spree in washington. and reform congress itself. government is out of control in washington. we need to rein it in. >> their plan calls to cap spending at 2008 levels, repeal the health care law, end government control of fannie mae and freddie mac, and extend bush tax cuts permanently. the plan isn't exactly original. in 1994, newt gingrich unveiled "the contract of america" that helped the gop take back the house that year. with this plan, they made clear that they want to take america back to the same failed economic policies that caused this recession. here's former president clinton's advice for democrats addressing the american people. >> which idea is most likely to work. that ought to be the debate. what are we going to do? who's more likely to do it? and i think -- i believe they should say, give us two more years to do this.

if it work, you can throw us all out. >> j.d. hayward joins me now. j.d. got a lot of support from the tea party folks in his day. it looks like in many ways the republicans are trying to capitalize on some of that enthusiasm, some of that fervor. do you think their pledge to america stands up to what those people would expect, j.d.? >> i think it's an important first step, contessa. i think people across the country, whether they're part of the tea party movement or more, generally, we might classify these folks as awakened and energized americans, want a congress that's accountable to them. i would just suggest to my colleagues they might want to take it a step further. one of the tea party groups joined the tea party.u.s. has come up with a contract from america. the point they make is a good one. i mean, if you're going to hire somebody,ist's the boss who says to the employee what they want to see done. and, so, my free advice to

conservative candidates whether they're incumbents or challengers is get onboard with the contract from america and show your willingness to listen. this is an important first step. >> republicans say they are doing that. they're promising smaller, more accountable government. 2/3 of the national debt piled up in the last three republican administrations, president bush presiding over the largest expansion of government to the date of his administration since fdr and the new deal. so how can republicans creditably argue they're behind smaller government? >> because history does not occur in a vacuum. as you know, con says at a, the fact is that the bush administration was beset in serious challenges in the wake of 9/11. we had to rebuild our national defenses. we had to move overseas to rebuild our intelligence gathering apparatus and we had work to do here at home. it's important to understand

that the good lord gave us two ears and one mouth for a specific reason. it's important to listen to people. and i think today the house republicans are demonstrating that they want to listen. and i might amend your headline. >> it's a change for republicans. >> i'm saying it is a change. but it's important to understand mark twain's add mow in addition, history doesn't repeat itself, but it rime rhymes. and i do believe that the republicans are saying they're not the party of no, n-o. they're the party of know, k-n-o-w. they know where they had failings in the past. they're going to take charge in the future. >> for instance this tax cut idea, they have their own pledge for america, an example. a single mom making $36,000 a year could pay more than $1100 in taxes.

republicans are standing in the way of the middle class tax cuts. they have common ground with democrats on middle class tax cuts. why not move forward in the best interest of the american people? >> because, again, let's take a look at history, contessa. it was no less a democrat than jack kennedy who said let's cut taxes across the board because a rising tide lifts all the boats. the fact is, we don't need to micromanage tax cuts, it's simple and put forth in this plan. make the bush tax cuts i helped write permanent for everybody. i will take -- >> i will point out the forbes 400 came out today, the richest americans on this list saw their wealth grow by 8%. moody's said it absolutely is not true that the tax cut for the wealthiest will create jobs, they tend to save it rather than spend it on creating jobs, further more, last point here. >> contessa. >> the last point here. under the bush era tax cuts, you

saw the slowest job growth since the postwar era. so, in terms of k-n-o-w, there's a lot more to know. i know you have a special message for someone special in your life. >> my dad turned 78 today. he told me take a whole look at this story, contessa. you should know this before we say good-bye. when i was leaving public life in 2007, the unemployment rate had fallen below 4%. so that's good job growth. and i'll tell you americans whether a single mom or someone who's a small business person needs to hang on to more of their own money to save, spend, and invest. that's the way you bring the economy back. that's what the house republicans are signaling today. and elections are about choices. so americans will have a choice in november. >> j.d. hayworth. good to talk to you. appreciate your time. thanks. >> thanks. mark zuckerberg has a lot more friends in new jersey today.

