considered possible targets, to exercise kaugsz. the u.s. and britain told their citizen to be extra vigilant while traveling in europe. those advisories aren't very specific. they say be careful in europe. critics say that's not all that helpful. it's very nonspecific. nevertheless, it's trying to raise awareness of international terrorism that threat is close to the u.s. as well as the rest of europe. >> here is what we know about the threat right now. british officials are concerned about this coordinated shooting spree like the one in mumbai in thanksgiving 2008. in france, al qaeda and north africa may have managed to smuggle a female suicide bomber into paris. there's heightened security at the eiffel tower, in the metro and other places popular with tourists. i'm joined by michael isikoff. bring me up to date with what you're learning about this

investigation. >> these terror alerts are mad endingly vague. they don't tell tourists or any travelers in europe any information at all. but there is a real thing there. u.s. and western security officials believe there are a number of al qaeda operatives in europe right now who have been trained in firearms, explosives training at training camps in northwest pakistan and are essentially on the loose and part of this plot. there is a lot of uncertainty about who they are. in most cases u.s. and western security officials from all yass. they don't necessarily know the ideas of who they are. in some cases i'm told they may know a little more than that. but the fact is that people are pulling out all the stops trying to identify these people, trying to find these people and that is what has led to the concern that

led to this -- the terror alerts over the weekend. >> we know some of the information there getting from interrogating this german pakistani dissent ahmed sadiki, but are they coordinated that with intelligence from other place sns. >> yes. in fact, there is no one single source for this. there was this german from hamburg, ahmed sadiki who gets picked up over the summer, interrogated at the u.s. detention facility in bagram and begins to provide information about this plot, that there is a big attack being planned in europe. at the time officials were told there were some two to three dozen operatives who were going to be involved in the plot. it's not a hard number. there's a lot of uncertainty about that as well. that did seem to be much larger scale plot than any u.s. officials had been told about in

quite some time. specifically, also, there were references in intelligence chatter -- that's the kind of intercepts that get picked up by the national security agency -- about references to the scheik, that is osama bin laden. >> my big question today, is the travel warning specific enough to change tourist behavior, to be helpful? reach me on twitter, facebook, e-mail is contessa@msnbc.com. this first monday of october is opening day for a new term for the supreme court. now, this time around the court is making history with its newest justice. for the first time three women justices sit on the supreme court. elena kagan is already having to leave her eight fellow justices to deal with many of the new cases ahead of them without her. pete williams joins us. he's on the phone from the

supreme court. why is that? why does she have to sort of recuse herself from some of these case sns. >> in fact, she's already done it. she heard the first case today was an active questioner and she got up and left. she'll be doing that about 25 or 30 more times during the supreme court term. that's about a third of the cases the court will hear this term. and the reason is that she's not going to take part in any cases in which she was involved when she worked at the justice department as solicitor general. now, it isn't often that people in that job get nominated and confirmed to the supreme court. the last time was thurgood martial and he did the same thing. it's a very unusual number of recuse ales, most judges take themselves off of cases in which they have a perceived conflict. this is a very high number. but, of course that, will go down. the next term there will be fewer and eventually there won't be any at all. >> do you want to run down the more notable cases this term? >> one of the most prominent will be day after tomorrow.

on wednesday the court hears a big test of the first amendment involving protests of military funerals from a group that believes the war dead in afghanistan are proof that the military's acceptance of gay service members. a father was so upset that he sued and one $5 million in damages against the group that protested. the question is does the first amendment allow those kind of lawsuits. >> pete williams, thank you. former white house chief of staff rahm emanuel is revving up his run for mayor of chicago, crisscrossing the city, hearing from the people. >> i'm calling this the tell it like it is tour because i want to hear from you in blunt chicago terms what you think about our city. i'm going to spend the next few weeks visiting neighborhoods, grocery stobs, l stops, bowling alleys and hot dog stands. >> he set up shop at an l station this morning, posing for cell phone pictures with

