out this weekend. what are they? >> reporter: let's look at what happened to his health care proposal over the summer. it has not gone smoothly at all. congress missed his deadline to have something done by the august recess, and during the august recess, we saw that the plan got pummeled at the ruckus town halls. they said it was too diffused, too many things going on, he left too many details up to congress. the poll numbers started to sink. the president came back first thing and addressed before a joint session of congress, it was a rally last week in minnesota, another one this week at the university of maryland. he's going on five shows tomorrow, sunday talk shows, to tout his plan. monday he appears on "david letterman," and it goes on and on. yesterday, the first lady, michelle obama, had an event. very unusual of her to talk policy, to talk health care, to talk about what reform would mean to women and to mothers. so, an all-out blitz. they're flooding the zone, alex. whether it has any effect remains to be seen, but meanwhile, one issue that's gathered attention is ever since the former president jimmy

carter told nbc's brian williams that he believes that racism is behind a lot of the attacks that we saw at some of those town halls that we heard during that joint session of congress from joe wilson. here's what president obama had to say in reaction to that controversy. >> look, i said during the campaign, there are some people who still think through the prism of race when it comes to evaluating me and my candidacy, absolutely. sometimes they vote for me for that reason, sometimes they vote against me for that reason. i'm sure that was true during the campaign. i'm sure that's true now. but i think you actually put your finger on what this argument's really about, and it's an argument that's gone on for the history of this republic, and that is, what's the right role of government? >> reporter: so, the president continues to try to keep the pressure on, using that bully pulpit. the white house still feels that president obama's appeal, his charisma, if you will, to large segments of the population, is the best thing they have going

for them to try to keep public pressure on congress and counteract a lot of what we've seen from the other side. very effective in their opposition of what the president is trying to do with health care. this coming week in the senate, they will plan to take up committee action. still moving along slowly in fits and starts. meanwhile, the president will be working, doing his part to try to get this bill passed through congress by the end of the year, alex. >> you know, mike, i know i said this sort of muttering as an aside earlier when we were talking about. with the president going on all these different programs from "60 minutes" to espn this week and then to the sunday talk shows, as would be expected, to david letterman. how do you think this plays into his likability factor? i mean, especially with david letterman and the espn? that makes him seem like just an all-around, casual, normal guy. >> reporter: well, yeah, and i'm sure detractors are going to say too casual and it's not befitting the office of the presidency to go and appear on "david letterman," which as we all know is primarily a comedy and entertainment show.

at least that's what i'm told. so, there are people that are going to hit him on that. there are people that are going to hit him and say that he is overexposed, that he's trying too hard, that his message is going to be diluted. the people are going to start to tune him out. to that, the white house pretty much scoffed. they feel that president obama still has a great deal of appeal. after all, his approval ratings, though, have sunk lately but are still well above 50%, that they feel as though they have the advantage in this fight, despite evidence to the contrary in congress that shows that the votes simply aren't there. at this point -- and it's going to be an uphill battle to make sure they are at the end of the day or at the end of the year, when they finally get around to voting on this, alex. >> your approval rating's fallen 100%. it's all good, mike viqueira, thank you very much. tomorrow on "meet the press," david gregory sits down with president obama to talk about health care reform. that airs on "meet the press" tomorrow morning on nbc. you can check your local listings for the times.

fbi agents in denver are expected to question again today a colorado man right at the center of a high-profile terrorism investigation. officials say najibullah zazi denies planning attacks in the u.s. but that he has admitted to attending a terror training camp in pakistan and that he had contact there with associates of al qaeda. jonathan dienst is an investigative reporter with nbc's -- wnbc's station here in new york, and jonathan joins me again on the phone about this. jonathan, where do they stand this morning in the case? is mr. zazi expected to come back for questioning? >> reporter: he is going to go back for questioning again, a fourth day. as we learned yesterday, he had made statements, according to sources familiar with his debriefing, that he attended a terror training camp, learned how to make explosives and that he admitted having some sort of associations with members of al qaeda when he went over there. whether those were intentional and deliberate, that is still being hashed out. in the meantime, here in the new york area, fbi agents and nypd

officers continue to try to monitor, track, interview several men he came in contact with. we're hearing the number's anywhere around seven or eight different people under surveillance in the new york area. and there are, perhaps as many as four or five others in the denver area. they continue to keep their eye on them as well. unclear if there was any sort of specific terror plot involved here, but certainly, law enforcement greatly concerned about the travel and the actions of mr. zazi, which has prompted this enormous investigation. >> okay. the nature of the alleged attack, is there anything definitive on that or is it merely speculative at this point, jonathan? >> reporter: it really is more speculative. it's the evidence, if you will, that has investigators so concerned. one, there are all these communications and intercepts that mr. zazi had with some folks overseas as well as the

