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it works on my worst symptoms so i'm ready by the time we get to the first hole. new zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. right now on msnbc saturday -- a large chunk of the south under the gun this hour for violent weather. heavy rain, hail and high winds are already stirring up trouble and forecasters warn a tornado

outbreak could be next. a killer fungus among us? the fast-spreading disease that has authorities in the pacific northwest on high alert. plus, rock star bret michaels rushed to the hospital after suffering a brain hemorrhage. the latest coming up. the fight over immigration hitting a fever pitch in arizona. the nation's toughest immigration bill now a law in that state but opponents argue it violates civil rights and now president obama is asking the justice department to get involved. good morning, everyone. welcome to msnbc saturday. it's 10:00 a.m. here on the east coast, 7:00 out west. severe weather is slamming different parts of this country. look at that lightning there. lightning, hail, thunderstorms all threatening different regions in the south today. colorado is dealing with winter weather advisories for heavy snow. the thunderstorms are expected throughout the day in the midwest as well. with the latest, i'm joined now by nbc meteorologist bill karins. take it away. busy day. >> dangerous day out there. saturday morning you want to be

worried about t-ball games, soccer, fun stuff like that. but it is dangerous. that's the biggest message we want to send to everyone, all our friends in louisiana, arkansas, tennessee, mississippi, alabama, later on tonight into georgia. those are the areas where tornado sirens could be going off at any time now right through this evening. thankfully we haven't heard of any reports of any damage from tornadoes so far. the weather map is very chaotic, not very organized right now. thunderstorms are popping up all over the place. the area of red and white is the greatest risk of seeing strong thunderstorms today. if you're going to see tornadoes, it is most likely going to happen in the area of red or white. i have the tornado outbreak pointed to mississippi and alabama and now it looks like that threat has expanded into southern portions of tennessee. if you get some sunshine an live in those areas today, that means the storms will be that much worse later on. we do have some tornado warnings out there this morning, one to the west side of meridian,

between meridian and jackson and another small cell in the very rural areas of alabama. when we hear about tornadoes on the ground this morning, we'll let you know about it. >> come on over any time you get that news, bill kanrinskarins. the governor of arizona signed a controversial bill that's enacted the toughest law in the nation against illegal immigrants. telemundo is live at the epicenter of this controversy in phoenix. jose, take us through what this new law means for the people in arizona. >> reporter: well, good morning, alex. look, this law which won't take effect for 90 days but when it does, it gives local police essentially immigration authority powers. one of the things that police can do and will have the legal authority to do so in 90 days is if they look at an automobile, for example, that's driving down the street and they think that maybe one of the people inside

that automobile may be an illegal immigrant, they have the right to stop that vehicle and ask that person for his documents. and so far, that has been a very controversial thing here in arizona. the sheriff of maricopa county has been doing similar things over the past couple of years and they've been very controversial, but now it is going to be the law of the state. >> the reaction has been pretty mixed. it's been pretty powerful. what's it been like? >> there were i would say about 1,500 or 2,000 people here yesterday when the governor let the press in to show her signing the bill. people here just reacted, saying, you know, we really hoped that this wouldn't happen. there were probably 90%, 95% of the folks that were here yesterday were supportive of the governor to veto the law, and

there was a handful of people that supported the law being enacted. but where you see a lot of the support is in areas like, for example, on the border where the ranchers say that they have no control over their land and hundreds of people come through their land on a weekly basis that they don't know. there have been -- and msnbc has reported a lot about the growing violence in the northern mexican towns, drug cartels. so there is a lot of concern and in those areas there is a lot of support for this bill. >> telemundo's hoe says di diaz-balart, thank you. an oregon man will receive $18 million from the boy scouts of america for six occasions of sex abuse he suffered from a scout master. lewis spoke about how he felt after the verdict was handed down. >> i don't know if i exactly have closure yet. i have a long road ahead of me

still. but it's a huge jumping point, huge start for me. as long as i was able to help one person, this is all well worth it. >> the multi-million dollar case was the largest ever against the boy scouts. developing new, a new and deadly strain of an airborne fungus has just been discovered in the pacific northwest and it's starting to spread. nbc's jeff rossen is following the latest developments for us. jeff, kind after scary story here. where was this fungus discovered? >> reporter: the cdc is calling this fungus very rare. it was identified first in oregon but now, unfortunately, cases are popping up in washington state and california as well. it's called cryptococcus gattii, this disease is blamed for at least 23 deaths so far. there are currently around 200 people who are known to be infected. researchers at duke university say they are especially concerned because this strain is affecting healthy people. doctors say symptoms can appear

