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they kind of had to barge in. >> the call that started it all. police released the 911 call that led to the arrest of harvard professor henry gates. the big shocker. the caller never mentioned black suspects. so why does the police report mention race? how about in honor of the american soldier, you quit making things up. >> palin's parting shot. it's sarah palin, the private citizen now. her next stop is the ronald reagan library in california, but could we see her campaigning for a democrat next? secrets of c street exposed. a washington prayer group has been the center of sex scandals this summer. but now democrats are being linked to c street.

and one's weight lost puts them at the top of the leaderboard. and big love. reality tv turns to over weight americans. is this a new reality and is it exploitation? >> stage mom from hell? octo mom takes her 14 kids to the big screen. crossing the line? not so fast. we'll look at the latest. >> good afternoon. i'm tamron hall in new york. >> i'm donny deutsch. mr. schuster has the week off. >> we'll see how this works out. speaki speaking of race shlly motivated, we'll hear the call that led to the the professor's arrest. the woman called to report a possible break-in, but we are now learning from the tape, she never mentions the race of the

men. she talks about what an older woman standing next to her saw. >> she had noticed two gentlemen trying to get in the house at that number and they kind of had to barge in and they broke the screen door and finally got in. i went further to the house, after they were in the house. i noticed two suitcases, so i'm not sure if they actually work there, or i mean live there. i don't know because i have no idea. >> you think the possibility may have been there. they kicked the door? >> they were pushing the door in, like the screen part of the front door was -- like cut. they, i didn't see or hear anything because i was away from the door, but i did notice -- >> what did that have to do with anything? >> i don't know. i'm just saying that's what i

saw. >> and there will be no internal investigation, but a committee will be formed to study the incident and develop recommendations for police to handle similar situations. meanwhile, a congressman making some news. he's set to introduce a resolution forcing obama to retract the remarks he made last week. a lot of attention on this congressman and that may have been what he wanted. and friday, president obama saying he should have calibrated his words differently. >> and how the community is reacting to the release of the call and whether or not the people there are ready to move on. joining us now from cambridge, ron allen. is it maybe time for a congress police force for mccotter asking

for resolution that obama should apologize? >> reporter: i think definitely people are ready to move on and that was what the police were trying to accomplish by announcing the panel and releasing the tapes. they say they have nothing to tide. when you listen to the tapes, there's no smoking gun. it's all very matter of fact. there was speculation that you might hear the voices of sergeant crowley and professor gates in the background because it's not just a 911 call. it's also the radio transmission. but you'd never hear professor gates and you only hear crowley doing very matter of fact things. so yes, the community is ready to move on. they're ready to learn what they can from this and get on to the next thing.

>> what about radio transmiss n transmissio transmissions? >> reporter: you hear crowley arriving. the one thing he does say is that at some point, he acknowledges that gates told him he lives there, but crowley then says to keep the units coming, which suggest he's still not convinced. things go on for another five or ten minutes or so. there really isn't anything in the background where you hear gates yelling and screaming. it doesn't really answer a lot of questions about why things escalated the way they did. >> you were talking about congressman mccotter. >> this is pathetic. clearly, everybody sees this as a good cop who made a mistake. a well-known professor, president obama, a great president and here, we have this

idiot congressman just flaring up the flames. when are we going to call it for what it is? it's pathetic. i hope voters vote against him. >> this is up to the voters in the end to make their decision on who's an idiot, but with so much out there and so many other issues, and i hate to be the person who says what about health care, but there is something more important happening. this guy wants to talk about whether the president should issue an apology. >> let's put the moron police on congress. today, sarah palin is now the former governor of alaska. >> her resignation became official yesterday in fairbanks. she gave a fiery good-bye where she criticized the media and took a dig at hollywood, and explained why she decided to

leave a year and a half early. >> it is because i love alaska this much, sir, that i feel that it is my duty to avoid the unproductive, typical, politics as usual, lame duck session in one's last year in office. how does that benefit you? >> what is next for sarah palin? according to our spokeswoman, nothing, quote, there is absolutely nothing planned after today. no meetings planned, no flights booked, nothing. but she is expected to attend an event in california next month, so that is not quite accurate. norah o'donnell has been in alaska. she's in fairbanks and shannon moore, the progressive radio host, norah, as fiery as ever, an incredible set of circumstances yesterday.

