yeah. didn't carry the day. well john mccain hasn't stopped fighting for us. in fact the day he went back into office as united states senator, when the campaign was over, he didn't hang his head. he didn't take a break. he got right back to work. on the first day back in congress, he introduced pieces of legislation. and that is, was just the start of his continued work for the great state of arizona. and america. you know, that doesn't sound like the party of no and having no solutions. that's not the party of no. it sounds to me like john mccain is leading the party of ideas. and he's standing up, john mccain is standing up for the time-tested truths that have built this country into the greatest country on earth. and it's why we are so proud to be americans. and we don't apologize for america. he has stood up for these

truths. the belief that the government that governs least, governs best. and that the constitution provides the path to be on to form a more perfect union. it's the constitution and that's why we fight to protect it. the belief that only limited government can provide the opportunity, opportunity for prosperity for all equally. and that freedom is a god-given right, and it's worth fighting for. and our belief that america's finest are men and women in uniform, are a force for good in this world. and that's nothing to apologize for. these are the principles that great men like ronald reagan and barry goldwater, they embraced,

they believed in. it's what john mccain is fighting for. so arizona, if you believe in the principles that made this country great, if you want conservative solutions and common-sense leadership, if you want real leadership, and not just rhetoric, not just talk, blah, blah, blah, if you want somebody to fight for what it is that this state and this country needs, then i'm asking to you vote for john mccain. let's send the maverick back to the senate and ladies and gentlemen, it's my honor to introduce to you your senator an american hero, john mccain. >> thank you, thank you, sarah. thank you all. thank you. thank you, can i just say isn't this two wonderful people, todd and sarah palin, wonderful and great americans, an inspiration to all of us. i want to tell you again, when

sarah and todd agreed to join me and cindy on the ticket, she energized america -- >> well, good afternoon to you. i am dylan ratigan. as you just saw today on the road with the republicans, sarah palin rolling into the desert for john mccain as the tea party express shifts into high gear in this country. but are they driving the gop off a cliff? plus, the nation's marijuana laws may be about to go up in smoke. we're connecting the dots between legalization, immigration, california's potential bankruptcy, and the drug war that's being fought on our southern border. all of that, plus your emails and tweets in our friday mailbag. the show starts right now. well good friday afternoon to you. in america today as you just saw, the republicans trying to find a political gps that will put them on the road back to

power. but they can't seem to nail down a route or get everybody on the bus. the straight talk express just rolled into tucson, arizona over the past hour. with a maverick in the driver's seat, as you saw, senator john mccain riding again with his '08 running mate, sarah palin. here she is, just moments ago. >> i couldn't wait to get some of the mccain-palin team back together again. i knew this would be fun. a lot of things have changed, though, since the last time we were together. one of those things is that john, nobody gave us a teleprompter this go-round. so -- it's time to kick it old-school again, resort to the old poor man's version of the teleprompter, write the notes on my hand again. he's never been one to just go with the flow. i'm from alaska, i'm a commercial fishermen. we watch the way that the fish run and we see that only dead fish go with the flow. >> well, just north, the tea

party express's 23-state bus tour kicks off in nevada ending on tax day in washington, d.c., with the message that the federal government is steering this nation off-course by spending money that we don't have. and then there's the party of no busth and right now, that bus firmly in park. those republicans already in washington, hell-bent on stopping the democrats' agenda. take the health care bill. instead of trying to and and fix a law that lacks rewards and insurers with amendments, the republicans say get rid of the entire thing in a statement issued just today, minority leader, john boehner, using the word "repeal" eight different times. the republicans honestly can't say it enough. >> i think that we need to repeal this bill. and replace it with common-sense reforms that will bring down the cost of health insurance. >> now, maybe statements like that are why many passengers on the gop bus are getting off. just 23% of voters in this

