>> these are all adult carnivores. so when we talk out the lions and tigers as well as bears, they're all dangerous. >> nbc has the latest live from zanesville where we are waiting for that press conference to get underway. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, chris. one of the reasons why this press conference is behind because a few minutes ago the sheriff was up on the property behind us where they are trying to detain a grizzly bear and lion. one of the five animals still loose here today. there could be as many as 13, but they think they might have actually put down some of those animals last night and weren't able to recover the bodies yet. this is an intriguing story. there's a lot of unknowns right now. and what we hope to find out at the press conference is exactly what happened to the owner of this preserve. terry thompson was found dead in all the cages of some 64 animals were left open yesterday and people started calling in and

giving reports about lions and tigers and bears roaming the area. and that's why there are at least four schools closed down today. one of the things we think the sheriff is going to talk to us about when he does come over here is the fact of how terry thompson died. there is some belief that he might have actually taken his own life and he also might be responsible for letting loose his own animals. exactly why he might have done that, chris, we're not sure at this time. and we don't know whether or not the sheriff is going to be able to give us answers. >> let me ask you about what's happening right now. you say this has been delayed because they have potentially cornered or trying to contain a grizzly or lion. is this a residential area? >> reporter: the preserve where these animals were at is 64 acres. it's actually -- if this truck wasn't behind me, you could see up the hill and over the freeway there. there are homes all around. it's a large piece of land that he owned, and it also butts up

against a major highway. highway 70. but there are other homes around it, and there are neighborhoods all around us here, and that's why they had so many fears and concerns about the safety of people. when the officers went in yesterday, they saw mini animals when they were approaching the home in the area. and they didn't take any chances, chris. they actually started taking those animals down. they did not try and tranquilize them. they said their first concern, first and foremost concern was for the safety of the people who live in this area. and that continues to be the case now. they do have zoo officials here from the columbus zoo. and there's also another facility that the zoo owns that is called the wilds, which is a large acreage area where they hub animals in open plain type areas. and where we are at now is sandwiched right in between those two places. we talked to jack hanna earlier, and he was talking about how this is so upsetting to him. it's a nightmare for this area. and he is just bound and

determined to try and get laws changed in ohio so this won't happen again. >> yeah, allison, thank you. and we want to let folks know we will be keeping an eye on this news conference. in the meantime, did you watch last night? they were aggressive, they were nasty, they got personal. the last debates looked like a warm-up to last night's big show. maybe it was the fight night atmosphere in las vegas, but those candidates came out swinging on health care and immigration. >> i'm looking forward to finding your facts on that. >> i'll tell you what the facts are -- >> rick, i'm speaking. >> i'm speaking. i'm speaking. you get 30 seconds, the way the rules work here, i get -- >> the american people -- >> you get 30 seconds to respond, right? anderson -- >> you knew you had illegals working -- >> are you going to keep talking? or are you going to let me finish what i have to say? look, rick -- >> -- follow the rules. >> this is a tough couple of

debates for rick. and i understand that, so you're going to get testy. let me -- >> you did not get that from me. you got it from the heritage foundation. >> and you never supported -- >> i agree with him. but you said to this audience just now plain isn't true. you're allowed -- >> you had your chance, let me speak. rick, you had your chance, let me speak. >> you're out of time. you're out of time. >> wow, let's bring in our panel. wow, i don't know where to start. let's start with the person who arguably had the most to win or lose. rick perry because romney said it right. you have had pretty bad debates. he looked to me at times like he maybe had too many red bulls. but he certainly was a lot more engaged. what did you think, kiran? >> it wasn't enough to put him at the top of the polls and it wasn't enough to put him at the top of voters' minds. and while he looked a whole lot better, he didn't look great.

