brewing drinks are from starbucks off the set here. >> yeah, i can't work like this. it's nice that you invited me on, and i just -- >> you can't work under these conditions. >> these are not the conditions i am used to. >> what did you learn, willie? >> i learned from dr. susan rice that kim jong-il is healthier than they believed he was. >> yeah, that's a good one. >> dan? >> i got the prepare sheet, background from alex on the "morning joe" team, and he listed the 10 congressional town hall meetings. today. august is not halfway over. the circus will continue for another few weeks. i have a feeling it will be hard to put back together for the administration. >> more screaming and yelling today, joe.

>> happy days are here again. >> what is the moment this morning? >> we don't have time for it. >> sure. >> here it is, buchanan, and the micky mouse club. i said, pat, we are never going to laugh again, are we? and he said we will laugh again, joe, but we will never be young again. >> willie, it ended an era, didn't it buchanan. >> m-i-c -- >> what time is it? >> it's time now for the "morning meeting" with our friend, dylan ratigan. >> welcome to the meeting. town hallers and their brawlers, speaking outrage, and boiling

over the congressional q & a's. do the protesters have problems or do they want to scream and shout because they are mad and don't want to take it anymore? we will ask the man thrown out of the town hall with arlen specter in just a minute. and some packing heat. and militias in america are on the rise. what is going on? is it the economy? are they angry with liberals, or angry over a black president? we will discuss that. and the transportation secretary wants answers when passengers are trapped on a tar mat. how long is too log to be stuck on a plane? what are your rights once you board a plane. and economists say the recession is over. what does it mean for your house

or job or 401(k)? it's 9:00 a.m. pull up a share and join the "morning meeting." good morning to you. lots of democracy with town halls and other events being held across the married. contessa setting things up. >> nearly two dozen health care events scheduled for today. they are poe ttentially facing with more protestors. and democrats and republicans are following arlen specter's lead holding town halls. and some of the moments, they got wild, not so much the president's town hall, but people have to fight to be

heard. angry protesters shouted down senator claire mccaskill yesterday. >> i don't understand the rudeness. what is this? i don't get it. i honestly don't get it. do you think you are persuaded people when you shout out like that? you don't trust me? >> keep in mind, mccaskill is one democrat who recently defended the protestors. earlier on "morning joe" she said it actually is a great moment for democracy, despite the enter rinterruptions. >> by and large, this is what it's about. i am lucky to be able to have the job and take -- these people are frustrated and they don't trust government. it's not personal to me. they are just frustrated. >> as we told you earlier, senator arlen specter back in

the ring this morning in pennsylvania. he is getting another shot at protestors out enforce at his event yesterday. here is one more notable exchanges from yesterday. >> if you want to be let out of here, you are welcome to go. wait a minute! now, wait a minute! wait a minute! now, wait a minute! >> i am leaving. i have every right to leave. >> wait a minute! >> i am not a lobbyist with all kinds of money to stuff it in your pocket, so you can cheat the citizens of this country. so i will leave, and you can do whatever the hell you are pleased to do. >> that exchange landed him on the front pages of the big papers today. >> yeah, he joins us today. joining us live from lancaster, pennsylvania. welcome to the program.

i know you represent a lot of folks, as claire mccaskill just said, who are upset. what makes you the most frustrated? >> that i was lied to. >> about what? >> well, a week before the town meeting, i called senator specter's office and talked to one of his people. i never attended a town hall meeting before. so i called his office to find out all the particulars as to what was going to happen. because i had a whole litany of things that i wanted to discuss, and not ask questions but to discuss. i went over things with the gentleman that i talked to. i told him more or less what i

wanted to discuss. >> what were the things -- what do you want to discuss? what do you feel like is not being discussed that needs to be? >> well, i wanted to discuss how the president has broken his oath of office. he took the oath twice. on january 20th. within -- well, it has been less than seven months, and he has broken his oath. >> where specifically do you feel that he has broken his oath? >> well, i have a list of 31 -- >> give me your top three. >> the czars are one objection.

what else? >> well, 31 czars. he just is naming them czars, he has broken the oath. breaking the oath, i mean, it's major. he should keep that oath for the four years. i mean, once you break the oath, that's the main thing. >> so for you -- what about the meeting yesterday? what happened? >> you can't trust -- you can't trust a man to keep his word on the health care bill if he can't be trusted to keep the oath of office, and so how can you trust him on the health care bill, on tap and trade?

>> understood. your point is, you don't trust the president, period. >> i don't trust pelosi. i don't trust harry reid. i don't trust steny hoyer. i don't trust barney frank. i want to see an accounting of the -- i want to see an accounting of the -- the -- the federal reserve. >> yeah, the bank bailouts. talk to me if you could about your experience yesterday. why did you feel the need to be as aggressive as you were? >> i was told that i -- i was told by arlen specter's people

that there was going to be an open forum, and i would have at least five minutes of my time. i was guaranteed that i would get a chance to talk. and i get there at the meeting, and i am sitting there, and 30 cards were handed out to people to write down questions and ask questions. 30 cards were handed out. and, i mean, i have never been at a meeting before. what was i doing there if i was not going to be ask any questions? i mean, it was useless to be there. so i got up to leave -- i got up to leave and some bruiser grabs me, tells me to sit down, and he

had no right to tell me to sit down when i am trying to leave. i am trying to leave and all of a sudden i am swarmed by police officers. arlen specter is grabbing me. i wanted to see -- i wanted to talk to arlen specter to see if he could do something about the constitution. >> how do you feel the day after? do you feel today? >> today? >> yeah. >> i feel that -- i feel that -- i feel that our government is crooked, and most of our politicians are criminal, to say

the least. instead of the health bill being something that we should be going after, i mean, the 31 czars have their hands in this, and we don't have any idea, because we have no oversight with them. they are all suspect. none of us have any idea what they are there for, because they have not been -- none of them went through any confirmations like they should have per the constitution. >> mr. miller. thank you. >> -- for any kind of national health care, there should have

been tort reform. there should have been -- >> well, still more conversation. mr. miller -- i appreciate you are making time to talk to us, and thank you, mr. miller. craig miller. one of the attendees from yesterday's town hall meeting from arlen specter expressing his frustrations. i want to bring in the conversation, chuck todd. nbc political director. and dr. nancy snyderman here, and contessa is here, and jonathan capehart. politicians are coming up with ways to deal with the town halls. some with the arlen specter models, and others have their own way. how do you believe this will ultimately progress? will it be productive? >> reporter: i think the hope here at the white house, is by the president holding his own

town hall meetings, the one yesterday which, of course, cannot have the same acrimonious confrontations, that will overshadow and take wind out of the sails of some of the opponents. and you are seeing some democrats sharing talking points with each other, and getting better at beating back some of the criticisms, and refining some of this. i think that you are going to see more follow the model of claire mccaskill, who seemed to have more command over her town hall, even though it was just as contentious. and missouri is a tough place politically to be sometimes caught in the middle or caught on one side or the other. clearly the arlen specter way of handling didn't hurwork. he is -- nobody is trusting him

right now, because he is a party switcher. we ought to remember that issue for specter. >> the specter town hall was about health care, and mr. miller, and there is a woman there that said that she wanted her country back, and she was afraid it was going the way of russia. and there is a strain there that people feel that the country is moving away from them, that it's going in a direction that they don't want to go. now, we don't know if this is a widespread feeling or if these folks are being ginned up by some organized effort, and because they are in lebanon, pennsylvania, and i think chuck reported yesterday that -- or somebody reported yesterday that was an area that went for john mccain in the election. but just because, you know, these are republicans -- >> those are americans, too, right? >> yeah, exactly.

