oval office address last night. good day, i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. as we await the appearance of the president after that meeting, we have word that bp has agreed to set aside $20 billion to pay damages for the oil rig disaster in an escrow account. officials say that is not a cap, it is open-ended. savannah guthrie is nbc's white house correspondent and host of "the daily rundown." as we await the president, just the body language in that picture released from the white house shows that this was a pretty tense showdown this morning in the roosevelt room. >> reporter: right. if a picture tells a thousand words, it does look fairly tense and fairly awkward. there is a good reason for that. this is not one of those occasions we see all the time in washington and are you familiar with this t from the worlds of diplomatic summits where the outcome is precooked and everybody knows what will happen by the time you get to the white house and the president just comes out and announces the

news. in fact this issue is still very much being negotiated. we've seen reports now confirmed by nbc that bp has agreed to this $20 billion fund for claims that the fund would be administered by ken feinberg who is known for administering the 9/11 compensation fund. we do know that. but you put your finger on one of the key outstanding issues here -- is this fund all-in for bp, or is it just a down payment as the white house says it wants? that's the real issue for bp. because $20 billion, as you know, is a huge chunk of change. bp likely is looking for certainty saying, we can't just have a slush fund that's open forever where people can dip in. you've got to draw the line somewhere. but the white house's position would be, look, we still don't know the extent of the damage here so we don't want to pre-determine or pre-judge what the liability of bp will be. the benefit of the claims process for both parties is, it potentially gets you out of

court and gets recovery to victims sooner. it is being negotiated right now. you may have noticed we are late. we were supposed to hear from the president at 12:15. we still haven't heard for him. that's because the lawyers for the white house and bp are still back there. >> in fact there was a lot of criticism the president didn't have enough specifics in his oval office address. my sense of it is that some of that could be that they had not worked out all of these deals. once you get the lawyers into it, you are lawyer, savannah, you knee. . >> maureen dowd was among critics saying this is more substance than style, that president obama is often too hesitant to take the obvious action. he seems unable to muster the adrenalin necessary to go full-bore until the crowd is about to give up on him. it is a nerve-racking way to govern. they're a little thin-skinned sometimes about the white house and i'm sure they aren't

enjoying too much the commentary about his first oval office address. >> look, you hate to use the word but there is also a certain defensiveness back there right now. they think where people look back and scrutinize the government's effort here that the substance of their response will hold up. by saying that, it is almost a tacit acknowledgement that there have been some style missteps. they resist this notion that, oh, washington and the cable chatterers, they want a certain dance from the president, they can't to see him emote and so on and so forth. yet by their very actions and the way they have seemed to amp up the rhetoric, they have seemed to engage more in a public way. it seems that they are trying to correct some of this mid-stream. i mean the thing about the speech last nightcy think what may have been lacking is, a real rational for giving a speech right at that moment. he wasn't able to say this is how much will be in the fund and ken feinberg is going to administer it, because it

obviously wasn't right to make that announcement yet. it seemed to be a speech that could have been made on day ten, day 20, day 53, day 60. and maybe that was what sort of detracted from the level of urgency that we saw. >> in fact, if this had all been nailed down last night, i don't think ken feinberg would have had an op-ed in the "new york times" himself today on an issue he has with congress on the 9/11 fund where they constructed a careful payout to the victims. that's not the job of someone who's about to take on for administration had in print this morning. i should quickly point out this notion that on june 23rd, there is going to be a meeting, next week, with the senate leaders on the energy bill that the president is going to be jumping in to it. that perhaps in response to the criticism that he was not specific enough about pricing carbon last night in his speech. >> well two things. on ken feinberg, this was

floating out there for a little bit. chuck and i were working on tips about this and i do get the feeling that this is something that came together more or less at the last minute. as of last weekend or so, it wasn't clear that feinberg would be the guy or was going to be able to do this. i think that did come together last minute. on the energy piece of it, yes, he'll have a meeting with congressional leaders and talk about the way forward. a lot of climate activists, those folks are a little disappointed. i mean on the one hand, he spoke about energy reform and comprehensive energy reform longer than on any other topic. a month ago nobody thought energy was going to be done in any way, shape or form this year. so there's progress from their perspective. on the other hand, they didn't hear those magic words and they didn't hear a full-throated call for the pricing of pollution, pricing of carbon which a lot of climate activists will say is the real issue, the real way to get reform and change in this country. >> exactly right. thanks, savannah. as we await the president, of course remember to join savannah

