the tenth anniversary of 9/11. national security analyst peter bergen says that date was deliberately chosen, as were the intended target cities, new york, washington, d.c., chicago, los angeles. >> they don't attack in des moines or sioux city or somewhere, you know, that is less of an american city. they've never heard of des moines. it's these other cities around the world that every understands is a target. >> jim miklaszewski is our chief pentagon correspondent. good to see you today. what are we learning about the courier who was really the key to our military finding bin laden? >> well, what was interesting about this courier is that the cia and other intelligence agencies really never knew his real name for the longest time. they did get a nickname, al kuwaiti, i think, was the original description. and through aggressive interrogation techniques were able to identify at least who is closest to osama bin laden, this

most trusted courier. but that took a couple of years before they really found him. and then it took several years of tracking him down. and then once they did that, last year about nine, ten months ago, they followed him to that compound. and that's what led them eventually to killing osama bin laden. >> and now we have al qaeda saying yes, indeed, osama bin laden has been killed. and the organization says it will release a voice recording of bin laden made the week before he was killed. do you know anything about what's expected to be contained in that recording? >> no. originally it was described as perhaps a recording that would be released upon his death. but that would be just too coincidental. who knows what's on that recording. but in their message today acknowledgi acknowledging, of course, that osama bin laden had died. they exhorted his followers to continue the jihad against america and threatened that his blood would be avenged.

>> and we're going to get into that a little bit more just ahead. i wanted to ask you about the president's visit to ft. campbell. what are you expecting to see out of his face-to-face with these navy s.e.a.l.s? >> well, it's not clear that he's actually going to see the navy s.e.a.l.s. it's a little bit confusing. some of the white house say he is. some here say we don't know. you can expect he would probably meet with them and, of course, the army air crew that flew those s.e.a.l.s and other special operations forces into abbottabad and back out safely. i'm sure it's going to be a lot of high fives and hugs and pictures and that kind of thing. i'm not sure that the president's going to sit there and demand every operational detail. and even though it's the president, who knows? these s.e.a.l.s are so tight-lipped, they might not tell him. >> jim mick la she haklaszewski for that. the terror group says it

will release that new bin laden audiotape. here's part of al qaeda's written statement urging pakistanis to get revenge. quote, we call upon the muslim people in pakistan to rise up and erase this shame, rise up and clean up their country from the scourge of the americans. nbc's stephanie gosk is in abbott ab abbottabad. stephanie, are pakistanis heeding that call? >> reporter: they're just digesting this news that confirm osama bin laden was killed by navy s.e.a.l.s. we've been talking about all week here in abbottabad. not only do they not believe that navy s.e.a.l.s killed osama bin laden sunday night, they also don't believe that bin laden was ever here. so it will be interesting to see whether they take what is kind of a rallying cry from al qaeda in this statement, whether they take that to heart. we did, however, see protests around the country today. here in abbottabad, there were

400 or 500. similar protests in other cities around the country. they were all making similar points. it was organized by a radical islamic group, and they were saying that their sovereignty was violated by the united states and that they believe their civilian government, president zardari, is really just a puppet of the u.s. contessa? >> and what are you learning about osama bin laden's wives and the interviews that are taking place there in pakistan? >> reporter: well, the most recent information that we've learned is actually from a general. he held a small group of journalists together in islamabad to give them a bit more detail. what he said is that they have three of bin laden's wives in custody along with a number of children that they took from the compound after the navy s.e.a.l.s left, that they have been talking to them. one of the wives, his youngest wife, who is yemeni and is said to be his favorite wife, she

said that actually the daughter that we've been talking about this week never actually saw her father being killed, that she was swept out of the room and that she had been living in this house, the wife, for five years and actual hi had never left that room where she was with bin laden. or actually two rooms there on that floor. contessa? >> stephanie gosk, thank you very much for joining us. appreciate that. and developing right now, president obama will speak to workers at an indianapolis transmissions plant in just a few minutes here after he tours the facility that produces the systems for hybrid cars. there you're seeing the facility in indianapolis. this is allison transmission. the president, of course, is pushing his priority to create more green jobs. the labor department announced today the economy added 244,000 jobs in general in april. nbc's john yeng is in indianapolis. are we going to see the president touting that progress? >> reporter: you bet.