he has agreed to donate $100 million to the city's school district. according to forbes, 26-year-old zuckerberg is worth more than $7 billion, that's $1 billion more than steve jobs. he spends more per student than any other district in new jersey including the rich districts but half of them graduate. adrian, let me begin with you. if you're looking at a district that spends more than any other district and is getting so little in terms of results, what do they expect to accomplish in terms of money. >> they're doing it very differently. the governor in new jersey has a radical plan for performing the school district. and this money, while it hasn't been said exactly how it's going to be used, we can assume because the governor's involved and mayor booker is involved who's also -- the two of them are very big supporters of school choice, of charter schools, of merit pay, that this is going to be what the unions

in new jersey have been fighting since the governor took office and we're going to see a very different type of school program. >> i know that you're very familiar with the education system in new jersey. your family is involved. >> run a big charter school. they want to know why they didn't get a piece of this. the point is, everybody -- look, you're talking about $100 million, contessa. you have to realize, first of all, the city is going bankrupt. cory booker, the biggest problem he has, everybody loves him in hollywood. there's a fiscal hole that's massive, can't deal with it. the public schools are in trouble. only oprah could come in and do this and bring these folks together. >> only oprah -- >> going to announce it on her show. >> everybody in newark who wants to get onboard is going down. there's a big party to do this to make it happen. this is huge political theater. it's good for chris christie because it shows he can play on the national level. it's good for cory booker because it takes attention away from the serious fiscal problems he has in the city.

but i have to tell you something, i have a lot of questions, how are you going to spend this money? who's accountable for it. >> good for zuckerberg. the movie is coming out. takes a lot of criticism. he doesn't like that movie. >> movie out tomorrow. "social network." it suggests negative things for him. >> are you implying that there's a sleight of hand because the new jersey lost $400 million to the race to the top. fiscal hole and zuckerberg has an issue. >> he comes in with $100 million. they're hoping to match funds to raise that to $200 million. there's a big condition on the donation. >> huge. >> he says that cory booker those be in charge with the schools. do you want private citizens, is it a debate in new jersey that a private citizen can come in with loads of cash and say, i'll give it to you but i want a big policy change? >> well, the unions in new jersey are definitely going to be opposed to that. also, some of the democratic

leaders have come out and said, wait, we need to examine this, we need to see what strings are attached to this money. >> respectfully, beyond the unions, beyond the democrats. there's the question. who's going to turn down $100 million. but money alone is not the answer. it's great that his title. chris christie gave the title to cory booker, special assistance to the governor. the state of new jersey controls the public schools for 15 years. >> do the legislature have to okay cory booker being in charge. >> with $100 million, you bypass a lot in new jersey. the official head of the public schools and take it over from the state which the city doesn't have. >> he's not doing that. >> they're talking about the entire process. >> christie is going to have the final say. >> adrian, good to see you, steve, thank you for joining us today, thank you, both of you. my big question on education, does throwing more money at the problem actually fix the problem? share your thoughts with me on twitter, on facebook, my e-mail

address is contessa@msnbc.com. a wrap for fundraising sales. parents at the reston schools are pulling the plug on selling gift wrap and other items. the pta decided it was taking up too much time and energy. the parents will be asked to make a minimum donation of $75 per kid or $100 for two or more. matt lauer will kick off "education nation," the look at the state of education in america. that interview will air live on msnbc for a full half-hour beginning at 8:00 a.m. eastern. you can submit questions for the president at educationnation.com. sunday, "meet the press," david gregory interviews key decision makers. >> nothing like being bossed around, silenced, ordered out by your own city council members. don't point out to individual council members. >> gavel him down, gavel him down.

>> you're a very -- >> gavel him down. >> i can't believe -- >> gavel down. out, you've been dismissed. >> why residents are calling this councilwoman a dictator and demanding she get the boot. speaking of facebook, the young founder is worth $1 billion more than steve jobs. but wait until you hear how much more he made this year than last? we'll be right back. before rogaine, my solution to the problem was to go ahead and wear hats. i was always the hat guy. i can't even tell you how much it's changed my life. [ male announcer ] only rogaine is proven to regrow hair in 85% of guys. no more hats. [ male announcer ] stop losing. start gaining. no more hats. 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. and word is people really love got our claims service.ffice gecko: 'specially the auto repair xpress. repairs are fast and they're guaranteed for as long as you own your car. boss: hey, that's great! is this your phone? gecko: yeah, 'course. boss: but...where do you put...i mean how do you...carry... waitress: here you go. boss: thanks! gecko: no, no i got it, sir. anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. [ male announcer ] ever have morning pain slow you down? introducing bayer am, an extra strength pain reliever with alertness aid to fight fatigue. so get up and get goin'! with new bayer am. the morning pain reliever.

so right now one of america's richest preachers has cancelled a radio interview because a third man has come forward accusing him of sexual

coercion. he's pastor of the missionary baptist church near atlanta. he was expected to appear on the tom joyner radio show today to answer the charges. instead, his lawyer read a statement. >> let me be clear -- the charges against me and new birth are false. i have devoted my life to helping others and these false allegations hurt me deeply, but my faith is strong and the truth will emerge. >> reverend eugene rivers, pastor of the azuza community joins me from boston. there are three civil lawsuits filed against the preacher claiming he used gifts and coerced him to a sexual relationship. what do you make of the whole scandal and how it might affect the ministry? >> one, there's really nothing that can be made of the scandal. you have some accusations in the united states an individual is innocent until proven guilty.

