reform our patent laws. that's something that was part of my long-term program for economic growth. we've gotten that done. what i've said is those things are nice and important, but if we want to grow the economy right now, we have to think bigger. we've got to do something bolder and more significant so we put forward the jobs bill with historically supported ideas. providing tax credits to small businesses for example. you say, nora, that the reason they haven't voted for them is because they don't want to tax small business. if that's their rationale, then it doesn't fly, because the bill that they voted down yesterday, a component of the american jobs bill essentially said we can

create hundreds of thousands of jobs rebuilding our infrastructure, making america more competitive, and the entire program will be paid for by a tax not on millionaires, but people making a million dollars a year or more, which in the united states is about a little over 300,000 people. now there aren't a lot of small businesses across the country that are making that kind of money, in fact less than 3% of small businesses make more than $250,000 a year. so, you know, what they have said is we prefer to protect 300,000 people rather than put hundreds of thousands of people back to work and benefit 300 million americans who are hurting because of low growth. so we're going to keep on pushing.

now, there are steps we can take absent congressional action, and the refinancing proposal that we put forward in las vegas is an example of that, helping students with student loans. we're going to keep on rolling out administrative steps that we can take that strengthen the economy. but if we're going to do something big to jump-start the economy at a time when it's stabilized but unemployment is way too high, congress is going to need to act. and in terms of my -- you know, my track record on the economy, you know, here's just a simple way of thinking about it. when i came into office the u.s. economy had contracted by 9%. . the largest contraction since the great depression. a little over a year later, the economy was growing by 4%, and

it's been growing ever since. now, is that good enough? absolutely not. we've got to do more. and as soon as i get some signal from congress that they're willing to take their responsibilities seriously, i think we can do more, but that's going to require them to break out of the ridge i had ideological positions that they've been taking. the same is true, by the way, when it comes to deficit reduction. we can solve all our problems, grow our economy now, put people back to work, reduce our deficit, and you get surprising consensus from economists about how to do it, from both the left and the right. it's just a matter of setting politics aside and constantly remembering the election is one years away. if we do that, there's no reason

why we can't solve these problems. all right? thank you, everybody. good morning, i'm thomas roberts. welcome to our live coverage as we're watching the president leave the stage from the press conference he just held at the g-8 conference. there's a lot to talk about it this morning. while the president is over there dealing with europe's debt crisis, he's responding to mixed number on the latest jobs report. he talked about how things could be happening here, especially just then about the american jobs act. we want to bring in mike viqueira, live from the white house, and jared bernstein, a former chief economist and economic policy adviser to vice president biden, as well as melissa francis. mike viqueira, i want to start with you, the president is being taken to task in that press conference in comparison to what he can bring to the table when a lot of the attention at the g20

summit is being paid to nick lard sarkozy. >> one way to look at it, if you're a white house official, the president himself, the president is being dogged by these questions clear over in europe about the american economy, the continued economic growth, about the downgraded forecast from the federal reserve just this week and about today's jobless report, only showing about some 90,000 jobs created. still stuck at 9%, but in europe, there's a full-blown crisis. the concern on the part of president obama and officials here is that it could be contagious, spread to spain, portugal,ireland, and ultimately to the united states. we've heard about over the past couple days as the leaders of the g-20 have met in cannes, about greece, about the bailout plan, the greek prime minister saying we're going to put it to

the greek people in january, and backtracking on that overnight here on the east coast, a plan put forward to have the international monetary fund step up, put together a bailout package. apparently they have been -- they have been unable to come to the agreement, so the president pointing out that it's important to send the message to stand by the euro, or el things could get a lot worse in europe and by extension here in the united states economically. >> when we talked about what's taking place within the euro zone and how greece is pulling all of that down, the broad shoulders of germany, also france who's had its own economic struggles, the ones facing all the questions of how to turn it around. when you hear what the president is saying, saying this has been a productive summit, is that a signal to anybody that confident -- that people can walk away with confidence, that they have figured out a way to bail themselves out? >> look, you have never heard a