i'm certainly sure we'll hear him talking about that. on the flight out, jay carney, the white house press secretary on air force one, touted that number. they're very happy about it. very strong employment number. the president of allison transmission being introduced now, lawrence dewey, that's an indication the president is about two minutes away. he has just finished touring this plant. another part of his remarks here are going to be talking about cutting oil imports and increasing energy efficiency. this plant that produces -- or that is gearing up to produce transmissions for hybrid vehicles. so that we're going to be hearing a lot about that in the speech coming up, contessa. >> john yang, thank you. we will continue watching that situation in indianapolis when we see the president, we'll bring that to you live. okay. so while employers added more than 200,000 jobs for the third straight month, the unemployment rate climbed to 9%. cnbc's melissa francis joins me live now. look, on the one hand, you have

the biggest hiring spree in five years, and yet we're seeing the unemployment rate climb. why is that? >> well, in a basic sense, there are two different surveys. one is the payroll numbers as companies go out and make payments, that's one thing they're measuring. the other thing is a household survey where government officials call around to different houses and ask what's going on. so they're two totally different surveys. that's why they show different things. if you look inside the numbers, there was a ton of great numbers and the market reacted to it. there was, you know, a little bit of news that wasn't so great when you look at, for example, the labor participation rate stood at 64.2%. the same as it was last month. the number of people employed, 13.7 million people out of work. that is the same as it was last month. the total number. so even though we saw some hiring in one survey, we saw things static in the other survey. overall, though, the market is interpreting it as good news. and i guess it all comes down to whether or not you personally have a job. that's the way you interpreted the results, right? >> we talked about that market interpretation. i'll show the market boards

because we're seeing a big boost. looks like the dow jones industrial average is up 136. the s&p is up 13.5. the nasdaq has jumped 37 1/3 on the day. good news there. the other thing people are really talking about today is the price of oil and how it's declining i think today for the first time in a long time. it was less than 100 bucks a barrel. >> that's right. we've seen a huge selloff in commodi commodities, and that is the story of the week because it's been causing a lot of fears about inflation on wall street and elsewhere as we saw the price of silver and gold skyrocket. a lot of that was a reaction to the risk that was out there in the market and the potential for inflation as we see that going down today and this whole week, it's a response to the fed maybe getting to the end of their loosening policy, signaling that they may be tightening things up so fears about inflation are tempering. so really that selloff in commodities probably a good thing overall for the economy. that's what we're seeing. >> when you're talking about that selloff in commodities, are you also -- i mean, like i, for instance, one of the top searches on google today is

silver because we're seeing declining prices in silver. they've hit their peak. copper's going down. gold not, though. >> well, i mean, gold is taking a break as well. gold moves a little slower both to the up side and to the down side because it's so much more expensive. i mean, a lot of what we saw in silver was people call it the poor man's gold for people that were trying to get in and sort of play the commodity trade, they were more likely to get into silver. also, we saw a change in the trading rules around silver, and that's one of the reasons why it sold off so much this week. and there's a lot of question about that. should the rules be stricter in trading gold and also in trading oil so that we don't see as much speculation and maybe we wouldn't see the same volatility. >> melissa, good to see you. have a good weekend. >> you, too. political experts say the president's big obstacle for re-election remains the economy, no matter how good the news for him is on the war on terror. so my big question today, are we seeing enough economic growth to cement support for the president's policies? you can share your thoughts with me on twitter, on facebook and on e-mail.

contessa@msnbc.com. again, we're keeping our eye on indianapolis at allison transmission where the president is speaking about green jobs. >> hello, hoosiers. sorry about the pacers. i'm sorry, mr. mayor. give the mayor a big round of applause. he's doing a great job. along with the mayor, we've got the secretary of transportation, ray lahood, in the house. ray. we've got your own member of congress, andre carson, here. and i want to thank larry dewey and everybody here at allison

for their extraordinary hospitality. it is wonderful to be here. i just had a chance to see the hybrid systems that you're working on here at the plant. i love seeing high-tech machinery like this. i stand there and people explain it to me. and i pretend like i know what they're talking about. but it looked outstanding. what you're doing here at allison transmission is really important. today there are more than 3,800 buses using hybrid technology all over the world. buses that have already saved 15 million gallons of fuel. and pretty soon you'll be expanding this technology to trucks as well. and that means we'll have even more vehicles who are using even

less oil. that means more jobs here at allison. last month you added 50 jobs at this company. and i hear that you plan to add another 200 over the next two years. so we are very proud of that. we are very happy with that. this is where the american economy is rebuilding. where we are regaining our footing. we just went through one of the worst recessions in our history. worst in our lifetimes. the worst since the great depression. but this economic momentum that's taken place here at allison is taking place all across the country. today we found out that we added another 268,000 private sector jobs in april.

