and welcome back to "morning joe." let's faulk about what we learned today. mickka, what have you learned today? >> figure if savannah guthrie week and i'm in love. >> with? >> joe biden. >> she does. she really does love joe. >> join the club. >> get in line. we all love joe biden. dylan rhadigan, what have you

learned today? >> after melanie bluhm left she gave willie and i bunch of tips how to prevent deep vein thrombosis. you've got to do a lot of this kind of stuff. move around, joe. don't be just sitting there anymore. >> willie, what did you learn today? >> i'm just going to say it dylan's been telling me about his new lifestyle. he's not a morning man anymore. he lives like a french poet, joe. it's unbelievable. >> i love it because actually. >> mine's the poetry. >> chris, did you learn anything today about your old school? >> yeah. >> i learn that had syracuse was an utter disappointment. >> ouch. >> it sucked. >> you called them much worse. >> he said they sucked. >> sorry. >> everybody, have a great weekend. we've got a wonderful historic week. seriously we say it all the time here. keep calm. carry on. and don't give in to hate. willie geist, if it's way too early, what time is it.

>> it's "morning joe." but right now it's time for the daily rundown"ing with chuck and savannah. >> they're going to run on a platform of repeal in november. you've been hearing that. and my attitude is go for it. >> it's on. health care is the law. it's all over, but the selling now. >> over? and you thought health care was hard, try the housing crisis. the white house is rolling out yet another attempt to deal with this foreclosure crisis. it's march 26th, 2010. i'm chuck todd. >> good morning, i'm savannah guthrie. once more with feeling this time we mean it. the health care saga in congress is over. more and that a year of debateses, rallies and attacks ended with final house approval of the fix-it bill last night. kelly o'donnell is with us this morning. kelly, you must be happy. it's over in congress but it's not really over, is it.

>> i think we're going to have to keep telling people we really mean it, it's really done at least in this chapter because we've talked about slipped deadlines so many times. what happens next? well, republicans i talk to actually liked the challenge from the president the clip you just played of go for it, try to repeal it because that's exactly what they say they want to do and think they can still get a lot of on going energy from their voters. they've got a problem now with the appearances of threats and vandalism wanting to walk that careful careful line to allow people to vent whatever concerns they have but keeping it in check. democrats are very happy to go home in certain districts where they feel that they can show accomplishment and they'll keep talking about it. so it's over for the voting. we'll still be talking. >> how long is the recess. >> two weeks. and a lot of members have town hall meetings planned, have opportunities to do their local radio at home and lots of chances for them to be up close and in the face of their voters to really get a sense what have things are doing.

but they also say tons of phone calls coming into their offices. >> big thing i'm told to watch for, if there are any retirements. this is the last big recess. >> yes, it is. >> of potential retirements going into 2010. that will be the scorecard on health care. >> that first monday into the recess, we've seen a couple examples where we thought we might have an easy day and someone says i'm going to hang it up. >> we'll be watching. >> kelly o'donnell, your work is not done. thanks for the coverage on health care. >> thank you. >> so with health care reform signed and sealed, well not all of it signed yet but will be next week, president obama is turning to housing today. the white house is ready to revamp a foreclosure relief program that's been coming up very, very short. mike viqueira is at the white house for thus morning. mike, this has been something that some say on the economy is a ticking time bomb when it comes to these foreclosures. >> a couple unexpected things that happened in the economy that weren't factored in. last year we went through a similar exercise about all the

foreclosures that were helping to bring the economy down. first, prices continue to drop, second the unemployment rate continued to stay high. but for the first time now, the government will require lenders to cut or even eliminate mortgage payments for unemployed workers cut to about 31% of income. that's about the rate of unemployment benefits that you get in this country if you are getting those benefits. it also for the first time the government will give incentives to firms to write down the principal on your mortgage if you are underwater. in other words, if you owe more on your house and that the house is actually worth on the open market. it is an answer to a lot of what is happening with the unemployment rate, unemployed borrowers. they've also run into problems with second liens, the people have been unable to follow the program that the fha and government had put forward. so this is the obama administration trying to do more to stem this tide of foreclosures that has been so detrimental to the economy over the past year.

