good morning, everyone. i'm alex witt. the death of a broadcasting legend. andy rooney's unique voice silenced this morning. we'll take a look at his most memorable moments. the herman cain saga. a new wrinkle every day. we'll have the latest and more surprising numbers driving his

campaign. fire your bank day. if you don't like the high fees, move your money. details on how many people look to fight back. new word on 2012 strategy for president obama this weekend. it is almost one year out from the election. we'll examine one unique assessment of what it's going to take for the president to win. and hello again to all of you, welcome to "weekends with alex witt." it is now 9 a.m. on the east coast, 6 a.m. out west. we begin with the loss of a legendary tv commentator, andy rooney has passed away at the age of 92. it was just last month that rooney announced he would no longer appear regularly on "60 minutes." we have more on rooney's life and legacy. >> but i'm not retiring -- >> reporter: andy rooney's signoff on "60 minutes" was part thank you note to fans and part request should those same fans see him in a restaurant. >> please, just let me eat my dinner. >> reporter: at 92, rooney had been writing professionally for more than 70 years from his start on the army stars and

stripes newspaper and through his squentd career as a radio and television writer and syndicated columnist. his end piece essays on "60 minutes" made him a star -- >> one thing i don't like chocolate chip cookies. >> reporter: he was unique in the affirmative television stars. >> i don't think of myself as a television personality. i'm a writer who reads what he's written. >> reporter: it made him appointment tv. millions tuned in each week to see him. and as more than 1,000 essays were collected in 15 best-selling books. along the way, people got to know an american original composed of traits known to most families, rumpled -- >> dogs are nicer than people. >> reporter: but moved, too, when people proved to be kind or brave. >> they make up for a lot of liars, cheats and terrorists among us. >> reporter: and as a writer who regularly put his own views on display, he learned about himself, too, in front of our eyes. >> but do i care. i care a lot. >> reporter: a self-described

life-long liberal he entered world war ii as a pass first but after seeing horrors concentration camps, he came to believe that some wars are necessary. >> germans had been wrong in starting it. and i decided i had been wrong in objecting to the war. >> reporter: and when his essays outraged some, comments critical of homosexuals or the dead rock star kurt cobain, he apologized, meant it, and carried on. >> i know i've been terribly wrong sometimes. but i think i've been right more often than i've been wrong. >> reporter: a voice for the thoughts of every man silenced as he knew it would be. >> i wish i could do this forever. i can't, though. >> reporter: but a voice as memorable as that ticking clock, the last few minutes for three decades his. nbc news, new york. >> an extraordinary talent that will truly be missed. rooney is survived by his four children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. from there now to politics.

a new poll shows herman cain holding his spot as republican front-runner despite a week of scandal following sexual harassment scandals. new details out about one of the women who accused cain of inappropriate behavior. joining me now, nbc news white house correspondent mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. >> what's going on behind you? >> reporter: there is a fire track. earlier an ambulance. the white house is already open for tours early this saturday morning. and there was an individual who apparently took ill. i don't know if it was a tourist but nobody i recognized. i saw this individual female being wheeled out. hopefully she's okay. she was taken away in an ambulance. >> absolutely. thank you for explaining what's going on there. let's get to herman cain. feels like chinese water for tour week for him. >> reporter: it has been a week of controversy and no laughing matter for herman cain or alleged victims in this case. one of those victims, one as you point out, the lawyer for one of those victims appeared yesterday and said, herman cain knows

exactly what the allegations are no matter what he says. very specific incidence and he says the lawyer did -- that there is more than one. he also said his client, she and her husband got together and said they don't to want go public with this. they want to turn the page and move on. the question now becomes, can the cain campaign survive? early friday herman cain got a rousing welcome as a gathering of conservatives in washington. >> i've been in washington all week. and i've attracted a little bit of attention. >> reporter: by late in the day, the lawyer for one of cain's accusers said he believes there's little doubt of the gop front-runner's guilt. >> there's an expression, where there's smoke, there's fire. the fact there are multiple complaints tells me it's more likely than not there was some sexual harassment activity by this man at that time. >> reporter: that came as national restaurant association, which cain ran and where the incidents allegedly took place, acknowledged in a statement that

a complaint of sexual harassment was, in fact, filed in 1999 against cain. current ceo dawn sweeney writing, the association and mr. bennet's client subsequently entered into an agreement to resolve the matter without any admission of liability. sweeney also says the nra will waive a clause, barring cain's accuser from speaking out in person but now it appears she will not come out in person. >> mr. cain knows the specific incidents alleged. my client filed a written complaint in 1999 against him specifically and it had very specific incidents in it. if he chooses to not remember or not acknowledge those, that's his issue. >> don't even bother asking me all of these other questions. >> reporter: cain's, of the incidents have varied since the story broke sunday night. by thursday he issued a plat denial. >> sean, this is absolutely fabrication, man. i don't know how what else to

say. how many more ways can i say, this stuff is totally fabricated? >> reporter: there is evidence that cain could survive politically. his campaign says it has raised $1.6 million in cash this week alone. four times the monthly average. in a statement, the cain campaign sought to turn the page saying in part, we look forward to focusing our attention on the real issues impacting this country. like fixing this broken economy and putting americans back to work tlur on you 9-9-9 plan. a new poll taken as the controversy came, tied mitt romney atop the gop field. more by the poll done by abc news and washington post. 70% of republicans say this controversy, a scandal as some might call it, doesn't matter who they're going to vote for in a republican primary or general election. >> interesting, those numbers, that's for sure. thank you very much, mike. we'll see you again. let's go now to the other political stories making headlines for you this morning. several candidates spoke last night at the iowa gop ronald

reagan dinner. garnering much of the attention and applause was newt gingrich who spent half of his allotted time praising his fellow candidates. >> i'm really proud of my colleagues who have been here tonight. each of them brings unique things and unique characristics. i am here with very fine competitors. but no opponents. we only have one opponent. that's barack obama. >> rick perry, michele bachmann, ron paul and rick santorum rallied that crowd, highlighting their plans for the country and thanki thanking iowan for thr support. >> the answer to this mess in washington is not status quo and tinkering around the edges. we have to stop the big spending. >> iowa is showing very strong all across the country. you've been a wonderful host to each of us who are presidential candidates. >> the reporters asked me, are you tired? i said, heck no. i'm energized.

i'm energized by going out and talking to the great people of iowa. >> herman cain appeared at a conference friday hosted by conservative group americans for prosperity. he enthusiastically embraced his relationship with charles and david koch, two wealthy brothers who support conservative and tea party. cain critics have been going after his financial and political ties to the duo. >> just so i can clarify this for the media, this may be a breaking news announcement for the media. i am the koch brothers' brother from another mother. yes! i'm their brother from another mother! and proud of it. >> mitt romney spoke at the conference outlining his ideas to bolster medicare and cut discretionary spending. >> for each program that we have

in the government, i'm going to look at them one by one, i'm going to ask this question. is this program so critical, so essential, that we should borrow money from china to pay for it? >> rick perry's wife spoke to reporters at her husband's new hampshire headquarters and commented on the current harassment allegations surrounding rival candidate herman cain. >> i can't judge mr. cain. you know, i read it on the internet, rick and i read it at the same time about the allegations. i don't know anything about that. i can't speak to that. >> and let's take a look at gop candidates with events today. ron paul has campaign stops in minnesota and north dakota. rick santorum meets with voters in florida and cain and beginning rich debate in texas later this evening. president obama is back at the white house this morning after returning from france late last night. he had been in canne sechlt for the g-20 summit. while the meeting focused on

