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tv   MSNBC News Live  MSNBC  September 26, 2010 9:00am-10:00am EDT

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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. next on msnbc sunday, facing the flock. that embattled atlanta area pastor holds services in the wake of sex allegations. false arrest. a police officer arrests a teen for having sex with his daughter and now he's under investigation. and making the grade. what will it take to get america's schoolchildren to score higher on their tests. good morning, everyone. i'm alex witt. welcome to msnbc sunday. it's just past 9:00 a.m. in the east, 6:00 a.m. in the west. services are ushd way at the new birth missionary baptist church. a church whose past sor at the
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center of a growing sex scandal. four men are acution bishop eddie long of pressuring them into sexual relationships back when they were teens. the bishop long has denied those charges through his lawyer. today we are expecting to hear from the bishop himself. ron mott is in lithonia georgia, with more. >> somebody needs to celebrate that moment. >> reporter: he's used to having audiences hang on his every word. toorksd eddie long's congregation is likely to be wrapped with attention like never before. long was sued in civil court by four former male members of his new birth mega church in georgia and a satellite church in north carolina. >> the manipulation starts at 14 or 15. so that basically they're indock rinnated into this man and then he goes forward with that next phase. the law may not recognize it as child molestation, but i assure you that manipulation of someone
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like this and abusing the pastoral relationship that way, that is not consent. >> reporter: long avoided the public spotlight this week, instead issuing messages through a spokesperson and his attorney who read a statement on a nationally syndicated radio talk show. >> let me be clear. the charges against me and new birth are also. 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. >> reporter: debate on air and online has been passionate on both sides with the motive bess heinz the lawsuits take strategy stage. one of the accusers, 20-year-old maurice robinson was arrested over the sumner connection with the burglary at long's church. the case is still pending. >> everything said right now is just because of that. >> ron mott reporting there. we are expecting to hear from bishop long this morning at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. we are monitoring right now the services that are under way. and when the bishop took there
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to the pulpit in front of the massive audience there in the church, they have come to their feet standing in applause of the bishop. his wife is at his side. he has yet to begin speaking, though. his wife will stay by his side, where she will be at this news conference later as will his attorney and attorneys for the new birth missionary baptist church. they're all expected to be on hand and again we will bring you the bishop's remarks live. a suspect in a deadly shooting near new jersey seton hall university is still at large today as the community mourns a 19-year-old sophomore who was killed. four others were also killed when they opened fire as an off-campus party. witness say the gunman tried to crash that party but was kicked out. he later returns with the gun and a grudge and opened fire into that crowd. violence also broke out in california overnight. this time at a birthday party in east los angeles. and in all, eight people were shot. three people stabbed when an argument spun completely out of control. at least one person is dead and a police official said it was
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the most assaults she'd ever seen at a single crime scene. so far no arrests have been made. let's go to washington now. and a road trip for president obama. he'll be stopping in four different states over the next three days. and the economy is topping the agenda. traveling along with him, though, still at the white house for the moment, nbc's mike viqueira. good sunday morning. >> morning, alex. >> i know what you'll be doing. you'll be covering the president. what do you expect him to aim to accomplish here? >> it's going to be a mix of policy and politics. we have fewer now than 40 days until these midterm elections. republicans expected to make big gains. perhaps even taking the majority in the house. that would mean a total recalibration here at the white house in terms of their legislative strategy. and the things president obama wants to get done, some of them left undone. some he campaigned on. obviously, alex, a lot at stake. first and foremost in voters' minds, the economy. tomorrow after the president participates in an nbc interview live on the "today" show for "education nation" across nbc platforms here kicking off
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today, he'll travel to albuquerque, new mexico, where he'll have one of these backyard talks on the economy. he'll have neighbors and other people that have been affected adversely by the economy and positively by some of the policies he's put forth. then on to wisconsin, madison, where he holds a rally for the democratic national committee. talking about politics. and then on to nearby des moines. relatively speaking, for another one of those meetings on the economy. and then finally, to richmond, virginia. winds it up on wednesday. another meet with citizens to talk about the economic challenges that they face, alex. >> busy week ahead. and mike viqueira, thanks for that report from the white house. a red ford mustang used in the dramatic robbery on friday was found just blocks away. it belongs to a teller at the coral gables bank of america who the robbers allegedly strapped with explosives and forced to help with that heist. the mustang was found just blocks from the bank but the burglars remain on the loose. a california cop was under
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investigation for reportedly making a fake arrest on a 15-year-old boy. the boy's parents say the policeman came to their home last month and handcuffed their son after the teen had sex with the officer's 14-year-old daughter. the boy's stepfather recorded part of the incident on his cell phone. after a few minutes, the officer takes the cuffs off the boy and says he's not going to arrest the teen after all. the officer's lawyer says his client was simply trying to scare the boy about his behavior. more residents in southern minnesota have been evacuated as floodwaters continue to inundate towns there. the governor has declared a state of emergency across 34 counties as much as 10 inches of rain doused parts of that region. businesses along the swollen canon river remain under water and hundreds fled yesterday as the waters rose to the second floor of some of their homes. for a complete weather forecast, let's go to the weather channel's jeff morrow. let's hope there's some relief in sight for those folks. jeff, good morning. >> good morning, alex.