>> mike viqueira at the white house for thus morning. it's going to be a busy day there. we're going to get into more of that in a minute. savannah, quickly on this housing thing, this has not gone very well. less and that 200,000 have been able to modify their mortgages. this is a big problem. >> to the extent it hasn't been fixed the economy really can't bounce back. so they've got to address it, no question. it's reunion time in arizona today. he made her a national figure. today she will try to repay the favor by injecting some conservative street cred into his campaign. mccain and palin reunited on the trail this week. chief washington correspondent norah o'donnell is in tucson, arizona this morning. norah, it's very interesting. they really stood by each other, weathered the storm and now palin's coming to help him out in a pretty tough campaign, right? >> reporter: that's right. reunited and john mccain hopes it feels so good with voters here in this state because is he facing a really tough challenge

from the political right. a primary challenge from j.d. hayworth, a former congressman. some polls put it at 10%. so he needs sarah palin now. he made her a star. she's now repaying the favor. she's coming here today. she's going to host two rallies for him today and tomorrow. a big fund-raiser in order to shore up john mccain's conservative credentials in this state. he is facing his toughest re-election battle in the 24 years he's been in the senate. what are the big issues? one, immigration. voters in this state don't like he has tried to provide a pathway for citizenship to his vote for the t.a.r.p., those bank bailouts. that's something a lot of conservatives and tea party supporters don't like. there's this distrust that mccain is a real republican or a true conservative because he's more of a maverick. he spent his life being a maverick who bucked his party. those are the key issues sources

i've talked to that hurt mccain and yes needs palin to vouch for him. >> norah o'donnell in tucson, arizona for us today. it should be a fascinating weekend. sarah palin also going to nevada, searchlight for a big tea party event. thanks very much. going to be a wild sort of couple of days to see if sarah palin can keep the momentum going there for the conservative movement. there's more controversy for pope benedict today as allegations continue about his handling of sexual abuse cases before he was pope. nbc's jim maceda is in london for thus morning. boy, yesterday we thought the news had gotten worse and today it seems to be getting even more harmful to the pope. >> reporter: absolutely, chuck. good to be with us again. there is still is the bottom line, there is still no smoking gun but these documents that appeared in the "new york times" are most ofly minutes from a meeting back in january of 1980 at a munich's archdiocese. that was chaired at the time by

archbishop joseph ratzinger, now pope benedict. these documents do show it seems that the transfer of an accused pedophile priest, a man named reverend peter huliriman was approved at that meeting chaired by ratzinger. the controversial decision to allow the reverend to actually continue working doing pastoral work, serving the community in his parish, including being with young boys was copied in a separate memo to archbishop ratzinger. we assume that ratzinger read that memo. this raises all kinds of questions about the future pope's actions, his judgment, his leadership, why didn't he seek prosecution against that priest who by the way, eventually in 1986 was in a civil case convicted of sexual abuse of at least dozens of mostly young al tarl boys in germany. so yes, it is tightening around the pope, it would seem. of course, the vatican at the same time, chuck is, defending the pope saying this is all a

big smear campaign by the press that's out to get him. >> jim maceda for us in london on the story that has been years in the making and not going away for the catholic church. one quick news headline we need to share this morning. president obama is going to be calling up the russian president medvedev and they're going to agree to a new start nuclear disarmament treaty to bring down the nuclear weapons arsenals to record low levels. >> they're going to have a briefing this morning. hillary clinton, admiral mullen among others. >> and gates, as well. this is one of those as they say it will be in their mind a historical week because they were able to get something big domestically and internationally done at the same time. >> a signing ceremony perhaps in prague in early april. president obama is daring republicans to repeal health care reform while trying to convince the public the law works for them. >> up next, we ask what's next for democrats with senator claire mccaskill. >> and later, tackling health

care might look easy compared to trying to salvage the home market. does this one have a chance? we'll get into it with a panel of experts. >> first a look ahead at the president's schedule. he would call the russian president at 10:00 a.m. secretary gates, admiral mullen. we won't see the president because he's going to camp david after his day is done. >> we don't know what he might be reading m morning but here's a hint. he's at an iowa bookstore picking up books written by some republicans. picking them up. there it is, karl rove, mitt romney but not buying. he ended up spending about $37 on children's books. you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. increase in 6 months. pete, back it up! ( marker squeaking ) when business travel leaves you drained, re-charge with comfort suites.

spacious rooms, free hi-speed internet, and free hot breakfast. comfort suites. power up. now stay two separate times with comfort suites... or any choice hotel and earn a free night. book at choicehotels.com. vo:but at walmart? the same 10 a nidollars can buy so much more.l drug store. more easter. plus great new rollbacks. that's worth hopping in for. save money. live better. walmart. (announcer) not just sinus headache... ahhhh! but pressure... and congestion. introducing sudafed pe® triple action™. for more complete relief from the sinus triple threat. sudafed pe® triple action™. more complete relief.