euro crisis and greece, the president directed his public comments to domestic issues. he said the new jobs report showed positive numbers but growth is still too slow. this morning, greek prime minister george papandreou is to start talks to form a new coalition government. it's to secure funds. papandreou survived a confidence vote overnight but he's prepared to step down to make room for that new government. today is moving day for angry americans looking to strike a blow against banks accused of profiting off the misery of their customers. it is called bank transfer day, a grass roots movement marked this day as deadline for bank customers to close their accounts and transfer their money from the for profit to nonprofit banks like credit unions. the movement gained traction from occupy wall street protests and helped shoot down plans by big banks to charge debit card fees. and the jury has yet to reach a verdict after its first day of deliberations in the

involuntary manslaughter trial of michael jackson's personal physician. the panel made up of seven men and five women met all day friday. those jurors sent no messages to indicate how they're progressing in the case against dr. murray and deliberations will resume monday. let's check out the weather right now for you because snow is falling this weekend in southern california, of all places. here's some images from mt. lagoon that, about an hour east or so of san diego. what can you expect outside where you are this fine saturday? nbc meteorologist bill karins has all those details. good saturday morning, bill. >> good morning to you, alex on this saturday. nice, quiet weather. remember last weekend we were dealing with the historic october snowstorm? hasn't rained since then. it looks like we'll stay tranquil on the east coast. that's good for you the power crews struggling to get the power on, especially in connecticut. take a look at the big map. white is clouds. green is rain and snow. heading to you utah and

colorado. they had rain in phoenix and now that's starting to clear out. tucson, you'll be clearing out and the moisture will be heading up into the mountainous area where we have winter storm weather advisories in tulluride, in utah, colorado and northern arizona. eventually the storm system will head up on the border of north dakota and montana. that's where we'll pick up snow later on tonight into your sunday. we have to sneak in, a big snow event. some mountainous areas could get over 6 inches but a light snow event for many locations. notice that next storm coming into california, also bringing light snow there. here's a look at your weekend forecast. saturday, today, looks nice. sunshine for much of the east coast. chicago, a pretty good day four. kansas city to minneapolis, no complaints. still a little damp in areas like san francisco. by the time we get to sunday, that threat of showers continues from san francisco to l.a. maybe a thunderstorm or two in areas of texas or oklahoma. in general, this weekend is a thumbs up for so many of us. hopefully everyone can get out and enjoy the warm, mild weather while it lasts. back to you.

>> i'll do that in about three hours. thank you very much. after the rough week for herman cain, the enthusiasm gap facing the rest of the field. we'll check in with our imbed with mitt romney campaign. plus, this -- ♪ >> so, why are these people singing? we'll give you the story behind the serenade coming up in our one-minute playback. plus, the new swing state map and what it means for president obama.

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to politics and front-runners getting different

greetings from a crowd in washington. both men spoke at americans for prosperity conference yesterday, skipping a republican dinner in iowa that most of the other major candidates went to. let's take a listen to the audience when mitt romney took the stage compared with herman cain. >> please welcome to our foundation event, mitt romney. please welcome herman cain! >> garrett is travelingwith romney campaign and he joins us from washington. good morning to you. >> good morning. good to be with you. >> so, let's talk about the speech. did that drive up any more enthusiasm from that crowd? >> well, you know, only one part of it really got the crowd on their feet and that is when romney says, as he says almost every campaign event, that he's going to repeal obama care. that got the crowd on the feet cheering. he sat back and said, maybe i should have started with that. no, it was just incredible study in contrast. romney comes in with this incredibly detailed policy speech, think whatever you will of the policy, he laid it out,

hit all his numbers, detailed down the line thing and the crowd doesn't really engage. when herman cain hit the stage to that theme music from the mark block ad we've become so familiar with, the place went wild. >> let's move on to herman cain, who had a bad week on many fronts but interestingly not in the polls. this latest quinnipiac poll shows 30% of the support, followed with romney with 23%. is there a feeling inside the romney camp that cain is the candidate they fear most now as opposed to rick perry or anyone else? >> you're not really seeing that inside the romney camp, alex. every day they come out -- their press list comes out with some new thing about rick perry. this is the guy they see as their biggest competition in a long campaign. perry has organization in early states. frankly, he has the money in a way we haven't seen from herman cain yet. you know, the cain operation hasn't been able to put together quite as robust of an operation

in the early states. they don't have the big dollar funding. they don't have the super packs that have come behind perry, at least not yet. >> garrett headac, thanks. a new poll shows voters in key battleground states are glum about the direction of the country and about their own financial situations. "usa today" and gallup spoke with voters in 12 states that could decide the 2012 election. president obama carried them all last time around. however, this time a victory in each of those states is far from certain. just 40% of americans in those swing states approve of the job he's doing, 51% disapprove. that's if you do the math, 11-point gap. you compare that to the rest of the country, 45% approve of his job performance and 47% disaprove. there's only two points stragt those there. i'm joined by susan page, washington bureau chief for "usa today" and writer of the front page story, which i have in my hands here. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> so, you point out in this

"usa today" piece that past presidents who have won re-election polled much better in swing states than president obama. give me a read on what's behind the low numbers. >> this was a surprise. we thought battleground states where the nation is but president obama is in a weaker position there and we think it's because of two factors. one is some of these states are those big industrial states like michigan, really struggling still with a loss of manufacturing jobs. and the second is, some of these states, including places like nevada and florida, have been at the center of the housing crisis. these are places where americans are really hurting. we asked a question, are you better off than you were three years ago? that's a famous question from the 1980 campaign. what we found is 60% of residents of the battleground states said they were worse off. that is a terrifying number for an incumbent president. >> yeah, absolutely. you remember that campaign. that was really the question that ronald reagan posed and then there went jimmy carter. that was it. >> that's right.

>> let's look at potential head-to-head match-ups in swing states right now because we h e have -- let's look at this, president obama versus mitt romney. a statistical tie there. romney, 40%, president has 46%. the president wins against rick perry, 49% to 44%. against herman cain, 48% to 45%. though, that is within margin of error. what do you make of these results? >> i think it means that we have essentially a tied up game here. what the obama folks will say is americans know all the flaws of president obama. they don't know that much yet about herman cain, about rick perry and even about mitt romney, though he's been around for a while. so that's going to have an effect when they're standing as a choice between two candidates that will help president obama. on the other hand, it means president obama isn't starting with an edge over challengers that americans don't know much about. when we asked americans, ho do you trust more on some big issues, the president or an unnamed republican challenger? and the unnamed republican

challenger did better than president on issues that matter most like handling unemployment. that is a warning sign for the white house. >> so, if you look at that and the numbers on handling unemployment, i mean, does this election ultimately come down to jobs, jobs, jobs? i mean, is there anything else really at this point that you see being more influential than that? >> no, absolutelyi it's jobs. and also the sense of the economy. you can have a jobless rate pretty high but if people think things are better, we're back on the right track, that could be a comfortable position for an incumbent to run. but with unemployment still at 9% and with no sense of a robust recovery, it's just a tough political landscape for president obama. >> i'm curious with these numbers, a year out, susan, how much do you think people are wheted to these numbers? did you get a sense people are well defined by their conviction or a lot of change coming up? >> oh, man, we could see a lot of change. we could see xhang in a week, much less 12 months away. we're a year out from this election.

you know, lots could happen. that's good for us in the news business. >> all right. point well taken from the pro there. susan page, many thanks. >> thanks. what did they say? you'll see highlights from our office politics series next but first the sentiment in greece following the new debt deal. ♪

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in today's one minute playback, a train ride one british woman will never forget. lucy rogers was riding london underground with her boyfriend adam king tuesday when suddenly fellow passengers started belting out a republican addition of the classic song "lovely day," someone recorded it all on a cell phone. watch. ♪ just one look at you ♪ and i know it's going to be going to be going to be

a lovely day ♪ >> yep, most of the train was singing along. and then all of a sudden the singing stopped and adam got down on one knee. >> will you marry me? >> yes. ♪ a lovely day ♪ lovely lovely >> no word yet on a wedding date. all those singers are from a glee-style show choir based in london and many are friends with the couple. lovely day. t.