it doesn't mean we should discount what they are saying. i find it disconcerning that you have mr. miller questioning the legit me of obama. >> forget the validity of one protester versus another. there are people that feel powerless or threatened or they distrust the government in some way. what, if anything, do you think the congress or presidency could do to regain some trust? in other words, the czars or bailouts or whatever. there are matters of disclosure alone that seem to have volume? >> there is one thing that senator specter kept saying, he kept saying there is no senate bill. that's true. that's part of the problem. have you senators and members of congress out there trying to beat back phantoms. and there is a house bill, house 3200, but there is no senate bill to grab on to. we are still at the beginning of

the negotiations. you are talking about talking about real, concrete, hard facts and data. and then you are able to disspell a lot of myths out there. >> thanks. what else is going on? >> a man was arrested for carrying a pocket knife outside the president's town hall. after richard young was picked up, police found an unlicensed loaded pistol in his car. and not the same guy we saw protesting with a loaded gun strapped to his leg yesterday. that man, willias not arrested because it was licensed. and now there are a growing

number of militia groups. and tough financial times and resentment of having a black president are the primary reasons for the growth. the most dramatic in a decade. we will get deeper about the gun issue. how concerned should americans be about all of it? dylan? >> thank you, contessa. if you are not concerned in general whether it's guns or anything else, there are lots of reasons -- >> yeah, people had resentment on who the president was and whether he was leading the country in the wrong direction, too, and it's been going on for a long, long time. >> yeah, tax code and policy, and in such a short period of time, ever. it's a powerful time for america. the doctor is in the house for the next couple hours. we will talk health care with her. nancy has not gotten a chance to get in the conversation just

yet. we have people stuck on a plane for hours, and we are talking about one group who is demanding a passenger bill of rights. does that not exist already? plus, the first swine flu victim wants the city and schools to pay up. should schools be held liable for deaths that result from the swine flu, depending on how they handle the outbreak? we'll be back. you are watching msnbc. so hurry. let us recycle your older vehicle and you could qualify for an additional $3500 or $4500 cash back on a new, fuel-efficient chevy. your chevy dealer has more eligible models to choose from. more than ford, toyota or honda. now get an '09 cobalt for under fifteen-four after all offers. and get it for even less if you

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welcome back. secretary of transportation is looking at people stuck on the tarmac for hours. >> imagine arriving at your destination, and have you to wait another six hours to get

off the plane. that's what happened to dozens of passengers aboard a continental express flight. they were on the plane all night after touching down. crew members could not tell them why -- or did not tell them why. there was only one toilet that passengers say had problems. they say it did not flush. transportation secretary has released this statement, and calls the reports troubling. he said they were investigating the incident. i interviewed one of the passengers on the plane, and they were saying 10 minutes or another half hour. >> were they at the gate? >> they were at the gate, but apparently the crew had reached its maximum work hours, and they were no tsa agents and not enough personnel to escort them and let them be in the airport. they were headed to minneapolis,

the twin cities, and had bad weather divert them, and they were an hour and a half away. >> well, we have a mother and son, who both were on the plane. welcome to the program. in brief, tell us the story of your time on the airplane. >> basically, what happened, like she said, we were stuck for six hours on the tarmac. they kept updating us approximately every 30 minutes to an hour, letting us know one thing or another. at one point they said that we were going to get buses, and then they came back on and told us that there were no buses available. then they said that we would try to get clearance to go back into minneapolis, but we needed to refuel. and then it started to rain where we were. and we basically had to sit there. they told us they had timed out. we just sat there and waited until we got into the airport at 6:30 that morning.

>> is it true there was one toilet on the plane that did not work? >> yes. i know that i had to go to use the rest room at approximately 4:30, and when i went into the rest room, it did not flush. >> in the scheme of awful things, how does this rate? >> it was a horrible ride. and every time my mom had to get up, i was just uncomfortable. my mom, when she would go to the back of the plane, i would lay down. when she would come back, i would say, ahhh, and it was very uncomfortable. >> i am with you, i would not have been a happy passenger myself. >> and the director of an organization called flyersrights.org. what are the rights for anybody that finds themselves on a plane like this? >> they have less rights than a

prisoner of war in the geneva convention. they don't have to provide you with any human needs by law. there is no law they broke. >> you can hold anybody for weeks at a time, and not feed you or give you water? >> that's correct. in our event, we were 13 hours with the same circumstances that they had, and our pilot was apologetic for the airline, however did not take us back to the gate after we had been there for 13 hours, and no food or water, and overflowing toilets. it's inhumane, and we don't treat our own criminals that way. >> if the crew timed out, aren't they still then over time, because they are sitting on the plane. aren't they better to figure out how to deplane people, and lthe

be timed out. >> they never should have put that crew on the plane, because there was no room for error. they timed out in the middle of the flight. northwest airlines diverted another flight to that airport, and they let their passengers off. >> what are you doing to get this changed? how can people help you in your efforts to get this changed? >> i formed this organization. we have 26,000 members. we need people -- we want congress and the white house to enact legislation to force airlines to treat passengers like humans and not cargo. the house passed a bill through the floor, but now it's the final difficult push where the airlines will try to delay it. we need people to call their senators and encourage them to please accept this language as

written in the senate bill. also, i would like to extend an invitation, and i already invited link christian, to a stake holder hearing. a very big event in september, in the senate heart building, 216. i would like to extend that invitation to your viewers. >> we will put you in touch with kate off air. thank you for your time. i am empathetic to your experience. we all are. we all sit on planes and fear exactly what you experience in that context. we are sorry. straight ahead here on the "morning meeting," protestors showing up with guns now at the town hall meetings. militias are on the rise here in the u.s. what is going on in the country? anger at the economy? the bailouts? anger at a black president? anger at change? anger at all of the above?

we are back at the "morning meeting" after this. i'm robert shapiro. over a million people have discovered how easy it is to use legalzoom for important legal documents. at legalzoom, we'll help you incorporate your business, file a patent, make a will and more. you can complete our online questions in minutes. then we'll prepare your legal documents and deliver them directly to you. so start your business, protect your family, launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. what do you say to a spin around the color wheel? - to paint with primer already mixed in? - ♪ yeah yeah yeah... - test samples instead of can commitments? - ♪ whoo! - what do you say we dip into our wallets less... - ♪ are you feeling it? - ...and grab ahold of the latest tools outhere... - ♪ oh! ...so we can quit all that messing around with extra steps - and get busy turning our doing dials up a notch? - ♪ whoo!

