labor movement, adding working folks to its ranks and fighting for fair working conditions a fair wages. as the head of the aflcoi he was responsible for dozen of unions with millions of working families. family, faith, fidelity to the common good. these are the values that make john sweeney who he is. values at the heart of the labor movements that has helped bill the world's greatest middle class. finally, we recognize our last recipient. not simply for the year his spent as our 4 1st president, we honor george herbert walker bush for service to america that spanned nearly 70 years, from a decorated navy pilot who nearly gave his life in world war ii to u.s. ambassador to the united nations, from cia director to u.s. envoy to china to the vice

presidency. his life is a testament that public service is a noble calling. as president, he expanded america's promise to new immigrants and people with disabilities. he reduced nuclear weapons. he built a broad international coalition to expel a dictator from kuwait. when democratic revolution swept across eastern europe, it was the steady diplomatic hand of president bush that made possible an achievement once thought impossible, ending the cold war without firing a shot. i would add that, like the remarkable barbara bush, his humility and his decency reflects the very best of the american spirit. those of you who know him, this is a gentleman, inspiring

citizens to become points of light and service to others, teaming up with a one-time political opponent to champion relief for the victims of the tsunami, hurricane katrina. and then, just to cap it off, well in the 80s, he decides to jump out of airplanes. because, as he explains, it feels good. these are the recipients of the 2010 medal of freedom. so now it is my great pleasure, and my great honor, to present them with their medals. [ applause ]

>> john -- >> with that moving triblts from a young president to president bush herbert walker bush, bush 41, that does for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." follow online and on twitter at mitchell reportses. tamron hall picks up with the medal of freedom ceremonies on "news nation." >> an incredible ceremony that we are watching. a diverse representation of some amazing people. nbc's athena jones joins me live from the white house. 15 reyip sents all in the same room, in the range of history, range of contribution, it is a very special moment for this country and including, of course, the world, because you have there german chancellor angela merkel, she is not present but also one of the 15 honored there.

>> reporter: that's right, tamron. the president said he'll give chancellor merkel her award when he sees her next. you know, the president said this one of the thing his looks forward to most each year, and that the reyip secipients revea best of who we are and who we aspire to be. you can tell that he was having some fun and feeling good about this moment. there was a lot of humor in his remarks. when he talked about former president george h.w. bush, about to receive the medal he joked about him deciding at age 80 to start jumping out of airplanes. he talked about the nba great, bill russell, cut from his basketball team at a young age and said, he went on to succeed. yo-yo ma, the well-known cellist, he joked that he was a child produigy at 5 he went on o success. >> absolutely. we are watching what is happening. the president is handing each of

the recipients their medals. that is the great doctor maya n angelou receiving her honor. this is one of the events he enjoys because actually we know his background as a community organizer from chicago, living in hawaii. those range of people that he's been exposed to as a young man and now that becomes so valuable when you're embracing the diversity of what people bring to the table. watching warren buffett right now as well. the president remarking about mr. buffett and success and humility as a successful, wealthy american. >> reporter: exactly. he talked about the fact that warren buffett, yes, known as the oracle of omaha, billionaire investor but also a philanthropist, he came up with the giving pledge to are the richest people give half of their net worth to philanthropy, other causes. we learned a new, fun fact about obama. he said his mother was a big fan

of maya angelou, who is a poet and activist, she wrote phenomenal woman. she was inspired by her, to name his sister after maya angelou. >> the president joined also by the first lady and the many guests of those being honored right now. we are waiting to watch this play out, obviously all of these people are great in their own ways. but, of course, everyone's talking about this moment here. let's listen in. former president george h.w. bush. >> from his time as a decorated navy pilot to his years in the white house, as the 41st president of the united states, president george herbert walker bush has led a life marked by profound commitment to serving others. as president, he upheld the american value of liberty during a time of renewal and promise.