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welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." this morning greece is still on the brink economically and threatens to drag down the world's economy. the prime minister survived a confidence vote in parliament overnight as the country tries to get rescue funds for the nearly bankrupt country. meanwhile, president obama says the european debt crisis is one of the largest hurdles on the road to economic recovery here in the states. nbc's michelle kosinski is like from athens greece, with a good saturday morning to you. the president back from the g-20 summit in france where greek debt was the topic but the president saying this being the center of discussion, how does this new coalition government address all the concerns of the world leaders at that summit? >> reporter: well, it hasn't been formed yet. if it does form relatively peacefully without snap elections or anything like that, that would just produce more political turmoil, it could give european leaders and world leaders the reassurance they were looking for before they

decided to just keep pumping more money back into these teetering members of the eu, because, of course, greece is not the only one. yesterday overnight, george papandreou narrowly survived that confidence vote. he ended up with a three-person majority. he's in talked today with the president about what that would look like. it could well lead to him stepping down as prime minister. the good news is, this means that the massive european bailout of greece that was decided upon last week should continue as planned. of course, that's not set in stone just yet. you know, the spector of greece defaulting, running out of cash, leaving the eurozone was already starting to rattle world markets. i mean, some were looking at this as the beginning of a second global recession. there's some big questions remaining, though. will the opposition here demand snap elections and will greece continue to be able to enact these austerity measures, like

raising taxes and lowering wages that so many people in greece see as grossly unfair, alex? >> yeah. michelle, is there any concern about a, quote, kind of fear of the unknown? i mean, if they put new folks in with the prime minister stepping down, does anyone fear things could get worse? >> reporter: not necessarily. the problem that some analysts are looking at now is that if there's a delay, if there's snap election with that kind of uncertainty, like before the eu gives greece this bailout, the next trench they're waiting for would be around $8 billion, total bailout is around $180 billion. they want to see greece be in agreement to enact austerity measures, to agree on the bailout itself. elections are more political instability threatens that agreement. then it could delay things and that would send markets again into more volatility, alex.

>> thank you very much, michelle kosinski from athens. president obama's campaign is kicking into high gear with the 2012 election one year and one day away. the campaign is holding more than 2,000 events around the country this weekend. volunteers looking to capture the ground swell that captured his victory in 2008. a new national poll shows the race tightening between the president and his potential rivals. we look at these "usa today"/gallup poll numbers which has the president tied with mitt romney right there. also he has a statistical dead heat with cain and leading rick perry by just four points. joining me now, dana millbank, political columnist for "the washington post." so, where do things stand one year out from the white house's perspective? >> they wish they had a little more time, alex. things are gradually heading in the right direction. you know, as you see from the jobs report. not nearly fast enough to get

things to where they need to be in november 2012. so, the president, for him, things are heading in the right direction but not nearly fast enough. >> i want to you follow all these scenarios. i'll read you here because it's a fascinating assessment of the election by "the new york times'" nate silver in which he handicaps the race using two opponents and two economic scenarios. the first one, if gop challenger is romney and economy is stagnate, he calculates romney wins the popular vote 83% to obama's 17%. talk about landslide. if romney is still the opponent but the economy is improving, the probability of winning is 60% for obama, 40% for romney. landslide by some people's margins there. then if obama is against rick perry and economy is improving, nate says obama handily defeats perry. another landslide, 83% to 17%. however, if the economy is stagnant, perry is a 59% chance

of winning versus 41% for obama. what's your take on all these? >> yeah, i love how they can come up with these statistics and precise numbers because nobody has any idea. you know, the political scientists truck out all these models. of course, you can always find one that worked in retrospect. the problem s you never know which one is going to apply to the next election. now, if you look at history, a president as low as obama is right now with an economy as bad as this one never wins elections. for him to win it would be unpreu unprecedented. on the other hand, this is unusual economy, voters don't blame him exclusively and it's a weak republican field generating no enthusiasm among the base of republican voters. there's all kind of reasons why the old models don't apply. i think this-f you're betting a

lot of money on one side or the other here, you're pretending to know something you can't possibly know. >> all right let's take a look at the economy. the jobless number ticking down slightly to 9% in october, however job growth still slower than it needs to be. does the white house have any sort of internal assessment of where the economy needs to be come september/october time next year? >> well, sure. their internal assessment is the same as external assessment which is they need to knock off far more of a percentage of this jobless rate than is possible. i think we have reached a point where you just have to accept that they're not going to get that jobless rate down to 6% or below, which is where you really want it to be, to be in a comfortable place for re-election. the re-election, therefore, becomes about making the other guy look even worse. they're accepting that this president is not going to be re-elected by ak cli mags, people saying, i feel better than i did three years ago. what a fine job he's done. they just have to say, he's much

better than the alternative, which means we'll number for one very ugly election season. >> so, the president's populous message, is it gaining traction form? >> it's generating some enthusiasm among the left, among the occupy wall street crowd. president obama came in with a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of good will on the left. he squandered a lot of that during his presidency by -- they perceive him as compromising his -- doing too much to placate republicans. i think he's generatesing some of that back right now. they want to see more of a fighter. can he sustain it? there's a lot of suspicion this isn't the real obama, he's not really a fighter, he's really a guy who just likes to get along. but it's certainly the course he needs to take right now. >> okay. dana millbank, good to talk to you. thanks so much. >> thanks, alex.

over the past couple months i've sat down with some of nbc and msnbc sharpest mines for a segment we like to call "office politics" we get their take on their views on the politics and also a behind the scenes nosey look at what they have going on in their offices. here's the best of. take a look. ♪ >> my instinct is, and i was down there a few days ago, is pay attention to this. pay attention to this. the majority, i would estimate, are people who are floating on a river of anxiety. >> the weirdness of hearing people call for a medic on the streets of america -- >> this is america on the move. >> this country as a group of people rejects outright breach of fairness more than anything else. >> now, the big question is, will this movement, which is movement politics, will they be able to translate it into supporting candidates? >> there's something bubbling in this country.

when people fear the future, the way i think too many people now fear the future, that's a danger zone. >> the situation with the economy and the country is very bad. so, whether or not it is good politics, the only responsible thing to do right now is work on jobs. >> it's the haves and have nots. it's the haves, the have mores and the have notes. >> right now we actually have a jobs emergency. >> we don't have an opinion problem. we have a math problem. >> you could put any president in there. president obama is the political target to defeat. but it's the legislative body that is saying, absolutely no to the american people. >> what have you in brat titain conflict every week at prime minister's questions. now, yeah, it is angry and people have been told by the speaker to sit down and shut up in the house of commons. much rather that kind of open, in my view, ventilation of the anger and a conflict that occurs rather than what we have here, which is press conference, press conference, vote, gridlock.