and chuck todd weekdays at 9:00 eastern for "the daily rundown" only right here on msnbc. bp has already paid $70 million in claims and is now, as we've been reporting, committing to hand over another $20 billion to a third party. republican senator george lemieux met with the president yesterday in florida and joins us now from capitol hill. senator, thanks for standing by with us as we await the president. are you satisfied with what is being reported so far and confirmed by all of our correspondents, that this will be a $20 billion escrow fund, you were one of the original proponents, something i think you requested in a letter to bp back on may 11th? >> that's right. if this is the case and what you're reporting is accurate -- i'm sure it is -- i think this is a great achievement. i've been critical in the president on a number of ways on this disaster but i'll give credit where credit is due. if they get the $20 billion for those claims, people who have lost business, 40%, 50%, 60%

down from last year, that will be great. having a third-party administrator is the right way to go. so that will be part of the solution for this disaster. if it is true, i tip my hat to the president. >> what other issues did you raise with him when you were with him in florida yesterday? >> andrea, the number one thing i'm concerned about is still the fact that this oil is off our shores. it is looming off of pensacola. there is a spill of oil that is two miles wide and 40 miles long that's right off the coast of pensacola. it could come on to shore today. it is a heavier oil than what we've seen before. it is not merely this sheen. in fact, it appears to come up off of the middle or bottom of the ocean and part of this plume. i want to see more skimmers off the coast of florida. as of yesterday, we only had 32 skimmers off of florida's coast. that's not acceptable. admiral allen tells us there is 2,000 skimmers. i brought this issue up with the president, 2,000 skimmers available in the united states. we need more of those there. every day those skimmers should

be sailing towards the gulf of mexico. foreign help is needed. there is some misunderstanding as to whether or not we're getting foreign help. the state department yesterday said that we've turned down requests, 21 offers of help from 17 different countries. i want to see every skimmer available. i want to see the president remain engaged and he got this done today and he needs to continue to be involved so that we keep that oil from coming ashore. >> i gather you were tweeting yesterday that there were only 32 of the 2000. why only 32? our own mark potter was off pensacola beach and you could see nothing out there. i mean there were no vessels out in the water. >> andrea, it is beyond belief that there can only be 32 skimmers. that's like me and my buddies finding 32 skimmers and going out in the gulf of mexico. that's not what you expect from the federal government. you expect a more robust response. that's why it's good for the president to be in the gulf, to when he hears things like that that i brought up yesterday for him to turn to admiral allen and say, we need more skimmers, which is what he did.

i'm going to be on the watch for that and we'll be on skimmer watch. every day i'm going to go to the floor of the sthat senate saying today there's 50, today there is 100. just likedy at the beginning of the broadcast, if the president delivers on this, too, i'll be the first to commend him. >> one thing comes to mind with all due respect to the coast guard and admiral allen who are doing a terrific job, why not bring in the navy? if the coast guard is overwhelmed, why not bring in more resources and again to the point of why the state department has been so slow about getting in this foreign aid? they initially said that that he were rejecting requests, then they put out a statement the other day saying they've accepted some offers from 17 countries. there's total confusion coming out of the state department on this. >> that's why we need the president to lead. we've got a bunch of different agencies of government from homeland security to interior, to noaa, to the coast guard. we need the president leading those meetings and, look. when the ceo, commander in chief, is there and he is

saying, you told me there was going to be more skimmers, why aren't there more skimmers, you get more skimmers. that's what leaders do. we've seen it in florida with leaders like governor bush during our-s. i was in those meetings with him when we had all our hurricanes. he'd press people for results. governor crist is doing that now in florida, governor jindal in louisiana. we need the president to remain active. the claims thing is great, but we've got to be vigilant about stopping the oil from leaking and preventing oil from coming ashore. >> senator george lemieux from florida, thank you very much for keeping us all straight on this. as we continue to wait for president obama's statement from the white house coming up about his meeting with bp executives, up next we'll talk with house republican whip eric cantor. is the president exploiting the crisis for political gain in that's one republican charge. stay up to date on the gulf oil spill, including how you can help by logging on to our website, oilspill.msnbc.com. you're watching "andrea mitchell

