next on msnbc saturday. taking the fight to the hill. president obama goes to the capitol in hopes of clinching

health care reform. but who does he need to convince to make it happen? also ahead, on the rise, fighting floodwaters one sandbag at a time. the very latest live from the midwest. plus, police in peril. bombs and booby traps airliparag police this california. a man out on the street to say he's sorry. >> i'm alex witt. we have all of that to bring you along with a billion dollars in tax refund money no one has claimed. we'll get to that for you. no room for error on health care. president obama heads to capitol hill this afternoon to persuade wavering democrats. mike viqueira is live at the white house for us. democrats believe they can reach the 216 votes. where do they stand? >> reporter: it's very interesting the way this works. the way the president and democratic leaders are

pressuring wavering democrats. no republicans will vote for this thing. the president is shooting three-pointers from beyond the arc. going four times outside the belt way in the last two weeks to hold rallies as recently as yesterday. not too far out, in fairfax, virginia. putting public pressure on. the inside game, he's hosting meetings in the white house. 64 according to aides. take the place of canfield from ohio and boccieri. he voted no the first time you it was on the ballot. a woman was denied premiums, they were sky high. then she got leukemia. she doesn't have insurance. she's in the hospital. president obama reading a letter from her, traveling to ohio, holding a rally for her, a pro

health care reform rally in the district of boccieri. yesterday, we heard from john boccieri. he announced how he's going to be voting when the bill comes up tomorrow. >> there are too many politicians worried about their future, instead of the futures of the family who are standing behind me and the families like natoma's. a lot of people are telling me this decision could cost me my job. >> reporter: it could very well cost members their jobs. that is the argument that the president and democratic leaders are making. it shouldn't be about politics. >> the white house certainly sounds confident. nothing is set until the democrats lock in the 216 votes needed to pass the health care reform bill. joining me is congressman john dingell. let's get an update from you on how you see the votes shaping up

from your vantage point? >> we're going to win. the bill is going to pass. it's going to the president to be signed. 32 million people are going to get health care. we're going to see for the first time in a long time we're passing a massive budget reduction bill. and a deficit reduction bill. something which will mean 130-some billion dollars in reductions during the first ten years of the bill. in the second ten years, over $1.3 trillion. >> so representative dingell, the way you portray this bill, it's a wonder republicans would not be on board with this. why are they not? and with the public being deeply skeptical, do you worry democrats may have a big risk ahead come elections in november?

>> we're sent down here to do what is right. that's why we're paid. having said that, the republicans oppose social security, medicare and guaranteed bank deposits. all matter of legislation like this, including food stamps, has been opposed by the republicans. having said that, this is something which is absolutely necessary for this country. industry is going broke because they can't afford it. 1, $1,600 worth of costs. no other competitor supports that cost. we have to get ourselves competitive and see to it we take care of our people. we have 247 million people with no health care. that has to be addressed. >> what makes this difficult is that there are even some democrats on the other side of

the aisle on this vote. your colleague, bart stupak from michigan, a man who you helped literally show the ropes there in congress. his issue of course over the language and funding for abortion. talk about this between the two of you. i really want to get a personal is perspective. how hard is this for you to battle this with bart stupak? >> well, the congress is a place where we represent our people and where we serve our conscience. i strongly disagree with bart but he was my friend, he is my front. we hunt and campaign together. i'll try to show him the error of his ways and see to it that we beat him on this. because this is a matter of the utmost humanitarian and economic concern to this nation. >> how about your father who preceded you in the house of representatives, john dengell sr., what would he think of this

bill? >> well, i think he would be pleased with this bill. this bill is not everything that dad would have wanted. nor is it everything that i want. but it is a significant step forward. it is an important solution to a massive american problem. something where we're seeing 18,000 people a year die for want of health insurance and 45,000 people go into bankruptcy every year because of health care costs. >> what you wanted, sir? was it a single payer program? >> you are absolutely right. and i still think that that's the best way. that's the way that almost every other major industrialized nation addresses its health care problems. and the result is that their health care costs go up half as fast as ours. it costs about half as much to provide health care in those other nations. that includes britain, france, germany, japan and a large number of other places around the world, who are smart enough