>> you didn't think he looked great. >> he was jazzed up. no question about that. he looked good to the supporters that he already has. there was not enough there to win over any more supporters. however, herman cain didn't look so strong. so some of those herman cain supporters who had swung from perry to cain could be going back to perry. >> probably going to go to santorum. >> santorum is just like this guy on the side just keep plugging -- >> he's doing well. >> let's talk first about mitt romney because we saw him so much in the sound bites. he clearly was sort of preparing to be in the cross hairs because they went after him. let me play a little bit more of this immigration exchange. >> you hired illegals in your home and you knew about it for a year. >> we hired a lawn company to mow our lawn, and they had illegal immigrants that were working there, and when that was pointed out to us, we let them go. >> how did he do? >> it was all right. and it was good he plugged this

e-verify system in the answer. he said, listen, this was a problem, but it won't be a problem because i'll have a nationwide plan to combat it. he looked good. he looked better prepared. he looked better than perry and looked better than santorum. those people going after him. he had to put them in their place, and that's what he was doing. you saw mitt romney do that. and that was actually funny when santorum said you're out of time. >> putting your hands on people and all that -- >> you don't like that. >> no, we don't like that. >> i don't know if it's a woman thing, but all of the women when we were talking this morning, we didn't like that touchy thing. anyway -- >> perry didn't like it so much at all. >> let's talk about 9-9-9 because they talked about that for a long time last night. take a listen. >> herman, i love you, brother,

but let me tell you something. you don't have to have a big analysis to figure this thing out. go to new hampshire where they don't have a sales tax and you're fixing to give them one. they're not interested in 9-9-9. >> the state tax is an apple. we are replacing the current tax code with oranges. it's not correct to mix apples and oranges. >> herman, are you saying that the state sales tax will also go away? >> no. that's an apple. >> okay. >> we're replacing a bunch of oranges. >> and i'm going to be getting a bushel basket of apples and oranges because i'm going to be paying both taxes. >> honestly, i couldn't follow that whole exchange to be honest with you. here's the thing about herman cain. he doesn't get flustered. and it's sort of that affability that has gotten him so far. but how do you think he did so far? >> it only gets you so far. he has got a problem, the apples and oranges exchange doesn't explain enough.

>> it did get very fruity last night, but at the end of the day, you know, chris is right, he did have an answer for everything. and i've said this before, the people who like him, they just really like him. >> and i want to show you polls. i want to go to mark murray because we have two brand new polls from key republican presidential nominating states. herman cain has a narrow lead over mitt romney, 30% to 26%. look at perry, he's got only that third of herman's. and they're running neck and neck within the margin of error. >> this is the difference. >> within the margin of error. let's bring in deputy political director mark murray. mark, why are south carolina and florida first of all so important here? >> well, going back to 1980, the winner of the south carolina primary's gone on to win the republican nomination. and back in 2008, john mccain ended up winning the florida primary, turned out to be the pivotal victory for him to

capture the republican nomination. so we talk a lot about iowa and nn and they are incredibly important in this process. the south carolina primary on january 21st, and also the florida primary on january 31st will be incredibly important as we head into the super tuesday contest for march 6th. >> and deeper into these polls, there's a striking difference in support between cain and romney in both states. >> absolutely, and we found this from last week that cain seems to do much better with people who identify with the tea party who are very conservative republicans. mitt romney does better with republicans who identify either as moderate or liberal. so we just don't know how last night's debate night up playing.

>> we don't have time to go back because of that press conference that's underway right now. wild animals on the loose in ohio. let's take a listen in. >> we feel that mr. thompson died from self-inflicted wounds. we do also feel that he had released these animals at some point. not only were the gates open, but the -- is some of the pens were also cut open. to where people tried to put the animals back into the pen, they still could've gotten loose. i do want to clarify that. i know there were rumors out there. we are not looking for any suspects in this case at this point. and we do feel that way. as a result of hour preliminary investigation. >> to give you an update on numbers. i just left from the top of the hill. it is still, still not a completely secured area. highly volatile area. we have several of our deputies, odnr people up there.