>> i think romney has a better shot man mothan most of the oth republicans in that field against president obama. >> if romney is the opponent, is there going to be a tea party challenger? >> i know who to pick. rick perry, i think, it would would be the best thing that could happen to president obama. >> most people, when the bell rings and it's over, i've seen them come together. the perry/romney tension has been palpable. >> the president is saying, actually, you know what, your republican policies, he specially on economics, nobody supports them. >> how much job creation and stimulus was blocked by republicans? so he's not going to own it alone. >> they did some gutsy things. they wrote a check to the automobile industry because they thought it was going to save jobs. and it did. >> it did. that worked. >> not one republican was in favor of it. >> the fine line the president has to walk in his re-election effort is that he needs to do

things that get his base enthused while still being the candidate who appeals to a broad swath of the public. basically, everybody accept the ideological right. >> looking around your office, what's with the fishing? >> i have a passion. you know, i love the outdoors. >> how much coffee are you drinking throughout the day, pal? i mean, look at your day. >> those that don't know won't say. >> the iraqi national baseball team, our show got them uniforms. so, when all was said and done, they sent me the iraqi xhettive baseball bat. >> i stopped playing rugby two years ago, 46. >> and you play the bass, too? >> do i. >> what don't you do, martin bashir? >> i don't play the bass very well. have i to tell you that. >> i'm a season ticket guy. i'm home. i feel at home in two places.

one, is my home. with my family. the other place is at fenway park. >> here's my thomas jefferson costume. i've got the wig. maybe they would take me more seriously on the issues of the banking system if i dressed like this. do you think i'd have more credibility? >> grew up on the jersey shore where there are still towns on the jersey shore where they cruise. >> i was going to ask you if you cruised on a saturday night. >> saturday night, you still cruise. on saturday nights, even though i was a poor kid with a dodge dart, i would wash it up, if i had a girlfriend, throw hadder in the front seat and -- >> you alz had a girlfriend. >> no, i did not. because i suffered from a lack of courage at that age, but that's a different story. >> i hope you'll stay tuned for next week's "office politics" we'll give you another peek behind the cameras here at msnbc. more on the controversy surrounding herman cain. how one aspect of it is proving

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this morning a look at seven new diet tips you'll be hearing a lot about. the south beach diet was a best seller with more than 23 million copies of the book and companions in print and now a new book by the same author called "the south beach wake-up call" and joining me is the author. dr. arthur agatson. good morning. why did you write this book? you have 23 million other south beach-esque theories out there. >> since i've written the book i'm continuing to watch america is getting fatter, sicker, achier, more exhausted. this is a political show, we talk about the national debt. this is becoming as important as the national debt. it's going to bankrupt us. it's not going to be cured by obama care. it's also not going to be cured

by anything the republicans are planning either. it's -- we're going to be overwhelmed by chronic disease and it's going to bankrupt whatever system we come to unless we change. >> so, we do need a wake-up call. let's get to some of the seven points you talked about as being the focus here. clutter -- rather, control the clutter for your mind. i'll read through them. make every meal matter. shop right. cook as if your life depends on it. eat in more, dine out smart. get moving, get fit. sleep better. live longer. i mean, that's a lot to do. how much of a challenge is that for the average person? >> it's often a big challenge but it's actually -- it's all being done, what i call the super moms, like you, because young moms are bringing up their kids healthy, with good nutrition. and what they're seeing they're not getting the asthma and all the childhood diseases we're seeing. i mean, the kids are actually

getting adult diseases like adult onset diabetes, type 2, getting sleep apnea. and what we call generation "s" or the sickest generation, the 30s and 40s, are having an increase in heart attacks. one of things that was just in the news and one of the things in the news, even if we exercise at the end of the day, sitting slumped over a computer all day is killing us. they reported at a washington meeting was close to 100,000 more breast and colon cancers. just by sitting all day. >> so when you talk about these seven tips, it's not just about losing weight. it's about extending your life span, right? >> absolutely. so much about diet is concentrated on calories and when it should be concentrated on nutrition. many of us are over fed but we're literally malnourished. we're not getting the fruits and

vegetables. and we need better nutrition. the sign generals is out there. we're just not doing enough. >> doctor, thank you so much. >> thank you. good to be with you. it's that time again. daylight savings time ends tomorrow at 2:00 a.m. before you go to bed, set your clocks back an hour. you get an extra hour of sleep. change out the batteries in your smoke alarms. ♪

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her man cain supporters are out with a new web ad that he says is attacking his race. >> now you're getting the high-tech lynching of a beautiful man, herman cain. >> this is a circus. it's a national disgrace. it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blake blacks who in any way think for themselves and it is a message that unless you cow-tow, you will be lynched rather than hung from a tree. >> joe watkins is here and an expert on race, ethnicity. >> good morning, alex. >> i'm going to begin with you, doctor. you told the new york times

about cain's use of race and self-depricating language. it makes the hair on my neck stand up. he uses a ser kind of minstrelsy to play to white audience. why is that? >> it seems that he's using race to gain a certain kind of credibility with certain audiences. in particular, his supporters who tend to be wealthy whites, the people who are supporting him financially. he came out just the other day and said he's a coke brother from another mother. >> uh-huh. >> that's the people he's playing to. >> okay. joe, your reaction to that? have you ever felt uncomfortable by something that cain has said? >> no. herman cain is the embodiment from the american dream.

his father was a show officer and his mother was a cleaning lady. he graduated from school and has been doing extraordinarily well in the presidency candidacy. what americans don't like and especially african-americans don't like is fairness. you've heard the phrase, what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. people like what he's saying and that he's an independent mind and his own person. >> your thoughts? >> the jury is still out on that one. there are a lot of people who don't like what he is saying, particularly the invocation of terms, like a high-tech lynching, which not only is disrespectful to the memory of people who were actually lynched in this country, but also, i think, says a lot about where we

are or are not in terms of racial progress in this country. herman cain has been successful, but there are a lot of other people, african-americans, who are not successful. >> and they are rooting for him. they are rooting for herman cain because the same thing is happening. the people accusing him were not anywhere two months ago, three months ago, or five months ago when herman cain was much lower in the polls. this week he's at 30% leading the pack of all of the candidates. this may be the reason why people are coming out of the woodwork with allegations that are not terribly specific. >> if he were a liberal democrat, would he be getting any less criticism about the way that he presents himself? does any of this stem from his policies? >> i think that it's problematic for anybody, on the left or the right, to use racial language, to invoke race-baiting time of

language. it doesn't matter what side of the spectrum that you are on. >> is it part of his personality, do you think? >> i don't think it's personality. he's actually quite charming and quite -- you know, people are gravitating to him for that reason. he's charming, charismatic. >> he is. >> but he also using language that is problematic for some people. >> okay. joe, let's do a hypothetical match-up in a general election. what do you think would happen to 95% of the black voters that backed the president is 2008? how do you think the scenario plays out? >> people would have to look clearly and closely at what he stands for and whether or not herman cain is somebody that puts americans back to work. when you consider the fact that 16, 17% of americans are not

working right now, a lot of people who voted for president obama in 2008 say, maybe i can give herman cain a chance so you can get back to work. >> guys, we are almost at the top of the hour. we will have you back to talk about this. a short break and we'll be right back with "weekends with alex witt." 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. the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building

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new threat to a report coming out on iran's nuclear weapons. could it push israel or the u.s. to make a military strike against that country. the cain controversy could be helping the candidate. jaycee dugard is going public. and a look at the broadcasting legend. good morning, welcome to