president walk away from a g-20 saying this has been an unproductive meeting. that's par for the course, they're going to come out and give a positive message. you can't possibly come away from think feeling like european policy makers really have their act together. if you're -- it's kind of lucy with the football. every time you think you've got something, there's a lurch, this time with papandreou's referendum. there was going to be a referendum, there's not going to be a referendum. it's a wait-and-see. it doesn't help the president and certainly doesn't help markets. >> when we talk, jared, about what the euro zone is looking for, is it frustrating to think that the g-20 is more inclined to like at beijing for answers than the u.s.? >> you know, i mean, it's certainly frustrating in the certainly evan senses of the

united states kind of confident or power, something like that, but the fact is there's nothing wrong with us being more insular. going forward the united states won't be the consumer driving the world. we have our own problems. we have to increase or supports relative to china. we have to balance -- the president talked about the imbalances. we have to deal with the imbalances in our job markets, our economic, longer term over the fiscal, so i'm not sure that's nearly as problematic as all that. >> take a look at this, the first question the president was hit, concerning his vulnerability. >> reporter: what state do you think the economy will be in when you face reelection next year? >> jim, i have to tell you, the least of my concerns at the moment is the politics of a year from now. i'm worried about putting people back to work right now, because

those folks are hurting, and the u.s. economy is underperforming. so everything that we're doing here in the here at the g-20 mirrors our efforts back home. >> melissa, the first part of that question started off with the new jobless numbers out today, so bring us up to speed about how they are looking from october. >> absolutely. he said he wasn't concerned about what the unemployment rate is going to be like, you know, around the political election, but the federal reserve came out this week and said it's likely to be 8.5 to 8.7% still. that's a lot of people out of work. it doesn't even represent the full picture. if you look at the real rate of unemployment, that includes everybody who would like to work mork or just plain stopped working, that rate is still at 16.2%. there are a lot of people unhappy, looking for work, and i think he's trying to deflect

some attention from that. the number of 80,000 jobs added, any job you add is a positive, but that is nothing like the rate you need to bring down this huge rate of unemployment. you're looking at it right there, 9%. we need to add a lot more in order to bring that down. >> melissa, when we talk about the markets, the president was saying the markets need this strong signal from the euro zone. the confidence that's needed to move forward, also talking about the fact that those that have greek dead need to voluntary reduce it. what do you think the odds are of that happening. >> the greek situation weaver seen it cleaned up and fall into disarray over and over again. we're waiting for a vote that will come about midnight, basically deciding whether to keep the government in place. as far as any confidence coming from there, it doesn't seem to be going to come anytime soon.

all these problems, it may look like it's over in greece, but they're also tied together with global confidence. >> the president saying the least of his worries of the politics from a year from now, how long can he say on track with that message? >> the message you heard -- he said, look, when i got here, the economy was cratering, contracting at a 9% rate, yet in the second half of 2009, it went positive. but it's simp lieutenant not growth that's fast enough. but he's going to continue to draw a distinction between where we were, where we are, and something you didn't hear much about today, how the kind of policy road map of the folks he's going to be running against likely will be much like that of george w. bush. supply side, trickle-down economics, and i think there's some validity to it got us into

the mess we're in. a lot of compare and contrast will probably be amplified up as we get closer to the election. >> i want to say thanks to my panel. mike viqueira, and jared byrne teen and -- thank to all three of you. some information on jon corzine. he resigned from mf global this morning. the former u.s. senator called it a difficult decision to make. he's not collecting his $12 million severance package. we'll have more details at the half hour. meanwhile, herman cain lashing out again on the charges that have been filed against him or labeled against him. will one of his accusers go public, though? plus the jury in the conrad murray trial will begin deliberating in just minutes. we take a look at each case.

the big question -- will the doctor be acquitted? even after . [ male announcer ] truth is, most sinus formulas don't treat a cough. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus sinus liquid gels fights sinus symptoms plus cough. you're good. [ male announcer ] thanks. that's the cold truth! ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm! [ male announcer ] for unsurpassed fruit and veggie nutrition... v8 v-fusion. could've had a v8.

welcome back, everybody. keeping a close eye on cannes, france, as you're looking at live pictures, president obama is holding an event with his french counterpart. they are reviewing troops as the national anthem is playing on in the background, the two leaders expected to talk about the end of the bombing campaign in libya. nato ended that mission after moammar gadhafi was killed last month. we expect remarks from both leaders. we'll keep our eye on that. back home the hits keeping on coming for herman cain. right now we're waiting to see if the national restaurant association will allow one of the accusers to release a statement about the documented ordeal.