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indeed, i do believe there is some relief in store. we'll be dry and rather cool. the good news for a lot of us in the south is some of this cool air will be pushing south. the high today in atlanta with clouds and much-needed rain. philadelphia 75. boston 67. that's a big change from some of the heat we've seen recently. charlotte at 78 and only 60 in chicago as we head through the day. 78 in dallas. that's all a big cooldown. where is the heat? it's in the southwest where you'd expect it. l.a. up to 97 degrees today. now as far as any rain, well, this is what's helping to xeep it cool. plenty of rain here. not so much in the northeast. i think boston and new york will have a fairly dry day. you mentioned the upper midwest. thankfully nice and dry and cool there. here's the heat as we head out to western areas of the country. there's the 97 in l.a. and 91 in salt lake city. alex? >> people forget that it gets hot out in california in september. you think it's going to cool down for fall? no, it's the hottest month of
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the year. >> thank you so much. it is one of the most pressing issues facing america today. improving the public education system. and today, nbc news is kick off a week-long series called education nation. a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows a majority of the americans are not satisfied with the performance of public schools. and 65% say that they'd actually be willing to pay higher federal taxes to improve them. let's go live to nbc news education correspondent rehema ellis live at rockefeller plaza in new york which has been transformed into learning plaza. with a good, exciting sunday morning. what's going on down there? >> so such going on down here. it is abuzz with activity as all the setsup being launched for "education nation." take a look over here with me for just a minute. this is one of several pavilions and tents being set up on what we're calling the learning pathway. this is the learning tent where people will be able to go in here and touch on screens to find out exactly what kind of learner they are.
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we learn some of us are audio learners. some are visual learners. and you can tune in to what kind of learner you are and what kind of learner your child is. they are also going to be tents as you'll see set up all along this walkway right here at 30 rockefeller plaza. and it talks about the child, the parent, the teacher. the educator. we as a nation are trying to get in tune with what we need to do in order to bring ourselves from the crisis state where we are now into being the top in the world again. as you know, at this point, 68% of our eighth graders do not read at grade level. that is a problem. nbc has said we want the nation to find out and know what the problem is and then to get in tune with some of the solutions. so starting today, this afternoon as you are aware, alex, there's going to be a teacher town hall. for those teachers who are maligned rightly and wrongly, get a chance to have their voices heard about what's happening in the classroom. how we can help them do a better job. and then tomorrow, matt lauer is
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going to be having a conversation with president barack obama talking about how he hopes to bring america back in to the number one status. as you know, we used to be number one in graugd kduating k from high school. now we're about 21 or 22 in the world. we're in the bottom third. we've got to do better. nbc is saying we want to get the nation in tune. we want to start the learning again, and we're going to start it this week right here at nbc. alex? >> it's very exciting. rehema, thank you for giving us a look at what's going on down there. i know people will be stopping by. we'll see you again. as rehema mentioned, we hope you keep it right here on msnbc. later today, brian williams will host that teacher town hall bringing together teachers from across the country to brainstorm on ideas and talk about what they seeing working in the classroom and highlight the challenges of today's education system. so you won't want to miss it. parents and students, all of us, the teacher town hall starting live at noon eastern, 9:00 a.m. pacific time right here on
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msnbc. well, it's the new documentary giving america's schools a failing grade. up next, we'll took the man behind that documentary, "waiting for superman" about what he sees as the problems that are keeping america's schoolchildren from succeeding. what had happened in central harlem was failure became the norm. the schools were lousy... the healthcare was lousy... gangs were prevalent. violence was all over. families were falling apart. you can't raise children in a community like that. people had been talking about things, but not doing anything. hi, mr. canada... how are you? i'm doing great, how 'bout you? right here on 119th street.