some of our surroundings agencies that are neighboring to us have come in. i am prepared to release right now that we feel comfortable saying we're at about 43 to 44 of these animals that are accountable for. however, there are still some that we know that we have shot last night that we have not got vehicles down to to recover. so of course that number could go up a little bit. we are still hovering around that 48 number to start with, possibly could have been 51. i'm getting some conflicting reports with people that used to work here. we are ironing those out right now. hopefully we'll be able to figure that out. we're recovering these dead animals, we're getting an inventory of what we have. and we're trying to get that number for you to get out to our public. i'll open up to questions. and please, when you ask a question, please identify yourself. yes? >> can you talk about --

>> that's a very good question. i'll be glad to answer that. when our officers arrived on the scene, we had approximately one hour to an hour and a half of daylight. as officers got out of their cruisers, there were animals running loose outside of the fenced area. to set the table for you a little bit, mr. thompson had numerous cages up around his house. and that's where these animals were kept at, in the cages. it's a long drive, probably two football fields i would say, three football fields up his driveway to his house down to his front gate. the front gate is just off the main thruway there of the road. we had animals outside that fenced in area along the road that were trying to get loose. i had deputies that had to shoot animals with their side arms at close range, that's how volatile this situation was. we are not talking about your normal everyday house cat.

these are 300-pound tigers we've had to put down. public safety was my number one concern. i gave the order on the way here that if animals looked like they were going out, they went down. we could not have animals running loose in this county. we were not going to have that. once we got here, realized the severity of the situation, we at that point started running into a problem with darkness. we again were not going to have animals running loose on this farm at night. we can document numerous animals that got over the fence, were out in the wooded areas, outside the property that we've had to put down. we had officers down on the interstate that were preventing animals from crossing the interstate into subdivisions in our community. today, when daytime hit, we went into the area, we've been evaluating and getting head counts, we've been recovering bodies. we just had a huge tiger, an

adult tiger, estimating 300 pounds that was very aggressive. we did get one of the vets close enough, unbelievably so within 10 to 15 yards, got a tranquilizer in it, and this thing went crazy, started to take off, headed away from us to the wooded area and our officers put it down. we did not think we could take a chance of whether we got the dart in it and could not take a chance on whether the thing would get loose and get out into the neighborhoods. that's why -- some of the scenario that went down. the other issue with that, we did not have any tranquilizer darts with us. we do not carry them. we have the wilds in our county that work with us very, very well. they know if we need them, they'll call. we had them coming immediately, and we had them here in case we did get animals into subdivisions that was not safe to shoot in that we could take them out with tranquilizers. yes, ma'am? >> what animals that are still at large? do you know what they are?

do you have any idea what you're looking for? >> i cannot answer that question directly. i can tell you that the main focus of animals at this establishment was wolves, all types of cat species. and i'm going to say tigers, bengal tigers, mountain lions, leopards, bears, and black bears. those were the main animals we have encountered. and that is going to be the type of animal we're looking for once we get a count done. i can also tell you we did have some sort of cat hit on the interstate by a car. and the ohio state highway patrol was taking care of that accident. the animal was wounded and left there, and they were going to take care of putting it down and getting it back to us for the count. >> yes? >> was the sheriff's department aware of this compound prior to last night's events? >> yes, sir. yes, sir.

a lot of years. >> did you monitor it? >> we've handled numerous complaints here. we've done numerous inspections here. we've brought in professionals from outside our county to look at this property to make sure it's safe. we've checked to make sure they've had the proper permits and were legal to have them here. please don't quote me. i'm going to say we've got about 35 calls since '04, '05 area that we've ran on our computer that we've been to mr. thompson's house for some sort of problem with the animals, anywhere from animals running at large to being not treated properly. and so this has been a huge problem for us for a lot of years. >> what's the range you're looking at right now in terms of where those animals might be? >> i'll let maybe jack answer that as far as how far an animal can travel. i don't want to scare our public yet. we started public service announcements as soon as this happened to get the word out there. right now, we're just patrolling

the main roads around the farm. we had some reports last night as far west as national road and ridge road. even national road in mt. perry. i've been in contact with sheriff thorpe, they had some reports on our western end, their eastern end of the county. they had officers out last night. to my knowledge, we did have some sightings, but nothing confirmed by law enforcement. yes, ma'am? >> how far -- >> ten miles, probably. to lipton county line. close to that. >> can you talk about the safety issues here? what did you do -- what measures did you put in place to make sure residents were safe? >> we were in contact with the school districts. either i, myself, or officers from our office were talking to them. we made the decision to recommend to them to close today.