as early as two weeks after exposure. but it can also take months for symptoms to manifest. the symptoms include chronic cough, sharp chest pains, shortness of breath, headache, fever, and weight loss. we discussed this last hour. what's unfortunate is that a lot of those symptoms -- could be the general flu. >> sure. >> but in this case it is incredibly dangerous. if you see more than one of those you should get concerned and perhaps go to your doctor. >> is there any idea where this fungus is coming from or how people catch it? >> yeah, that's the problem. scientists still haven't found the source of it so it is very hard to attack it. but they say they think it may be harbored in soil and it appears to be partial to douglas fir and eucalyptus trees. it can be treated but it can't be prevented because right now there's no vaccine for it. as soon as they can figure out perhaps the exact source, that's when they can start working on a vaccine. sounds like we're far from that right now. >> sure does. that's a very uncomfortable

situation for those folks in the pacific northwest. jeff rossen, thanks for the heads-up. this morning a new crime wave is hitting florida and officials say older men are the targets. it is called date robbery and victims say they were drugd, then robbed of their jewelry and cash by women. let's get the details from investigative reporter michelle segonap how many victims are we talking about here? how does this whole thing happen? >> so far five have confirmed -- have come forward but investigators do tell me that since these latest reports, other victims have reported ly have become victims of these particular women. that's wha-- what's happening i that men between the ages of 50 and 60 are being targeted. date rape drugs are being slipped to them, then their cash and jewelry is being taken. >> so have they made any arrests here? do they at least know who they're targeting? >> no, not yet. we only have one surveillance

clip. this is of a woman, she's about 160 to 180 pounds. she appears to be somewhere in her mid 30s. she has a tattoo. known to smoke marlboro cigarettes and she may be working with an accomplice. the main thing is that a deadly dose could be given of this particular drug. so that's why if this drug is in the wrong hands, the wrong people, and they give the person too much, it could be lethal. >> and so these women do what? they come up to the guys, they flirt with them and they slip the mickey. but what happens? they pass out, these guys? >> yes. and a few of the instances, from what i've learned, they apparently passed out for hours at a time. one of the victims actually, on his own boat. he claims that he was passed out for about five hours, woke up and his money and his jewelry were gone. they were missing. so far, $50,000 that at least one suspect, possibly two have gotten away with.

they're targeting areas -- restaurants and bars in palm beach county. boca raton. and a couple of other areas throughout florida. >> it might be a little awkward for some of these guys to come forward, too. any of them married? >> yes. that's what investigators say. some of the victims may be married. they may have long-term girlfriends. they could be in other relationships so there is an embarrassment factor. we just want to encourage all folks if you've been a victim, please come forward, you can remain anonymous. investigators work with all the counties are working together to try to nail down a time line and confirm some of the other incidents. >> michelle sigona, thanks so much. you can logon to michelle's website. the recipe's ripe for severe weather across the deep south this saturday. next we're going live to mississippi where tornadoes are now a real possibility. first it was health care, then financial reform, now immigration. why president obama says washington needs to stop avoiding the issue. you're watches msnbc, the place

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pretty dangerous weather all over the south today. several tornadoes are threatening states from texas to tennessee but that's not the only danger. large hail and destructive winds are expected, too. as if that wasn't enough, right? multiple states are already under tornado warnings. for the latest on all this, i'm joined by the weather channel's mike seidel who's live in greenville, mississippi. so, this check of things, how's it looking? >> well, you just showed that lightning strike from the golf tournament, the pga tour stop in new orleans hitting that tree on the course. they didn't even get the second round in yesterday. today's nation ride series race in talladega will likely get rained out. people are out there camping. one place you don't want to be

