good morning. welcome back to a brand-new hour of msnbc live. i'm carlos watson. has the gop found a new gay wedge issue? we will talk about that coming up. judging the judge. senate judiciary committee expected to vote any minute now. the nomination of the supreme court nominee sotomayor and we'll bring that to you live. washington, too. we have a problem. president is on the stump today and the finance committee is inching closer to the key democratic priority. day four surprises in iraq. defense secretary robert gates is there for previously unannounced visit. now, at the same time, eight people are dead after gunmen brazenly robbed millions from a baghdad bank. good morning.

i'm carlos watson. we have a power-packed lineup for you this morning. carrie elval will join us and dave camp joins us and cher sherrod brown joins us and melanie barnes. major news on the terror front. seven people arrested in north carolina on charges they were plotting terror attacks overseas. daniel patrick boyd, two sons and four others were taken into custody. 39-year-old boyd is accused of using military style training to plot violent jihad. you see the pictures there. major news study finds texting while driving is even more dangerous than previously thought. the virginia tech transportation institute observed truckers for more than 6 million miles. when drivers texted their risk of crashing increased 23 times higher. the date set for the peace-making beer at the white house on thursday as the president cracks open a cold one

with henry gates and jim crowley. the president will have a bud, officer crowley, a blue moon. no word on gates's choice of brew. i always have a graest guest co-host to join me and this morning i'm pleased to have carrie elveld with me. >> good to see you, carlos. >> much to talk about including the surprise trip to iraq by the secretary of defense. we kind of lost focus on iraq as we are talking about afghanistan more recently. >> a lot going on in afghanistan. it is sort of a powder keg and not clear what is going to happen with afghanistan and gates has asked for 20,000 more troops now. it doesn't surprise us that we've sort of taken a glance away from iraq to see what is happening in afghanistan.

>> the possible repeal of don't ask, don't tell. your thoughts on that. is there real movement you think on this issue? >> well, just the hearing in and of itself is real movement. and it's kind of fascinating actually. because they have announced the hearing but there's no senate bill, which is sort of unprecedented. the hearing was sort of brokered by senator kristen gillibrand of new york and she is not on the senate armed services comit committee which is also unusual. you know she is running already for re-election here in new york. i'm usually in d.c. one of the groups she is really catering to is trying to appeal to lesbian, gay people. >> skip gates, you and i haven't talked with about the skip gates

meeting at the white house. your thoughts a week later? >> well, very important issue is yesterday in the white house, it sounded like he might be drinking red stripe. we're not sure about that. but it came up as a possibility. my thoughts are, you know, i can't say enough. i was in the press briefing when the question was asked. i was very surprised. the president started out in his very moderate usual congenial self and uttered the words stupidly which was fascinating. i think the final outcome here is that we're going to see that temperatures can rise a little bit on both sides of the issue. i think that there was a little bit of emotion that president obama displayed himself when he was at the press briefing. but people can come together, reasonable people, and talk about things and have a beer and figure things out. so i think this could end up -- it was sort of a stumbling block

to the health care debate and maybe a wanted distraction for some of the country, because health care can be a little dry. >> surprise, surprise, right? >> right. but anyway. i think it could ab teaching moment for the nation. >> we will change the conversation a little bit now and broaden it. developing as we speak the senate judiciary committee is voting on supreme court noom knee sotomayor who is expect to win approval on a near party line vote. nbc news reporter kelly o'donnell joins us now. good to see you again. >> good morning, carlos. >> any expected surprises? any republicans besides lindsey graham likely to step forward and put a check thanks to sotomayor's name? >> no surprises but as i'm watching the hearing, each of the senators are talking about why they will vote in favor of her or against. it's been sort of like the cliff notes version of the committee hearing. what it tells us is that this is very much a party line vote.

