stand as the all-time, you know, hit leader and all that kind of stuff. we are going to come back and talk about michael vick. i want you to give some thought as to who you think might pick him up in the nfl. we'll talk with you next hour, steven a. smith, thank you. >> okay. >> coming up, three american tourists detained in iran. what happens next? we're going to ask msnbc military analyst. (announcer) sleep is your body's strongest ally. it can lift your mood, help rebuild muse... and improve your concentration. tylenol pm works with your body to ease the aches and pains that keep you awake, and helps you fall asleep in a non-habit forming way. because the better you sleep, the better you feel. it sticks to your teeth so well... you can even drink water with it on. crest whitestrips advanced seal.

get a dramatically whiter smile... while you do just about anything. satisfaction guaranteed. during times like these it seems like the world will never be the same. but there is a light beginning to shine again. the spark began where it always begins. at a restaurant downtown. in a shop on main street. a factory around the corner. entrepreneurs like these are the most powerful force in the economy. they drive change and they'll relentless push their businesses to innovate and connect. ase look to the future, they'll be there ahead of us, lights on, showing us the way forward. this is just the beginning of the reinvention of business. and while we're sure we don't know all the answers, we do know one thing for certain, we want to help.

come see what the beginning looks like at openforum.com

next here on msnbc saturday, it's a big shot in the arm for the health care overhaul. where's the reform movement headed? it's a big jump in the road for the cash for clunkers program. how could a billion dollars in cash go so quickly? also ahead, faith and a father's fatal decision. a dad sent to the slammer for relying on the power of prayer. and it's a homecoming celebration in the works for michael vick. could the ex-con still be a hometown hero? a very good morning,

everyone. i'm alex wit. 11:00 eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific time, here's what's happening on msnbc saturday. we're going to get to the last of the three house committees having approved the health care reform bill after a series of last-minute changes. the president has issued a statement about that vote. so we're going right to the white house and nbc's mike viqueira who is standing by. white house happen hi about this? >> you might say that? they're somewhat pleased. they'll take what they can get at this point. the house voted on this last night, and then it was boom to the airport and gone for one month, perhaps more. they're not coming back to washington until after labor day. the senate is in for another week. this was the last of the three committees as you mentioned, that needed to pass the house of representatives's versions of a health reform package. it's not easy going. it's still not easy going. there are a lot of hurdles left to clear. the president obviously quite pleased with it, even though neither the house nor the senate has met his earlier deadline of passing a bill on the floor of

each of those respective chambers by the time they leave for a recess. that is clearly not going to be happen. there's been a lot of intraparty fighting among democrats, blue dogs or conservative democrats, congressional and liberal democrats fighting over medicare reimbursement rates. what the public option in health care was going to look like. meanwhile the president continuing to take it on the road. he was on the road this week, raleigh, north carolina, bristol, virginia, pitching his health care plan, trying to move votes in congress for when they come back in september. >> okay. mike, before we let you go, you have the cash for clunkers program. you have the house of representatives wanting to pump $2 billion into it after the first billion was blown through in about five days' time. what is the white house telling car dealers out there today who very likely have a lot of people in their showrooms right now? >> that's a very good question. you know the white house has been giving assurances over the last couple of days that there will be enough money in this program to cover any deals that might happen between now and final congressional action.

alex, you mentioned that the house quickly voted, threw it on the floor in a hurry after it became apparent that this program might run out of money. might burn through that billion dollars in the short course of win week. it was supposed to last until november 1st. but most people would consider this program to be a success. people are entering car dealerships as they have not in some months. perhaps even a year. they want to trade in those cars for higher mileage cars, as is set forth if this program. the dealers are worried that they are on the hook now, $4500 cash on the barrel head if you meet these requirements. and then the dealers are supposed to come back to the government and get reimbursed. the dealers have been worried that that money might run out. congress is going to triple it, add another $2 billion to the program. the white house giving assurances that everything is going to be fine. but until the senate acts, the house acted yesterday, the house acted yesterday, until the senate acts this week, nothing is quite certain and the dealers certainly have a lot of anxiety about this right now. >> i'll bet. buyers, too. thanks so much. mplt >> let's get a closer look now