country now identify themselves as republicans, according to the latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll, that's an all-time low. our first guest today is dog hay, communications director for the republican national committee. why do you think that the, those who are offering themselves as members of the republican party is as low as it is right now? >> well, we've really seen that washington is unpopular. and right now, that benefits us. because washington is controlled, lock, stock and barrel by democrats. the white house is obviously run by president obama, nancy pelosi and harry reid. you know, run congress. and that's why, that's part of why washington is so unpopular. i would differ with you a little bit. i don't think people don't want to get on the gop bus. i think they're afraid if you saw what happened with this health care legislation, that nancy pelosi and barack obama, harry reid are throwing them under the bus. we've seen it with tat&t, they'e going to lose $1 billion with this bill.

>> the reality is i've never seen a piece of legislation more loaded with favor force special interests, than i saw with the health care bill. it was stunning to watch the political activity in the drafting of that bill. at the same time, i've never seen a president more willing to do the right thing in setting the standard of expanding coverage and putting lower costs than i have seen from president barack obama. let me finish, and the reality, is that the republicans, instead of pointing out the obvious catering to special interests from the democrats, from giving money away to insurance companies, to working with the, to giving away favors to the unions, to giving away favors to the drug companies, all of which passed tremendous costs to all of us in this country. and instead of expanding coverage and actually reforming the system, which i didn't understand why the republicans didn't come forward and say -- hang on, we can expand coverage. but hey, why don't we go with something like bob bennett and ron widen. the republicans never did that. the republicans instead cried and whined about the fact that they were being left out. when the reality is that america

an opposition party that was truly looking out for america, they would be calling out the democrats for those and offering an easily-improved version through amendment. i don't understand why we haven't seen that. >> well the first thing i'd have to correct you, the "associated press" said that premiums are going to rise for americans. >> i know that. you're not correcting me, because i already know that don't put words in my mouth. you want to tell me this is a bad bill? i'll tell you right now, this is a terrible piece of legislation. >> i didn't put words in your mouth. >> this is a bad piece of legislation, you agree with me? >> absolutely. and the american people agree with you. >> that's not true, actually the american people, about 40% agree with you and about 60% want the public option. why don't we talk about at least this guy meaning the president of the united states has expanded health care coverage for everybody in this country. which is more than you can say for the republicans over the past decade. >> well that's not true. >> it is true. >> what i can say for the republicans. the republicans introduced a lot of bills. if you look at what was introduced in the house and senate -- >> none that expanded coverage and reduced cost. >> absolutely.

>> reduced costs? >> i'll give you one example, richard burr, senator from north carolina, my old boss, my home state, enter doesed legislation with senator tom coburn, he's a doctor. companion legislation was introduced by kevin mccarthy and paul ryan in the house. that's an example. >> but there are examples -- but they came up short, doug. my point is the democrats covered 94% of the people. and through all of their various machinations saved $140 billion. the best we got from the gop, was 83% coverage with a $68 billion savings, because neither the democrats or the gop had the guts to deal with actually reforming the health care system. and i can understand why the democrats who don't want to alienate their money, don't want to do it but why the republicans aren't willing to step in and call the democrats out, as you would think an opposition party would, for their accommodations, and say, we can cover 96% of the people or 97% of the of the people for less money if we simply obliterate all of these special interests.

and that has not happened. >> i think we're looking at different things, then. because i see republicans calling out the president every day on this and they're doing it not just to the republican base, it's independents. it's even soft democrats who don't like this bill. you look at the cbs poll, 60% of americans want republicans to keep fighting on this. and that includes 42% of democrats. and that's a fight we're going to continue. >> and if only the republicans would actually fight to get rid of the special interests instead of repealing expanded coverage. that would be great. there was a letter today, posted on talking points memo. it was from a reader of talking points memo. it's a letter that yielded the by far doubled the number of hits in the history of that website and has been sort of all over the internet today, effectively. and it's hyperlinked on hypocrisy, hate and hyperbole in the republican party. dear skoifrs, get to work, drain the swamp of the conspiracy nuts, bald-faced liars