19 members of the committee, 12 of them are democrats, so she'll have all of that support. but on the republican side, what is interesting to watch is lindsey graham said he would vote in favor of the judge, even though she would not have been his choice. he really spelled out his concerns that were so much a part of the conversation during the hearings about things she said in speeches outside of her judicial record. but he talked about why he is voting for her and that is the strength of her intellectual background and professional experience as a judge and he said the fact that elections have consequences. so president obama shows her and he feels that given her vast experience, that even though he disagrees with some of the things she said, in fact, he did in a way saying some of the things really bugged him, he will vote in favor. what is also interesting is senators hatch and grassley, senior members here, they are voting no for the first time in their careers. so that is really notable and that is making some of those

close to the judge say that this is really partisan. now, senator grassley is up for re-election next year in iowa, his home state. some of the senators have talked about what president obama called empathy and they refer to it as the empathy standard. they also recall that when he was a senator, senator obama voted against judge roberts and alito who, both, of course, became justices on the supreme court and the chief justice. so they remember that and they are, in some ways, using that as an argument to vote against his choice now to rise to the supreme court. we haven't had a vote yet. there isn't a surprise she will get out of committee and then more conversation with the full senate before the vote finally happens and we fully expect it to happen before the august break. this is one of those things, carlos, we can sort of see what is going to happen. very different than health care. >> i want to bring in, kelly, kerry eleveld.

your thoughts as you hear the sotomayor discussion, kerry? >> kelly, i wanted to ask you a question. it sounds like some of the senators are emphasizing her statements in speeches over her actual judicial record. is that unusual in your experience? >> well, part of what they're talking about is that when she gave meese speeches and, in effect, it was almost a stump speech, if i can use that term where she would appear in front of many different groups and often they would be women's groups or latino groups, groups she had a real strong identification with and she would give the speech and now everyone knows the famous quote about a wise latino woman. one of the concerns they said is she was already a sitting judge when she made those remarks and their concern is that she would apply too much of her life experience into some of these cases and perhaps have that influence the outcome even though many of them acknowledge her judicial record is moderate. so they believe that the temperament, one of the buzz words that's used, of a judge can be important.

so they've been troubled by the speeches and it's also politically useful for them to focus on that ish i. kelly, thank you so much. it's near laughable to hear some of them say, that particularly in light of what a wide range of republican nominees for the court including samuel alito said about life experiences but so be it. the house is voting on a health care vote this week hoping to but house speaker nancy pelosi says it's now or never to pass health care reform. >> i have said that i wanted the bill to pass before we left for the august recess. in fact, i honored a request to the president to make that commitment, but i've also said that our members need the time that they need to not only get this bill written, but to have plenty of time to review it. we're on schedule either to do it now or to do it whenever -- >> democratic congresswoman maxine rogers joins us live on the phone. good to have you on this show.

>> i'm glited delighted to be on you with. >> congresswoman, when you look at the democratic majority in the senate, 60 votes. you look at the that jort majority in the house, nearly a hundred votes. is the story here on health care that democrats are not aggressive enough and democrats should be taken a lot more public blame for not meeting the president's deadline here? >> the real story is that on the house side in particular, you have a group called the blue dogs and the blue dogs have the power in the commerce committee to hold up the bill and to negotiate what they claim they would like to see containment and more money to rule doctors. on the one hand, they don't want to spend money but, on the other hand, they want to spend money when they think it benefits them or their districts. so they have a powerful block. they are holding it up and that is clear as can be. >> congresswoman waters so that

point is the president and rahm emanuel, are they treading too lightly here? are they not bringing out the big stick against some of those blue dog democrats and saying we've got a once in a four decade opportunity to get this passed? everyone knows how easy it is for momentum to dissipate. you guys have to get on board and we have to go forward and make sure everyone has better health care, is covered and hopefully, better quality and outcome. >> that may be difficult for rahm emanuel. don't forget he recruited most of them, as when he was over in the congress in the leadership, rahm emanuel recruited more conservative members and, based on some of the information that i'm getting, they told him that they could vote the way they wanted to vote, that they would not infer what was considered their philosophy about some of these things. now the chickens can come home to roost. >> congresswoman, is it time for some of the progressive

democrats, yourself included, who didn't make those same promises and didn't do the recruit many, to go very public in your demands that either these folks step up or that some primary challenges be run against them, similar to what happened in connecticut against joe lieberman in 2006? >> well, the thing about it is you can't make empty threats. of course, as i'm talking to you today and trying to be very honest about, you know, the blue dogs, who they are and how they got there, which is a step beyond what we would normally do, i intend certainly to continue to bring clarity to what is going on. i will be meeting with the progressives and barbara leann and the black caucus to talk about what we do. but many of these blue dogs represent districts that have strong pockets of poverty and minorities and they're not representing them with this approach that they are taking. so i don't know whether or not there will be people running