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all right. welcome back. town hallers, i should say, thrown out of arlen specter's morning meeting, spoke here at our "morning meeting." it's 9:30. i want to reset the agenda for the meeting on this fine wednesday. the protester said he does not trust nancy pelosi. so distrust is there. one man carried a gun openly outside the town hall, and one was arrested for a gun, and is anger in america now taking a

potentially dangerous turn? the family of a new york teacher that caught the swine flu is planning to sue the city, and health department and education department. flu season just around the corner, and does the teacher have a case. it's time for the opening bell on wall street. the economists are weighing in and saying they believe the recession is over. what does that mean for the jobs market? what does it mean for your house? what does it mean for your 401(k)? can wall street leave the rest of america behind? we will have that conversation. first, new york city getting slapped with a major lawsuit connected to the spring swine flu outbreak. contessa with the latest. >> 47 people in new york died as a result of the swine flu virus. now the family of the first victim is planning to sue the

city. one of several new york city schools temporarily shut down because of the swine flu. he had a preexisting condition that made him more vulnerable. and the family claims the city failed to adequately control the outbreak. and the city failed to inform him that he came in contact with people that tested positive with swine flu. >> a teacher here in new york, and susan filan -- >> that's new to me. why bother introducing people if you don't know who they are. it's because you are host of the

show, and you have no choice. i will begin with you. as a teacher in the school system, what is your sense? do you think there should be liability inside the school system? >> it's a tragic loss here in new york. we were one of the first three schools closed down. i know the cool is mourning and the family is mourning, and other than that i don't want to say anything on that particular case. with the swine flu coming back in the fall, we have to stop playing politics with the children's health. they talked about underlying issues that caused these deaths. the schools are not in a bubble. these kids are going home to siblings, and grandparents. they all have underlying conditions. and what happens in a school must be looked on. the decision of closing schools has to be localized, and it's taken up with the school nurse and the representatives and the principal, and the parents. >> but the question, susan, is there a liability that resides

with the school? how will they deal with a report of an outbreak, as opposed to a national protocol, does that leave the schools with more liability? >> what we need to know are the facts. what caused his death? if there are other contributing issues other than the one flu. >> i understand that. i can't answer that today, because i don't know. is there more liability -- forget the facts of the case. >> you want a legal opinion without the facts? >> i want a legal opinion without the structure. >> i am crazy. >> what i am saying -- >> are they responsible for what happens in the school, as opposed to taking direction from a national board, is -- do i inkerr more legal liability simply by my responsibility to make those decisions? >> the real issue is was this

school negligent in not closing down. i have to say, without the facts, because you want me to play lawyer without the real deal -- >> i am crazy that way. >> well, i will play, ding, ding, ding. no, no liability or negligence. >> there is no additional liability for a school, and if i am the principal -- >> i will take it further. we are talking about a virus that skipped around nations in a matter of days. you can spend people home or not and people are going to get sick. they looked for guidance, and the federal government said we will approach this on a local and state level. we are not putting out federal guidelines right now. that required schools to make it up as they go along. i don't see any weiway out of t. this is a phenomenal distraction. >> principals do not have the

authority to close the school. we cannot put it on the principal. here in new york, the decision was left to the chancellor and department of health. no principal had that decision. we have to be careful where we are going to let those decisions be made. >> dylan? >> jonathan, go ahead. >> the government cannot tell schools what to do. it's guidance, and if you want to close your schools, you have to decide whether it's good for your community or for the students, and if you decide not to, here are the things that you should do to protect the health of those folks in that school. so to say that the federal government is not giving guidance, i think it's wrong. >> no, jonathan what i meant was the federal government said they can't give and won't give because there is a local regional aspect to the infections. and some were infattic, don't

look to us for a yes or no, because we are taking this to the national guidelines? >> i think there is a lot of panic out there about swine flu. we have to remember that the severity of swine flu is not -- it's not anymore severe than so-called regular seasonal flu. 36,000 people die regularly from seasonal flu. the message that we should put across is don't panic. just don't panic. >> and don't sue. >> yeah. i think jonathan capehart just delivered the message, don't panic -- >> yeah, and wash your hands. >> they want to make sure when they send the children to school there is a nurse in every single nurse in this country. >> bingo. >> there are not enough nursing to go around. >> yeah, a huge nursing

shortage. >> we will come back for the nursing. thank you to all of you, even if i did not know who you were -- i am teasing. i am teasing. coming up, town hall meetings on health care, a lot of senior citizens are called death panels. we are talking about it with the white house, and the arp, and others. that's next here on msnbc. gecko vo: look, geico's been around over 70 years. and that takes a lot of hard work. not just some cute little gecko waffling on about this, 'n' that. gecko vo: i mean, i am easy on the eyes - but don't let that take away from how geico's always there for 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. but i did. you need to talk to your doctor about aspirin.

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wednesday in america, health care town halls is the headline. but what else, contessa? >> we are watching federal agents that searched a las vegas pharmacy looking for prescriptions that may have played a role in michael jackson's death. what do you have? >> we found out this pharmacy, it was veinvestigated. they are trying to continue to connect the dots. let's be clear, dr. murray, the cardiologist michael jackson had on staff, and he maintains he gave him nothing that should have killed michael jackson. and this pharmacy is what they are looking at. they are saying this is probably where dr. murray got the

medication. >> courtney, isn't there admission that he did administer that drug. >> yes, he gave it to him, and we don't know if that was the only thing in michael jackson's system, or other things that could have played into his death. so until the investigation is complete, no way to say, yes, dr. murray gave him this at a dose that was lethal. okay. and private first class michael akadaka talked to an enforcement. and authorities believe

shootings are due to a domestic dispute, because the woman in the toll booth in san francisco may have had a relationship with the suspect. and then harrison township monday, a suspect held a pistol to a customer's head. the man took off from cash from the teller and the woman's purse. in boston, all bets off after tiger's pitcher, he charged the mound and threw his helmet, and both players were ejected. looking a bit like the health care town hall still. >> yeah, they were inspired. clearly inspired. >> passionate people. we are plugging in next on the "morning meeting." coming up, the coffee wars. wait until you hear who is taking a bite out of starbucks.

