i didn't know, what i can now remember and what i couldn't remember at the beginning of yesterday. >> okay. msnbc contributor and managing editor of postpolitics.com, chris alyssa, joins us with "the daily fix." chris, is he making it better or worse? >> oh, worse. i don't think there's any question about that, andrea. look, herman cain and his campaign made a baseline decision, and that's when the politico story came out sunday night, to deny it, saying he had no knowledge of these things, no knowledge of payments by the national restaurant association to these two women. in order to make that stick, you have to stick by it. you can't say, well, that was yesterday and today i remember more or, well, yeah, i kind of knew about one of the payments but i wasn't clear on the details. that's not how it works in politics. you know, i wrote this morning, this is, in some ways, you're watching a political death by a thousand cuts. every time another little detail comes out, he acknowledges something that he didn't acknowledge yesterday or two

days ago, more questions are going to be asked. this is not going to end any time soon for herman cain because we don't have an air-tight explanation of what he knew and what actually happened. >> well, take a look at his explanation to judy woodruff on "the pbs news hour" last night of exactly what he thinks one of those allegations involved. >> i was standing near her and i did this, saying, "you're the same height as my wife," because my wife is 5 feet tall and she comes up to my chin. this lady's 5 feet tall and she came up to my chin. so, obviously, she thought that that was too close for comfort. >> was there any behavior on your part that you think might have been inappropriate? >> in my opinion, no, but as you would imagine, it's in the eye of the person who thinks that maybe i crossed the line. >> and for someone who said that he didn't remember anything about any of these allegations, today he acknowledged telling his wife about it 12 years ago. let's watch.

>> when this happened years ago, i told my wife about it because it was found to be baseless. and the hardest part on my wife, quite frankly, is all of the innuendos from all of the news reports that haven't been presenting the facts. >> so, now what do we do in trying to sort this all out? where do you come down? >> you know, i think what he's had at the moment, andreandrea, relatively united front among conservatives, rush limbaugh and laura ingraham saying this is the mainstream media trying to tear down a conservative. the problem with that story line and that narrative is that as it becomes clear that he's remembering things he didn't remember 24 hours ago -- and let me say just out of my own personal reflection, it seems to me that these would be moments that you would not forget, if there were these allegations made against you. this is not, what did you have for lunch ten years ago. this is serious stuff that i

think you would remember. if it becomes clear he's remembering more and more, there are more details that are at odds with what he has said and what he initially said, which was, remember, andrea, he denied the story and he said i have no knowledge of any payments made to anyone, i did nothing wrong, the more that stuff that comes out, the more interviews that he gives in which he elaborates, the more fuel this fire will get. i just don't see it going away any time soon, andrea, because of the tack he took. he said not true, 100% denial. well, if it's less than 100% denial, even if it's only a 95% denial, there's still room there to ask questions and wonder what really happened. >> and even some very human questions. take a look at greta van susteren last night with herman cain. >> got a roaming eye at all? >> a roaming eye? >> yeah. >> i enjoy flowers like everybody else. >> you know what i mean. >> no. no, not at all. >> not at all?

>> well, i wouldn't say not at all. it depends upon what you mean. >> that came dangerously close to it depends on what the meaning of is is. >> just say no! >> there's been a lot of legalisms here. >> just say no, okay. >> engaging in this stuff is not helping him. laughing about it is not helping him. these are serious allegations made by two women. for someone running for the highest office in the country, trying to laugh it off i do not think is smart strategically. >> okay, chris cillizza, we'll talk to you later. will herman cain's troubles help his republican rivals in charlie cook writes about that in "the national journal," and chuck todd is nbc news chief white house correspondent, political director and host of "the daily rundown." chuck, first to you. you've been talking to a lot of people involved in this today. where does herman cain's

campaign come down? >> reporter: well, i think it depends on whether he has to change any part or evolve his explanation again. as we noted and you noted with chris -- >> the problem is, will they stick by him if something else comes out? it's always the something nellis these scandals, we all know, that ends up taking a candidate apart. >> charlie, they're claiming, mark block is claiming at least that they had their best fund-raising day yesterday because the supporters were rallying around him when he was under attack. >> yes. we heard him at an event for the national journal this morning saying they raised $250,000 -- >> we have no way to check that until they file. >> the danger for herman cain is