against them. certainly we're not organized to run anybody against anybody. that's not normally what's done. but there may be people out there listening and observing all of this who may get motivated based on what they're seeing and throw their hat into the ring. >> congresscom waters, i'm joined by my guest co-host kerry eleveld. she has a question. >> representative waters, i was wondering there is reports out of the senate finance committee today they may be dropping the public option in their negotiations. do you think that's going to sell in the house? >> no. as a matter of fact, that's a kill for sure for the progressives. for the majority, i think, of our members. public option is a compromise. we wanted single payer, as you know, and we backed off because they said that that was going to be impossible to do. again, they brought up the more conservative elements, et cetera, et cetera, and so we will not support any bill that

does not have public option in it. >> congresswoman waters, only 30 seconds but i've got to ask you since you chair one of the influential subcommittees on economics, your thoughts on next steps given the economy's continued struggle. are there two or three additional things that the congress and/or the president should be doing to get more americans back to work? >> we've got to do a better job with loan modification. it's not working. it's too slow. the servicers, in my estimation, are not really on board. and until we stabilize this housing market, the economy is not going to perform in the manner that it should. that's where i'm going. i'm trying to push forward to see if we can write down principle, do a better job on interest rates, and get the loan modifications working faster. >> congresswoman waters, you got to promise me the next time you're in new york you're going to come live to 30 rock and join me on the set. >> i promise you. >> that's a promise i'm going to have you keep.

thank you for joining us. >> thank you. president obama is stepping back into the ring over the fight over health care but has he already lost the match? new word that his top priorities might not make it into the senate's bill and new news and much talked about beer diplomacy now it's happening on a picnic table! >> tempers flared, case of mistaken identity. you have anger. you have accusations. you have name calling. sure, let's add alcohol! hungry. but you can outsmart him with weight watchers online. it's weight watchers, but it's completely online. customizable tools give you structure to make healthier choices while restaurant guides, recipes, and mobile access give you flexibility to live life and lose weight. sign up now and get two weeks free. go to weightwatchers.com/2weeksfree. hurry offer ends august 4th weight watchers online. stop dieting. start living. to redefine air travel for a new generation.

to ensure our forces are safer and stronger. to take the world we share to tomorrow and beyond. announcer: around the globe, the people of boeing are working together-- to make a difference. that's why we're here.

president obama is selling his health care overhaul again today and this time to seniors and over two hours he'll answer questions at aarp town hauls they are calling it.

nbc white house correspondent savannah guthrie is live at the white house. is this another event or will it move the needle in any meaningful way? >> it will be interesting to see if they've at all, to use the word from the president, calibrated their remarks on health care since last week. you know, he was out almost every day last week on health care reform but we haven't heard anything for a couple of days. we'll see if the message shifts at all. i know there's a new focus here on small businesses to try to express why health care reform is good for small businesses because that's probably been one of the arguments republicans have returned to most of all saying that some of the proposals out there to pay for health care reform will hurt small businesses the most. but this audience, of course, is seniors, aarp, they are calling it a teletown hall. there will be a live studio audience but also we're expecting probably more than a hundred thousand callers to call in to listen and also to try to get a question to the president. you can imagine there will be a lot of discussion about what health care frerm would mean to seniors and in ways you look at it and think, how much are

seniors going to be affected because they are already covered by medicare. there also has been good news for them and some of the proposals we already know about, the pharmaceutical industry agreed to close the so-called doughnut hole which will make prescription drugs cheaper for a lot of seniors. on the other hand, there is talk of medicare savings and a lot of seniors are suspicious that will mean a benefits cut, something the white house says isn't going to happen but you imagine that is what the discussion is going to be about. >> what else besides health care? the president has famously said you have to walk and chew gum at the same time. we hear so much about health care but, clearly, there have to be other significant issues the president and his team are working on. what else is high on their agenda as we speak? >> well, look. the economy number one. getting the recovery act funds out. we just had an event today with the vice president handing out money to law enforcement agencies and that is really the huge issue. of course, they always try to make the argument that health care reform is part and parcel to the economic recovery. but i think here at the white house, they recognize that