is in a camper. this is a very dangerous day. this is the most severe day we've seen as far as the indices we use to forecast severe weather this season. a late start because the position of the jet stream. now the jet stream is digging down, a front's coming in and a lot of moisture's coming out of the gulf of mexico. as we are showing you on the radar this morning, we've got a lot of boxes out, watch areas. the latest one coming over from the right side of your screen, northern and central alabama, into tennessee. nashville, you're in the danger zone. tuscaloosa, birmingham. these storms are moving east-northeast at 50 to 60 miles an hour. with the tornado warning this morning, no tornadoes have been sighted. they're based on op der rdopple and rotation. in mississippi we had some wind damage with a 60-mile-an-hour wind gust at the airport. we're watching and waiting but with the heating of the day and energy from the jet stream, things will be ramping up between now and later this afternoon especially east of

here, through mississippi and alabama, getting into western georgia tonight. tomorrow's threat zone, northern florida, up and east of interstate 95, into the mid-atlantic. >> you know, mike, with this storm moving at the speed of 50, 60 miles an hour, people have got to pay attention. heads up on all this because there is not a lot of time. mike seidel. >> yeah. i was going to say, they move very fast. you don't have much time. have the weather channel on or noaa weather radio. these things move in very quickly. >> also weather.com. to politics now, the government of arizona, the governor signed a bill into law yesterday which means in about 91 days it will be against state law to be in the u.s. illegally. governor brewer says federal government inaction forced her hand. the president is sympathetic with that sentiment but doesn't agree with arizona's solution.

>> failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. that includes, for example, the recent efforts in arizona which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe. >> expect some good conversation here from my boys, msnbc political analyst pat buchanan and democratic strategist peter fenn. good morning, guys. >> morning, alex. >> morning, alex. >> pat, isn't the president right in this sense? this gives the police the right to stop you if you're just walking down the street, not making any trouble at all. doesn't that strike you as unfair? >> well, my understanding is they can stop you and ask for identification. if there is a reasonable suspicion. i think a lot of us when we were young and peter might have been one of them, too, very often stopped by police and said, kid, show me your draft card or show me your driver's license or something like that. and if you have -- if you're in

the country legally, i don't think you got a problem at all. but i tell you what's going on here in arizona, they're killing police officers. they murdered these ill -- illegal aliens came across the border and murdered a rancher. one county police chief said he had 56 chases -- or excuse me, 65 chases. in other words, high-speed chases with these people running away threatening civilians. the whole state of arizona is up in arms. i understand 60% of the hispanics in arizona favor the law. john mccain has changed his mind because of it. i think the law's going to stand up and i think it is necessary because of what the president said the failure of the federal government. >> overall as i understand it, 70% of arizonans favor this law. i'm curious with you, peter, "arizo "arizo "arizona republic" writes -- it is because of washington's steadfast refusal do its job that we find ourselves where we

are today when half of arizona democrats, 69% of the independents and a whopping 84% of republicans support the bill signed into law. apparently there is a lot of backing in arizona so who are we to say that this isn't right for the people of arizona? i got a lot of people tweeting me, one guy who lives in arizona, he supports this law. >> i think emotions are very high on this. i think there is no question that the failure in 2007 with the bush administration pushing it and john mccain supporting it, ted kennedy supporting it, it didn't get through and we haven't been able to do a darn thing since, that this may be the prod that's needed to get something done. but here's the problem, alex. we talk about dwb, driving while black. african-americans have always been very concerned about getting stopped and in greater proportions. new jersey did something about this. what this is saying to police officers in arizona is it's going to be dwh, driving while

hispanic. i think once this thing starts happening, think of hispanic police officers who are supposed to stop hispanic drivers. i mean i think that the problem is that this is something that will be very difficult to enforce fairly. let me make one additional point. look, they say there are about 40% of african-americans between 15 and 25 who are in the criminal justice system. well, what would you say that you should stop african-americans because 40% of them may at some point be in the criminal justice system? heck no. so i think this is tough stuff. >> wait a minute, wait a minute. if there is a reasonable suspicion of a problem, i mean police officers always have had that ability. if you've got a driver's license or an i.d. card that shows you belong in the united states, what exactly is the problem? >> but what about a broken taillight, pat? >> peter, suppose the guy doesn't have any i.d. why doesn't he? >> i get the problem and i agree

