is it as well an expression of the pectations that you would have for the future? and if so, where do you see areas globally where the chancellor and germany can do more? >> translator: madam chancellor, addressed to you, germany is after all actually being praised in america through its economic might, its progress. does this mean, however, also, it entails certain enhanced responsibilities and where you have to live up to responsibilities or do you think germany needs to do more in the future? >> with respect to the freedom, it is a recognition of the chancellor's remarkable career. i think not only has she been an excellent steward of the german economy, and the european project, but she represents the

unification of europe through her own life story. and the capacity to overcome the past and point towards a brighter future. so the extraordinary work that she's already done, i think, would by itself merit the medal of freedom. fortunately she's going to be around quite a bit longer. and so she's going to be doing outstanding work in the future. her leadership will be critical on economic issues of the sort that we just discussed in the euro zone. and i very much compliment her on the courage with which she approaches some of these very difficult political issues. that's some significant political cost to herself. on the international stage, there is no issues that we don't coordinate closely with germany. and our work in afghanistan, our work together with nato, the

approach that we have taken with respect to the middle east and the arab spring, our approaches to development issues and how we help the poorest countryies fin their place in the international economy, these are all going to be areas where i think angela's leadership will be welcomed and will be absolutely critical for us to be able to achieve the kind of more peaceful and prosperous world that we want to see. so she's not finished yet. she's got a lot more work to do. i know sometimes she probably wouldn't mind a couple of days off, but she'll have to wait for that. >> translator: well, well, i believe when you see me standing here before you today, and receiving this prestigious award of the medal of freedom, it will

perhaps ought to be a moment where one needs to look back to 1989, german reunification and what happened there. if you like germany entered into a new phase. we were all of a sudden a reunited country, a country with all rights, but also with old obligations. if i think back to the beginning of the '90s, we were struggling for a decision that would enable us to send ships on the adria taking part in reconnaissance missions. you see the role we have traveled, in the direction of assuming more international responsibility, military missions, participating many military missions are part and parcel of that, in the balkans, in afghanistan, in combatting piracy and many other areas. but what is also important in this context and that's an

approach that we both share, barack and i, is that we need to combine military and engagement. so i think we live up to our international responsibilities. the world is full of problems that we need to address. that's a reality and you cannot have enough partners that work together with you in a coordinated way. and that's why this cooperation is so extremely important for our common future. i'm saying this also as someone who comes from europe. you know, the changes in north africa are changes that happen on our doorstep. those are our immediate neighbors and we have a choice, either this works out well, or we have an enormous refugee problem. and so it is not only out of charity that we hold people -- not only a moral obligation, but we have also a vested interest in seeing to it that this continent, this region comes on its feet.

>> thank you, mr. president. chancellor merkel. you called chancellor merkel one of your closest global allies. you have a different approach on a couple of issues, libya and the economic recovery over the years. in libya, do you believe more german military involvement in that operation would bring it to a faster, more decisive conclusion? and did you ask chancellor merkel for such a commitment? and on the european economic question, did you ask her specifically to drop her insistence that the private sector become involved in the greek debt bailout, which is holding up that and which you've blamed the european sluggishness for america's own stalled recovery? chancellor merkel, if i could ask you, do you believe nato is mistaken in getting involved militarily in libya? and if not, why are you not more directly involved militarily there? and what more can you do to promote an accelerated european economic recovery? thank you. >> first of all, with respect to

libya, i think it is important to note that this is a nato operation that is fully integrated, which means you have german personnel who are involved actively in these activities in their nato role. as i indicated before, germany has stepped up and taken additional responsibilities in afghanistan that have freed up resources for us to be able to conduct our operations in libya. chancellor miracle and i share the belief that gadhafi needs to step down for the sake of his own people. and with respect to the pace of operations and participation, i think if you look at where we were three months ago and where we are now or two months ago and where we are now, the progress that has been made in libya is significant. our goal there was to protect