to know this is not just a humanitarian concern but something which is of vital economic concern to the nation. >> nonetheless, it will be an exciting day on the hill. thank you it for your time here. >> it's a great place to be with you. thank you. >> how would health reform affect you? vera gibbons will take a closer look here on msnbc saturday. meantime for you travelers, british airplaneways cabin crews are on strike after a failed to reach an agreement. thousands of flights have been canceled. passengers have been notified. british airways says it hose to operate 65% of its flights using leased planes and outside crews. the first dave spring kicks off with wild weather. a fierce snowstorm that dropped as much as 20 inches on parts of the colorado front range is taking aim at the plains. the storm is targeting oklahoma in the texas panhandle.

residents in north dakota and minnesota are bracing for more flooding. the red river is still rising. it is expected to crest tomorrow. we'll get a look at it now with kevin tibbles, who is live in moorehead, minnesota. let's get that look right now. are things looking okay, better than expected? >> reporter: people who live along the red river can be excused today for thinking they might have somehow been transported to venice overnight. as you can see over my shoulder, street signs that normally would be on streets. that would normally be carrying traffic are completely under water. they have been for days here as the red river continues to creep up. it's come up about two feet over the last couple of days. there is some good news to report today. that is that the predictions for the crest of the red river are mitochondria lower than last year's 40-foot redded river surge that caused a lot of

anxiety up and down the red river, especially in the fargo area, on the other side of moorehead which is where i'm standing. when this thing crests tomorrow, that measurement has been dropped further to another half foot down to 37.5 feet. they've got sandbags on both sides of the river. people living on both sides are saying they're very kfld tconfi the work they've done is going to hold the red river back. people who live in rural communities because the basin is so shallow, they are actually being cut off by floodwaters. but in the cities here, fingers crossed, i think it's going to be safe. >> kevin tibbles. thanks to your cameraman for zooming in on that stop sign. that totally puts it into perspective. otherwise it looks like a

nice -- >> he's the man. >> otherwise, it looks like not so much. in a moment, health care reform. what's in it for you? we highlight the costs and the benefits of the plan that could be passed. also ahead, dancing fool? a man goes atop a billboard missing more than some common sense. that's the story. and the octomom drama may be about to unfold. she and her broad may be looking for a new you place to call home. fancy feast created a way to celebrate any moment. fancy feast appetizers. [dinner bell chimes] simple high quality ingredients like wild alaskan salmon, white meat chicken, or sea bass and shrimp in a delicate broth, prepared without by-products or fillers. fancy feast appetizers. celebrate the moment

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new this morning, the pope issued an apology to victims of child sex abuse by irish clergy. pope benedict announced in an unprecedented letter a formal investigation of irish diocese. he said he was truly sorry for

what the victims suffered at the hands of sexually abusing priests. he addressed the busers themselves, saying they are responsible for harming the name of the church and they must submit to civil authority. president obama is making a final push for the health care overhaul as he heads to capitol hill to meet with rank and file democrats. many are asking, how will the changes affect me? health care, really complicated. what does this mean to the average american? >> it's coverage for everyone, even if you have a pre-existing condition. you're sick. 46 million americans have no coverage. 25 million are underissued. it's about covering everyone. so if you get sick or need a transplant, you're not going to lose your home or go into foreclosure.