undeterred by none strabl facts. the hypocrisy and hart redd. and offer us a calm, responsible, grown-up agenda based on your values and your vision for america. do you think that the gop doing that right now? >> i think the gop did do that. absolutely. throughout this process. remember, this was a year-long process and we introduced bill after bill -- >> i'm talking about everything, not just health care. >> to turn an analogy on its head, if the republican introduces a bill and the mainstream media doesn't pay attention to it, it doesn't mean it wasn't introduced. 60% of the voters want us to keep fighting. they're not saying start fighting, we're going it do that. >> if only you would fight against the special interests, instead of trying to reduce health care coverage. >> absolutely, we were. >> i have facts, the best plan you had covered 83%, you didn't reach the standard set by the president. the republicans couldn't get that doug. we'll talk to you soon, coming

up here on the "dylan ratigan show" -- >> this has been fun. >> likewise. the vatican sex abuse scandal, threatening to engulf the papacy, a bombshell claims that the pope was involved in a cover-up of stunning proportions. plus, legalizing marijuana at the ballot box. california set for a huge election battle this november. we'll break it down for you. and also, a samurai versus a baseball. something we found while you were working and we'll show it to you in the moments to come. for all the moments that make every day special.

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we're back with mix it up. looking at the day's other top headlines, particularly some meaningful and potentially hugely-altering politics developing in iraq relative to the united states and iran. along with claims of a new cover-up at the vatican in their sex abuse scandal. i want to get to pete williams first, who has some breaking news on james o'keefe. you remember him, the pimp, the photographer or videographer, if you want to call him that, pete, what's going on? >> reporter: he gained notoriety last year with the videos he did about a.c.o.r.n. in which he posed as a pimp. but this is a case from january when government officials say he and three other men entered a federal building in new orleans under false pretenses. it's not about these videos, but these are the videos that have made him famous, we've not seen the videos they tried to take in new orleans. but in january they entered the office of senator mary landreau

in an apparent stunt to try to embarrass senator landreau's staff on i guess on the premise that her staff was not answering telephone complaints about the health care bill. now, we understand that they have agreed to plead guilty to reduced federal charges. just a short time ago, the federal government unsealed new charges against the four. charges, charging them simply with entering a federal building under false pretenses. that is a misdemeanor. they had before been charged with entering under false pretenses to tamper with the phone system. so i guess what you have here, dylan, is in return for reduced charges, they've agreed to plead guilty. >> thank you, pete. some more breaking news here. this time, out of iraq, prime minister nuri al maliki saying he will not accept his loss in that country's now disputed national election. results showing he was edged out by former prime minister, allawi, but the victory does not guarantee the top post for

allawi, either, it gives him a shot at forming a coalition government. ha does it mean? more than you might think. we're fortunate to have our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, in the building. ha does it mean? >> reporter: it potentially means a tidal shift in politics in iraq. this is the most significant development in iraq perhaps in several years. what we're seeing now is if it holds, allawi i emerging as the most powerful political figure in iraq, potentially the next prime minister. he is secular, pro-american, so that would be a change in direction for iraq. for the last several years you've seen a government in iraq that is iranian-leaning and religious. so having a government that's iranian-leaning and has a religious bent to it, moving to a secular, pro-american state that is a major difference and will have a major impact, not only on american foreign policy, but also the entire middle east. >> to what do you attribute this? >> people were tired of the poor

performance of this government. they tried to give shiite religious parties a chance. and shiite religious parties did not succeed. they were a lot of people on the ground frustrated with iran's influence. frustrated with the, the unemployment, with the violence. and with the encroaching influence of religious societies and charities on the daily lives of iraqis. most iraqis are secular, they don't want a relickous state. and they were getting a state that was increasingly religious, increasingly controlled by shiite religious institutions. and they voted against it. >> are there implications at all for potential violence because of the dramatic nature of the shift in the relative youth of this semi democracy? >> i think you will see protests starting tomorrow, or if not even sooner. it's now nighttime in baghdad. but over the last few days, there have been anti-allawi movements, anti-allawi