the libyan people from a potential slaughter. we have done so. benghazi is free from threat of the libyan regime right now. they're hunkered down. misrata, which was under severe attack, is now in a situation where although still threatened, gadhafi's forces have been pushed back. and so what you're seeing across the country is a trend of the regime forces being pushed back, being incapacitated. you're seeing defections, oftentimes of very high profile members of the gadhafi government as well as the military. and i think it is just a matter of time before gadhafi goes. and each country that is part of this coalition is playing a

different role. so we did a whole bunch of stuff at the front end to disable gadhafi's air defenses, to take out some of their most significant firepower. now we are in a more supportive role as other countries have stepped up. germany, we did discuss last night germany's role and there is going to be a lot of work to do when gadhafi does step down in terms of getting the libyan people back on their feet, economic, political work that is going to have to be done and my expectation is going to be that there will be full and robust german support as there has been in the past from germany on a wide range of issues. with respect to the economy, as i said before, this is a tough and complicated piece of business. and ultimately europeans will have to make decisions about how

they proceed forward. what you have to do is balance the recognition that greece has to grow, and that means that there has to be private investment there. they have got to make structural reforms that make them more competitive. they have to have greater transparency in their economic system. but given their level of debt, it also means that other countries in the euro zone are going to have to provide them a back stop and support. and, frankly, people who are holding greek debt are going to have to make some decisions working with the european countries in the euro zone about how that debt is managed. what we have done is to say to germany and other countries that are involved, we will be there for you. we are interested in being supportive. we think that america's economic

growth depends on a sensible resolution of this issue. we think that it would be disastrous for us to see an uncontrolled spiral and default in europe because that could trigger a whole range of other events. and i think angela shares that same view. and so we're going to have to work through this issue methodically and we will be supportive in any ways that we can to make sure that all the best ideas are brought to bare on the problem. let me make one larger point because it relates also to the question that steve asked earlier. i think people on both sides of the atlantic are understandably frustrated with the ups and downs of the economy. the world economy. and it is just very important

for folks to remember how close we came to complete disaster. the world economy took a severe blow two and a half years ago. and in part that was because of a whole set of policy decisions that had been made and challenges that had been unaddressed over the course of the previous decade. and recovering from that kind of body blow takes time. and recovery is going to be uneven. and there are going to be times where we are making progress, but people are still skiddish and nervous and the markets get skiddish and nervous. and so they pull back because they're still thinking about the traumas of just two and a half years ago. and so economic data that in better times would pass without

comment now suddenly people wonder, well, are we going to go back to this terrible crisis? and all that affects consumer confidence, it affects business confidence, it affects the capital markets, and so our task is to not panic, not overreact to make sure that we have got a plan, a path forward in terms of how we make our economies competitive, making sure we're dealing with the structural issues and basic fundamentals that will allow us to grow and create a good, sound business environment, so an america, for example, the need for us to get a handle on our debt and deficit is going to be important. making sure that our investments in education, in clean energy, in infrastructure, that we find a way to do that. in europe, there are going to be different sets of challenges. the important point is, i think angela would agree, what he

would try not to do is look day to day at whatever is happening in the marketplace or whatever headlines are taking place and be reactive. our job is to set a course for the medium and long-term that assures that not only both our economies grow, but the world economy is stable and prosperous. and i think we can do that together. >> translator: well, maybe i should comment briefly on this as well. two and a half years ago we experienced something that didn't exist for decades, ever since the '20s and '30s of the previous century. because we cooperated so well, we were able to ward off the worst that could have happened and now we have a situation that we believe is something that meets the challenges of the future. before the crisis, we discussed what format to use.

now we have the g-20, a good format and has regards of settling the situation and setting up rules for the financial markets, and has been able to come up with a credible solution. that has strengthened our cooperation. though we do debate matters in a controversial manner. for example, do we need more stimulus, how much do we need, how many savings programs, cuts programs do we need? what structural programs do we need? i think that shows great openness because we're all breaking new ground. these are unchartered waters. and we cannot, with all due respect, rely completely on the financial business community to give us good advice. every day they have their own invested interests so we're dependent on our own good and sound judgment and exchanges will be necessary on this in the future as well as regards to the united nations resolution still applies. gadhafi needs to step down and he will step down. i'm convinced of that. because we have made great progress. and then there will still be a lot of work to do.

