catch. one side, the tea party. the other side, the grand old party. the established, traditional candidates caught in the cross fire of conservatives who want something different. and right now both sides are under the same big tent, so to speak, today as this conservative shangri la. show it to you. the republicans recognize the split between factions in their own party, but their mown famt face, focused on a common enemy. >> boy, i guess it is welcome to the nancy pelosi, harry reid, president obama farewell party. >> those in attendance starting to vote in a straw poll giving people a glimpse into who wants to run for president in 2012. sarah palin is up for the vote even though not present. and christine o'donnell is there and she is stealing the show. >> it's no secret that there's been a rather unflattering portrait of me painted these days. i'm not counting on the national media to vote for me on november 2nd.

i'm asking all of you to vote for me. >> alaska's senator lisa murkowski decides whether to compete as a write-in candidate against the tea party winner joe miller nap would definitely split the conservative vote and give democrat as real chance to take away the seat. a political guru, producer and op-ed reporter extraordinaire for nbc news. talking about the value voters is that code for tea partiers or a whole different group of people? >> there's overlap. a lot of folks here who certainly identify with the tea party as well. you know, values voters traditionally has been a summit here that's taken place in washington every year focuses on you know, social issues. things like gay marriage. you know, the -- abortion. things you would normally associate with social issues. that's bled over somewhat, though, this year with the tea

party, and they're focused a little bit more on fiscal issues. fiscal responsibility. talking about making that a moral issue. we heard jim demint and hike huckabee talk about it. won here the last few years. mitt romney gave his speech, talking about pushing carts down walmart. you know, talking about some terrorism issues and this is more of what you're hearing from somebody who's potentially rinning for president in 2012 as opposed to somebody who's necessarily just talking to a social issues group. >> they're calling themselves values voters, but isn't this election really about the economy and not so much what we think of as values? >> right. well, you know, the election certainly is about the economy. it's what's given people in the tea party movement, republican, the upper hand. now, the folks here, like i said, are also focused on that fiscal issue and want to take that and make that part of their platform.

this is important for people running in 2012. you need activists who vote on social issues. especially in places like iowa. remember, mitt romney lost iowa, despite the amount of money he spent. because mike huckabee, christian activists liked his message and folksiness and the fact he was a baptist preacher and delivered several one-liner, able to rally some of those folks. watch what a potential 1212 mike huckabee, watch mike pence. stirs the crowd. unapologetic about social issues and took that home to this audience here good to talk to you. will the gop split? help democrats in november? i'd like to hear your thoughts. weigh in on twitter, facebook or me e-mail address, contessa@msnbc.com. kristine o'donnell thrust into the national spotlight and appeared with her democratic

opponent chris coons for the first time. >> became a spotlight for national politics were when a number of statewide candidates were there to kansas questions a typical forum that wasn't so typical. kristine chririhriris tooen o'd coons talking about jobs, immigration, social security but a lot of attention being paid to the race. how they addressed that. >> but i assure you, my faith has matured and when i go to washington, d.c. it will be the constitution on which i base all of my decisions, not my personal beliefs. >> i don't think that particularly interested in statements that either of us made 20 or 30 years ago. >> all of this interest can be measured in fund-raising. o'donnell's campaign says online they've raised more than $1

million since her primary win. it's also going to drive interest to chris coons' campaign. vice president biden appears with him in delaware. it's a big race. we're watching it and a lot more to talk about. >> kelly o'donnell reporting there. and president obama is sidestepping a potentially ugly fight over his newly created watchdog group. they wanted elizabeth warren to head the consumer national protection bureau but republicans suggested they would block that nomination over her tough views on regulation. so instead, the president will make warren a special assistant overseeing the agency's creation. the president's official announce monies happens next hour. we're watch for that. fierce rain and hurricane-force winds killed one person. the storm toppled trees ripped roofs off homes and knocked out of power.

