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>> jeers and cheers. town lhalls heating up, but wil it turn out of independent voters? developing right now, a show of force. u.s. marines storm a taliban stronghold in afghanistan, troops backed by helicopters and harrier jets exchanged fire with militants in a battle that lasted more than eight hours. also, ratings to die for. a popular crime tv host accused of ordering murders in a gruesome plot to boost his audience. plus, a double dose of crossing the line. a man gets jail time for yawning and cops take down an elderly woman who had a cane and a knife. good afternoon. i'm david schuster live in

washington. >> i'm tamron hall. live in new york. good afternoon, everyone. you're looking live right now. we've got pictures from the get the president's plan to overhaul the health care system in this country. town halls are being held all across the united states today. in fact, at least two dozen today alone in pennsylvania, iowa, oregon, kansas, new jersey, florida, washington, texas, colorado and maryland. you see it peppered throughout

the country. where senator ben cardin just wrapped up a town hall. this is his second in two days and today was just as rowdy as the one on monday. take a listen. >> absolutely right. >> how will this health care bill -- >> that's why we have town hall meetings for you to express your views. >> not the kind of audience the president saw yesterday in the country that went for john mccain in the election. mike viqueira was at the town hall and joins us now. we point out -- my apologies to the entire population of hagerstown. in the meantime, how, the tone again, is affecting the ability

to have a reasonable dialogue. ? well, you know, ben cardin came here. he's a politician from maryland. he came from the blue of baltimore. he's in his first term in the senate. he came out here, pretty much knew what he was going to get because the same thing happened in baltimore city on monday. about 800 people started lining up about 9:00 this morning. the vast majority have a great deal of anxiety about the health care debate. after things we saw, ar llen specter yesterday, for the first time ever, officials here at this community college had a wand. they had a metal detector that they deployed for the first time ever. no big incidents, but plenty of anger and you can say that folks are misinformed, against the president regardless, but i have to tell you that the anxiety

that we saw here today is coming from deep within. it's not simply about health care, all the people i spoke with after we witnessed what happened here at the town hall, about 450 people inside this hall. it's not only health care, it's the stimulus package. the bailout. even cash for clunkers. i'm not a sociologist, but it's all sort of just bubbling up. it's no question, you can call it contrived, organized, these people had heartfelt things they wanted to get off their chest. many were misinformed. they were talking about abortions, death panels. but there is this sense that government is overreaching into their lives and it was quite a remarkable thing to see this visceral reaction here. >> thank you very much, mike. now the "bigger picture."

could republicans face a backlash because of these disruptions? >> i think the president believes these town halls provide an excellent opportunity to explain exactly what his ideas and principles are and more importantly, if he can affect misinformation by telling people what isn't in a piece of legislation, i think he'll take that opportunity. >> mark writes that these meetings are hurting the republicans, quote, these meetings will turn off the type of -- they need. just yesterday, we saw a woman get kicked out of a town hall meeting held by claire mccaskill, but today, we're seeing a new angle. first of all, you can see the woman in the chair in front. a photographer coming over,

taking a picture of her, then walks over to the woman. she shows it to the photographer. then another woman watching in blue will come over, take the poster and rip it up. the lady with the poster got kicked out of the town hall. not the one who ripped it up. of course, there were a lot of cheers when the woman in blue took the poster away. joining us now, mike pence. what we keep hearing from protesters is that they oppose the health care. did you know that medicare is government-run and why haven't you told that to your constituents? >> nice try, david. i said i oppose the government

takeover of health care paid for with $800 billion in new taxes and i do believe that if the democrats get their way and we introduce a government-run insurance -- >> i've got stop you there. you talk about $800 billion, aren't you part of the misinformation campaign when you say that $800 billion in new taxes, the cbo says it's $540 billion and that most of the cost of the health care will come from off sets of savings of medicare, but it's only $540 billion and that's taxes on the rich. >> the problem is you're not, both the joint tax committee and congressional budget office have put the number north of $800 billion when you add in all the taxes not just on individuals that you're pointing to. additional fees -- >> congressman, we're talking about the congressional --