>> no doubt. i mean, she's out of office, but not out of words. this was a fiery farewell speech. she took some parting shots at opponents. the media, even hollywood starlets, in her words. it was pure palin. all the way. she lashed out at the media. she believes there's been a double standard when it comes to her family. she said, quit making things up. she also said, leave the new governor's children alone, in her words. she said where ever the road takes her, she is going to continue to guard the entrance of the state of alaska like that grizzly guards her cubs. what was most striking is that many in the crowd cheered at a lot of those lines and there was a lot of political red meat, but she offered little about what's next. how is she going to guard the entrance of the state and affect change? nbc news has spoken with a

republican women's club and they say they are expecting palin to appear. their sold old. that's in two weeks. we've also learned she's raised more than $1 million for her political action committee, so she's got a lot of money that can fund political travel. >> she drew a line between the media making things up about her and let's pay respects to our troops overseas. i couldn't connect the dots. >> she's used patriotism and spoken about that and then what she did yesterday was essentially say those men and women fighting overseas are fighting for the right of the press to speak their minds. then she tried to turn it and said the media should stop making things up. it was her way of saying the

media needs to behave itself. the problem is that she groups liberal bloggers with those in the mainstream media. she doesn't see shades in between there. she just views it as the bad media out there. it's worked for her. it's raised her a lot of money. it's not clear she could win in a general election with that kind of message. >> shannon, you heard norah say that palin has brought in a lot of money. that speak, with those remarks, if you like her, you still like her. if you didn't, you still don't like her. >> i think there were people that liked her and were still confused by her speech. >> you heard norah say the crowd, they were giving her applau applause. they enjoyed what she was saying. >> sure. and there were times when i think people were less than thrilled when she was talking

about the federal stimulus money that is very important to alaska. there's a special session to try to override her veto of those funds. she's going out in a pretty major cloud here on the ground. people are coming up to cover her speech, but not covering the fact that last week, there was a leak of the daniel report that found she has been collecting money in her trust fund and it's potentially, legally being challenged now. there's a huge cloud that she's going out from under and it's just kind of sad for us here on the ground. >> i'm going to throw something out. i'm talking to three women here. the reason we have a fascination with sarah palin, men and women, this is the first woman in power that has sexual appeal and people don't know what to do with it. okay. beat me up. >> i've already beat him up on

this conversation. >> it is ridiculous. >> men and woman don't know how to process this. we've never seen a woman in power that looks like this and has this appeal. >> i think you're absolutely right. i totally agree with you. the fascination with her is she's from alaska, it's a different person. but also, she's young. she's 45 years old. she could sit out the next six presidential elections and run and be the same age as john mccain. she's young, she's gorgeous, she has five children and doesn't take avice from anyone. >> simple as being attractive, then so many others would have accomplished what she has. you can say you disagree, whatever. but to minimize her to hotness is insane -- >> you used the word, hotness. this is a new definition of female power. we have never seen before.