the main impact there is we didn't want kids standing at a bus stop this morning and seeing these big animals walk by and possibly cause them harm. so the school officials were tremendous. they supported us 110%. we worked with them and communicated with them. and it was a group decision that the best interest of everybody in our community. >> sheriff -- >> can you put it into words -- >> and that's the sheriff. we're going to continue to listen in. but as best as we can tell from his count. and they don't know exactly how many wild animals escaped. they've got about 43 to 44 of them. more of them may be out because they were shot last night. they were using night vision goggles. a concern, obviously, not just about them being out there, but about being out there in the night when people couldn't see them. they think there could be six or seven more. at least one of them was hit on the interstate. and they were very concerned about them crossing the interstate and getting into subdivisions. this is an ongoing situation in

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donald trump insists he doesn't want to be the next republican king maker, but he does plan to endorse someone at some point. >> well, i would give somebody, i think, a very -- i've told some i will not be making a decision. they're all up here, they're calling. >> sooner or later you've got to dance with somebody -- >> maybe i'll do it with you, i just can't do it. >> when do you think you might do it? >> close to the primaries. >> jon huntsman protesting the debate because of the caucus. but he still took shots at mitt romney. >> well, i've seen three different mitt romneys. i've seen a liberal mitt romney, a moderate mitt romney, and a conservative mitt romney. and i think the people here in

new hampshire who have watched that play out as others have are a little bit confused. >> and usually president obama gets questions about the jobs or the economy. but yesterday, a high school girl asked him about justin bieber. >> do you know justin bieber? >> he's a very nice young man. >> breaking hearts there. in the meantime, a funny or die video that spoofs him and his foundation. >> in all my years of public service, i have never -- and i mean never heard so many amazing ideas in one sentence. >> thank you, sir. thank you! that's what we think too. >> no, i did not want any of you to leave that office until you

have all those great initiatives fully mapped out and worked out. do you understand me? >> mr. president, god bless you. >> kevin. what did i tell you about making crank calls in my office? >> not to do it. >> not to do it without me. >> very funny stuff. to more serious stuff, occupy wall street protesters may be sleeping in parks, but apparently eating like kings. the new york post reports that a former hotel chef is preparing gourmet meals each night using only the finest organic ingredients. last night's menu included free range chicken and roasted beef salad. the movement has raked in nearly $450,000 in donations. "new york times" columnist nicholas kristof joins me now. thanks for coming in. you wrote this op-ed piece, and you called it "america's primal scream," it's a phrase from al gore. but you've talked to protesters there and you were on this program -- are there any

similarities? >> absolutely. there are clear differences. the new york police department -- but the sense of disenfranchisement, the sense people have in the park that you have the political economic system that is broken, isn't working for little people, that we need dramatic remedies. that is very much parallel across from egypt, tunisia, to here at wall street and around the world. >> in the first week i was down there, one guy said this is our arab spring, and people sometimes scoffed at that, but maybe it's not crazy? >> i don't think it's crazy at all. i don't think it's going to lead to quite the same conclusion. and they're going to face real challenges as to whether it gets colder. the sense of inequality, in particular, i think, is an issue whose time has come. america has become more and more unequal in the last 30 years to