and in the future, when we have the talks on this, we agree that germany is showing -- will be showing that it is responsible and committed to the libyan cause, there will be a lot of problems still to contend with. and we'll be in the closest possible contact. we support germany supports the nato operation simply by being present there. and also by stepping up our commitment in afghanistan. it is our joint will that this nato mission is successful. this is important for the people in libya. it is also important for nato, for the alliance at large and here we have a one heart that beats with the other allies. the german decision on libya has burdened the german-american relationship somewhat. were you surprised by these irritations and this warm reception? is this something like a reset button or a breaking up out into

a new future and to you, president obama, as a new president, in berlin, why not, and will this happen once you have your new term of office? >> translator: well, i believe that this present event here today has been agreed for a long time. our partnership, our friendship rests on a very broad basis as i said this morning. sometimes there may be differences of opinion in such a friendship. what is important is we wish each other every success, not each and every one can be in our missions. we participate and sometimes the united states doesn't participate. there will be areas in the world where we shoulder different responsibilities. partners are doing together with others things that we believe can be useful and this is what

we want to do. we want to see to it that our contribution is bringing about success, encouraging other people to now see -- we wish to live in a democracy. this is good. this is sensible. i see today's event as a wonderful reception, but it is not something that is so unusual. i see it in a continuity of our very close relations and i see it as another starting point, if you like, for meeting other challenges of the future. on the question of germany, you said it -- that the american present, some people say in germany has not really been to germany at all. he was in dressny, berlin opens its arms to him every day, but the berliners can also wait. they have proved this throughout their history. >> i look very much forward to being in berlin. and the last time i was there we had a lot of fun.

and i'm sure i'll have a wonderful time the next time i'm there as well. i appreciate you assuming that i'll have another term. so i'll have plenty of time to be able to put berlin on my schedule. thank you very much, everybody. >> president obama as well as german's chancellor angela merkel ending with a humorous note about 2012 as they both share their concerns about their respective economies. germany's economy, the largest in europe, speaking with the leader of the largest economy in the world, president barack obama. with that, we start our day here, 12:18 in the east. our big story, from blame to shame this hour. after days of insisting he was the victim of a hack attack that resulted in a lewd photo being sent to a young woman, new york congressman anthony weiner has come clean. >> to be clear, the picture was

of me and i sent it. i am deeply sorry for the pain this has caused my wife huma and our family. i am deeply sorry for -- that i lied about this, but at the end of the day, i lied because i was embarrassed. >> embarrassed, yes. remorseful, apparently. but also insistent that he did nothing that violated the rules of his office and has no reason to resign. moments ago we learned that the chairman of the republican national committee is calling on democratic leaders to demand weiner step down. let's bring in nbc's luke russert following the latest developments from capitol hill. what is the democratic take on the congressman there today? >> reporter: well, it has been a tough day for anthony weiner. and although he had some allies within his caucus talk to him privately, i've heard, publicly he's gotten nothing from democrats except they feel sorry for his family, they feel sorry he put himself in this moral predicamen predicament. yesterday, nancy pelosi called upon the house ethics committee

to investigate congressman weiner and how much he knew about these types of elicit electronic affairs, if you will, and whether he used his congressional office in any way to promote them. that's going to be quite the investigation. it will occur here over the next few months if congressman weiner decides to stay in office. he also elicited some support from steve israel who called on him to be remorseful and said, you know what, this is not the best course of action. so democrats are not necessarily, if you will, very thrilled with anthony weiner now. he's distracted them from their core message, hammering away on paul ryan's medicare voucher program as well as the economy. now, take a listen to what we did this morning on the "today" show talking about representative weiner's press conference yesterday in new york city. >> but i'm not resigning. and i'm going to try very hard to go back to work a better person and better man and try to be a better husband too. >> reporter: but minutes after weiner admitted he had inappropriate phone and internet

