back into the ocean? i'll find out what flipper's trainer thinks. does president obama need a black agenda? what is a black agenda anyway? it is a prominent debate among black american leaders and al sharpton will be weighing in, in about 15 minutes. scrambling to deliver aid to 2 million people after the devastated earthquake. death toll tops 700, but officials say a growing number of people are now being reported missing. they're welcoming international help and secretary of state hillary clinton, whose due to visit there tomorrow, says the u.s. is ready to work in solidarity with chile's leaders to provide relief. there there is extensive damage in the capital of sant yag oiagosae worst damage is in other towns. >> reporter: actually, in santia santiago, i would say some damage.

we've driven around. some of the initial coverage might have been a little overheated. we are see iing some homes down- i'm standing outside an apartment building that was knocked off its foundation by the earthquake. but, really, santiago didn't get all that much. it's 200 miles from the epicenter. they certainly felt the earthquake and there's some damage. the worst of it all is to the south, west and south of the coast around concepcion and talca. most of that central area of chile was just devastated. the situation there in some spots has become actually desperate as block after block can be seen with houses and buildings down. it that's an area that extends for hundreds of miles. yesterday, police had to use tear gas and water canons to disperse looters who targeted food stores. the military -- these are people desperate for food and water, obviously, because they just don't have it. the military was also brought in

to restore order. last night dozens of people were arrested, charged with violating the curfew that was imposed. also along that coast line, lesser-known towns, are said to have virtually disappeared. they were not only rattled by the earthquake but hit by a tsunami, the waves that came in, entire neighborhoods and towns were deluged and, in some cases, washed away, tens of thousands left homeless. chilleans are calling this a catastrophe, 9.5 earthquake before, 1,700 deaths. the death toll, as you said earlier, is over 700 and climbing. this one is not as bad on the charts, but still a very difficult disaster. and they are here, asking for international aid. among other things they're asking for, field hospitals, because some of the hospitals here were destroyed, alex. >> i'll tell you, mark, some of those pictures are reminiscent

of bandah aceh. >> reporter: yes. the funeral is getting under way for dawn brancheau, seaworld trainer who drowned when the killer whale dragged her by her ponytail underneath the water. her sister said this was her dream job and she loved the animals like they were her children. part of the shows resumed in orlando. >> i just wanted to be here for this show to make sure that this continues. it's so special. it touched so many lives. and i don't think there was a dry eye in the stands. >> nbc tong truong is live in orlando. >> reporter: the trainers are no longer allowed to interact with

the whales in the water, back to past shows you'll see whales launching the trainers up into the air and it's very fun and entertaining for the kids and adults that attend. but because of this accident, that's what they're labeling, the former curator says it was an accident and a mistake by dawn brancheau. because of that accident, they're not allowing the trainers to now get into the water. there's been calls now that there should be the release of til tilikum, the largest killer whale in captivity, saying that the treatment of keeping them captive is inhumane. tilikum, seaworld, says, is going to stay here, a vital part of their team and interaction with people and the whales. the former cura tchtor says in releasing tilikum, he think that's going to be an impossibility. that would basically be a death sentence for him. for now, will he remain here. he's also going to be featured in future shows. they're just not sure exactly when he's going to nb those

shows again. >> real quick, any park goers have any opinion on whether tilikum should be released into the wild? >> reporter: we weren't allowed to talk with many of the park goers. that one person you saw earlier said that he was happy to see them there. you imagine he's in support of keeping them there. there's both sides to this argument here. a lot of people want to see tilikum freed and others want to see him remain here. >> thank you for your part, nbc's tannh truong. 13-year-old nathan kaine was on a cross country ski trip in northeastern oregon when he got separated from his father and friends on saturday, skiing in the andes prairie ski park area, ski tracks were picked up but died out after a while. jfk airport, delays expected