>> i know msnbc's reported a different number, but it's 800 billion. >> the congressional budget office, what most use -- >> look at all the numbers, david. to your point. let's get to the main issue. the president is demanding we introduce a government-run insurance option and while he says if you like your insurance, you'll be able to keep it. the people turning out all across the country know that the minute the federal government starts offering free health insurance, millions of employers are going to cancel the health insurance they have. >> what's the difference between medicare and the fears that your stoking in some of your constituents share? what's the difference? >> what fears am i stoking, david? >> the fears that people don't

want government-run health reform and yet we have government-run health care reform in the form of medicare, but a lot of these people don't seem to know that. >> david, you can check, there may be a mispress report, but i describe my opposition to a government takeover of health care. i know there's government-run health care with medicare, with medicaid. i just simply oppose a government takeover of health care, which i think would be the result of introducing a government-run -- >> we've got to take our audience to the white house where the president is honoring 16 people. >> and that the truest test of the person's life is what we do for one another. the recipients of the medal of freedom did not set out to win this or any other award. they did not set out in pursuit

of glory or fame or riches. rather, they set out, guided by passion, committed to hard work, aided by persistence, often with few add advantages, but the gifts god gave them. so let them stand as an example here in the united states and around the world of what we can achieve in our lives. let them stand as an example of the difference we can make in the lives of others. that each of their stories are an example of a life world lived. one of the things suzie did before she passed away was to make her sister, nancy, make her a promise, that she would help other families. what began with $200 and a list of friends has become a global race for the cure.

a campaign that has eased the pain and saved the lives of millions around the world. in the months of her sister's death, she lay awake at night thinking about the promise she made and whether one person could have made a difference. nancy's life is the answer. while an intern at michael's jackson memorial, dr. pedro greer came across a patient in a coma without a known name or address. a homeless man found by firefighters suffering from tuberculosis. in the days that followed, the physician, dr. joe, searched for clues about the patient's life in the squalor under miami's highways. deciding that the homeless desevered better, he founded a clinic that now offers care to over 4,000 poor and homeless patients. a life that might be destilled into a question dr. greer asks

all of us. if don't fight injustice, who will. dr. steven hawkins was a brilliant man and mediocre student who lost his balance and tumbled down a flight of stairs. told he just had a few years to live, he lived with a new purpose. he has become one of the world's leading scientists. his work in theoretical physics, which i will not attempt the explain further, has advanced our understanding of the universe. from his wheelchair, he's led us on a journey to the farthest and strangest reaches of the cosmos and so doing, he has stirred our imagination and shown us the power of the human spirit here on earth. told he was too small to play

college football, jack kemp became a pro quarterback. football he once said, gave him a good sense of politics. he had already been booed, cheered, cut, sold and traded. makes me feel better. a conservative thinker, a republican leader and a depen r of civil rights. he put country over party, never forgetting what he learned on the gridiron. that it takes all of us working together to achieve a common goal. a life from which we can all draw lessons. democrat and republican alike. after purchasing an $8 racket, 11-year-old billie jean declared

a goal to be the number one tennis player in the world. pretty good, billie jean. we honor all of the off the court stuff. what she did to broaden the reach of the game. what she did to change how women everywhere view themselves and to give everyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, including my two daughters, a chance to compete both on the court and in life. as she once said, we should never, ever underestimate the human spirit nor should we underestimate her spirit. born and raised in jim crowe, alabama, the reverend joseph lowery is a giant in the moses generation of civil rights leaders. it was just king, lowery and a

few others who laid the ground for the busb boycott. he was asked to serve as president and agreed to serve for one year, but wound up serving, as he puts it, for 20, one-year terms. throughout his life, some have called him crazy, but one of my favorite sermons i heard him once deliver, he said there's good crazy and there's bad crazy. and sometimes, you need a little bit of that good crazy to make the world a better place. born just a generation past the battle of little big horn, a grandson of a scout for general custer himself, dr. joseph crowe was the first member to earn a

master's. he served in world war ii and he completed the four battlefield deeds that made him the last crowe war chief. historian, educator and patriot, a good man. a -- in crowe. his life reflects not only the warrior spirit of the crowe people, but america's highest ideals. his name was harvey and he was here to recruit us. all of us. to join a movement and change a nation. for much of his early life, he had silenced himself. in the brief time in which he spoke and ran and led, his voice