that if this had happened to someone who was a fixture in politics for 10, 15, 20 years that was well known it might not alter the perception of him. but for someone that's so new and still relatively undefined, this has a real, real danger of filling in gaps that people had not been filled in before. so, for someone new on the scene, this is more dangerous than for a brand name that had been around for a long, long time. >> now, chuck, there are two possible narratives. if the people is defined as those already in. this either helps the establishment rally around mitt romney or it gives rick perry some second wind. >> look, i've seen no evidence that this concerted conservative vote, anywhere from 20% to 40% that's truly been anti-romney. i think there's another bucket that's not yet with romney but not yet against him, either, but there's this somewhere between

20% and 40% of the republican primary electorate who, you know, has been the one shifting around to the anybody but romney vote. i see no evidence that it's still ready to go to romney. and so, the question is, does a rick perry, who has the financial resources to try to have that conversation again with these voters: he now have a better opportunity to do that? as fast as this race has moved over the last four months, i think there's every bit of evidence that he does. >> and do you agree with that, charlie, that rick perry could get a second wind? because i also see no evidence that they are coalescing around romney. george will's column on sunday was the latest example that even establishment republicans are very quick to point out romney's changes of position. >> well, i think perry has righted his ship, in the sense that he's no longer sinking, he's turning in better performances -- >> except for new hampshire this weekend. >> well, that was odd, but -- >> odd. >> but the thing is, i think if you go back and look in august,

if you take the sum total ofvzel

one candidate who isok at today iu(rár'g have many wondg if theñrt( former prosecutor is poised to become the next uptopóxd "the washington post" has been looking into that and joins me now from "the washington post."f is newt gingrich'sçó campaign n getting to be a more serious campaign or is this stilljf a bk tour sort of riding without a plane, without money and just sort of living off the ground?wó

>> well, forc those of us who followed the remarkable survivor qñwoygie fact that there is.

how does he shave off a lot of what is in his past? >> well, he's talking about -- for one thing, he's running this campaign his way. his consultants sort of bolted. he is campaigning as newt gingrich. his stump speeches go on for an hour or more. he has this sort of quirky set of issues he talks about, things like brain research or setting up social security accounts for college kids, that you know, again, they're these kind of unusual ideas, but he remaally convinced this is going to give him some momentum. i think at this point, he's definitely a long shot, but the size of the crowds and the enthusiasm of the crowds that i saw in south carolina were really remarkable. >> well, you never know, especially this campaign year. karen, thanks so much. great to see you. >> thank you, andrea.

and more trouble ahead in greece is tanking markets around the world. plus, eric cantor tried to avoid the occupy protesters. how's that working out for him? send me your thoughts on twitter @andreamitchellreports. s so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] they won't be beat. oh, actually... then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule! i'd be like, yes, i do rule! ohh! that rules! oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas.

yeah. ring dinga-ding, ring dinga-ding, ring, ring, ring me up. [ male announcer ] no need to wait with our christmas price guarantee. we're so confident in our prices, if you do find a lower one later in a local print ad, we'll give you the difference on a walmart gift card. save money. live better. walmart. ♪ [ country ]you the difference on a walmart gift card. [ man ] ♪ gone, like my last paycheck ♪ gone, gone away ♪ gone, like my landlord's smile ♪ ♪ gone, gone away ♪ my baby's gone away

with dedicated claims specialists... and around-the-clock service, travelers can help make things better quicker. will your auto and home insurer... be there when you need them most? for an agent or quote, call 800-my-coverage... or visit travelers.com.