>> everyone has to buy coverage now. >> everyone has to buy coverage. there's a very small percentage. you and your family will have to buy coverage. there will be this exchange online. you can compare plans online, including the public option. you will have to get coverage. if you don't, you'll get hit with a penalty, which will be up to $695. dead beats will be penalized. >> how much would government sponsor insurance costs to those who don't currently have any health insurance? >> this is where it gets more complicated. the way it is written, it's hard to see how much it would cost out of pocket. there are all these difficult levels of coverage. you have to go on there and see what's best for you. it's really the primary beneficiaries of this would be the very low income. because you've got the expansion of medicaid here. it will cover those up to 21% of the poverty level. middle income consumers will get

a sid subsidy to defray costs. we don't know how much the government will kick in, whether it will be anything decent for the middle class. >> what if you have health insurance for your employer and you're happy with it? >> 60% of people do get insurance from their employer and like it. technically you'll be able to keep this. but are real employers really going to continue shelling you out private insurance as costly as it is if they have the government options that's inexpensi inexpensive? >> so who would have to pay for it? >> it might be higher that way. if the government option is available to employers at a cheaper rate, wouldn't employers just go with that? that's a question mark at this point. >> all this is confusing about when it goes into effect. there are different years for different parts of this. >> changes in 2014.

you wouldn't see the full effect until 2018. there is a website you can go to, healthreform.gov. it's very confusing. a big expensive plan, $2 trillion over the next few years. where is this money coming from, taxpayers. >> let's get to the winter, which apparently doesn't want to let go, even though it is the first day of spring today. a fierce snowstorm making its way from the colorado front range to the plains. let's get the details from meteorologist bill karins. who's getting it today, bill? >> everyone in the middle of the country. polar opposites from the middle of the nation to the east coast. from maine to florida will probably be wearing shorts. while people from colorado to texas and into oklahoma will be shoveling snow. that's how we get in march. by the way, happy spring, everyone. as far as the radar goes, it's

snowing currently in much of oklahoma. we have snowstorms and rain in san antonio, up towards houston. we have snow near and outside chicago. the worst by far around oklahoma city. now reporting moderate snow. interstate 35 will be treacherous along with interstate 44 during the day. oklahoma city to tulsa, you should have enough snow you'll have to do some shoveling. a possibility of 6 inches of snow. 75 in new york city. you'll get 6 inches of snow somewhere outside of tulsa. as far as the east goes, it's already 59 in new york. leading the way by far, boston with 56. low to mid-70s. record highs for many areas of the east. that great weather continues down through atlanta, orlando, miami. even the west coast is looking great. great in the east, great in the west. winter is holding on in the middle of the nation.

look at kansas city. how does your sunday look? that wet weather begins to head east. alex, for you and everybody else on the east coast, get outside and enjoy this as much as possible. i hope everyone enjoyed it, one last dave today. >> and i'm inside working with you. >> what's the bad part of that, working inside or just with me? >> just working inside. i love working with you. don't worry. coming up, unclaimed tax refund. wait till you hear how much some taxpayers may give away to uncle sam. it's a street sign one man will never forget maybe because it's hanging from his neck. and why the octomom and her kids may be told to beat it. usiness. and the startup-capital- for-barbers business. and the this-won't- hurt-a-bit business. because we don't just work here. we live here.

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nadya suleman might be soon erkts viktd from her los

angeles-area home. the mortgage holder says he has started foreclosure proceedings. that's because the family has not kept up on payments. the mortgage holder says he plans to evict the mother of 14 on tuesday. joining me live in studio is alicia quarrels. this is a big situation. what are you hearing about it? >> it's a big situation. this guy says when nadya's father agreed to buy the house, this guy would carry the loans for one year and the family would pay him back. he's claiming they've done none of that and they're going to court. nadya's publicist says she didn't know the terms of the agreement. this is between the mortgage holder and her father. >> something about a balloon payment that's big. >> 450,000 he's claiming they owe. you wonder what was nadya suleman doing with her money. you would think she has the money to pay this. >> she had some reality show in the works and all that.