men in the new york area and out in denver. so, they had those conversations, too. and the searches in new york, they came up with nine backpacks that appeared to be purchased all at the same time. they have concern that at a home depot or a pool chemical supply company that chemicals may have been purchased, and they've been going to storage lockers and perhaps also a u-haul company here in new york about the possible renting of a truck. all of this, you know, in and of itself alone could be innocent activity. put it all together along with some of the communications and training he has, it's reason for concern. again, no one has been charged. earlier in the week, defense lawyers had denied any wrongdoing. they were more tight-lipid yesterday, saying only no comment when asked about the admissions that were made. but again, mr. zazi has not been charged. no one else has been charged, but there is this large-scale investigation continuing. >> okay. jonathan dienst of wnbc. jonathan, thank you so much. >> reporter: thank you.

new details this morning in the murder of a yale graduate student and a new theory about a possible motive. yale lab technician raymond clark iii is behind bars this morning. he is charged with killing 24-year-old annie le. and now one theory emerging is a fight over mice. clark worked in the basement of the yale research lab, assisting with animal experiments alongside le. in an e-mail to nbc news, a lab co-worker writes, "ray has always been very controlling over what goes on in the mouse room, often bothering people to the point of damn near harassment." a short time ago, i discussed the case with nbc news chief legal analyst dan abrams. >> they don't have to prove motive. it's useful, but if the prosecutors have the sort of dna evidence and physical evidence that we've heard about, they wouldn't even necessarily need to demonstrate one. now, that doesn't mean that jurors don't like to hear it. it doesn't mean that we won't keep asking questions to try and figure out what could have led someone to allegedly do this.

was it over mice? it's true that this was over something that happened at workplace. that was their workplace. i mean, that's what they did in this lab. so, if that was the case, then it -- i mean, we all sort of say fight over mice. you know, we all have our own jobs and we all do things that might be seen as trivial to the outside world, but when you really get in there and people care deeply about what they do sometimes, you know, i'm not saying that in any way justifies it, but it may help explain why they're calling it a workplace violence. >> and that's part of my conversation with nbc news chief legal analyst dan abrams. raymond clark's bond has been set at $3 million, and he has not entered a plea. dramatic video of a deadly subway shooting in mexico city, and here it is. when a man was confronted for writing graffiti on the subway, he pulled out a pistol and opened fire. subway riders scrambled to get away. one person tries to subdue the gunman, but he's shot as he tries to grab the gun. police eventually charge in, shooting the suspect and then

arresting him, but at least two people were killed, six others injured. let's go now to the weather here at home. a new storm could dump significant amounts of rain across the south this weekend and look at what happened friday, the rain rapidly filling memphis streets with the flooding and then several cars damaged in the wake of that. in leads, alabama, the heavy downpours forced authorities to close down several streets, and the saturated ground there forced the basement of a house to collapse in on itself. joining me live, nbc meteorologist bill karins, and a good morning to you. most every place. it's pretty nice most places. >> fantastic. i mean, perfect. i can't even use a good enough adjective, because it's so ideal out there in areas of northern new england, but we've got the flooding rain still down in alabama. now some of that's up into nashville. not the flooding, just the light rain. also kind of a gloomy saturday morning in atlanta. almost all of the northern half of alabama also. that's the problem area. so, the forecast in the deep south, a lot of clouds. you don't get the sun today. it's still going to be a little humid, too, down in florida, but the beautiful weather, take it

from cincinnati, northern kentucky northwards, and this is going to be probably one of the best weekends that you've seen in a long time, just perfect. cool at night, great sleeping weather and warm during the day. unfortunately, looking like the growing season will end early for people in northern new england. that light blue shade there, freeze warnings are out. the area of the little, i don't know, what color would you call that, alex? you've got the light blue and now a magentaish? >> violet -- >> i don't know. >> there's blue there, though, pal. >> it's going to be cold tonight. northern new england temperatures will be chilly, in the 30s for areas like albany, hartford, burlington and syracuse. so, it's the first night really where the windows have got to be covered and then you're probably going to have to go underneath the blankets tonight. the rest of the country is going to feel like summer. what a period. alex, it hasn't rained in three weeks significantly in chicago. >> really? >> one of the longest dry stretches in a long time. and today, a 74. >> perfect. >> denver's nice, sacramento. take your pick. >> yeah, it's all nice. i guess just about the atlanta