decisions. alley himself was a member of saddam hussein's baath party. he is is a shiite, he's secular. among certain circles, he's a controversial figure. iran does not like ayad allawi, iran has back protests against him in the past and analysts i've spoken to and politicians, including people very senior in the iraqi government, expect that iran could very soon start to stir the pot more against allawi after this move. >> understood, richard, we're fortunate to have you here today, thank you for your information. i do want to move on to the vatican sex abuse scandal. this one also, church officials insist, that pope benedict did not know about a decision to let a pedophile priest resume working with children back in 1980. the pope at the time was known as archbishop joseph ratzinger and according to "the new york times," he was copied on a memo detailing the priest's reassignment, which implicitly would include the details of the

reason for the reassignment. this follows an earlier report, which says that back in the '90s, ratzinger, now the pope, refused to defrock a priest, now accu accused of molesting 200 deaf boys in the state of wisconsin. absorb that. the vatican says there is no cover-up. meanwhile, author christopher hitchens says that the pope ought be arrested. here to mix it up on our panel, political blogger for the loop 21, along with political editor for the "washington examiner." kelly, you made a comparison in a posting you put up on the huffington "post" today. paralleling the pope being a ceo of a company. >> i made the point if a ceo of a major company that had distributed products that injured thousands of children and it was discovered there was a memo that he admitted he knew the information and turned a blind eye. would that ceo be able to keep

his job? and the answer is no at the very least you'd have parents banging down door of this expect, expecting answers. and yet, for some reason it seems that the catholic church is bending over backwards to protect the pope. if he wants to save this church, which is losing member ship, which has been losing tithing and donations, then he needs to fall on his sword like a real leader does and resign. there's absolutely no other choice at this point. the whole story they've been selling us for the last ten years, that we simply didn't know the extent of it, has been proven false. >> chris, do you agree with that? >> well i'm not catholic, it's not my business what the pope does. >> if it turns out that the pope did know there were hundreds of child molestations happening under his watch, or if the leader of any organization, religious or not, finds out that his or her employees are molesting children on his or her watch and he's advancing them, do you think that that warrants direct engagement? >> i think hitchens' point about

criminal charges, penetrating beyond the veil of the vatican, is a good point of inquiry. it's a good point of start. and i think in the united states, when we went through the horrible scourging, that we experienced through the priests, pedophile priests and the molestations that went on here for generations, i don't think law enforcement probably did what they needed to do and i think they treated clergy differently than they would have other people. as for the question whether the pope should resign, that's up to the catholics, it's up to the pope. it's not a company, it's not a ceo. should they face criminal charges? i think that's a fruitful line of inquiry. >> i think we can all agree to mr. hitchens' point, if a supervisor is molesting children and the supervisor knows it, that seems like the basis for a legal case. i don't care what you say. kelly, thank you so much. the three of us in agreement on that check out kelly's post on "the huffington post." police throwing cold water on eric cantor's claims in recent

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welcome back, a little "by the numbers" for, a look about the startling facts of yop line love. onlineschools.org, compiled data if a dozen different sources. the findings may leave you the among sex offenders, one out of every ten have reportedly used online dating as way to meet people. one in ten overall users are just scammers looking to take money or something else. online, men lie the most about their age.