$45,000, much more than the two to three months' salary cain mentioned earlier this week, but a new poll is showing herman cain sustaineding strong with republican voters, just one point behind mitt romney. maggie haberman, and matthew rafer is our embed with the campaign. >> the better the stronger he stays in the numbers. so does your reporting, from what you've been able to compile, do you think that the numbers will plummet for him, or do you think they'll continue to stay strong? >> i think it depends on how much further it goes, i think it depends on what he says, as you alieded if the national restaurant association allowses this woman to -- not some statement that gets too specific. then i think it could become

much harder for him coming forward, but if things keep going this way, look, he 'defied political gravity -- >> how much time does it -- >> i'm sorry, ask it again. >> from the one side of the national restaurant association, how much behind the scenes pressure is it to release this information as there from the cain side to quell this. >> i think the association is less likely to release something and say let's do this, because this will end the focus on us, but i do think they're afraid it will set a precedent essentially. if you do that once, you have to do it in other cases, but they are under scrutiny. they're a trade group in d.c. essentially and this is not the attention they want at all. >> do you think they're surprised by how well their candidate is hanging in there, or did the fund-raising over a million since sunday -- is this

what they were expecting? >> well, right, thomas, speaking to them monday night, 24 hours after the politico story broke, they thought this story had a life of about one or two days. you saw it with cain. you saw he was still speaking to reporters, doing interviews that weren't just fox news. really since this it has more developed. he has come out and we're seeing a change in demeanor, but every night before you go to bed, you get an e-mail from the cain campaign saying how much money they raised that day. we see this poll and they're sticking to the narrative. from other republican rivals, who see this as a front-runner. they are trying to take this and to use it to their advantage. >> right now, as we see, it isn't helping -- isn't hurting him in the numbers or fund-raising, but the outburst he had on wednesday obviously

shows a mounting pressure that this issue is taking on him as a political candidate. do you think if there is another shoe that potential drops, that we could see more wheels potential coming off the bus when it comes to him? >> yeah, i think the longer this goes on, the much tougher it gets. what's interesting is the next week there will be the first of three debates. i think it will be interesting to see how he addresses this, who brings it up, do any of his rivals say anything about it? it will be very difficult on a stage with your opponents to talk about in nationally or not. >> it's going to be the elephant in the room if it doesn't come up. >> that's for sure. >> maggy and andrew, thank you both. presidential elections are usually decided by a few swing key states, so why president obama might have a tough time winning over those voters. a brand-new poll for you. a whale of a time for some surfers inle ka cal. look at this. we'll tell you the whole story

in a moment. [ man ] i got this citi thank you card and started earning loads of points. you got a weather balloon with points? yes, i did. [ man ] points i could use for just about anything. ♪ keep on going in this direction. take this bridge over here. there it is. [ man ] so i used mine to get a whole new perspective. ♪ [ male announcer ] write your story with the citi thankyou premier card, with no point caps, and points that don't expire. get started at thankyoucard.citi.com.

two. three. one. two. and, three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn more cash back for the things you buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% cash back on groceries. 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. it's as easy as one. -two. -three.

[ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you.

developing now, jury deliberations in the manslaughter trial of conrad murray begin in a few minutes. they could it's possible they could come back with a verdict today. the prosecution arguing that dr. murray corrupted the sacred relationship between patient and doctor and rocked jackson's children of their father, the defense suggesting that murray was a victim of jackson's own actions. >> conrad murray gave him propofol and abandoned him. conrad murray is criminally liable. justice demands a guilty verdict. every single doctor that testified in this courtroom told you they would neff do what