and the miami area. >> just the southeast. >> okay. thank you very much, bill. >> thank you for helping, too. >> sure. no problem. any time. still ahead, controversial congressman joe wilson gets choked up on camera. what almost brought him to tears. plus -- ♪ you said that we believe that paying my taxes was a patriot rick ♪ >> yeah, we explain that. it's "the sound of sarah palin" the opera. will it be music to anybody's ears? and the best-selling author flying off book shelves. ever worn your clothes in the shower? if you're using other moisturizing body washes, you might as well be. you see, their moisturizer sits on top of skin, almost as if you're wearing it. only new dove deep moisture has nutriummoisture, a breakthrough formula with natural moisturizers... that can nourish deep down.

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conservatives around the

country are in washington, d.c., right now for day two of the values voters summit. today's session got under way a short time ago and several gop leaders are speaking at the event. this morning, house minority leader john boehner of ohio is addressing the crowd. you see him there. and he came out swinging. >> i'm leading an effort among south republicans to earn back our majority so we can take the gavel away from nancy pelosi. >> there will also be a 2012 presidential straw poll today with several big names on the list, and they include newt gingrich, mike huckabee, sarah palin, mitt romney and rick santorum, among others you see there. for more on how much this summit represents the gop's direction in 2012, look who's back in town. i'm joined live from washington by my boys, msnbc political analyst pat buchanan and democratic strategist peter fenn. i'm a happy girl. where have you guys been? you abandoned me. happy trio. >> we'd never do that, alex. >> i know. >> never. >> but you're in fits and

starts. anyway, i guess i've got to be nicer. we'll start with this, pat. do the value voter conservatives see momentum on their side? because you had the recent protests in washington. you look back to august. you've got all the town hall meetings. can you gauge that as momentum or not? >> well, i think the values voters folks, alex, are much more concerned with our cultural and moral and social issues, and on these, obama has really been very hesitant to start a real battle. his battle's with the conservatives have mainly been over the size of government spending, you know, takeovers of wall street of the auto companies, health care and all of its expenditures. so, it's basically a lot of economic conservatives who are really energizing these tea parties. the values voters, however, are very much a part of the republican conservative coalition, and that's why you see all those prospective candidates down there. they still can control a good slice, 25% of the vote in the republican primaries. >> yeah, okay. all those candidates except

sarah palin's not going to make it. not sure about newt gingrich, either. but we'll get to that in a second. peter, with the democrats' perspective, any concern about the recent activism on the right? >> no. i sort of agree with pat on this. i think that, first of all, i consider myself a values voter, alex. now, the values or the stands and issues may be a little different from the crowd down the street here, but i think, look, i think both parties do better when they campaign on economic issues, national defense, when this is really about people's pocketbook and people's livelihood. and that is not to say that there aren't strong feelings on either side on some of these social issues, but you know, the biggest problem that mike huckabee had was, you know, he just rolled through iowa with his values message, but then everybody said, hey, pal, that isn't going to make it in a general election, and he fell by the wayside very fast. and that usually is what happens to folks who campaign on those

kinds of social issues. >> a lot of -- >> let me -- >> yeah? >> let me pick up on what peter said. he's exactly right. if you are sort of confined to, you know, right-to-life issues, and you know, the gay marriage issues and all of that panoply of conservative traditional values issues, you've got a tremendous constituency with you. but a lot of the heart of the old republican party, of the conservative movement, part of it's strong national defense and part of it is small government. so, you've got to put -- you need a full hand, you know? you can't just have a small pair there, and that's what the winner for any republican nomination, like a ronald reagan, who, of course, is the ideal -- he had all the issues down, defense, national security, economics and social issues. >> okay. i want to get to what pat, with you, pat, "the new york times" adam in gourney writes today, "this block of the republican party is becoming re-energized, presents complications for any republican thinking of running for president in 2012. it will be hard to win the nomination without strongly