their height and the amount of money they make. that probably didn't surprise anybody. women lie the moment about their weight, physical build and age. also, no shockers in there. one out of every three women who meet men online, have sex on the first encounter. and every man tries to. i made that part up, but i'm sure it's true. facebook apparently has its own perils tied to the pursuit of digital conquest, not billed as a dating site, some health experts in the uk say the website may be rinked to a recent rise in syphilis. you know, leave facebook alone. they say syphilis has increased four-fold in the parts of britain where facebook is the most popular because they believe it is used as a tool for casual sex. much more to come on the dr show. you know every guy was trying, one out of three. we're breaking down one of the biggest debates developing in

our country. it starts, once again, as so many do, in california in the context of the violence in mexico. and the cost of the war on drugs. should america legalize pot? one state closer than ever to doing just that this november. we will look at the wide-ranging implications that could have for the war on drugs. both sides of the issue, weighing in, straight ahead. and you've heard the excuse, the dog ate my homework. but how about the dog ate my car. cops take on a four-legged criminal. a junkyard dog who doesn't like cop cars. ♪ bad to the bone

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welcome back. a new drug threat assess mment coming out just as the state of california could be the first in our nation to fully legalize marijuana. the combination setting the pot ablaze in this country, forgive me the pun.

this week, the proposal to tax marijuana qualified for the november california general election ballot. it's called the regulate, control and tax cannabis act, overturning the almost century-old prohibition on the drug. it would allow people over 21 to possess, cultivate or transport pot for personal use and permit local governments to regulate. and most importantly if you're in california, tax the drug. smoking marijuana in public or driving under the influence would remain illegal. planned proponents say it would raise $1.4 billion for the cash-strapped state. they argue it's in line with americans' changing view of the specific drug. the most recent gallup poll on marijuana shows a record high 44% of americans now support its legalization. that is a 10 percentage-point jump since just 2001. you may not no this, but the

united states is the world's largest consumer of marijuana. 26 million americans using pot in 2008 alone. that's about one in ten americans. it's already california's most lucrative cash crop. providing the counter-narrative, however. law enforcement fills who say legalizing could spur an increase in crime and other anti-drug activists who fear a general denigration of society. but let's give it a broader context. it's not just california, let's talk about mexico, america and the drug connection. new this week, the national drug threat assessment by the department of justice, which found mexican drug cartels ramping up production in their country, while increasing the flow of meth, heroin, and yes, pot, into our country. quite simply, it means mexico gets the violence, and americans buy the drugs. more than 18,000 people in violent death in mexico since

the government there declared their war on drugs three years ago. secretary of state hillary clinton in mexico just this week, offering a recommitment to help mexico fight the drug cartels, with an additional $1.4 billion in aid. we should point out that the drug cartels net $25 billion a year in criminal earnings. and 60% of those profits come from -- you guessed it -- marijuana. so between the multibillion-dollar cost of fighting a war on drugs, billions more spent to incarcerate those who are caught, and a stunning and violent body count, no the to mention perhaps most importantly, the potential political destabilization and development of a narco state on the u.s. southern border, with mexico, who is our most important or one of our two most important trading partners, along with canada. what is the solution for a problem that has for so many, no

good answers? but it certainly has tremendous and increasing costs. joining us now, general barry mccaffrey, former u.s. drug czar and msnbc military analyst and paul armantano deputy director for the national association for the reform of marijuana laws. paul, i guess i'll begin with you, what do you find is the most compelling argument that you can offer as to why voting yes on a ballot like this this fall will be a good idea? >> well, look, we've got 18,000 dead since 2006 in mexico because of u.s. drug policies. particularly the policies pertaining to the use and trafficking of marijuana. you said in your opening monologue, 60% or over 60% of the profits of the cartels make come from the exportation of marijuana from mexico to the united states. to continue the same policies we've been going on, all of these years, is the very

definition of insanity. it is time to take the production and distribution of marijuana away from these violent cartels and put it into the hands of licensed businesses. the way we do that is through legalization and through regulation. the prohibition that we have now is anarchy. regulation would bring needed controls to this market. >> barry, are you there? >> yes. >> i want to ask you about some of the numbers, they argue that legalization and taxation would save $7.7 in enforcement. $6.2 billion in incarceration costs. you yourself in the mccaffrey report, basically wrote and i'll quote you, mexico is on the edge of the abyss, it could become a narco state in the coming decade. you go on to talk about the extraordinary nature of the military equipment that these people have. now, i'm not saying that all of this is an argument for legalization. i'm wondering if there is