unemployment, the jobless problem is the number one issue. they have to worry about and they are going to have to answer to the voters on certainly when the president runs for re-election but also in the 2010 midterm so that is the number one issue. >> you know what is interesting about that? we were just talking with congresswoman maxine waters of california and she was pointing out loan modification and saying she felt like the administration and the banks were moving too slowly to slow down foreclosures. kerry who is joining me here, we were both talking with maxine waters about that. >> i was going to say that is an issue i think they are concerned about. there has been meeting with mortgage servicers. they have all of these initiatives to tamp down the foreclosure but this is one of the most stubborn problems of the whole housing crisis. >> in terms of getting cash and infusion, a slightly different take on it getting cash quickly to people who need it. interesting story on the front of "the new york times" today about the tennessee county that had decided instead of waiting

for big projects in order to get people back to work, they were just going to go ahead and use their money, their stimulus money to immediately start funding things like people working at the jobs training programs or, you know, clearing away -- >> even on a local pie factory. >> right. >> what grabbed me about that piece and, savannah, i'm not sure if you saw this piece at all, a terrific piece, they were literally saying we're going to take money we normally would pay out to unemployed people 25% unemployment in this country for welfare and take the same money and give it to different companies or government institutions so they can hire these people as well. savannah, have you heard much more? i thought that was a relatively creative approach to try to stem unemployment. have you heard in reworking the welfare programs we have right now? >> it's interesting. i think they are trying to strike this balance of, you know, giving deference to local officials to spend that money the way they want to. when you hear that and see that, you do also see there is a

potential pitfall there, right? what you don't want to do is have a rash of stories about local governments or states spending money on piddly projects that don't have long-term benefits. i mean, i've heard the president say, if i wanted to, i could have spent $800 billion of stimulus money to have people dig trenches here in washington and then fill them back up again. so the balance they're trying to strike with regard to recovery act funds is getting the money out quickly so that people, you know, so that employment is improved, et cetera, et cetera. but also not wasting that money so people look at it and say, this is a boondoggle, what a waste of money, what did this get us in the long term? a great expense to the u.s. government. >> savannah guthrie at the white house, thank you so much. >> sure. right now, a virtual stalemate in the house of representatives as a month-long summer break is looming. does the gop have a responsibility to be constructive? we'll ask one of the rising stars from the gop, congressman dave camp that is coming up next. you're watching msnbc live. i'm carlos watson.

i never thought it could happen to me... a heart attack at 53. i had felt fine. but turns out... my cholesterol and other risk factors... increased my chance of a heart attack. i should've done something. now, i trust my heart to lipitor. when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. unlike some other cholesterol lowering medications, lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk... of heart attack, stroke, and certain kinds of heart surgeries... in patients with several common risk factors... or heart disease.

lipitor has been extensively studied... with over 16 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems... and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. i was caught off-guard. but maybe you can learn from my story. have a heart to heart with your doctor... about your risk. and about lipitor. as we get older, our bodies become... less able to absorb calcium. he recommended citracal. it's a different kind of calcium. calcium citrate. with vitamin d... for unsurpassed absorption, to nourish your bones. we call the bunches in honey bunches of oats the prize in the box. well, now there's a prize inside the prize. pecans! pecans! baked into crunchy oat bunches. taste the delicious surprise in every spoonful. new honey bunches of oats with pecan bunches. beautiful.

i had a great time. me too. you know, i just got out of a bad relatio... it's okay. thanks. goodnight. goodnight. (door crashes in, alarm sounds) get out! (phone rings) hello? this is rick with broadview security. is everything all right? no, my ex-boyfriend just kicked in the front door. i'm sending help right now. thank you. (announcer) brink's home security is now broadview security. call now to install the standard system for just $99. the proven technology of a broadview security system delivers rapid response from highly-trained professionals, 24 hours a day. call now to get the $99 installation, plus a second keypad installed free. and, you could save up to 20% on your homeowner's insurance. call now-- and get the system installed for just $99. broadview security for your home or business - the next generation of brink's home security. call now.