so that means over the last 14 months, just in a little bit over a year, we've added more than 2 million jobs in the private sector. now, we've made this progress at a time when our economy has been facing some serious headwinds. and i don't need to tell you about that. we've got high gas prices that have been eating away at your paychecks. and that is a headwind that we've got to confront. you've got the earthquake in japan that has had an effect on manufacturing here. so there are always going to be some ups and downs like these as we come out of a recession. and there will undoubtedly be some more challenges ahead. but the fact is that we are still making progress. and that proves how resilient the american economy is and how resilient the american worker is and that we can take a hit and we can keep on going forward.

that's exactly what we're doing. now, despite the good work that's being done in allison, obviously here in indiana and all across the country, there are still some folks who are struggling. and a lot of people are thinking where are those new jobs going to come from that pay well, have good benefits, can support a family? and how do we finally reduce our dependence on oil so that we're not hostage to high gas prices all the time? the reason i'm here today is because the answers to these questions are right here at allison. right here in these vehicles. right here in these transmissions. this is where the jobs of the future are at. we're going to have a lot of jobs in the service sector because we're a mature economy.

but america's economy is always going to rely on outstanding manufacturing. where we make stuff. where we're not just buying stuff overseas, but we're making stuff here, and we're selling it to somebody else. that's what allison's all about. this is also where a clean energy economy is being built. this is the kind of company that will make sure that america remains the most prosperous nation in the world. see, other countries understand this. we're in a competition all around the world. and other countries, germany, china, south korea, they know that clean energy technology is what is going to help spur job creation and economic growth for years to come. and that's why we've got to make sure that we win that competition. i don't want the new breakthrough technologies and

the new manufacturing taking place in china and india. i want all those new jobs right here in indiana right here in the united states of america with american workers, american know-how, american ingenuity. and that's also how we're going to get gas prices under control. now, i confess, it's been a while since i filled up. the secret service doesn't let me, you know, fill up my motorcade. but it hasn't been that long ago since i watched those numbers scroll up, and i know how tough it is. if you've got to drive to work and you may not be able to afford buying a new car, so you've got that old beater that gets you eight miles a gallon, it's tough. it is a huge strain on a lot of people.

but if we can transition to new technologies, that's what's going to make a difference over the long term. that's how we're going to meet the goal that i've set of reducing the amount of oil that we import by one-third by the middle of the next decade. we can hit that target. we can hit that target. now, in the short term, we still need to do everything we can to encourage safe and responsible oil production here at home. in fact, last year american oil production reached its highest level since 2003. so i want everybody to remember that if people ask, because sometimes i get letters from constituents who say why aren't we just drilling more here? we're actually producing more oil here than ever. but the challenge is, we've only

got about 2% to 3% of the world's oil reserves, and we use 25% of the world's oil. >> president obama explaining part of the reason why just drilling more is not going to solve the problem of the energy crisis at hand about us using far more oil than we actually have. he's in indianapolis today at a place that produces systems for hybrid vehicles. and these are going to be hybrid vehicles on a commercial scale, the big trucks that you see moving goods to and from place to place. and so the president is out there pushing not only the fact that these -- this is green technology, it's good for the environment, it's good in terms of weaning us off our reliance on foreign oil, but it's also good for putting people to work. we have some breaking flooding news right now from tennessee. officials are going door to door in memphis telling people to get out. the latest on that. plus, the so-far semicommitted republican candidates.

i'll talk with congressman ron paul after this. ben and his family live on this block. ben's a re/max agent, and he's a big part of this community. re/max agents know their markets, and they care enough to get to know you, too. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today.

emergency officials memphis where water is already rising in the city streets now are going door to door. they're urging families to evacuate because record-breaking floods are sweeping downstream. in fact, the coast guard is planning to close the mississippi river to barge traffic for eight days because the wake from the boats is spilling all that water over flood walls in ka rocarothersvi missouri. the army corps of engineer has been blasting holes to relieve pressure on the river. our ron mott is there. the news is they're going to close this to barge traffic. so what happens with the barges?