he, of course, is going to be try in the court of public opinion. my prayers go out to the young people involved, the church family and eddie long. it's a tragedy. because, a, it -- if all of this proves to be false. >> yeah. >> his career is damaged in just some unbelievable ways. if it's true, then nature will take its course politically and socially. and the tragedy will be compounded. so either way it goes, given the charges made, it's a tragedy. it's unfortunate that innocent people who have nothing to do with this get swept up in the media tsunami which is this event. >> the local d.a. said there wasn't enough evidence to file any charges here. the men are all of age, they're 20, 21, and 23. they all have their own problems. like, for instance, maurice robertson was arrested in connection with a burglary at the church. jamal paris. there were teens enroll in the

church minuistry as teens. the pastor mis married. the father of four. one of the accusations is he was driving them on the private jet to the locations in the caribbean or central america. he's been under investigation for how he spends church money. it's reaching national attention. when i read this, i'm reading accusations, the thing that jumps up at me is what does the man of the cloth need with a private jet. >> well, two things. first, let's -- contessa, we have accusations. we have accusations. and so we need to underline that. in other words, none of what has been asserted has been proven. >> it is true that his salary is reportedly more than $3 million a year. >> well, if he's a ceo of a major corporation. you just talked about the billionaires that made all of the money in the forbes top ten,

right? here's the ceo of a multimillion dollar corporation. now, we can argue the ethics of whether or not his compensation package is legitimate. but here again, he's got a church. it's a major corporation. i'm not defending the salary. but i'm not sure there's a moral case against him making that kind of compensation. in a -- >> it does not -- poor in spirit does not mean poor in your bank account, i suppose. reverend, good to see you. >> thank you so much. a florida man claims he was ripped off by using counterfeit money. he called the cops to complain. and now joseph reese is under investigation for selling counterfeit baggings. sharon lawson spoke with the suspect. you do not believe you're selling counterfeit merchandise. >> no, i didn't. >> why is that? >> because they're just leather bags. i didn't know they were illegal. that's why i called the police. >> when you purchased these purses on the internet, you basically thought they were the real thing. >> yeah.

>> and they were so inexpensive. >> huh? >> they were so inexpensive? >> that's not my fault. i don't know who makes the prices up. >> what do you want see happened now? >> i want to see the case dismissed. i want to be exonerated. >> we saw 50 purses for close to $50 5,000. the actual retail value is $50,000. don't point out to individual council members. gavel him down, gavel him down. >> you're a very disgraceful person tonight. i can't believe -- >> gavel him down. out, you've been dismissed. >> what is the matter to you? >> you do not behave that way because of the way you treat people. you do not chals tiz -- chastise people like that. >> you need to go settle down. >> shut up. >> that's genie harrison. her tirades have

ethics investigation by her own council. adding tolls to interstate 5. adrian daywood reports on the city hall for the colombian newspaper. tell me about the reaction now that this posted video on youtube has gathered so much attention, andrea. >> the video itself has cleared about 40,000 views as of this morning. and this monday at the council meeting, there were 20 people who came to ask that the council either oust genie harris or ask that she resign. >> okay, so there are citizens of vancouver who show up and they say, look, what about my freedom of speech. i'm in a government meeting. i'm supposed to be at the microphone to let you know what i think about city business. here's a little clip of how she responds. >> unless there's a rule that says i cannot name individual council members, i would like to have the freedom to be -- not be censored on that. is that okay? >> this is our meeting. and we'll have it the way we

want it and you will not address separate council members. >> does she have a history of trying to cut off criticism of her or of other projects that she supports? >> i think there's been cases in the past where she's been dismissive of such comments. but she did have a grain of truth in that the council policy says you may not address individual council members, but the council as a whole. >> things got nasty when another councilwoman asked the lawyer, the city lawyer to weigh in on whether they could censor the citizens stepping up to the microphone. here's that piece. >> when our citizens come forward and they want to speak, i, too, am concerned that the attempt here -- >> well, of course you are council member stewart, they're your friends. though ez are the people who support you. and you constantly do this. >> they have never supported me. >> oh, get out of here. >> okay.

