happen here on msnbc.

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president obama is in ohio, america's heart land, getting a

tour of the cleveland clinic, a well-respected facility where many people choose to go and get high-end medical treatment. the president says it's the kind of medical care all americans should get and could be possible if they were more able to coordinate the way the clinic does. on the right, you're seeing kathleen sebelius. she's joining chris dodd and senator tom carper of delaware, talking about health care reform. let's listen to the secretary. >> about what's happening to americans and i'm just so grateful that the senators and their colleagues across the rotunda in the house are working hard on this issue, are committed to making the kind of change we've been talking about for over seven decades in america and under the leadership of the president are willing to move ahead. in the department of health and human services, we take health

and human services very seriously. we run the largest insurance companies in the world. medicare and medicaid. and we are already starting down the path to do what we can within our current offices to model the kind of care we know not only produces better results for americans, saves lives, but also dollars. we look forward to continuing to work with the house and senate leadership to get a health care bill to the president's desk this year and begin to transform this critical system. >> let me bring in the panel that were with me, ezra klein writes about domestic policy for "the washington post," joe watkins and mark whitaker. mark, it does seem like there is a lot of concern about the cost. let me play what the president said last night about making sure this does not add to the

national deficit. >> i've also pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our deficit and i mean it. in addition to making sure that this plan doesn't add to the deficit in the short term, the bill i sign must also slow the growth of health care costs in the long run. >> the associated press has fact checked that and says it does not apply to this 245 milli$245 over the next decade they're willing to give to doctors increasing their medicare fees. is there room for interpretation? >> this visit to the cleveland clinic today actually illustrates just how complicated this issue is. the reason the president is visiting the cleveland clinic is that they've been very successful in going to this new model rather than fee for service for doctors.

they call it fee for value. it's actually improved the medical outcome, but at a lower cost. when peter orszag was asked yesterday why we didn't move completely to a fee for value, he said we don't have enough knowledge about how that would work. so that illustrates the fact that everybody knows the current system is broken, hugely exspentive. but nobody really knows how a new system would work and that is going to be the president's challenge today. and going forward, to try to offer more specificics to reassure people. >> ezra, what's your sense on this? when you're looking at the plans that the house democrats come up with, or the senate comes up with in certain committees, how much of this is guesswork?

>> some is guesswork and a lot of what we know would work, i'm sorry, we don't know a lot of what would work. one of the interesting things over health care debate reform, a lot of people say he's doing too much. the reason we're not going to save more is because we're not going to go far enough. we could have a lot more cos cost-sharing. what we're trying to do is let everybody keep what they have. when you let everyone keep what you have, you don't change very much. you can see where we end up. >> and joe, the interesting thing is that i've heard some republican lawmakers say, why would we want to change the best medical system in the world. is that your sense? there's nothing that needs to

change? >> the president's desires to change the system are noble, but are headed in the wrong direction and you don't want to droi, you don't want to raise unemployment. >> but which part? the part about everybody being covered? >> it's how you get there that's the problem. even democrats, 51 in house, know they cannot go back in 2010 and be reelected if they rush through a bill.

>> if they rush through a bill and it works, they might be heros. wait, let me leave it there because we're watching for the president. joe, mark, ezra, we're going to come back to you guys. when we see the president stand behind those microphones, we'll listen to him. be right back. progressive.

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live coverage of president obama's arrival at this brief opportunity and appearance here in ohio. this is the cleveland clinic he's toured today. got sort of a demonstration about what robotic surgery looks like. they said they didn't let the cameras in because the president was there to learn and not provide a photo opportunity. he's looking at the cleveland clinic as a model of how all of health care should be across the nation. let's listen in. >> hello, everybody. hello. thank you. thank you. thank you. please, everybody, have a seat. thank you. hello.

hello, shaker heights. hello, ohio. it is great to be here. there are a couple of quick acknowledgments i want to make. first of all, please give rick a big round of applause for his introduction. some special guests that we've got, first of all, the governor of the great state of ohio, ted strickland, is in the house. your state treasurer is here. your secretary of state of state is here. the mayor of the great city of cleveland is here, frank jackson's here.