all that was going to support her living style. >> all that was supposed to go to the children and paying for the house. why has she not paid it? what's going on? >> how about sandra bullock and jesse james. >> this is shocking. >> and it's hurt a lot of people. >> i was at the academy awards. i interviewed sandra bullock next to jesse james and asked her about the relationship. she said he's her rock and he's been there for her. she's america's sweetheart. it's sad. you root for her. >> you absolutely do. he writes this letter of apology. did he say he cheated on her in that or was it implied? >> what he didn't say was more telling. he didn't say i cheated with this woman. he said a lot of the allegations were not true but i messed up. basically he's admitting it. we're learning about this woman he allegedly cheated with, michelle "bombshell" mcgee. this is a woman covered in tattoos, a stripper, really

wildlife style. >> they're saying she's a lot more like his first wife. >> and he's going through an awful custody battle over his daughter with his first wife. >> what do people want to see happen here? a lot of people want to say, you so blew it, buddy, you're gone. >> i was talking to my driver. he said, that guy is an idiot. i'd sake sandra bullock. the pinnacle of her career. she wins her academy award. you want a happy ending, not to be going through this drama. >> back to our top story in a moment with the president's full court press on capitol hill. and violent attacks aimed at california police. we'll tell you about them. more for their money.

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it's msnbc saturday. i'm alex witt. president obama heads to capitol hill later today to talk to house democrats on the vote on health care reform. secretary of state hillary clinton returned to the u.s. you this morning after a two-day trip to moscow. she held talks with vladimir putin on issues from arms control to trade and iran. british airways cabin crews hit the picket lines for a three-day strike. that is forcing the airline to cancel more than half of its flights through monday. in monterey, mexico, soldiers battle suspected drug cartel gunmen yesterday, killing two. authorities say they seized guns, ammunition and hand grenades after the shoot-out. a.c.o.r.n. said it's on the verge of bankruptcy. they lost federal funding amid controversy. those are your fast five headlines. a critical meeting getting under way on capitol hill just

half an hour from now. it's the rules committee led by congresswoman louise slaughter, which will decide this morning whether democrats will go ahead with the controversial deem and pass tactic. let's get to luke russert, right in the middle of things for us on capitol hill. >> reporter: good morning, alex. how we doing? >> i'm doing okay. let's get to how louise slaughter is doing. what's going to happen there? >> it will be quite interesting, alex. at 10:00 a.m., the house rules committee will meet to decide the particular way in which the health care vote or bill rather, will be debated. in the house of representatives -- and i'm going to give you a little history lesson here -- the way in which a bill becomes law is that the rules committee for a particular bill can decide special rules for how it is debated. there's a standing rule which a lot of rules are passed by. for particularly important bills, there are sometimes special rules. in this meeting, we will find

out how exactly the senate bill that passed back in december, the senate health care bill, will be incorporated into the house and how they will vote on it. republicans want an up or down vote because they want democrats to be on the record as being for or against the senate bill. speaker pelosi wants to shield members from doing a difficult vote that contained things like the cornhusker kickback. what they want to do is something called dweeem and pas. what would happen is that the september bill would be deemed passed once the rules of debate were agreed to or once the fix-it bill, which is to fix all the problems in the senate, is agreed to. that's what we'll find out coming right up here in the next half hour. most likely there will be a lot of meant offered to the rules. it will be very interesting. you're sure to hear a lot from the gop if either of the options goes forward. >> okay, professor russert. next question to you would be,

who should we be watching today? where do the votes stand? >> reporter: one democrat said they're up to 214. that's very optimistic. some are down around 210. there are three people i'm very interested to look at. mr. beard from washington, mr. tanner from tennessee. baird and tanner are retiring. matheson's brother most likely will be appointed to a judgeship in utah. he's an extremely qualified individual to become a judge. you think it would be hard-presseded to say to the president after he appointed his brother as a judge, i'm sorry, i'm not going to be with you on

health care. >> look at you giving us the back story. luke russert, thanks so much. msnbc. we'll have live coverage tomorrow as the house prepares to take this historic vote. keep it right here on msnbc sunday for the final round of the health care battle. new this morning. a medical examiner in washington states an 8-year-old boy when went missing last week drowned. and his death was an accident. officials found carver's body on the beach thursday southwest of tacoma. the boy and his mother failed to show up at a relative's house last saturday. their van was found earlier this week. the mother is still missing. california police say they have been overwhelmed with phone calls since releasing more than 100 foeties of young women taken by the so-called dating game killer. officials say they've received more than 4 00 calls. nine women in the pictures have been identified. all of them are alive.