conrad murray did. >> michael jackson went into his personal bathroom and swallowed lorazepam, and dr. murray didn't know it. >> the prosecution during these six weeks have absolutely failed to prove a crime. >> joining mess now is john q. kelly. your opinion about the closings, did the attorneys really drive their cases home? >> i think both of them did. you know, the prosecution's main pitch is that the propose ofollow never should have been administered outside the hospital setting, that dr. murray wasn't around when he went into respiratory failure, and it was a gross deviate from the standard of care. the defense is there was no gross deviation, this is selective prosecution. more a medical malpractice case. >> kristen dahlgren, give us a briefing of what we expect

today, the formally roll-out of what the jurors will hear. >> reporter: good morning, thomas, this is a seven-man, five-women jury. from now they'll go into the jury room, and we don't know when we'll hear from them. yesterday the judge read them 26 pages of instructions, what they can and can't consider in this case. there's a lot to consider, more than 330 pieces of evidence were presented, 48 witnesses spread out over six weeks of testimony. so they have a lot to consider. the court says we will get two hours' notice when they do reach a verdict. we haven't seen the jackson family yet this morning. presumably we'll get that notice when we do, and we'll come here to hear that verdict. we'll be watching and we'll keep you updated. >> kristen dahlgren, thanks. so john, the defense attorney in this brought up another interesting argument in court in

defense of his client. take a listen to this. >> somebody's got to just say it. if it were anybody else than michael jackson, anybody else would this doctor be here today? >> do you really buy that? >> i do. to see a doctor prosecuted criminally is rare. it's the exception, not the rule. i think the prosecution, when they keep emphasizing michael jackson and his three children, they are emphasizing this was someone special, kwan joe blow middle class person that died. and i don't buy that part of it. >> do you think, though, if it were, say, an anonymous rich person who decided to hire a doctor and go with this type of main flans for sleep at home, you don't think that doctor would be brought in? >> i don't think so. you hear of limbs being lost, a sponge being enclosed in a patient, anesthesiologists walking away and patients dies.

it happens. jurors may see this as a medical malpractice case. >> john, we'll wait to see what happens as the jury deliberates starting today. thank you, sir. we want to head back to cannes, france. the president is joining nicolas sarkozy, making states today. let's listen in. >> mon ami, thank you. to generals puga, estrat, and members of the forces, to the mayor and the people of cannes, thank you for your wonderful hospitality and the beautiful weather. [ laughter ] >> that i'm enjoying here today. we stand here today as free and democratic peoples because of each other. it was the ideas of the enlightenment centered here in

france that helped inspire a band of colonists across the ocean to seek our freedom. it was the success of our revolution that helped inspire your own. in our founding documents we pledge ourselves to the same inalienable rights, and to the truth that all men and women are created equal. we are societies where our diversity is considered a strength, where you can become president, even if your name is obama or sarkozy. we live by a common creed -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. liberte, egalite -- >> listening to the president talk there, breaking out a

little french there for the president as the president makes remarks, talking about the -- you see people in the rain gear. the skies opened up briefly. we're back with much more right here on msnbc, after this. helps defends against occasional 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. ew, i do! ew, i do! let's see what they pull up here. oh, this is a good one. ♪ grandma got run over by a reindeer ♪ really? ken? ♪ walking home from our house christmas eve ♪ ♪ you can say... i had the right of way. oh, man. i... turning off the music. sorry, nanna. [ male announcer ] get low prices every day on the latest smart phones, starting at 97 cents. save money. live better. walmart.

♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8.

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. welcome back, everybody. a in-depth look at key states shows a struggle ahead in the president's push for four more years. voters in key states, including ohio, pennsylvania and florida have their doubts about the direction our nation is heading and who should be the person to lead us going forward. president obama is in a close contest with every top-tiered candidate, and right now he's trailing front-runner mitt romney. susan page joins me to talk about 234. susan, president obama is pulling away from his key opponents in these states. how worried should the white house be about these numbers? >> i think what is of concern to

the white house, thomas is some of the underlying numbers. we asked, are you better off than three years ago? you remember when ronald reagan asked that as a challenger. people nationwide feel that they are not better off, but that's especially true in these 12 battleground states, the states that will determine the presidential election. in those states, 60% of the americans say they are worse off than they were. >> and when we asked for obama's approval rating, that is a key mesh injure. 40% in the other states of the nation, the nonswing states, higher 45%, so this shows that underlying factors are quite worrisome. >> when you talk about that 60% being worse off, that is a major number to look at. as we take a peek at the swing states, and we talk about the enthusiasm, it really goes to the republican right now. nearly 6 in 10 say they're