men and women are learning how to process that. >> it is not permanent. if her looks start to fade a little faster, she may not have the success she has. norah, you gave the timeline of john mccain. she won't look like that, none of us will, in two more election cycles. >> there are some men that only see that, that she's attractive. i think her appeal is beyond that. it's her power, her appeal especially at this time, antimedia, antiwashington message. no doubt that's why john mccain chose her. she's a complicated person in many ways. >> final word. >> i just think you know, a lot of her supporters here wear buttons that say, hottest

governor, coldest state. i think it sets us back a little bit. >> thank you both. this doesn't make it right. i think the fascination with her is her snarkyness. when she looks in the camera and says i'm a pit bull with lipsti lipstick, bring it on, i think that's appealing to people. >> i don't want her running this country until -- >> i think her appeal is being a tough, attractive woman. in the meantime -- >> still ahead, secrets of the taliban. >> we're going to go live to the pentagon to get a reaction. and another topic that is bound to have the two of us going at it. we're going to see eye to eye on this one. life on c street. we're finding out more and more

about this fraternity, if you will, in washington, d.c. this link to republican sex scandals, but there are new details that may put some democrats behind those doors. also, reality tvs new obsession with overweight americans. are they being exploited for ratings? imagine that. you're watching "big picture" here on msnbc. [ female announcer ] olay goes beyond everyday clean to a deep micro-clean. olay deep cleansers reach the micro-particles of dirt some basic cleansers can leave behind for a clean so deep its micro-clean. olay deep cleansers.

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welcome back to the big picture. we're learning new, secret details about the taliban and what it's fighters can and cannot do. >> a book that lays out the code of conduct and sheds new light on this organization. one rule says fighters should limit suicide bombings to high

profile targets only. the book says prisoners should not be harmed and it suggests winning the hearts and minds of civilians to bring them closer. jim miklaszewski joins us live from the pentagon. interesting, but is it anything that's truly shocking? >> actually, military and pentagon officials find this code of conduct somewhat laughable and if you look at the history of the taliban, particularly in afghanistan, you'll find that much of what the taliban has done there has been totally contradictory or opposite of what their code of conduct says. for example, the book says the taliban will take all precautions to avoid civilian casualties, but if you look at their history of suicide bombings in afghanistan, most are at entryways to secure areas where you have a lot of

civilians gather. marketplaces, near mosques and the like. and an effort to inflict as many casualties as they can. you'll also see when the taliban moves into remote villages in afghanistan, that they often go to the civilians who are leaders of those villages and pick out three or four and behead them in the streets to warn them. look at their other histories, too. they don't allow, for example, young girls to attend school and they talk about trying to win the hearts and minds, but it was an incident in pakistan where the taliban commander in the swath valley region stretched a 17-year-old girl out on the street, had people hold her down on the street, and beat her while it was all recorded on a cell phone and that event alone is said to have turned many of the pakistanis against the shah

ree policies of the taliban there in pakistan. so laughable, even ludicrous, according to u.s. officials here at the pentagon. >> thank you very much. laughable and ludicrous, but we know that the soldier, private bergdahl, is still being held by the taliban. your heart goes out, even in the ab surtty of the book. we know there's brutality they're willing to do. >> what's interesting, tsaying you can't harm the prisoners. up next, what you need to know about where the health care debate stands now. and later, a base jumper's face with death. >> unbelievable video. this guy doesn't break a bone. >> oh, man. sandrai went to pick up my prescription and i was told...

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house democrats will meet this afternoon to try to iron out differences in health care legislation. >> house leaders are facing oppositions from two groups of democrats. blue dogs and newly elected democrats from moderate districts. but despite not having all on board, nancy pelosi claims she's got the votes to pass the bill and might even bring it to the floor this week for a vote. the senate does not plan to vote until september. there's a new ad out today out from a prodemocratic labor coalition and they're responding to republicans. >> health insurance profits have

soared and 14,000 americans lose their health insurance every day and now, republicans say congress should slow down? that's because when something goes slow enough, it's easy to kill it dead in its tracks. >> president obama not expected to talk about health care today, but tomorrow, the president will answer questions at the town hall in washington, d.c. on wednesday, the president will hold two different health care events. one in north carolina and one in virginia. >> when he first came on the scene when he would speak, people would listen. health care is tough for people to digest, but i think he's out there too much. >> who can be the face? >> he should dial back. instead of three town halls, do one. that's it. too much obama, too all the time. another thing, pelosi is going to come out possibly today to

speak, i love nancy, but she is a lightening rod. get her away from this issue. so less obama, put pelosi in a corner. >> we will have more obama tomorrow. up next, new details about the life and "c" street. >> they're not letting us in there. >> donny says they would not allow us in. a prominent group of washington insiders, but it may be more than about covering up alleged sex scandals. we're learning the people inside, very connected. a man who followed for seven years will join us. and larger than life. you're watching "big picture," msnbc. so many arthritis pain relievers --