as a private citizen, he has united american in times of crisis, lending his tireless efforts to men and women whose lives have been up-ended by disaster. over the arc of his life, president bush has served our nation as a tremendous force for good, and we proudly salute him for his unwavering devotion to our country and our world. [ applause ] >> very special moment. current president honoring the former president, only separated by former president bush's son. you see there, he was assisted in sitting down there, a standing ovation for the form rp president, as well as other recipients but you can bet that's a moment, republican, democrat, you will see that and be moved by the honor received.

we continue to follow this event. athe athe athena, are you still there? >> reporter: i'm still here. congress john lewis, of course, civil rights icon. this is someone who took part in the march, known as bloody sunday in 19 65 from selma to montgomery to fight for voting rights. this someone who is a chairman on s.n.i.c.k., the youngest speecher in the march on washington. someone like john lewis has seen america come a long way. >> hang on for a second. you're talking about congressman lewis. i want to note, this is jasper johns, american artist, produced a number of distinguished bodies of work dealing with perception and identity in the mid 1950s. and this is, we are watching now, receive this great honor. go ahead. >> reporter: i was saying certainly john lewis is someone who has seen this country come a long way in terms of civil rights. obama would say he represents, he owes a debt to people like

john lieu weiss. interesting to see him award that in a few minutes. >> let's listen in, again. >> gerda weissmanklein a testment to the tenacity of the human spirit april holocaust survivor separated from her parents and sent to a series of nazi labor camps. in 1945, one of a few survivors among those forced to undergo 350-mile death march to avoid the progress of liberating allied forces. from tragedy to triumph, she and her husband proudly started the gerda and kurt klein foundation to promote tolerance, respect and empowerment of students throughout the world. by sharing her stories and encouraging others to see themselves in one another, gerda klein helped to advance understanding among all people. [ applause ]

the honorable john r. lewis. from his activism in the civil rights movement to his nearly 25 years in the house of representatives, john r. lewis has dedicated his life to shattering barriers and fighting injustice. the son of share croppers from alabama, he rose with courage, fortitude and purpose to organize the first student sit-ins in the earliest freedom rides. the youngest speaker at the 1963 march on washington, a fearless

advocate and a distinguished member of congress, john lewis has earned our lasting gratitude for a lifetime dedicated to the pursuit of equality and justice for all. [ applause ] >> elizabeth little accepting on behalf of her hub, dr. thomas emmett little. dr. thomas emmett little was an optometrist who devoted his life and skills to those in need. starting in the 1970s, dr. litle and his wife lived afghanistan

to provide vision care to the people of that nation. even as they dedicated heard that lives to healing otherses, dr. little and nine of his team members were murdered in afghanistan in 2010. our nation mourns the loss of these humanitarians who paid the ultimate price in pursuit of their ideals and we look to dr. little's example of generosity and goodwill so we can better know the meaning of sacrifice and necessity of peace. [ applause ] >> yo-yo ma.

rk n recognized as one of graift musicians yo-yo's talents know no boundary. he has reported more than 75 albums, won more than a dozen grammy awards and established himself as one of our nation's most acclaimed and respected artists. his music has bound us together and captured our imagination, and the united states proudly honors this prolific cellist and ambassador for the arts. [ applause ] >> sylvia mendez.

sylvia mendez was thrust to the forefront of the civil rights movement when she was just a child. denied entry to the westminster school because of her mexican heritage, she sought justice, and her subsequent legal case mendez versus westminster ended segregation as a matter of law in california. the arguments in that case catlizes the desegregation of our schools and prevails in the landmark case, brown versus board of education, forever changing our nation. today, sylvia mendez continues to share her remarkable story and advocate for excellence in equality in classrooms across america. [ applause ]

>> stanley f.mu schsial. stan any f.musial represents the pe best of american sports icons, st. louis cardinals a team which he played for for his career. he won accolades as a player and championships as a teammate. nicknamed stan "the man" musial he played the game with unrivaled passion and his humility and decency remain today. [ applause ]