extremely enthusiastic. on the other side, less than half of democrats feel the same way. can the democrats use his jobs message to bring those numbers up? >> we see the president trying to do that. he's taking a much more person and defiant tone toward congressional -- but this enthusiasm gap is one of the fundamental issues s. the enthusiasm gap worked to his advantage, democrats fired up, republicans discouraged, this is again something that the white house really needs to address in the reelection committee to get out young voters, and the other voters who fueled his victory in 2008. >> susan page, great to see you this morning. >> tom, great to be with you. a quick reminder, the debate will be in a swing state, that of michigan november 9th, only on cnbc.

democratic groups across the nation are getting voters informed about road blocks they may face. dozens of states are expected to have some form of voter i.d. laws in place, and the new legislation could keep millions of americans with an impact. richard means is an election law attorney. richard, i want to put up a map that shows how widespread this is. some numbers, 20 states considered i.d. legislation this year. 5 million americans, though, could be deterred from voting in 2012. what is the overall impact of these laws, special on minority and low-income americans? it gives them a great of difficulty in registering the vote, then there are problems with voting early or absentee is

the brennan center study at new york university thought that -- determined that there were about 5 million people that might be impacted, just by these voter i.d. laws. >> richard, on the conservative side, the argument is that these new laws help prevent any type of voter fraud. how widespread is that in the nation? >> well, nobody wants to see voter fraud. i used to prosecute election fraud, but there's really very little voter fraud. almost all of the election fraud that occurs, occurs from political operatives, and lower-level functionaries in the election system. election judges, clerks, and so forth. fraud that's actually committed by voters impersonating someone else, who is entitled to vote

almost never happens. what can be done? this seems like it's taken from a broader form. what can be done at a legal or legislative level. as you've said, you prosecuted on this before. >> well, yes, there are a number of things that can be done. star next tuesday is concerned, people need to be reminded that if their state is one of those that's nully imposed societier i.d.s, that they ought to take all of their identification to the polling place, so they will be able to vote. i think we will see long waiting lines and a number of people turned away from polling places. and then the state or local legislators may think better of what they have done in so many places. >> richard means, i want to say thank you this morning. and we'll have more in-depth analysis of voter i.d. laws this

coming tuesday, part of our super tuesday coverage right here on msnbc. here are other stories we're covering in the flu now for you. so exec difficults of groupen rang the opening bell this morning where shares started trading today after that company went public. groupen's shares soared 50% today. groupen raised $700 million in the initial public offering, making it the largest ipo by an internet company since google, way back in 2004. this california surfer got the surprise of her life when two whales the size of a school bus lunged out of water with open jaws. the presence of whales have increased near the santa chris shoreline who are out in the water trying to get a look, but

that's pretty close-up. you can all imagine winning the lottery. imagine being told you had won on live tv. this is exactly what happened to a local sports anchor in canada yesterday. take a look. >> you know people are going to think this is kind of fishy, don't you? >> sorry. >> how many deleys are inport moody. >> i think just me, you know. >> congratulations, you just got groceries -- what did he win? >> he won a $2 million house or something. >> are you serious? >> yes, i'm serious. >> so actually barry has a choice between four luxury homes, or $2 million in cash. the lottery was all part of a charity for a local hospital. pretty cool. well, the unemployment rate remains stuck at 9%, but there is a silver lining for holiday jobs, but first, did you know today november 4th is national

candy day? odd timing considering the celebrated candy on halloween. here's some fun candy facts. the average american eats 25 pounds of candidate every year. that is nothing compared to our friends in denmark. the danes eat 35 pounds of candidate each year. if your birthday today, you have no excuse but to eat a lot of candidate. so happy candy day, peoples. peeps. back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. [ female announcer ] get money saving coupons at aleve.com. 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. ♪ matter which position i am in i wake up feeling good.