reports" only on msnbc. vegetables are naturally low in calories. v8 juice gives you 3 of your 5 daily servings. it's a tasty, nutritious way to make this number go up... and help this one go down. v8. what's your number? boon motorcycle insurance, rv,at geiccamper, boat insurance. nice work, everyone. exec: well, it's easy for him. he's a cute little lizard. gecko: ah, gecko, actually - exec: with all due respect, if i was tiny and green and had a british accent i'd have more folks paying attention to me too... i mean - (faux english accent) "save money! pip pip cheerio!" exec 2: british? i thought you were australian. gecko: well, it's funny you should ask. 'cause actually, i'm from - anncr: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

i had a heart problem. i was told to begin my aspirin regimen. i just didn't listen until i awoke with pains in my chest. i almost lost my life. my doctor's again ordered me to take aspirin. and i do. i make sure that he does it. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone, so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ mike ] i encourage everyone to listen to the doctor. and take it seriously. [ male announcer ] learn more about protecting your heart at iamproheart.com.

not surprisingly, republican leaders are slamming president obama's announcements on the gulf disaster criticizing last night's oval office speech as "political opportunism." joining me now live from capitol hill, house republican whip eric cantor. nice to see you, congressman. tell us what your objections were to the speech last night. >> well, good afternoon, andrea. i don't want to, nor does anybody, want to pile on the president. but what people need right now is leadership. and this speech just did not demonstrate that there is a plan to help the people right now who need it most. i thought it was funny, andrea, it is the first time i can recall where i am in agreement with folks on msnbc like keith

olbermann. i thought the same thing did he about this speech. there's no leadership, there was no plan. we've got a real environmental catastrophe right now and there is no demonstrative thing to point to where this president says we got a plan, we're going to get it done. >> what he's apparently announcing today, and we are hearing reports out of the meeting that we've confirmed, is that a $20 billion escrow fund, which is open-ended, and which will be administered by ken feinberg. isn't that a plan? >> well, that is certainly a piece that you got to commend the president on establishing that fund. and absolutely bp ought to be paying, which i am -- clearly they've stepped up and said that they would go along with the president's escrow fund. but what we did not hear last night, andrea, is a fix to the problem. we didn't hear answers to the senator lemieux who was just on this network saying that they need more skimmers in florida. why isn't the president calling our allies, calling sources that

he's got to go in and bring the necessary equipment in place to do everything we can to stave off this environmental disaster of epic proportions? >> the house speaker spoke about this today and about bp. let me play it for you. >> everything bp told us turned out to be a betrayal of the public trust, that they had the technology to dig that deep, that they had the capacity to prevent a blow-out. but if one occurred, they had the adequacy of a response. they did not on any score. and the people of the region are paying dearly, as is our entire country. >> i don't want to shock you too much, but is it possible that you agree with nancy pelosi just as you now agree with keith observe man, in part? >> let me just say this. bp needs to pay. bp's market cap on the markets has gone down by the tens -- don't know where it is now -- tens of billions of dollars.

okay? bp has stepped up and said $20 billion in escrow. bp needs to pay. but why is the speaker, just as the president, focused on blame gaming right now instead of fixing the problem. >> because they caused the problem, congressman. i mean you told the "financial times" last week, "that they should stop -- that the president, administration, should stop blame andvillification instead of focusing on stopping the oil. president and the administration can't stop the oil. bp has to stop the oil. >> what they can do, what they can do right now is mitigate the environmental disaster. again, florida says they need 300 skimmers right now there's 32 off the coast. same thing in louisiana. a member of congress from the new orleans region says all along the administration has turned a deaf ear to the pleas for help as far as mitigating the environmental disaster. that's what this administration can be doing, andrea. we did not hear any concerted detailed plan on how we're going to clean up this mess. >> all right, well maybe we will.

we're still waiting for the president to come out. thanks so much, congressman eric cantor. next, as we keep our eye on the white house, we'll talk to politico's john harris. is the president's message resonating with residents in the gulf? this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. whatever scents fill your household, purina tidy cats scoop helps neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats scoop. keep your home smelling like home.