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right now, the dow is trading down about 11 points. the s&p 500 is trading down and nasdaq is down over seven points. prices are back on the recovery track above $68 a barrel. sales of new homes are up 11%, closing the biggest increase in nearly nine years. ebay is unveiling a new program to attract more buyers. it's now rewarding good sellers regardless if they're not top sellers. they'll now be given the same

status as power sellers. back to msnbc. welcome back. i'm tamron hall. we've got breaking news in, michael vick has been conditionally reinstated by the nfl. he has served his time in prison. he was under house arrest and now with conditions, he's been e instated by the nfl. what do you think? >> good for goodell. he paid his dues. number one, he was the quarterback, a small quarterback. the idea has changed now. any owner, unless they're desperate for press and attention, this guy's career may be over. i'm not saying it's fair.

>> you have nfl players with dui convictions that are allowed to play. and domestic violence. i'm an animal lover, i think though it would be a extreme animal lover out in front to have that virginia courtroom, they were extreme. they wanted him to pay his debt in society then go on to make a living. if you allow the person beat up his wife, a person -- >> i'm not saying it's fair. but go to a movie, watch somebody get killed, they don't do anything. a little dog gets killed -- that's a reality. more pressure on senator john ensign, the nevada republican who admitted to an extramarital affair. ensign acknowledged the watchdog group that he has urged the senate committee to investigate

the financial circumstances surrounding the affair. last week, we learned his chief of staff and communications director are leaving. he has long been connected to "c" street, where lawmakers gather and live there. we are learning more about the family. in a new article -- although the townhouse is registered as a church, it has won a new representation this summer -- jeff is the author of the family, secrets fundamentals at the heart of american power and a contributor to "harper's." i know you have followed what

happened on "c" street since 2002. a lot of people just catching up on what this is. but it's interesting how you point out we're learning about "c" street because of sex scandals and their power reaches for more than many would guess. >> it does. the organization is not actually just a, designed to give a house to congressmen who pray together and cover up their affairs, it's an organization that acts in a lot of ways, like a lobby. for instance, senator ensign traveled around the world representing as a u.s. citizen, but also pursuing the family's agenda. >> it's interesting. donny said that this kind of thing is scary and a think a lot of people would echo that. there was a quote in your piece from the leader, a former

special assistant to george bush, the most powerful group in washington that nobody knows about. >> it goes out to say if reaching the government around the world -- this is coming from a bush official. the group had supporters at the top levels of government. >> you mentioned it's not just republicans. there are democrats who have been linked. you've got some in senator ensign's home state are that his loyalties are to "c" street and not his constituencies. >> when you become a member of the family, one of this things they teach you, they say how much constituents do you have. it's one. just jesus. how do you know? you get together in pray with guys like zack wamp from tennessee. congressman heath shuler of,

democrat of north carolina, he's refused to confirm or deny. they're perpetuating this and what's most disturbing, the beliefs they're teaching is not recognizable to any group in america. >> you have opened the eyes of so many, especially the people who vote for the people who live and dwell in that mysterious place. thank you so much. "close-up" today. big love. a new focus on overweight americans. part of that comes as researchers gather for the conference. a new study that that conference contains alarming numbers on obesity. the numbers from the journal of health affairs show costs have