youtube video aiken off a rooftop. and the ominous scene off the statue of liberty. you can see the violent lightning strikes. entire neighborhoods covered with downed trees and tree limbs. left several cars totaled. thousands without power. today the national weather service is investigating if, indeed, a tornado touched down. let's go to incomes's peter alexander in queens, new york. what kind of damage are you seeing out there, peter? >> reporter: contessa, speaking about an effort to determine if 23 there was a tornado that hit here we know the national weather service will arrive in queens with the hour to begin that investigation in earnest. you talk about the damage. if i get out of the way, a pretty good look what some of the damage was overnight from this extreme series of storms. just passed right through this area. you can see the top floor of this three-story apartment building. the roof was literally torn off.

ripped away like the top of a sardine can. ed furniture exposed. bricking blew in. the glass blew in. at the time sitting at the dinner table was a family of three. a husband, his wife, who is seven months pregnant and her mother. the good news, all lee are okay. he got a pretty good knock to his head. she, again, seven months pregnant in the hospital as we speak. her husband tells me as a precaution to be sure they're ago. they can't get back into their homes. for many, that's all they have. the real problem today for many is leelectricity. trees down throughout thisary. con edd says about 30,000 people still without power throughout new york city itself. they hope this one will not be a tornado, but if it was it will have been the ninth to have hit here since 1950. >> peter alexander reporting from queens. thanks. portions of mexico's gulf

coast bracing for hurricane karl now. it's grown with surprising speed now packing 120 mile-an-hour winds. the mexican government issued a hurricane warning for a 186-mile stretch of coastline in veracruz state. breaking news out of chile. government officials say the bore hole reached ee eed 33 mip underground. think have to widen the hole so they can be pulled through. it we'll keep you posted. police in britain arrested five men linking them to an alleged terror plot against pope benedict. he's been heavily protected during his four-day visit to great britain traveling in a custom built bum it-proof car surrounded by security. what are you learning about this, this planned plot? >> reporter: well, contessa, it's surfed, the alleged plot, last night, and britain's counterterrorism command are not

taking any chances with the pope in town. they acted on the information that they received, and they went into westminster london a neighborhood where the. so expected to speak later today. and they arrested five men at a small business there. they then took them to the police station there. they're still questioning them. they have yet to charge them with anything. they are also searching that premises as well as a number of private robinsons for hazardous materials. no announcement they've found then but an indication the police and security around the pope is incredibly tight and an abundance of caution not taking any chances with his safety. >> stephanie, was the pope here really in danger the any time? was there any sense that these men were close to accomplishing what they had in mind? >> no. and we don't even know what they had in mind, and like i said, they haven't found any evidence of hazardous materials. and actually the police told the

pope and his entourage about the alleged plot. they didn't seem nervous enough to actually change any of their events over the next couple of days. the metropolitan police here reviewed their security plans and think they have a good plan in place and are not making changes. that's some indication how serious they view this at this point. again, this security around the pope is incredibly tight. a lot of people saying it's tighter than it's ever been. that the only security greater this year in this city was for president obama. we see that on the ground. they've cordoned off at all of these events all of the streets and they're shut down. to get to where he's going to be you have to walk a mile. once he gets on the ground, foot traffic is stopped. so they really aren't taking any chances, and this almost seem, at this point, without further information from the police, this was almost a cautionary measure. >> thanks very much. more than five years after

natalee holloway vanished her mother has come face to face with the suspect in the teenager's disappearance. beth holloway twitty sneaked into the peruvian jail. he's there for facing charges ever killing a local girl. we have more. >> reporter: when we heard about this, we thought, what? five years ago when international pt lee holloway disappeared her mother vowed to never give up, to use all of her energy to find ot what happened. she's kept that promise, traveling down to peru where joran van der sloot is held in trial awaiting trial for murdering a woman down there and she confronted him face to face. we recently heard this interview done behind bars with joran in which he tells the dutch reporter life behind bars isn't that bad. he's been teaching the guards english in this private cell and now claims he knows nothing about what happened to natalee. >> beth twitty's attorney said

she's had enough hearing this. went down there. teamed up way dutch tv crew. got inside that prison, and let joran have it. telling him the united states has not forgotten about him. whatever happens in peru, he still faces an indictment for extortion here and that if he knows anything about what happened to natalee, he should say it now. not ten years down the road, but right now. she also told him she holds no hate in her soul for him, but he said he couldn't talk to her and gave letter the phone number for his attorney. well, when prison guards realized that this might be part of some television event, they hustled beth and the camera crew out of there. here's what her attorney said on "today" this morning. >> she was in castro castro and saw joran, definitely wasn't arrested. a lot of people are reporting. nothing was taken from her. it was done without violating any laws or breaking regulations but she did it. >> reporter: beth might have felt this was her only chase. lately even aruban investigators