the health care saga in congress is over at least for now. republicans are vowing to run on repeal and replace. the president's response yesterday in iowa basically bring it on. >> my attitude is, go for it. if these congressmen in washington want to come here in iowa and tell small business owners that they plan to take away their tax credits and essentially raise their taxes, be my guest. >> well, here with us now democratic senator claire mccaskill. i got to ask you, what do you think of that bravado there from the president, this go for it daring the republicans to have this debate that is at the right tone to set this week? >> well, i think he is doing something that we badly needed. and that is energizing the millions of people who worked for his election by reminding

them that he has accomplished what no other president has accomplished and that is major health care reform. so as you well know, elections are about two things. enthusiasm and whether or not the independent voters are buying it, and i think he's got to work on both of those fronts for the next few months. >> do you think that that tone though is overconfident considering, i mean, this is a country that still remains pretty divided over this health care law. >> well, you know, he was i'm sure he was feeding off the enthusiasm and i'm sure he is thrilled that this was accomplished. i think as time goes on, the benefits are going to begin to be felt, but this is going to take some time for the american people to realize that this was not the demon bill that they thought it was. this is -- they really overplayed their hand, and i think that's going to help with us independent voters when the american public understands that this is an incremental approach over years, it is going to rein in insurance companies.

it is going to help small businesses, i think frankly, this bill will get stronger and stronger as time goes on. >> let me ask you about the tone on the hill right now. as you know, there have been threats directed at members of congress on both sides of the aisle. let me play you what erik captor, the house minority whip said yesterday. take a lis. >> and security threats against members of congress is not a partisan issue. and they should never be treated that way. >> do you think republicans responded forcefully enough to news of some of these threats and secondly, in your body, in the senate chamber, has the tone really been hurt the collegiality as republicans have said reconciliation was tantamount to a declaration of war? >> well, first of all i agree with eric cantor that we should not politicize security threats. on the other hand, the debate got really ugly at the end. and i was surprised that republican leaders didn't step forward and say, this is not the

tone that we should be using. and i think, frankly, they didn't step forward because a lot of them are worried about the base of their party right now. if you look at some of the conservative republicans that are threatened by the right, the far right of their party, i think they're very worried about even sending any signal that they disapproved of some of the name calling ta was going on at the end. so i do fault them for not ratcheting down the vitriole and the anger and saying this is america. what we're most proud of is our ability to disagree in a way that is not disagreeable. now, having said that, i think the republicans in the senate have probably gone too far a couple of times. i think calling off the hearings the other day was a ridiculous notion. i mean, why should we not work for gosh sakes? while we're debating health care? that was just silly. i think they're going to have to

be careful that they don't go too far on ob trucksnism. they're trying to please their base but in play are the independent voters that gave us the back of their hand when the deal was cut with ben nelson at the end of december. and now i think they're in danger of the independent voters saying you know, i think you guys are going too far. i think they're overreaching. >> what do you make, speaking of party bases and you're talking about the republicans having to overreact to their base. what's happening to bob bennett in utah and blank lincoln in arkansas? >> well, i think it's interesting. and it's not just, i mean frankly, the republicans have more of these viable challengers from the right. look at charlie crist in florida. you've got john mccain in. >> the democrats have arkansas, colorado, michael bennett, arlen specter and blank lincoln being challenged from the left. you mengszed the republican one. >> you're right, chuck.

i think it's one of those things that is difficult. you know, when is have you been a moderate your base gets impatient sometimes. i understand that. but people need to remember the party that has the moderates is the party that governs. when the moderates are gone, you're no longer in the majority. that's what's happened in the republican party. they are not in the majority because the moderates that are on capitol hill are democrats. and i think we need to be very careful in our party not to demand so much from members of our party that we lose that will moderate middle which i think is essential. >> it sounds like you're making -- you think that senator lincoln is being unfairly attacked? >> well, i don't like to see those kind of resources being brought in against a sitting democrat. there's a lot of money they're going to spend in arkansas. and you know, had i somebody say the other day, they don't get it. we had a mandate for change. well, there wasn't a mandate for change in arkansas with all due respect or in nebraska.