jumped to $147 billion annually. that would pay for health care reform and then some. that's double the cost of a decade ago. the other cost comes from new weight tv shows. they all follow nbc's popular biggest loser. are they popular because the characters are a reflection of the average viewer. double edged sword here. somebody overweight watching at home. on the one hand, it makes me feel good because they're not showing skinny americans. there are a lot of people out there like me. 20% of americans obese now. are we celebrating it? >> no. i think the popularity of the shows is great because yes, there are a lot of people out

there relating, but the shows are geared to these heavier people trying to lose weight, so the people watching and struggling with the same issues are getting inspiration and hopefully, they're getting the take aways and losing weight together. >> i think america is ready for the antiperfect. even the reality shows show perfect looking people. i think this is a trend we're going to see in fashion. the one thing that surprised me to your point, most of the heavy weight women in the new bachelor show aren't complaining about their weight. they're saying this is their lifelong battle. >> i love you point that out. i truly hope this is the new trend. people come in all shapes and sized and we're not all programmed to be a size zero. it's about being healthy. watching and caring about the foods you put into your body,

getting out there and exercising and falling into weight your body is supposed to be at. that's going to be different for each and every person. >> i go to school, i'm being made fun of because i'm overweight. i see this, do i say, stop busting my chops about being unhealthy. are we just going back and forth with each other here? >> no. i think these shows are inspiring parents to get their kids moving. >> when i see this show, the bachel bachelorette, i think it's going to be a big hit, for little tina who's overweight -- i'm confused. >> if that's what they are personi personifying, i agree. please, parents, do not let your

kids watch this show. it's not okay to be overweight. you want them out there and exercising, taking care of your body. if that's what this show is about, i'd rather parents not watch it as well. >> thanks a lot. up next, beer diplomacy. will president obama's happy hour summit help everyone get passed the controversy? at 155 miles per hour, andy roddick

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there was discussion about he and i and professor gates having a beer here in the white house. we don't know if that's scheduled yet. >> that was the president on friday talking about a possible get together with the sergeant and henry louis gates jr. >> funny thing.

according to reports -- why beer? the meeting might happen this week. beer diplomacy. will it work? here to make their case, jason, amanda -- becca, let me start with you. you know, is obama kind of pushing the story forward? doesn't this keep the story going where we've gotten past it at this point? >> yeah, i think it certainly keeps the story going. if you're trying to move past the issue and reach a consensus, you don't announce you're going to hold a white house meeting for it. you're going to have all the photographers taking pictures beforehand. they're going to have their secret pow wow, emerge, do more pictures and all get hounded separately for what happened. what kind of beer, how strong was it.

>> you've got the 911 tapes released today. life is not a sitcom and doesn't end with your parents buying you a puppy. i have a friend who says don't trust someone who won't have a drink with you our curse in front of you. >> well, i think it would be a pretty big deal if they did chat this out and crowley had kind words. you have the president of the united states admitting he did not have information about this ca case. this could be a tense meeting, but it is endlessly fascinating. i am wondering if obama regrets offering this summit so to speak, because of the 911 taping coming out. we are getting all the facts

now. >> we appreciate a president who spoke from the heart and spoke as a black man and said what -- then said i made a mistake. it's nice to have a leader like that who's a real human being. >> i think that he had to come out and make that statement because he came under so much criticism for not knowing all the facts. the facts are still continuing to come out. as far as this beer diplomacy. i don't think it's a bad thing. the president was the one who was asked by the sergeant if he could come to the white house, so it was hard for the president to say no. >> can you imagine the officer, can i have a beer -- he's taking sides. it was a black guy. that's a whole other story. you've got the law enforcement legal defense fund saying the president owes an apology to the sergeant. you now have a congressman

saying he wants to go on the floor to discuss this, a resolution for a president to apologize. did that republican congressman cross the line? >> i think there's some political motivation there, but i think a lot of people are wanting the president to issue an apology. he used a prime time press conference to accuse the police of acting stupidly and now that we have more information, maybe an apology is warranted. >> they're going to a meeting, if you can say you're sorry and we know people say it all the time, and don't mean it and would repeat it, they're going to talk this out. but i want to talk about this republican congressman, is that crossing the line? >> i don't think, i think there's more people than him that want the president -- >> with the problems we have in this country, we have a congressman saying tlrkd be a resolution that the president should have to apologize -- come