"weekends with alex witt." newt gingrich is the star of the show. herman cain addressed a crowd during a conservative conference on friday and alluded to the sexual harassment allegations surrounding him. >> you know, i've been in washington all week and i have attracted a little bit of attention. and that was an article in the new york times that has attempted to attract some more attention. you know, that's kind of what happens when you start to show up near or at the top of the polls. it just happens that way. >> well, according to a newark ton post, a news poll shows that 7 of 10 say it does not matter when it comes to picking a candidate. mitt romney also appeared at that same conference. he outlined his plan for

medicare. >> younger americans today, when they turn 65, should have a choice between traditional medicare and other private health care plans that provide at least the same level of benefits. competition will lower costs and increase the quality of health care. that's the answer for medicare. >> meanwhile, the democratic national committee has released a new web ad attacking romney and calls him out for changing his position over the years. gop candidates appeared including michele bachmann and rick santorum. newt gingrich was criticized for praising them. >> as your nominee, i will challenge barack obama to seven lincoln douglas debates of three

hours each with a time keeper and no moderator. i will concede that he can use a teleprompter. >> gingrich and herman cain and sexual allegations have not slowed down the nick and neck with mitt romney. cain has raked in $1.6 million in cash this week alone. joining me now is mark murray. good saturday morning. >> good morning, alex. >> where does this story go from here? do you think cain could emerge from this with a net positive

impact in terms of important fundraising? >> so far he's surviving that story. of course, the $1.6 million that he's raised, that newark ton abc poll, the fact that he rocked the house in washington, d.c., the question for herman cain is what does next week look like, the week after that. what is potentially damaging is every new detail that comes out in this story. that's what he has to consider. one other thing to note about cain is that the sexual harassment allegations are really the tip of the iceberg. he's been criticized for his 9-9-9 plan and whether or not his campaign is all that serious. he hasn't been in iowa or new hampshire. he spent all of his time in washington, d.c. >> okay. let's get to part of a voice message that i want to read. it was left for eye have a voters. here it is. rick perry is opposing a border fence and granting in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants. rick paerry is part of an

immigration problem. >> rick perry is their chief opponent. he has all of the millions of dollars is potentially the one that could catch fire and challenge romney for the duration of the primary season. what's very interesting about that town hall is that it appears that romney is starting to ramp up his iowa campaign. the question remaining with two months until the iowa caucuses, does mitt romney make a play for iowa, try to win this in january? if he ends up winning in iowa, it's over. winni winning in iowa clinching the nomination for him. what he does in iowa is one of the biggest stories to watch over the next few weeks. >> yeah. i'm going to ask our director jason to put up that poll again.

newt gingrich statistically tied with perry. is he gaining some traction and may he still make a play for this? >> there is a little boom for gingrich. that poll, also, he was well-received at last night's ronald reagan dinner compared to the rick santorum, rick perries, michele bachmann. his biggest problem is, he doesn't have the campaign infrastructure and doesn't have the money to be able to seize a book like that and it really does show how time flies. it was just a few months ago when his campaign left him being glittered by gay rights protesters, being criticized for abandoning paul ryan's budget plan. so time does end up healing a lot of wounds and has given him a second look. >> okay. we'll give you a third, fourth, and fifth look, mark murray, thanks. >> thanks, alex.

three of the big money headlines. fire your bank day, wal-mart super saturday and go silent. vera gibbons is joining us. >> it's bank transfer day, i could see this one coming. how many people are expected to get involved and dump their bank? >> the estimate is that tens and thousands are going to leave their bank and take their business to a credit union. i don't think we'll see as many people as expected because the whole controversy started over the monthly debit card fee. the banks are no longer charging that. when bank of america imposed this on consumers, 650,000 new customers went to a credit union. they saw a big surge in business. $4.5 billion in deposits and savings were put into this credit unions. they've already seen the big

boom. but we will see. today is the day. >> we will. >> walmart super saturday deals? >> let's get everything jump-started. >> yeah. >> starting today, all day today, in the stores and online, they are going to run specials on certain products that they have. they have certain products that they are offering specials on. this is one of the many initiatives that walmart is taking to appeal to consumers any way that they can. they have the facebook campaign, month-long online specials as a lead into black friday. they've got the lay away program if you go out and buy something from a competitor bring a receipt, they are all up to all sorts of initiatives. >> what about apple's new feature that recorded the mass

outages. >> no connectivity, wasn't able to connect to a network. wasn't able to do so. you saw griping going on. it only lasted five hours, though. so not the kind of outage that we've seen with the blackberries and it is in beta. it is work in progress. it is an important feature. it's one of apple's primary features. the server may have just been overloaded. people want to know, where can i go to dinner? what's the weather going to be like on sunday? >> it's fun. >> it is, indeed. >> thank you, vera. kidnapping victim, jaycee dugard, why she's speaking out. and the growing skeptism.

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to washington now, the so-called super committee has 18 days to come up with a budget for the deficit. a bipartisan group of 100 lawmakers sent a letter to the committee asking it to find $4 trillion in savings. i'm joined by democratic representative jim hines of connecticut. good morning. >> the contest in washington now is between, i think, a smaller

number of senators and congress people looking to remain in their ideological corners saying, we're not going to do this, we are not going to do that. a majority of the congress says we have an opportunity to do something big and great here to get our country's fiscal problem in order. in a world where everybody thinks that partisanship reins in washington, d.c., all saying let's work together for the big deal. >> that all makes sense but you're looking at 12 people who really have the power in their hands at this point. do you have any idea of the reception of your $4 trillion proposal? >> well, i happen to know that a substantial number of them are interested in doing -- the $4 trillion number is not made up. it's the number that congress is saying that we need to stabilize

our debt and deficit. that has to be the target or we'll be doing this again in a year or two. i think those guys realize it. remember, alex, it's not just the super committee. they need to introduce legislation and it needs to pass the house and senate with the majority. >> this week house speaker john boehner said, the mood is one of nervousness. how about you? do you think the committee is going to meet the deadline? because that's coming quick. and to do away and people are already looking for the trap door to create the trap door. look, the reality is, we should stand up and deal with this

problem. not just the 1.2 trillion. by the way, i think the super committee can do. the larger question is, can they do the whole enchilada? >> that's not a lot of time to get things done. high stakes politics, mitch mcconnell said, i'm now convinced that the president actually believes he would be benefited by the committee not succeeding because success would step on his story line that we can't do anything on a bipartisan basis. what's your reaction to that? >> you know, for a politician to say to another politician or to say publicly that this individual wants to put his personal interests ahead of the interest of the country is pretty tough words, especially from a guy, by the way, mitch mcconnell himself saying that his chief objective in the last

couple of years was to make sure that this was a one-term president. he's sitting in his political world and my hope is that he steps up and recognizes how very important it is that this super committee succeed. let's forget about the interests of our own re-election and get this job done for the american people. >> are you surprised by some of the republicans who signed? i mean, of those on the list, you have ron paul and others. >> you know, i was very surprised. i must tell you, i sort of expected those 100 names to live where i feel like i live in the congress, which is in the moderate tenuous center. we have peter welch and conservative people, and so you have people across the ideological spectrum, from right to left, saying, i'm willing to negotiate. i'm willing to be uncomfortable to solve this huge problem and i think that's a terrific thing. >> so that makes you optimistic? >> well, again, i'm optimistic

that they can get 1.2 trillion done by november 23rd. >> well, we'll hold you to that, then. thank you very much. jim himes, thank you. >> thank you. the embarrassing loud speaker malfunction that was impossible to keep secret. you're going to hear it for yourself. plus, great expectations. the new pregnancy rumors surrounding the couple. [ mom ] alright guys, play with your toys after dinner.