the 30-year-old pictures were taken by convicted killer rodney alcala, who appeared on the dating game show in the 1970s. officers in southern california on high alert and with good reason. last night someone called 911 saying a patrol car would be blown up in the next 24 to 48 hours. lee cowan reports that threat comes on the heels of several threats of a gang targeting a task force. >> reporter: the kind of guerilla tactics south of the border may no longer be just mexico's problem. over the last three months in california, bombs and booby traps have terrorized officers of the local gang task force. >> it is incredible and unprecedented that police officers in the line of duty could be subjected to these kind of terrorist attempts on their lives. >> reporter: in december, someone tried to fill their building with natural gas.

last month, a crude firearm was attached to a security gate, ridding to fire when the gate opened. just two weeks ago, the bomb squad had to be called in to remove an explosive device attached to an officer's car. >> these appear to be well planned combined with insidious devices to maim or murder law enforcement officers. >> reporter: it is those tactics that make the mexican drug war so deadly. they are as cowardly as they are cheap but they often work. which is why the fbi and the atf have been brought in to help in a case the police chief is determined to crack. >> we mean to catch them and see them spend the rest of their life in jail. >> reporter: there are no suspects, although some fear the vagos, a california motorcycle gang known for trading in meth. police have raided up some of them recently and they fear the

attacks may be retribution in a war that got more unpredictable. >> some parts of the plains are welcoming the first day of spring with some snow. there's a very fierce storm that's already slammed parts of the colorado front range with as much as 20 inches of snow. and the weather channel's mike slidell is live for us in oklahoma city. as we get a look at you, what is this? it's horizontal snow. that's terrible for you. >> reporter: yes. it's better than horizontal me. like last weekend with that storm on the east coast. you guys get the great weather. from key west to portland, maine. look at the snow out here. look how things have changed in the past hour. visibility down to it a quarter mile. it's snowing an inch now. it's 35 to 40-mile-per-hour wind gusts causing issues. a lot of folks yesterday after enjoying to 70 to 75-degree weather are rolling out of bed

saying, i don't want any part of this. all oklahoma city needs is a little under 5 inches to make it the snowiest season on the record. they had the big one on christmas eve which paralyzed the area, 13.5 inches. we're going 8 to 12 in tulsa where they've had freezing rain and sleet. it will be a quick hitter. it will be a wintry weekend here. by tuesday, we'll be back in the 60s and the snow will melt pretty quickly. get a load of this wind, just twhi whipping. we're completely exposed, kind of like the guy on the billboard. back to you. >> at least you're not foolish enough to be out there without proper attire. we'll get to the billboard story. i don't want to make you feel bad, but if you have return out there -- let's go to the split screen, on how different things are in new york city. look at times square. it will be 72 degrees here

today. it's gorgeous. >> reporter: it's almost 60 already in central park. payback for the long winter. luckily new york city dodged a couple of the big storms. philadelphia, baltimore, washington, some of the snowiest cities on record. at the end of the day, oklahoma city will be on that record too. they average 8 inches a winter and they're over 22 inches. >> mike slidell, earning every penny in his paincheck today. al qaeda running so scared it can't pull off a big-time attack. we'll talk to a form offer cia spy in just a moment. also healed, fiahead, file . you'll see why time's running out for those to claim their cash. plus, every volkswagen includes no-charge, scheduled, care-free maintenance. so, what's this punchdub days about?