another solution other than the current plan, which yields the amount of violence that it does and everything that we've just discussed. that is not legalization, but is also not this. that you've would consider. >> yeah. well, dylan, look, i think a lot of the numbers being touted about are nonsense. the problem with mexico has everything to do with violent criminal gangs involved in the distribution of illegal drugs, growing rates of addiction in mexico. decreasing rates of addiction, thank god, in the united states. to include drunk driving, you name it. i think this california proposition, by the way, which will have nothing to do with changing federal law or international treaty, what it will do, undoubtedly, is create an incredible situation where california truck drivers and eye surgeons and you know, teachers in theory, could be smoking pot, standing around a corner from students or their jobs.

it doesn't make any sense. or airline pilots. so i don't think it's going to pass. i hope, i hope, you know, mothers against drunk driving is against it the law enforcement community. governor candidate jerry brown's against it. america's families shouldn't support this kind of thinking. >> how do you address the violence in mexico, which again, those who would argue for legalization as an unwelcome but preferable alternative to the current environment. is the only way they see to reduce the violence. you talk about the narco state, 60% of their trafficking is marijuana. if it was regulated and taxed, wouldn't that implicitly reduce the level of violence and increase the level of stability? and under this theory, you could then tax marijuana and use the money to fund anti-marijuana ads? >> dylan, there isn't one shred of evidence that if you, for example, cigarettes, which kills 440,000 people a year in america, that taxing cigarettes, even begins to yield a payoff

for the damage it does. and again, the problem in mexico is this brave president calderon, trying to create federal law enforcement that's adequate, trained, equipped to enforce the rule of law. mexican families don't want heroin addiction, cocaine addiction, methamphetamine, as part of their culture. so we could legalize bank robbery, and -- >> i understand. there are those who argue, and let's set everything except for marijuana aside. only because that is the piece of legislation that's being discussed. and it is distinctly a different drug than the other ones you were referencing. and at the end of the day, is it too convenient for american politicians and others to say, listen, the moral high ground is to leave this drug illegal. and ignore the fact that the fact that it is a prohibition on that drug, is creating the environment that generate the violence thaw speak of. that the solution to the

violence is regulation and taxation? >> dylan, i would not accept the premise that the legalization of marijuana will reduce the incentive on mexican drug criminal organizations to ship illegal drugs across their own territory and use them in mexico. that doesn't make much sense. the problem with drugs, and it's not just marijuana, by the way, marijuana, ecstacy and beer are the principal threats to sixth graders through 12th graders, that's the drug we worry most about in drug prevention. >> yes, and that is illegal. >> hold on, paul, go ahead, general. >> when it comes to these illegal drugs in mexico, again the struggle is, how does mexico create the rule of law with honest, dedicated, equipped federal police officers? that's the struggle at hand. and you don't do away with that by legalizing the product they're moving. and by the way, if we did legalize drugs, in california,

marijuana as an example, why would anybody pay $50 an ounce for the tax in california, when they could still get it from mexican criminal organizations? >> paul, what were you going to say and how do you respond to the question the general just asked? >> well the general is bringing up societal costs that he associates with the use of marijuana. but right now as you said in your opening, one out of ten americans are using marijuana. they're doing it despite prohibition. and society is not bringing in any revenue or any tax from that use to cover these ancillary costs. costs that we know are far less than the cost associated withal cholg and tobacco. that's why the general brings up those products, and he isn't talking about potential costs related to marijuana. because we know they're much fewer. >> although if the general had his way, i'll let him speak for himself, i suspect that alcohol and cigarettes would be prohibited, too, is that not right, general?