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if we could fix this block, then we could fix the next block, then we could fix the next block... we promised parents, if your child stays with us, i guarantee you that child is going to graduate from college. failure is simply not an option. the sixty...the seventy... the eighty... the ninety-seven blocks which ends up being 10,000 children. we start with children from birth, and stay with those children until they graduate. if you really want to have an impact that is large, you will get there going one step at a time. there is no act that is too small to make a difference. no matter what you want to do, members project from american express can help you take the first step. vote, volunteer or donate at membersproject.com.
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at a quarter past the hour, breaking news to tell you about. some footage of bishop eddie long. that is file footage. we're keeping our eyes trained on the church in which he is right now addressing his congregation. despite the allegations, he intends to be at that pulpit next sunday. so this is not going to derail at this time anything he has intended for the congregation. he admits it's been a difficult time not only for his followers but his family. he's expected to speak to the news media about 10:00 a.m. eastern time. we're going to carry that for
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you live when he makes a specific statement about these four allegations of sexual misconduct. well, it has been in theaters for just two days but it has sparked heated discussion around the country. "waiting for superman" examines the problems in our nation's schools. why, among 30 developed countries, we now rank 25th in math and 21st in science. >> a child that doesn't finish high school will earn less and be eight times more likely to go to prison. >> i want to go to school. >> reporter: for these kids, their only chance at getting into a great school depends on whether their number is picked in the lottery. >> well, right now is the director of "waiting for superman." he also directed "an inconvenient truth." i know back, what, ten-plus years ago, you directed your first documentary about education called "the first year." you had five new teachers in the l.a. public school system. and, obviously, education is something that you feel needs to
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be returned to in terms of a topic. compare then and now. did you see a progression downward? >> then it felt like these teachers were doing amazing things but the system was broken and hopeless. ten years later now, there's a feeling that it's possible. there's actually a revolution happening now of young educators. they are teachers that are reforming the system. the question is, are we as a country going to pay attention to this revolution? because they are now proving it's possible to educate every kid. >> how are you finding these teachers doing it, the ones inspiring you. what are they doing? >> you know, first of all, they believe that every kid can learn. that's the big thing. but they also say we have to face some of the systematic problems that are keeping our schools down. and they are uncomfortable. some of it is the union piece. some of it is the centralizes bureaucracies. but there's now a feeling like this is inevitable. we have to do this because we have everything at stake.
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it's not just a problem with kids over there or families over there. it's now what i found, alex, it's affecting all of us. middle class schools were not giving kids the skills to have jobs in this new economy. >> i want to pick up about a very disturbing statistic that the film shares, davis. and you'll see know it's about the state of education in this country. let's talk about illinois where you report 1 in 57 doctors lose their medical licenses. >> right. >> 1 in 97 attorneys lose their law licenses. however, 1 in 2,500 have ever lost their credentials. it's accountability for teachers that are you saying it hasn't been there at this point? >> one of the things i did with this movie is i said i want to make this from the point of view of kids and parents. and from there point of view, they don't care about the debate versus charters versus district. they just want a great teacher. like you with your kids and me and my kid. they just want a great teacher. we're not doing enough to
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find -- keep -- inspire the best, keep the best, reward the best. but also the ones that aren't working, it's really tough but we have to find a way to move those teachers out. we're not going to fix our schools. >> i've often said teachers, i think, are vastly underpaid, the good teachers, because it's an absolute gift when you have a good teacher that inspires your child. but there are talks about putting in bonuses for proven success with the students in massachusetts, in chicago right now. do you think that will help the situation? i mean, does that change a tact a teacher will use? >> i think -- we have a prestige deficit. in the countries that are kicking our butts like finland, they are recruiting from the very top of their classes. and we are not. we have to find a way to inspire a new generation of people to become teachers. and then we really have to do the hard work of developing them. and that's what's so great about this thing msnbc is doing, this town hall. we're starting to talk about it.