shaker heights mayor is here. the shaker heights school superintendent is here. not here, but couple of my favorite people, congressman marcia fudge and sheriff brown couldn't be here today. they've got work to do in washington. it is good to be back in the great state of ohio. i know there are those who like to report on the back and forth of washington, by my only concern is the people who sent us to washington. the families feeling the pain of this recession. the folks i've met across this country who have lost jobs and savings and health insurance, but haven't lost hope. the citizens who defied the

cynics and the skeptics who went to the polls to demand real and lasting change. change was the cause of my campaign. it is the cause of my presidency. and when my administration came into office, we were facing the worst economy since the great depression. we were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month. hundreds of thousands of ohioans have felt that pain firsthand. our financial system was on is ver nlg of collapse. experts were warning that there was a serious chance our economy could slip into a depression. but because of the action we took, we've been able to pull our economy back from the brink. now that's the most immediate dangerous task, there are some

who question those steps. so let me report to you exactly what we've done. we passed a two-year recovery act that meant an immediate tax cut for 95% of americans and small business. 95%. it extended unemployment insurance and health coverage for those who lost their jobs in this recession. if provided emergency assistance to states like ohio to prevent deeper layoffs of police officers, firefighters, teachers and other essential personnel. at the same time, we took needed steps to keep the banking system from collapsing. to get credit flowing again. and to help responsible homeowners hurt by falling home

prices, to stay in their homes. in the second phase, we're now investing in projects to repair roads and bridges, ports and water systems and in schools and clean energy initiatives throughout ohio and all across the country. these are projects that are creating good jobs and bring lasting improvements to our communities and our country. there's no doubt that the steps we've taken have helped stave out of a much deeper disaster and even greater job loss. they've saved and helped create jobs and have begun to put the brakes on this recession, but i know for the millions of americans looking for work and those struggling in this economy, full recovery can't come soon enough. i hear from you at town hall meetings like this, i read your

letters. they're the first thing i think about in the morning, and last thing i think about at night. the simple truth is that it took us years to get into this mess and it will take more than a few months to dig our way out of it. but i want to promise you this, ohio. we will get there and we are doing everything in our power to get our people back to work. love you back. we also have to do more than just rescue this economy from recession. we need to address the fundamental problems that allowed this crisis to happen in the first place. otherwise, we'd be guilty of the

same short term thinking that got us into this mess. that's what washington has done for decades. we've put things off and that's what we have to change. now is the time to rebuild this economy stronger than before. strong enough to compete in the 21st century. strong enough to avoid the waves that time and time again unleashed a torn of misfortune on middle class families across the country. that's why we're building a new energy economy that will create millions of new jobs. helping to end our depence on foreign oil. we are, we're transforming our education system from cradle to college so this nation once again has the best educated workforce on the planet.

we are pursuing health insurance reform so every american has access to quality, affordable health coverage. i want to talk about health care for a second. i want to be clear. reform isn't just about the nearly 46 million americans without health insurance. i realize that with all the charges and criticism being thrown out there in washington, many americans may be wondering, well, how does my family or business stand to benefit from health insurance reform. what's in this for me? folks are asking that, so i want to answer those questions briefly. if you have health insurance, the reform will give you more security. you just heard rick's story. reform will keep the government out of your health care decisions, giving you the option to keep your coverage if you're

happy with it. don't let folks say we're going to be forcing government health care, it's not true. it will keep the insurance companies out of your decisions, too. by stopping insures from cherry picking who they cover and holding them to a higher standard for what they cover. you won't have to worry about receiving a surprise bill in the mail because we'll limit the amount your company will force you to pay out of your own pocket. you won't have to worry about preexisting conditions because never again will anyone in america be denied coverage because of a previous illness or injury.