contact with six women over several years, nancy pelosi was calling for an investigation to "determine whether any official resources were used or any other violation of house rules occurred." >> i don't see anything that i did that violated any rules of the house. i don't see anything that i did that certainly violated my oath of office to uphold the constitution. >> reporter: for more than a week, weiner misled the country beginning with denials he sent a lewd photograph to a 21-year-old female college student over his twitter account. >> the picture that went over twitter to jeannette cordova from your account, is that you? >> i was pranked. i was hacked. i was punked, whatever it is. someone sent out a picture. i'm an easy name to make fun of and i think that's what happened again. >> reporter: but monday, he told a different story. >> last friday night i tweeted a photograph of myself that i intended to send as a direct message as part of a joke to a woman in seattle. once i realized i had posted it to twitter, i panicked, i took

it down and said i had been hacked. i then continued with that story to stick to that story, which was a hugely regrettable mistake. >> reporter: and when photographs surfaced online monday, weiner was forced to admit even more inappropriate behavior. >> over the past few years i have engaged in several inappropriate conversations conducted over twitter, facebook, e-mail and occasionally on the phone with women i have met online. i have exchanged messages and photos of an explicit nature with about six women over the last three years. for the most part, these relations -- these communications took place before my marriage, though some have sadly took place after. >> reporter: conspicuously absent was his wife, huma abedin, a close adviser to hillary clinton. how close? bill clinton officiated their wedding last july. >> my wife have known about some of these relationships since before we were married. and we spoke frankly about them because we spoke frankly about them. she didn't know until this

morning that i had not been telling the truth about whether i posted the twitter posting last week. >> reporter: he says their marriage remains in tact. >> she made is very clear she thought what i did was very dumb and she was not happy about it. but she also, and she's very disappointed, and she also told me that she loved me and wanted us to, you know, to pull through this. >> reporter: weiner maintains he violated no law and claims no government resources were used in the scandal. >> my blackberry is not a government blackberry. my home computer is usually where i did these things. >> reporter: but late monday, radar online reported a 40-year-old las vegas blackjack dealer named lisa weis said weiner contacted her from his office saying, quote, i gave him my number and he called me from his office and we proceeded to talk dirty for at least 30 minutes. >> to be clear, i never met in of these women or had physical relationships at any time.

>> reporter: an odd twist at the press conference with weiner running late, conservative blogger andrew breitbart who broke the story last week took to the podium before weiner. >> i would like an apology from him for allowing for his political protectors, which this was his strategy, was to blame me. >> reporter: when he spoke, weiner did apologize to breitbart, one of many apologies he offered, sometimes fighting back tears. >> i have made terrible mistakes that hurt the people i care about the most and i'm deeply sorry. i have not been honest with myself, my family, my constituents, my friends and supporters and the media. >> reporter: now, remains to be seen whether or not anthony weiner will pull through this, richard. but he is taking down some of his friends with him. a press release went out saying, "will this democrat return -- that is every target democrat who took money from weiner's

campaign committee last cycle and possibly could this cycle, they're getting that in box and all their constituents' mailboxes if you will, richard, that's going out there, congressman weiner being directly attached to embattled democratic congressmen around the country. >> luke russert with the very latest on congressman anthony weiner. thank you for that. the congressman might have come clean, but his problems are far from over as luke was intimating there. nancy pelosi called for an ethics committee investigation as was mentioned and other democrats concur with that. weiner's fellow new york congressman and dcc chair steve israel says ultimately anthony and his constituents will make a judgment about his future. to remove all remaining doubt about this situation, i agree with leader pelosi's request. new york senator charles schumer who weiner described as a mentor said he was deeply pained and saddened. schumer added, by fully explaining himself, apologizing to all he hurt and taking full