courting this segment of the party." do you agree? how conservative do you think the gop's 2012 candidate needs to be? >> well, i think, let's take sarah palin. she's been beat up pretty badly, but i'll tell you, if she went into iowa, where you've got, especially along the river and the right-to-life folks, i mean, she would lift the roof off of that convention hall in ames, iowa, at the straw poll, and she would have tremendous summit going in. it is why mike huckabee did so well out there, as peter points out, after the other fella from kansas dropped out, who had real support there. huckabee just locked that vote up, and it took him to victory in the iowa caucuses, beating romney. otherwise, romney would have been the nominee. they're very important, but if you go too far, clearly, if you're identified as solely that, you start losing some of the economic conservatives and others who really aren't that strong on the social issues. >> you know, peter, i want to go -- go ahead. >> let me make this point about that, alex, too. if you look at the delegates at the last republican convention, it was the most far right group

of delegates that has ever been assembled, and the concern, i think, on the part of a lot of republicans, is that they are even going further on this. and that's sort of scary to them, because you have got to win the middle. i mean, the reason that joe lieberman couldn't become vice president was because he was pro-choice. the reason that they didn't take the former governor of pennsylvania was because he was pro-choice. they had to go with the candidate that was extremely -- >> okay -- >> but alex? >> yeah? >> i've got to make a point here. peter's right to a degree, but let me tell you this. john mccain got a smaller share of the vote in california than barry goldwater did. however, the group that got together to oppose gay marriage won the entire state, and among african-americans, they carried 55% of african-american votes, whereas mccain only got 5%. so, these issues -- you can energize a lot of grassroots democrats out there who very much are sort of populist and

conservative on the social issues, but you've got to watch how you do it. >> yeah, okay. guys, i'm supposed to go, but i want to have my director quickly throw up the field there, the names of those that are being considered and being talked about for the possible 2012 contenders. peter, i want to ask you who you think may emerge as a winner, and also whether or not you agree with joe scarborough, who was on earlier today saying keep this tape, alex, because i'm telling you right now, sarah palin, despite what pat buchanan says -- although joe didn't reference that -- is not going to get more than 43%, 44% in a general election. it will never happen. and he said, again, "never happen." what do you think? >> well, you know, i will tell you, alex, i think that you may find somebody who's not pictured in that list getting the nomination. that sounds pretty wild, but -- >> like who? >> i think it may be -- well, there are folks out there that could come out of the woodwork in this, and i mean, if i were to bet, i think romney's going to make another pretty serious

run at this thing. so, but you know, my 86-year-old father who i was with in ireland the other day said, peter, i think palin gets that nomination. she'll never win -- >> really? >> but i think because of the way this thing is structured, they're going to like her. the others will fall by the wayside and palin will take it. >> huh. >> so, we'll see. >> we will see. >> alex? >> yeah? >> i think as of now, joe scarborough is right, that if palin were nominated now -- and i don't know that it's a lock at all -- i think she would bump her head at around 43%, 42% of the vote. she will have to overcome the enormous negatives and the enormous doubts about her that are now not only on the left, but in the center of american politics. >> yeah. i wish i had more time, because i so want to go down this trail, but nick's having a fit. got to go. i'll talk to you guys next hour, all right. still ahead, the new book that is breaking records. what's behind the phenomenon, ahead.

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this sunday night, a discussion about the state of our children and the growing number of families living in poverty will take place right here on msnbc. "about our children" will try to find ways to help families struggling to survive on the road to success. right now, a look at how one single mother's efforts to make it. >> my name is rebecca gates. i am 27 years old. i have three children and i live at a shelter. my kids' father got sent to prison. i couldn't find employment. i was pregnant. that's basically how we got here. my son, johnny, he's 3. he has mental issues. he has adhd. he's very defiant. the baby, he has a heart murmur, which is causing his lungs not to work right. it's really scary.

>> i can't find any employment. that's a main concern. we have a daycare on site. it's good because you can drop your kids off at 8:00 and you don't have to pick them up until 4:30. you can go out and you can search for work. because you obviously can't find employment if you have kids, you know? i hope by the time i get out of here to have a stable job, a stable living environment for me and my children. i just hope to survive. >> you're going to see more of that story and others in "about our children," a special town hall meeting with entertainer bill cosby, which will air here on msnbc, 7:00 p.m. eastern tomorrow night. might want to watch it with your family. mother nature's fury. a rare tornado in spain is

caught on tape, but beyond the images is a funnel. security cameras at a cafe show right when that twister tore off part of its roof. considering what happened, the people didn't seem all that alarmed, but one man inside was trapped by the debris and was rescued by other diners. fortunately, just two other people suffered just minor injuries. we'll be right back. what if you could capture the fresh taste of broccoli in a luscious soup? v8 garden broccoli. from campbell's. velvety, delicious. campbell's v8 soups. also, try new garden vegetable blend.