at this weekend's mad rush for the clunker cash. i'm joined live from nbc's chicago bureau by jim warren. good morning to you. >> welcome again, alex. and very impressive discussion on pete rose with the ever-show stephen a. smith. >> thank you very much. well, i'm a baseball girl. what can i tell you? when it comes to this cash for clunkers program, jim, i know you personally, this is a success. you went out there and got a car back in june and traded in your old jeep cherokee for this. overall, do you think this seems to be a success or a failure because there's -- it's not over yet? i mean this thing may shut down before everybody is serviced that wants to be. >> yeah, it's hard to believe it will be shut down. it's going to be huge pressure on the u.s. senate this week before they split for the summer to come up with $2 billion. there may be some fiddling at the margin, senator feinstein of california, and senator collins of maine wanting to change some of the rules of the road, so to speak, when it comes to the

miles, the miami mileage that you've got to get in the new car, but this is going to pass, all of these folks, democrats, republicans, they've got dealers, very happy dealers in their districts and their state who are going to want this to continue. >> okay. let's get to health care. because now that the house energy and commerce committee has passed that health care bill under the chair of henry waxman the stage is set for a full vote. politico is pointing out that health reform never cleared the energy and commerce committee back in '93 during the clinton years. does this bode well for the passage of this bill this time around? >> yeah, interesting when the fabled john dingell who is still in the house, the longest serving member, was the czar of the energy committee he did not get it through. it bodes well for some sort of agreement. i think we're going to be here in the fall, and the contours of a congressional debate on both sides is pretty clear. "a," is there going to be some sort of public option? "b," what will employers be obligated to pay for workers' insurance? and finally, how are we going to pay for all this?

real conflicts, the house ways and means committee wants a surtax on the wealthy. the senate finance committee doesn't like that idea. so there's going to be a battle roy royale. >> sarah palin, asked you to think about this when you left us last hour, no tweets, no facebook, no nothing since stepping down as governor nearly a week ago now. she said she's not going to appear at a reagan library event everyone thought she was apairing at next saturday. what do you think is behind her disappearance from the spotlight? and is it going to work for you -- work for her, rather? jim, can you hear me? >> i'm having trouble hearing you. >> oh, that is a huge bummer. wanted to get your take on sarah palin. are we -- >> oh, sarah palin. >> what do you think about -- >> i just caught you mentioning sarah palin. i mean, i think there's some folks in alaska wondering where she's been. reminder that politics, as in life, sometimes less can be a little bit more. if she goes underground for a

little bit and desists from tweeting even for a few days, probably not a bad thing. she's also got a family to take care of. maybe there's some bonds to repair there. but you know, from afar it looks a little bit, to me, a little bit like the situation richard nixon found themself in, not only lost the presidency a couple years later, he was reviled after he lost the governor's race in california. he went underground and go lots of dinners, showed up at small town republican affairs and ultimately boosted, you know, his prestige in the eyes of his own party. in the case of palin, we the media are always going to be there when she's looking for some attention. she's so catalytic, there's a fascination on our part for her. but laying he will for awhile i don't think has got any downside at all. >> that richard nixon analogy, i've got to tell you, chris matthews is saying you can't count her out, as well. thank you very much, jim warren, appreciate it. >> my pleasure. watch "meet the press"

tomorrow. david gregory's guest will be larry summers, director of the national economic council. that is this sunday on "meet the press," so check your local listings for the time. developing now here in new york. police say a bomb scare at laguardia airport's main terminal, terminal "c," it is now over. a man described as emotionally disturbed apparently entered that terminal with a fake bomb this morning. that man is now in custody. the terminal was evacuated and stayed shut down for hours. most of the terminal is now open again and as a result of the upheaval, american airlines says it's already been forced to cancel at least ten flights and there are delays of up to three hours. talk about a mess there. new this morning, iran is now confirming that it has detained three american tourists after they allegedly strayed into iran while hiking in iraq. that word coming from iran state tv just a short time ago. now these tourists were hiking in northern iraq near the self-ruled kurdish region when they reportedly mistakenly entered iranian territory, and the troops very quickly surrounded them. the u.s. state department is investigating this report. we'll keep you up to date on