>> william f. russell. basketball was a different sport before william f. russell donned a uniform. with unmatched skill, he led the boston celtics to an unparalleled string of titled and named national basketball association's most valuable player five times. he broke down barriers on and off the court, becoming basketball's first african-american coach and serving as a passionate advocate for civil rights. bill russell can reflect with pride on helping change the culture of a sport in the course of our nation. [ applause ]

>> the honorable jean kennedy smith. the eighth of nine children to joseph and rose kennedy, jean kennedy smith joined the family business of helping her fellow americans in improving our world. in 1974, she founded very special arts, a nonprofit organization that promotes the artistic talents of young people living with disabilities. on the international stage, jean kennedy smith played a pivotal role in the peace process in northern ireland while serving as united states ambassador to ireland.

with intelligence, compassion, creativity, and grace, jean kennedy smith contributed volumes to her family's outstanding legacy of service to our country. [ applause ] >> yeah, mom! >> john, j. sweeney. as a champion for the american worker, john j. sweeney has strengthened our families, our economy and our country. the son of irish immigrant his worked his way up in the labor movement, serving as president

of the service employees international union and president of the american federation of labor and congress of industrial organizations, all the while reaffirming our nation's commitment to rewarding the enduring values of hard work and responsibility. the united states proudly honors john sweeney for a lifetime of courageous service on behalf of working people. [ applause ] >> i know that people try to observe decorum went they're here in the white house. but i'd welcome everybody to stand and acknowledge these extraordinary men and women, 2011 medal of freedom winners.

[ applause ] . >> again, we are watching as the president -- let me listen in again here. >> i hope everyone has a wonderful time during receipt ception. thank your for your attendance. to our honorees, thank you for setting an extraordinary example to all of us. >> the president telling all of the audience they can forgo the normal decorum as seen in the white house to applaud and celebrate these 15 recipients of

the medal of freedom. athena jones, for our viewers who may not have heard you say, the president said this is one of the events he enjoys the most. >> reporter: yes, he said it at the beginning of his remarks, it's one of the thing his looks forward to each and every year. you can tell it's a joyous occasion. there's a lot of energy there. can you imagine the reception? a fun one to be at, circulating all of the figures from sports, entertainment and the arts and politics. so you can bet there's a lot of nice conversations had there. but the president spent a lot of time talking about the extraordinary lives these people have lived. you saw some of the emotion in the recipients' faces early on before he called her up to give her the award, sylvia mendez, you can see the look on her face. this is the woman involved in the 19140s era case school des g

desegregation. certainly not your everyday event here at the white house. >> certainly not every day. noting that former president george h.w. bush there in a broad range of other honorees, very special. wonderful event we just watched here on msnbc. thank you, athena. "news nation" following the wave of revolution in the middle east. it has claim two lives in iran since yesterday. hard line leaders vow to on put opposition leaders on trial and even execute them. this is amount tur video shot in tehran yesterday where tens of thousands rallied in a show of support for revolt in egypt and tunisia. today the president voiced his support for the protesters say, what has been true in egypt should also be true in iran. tensions remain high in other parts of the region as well. in yemen, thousands of protesters are out for a fifth

day demanding their president step down though he has promised not to seek re-election in 2013. police have been trying to push back the crowd with tear gas and using stun guns. the crowd is mostly made up of students and activists marching from a major university to the center of the city. seeing protests now bahrain for a second day, where demonstrators have taken control of the main square in the capital. two protestors killed in clashes with police. bahrain home to the nation's 5th fleet. a $500 million u.s. expansion effort could fail as well. talking about the unrest seeming to spread, a deputy international editor for "time" magazine. we've had time to digest what we saw in egypt. now processing this wave, as it's being called, moving through the middle east. what are your thoughts now? >> thii think we'll see more of this in the days and weeks to