commuters. president obama is planning a part cher of community colleges and employers who want better trained workers. he's trying to address major complaints that potential employees don't have the skills needed to do the work. nbc news contributor richard wolffe is live at the white house. how is the president planning to bridge that gap between the two groups? >> this is something industry has been talking about a long time. remember this is a president who is often accused of not listening to business executives. he's going to be welcoming them here at the white house this afternoon as well as union officials. this is about putting people together and not throwing money at this. the idea is every state will have one of these flagship job training programs with the community colleges and led by industry. but, you know, this is a longer term way to deal with the unemployment problems and crises and challenges that this economy is facing right now. >> they have the backing now of gap and mcdonald's, among others

now. the plan called skills for america's future, are we going to see any short-term benefits? >> the long-term unemployed has been one of obviously the toughest parts of slow recovery, the recession we've been through. so there are shorter term benefits in training people for the jobs where they're actually needed in the workforce. but this is -- if you're talking about one flagship in each state, it's not a huge program. this is about getting people talking to each other. it's what industry wants. this is not really a major initiative compared to some of the big things we've seen like the stimulus plan. the republican that wants to unseat harry reid is lashing out at her own party. the las vegas sun got its hands on a 38-minute recording of sharron angle speaking with two men affiliated with nevada's tea party. she said the republican party lost its standards and principles. she says the republican machine is fighting against her.

>> the republicans in dc don't want me back there, because they know i'll shake this mess up because they know i'll shake this mess up. there may be five or six of us. maybe joe miller, ken buck, christine o'donnell, possibly marco rubio but that's a stretch for me. >> that's why we printed it up for you so you could understand what she was saying. the latest polls show angle and harry read neck and neck. verizon wireless has agreed to pay $90 million for charges that customers didn't want. the charges appeared on bills of customers who didn't have data plans but accidentally hit a web access button on their phone. about 15 million customers can expect credit of $2 million to

$6 million on the upcoming bills. most households already have high def sets. don't count on the news for big discounts. according to the company prices on the nice tvs, they'll only drop about 8%. let's get a look at wall street right now. dow jones down in a big way, dropped 112 points on the morning. s&p is off by almost 14. nasdaq dropped 38. rough day on wall street. on the housing front today we learned pending home sales were up again in august. it's the second month in a row. diana ol' lek puts it in perspective. >> this is good news, but not as good as it could be. you have to remember that this number is coming off of some incredible lows after the end of the home buyer cash credit. this number is based on contracts signed for new home purchases in august, not closings. it was up 4.3% month to month. again, it's still down 20% year

over year. the big concern going forward is jobs, jobs, jobs. that's all the realtors say, got to get the jobs back, got to get the confidence back in the housing market to pull more buyers in. >> what are you learning about the big move by banks here, some of the big banks to suspend their foreclosures? >> well, it's going to be a big slowdown on the housing market in general because foreclosures made up more than 1/5 of all sales in august. when you see that much of the housing market depended on sales of these bank-owned properties and you hear the banks are either slowing or halting the foreclosures, not putting these properties on the market, you have to look at what that's going to do to the home sales going forward. some argue it could put a bottom on home prices because you don't have the distressed homes out there selling at a discount on the market. i got to say, i don't believe that for a second. the banks are going to look at these documents again. they're going to get through them and put these houses back on the market again. while there was definitely flaws in some of the paperwork, the

bulk were foreclosures that were valid based on people not paying their mortgages. >> if folks are interested in more information, i want to let them know they can go to real realtycze realtyczech. it's about finding work in a tough economy. that's pro 9:00 a.m. eastern time. colorado authorities have launched a new probe into the murder of 6-year-old pageant queen john ben nay ramsey. an angry dad who went after his bullies on the school bus. a tearful telling of their side of the story. tiger woods hits the photographer. amazing pictures coming up. sure i'd like to diversify my workforce,