responsibility for his wrongful actions, anthony did the right thing. all right, bill press hosts the bill press show on sirius radio and matt lewis is a contributor for "the daily caller." wooen a weiner apologized and laid out his defense, he's not violated any law or rule. what is your thought about that? >> i don't know we have seen the end of the story yet, richard. democrats are very upset. i'll tell you why. they're upset because he embarrassed them. they're upset because he lied to them, lied to them, the american people, lied to his colleagues in the house. they don't like that. as luke indicated, he got totally off message. so instead of talking about john ensign or larry craig or mark sanford, now, you know you got one of their own who has shown monumentally dumb behavior. i think people are not rushing to weiner's defense because they're not sure this is over. washington is alive with rumors today that there are more photos coming out, more explicit photos

coming out. if that happens, he's a dead duck. and then there is this congressional hearing too. and the ethics investigation, did he use government property, computer, office, we don't know that yet. so i don't think we have seen the end of the story. >> you laid it out for us. with all that then on the table, are the democrats better with or without him at this moment? >> they're better without him. clearly he's an albatross that republicans can hang around their neck. keep in mind, democrats hope to take back the house or at least pick up some seats this year. that's going to be hard to happen when you have -- you have democrats running in districts that are much tougher than anthony weiner's district. he's going to be linked to them. republicans are going to see to it that that happens. also, as we have mentioned, democrats want to be talking about paul ryan's medicare plan. that's what they want to be talking about this week. instead we're here on tv talking about anthony weiner and bill is entirely right. other shoes could drop. we know that andrew breitbart

has other pictures. we know that, look, i think it is entirely likely that at some point he slipped up and did use a government phone or computer. this is going to come out. this story could have a lot of legs if he doesn't leave. >> all right, i thank you, both. i know we had a short discussion but a busy day here on msnbc. bill, matt, thank you. >> thank you. down the hill? man: all right. we were actually thinking, maybe...

we're going to hike up here, so we'll catch up with you guys. [ indistinct talking and laughter ] whew! i think it's worth it. working with a partner you can trust is always a good decision. massmutual. let our financial professionals help you reach your goals. didn't taste so vegetably? well, v8 v-fusion juice gives you a full serving of vegetables, plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. and try our deliciously refreshing v8 v-fusion + tea. [ technician ] are you busy? management just sent over these new technical manuals. they need you to translate them into portuguese. by tomorrow. [ male announcer ] ducati knows it's better for xerox

to manage their global publications. so they can focus on building amazing bikes. with xerox, you're ready for real business. bridgestone is using natural rubber, researching ways to enhance its quality and performance, and making their factories more environmentally friendly. producing products that save on fuel and emissions, and some that can be reused again. ♪ and promoting eco-friendly and safety driving campaigns. ♪ one team. one planet. bridgestone.

welcome back to msnbc. in arizona, high winds blowing emders and dry lightning are helping the wildfire spread. the fires spread across 229,000 acres in the northeastern part of the state and close to the towns of eager and springerville. governor jan brewer declared a state of emergency and one fire official said it could be months before that fire is out. more flooding to tell you about as well in iowa.

a levee breach could leave the town of hamburg under several feet of water. the missouri river is swelling to record levels because of melting snow, weeks of rain and releases from upstream reservoirs. about half of the town has been evacuated so far. efforts are under way to raise barrier and build a second barrier on that location. also happening at this hour, nato is pounding libya with rare daytime air strikes today, including gadhafi's compound. nato launched 26 strikes today. health officials are investigating up to 10 possible cases of e. coli in tennessee. a 2-year-old girl from virginia died from e. coli on sunday. so far no connection to europe. president obama's top economic adviser is resigning. austan goolsbee will return to the booth school of business as an economics professor. prince william and kate are reportedly looking for some help at their new home. a housekeeper, butler, valet and dresser. the newlyweds originally said they were not going to hire any