>> reporter: hey there, contessa. we were just talking about that off camera. i'm not sure how they're going to get around. this is an important thoroughfare for interstate commerce, the mississippi river. i assume they'll reconnect to the mississippi south of carothersvil carothersville. the water is coming up fast. earlier this morning it was up. the record in memphis set back in 1937 was 47.7 feet. a lot of forecasters say on wednesday when it crests, it will be just sort of that. we could see a record set here in memphis. already about 2 1/2 blocks down, the world famous beale street is starting to take on water. it's been closed to street traffic. you see folks bringing out their cameras taking pictures of the river. there is a lot of water out here. a lot of water getting into homes already. especially in the western downtown neighborhoods of harbortown and mud island. those folks, some of them have evacuated. north of town there's a mobile

home wapark that is under a lotf water. as you mentioned coming into this segment, officials are going door to door to tell people to get out because the water is going to rise quickly as we head into the weekend and the first part of next week. >> we're seeing some of that video of people wading out into water trying to evacuate. ron, thank you. by the way, i just wanted to mention in arkansas we're seeing both lanes of interstate 40 closed because of flooding. so if you're planning to drive that way today, you need to keep a close eye on that situation and get some traffic updates before you head through i-40 in arkansas. a quick break here. ♪ ♪

membership rewards points from american express. they're a social currency with endless possibilities. of course not. we broke up 6 months ago. but i don't think she'd go for a guy like -- [ ping! ] she says she'd love to. [ ping! ] she can't wait to see me. [ ping! ] she's wanted me to ask her out for over a year now! [ ping! ] she just sent me a video. [ girl's voice ] hi stephen, can't wait for our date! oh, can i see that? aah! [ male announcer ] in the network, sparks fly faster. at&t is getting faster with 4g. rethink possible.

hot on the web today, native americans are blasting the government for making the code for bin laden's death geronimo. geronimo was a legendary warrior of the apaches and stands as a

role model even today. so native americans are furious that the military linked his name with that of a globally despised terrorist. the senate is holding hearings to try to get to the bottom of the code name. and a media network called indian country today is challenging its facebook friends and followers on twitter to change their profile pictures to that of geronimo to honor him. on 9/11 as new yorkers fled ground zero, three of the world's most iconic stars carpooled out of town together. michael jackson, elizabeth taylor and marlon brando reportedly rented a car and drove some 500 miles to ohio. a personal assistant to michael jo jackson tells "vanity fair" brandon and jackson took turns driving. and the trio ate at a burger king and kfc along the way. one of taylor's assistants says it's a bogus story that taylor flew home once the airports opened. the catholics aren't really gaga over gaga. they don't really like how she,

quote, plays fast and loose with catholic iconography. but the president of the catholic league says he's not going ballistic because gaga doesn't cross a line. because this isn't really anti-catholicism, but he did say, expert on music videos that he is, that this judas project is just a mess. alone there's been a 67% spike in companies embracing the cloud-- big clouds, small ones, public, private, even hybrid. your data and apps must move easily and securely to reach many clouds, not just one. that's why the network that connects, protects, and lets your data move fearlessly through the clouds means more than ever. some models look so mad. maybe it's because their department store makeup is so expensive. simply ageless with olay regenerist serum costs less and it won't glob up in lines and wrinkles. you'll look amazing and happy too.

simply ageless, from olay and easy breezy beautiful covergirl.