those are states that the president lost by very healthy margins. so the fact that there are democrats from those states, they're trying to represent their state, not the democratic party. and i respect that. >> all right. senator claire mccaskill, it's nice to have you on "the daily rundown." wait, the big east is over. the big east is over. >> it's not over yet. >> west virginia, come on. >> i know. i find myself in the weird position of cheering for ken starr, the president ef baylor. >> baylor and kansas state both left. >> watch kansas state. watch those wildcats. i think they may do it. >> i'd love to see butler in the final four. it's what i have left if kansas doesn't win it at all. >> all right. thank you. good to see you. >> appreciate it. coming up, another big blow for toyota this morning. what is forcing the automaker to stop production overseas temporarily. >> plus today's decision 2010 as sarah palin and john mccain reunite in arizona.

we'll bring a list of top ten primaries. >> first with president obama and russian president dmitry medvedev expected to nunsz a new agreement on a nuclear arms treat, it's all washington speak for nuclear arms treaties and talks. >> s.t.a.r.t. stands for strategic arms reduction treaty. so the salt strategic arms limitation talks. on that one we decided not to use the "t" in strategic and s.o.r.t. strategy sick offense sib reductions treaty. start, salt, sort. rinse and repeat. >> this is "the daily rundown" on msnbc. somewhere in america... there's a home by the sea powered by the wind on the plains. there's a hospital where technology

has a healing touch. there's a factory giving old industries new life. and there's a train that got a whole city moving again. somewhere in america, the toughest questions are answered every day. because somewhere in america, more than sixty thousand people spend every day answering them. siemens. answers. [ male announcer ] competition... it pushes us to work harder. to be better. to win. but sometimes even rivals realize they share a common goal. america's beverage companies have removed full-calorie soft drinks from schools, reducing beverage calories by 88%. together with schools, we're helping kids make more balanced choices every day. ♪

oh, just come snuggle with momma! missing something? now at sears optical, get 2 pairs of glasses for $99.99. with bifocals just $25 more per pair. sears optical. don't miss a thing. but there's one that makes your skin look better even after you take it off. 98% of women who tried neutrogena healthy skin makeup thought so. does your makeup do that? neutrogena cosmetics.

yeah, this trip is way overdue. i just can't wait to see all those crunchy flakes in action. i hope i get a chance to put two scoops!™ of raisins in some boxes. you know what will really get us in the spirit? ♪ 99 boxes of raisin bran crunch ♪ ♪ if you're nice to me i'll share some with you ♪ ♪ you take one down ( and pass it around ) ♪ ♪ 98 boxes of raisin bran crunch ♪ three tasty ingredients, one great combination. ♪ raisin bran crunch! from kellogg!

9:24 on the east coast, 6:24 in the west. plummeting demand for cars is forcing toyota to temporarily suspend production at factories in britain and france. meanwhile here in the u.s., toyota's attorneys have asked a panel of judges to consolidate some 200 lawsuits filed against the company over those sudden acceleration problems. iraqi election officials say they will announce the full results of this month's parliamentary elections later today despite calls for a delay amid fears of violence. tens of thousands turned out in miami thursday to march in silent support of cuba's so-called ladies in white. the group of women were attacked by cuban security forces in havana last week. singer gloria estefan helped lead the rally. a surprise for police in texas after chasing a suspect at speeds topping 100 miles an hour, they finally got their guy only to discover the driver was a 12-year-old boy. seems the boy was upset with his

father and wanted to go live with his mother and get there fast i guess. he's now in juvenile detention. and now to chuck and the 2010. >> look is, in just hours the mccain/palin campaign tour kicks off in ernest. we're rolling out the political unit's latest top ten primary rankings. the family feuds we love to watch and are most relevant right now. the republicans loud is versus tarkanian. even as they're rolling into harry reid's hometown of searchlight this weekend, they put up ads like this one by tarkanian to remind us they may get in their own way. >> have you heard that the stimulus bill funded a turtle tunnel in florida? let's protect our nation's borders and let others take care of the turtles. >> number nine, colorado senate, the democrats bennett versus romanov. number eight, arizona snats. mccain versus hey hjorth.

number seven, south carolina governor, it's a crowded field. they're all running against washington. henry mcmaster is one of the many republican attorneys general who's also suing the feds over the health care bill. kentucky senate, conway versus mongiardo. mongiardo is already gearing up for the general telling kentuckyians don't drink the tea. pennsylvania senate, specter ss sestak. utah senate, it's bennett versus anybody but bennett. because even as bob is putting up web videos like this one -- >> an out of utah organization that couldn't care less who the utah senator is. all they want is some kind of national publicity for their ability to knock off a republican in a primary. >> bennett's own polling has him apparently in third place in those caucuses trailing anybody but bennett and undecided.