today because of a six-month construction project on the main runway. officials are hoping to avoid a ripple affect and ensuing delays that may develop at other airports. the runway handles about 19% of all jfk departures. the snowstorm is over, but problems persist for those in the northeast, 200,000 customers still without power following last week's blizzard. the outages spread from new york to maine and officials say it could take days for everyone's lights and heat to get back up and running. fasten your seatbelts for another busy week in politics. the president is expected to give a speech this week, laying out how he wants congress to proceed on health care after last week's seven-hour health care summit. nancy pel owes y is sounding confident about passing a sweeping overhaul. >> do you have the 217 votes necessary to pass it? >> right now we're working on the process -- on the policy. from the meeting on thursday, the summit meeting, i believe

that we're ready for the next step, which is to write legislative language and then go from there. >> what do the real numbers look like? nbc's luke russert is tallying them up for us, join iing us fr capitol hill. luke, first of all, let's get to the next step in the process. where does this go from here? >> reporter: this is what's going to happen. the process has to start over in the house. i'm a little hoarse cheering on the u.s. yesterday in hockey. the process has to start in the house. from there, i really do believe -- a lot of sources will say they're pretty much close on what the legislation is going to be, this fix-it bill they'll ram through the house and go through the senate. this is the game, alex, 216. gop retirement today, 216, 216, 216. how does pelosi get there? very, very interesting. first and foremost, everybody that supported health care reform in november has to continue their yes vote from democratic side. she's not going to get the republican support. on top of that, she'll have to count on three no votes who announced they were retiring,

who essentially are layman ducks, bart gordon and john taynor and brian baird out in washington. if she can get those three, she has to convince one or two other democratic no votes, two people she could go after, ike skelton, chairman of the house armed services committee, he is rather safe, arthur davis in alabama, a no vote that was essentially political, comes from a very safe democratic district. her job is now to get to 216. right now she's not there. if she was, this process would be moving a lot more quickly. when she gets there, we'll see, will it happen? still, a huge question mark. really, really big question mark, alex. >> okay. luke russert from capitol hill. tea lemon honey for the hockey fan in you. >> reporter: 216. that's all it is. >> all right. thank you. shocking 911 call from a woman in florida. >> my husband just shot me.

>> your husband shot you? where at, ma'am? >> in the stomach. >> did you hear that? her husband just shot her? i'm going to tell you what happened in our look at stories far and wide. plus, seaworld is defending their decision to keep tilikum the killer whale in the park. is it the right decision? what flipper's trainer thinks about it. 5,000 aussies get naked in front of the sydney opera house. nobody got arrested here. bet you're wondering why, so we'll explain on msnbc news. th. th. adding it helps us use less salt than before in campbell's tomato soup while keeping the famous flavor. ♪ so many, many reasons ♪ it's so m'm! m'm! good! ♪

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taking a look at stories far and wide, utah lawmakers are considering a bill that would criminalize illegal abortions. utah governor says he is still studying the particulars. under the bill, legal abortions

would still be allowed but would make women criminally liable for seeking illegal abortions after a teenage girl paid a man to beat her up in hopes of inducing a miscarriage. the 17-year-old mother was not held responsible. in florida, an elderly woman calmly called 911 after her husband shot her inside their mansion. 63-year-old theodore salusky was arrested. he began waving around his gun to scare her when it went off three times. that's when his 71-year-old wife called for help. >> my husband just shot me. >> your husband shot you? where at, ma'am? >> in the stomach. >> was it on accident or on purpose? >> it was on purpose. >> he says it was an accident. >> well, i don't care. he's not shot. i am. >> wow! a judge granted the man bail and ordered him not to have any contact with his wife. california authorities are widening their search for

missing san diego teen chelsea king after the arrest of a registered sex offender. police say they found evidence that led to the arrest of john gardner. the parents of the missing teen just spoke with tamron hall here on msnbc. >> we're glad that we have somebody that more than likely can lead us to our daughter. that's what we're hoping for, that we're led to our daughter. >> for more on the latest in the investigation, let's turn to monica dean from knsd. >> reporter: the search for chelsea king is still under way but john albert gardner has been arrested. he is a registered sex offender, most recently staying at his parents' house in the rancho bernardo area. he was taken into custody last night in escondido. investigators say they found evidence linking gardner to chelsea, but wouldn't say exactly what that was. gardner is from lake elsignor