on. please. don't say this is a gray area. before we go -- >> let me finish. you're not going to accuse me and talk like that to me. i don't think this is the time, but a lot of people -- do want the president to apologize and given what's happened -- >> do you think there should be a resolution, yes or no, to make him apologize? >> i think there's many silly resolutions -- >> do you think there should be a resolution -- >> i report on this stuff. it's not my call. >> okay. before we go -- >> what do you think of this resolution? >> it seems a bit absurd and the idea that this is going to be a teachable moment at the white house, i think right now, the lessons of this are pretty unclear. it's a lesson to young people in america that if you get in fights that the solution is

alcohol? >> amanda, donny's going to have you out for a beer because now, >> maybe there's no lessons here, you as an african-american women, me as a white man, we have to work harder. we're going see things a bit differently and that's reality. as long as we can realize that, we'll get closer together. >> that's the lesson. >> there's no other lesson other than that's reality and we have to deal with it and embrace it and not -- >> very kumbaya. >> i'm the opposite. we are going to look at things differently. wouldn't make sense if we didn't. that's what this is about. >> fight it out. >> by the way, as a guy who gets stopped by cops, white or black, i'm always like yes, sir, yes, sirment i'm smart enough to know that cops, they have the power. >> you getting pulled over you would never have the same instant reaction as a black man. >> you're right. cops do have those powers and black or white, man,

unfortunately, we have to realize that's reality. >> we do, and reality check, today's crossing the line, how the so-called octomom plans to make some cash off her kids. is it crossing the line? later in the show, who is hot and who is not? scientists claiming women are getting prettier and men, not so much. >> sarah palin, sarah palin. >> his palin obsession continues. we'll talk about all of this. ♪ i feel pretty, so pretty i never thought i would have a heart attack,

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welcome back n today's "crossing the line" we have a double dose of controversy. both stories ignited a huge controversy. here it is, first up, when you can't get a bailout like some of those wall street big names, you can always make your kid your bailout. octomom, nadya suleman, has made it official, what many have

suspected. they will use or showcase, depending on your opinion, her children in a new reality show. the kids will make $250 a day. that comes to about $250,000 over three years. the contracts were filed friday in an l.a. superior court f you're wondering, 15% of the earnings will go to a trust for the kids that cannot be touched until they're 18 years old. and many, including celebrity attorney gloria allred have accused octomom of exploiting those kids and violating child labor laws. but is she crossing the line in trying to make the best of what, let's face it, is a life tailor-made for reality tv and the insanity that reality tv has become. what do you want her to do? live off the government or figure out a way to take care of her own family? and, next, a law student in california is trying to force the state bafer of california to allow her to take the bar exam tomorrow. sara granda says a ridiculous

snafu is standing in the way of her dreams. sara paid by check instead of credit standard card online for. the local affiliate points out that sara is also paralyzed. obviously making her an inspiration to so many. but was a federal judge right when he denied his request for a restraining order prohibiting the state bar from barring her for taking that test? they don't take checks. plus, she can still take the test in february. what does it matter her physical condition? she did make a mistake, but is it crossing the line? got my thoughts. you tell me what you think, twitter.msnbc.com. >> it's almost 4:00 on the east coast. just moments away from the closing bell on wall street. up next, is the recession really over? have we turned the corner? we will talk to my main man, cnbc's jim cramer, who predicted the turnaround more than six months ago. plus, much more on sarah palin's future in the lower 48.

is she honing her aim for higher office or for a bigger paycheck? and new tribute to michael jackson from the filipino inmates who made their youtube version of "thriller." you're watching "big picture" on msnbc.