the governor gary herbert said yesterday he's staying out of the race, won't even endorse. and bennett's own sister who pledged to support him was rejects as a delegate in the caucuses on tuesday tells you everything. remember only the top twro get to advance in the primary. kentucky senate, the republicans grayson versus paul. the establishment versus the tea party. while the whole country is watching the wildcats we're watching this bloody kentucky contest. number two, arkansas senate, the democrats lincoln versus halter. three senate democrats voted against reconciliation yesterday. two were from arkansas one was blank lincoln. a new poll has halter gaining ground against lincoln. she is under 45. will those undecideds go to her? they both trail likely republican nominee john boozman. still number one in your hearts,

florida senate, it's crist rs rubio. sunday they go to the mats in their first debate. it's probably fitting this debate in florida is going to be on national television on fox news. >> interesting. all right, chuck, thanks. members of congress fighting the stimulus while looking for their own cut of the money we'll lift the veil on stimulus hypothetical chriscy. team obama announcing new protections for struggling homeowners today. will this relief plan finally go far enough? first today's trivia question. who is the last successful spouse to succeed his or her living partner in congress? the answer and more straight from the files of chuck's trivia questions straight ahead on msnbc. pollen.

when i really liked to be outside, i did not like suffering from nasal allergy symptoms like congestion. but nasonex relief may i say... bee-utiful! prescription nasonex is proven to help relieve indoor and outdoor nasal allergy symptoms like congestion, runny and itchy nose and sneezing. (announcer) side effects were generally mild and included headache. viral infection, sore throat, nosebleeds and coughing. ask your doctor about symptom relief with nasonex. and save up to $15 off your refills. go to nasonex.com for details, terms and conditions.

imagine that kind of vitality... in your skin. aveeno introduces ageless vitality. as skin ages, elastin fibers break down. this exclusive biomineral concentrate system... has active naturals ingredients shown to multiply... elastin's elements. i'm impressed. the study showed improved firmness, texture, wrinkles, or spots in 100% of women. how uplifting is that? new ageless vitality. save $15 at aveeno.com. that's the beauty of nature and science.

a quick look what's driving the day. >> at 10:00 a.m., house speaker nancy pelosi will preside over the signing ceremony for the health reform bill. the bill can then go to the president's desk to be signed. that is expected early next week. sarah palin hits the campaign trail again today. this time on behalf of her former running mate, john mccain. it is the first time the two have campaigned together since their run for the white house. and new numbers from the commerce department show the economy grew at a rate of 5.6% at the end of last year. that is a slower pace and that previously reported but still the fastest gdp growth since 2003. >> people should realize that's sort of a reestimation, sort of a harder number from that original gdp number. >> but they issue the numbers early and then they revise them. >> it always seems to revise downward. >> "nbc nightly news" las been looking at the fleecing of

america. our stories are about our taxpayer dollars being wasted. the debate and implementation of that $800 billion stimulus has produced accusations of both. >> have all members voted? >> when congress voted to pass that $800 billion plus stimulus bill last year, snoorkts conference report is adopted. >> almost all republicans voted against it too much spending they complained, too many nonessential programs and so-called pork projects. >> this trillion dollar baby is loaded with pet programs and wasteful spending. >> it's full of waste. >> it puts too big a burden on our future generations. >> but in the year since, some of the most vocal critics have become stimulus boosters at least back home. here's representative phil gingrey of georgia on the date of the vote. >> congress should though this greasy pile of pork into the grinder. >> but his no vote didn't stop

him from lobbying for the money and taking credit for bringing some of the pork home. here he is with a giant check all stimulus money to spend on improvements to one georgia city's downtown. he says it would be irresponsible if he didn't secure some of the money for his district. gingrey was one of 113 members of congress who voted against the stimulus and then turned around and wrote the department of transportation asking for a piece of the pie. five months after his no vote, delaware republican mike castle poses with a check from the epa. $19 million stimulus dollars for wastewater infrastructure projects. he signed three letters to the department of transportation in strong support of stimulus applications for projects in his home state. castle a leading candidate for the senate this year says he supported these programs even before the stimulus was passed and that delaware deserves its fair share of funding regardless of how he voted. before the vote, mitch mcconnell railed against waste in the bill. >> $100 million for grants to small shipyards, nearly $1