who originally wanted to go down and talk to to him have been in no real hurry to do so. now they say it's very unlikely joran will tell them anything. >> michelle, thanks. an acid attack, a young woman's face horribly disfigured and now the shocking story about what really happened, plus -- >> i will kill [ bleep ] -- >> caught on camera. a father's temper tantrum genera against little kids.gy r ief, comes in a liquid gel. zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. it was a real shock. i remember being at the hospital thinking, "i should have done more to take care of myself." you should've. that's why i'm exercising more now. eating healthier. and i also trust my heart to lipitor.

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she said an unknown attacker flug acid into her face but now admits she made it all up. let's kick off stories far and wide. the 2-year-old woman had discrepancies in the story. supposed to have a high-profile television interview with oprah

when she finally came clean. in vancouver, washington, now. how did they crack the case? >> reporter: really, a stunning turn of events, contessa. police had their suspicions from the start. finally they obtained a search warrant to go into bethany storro's home, which they did yesterday. they gathered some tights not telling us what they found. he talked to bethany storro and she admitted to them she maimed her own face. this all started back on august 30th when bethany storro told police she was walking in downtown vancouver, an african-american wok approached her holding a cup, said, hey pretty girl, want a drink of this and proceeded to throw what bethany said was acid in her face. she told police miraculously she bought a pair of sunglasses 20 minutes before the attack. she said she never wore sunglasses. for whatever reason she went out and bought a pair. police wanted to know why there

were no burns on her neck or shoulder. if someone had thrown acid she likely would have had burns there and not only on her face. they also wanted to know wipe she was wearing sunglasses at night. you mentioned, she went on to cancel that interview with op h oprah. an interview she was apparently excited about and in the days before the interview, she pulled out. all of that propelled police to go forward and get a search warrant and finally they got the confession they were looking for. the big question now is, will charges be filed? police are still trying to figure what the motive is in all of this. once they're finished with their investigation they'll turn it over to the prosecutor's office who will determine what, if any, charges they will bring against 28-year-old bethany storro. >> thank you. dna testing is still underway. members of a california family say their worst fears are confirmed. three of their loved ones were killed in their home last week when a devastating gas line

explosion ripped through san bruno. a father in florida is facing legal problems because of this. this is surveillance video of james jones storming on to a school bus after his daughter reportedly told him she was being harassed by other kids. so he threatened them. we have the story from orlando. >> reporter: the father as agitated when he made sure he was the first on his daughter's middle school morning bus. >> everybody sit down. >> he tells his daughter. tell me which one. then heads down the center aisle to confront the other students. >> this is my daughter and i will kill [ bleep ]. >> reporter: the father says she's been hassled on the bus, bullied. >> he comes on and takes control of the bus. >> reporter: they say the father never reported the issue to the school or the sheriff's office. >> parents agree to have their children transported to school. they don't agree to have that bus detain by a stranger and their children to be subjected

to such behavior. >> reporter: but is it illegal? >> here you have an adult a grown man, able to probably by hand carry out these threats to do serious bodily harm or kill these children. >> in fact, james jones is facing two misdemeanor charges ever disorderly conduct. he now admits that was a mistake. an alligator turns the tables on the wrangler as agonizing minutes go by. you'll see how he got out of it in one of our hot shots. on the webisode, we're looking at some of the most viewed stories on msnbc coin com. an actor from the "40-year-old virgin" convicted of murder. stabbed his ex-girlfriend more than 20 times with a kitchen knife during an argument in 2008. he played haziz in the movie. in just released transports of his parole hearing, chapman says the ex-beatle was more accessible than liz taylor.