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for fast relief of your diarrhea symptoms, soou can get back out there. imodium. get back out there. welcome back. breaking news. we have a plane down apparently. >> yeah, i am hearing this right

now. we are -- >> frequently, when there is trouble in a cockpit, what you look for is a clearing of a farm field or road to put the plane down? >> apparently this is east of the run way. we are talking in new jersey. this is coming from wnbc's chopper over head. we understand troopers are now going to the scene. they will check on the condition of the pilot. we will see if we can get information about who is onboard. this comes on the heels of a deadly midair crash over the hudson river. this is not that far away from the crash. >> it's impossible to tell much from the picture, except that

the plane is largely still intact. >> yeah, we will give you an update when we get it, too. let's talk about the business of bringing people their morning joe. if you are going to -- i don't mean the television show "morning joe." well, you know there is a starbucks, and mcdonald's on every corner. it looks like now starbucks is really getting hurt by mcdonald's move into the specialty couffees. and they say it's because of the strong sale of these coffees, and the menu items. starbucks are trying to anti-up on the food front, and now they are saying it's not just coffee, we are starbucks. >> mcdonald's has done so well. >> yeah. okay. we also have a story coming to us from ohio, where a police

officer filed a lawsuit. he said he is being harassed by the other cops. why? because his wife decided to pose for "playboy." he is asking for $3.5 million in damages, because his buddies are teasing him about his wife posing in "playboy." we will have to follow that one and see how that turns out. >> i want to have a button, like, can you sue? >> well, that's the way to do it. >> health care may not rate, but this does. we will head to the break room right after this. pee wee herman may be dancing his way back, 20 years after closing the doors of his play house. we will tell you where and when you can catch the resurrection of pee wee herman, next.

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welcome back to the break room we go. what is going on? >> michael jackson not buried yet, at least according to his father. his father talked to e slam online and said he is not born buried. he says he would like to move neverland to vegas, sort of like a -- >> pick it up? >> where fans could easily get at it rather than somewhere out in rural california. speaking of the jacksons. it turns out la toya might be on "dancing with the stars." she is talking with abc thinking about joining the show. usually when people sayary going on "dancing with the stars," then a boost. >> just being there dancing or attempting to? >> she would be one of the contestants on the ninth season and apparently she is a big fan

of the show. pee-wee herman may also be getting a career comeback here. a new stage show coming to town to hollywood. here is what paul rubin, pee-wee herman, says. i think would be like riding a bike which is not a bad analogy for pee-wee. it is based on the first version of the actor's theatrical endeavor which launched in l.a. in 1981. remember, he kind of was on the downturn after he got caught -- >> he was like a children's entertainer for entertaining and then there was -- >> an incident in a movie theater where he was caught loving himself. >> in public? >> yes. we'll see how this works out. maybe this will be more adultish. speaking of more adultish, miley cyrus at the teen choice a. she is performing and singing and a moment where she is sort of straddle ago pole and now

there is a firestorm online like was she just hanging on to the pole for support because it's a fake ice cream truck? or is this like pole dancing? youtube and twitter fire on it. remember, this is just the latest -- >> a debate, you mean? >> she is trying to grow up. in "vanity fair" she had a sexy photo shoot like bare-chested and bare back covered up. she is only 16 but, you know, not any more girl and not yet a woman. a difficult time! >> all right. we're going to let you off the hook. ahead here, second hour of the "morning meeting." health care to die for. the president telling seniors he is not in favor of death penalties or any other diabolical plot to pull the plug on grandma. can he calm the national frenzy over his health care plans? we'll talk to the deputy press secretary over at the white house and a spokesperson for the

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i got up to leave and some bruiser grabs me and tells me to sit down. no, he had no right to tell me to sit down when i'm trying to leave. i'm trying to leave and, all of a sudden, i'm swarmed by police officers. >> all right. from specter's morning meeting to our own good morning to you. i'm dylan ratigan. welcome to the second meeting of the "morning meeting" on msnbc. the angry citizen thrown out of arlen specter town hall meeting is speaking with us. saying he doesn't trust the president and for ma matter most of the democrats. also on the agenda, president

obama telling seniors he's not for death panels or pulling the plug on grandpa. will it calm the fear of seniors who seem to be panicking over the health care agenda. we're talking about deputy white house press secretary bill burton on the subject. people turning up at town halls and packing heat! a new report says malicious in america is on the rise. what is fueling all of this and how concerned should we be? no better way to irritate a liberal than to bring -- legally bring a gun to a town hall meeting. >> most of us don't like guns. >> most anybody but if you want to irritate somebody, bring a gun to a town hall meeting. economists saying the recession is over. what does that mean for your 401(k)? can the economy come back for corporate america and leave working america behind? it is 10:00 a.m. do pull up a chair. i hope you joan join the "morning meeting."

president wants people to know the government is not getting into the business of deciding who lives and who dies. contessa brewer has more on the debate over so-called death panels. >> the president and fellow democrats have been working hard to push back against the rumors appear to have stemmed from a house provision that would let medicare reimburse people for consultation about end of life care. former governor sarah palin fueled it even more with her talk of death panels on her facebook page. the president fired back and asked of senator specter when he got a question about it. first, the president. >> the rumor that's been circulating a lot lately is this idea that, somehow, the house of representatives voted for death panels that will basically pull the plug on grandma because we've decided that we don't -- it's too expensive to let her live any more. i am not in favor of that.

so just -- i want to -- i want to -- i want to clear the air here. >> as a 74-year-old man, if you developed cancer, we're pretty much going to write you off because you're no longer a working citizen who will be paying taxes. >> good point. >> what are you going to do about it? >> you're just not right! nobody 74 is going to be written off because they have cancer. that's a vicious, malicious, untrue rumor! >> by the way, we should mention all 50 states currently, all of them have provisions on end of life consultations. there is also significant concern among seniors over whether reform will mean cuts to medicare. the president tried to reassure them he insisted aarp was on board. well, aarp said that was prematu premature. the organization released a statement saying --

where does all of this leave us? a new gallup poll shows the country is split down the middle and asked if they would advise their representatives to back reform, 35% who were asked said, yes, they would. 36% said they wanted law marges to vote against it and a whopping 29% said they have no opinion. >> can't blame them. jonathan capehart's point there is not a clear proposal to have one over and wyden/bennett which is not a formal proposal. we all know where we are. bill burton is, the white house press secretary is joining us now. >> hi, dylan. thanks for having me. >> let's talk about the rationing. right now, the insurance companies decide at a certain point in time what they are willing to pay for and not willing to pay for. anybody who is paying for health care who is not me, if i'm the patient, at some point, will decide we're not going to pay for you to get x, y, z any more.