the point that the top 1% of americans own more than the bottom 90%. >> you call it a cancer on our well being. is it going to play a big role in the 2012 presidential campaign? >> i sure hope so. i sure hope so. at this point, it is not just an issue of fairness, but also an issue of economic efficiency. we have growing evidence that countries that are as unequal as we are grow more slowly. you need a little bit of inequality to create incentives. but when you reach the point that we've reached which is banana republic style that we're more unequal than some of the traditional banana republics we used to scoff at, at that point it does become an impediment of growth. and i'd be delighted if occupy wall street help put it on the agenda. >> it's great of you to come in. thank you. >> good to be here. well, the president and first lady will be speaking momentarily. there's the big crowd in hampton, virginia. they'll be talking about jobs and the economy with a focus on hiring veterans and military

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well, it was a very scary night in western broward county in south florida. tornado damaging homes here around sunrise and plantation about 10:00 last night. today, that severe weather threat diminishing the heavy rain, pressed into deep south florida and the keys. i'm carl parker. very powerful storm moving through a lot of the east. along with that, we'll see a lot of rain and a lot of wind. and you can see that storm very clearly on water vapor imagery. and we've got the rain coming down across the 95 corridor in the east and another area of low pressure in the west. winds gusting to 60 miles per hour in chicago today. that's going to be downed trees and power lines. very wet day in new york. much cooler across the south. in the middle of the country, pretty quiet weather, quite chilly in the northern plains. more so than usual for this time

of year. and beautiful weather in much of west, temperatures generally in the 60s, though, 96 degrees in phoenix. chris, back to you. >> thank you, carl, so much. right now in hampton, virginia, the president and mrs. obama getting ready to talk about jobs. the first lady with the president on the final leg of his three-day bus tour because she has been intimately involved in trying to get jobs for veterans and their spouses. kristen welker joins me live now. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, chris. this is a really significant event, in part because the first lady. this will be her first appearance with the president on the road while he's pushing his american jobs act. but, of course, she comes with her own initiative today. she'll be announcing a new plan, a joint venture with the private sector. to hire 20,000 veterans or their spouses by 2013. of course you will also hear the president talk about the american jobs act.

they'll talk about the fact if part of his act passes, there will be tax credits for companies who hire veterans and also veterans who were wounded during combat. so about 1,000 people will be here at the military base to listen to the president and first lady. this will also give the president a chance to meet and greet some of the 700,000 military members in this virginia community who could be key to his reelection prospects here in this key swing state. chris, it's interesting. i've been talking to some of the military folks here. i spoke with one master sergeant chery callahan who is about to retire in december. she tells me that 9.1% unemployment rate really weighs heavily on her mind. she says she thinks about it. it concerns her. she's going to be listening to the president and first lady very carefully when they take the podium in a few minutes here. now, once the president wraps up at this event, he will wrap up his three-day bus tour at a fire

station in north chesterfield, virginia. and then we head home. but of course, at that fire station he'll be talking jobs once again. chris? >> kristen welker, thanks very much. and we will take the president and first lady live when they get to the podium. in the meantime, an update on the ongoing press conference about the wild animals on the loose. it becomes a joke kind of with lions, tigers, and bears. it's no laughing matter. they had folks out with assault rifles. and jack hanna there, well-known wildlife expert from the columbus zoo was talking just a little bit earlier about his impressions of what's going on. take a listen. >> as long as i'm standing here, i'm not the governor, but i'll do anything i can to put people out of business, shut these actions down, but also keep the people who breed these animals -- we don't want to shut everybody down. he called back and sa-- we cann

flirt with those situations with living creatures. >> and we just got this information from that news conference. it's tough to know exactly how many animals were there, but based on their best investigation, officials now believe a mountain lion, bear, and monkey, three animals are missing. they're on the hunt for them. we heard jack hanna say earlier it was raining so they may hunker down for a while. but the schools still remain closed and people are still being warned in the area. we'll have more on that for you. and we're also keeping our eye on what's happening at the base in virginia. we're waiting for the president, and we're waiting for the first lady talking jobs and a new jobs initiative. so we will have that for you coming up after this quick break. moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula improves skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] only from aveeno.