i'm carlos watson. do americans have faith in congress to pass health care reform? according to a new gallup poll 2 out of 3 americans doubt congress' understanding of the issues surrounding the health care debate. republican congressman from michigan dave camp joins us now. good to see you, sir. >> go to be with you. >> i appreciated and admired what you had to say on "morning joe" a couple of days ago. it was the clearest articulation yet i've heard from republicans on how we move forward on health care. you outlined the three priorities you'd like to see. would you share those with us again? >> well, we do have things that we're for and would like to see in health care reform, carlos. obviously, one is we think any health care reform ought to include something on malpractice reform. the president's proposal by the democrats does nothing on that. we know there is duplication in medicine and all had the

experience of going to the doctor and had additional tests ordered that aren't necessary. we think a real help in getting costs down in health care. some estimates say as much as a hundred billion dollars could be saved if we had meaningful defensive medicine reform. i think that's important. also there is a regulatory side to this. really allowing people -- small businesses to get the same kind of incentive that large companies get by pooling together to get a larger pool of people to help bring costs down. thirdly, i'd say something on fraud. we know there is a lot of fraud in the government programs, particularly in medicare and medicaid. we think there's billions that could be saved there. you know, let's beef up the inspector general. let's make it so that somebody can't commit fraud in florida and then move to texas and do it again as we know happens. so we think that those protections ought to be in a bill, among some others. >> congressman camp, i know you're the senior republican on ways and means and i hope they have you in the room, the white house folks do, because i appreciate the perspective you

bring to it. i want to move to a different topic with you. so often when we talk about race and, particularly, more recently, the skip gates controversy, we hear democrats weigh in. it strikes me that republicans and all leaders have a responsibility to weigh in on such a critical moral issue. what were your thoughts as you watched the gates issue unfold? are there additional affirmative, positive steps you think that individuals or the government should take in light of what happened with skip gates and the cambridge police? >> well, i think, at least from a national issue, i think the president is doing the right thing to try to diffuse it now. i think what he did really actually inflamed it and as we're getting more and more information, i think that is one of the valuable thinks about deciding how we can go online and read the police report. we've had the release of the 911 transcripts. i think now as more information comes out, clearly, there was a situation between those two that escalated and, as a result, professor gates got arrested as everyone knows. but i think really trying to get at diffusing that and i think

some of the assumptions that were made what occurred there really didn't occur. i think getting more information to the public, i think is very helpful there. obviously, a larger issue there that i think -- that needs to be addressed and i think it can be best addressed at a community level. i think by getting people like officer gates who are teaching, you know, how to really d you know, fulfill their duties and not racially profile, i think doing that at an officer level and on a community level is the best way to make progress there. >> congressman, i want to bring in my guest co-host who has a question. >> representative camp, i want to get back to michigan. obviously, a ton of reporting on the unemployment rate there being the highest in the country, a little over 15% right now. but you're from traverse city. you represent an area that maybe has been affected a little less. there's been a lot of advertisements, especially on cable news, because i watch a fair amount of it, for

vacationing in michigan. i'm wondering if that has helped to sort of help -- help to blunt a little bit the loss of jobs there in michigan? >> well, we do have a pretty viable hospitality industry in michigan, particularly in the northern part of my district, as you mentioned, in the grand traverse area. traverse city and among other areas. i think that does help. we really have three things in michigan. tourism and hospitality, agricultural and manufacturing. and, obviously, manufacturing piece has taken a huge hit and that has caused a lot of problems in our state and a lot of people have lost their jobs. but that's a very important part. i wish the summer had been just a little warmer and more people would have needed to go to northern michigan to cool off. >> congressman camp, thank you for joining us. >> thank you so much. >> love to have you join us in new york when you're in new york next. >> although would love to. for more on the topics we're discussing check out carloswatson.msnbc.com. coming up next, too much, too fast. one of the biggest criticism of

this administration and with all that president obama has got on his plate, is he now getting off track? we'll ask white house insider melanie barnes. you're watching msnbc live. i'm carlos watson. . ...are actually susceptible to irreversible damage. your teeth are no different. everyday acids can cause irreversible loss of enamel. new crest pro-health enamel shield protects against... ...enamel loss by forming a micro-thin shield against acid attack. only crest pro-health toothpastes... ...protect all these areas dentists check most. save your enamel. once it's gone, it can be gone for good. new crest pro-health enamel shield. also shield with the rinse. some pharmacies make you work for it with memberships and fees.

but not walmart. they have hundreds of generic prescriptions for just $4 for up to a 30-day supply or $10 for 90 days.

eseseseseseseseseseseseseseseses you have questions. who can give you the financial advice you need? where will you find the stability and resources to keep you ahead of this rapidly evolving world? these are tough questions. that's why we brought together two of the most powerful names in the industry. introducing morgan stanley smith barney.