and was staying with his parents in rancho bernardo. sheriff's investigators began searching the home. his past offense involves a lewd act with a child under 14 years of age. chelsea king is a paoway high school student. her car was found parked at rancho bernardo community park, but chelsea was nowhere to be be found. investigators launched a major search. they are still working to find her. sheriff's officials say they believe gardner may also be tied to another assault on a woman at that very same park that happened back in late december, december 27th. they're investigating that link. meantime, the search continues. volunteers are being asked to meet her in rancho bernardo at 9:00 this morning. reporting from rancho bernardo, i'm monica dean. now back to you. >> monica, thanks. chelsea's parents are asking for all the volunteers to continue looking for their missing daughter. it is a hot topic of debate

among some african-american leaders. does president obama need a so-called black agenda? the topic started when tv talk show host travis smiley criticized the reverend al sharpton for saying the president didn't need to have a black agenda. sharpton let him have it when smiley called into the sharpton radio show. i don't think the president needs a black agenda. that does not mean that the president does not need to deal with the black agenda. the president does not need to get out there and do what we need to be doing. saying the president should not value a black agenda does not say that the president should be held to a black agenda. don't talk to us like we stupid, tavis. >> smiley plans a discussion on march 20th in chicago called "we count:the black agenda is the american agenda." he invited al sharpton, who joins me now, along with

professor. i understand you have yet to get that invitation. is that true? >> yeah. what i said the first time i heard it was on radio that i was announced i was going to be there, that i had no knowledge of it. notwithstanding that, there are many conferences, dr. ron daniels has a black agenda conference, i think is great. the conferences are not the problem or the point -- to me, the point is let's solve the problems. black unemployment is double that of many -- of whites in this country. we need the health bill because we pay more and get less quality health care. so, when the president of the naacp, ben jellis and president of national urban league, we met on these issues and he said i'm the president of the united states. i deal with the labor agenda, i deal with the business agenda. here's what i'm doing. and he laid out -- i spent $85 million on health centers in our

communities, in the black communities and i'm trying, in urban communities that affect blacks and i'm trying to do more. he signed, just last friday, and said he was going to do it, a $95 million -- in his executive orders, $95 million to historic black colleges, $850 million over the next nine years. this is more than we've ever had for historic black colleges. he's talking about doing things in terms of the green jobs, training programs, 85 million. the question is, do we want to argue about naming it or do we want to solve the problems of blacks as well as others since he's the president of all? and i think that's what he ran on. i know mr. smiley didn't support him, was very critical of him then, critical of him now. the campaign is over. we need to get the change we voted for, and i see the president moving in that direction. as long as he is, i think we ought to support him and solve the problem and not get involved in who is going to attend what productions.

>> to that end, though, sir, doctor, do you think there is dissension among the leaders in this country? you wrote our black vote is in unchartered waters and every leader has an oar pointed in their own direction. does that mean you can't have a cohesive focus? >> no, it doesn't mean you can't have a cohesive focus, but to think every black leader is going to be on the same page, that's like saying every white leader is going to be on the same page. we know that's not true. al sharpton and tavis smiley have sacrificed quite a bit for the black community and both deserve their respect. at the same time when you talk about a black agenda, i am in agreement with reverend sharpton on this. that doesn't mean you have to demand the president name it the black agenda. when you talk about president obama, whom i've been supported of, as well as critical of, depending on the situation, you have to really make sure that

your critiques are objective. i think with tavis spending three years chasing down the president, unlike anything i've ever seen before, i don't think that he can say he's an objective evaluator of the obama administration. at the end of the day you talk about the black agenda, there are three key areas we have to focus on, education, economics, mass incarceration in the criminal justice system. we don't understand. they're all connected. you don't educate these kids, put them out here without job, effectively they're more likely to go to prison. that is undermining the integrity of the black family. black women don't have men to marry because they're all locked away in the american prison system. i think president obama understands that. i hope he does. we have to hold america accountable to make sure our issues are on the table. >> this next block, we're going to talk about exactly this problem within the black community. i want to have you talk about this in response, reverend. in the column that dr. watkins