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well, the fate of michael jackson's personal doctor is now in the hands of the jury. they ended their first day of deliberations without reaching a verdict yesterday. they are set to resume deliberations on monday and are set to decide whether conrad murray is guilty of manslaughter. joining sme legal analyst lisa green. >> good morning. >> what are the instructions from the judge? >> extensive instructions from the judge about one count, involuntary manslaughter. it's sort of a damned if he did and damned if he didn't. he can be found guilty if he did something criminally negligent, administering propofol, not illegal, by the way, criminally negligent. and the other is failure to do something. and that's significant here because the prosecution put forth a laundry list of failures to act. not monitoring properly, for example, not calling 911 right away.

and any of those could lead the jury to find him guilty of this charge. >> by your description, damned if he did, damned if he didn't and one sin ghocingular count, surprised it's taking this long? >> not at all it would surprise me if the if it didn't take this long. >> let's assume an acquittal, he faces two civil cases. each one brought by one of jackson's parents. in addition, he'll have significant problems in various states where he's licensed. it's not just licensed in california but also in nevada and texas and each of the medical boards could launch and

will launch an investigation to see if you should keep those licenses. >> do you think it's entirely possible that he could lose his medical license and not practice any more? >> certainly not in california but even with an acquittal, those investigations can happen independently. >> an acquittal can come with just one dissenting opinion on that jury? >> it has to be unanimous. that's the high drama in these cases, alex. we don't know what the jury talked about yesterday. it would be fascinating to be a fly on the wall. and on monday to find out what the jury calls for, if any at all. it's their prerogative. >> nothing so far? >> nothing. that's the great beauty of the justice system. conrad murray's fate is in their system. >> i love that you can even interpret radio silence for us, lisa green. >> it's a mystery. >> as always, thank you. the herman cain controversy. and the new movie, is it a

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welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." a woman who is coming forward with sexual harassment allegations says she wants to stay out of the media. >> if the media choses to public hish publish her name, that's their business. she wishes that it not be published it. >> good morning, alex. >> now that new details have come forward, where does all of this stand? >> that's a good question. i don't think anyone can blame this woman for not wanting to come forward. she's married, moved on, it happened 12 years ago. but cain dodged a bullet yesterday.

because the one thing that could have really kept this story going is for this woman or one of the other women to come forward and identify precisely what it is that they believe he did and subject themselves to the question that anybody who makes sexual harassment allegations is inevitably subjected to. are there corroborating witnesses? did they complain? are their friends or colleagues who they talked to about this at the time all of those are in the context of the sexual harassment. they did not specify or the lawyer did not specify exactly what the inappropriate behavior or unwanted advances took place. it's hard to know how far this story can go because we have

cain's version of events. >> so you look at how it was in a drip, drip, drip releases and the media is fueling discussion of it. do you think, as you look at the polls and see the reaction, do you think that this is just over now? >> i don't know that it's over but it's notoriously difficult to predict how these sorts of stories play out. you remember, a lot of republicans were absolutely convinced and he obviously did. and others, not so much. i think that -- that's why i say, cain has given his version of events, conflicting at times. at the end of the day he denied that he did anything inappropriate or wrong.

and absent somebody coming forward and contradicting that, what we're left is unspecified allegations from anonymous accusers and i don't think that's ultimately going to sink his candidacy and do you think that one of the accusers may still come out? is there that likelihood? >> it's possible, but they didn't this week. and joel bennett was the one -- had the one client who seemed to be coming closest and he didn't do that. now, look, that said, there's still a lot of questions and

going into his campaign, ultimately the affiliated group, i think that could have more legs and in the long run than the sexual harassment stuff. >> okay. we shall see. you're usually right. thank you. let's go now to strategy talk. >> speaker dennis is here, and martin frost a. former democratic congressional campaign. good morning. >> good morning the ten-day window to prepare for this. media blitz, it was all over the map. do you think there was any discussion of a strategy in the campaign before this broke? >> well, it's very unclear.

if there was, they didn't resolve anything. he handled it very poorly in terms of making inconsistent statements. i tend to agree with michael. unless there is something more specific, and that's one of the women that comes forward and does an on-camera interview and start circulating around, he probably dodges this bullet but didn't handle it very well. he has implications for other crisis. and if something else comes up, something serious he has to deal with. and because of the accusers, we don't want to blow up our and

people who are out to get him. he blamed it out of conspiracy. instead of going right to the facts, and this is a maneuver by another campaign to try to take him down. the key right now for him is that it's a one-sided argument. he's the only one talking about it. he doesn't have a face of an accuser, a voice of an accuser. the only thing that he did wrong, he kept talking about it and he was in washington. iowa, new hampshire, got back on the campaign trail and would have ignored these accuse irs and tried to get the oxygen out of the room that is on fire do you think that could actually be appealing to some voters?

>> i think many republican primary voters see him as a nonpolitician and that's why they are supporting him right now. they look at him and when he started contradicting himself, he started losing the credibility. now the republican primary polls that we've seen in the last two, i think they still have him extremely up and i think once you have one of these women out there with a face and a name, there could be damage. he's wasted a week beyond getting good fundraising. >> no president can keep making rookie mistakes. that's what happened to rick perry. he wasn't ready for primetime. he made a bunch of rookie

mistakes. the same thing will happen to cain if he doesn't get his act together. you can't have a disorganized campaign that isn't going to deal with serious issues in an orderly way. >> do you think the timing of this, were this to happen in a general election, martin would be talking with a much different tone? >> maybe. this is a serious primary. everyone knows that i believe obama will be re-elected. and everyone knows that it's vulnerable. what happens right now, it's serious, has consequences, the republicans have a legitimate chance of winning this race. they have to sort it out and get a candidate that doesn't fall on his face. >> to both of you very quickly, do you expect the posing candidates to use this against herman cain? >> i think they better be very careful inside the republican primary. the question is whether the

national enquirer or some other nonmainstream media actually can break the story wide open and that can still happen. >> ron, your thoughts? >> i don't necessarily think that president obama is going to win. back on herman cain, i think that it's very wise for a republican candidate to stay away from this. herman cain bass doing the damage all on his own. don't touch with t with a ten-foot pole. mitt romney is the winner out of all of this. he stayed quiet this whole week and he's doing just fine. >> kind of his m.o. >> thank you, gentlemen. >> thank you. >> so will herman cain's campaign survive this controversy? i'll be reading some of these tweets a bit later this morning. in our weekend recall, school administrators are red-faced following a loud speaker malfunction in the middle of the night in florida. a reporter from an affiliate in ft. myers explains that even

fans of michael jackson's music were annoyed. >> reporter: billie jean was no one's lover at 1:00 a.m. this morning. residents who lived near the football stadium got an earful all night. >> there was silence for five, ten minutes and than i think it's done and then everything starts back over. >> we are having difficulties with the p.a. system. >> reporter: school administrators addressed students when class began at 7:00 a.m. officials told us that the p.a. system is new and this is about working out the kinks. but it's not what neighbors looking for shut-eye want to hear. >> like the music, don't get me wrong, but we've got to sleep. >> oh, that was reporter josh

repp. there is growing buzz over the possibility of a british bun in the oven and an bun of the royal kind. there is speculation that she may be pregnant after she refused a peanut paste. pregnant woman, of course, are not supposed to eat peanuts due to an allergy of the unborn child. >> it's to make sure that the line of succession is secured. he's married the love of his life and they have both said that they want children. look, it's going to happen. it's a question of when. i think next year, 2012, it's hugely significant. they will play a central role in that. and perhaps after all of the celebrations in the summer, then they may be way waiting to the scottish hills and babies may be on their mind. >> well, all of this baby gossip

comes after the recent changes in laws of the succession. for the first time in over 300 years a first-born princess could be born to the heir of the british throne. police call this the dancing shoplifter and how police helped that to their advantage to put him behind bars. so i took my heartburn pill and some antacids. we're having mexican tonight, so another pill then? unless we eat later, then pill later? if i get a snack now, pill now? skip the snack, pill later... late dinner, pill now? aghh i've got heartburn in my head. [ male announcer ] stop the madness of treating frequent heartburn. it's simple with prilosec otc. one pill a day. twenty-four hours. zero heartburn. no heartburn in the first place. great. ♪