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we're giving you a live look at the white house right now where president obama will leave shortly to make a visit this afternoon, a rare one to capitol hill. he is set to it meet with the rank and file democrats on the eve of the planned vote on health care legislation. we'll have a live report from the capitol hill as well coming up at the top of the hour. the director of the cia says al qaeda's on the run and lacking for leadership in the wake of an aggressive operation by the agency. this week leon panetta revealed the cia believes osama bin laden and his top deputy have gone deeper into hiding. also this week, the former cia field operative is detailing his 15 years as a convert agent in a new book called "the reluctant spy." joining me now is the author of the reluctant spy. good morning to you. >> thanks for having me. >> i'm glad you're here. it's a fascinating synopsis i read. i know you served in the cia for

15 years. what do you make of the challenges the cia is facing? and what do you make of leon panetta's statement that the al qaeda is getting further on the run? >> i think director panetta is exactly right. we've seen great success over the last ten months between afghanistan and pakistan. i think what we've seen is such heavy pressure on al qaeda and taliban leaders that they've begun moving to some of pakistan's larger cities. and then the cia, the u.s. military, and even pakistani authorities have had success in rooting them out of those cities. so far, so good. >> john, let's get to the title of the book "the reluctant spy." why were you a reluctant spy? >> i was reluctant to get into operations in the first place. i enjoyed my job as an analyst. i embraced operations and ended up having a knack for it. i was reluctant to leave the

agency. i ended up leaving for personal reasons. but i missed the agency since i left in 2004. >> let's get to something you talk about in the book. you were part of a team that caught the number three man in al qaeda in 2002. he was later water-boarded. i want to hear about the capture. what was that like? >> it was exciting. it was thrilling. but i think none of us involved really had a chance to appreciate it until it was over. we were all so nervous that something was going to go wrong or he wasn't going to be in one of the target sites. we weren't sure what to expect until we saw that we had him. >> you were told you had to stay right by you this guy. correct? >> i was. i was told 24/7 cia eyes on. those were my orders. i sat at the the foot of his bed for the next two and a half days.

>> what was that like? it didn't meet your expectations by the book's account. you thought you might talk to some stark raving mad lunatic and that wasn't the case. >> that wasn't the case at all. he was severely injured. he was shot by pakistani authorities. when he finally came out of a coma, i expected a real idealogue, someone spewing forth anti-american venom. i saw a frightened young man, much less ideological than i expected. really concerned about the fact he had been captured obviously, but also lamenting the fact he would never get married, have children. very frightened about where he was going next. >> you say he asked for a glass of red wine when he came out of that coma the first couple of days. you have a sense he thought he blew it by what, by the choice of being part of al qaeda and doing terrorist activities or

getting caught? >> no. i think he thought he had gotten in over his head. he expressed real regret at having gone as far as he had gone. he still tried to defend himself in terms of -- we argued a lot about the merits of islam versus christianity. we talked about his childhood. we talked about what he had expected for the future. but he realized he had blown it. >> when he then went into the custody of other -- by the way, during the time he was with you, didn't he have to be tied to the bed with a bed sheet? he wasn't going anywhere in the hospital. >> he was so severely wounded, he probably wasn't going anywhere anyway. i just wanted to make sure nothing happened on my watch. >> water-boarding. tell me what you think the cia was able to glean from that or those who implemented it? >> two very different questions.

the cia was able to glean actionable intelligence related to a terrorist attack. that was confirmed by former director hayden. he was also able to give us information on the group's structure that allowed us to disrupt additional attacks. the question is did it work is really the operational question. we now know he wasn't water-boarded once, which is what i thought previously. he was water-boarded 83 times. did that information come after the first time or the 20th or 83rd? it's impossible to know. that's a 83 we're never really going to be the answer to. >> author of "the reluctant spy." we'll have you back later in the morning. the top republican house leader says that the health care vote tomorrow could really cost some dems their jobs. we'll see what president obama thinks about that.