billion to spruce up parks. we have no an insurance it will create jobs or revive the economy. >> seven months later he wrote five letters expressing support for stimulus grants for his home state of kentucky including a small river port and money to spruce up one city's bike trails and parks. in an e-mail a spokesman wrote mcconnell believes applications for grants for kentuckyians should receive full and fair consideration just like those from other states. here's freshman republican erik shock during the debate. >> i urge a no vote. >> months later he wrote letters in support of more and that $100 million for various illinois highway, rail and pork projects. he sees no contradiction. >> if there's going to be a quadrupling nation's deficit spending and my constituents, their children and grandchildren are going to be on the line to pay for it, they ought to see benefit from it. the available funds that the federal government appropriates

ought to be fairly and adequately spent across the country. >> at least two of the seven democratic house member who's voted no later supported stimulus money requests. but most of the anti-stimulus voter who's changed their tune were republicans. not surprisingly, democratic groups have been pouncing with online barrages about republican stimulus hypocrisy. even the president's weighed in. >> they're trying to vote against their cake and eat it, too. >> some conservative republicans see a problem, too. like former indiana republican member of congress ris chocola, now ceo of the club for growth. >> a vote no for the funding of the project that you're supporting, that's where the hypocrisy begins. it's unfortunately the behavior has become accepted in washington. that you can vote know and take the dough. >> public money, public trust. a question of business as usual

the nation's capital. >> and that was produced by ali weinberg. an interesting look. this is something the president complained about that people who didn't like the stimulus didn't mind taking the money. fascinating look. >> there it is. this block brought to you by chuck. he also provided the trivia question for the day. this was a hard one. harder and that usual and has a pretty cool answer. who was the last woman to run successfully to succeed her living husband in congress? >> dennis moore, kansas's third district congressman is retiring and now it looks like his wife stephanie will run for the seat. it was catherine langley in 1926 out of kentucky, theme of the day today. yesterday was arizona. today it's kentucky. her husband john langley was convicted of trying to sell 1400 bottles of whiskey during prohibition. he won re-election during his appeal. when the supreme court refused to overturn his conviction, he resigned and went to prison.

there was a special election but catherine langley beat the person in the special election and eventually got her husband pardoned by calvin coolidge after she won her second term in 1928. >> he wanted his seat back. she issued a statement saying she would not step aside for john or anyone else. he did not run. go ladies. >> she was nos will your lean wallace who was the only one of these where you had a spouse succeed a living spouse. >> i was about to say ha. >> the white house taking another stab at helping homeowners today but there's still a lot of debate how much it will help and how quickly. we're going to try to clear it up next with john harwood and steve lease pan. >> plus cornell's cinderella story comes to an end in march madness. what does na mean for chuck's bracket? that hurts. let's its focus on happier things. the white house soup of the day. new england clam chowder on a friday. >> it's feeling a little clammy

outside. >> it is feeling clammy a little. wet, uncomfortable. >> a good day for cham who youder. >> we're crabby about the weather. get it? we'll be right back. >> it's clam. there's no crab in it. (announcer) the sinus triple threat. (announcer) not just sinus headache... ahhhh! but pressure... and congestion. introducing sudafed pe® triple action™. for more complete relief from the sinus triple threat. sudafed pe® triple action™. more complete relief. increase in 6 months. pete, back it up! ( marker squeaking ) when business travel leaves you drained, re-charge with comfort suites. spacious rooms, free hi-speed internet, and free hot breakfast.

comfort suites. power up. now stay two separate times with comfort suites... or any choice hotel and earn a free night. book at choicehotels.com. your p.a.d. isn't just poor circulation in your legs causing you pain. ok. what is it? dad, it more than doubles your risk of a heart attack or stroke. you'd better read about plavix. if you have p.a.d., plavix can help protect you from a heart attack or stroke. plavix helps keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots- the cause of most heart attacks and strokes.

talk with your doctor about plavix? i'll do it. promise. (announcer) people with stomach ulcers or other conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. certain genetic factors and some medicines, such as prilosec, may affect how plavix works. tell your doctor all the medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than two weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. ♪ spread a little somethin' to remember ♪ ♪ spread a little joy and see ♪ need a little happiness to be ♪ ♪ living the life with me philadelphia cream cheese and i are looking for the next big cooking stars!

four y'all will get $25,000 each. so send in those cooking videos. go to the real women of philadelphia on pauladeen.com and spread a little cooking love! it's the daily flash back". 1979 on this date, it was a ceremony at the white house. egyptian president and war sa dad, and israeli prime minister pa knack chem a baggen signed a historic peace agreement establishing diplomatic and commercial ties. right now it's about the only piece of diplomatic relations that israel has kept up in the middle east and vice versa. >> the pictures make it look so easy. speaking of a tough problem, the obama administration is responding today to growing complaints it is not doing enough to help struggling homeowners. the white house will announce new plans today to help lower mortgage payments for those most at risk for foreclosure.