♪ that's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh ♪ ♪ i like it, uh-huh, uh-huh ♪ that's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh ♪

♪ i like it [ male announcer ] introducing mio -- a revolutionary liquid water enhancer. add a little. add a lot. ♪ for a drink that's just the way you like it. ♪ i like it, uh-huh, uh-huh ♪ that's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh ♪ [ male announcer ] make it yours. make it mio. ♪ welcome back to msnbc. i'm contessa brewer. at least 16 people were killed in syria today. according to witnesses at the day of defiance protests. thousands across the country are calling for an end to the current regime. sony's ceo is apologizing for the inconvenience caused by a security breach. personal information from more than 100 million people might have been exposed. the fbi is investigating 30 suspicious letters sent to d.c. schools yesterday. they contained a white powdery, nontoxic substance. other schools in the u.s. have received similar letters.

and tomorrow is the 137th running of the kentucky derby. the race is considered wide open. there is a 70% chance of rain. and oh, by the way, it's sort of america's version of time to wear our crazy hats. republicans held their first presidential debate of 2012 last night, but just a handful of the nearly dozen potential gop candidates bothered even to show up. and the ones who were there, not exactly considered top tier at this point. among last night's debaters, tim pawlenty and an ex-governor who wants to legalize pot, and a pizza chain mogul. >> most of the people that are elected in office in washington, d.c., they have held public office before. how's that working for you? we have a mess. >> so harman cane, he is the number two hottest search term on google today, he's trending on twitter. did he elevate his status with

that debate last night? >> no question, contessa. that line is one that he's used before, but he's fiery, direct and clear and that line encapsulates a lot of disdain toward washington and that's why he got such a good response. >> when we're talking about tim pawlen pawlenty, is he the candidate who shows up with the most to win or the most to lose? >> he was definitely the candidate who had the most to gain or the most to lose in this. you know, it's not clear if he really gained or lost. he was strong on president obama when talking about him. but the problem for tim pawlenty is that, you know, he had a lot of tough questions asked of him, in particular of climate change, on waterboarding. you know, so that's a difficult thing for somebody who not a lot of people really know. his name i.d. is still very low, and that was their introduction to him. >> how will last night's debate influence the republicans who have not yet thrown their hat in the ring? >> we wrote today that actually, we think the people who haven't decided yet were the biggest winners tonight. the thing about mike huckabee,

tim pawlenty got asked about whether or not mike huckabee would put his campaign out of business. and he said, "i love the huck." so if huckabee wants to get in, he certainly would do pretty well. >> there's a campaign slogan for you, "i love the huck." it's got a certain ring to it, doesn't it? thank you. congressman ron paul got a big round of applause last night for this line on what the united states needs to do now that osama bin laden is dead. >> get the troops out of afghanistan and end that war that hasn't helped us and hasn't helped anybody in the middle east. >> ron paul joins me on the phone now. congressman, good to talk to you. this is a topic that has been near and dear to your heart long before bin laden's death. do you think now this gives the movement to pull those troops out more impetus, more momentum? >> oh, i don't think there's any doubt about it. and ironically, i have been working with some democrats, and there are seven democrats and seven republicans, we introduced

legislation yesterday for a plan to get out of afghanistan. and we have planned to do that even before bin laden was killed. and so i think the momentum is building. the american people by percentages, 50% want us to come home, so it is time to come home. >> you ran in 2008, you became known as someone who could pull in a lot of money and much of it from young people. last night you pulled in $590,000, a very significant haul. what do you think that says about your potential success this time around? >> well, i'd like to correct you a little bit, if i can. >> i can. >> tully, by midnight, we had over $1 million. >> wow! >> it was very pleasing, and it was started at the grass-roots level. our efforts, we put in some effort to help it along, but actually, it was started by a grass-roots spontaneous effort as they did in the last campaign. so it humbles me to tell you the

truth, and sometimes it surprises me that our freedom movement has moved along so well. our numbers are growing. the young people enthusiastic. some said money -- send money when i think they probably have other bills to pay, but i think it's the times in which we live. i think we're in desperate times, and i think they're looking for answers. when they can find answers in our constitution, the rule of law and limited government and self-reliance and bringing our troops home and personal liberty, all of a sudden it starts to coordinate with people, and i'm delighted. >> speaking of personal liberty, i think one of the interesting things about you as a candidate is that libertarian streak, the streak that has motivated you to stand up against your own party when your passion calls you to a temporary stand. you also feel like there's no room for government to make what should be personal decisions. you were asked about the war on drugs last night. i want to play your response during that debate.