it fits you so peectly... it fits you. you wake up and you're revived and rejuvenated. it's just like wow! tempur-pedic the most highly recommended bed in america. tempur-pedic is rated #1 in comfort. sleep satisfaction. and back support. it fits the curvature of your body but you don't sink in and it is firm. proprietary tempur material suppresses motion transfer. this means that when you get in or out of bed, you won't disturb your partner. that's amazing. that's amazing. tempur-pedic, the most highly recommended bed in america. call the number on your screen.

let's take the political pulse across the nation. we're learning that gabby giffords will vow in her new book to return to congress and she will describe the shooting incident. the new book with her husband mark hits shelves coming up on november 15th. sarah palin didn't hold back during a florida republican party saying the occupy wall street protesters thought they were entitled to, quote, other people's monies. palin said she thought they want their own bailout.

the texas state medical board may restrict a stem cell therapy that rick perry underwent this year. they were grown in a lab and injected into his bloomstream to help fuse part of his spine. top scientists are questioning the safety of that procedure. and michele bachmann defended her campaign during a "today" show appearance, saying the reports of a major staff exodus in new hampshire is not hurting her. >> we are working very hard, and we're very strong. we're hiring people on our campaign every single day, in fact announcing more new people that we're hiring. not one person has ever asked me about who we're hiring or who our staff is. >> bachmann said she's keeping the focus on hurl economic plan. >> as we discussed earlier, employers added fewer than expected 80,000 jobs in october. but now the holidays, they are coming, coming fast, and companies, especially retailers,

they are hiring. that brings us to our hiring now segment. joining mess is ted gill many, ceo of the largest temporary staffing company. we can talk about the good news of retailers hiring. however, these jobs are only tempora temporary. how should people look at them to evaluate the long haul of staying with that company? >> seasonal hiring, and in fact for many of the companies it starts in the summer, where they're beginning to complete the manufacturing and shipment of their products into the stores. so we've seen that seasonal hiring pick up, at least as long as it was last year, which was a big question mark in the summertime, whether we would be able to sustain that. those jobs will last through the season for the most part. >> who specifically is hiring? >> all consumer products manufacturers, who have to get their products to the stores, then of course the retailers and

distribution facilities that get those to consumer homes. >> should people be thinking outside the box, but also vacation spots? ski resorts? they may be bulking up for the season? >> leisure and hospital has also shown some growth. you see the temporary hiring coming through in the temporary hiring numbers, 15,000 incremental jobs in the last month. >> from your professional aspect of things and in your opinion, do you think that most people can parlay these jobs into more permanent staffing positions, just by getting their foot in the door and being aggressive how to get that permanent -- >> it's a great point. that is not even a comment about the seasonality of the job market. temporary jobs, contracted assignments is the beway to get a permanent job right now. we see most companies wanting to engage. they need to find that talent and bring them in on a temporary

basis. >> it's so much up to the individual to try to make this happen for themselves. however, we do depend on the government a lot. is there anything the government can do to help companies be encouraged, to have the confidence? >> well, i think the first and probably the most obvious thing is our economy is driven by consumer confidence and spending. if we just go into 2012 and the government puts in place the payroll tax reduction that we have this year, that alone will help build consumer confidence and spending. ted gill many, ceo of adecco, thank you. and feel free to tweet me, and it could show up on air. justin bieber says he is absolutely not the father of a young fan's baby, even though she claims he is. in fact he says he, quote, never met the woman. a look at other celebrities and paternity issues. that's coming up on the flip

side. y feeling. uh oh. i gotta go. [ female announcer ] and with charmin ultra soft, you can get that same cushiony feeling while still using less. its design is soft and more absorbent. so you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. ah. [ female announcer ] charmin ultra soft. and...an apology card. this is ridiculous. yeah, and it's got apps. nice. got pandora, twitter, facebook. no honey, not facebook. ♪ honey, you think my sweater's horrendous? cats don't skate. i think it kicks butt. [ male announcer ] get low prices on the gifts they love, like lg tvs with the latest technology. now eligible for our christmas layaway. save money. live better. walmart.