right now on "andrea mitchell reports," bank of america has announced it will drop its $5-a-month fee for debit card purchases in response to that huge consumer outcry. overseas, thousands of demonstrators are converging on the french riviera, site of this week's g-20 summit. president obama will be among the leaders attending the meeting, expected to focus on the debt crisis in europe. the summit comes as german and french leaders are struggling to keep their greek

bailout plan from falling apart. greece's prime minister stunned investors around the world when he announced that he would allow the public to vote in a referendum on the bailout before deciding whether to implement it. and from no comment to talking nonstop, the saga of herman cain continues. the politico briefing next right here on "andrea mitchell reports." and in the wake of this weekend's historic snowstorm, power companies are working to restore service to nearly 1.7 million people. still without power in the northeast. the storm is now blamed for 21 deaths, including one in canada. in thailand, the worst flooding to hit bangkok in half a century has left nearly 400 people dead and the riverside community without food or water for six days. the flooding has also left a herd of 17 elephants stranded for a second month on the small concrete roof of their animal shelter without much food. time for the "your business

entrepreneur of the week." nina matapaglia is using high tech marketing to entice customers. scanning the company's qr codes with their smartphones, her customers can learn about wines and get discounts. and nina's not alone. qr codes are now everywhere. for more, watch "your business" sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. let's see if we can get one past the defense.

hut! go! here it comes! right on the numbers! boom! get it! spin! oh, nice hands! chest bump. ugh! good job, man. nice! okay, halftime. now, this is my favorite play. oh! i'm wide open. oh, fumble. fumble. don't want to fumble any of these. [ male announcer ] share what you love, with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. it's up... and it's good! good?! they're grrreat!

msnbc is the place for politics, and live right now on the campaign trail, jon huntsman is talking about his energy policy in durham, new hampshire, and ron paul is talking with voters at a coffee shop in oskaloosa, iowa. and now to the politico briefing. after stonewalling for ten days, ten days or more, on politico's story on sexual harassment allegations, now herman cain can't seem to stop talking about it in television appearance after television appearance, but is he doing his campaign any favors? we have the national politics editor for politico joining us now. let's review the bidding about what cain is saying now. now he acknowledges that he does remember but he didn't think it was sexual harassment, he didn't think there was a legal settlement, he thought it was just a payment. he did tell his wife back then, but he hadn't remembered it. i mean, i'm kind of losing track myself. >> well, that's part of the problem, andrea. you know how these flaps or controversies always unveil

themselves in washington. the real problem is always when you keep feeding oxygen to the fire, and that's really what herman cain is doing right now. when you look at the evolution of his answers, since the report broke on sunday, they've really dramatically changed over time with small, interesting, relevant details being added each time, and it's always a problem with a campaign. >> when they start parsing words, politicians just remind people of why they're suspicious of politicians. he was supposed to be the non politician, the biusinessman. this was herman cain today on cnn. >> i said i don't recall a settlement earlier in the day. that's because i considered what happened an agreement, but because of, like i said, the detail at which every word is scrutinized, it was an agreement. and so, it looked like i changed my story. i didn't change my story. >> and that was "headline news" earlier today. so, charlie, what does he do now, just stop talking about it or try to clear it up or do one

big, you know, news conference or speech? i don't see how he fixes this. >> well, there's probably two ways to go about it. number one, he can shut down, sort of hunker down and see if he can sort of weather the storm, or he can offer more details. because clearly, it's not going to go away until all the questions in that report are answered. it's not enough to just make a blanket statement and deny that he's ever been engaged or denied any form of sexual harassment. i mean, there are specific facts that are out there that are in our story that have been confirmed or matched by other news outlets, and they still haven't been answered in these various forums that herman cain has been in. in fact, he just exacerbates the problem by offering one tantalizing detail further with each appearance. so, it's not going to go away until he clears it all for once and for all. >> and he is getting a lot of support from some conservative media, but this was what, at least what karl rove had to say about the way the campaign has handled it so far. >> i find it hard to believe the