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and choose the right plan for you. ♪ more and more folks are trying out snapshot from progressive. a totally different way to save on car insurance. the better you drive, the more you can save. no wonder snapshot's catching on. plug into the savings you deserve, with snapshot from progressive. and we're still waiting for the president and first lady in hampton, virginia. the introductions going on right now. we will have that for you when it starts. day three of his jobs tour. in the meantime, here's a look at other stories people are

talking about right now. social security recipients are getting a raise. benefits for more than 60 million americans will go up 3.6% next year. it's the first raise for social security in three years. and accounts for an average of $39 per month. it'll cost you a penny more to mail that letter next year. they'll raise rates on january 22nd to 45 cents a stamp. other rates will increase, as well. the post office lost $8 billion last year. right now, the nba at its players' union resuming talks with a federal mediator. they went at it for 16 hours yesterday. but with a gag order. so neither side would comment on progress. without an agreement soon, the basketball season could be canceled through christmas. a new twist in the case of a missing baby girl. lisa irwin. this morning, police in missouri have a search warrant for the family's home. and her parents are barred until further notice.

a search attempt near the wooded area near the home turned up no results. police are focusing on inconsistencies in deborah bradley's time line. and in just a few hours, all apple stores will shut down as the company holds a private memorial for co-founder steve jobs. apple stock is down this morning after third quarter earnings came in lower than expected. the first earnings miss for apple since 2002. cnbc's mandy drury is here with what's moving your money. kind of hard to fathom how a 54% jump in profit can be called disappointing. >> i think it's disappointing because it is so unexpected. but some analysts are saying these results are just a blip and that the dip that we're seeing could indeed be a buying opportunity. the reason here is that, of course, customers held off buying iphones until the latest version, which we all know now the 4s came out this month. and the problem is if you're going to roll out new iphone versions so close together, this kind of thing is going to

happen, right? also remember the current quarter is the holiday season. and the iphone 4s has the potential to be another blockbuster iphone product. for the new ceo tim cook who took over for steve jobs, there are other challenges out there like samsung and amazon. so we're going to have to wait and see. >> and a lot of people are having a lot of fun with that new voice recognition series on the iphone 4s. and a guy decided he was going to serenade siri. let's play a clip of that. ♪ hey, siri you're very beautiful ♪ ♪ beautiful >> i don't really like these arbitrary categories. ♪ will you marry me >> let's just be friends. >> it's a little scary, wouldn't you say, chris? and back in 1984 when "electric

dreams" came out, is this the new face? i guess if we all walk around backing into our phones now, soon we're going to be talking instead to our friends in public, we'll be talking to this robotic voice talking back to us. but just real quick, chris. the iphone 4s is not the first phone to have voice-activated information. android phones have had that for some time. but it seems like more of a tool, and i don't know, is this a romantic partner? whatever. >> whatever's right. mandy drury. thank you. we're going to go live to hampton, virginia. they've just taken the stage. the first lady and the president. of course, this is michelle obama. >> and you all are looking good, as well. we are just proud to be here. proud of you all. first of all, let me thank melissa for her service and that wonderful introduction and everything she has done along with her family for this country. truly one of my greatest

pleasures as first lady has been meeting folks like melissa and all of you here today. hearing your stories, truly seeing your strength. and i can't tell you how much you inspire me. and all of us. it's just something to watch. you've inspired me not just to sit back in awe, but to move forward in action. and all of you were the reason why dr. jill biden and i started our joining forces initiative. we want to rally this entire nation around our veterans and military families because we know just how incredible all of you are. you are veterans -- yes! we want america to know that you're veterans who have

completed missions with enough variables involved to make most people's heads spin. that you're trained in state of the art technologies. that you've managed dozens if not hundreds of your peers. and when the stakes are the highest, that's when you're at your best. and your spouses, your families are just as amazing. and i have met them. yes, for the military spouses! military spouses pk in a full day of work. many of them then get back to get the kids to piano lessons. they volunteer at fundraisers. skyping with loved ones who are deployed overseas, whip up dinner, putting the kids to bed, and then crack open textbooks to study at night. that's an average day. and so a military spouse, that's just wednesday.