i guess the fear the government will be more aggressive in rationing but totally unclear whether any foundation for that. will do you a comparison contrast between insurance company rationing and a version what you think the obama administration would like to see? >> i think there is misinformation about here about this notion that the government is looking to ration health care. as you stated, right now, the only people who are making any kind of decisions related to health care ration are the insurance companies. what the president is saying we need to provide people more options, more choices and we need to look at, you know, how do we make the best decisions on care, what works best, what is most efficient. he wants to put that in the hands of medical professionals and doctors, not just insurance company bureaucrats. i think the difference between what is happening now and what the president would propose is, right now, it's insurance companies that are making decisions on what they'll cover and what works best and when you get cut off. what the president thinks is

that, a, you shouldn't be stopped from getting health insurance because you have a preexisting condition and, b, there should be caps on what you are paying in out-of-pocket expenses and, c, the only one to make decisions what is best care and provide the best outcomes had health care professionals and doctors. >> we ration health care in this country who has money and who doesn't. if i am rich and have millions of dollars i can get whatever health care i honestly want and continue to pay for whatever i want to pay for. if i'm middle class and denied coverage, i can mortgage my house and go into credit card debt. we ration health care who is willing to pay for it above and beyond the denials of the insurance company or the government or anybody else. how do you make the decision on the government level as to what you -- in other words, it's fine, dr. snyderman will make a decision we should do this with you, dylan, we should not but at the end of the day if the government is involved in health

care, somebody in the government has to decide what they will and won't pay for it like the insurance company has to make that decision now. no? >> what practices work best would be made by an independent panel. tens of millions of americans right now can't afford any health care insurance at all. >> i know. >> they don't have the choices that the president thinks they should have. the president believes the best way to bring down costs for everyone, not just folks who don't have health insurance but people who have health insurance right now is a public option by which we can have one option where people have a choice to choose it or not choose it and they help to keep the insurance companies honest when it comes to prices. >> what can the president do to calm seniors to have understandable fear? >> well, part of the problem that we're up against is there is a lot of misinformation out there being spread around by the leaders of the anti-reform movement. folks who are on medicare are not going to be harmed in any way.

their benefits are not going to be cut. what the president wants to do is make things better for seniors who are on health care, bring down the cost of prescription drugs and fill in that doughnut hole and he already started partnering with folks like pharma to achieve that through health care reform. the president is out there talking every single day. he was at aarp and had a sufficiently successful town hall meeting -- >> let me ask you a question. would the president consider giving up the public option on the table from a negotiating standpoint for the president, if things are going in the direction he'd like them to go some. >> the president's view is that we're in the middle of what is a long discussion about a very hard thing and we've made more progress than has been made in the decades people have tried to get health care reform through. he is welcoming all ideas to the table. if somebody has a better idea about how they think that we can provide more choices, get costs down, he certainly is willing to listen to it, but his view the

best way to go about that is a public option. >> pleasure and hope to talk to you soon, bill. >> thank you, dylan. >> bill burton, white house deputy press secretary. >> the most important thing a senior can do to protect him or herself -- >> someone gets to decide some. >> you get to decide. you get to decide what is going to happen, but that requires a conversation and this legislation is basically saying we will pay you, dr. ratigan, to sit down with the family and discuss end of life issues. you, as a senior, say to your doctor, i never want to be in pain. i'm not worried about being a drug addict. you give me the pain medicine i need. i do not want to live this or that way if that means pulling the plug dorks it, or you may say i don't care what there may be a cure around the corner, never pull the plug. get a power of attorney and figure out who that point person is going to be atalk to your adult children and have a living will. the power is with the patient but you have to assume you're going to die someday' and we

don't have those conversations in this country. >> scariest conversation you can have. jim dowd, aarp's national spokesperson and chris hayes who has taken to this a level with the add suredity of the fears out there. chris, i'll come back for new a second. jim, what is your sense at the aarp of where your organization's view is on reform, period, right now? >> we've been working for years, frankly, to try to make sure that meaningful health care reform happens in 2009. we know, frankly, this is an opportunity that comes once every generation or more. and if we don't pass something in 2009, frankly, we might not get this chance again until the complete health care system runs aground. so we are definitely in favor of health care reform. we have not endorsed any of the big comprehensive bills, you know, currently considered in congress but we have supported key positions that will help older americans and their families and including lowering

prescription drug costs and filling the doughnut hole, the agreement that mr. burton mentioned with the pharmaceutical industry. they include adding a benefit to medicare that would include transitional air when people leave the hospital. that's the kind of thing we're looking for. we're working with leaders of both parties, both chambers in the white house to make sure we can build a final health care reform package that we can endorse. >> i want to roll an aarp ad. take a look. >> reform won't ration care. you and your doctor will always decide the best treatment for you. tell congress not to let them get in the way of fixing what is broken with health care. >> what do you mean when you say reform won't ration care? >> well, our members have been talking in particular with myth scare tactics that somehow health care reform is going to get in the way of them and their doctors. aarp has been fighting for decades, frankly, and continuing

this year especially, to make sure that health care reform is a health system that whether it's an insurer or a government official, they don't come between an individual and their doctor. people should be able to talk with their doctor and talk with their families to make the best possible decisions for them. >> yeah. >> frankly, that is what we're for and we will put our weight fully against any measure that would try to get between a person and their doctor. >> chris hayes joins us from the nation. i like the title of your piece here "add sured answers to add absurd answers to absurd questioning. the bill requires all citizens who are nonunion members to be euthanized on their 70th birthday and all last rights performed by jeremy wright using the koran. this is an extension of a less joking comment from representative john bonner, republican of ohio, who recently said the house health care bill is, quote, a slippery slope for

youth nay sha, mercy ilg, youth nay sha. how do you get to the reality we ration on some level based who is rich and who is not already in this country today? insurance companies make decisions. we already value lives. life insurance companies do it and think it's around 5 million bucks for a human being right now in a life insurance situation. how do you get to the reality of this awful conversation without being victimized by the absurdity? >> well, i mean, one of the things i think gets lost here is the vision that opponents to the reform has sketched out which is a crazy system in which the government insures all senior citizens we have had since 1965. so i don't even understand -- we've had medicare since 1965. the senior citizens you're seeing in the town halls who are upset and i understand they are upset or scared, the fact of the matter is medicare is covered. this 40 plus million americans who are covered by medicare and

we haven't, you know, resorted to some sort of crazy system and pulling the plug on people willy-nilly based on their subjecti subjectivity. so much about this bill, 99.9% of it has nothing to do with -- well, maybe not that. 90% of it has nothing to do with what is even going on about these medicare decisions. there's some sort of tweak to some incentives here and there and so much about it is reforming the insurance industry and, b, trying to sort of set up this individual mandate and program to get people who aren't covered, covered. so there is this kind of mythical creature that looms on the horizon which is a massive takeover of health care which i would support but we're not getting that. we're basically getting the current system with add-ones and tweaks. it is incredibly marginal and moderate bit of reform particularly when compared against the stories that are coming out about our long march

on the road to -- >> there is nothing easier to be afraid of than dr. >> i disagree with that. i think death is not to be feared. not having any control -- >> what to decide -- >> worse than dying. >> for sure but the fear of having somebody else decide when you die, however abstract, whether the insurance company or the government or contessa. >> contess is a always -- >> you don't want her at the switch. >> an important point, medicare is here and it is working and medicare is not particularly threatening and i wonder if -- >> although bankrupt us, no? >> medicare is -- >> until it bankrupts us? >> medicare needs to be trimmed. no doubt, there are fat parts of it. what if you said to people lael back the dial and let people die into medicare at a younger age and we have to do some trimming and let's push the rhetoric to the side. would today's conversation be different? >> september is going to be a fun month when everybody gets back to work!