come. overthrown two longstanding dictates are give hope to people all over the air arab world. i was in yemen, some protesting in the universities now are the kinds of people i was meeting when i was there. they were angry, full of resentment but didn't know what to do with all of that. tunisia and egypt showed them the way. >> in iran, people chanting "death to the dictator" is there a fear or worry leaders who want to hold on to their power will take on even more aggressive tactics to beat back these protestors? >> i think that's to be expected in a place like iran, where the administration, the regime, has actually two different armed forces whose only treen exist is to protect the regime. you have the revolutionary guards and the besiege. in places like egypt and tunisia, you have the military but the military's job to

protect the country more generally. in a place like iran, i think potential for violence is much greater than almost anywhere else in the middle east. >> we know the u.s. state department set up a new twitter account and they took a jab at iran. one of the first messages saying tehran allow the people to enjoy universal rights to peacefully assemble, demonstrate as in cairo. what do you make of outreach by the state department? >> it's a recognition that twitter and facebook are the best ways to reach these people although their government from time to time keeps blocking these social media sites. my suspicion the majority of people who have access to those things will be iranians who are living outside of iran. every now and again, i raranian will be able to see that. they are not looking for the u.s. administration's twitter account, they're talking to each other, groups of activists who have set up facebook and twitter

accounts and advising people how to conduct themselves, how to go about protesting without getting too much into harm's way. >> bobby, thank you for joining us. we'll be talking you more as the wave continues to spread. thank you. still ahead -- a group of military veterans testify on capitol hill about bein raped by their comrades. they want the pentagon to change the way sexual abuse cases are handled. "news nation" is back after this. nah. we have something else. but if you're hurt and miss work does it pay cash like aflac does? nah. or let you spend it in any way you want like for gas and groceries? nah. or help with everyday bills like aflac does? nah nah nah. [ male announcer ] there's aflac and there's everything else. visit aflac.com for an agent or quote. aflac! is a fun way to hydrate.

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welcome back to "news nation." we are back to the story line of the battle over the budget. earlier today, president obama held a news conference discussing his proposed 2012 federal budget. the very first question the president asked concerned one of the main criticisms of his budget plan that it does not address the long-term costs of social security, medicare and medicaid. >> nobody's more mindful than me

that entitlements are going to be a key part of this issue, as is tax reform. i want to simplify rates. and i want to, at the same time, make sure that, you know, we have the same amount of money coming in as going out. those are big, tough negotiations, and i suspect that there's going to be a also of ups and downs in the months to come before we finally get to that solution. >> the president's budget is the subject of no fewer than four congressional hearings today, including two currently in progress, and one set to start. nbc's luke russert joins us live from capitol hill. as pointed out, this ises a case of, no, you go firt wh first wh talking about entitlements. >> reporter: absolutely. a fiscal year 2012 budget, an election year. what's an important voting bloc? voters over 65. they turn out in elections e mo

than younger american counterparts. social security and med kard affect them more than somebody younger. what to do about the budge net order to bring down debt, medicare and social security are something neither party wants to touch. right away president obama punting it from his budget. the white house has been telling us, that's -- the reason he's doing that he wants to work on this in a bipartisan man somewhere let republicans go first. in a sense, you show your cards first. there is some confusion whether or not the republicans were going to guarantee entitlement reforms will be in the april 2011 budget. they have told me, come april, when paul ryan releases the house gop budget for fiscal year 2012, there will be significant entitlement reforms within that budget. it will be quite interesting, tamron, to see whether or not the white house, as well as senate democrats and house democrats, will be willing to

work with house republicans in getting entitlements enacted. that could be a significant cut of the national debt. what are the three big things? social security, medicare and defense spending. that is the argument going on in terms of the 2012 budget. 2011, today, on the house floor, there's a lot of argument going on about whether or not there should be over $60 billion in cuts to the current government spending levels operating under that go for the fiscal year september 30th of this year. you'll see over 403 amendments that have to deal with the government funding measures on the floor today, tomorrow, thursday, possibly friday. this is where you're going to see the republican strategy of you cut, something they ran on in the 2010 midterms, cutting spending come in to play. these are things like women, infants and children, the fbi, center for disease control,