so i'm just exhausted thinking a about it. but so very proud. so very proud. for most folks, that's the kind of day that leaves us sprawled out on the couch too exhausted to move. but that's not a big thing for the military spouses. so for all of you troops, veterans, and military spouses today, we're proud of you. and we want people to know that you have so many skills that are just second nature to all of you. things like time management, organization, people skills, complex decisionmaking, and so many other incredible skills. and that is the reason we're here today. those are precisely the skills we need in workplaces across america. but the truth is that sometimes employers may not always know about all that you have to offer. they might have trouble understanding a military resume, or they might see a spouse who has lived in five cities in

seven years as a red flag rather than a reality of military life. but today i am proud to announce that the american logistics association has said they are going to step up and do something about that. so today, they're committing to hiring 25,000 veterans and military spouses in the next two years. they do not want to miss out on your potential. they want america's businesses to have the best, most talented, most hard-working employees around. and this announcement is a huge deal. which is why the president's here. it's huge enough for you even to be involved. this commitment includes 270 companies of all shapes and

sizes, which makes this the largest coordinated effort by the private sector to hire veterans that we've seen in years. [ applause ] and this commitment puts us a quarter of a way towards reaching the president's challenge for the private sectors to hire or train 100,000 vets and military spouses by the end of 2013. [ applause ] the businesses making this pledge includes name brands like proctor & gamble, hewlett-packard, and also smaller companies like prime time services, which is planning to hire hundreds of military and service members next year alone. and today's announcement builds on the efforts of businesses and

organizations all across this country. siemen's has hired hundreds this year, sears is increasing the numbers in their workforce by 10%. they just made that announcement this week. the chamber of commerce has hosted job fairs for veterans in cities across the country. and then companies like kmart and sam's club have promised us if a military spouse who works at their stores has to move to a new duty station, they will do their very best to have a job waiting for them when they arrive. [ applause ] so these are bold commitments. and these are companies that are making these pledges not just because it's the right thing to do or because it feels patriotic. they're also doing it because it's good for their bottom line. it's good for business. because they know that veterans

and military spouses like all of you here today represents the best our country has to offer. and they want you on their team. and really that's what joining forces is all about. it's really about tapping into all that good will that's already out there, all across this country, in every sector of society. and it's important for you to know that. because i know sometimes it feels like a struggle, like sometimes we don't know as a nation what you sacrifice, what your family sacrifices, but know that people are stepping up. they're doing it every day. and they're doing it with pride and with pleasure. and channelling all of that energy into making a real difference in the lives of our veterans and military families is really what we want to do for you. and truly, it is a win/win for everyone. the motto or joining forces is very simple.

everyone can do something. everyone can do something to honor and support the brave men and women who have served us all so well. in fact, that's what the man i'm about to introduce -- this guy here. that's really what he does every day. during his presidency, he's directed the federal government to help with child care in military families, to address veterans' homelessness, to step up on mental health issues, and to provide unprecedented support to our military families. so now, it is my pleasure to introduce the man who is fighting for you every single day, yes, get the cameras ready. it is your commander in chief and my husband, the president of the united states barack obama.