okay. please, council. >> does she have any explanation for her behavior? >> well, those two councilwomen have a history of long-simmering tensions. their styles are very different. and, so, there has been sniping between the two before. >> but has harris said that she was wrong? does she think that this kind of behavior on the city council meeting desk is okay? >> well, she issued a public apology two days afterwards, but half an hour after sent an apology telling them that they made her life hell, interesting. she's called it inexcusable, but she's had conflicting behavior in the past few weeks. >> other counselors are requesting an ethics investigation. we'll keep the viewers updated on that stand. thank you for your help on that front. >> thank you. >> the rich getting richer.

steve jobs, the founder of facebook. what they're worth may have your head spinning. on the web today, squatters moving to upscale neighborhoods with thousands of mansions vacant due to the housing crisis. mansion squatting has become a problem in towns near seattle, st. louis, chicago, and other places around the country. a north dakota lake swallowing land and builtings. it's actually called devil's lake and has slowly expand in the last 20 years. experts say it keeps growing because it has no natural stream to carry away excess rain and snow melt. and satan in my shower -- not in my shower. in someone's shower. there it is. a hungarian couple spent a small fortune revamping their bathroom. then she noticed the head of the devil in one of the tiles. her husband said it wasn't there when they put the tiles up.

♪ just one bite opens a world of delight... ♪ ♪ a flavor paradise of delicious fishes ♪ ♪ friskies seafood sensations. ♪ feed the senses.

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. [ male announcer ] when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering medication that is fda approved

to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. lipitor is backed by over 18 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. dean will never forget what he went through. don't take your health for granted. [ male announcer ] have a heart to heart with your doctor about your risk. and about lipitor. but the financial landscape is still full of uncertainty. [ male announcer ] have a heart to heart with your doctor about your risk. in times like these, you need an experienced partner to look out for you. heads up! and after 300 years we have gotten pretty good at that.

republicans are pushing the tax cuts for the wealthy. according to forbes, the rich keep getting richer. the magazine is out with the new ranking of the 400 richest people in america. and overall, their net worth jumped 8%. microsoft founder bill gates tops the list with $54 billion. warren buffet ranks second with $45 billion. oracle ceo larry ellison with $27 billion. the senior editor for "forbes" magazine. overall as a group, what was the big takeaway from this year from last year. >> overall, last year everybody was just about down. the bigger picture is they're up and doing better than last year, but nowhere near as well also they were doing in 2008/2007.

so, like the rest of us, they're clawing their way back. but they're outpacing the s&p that did 1% in the same period of time. >> i jumped on the website this morning and started clicking through. i didn't get through all 400. >> yeah. >> the one that caught my astengs how many wa tension is how many waltons are making the top ten list. >> incredible. if he were alive, he would be the richest person in the world, sam walton. bill gates if he hasn't given as much away, the two would be neck and neck. >> so you -- we showed some of the waltons up there in the top ten. i understand that combined their net worth as you mentioned, alluded to there, would top bill gates. what about our politician on the list. coming in at number ten, new york city mayor, miking bloomberg. >> he's at number ten. he loses the top spot in the

city to david coch known for his tea party affiliations. >> and the man donating $100 million to newark, new jersey schools. mark zuckerberg. he jumped. >> he brought a couple of facebook co-founders on the list with him. dustin moskowicz. and dustin nknocked smart from his youngest billionaire in the world perch. parents, an important recall involving babies' formula, what you need to know, what you need to do about it. >> pop star katy perry a little too risque for the babies. if it's a choice between hot and cold, sesame street prefers cold, sesame street prefers cold. [ female announcer ] you use the healing power of touch every day.

♪ now the healing power of touch just got more powerful. introducing precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving cream works quickly to activate sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals fast for relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. ♪ [ mom ] game time is all about the traditions. it's all about the tackles and the touchdowns... and watching my boys do what they do. but for me, it's even more than that. game time is about our time. together. [ female announcer ] get low prices on all your favorites for the game. save money. live better. walmart.

welcome back to msnbc. i'm contessa brewer. a man hunt in connecticut after a shooting. fox elementary school in hartford was put on lockdown this morning. parents who tried to pick up their kids were turned away. police are hunting for the suspects. police say he fired shots as they approached him on the street. that suspect is described as an hispanic man, 5'10", 6 feet tall, 182 pounds. believed to be in his 20s and was wearing a red sweatshirt. no one was in the school or the nearby homes. they weren't -- nobody was hurt there. keeping our eye on the situation. new figures released this morning shows sales of existing homes jumped more than 7% in august from the previous month. however, sales were down 19% from a year ago. and august was the second worst

month for sales in more than a decade. july was the worst month. bad news on the unemployment front, the weekly jobless claims rose unexpectedly breaking two straight weeks of declines. the once dominant dvd