servants. i guess that changed just a little. in about an hour, michelle obama will speak with high school girls about the importance of women and diplomacy. it is precursor to tonight's dinner. merkel's visit is the first official one by a female head of government during the obama administration. michelle obama herself has danced to a different tune when it comes to first ladies. she goes on secret mall trips, dines out in disguise, and from the outset, called herself first and foremost mom in chief. newsweek and daily beast reporter lois romano joins us from d.c. to talk about her profile of michelle obama that appears in "newsweek." great write. enjoyed reading every single word of it. >> oh, good. >> who is michelle obama? >> i don't think she's who we think she is. when we first introduced her during the campaign, first we were introduced to a woman that seemed to have a little bit of a

chip on her shoulder, didn't really want him to run, then had she did get out there, she sort of criticized him a little bit, then the next thing we saw was this amazing icon, this fashionable, gorgeous woman who we thought was going to just take washington by storm. and what we're ending up with is just a very down to earth person, who has incredible discipline. she decided how she's going to use this platform and nobody is going to jerk her around and tell her how to use it. and basically she wants to use it for helping young people, for helping the underclass, for mentoring, and she -- that's her story and she's sticking with it. >> as you put together all the data for your article, how does she compare, would you say, with other first latdies? >> they're all very unique in their own way. i think -- i think you to look at mrs. obama as a very, very

contemporary first lady. as was hillary clinton. but hillary clinton did not want to give up career and power when she was first lady. michelle obama, i think zirksded s decided she could use a little bit of a break. she's taking all of her education, all of the facets she has and trying to balance her family. the one marker she put down is i'm going to take care of my family. >> which she has. >> which she has. and beyond that, to help people. one thing i found interesting, i went in to do one kind of a story which was a lot of people were saying to me, what does she do with her time? is she working hard enough? how come we're not invited to the white house? how come she doesn't go out around washington? i went in to try to find out what does she do? are these two signature issues, military families and childhood obesity enough. and i ended up with a whole different story, which was she was working extremely hard, but she was doing everything she wanted to do and doing it

slightly under the radar. >> for instance, you said she works about two or three days a week and then does these other things that you were describing, goes out for meals, that she has a staff of 22, but she doesn't like them to cram her schedule, you say. and that she does not want to do any events that don't serve some larger strategic agenda. those are some of the tidbits that are in your article. lois, thank you for all of that. i wish we had more time to talk today. but a very interesting article there in the daily beast. lois romano, thank you. >> thank you. coming up, the secrets you don't know about sex trafficking. it could be happening next door. first, a look at how the markets are doing today. when we take a look at the numbers, up 66 and change after we have seen a couple of days of red. we will take that and so will our retirement accounts. we'll be right back. ♪

♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] thanks to advanced natural gas turbine technology from ge, the power that will help make our nation more energy independent is right here in america. [ crickets chirping ] ♪ [ cheers and applause ] advanced gas turbine technology from ge. ♪ a san diego man was

convicted today of using a weapon of mass destruction on a federal courthouse. and the bombing was caught on camera. security footage from the attack three years ago shows a person igniting a package that catches fire and explodes. donnie love faces up to life in prison for running a scam in which others would blow up the courthouse so he could collect reward money for turning them in. and we're getting new footage of the violent tornado that hit western massachusetts last week. a security camera caught this powerful wind, as you can see here, touching down on a springfield gas station, rocking car and sending debris hurling through the air. this is an amazing video. the tornado killed at least four people in that area. breath taking photos of a chilean volcano shooting a column of gas six miles high and three miles wide into the air. it is not all pretty. ash from that eruption is grounding flights and falling as far away as the atlantic ocean on the other side of the continent. one ski town in argentina had to use equipment meant for snow removal to get rid of it all.