stirred the aspirations of millions of people. he would become one of the first openly gay americans to become elected to office. his message of hope, hope unashamed, hope unafraid, could never be silenced. it was harvey who said it best. you've got to give them hope. when a young sandra day graduated, she was offered just one job in the private sector. her perspective employer asked her how well she typed and told her there might be work for her as a legal secretary. i cannot know how she would have fared as a legal secretary, but she made a mighty fine justice of the united states supreme court. judge, a judge and arizona

legislature, cancer survivor, she is like the pilgrim in the poem she sometimes quotes, has forged a new trail and built a bridge behind her for all young women to follow. it's been said that sydney portier does not make movies. he makes milestones. of america's excellent, progress. on screen of filmsl films -- fo he became the first american to win best actor. he not only entertained and enlightened, revealing the power of the silver screen to bring us closer together. the child of tomato farmers, he once called his driving purpose

to make himself a better person. he did and made us better along the way. delores knows the adversity that comes with having a difficult name. i can relate. known to the world by the name that has lit up broadway marq s marquis. accompanying a classmate on an audition, she decided to addition herself. sassy, electric, that rare performer who can sing, dance and act. she revealed that rare ability to overcome when she recovered from a car accident that shattered her leg.

she retook the stage and won a tony. and she has shown that life can indeed be bright in america. the only girl in a family of four brothers, mary robinson learned early on what it takes to make sure all voices are heard. as she was the first woman b to be appointed u.n. high commissioner. she would place a light in her window that would draw people of irish decent to pass my. mary robinson has not only shined a light on human suffering, but helped the world. after graduated from the university of chicago school of medicine in 1948, janet raleigh got married and gave birth to four sons, making medicine a

hobby and family a priority. it was not until she was almost 40 until she took up medical research, then discovered that leukemia cells are notable for changing genetics. all of us that have been touched in some way by cancer, including my family, so we can all be thankful that what began as a hobby, became a life's work for janet. the glimpse in the eye are familiar to us all, but the quality of desmond tutu is ready to take unpopular stands without fear. perhaps that explains what led the arch, as he's known, to preach against a rally against

apartheid. and later, when someone needed a heart big enough to forgive its sins, he was called to serve once more. tribune of the downtrodden voice of the repressed, he has that spirit of unity, that essence of humanity, that south africans know. 35 years ago, a young economics professor at a university in bangladesh was struck by the disconnect of theorys he was teaching and reality of the famine outside. so determined, he left the classroom for a village and discovered that just $27 would free many from debt. offering himself as a guarantor, he withdrew a loan, paid off their debts and founded gramine

bank. a bank that has dispersed over $8 billion. he was just trying to help a village, but somehow managed to change the world. there's a story ted kennedy sometimes tells. it's about a boy who sees an old man tossing star fish stranded by a reseeding tide back to the sea. there are so many, asks the boy. what difference can your efforts possibly make? the old man studies the star fish in his hand and tosses it to safety, saying it makes the difference to that one. for nearly half a century, ted kennedy has been walking that beach. making a difference for that soldier fighting for freedom, that refugee looking for a way home, that senior searching for dignity, that worker striving for opportunity, that student s

aspiring to college. the life of senator edward m. kennedy has made a difference for us all. these are the 2009 recipients of medal of freedom. at a moment when doubt often prevails, when our obligations to each other are too often forgotten, when the road ahead can seem too long to tread, these extraordinary men and woman remind us that excellence is not beyond our abilities and that justice can still be won in the forgotten corners of this world. they remind us that we each can fulfill dreams of others and remake the world for our children. it is now my extraordinary honor to ask each of them to come forward to receive their award as a military aide reads their

citation. >> coming straight from tragedy, nancy has transformed the nation's approach to breast cancer. when her sister was diagnosed, most breast cancer victims knew little about the disease. she promised to challenge these norms. she founded susan g. komen for the cure in honor of her sister and today, the organization supports awareness programs around the world. she brings her unique passion