[ birds chirping, animals calling ] ♪ [ pop ] [ man ] ♪ well, we get along [ laughing, hooting ] ♪ yeah, we really do ♪ and there's nothing wrong ♪ with what i feel for you ♪ i could hang around till the leaves are brown and the summer's gone ♪ [ announcer ] when you're not worried about potential dangers, the world can be a far less threatening place. take the scary out of life with travelers insurance... and see the world in a different light.

be aware of your surroundings. don't ignore obvious signs. stay hydrated at all times. get plenty of fresh air and sunshine. ♪ and don't worry-- lots of people live active lives with asthma. answers and advice to help you get well and stay well. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. learn more at walgreens.com/health. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. from more hotels for my withperfect girls' weekend. plus i can compare dates to find out when i can save the most cash. done and done. we should do this more often. where you book matters. expedia. hi, ellen! hi, ellen! hi, ellen! hi, ellen! we're going on a field trip to china! wow. [ chuckles ] when i was a kid, we -- we would just go to the -- the farm. [ cow moos ] [ laughter ]

no, seriously, where are you guys going? ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! ni hao! [ female announcer ] the new classroom. see it. live it. share it. on the human network. cisco. how will the president's showdown with bp play in the gulf? will it help residents with whether the president is on their side. the bottom line here, john, is the president gives an oval office speech with the stakes as high as it was. and it didn't go over well with a number of different audiences. what do you think? >> look.

white house says we're not talking to the chattering class, we didn't care about the media echo chamber, we're trying to reach the public. we'll see when polls come back in coming days whether that is true. it better be true they weren't trying to speak to the chattering class because the chattering cl ining class along ideological spectrum was really thumbs down on this speech. i was struck by the intensity and broadness of the negative reviews. >> is that because we raised expectations too high or he didn't meet any expectations? >> i felt that the white house did fairly purposefully raise the expectations of this speech. they said, hey, almost by definition you do that when you ask networks for oval office time for a prime time address to speak to the nation. as you know, it is a very sort of rare opportunity. presidents are very careful about exercising it. that automatically builds expectations that there will be something new and important to say. people didn't feel there was much new. they felt it lacked detail. >> i can understand giving him a pass if they were not at closure

with bp on exactly what the deal is with the $20 billion fund and ken feinberg administering it. where i think people had a little bit more justification is that once again he called for becoming more independent from fossil fuels but there were no specifics. at this point if he's going to get legislation this year, he has to sign on to something. this cannot just be aspirational. >> right. i think in fairness, this line of criticism, the president's laying out sort of broad goals but not telling us how he proposes to get there, very familiar from health care. and of course in the end that strategy did work in health care. it was a wild ride along the way. >> i think he paid a heavy political price for the amount of time that that took. there's new polling out from pew today. interesting polling on people being asked whether they still favor expanding coal, oil and gas exploration. and it is a pretty recent poll saying 68% do to only 26%

opposed. that's somewhat surprising. >> well, it is. i think people, politicians, are very wary of the politics of energy. there is some contradictory polling as people are really now willing to address more radical measures for a carbon-free future or moving toward that goal. but the fact of the matter is, there's some pretty consistent politics in important parts of the country, including the places where the competitive elections take place. so-called swing districts where things like a carbon attactax a very unpopular. w where the cape and trade legislation will cost democrats some seats this november. politics of energy are very precarious. i personally sort of take most of these polls that come and go with a little bit of a grain of salt because we've got a long track record of just showing how fundamental energy politics are

in certain parts of the countre differences. >> joe scarborough who knows pensacola, florida very well and of course represented in congress saying that there is a difference response that was talking to conservative republicans in that area. most every politics there is successful elected politician is conservative and republican. and that they were very upbeat about the president's performance when he goes down and meets with them over the last couple of days. you've seen him with crist, governor crist, governor jindal, haley barbour. he seems to be having a better impact on the gulf itself than with either the chattering classes or perhaps in the rest of the country. >> i think that's a pretty important point, andrea. like we never -- we have learned again and again over the years, in fact, the clinton presidency, that the sort of conventional view in washington, what everybody is talking about, what the smart set says is not necessarily how political issues are playing around the country.

i think that point is very well-taken. >> okay, john harris from politico, thanks as we continue today on a big day here in washington. our live coverage of the president's meeting with bp executives continues next with the "washington post's" eugene robinson. should the white house take a military-style approach to solving this crisis in the gulf? you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. you can see the state dining room just being set up. they've moved the rose garden meeting inside. so we see the first pictures. there's our cameraman. they're beginning to organize, scrambling inside because of heavy rains here in washington. stay with us. dad lost his numbes when he forgot to make the morning coffee. so world's best mom was more than happy to make a cup of delicious starbucks via. she got to the office just in time to save best friend forever from the office coffee. best friend forever bravely shared starbucks via with don't talk to me until my second cup before he even had his first. he shared it with i hate mondays who had three cups because it was, after all, monday. premium starbucks via ready brew.

now available wherever you buy groceries. ♪

mom, thanks for the amazing pie! it's soo good. ♪ this is insanely good. see, i thank you for stuff! oh and thanks for the roof over my head...and stuff like that. you should come over more often. and thanks for having such exquisite taste. ♪ [ female announcer ] give the cool whip. get the love. ♪ topping headlines right now, after passing out yesterday from dehydration, general david petraeus was back in the senate today facing sharp criticism about the progress of the war in afghanistan. the head of u.s. central command says that despite obstacles, the overall situation in afghanistan is improving.