>> you know what? if we legalize heroin tomorrow, everybody's going to use heroin. how many people here would use heroin if it was legal? i bet nobody would put their hand up. oh, yeah, i need the government to take care of me. i don't want to use heroin, so i need these laws. >> congressman, you're a libertari libertarian, but in many cases your view as line with the tea party. do you think that, for instance, donald trump could take some of that support away from you? >> well, i think that's a stretch. it remains to be seen. i think he's trying to appeal to the tea party people. but i think only time can tell about that. because i'm not sure he's passionate about bringing all our troops home. and i don't know where he stands on some of the other issues. i guess we'll have to wait and see. >> do you think that the push to end the war on drugs could help put you on the top of everybody else? >> i think people are starting to wake up on this. and i've predicted over the many decades that someday we're going

to wake up just like we did in the '20s and early '30s and say prohibition of alcohol caused more trouble than it helped. all drugs were legal 150 years ago in the early part of our history. and we tried prohibition of alcohol. it was a disaster. the prohibition of all drug usage is a disaster. i mean, i can't stand the use of drugs, but i detest the war on drugs so much more, the imprisonments, the costs, hundreds of billions of dollars that we spend, the attack on personal liberty, the denial of sick people using marijuana when it can be helpful. it makes no sense whatsoever. >> breaking up families so that people are serving time in prison and things like that. yeah. i mean, i think there are strong arguments to be made on that front. congressman, it's always a pleasure to talk to you. appreciate your time. thank you, sir. >> thank you very much. new information just in from the intelligence gathered on osama bin laden's compound about possible future plans for what seems like it could have been another 9/11. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] this is james.

the morning after the big move starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now... and maybe up to 4 in a day. or, choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. smart move. ♪ [ airplane engine whines ] [ grunts ] [ dog barking ] gah!

[ children shouting ] [ grunts ] [ whacking piñata ] [ whacking piñata, grunting ] nope. see, hotels.com has over 20,000 last minute deals every week. so i get a great deal, no matter how long i wait. yeah, i'm not very good at waiting... then we must train you to wait. it is time to book, grasshopper. now, it's ok to wait. get great deals. even at the last minute. hotels.com. be smart. book smart. i've been looking at the numbers, and i think our campus is spending too much money on printing. i'd like to put you in charge of cutting costs. calm down. i know that it is not your job. what i'm saying... excuse me? alright, fine. no, you don't have to do it.

ok? [ male announcer ] notre dame knows it's better for xerox to control its printing costs. so they can focus on winning on and off the field. [ manager ] are you sure i can't talk -- ok, no, i get it. [ male announcer ] with xerox, you're ready for real business.

looking today at a big debate here that is unfolding on the war in afghanistan. you just heard congressman ron paul again pushing a topic that was near and dear to his heart before osama bin laden was killed. but in this case, he says, look, it's time to get our troops out of afghanistan. and that message is garnering a lot of support nationwide. msnbc political analyst karen finney is a former democratic national committee spokesperson, horace epstein is a republican strategist. good to see both of you today. boris, let me begin with you. how is bin laden's death going to influence the way republicans now take a stand on military action in afghanistan? >> i think there is going to be an impact but not as large as some think. in my perspective, this is just one man's death. we should not get out of afghanistan as fast as we did at the end of the soviet impact there in the 1980s, easterly

'90s. afghanistan has been a breeding ground for terrorists for a long time. it's been a lawless country for a long time. and we need to get out but do it very carefully. >> but when president bush set the mission for afghanistan, it was very specific and clear. we were going in to kill the terrorists and those who harbored them. we were going to annihilate that whole system. osama bin laden is dead. at this point what we're seeing in afghanistan is often an intertribal insurgency. do we still have a specific, clear mission there? >> the specific, clear mission needs to be to make sure the terrorists don't come back six months, a year or five years like they did in the early '90s, allowing people like osama bin laden and al qaeda to use afghanistan as the training ground. if that mission is complete and the military feels that they're done, then we need to get out. >> karen, it's sometimes strange that not only do politics make strange bedfellows but also war does as well. what we're seeing is, in many cases, the democrats oppose president obama's leadership on afghanistan, the way he wants to move forward, and the