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that's why i made the movie. we're starting to have the conversation. >> it's like we're making it cool to talk about education and cool to be smart and cool to be a great teacher. it's as if it's been overlooked by the billions gained by the bankers and this high-profile -- what do you think it's going to take to bring things down to ground zero inside each and every home that you say it's cool to read to your kids at night? >> well, that's why i made the movie. i've been taking the movie all around the country. and the movie is inspiring people. people who sort of -- they were taking care of their own kids but they weren't getting involved. and the movie is bringing people together. from all sides. democrat, republican, to say, wait a minute. this is a huge crisis. i have to get involved. and now we know what works. it's all about political will. so this little movie is getting feem come together and be part of this discussion. so this revolution, which is happening in little pockets, happens everywhere. >> for smairx revolution has been in the charter schools. you say that people just want to get a good school, charter or public or otherwise. but you look at that as being
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almost a silver bullet. and you don't think. >> no, i mean. people would say it's a silver bullet and criticize it and think it is. charters are not. there are plenty of charters not doing well. you can shut those down. for those parents i follow, they just want a great school. they don't care if it's called a charter or district school. but the high-performing charters, this narrow group and they are usually a system of charters, are -- and i use this analogy in the movie. they are breaking the sound barrier. they go into these tough neighborhoods and they find a way to educate every kid. and they literally get 90% of their kids to college. so it's not about charter versus something else. it's about we now have the ingredients for success. now let's bring that to all of our schools. >> okay. well, i know you want a conversation as a result of your film. and it's certainly doing that. people have said, and i can't wait to see it that you'll cry when you stee but also be inspired as well. davis guggenheim, thanks so much. "waiting for superman" started
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two days ago. >> opened here in new york on friday and the rest of the country in following weeks. davis guggenheim will be part of tonight's live televised town hall about this "waiting for superman" documentary. joe scarborough and mika brzezinski are hosting the event tonight at 8:00 eastern here on msnbc. 24-hour allergy relief, comes in a liquid gel. zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. comes in a liquid gel. ♪ when it's planes in the sky ♪ ♪ for a chain of supply, that's logistics ♪ ♪ when the parts for the line ♪ ♪ come precisely on time ♪ that's logistics ♪ ♪ a continuous link, that is always in sync ♪ ♪ that's logistics ♪ ♪ there will be no more stress ♪ ♪ cause you've called ups, that's logistics ♪
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and do you think child abuse charges are appropriate? >> some charges are appropriate. and she is the reason why there should be some sort of test before you are allowed to have children. >> i know, right. we all talk about that. but that's not an option here. is it some sort of reckless endangerment or child abuse? yes it is. she might as well have put a weapon in her daughter's hand and said go ahead. she encouraged this fight. the daughter could have gotten hurt. somebody else could have gotten hurt. no mother in her right mind should have allowed this to happen. >> now part of what she says is her sdfs she said, look. i knew my daughter was going to go and fight. i went to make sure that she didn't get hurt any worse than she should. she had a concussion or something recently. she watched to make sure her daughter wasn't hit the right way. i mean, come on. >> the defense is ridiculous. it's absolutely ridiculous. and it's on tape. it's on video. so it's clear that she encouraged the fight by encouraging her daughter to actually hurt the other girl. so she encouraged her to hurt
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the other child. >> over a boy. >> that is in florida, that is child abuse. >> do you think there's more than just child abuse that could come down? >> no, i don't think there's more, but here's where i think the disconnect is. she should be charged, yes. but should she be put in jail for this act? no. and the reason i say that is the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. this mom is obviously not a pta mom. she probably comes from a history of violence herself. probably didn't play nice in the sandbox with somebody else and this is what she's teaching her daughter. they both need counseling. i don't think jail in this case is going to be appropriate for the mom. >> what might she be facing and do you agree with that? >> i do agree with jonna. unfortunately in florida they are extremely district wi lly s laws. i think she will see some jail time and probationary time and perhaps they'll have anger management classes for her and instructional class on how to proceed further and in the future with the daughter. that would be very beneficial but, you know, these things
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aren't as fabulously perfect as, you know, we would like them to be because they are so -- there's such an overcrowding. but also she's a 16-year-old girl. to all the 16-year-old girls, no boy is worth a broken nose or even broker nail. >> it's a crime. it's ridiculous. >> you don't resolve anything with violence. >> it's absolutely ridiculous. >> i couldn't agree more. thank you both for sharing your thoughts and expertise. rebecca and jonna. it was a mob scene in oakland, california, where the texas rangers clinched their first playoff spot in 11 years. they beat the a's, 4-3. and that celebration carried on into the locker room where the spray of champagne and beer filled the air. there's a winning combo. grown men acting like children except when it comes to the alcohol part. but a whole panel in creating an anti-aging breakthrough. introducing olay professional pro-x wrinkle protocol.