>> the conduct of the counterinsurgency operation is a roller coaster experience. there are setbacks, as well as areas of progress or successes. but the trajectory, in my view, has generally been upward despite the tough losses, despite the setbacks. >> but only today, two more u.s. service members were killed in an ied attack in northern afghanistan. a spokesman in afghanistan says that the troops were in a vehicle that hit a roadside bomb. closing arguments are under way right now in california's landmark proposition 8 trial, the first federal court test after state law banning day marriage. two same-sex couples sued to overturn prop 8 as a violation of their civil rights. they're represented in court by an odd couple, the legal profession, former bush white house solicitor general, conservative republican ted olson, and liberal democrat

david boyce. teaming up, they were adversaries in front of the supreme court in the land mark bush v. gore case. wilson won that one. the judge's decision could come in weeks. we continue to await the president's at the same time from the white house about his meeting with bp executives which has been going on for several hours now. at the white house we will bring that to you live as soon as it begins. in his speech last night, president obama described fighting the oil spill in military terms as a battle to save the gulf. "the washington post's" eugene robinson continued that analogy today writing, "there's no silver bullet that can defeat this blob-like enemy, but each drop of oil that gets removed from the gulf and its shores is a victory and each drop that doesn't is a defeat. it's that simple, this is war. msnbc political analyst gene robinson, pulitzer prize winning columnist with the "washington post" is here with us now. the military analogy really does take hold because this is what he's facing. >> i think it is what he's facing.

and the other reason why i think the military analogy is valid, i sat down with admiral allen not long ago and he said that only in a military setting can you really have unity of command. you can have unity of effort or unity of purpose, the way things are set up now with the command center, and the federal officials here and bp there and kind of working together. but everything that we hear from the coast o about the success or failure of the containment efforts, about the oil that's now approaching the oil that's now there, suggests to me that a more unified command and a bigger, frankly, deployment of resources is necessary in order to do all that can be done to protect the environment. >> one of the things that i was asking earlier today is why they have not helped the coast guard out with the navy. i don't know what assets we have, but -- thad allen has said in the past that if you brought in more ships, you would have a

traffic jam basically, there's so much out there already. but however many thousand skimmers are out there, 2,000 supposedly, there are only 32 off the coast of florida right now. >> exactly. admiral allen has said that the white house has told him he has access to any military resources he needs. he's met with officials at the pentagon to discuss this. i think you have to look at the situation on the ground, or on the water, and the fact is that, there aren't as many skimmers being seen as local officials think could be deployed and can be used. again, we are dealing with 140 miles' worth of coastline. so, yes, there are thousands of vessels there, but it's a big gulf. and the fact, to me, that, for example, sweden and norway and japan and something like 14 other nations and four other international organizations have

offered resources, said tell us what you need and we'll send it, including ships that will suck up the oil and skimmers and this and that, and that many, if not most of these would-be donors, these would-be samaritans are still waiting to hear back from the government or from bp. that's part of the problem. they don't know who to talk to. do you call bp and say, how can we fit in to your plans? do you call admiral allen? >> that's the whole point of the unified command, that thad allen is supposedly leading with homeland and everyone else reporting through him. i mean you have all of these officials who we saw arrayed around the table today in the roosevelt room facing off with bp which shows you the weight of the cabinet. >> exactly. but i think what we have here is, if you will, a theater of war that is so extensive that is so vast, that i can't think of many other entities other than the united states military, really, that has the command and control capacity to really even

understand what is happening at a given time along that entire front. and to marshal the resources proportionately in the way that they could. i'm sure people running this for admiral allen and for bp in houston are -- i'm sure they're good at what they do and are doing the best they can. i'm just doubting this organizational framework is big enough. this is not just my bloviating but this is what i am hearing where for example, from people who were directly involved in the exxon valdez clean-up. >> which was a contained area by definition, geographically, it was a contained amount of oil in a contained area. let's talk about the political plight right now. because i was here during the carter years and some are animal guysing this to the hostage