with you on the problem. i'm just worried about this being the solution. >> and pat, you know, reasonable suspicion, i mean it's so vague. can you really tell something just by looking at somebody? >> well, sure. i mean the police for years have -- i mean for years this is what they do their whole lives. they can size up a situation. i mean that's what they do. their instincts and training and everything else and years of experience in service can tell you. better than -- better than most. >> but disproportionately now though, pat, won't they be looking at certain racial profiles here? look at the state of arizona, it is heavily latino. don't they -- >> alex, if all of the illegal aliens are latino, i suppose they will. but doesn't that make sense? they're trying to get illegals, not hispanics. you've got to be illegal in order to be arrested or thrown out of the state. they have broken the law, they're breaking into the country, they got 8 million jobs. when we got 15 million unemployed. for heaven's sakes, what about thinking of americans? >> you know, the fact is now,

alex and pat, that this may get the federal government going on this. because my sense of this is if other states begin to pass laws like this, if implementing this will create a firestorm, and folks will say, hey, listen, we got to deal with employers who are employing illegal aliens, we've got to deal with the fact that folks have been in this country for a long time, what do we do about them. we've got to solve this problem in a fair and just way. >> i agree with peter on this. obama seemed to start off well. there were a number of places where they went and got 1,000 workers who were illegal. when they were moved out of the country, americans rushed to take the jobs in enormous numbers. we got 15 million unemployed. i mean you got to -- i mean there's no doubt these illegal aliens -- some of them work very, very hard, there is no doubt about it. but you have to look out for your own family and people first when you got 15 million unemployed. >> all right, you guys. i knew this would be a spirited

discussion. i just knew it. >> it's going to get more spirited, too, alex. >> on a national level, i'm betting. absolutely. we'll talk with you guys again, thank you, boys. big trouble at the s.e.c. what a government watchdog caught senior staffers doing while they were supposed to be working. it is outrageous. stay with us. so, doc...

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a stern memo from the chairman of the securities and exchange commission today responding to the shock number of employees watching porn at work. the chairman warned any staffer caught watching porn will face termination. 33 staffers were found to have used government computers to look at pornography. 17 of whom were making between $99,000 and $200,000 a year. joining me, senior vice president of levick senior communications, also a spokesperson for the s.e.c. michael, good morning. i bet you're glad you're not in

the former position you had. but from your experience at the s.e.c., what is the office environment like? i'm curious how people could have these sites up on their computers during the work day. >> it is a really good question and it remains a mystery how somebody could have that up for that length of time and not have a supervisor or colleague say, hey, come on, it is time to get back to work here. but i will say, when i heard about this, i was both shocked and disappointed. disappointed that a handful of individuals could really besmirch the reputation of a great agency and just shocked people put their own self-interest ahead of that of the investors and taxpayers. when you're a regular, you need to answer to higher calling. a vast majority of the people at the commission are smart and hard working, get up every day, thinking about how to do the right things. >> but for those few, these 33, let's go through a few of vethe

violations. a senior attorney spent up to eight hours a day looking at porn. eight hours. that's like the entire work day. okay? another senior attorney had a separate drive with five full adult movies on it. then there was an accountant who was blocked from accessing porn site 16,000 times in one month. so with some employees devoting hours and hours online to this, what might they have missed in terms of regulation while they neglected their work? >> that's really the central question. look, one person is too many. i think as your lead-in said, the chairman takes this extraordinarily seriously and will do everything that she can to get to the bottom of it. but look, at a time when the financial markets were in crisis, you want every cop you can out on the beat. that's clearly not what happened here. my guess -- it is just that, a guess, because i don't work at the commission any longer -- is that every remedy will be pursued, both in i.t. remedy, an

hr remedy, and whatever else they can do to make sure this doesn't happen again and that these individuals are punished. >> thanks, michael. the likelihood of a major tornado outbreak increasing across the south this hour. nbc's bill karins is next with what could shape up to be a significant weather event today. plus, what sarah palin says about the former college student charged with hacking her personal e-mail on msnbc saturday. [ male announcer ] when you buy a car,