campaign didn't know that this was coming and was as badly prepared as they were. you don't start off by saying there's nothing to this whatsoever and then go into, well, we don't know anything about it and then say yes, i know it, but i didn't do it.ç >> so, now the point is, is he going to shut it down, is he going to put all the answers out there? and it could well be that he can ride this storm out. it remains to be seen, but he doesn't seem to have the structure around him and the advisers around him who can help him handle it. >> right. i think what you're seeing is a reflection of a divide in the republican party over how to handle this or how serious this is. i mean, i think you hear a lot of establishment voices that are concerned about things, about electability, about how would a candidate like that, if they were the nominee, match up in a presidential race, and that's a problem from their way of thinking. but on the other hand, there are a lot of conservatives, particularly in the conservative media, that have circled the wagons around herman cain, and he seems to be certainly getting some boost from that and may suggest to him that he could

ride this thing out. >> charlie, thank you very much. thanks for being with us from politico today. and mark your calendars, everyone. the dates for the 2012 presidential debates, the general election debates, have been set. three debates will be held by the commission in october at the university of denver, at hofstra university and lynn university in florida. the vice presidential debate will be october 11th at centre college in danville, kentucky. and up next, dire warnings for the super committee from those who are in a position to know. could they be risking another credit downgrade if they don't deliver? is this "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. ♪ [ female announcer ] give a little cheer to a family of a soldier. just cut out the cheer from your specially marked box of cheerios, write your message, and we'll see that they get it.

free gold ! we call that hertz gold plus rewards. you earn free days, free weeks and more fast. that's a plus. upgrade your ride. that's a plus. rewards with no blackout dates so you can redeem anytime. and it's easy to redeem your points online. already a gold member ? just select gold plus rewards in your profile and start rewarding yourself now. just go to hertzgoldplusrewards.com to join. hertz gold plus rewards. journey on.

♪ apply fixodent once, and it holds all day. ♪ take the fixodent 12 hour hold challenge. guaranteed, or your money back. ♪ that make kids happy. and even fewer that make moms happy too. with wholesome noodles and bite sized chicken, nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. and this breaking news right now on msnbc. we have learned now that dr. conrad murray will not testify in his own defense.

that means that with the court scheduled to not be in session tomorrow, there could be closing arguments on thursday, and then, of course, it will go to the jury in that michael jackson case. meanwhile, here in washington, the deficit super committee is set to hold a hearing with former officials that have all delivered their own plans, notably, alan simpson and erskine bowles will be testifying today. nbc's luke russert is following the hearing from capitol hill. we're expecting that simpson and bowles and alice rivlin and the others are going to give some really tough advice to the committee, either stand up and deliver by november 23rd and don't let congress delay the sequestration if you don't deliver, or this country's going to be in really sad >> reporter: yeah, they're going to deliver a very serious message, andrea. as one aide told me, they're really going to tell the members of the super committee to drink their medicine and really realize the monumental task they have before them and what exactly it would mean if they were to fail. it's expected that bowles and simpson will essentially say

today that failure is not an option, something we've heard a lot here on capitol hill, but specifically suggesting that an type of failure would lead to a huge credit downgrade, possibly, and really could reflect badly on congress and the future of the united states economy. however, moody's, the credit rating agency, did release a report today that said if the super committee would fail to reach that $1.5 trillion target they want to hit, it wouldn't necessarily be grounds for a downgrade, but it did go a step farther saying the reason there would be a downgrade is because there would be an automatic cut that we've already agreed on of the $1.2 trillion. so, what you're really going to hear from these guys, bowles and simpson, today, andrea, is, okay, if you can't get to where you want, that number you want to hit here, the $1.2 trillion, the $1.5 trillion, if you can't get there through the work of the committee, by no means try to go back and rewrite the laws so these automatic cuts do not occur. >> right. >> that is going to be the message going forward and that's the most underreported story here on capitol hill, is that a lot of folks say, well, these

cuts won't happen until 2013 if the super committee fails, and you know what, congress doesn't want to deal with those types of cuts to defense and social programs. they'll fix it. well, they do fix it, simpson and bowles are going to say you're going to have a huge, huge problem with the united states economy. >> luke, i'm really glad you made that point because that's always been the assumption, that if this committee didn't deliver by november 23rd that then they would just simply kick the can down the road, and the sequestration that hits defense and domestic spending so hard would not happen. andç what simpson and bowles a going to say, as you point out, is don't even think about doing that, because that's when you would see a downgrade because that would send a signal to the markets that nothing is going to ever be done, and that is just something not acceptable at this stage, but the other point, luke, just briefly, is from what they said on "the daily rundown" earlier today and from my conversation with erskine bowles, there is huge disappointment from a democratic former chief of staff on what president obama did in not embracing their outline last