situation. account president do other things? can he get beyond energy and beyond bp? what about all of the foreign policy challenges? what about all of the other problems? this does threaten to overtake the white house. >> well, it could. i think there's perhaps this potential. i don't think necessarily it will be the case. i think the way the president can kind of escape the potential trap that is laid for him here is to clearly demonstrate to the american people and to the world that every possible thing that could possibly be done is being done, and when you have a situation where the president is saying, we're doing all we can, yet you still have local officials on the gulf saying, yeah, but we need more skimmers here, yeah, but we need more boom there, yeah, but there's not the coordination that there should be, that is a disconnect

that i think the white house had better connect up in a hurry if it doesn't want to get bogged down in a quagmire here. >> and among the reactions to the speech last night was mark halperin on time.com. his take -- the best thing of the speech for obama, it was well written and well delivered. he proffers the mechanives he h to use the oval platform. worst thing from the speech, the negative instant reaction. >> it wasn't just conservatives across the board, it was among those commenting were many of the political commentators as well. >> the reaction to the speech was interesting. i have to admit, my heart sank a bit when 30 seconds into the speech he once again mentions dr. chu's nobel prize. >> a pet peeve of our friend chris matthews. >> i understand that.

i don't understand all of chris' pet peeves but i'm with him on this because he is one of the most imminent physicists in the real world but not relevant to coastal marshes. but that reaction by republicans is important, should we have heard more specifics about his long-term energy plan? cap-and-trade? carbon tax? well, those are fighting words, but i guess my argument would be that perhaps he didn't fully lay the groundwork for that phase of the speech by, first, setting out -- first laying to rest this question of whether everything that conceivably can be done to take care of this oil spill is being done. you have to lay that to rest, then use it as a pivot to say, okay, now let's talk about what we really need to do to make sure nothing like this happens again. >> i tell you, i find it

surprising that they are proceeding with talks with the senate next week, we're now told september 23rd. when you talk to people in the white house, they really think they can get an energy bill this year. i don't know how comprehensive an energy bill but they're proceeding. once again the president surprises in that he's willing to take this on as he was willing to take on health care. >> right. but what kind of bill are you going to get? if this is the starting point, what kind of bill are you going to get? and do you have to lay more of a foundation in order to get an energy bill that's really going to make a difference down the road? and i think, maybe it's cap-and-trade, maybe it is a carbon tax. i mean that would work, but that's a really heavy lift. and i don't know if they're ready. we'll see. >> eugene robinson, always a pleasure to see you. thank you very much. coming up next, as we continue to wait for a statement from president obama, we'll be talking to the president of louisiana's oyster man

association, he's asking bp where's the money. he's here in washington to talk to people on capitol hill. tonight on 7:00 eastern on msnbc, "rice of the new right." chris matthews takes a look at what's the cause of all that political anger on the right. 7:00 eastern right here only on msnbc. it's the fusion proglide challenge.

whoo! hey man, how ya doin'? how's your shave? kinda like tuggin' and pullin'. see how shaving can cause irritating tug and pull? [ male announcer ] that's why gillette's introducing the revolutionary new fusion proglide. it glides... like literally. [ male announcer ] now, fusion proglide has been engineered with gillette's thinnest blades ever so it glides for less tug and pull. turns shaving into gliding. and skeptics into believers. new fusion proglide. and warm up before you shave for incredible comfort with new proseries thermal scrub. [ male announcer ] imagination. it's the most powerful resource on earth. and at ge, we're using it, right now, to create innovative technology that will improve the health of our economy... the health of the earth...

♪ ...and the health of its people. ♪ ♪ thing to manage. it's a very complicated condition and it requires the very best professional help available. you need to see good doctors. you need a company like liberty medical. and with their help and close supervision you can simplify the maintenance of your diabetes. liberty medical can make it simple, not the disease, but the few things you need to do daily to help maintain the very best health possible. liberty has everything you need to manage your diabetes, including all the brand name meters. liberty accepts medicare and most health insurance plans. call now and we'll send you a free meter. plus you'll get a free cookbook when you join.