and an amateur astronaut makes a possibly amazing discovery about mars. not just life, but an actual structure on the red planet. gr and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual-action listerine® whitening rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

an accidental find on google mars has one california man claiming that he may have discovered life on the red planet. and he calls it biostation alpha. it is this, if you can see here, white, rectangular speck as we zoom in on it with google earth. by this man's estimation, the speck of white is actually a manufactured structure that measures 700 feet long, 100 feet wide, and may be used as living quarters for whom or for what he cannot say. i'm joined now via skype by david martins, the man who discovered biostation alpha. who do you think lives there? >> i don't. i'm not sure. i don't know. i couldn't say. it is just a very interesting structure. i might have made some suggestions in my video that maybe i shouldn't have alluded

to. but i honestly don't know either way or -- this is not a conspiracy theory for me at all. this is just very interesting subject. >> i got it. how did you find this? were you going through all of the video on google mars and you describe yourself as an armchair astronomer. do you have any training as well? >> no, i don't. that name was given to me by the sun, actually. they were the first ones to use that term. i just went to google mars and i started zooming in and out, and just by accident i landed right on top of this. i zoomed in and landed right on top of it and marked it. and that was actually probably eight months ago. >> and you've now received hundreds of thousands of people have come to watch this one video of this white speck. let me read something from nasa. they just issued this statement to us. they say, mars surface images have been thoroughly studied by nasa scientists and researchers worldwide. while nasa applauds the public's interest and fascination of

images of the red planet, there's no scientific evidence or data to confirm a structure on the surface. so they seem to be answering some of the questions that are out there, in the video you have there, is that just some rocks or not? >> well, it is hard to say. according to mr. mckeown, who runs the high rise project, he doesn't know which camera took the image. and he also doesn't know where the raw data is. so until you can actually find that and sort of compare it, it is, i don't know. >> and is that where you leave it? i don't know? >> yeah, until i can get there, actually physically, you know, i'm just basically -- >> well, david, if you do get there physically, bring a camera with you and if you can just tweet a couple of shots for me, i would love to see them. but nevertheless, it certainly put a smile on our face to discuss the pictures that you have there. and the possibility of a

structure being on the planet mars. david martins, thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back with academy award winning actress mira sorvino. ♪ 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. ♪ [ male announcer ] make it yours. make it mio. [ tires squeal ] an accident doesn't have to slow you down. introducing better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance.

if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model year newer, with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

casey anthony's defense team scored some points this morning by discounting the testimony of a key forensic witness. prosecutors discounting testimony. prosecutors held up the wrong can yesterday containing the so-called stench of death they say was found in casey's car as a result. they called dr. arpad vass back to the stand to confirm the correct can used to collect the odor. the defense team tried to discredit the odor analyst expert. take a listen. >> you're not accustomed to handling evidence, are you, sir? >> i'll let him answer that question. overruled. >> no, we're not a forensic lab. we don't handle evidence all that frequently. >> the defense tried to suggest a crime scene investigators altered key evidence in other testimony today. we'll continue to follow that

story. just a short time from now, a connecticut judge will sentence a man for the sex trafficking and forced prostitution of two 14-year-old girls. that sentencing comes on the heels of a recent "vanity fair" article that describes prostitution rings in the state where american girls are forced to sell their bodies. that report shows more young girls are entering the sex industry. the estimate, 300,000 of them right now, from the article. many of them look like your typical all-american girl next door. the average starting age? just 13 years old. joined by academy award winning actress mira sorvino and goodwill am baambassador and correspondent for "vanity fair." who are these girls? >> these girls are the girls next door. they're belong, american girls

from new england who came from troubled homes but not impoverished backgrounds, were vulnerable and easily spotted and tricked by traffickers into selling their bodies and becoming sex slaves. >> your estimation, some 300,000. mira, you understand from your work around the world and in the united states, the device used here is quite common. often just love. >> yes, there will be sometimes a kind of a romeo lure that a trafficker will use to draw out a person who doesn't have a great home, doesn't feel attractive, doesn't feel anyone has her back. but i have to say, also, in my experience in meeting victims of underage sex trafficking, you will find also kids who are from impoverished homes, from the foster care system. they come in all shapes and colors and sizes and sexes. i mean, there are boys also on the street. it ranges as high, the estimate to 600,000. recently i've heard from other experts the average age of entry