borrowers who are up employed or underwater. >> joining us now john harwood and steve liesman. john, i want to start with you. give us the bakes here. how is it that an unemployed folks, are the banks really going to do this? we were told the banks were going to modify mortgages a year ago. >> they've been reluctant to play so far. i think that will mood has changed somewhat. the administration is putting $14 billion on the table of t.a.r.p. money to try to encourage them to do this. >> no new taxpayer dollars right now. >> that's right. they want to take people who are out of work and try to get them assistance for three months on their mortgages if unemployed. a broader effort to assist people whose mortgages are underwater. not just people who are in financial distress but broadly speaking trying to lift up the housing market a little bit. unemployment rates is not the only thing that is an indicator

of the economic distress we're feeling. housing is a big key. >> it is. i want to pick up on that larger point. and play you something that happened at a hearing yesterday. somebody representing housing, national community reinvestment group had a quite visual display. let us show it to you. it really puts the problem in perspective. >> these keys represent a home. what will happen while we have this hearing. these are the amount of homes they're going to help out of this lot. there is what the program is going to help. your fans as the fannie and freddie. here's what they're going to do in that same period of time. if you think that this is success, then you know, continue the way things are. we spent trillions for wall street. this is an electrical for main street. >> steve liesman, what about it? i think that really puts a fine point on how difficult a problem this is, but speaking of keys, housing is really the key to getting this economy back on its

feet. >> yeah, it's certainly one of the keys savannah. i think that display underscored the political problem that the administration faced and the pressure that they were facing, that there were all this money that was given to wall street and they kept trying to do different programs and kept kind of nudging up to the edge of where they are right now. now they've taken i think a more significant step. what everybody has been screaming, people in the housing market in the know who i've known have been like principal write down. you must write down the principal. here's the administration with a series of incentives to help banks write down principal and keep people in homes. i would add though that this doesn't solve the political problem for the administration because they're going to get it now from the other side. there's going to be people in america who say wait a second, i didn't overborrow. i didn't extend myself too far. why should i hope those people who did. >> i guess my question to you, john, is why is writing down principal a good thing? i mean, you know, people borrowed money at what the

price. >> other and that for the home owner. >> it's great for the homeowner. this doesn't seem like -- this seems like you're manipulating a market in a way that's kind of scary to some. >> you are, but i think their argument to that and to the objection that steve just mentioned the complaint from those who think it's unfair is this market got seriously out of what can and the housing bubble was something that nobody anticipated. the regulators didn't do a good job of getting on top of the situation. >> wait a minute. nobody anticipated? everybody could see, it was people would openly talk about it. boy this real estate run's unbelievable. it's going to come to an end. >> right but i don't think anybody saw the depth of the crash. and the difficulty, the number of millions of people who were going to be put in difficulty. i think the administration's view now is you've got people with a serious problem. we're going to swallow the unfairness of it, deal with those people. we'll take the flack from the people who say it's unfair. they're probably not going to vote for our side anyway and trying to put assistance out

there. i talked to mark zandy who said he thinks this will be a significant boost to the economy. it gets to your point, savannah, it will brighten the outlook for the rest of the year if this plan gets executed. >> go ahead, steve. >> just going to say, beyond the politics, i would say the economics are as follows -- you can pay me now or pay me later. the administration could put some money out there to try to stop foreclosures or can let these go. the foreclosures end up sinking the banks, the government takes over the banks government gets the real estate, else is the real estate at half price and ends up sinking the market. so the conclusion of the government here is it's better off paying on the front end and that letting it go to an rtc type conclusions like we had in the s & l crisis. >> what about the banks? it was a year ago or so that the administration unveiled its first foreclosure mitigation plan and it hasn't worked out that well. do you think the banks in this year an that's passed have realized we have to start forgiving some of these loans

and making it easier because otherwise, that's the best course of action for us? is that the argument being made to them? >> there's no guarantees and what wee we can't know is did the administration get the economic insentatives right to motivate the banks to write down this principal. there's a social component here, obviously helping unemployed. dealing with second liens. there's another which is how do you stop, for example, good borrowers from walking away from homes that are underwater? that is their mortgages are worth more and that the house is. that's another component that's in here. is the administration has tried to use as much as possible some market principles to just get the market to do that which it can't do on its own or it needs to be done faster. >> and final question, john. i've heard this complaint from friends and family members. which is refinancing has become more difficult because banks have raised the credit scores, they're suddenly getting tough on how much money they hand out. but that's exact opposite of what the administration needs right now.