call liberty medical. they can help you live a better simpler life. call the number on your screen. beyond compensating the people of the gulf in the short term, it's also clear we need a long-term plan to restore the unique beauty and bounty of this region. that's why we must make a commitment to the gulf coast that goes beyond responding to the crisis of the moment. i make that commitment tonight. >> the president vows to come up with a plan to restore the gulf but will it be in time to help those whose livelihoods are already endangered? the president of the louisiana oystermen association is here with me now. you're here to speak -- you're going to be testifying this afternoon to the house. you've already done this weeks

ago. tell me about what the real impact is for the oystermen whom you represent. >> the real impact is our livelihoods is gone and the fact that we don't know what tomorrow's going to bring. we have so many questions, no answers. of course, with bp, we've talked to them, we've tried to give them a plan for payment to sustain our families and yet it seems to be just being thrown off all the time. >> what is the response you get? and whom do you meet with? >> well, claims adjusters. i meet with the guy that's over the program for bp, mr. willis, and every time we presented our program, when i testified, of course. and we have not gotten a clear answer back from bp yet. it's the same thing that congress goes through. you know?

they're still waiting for a clear answer from bp. you know? >> is it the check is in the mail? i mean you have not seen real money yet. >> we saw one $5,000 check, but you know, we spent -- that was spent before they even wrote the check. you know? we're waiting now. >> are any of the oystermen able to be employed by bp to help in the clean-up effort? >> we do have some people employed that's getting there. but we have the majority of them still not employed. we're sitting here looking at contractors coming from other places, and remember, we have a situation mentally, we went through this with katrina. and we have been very adamant with bp. we don't need another road home. that just seems the way that bp wants to take this. you know? it's always, here, we're going to do it and it never happens. >> this was the year you thought you would finally economically

turn the corner after katrina and after rebuilding. i want to play a little bit of your last testimony, think it was may 27th to the house judiciary committee. let's watch. >> our request is as follows. the federal government to ensure immediate compensation paid to the fishermen to provide for income replacement and family living expense. the lack of federal and state income returns must not preclude any fishermen from receiving compensation. >> mr. encalade, at this stage are you more encouraged now that we are confirming reports that out of this meeting which is still going on at the white house, bp has agreed to a $20 billion escrow fund and it will be managed independently by ken feinberg who, by all accounts, did a really good job for the victims of 9/11. >> and that's fine. but we asked them for a six-month payment and stop nickel and diming us to death. and we still haven't received

that now. it's great that the president have asked them to do it, they've done it. but we must also now make sure that this fund's there. we have to have oversight. we cannot afford to see these funds turn into -- it turned over to state agencies. that's still right now people are waiting for our road home funds. >> those are the katrina funds. >> that's the katrina funds. so if we go down that same road, you know, even the president stated during his campaign, if you want a different result, you have to choose a different road. you going to keep winding up, if you go to the same people, you'll wind up with the same results. that's what we have to make sure we have oversight on these funds. >> who in the administration under homeland or thad allen or whomever, who is helping you? with whom do you interact? >> well, we have congressional -- we have some very strong congressional people and i tell you -- >> but on administration side.

>> well, administration, no. i mean this is individual congresswomen that have taken it upon their own because they care. we've had a lot of people that have come down and it is mostly -- it is initiative from them that have helped us and brought us to the table to even have a conversation with bp. you know? >> we wish you all the best and we're going to stay on it. thank you. >> we appreciate it. >> we will stay in touch with you and with your fellow oystermen. >> we appreciate you for having us. this is what it's going to take, people like yourself caring enough to bring us out here and exposing, getting the truth out. let's put it that way. >> thank you for helping us. >> thank you. coming up next, right here as we continue to keep our eye on the white house, we will get a preview of tomorrow's big hearing with bp executives on capitol hill. this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. [ wind howling ]

[ male announcer ] it balances you... [ water crashing ] [ male announcer ] ...it fills you with energy... and it gives you what you're looking for to live a more natural life, in a convenient two bar pack. this is nature valley... delicious granola bars made with 100% natural ingredients. nature valley. 100% natural, 100% delicious. so forget return on investment. let's talk return on insurance. switch your car insurance to allstate, and you can earn a 5% bonus. 5% of your premium sent to you twice a year for as long as you don't have an accident. the safe driving bonus check, only from allstate.