here to rethink wealth management. here to answer... your questions. morgan stanley smith barney. a new wealth management firm with over 130 years of experience. welcome back to msnbc live. i'm carlos watson. you're watching live pictures of the senate judiciary committee where the vote over supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor is about to take place. you see senator amy klobuchar of michigan, an attorney her sef, speaking. so far two prominent republicans have come out against sotomayor. lindsey graham is one of them. we will continue to follow this. stay tuned to msnbc for the live coverage of the vote which is taking place today. one month ago obama administration was celebrating but now doubts about passing

health care reform not to mention other agenda items getting little or no mention. melanie barnes is president obama's domestic policy adviser and director of the domestic policy council and joins us now. great to see you. >> great to see you. congratulations on your show. thanks for having me on. >> thank you so much. we are having good success and good time here. i want to bring immediately into the conversation kerry eleveld who is joining me today. we were talking about the public option and notion that might get dropped. kerry, you want to jump? >> well, i wonder about this. this is something that president obama has not drawn a line in the sand yet. i'm wondering, number one, is the white house going to do that at some point? are they going to draw a line saying we can't live without that option. number two, if they don't, or if you guys -- i should say you, if you don't, then what happens to this major democratic goal of having a public option? i mean, ap, associated press

headline was senate finance committee dropping democratic goals. so what is your response to that? >> well, the president has talked about the public health care option being an important part, the public health care plan being an important part of health care. what he said as a top line is that he wants competition in the health care system and he believes that's a very important way to ensure that there's competition, that people are getting the most efficient health care system and we're achieving one of his big goals which is to drive down the cost of health care. what i think, though, is very, very important in the context of all this is that we have everyone at the table talking. you know, i've worked in washington for quite special time and i think this is one of the most important periods when you're about to pass a big health care bill, any big bill, you've got the hospitals, you've got the american medical association, you've got nurses, you've got providers. you've got people sitting around

the table, as well as the house and the senate moving forward, either having passed bills out of their committee, or working to move bills through their committees and that means we're at the point we're getting closer to getting health care done for the american people and the american people will see the bens of that. >> i want to ask you about other priorities. the president familiarusually said during the campaign and while in office it's important that multiple priorities are pursued at the same time. what else besides health care are high up on the president's domestic policy agenda and what else are you working on that maybe we haven't heard a lot about yet but will come the fall? >> well, thanks for asking that question. i think the president has talked about the ability to walk and chew gum at the same time. i assure you that my colleagues and i are running and chewing gum at the same time. we're about to hit that period where summer vacations start to come to an end and kids with going back to school. the president has given a lot of attention inside the white house and you're starting to hear more

of it outside on the issue of education. i think just last week, he was with secretary duncan. he was talking about the work that chairman miller has done on a bill that both looks at the beginning of education system, what we're doing for early education and providing a really competitive, high quality system for our youngest kids. what we're doing at the other end of the spectrum, making sure our community colleges which, i think over 60% of the american public uses or has gone to a community college, making sure that that's aligned with people getting good jobs. so you'll hear more about that. you'll hear more about back to school and the reform of our k through 12 system to make sure that we've got accountability, and the necessary reforms and the work that the president is doing with secretary duncan, they announced a big proposal last week on that. there's a lot going on around education. there's also a lot going on around issues of making sure our kids are healthier. we've got a food safety initiative that we've moved through with important regulations. i think congress is starting to

move on a bill based on some of those recommendations, that's important. the president and the first lady are working on issues around child nutrition. so those are the kinds of things that we're working on, along with education and working with our colleagues and other areas to make sure that we're getting jobs back online, that the work we're doing with the recovery act is producing better jobs for people, and that it's working for people in the most accountable way. >> melanie barnes at the white house, thank you so much for joining us. look forward to seeing you again soon. >> great. thanks a lot, carlos. >> thank you. up next a provocative 207ic of the day. gay adoption. same-sex couples across the country are fighting to adopt and raise children like any straight couple. is this the gop's next wedge issue? we'll talk about it here. you're watching msnbc live. i'm carlos watson. i was in the grocery store when i had a heart attack. 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.