americorps, peace corps. >> luke russert, live on capitol hill. also, italian prime minister berlusconi gearing up for a courtroom battle after indicted for having sex with a minor. a judge ordered that berlusconi stand trial on charges he paid a then-17-year-old for sex. berlusconi calls the charges against him, quote, disgusting and groundless. this weekend thousands of women throughout italy protested berlusconi's treatment of women. joining me live from rome with the latest. people are wondering, no matter the outcome of the trial, it is set to start in april, they're speculating on if berlusconi can survive. >> reporter: indeed. this is a -- seen by the decision of the judge, seen as the last nail in the political coffin of berlusconi.

remember that april 6th, this particular trial on exploitation of underage prostitution is one of the fourth trials that berlusconi's going to have to attend. there are three at the end of -- throughout march on a different, other felonies like bribery, tax fraud, corruption. he's got many more problems than having to do deal with this particular underage minor. >> this trial, again, april 6th, set to start, and berlusconi will stan before an all female panel of italian judges on this. interesting when you see what happened over the weekend with so many women protesting, saying he's turned italy into a brothel. >> reporter: yes, indeed. i mean he must be wondering, and praying, that these particular judges were not part of the demonstration. i was in rome and i've never seen anything like it. there were 300,000 women in the

main square in rome. and they were pretty angry. calling for an end to a culture of sexism that they say that berlusconi, the words of the representative, but they are seen as sexual objects, and women in italy they say they do not go in life by merit by by giving away their sexual favors or others. he so he must be wondering and hoping that these three women were not sympathetic and with them. >> thank you, claudio. a group of u.s. veterans who say they were sexually assaulted by fellow service members are filing suit against the pentagon's top leadership today, including defense secretary gates and his predecessor rumsfe rumsfeld. more than a dozen female are alleging that attackers often go

unpunished while victims are ordered to continue serving alongside the very people that attacked them. >> as a marine commander i witnessed my own senior officers violate sexual harassment and assault policy, shirk their responsibilities to their troops and lie to families by ignoring reports of abuse, transferring sexual predators out of units instead of prosecuting them, promoting sexual predators during ongoing investigations and accusing highly enlisted service members of lying about abuse simply because they were women. >> the pentagon's office says this is a tough issue to tackle. >> it takes eight to ten years to change a culture. if there are victims out there that are not getting the care and help they need, that's what i'm here for. if someone needs to let me know and give me the details so that i can help them. >> in 2009 alone, more than 3200 cases of sexual assault were

reported, less than a quarter of the cases are prosecuted. john kerry is in pakistan for talks aimed at ending a diplomatic stand-off. a pakistani tv channel has aired what appears to be cell phone video that allegedly shows raymond davis being questioned by police after the shooting on january 27th. davis tells police he's a consultant for the u.s. consulate in lahore, pakistan. after the shooting, police did find guns on both of the dead men. the u.s. is demanding davis' release saying he has diplomatic immunity. the shooting sparked anti-american protests in pakistan. u.s. officials are threatening to with hold billions of dollars in aid to pakistan to get davis released. president obama addressed this matter in that news conference just a few hours ago. >> we've got a very simple principle here, that every country in the world that is party to the vienna convention

on diplomatic relations has upheld in the past and should uphold in the future, and that is if our diplomats are in another country, then they are not subject to that country's local prosecution. we respect it with respect to diplomats who are here. we expect pakistan that's a signatory, and recognize mr. davis as a diplomat to abide by the same convention. >> joining me now, former pakistan analyst at the state department, marvin wiweinbaum. thursday the process will begin regarding davis' possible immunity to prosecution. what are you looking for in this? >> i think what we're going to see heres a sfo s s a response s become because this has dragged on for some time, a response by the court which reflects the degree to which this has become