all right. . chris, thank you so much. what else is going on? >> breaking news out of new jersey. a small plane taking off from the suffolk airport crashed in a densely wooded area. two people on board are conscious. one may have a broken leg. they've been air-lifted to a hospital. emergency crews on the scene. we'll bring any upsats as we get them in. the president and first lady will formally introduce the newest supreme court justice sonia sotomayor. live pictures here about to host a reception and in fact, we see the first lady coming in with the senator right now. they are going to welcome the first his panic hispanic to hit on the high court. sotomayor is replacing retiring justice david souter. back to the live pictures. we know there are a few family members here to welcome sotomayor, the governor of new york. here you see the new supreme court justice along with president obama and the justice.

both are expected to make some remarks here and you see the podium set up. this has got to be an incredibly proud day for the woman to be the first sitting hispanic on the nation's highest court. >> historic. >> the role of strong mothers everywhere for how she was raised and nurtured. >> also here today, justice ruth bader ginsburg and john paul stevens welcoming their newest colleague. a proud day for her family as well. they are joining her spp he. she has three members of her family at least in the audience. i mentioned governor david patterson of her home state is there. also other legislators and other individuals. >> look at this picture. you have a black president of america introducing a latino supreme court judge. >> and a really overwhelming

warm reception. i don't remember applause like that for previous supreme court justices. >> let's listen to the president. >> we honor the newest member of our highest court who i'm proud to address for the very first time as justice sonia sotomayor. >> thank you. >> we are also honored to be joined by justice sotomayor's new colleagues. we have justice ginsburg who is here, as well as justice stevens. and so i just want to thank both justice stevens and justice ginsburg, not only for being here today, but for your extraordinary service on the court and i know you'll be giving justice sotomayor some

good tips. i also want to thank everyone who has worked so hard to bring us to this day. i want to thank especially our judiciary committee chairman senator patrick leahy. as well as our senate majority leader harry reid for their outstanding work to -- for their outstanding work to complete this process before the august recess. i want to thank senator schumer, senator gillibrand both of whom are sotomayor's home state senators for their extraordinary work on her behalf. i want to thank all of the members of congress who have taken the time to join us here at the white house event and i want to acknowledge all of the advocates and groups who organized and mobilized and

supported these efforts from the very beginning. your work was absolutely critical to our success and i appreciate all that you've done. so pat yourselves on the back. congratulations. two members of congress that i just especially want to acknowledge. senator bob menendez who worked so hard on the senate side. and congresswoman vasquez who is our chair of hispanic caucus. and i think we all want to take a moment to recognize the woman who, in so many ways, made this day possible, justice sotomayor's mother, celina sotomayor.

mrs. sotomayor is here with her husband omar and justice sotomayor's brother juan and other members of their family and we're thrilled that they could join us here today. by the way, i don't normally do this but let me also just thank my extraordinary white house staff who helped to usher this stuff through. we're very proud of them. thank you very much. of course, we're here not just to celebrate our extraordinary new supreme court justice and all those who have been a part of her journey to this day. we're here as well to celebrate

an extraordinary moment for our nation and we celebrate the impact justice sotomayor has already had on people across america who have been desired by her exception al life story. we celebrate the greatness of a country in which such a story is possible. and we celebrate how, with their overwhelming vote to confirm justice sotomayor, the united states senate, republicans and democrats, tore down yet one more barrier and affirmed our belief that in america the doors to opportunity must be open to all. with that vote, the senate looked behind the old divisions and they embraced excellence. they recognized justice sotomayor's intellect and integrity and independence of mind and her respect for the proper role of each branch of government, her fidelity to the law in each case that she hears. and her devotion to protecting

our core constitutional rights and libertys. justice william brennan once said in order to for government to ensure the rights for all of its citizens, government officials must be attentive to the concrete realities at stake in the decisions they make. they must understand, as justice brennan put it, the pulse of life benen the official version of events. the pulse of life beneath the official version of events. justice sotomayor understands those realities because she's witnessed them firsthand, as a prosecutor, a litigator, and a judge, working to uphold our laws, keep our community safe, and give people the chance to live out their dreams, work that she has done with devotion, with sgings distinction and with unyielding commitment to giving back to this country that has given her so much. and she understands these things

because she's lived these things, because her life is one of those only in america's stories, raised by a single mom in the south bronx, determined to give her every opportunity to succeed, propelled by the talent and hard work that would earn her scholarships and honors at the best schools in the country, driven always by the belief that it doesn't matter where you come from or what you look like or what challenges life throws your way, no dream is beyond reach in the united states of america. and with her extraordinary breadth and depth of snerns, justice sotomayor brings to the court both a mastery of the letter of the law and an understanding of how the law actually unfolds in our daily lives. its impact on how we work and worship and raise our families, on whether we have the opportunities we need to live the lives we imagine. that understanding is vital for the work of a supreme court justice. as justice stevens and justice ginsburg will testify. the work of applying principles

set forth at our founding to the cases and controversies of our time. for as visionary as our founders were, they did not presume to know exactly how the times would change, what new questions fate and history would set before us. instead, they sought to articulate ideals that would be timeless, ideals that would accommodate the ever-changing circumstances of our lives and preserve for each new generation our most sacred rights and freedoms. and when justice sotomayor put her hand on that bible and took that oath, we took, yet, another step towards realizing those ideals. we came yet another step closer to the more perfect union that we all see. because while this is justice sotomayor's acheeverment, the result of her ability and determination, this moment is not just about her. it's about every child who will grow up thinking to him or

herself if sonia sotomayor can make it, then maybe i can, too. about every mother or father who looks at the sacrifices justice sotomayor's mother made and the successes she and her brother have had and thinks, i may not have much in my own life, but if i work hard enough, maybe my kids can have more. about every one in this nation facing challenges and struggles in their lives who hear justice sotomayor's story and think to

themselves if she can overcome so much and overcome and go so far, why can't i? nearly 80 years ago as the cornerstone a was laid for the building that became our supreme court, chief justice charles evan hughes declared the republican doers and this is the symbol of its faith. justice sotomayor's rise from humble beginnings to the height of achievement is another symbol of that faith, faith that the american dream still endures, faith that equal justice under the law is not an encryption in marble but animating ideal of our democracy. faith in this great nation, all things are still possible for all people. this is a great day for america and i know all of us here are proud and honored to have been a part of it. and so with that, i would like to introduce the newest member of the united states supreme court, justice sonia sotomayor.