>> i don't, not at all. the stupidest thing that this society ever did, global society, is smoke tobacco products, it's absolutely a devastating health problem. i would be loathe to say that adding smoked marijuana is a good thing. i think we're going to have more drug-based behavior by adolescents, by truck drivers, by airline pilots, i think it's a bad idea. but and it's also, i think, a precursor drug for adolescent use, and i would like to see it reduced rather than enhanced. >> paul, last question. what is to stop -- let's say it's legalized, taxed and regulated in california. what is to stop an individual from buying a cheaper version of black market marijuana that doesn't have the taxation on it. simply because it's cheaper? >> because americans by and large want to follow the law. they don't want to be criminals. this idea that nobody would purchase marijuana at a retail outlet because it is taxed, is absurd.

last time i went to the supermarket, there was an entire produce section. people don't grow all of their own vegetables, even though it would be cheaper to do so. people don't brew their own alcohol or cease going to bars because alcohol is more expensive in those outlets. they do it for the convenience, they do it to be law had been abiding citizens, and that same principle would apply to legal marijuana. >> i appreciate you both making time to have this conversation today. it's one we'll obviously see a bit more between now and november. time for now for the "dig list." president obama going to propose measures to give some jobless home owners a three-month break on their home payments. the move follow as $75 billion effort to modify mortgages and reduce foreclosures. put it in the context of the $23 trillion that the government uses to support the large banks, it is the start, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to what you as a taxpayer have provided to financial institutions that are now more profitable in many

cases than they have ever been as a result of your support. meanwhile, eight public officials in kentucky convicted of voter fraud. charges include extortion, money laundering, buying votes. since 2002. again, republicans found guilty of rigging the e voting machines for all the talk of voter fraud. these past few years. against a.c.o.r.n. and the democrats for which there has not been an arrest. there is an irony in this arrest, a string of republicans for buying and selling votes and vote-rigging in kentucky. meanwhile, a defense contractor in iraq apparently working 43 minutes a month in iraq. this is for the one of the contractors, the company had $4.6 million worth of contracts to fix military vehicles outside baghdad. apparently it took 43 minutes a month. in response to new jersey nets fans wearing paper bags over their head. the team had a bag exchange wednesday, where fans could

exchange their paper bags for a nylon bag, with the nets logo on it, that's clever. and finally, dog versus car, officials trying to pepper-spray a dog -- but it didn't stop him from destroying the front bumper of this police cruiser. again, truth stranger than fiction. and if that doesn't qualify as a while you were working video, this next one, i hope will. what happens when you pitch a baseball to a samurai with a kitano sword? he slices it in half, of course. this demonstration took place on a tv game show. imagine what he could do with an actual bat. let's see if the yankees are looking for a dh this year. coming up, a little busted. wait until you hear the snack budget for nasa officials who determine agency spending. let's just say it is out of this world. and then it is friday. which means it's time for the mall bag once again, looking

at letters, emails and tweets. including a viewer who asks why the tea party should have to publicly have to denounce racism. and if they do, should the rest of us have to do the same thing. dtd 25 thing.dtd thing. ♪

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youtube didn't exist. and facebook was still run out of a dorm room. when we built our first hybrid, more people had landlines than cell phones, and gas was $1.75 a gallon. and now, while other luxury carmakers are building their first hybrids, lexus hybrids have traveled 5.5 billion miles. and that's quite a head start. ♪ time for a little "busted." starting with the new developments about the threats

aimed at our lemg slators. eric cantor said he had been tart and cited democrats. >> just recently, i have been directly threatened. a bullet was shot through the window of my campaign office in richmond this week. >> it turns out the bullet that hit the congressman's virginia office was actually a stray. which may say something about richmond. richmond police now say that the bullet in question was fired into the air, and just happened to strike the office window on its way back down. you can't make that up. next up, feel free to file this one under ironies if that one wasn't worthy. at a nasa seminar for procurement officials, officials who work for nasa, a seminar for those who buy things on behalf of the space agency, they use your tax money of course. nasa ponied up $66 per person, per day, for bagels, cookies and juice. total cost?