what we find out on it. an oregon man is going to jail for relying solely on the power of prayer to save his infant daughter's life. the 29-year-old father has been sentenced to 60 days in jail and five years' probation. his 15-year-old daughter died last year from pneumonia and a blood infection after he refused to take her to a doctor. today a lawyer for one of michael jackson's former doctors was speaking out saying his client warned the pop star about the dangers of propofol, the drug now at the center of jackson's death investigation. msnbc.com entertainment correspondent courtney hazlett is joining me once again live from los angeles with the very latest. and with a final good morning to you, what can you tell us about this particular doctor, courtney, who is speaking out? >> this particular doctor is dr. allen metzger and he's the fourth doctor we can confirm that has been subpoenaed in relation to michael jackson's death. they're taking whatever medical records they can get their hands on. the ones that pertain to michael jackson, trying to put all these pieces of the puzzle together. you hear from his attorney that

this doctor is one of the ones who michael jackson asked for propofol. he said that jackson was looking for propofol, and dr. metzger turned him down. he advised him how dangerous it was. apparently jackson was shopping around fortunate the drug or looking for someone to administer it to him. that's the attorney's statement about dr. allen metzger. fits in with everything we know up to this point, which is jackson definitely for some time was asking for propofol. i spoke to his nurse cherilyn lee last week, she said as early as late march or early april, as well. this is obviously something we can assume is going to end up in the calls of death. to some extent. whether it comes out of a coroner's report. my opinion is that's unlikely. but will it come out of more investigations, for sure? >> okay. dr. conrad murray. what's going on with him right now? where do things stand? >> you don't want to be dr. conrad murray right now, alex. last night on "dateline," they discovered that dr. murray was giving michael jackson propofol

almost daily for more than a month. he didn't even have the necessary equipment you're supposed to have on hand when you're administering propofol. the types of, you know, precautionary measures that you would have in a hospital. he didn't have resuscitation equipment that was standard, or necessary. he didn't have the drugs that are on hand in the o.r. that get your heart going again, should it stop suddenly, because of some sort of drug interaction like one from propofol. so bottom line here, dr. murray's been cooperating with law enforcement. there's still no formal charge against dr. murray. but right now, things really don't look good. >> okay, courtney hazlett, thank you so much for getting up early and being with us all morning. it's not even -- it's 9:15 in the morning. >> i'll see you from the middle of the night again tomorrow. >> look forward to it. thanks. get some rest. well, still ahead. it is a storm story folks in the northeast are probably talking about this morning. we're going to take a look at that for you. and it's a scare from the air.

a close call some folks won't soon forget. h whoa! honey honey honey honey honey! okay... i mean... you can't... this isn't a stove, alright? i mean... what if i just walked into the kitchen and started making a salad? - that'd be weird. - right? i mean, look, there's a technique. - okay... - ( strikes match ) wow. it's okay, everyone. - thanks, hon. - you're welcome. announcer: yep, it's that easy, - with kingsford match light. - ( match strikes ) i switched to a complete multivitamin with more. only one a day men's 50+ advantage... has gingko for memory and concentration. plus support for heart health. that's a great call. one a day men's. ♪ take me home ♪ take me home ♪ to my family ♪

♪ i need to be surrounded by ♪ the ones who care for me [ female announcer ] clean you can see. softness you can feel. tide with a touch of downy. ♪ take me home with annuities from fidelity. turn your savings into income -- guaranteed, and get a retirement "paycheck" for life -- guaranteed. call... to get started, and learn how to secure retirement income that won't go down -- guaranteed. call fidelity at... for details about

guaranteed income for life,

it looked like a disaster but it was more like a miracle. it happened in black river falls wisconsin where a small plane hit a house before landing on the driveway. the three people on board suffered minor injuries. a grandmother and her three grandchildren were inside that house, and they were unharmed. let's go now to the weather and at least five northeast states, a big cleanup is under way. strong storms knocked down trees and limbs in beverly, massachusetts, and the rough weather knocked out power for nearly 30,000 residents in new jersey. heavy rain flooded neighborhoods in upstate new york trapping some people in their homes. let's go to politics now, and

new poll data this week that shows the president's job approval rating hitting an all-time low. in an aggregate of national surveys compiled by pollster.com, the president's approval rating stands at 52.1%. when the president took office he had average approval ratings in the high 60s. i'm joined by msnbc political analyst pat buchanan and democratic strategist peter fenn. otherwise known as my boys. so i can see that again, because it's been so long, pat is it just the end of a post-election honey moon phase sclg. do you think there's something larger the president should be concerned about with these poll numbers? >> it's partly that. he had enormous popular support when he took office, even among republicans. his real problem on economic issues and health care, he is under water in a lot of polls. in other words, more people oppose the way he's handling things than approve. and some polls on spending and the deficit, he's down in the 30% range.