wrote, he writes, the rift between sharpton and smiley is an introduction to the post-obama america where being black no longer means being on the same page. it means that the man, smiley, who once referred to bill clinton as the first black president cannot look a real black president in the eye and give him the benefit of the doubt. it means that al sharpton and other civil rights leaders are forced to do the dirty work on the racial equality because our black president has been terrorized into political silence on issues of race. your response to that, reverend? >> my response is that black leaders have always had different approaches, dr. king and roy wilkins had one approach in the '60s, malcolm x another. that's always true and i think that's probably healthy. the problem is that we've got to deal with the results. today, president obama is announcing, with former secretary of state colin powell and his wife, a $3.5 billion budget to deal with failing

schools because of the rate -- dropout rate that dr. boyce watkins talked about education, something wooif been committed to. am i going to say to the president in a meeting he made very public in the oval office, i don't care about the dropout rate of black kids and that you're giving us billions of dollars. i don't care about health care, i don't care you've given more to the historic black college. i want you to put your fist up and say black power. then i'm really more interested in symbolism than i am of the st substantive problems of our community. i understand commentators like mr. smiley who have been critical of the president to do their job. our job is to deliver something tangible. our people are in very, very serious conditions. they need a president that includes them in the change and not just gives them some retorical good feeling without results. >> dr. watkins, what is the

first area to tackle -- the president has so much on his plate and all those issues you chronicled of being challenging to the black community. where is the first place to start? >> you have to start with jobs. right now, we talk about the american unemployment rate at about 9.7%. the black unemployment rate is 17.3%. the black male unemployment rate is 19.5%. >> but does some of that stem from lack of education, the high school dropout rate, people that aren't getting the education to get those jobs? >> yeah. >> don't you even need to take a step backwards and get back to the beginning to get to education? >> you have to take a lot of steps in a lot of different directions. what the president needs to address right now to protect his presidency, he has to address jobs. i've been saying that about the last six months while we spent all our time talking about health care. once you stabilize the economy, you've got to attack the education system. when you've got black boys being four to five times more likely to be placed in special

education than the white kids and you've got all these kids that aren't graduating, these kids going to schools that don't have the same resources as the schools in the suburbs, that's a problem. that is jim crowe in the flesh. take the next step, mr. eric holder, you've got to realize we've got modern-day slavery in the prison system. the united states incorporates -- excuse me, they incarcerate more of its citizens than any country in the world, most of those citizens are african-americans. that leads to the deterioration of the black family because all these kids are growing up without their fathers. when you marginalize these men once they've been released from prison, you're further adding to the marnlalization. so, economics, education and incarceration all equal together. >> that's what i'm saying. you ask for one thing to focus on and the fact is that it's all tied together. nothing wrong with your answer. it's all good. reverend al sharpton and boyce watt k watkins, thank you. you've heard of running of the bulls?

how about the reindeer games? a pennsylvania man dies when his 911 calls go unheeded. curtis mitchell and his girlfriend called 911 ten times because of severe stomach pains. because of a snow storm, paramedics never showed up and he died 30 hours later. gun fans cheer starbucks stance on the armed. it's okay to order a latte with your handgun strapped to your waist as long as your state okays it. top ten spooky sleep disorders. have you ever heard of exploding head syndrome? say what? sleep paralysis or sex-somnia? they exist, too. that's just downright spooky. f. [dinner bell chimes] high quality ingredients like wild alaskan salmon in a delicate broth, without by-products or fillers. fancy feast appetizers. celebrate the moment.

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convoy was targeted. the second happened outside the police station of kandahar. spy agency banned all unapproved coverage of taliban attacks. some alaskans idea of the big game is running with the big game. annual charity event in anchorage is called running with the reindeer, take-off on spain's running with the bulls. the event has become so popular, thousands of people come from all over the united states to get their chance to join in. these top dogs put their best paws forward for the sixth annual bulldog beauty pageant. organizers say this is the largest gathering of bulldogs on the world, rated on personality, charm, face, figure and first impression. winston, a 2-year-old, took this year's crown. four different winners in four different categories. to that, i say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. okay.