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together. nissan maxima, the four-door sports car. now get a new nissan maxima for 0% apr financing for 60 months. in a series of new intervaewz to be aired tomorrow, president obama denies jimmy carter's assertion that racism is motivating people to speak out against health care reform. i'm joined now live from washington by anne kornblut, white house reporter for "the washington post." good morning, again. >> good morning, again. >> i want to get your view on this, anne, because how does the suggestion that racial bias is contributing to the tough political climate out there affect the obama presidency overall? >> well, it puts him in kind of an awkward position. whether or not it's true and whether or not either president

obama or some of his senior officials believe that race may be a part of this debate are feeling at least some of the attacks. they are really not in a position to talk about it. they don't want to enflame those sentiments. they do not want race to be front and center, no matter what. they want to be talking about health care and they want to emphasize that he is a president for all americans, just as they did during the campaign. so, while there may be some people in there who think that race is part of it and who actually think that jimmy carter had a point, even if he may have overstated it, that's not something you're going to hear coming out of the white house any time soon. >> okay, so, to that end, what they want to accomplish with health care, you write about the president's media blitz today at washingtonpost.com and in the paper. who's the president still trying to reach at this point? are there people out there whose minds could be changed or is this about something else? >> they think there are. they think there are actual voters, not members of congress, necessarily, and maybe not any republican members of congress, for sure, but voters who haven't gotten a clear sense of what the

health care plan's really about, what some of the details are. in particular, they're trying to reach the democratic base who they feel has been bombarded, spent most of august being bombarded with negative information, in some cases, false information. so, they want to really arm their base with information, get them revved up and have there be momentum out in the country for health care to try and then maybe influence some members of congress, but they don't really think this blitz is going to influence the members themselves. >> all right. talking about revving up, too, republicans, many of them conservatives at the values voters summit today, and they are going to be releasing the winner of the 2012 presidential preference straw poll this afternoon. what is this all about? is this informal competition? is this bragging rights or is there more to it? >> frankly, i don't know what's taking them so long to begin the 2012 campaign. it should have started months ago. look, this is the -- when the opposition party has to look to the future. 2012 is the next presidential election, so this is about looking forward, saying, look,

all is not lost just because democrats control everything at the moment. 2010 is really their target, but 2012 gives them an opportunity to start thinking about who that leader that the party might coalesce around could be. >> okay. anne kornblut, thanks so much. can i ask you real quick? we had peter fan suggesting just a couple minutes ago that he thinks there might be somebody new that's not on the horizon. >> yeah, i heard him say that. >> yeah. is there someone that comes to mind for you? i'm racking my mind. i'm thinking who could that be? >> well, he didn't mention pat's name, so i don't know. it could be anyone, really. we've seen this happen before. you know, in 2004, after barack obama gave the keynote speech, some people talked about having him run for president, but don't forget, all the years between 2004 and 2008, everyone thought it was hillary clinton. so, i wouldn't at all be surprised if he isn't right. >> okay. thank you very much, anne kornblut. >> thank you. and don't miss tomorrow's "meet the press." president obama sits down with moderator david gregory to talk about the president's push for health care reform.

that airs on "meet the press" tomorrow morning on nbc, so check your local listings for the times. representative joe wilson says even though he's raised nearly $2 million for his re-election campaign since shouting "you lie" at president obama, his outburst was not worth it. >> absolutely not. it was speaking the wrong place, wrong time, and now i'm the number one target of washington democrats, number one target of moveon, number one target of acorn, and hey, but hey, i trust my constituents. i've never taken them for granted and i'll work hard to justify their vote next year. that is my life, supporting the people of south carolina. >> got a little choked up right there, you see. wilson also says he's thankful that president obama accepted his apology. this week in a vote of 345-75, the house of representatives voted to defund the community activist group acorn. that vote came just weeks after video surfaced of some acorn

workers coaching two people who posed as a pimp and a prostitute on how to evade taxes, among other things. beyond the defunding by congress, some acorn workers lost their jobs as a result of the secretly recorded tapes. so, what now for acorn and the two people who taped the workers? joining me now from washington is carol lehning of "the washington post," recalling the whole acorn episode. carol, i'm glad you're back to talk with our viewers at this hour. let's get back to the beginning of all this. who were these two people and how did this whole concept begin? >> well, even though james o'keefe and hannah giles probably are not, you know, living room names at this point, they are young conservatives, 25 and 20 respectively, who are both aspiring journalists and aspiring sting artists who decided they were going to pull a stunt and figure out if acorn, which is on most conservatives' hit lists, a liberal voter