how do they fix that sort of disconnect? >> well, it is a problem because if you discourage people from making loans because they think their loans are going to be modified later that doesn't help all the people trying to get them. i think the administration is sort of balancing the set of problems they've got and this is the one, you've got 11 million people in this country who are underwater. that's a real rick for them and they've got to try to deal with that. this is one example, by the way, of the benefits of being beyond health care. this is not just one of a hundred things they're doing. this is prime focus for the administration right now. >> big, big places. >> john harwood is, steve liesman, thanks so much for all your time this morning. >> all right, guys. coming up, another top seed gets tossed in march madness. it's march sadness for some in syracuse. >> plus, uncovering the ugly truth about fast food. do you know what is really lurking in that happy meal? >> out of sight, out of mind. just minutes from now, house speaker nancy pelosi and

congressional democrats will hold the enrollment ceremony for the fix its. it goes in a bread box as we noted and heads off to the breae noted. it won't get signed until next week. stay with msnbc for the ceremonial box movement for coverage. >> you can follow us on twitter,@chuck todd,@savannah todd. >> if you followed me you would have the answer to the question. if you miss the show the whole thing at noon at rundown@msnbc.com. back in a minute. imagine skin so healthy, it never gets dry again.

can your moisturizer do that? dermatologist recommended aveeno has an oat formula... now proven to build a moisture reserve... so skin can replenish itself. that's healthy skin for life. save at aveeno.com. oh, just come snuggle with momma! missing something? now at sears optical, get 2 pairs of glasses for $99.99.

with bifocals just $25 more per pair. sears optical. don't miss a thing.

you know what i want for my birthday? i think it's going to be a stove or kitchen, i'm just thinking. and that's good. i want a pool table. i've always wanted a pool table.

i want a pool table. we'll see how i do. >> she said it three times. pool table. happy birthday. nancy pelosi, the speaker of the house turns 70 today. we thought she'd say health care reform was her present, apparently she has dreams of becoming a pool shark. speaking of pool, it's time to take a dip in the shallow end. you're going to want to wash off after hearing the next story. the new health care law requires chain restaurants to prominently display calorie counts on the menu, which ruins the meal. in honor of the reality we're about to face. "the daily beast" compiled a list of the 40 deadliest meals. tops on the list, baconator triple. even the name is out to get you, three patties, three slices of cheese, nine pieces of bacon. over 1300 calories and 86 grams of fath. bk quad stacker at burger king.

why people would be shocked stacking burgers is bad, i don't know. this will cost 930 calories. don't let salad fool you, 900 calories, 57 grams of fath in the chipotle steak taco, mcdonald's, even subway takes the list. we should start taking our lunch. >> what if you get a diet coke. doesn't that fix everything? >> that fixes everything. >> ncaa returns to action. fifth seeded butler one game away at playing a home game at the final four in minneapolis. they withstood a rally from top seeded syracuse who was a man down, 63-59. kansas state took the rematch in xavier into double overtime. it was easily the game of the night before closing out the musketeers from ohio. backcourt combining 53 points in the win. that first overtime was some of the most pure great shooting you're going to see.

west virginia lost to an injury, didn't stop the steam from moving to elite eight. went into halftime behind but came out and disposed of washington and huskies from the northwest. favorite, kentucky made short work of cinderella big red, only 16 points in the first half making it easy for the wildcats the rest of the way. some fun little matchup, kentucky, west virginia. tomorrow on the elite eight. go boilermakers. let's see another indiana team beat duke. >> is that for david shuster. >> any time you say anti-duke things a lot of things, including david shuster will be fired up about that. >> david shuster next, andrea mitchell at 1:00. have a great weekend and we'll see you monday. boss: y'know, geico opened its doors back in 1936

and now we're insuring over 18 million drivers. gecko: quite impressive, yeah. boss: come a long way, that's for sure. and so have you since you started working here way back when. gecko: ah, i still have nightmares. anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. [ woman ] nine iron, it's almost tee-time. time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze, my eyes water. but with new zyrtec® liquid gels, i get allergy relief at liquid speed. that's the fast, powerful relief of zyrtec®, now in a liquid gel. zyrtec® is the fastest 24-hour allergy medicine.