peter and i were talking about this during the break. and what obama needs, he needs, "a," a big victory on health care after this august recess, or "b," the imperative is, that this economy, which does appear looks like it's bottoming out in the second quarter, that this come roaring back on fire, and people get confidence back and they start spending money. in which case the democrats could say, look, the republicans are the party of no. they opposed everything, sure it took some time to work but it is working, and take the optimism road. but i think he's in real trouble right now, unless things do turn around. >> although there is some good news here. i want to talk with you about, peter, while people may not approve of the job the president's doing, you've got 55% saying they either have a somewhat or very positive feeling coordinate the commander in chief. only 34% describing their feelings as negative. when asked how likable he is on a scale of one to five, 73%,

almost three quarters gave the president a four or a five. apparently it's not that people don't like him. so why can't he get those job approval numbers up? >> well, you know, pat's right. i'm glad to admit, pat you took the words right out of my mouth for the conversation. we've got to stop talking during the break, alex. >> right. >> he goes all out. here's where i think we are. first of all, i think folks have to remember that his poll numbers right now are double what george bush's were and almost triple what dick cheney's were. and you know, he came in to office with an economic meltdown. i mean, look, banks were crashing, unemployment was skyrocketing, 700,000 jobs lost a month. the stimulus package, which people, you know, initially i think this is part of the reason, the numbers are a little low, they're thinking is this working, is this working? well for crying out loud, it's only been going for several months.

as pat says, this latest report now that the in vinkage of the economy was only 1%, instead of as "the new york times" said today, it would have been 4% had that stimulus package not been enacted. that means that there may be something happening, especially in to this third quarter. if things pick up, we know that the only problem is unemployment is not going to drop for a bit. but we've seen the stock market go up. you see, as pat said, if people start spending money, then what happens is that you have renewed confidence. this cash for clunkers program is working. and so i think that the president's popularity right now is very much tied to what's happening with the economy. and also, you know, alex, if the economy comes back then it will be a heck of a lot easier to come out with a health care plan in the fall, as well. so, i wouldn't count this president out by any stretch. as you say, people like him. they respect him. they think he wants to do the

right thing. they want to be behind him. but right now, they're nervous. they want more done. >> alex, they do like him, because he comes off as a very nice guy. even to folks who disagree with him, he's got a wonderful sense of humor and he can laugh at himself and things like that. but i think one of his real problems is he came in as a transformation president, someone who is going to cross lines, if you will a new democrat, not the same old model. to an awful lot of people, i think, what is he -- barack obama is coming off as what he was in the senate, which is the most liberal member of the united states senate, and the democratic party is falling in terms of its leverage over the republican party, because it's being reperceived again as a tax and spend and big government party. not something new as it offered america in that election. i think that's a real problem, and again, i'll go back to what peter said, which is if the economy comes charging back, a lot of the problems the president is looking at, and headed for, will, i think,

dissipate somewhat. >> peter real quick, because i'm still out of time, but -- >> the only point i'll make here, alex, is that he needs to get back on the change message that he's making real change in this country. >> okay -- >> because he's lost that a little pit. >> but the tax and spend moniker attributed to the democrats. is that going to be a problem? >> absolutely. and he said it's going to be a problem, and health care has to be neutral and we've got to bring this deficit down. there's no question that's going to happen. a strong economy will do that. >> okay thank you for being succinct. i'm going to send you a tv hug to you both. i'll see you next half hour. thank you. getting away on vacation, making a big deal of it. making it pay off on your pocketbook. you must be looking for motorcycle insurance. you're good. thanks. so is our bike insurance. all the coverage you need at a great price. hold on, cowboy. cool.

i'm not done -- for less than a dollar a month, you also get 24/7 roadside assistance. ght on. yeah, vroom-vroom! sounds like you ran a 500. more like a 900 v-twin. excuse me. well, you're excused. the right insurance for your ride. w, that's progressive. call or click today. the moisturizer in other body washes sits on top of skin. only new dove has nutriummoisture... which can nourish deep down. new dove body wash with nutriummoisture. superior tural nourishment for your skin. 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. new crest pro-health enamel shield.

summer is now on sale.