january and february, and at least giving them more impetus. but that was really a missed opportunity, and he's saying so openly now and i think he'll sea soy when questioned today. >> reporter: absolutely, and you're seeing this idea there have been a ton of missed opportunities that took it to this point. one of the thingsç simpson and bowles reiterated, that this is the most predictable financial crisis the united states has ever seen. it can definitely be corrected if the proper steps are taken. but the same issues that we've seen that have been plaguing this congress, andrea, that have been plaguing the united states government for a long time, democrats will not touch entitlements unless republicans agree to raise taxes. both sides are very much drawing their battle lines on that issue. it started last week when they announced their plans. one more point, we said about these automatic cuts that could happen, the sequestration that could happen in 2013. i've heard from a ton of democrats, conservative democrats, that they don't want to see the defense cuts, a lot of republicans don't want to see the defense cuts because a lot of the defense lobbying firms came up to capitol hill and said

you could have job losses in the hundreds of thousands if the united states government is not bank-rolling those specific type of defense equipment that needs to be built. this is not a guaranteed thing at all if the super committee fails that congress won't rewrite those rules. it's very, very serious, and that's what you're really going to hear from simpson/bowles today. >> it's really, really good p &h(lc% thank you so much, luke. and i forgive you what happened on sunday with buffalo. >> buffalo bills, 23-0. but you have three teams, andrea. you've got the giants, eagles and redskins. you have the whole nfc east, so we can all agree to hate dallas, then. >> no, i don't. all redskins, honey. thanks, luke. >> okay, take care. and the week after house majority leader eric cantor canceled a speech at the university of pennsylvania to avoid protesters when the school refused to close the event to the public, the republican leader tried again, hoping to deliver that same speech at the university of michigan, but 70 protesters tracked him down outside the venue, and about a dozen more made it inside. i'm joined now by msnbc's senior political analyst and "time"

magazine editor at large mark halper halperin. mark, you can run but you can't hide. >> well, eric cantor's getting a taste from the left of what a lot of democrats got during the rise of the tea party movement. as he goes to these events, he's a believer in free speech, he wants to make a play on college campuses, but at this point in our history, if you're a conservative republican and you go to a college campus, you can be expected to get some people to come in and protest, sometimes civilly and in a non disruptive way. in this case, i would say they were semidisruptive, but he got to give his speech. he's not afraid of some protests. he's not afraid of taking his ideas to the other side, but i think the symbolism's not great for him or for the party. >> the bottom line is, you can't expect to give a speech on a college campus and not have it open to the public. that's not what campuses do. that's not what they're all about. >> no, and i think canceling the event in pennsylvania was unfortunate all around. there need to be some rules, there need to be civility. but the republican party right now looks at occupy wall street

and at these protests on particular on income and equali equality, as a nuisance and something they can get political advantage from in many cases. i thinkç that's a mistake. i think the republicans would be smart to listen to that message. it's a passionate message. it's a position held, according to public opinion polls, by many more people than are showing up at these events, and i think the republican party for the good of the country and politics, should be listening to that message and not be so combative about it. >> this is what the speaker of the house, john boehner, had to say yesterday about the protests. >> frankly, under the 1st amendment, people have the right to speak out and to protest, but that doesn't mean that they have permission to violate the law. i lived through the riots over the vietnam war in the late '60s and early '70s to see how some of those activities get out of control. a lot of us lived through the race riots of 1968.