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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. it's msnbc sunday.
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i'm alex witt. here are your fast five headlines. embattled atlanta area pastor eddie long told his congregation just a short time ago that he will preside over services next sunday as usual. and says he is not the man portrayed on television. bishop long is facing four lawsuits that claim he coerced four young male followers into having sex. he is expected to speak to the media at 10:00 eastern. we'll carry his comments live. tropical depression matthew is bringing heavy rain and flooding to southeastern mexico and guatemala. the storm is also raising fears of mudslides and flash floods. the first of three specially built capsules to rescue those 33 trapped miners in chile has arrived at the mine. two backup capsules will arrive next week. the rescue could happen in early november. in australia, environmental protesters stormed the largest coal port before dawn today halting operations at three terminals. and bounding for orbit, the air force last night launched a surveillance satellite that will be on the lookout for debris
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satellites and other space objects that could harm other satellites. and those are your fast five headlines. well, the georgia pastor at the strafe sex scandal is at the pulpit right now at his mega church in georgia. he says that's right where he'll be next week, too. four men accused eddie long of coaxing them into sexual relationships when they were teens, prying them with expensive gifts. the bishop has denied all these allegations and moments ago, he told his congregation this is the most difficult time in his entire life. i'm joined by psychologist jeff gardere. when you first bhrd this scandal, what was your reaction? >> i was saddened for the accusers if this is true because this can destroy their lives. saddened for bishop long. if he's telling the truth and didn't do anything improper and how it affects his family. but i was especially saddened for his congregation of 25,000 people who see him as a
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spiritual leader. they really admire this man. and if can hurt their faith in the future if it's true. >> is there also a level of sadness that you hold that if this man is innocent, look at what this does to him. >> well, absolutely because we do know that people who have been accused of sexual impropriety, even if they are found to be not guilty, the taint of that alone just affects their lives. >> i want to read part of a column written by mary mitchel in the "chicago sun times" on the way this sdandal is affecting the african-american community. "while this isn't the first time that the head of a mega church has been caught up in a sex scandal, it's the first time a black minister with such a large following has been outed as allegedly having sex with young male church members. the charges against long put the discussion about homosexuality front and center in a body that is conflicted over homosexuality. that latter part there, can you explain that? >> i think what's going on and we know this in the
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african-american community, people of color, still if you will, were still in the clos bet homosexuality. that's why we have the whole down low phenomenon and young black men and their homosexuality. quite often we have this saying of hate the sin but love the sinner. so we really are not where we should be as far as recognizing homosexuality as something that is legitimate for someone to live their life in. the other thing is and we need to be real about this, bishop long has been vehemently against homosexuality and even part of his pastorship if you will, is about changing people who are homosexual to heterosexuals. >> i spoke with the reverend eugene rivers in our last hour who says that pastor long really epitomizes the, quote, celebrity ministry business. so when you have a past who are is this much of a celebrity, a powerful minister, how does a church, a group of people, keep tabs on someone like that? i mean, both for the sake of the