significant savings on airfare, hotels and spa packages are yours for the taking. and it's not to late to get away from it all. valarie d'elia is joining me right now. good morning to you. >> good morning, alex. >> let's talk about your family. you want to go to the beach. good deals? >> yes, there are. i know that you're a mother. have you ever heard of the beaches resorts? >> yes. >> part of sandals. there's three in jamaica, one in turks and caicos. every parent i know, this is the no brainer vacation. they love it. it's where sesame street goes to vacation because they have a partnership with elmo and abby cadabbi and all the other characters. and the one in turks and caicos is really their primary resort. they just expanded it. and they've added some family deluxe suites. they've also added five new restaurants so the count is now up to 16 restaurants. this is all inclusive, it's fantastic. they have a water park, and maybe exfanded that one. and normally this is a very expensive vacation.

but this time of year, because you know we're going into hurricane season, it's heavily discounted, so families can get up to 65% to 67% off and that brings a vacation for a family of four down to $2,278 for seven nights. and that's a starting rate always. so you really have to call reservations and make sure if you have a budget for that that you get that rate. but you can go up higher than that. it is wonderful. and that's right below miami. so it's not a long trip to get there. >> okay, let's get to miami. i understand there are deals there, as well? >> the whole month of august miami is on sale. they have restaurant deals. they have hotel deals. you stay for four nights, but you're only paying for three. and they also have '99 spa treatments at many of the spas. and that's half price what you would normally get. so august, it's another hot month, but you're taking a risk with the weather.

but you're really going to feel it in your pocketbook. you're going to be saving a lot of money. >> if you want to go and chill someplace how about norway? >> on a cruise. the norwegian coastal voyages will take you on the nail route, which is the n-a-i-l route, down 250 miles of fjords and beautiful fishing villages. it's just really very pretty. and just on sale right now, two for one in a cabin. so you can go with a friend, your husband, whatever, but you're only paying half price. >> wow. >> that one is as low as $680 per person for a six-day cruise. and then there's a seven-day, and then there's a 12-day. >> that's incredible. >> it is incredible. but you need to book that one by the end of this month, and it's for sailing through december. so i gets a little colder and a little darker as you get toward december. but you have to fly yourself there.

but it's really a fantastic voyage. >> you always give great advice. thank you so much for joining us, valarie d'elia. well, cost of living is just one of the factors considered in "forbes" magazine's new list for the best cities for singles. the top spot just so happens to be new york city. the big apple gets the nod for all of its night life. forbes ranked boston second, chicago third, seattle and washington, d.c., they round out the top five. chloe is 9 months old. she is the greatest thing ever. woman: one little smile, one little laugh. - honey bunny. - ( coos ) we would do anything for her. my name is kim bryant and my husband and i made a will on legalzoom. man: it was really easy to do.

- ( blows raspberries ) - ( laughing ) robert shapiro: we created legalzoom to help you take care of the ones you love. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% and complete your will in minutes. car insurance company in the nation. but, it's not like we're kicking back, now, havin' a cuppa tea. gecko vo: takes lots of sweat to become that big. gecko vo: 'course, geckos don't literally sweat... it's just not our thing... gecko vo: ...but i do work hard, mind you. gecko vo: first rule of "hard work equals success." gecko vo: that's why geico is consistently rated excellent or better in terms of financial strength. gecko vo: second rule: "don't steal a coworker's egg salad, 'specially if it's marked "the gecko." come on people. new this morning, state-owned tv in iran is confirming the arrest of three u.s. citizens after they allegedly entered into the country while hiking near the border in iraq. iranian media reports claim the three refused to heed warnings from border guards and crossed into iran's kurdistan province. joining us here at our headquartered is retired army colonel and military analyst jack jacobs. good morning to you.

failed to heed warnings? i mean is that being put out there? can you imagine three american tourists cruising along the iraq/iran border and thinking, yeah, i'm not going to heed the warnings? >> well, iran said they didn't heed warnings and that they gave them warnings. they were actually warned when they were in the kurdish area that borders up near sulaymaniyah that they'd have to be very, very careful, the border is indistinct. the terrain is beautiful. quite a few tourists go up there and the place is extremely quiet and safe because the kurds control it. but they were warned by the kurds to be careful of straying across the border, which is ill-defined. >> is it an area that's known for its hiking? >> yeah. believe it or not. i don't think you hear about a lot of people who like to go on a holiday in iraq. but it's a popular tourist destination up there. because it is beautiful and it is very safe. but, don't go across the border. >> again you're saying it's a rather nebulously defined border