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caught dancing, new information about a suspect that police are calling the dancing shoplifter. he was tracked down in new jersey with the help of a video. he stuffed a dress under his shirt. police are able to make an arrest after they posted a video on the internet and were given tips as to his identity. many americans have suffered from both the financial crisis and wall street fraud.

what if you still had to work for the person who stole your life savings? that is the premise of the new movie "tower heist" but is it a must see or a must avoid. >> when they went after frank ken stein? >> no, they took everything back, like the futile lords. >> i'm in. >> i'm in. >> well, now we're undefeatable, aren't we? >> let's get the latest details now from entertainment reporter dawn. >> good morning. >> thumbs up or must see must avoid? >> thumbs up for eddie murphy. the movie is okay as a whole. it's about a bunch of building workers trying to get their money back from this bernie madoff-type character. but eddie murphy absolutely steals the show. this is vintage eddie murphy. it's not the eddie murphy of

recent years like a friendly dr. dolittle. it's awesome. go see this movie. as a side note he's teaming up for the oscar's this coming year i have to say, watching the trailers, i'm cracking up. we've got to tell people just want to let everyone know that we're glad you like it. any way, let's get to santa claus, who had a very unholy night. >> clear.

>> wow glchlt must see, must avoid? >> must avoid unless you're a big fan of the franchise already. we see harold is all grown up, got answer job and married. kumar, on the other hand, is still a screw up. he's gotten kicked out of medical school and shows up at his friend's door. as a whole, unless you like it, skip it. >> lindsay lohan's "playboy shoot, what about that? >> if things were not bad enough, they want a reshoot. they were not happy with the pictures that they already took, the party line to lohan's people is they wanted to go in another direction. she's fulfilling this obligation

before she heads back to jail next week before violating her violation yet again. >> there's another must avoid. the sex of the baby that she's expecting? >> yes. let's hope that they have a strong enough friendship to weather this big whoops. she absolutely revealed that beyonce and jay-z are having a little girl. it's happy news but probably what they want to reveal for themselves. >> remember, jack black did that for angelina and brad? >> yes. you're going to get an extra night of sleep tonight. that starts at 2:00 a.m. so before you go to bed, change your clock. [ male announcer ] cranberry juice? wake up!

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jaycee dugard is reaching out to victims of trauma. she was held captive for 18 years. the couple who took her are now serving life sentences. she's appearing in a public service announcement. >> hi, this is jaycee dugard. just ask yourself to care. if you see something that looks wrong or amiss, speak out. >> dugard's foundation is helping people with traumatic abduction experiences. there are new reports this morning that the u.s. is concerned about a possible military attack by israel. on iran's nuclear facilities. there are several sites involved in a nuclear program which they claim is not for building a nuclear weapon.

a new report is due out next week which is expected to detail weapons-related activity by iran. joining me from washington is joe, and with a good morning to you, okay, you have to warnonde about the time frame here. how soon do you think -- we'll go first to israel. how soon might an attack happen? >> well, israel itself is deeply divided over this issue. half of the israel public oppose a military strike on iran. you have a leading israel paper today, editor yellizing how it would start a new war. you have another former intelligence official warning that it could have severe consequences for 100 years, he claims, and send the whole region in turmoil and the whole economy into a tailspin. you're seeing the israeli officials using this talk with

iran not to actually precede a strike but to increase pressure on western countries, particularly, the united states, to take new sanctions on iran. it's war talk but economic purpose. >> what about the iaea report out this week? what do you think it's going to sh show? >> on wednesday we'll probably see a report that will, for the first time, publicly acknowledge information that's been out for several years. proving that iran actually was doing some work on warhead design. some explosive tests, computer modeling. we believe the u.s. intelligence believes that iran ended an active nuclear weapons program back in 2003 and some work has continued. that's what the iaea report will show. caution here, this does not mean that iran is close to a nuclear weapon. most experts believe that iran is at least one to three years away from the capability of building a nuclear weapon if

they decided to do so, no indication that they've made that decision yet. >> yeah, but one to three years away, that's still pretty close. >> that is pretty close. iran is definitely a threat and that's why you'll probably see the u.s. and other countries call for sanctions. you'll see a board of governor's meeting. probably u.n. security council resolution. they can work, they can put pressure on iran if, if they are coupled with increased diplomatic engagement. you've got to give a more way out. sanctions alone have not only a negotiated settlement can do that. most experts believe that this would not end the iran program. it might actually accelerate it. >> joe, what do you think is the tipping point for there actually being a strike by israel?

>> if there is evidence that iran is actually preceding to increased significantly the quantity of uranium, the actual material for a bomb, right now iran has the potential to build a nuclear weapon if it were to engage in a crash program to take its uranium and enrich it to weapons grade. this would take at least six months, at least six months for iran to actually have the material and additional time to build the warhead. that's the basis that most experts claim. we would probably see that happening. if we saw that happening, then i would get worried about a military strike. until then, it's more talk than a precursor to action. >> okay. joe, thanks very much for a sobering chat. appreciate that. >> my pleasure, alex. firing your bank. that's the call for some people that is catching on. new remarkable statistics about the holiday shopping season. just how many people are out there looking for the bargains.

the president versus the gop. new numbers that could suggest a winning strategy. it's all next on "weekends with alex witt." ♪ ♪ [ multiple sounds making melodic tune ] ♪ [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, every innovation, every solution, comes together for a single purpose --

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the sleep number bed. only at one of our 400 sleep number stores, where queen mattresses start at just $699. after a rouch rough week, remembering a broadcasting legend, the work of andy rooney. plus, don't buy american? goods in the usa could be bad for the country. good morning, everyone. welcome to weekends with alex witt. it's 8:00 a.m. out west. we go to politics. one of the women who has accused cain of sexual harassment. joining me now is mike vi.

>> reporter: well, yesterday herman cain's accuser's lawyer, joel bennett, appeared before reporters and said that herman cain knows very well the specific incidents in a complaint filed by his client against herman cain in 1999 regarding sexual harassment. but he says his client -- this individual has been married for 29 years. she and her husband do not want any more public exposure. she is not going to publicly speak about this in public. the question now is, alex, can the cain campaign survive this controversy? early friday, herman cain got a rousing. >> i've been in washington all week and i've attracted a little bit of attention. >> but by later in the day, the lawyer for one of cain's the accusers says there's little doubt of the front-runner's guilt. >> the fact that there is

multiple complaints tells me that it's more likely than not that there was some sexual harassment activity by this man at that time. >> that came at the sexual harassment and acknowledging a statement that a complaint of sexual harassment was in fact filed in 1999 against cain. current ceo don sweeny saying, the association mr. bennett's claim subsequently entered into an agreement to resolve the matter without any further agreement. >> mr. cain knows the specific incidents that were alleged. my client filed a written complaint in 1999 against him specifically and it had very specific incidents in it. if he choses to not remember or acknowledge those, that's his

issue. >> don't even bother asking me all of these other questions. >> the incidents have are varied but by thursday he issued a flat denial. >> sean, this is absolutely fabrication, man, i don't know what else to say. how many more ways can i say, this stuff is totally fabricated. >> there are reports that cain could survive politically. four times the monthly average. in a statement, the cain campaign turned the page and said that we look forward to look at the real issues impacting this country, like fixing the broken economy and putting things back to work in the 9-9-9 plan. and cain is tied with mitt romney. 70% of republican voters say that this scandal, this

controversy, doesn't matter to them when they are deciding who to vote for when it comes to the primary or general election. >> make, thanks. let's take a look at the other political stories making headlines for you. several of the candidates took the stage at the iowa gop reagan dinner. getting much of the attention and applause was newt gingrich. >> i'm really proud of my colleagues who have been here tonight. each of them brings unique character. i am here with very fine competitors but no opponent. we only have one opponent. that's barack obama. >> rick perry, michele bachmann and ron paul appeared. >> the answer to this mess in

washington, d.c., is not the status quo or tinkering around the edges. we've got to stop the big spending. >> iowa is strong across the country and you've been a wonderful host to each of us who are presidential candidates. >> the reporters asked me if i'm tired. i said, heck no. i'm energied. i'm energied by going out and talking to the great people of iowa. herman cain appeared and cain critics have been going after the financial and political ties after the duo. >> just so i can clarify the media, this may be a breaking news announcement for the media. i am the coke brother's mother from another mother.