a tiny cheerleader thrown off her squad because of a bootie cheer. her pirates complained one of the cheers was too provocative for 6-year-olds. "our backs ache, our skirts are tight we shake our bootis from left to right." ♪ shake your bootie sophia launched her cloithing company nasty gal at age 22, nothing more than a good eye for fashion and a unique sense of style. she started selling vintage clothes on ebay and now rents her own successful e-commerce site. it for more, watch "your business" sundays 7:30 on msnbc. [ man ] ♪ well, we get along ♪ yeah, we really do - ♪ and there's nothing wrong - [ bird squawks ] ♪ with what i feel for you ♪ i could hang around till the leaves are brown and the summer's gone ♪

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new economic numbers out this morning and consumer prices saw a small increase in august. the labor department says consumer prices climbed .3% last month. inflation essentially flat. consonantal and united states airlines shareholders given a green light for merger. the vote today allows the two carriers to form the world's biggest airline. the $3 billion stock deal is expected to close in two weeks. hour of the markets down? dow jones industrial flal, s&p flat, nasdaq making a little movement, up ten points on the day. unbelievable video from turkey. a toddler caught on a busy

highway with speeding cars just flying by. the security video shows the little boy wandering on to the busy road and sitting down. for nearly half a minute, drivers fly by that child. none of them even slow down. and finally a truck driver spotted the child. blocked traffic until the guy's mom picked him up. she told police she'd been frantically searching for him after he wandered away. the toddler is okay. no charges filed. uncle bob is a gator rangeler in florida. in the middle of a show. this time the gator was a little quicker than he was. >> oh, my god. >> right on his upper arm. he tried letting the alligator relax. after two minutes. the animal chomped down even harder on his arm. >> oh, my, my. >> okay. let's try this. >> should i get somebody? >> no. there's nobody here. i'm it.

sorry, folks. >> his helper positions the stick in between the gator's teeth, leans in getting leverage. uncle bob twists and turns and finally the gator let's go. he says he wasn't badly hurt. a deep puncture wound and minor cuts. then he just finishes the show. >> okay. how many of you people are going to put this on youtube? >> yes. that's right. my uncle wrestles alligators. british designer, have come up with the ideal solution for when you don't have anything to wear that's clean, just spray on clothes. the so-called shirt in a can is made with fiber-like cotton mixed with plastic and a solvent. sounds so healthy for your skin. had you spray it on the garment solidifies and can be taken off and worn again and wen. hey, that shirt is skin tight. the designers plan on selling the invention in aerosol cans. here's a bizarre record held by a plan in turkey. the guinness world record for

the biggest nose. how long is it? his nose measures -- 3.46 inches. i bet he smells very well. political analysts see the november midterm elections as key opportunity for republicans to make huge gains, but are democrats eyeing the republican split as a way to gain back ground? we'll ask a former virginia governor, doug wilder. and other reasons to swoon over pris william. he's flying high today. be right back. after using rogaine for a while, i went to my stylist and she said hair was growing back... i was like, yes, this works... [ male announcer ] only rogaine is proven to regrow hair in 85% of guys. puhh puhh puhh putt and that's it. [ male announcer ] stop losing. start gaining.

puhh puhh puhh putt and that's it. words alone aren't enough. our job is to listen and find ways to help workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. we'll keep restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right. good friday. i'm contessa brewer. here's what we're watching this hour. right now in waugs d.c., conservatives at the value the voters summit are taking a straw poll. essentially a vote to see which republican talks their list and their party before the next presidential election? the national weather service is trying to figure whether it

was a tornado that touched down yesterday in new york city. it killed one person and left tens of thousands without power. right now rope benedict is speaking at the houses of parliament in london. the vatican says the pope is aware of the five arrested connected to an alleged threat against him. no plans to change the pontiff's schedule. and darth vader is under arrest. okay, well, michigan police busted the guy they say wore the darth vader mask before robbing a convenience store monday. it wasn't really that bright, actually. he looked up at the camera first and then put on his vader mack so they were able to identify him. new signs in the compromise in the battle over taxes and president's plan to end the tax break for the nation's highest earners. they're floating the idea of extending all tax cuts for two years giving the economy breathing room. 31 democrat, urging house speaker nancy pelosi to have a one-year extension. nbc's luke russert is in