>>? >> it's not defined at all. >> well, if they are in the hands of the iranians at this point, and what could happen to these detainees? >> i can tell you probably, they're arrested, they're going to be in jail, my guess is they're going to charge them with spying. and parade them around, make a big deal the next couple of days about how the united states is working very hard to infiltrate iran. they can't do it any other were a. they're trying to deestablishize iran, so they're even sending people dressed as tourists and backpackers across the border. >> i'm thinking immediately of euna lee and laura ling in north korea and their situation. they're serving out some time there. how does the u.s. handle this? >> probably the same way as we -- ineffectively. there's not much we can do except complain about it. i think the best thing to do probably is not so say anything very much publicly, try to work things out behind closed doors. may, in fact, get some success

with iran, unlike success that was never going to come from north korea. but only if the american government doesn't make a big deal out of it and tries to work everything behind closed doors. it's possible to get them free. >> okay, colonel jack jacobs, as always, thanks. >> good to be with you. >> it's been nearly a week since sarah palin stepped down from office and she hasn't posted a single facebook update or tweet since resigning. it was rumored that palin would be making an appearance at the reagan library in california, but a spokeswoman said she never committed to that event and she will not be going. let's go now to the bombshell revelation from the octomom. nadya suleman, the california single mother of 14, tells "us weekly" magazine she made a mistake having so many kids. in the wide ranging interview suleman describes an incredible existent, including bouts of loneliness, crying spells and nearly $30,000 in monthly expenses. nadya also regrets not having a father around for the children. and not being able to spend more time with all of her children.

while admitting that raising so many kids is a struggle, suleman maintains she is happy to have all of her kids. right now, the trial of american student amanda knox is on a long summer break and while court is not back in session until september, there are now some new questions being raised about how this trial's been conducted. joining me live is clint van zandt. clint is a former fbi profiler, also an msnbc analyst and as i welcome you again, clint, for the morning, let's talk about what you expect from the prosecution and defense. they've rested now, they've got this break. they come back now to present their final argue up thes. what would you say to them? here's what you need to do to win. >> the interesting thing is, somebody's got to make a decision. is amanda knox just a young american girl who she went over, she was smoking a few joints, she got her stories confused, but otherwise she was just acting like somebody her age? or is she this, as the prosecution suggests, is she

this young, budding sociopath who wanted to walk on the wild side, who mixed sex and violence and drugs, and in equal murder. a very terrible murder that took place, perhaps again, as suggested that she, and at least two other people, took place in. or is she just being set up, alex? is it -- are they looking for somebody, they looking for an american, do the italians want to set an american up and make her a fall girl in this particular case? these are the two different, entirely different views, something like professor gates and sergeant crowley in cambridge, two different ways to look at the situation. that's what the jury is going to have to decide. where is the truth? >> well, but i guess what about the truth that would be offered up by all of these physical evidence there? you've got -- >> yeah, yeah. >> wouldn't that be considered irrefutable if you have analysis done on blood, fingerprints, all sorts of other specimens found in the house, how does that play into it? >> well, this is a little

different, you know, than bill clinton and dna on that famous dress. this runs kind of a different story where the dna is not that strong. it could be amanda's or it could be meredith's, the victims. but maybe not. and then the defense offers up various reasons, if it is the dna, why it's there in the first place. alex, my whole thing, not withstanding the physical evidence, goes right back to amanda knox, the american, raphael her boyfriend, why did they tell so many lies? why did amanda pick out her boss and try to throw him under the bus and make him look like the guy who did it. she said she was in the apartment when he killed her roommate and then she said, oh, i take it back. well, is that because, you know, she was doing so much hashish that she didn't know the truth? or was she lying to cover herself up? that's something that's going to be a challenge for the jury. all of the lies that she's told. >> okay. clint van zandt, thank you very much, clint.