for bagels, cookies and juice? more than $62,000. this, according to the office of the inspector-general. nasa promising to review its spending policies. hope the bagels were good. finally, kudos today for to the aingely can church, offering spiritual comfort to voters who are almost as disenchanted with their politicians as we are the uk government has been rocked by scandal, a bad economy and a record deficit. so the official church there is publishing new prayers for voters, in their upcoming elections. one prayer says quote, watch over our nation at election time. that truth may prevail over distortion, wisdom triumph or recklessness and the concerns of every person be heard. that's a nice prayer. another says, protect us from the sins of despair and cynicism, and strengthen us to make politics a noble calling, that serves the common good of all.

honestly, sometimes our government seems so corrupt and broken, that only faith in democracy can keep it going. faith of course the power of the ballot box, a free press with the internet to keep it in check. and maybe a constitutional amendment taking money out of politics. anyway, still ahead, we've got mail for you. the "dr show" viewers sounding off on everything from the gop to sex trailers in new york state. on "hardball," what does the health care reform bill mean for historians. but first a new segment on the "dr show" we'll call it the daily party, showing you that the fundraising never stops for our lawmakers, every day, every morning, every lunch, every dinner. this morning a breakfast was held, you see the invitation there, at the sonoma restaurant and wine bar it d.c. to benefit new york congressman steve israel. nothing unique about him. everybody does it the invitation

asking for donations from $500, to $5,000. our only confusion on this one was, breakfast at wine bar? . only one a day women's 50+ advantage... has gingko for memory and concentration. plus support for bone and breast health. just what i need! one a day women's. ♪ but i am holding half an acre ♪ ♪ torn from the map of michigan ♪ ♪ i am carrying this scrap of paper ♪ ♪ that can crack the darkest sky wide open ♪ ♪ every burden taken from me

♪ every night my heart unfolding ♪ ♪ my home when it's people who do the right thing, they call it being responsible. when it's an insurance company, they call it liberty mutual. responsibility. what's your policy? liberty mutual. to finish what you started today. for the aches and sleeplessness in between, there's new motrin pm. no other medicine, not even advil pm, is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. new motrin pm.

welcome back. time for a little mailbag for you. as you can imagine, we've received hundreds regarding health care this week. several emails commenting on the republicans we had on the show, denouncing the new federal mandate to buy health care. john stranquist from annapolis, maryland summed it up. saying i find the current argument against the health care bill because it requires people to buy something they may not

want. for over 70 years we have required people to contribute to social security without their consent. what's the difference. i would say the only difference is it's not like you're forced to save your retirement in social security and give all of your money to a monopoly. investment manager to who makes billions of dollars as a result of that mandate. unlike social security, this mandate is forcing private citizens to put money into private companies who have a monopoly exemption from our government. and that is the sort of thing that angers people. anyway, i believe that can be fixed through amendments, but i can also see why it really ticks people off. when we made the point that the republicans aren't using their power of opposition wisely and trying to fix the bill to make it true reform and give americans real choice in health care, real cost reduction, without all the democrats' accommodations for special interests, but rather, right now the republicans as the symbol party of no, willburn from stone mountain, georgia wrote the following, just saw you take a common-sense approach to a what

my party has been doing, gop the dems have made their move, it's time for us a a party to engage to continue to say no. has not worked. again, i would argue that it's so easy to shoot holes in the democrat's process, why the gop doesn't actually improve it, i still don't understand. on the flip side, when phil health and human services secretary, kathleen sebelius, had the following reaction. you were great with questions to sebelius. she ducked your questions about cheaper drugs from canada and more competition. keep at it, you know our politicians force us to overpay for drugs in our country so we can subsidize drug company who is don't make as much overseas, what kind of government is that? i do have to wonder. our segments on the allegations that tea partiers in washington, d.c. use racial and homophobic epithets created quite a stir. did mr. breitbart never see a sign at a tea party