washington, d.c. so is nancy pelosi reacting to that? what's her take on extending it for a limited period of time? >> well, yesterday, contessa, nancy pelosi didn't really "lew us to try and put her into a box shall assay at the press corps, only that middle class tax cuts would pass by the end of the session. in regards to what happens in the house a lot of democrats in the house want the senate to go first. they believe any plan they pass through the house will encounter difficulty in the senate. they're trying to see a compromise arise in the senate. some democrats are open to this idea as well as republicans. folks like tennessee, maine, utah. this would do, they say, allow the nation's economy to recover, and then attack the tax issue as a part of a broad are overhaul of the nation's tax code coming any other the end of the year of president obama's deficit

reduction meeting that's meeting. they want to tie it together. >> what i don't understand. they're going to say, let's extend it two years. the tax cuts for the nation's richest people. these are some of the same republicans who ar gug about a balanced budget and about deficit spending and how we have to rein in. so how are they saying we should make up for the money that that, letting the tax cut die for the riches folks, how do we make that up? >> their argument is, look, if you do raise taxes on the nation of highest earners, the disposable interest would disappear causing financial strife leading to more bailouts and whatnot. democrats believe they have the high ground politically. a recent a.p. poll showed over 54% of country is against getting rid of the tax cuts for the nation's wealthiest. a lot of republicans, some told me they worry about losing the high ground on the deficit reduction issue. at the end of day, more important to say democrats are

tax raisers. all of that said, though, it all looks to be a compromise in this regard, because a lot of democrats do not want to look like tax raisers by any mean. they would welcome the two-year compromise to republican senators. >> nothing of the fact economists argue whether or not it's true that taxing the highest earners makes the disposable cash disappear. ship say it's not true. luke, thanks. >> always a pleasure. former president clinton is giving advice. just between the two of them and the rest of the countrydetaaly " >> we were bringing the economy back but no one felt it yet. a combustible mix that makes people angry and they ought to be angry and it may make your own supporters apathetic whether they should vote. so i think he should go to the

areas where he can help. that's what he doing, and help them raise enough funds so they don't get blown away. >> clinton's hip helping. stumps in ohio highway this week. democrats are eyeballing with interest this split developing in the republican party. they think it could create opportunities to get back some of the ground they've lost. the war over tax cuts for the rich, we were just talking about, with luke. another issue, democrats think works in their favor. let's talk now to former virginia governor doug wilder. governor, you said in february that republicans were likely to make substantial gains in the house and senate. if you factor in the split in their party and the tax cuts issues taking the spotlight, do you still think that's true? >> i think the house will show substantial gains for republicans, should it be enough to take over the house and the control with the majority? it still very well may be.

i think it the gains reduced significantly and the senate, as you look to see what takes place in delaware and the fact the candidate running against harry reid in nevada is not the strongest person that you could have. she still made wind, but i think there will be gains. the real question is what does it mean to the american people whether leer is in charge and how does it relate to the economy and the jobs? they're still the top issues out there for everyone to be considering. >> and you heard bill clinton say how he thinks the president should tweak the message a little bit. james carville told politico obama should not keep saying that his plan is working that we're making progress on the economy and instead should say, we're fighting for you, and the gop is blocking us from helping you. do you agree? is that really the strategy the president should have moving forward? >> i agree with james carvilleal

observation that the president can't continue, as well as joe biden, saying that the stimulus is working, the economy is working, when people are saying, where? we don't see it. i think what should be done, and i think you alluded to that, to say that rather than who created this mess, we need to get out of this mess. one thing i do think is going to be very difficult to convince the american people that raising taxes in and of and by itself is going to be the end the problem they're encountering today. that's why the president has to have a plan. i think most of the polls are showing the american people are expecting leadership to show a plan. what is that plan? what do you plan to do? what does it mean to us to have the return of the democrats in the majority? explain that to us. that's, in my judgment, what the president has to do, and he should do. >> we had astonishing new numbers on poverty and the number of americans, one in every seven american living in

poverty last year. there are people who one in four americans, have experienced unemployment over the last couple of years. moving forward into the election we're looking at a real divide between democrats and republicans. do you think the core obama supporters, the people who may have voterd for the first time in their lives. will any turn out in november? >> yes, i do. i think they're turn out. the real question is, in what numbers? will that be the excitement that existed some two years ago in '08 when he was running? will there be diminishment of those numbers? and, yeah i think there will be. young people who were out there and they're saying, we can't even find jobs. you've got people with degrees who can't find jobs. put an ad in the paper, before you can finish, the ink dries on it. you got more applicants. the unfortunate thing is that the administration started off