>> thanks, alex. >> it is a presidential powwow. what are the issues the obama cabinet maying dealing with at today's retreat? my boys are weighing in on that next here on msnbc.

today there's a way to save more for retirement,

with annuiti from fidelity. turn your savings into income -- guaranteed, and get a retirement "paycheck" for life -- guaranteed. call... to get started, and learn how to secure retirement income that won't go down -- guaranteed.

call fidelity at... for details about guaranteed income for life, and change the way you think about your retirement savings. there's quite a scramble in washington to save the cash for clunkers program. the program was so popular that it ran out of money less than a week after it started. so to keep it going, the house of representatives approved $2 billion to be pumped into that program. the senate has to approve that deal this coming week. meanwhile the white house says it will honor all deals written this weekend. but the auto dealers association is advising its members to play it safe and not close on any deals until the fate of the program is clearer. joining us via skype from auburn, california, is luann hammond. good morning to you. >> good morning, alex. >> are you at all surprised that this program ran out of money so quickly? took like five days. >> i'm not at all surprised,

alex. remember you and i have been talking about bankruptcy with gm and chrysler for ever, and we said $11 billion, what are they going to do with it? they should give it to people as an incentive to buy cars, because that's where you stimulate the economy. i'm not surprised at all. >> okay. looks like they were listening to you lou ann. what about the program overall? do you think it's a success, or might there be some troubles terming it being a success if they don't get everybody, you know, access to what they want, and feel they deserve? >> well, it's just success for the government. i don't think the government has ever seen anything happen this quickly with direct results this fast. so i think for them it is a success. and they need to understand that this is a grassroots movement. people are really understanding that they need to change their cars because they're so fuel inefficient. and they're doing that with the help of the government, and in

fact they're helping every county that they are buying a car in because you get more sales tax. and that's what's going to keep these counties alive. california has a huge problem right now. we're going to see sales tax come back into these counties, come back into the state, and it's going to help that budget. >> there are those who say, though, that it isn't really much being said about this program, but rather the time of year. people want to get out there and buy those cars because it's the end of the 2009 model, got the 2010s coming out. they'll be out in just a couple of weeks. some of them are already appearing out there. do you agree that that's what's driven this? do you think it's really about everybody just getting in check and thinking we've got to do something to help the economy, and the like? >> i think they've been waiting. but remember back in a year ago, we had 16.6 million cars that we were selling. we're down to almost less than 10 million cars a year now. they have to do something to stimulate the economy. people were afraid to do something.

in january, i had a friend of mine say, a friend of mine bought a car, i'm like wow, that's impressive. so now all of a sudden people are getting new cars. they're excited about their cars. you're seeing new cars on the road. i think that really does give consumer confidence a lift. >> and to what extent do you think this is overall helping the automobile industry? >> well i think the automobile industry is going to see great strides, because you're going to see an uptick, not only in the automobiles told, you're going to see an uptick in gdp, an uptake in sales tax. the automobile industry, this is what they need because they've got great new product coming out. you look at the hyundai genesis, the buick lacrosse. go look at the buick lacrosse it's beautiful. the ford taurus, they have new cars coming out, they're more fuel efficient than the ones they do have. people will get in the show rooms and see the new cars they haven't seen before. >> we always love your advice.

thank you so much for you. lou ann hammond, good to see you. new this morning, president obama talking about the economic stimulus. and he says the report released this week shows it's working. >> in the last few months, the economy has done measurably better than expected. and many economists suggest that part of this progress is directly attributable to the recovery act. this and the other difficult but important steps that we take over the last six months have helped put the breaks on this recession. >> but an nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows americans are becoming less satisfied with the president's handling of the economy. 49% of americans approve of the job the president's doing. but that is a six-point drop from his 55% approval on this issue back in april. i'm joined now one more time from d.c. live by my boys. nbc political analyst pat buchanan, and democratic strategist peter fenn. final good morning. pat, what do you think the disconnect is there between the president and the rest of the

country on the economy? is there one? >> well, the economy in the second quarter had only declined by 1%. which is not good. it's certainly not the 6% of the first quarter. what's happening is the unemployment continues to go up, you've got real problems in the economy, so there's a real lag time between when this stimulus and the rest of the things work for the vast majority of americans, and their p/e exception of what the economy is doing. and that perception is still very, very negative. and it's still going down. so i think, alex, what has got to happen is, you've got to see a, in this clunker thing, look, imagine they put $4.5 billion into the clunker program. what does that mean? 1 million car sales. i think if both houses of congress did that, you'd see an immediate dramatic impact. people would perceive it. we'd be talking about it on tv. i think it would help morale in the economy. and i think it would be a great idea. >> interesting. what about today with you,