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every spring. this is a large high-risk area in that red area. you're also under a moderate risk of severe weather. who's at the worst threat right now? tracking a very strong thunderstorm through the middle of mississippi. you see the little while, that's the active lightning strikes. red is where the worst of the storm is. this is a tornado warning that's in mississippi, heading for -- looks like the western portions of meridian, mississippi. then that storm will head up toor towards dekalb. that's a warning, no tornado has been spotted but there is a lot of rotation with this storm. that's the worst of the storms in the country. as far as tomorrow, the threat heads off the east coast. here's how we break down the forecast for today. the worst of the severe weather, louisiana, eastern portions of arkansas, all of mississippi, alabama, up into tennessee. tonight it is georgia, then overnight into tomorrow morning we'll be watching the carolinas and northern portions of florida. notice even our friends as far north as chicago, indianapolis,

southern illinois, you could still see some strong storms with large hail as we go throughout the day today. then say good-bye to the beautiful saturday from new york city to new england. storm that's now in the northern portion of the country will roll your way with wet weather and gloomy conditions. we'll watch a chance of thunderstorms from d.c. through the carolinas. i guess the biggest news is we still have yet to have our first tornado on the ground this morning. we've had a lot of warnings, but no damage as of yet. >> as the day heats up, that will help increase the chances of that. >> that's the magic word. destabilizes the atmosphere. sun heats up the air, that warm air rises, it bubbles up and that's where wooep we'll see the problems later today. >> bill karins, thanks. check weather.com for the latest weather advisories in your area. you new and chilling details in that plot to bomb new york city subways last fall. a former taxi driver has pleaded guilty to terrorism charges and says he got direct orders from al qaeda to target well-known

structures in the city and cause maximum casualties. in court on friday, the 25-year-old said he and the mastermind of the subway terror plot, najibullah zazi met with pakistani leaders in 2008 where they say they got their marching orders from two high-ranking al qaeda members. the case against the 22-year-old who allegedly hacked into sarah palin's e-mail account resumes monday in tennessee but the star witness has already taken the stand. the former alaska governor testified friday that the intrusion into her i mail disrupted her campaign as well as her personal life. david kernell who was in college at the time posted family phone numbers that led to harassing calls. >> it was a big deal because, as you're pointing out, access and communication is so extremely

important when you're thousands of miles away from your children and you're not there to protect them, they're receiving threatening calls and messages. and a mama wants to be there to help the kids. at least be able to communicate with them. so it was a big darn deal, yeah, to have that communication stripped away. >> palin said there should be consequences but did not comment on the 50 years facing the defendant with several felony charges. the dow jones industrial average is in the middle of its longest winning streak in more than six years finishing up for eight weeks in a row. new home sales climbed 27% in march, according to the commerce department. it is the biggest one-month gain in 47 years and a good sign that investors are gaining confidence. it's not all good news though. the fdic has just shut down seven more banks in illinois making a total of 57 failed banks in the country this year. more banks are expected to close in 2010. now that the health care

bill has been passed, financial reform is the big issue americans are watching. after the financial crash, wall street has become a big focus for people who want to make sure their tax dollars are not being misspent. so it real reform on the way? joining me here in studio, steve bertoni from "forbes." what's financial reform mean to you and me? >> on paper it should work well for the consumer, should protect people from predatory credit lending mortgages and hopefully beef up the economy to avoid another catastrophe like we had in the past few months. but the problem is it is so big and complex. both bills are over 1,200 pages long. i don't know if congress really knows what they're voting for me. >> speaking of congress, is there a clear line between democrats and republicans? are the dems for the little guys and gops for big business? because it is my understanding, doesn't wall street donate to everybody? >> they do. they're kind of splitting hairs

here. both sides need economic reform. taxpayers have bailed out the government more than -- bailed out wall street more than $700 billion so change has to be made here. the kind of splitting hairs, like they both want, you know, clear derivatives. they both want -- >> derivatives, oh, please. that's a mess. >> yes. and they need a structure to -- need a clear path for bankruptcy for these too-big-to fail banks. democrats and republicans are both taking money from wall street. it is right down the middle. more people give to republicans but it is pretty close. they both are taking money from lobbyists. >> to me, the derivatives things, senator chris dodd is trying to draft legislation to tackle that specifically. but if financial reform passes, does this mean that my formerly 401(k) -- which is now a 201k, has to be watched? >> no. wall street is good about finding loopholes. you have the s.e.c. and