organization that organizes democrat-leaning voters, they were going to try to figure out, was acorn involved in anything unseemly and dressed up as pimp and ho, they decided they would tape these workers undercover and see if they'd be willing to help them engage in a crime or cover up a crime. >> so, from the things that were demonstrated on tape, what was it that prompted congress to pull funding? >> well, you know, like every political scandal, pictures make a scandal much more salacious and much more dramatic, especially on cable news every day, every hour. people in their living rooms are saying, who are these people and why are they willing to help a prostitute hide her brothel or bring underaged teenagers from guatemala here to be sex slaves? and the white house signaled this was completely unacceptable, the behavior that was on the tapes. it didn't mean it was an indictment overall of acorn, in their view, but it certainly was not behavior any democrat was

going to be foolish enough to stand up and defend, even if that meant letting acorn go down the tubes as well. >> now, one thing, carol -- clearly, in the tapes, the situation in san bernardino, california, that acorn headquarters. and there's a tape of a woman. she's wearing a hot pink top when the viewers see her. you know, you could think that she was joking with these people. >> that's what she said, alex. she told acorn leaders that, indeed, in her conversation with james and hannah, she said at the beginning, are you guys putting me on? that wasn't part of the tapes that the conservative movement aired on fox and other places, but that's something she said. and she later also said in the conversation, i just want to have a joke with you guys. this is hysterical. so, she was, according to acorn, probably not engaged in anything criminal, not engaged in bad judgment and had no idea she was being taped while she says she

was just playing along. >> so, what's going to happen to acorn? >> that's a great question, alex. i think they're in real trouble. they are, you know, definitely, with this symbolic gesture about federal funding -- you know, they get about $10 million in the last several years in federal funding. not as much as conservatives say. with the loss of that funding, they won't be obliterated, but they could actually be running off the rails as a result of funders, their big democratic donors, saying we can't trust this organization anymore if their staff are doing these wacky things. >> okay. "the washington post's" carol lehning. carol, thank you so much. a drug-out struggle for survival in the colorado rockies. 68-year-old cynthia hoover was trapped for five days in her car after it careened off a highway near central city. she could hardly move, letting her hair absorb the rain so she could drink. by chance, a man getting a tour

at a nearby gold mine heard something and discovered the wreck. he then yelled for his manager to help. >> i ran around the corner with the first aid kit. she knew when the crash was. so, frankly, at the time, we took that as an incoherent thought. we just -- it's unbelievable, you know, that someone had been there since thursday. >> listen to this, hoover remains in the hospital this morning, but her family says she has 11 broken ribs, a broken neck and a broken back, but she is expected to recover. can you imagine the horror of those five days for that lady? wow. well, the new book by "the da vinci code" author dan brown is breaking records. "the lost symbol" sold a million copies on its first day, shattering sales records in adult fiction books. the 600-page thriller brings back the character robert langd langdon, a code-cracker who's now focusing on the free masons in washington, d.c. in a "today" show interview with matt lauer, brown explained the pressure he's under and why it took so long to complete the book. >> there's plenty of pressure.

you're following up "the da vinci code." you want to make sure that you hit it out of the park. the topic is so interesting and so mind-boggling and so complex that i needed a lot of extra time to research it and understand it to the point that i could work it into the story. >> and joining me right now, boris kotch ka from "new york" magazine. hello to you, boris. >> hi. how are you? >> i'm great. i'm curious, for the dan brown and "da vinci code" fans, will this book stack up in terms of the good read? >> i think it will. you know, it depends on what you loved about the first, you know, about "the da vinci code," you know. free masons versus the catholic church. i think it has all the same elements. it's just a question of the subject matter, whether people pick up on that. >> what is it that is so appealing about these books? what are the elements of these books that really have universal appeal? i mean, look at how much they sell. >> well, i think there's a couple things. i mean, it's a thriller. it's a very fast-paced. he knows how to do that, obviously. but there's also the fact that he works all these -- and he

lets you know that he's working all these facts into it, that you know, you can pick up little things, and people love that. that's why nonfiction is so popular. so, you know, it has nonfiction elements even though it's fiction, and then of course, there's the sort of religion element, the spirituality and spiritual uplifts. so we've got three genres going on altogether. >> does that mean robert langdon will be filling future books for a time to come? does he have real staying power? >> well, it depends. we haven't seen the staying power dan brown has, but who knows, maybe this was just a second time out or fourth time out for him but second time after "da vinci code" pressure. but you know, this is a phenomenon that's unlike anything else. >> can i just ask about books in general? i mean, just, with the proliferation of the internet and you've got the kindles out there and all that. i mean, are we going to see books hanging on for their lives, really, and surviving in the way that they have in book stores across this country?