republicans back it. i'm using a broad brush, and that's not true of everybody. in this case are you going to start seeing a bigger alignment of support? >> i think you will, actually. and, you know, privately when you talk to republicans on the hill, they will say they realize it is time to get out. they just -- there is just not yet been that sort of given how contentious things here are in washington, there hasn't quite been the space to be able to come together and actually say that. but there's another point i want to make that i think is very important as we look at the context of the death of osama bin laden and the arab spring. remember that what we've been seeing in egypt and tunisia are egyptians, most arab youth standing up and rejecting the hate of osama bin laden and those tactics and saying, you know what? there's another way. we want to fight for our freedom. we want jobs. we want to be able to get married and have families. a lot of the same things that people in this country want. so i think part of what we're going to have to figure out over the next several months, maybe year, is with osama bin laden, a

very important symbol out of the way, what does that do to help the momentum of those people, christians and muslims, arabs across the region, fighting for their freedom? can we get out of the way of that? >> when we're talking about jobs and families, a lot of people are pointing out that the president is still going to have to win on the economy, that come 2012, that's still going to be the defining issue for this presidency. his job approval rating has seen a big boost now. are we seeing enough growth in the economy to boost support, to cement support for the president's policies? >> yeah. you know, it's great, this bounce that he's getting out of this, but i'm sort of, in my business, that's like okay, let's look at a month from now because it's going to be gone. you're right. people are going to return to the economy. i think the numbers out today are very positive. and i think it strengthens the argument which is so important which is with the policies that obama has put in place, we are moving in the right direction. we don't know where we're going to be at the end of the next year.

>> republicans, though, have been opposing some of those policies, boris, and especially when it comes to the way the nation's handling its finances. thousa now republicans have been forced to sort of get off that thin ice they were on. they were willing to take a stand on medicare. the public hated it. their constituents were calling like crazy. are we going to see a real revision in the way the republicans approach the economy and the nation's finances? >> i think the main point of what the republicans have been saying and the conservatives have been saying is that we spend too much. and you can't revise that. that is one of the number one agendas, probably the number one agenda, of the gop. there's no need to revise that. do you need to make it more palatable to the public? yes. >> does that mean dropping medicare? >> we can't drop medicare. karen, let me finish. >> we need more revenues. >> we do need more revenues, but we need to spend less, too. >> that's not what we've said before. >> revising medicare is absolutely a necessity. every president for us 50 years has agreed to that. now, the way we do it, the way republicans propose it, probably

wasn't correct last time. but on obama's ratings, this 11% bump is going to disappear. karen's right, it's on the economy right now, and most of the nation disagrees with obama on the economy and on health care as well. >> boris, karen, appreciate it. thank you. sidebar now, and actions and reactions today. this week while former bush administration officials were praising president obama for approving the military action that took out bin laden, they were also facing tough questions about why their boss went after saddam hussein instead of bin laden after 9/11. here's condoleezza rice with msnbc's lawrence o'donnell last night. >> you obviously have a very different view. >> a threat to new yorkers that osama bin laden was? >> you may not view him as a threat, but most of the world did. >> i'd like to review your feelings about things you said ramping up to 9/11. the threat of a mushroom cloud. >> we're not going there. >> from saddam hussein you now know was completely false. do you regret saying that? >> do you know what? >> would you take that back if you could? >> you know what? i said that we could not afford

to have it be a mushroom cloud. >> where did you think that mushroom cloud would be? >> lawrence, you have a bad habit with your guests. you never let them answer a question. >> well, secretary of state hillary clinton's getting a lot of questions about this reaction in that now iconic situation room picture. it kind of looks like she's covering her mouth in what could be a gasp of shock. she says no, that's not it. >> i'm somewhat sheepishly concerned that it was my preventing one of my early spring allergic coughs. so it may have no great meaning whatsoever. >> well, it could be a bin laden bump or a birther backlash. but now an overwhelming number of americans say they believe the president was born right here in the good old usa. 86% of people interviewed in a "washington post" poll said obama was americanorn. that's a huge jump from 48% who said that last year. the number of nonbelievers sliced in half to 10% from 20% last year. al qaeda's now confirmed the

death of bin laden. but this week the president's word wasn't enough for sarah palin. she urged him to release bin laden's death pictures. writing on twitter, she said, "show photo as warning to others seeking america's destruction. no pussy-footing around. no politicking. no drama. it's part of the mission." . >> excellent. sarah palin's message to the president is this. you have to see the entire task through! it's sort of an important political and presidential advice, she had to quit her job as governor to be able to tweet. >> hmm. i think gotcha. be right back. ♪ [ man ] if it was simply about money, every bank loan would be a guarantee of success. at ge capital, loaning money is the start of the relationship, not the end. i work with polaris every day. at ge capital, we succeed only when they do.