bureaucrats who get paid good salaries to monitor wall street. at the same time you have some of the best traders, accountants and lawyers in the world that stand to make millions of dollars so they can legally find a way around it. plus all these corporations are global now. if it is illegal in the united states, they might spin off to europe and asia and find a way around it. we need wall street on our side here. we need people to get in on the plan together. otherwise, if we fight wall street they'll find a way around it. >> who's going to be in charge of monitoring all this? is this the same s.e.c. -- not to sound cynical -- that was having 33 of its employees watching porn all day? >> it's funny, the republicans are calling this bill a job killer. the thing is this bill will create so many new agencies, it will probably create thousands of federal jobs. they'll create brand-new agencies, billions of dollars, thousands of people, to watch all these different things. they want a credit bureau, a bubble bureau, and also to beef up the s.e.c. they'll throw more money and more people at it, but who

knows. >> at least you know for this hour. rock star-turned reality star bret michaels hospitalized after suffering a brain hemorrhage. and the state of our oceans and that recent move by the obama administration to expand offshore drilling. ♪ [ male announcer ] there's one reason why over the past 100 years generations of men have trusted gillette. when it comes to shaving, we've given them our best. and on june 6th, we'll give them something even better.

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from new energy solutions. to the designs of tomorrow. we invite you to take a look at the new gm. just coming out of the deadly oil explosion in the gulf of mexico, the coast guard has suspended the search for 11 missing oil workers they believe never made it off the burning platform. nbc's anne thompson joins us from new orleans. what can you tell us about an update particularly on the environmental concerns? >> reporter: well, alex, first of all, you can take a look at the weather. as bill karins was talking about earlier, we are in the line of some storms here so the winds are high. we get on-and-off rain showers and that's not going to make anybody's job easier today. on the environmental front, it's 1 of 2 issues that officials are

trying to tackle today. they are trying to contain that oil slick that is out in the gulf of mexico. they are use iing boons to corr it, if you will. using planes to drop chemicals from the air to break it up, then skimmer boats come by and pick up the dirty water. that's how they're dealing with that. they are also keeping a very close eye on the wellhead that's on the sea floor. so far they are seeing no crude oil spilling out of that wellhead. and so coast guard officials say they are cautiously optimistic that the environmental danger caused by the fire and explosion can be contained. the other thing that officials are trying to accomplish today is they are looking for the rig. it sank on thursday. they have lost track of it. it is still partially buoyant and they really want to find it because they believe that will hold -- give them some clue as

to what happened tuesday to cause this devastating tragedy. alex? >> at what point will they decide, okay, everything's all clear, environmental danger has passed. are there any criteria they have to meet before they do that? >> yeah. i think the big key now is that wellhead. if they can shut off or cap that wellhead at the bottom of the gulf of mexico, then they can start breathing easy. they don't know if it is automatically shut off. they are in touch with the manufacturer to try to figure out just what's going on. and that -- but they say we may not know the answer to that question for perhaps days or weeks. as for the oil sheen that is on top of the water, that is still some 30 miles offshore and that is good news. the problem is, if these win pick up and they blow it towards the direction of the shore, then the wildlife along the shore could be threatened. >> anne thompson there in new

orleans where you are definitely getting some weather there. we can tell. thanks, anne. let's get more or the oceans now. this green week, "oceans" hit the theaters just in time for the 40th anniversary of earth day. the movie uses dazzling photography to explain what's threatening the ecosystems. >> this captures the spirit, the very essence of the sea. the ocean is absolutely magnificent. what else is out there that we don't know about? >> cannot wait to see that. i'm joined by conservation biologist, dr. reese halter and a good morning to you. >> good morning, alex. >> it's going to be a great movie when people go to see it. what do you expect people will

learn from "oceans"? >> oh, look, it's a spectacular movie. they're going to learn that the ocean is filled with wonder and there's one piece, alex, a half a block long blue whale, 130-ton creature, the largest living animal, ever, on planet earth. it is spectacular. >> what is the state of our oceans, reese? >> they're not happy, alex, i'm sorry to report. we've got two enormous garbage patches in the atlantic, in the pacific. as a matter of fact, the united nations survey show that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic every square mile, and some of it is 95 feet thick, alex. >> there was a report from the national research council saying that the ocean absorbs about one-third of all man-made carbon dioxide. that's not something that we talk about much when we talk about global warming. but what's the effect there?