>> well, you know, what do you think a book is? i mean, if it's on a kindle, it's still a book. you know, there's a bunch of e-readers coming out that are even more technologically advanced. you know, i think it depends on how you define it. people still love the real thing, but you know, there's no reason, especially pricing going down for e-books, that you know, it's not going to continue to be a great commodity. >> what does it say to you, though that a million copies of this book were sold on its very first day, despite all the economic troubles and the downturns across this country? what kind of a message does that send? >> people want to read. you know, it depends what they want to read, and if you figure it out, you know, i think dan brown is very genuine about his enthusiasms, but he's tapped into something that very few people have tapped into, but you know, definitely, people want to read. it's an affirmation and it's great for the publishing industry. >> boris kachka from "new york" magazine, thanks very much. >> thank you. >> glad you were here. the massive cleanup job after a water main erupts.

but still, the offer based on former alaska governor sarah palin. we'll have a sneak preview. now back to the sauce. add a little bit of seasoning, just a little bit of seasoning. rachel. ( door slams ) well, today's lesson-- the importance of durable

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several former directors of the cia are urging president obama to use his power to stop a criminal investigation targeting cia interrogators. in a letter to the president, the former directors of central intelligence asked him to reverse attorney general eric holder's decision to reopen the criminal investigation of cia interrogations that took place following the 9/11 attacks. they say it could dangerously damage the willingness of intelligence officers to take risks to protect the country. and the signers of the letter are michael hayden, porter goss, george tenant, don deutsch, r. james woolsey, william webster and james r. schlesinger. let's go now to a brand new opera premiering in boston tonight. its central character, former alaska governor, one-time vice

presidential candidate sarah palin. it's entitled "say it ain't so, joe," focusing on the debate between palin and joe biden. so, how does the operatic version of sarah palin stand up to the real thing? well, you be the judge. >> oh, thank you, thank you, alaska. ♪ patriotic is saying, government, you know, you're not always ♪ >> well, you be the judge of that. let's get right now to keith powers. he is joining us from boston as the music critic for "the boston herald." you know, the last time we spoke, i said horrible. what is your take? >> well, you're absolutely right, actually, in a certain way, alex, but maybe that is exactly what the composer's trying to portray here. music is not always sort of easy listening, light and appreciatable fare. in this case, i think the components are what he really should do if it's to get success

is not make it immediately appealing, but make it appropriate for the context. and if you think about the context, it's a debate between two candidates, completely different views, polarizing. they're on tv, they're nervous, there's a lot of energy on stage. if the composer has transferred that energy to the operatic stage, the music has to follow along. it has to be like that. i'm sure the whole opera does not sound like that little snippet that we've got, but i'll bet a lot of that music is like that, and it should be appropriate to the context. >> okay. little bit of discord is really what it is. >> yeah, right. >> i want to talk to keith, you spoke to curtis hughes, the producer, and he says "my primary intent was the music. i was struck by the two styles, biden's and palin's, the music in their voices. of course, i have strong political sentiments, but this is not about my sentiments." but did his sentiments come through anyway? >> i am sure that they have to come through in in sm ways. in any comment, political

sentiments come through, but i think curtis, he had two major points. first off, to capture the musical energy. that was his motivation. that's what he heard when he heard the candidates speak. but also not just to talk about the politics of the moment but the nature of political discourse. what is it like? how do we talk about politics? what happens in a debate like this, whether it's this year, whether it's 20 years ago or whether it's the politics of two or three centuries ago? an opera is larger than that. you have to talk about larger issues, and hopefully, he did actually capture what it's like, what the nature of the political discourse is like. >> keith, do you think there will be some appeal because people are going to remember that real debate between joe biden and sarah palin, and they'll think, let's just check out an operatic version of it? was it that momentous of an event? >> i don't think so. i don't think so, honestly. i think that the characters themselves have a certain imprint on our culture, but not the debate itself. the issues will probably be brought up and it will probably

feel like it but i think it really is more the nature of discourse than the actual particulars of the debate. >> okay. keith powers, music critic for "the boston herald." i understand you're seeing the show tonight, so enjoy. >> thank you very much. >> okay. one of the san diego zoo's newest additions got a checkup. it doesn't get cuter than this. this baby panda was examined by veterinarians on friday. the cub now weighs five pounds. he's getting checked out. it's all good there. he will be named when he's 100 days old, and that's in accordance with the chinese tradition. ears are good, too. spots are good. all looking good. [ male announcer ] the oral-b pulsar looks like an ordinary manual brush until you turn it on. its deep cleaning vibrating bristles break up plaque between teeth for an enhanced deep clean. manual control plus deep cleaning power. the oral-b pulsar.