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congregation and the sake of protecting the pastor himself, to prevent false accusations? >> well, it's a prosperity ministry. in other words the more money you give when you -- when they pass around the plates or tithe a lot of their money, their income, the more money that god will rain down upon you. so we find that these sorts of pastors, this bishop in particular, has made about a million dollars a year from his own accounting. and did not want to when there were congressional hearings and so on, politicians coming out and saying that a lot of these pastors are making way too much money. he did not want his finances to be investigated. so bax leil what you have is someone who does not have any controls being put upon him. and, therefore, it's impossible to try to rein in not just the spend bug an extravagant, lavish lifestyle, especially when your congregation says you can do this as long as we also have prosperity also. >> but there is certainly a lack
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of transparency apparent. dr. jeff gardere, thank you. we are expecting a live on-camera statement from bishop long at 10:00 a.m. eastern. we'll bring you those remarks when they start at the top of the hour. let's go to midterm races and what the gop calls its pledge to america. eyeing the chance to control congress. republicans say they will extend the bush tax cuts, cap federal spending and repeal the president's health care law. the democrats say that agenda only revives failed policies of the past. let's bring in elnor christ, contributing editor for "newsweek." and emily heil. republicans avoided laying out an agenda. now the gop has put out a plan. democrats are pouncing. listen to congressman chris van hollen on "meet the press" this morning. let's listen. >> it's a recycling of the bush economic agenda. they put a new front page on it
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but otherwise this is a xerox copy. their whole answer to everything seems to be give the folks at the very top a tax break and then they want to undo the regulations and reforms on wall street. >> so emily, do you get a sense the dynamic of the midterm races have changed with this new pledge? >> i don't think significantly, no. and honestly, i think that republicans came out with this pledge not necessarily as an answer to democrats who have been painting them as the party of no. i think it's more a plea to independents to stay with them. independents who have maybe strayed away from the republican party in the last few elections. this is really sort of a salvo to them. it's a nod to conservatives. a lot of the elements of the pledge were a nod to that wing of the party. but honestly, most of it went after independents. and i think that's what this pledge is about, not necessarily democrats. but sort of keeping the republican party together and reaching out to those independents. >> i want to look at sort of analyze the republican party
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with you, eleanor. some conservatives are disappointed with this plan. they see it as a republican ploy to just win over the tea party long enough to get their votes in november and this ongoing question of who is actually included under the republican umbrella. does this pledge for america, pledge to america, sort that out at all? >> well, i think emily is right that the document is pitched more to independents to tell them, hey, all those tea party types running under the republican banner, we're not as extreme as they are. and so the democratic criticism of the pledge is nothing compared to what the tea party types and the real conservatives out there. they are rung on red meat and the pledge basically just served up some aspirational goals. it doesn't really have any specifics. you have candidates out in the country talking about phasing out social security and medicare and eliminating the department of education. and so i think the pledge
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basically just increases the warfare within the republican party of the tea party types wanting to overturn their own party's establishment, along with the democrats. >> and part of that ideology, emily, tea party candidates, they are skeptical about all political promises. so how is this republican pledge any different? >> it's not really. and i think their anger or at least their chilliness to this plan had to do with the lack of specifics that they wanted to see in it. eleanor mentioned a few things that conservatives and tea partiers wanted to see in this pledge. they wanted to see a ban on earmarks and that didn't include that. and there are specific federal agencies that they would have liked to have seen eliminated under this plan and it didn't do that. so i think it's sort of -- it's two things. it's the lack of specificity on the particular items they wanted to see but also just sort of a general cynicism toward the establishment republicans. and i think that's what you are seeing in their reaction to this plan.