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14 years after the murder case grabbed attention, a possible new lead here. one of the stories we're following far and wide. the body of the 6-year-old pageant queen was found in the family basement in 1996. investigators say they're launching a fresh round of interviews that could provide clues as to who killed john ben nat ramsey. craig silver served as chief deputy district attorney for six years. what do you make of this, looking at a possible new lead so long after she was killed? >> wow, it's really interesting. dna may be a part of this. there's a new sheriff in boulder. more accurately a more district attorney. people who follow jonbenet remember al ex-hunter. he had his problems as boultder d.a. mary lacey and the jean marc hart fiasco, that wasn't too good. stan garnet is quite intelligent, very ambitious. i think he'd like to solve this

jonbenet ramsey case. >> here is where we stand right now. in 2008 dna evidence had cleared all the family members. jonbenet's brother, burke, was 9 years old at the time of her death. now he's 23 and reportedly police believe burke may have some childhood memory that they could trigger or unlock. how extensive was the questioning at the time? >> the ramsey family was protected by feernattorneys. in fairness burke was never a suspect. jonbenet was strangled by ligature, a very sophisticated ransom note. it could not have been the 9-year-old boy. >> what do you make of this whole attempt to try to trigger a memory from him that could lead them to the killer? >> you never know. it could be not so much a hidden memory, just putting together

the facts of that day. after all, burke ramsey was one of the few individuals we know was in that house in boulder on christmas, 1996 when his little sister was killed. >> craig silverman, good to talk to you, thanks. >> nice to talk to you, contessa. in blakebly, georgia, a church van crashed killing four people, 13 others hurt. highway patrol says the rear tire blew and the van flipped. the van was headed for florida. in washington state, a desperate search for a missing 65-year-old woman who is hearing impaired. officials say patricia kreeger disappeared saturday. she got separated from four other members of a group that went up a mountain to scatter the ashes of a friend's relatives. kreeger reportedly started down ahead of the rest of the group and they report her missing when she didn't show up at the trail head. her son says he suspects foul play. >> i can guarantee you that my mom would not leave the trail.

something happened. >> cryinger reportedly had no phone, radio, food, water, no matches. officials say they're survived about her surviving those cold overnight temperatures on the mountain. florida's 911 operators getting swamped with frivolous calls. >> a ride to the liquor store. >> you're going to hear some of the most outrageous calls coming up. first hot on the web today, we're looking at msnbc.com, one of the most viewed videos. detroit gets a hollywood remake. movie directors heading to motor city. some 50 tv and film productions this year. critics say it hurts taxpayers. supporters say it brings in dollars and jobs. fat but fit? a big gray area con found scientists. researchers have a hard time explaining how obese people can

be met bol cli healthy. the study shows obese people can improve their health if they lose weight. an illiterate clown challenged in his election. his name terry rica, his campaign slogan, can't get any worse. his promise is to do nothing more than report back to constituents what politicians spend their time. the clown was elected to brazil's congress. we'll keep an eye on that. ron binogi own it is 137-year-old stokes farm in new jersey benefiting from the emphasis on buying locally owned produce at farmer's market. because of that demand, he grows more than 75 items. for more, watch "your business" sunday mornings at 7:30 on

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florida 911 operators get their fare share of emergencies, but they also get a lot of cooks. callers wasting volable time on emergency calls. press shows police resources. mish cell kosinski has this story from broward county, florida. >> hi, contessa. you wouldn't believe some of the stories from people at the

broward county, florida, 911 center. in this place alone they get 2.5 emergency calls every year. the problem is, by some estimates, half of those, half are not exactly emergencies at all. there's a portion of those that simply defy explanation. in life you never know when an emergency will strike. >> i wanted chicken nuggets. they don't have chicken nuggets. >> everyone's definition of emergency is different. >> i need a ride to the liquor store. >> reporter: cops did come give him a ride, to jail. same with this guy. >> can i get a police escort to lil wayne. >> to lil wayne? >> or do you have a helicopter? >> we can't give you a police escort to go see a rapper in miami. >> are you sure?