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in a new interview with "meet the press" host david gregory set to air tomorrow, president obama largely rejects former president carter's suggestion that much opposition to president obama's motivated by racism.

>> look, i said during the campaign, are there some people who still think through the prism of race when it comes to evaluating me and my candidacy? absolutely. sometimes they vote for me for that reason, sometimes they vote against me for that reason. i'm sure that was true during the campaign. i'm sure that's true now. >> joining me leave is keith richburg, new york bureau chief for "the washington post." good morning. >> good morning. >> what's your take on what the president just had to say? >> i think that was a really smart statement. he did exactly what he needed to do, which was address the issue, because it's out there and everybody's waiting to hear what he has to say, but then in his kind of gentle way, pivot it back and say no, not everybody's against me. some are, sure, but let's deal with the real issue here, the health care issue. he managed to handle that very defendantly. >> as we handle health care specifically, are we seeing two senses of him? just because he happens to be a black man. because there has been harsh rhetoric that's been focused

against other presidents, some of whom tried to tackle health care as well. >> bill clinton, had incredibly harsh rhetoric against him. george bush, at the start of the iraq war, equating him with hitler and swastikas. here's the thing, you want to put a picture of obama equals hitler or swastika, i think that's horrible. that symbolizes the holocaust. on the other hand, i think that's political debate. had you want to call him a witch doctor, that's racist. when you want to say there's a lion in the white house, that's racism. when you do things that have nothing to do with his policies, but him as a person, that's where it crosses the line. yeah, i think even though you've heard criticisms of other presidents, you haven't seen anything directed toward their ethnicity and backgrounds. >> how about against a sitting president criticizing the former president? >> well, yeah, exactly. >> with jimmy carter, obviously. >> yeah, jimmy carter, i think, touched on what everybody said. carter has this way of throwing issues out there in a blunt way. maybe he overstates it, but he

gets you talking about things and everybody knows. he's kind of the uncle who comes in and throws the dead cat in the middle of the kitchen table, you know. everybody recoils, but there it is. everybody was talking around the edges of this. carter made us discuss it directly. so in that way, i think he's done a service. >> in today's "the new york times," rob herbert writes that republicans have a breeding off of race hatred since the days of nix nixon. they are carrying that banner proudly for political gain. it's too much to ask the leaders of the republican party to step forward and denounce this spreading stain of reprehensible conduct. republicans are trying to hide that dependable seed of bigotry -- ride, rather, that dependable seed of bigotry back to power." what do you think about that, and did we see rnc chairman michael steele say this week that carter was flat out wrong? >> yeah, look, i mean, first of all, herbert's absolutely right. if you go back to 1965 when lyndon johnson signed the civil rights act, he said we've lost

the south for a generation. ever since then, republicans have had the southern strategy, which has been to appeal to the south to whites in the south using coded language -- states rights, even tough on crime. some of these things that are in code. we heard ronald reagan. he launched his campaign in mississippi in the county where black civil rights leaders were killed in 1980, go down there and say i believe in states rights. he talked about the welfare queen from chicago. we all know what that meant. we saw a willie horton add in 1988, the george h.w. bush campaign. these are all coded messages to southern whites specifically that we're on your side. now, that's what herbert's talking about in that column. the other thing he is saying is absolutely right. all these people, all the republican leaders who have come out and denounced jimmy carter, saying this is horrible, you can't say this, how come they don't denounce the people who carry the signs? it's very easy for dick armey at freedom works and the people who organize these protests to say on their websites and on fox news and elsewhere, come to our rallies, protest the president, we don't want any racist signs. if you're a racist, don't come

to our rallies. it's very easy for them to say that we disassociate ourselves from any references to race, racism. get out of here. we don't want you at our rallies. come and protest health care, be as vehement as you want. don't cross that line. why don't they say that? have you heard one say that? i haven't. >> food for thought. keith richburg, thank you very much. >> thank you. still ahead, riders dodging bullets as a graffiti artist opens fire in asubway. crest whitestrips has created a strip so revolutionary...