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>> and a lot eleanor now seems like the democratic message is aimed at convincing voters that republicans are the ones that drove our nation into the ditch as the president likes to say. and at what point will the president no longer be able to blame the gop by looking backward and at one point is the situation his past and it's got to come to the present and really just look forward and take accountability and be responsible. >> oh, i think he's appropriately reminding people of the magnitude of the challenges that he inherited. but he owns the economy. this midterm election will be a referendum on the president, his gov erng and the democrats. >> do you think voters out there feel that? >> i think they do. and he's got to tell them this election is more about sending a message. if you send a message and install republicans, look at what you're going to get. and the gentleman that stood up to advance the pledge, although they went to a hardware store in
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sterling, virginia, were the same people who there were 10, 20 years ago saying the same things. and so i think that's the message this president has to get to the -- across to the voters that this really isn't something new. this is more of the same. they've seen it before. and he's got -- he's asking for patience basically. he may not get it but he's going to ask. >> well, we always love the message you two lady bring. thank you, eleanor and emily. a pair of congressional leaders square off on the upcoming midterms. david gregory hosts republican mike pence and democrat chris van hollen on "meet the press" this morning. catch the full interview today at 2:00 p.m. eastern here on msnbc. ell 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.
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[ rattling ] [ laughing ] [ announcer ] close enough just isn't good enough. - if your car is in an accident, - [ laughing continues ] make sure it's repaired with the right replacement parts. take the scary out of life with travelers. call or click now for an agent or quote. to finish what you started today. for the aches and sleeplessness in between, there's new motrin pm. no other medicine, not even advil pm, is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. new motrin pm. nbc is kicking off a nationally broadcast in-depth conversation about improving education in america. during an interactive summit down there on rockefeller plaza, parents, teachers and students will come together with leaders in politics and business to discuss the challenges and
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opportunities in education today. i'll bring you a live preview from the plaza at 11:30 eastern today. we'll be followed by teacher town hall hosted by brian williams here on msnbc sunday from noon to 2:00 p.m. eastern. plus check out our website, educationnation.com because there you'll find out where your school ranks nationally and in your state. you can also take a quiz with your child about learning and it's all there at educationnation.com. in a last-ditch attempt to save her home, the so-call octomom is hoping to rake in much-needed cash from a yard sale at her california home this weekend. let's get the details from amy palmer, senior editor with "in touch weekly." what have you learn bodies this yard sale? >> she had this yard sale because she's behind in her mortgage payments. $7,500. however she, has a huge balloon payment due october 8th for, i mean, the gigantic number is $450,000. >> wow. >> so the fact is she's trying to sell these items. if you go through the list she
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tried to sell eight devil costumes for $50. lakers jerseys, $125. refrigerator, $85. picture with octomom $10 and a picture with octommom and the kid kids was $100. >> $370 if my calculations are correct. she's in real financial trouble. those in real trouble of her 14 children all under the age of eight years old. >> she's probably going to lose her home. >> and then go on welfare. let's go to the box office big sequel "money never sleeps." let's take a peek at that. >> easy selling crack to kids in a school playground. >> credit default swap is a good idea. it's the execution that isn't. >> you know what they say. bulls make money. bears make money. the pigs, they get slaughtered. >> so how is it doing in the box
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office. what are critics saying? >> $19.5 million, number one at the box office. everyone wants to know what gordon gecko is like in 2008 whoen the movie is set. i think the curiosity fact sor driving theatergoers to see this mov movie. some say it's great. he's an iconic figure in film. others are saying i wish they left this character back in 1987. >> okay. so it's half and half. >> it's still doing all right. >> number one. not surprising. >> another movie out this weekend called "the legend of the guardians, the owls of gahul." let's take a peek at that one. >> i have assembled my own army. i made an oath to make strong the week, mend the broken and vanquish the evil. what is it? >> this time you said i would be -- >> next go, all right? >> so what's this one about and
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how are the reviews. >> first of all, did you see the animation right there. stunning. beautiful. it's being called a visual masterpiece. and when you look at that, it's not surprising to see why. directed by zach snider who directed "300" and "the watch men." he's very into the slow motion animation effect. and they are saying that the animation on this is really ground-breaking. it's -- it came in second at $16.5 million. it's a family friendly film. however, not for children under the age of 8. because it deals with a lot of violent themes and have violent scenes. but it's a movie that could become a franchise because it's based on a series of children's books. and it's about warring owls. so i think it's something that kids can see as long as they're age appropriate. >> thank you for all that advice. and it is beautiful to look at. very much so. amy palmer, thank you. >> thanks, alex. the biggest wind farm in the world has just opened off the coast of england. right now 100 turbines in operation. when completed it will have 341
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turbines providing enough energy for some 200,000 homes. we go to new zealand where a free diver just set a world record for swimming swimming 2 underwater in one solitary breath. he was underwater for four minutes while swimming across an olympic size pool. think that's something? well, he claims he can hold his breath underwater for eight minutes. at the world tamale eating championship in texas, yes, there is one, the winner yesterday devoured 59 of them in just 12 hinz. he has previously eaten 71 tamales to set the world record. and if you check out the "usa today" celebrity heat index right now, you're going to see ashton kutcher at number one. his wife, demi moore, is just behind. that will happen when the tabs are alleging that ashton's been fooling around on her. on the billboard charts, and what a surprise. actually, no surprise. katy perry at the top. her teenage dream slipping from the hot 100's number one slot last week to number 4 this week. ♪ ♪ stops and stares for a while
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so taking her place at the musical peak, it's bruno mars with "just the way you are." and those are your number ones. and i'm not casey kasem. right here on msnbc sunday. - be my wife. - miss dimitra, marry me. - marry me. - marry me. - marry me. - be my wife, please. ( bells tolling ) ( all cheering ) ha ha ha! announcer: introducing the kohler karbon faucet.