that clearly was out of control. and i'm hopeful that these demonstrations will continue to be peaceful. >> so, republicans have to figure out how they want to approach these demonstrations. we don't know how the demonstrations will play out in the months to come. it's going to be a long slog and cold slog for them, especially after what we saw last weekend here in the northeast. but this is sort of one of the big variables in this year's campaign, mark. >> it is. a lot of political professionals, andrea, who i talked to on both sides, democrats and republicans, don't think that this will be a big force in the 2012 elections the way the tea party was in 2010. i'm not sure that that's right, though. again, if you think of the tea party and the activists, it's a pretty narrow movement, but that notion of we need deficit reduction, that extends to nancy pelosi and harry reid as well as to a lot of other democrats. this notion that the left is now putting forward, that the income inequality is immoralç and tha it's bad for the economy is, again, something that i think

has broad support, and i think republicans would be smart to look at it. no one wants violence, no one wants disruption to the point where both sides can't talk, but republicans, again, i'll say, i think are not embracing the reality of whatever your prescription is for fixing it, the income inequality is just wrong and needs to be addressed and it should be part of the campaign discussion. the legislative discussion now, as we look at the super committee, but in 2012, for all races, people should be addressing that issue, republicans putting it forward. >> thank you so much, mark halperin. >> thanks, andreandrea. and mitt romney's campaign is hitting rick perry over illegal immigration. the attack is aimed squarely at voters in iowa, of course, where romney is skipping a candidate forum today. steve mcmahon is a democratic strategist and former republican congressman vin webber is a special adviser to the romney campaign. welcome to you both. >> thank you. >> good to be here. >> what about iowa, mitt romney, the decision go or no go or sort of do it halfway, as we've talked about this before.

but the latest "diminies moines register" poll shows he's neck and neck with cain, he has an opportunity. >> he's one point down from cain, which is pretty ridiculous in a -- there's two things that matter in a caucus. one is ideological fervor, intensity, and the other is organization. and the fact is that there's a lot of people with ideological fervor among the other candidates that are opposing romney. mitt romney is ready to fight in every state, a 50-state campaign. if it has to go all the way through the caucuses and primaries as it did with clinton and obama, he's ready for that. but he's not going to put all of his chips on iowa. i mean, we're going to be competitive in iowa, we're not ignoring it, but it's not aç must-win state for mitt romney. >> boy that was a little of this, little of that kind of an answer from vin. >> let's talk about herman cain. >> okay. >> i want to ask both of you about this controversy, whether

you think it's a real crisis for the campaign. can he weather it? you first. >> well, i think it's a crisis for the campaign because they're not weathering it very well. i mean, somebody said earlier on your show that it's pretty surprising that the campaign knew this was coming for ten days and wasn't better prepared for it. you either try to knock a story like this down hard, which they started to do, or you get all the facts out as quickly as possible so that you can get past it, which they haven't yet done. and instead, they've chosen this middle ground where they started to knock it down, then they backed off and backed off further, and new details are coming out. and this is just a death by a thousand cuts. it probably won't kill him, but it's going to really damage his campaign. >> if this really does damage his campaign and slow him down, does mitt romney then review the bidding in iowa and think, well, that could be a place to actually knock the rest of the field out and then have a full head of steam going into new hampshire, which is his home turf? >> first of all, i think cain has more depth to his support

than you think. if there are more problems, if they can't resolve this quickly, it could really collapse on him, but his supporters don't want that to happen. they want to stick with him. but if he should deflate, his supporters are likely to go to gingri gingrich, perhaps, maybe a little bit santorum, maybe rick perry. it makes iowa more competitive. and we're going to compete in iowa, romney's going to compete in iowa, but it's not a must-win state for him. >> and one of the things you said is a must-win for any candidate at the national journal forum, apparently, you said you have to have a super pac to compete this year. >> i think you're going to have today i don't like this phenomenon. i don't like the whole phenomenon that is taking the financing of campaigns away froç parties, because i think strong political parties are a good thing -- >> it's really a function of citizens united. >> it's a reality and i don't see how anybody's going to be able to seriously compete in this cycle without a super pac. >> and another reality is that rick perry's super pac apparently has $55 million, and they're pretty proficient at using negative ads. and they sometimes use them in a way that bludgeons their