is falling to 9 years old. >> i've found the same spectrum, if you will, in my reporting on human trafficking as well. back to you, amy. tell us about the johns in this case. who are they? what have you found out about them? >> the jons are everybody and anybody. they cover the spectrum. just like the victims cover the spectrum and the traffickers do, too. the average age is in the 30s. they're usually married or in a significant relationship with someone else. and they can be physicians, executives, judges, politicians, college kids. >> when you report on that, and let's go to you, mira, what are the solutions on the demand side with jons? from your work around the world. we've seen where they publish the names, put out lists to try to discourage that sort of participation. >> basically if a man -- let's use this example. if a man goes to thailand, a pedophile goes to thailand and

pays for sex with a child, if he is caught there, he is tryable under our federal laws and can be punished to the full extent of the law if convicted. if the man in the u.s. is caught, he's a sex offender, go 10 to 15 years in jail. if he pays $25 for that sex act, he'll most likely if he's caught get a slap on the list, maybe not be booked. if he's booked he could get a $300 fine and a trip to john school. so in 19 states in the country there's something called the mistake of age defense where a man can literally say, it's a valid argument, i'm sorry, judge, i thought she looked older. that is used as a defense, a legal defense in 19 states. it's on the books. we have a terrible problem here in our -- >> and other parts of the world. >> yes. but right here in the u.s. we have a terrible problem with underage trafficking for sexual exploitation and one of our

biggest problems is, we have great federal laws. our local laws, our state statutes and often they are behind the times. they are looking at kids who are in prostitution. >> victims. slaves. >> they're seen as perpetrators. they're dealt with like criminals. and right now there's only four states in the country that have something called a safe harbor law which treats them explicitly as victims, provides them services and expunges their records. >> let's move into the last part, the perpetrators. amy, quickly, 20 seconds. tell us about the perpetrators in the stories. the people who are doing these things to the children. >> these are violent, brutal criminals who discovered it's more lucrative to sell children than to sell drugs or guns. and it's a continually renewable resource because you can only sell a gun or bag of heroin once a day. you can sell a girl seven, ten, 20 times a day for much more

money. >> what some people say is the new drug. amy collins, thank you. mira sorvino. great discussion. i appreciate your time. i'm richard louie. thanks for watching on this day in for contessa brewer. next, andrea mitchell reports. thank you so much. coming up next on "andrea mitchell reports," anthony weiner, can he salvage his political career if. new poll numbers say the president is struggling with economic recovery. plus education nation. some college students paying more but getting less out of their education. senator tom harkin fresh from his hearing. join us next on "andrea mitchell" reports right here. host: do people use smartphones to do dumb things? man 1: send, that is the weekend. app grapgic: yeah dawg! man 2: allow me to crack...the bubbly! man 1: don't mind if i doozy. man 3: is a gentleman with a brostache invited over to this party? man 1: only if he's ready to rock! ♪ sfx: guitar and trumpet jam

vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. finally, there's a choice for my patients with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, or afib, that's not caused by a heart valve problem. today we have pradaxa to reduce the risk of a stroke caused by a clot. in a clinical trial, pradaxa 150 mg reduced stroke risk 35% more than warfarin. and with pradaxa, there's no need for those regular blood tests. pradaxa is progress. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding, and seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk

if you're 75 or older, have kidney problems or a bleeding condition, like stomach ulcers. or if you take aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. tell your doctor about all medicines you take, any planned medical or dental procedures, and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctor's approval, as stopping may increase your stroke risk. other side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if pradaxa can reduce your risk of a stroke. didn't taste so vegetably? well, v8 v-fusion juice gives you a full serving of vegetables, plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. and try our deliciously refreshing v8 v-fusion + tea. but it just tastes like fruit. ♪ ♪

membership rewards points from american express. they're a social currency with endless possibilities. no matter when you get around to booking, hotels.com will have a great last minute deal waiting for you. like at the hotels.com 48 hour sale. this tuesday and wednesday only. hotels.com. be smart. book smart. i have made terrible mistakes that have hurt the people i care about the most and i'm deeply sorry. i have not been honest with myself, my family, my constituents, my friends, and supporters and the media. right