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republicans are turning up the heat over health care. minority leader john boehner is threatening that a "yes" vote will haunt democrats come november's elections. even the president acknowledged this vote could cost some democrats their jobs. >> i don't know how this plays politically. nobody really does. i don't know what's going to happen with the politics on this thing. i don't know whether my poll numbers go down, they go up, i don't know what happens in terms of democrats versus republicans. >> well, "time" magazine's white house reporter michael sherer joins us now, "why obama's team thinks he can win on health care" is his latest article. i'm glad you're here with us. you spoke with the president's top pollster and he told you that the obama team thinks there is a lot of frustration over

health care that really is just an overall frustration with congress. if you look at our latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll, it shows congress is universally hated. look at these numbers. approval, 17%. disapproval -- 77%. so the white house may have something to that point. >> and it depends how you ask the question about health care. if you ever ask a processing question, something like do you want to start over, do you think the process could be be better, should democrats and republicans work closer together, you get huge numbers. if you ask whether or not they like this health care bill, it is a closely divided question. that was the point joel is making, that right now before this is being passed, the american people are furious with the way this process has gone so far and it's difficult to disenta disentangle that anger with the actual underlying substance of this bill. it is the white house's belief that if you give a few weeks, if we pass something, if we move beyond the process, that the american people can be convinced

by november that this is a good thing. >> what do you think about the president's approval ratings? because it's down a couple of points than where it was in january. it's at 48% now. those who disapprove of it, 47%. how much of that you think has to do with health care? >> i think a lot. it is not just the american people are concerned that health care isn't the most pressing issue facing them. the economic situation is the most pressing issue. it is also this process issue. american people hate watching this stuff. after we had the loss in massachusetts -- the democrats had the loss in massachusetts in january, obama made the decision to go back for two more months of talking about the cornhusker kickback and deem and pass rules and arm-twisting in congress, and this is what the american people don't want to see. it is very predictable that obama's suffering. it is interesting that his message today, his weekend video message, was about financial regulatory reform. it is very clear that even though health care isn't done, they're very eager to move beyond this. >> you made the point about the

timing of this and that the mid-term elections, whether or not they reflect this vote ultimately remains to be seen. but with regard to the president, the approval on health care relative to the president is higher than where it stands for the gop members. you look at president's handling of all this, they say 41% we approve the way he's handled this. 57% disapprove. okay. but if you look at gop job on health care, 35% approve, 59% disapprove. so the white house is really banking on this getting done now and then by november, they hope it's a memory and a good one? >> yeah. the only people saying right now that health care is really going to hurt democrats as a whole, passing this bill now is really going to hurt democrats as a hole in november are republicans. there is not really any democratic strategist i've found or talked to who is convinced of that argument. it really a governance argument. democrats want to be able to go into november, the details of health care aside, saying we

took on the tough interests, we got something done, there is a deliverable we can provide you. then they have the task of explaining what that deliverable is. if they go into november without that, votes are already on the record, republicans are going to be running ads we've seen running, cuts in medicare and huge new entitlement, and they'll have nothing to show for it, no defense and they'll be stuck in this process mode instead of being able to talk about a deliverable. >> mike, thanks so much. check out firstread first thing every morning. get news and analysis from nbc's political team for you. topping this morning's "yes it's true," imagine not wanting your tax refund? the irs says almost 1 1/2 million taxpayers haven't filed their taxes from 2006 and they're due an average of more than $600. this if they don't file by april 15th, they could collectively lose $1.5 billion. this indiana man has to wear a sign of apology for posting

and obscene message on a teen's myspace page. he was also ordered to do community service and send a letter of apology. in dallas traffic was at a standstill. while this naked man danced away, the cops fired a fire ladder to get him down. someone suspected the guy may be under the influence. really? ya think? police may need dental records to solve a crime. we'll explain on msnbc saturday.

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