with problem. those problems still exist. the president has got to develop a plan to encourage the people you speak of to turn out, and it has to be spelled so they understand it. >> governor wilder, thank you so much for sharing your special insight with us. we appreciate it. >> a program note, former president bill clinton and colin powell on nbc this sunday. and what the tea party stands for and against. what does the tea spart stand for? >> reporter: what does the tea party start for? >> constitution. take back our country. >> this guy told me, just told me about it. it's political and the tea party kicked everybody's [ bleep ], right? >> reporter: what do you think the tea party stands for? >> getting back to basic values. balancing the budget.

>> sarah palin is your -- spokesperson. she's a little frightening. she frightens me. >> i'm a republican, and i hope it stands for change. that's what i hope it stands for. that's what abelieve it stands for, and let's hope i'm right. we'll find out in november. >> listen, i want to continue this conversation. it's been a lively one online. there's other ways to reach me. i'm interested in your thoughts. after five months and the worst environmental disaster in the country's history, bp says tomorrow it will finally put a permanent seal on the well as well. no oil spilling as we speak, but a bunch of issues delaying the bottom kill. estimates 206 millions of oil spilled into the gulf after that explosion in april. seems to be mobile. deputies in florida in hot pursuit of a one-legged man named george bush. could this story be any weirder? pulled over in a traffic stop

september 14th. he sped off before driving into a pole. then he escaped, took off on foot. one foot. managed to evade capture and remains on the lam. a big day for the second in line to the throne. prince william received his wins as an air force search and rescue pilot. jim maceda has more on the prince's graduation. hi, jim. >> reporter: hi there, contessa. that's right. flight lieutenant william wales earned his certificate and squadron badge today and he became an official royal air force search and rescue pilot. pretty important stuff. he's been training nine months on a seaking helicopter. his first tour will now -- first real job, at the raf valley base in northern wales. it's demanding, sometimes dangerous. we'll see him rappelling down the side of a mountain in a simulated rescue mission. long periods living on boss.

so the old questions immediately come to the surface. what about kate middleton? what about the marriage? she wasn't dubbed waity katie by the pritish tab bloits for nothing. she's been waiting eight years. will she lose patience? some reports suggest they are, in fact, living together already near the air base where she is, in fact -- acting like an officer's wife in every way except in reality. except in name. she's still unmarried, of course. she's competing for time with the future king's charities and royal duties. how much longer can this go on? all to tee up a tabloid exclusive that appeared sunday saying the royal wedding is now definitely, according to an impeccable source going to take place in 2012 just after the queen's diamond juply in june and after the summer olympic games in july. that's it. set your watches. back to you. >> a long countdown to go.

can i point out, when you call her waity katie. >> it's because she's willing to w-a-i-t for her sweetheart, not because of how much she weighs, w-e-i-g-l. >> the former, not the latter. >> right. jumping into the trend of talk show hosts trading in tv hats for political rally caps. in case you missed it, here's a take. take a look. >> jimmy, go! >> my fellow americans, two score and four days from now, on october 30th, 2010, i am calling for the nation to join me on the washington mall for the march to keep fear alive! >> i feel intrigued. something is bothering you. i'd love to come, john, but i don't have find to hand craft a message or some signage. not to worry.

that's where we come in. we're going to have signs for you down there. if you don't have time. of course, you can bring your own, but here's a quick one. i disagree with you, but i'm pretty sure you're not hitler. >> stewart and colbert host a rally to restore sanity and a march to keep fear alive rallies october 30th. all right. so critics are taking aim at one of "el" magazines covers for its 25th anniversary. featuring gabrielle sidibe. her skin appeared to be lighter than it actually is. you be the judge. here the magazine cover next to another photo's sidibe. issuing a statement saying nothing out of the ordinary was done. the magazine says sidibe's cover was not retouched it any more or less than any of their other covers. be right back. ♪