>> well, the effects are the oceans are becoming more acidic, and as they acidify, their ability to suck co2 out of the air and keep it under check is reduced, and as that happens, of course, the earth continues to warm and these are all not good telltales. >> reese, the president has taken criticism for opening up the floodwaters off the u.s. coast for oil drilling. how serious a concern is it environmentally, or are you confident that the technology is there to keep disasters from happening? of course notwithstanding this oil rig explosion that we've been dealing with in the gulf of mexico. >> yeah. now, look, alex, we got to live in the 21st century. going back to 19th sent century technology to put oil rigs in the ocean, that's old news. first of all, it's going to take at least five years, maybe ten, before we can get oil to market. we've got to become energy

independent. we've got to put our eggs in a variety of baskets. we've got to promote business in america and we got to get down to doing what we can do. that is, using what's between our brain to sort these problems out. >> yeah. have you seen "oceans"? >> i have. i saw it last night. it is absolutely a must-see for everybody. it's breathtaking, it's spectacular, and it's eye-opening. and that trash is a real problem. >> it's family-friendly, too. right? like families watching if they have little kids, they can take them? >> absolutely. and look, disney just nailed this one. >> okay, well i can't wait to see it. thank you from your insights. reese halter, good to see you. >> yeah, from the golden state, thank you. a high-tech makeover for the $100 bill. why the fight against counterfeiters is actually helping the founding fathers look better. the tallest buildings leave the lightest footprints.

a fifty-ton train makes barely a mark on the environment. and a country facing climate change finds climate solutions. somewhere in america, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest questions. and the over sixty thousand people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers. right now, walmart has rolled back prices on top lawn care brands like poulan pro, brute by briggs & stratton, pennington, scotts and spectracide. along with thousands of others all over the store. it's rollback time! save money. live better. walmart.

here's a fun segment.

the new $100 bill has been introduced this week. every few years, the bureau of printing and engraving creates new designs for bills, partly in an attempt to combat counterfeiting. if you look closely at the bills throughout the years, you may notice some cosmetic changes on the faces. is it a statement on the importance of glamour in our society perhaps? joining me now for a closer look at it all, new york plastic surgeon dr. david hidalgo. good morning, doctor. why, first of all, do you think they do this? >> i think as you alluded to, i think it is perhaps to make them look better than they do. >> andrew jackson, far left 1920, eyelid, kind of fat bags, i guess, redesigned in '98. looking like filled win jectables from the temple lines and hollow laugh lines. then on the right, current right since 2003, looks like he got

his hair blown out. you know? >> indeed. actually a lot of changes not necessarily for the better. as you alluded to, if he filled in his temples and laugh lines with some injectables and have done a nice blow job -- hair dry. looks like he has the smock on from the hair dresser. >> yeah, yeah, yeah. let's look at abraham lyndon. of course on the $5 bill. tell me what you see. the far left, 1923. redesigned center screen 2000. since 2006 what we see at right of screen. >> they've changed the nature of the engraving. over the years it's become less noticeable so it looks like he's had a full face laser peel. they've straightened his nose and raised the tip a little bit. it looks like they put in some cheek implants which he devtly did not need. they've treated him to a nice haircut and trimmed his beard very nicely. >> maybe even a hair dye as well. looks like the hair color is even darker than it was previously.

how about alexander hamilton on the $10 bill. 1914 on the far left. it was a federal reserve note as this time. not called the $5 bill. 2000, center picture there. on the right side of the screen, 2005. >> they've cleaned him up as well. the engraving process today has made his face look much smoother. skin quality, sort of like a laser peel. they've blown out his hair again and it looks like they've added jaw implants and done a facelift actually. he looks much cleaner, he looks like a movie star in the last image. >> i know. we're looking at this light heartedly, but what's the point of all of it? >> well, you might ask yourself is it an improvement over the orange nals. personally i don't think it necessarily is. if you look at our original $1 bill, it is a very elegant depiction of george washington. i think we're sort of straying away from that. for whatever reasons the bureau of engraving and printing has decided to do that. >> new york plastic surgeon david hidalgo, thanks.

all the elements are coming together for what could be a major tornado outbreak across the south today. we're tracking the violent storm system next for you on msnbc saturday. ♪ take things as they come? ♪ i've got an idea. or improvise? ♪

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