whoo! awesome! yes! we've got to get you out of the office more often. ♪ my turn to drive. ♪ [ male announcer ] in 2011, at&t is at work, building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible. in an effort to give you the best network possible. like, keep one of these over your head. well, i wasn't "supposed" to need flood insurance, but i have it. fred over here chose not to have it. ♪ me, i've got a plan. fred he uh... fred what is your plan? do i look like i have a plan?

not really. [ female announcer ] only flood insurance covers floods. for a free brochure, call the number on your screen.

we're just getting in some kbra breaking news, more information about the evidence found in osama bin laden's compound. a senior nbc producer.

what are you finding out? >> what we are learning is going against the grain of virtually everything we've been told over the last five years is that bin laden was mainly an inspirational leader, not involved in the operations. what, in fact, we are learning is that he was directly involved. one senior u.s. intelligence official said to me this morning, "every morning he woke up and tried to come up with ideas to attack the homeland, that he would try to communicate with his subordinates." >> how in the world could he do that without a cell phone, without a phone line, without internet? >> he had cell phones. and the couriers -- this is -- the person who led the united states to the compound was his trusted courier, khan is the name. >> he didn't know he was leading them there. >> right. but the reality was a lot of this material was hand carried. but they did use cell phones. they may not have used cell phones for operational details, but they did use cell phones. and the key thing here is that we have been told repeatedly by the u.s. government that, indeed, he had become less of an

important figure. that is not what i was told this morning. i was told that every day he was trying to come up with another 9/11. >> and the fact is they now find indications that the plans could have been in the works for another attack on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 on the east coast trains or perhaps out in los angeles, a real problem there. they're already turning over some great evidence. thank you. >> but they will not turn over the details for fear that they could be replicated by others. >> thank you for the good work. up next, "andrea mitchell reports." >> thank you, contessa. next, al qaeda threatens to retaliate as you've been discussing. we have dick lugar and anthony wiener. plus, the best jobs growth in five years despite an uptick in the overall rate, markets are relieved there will not be a double dip. and my interview with rahm emanuel in chicago. that's all next on "andrea mitchell reports." [ dennis ] it only took two minutes for this town to be destroyed.

to a little girl who lived through it, this is more than a teddy bear. it's a step towards normal. it's why allstate catastrophe teams not only have hot coffee and help for grownups... they've also handed out more than twelve thousand teddy bears to kids. people come first... everything else is second. that's allstate's stand. are you in good hands? and i was a pack-a-day smoker for 25 years.

i do remember sitting down with my boys, and i'm like, "oh, promise mommy you'll never ever pick up a cigarette." i had to quit. ♪ my doctor gave me a prescription for chantix, a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these symptoms or behaviors, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop serious allergic or skin reactions, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some of these can be life-threatening. dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. until you know how chantix affects you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams.

♪ my benjamin, he helped me with the countdown. "5 days, mom. 10 days, mom." i think after 30 days he got tired of counting! [ male announcer ] talk to your doctor to find out if chantix is right for you. learn about the chantix challenge. chantix may not work for everyone. if you aren't quit after 12 weeks, we'll refund your cost of trying it. learn more at chantix.com.

right now on "andrea mitchell reports," president obama about to leave indiana for his first meeting with the elite special forces involved in the bin laden kill. the president's visit to ft. campbell, kentucky, as al qaeda vows revenge. and intelligence gold mine. handwritten notes found in bin laden's lair hint at plots against american railroads on key dates including the tenth anniversary of 9/11. playing defense. pakistan's army chief kills the u.s. -- calls the u.s. raid a misadventu misadventure. really? and will bin laden's death help us get out of afghanistan? with us this hour, senator richard lugar. plus, good news on the jobs front. the best report in five years. there is nothing we cannot do so long as we put our mind to it. so long as we keep our eyes on the prize. and education nation.