[ applause ] >> hello! thank you very much. i hate following michelle. she's so good. how lucky am i to be married to michelle obama? [ applause ] for you men out there who are not yet married. let me explain, the whole goal is to marry up. to try to improve your gene pool. and we're lucky to have her as first lady of the united states, i think. [ applause ] >> i am thrilled to be here.

i want to thank the outstanding leaders who welcomed us here today. secretary of the air force michael donnelly is here. general mike hostage is here. and kevin robbins and reggie austin are here. i want to give a shout out to your outstanding senior enlisted leaders including chief master sergeant kevin howell and marty cluka. i want you to give a big round of applause to the heritage of america band. and we've got a lot of folks in the house today. we've got combat command.

we've got the 633rd air base wing. we've got the first fighter wing. with our amazing f-22s. i want to ride this one of those some day. we're going to have to set that up. we've got the 480th intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance wing! they can cheer, but they can't talk about what they do. they'd have to kill you. and i see we've got some army too. i want to salute melissa lee. thank you so much. i want to salute kathy hostage, i want to salute christine and the extraordinary military

spouses who are here, as well. [ applause ] we are inspired by them. michelle's an honorary military spouse because she has to put up with me. but she and i both share such incredible admiration for the families of those who are serving in uniform. we are grateful for our veterans who are here. including some very special airmen who have taught the nation the true meaning of service and honor and equality. we are honored to be joined by several of the legendary tuskagee airmen in the house. [ applause ] that's what heroes look like right there. finally, i want to acknowledge

your governor bob mcdonnell and his lovely wife maureen for joining us here today. as well as congressman bobby scott who was in the house. and i want to thank all of the business leaders who have committed to hiring our nation's heroes. those of you here today who have worn the uniform of these united states have done so with honor and have done so with distinction. some of the most dangerous places on the planet. you have heroically performed and done everything that's been asked of you. already your generation has earned a special place in america's history. and for that, you've got a grateful nation. as michelle said, don't forget how everybody understands what

you've done for this country. over the past decade, nearly 3 million service members like many of you, our 9/11 generation of veterans, have made the transition back to civilian life. they've taken their leadership experience, their mastery of cutting-edge technology, their ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and they've become leaders here at home. they've become leaders in businesses all across the country. just think about how many veterans have led their comrades on life and death missions by the time they were 25. that's the kind of responsibility every business in america should want to take advantage of. those are the americans every company should want to hire. now, of course, as michelle mentioned, there are far too

many veterans who are coming home and having to struggle to find a job worthy of their talents. there are too many military spouses who have a hard time finding work after moving from base to base. and city to city. that's not right. it doesn't make any sense. it doesn't make sense for our veterans, it doesn't make sense for our businesses, it doesn't make sense for our families, and it doesn't make sense for america. [ applause ] if you can save a life in afghanistan, you can save a life in a local hospital, or in a local ambulance. if you can oversee millions of dollars of assets in iraq, you can help a business balance his books here at home.

if you can juggle the demands of raising a family while a husband or wife are at war, you can juggle any demands of any job in the united states of america. [ applause ] we ask our men and women in uniform to leave their families, our guardsmen and reservists to leave their jobs, we ask you to fight, to sacrifice, to risk your lives for our country. the last thing you should have to do is fight for a job when you come home. not here, not in the united states of america. [ applause ] so this has been one of my top priorities as your commander in chief. that's why we are fully funding the post gi, 9/11 g.i. bill,

which is helping more than 600,000 veterans and their family members pursue a college education. [ applause ] it's why we fought to make sure the bill included noncollege degrees and on-the-job training. it's why i directed the federal government to lead by example and hire more veterans, including 100,000 as of this summer. and it's also -- and it's also why we're here today. as michelle mentioned, back in august, i challenged america's business. i challenged them to hire or train 100,000 post 9/11 veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013. [ applause ] and now, just a few months

later, thanks to the many extraordinary companies who are here today, we're already a quarter of the way there. already they've committed to train or hire 25,000 veterans and spouses in the next two years. and this is incredible. it's a testament to their good business sense, it's a testament to their sense of patriotism, it's a testament to the fact that these veterans and military families are some of the most talented, trained, and experienced citizens that we have. it's a testament to these businesses' commitment to this country. we're living through an economic crisis that partly came about because too many individuals and institutions were only thinking about their own interests. because they embraced an ethic that said what's good enough for me is good enough. well, the men and women of