a public issue. now in pakistan and that's what makes it so difficult. this is the kind of case you get the person out of the country that evening. >> why hasn't that happened? why do you believe it's dragged on, as you put it? >> well, it's -- that's a big question here. there's a good deal about this case which we still don't -- completely understand. but whatever -- probably i would say one of the major reasons is, the very optics of the case. it's not just what typically happens is there's an automobile accident and the person is then quickly ushers out of the country. here there was a shoot-out. there were two other deaths associated, a pedestrian who was overrun by an american vehicle coming to rescue davis. there was the siuicide of one o the people killed. so it took on a life of its own, and it's fueling all of the conspiracy theorys that are so rampant in pakistan.

>> senator john kerry is there in pakistan now at a news conference, after arriving today in lahore. he promises the u.s. justice department would conduct its criminal investigation if pakistan were to release davis. do you believe his words would have any sway with what's happening there? >> i have my doubts. i think it's reached a feverish pitch that they're not going to be swayed by this, and that, again, is unfortunate because john kerry has a lot of -- he has a lot of influence there. he's gone there in the past and he's a very good spokesman for us. he's the person to have there at this point. we'll have to see whether he can deliver. >> again, that hearing thursday. marvin, former pakistan an lift at the state department. parents of amanda knox charged in italy. a judge has ordered the parents of amanda knox, american

convicted of killing her roommate, to stand trial for defaming the italian police. curt knox and eda were indicted over comments made in a 2009 newspaper interview in which they accused homicides officers of physically abusing their daughter. a man charges with a deadly home invasion in connecticut k. is trying to disqualify the judge in his trial. attorneys for the suspect say the judge made unfair comments during the trial of another suspect who was sentenced to death for his role in the horrific crime. both men were charged with killing jennifer hawke-petit and her two daughters in their cheshire home in 2007. police are looking for a grum group of teenagers who launched a tchemical attack it it shows teenagers dousing the floor with pepper space. customers left with burning eyes and throats. one woman even fated as a result

of an asthma attack. coming up, battle of the stars. stephen baldwin is suing kevin costner over the oil spill cleanup in the gulf of mexico. >> plus -- her boyfriend a world famous soccer player but the russian beauty beat him out. she gets the cover of "sports illustrated." [ male announcer ] nature valley sweet & salty nut bars... they're made from whole roasted nuts and dipped in creamy peanut butter, making your craving for a sweet & salty bar irresistible,

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welcome back. a shocking interview with billy

ray cyrus about his daughter, miley. charlie clean and sober, question mark. the "sports illustrated" swimsuit edition, need i say anymore? the scoop from courtney hazlett. a lot to get to. >> a banner day. >> this billy ray cyrus thing i can't believe it. >> i can't get fluff of the interview it ran in g.q. let's get to what he said. first of all he compares miley cyrus to curt cobain, michael jackson, saying concern about milely, i think his world was spinning so fast that that didn't help him. anna nicole smith you could see the train wreck coming. michael jackson, i was trying to reach out to michael as well. scary stuff. being milely's friend versus parent he admits, quote, i should have been a better parent. i should have said enough is enough. it's getting dangerous and somebody is going to get hurt. finally about hannah montana, the show that made his daughter

the star she is today, i'll tell you right now the damn show destroyed my family. that's actually an understatement. check out the interview, he goes into detail, too, how he had to separate himself to some extent from miley. >> she's a minor? >> she's 18. he said he didn't go to her birthday party because it was at a bar and knew it wasn't right. charlie sheen, speaking out. the man is in home rehab and now he's calling into radio stations, on the dan patrick show, insisting he's ready to go back to work. >> how did you lose your voice? >> i went back to work. i was banging on the door, where is everybody? i don't know what happened. i guess they're closed. >> they won't let you back in? >> i -- nobody told me. nobody told me. i figured, i'm supposed to go back to work because i'm ready. >> you're on hiatus.