>> i'm positive. >> 911 is if you're dieing. do you understand that? >> reporter: apparently not. >> is this tuesday or wednesday? >> reporter: at least not around florida where so many of these urgent matters spring forth. this guy didn't know he shouldn't call police to report the theft of his marijuana stash. >> my toilet is overflowing what i mean. >> i need to know how to make meat balls. i said ma'am, that's not an emergency. it is an emergency, i have people coming over. >> reporter: april has fielded calls in broward county for 14 years. seven years of which are some degree of this. >> she's screaming in my ear. >> she's trying to force me to eat something off the menu that i don't want. >> reporter: this is what happens. >> mute button, i cannot believe this foolishness. >> toilet, your turkey.

what about a really, really hot chicken manage nugget? >> wait till ill cools off before you eat it. >> reporter: you've solved so many emergencies today. >> i wanted two sandwiches and they -- >> reporter: when you're yelling about a menacing rabbit, somebody else is having an emergency kind of emergency. >> i know you don't seriously think that the police need to make burger king give you food faster. >> if i ever call about my mcnuggets, i better get you. >> you better not call. >> you didn't get the right sandwich, that's not an emergency, even if your lunch break is only 30 minutes, that's not an emergency. i am so sorry. >> thanks for telling us. will people ever learn? >> i believe they will. i have hope. >> the sad part of this is while people are calling in about their car being painted the wrong color, people with real emergencies are trying to get through. sometimes the lines can be busy

if there's a lot going on. people here said there are always exceptions. a good rule of thumb is that an emergency is when someone's life is in danger or a crime is in progress. remember that, contessa. >> i think that 911 operator is very optimistic. she thinks people are going to learn. i'm skeptical. america's best golfers couldn't hold on to the ryder cup. there was one spectator that didn't do tiger woods any favors. his third shot was a direct hit, right into the camera lens of a "daily mail" photographer. it didn't stop mark payne from doing his job. he kept snapping pictures until the ball hit his camera. there it is. still ahead, the effects of the travel alert on americans going overseas. one expert just got back from london and has a story to tell. my emotional interview with the dad who stood up to the bullies who teased his daughter on the school bus.

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good monday. i'm contessa brewer. a federal audit released to day calls on the nuclear regulatory commission to step up security at nuclear power plants. the report warns of potential terrorist attacks. among other things it calls for plant employees to be rescreened and says employers should notify plant operators of any foreign travel. today president obama plans to announce a new program to help retrain laid off workers in fields where workers are in demand. the supreme court began its new court today. for the first time three women sit on the court including elena kagan. the 2010 nobel prize goes to british scientist robert edwards who is 85 years old. he began working on in vitro in the 1950s. the first successful birth was on july 25th, 1978.

countries are telling citizens to be on the lookout for any suspicious if traveling in europe. sweden, japan, the uk and the u.s. are reminding travelers of the potential for an al qaeda attack in europe. there are hundreds of thousands of americans in europe right now and just as many opinions about the alert. >> so we're just going to be a little bit cautious now getting on the train and in the airport. >> i'm still going to happily travel all through out europe. for right now i might avoid paris, berlin, london. >> reporter: george hobica is the president of airfarewatchdog.com. what was your sense of security after staying in london? >> i was staying in a hotel and they were searching cars in the area. i didn't know at the time what was going on. i thought it was kind of odd. >> what about places in london where a lot of tourists go, piccadilly or trafalgar square. were there still tourists

frequenting those high-traffic areas? >> london was packed, very full trains. i think if people are paranoid, don't take the subway. stay in a hotel that's not a high profile hotel, maybe a b&b. stay on a lower floor. that's always good advice, stay on the first or second floor. >> the critics say this is not very helpful to tourists because it's not very specific. but what do you -- people who go to your website, what kind of advice would you give them about planning and booking travel now to europe? >> i think contessa the chances of something happening to a particular individual are less than having -- drowning in your bathtub. nothing is probably going to happen. i don't want to sound pollyannaish -- >> considering how many people travel in europe, even if there were a plot t likelihood you would be part of it -- but you just gave us a few pieces of advice. would you advise travelers to stay away from the eiffel tower? >> absolutely.