that's disturbing video. it's from cleveland, ohio. a police officer is recovering today from this run-in with an out-of-control car on an icy road. this video was taken from officer john lambert's dashboard cam. he had stopped to help a driver in need when another driver slam right into both of them. lambert being a hero, even in harm's way. broken bones in his pelvis and his back. wow! some video there. the death of a trainer at seaworld last week is prompting animal activists to ask if killer whales should even be kept in captivity. we've seen this before. in 2002 a male killer whale, orca, had been put on public display for 19 years and swam off on his own into the atlantic ocean. his name was keiko. most of us remember him as the star of "free willy." academy award called "the cove,"

marine mammal specialist who went from training the animals to perform to having them released joins me right now. richard, hello to you. >> hi. by the way, i'm not the director of that film. i'm the protaganist, if you will. >> big difference there. i'm interested about this situation with tilikum, having been involved with three fatalities over the years. is this the only orca that has had this thing happen or have there been other incidence? >> i'm glad you used the world incident. seaworld is call iing it an accident. it's not an accident. it's a calculated risk they take when they let their employees in with wild animals and, look, just christmastime on the 24th of december, another seaworld killer whale killed its trainer. you don't even know about that. people don't know how many incidents there were. there have been many of these incidents. >> richard, is that because it was not done in public display,

public view, during a show? >> it was during public display. it was during a show and it happens -- these incidents happen. they've been going on for years and there are lawsuits filed. they settle out of court and then there's a silence. and you don't hear about john silic, for example, seaworld trainer who probably had most of his bones in his body broken when another whale landed on top of him deliberately, i think, having viewed the video. these are wild animals. if you and i went into the jungle and took a tiger and put it on our private property and the tiger killed two people, you would think the third time, we would be arrested for criminal negligence. and i think that's what this is. this is a calculated risk that seaworld takes by letting their empl employees interact with wild animals that are frustrated. >> richard, though, you're taking a different stance than

at the outset of your career. you were a trainer and trained five dolphins that played the flipper role. i know it was a difficult time, when kathy, one of the flipper mammals died in your arms. but you have gone from training them and putting them into shows to now saying this isn't working for you. why? >> well, indeed, it does not work. in fact, i trained the first killer whale in captivity in the eastern united states in 1968, '69 at the miami seaquarium. we knew then this was going to be dangerous, this doesn't work. and it still goes on. it's amazing that this still goes on. >> all right. i'm going to ask our director to pull up a video from this morning, where the former seaworld trainer,ed that lasnak, i believe, says seaworld is not going to release tilikum and says freeing willy failed. >> they already tried that with

keiko. it was a total failure. he was condemned to a very bad death in a lot of ways. he literally starved to death and caught pneumonia. so, that is not an option. >> so, if we free tilikum, is he going to see the same fate as keiko? >> well, keiko was quite successful, actually. keiko was on death row in mechanimexico city at an amusement park and seaworld and that industry did not save him. it was earth island institute. and, yes, you can take an orca, all of them, any of them successfully out of a concrete box. basically it's just a concrete box. you can put them in the ocean in a large sea pen where they can experience the natural rhythms of the sea and the currents and the tides. and that's what earth island did. free willy foundation. with keiko. that was very successful. keiko swam under his own free will from iceland to norway.

he later died, but that was years after he was rescued by earth island institute. when he says it can't be done, that's just damage control by seaworld. >> we thank you for your opinion on all this. richard o'barry, appreciate that. the death toll from that earthquake in chile is rising. more than 700 people so far. we'll get a firsthand look at the devastation caused by that massive quake. a shocking confession from the suspect in natalee holloway's 2005 disappearance in aruba. is it for real? cops aren't buying it. 23 years. 21 years. i do really love what i do. ♪ i have clients down the block. across the street. in the same zip code. basically next door. i see the rewards every day of the people that i help. she said, i couldn't have done this without you. -i'm craig. -i'm mark. my name is kari. and i'm an ameriprise financial advisor. [ male announcer ] meet us at ameriprise.com. let's take a look at the stats.