i'm going to be grandma for a long time. ♪ ♪ which one's me - for a cool convertible or an suv? ♪ ♪ too bad i didn't know my credit was whack ♪ ♪ 'cause now i'm driving off the lot in a used sub-compact. ♪ ♪ f-r-e-e, that spells free credit report dot com, baby. ♪ ♪ saw their ads on my tv ♪ thought about going but was too lazy ♪ ♪ now instead of looking fly and rollin' phat ♪ ♪ my legs are sticking to the vinyl ♪ ♪ and my posse's getting laughed at. ♪ ♪ f-r-e-e, that spells free- credit report dot com, baby. ♪

welcome back to msnbc live. i'm carlos watson.

while debate over same-sex marriage rages on in states across the country the lesser publicized issue of gay adoption is a contention. five states have passed law to ban gay adoption. pam wrote a piece on this. we want to welcome pam and kerry back. this is a new wedge issue? we saw in 2004 and some argue in subsequent elections the issue of same-sex marriages became a hot button political issue and some say it helped george bush get back into the white house in 2004. is this the next wedge issue? >> getting foster care and adoption care is one way in which that can be done, because the law, as it is now, is very poor. state-by-state. there's a lot that can be done both to limit and to promote gay

parenthood. >> because i was taken aback in your piece. you write about a west virginia couple, two women, who had been together for some time and had a number of foster children and who had children taken out of their home literally by an inspector who came by for seven minutes and basically said they can't be in a homosexual home. >> right. they had fostered 18 children up to that point between the ages of 1 and 17. so one of the questions this raises is that this was a newborn baby. so is it okay for gay and lesbians to foster the older kids that nobody wants? who have all suffered some form of abuse and neglect but not a brand-new unscathed baby that some other couple, perhaps more, quote/unquote, deserving might want? >> which is really interesting. because you know, actually i would push back and say republicans have not been able to seize on this as an issue so far in the way that they were able to seize on same-sex marriages. >> because? >> well, as you pointed out in your piece, there's 130,000 kids waiting for adoption right now

and many of them are kids who are older, who aren't, you know, maybe kids that would be as likely to get adopted right away. i think it's an issue of sheer numbers. i mean, these kids need a home and some of the people who are willing to provide that home are gay and lesbian parents. the other thing about gay and lesbian parents they are never accidental parents. they are very intentional and really want kids. >> is there a reverse opportunity here in an odd way? is there an opportunity that as more gay couples adopt children, could that actually help on the same-sex marriage issue? could this actually be an affirmative tipping point in terms of gay rights and gay opportunities? >> it could be. there are studies that have shown gay and lesbians are more willing to take in older kids and kids with special needs. already 4% of foster children in this country are being raised by gays and lesbians. so there is a natural kind of opportunity there. there clearly is a need and home for these kids. >> got to leave it there but look forward to you returning.

pam, thanks for stopping i by. >> thank you. >> michael vick gets a reprieve from the nfl after being in prison. he could be on the field as soon as tomorrow if he can find a team that will take him. my take on that after the break. you're watching msnbc live. i'm carlos watson. we know why we're here. to build a new generation of airplanes to connect the world.

airplanes that fly cleaner and farther on less fuel. and make nonstop travel possible to more places. announcer: around the globe, the people of boeing are working together-- to bring us together. that's why we're here.

welcome back to msnbc live. i'm carlos watson. now a bipartisan group of senators close to a compromise on a health care plan. senate finance committee meeting behind closed doors as we speak to discuss the issue. democratic senator from ohio sherrod brown joins us now. good to have you, senator. >> glad to be back. thanks. >> senator brown, i know you're one of the people who have been most focused on this health care. were you dismayed to hear the finance committee say they were dropping the public option and given that, do you think there is still a possibility that we'll see transformative

legislation this fall? >> we're going to see transformative legislation. i wasn't surprised because i know that surprised, because i know that senator baucus has emphasized getting a bipartisan bill. i emphasized i wanted a good, strong bill for the public interest. i hope republicans vote for it. but if we insisted on bipartisanship, we never would have got medicare in the 1960s. my first goal is a strong public option, because a strong public option will bring prices down. a strong public option will extend coverage, guarantee good koncht for the unemployed, for people many rural areas, and a strong public option keeps the insurance company honest, and we know how the insurance companies have tried to game the system with pre-existing conditions and all kinds of ways to deny care in the past. >> senator brown, this is carrie, i'm cohosting with carlos watson. just wondering, with this public option, you say it's one of your very biggest goals, but the senate finance committee is already saying today they're going to drop it.