if you really want to play it super safe, stay away from major tourist attractions, don't take public transportation. don't stay in name brand large hotels. >> let me ask you, what's the impact on travel destinations, on hotels and restaurants and people who rely for a living on tourists coming through? >> i frankly think that people radio looking for an excuse not to go, this will be the ticket for them. most people are going to go. i think it's too vague a warning. >> george, thank you for sharing a little of your experience with us. lawyers are presenting closing arguments in the anna nicole smith drug conspiracy trial. she died of an accidental overdose in 2007. her boyfriend howard k. stern and two doctors pled not guilty to a number of charges. they are charged with faking prescriptions, giving her too many drugs. that case could go to the jury later this week. this afternoon jurors will begin deciding a case of a brutal chippal murder in

connecticut. jennifer hawke-petit and her two daughters were killed. jennifer was strangled to dell after being raped. haylee and michela died of smoke inhalation. the doctor has been at the courtroom every day of the trial. jeff rossen is outside the courthouse. he's been following this closely in new haven. give us a sense of what jurors are going in to deliberate with? >> reporter: you mentioned william petit. women petit has waited three long years for this moment. right now the judge is charging the jury, giving them instructions about exactly how to deliberate. there are 46 pages of instructions including 17 charges, six ranging from murder to kidnapping to sexual assault and petty burglary. six of them are capital felonies which means, if convicted on even just one of them, steven hayes, the suspect on trial

right now could face the death penalty. so we expect the jury to get -- we expect the jury to get the case just after lunchtime and could begin deliberations as early as this afternoon. when they get the verdict and if it is guilty on any one of those counts, they'll then get one or two days off. they'll come back for four to six more weeks for the sentencing phase of this. basically it's a whole new trial. and the defense will try to convince the jury not to give the death penalty here. they've said yes, we admit steven hayes did participate in the crime but saying the co-defendant was the master mine. in new jersey, rutgers university held a silent vigil last night to remember tyler clementi, the 18-year-old freshman took his own life after his sexual encounter with another man was streamed online.

two students could face hate crimes charges for allegedly posting the video. already they're charged with invasion of privacy. in neighboring new york, the governor is vowing to pass a new law against cyber bullying. those stories are so shocking, and the numbers even more so. one in every four students say they're bullied every day or every week. and the reports show disabled kids face an incredibly tough crowd. a quarter of all students say they're bullied and 85% of students with disabilities say they've been targeted. that's according to the national center for education statistics. this is national pulleying prevention month. a florida dad take that very seriously. he's been charged with disorderly conducted and disturbing a school function, accused of bullying the bullies. in this video, you can see him on this bus. his daughter has cerebral palsy. james jones found out kids were picking on chatari. so he took them on, stormed the school bus, was swearing at the students.

>> i'm [ bleep ] you up and everybody on this bus. >> chatari and her dad james join us right now. good to see you. >> thank you. >> chatari can you tell me how you were being treated on the bus? >> people were throwing things at me, calling me outside my name, poking me, touching me and -- >> did you feel bullied? >> yes. >> you did. did you ever tell your dad that leading up to when he came on the bus? >> right when we got at the bus stop. >> what did you say to him? >> dad, i kind of want you to get on the bus before i get on the bus because people have been torturing me and poking at me and calling me outside my name. >> so when you heard this, this is all new to you, what immediately went through your mind? >> immediately, first i was going to go -- actually i wanted to talk to the bus driver

because i was wanting to talk to him and ask him what was going on and why was my daughter getting targeted or singled out to get things like this done to her. when i went up there, the bus finally came up and it was already late and it was a chaotic bus. >> you could see kids? >> hanging out the window. no control of the bus. i knew my daughter at that time was not getting on that bus. >> did you intend to verbally explode like that? >> my daughter has been on this [ bleep ] bus. i'm going to [ bleep ] you up. show me which one. show me which one. >> my intention was to go on the bus, talk to the bus driver. but at the time you've got kids all out of their seats and stuff. and i just -- my instincts took over to tell them, sit down, sit down. just nowhere to sit. >> do you think your dad helped or do you think he hurt that day?