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she's one of wall street's toughest critics and today elizabeth warren takes on a new issue to tackle financial abuse. in the next hour president obama will officially name the harvard professor as a special assistant. she'll oversee the creation of a new consumer financial protection bureau. nbc is at the white house. explain why the president is going special assistant rather than agency head honcho? >> reporter: right. special adviser, special assistant, whatever it tames. elizabeth warren came up with the idea for this consumer financial protection bureau about three years ago. talking about it. of course one of the main champions of the little guy when it came to the financial crisis, and the abuses that she su it that wall street perpetrated on people with checking accounts, with credit cards. the hidden fees. the traps people were constantly walking into. that vision became a reality when congress passed a financial reform bill earlier this year. and so elisabeth, darling from

the left, and many people from all sides of the aisle, from the middle to the left, wanted her to become the official head of the agency. problem. required senate confirmation. didn't look like that could happen. a number of people opposed her. certainly the financial firms in wall street opposed her appointment in that regard. the solution, name her a special adviser. she'll be there at the creation of this brainchild of hers just not walking in the front door. she'll be walking in the side door. why? because deg nating her a special adviser can only last for about a year and a half, but will enable her to perform all the functions she might normally be performing without having to go through that senate confirmation process. this morning ms. warren had a web blog posted on the white house website that said -- the new law creates a chance to put a tough cop on the beat and provide real accountability and oversight of the consumer credit market. the time for hiding tricks and

traps in the fine print is over. so saith elizabeth warren. in just a few minutes she'll join the president in the rose garden for the announcement. >> that's it. it's done. mike viqueira, thank you. president obama's announcement live 1:30 eastern on msnbc. politics center stage. from florida to iowa, today what's happening, the top of the hour, the florida race for u.s. senate. they face off in the first debate of the jn election. about an hour later, delaware senate candidate chris coons and vice president joe biden hold a meet and greet with volunteers from the state's democratic coordinating campaign. about 3:25 eastern this afternoon, the republican candidate in delaware, christine o'donnell speaks of the values voters summit in washington, d.c. a lot of excitement for her speech. and tonight sarah palin fuels the 2012 fire with a speech in des moines, iowa. speaking at the republican party's annual ronald reagan dinner. quick break. we'll be right back. 24-hour al,

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following a developing story now. live shots of pope benedict. he has just met and greeted former prime minister tony blair. we saw gordon blair there as well and now speaking with margaret thatcher. so, again, this is the pope's big visit to great britain on day when several men were arrested for an alleged plot against the pontiff. however, nothing -- the pontiff, we're told, was never in any danger. a big test for afghanistan tomorrow. it will try to hold a legitimate election in the wake of last year's disastrous president's vote. one major issue, security. police set up extra checkpoints aimed at prevent be suicide bombers from disrupting the election. a taliban threatened to carry out threats against the voters in elections across the country. we go to john yang in kabul. john? >> reporter: good evening. it's not just kidnapping. campaign workers were killed in

violence. the taliban, of course, wants to disrupt the election. they're asking people not to vote and vowing violence to keep them from voting. president karzai asked people to go to the polls to try to rep e repudiate that effort, the taliban's effort. it's not just physical security in the first afghan-run election, it's ballot security. so much fraud at the presidential election they had to do do again, short-circuited when mr. karzai's opponent dropped out of the race. there are rumors of counter fit voter registration cards and counterfit ballot paper circulating. this is a big test, not only for the security that the united states has tried to make sure is secure here in afghanistan but whether or not afghanistan can stand up as a free-standing democracy by itself. contessa? >> john yang reporting from

kabul. thank you. that wraps up this hour with me. thankful you spent time with me. see you back here monday, 9:00 a.m. eastern. noon if you live in the west when president obama heads to pennsylvania to campaign for joe sestak. up next, norah o'donnell steps in for andrea mitchell covering the president's remarks. we're expecting him officially to name liz ben welizabeth warrd up the consumer agency in halfen hour. have a great weekend.

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you've gotta ask your doctor or call 866-51-reclast. year-long protection for on-the-go women. right now, on "andrea mitchell reports," live coverage from the white house. minutes from now, president obama is expected to name elizabeth warren to create the wall street watchdog group. ed nation's biggest gathers of conservative voters kicks off in washington way who's who list of republican presidential contenders. >> the president felt so giddy he fit in 40 rounds of golf. mind you, i think the country's better off when he's