so how can that get reconciled? and if it doesn't make the senate bill, how does it get reconciled with the house when the house seems adamant about having the public option? >> those are all good questions. so far, there's been throe committees, the house, education labor and committee, the house ways and means committee, and the senate committee on which i see. only three committees have voted out health care bills. all three of them have a strong public option. the finance committee has a general agreement, but we haven't seen real language. the house energy and customer committee may vote this week. they'll have a strong public option. it's clear that an overwhelming majority of the public wants a strong public option, because we've all had dealings with insurance companies, and no matter how we write the rules, the insurance companies figure out thousand to game the system to deny care to people that thought they had good insurance plans. so if we build this strong public option and it's an option, gives people a choice, it lets them compete with the private plans. the private plans, the private

insurance companies will get better too in addition to giving the public the option of choosing the public plan. >> senator brown, we're out of time, but i so appreciate you joining us and i appreciate the combative stance on this. i hope, actually, your perspective on it prevails and look forward to having you on the show again. >> it's not combative. it's simply that the public wants it, we ought to do it, and it will make our health care system be rt. thanks for your kind words. we turn to the "c" note. today i want to talk about second chances, a big idea and a big thought. i want to talk about with a couple friends. toure joins me now, carrie is back. want to talk about the case of michael vick, the former nfl star, the former atlanta falcons star quarterback who led a horrific dog ring, was investigated, prosecuted, put into jail, and just yesterday the nfl commissioner said he can play football again, just has to find a team. toure, your thoughts on giving michael vick a second chance? >> there's two things here. there's a moral aspect and a

football sporting aspect. the moral aspect, the guy has done two years and lost double digit millions for a horrific crime. i mean, dog torturing, basically, not just dog fighting. he helped put dogs to death. he did horrible things with, but paid a huge price, he's done that. should he get another chance to play in the nfl? i think, absolutely, and the commissioner, goodell, agrees, yes, should get another chance. will he get another chance? this is the sporting question. >> i have no doubt he'll get a second chance. >> i have big doubts, huge -- >> because? >> 2 1/2 years away from the game, not a normal quarterback, a scrambling quarterback. not every team can take him on a football level. he's been away -- >> i'm going to bet you your lunch money that he plays. because these teams are too hungry for a guy of his unique skills. >> no chance he starts this year. next year, maybe. '09, no chance. if you take him, you have to pay the full year, but only get 65%

of the season because he's suspended six games. most teams have already said, don't want him. giants, jets, cowboys, don't want him. >> i stick with the host, with always. that's right. but i mean someone's going to want him, someone will take those skills and pay him a lot less and figure they got a bargain. and they should pay him less than what he was making before. >> no question. >> do you think it's right to give him a second chance? >> i think it is right to give him a second chance, even though i'm a dog lover at heart. >> but most of the teams already have second and third string quarterbacks good enough, we're happy. some teams like san francisco, seattle, live in cities where there's great dog lovers, and they don't need that attention from the community, they don't need that. so they can't take them. there's other teams that don't want him because he's not football ready. there's a lot of problems everywhere you go. >> i'm going to be the constructive optimist. i'm going to say that michael

vick plays this year for a lower salary, not starting at the beginning of the season, and i hope he ends up going out of his way to being someone who speaks for animal rights. that's it for me, i'm carlos watson. i want to thank toure and carrie. dr. nancy snyderman picks up our coverage from here. nancy, i know you're back from colorado and have got good stuff. what do you have today? >> we'll have the latest on the michael jackson case. right now the medical investigation is increasingly focusing on michael jackson's doctors. and college campuses set to open in a few weeks. we'll look at that situation. and president obama's putting his -- is taking his message to the public again today. we'll look at the lobbying efforts that are taking place with regard to health care reform. my take on today's stories, the health headlines, and the medical newsmakers. the doctor is in right after this break. geico's been saving people money on car insurance for over 70 years.

and who doesn't want value for their dollar? been true since the day i made my first dollar. where is that dollar? i got it out to show you... uhh... was it rather old and wrinkly? yeah, you saw it? umm fancy a crisp? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

medication to lower your bad cholesterol but your good cholesterol and