>> helped. >> hit helped. we talk a lot about bullying. have you had conversations about bullying before? >> uh-huh. what i will say to other kids, don't be afraid to tell your parents because i was afraid to. >> why were you afraid to, honey? >> because i thought other people would like -- everybody at school, it would be awkward and the people that's up grade, but it doesn't matter where you are in the group. >> did you feel like by telling your parents it wouldn't make you popular, that it would cause more teasing if you told your parents or told your teachers about the kids picking on you? >> i felt that i would be called a snitch of the school. >> how do you -- james, how do you combat that as a dad? i know this is on your front

burner, that you want more attention paid to this issue. >> definitely. you know what? i was just -- dumfounded. i didn't know all this was going on. you get up every day and go to work and you think everything is good going on with the kids at school and stuff. you're not knowing that they're getting bullied and pressured. and you're not asking, you come home and think it's a normal day. and if you're not noticing. right now we're working on some avenues and some resources we're trying to work on as far as healthwise, getting her back in school, getting her education because she deserves that. >> absolutely. >> all she wants to do is be liked, just like everybody else, having friends and stuff. >> everybody wants to be liked. everybody does. i think you're really brave chatari for coming out and telling your story. >> my conversation with chatari and her dad, james jones. in case you missed it, new york city police confirm an imam

planning an islamic community center reportedly received death threats. daisy kahn who is married to faisal rauf. >> for the record, my life is under threat check with the police department: my husband's life is under threat. we don't walk around with body guards because we love this country. >> the renderings show a futuristic building with open spaces for art exhibits, a september 11th memorial and rooms for prayer. the developer says groundbreaking for construction is probably two to three years away. an american couple appears to be the latest victims of an attack by mexican pirates on the texas border. we'll take you there for a live report. do you know what this says about americans? we've got a new study out today about americans and sex.

130-page report offers detailed findings on how much sex we have, with whom, how safe, how satisfying it is. so here is just a few of the little nuggets we picked out. 79% of men aged 14-17 say they used a condom the last time they had sex. compared with just 25% of all men asked in the survey. 85% of men reported their partner had an orgasm the most reticent time they had sex. but only 64% of the women said they actually had an orgasm. would you like me to do the math for you? somebody is pulling a sally from "when harry met sally." by the way, the study was funded by the company that makes trojan condoms. [ female announcer ] kids who don't eat breakfast

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israeli prime minister benjamin net y hugh says they're holding intense negotiations with the u.s. to advance the u.s. peace process. the talks were derailed over the issue of israeli settlements in the west bank. suspected militants attacked annual set fire to at least 20 tankers carrying oil for nato and u.s. troops in afghanistan. it's the third strike against oil tankers in three days. in mexico, eight adults and four children hurt after a grenade attack in one of latin america's premier business cities. criminals tossed a grenade into a square in the city of monterey saturday. the explosion was one of four

grenade attacks. rival drug car tells are blamed for much of the violence. mexican pirates are being blamed for a horrifying attack on tourists, apparently shot and killed while jet skiing. the victim's wife had to escape from the attackers before she could call 911. >> are you sure that your husband got shot? >> yes, in his head. >> was he thrown off the jet ski and he's in the water or something? >> he was thrown off the jet ski and i couldn't pick him up to get him on mine. >> janet shamlian is live in texas. give us the story. >> reporter: these people were out water skiing on the lake, falcon lake you can see behind me. big recreational lake here. unusual and this body of water shares the boundary with u.s. and mexico. there are buoys marking the

boundary line right through the middle of the lake. all of these latest incidents including the jet ski accident happened on the mexico side. there has been a surge in attacks in recent months, but this is the first fatality that we're aware of. authorities from the united states can't even get over to that side to find david hartley's body because they have no jurisdiction there. authorities say this is just another sign that the drug wars are escalating. these incidents are being blamed on drug car tells that are more desperate than ever for money and having to find new sources of revenue, now targeting americans here on the falcon lake reservoir. contessa? >> janet, thank you very much. speaking of terrorists, we've been stalking about the travel alerts for people heading to europe and whether they're specific enough to really alter the behavior of tourists. pappa pig writes says it seems nefarious groups can create a lot of chatter to accomplish their goals. be vigilant, but not afraid.