>> thank you. no words cannot equally express what i am feeling. no speech can fully capture my joy in this moment. nothing can convey the depth of gratitude i feel to the countless family members, starting with mom and my

brother, and the many friends and colleagues, so many of you who are here with me today, and the others who aren't, who have helped me to reach this moment. none of this would have happened without all of you. mr. fres president, i have the most heartfelt appreciation for the trust that you placed in me by nominating me. and i want to convey my thanks to the judiciary committee, led by chairperson leahy, for conducting a respectful and timely hearing, and to all members of the senate who approving the president's selection. i am so grateful to all of you for this extraordinary opportunity. i am most grateful to this country.

i stand here today knowing that my confirmation as an associate justice of the supreme court would never have been possible without the opportunities presented to me by this nation. more than two centuries ago, in a constitution that contained fewer than 5,000 words, our founders set forth their vision for this new land. their self-proclaimed tasks was to form a more perfect union, to establish justice and to secure the blessings of liberty for themselves and their pos perity. over the years, the ideals at the heart of that document have endured as subsequent generations have expanded those blessings, these rights and freedoms to more and more americans. our constitution has survived

domestic and international tumult, including a civil war, two world wars, and the catastrophe of september 11th. it draws together people of all races, fates and backgrounds, from all across this country who carry its words and values in our heart. it is this nation's fate in a more perfect union that allows a puerto rican girl from the bronx to stand here now.

i am struck, against again, today, by the wonder of my own life and the life in america that we are so privileged to lead. in reflecting on my life experiences, i am thinking also today of the judicial oath of office that i first took almost two decades ago and that i reiterated this past weekend. to judge without respect to what a person looks like, where they come from, or whether they are rich or poor, and to treat all persons as equal under the law. that is what our system of justice requires and it is the foundation of the american

people's fate and the rule of law, and it is why i am so passionate about the law. i am deeply humbled by the sacred responsibility of upholding our laws and safeguarding the rights and freedoms set forth in our constitution. i ask not just my family and friends, but i ask all americans to wish me devine guidance and wisdom in administering my new office. i thank you all again for the love and support you have shown me and i thank president obama and the united states senate for the tremendous honor and privilege they have granted me. thank you. >> well done. good luck.

what's that? >> a day for hope in america, once again. extraordinary event this morning at the white house. jonathan capehart, your thoughts as you watched. >> you're right, extraordinary to see, as you mentioned before, the first african-american president welcoming the first hispanic supreme court justice. it's only in america story and only an american moment. but there is one thing we should point out that, you know, her life story is one of those spectacular stories that she is one of millions of people out there who have this story, people who are succeeding, despite their backgrounds, despite their pet a pedigree and where they've come from and sheer what they all have in common. they have an adult, a parent or a mentor or guardian who is pushing them to be the very best they can be and to achieve their dreams.

these are people who have personal drive to actually create dreams and then they have the talent to actually achieve them. and while the supreme court is a very small club, the presidency is a very small club. congress is a very small club. but, you know, little kids out there who are looking at justice sotomayor and wondering if they could ever be her, there are any number of things they can do outside of government, outside of politics where they can be that person who creating a dream, achieving a dream, as long as they work hard and have people behind them, mentors, adults, guardians who will push them to achieve it. it's extraordinary and she has, once again, given yet another great speech to the nation about just how important this moment is. >> for the aggravations and anxiety of health care, the inspiration of a moment like this at the white house, a welcome contrast. we will take a break and back on

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free speech and the right to bear arms colliding in town halls. what is going on? >> police in new hampshire headed off what could be a dangerous situation inside or outside the president's town hall on tuesday. they arrested richard terry young on weapons charges. they say he walked into the event with a pocket knife and inside his car then they found the loaded gun which young was not licensed to carry. they also said he did not have a ticket to attend that town hall. no word on what, financing, he had been planning but the secret service is investigate. another guy caught attention. he was caught by television cameras protesting outside the portsmouth town hall with a gun strapped to his leg. he said it's time to water the tree of liberty and added to the controversy because it conflicted with thomas

jefferson's quote. the man aapparently left the protest peacefully before the president even arrived and then he faced off with chris matthews. >> why did you bring a loaded gun to a public meeting? >> well, here in new hampshire -- >> i know the law. you can chew gum in church. you can ride in a pogo stick and a lot of things you're legally allowed to do. why did you bring a gun to a meeting with the president of the united states given the violent history of this country with regard presidents and assassinations? why did you bring a gun to a public event with the president? you know the history of this country. if you love this country, you know it's history. >> wow. >> you know we have a problem with people with guns at presidential events. why did you bring a gun to an event with the president? >> i do know history and the history is that our forefathers fought for the right to keep and bear arms and they believed -- >> i know all that! >> should be armed. >> everybody knows that! you brought a sign that said the tree of liberty has to be watered with the blood of

tyrants and you're carrying a goddamn gun at a presidential event. i think things that make people wonder what you're about. >> you got to just love that, right? chris matthews was not giving that guy an inch. police add the man to move back from the school property but they said because the gun was in plain view, he was within his legal rights to be out there with a gun strapped to his leg and then there was this at a health care meet and greet in arizona. a protester dropped a gun just a few feet from a democratic congresswoman. apparently it slipped out of the holster. police say the whole thing was an accident and that the protester once again was licensed to carry a concealed weapon but with all of the anger, it's scare wi. the other piece to all of this, the southern poverty law center is seeing a rise of videos from militia groups which gripe against the government and fears they are regrouping. the center says the stress of the poor economy and liberal administration led by a black president and all of those

things factor in contribute to the rise of militia. >> mark is with the southern poverty law center and studding this growth in this country. and mark, i want to begin with you. do we have more militias in this country now? where are they and what are they doing? >> i don't think there's any question at all. it's not only our own reporting but also the reporting of law enforcement officials around the country who have noticed really the reappearance of these armed groups, groups that actually conduct paramilitary training in the woods and that sort of thing. you know, at the time we're seeing the rhetoric all over the place of the militia. >> what are two or three of the big talking points in terms of the rhetoric in the militia? is there any consistent theme? >> well, that the country is being lost, that the country, our sort of christian white

forefathers created is being stolen from us and we're being robbed and this is all being kind of hyped up by thinking and accelerated by the fact we have a black president. so uncertain quarters of the population feel that somehow that's not right, that the country will never be the same. again, we're heading into socialism and so on. >> it's a combination of the bailouts, some racism, and undefined fear as a result of a weakened economy? is that a fair assessment? >> well, yes. i think also the whole idea of the really dramatic demographic changes happening in the country is kind of a part of obama's presidency is a primary factor. in other words, the census bureau says america will lose its white majority in the year 2042 and that has a fairly large subset of the white population in this country worried and uptight about where the country is going and some of them feel the country --