and determination have been a blessing to all those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. pedro jose greer jr. dr. pedro jose joe greer jr. has devoted his career to the uninsured. he followed his passion for helping others to medical school and founded the chc in 1984 as a medical intern, today, chc treats thousands of homeless patients a year. dr. greer's tremendous contributions to the south florida community and our nation

as a whole stand as a shining example of the difference one person can make in a lives of many. stephen hawking. persistent in his pursuit of knowledge, he has unlocked new pathways of discovery and inspired people around the world. he has dedicated his life to exploring the fundamental laws that govern the universe and has contributed to some of the greatest scientific discoveries of our time. his work has stirred the imagination of experts and layperson alike. his attitude and achievements

inspire hope, curiosity and respect for the tremendous power of science. joe jo ann kemp. a statesman, jack french kemp had an unwaivering integrity and honesty. on the football field, he earned the respect from his teammates for his judgment and leadership.

he placed country before party and ideas before ideology. jack kemp saw bridges where others saw division and his legacy served as a shining example. kara kennedy. accepting on behalf of her father, edward m. kennedy. for more than four decades, senator edward m. kennedy has boldly fought for equal opportunity, fairness and justice for all americans. in his tireless quest, he has reformed our schools, strengthened our civil rights,

helped seniors and working families, lifted up the poor and worked to ensure that every american has access to quality and affordable health care. with volumes of logs bearing his name, senator kennedy has accumulated several lifetimes worth of achievements. the united states proudly recognizes this righteous citizen and giant among men. billie jean moffitt king. through her example and advocacy, she has advanced the struggle for greater gender quality around the world. in an age of male-dominated

sports, her pioneering journey took her from colorado to the lawns of all england club and international tennis hall of fame. with her pushing us, the road ahead will be smoother for women. the future will be righter for americans and our nation's commitment to quality will be stronger for all. reverend joseph e. lowery. reverend joseph e. lowery has

marched through life with faith and purpose. at the forefront of the major civil rights events of our time from the bus boycott to the protests against apartheid, he has severrv served for social j. he has championed the cause for peace and freedom throughout the world. joseph medicine crow.

as a warrior and living legend, history flows through this man. he became the first member of his tribe to earn a master's degree. for his service in world war ii, he was astatus of war chief. joe medicine ycrow is the symbo of survival.

>> i am honored that -- >> stuart melk accepting on behalf of his uncle, harvey. harvey dedicated his life to shattering boundaries and assumptio assumptions. as one of the first openly gay elected if i recal ee eed offic

country -- before his tragic death in 1978, he wisely noted hope will never be silent and called upon americans to stay true to the guiding principles of quality and justice for all. harvey's voice will forever echo in the hearts of those who carry forward his timeless message. s sandra day o'connor. sandra day o'connor has paved the way for millions of women to achieve their dreams. completing law school in just

two years, she graduated third in her class at a time when women rarely enter the legal profession. she rose to become the first woman on the united states supreme court. her historic 25-term tenure on the court was defined by her integrity and independence and she has earned the nation's lasting gratitude for her contributions to history and the law. sidney poitier. ambassador and actor, he has left an indelible mark on

american culture. rising from the tomato farms of the bahamabahamas, his talent l to hollywood and global acclaim. in front of black and white audiences struggling to write the nation's moral compass, he brought us the common tragedy of raci racism, the possibility of reconciliation and simple joys of every day life. ultimately, the man would mirror the character and both would advance the nation's dialogue on race and respect. cheetah rivera.

from stage to screen, cheetah has captured america's imagination with her radiant voice over a career that has spanned a half century, she has received numerous accolades including two tony awards and kennedy center honors award. as fearless as anita and aurora, she has broken barriers and inspired a generation of women to follow in her footsteps. we honor her as one of america's great artists.

mary robinson. for mary robinson, the fight to end discrimination and suffering is an urgent, moral imperative. she has been a trail blazing crew saider for women's rights in ireland and advocate for human rights around the world. whether visiting conflict-stricken regions or working to insert human rights into business, she continues this important work today urging citizens and nations to make common cause for justice. janet davidson rowelly.