>> new york we're in forced hiatus. nobody's there. i don't know what to tell you. i'm here, i'm ready. they're not. bring it. >> let me set the record straight for charlie sheen. i've spoken to people at cbs, they said it's our call. it doesn't matter how ready he is. he can be as ready as he thinks he is, it's our call. >> he said -- >> he's bored and wants to start drinking. it's cbs' call to make. to a fun topic today, women, if you haven't noticed, maybe the men you spend time with have irina shayk cover model for "sports illustrated" swimsuit issue. she's 25-year-old russian on the "today" show this morning. listen to what she had to say about finding out about being on the cover. >> we russian, you know, we know all of the secrets. but even, you know, i didn't know i was landing on the cover

of "sports illustrated" and it was total surprise for me. i was in shock. then they announced on the david letterman show, i was crying. >> and you know, kudos to matt lauer and meredith vieira who tried to press her about her boyfriend. her boyfriend is cristiano ronaldo, the soccer player. not hard on the eyes either. >> she's beat him on the cover of "sports illustrated." >> right. he hasn't made it yet. she's been in "sports illustrated" five times before this. a quick follow-up to the story about the playboy mansion and the illness. >> bacteria. >> blaming it on the grato now. >> the infamous hot tub. >> xwlblaming it on the grato. >> logon to scoop.todayshow.com or be a fan of the scoop on facebook and continue the conversation about the playboy mansion with courtney on twitter. a soldier needed to change a flight after learning he was

being deployed to afghanistan. delta airlines charges him $500. it is the "news nation" gut check. a lot going on today. here are some things we thought you should know. former presidential candidate john edwards testified under oath in a lawsuit over a sex tape he allegedly made with his then-mistress rielle hunter. hunter sued. young says he found the tape in the trash hunter left behind in the home he was renting. stephen baldwin suing kevin costner over technology used to clean up oil spills. baldwin was duped into cashing out shares of ocean therapy solutions before the company struck a deal to clean up the gulf of mexico from the oil spill. baldwin says costner helped arrange the deal but costner did not have a financial stake in the company. don't expect to see reverend sharpton on "dancing with the star" he's been asked self-times to join the reality show but has

turned them down. sharpton says, quote, i got moves, i'd blow them out. there would be no chance for anybody to touch but but i just don't have the time. appears that reverend sharpton won't be following in the steps of his mentor, great james brown. those are things we thought you should know.

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a california soldier is forced to shell out an extra $500 for an airline ticket. nick was flying home to see his family before being sent out to afghanistan. but when he needed to change the time of his flight, he says, delta tacked on that huge extra charge. mark hos from kget has more. >> reporter: julie has a few days to spend with her son nick before he gets deploys to the

middle east. >> we're very, very proud. he has two siblings very proud of him also. >> reporter: he has spent the last two years in ft. riley, kansas. he booked a $300 friday morning flight with delta but got delays at work to he called delta to move it back. the airline told him it cost $500 extra to make the change. >> they gave me a spiel on flight times and everything and ended up making me pay an extra $515. basically i had to buy a new tick jet he had no choice. because he wanted to see his family. >> tried telling them i'm deploying, i wasn't able to make the first flight, is there anything i can do? they said you have to buy a new ticket and that was pretty much end of the story. >> reporter: but it's a story his mom wanted him to tell because she says it doesn't seem fair to penalize a military man days before he heads off to serve his country.

>> it's heart wrenching, you know, you're obviously in our prayers, all us, and just not for him, for every service man and woman that's out there. >> delta offered him a refund for a flight to be used in the next year. but that won't help him. he's actually, as i mentioned, still deployed. what does your gut tell you? should delta have charged a u.s. soldier about to go fight in afghanistan $500 to change his flight time? go to newsnation.msnbc.com to vote. that does it for this edition of "news nation." ♪ other choices...not so much. [ pbht! ] capri sun roarin' waters. sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices...

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