[ operator judy ] see how much you could save. call or click today for a free quote or to find an allstate agent. ♪

my subaru saved my life. i won't ever forget that. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

so what political story will be making headlines in the next 2 hours. the managing editor of the fixed blog joins us now. >> it's a little bit of hurry up and wait, we continue to wait for the president, but we think we know what's coming out of this, this $20 billion fund. i've kind of got my eye on tomorrow, another big day on the hill. tony hayward, the ceo of bp going to come under what i can only assume is a withering line of questioning. he's the public face of the villain for many people in this. when members of congress have free lane lane to ask him as many leading and damming

questions as possible, my guess is whey will be doing that. >> when we talk about tony hayward, he is unfortunately, because of that commercial if not else, and his other kbhent about when is he going to get his life back, he's really going to face a withering inquiry on the hill. >> you know, we saw yesterday some oil company executives, and to be honest, there was lots and lots of nastiness going from congress toward them. i can only imagine -- my guess will be exponentially worse. as you point out, tony hayward has really not helped himself. apparently you can rise to a very high position in a giant company without having a really good ear for public relations. some of the things he has personally said, some of the things the company has said, a couple of things. made it difficult to come out of this looking goo at all. and made it harder on ott bama administration. they started working in partnership with bp and now as president obama made clear last night in his oval office

address, they are telling bp what to do in this meeting and going forward. >> tony hayward's background is he's a ph.d. geologist who rose through the ranks, not from one of the more management oriented or executive sides of the business, but from the scientific side, so he seems to be really kind of out of his element here. but we all recall that waxman-stupak letter that set up the terms of the reference in this hearing, which demanded answers to all of the things that the congress members and frankly as was reported earlier by, you know, the news media and new york times and others that bp didn't do, the decisions they made to cut corners and save money and you saw the way the other oil company executives were abandoning bp yesterday when they were all lined up in front of ed markey.. >> and my guess is there will be a heavy push. there was yesterday, i think there will be even more of one tomorrow, to make tony hayward apologize publicly in front of congress, to apologize for the

way that his company has handled it, for the way he has handled it. how much contrition will he give. my guess is a significant amount. is there any back and forth. does he simply take it? take the attacks from the members of congress that are sure to come? or does he try to fight back? it will be an interesting strategy. bp is fighting if their public relations life in this as well. >> what i'm looking for is the outcome of the congressional women's softball game tonight versus the press corps. >> come on, press corps. >> we're going to be out there doing the play by play to raise money for breast cancer. a very good cause. that does it this edition of "andrea mitchell" reports. michelle rhee, the chancellor of d.c. public school systems is really shaking things up here. my colleague takes over from here as we await a statement from president obama on his meeting with bp executives.

stay with us for live coverage right here on msnbc. peer into the future. there's a nurse who can access in an instant every patient's past. and because the whole hospital's working together, there's a family who can breathe easy, right now. somewhere in america, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest healthcare questions. and the over 60,000 people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers.

 i own a small law firm and i'm a much better lawyer than i am an accountant. so, when i wasn't getting paid as quickly as i would like, i did what came naturally. i threatened to sue. turns out, that's not the best way to keep clients. so i went looking for answers online at openforum.com it's a place where i can talk with other small business owners like thomas and connie and learn about tools like acceptpay. it's a new way to bill online that can help me get paid much faster, without the need for any legal intimidation, which gives me a warm fuzzy feeling... sort of like these super comfortable socks made from the soft, supple wool of alpacas. looking good. thank you. owners are asking questions. owners are getting answers. and american express open is building the tools they need. tools like acceptpay, which lets owners take their accounts receivable online. acceptpay. invoice digitally. get paid faster. only from american express open.

ah! silver one! that's not a volkswagen. ♪ [ tires screech ] ♪ [ sighs ] that's two for doubting. [ chuckles ] you hit like my sister. really? i'd like to meet her. [ male announcer ] the volkswagen cc. award-winning design for just $299 a month. it's a whole new volkswagen. and a whole new game. ♪ sir? finding everything okay? i work for a different insurance company. my auto policy's just getting a little too expensive. with progressive, you get the "name your price" option, so we build a policy to fit your budget. wow! the price gun. ♪ ah! wish we had this. we'd just tell people what to pay. yeah, we're the only ones that do. i love your insurance! bill? tom? hey! it's an office party! the freedom to name your price. only from progressive. call or click today.

the president's showdown, or sit down, depending on which way you want to see it, with bp executives at the white house. president obama scheduled to speak any minute now and msnbc confirmed the president will say bp agreed to a $20 billion fund to pay for damages, as well as clean-up costs. and we're also waiting to hear from press secretary robert gibbs and thad allen for an update on unfolding disasters in the gulf. there's estimates showing the amount of oil coming from that oil from 35,000 to 60,000 barrels a day. that, by the way, is double the estimate we learned last week. and they are hammering out the final details now of bp's agreement to set up that $20 billion escrow fund. the bp executives have been at the white house since around 10:00 eastern time this morning. and as we await the