you won't have to worry about losing coverage if you lose or leave your job because every american who needs insurance will have access to affordable plans through a health insurance exchange. a marketplace where insurance companies will compete to cover you, not to deny you coverage. and -- if you run a small business and you're looking to provide insurance for your employees, you'll be able to choose a plan as well. i've heard from small business owners all over america, trying to do the right thing, but choice is limited and that's

true here in ohio. now, if you're a taxpayer concerned about deficits. i'm concerned about deficits, too, because in the eight years before we came into office, washington enacted two large tax cuts, primarily for the wealthiest americans, added a prescription drug benefit to medicare, funded two wars, all without paying for it. didn't pay for it. the national debt doubled. we were handed a $1.3 trillion deficit when we walked in the door. one we necessarily had to add to in the short term to deal with this financial crisis. now, i have to tell you, i have to say that folks have a lot of nerve who helped get us into this fiscal hole and then start

going around trying to talk about fiscal responsibility. i'm always a little surprised that people don't have a little more shame. about having created a mess and then try to point fingers, but that's another topic. because the truth is that i am now president. and i am -- and i am -- and i am responsible and together, we have to restore a sense of responsibility in washington. we have to do what businesses and families do. we've got to cut out the things we don't need to pay for the

things we do. and that's why i've pledged that i will not sign health insurance reform. as badly as i think it's necessary, i won't sign it if that reform adds even one dime to our deficit over the next decade and i mean what i say. now, we have estimated that 2/3 of the cost of reform to bring health care security to every american can actually be paid for by reallocating money that's already in the system that's being wasted in federal health care programs. so let me repeat. about 2/3 of health care reform can be paid for just with taking money not being spent wisely and moving it into things that will actually make people healthier. and that includes by the way, right now, we spend more than $100 billion in unwarranted

subsidies that go to insurance companies as part of medicare. subsidies that do nothing to improve health care for our seniors. we ought to take that money and actually use it to treat people. not to line pockets of insurers and i'm pleased that congress has already embraced these proposals. and while they're currently working through proposals to finance the remaining costs, i continue to insist that health care reform not be paid for out of the backs of middle class families. in addition to making sure that this plan doesn't add to the deficit in the short term, the bill i sign must also slow the growth of health care costs while improving care in the long run. i just came from the cleveland clinic where i toured the

cardiac surgery unit, met some of the doctors. there's important work being done there as well as at the university hospitals and metro health and -- cleveland clinic has one of the best health information systems in the country. it means they can track patients and their progress. means they can provide better care for patients. they don't have to duplicate test after test because it's all online. they can help patients manage chronic diseases by coordinating with doctors and nurses both in the hospital and in the community. and here's the remarkable thing. they actually have some of the lowest costs for the best care. that's, that's the interesting thing about our health care system. often the better care produces

lower, not higher, expenses because better care leads to fewer errors that cost money and lives. you or your doctor don't have to fill out the same form a dozen times. medical professionals are free to treat people, not just illnesses. and patients are provided preventive care earlier to avert more expensive and invasive treatment later. that's why our proposals include a variety of reforms that would save both money and improved care. and why the nation's largest organizations representing doctors and nurses have embraced or plan. our proposals would change incentives so doctors and nurses are free to give patients the best care. we also want to create a group of experts who are empowered to eliminate waste and inefficiency

in health care. so overall, our proposals will improve the quality of care or our seniors, save them thousands on prescription drugs. and that is why aarp has endorsed our reform efforts as well. so the fact is lowering costs is essential for families and businesses here in ohio and all across the country. just take the ohio example. over the past few years, premiums have risen nearly nine times faster than wages. as we meet today, we're seeing double digit race increases on insurance premiums all over america. there are reports of rates being raised by 28% in california. 23% in connecticut. proposing as much as 56% in michigan. if we don't act, these hikes

will just be a preview of coming attractions. that's a future you can't afford. that is a future that america can't afford. we spend one of every six of our dollars on health care in america. and that's on track to double in the next three decades. the biggest driving force is the skyrocketing force of medicare and medicaid. large businesses struggle to cover workers while competing in the global economy and we'll never know the full costs of the dreams put on hold. the ideas allowed to languish because of the fear of being without insurance or having to pay for a policy on your own. so ohio, that's why we seek reform. and in pursuit of this reform, we forged a consensus that's never before been reached in this country. senators and representatives in five committees are working on

legislation. three have already produced a bill. health care providers have agreed to do their part to reduce the rate of growth. hospitals have agreed to bring down costs. the drug companies have agreed to make drugs more affordable. the american medical association, they've announced their support for reform. so we have never been closer -- we have never been closer to achieving quality, affordable health care for all americans, but at the same time, there are those who would seek to delay and defeat reform. is that the air conditioner? that's good. you can still hear me though. we had one republican that told

his party that even though they may want to compromise, it's better to go for the kill. another without breaking me, when it's really the american people who are being broken by rising health care costs and declining coverage. the republicans, the republican party chair recently went so far as to say health insurance reform was happening too soon. well, first of all, let me just be clear. if there's not a deadline in washington, nothing happens. nothing ever happens. and you know, we just heard today that well, we may not be able to get the bill out of the senate by the end of august or the beginning of august. that's okay. i just want people to keep on working. just keep working.