>> this is ohio video on youtube. it's getting hundreds of thousands of hits. people going on to watch this ohio militia training. >> paul is with us as well from the brady campaign to prevent gun violence. sort of two schools of thoughts or many schools of thoughts on guns, i suppose. excuse me but what is your sense, paul, on how best to manage for gun violence? in other words, you understand the question. how do you deal with it? >> first of all, what this shows is just how crazy and how weak our gun laws are that we can allow people to go to these events and carry guns and we can allow them to be close to the president with these guns. i was a mayor in indiana for 12 years and i did a lot of public hearings. i've been in public hearings where people were carrying guns and it does three things. first of all, it puts everyone else in danger and it stifles debate. when somebody sees someone carrying a gun, they are less likely to speak their mind.

this idea to at that time law in your hands that you don't have to follow the laws and what we're seeing i think, with the report from the poverty center and what wthese people carrying the guns. >> paul, nancy snyderman. people won't know we've known each other for ever and a day because i grew up in ft. wayne, indiana and i voted for you for mayor. >> thank you. >> i want to shift gears we white people are going to be a minority in this country at some point and we are a hot button when it comes to immigration and a financial shift. one thing we never talk about this country is language. the bulkization in the united states of america because we no longer look at english as being the core language. i know i'm going to sound so right of center on this, but i worry that while we should engage and embrace cultures from around the world, melting pot is what has made us strong, we have allowed a fractionization of our

native tongue to the point -- >> english is a national language. >> by saying this is how we speak. you know, you come from wall street. you don't hear 10 or 12 different languages on the floor at wall street. i worry, paul, this is one of the things we've allowed to become insidious undercurrent. >> obviously, a lot of people fear any kind of change and see people speaking in different languages and change. it's interesting. you look back at indiana history when indiana adopted its constitution in 1850, they printed the ballot -- or they printed the constitution in both german and english because so many people in indiana spoke german at the time. it does take time to assimilate. we need to learn how to talk and communicate with each other and understand our system of government says that the majority rules and that you can't have someone taking the law into hair their own hands because they are resentful of change and don't like what is going on. >> i take issue with that is when you watch a community of people enrich themselves at the

expense of the taxpayer, whether the bailout of the car make or banks, any of these things. if you believe in capitalism and believe you should work to make money as opposed to figure out to way to scam to make money you can understand why the frustration level has reached a peak, not it should lead to guns. we have healthier channels for these frustrations. >> give guns to people who feel swubles someone else is taking control. a malicious way for people to say i have influence over my own destiny. it is not all in the government's hands. >> fellow in kirkwood, missouri, a year and a half ago went to the courts and didn't like what they did and went to the city council and didn't like what they did. he took a gun and killed the mayor and two other councilmembers. what's that we have to present in this society. >> i think paul is right. >> a pleasure for you both to be here. ahead, who will be the

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we have breaking news coming to us from cobb county, georgia. from wxia. you can see the chopper video. apparently a helicopter that went down in cobb county. two people were taken to the hospital. apparently they're injuries are not serious enough to threaten their lives but, at any rate, they did have to go to the hospital and we'll stay on top of this. a plane crash earlier on sussex where two people a board appear to have survived. funeral arrangements have been announced for eunice kennedy shriver. she died early yesterday at the age of 88. a public wake will be held tomorrow at our lady of victory church in centerville on cape cod and private funeral mass

tomorrow in hyannis. she was the oldest surviving sibling of president john f. kennedy. senator ted kennedy and his sister jean are the only surviving nine siblings of the kennedys. wp puts it in context by saying -- >> so the question, of course, is where to from here? allan lickman, a presidential historian, joins our conversation. professor, where does the kennedy family go from here? >> well, the kennedy family is here. the kennedy family is still making major contributions, both in the public sector and in the private area. i think eunice shriver's life shows that you don't have to go into politics to make contributions. can you do it in other ways.

of course, her legacy lives on in her son timothy shriver who is now ceo of the special olympics. on another side of the family, robert f. kennedy jr. is important figure in the environmental movement and rory kennedy is a filmmaker and another kennedy may be running for public office and that is chris kennedy out in illinois who may be running for barack obama's old senate seat, and if kennedy got into the senate, you would see the story repeated all over again and patrick kennedy, of course, is an important congressman from rhode island who has made mental disabilities and those struggles an important aspect of his career. of course, it's not matched up to the previous generation we had. we had senators and presidents, but they are doing a great deal for this country still. >> do you think that the aspirational value system the kennedys have represented the past few decades is still

intact? forget even inside the kennedy family but as a value system in general? >> that's a great question. i would say it's intact, but battered a bit, which is why we look back to the era of john f. kennedy and robert f. kennedy, two men who we believe, despite their great privilege, dedicated themselves to public service and uplift in this era of big money, special interest politics, this era of scandal upon scandal. i think that legacy is a bit battered but barack obama is trying to live that legacy. he has a very different life history and life story, but i think he is -- >> but there is leadership through fear tactics and the power of nightmare. you should be afraid you need me to save you and then the power of hope which is the kennedy ideology which is this can be done better, we can go to the

moon, we can reform health care which at least from a leadership standpoint it appears that the president subscribes more to that kennedy concept of this can be done better. what can he learn from where the kennedys were effective with that in his own undertakings now? >> well, i think he can learn what you've got to do to make it effective as the kennedys were so good at was bringing it down home to the people, explaining to the american people in the very inspirational kennedy way how this is going to change their destiny, change their lives. make their lives better, as well as mack their country better. you know, the kennedys showed that politics is also a task, not just hammering out legislation and making foreign policy, but a task of inspiration and communication. i think barack obama has picked up that banner very well. >> this can be done better. >> i think caroline kennedy been

given a chance to be a u.s. senate from new york we would see a different generation and a real stake in the ground. >> i think that's right. watch chris kennedy in illinois. >> all right. thank you professor and dr. nancy. your prime minister picks up at noon today and contessa has her own program. can you kidding me? they act like they want to hang out at the "morning meeting" but they're just here to get a promotion for the afternoon. >> we're hoping to stick around all day long. >> why wouldn't you? >> exactly! you are so logical and smart. >> why would you not? >> that's why i'm here. >> that wraps up today's "morning meeting." hope you enjoyed the balance of the day. i'm dylan ratigan. carlos watson picks up next. at your chevy dealer, but funds are going fast. so hurry. let us recycle your older vehicle and you could qualify for an additional $3500 or $4500 cash back on a new, fuel-efficient chevy. your chevy dealer has more eligible models to choose from.

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