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slammed ashore about half an hour later. freelance journalist was in the capital of santiago and joins us live by skype. hello, cecilia. >> reporter: hello. good afternoon. >> how desperate are people for just getting their basic supplies? >> reporter: the situation is getting, at every minute, more desperate. actually, we've just seen some images of some beach towns of the coastal line at the eighth and seventh regions, especially the seventh region. the situation, it's absolutely devastating, not only physically and materially but spiritually. the people there feel abandoned, foresaken. they're begging on tv for basic supplies in places, small places like concepcion, they have up to 300 people missing and they lost absolutely everything.

they have septic tanks flooded. they've been living along fishes that are being spoiling. so, the situation hygienically, in terms of health, it's becoming also dramatic. so, they are really needing help. >> a very grim snapshot you offer right now, cecilia. we'll speak with you again. thank you, cecilia lagos. >> reporter: okay. need to travel on land or water, through the air? we'll find a vehicle for you. it is part of today's world view for that. president obama's doctor just declared him fit for duty except for one thing. we'll tell you what that is here on msnbc news. [ female announcer ] bring it. bounty extra soft. in this lab demo, one sheet of bounty extra soft out-scrubs two sheets of the bargain brand. bounty extra soft. about all the discounts boswe're offering. i've got. i some catchphrases that'llideas

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appear to be worse for your lungs than original thought. new research from columbia presbyterian university show that air flow obstruction than nonsmokers. doctors are concerned recent decreases in cigarette smoking have made pipe and cigar smoking more acceptable. in washington today, president obama took aim at under-performing schools. >> if a school continues to fail its students, year after year after year, if it doesn't show any sign of improvement, then there's got to be a sense of accountability. >> the president, referring to a school in rhode island that has opted to fire all of its teachers and has not been without some controversy. meantime, the president announced $900 million in grants to help improve dropout rates but schools will have to take drastic measures to get the money like firing principals and teachers.

that is exactly what happens happened at central falls in rhode island. 93 teachers, administrators and other staff were fired. the president is saying he backs that decision. you heard him say it right there. i'm joined by david park, america's promise for alliance, founded by general colin powell. working with the house, kicking off grad nation acres new campaign to improve u.s. graduation rates. good afternoon, david. >> good afternoon. >> get to what the president was just talking about, the firing of 93 teachers and staff for under-performing? what do you think about that? >> there's a lot of tough choices that will have to be made in this very serious issue. the statistics are starting, 1.3 million students don't graduate from high school every year. they're dropping out of high school and, in effect, dropping out of their future. that's one student every 26 seconds. >> what happens to them after they drop out? what does the future hold? >> actually, it's unfortunate. once students drop out, they're

much less likely to lead productive lives than students who graduate from high school. unfortunately, they're going to make a lot less money. they're going to rely on social services and far too often, they have children who repeat this tragic cycle. it's really important for all of us to gather around like never before and really create a grad nation. that's what we're doing at america's promise alliance with 375 partner organizations, we're creating a grad nation so we can mobilize americans to end this dropout problem. >> david, are there factions of the community here in the states, be they racially or economically divided, that are most prone to the high school dropout rate? >> sure. unfortunately, minorities are hit hardest. 50% of minority students will drop out of high school in the united states, will not graduate from high school on time. and that's more than a crisis. that's a catastrophe we have for our country. what we're doing as part of this -- this is an economic

crisis. it's also a civil rights issue of our time. and it's something we need to address and we need to address it with the business community. we need to address it with nonprofits. we need to address it with teachers and principals and schools. and we all need to rally around on this issue. >> david, to the extent of holding teachers, principals, school administrators accountable -- for instance, that rhode island high school where 93 members are being fired, only 7% of the kids there tested proficient in math. >> i know. >> does this mean teachers need to look out for their jobs, do a better job or your job may be on the line? >> teacher sktiveness is obviously an important issue. that's something that the administration and a lot of organizations are very much focused on. we all agree that that's important. teachers are a very important part of a young person's life. in fact, probably the most important part of a young person's life in their school. however, what we want to do with grad nation is really focus this on community support, providing

the support to the 2,000 lowest-performing high schools that account for 50% of all high school dropouts. it's just 2,000 high schools. when we look at it like that, it's actually a very solvable problem, but it's something we all need to come together on. that's, again, what grad nation is. we hope have everyone's support on it. >> grad nation's david park. you have our support. >> thank you very much. president obama is fit for duty but still a smoker, according to his first official white house physical. he stop ped in for his checkup yesterday. doctors agree he is in excellent health except for that smoking habit and slightly elevated cholesterol. mr. obama's weight is within a healthy range. you might be embarrassed, some people. no he's about 180 pounds and doesn't mind telling it. there you go. main suspect in natalee holloway's disappearance says he knows what happened to her in 2005. why don't police believe him? let's see if you do here on msnbc news. hey!