peter. we have almost two dozen cabinet members, ranking members, huddling along with the vice president to assess the first six months in office. the president had that similar meeting yesterday. what do you see as being the good news and the bad news of the administration so far? >> i tell you, i think the good news, alex, is they have passed a number of very important items awfully fast. this is a time when the issues were all front burner issues, very few back burner issues as we've talked about. and so i think that's -- and as pat says i think, look, they've got 30,000 programs approved for the stimulus package now. i think that's moving in in this third quarter. but you know, the toughest stuff is that, you know, the president's put a lot on this health insurance reform, and getting that done, and that's not done yet. he would have preferred to have as he's moving into his six-month confab he would have loved to have had that passed

out of both houses. >> okay. >> but on balance, i think he's -- he's pretty heavy on the plus side. >> guys, listen, i don't have much more time. pat and peter and peter i'll let you answer first, good time to give employee evaluations with regard to cabinet members. any you think there that should be told, shape up or ship out? any being underutilized, as well? >> i tell you, i think -- i'm not sure underutilized is right. i think there's no question that hillary clinton, for example, has certainly earned her pay over there. been i think extraordinary as secretary of state, even better than folks had thought. i think that secretary gates at defense has also been terrific. you know you don't hear as much about some of the other cabinet officers, you know, the beginning with health and human services and tom daschle, and so -- >> alex? >> yeah, pat. >> i think gates has been

outstanding. i think hillary's done some fine work cleaning up after joe biden. >> listen, i've got to i thought, no. we have to shut this down. no comment on joe from you. okay, peter. thank you, guys. anyway, bye-bye. thank you you. in a moment, folks in michael vick's hometown are planning a celebration for him. i'll talk about that with steven h. smith on msnbc saturday.

community organizers are planning a celebration for michael vick. vick will be in attendance and plans on maeking his first public statement since being released from prison. nfl commissioner has reinstated michael vick conditionally. he says he's close to signing with a team but wouldn't give me details to the team and what

will he say in his first public statement? i'm joined by journalist and commentator stephen a. smith. good morning. >> i'm here. >> what do you expect him to say in his hometown celebration? what can he say? what should he say? >> he better exhibit some level of contrition. he better make sure that he elle cutes to the masses that he's extremely apologetic about the position he put himself in, the atlanta hawks in, the national football league, et cetera. he better show a strong level of contrition and make sure he's reaching out to young kids in newport news, virginia and let him know his actions were wrong and he was wrong to do it. this better not be some sort of celebration where people are coming across as if he's the big victim in all of this because that is not going to help him with his nfl career. >> it's not going to help him in the eyes of the public because right now he leads the pack as being the most disliked person in professional sports. i'm curious what you think he can say. you look at what happened to kobe bryant, acquitted on rape charges, he's not far behind in

terms of his general dislike. he's popular in l.a. but that has not gotten out across the country. >> the dislike involving kobe is a lot of people believe he's arrogant and aloof. i believe he's the best player in basketball and he's a champion and it should be left at that. in the case of michael vick, this person was in prison for 23 months, spent 18 months in a federal penitentiary because of financing a dogfighting ring. he needs to come across as somebody very, very contrite and apologetic. he has to be mindful of the fact that this can't be a celebration. these are the people -- there's nothing wrong for them to show love and affect for them but showing your love an affection for him is one thing, trying to paint him as a victim is a different matter altogether. that won't help him. >> what do you think with regards to reinstatement and him signing on with a team. a lot are saying the new england patriots. what would he learn backing up tom brady?

>> they're a first-class organization, number one. number two he would be coached by a great coach. belichick hasn't concerned they're interested in him nor can they deny it. they can't do it. if you're not sure you're getting michael vick, why would you sit there, publicize that and put yourself in a position for animal rights activists, animal lovers to really come at your organization. the denver broncos could use him, jacksonville could use him, tampa bay could use him, washington, there are a plethora of teams that coo use michael vick's services. the problem is, again, even though he was a great talent he wasn't known as a great quarterback. if you're a championship team, you don't need him. if you're a team with a young star or promising quarterback you don't need him. >> lots of potential. we'll see where it goes. lots of fun talking about it with you stephen a. smith. come back and see me again. >> of course. >> that is a wrap of our live coverage. do stay with us. we have headlines updates and

breaking news as it happens. up next the msnbc special "deadly suspicious." please wake up with me tomorrow morning, 8:00 a.m. eastern time. have a great saturday.