stewart kaufman writes, what is a tourist in europe or abroad going to do to prepare themselves? mary casoli says sounds like the bush years, an election coming up, raise the terror alert. more war. more fun for them. thank you for your e-mails and at which timeer responses and notes on facebook. here is some of what we'll watch later today. an hour from now, vice president joe biden hits the campaign trail with ohio governor ted strickland who is trailing john catchic in the latest polls. public memorial services will be held in las vegas form actor tony curtis. later today, connecticut attorney general richard blumenthal faces off with republican challenger and wrestling mogul linda mcmahon in their first senate demand.

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tomorrow marks exactly two months since 33 miners got tripped under ground in chile t. rescue operation appears to be moving along more quickly than expected with the miners themselves pitching in. kerry sanders is in chile now. where do we stand in terms of the rescue effort? >> reporter: well, it looks like it's getting a lot closer. can you imagine two months down there? they are moving some of the debris falling down. there were three separate drilling operations of my shoulder. the closest one is now 396 feet away. anticipation is they may actually be punched completely through by week's end. if you imagine a living hell in a sealed tumor than 2,000 feet under ground, the video reveals something quite different. the 33 trapped miners have developed a close-knit society, clean shaven, working rotating eight-hour shifts mostly

clearing debris with heavy machinery. on the surface, this veteran miner says his anxiety for his two children trapped down below is tempered by the anticipation of a rescue. alfonso and his brother invited me to join them deep in another hole here deep in the desert. this gold mine shut down a year ago. >> what's it like coming here for you? >> translator: it's difficult. >> because your thirn are trapped. we walked just over a mile when he tells me for the first time in his mining career, he feels nervous in here. >> will you let your children go back into the mine after this? he says i don't think so. >> reporter: every day the trapped miners are removing about 20 tons of rock, debrees that's collapsing in and around them as the drill bits get that much closer. with one of three escape pods

ready to go, there's a growing sense a happy ending is near. this is the size of the hole that they're trying to create down there that the capsule -- they have a pod that will bring the miners up one by one. you can see how large it is. the question is whether they need to put a sleeve of pipes down these holes to bring the capsule up and put grease in here or not. that's an engineering question without an answer. >> kerry, thank you for the update. just getting news in from donald trump saying he doesn't know anything about a poll conducted in new hampshire asking about whether or not he should be a presidential candidate in 2012. mark halperin, a frequent guest on "morning joe" first reported about this poll in new hampshire. trump said he didn't know anything about it until "time" magazine called him. he said he's certainly pleased with the results of the survey. by the way, trump says he has no

plans to run in 2012. that wraps up this hour for me. i'm contessa brewer. thanks for watching. i'll be back tomorrow -- actually i'm working this afternoon. i'm see you at 2:00 p.m. today. up next, "andrea mitchell reports" and her guests, governor ed rendell. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office. i can't hear you because i'm also making you a smoothie. [ male announcer ] marriott hotels & resorts knows it's better for xerox to automate their global invoice process so they can focus on serving their customers. with xerox, you're ready for real business.

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right now on "andrea mitchell reports" the state department's terror alert. what are the facts behind the higher threat levels? we'll have live reports from london, and here in washington a top state department official as well as counterterrorism expert michael sheehan. can democrats stop republicans from capturing the house. rahm and s and l kickoff their campaigns. >> pete, come here, buddy. there's one piece of advice that i can give to you, it's this. everyone in