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the main suspect in the disappearance of american teenager natalee holloway has made a new confession about what happened the night he says she died while on a class trip to aruba in 2005. it is something joran van der sloot has never said before, and there are several firsts in this interview that aired last night in holland, where he is from, including taking an on-camera polygraph test, apologizing and breaking down in tears. michelle kosinski is in amsterdam with more. >> reporter: it has been more than four years now since natalee holloway disappeared in aruba on her class trip. the suspect in that disappearance has told a number of different stories about what exactly happened that night, one of the last people to have been seen with her. now he is telling a completely new story that aired last night on national tv here in holland during which he sits down to talk to a buddy of his.

this was done six months ago. and that friend first subjects joran to a professionally administered polygraph test which, according to the polygrapher, he failed. he denies and becomes angry. he sits down to do this interview and he starts to cry, telling a story we've never heard before. he says on the night natalee disappeared, the two of them walked along a beach and a friend of his invited them over to his house. joran says natalee had been drinking heavily, she used cocaine and was dancing on the balcony and that when joran approach approached her, she suddenly fell over the railing to her death. joran claims there was a lot of blood, that he and his friend put her in a car and disposed of her body anyway nearby swamp. at times appearing at least to cry during this interview with his friend, joran then apologizes, saying he is sorry to everyone, to his own parents,

to the parents of natalee holloway and he says he hopes they can find it in their hearts to forgive them. police and prosecutors say they do not buy this, that nothing in this story adds up. the railing on the balcony was too high for natalee simply to fall over or the car they used showed not a single trace of blood. we do know at this point joran has told at least two different stories about him supposedly being there when natalee accidentally, according to him, died, and that he disposed of her body. the details in these two stories are completely different, but those elements remain the same. obvious, still, so many questions so many years later. michelle kosinski, nbc news, amsterdam. >> those questions certainly lingering. i'm alex witt. thank you so much for watching. contessa brewer will be back at noon eastern tomorrow, 9:00 am out west. up next, "andrea mitchell

reports," talking to haley barber about the future of the republican party here on msnbc news. nature knows just how much water vegetables need. so, to turn those vegetables into campbell's condensed soup, we don't boil it down, our chefs just add less water from the start. ♪ so many, many reasons ♪ it's so m'm! m'm! good! ♪

right now on "andrea mitchell reports," 2 million people displaced, more than 700 dead, with that toll expected to rise in chile today. unlike haiti, strong inf infrastructure reduced the potential widespread devastation. secretary of state hillary clinton will be traveling to the region tomorrow, take with her emergency communications equipment. a live report, straight ahead. in washington today, the president prepares his last-ditch strategy for getting a vote on health care, as he faces his own health update. overall, his health is good. but he's got to watch that cholesterol. and what about the old bad habit? >> am i a daily smoker, a constant smoker? no. i don't do it in front of my kids. i don't do it in front of my

family and, you know, i would say that i am 95% cured, but there are times where -- there are times where i mess up. >> that's what he said when he first came into office. we'll have a report on what's happening now. coming up, nbc news chuck todd and "new york times" jeff zeleny. the president today is announcing an emergency plan to curb the dropout epidemic. melody barnes from the white house joins us this hour. was john mccain dupeded by the bush treasury when he voted for t.a.r.p., the bank bailout? >> we were all misled. we were all misled. i mean, he said that they were going after the toxic assets, the toxic asset is, were -- was the housing market. he testified to that. i mean, we were all misled. so, what did he do then? they started pumping money into the financial institutions. >> we'll have our own reality check coming up. >>ow