she was the first scientist to identify a chromosomal trans location as the cause for leukemia and other cancers, considered one of the most important medical breakthroughs in the past century. after enrolling at age 15, she went on to challenge the wisdom about the cause of cancer. her work has proven enormously influential to researches worldwide who have used her discovery to identify genes that cause fatal cancers and to develop target therapies in cancer care. the united states honors this scientist for advancing genetic research and an understanding of our most devastating diseases.

arch pitch desmond tutu. with unflagging devotion to justice, optimism and sense of humor, he has stirred the world's conscious for decades. as a man of the cloth, he has drawn the respect and admiration of a diverse congregation. he helped lead south africa through the turning point in modern history and with a firm commitment to our common humanity, he helped heal wounds.

he continues to bring voices to the voiceless and bring hope to those who thirst for freedom. mohamed eunice. with his belief in the self-reliance of all people, he has altered the face of finance. he struggled with economic theorys on the people of bangladesh. he revolutionized banking to allow low income borrows access to credit. he has enabled citizens of the

world's poore esest countries t create businesses, support their families and help build sustainable communities. he has unleashed new avenues of creativity and inspired millions to imagine their own potential. >> before we break up, why don't we all give an extraordinary round of applause to these remarkable men and women.

thank you very much for joining us, everyone. thank you. >> you can imagine, it is a humbling honor for that diverse and incredible group of people. 16 receiving the medal of honor. we continue to follow the events at the white house and we're keeping an eye also on the more than two dozen town hall meetings happening across the country today. >> some very feisty interviews. we'll have more on that. you're watching "the big picture" on msnbc. clean energy idea. now that works for our whole family. for the kids, a better environment. for my wife, who commutes, no more gettin' jerked around on gas prices... and for me, well, it wouldn't be so bad if this breadwinner

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today, separating fact from fiction in the health care debate. >> there are many people who have questions about the president's plan to over haul the president's health care

system. it's not just those who are angry or perhaps who we've seen on camera screaming. there are some who sit silently. what do we know now? we've pulled questions and with us is chris, a health care reporter for politico. i think the point is worth being noted. we talked so much about the -- we've seen in these meetings, but we still have a large portion of people who are concerned and confused. >> that's right. folks, i get e-mails every day that says, what about this, what about that. folks want to know the facts and i think it's really good to take viewers' questions. >> we've tried to put together a few of the most-asked questions.

the first question, will there be a public option. >> that's the million-dollar question and liberals are pushed very hard to make sure that stays on the negotiating table. they point to the fact that four out of five committees have included a public option, but when you look at the make-up of the is that the, there are many senate moderates who believe that's just poison, they can't vote for it. >> chris, i wonder if you can on that, just quickly explain what is a public option and then secondly, if you can explain what is a single-payer system and whether that will be part of this. >> great question. when you talk about the public option, you talk about a government-run plan that would allow people to choose that if they thought they could get a better deal, they'd be able to enroll in that. single payer only allows the

government to pay for health care. it doesn't allow any private that. it would allow private insurers to stay in business and supporters of the public plan say it's good to give folks an option to compete with private insurers and keep them honest and keep prices down. >> we keep hearing the administration say if you like your insurance, you get to keep it. people are wondering if employers will drop private coverage if a public option comes out. can the administration answer that by saying you get to keep your insurance? >> they can and the house has taken steps to make sure that pledge remains true. what they've tried to do to discourage employers from dropping people from their plans is to put a pay or play mechanism in which is to say if you don't provide insurance, then the big companies will have to provide 8% payroll tax in a penalty to pay toward financing that public option in hopes of

keeping employers providing employees with their own private coverage. >> a lot of questions. those are three of the ones we pulled from the many we received. they have the common theme with those three. chris frates, thank you. if you've got a question we've been asking people about the president's health care reform, send it to us. we'll do our best to find someone who can give us the accurate answer that will break through all of the noise. go to twitter.nbc.com. we've got a combined page. it's kind of hard to find but it is there. we'll be right back. 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

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it is almost 4:00 on the east coast. we are just getting started. up next, town hall backlash. will all the shouting turn off mainstream voters and can the obama white house seize that

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