opponents mercilessly. i think it's going to be a difficult thing for them to do in a multicandidate field, because as you know and you've seen, when one candidate goes after another, the support that's peeled off usually doesn't go to at tacker, it goes to the rest of the field. so i think it's going to be an interesting six or eight weeks. >> vin, as a romney supporter and advocate, why is the establishment part of the party and the more conservative wing of the party having such a hard time falling in love with him? george will on sunday writes, "a straddle is not a political philosophy. it is what you do when you do not have one. republican successes down the ticket will depend on the energies of the tea party and other conservatives who will be deflated by a nominee whose blurry profile in caution communicates only calculated trimming." >> i read the column, obviously. i don't agree with george on that. i don't think that's going to be the case. i think the republican base is going to get motivated to defeat barack obama. the question is, are we going to nominate a candidate that would

appeal beyond our base and get moderate votes? and that candidate's romney. >> thank you, steve mcmahon and vin webber. in the centennial year of his birth, a 9-foot-tall statue of former president ronald reagan has now been dedicated at the airport that bears his name, just outside of washington. the airport was renamed for the 40th president in 1998. the statue that now graces it was funded by private donations at a cost of about $900,000. there he is, the gipper. oh, act. then i'd be like, you rule! and my kids would be like, you rule! i'd be like, yes, i do rule! ohh! that rules! oh, load up the sleigh; this is going to be a great christmas. yeah. ring dinga-ding, ring dinga-ding, ring, ring, ring me up. [ male announcer ] no need to wait with our christmas price guarantee. we're so confident in our prices, if you do find a lower one later in a local print ad, we'll give you the difference on a walmart gift card. save money. live better. walmart. and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country...

... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us.

coming up on "news nation," we are following breaking news in the dr. conrad murray trial. dr. murray has waived his right, he will not testify. we're going to talk about what that means for his defense. also, the justice department files a lawsuit over south carolina's tough new immigration law that requires officers to check the immigration status of everyone they detain. the government says it's unconstitutional. details on that straight ahead on "news nation." suicide attackers and insurgent gunmen killed at least

five people monday, including three u.n. employees. that comes only dayqç after a brazen attack in kabul killed 13 nato service members, most of them americans. wes moore is a retired u.s. army captain and combat veteran and joins me now. wes, these attacks, the timing of these attacks certainly seem to be a strong signal from either the haqqani network, the taliban or whatever combination of insurgents, coming only two weeks after hillary clinton was in kabul and in pakistan and urge i urging some more constraints on the haqqani network. >> absolutely, and it's not just the timing, andrea, it's also the location. kabul is an area that was known to be relatively stable, really up until months ago, and i think it's showing two things that i think many people knew about this region and knew about this area in particular. one thing is that the security apparatus, particularly for the afghan central government, is relatively shallow, and that the area, the actual cordoned off area where security is actually

in place is not as large as people think it might be within afghanistan. the second thing is the fact that, as you mentioned earlier, both the haqqani network and also the taliban is going to have a say as to how this transition looks and what happens within the larger transition of afghanistan. so, i think these brazen attacks that happened recently and have continued to happen within the national capital are a real sign that we still have a lot of work to be done. >> a lot of work to be done. and of course, the haqqani network has its roots in pakistan, so you've got the instability in the pakistan government, the refusal of pakistan's government to really take ownership of this. hillary clinton went and said, okay, let's have your help on intelligence-gathering and help us reel these people in and get them to the negotiating table, but they seem to be looking down the road and saying the americans will be out by 2013 or whatever, and surge forces are going to be withdrawn, and they're looking at consepï their own base, their own area

without us as part of the picture. >> and you look at addition to the fact that the general just recently made a note to mention that there have been attacks on u.s. servicemen, both mortar attacks and also indirect and also direct fire attacks that have taken place from pakistan. so, i think you have a lot of people who are staking their position and trying to estimate what things will look like in 2013-2014 and how exactly are they making sure that they're shoring up their own base when this eventual transition does take place. and i think people also realize what's happening politically within the united states, the fact that only 34% of americans currently think that the war in afghanistan is currently worth it. and of that, only 25% of registered democrats. so, i think people can understand what's happening both domestically and internationally, and they're starting to make sure that they are going to be covered regardless of what the political calculation of the situation is. >> wes moore, it's always great to see you. thank you very much for helping us. and what political story will make headlines in the next 24 hours? that's next right here on "andrea mitchell reports." st ocl constipation, diarrhea,

gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. [ ben harper's "amen omen" playing ] we believe doing the right thing never goes unnoticed. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪

>> which political story will make headlines in the next 24-hours? managing editor of post politics, chris, we have got part of the jobs bill up on capitol hill tomorrow and the president i'm told is going to be making an appearance at the key bridge in georgetown. i can't imagine the traffic. that's always congested even on a good day. not a rush hour. he will make the point of infrastructure repair. >> we are such d.c. people. the first thing i thought of is the traffic snarl. yes, in the broader world, this is part and parcel the president has been out in the country trying to sell congress in the american public on the jobs package. the american jobs act trying to sell individual parts of it. this will focus on

infrastructure. the bridge i drive over a lot could use infrastructure improvements and trying to ratchet up pressure to do something. we know the whole american jobs act is not going to go through if president obama proposed it, but if he can get enough pieces through to declare victory is the work of the next couple of days. probably couple of weeks. and the truth is they try to find pieces of the bill thatç n pass a republican-controlled house and senate and can sign before the calendar turns to 2012. >> today he is meeting with the caucus and has more lobbying of congress today. he goes off for the g20 summit and flies to france and faces the global economic crisis. there is a lot of problems here at home and he has a lot of foreign travel coming up as he tries to get his reelection campaign in gear. >> that's going to be hard, particularly if the pieces of that are going through congress

and he's abroad again. it's a function of a schedule that has been made months and months in advance, but not helpful. >> okay. you are always helpful. thank you very much. >> i try. thank you. >> now a sad note today. she was seemingly an ordinary mom, but anything but ordinary. her daughter, hillary clinton wrote in her auto biography living history, i'm amazed at how my mother emerged from her life as an affectionate and level-headed woman. she was warm and approachable living in the white house and on the campaign trail. hillary clinton's mother made a rare video in the 2007 commercial for her daughter. >> what i would like people to know about hillary is what a good person she is. she never was envious of anybody. he was helpful. i think she ought to be elected even if she weren't my daughter. >> what are is extraordinary is that dorothy rodham had a

dreadful childhood. she was sent away at the age of 8 to live with unwelcoming grandparents. it's a tale of charles dickens transplanted to the great plains. she survived and helped instill her independence and spirit in her daughter. ou@ thoughts today and prayers are with the clinton family at the loss of their mother, grandmother, and mother-in-law. on that sad note, that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." minnesota governor and mitt romney supporter, tim pawlenty. follow us online and on twitter. craig melvin is in and has a look at what's next. craig? >> the next hour, we are following two breaking stories. the doctor torch in michael jackson's death will not testify in his own defense. the testimony in his trial could wrap up today and we'll find out what murray's decision could mean for the defense. stocks plunging on fears that europe's plan to save the euro

could be unraveling. we will get the latest on the markets up next on "news nation." no idea. let me see that. that's a honus wagner autograph... the hall of famer? look at this ball! yeah, found that at a yard sale. i thought pickles would like it. [ dog barks ] that a new car jerry? yeah... sweet, man. [ male announcer ] the audi a8. named best large luxury sedan. ♪

the "news nation" following two breaking stories now. the dow down about 230 points a short time ago down more than 300. all of this amid concern that is the european debt deal could fall apart. cnbc's sue herrera is standing by in a moment. first, breaking news from los angeles where the doctor accused in the death of pop star michael jackson said he will not take the stand in his defense. word came of dr. conrad murray's decision a short time ago. yesterday murray told the judge he hasn't made up his mind. the judge is close to getting the case. the defense is about to rest with the star witness wrapping up testimony. that means prosecutors have a chance to call rebuttal witnesses. joining me now is defense