♪ that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm [ male announcer ] for half the calories -- plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8.

i'd just like to say basically that none of those allegations are true. and i know that i'm going to be a -- i'm going to be a target but never going to be a victim. i think it's crazy because every night after the show, i'm gone right from the stage, right to my car. so it's crazy that some people want to make up such false allegations. >> justin bieber speaking on the "today" show this morning answering allegations we fathered a baby girl. bieber says he never met the woman who claims to be the mother of the child. today's flip side, accusations made against pop star justin bieber and now police may investigate these claims. the 20-year-old woman at the center of this controversy could be investigated for having sex with a minor because bieber was only 16 at the time of their alleged encounter. this isn't the first time a male celebrity has been targeted with a paternity claim and not all were true.

certainly not going to be the last time somebody is targeted with a claim. today.com's pop columnist courtney hazelet. >> what i want to say about justin bieber first before we get further, what separates his denial from denials of other celebrities, he's being specific about it, not talking in legales legalese. he's saying, i never met this woman, i don't know what she's talking about, this isn't true. that's the big takeaway here. we have some that are true and aren't true. one of the ones we've been hearing about most recently is steve jobs who had a baby with his then longtime girlfriend. that took place when he was 23. he denied paternity for quite some time and eventually had a test. >> owned up to it. >> that's how these things tend to shake out. also jude law was proven to be the father of samantha burke's child.

interestingly enough, that child was born 2009. he doesn't count among his kids. if you go to imdb or someplace like that, how many kids he has, it's not listed right there. >> eddie murphy. >> this year's oscar host. >> a friend of scandal to say the least. he denied being father of mel b.'s child. that one of course was confirmed through paternity test. don't deny it until you've had the test a lot of times. it makes you look really bad. interestingly enough, it doesn't hurt your public perception all that often. one person who came out and said, this isn't true, i'm going to fight back. that was chris rock. he was married 11 years when a woman said he was the father of her 13-year-old son. they went through the paternity test. chris paid her money at a certain point in case it was true. the paternity test said it wasn't true. he said, the best you can do is is give the money to a charity.

justin bieber is doing good with this. >> elvis went through this, charlie chaplain went through this. >> it's a rite of passage. as uncomfortable it is for justin bieber, if you're at the center of the spotlight, i believe much to the chagrin to the people who don't like the biebs, he's here for a while and to stay. >> the dna will prove the test. >> you have a live chat? >> if you want to continue the conversation and talk about the earth's measure pressing matters like kim kardashian getting divorced, i'm going to chat on scoop.today.com. that's thomas signing on right now and everyone else and their friends should. >> courtney hazelet. that's going to do it for me. see you back here monday at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. until that time, follow me on twitter @thomas a. roberts. have a great weekend, everybody. stay put. craig melvin is going to pick things up. >> thomas roberts, how are you,

good sir? a group of house members sent the supercommittee urging them to go big, $4 trillion. two lawmakers will tell me how they came up with that number. we're on conrad murray verdict watch. why america can't seem to get it right in the middle east. all that and much more at the top of the hour. i would have liked to know? i like tacos. you invited eric? i thought eric gave you the creeps. [ phone buzzes ] oh. [ chuckles ] yeah. hey. [ male announcer ] don't be left behind. get it faster with 4g. at&t. ♪ [ femala $100 cream. we were flattered when regenerist beat flabbergasted when we creamed a $500 cream. for about $30 regenerist micro-sculpting cream hydrates better than over 20 of america's most expensive luxury creams. fantastic. phenomenal. regenerist.

it's this... the etrade pro platform. finds top performing stocks -- in three clicks. quickly scans the market for new trading ideas. got it? get it. good. introducing new etrade pro elite. 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. ♪

good friday, i'm craig melvin. new jobs numbers out today, with some improvement. the encouraging news is after three straight months of a stagnant jobless rate of 9.1% -- >> the unemployment rate is 9%. >> jobless numbers down for the first time in four months. but millions are still out of work. in fact, 5,000, alone, showed up at this tennessee jobs fair for 1,600 jobs. >> they'll probably get thousands of resumes for one position. so it's not been easy. >> 80,000 jobs were added last month. economists say