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it could be a comment about a candidate's hair or maybe the outfit she's wearing. maybe it's a sly reference about her emotional state. but a new study is raising sharp questions about sexism in politics. the research shows when a woman is attacked over policy her support drops 10%. but when she's called things like ice queen and mean girl that number plummets to 21%. let's bring in casey hunt, reporter for politico. so i want to hear about this, this research that's been done. what's the bottom line takeaway from this? >> the bottom line is really just that sexist language matters all the time, whether it's a small slight, whether
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it's positive, whether it's negative, if you're drawing attention to the fact that a female candidate is female and that's what you're paying attention to, her support drops. >> and what's interesting, too, is the way female candidates have operated under the advice and the presumption that just ignore it. simply ignore these sexist comments, don't stoop down to that level. however, the study says something else. >> yeah. no, i mean, absolutely. the traditional advice is don't dignify it with a response. >> right. >> but this says that, you know, if a candidate is on the receiving end of a sexist attack if you point out that it's unfair the support or -- for that candidate goes back up again or it reflects negatively on their opponent. if you straight up call the language sexist, if that's what you step out there and say, then the effect is even more pronounced. so people aren't wanting -- like they don't want to put up with sexist attacks. >> there have been these suggestions,casie, that senate candidate christine o'donnell is facing some of these issues and of course she's not doing any national television interviews. so is it a risk for her not to
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hit back at her critics? >> that's what the study would show. the study would show she's going to benefit the most by saying the attacks on me are unfair. it's actually a tactic that sarah palin uses extremely effectively. anytime anybody says anything about media she steps up and calls it the lamestream media. >> hillary clinton helped pave the way for female candidates on the national stage. but sarah palin may be considering a run for the white house. phone knows exactly what she's doing. but do you see this as an issue that is going to be now even more in the public eye? >> i definitely think as sarah palin steps forward with her mama grizzlies and the way -- she's definitely presenting a new way for women, particularly in republican politics. so you know -- and she's not the only person obviously who's on the receiving end of this, also. you have democrats who have faced issues like this. senator reid called senator gillibrand the hottest member of the senate the other day. things like that. but palin, her effect is really drawing i think more attention to this than anyone we've seen
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in recent history. aside from hillary. >> kasie hunt, republican -- i -- reporter. did i say republican for politico? not going there. >> absolutely not. >> thank you, casie. >> thanks, alex. >> we are approaching the top of the hour and we're expecting the embattled pastor eddie long to speak to the media in just a few minutes as 'dresses at gaigss of sex with young followers. earlier at this morning's church services he said he is not the man being portrayed in the media. please keep it here. we'll take you there live on msnbc sunday. but now zyrtec®, the fastest 24-hour allergy relief, comes in a liquid gel. zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. i really didn't see it coming. i didn't realize i was drifting into the other lane. [ kim ] i was literally falling asleep at the wheel. it got my attention, telling me that i wasn't paying attention. i had no idea the guy in front of me had stopped short. but my car did. my car did. thankfully, my mercedes did. [ male announcer ] a world you can't predict...
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