i want the bill to get out of the committees and then i want that bill to go to the floor and then i want that bill to be reconciled between the house and senate and then i want to sign a bill. and i want it done by the end of this year. i want it done by the fall. when i hear people say it's happening too soon, i think that's a little odd. we've been talking about health care reform since the days of harry truman. how could it be too soon? i don't think it's too soon for the families who have seen their premiums rise faster than wages year after year, or the businesses. it's not too soon for taxpayers asked to close widening deficits, costs that threaten to

leave our children with a mountain of debt. reform may be coming too soon for some in washington, but not too soon for the american people. we can get this done. we don't short from a challenge. we can get this done. people keep on saying, well, this is really hard. why are you taking it on? you know, america doesn't shirt from a challenge. we were reminded of that earlier this week when americans marked the 40th anniversary of the moment the astronauts of twalke the moon. ten years earlier had said, we're going to the moon. there are times when people said, this is foolish. this is impossible. but president kennedy understood and the american people set

about proving what the nation is capable of doing when we set our minds to it. there are those now who are seeing our failure to address problems that our best days are behind us, that we've lost our sense of purpose. that we don't do big things anymore. well, i believe that this generation stands ready to defy the skeptics and nay sayers, that we can once again summon this spirit, we can rescue our economy, rebuild it stronger than before, we can achieve quality, affordable health care for every single american. that's what we're called upon to do. that's what we will do with your help, ohio. with your help. thank you. >> president obama in ohio after touring the cleveland clinic which he points to as a model service in terms of delivering

medical care. he says there are places across the nation that should do this. should we listen to his question and answer session here? >> all right. now, here's how this is going to work. >> all right, so here's the president. joe watkins is with me here. he's a republican strategist. do you think that this is, i mean, there are parts of his message that surely, they resognated with this crowd. surely are republicans as well. is there a way forward to find common ground and get health care reform done in a way that benefits america as a whole? >> i do, but you don't want to rush to get through a bill that will raise the level of unemployment. the president's trying to combat that. republicans want the same thing. they want to raise the rate of employment.

they want more people to be employed, covered by insurance, but not at the risk of passing a bill with all these challenges. and democrats are just as hesitant as republicans. you've got to blue dog democrats who are hesitant and senate democrats. >> even if you come up with a way to pay for it makes you wonder, are we really going to get our money's worth. the president is taking questions. we're going to take a quick break. david and tamron take over after a quick break. [ female announcer ] think again. experts at good housekeeping gave pantene nature fusion their seal. for damage protection results leading salon brands can't beat. the amazing fusion of the shampoo's cassia complex with pantene pro-v science... makes fragile hair stronger against damage in just 14 days. get damage protection results leading salon brands can't beat. [ female announcer ] nature fusion from pantene.

healthy makes it happen.

the police acted stupidly. >> he didn't know all the facts. >> president obama, a cambridge police officer and an arrest

that sparked a debate. what's being said about the president's remarks regarding the case. plus, bush versus cheney. new details about the final years. and mark sanford's european vacation. how much he's really been on the job and after his own issues with life lessons, why is he having his kids kick in money for the trip. >> every one of them had to pay for a part of it. also, one of osama bin laden's sons reportedly killed in a u.s. air strike. but what about his father? are we any closer to finding him? and did a small businessman get kicked out of a mall because of bumper stickers attacking president obama? good afternoon. >> good afternoon. >> we're going to tell you about a massive corruption sting today

in new jersey. it's all happening right in the heart of so pran's territory. >> but first, an officer who arrested a black scholar is now criticizing president obama today for what the president said. the president was asked about the arrest. sergeant crowley says the president does not have his facts straight. take a look at what president obama said about the arrest. >> i think it's fair to say number one, any of us would be pretty angry. number two, that the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof they were in their own home. >> now take a look at what