yes. i'm that brother from another mother and proud of it. >> for each program that we have in the government, i'm going to look at it one by one, i'm going to ask this question. is this program so critical, so essential that we should borrow money from china to pay for it? >> rick perry's wife spoke to reporters that her husband's new headquarters and commented on the allegations surrounding rival candidate herman cain. >> i can't judge mr. cain. you know, you read it on the internet. rick and i read it at the same time about the allegations. you know, i don't know anything about that. i can't speak to that. >> and hoarse a look at gop candidates' candidates' ron paul is in north a dakota and ron paul in

minnesota and gingrich and cain in texas later on this evening. since romney and cain skipped the event, rick perry was able to steal the event. good morning, carrie. >> reporter: hi there, alex. rick perry has wrapped up a few days here in iowa. he was doing retail politics, stopping at coffee shops and boutiques, shaking hands and just finished up here at the annual reagan dinner of the iowa republican party. now, he gave a speech where he opened up, talking about how the entire republican party as a whole is launching a project called, occupy the white house. he won some wins with that rick perry has been struggling in the polls but talking to his folks today, they were very

enthusiastic that they have an opening and they are going to make a big push going forward. back to you. >> thank you very much. three occupy wall street protesters are in the hospital this morning. they were hit by a car last night during the protests on the street in d.c. the protesters ran toward or jumped in front of that moving vehicle. their injuries are not life threatening. the driver of the vehicle will not be charged. today's moving day for angry americans looking to strike a blow against banks. it's called fire your bank day. the grass roots movement has marked the phase for the customers to close their accounts and transfer their money for the for pro fit and nonprofit banks. they helped shoot down plans to charge debit card fees. we're going to talk with one economist about the potential impact of this movement. a major loss this morning.

legendary commentary andy rooney has died. the 92-year-old died last night after complications from minor surgery. he had the words for 32 years on "60 minutes." >> i'm a writer who reads what he's written. i wish i could do this forever. i can't, though. >> rooney announced last month he would no longer appear regularly on "60 minutes," following his 1,000th essay on the show. we're on verdict watch in the involuntary shans lawsuit sister case manslaughter case. the jury deliberations resume monday. let's get to the weather now where people in southern california may be waking up to an unfamiliar site. snow. yep. you're going to see the pictures

to prove it. it's falling in the mt. laguna area, about an hour or so east of san diego. what can you expect outside today? bill karins has these details. good morning, bill. >> since the october snowstorm, it hasn't rain since then. we're going to stay very tranquil in the east coast the green shows you where the rain and snow is. the four corner region near utah and colorado. we have rain overnight in areas in phoenix. it's starting to clear out. same for you in tucson. all of the moisture is heading up into the mountainous areas where we have winter storm warnings and advisories in many of the mountainous areas in utah, colorado, and northern arizona. it will head up on the border of north dakota and montana. that's where we pick up snow

into your monday. some of the mountainous areas could get over 6 inches. it's a light snow event. sunshine from much of the east coast, kansas city, minneapolis, no complaints. areas in san francisco are damp. showers continue from san francisco to l.a. maybe a thunderstorm or two in the area of texas or oklahoma. in general, it's a thumb's up for many of us. hope you can get out and enjoy the warm, mild weather while it lasts. back to you, alex. >> thank you, bill karins. will herman cain's campaign survive the sexual harassment allegations? one economist says it's not a good policy to buy american. it could hurt the u.s. more in the long run. we'll explain all of that and more here on "weekend's with alex witt."

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will herman cain's campaign survive this controversy? cain can run and use money and power to cover it up but can't hide from the real truth. with this controversy, his campaign wouldn't have survived any way. the cane campaign will survive the candle. and the accuser remain quiet, which likely isn't considering

financial inducements. just so you know, that wasn't president obama responding on the screen. it's a labor of american pride but some economists are saying, who cares. people should buy things where they are cheapest because that frees up resources to buy other things. i'm joined by david henderson from stanford university. good morning, david. >> good morning. i always feel great when i buy usa. are you telling me i shouldn't? >> yes. >> and the reason -- well, the reason is that if you're trying to help americans, including -- and you are an american, so including yourself, the best way to do it is to buy it where cheapest or highest quality and if that happens to be in america, great. if not, so what? it frees up your resources to buy other things. the history -- one of the big parts of the history in the

improvement of human kind is including across borders and if it's good to buy american or california and stick to california? if it's good to buy california, why not buy palo alto. you work your way down to your block and to you to self-sufficiency where you probably starve. the whole idea is that trade gives us more options, makes us wealthier and everyone benefits. that's just a weird view of this economist that's what we teach our students. >> you hear the buy american and buy chevrolet and import cars, what happens to detroit and the

rest of it and toyotas competition in detroit made their cars better and american jobs before supporting manufacturers over easies? >> we're losing american jobs and we free up because we're getting it cheaper. we buy other things that americans produce. it's really not a matter of job losing. it's a matter of job switching. >> can i give another example? >> go ahead. give the example. >> okay. so we could buy american coffee. >> right. >> but we don't because if we were to say let's buy american coffee, it would be two to three times as expensive because it would have to be in hot houses.

why don't we? it's too expensive but it's the same principle with cars and everything. >> what do you make of this 500 bank day, transferring your credit from a for-profit bank to a credit union? do you think it's a good idea? >> don't really know but i'm a fan of choice. that's fine with me 689 that is the great thing about economic freedom. people get to make those choices. >> okay. i've got to go back to this buy american mantra. you've been quoted assaying that ending sweat job labor is bad for the people that work there. why is it bad and what are the consequences of shutting down sweat shops? >> i want to point out that the one exception is if there are slaves. it's good to shut those things down. but the vast majority of those working in sweat shops are there voluntarily. that's telling us that they think those jobs are the best

that they can find. the difficulty that most americans have with sweat shops is they say, i wouldn't work there. of course they wouldn't. they have better opportunities. but no one is offering a green card to all of those people in honduras or china or whatever. they are taking their best option of a bunch of what we would see as lousy options and if you take away a person's best option, that person is worst off. the person who tries to get you fired is not your friend. >> interesting discussion, david henderson of the hoover institute. i'd love to take a class from you but you went to usc and i'm having trouble getting over the painful game. >> i went to ucla for my ph.d. >> oh, really? so you and i will not get along at all. but we will on tv. thanks, david. >> thanks, alex. the fact or fiction behind rick perry's flat tax proposal. a big change in the military

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a new survey with holiday numbers. it tells us what consumers will be buying and how much we will be spending. i'm joined by msnbc vera gibbons. some of these numbers are surprising. >> they, it's surprising that we are spending what we are considering where we are economically. 47% spending over $500 and 37% spending more than $700. 38% of people according to this study, have actually started

their holiday shopping. a large percentage will start around black friday and then a few start just before the holidays. there's still a few procrastinators out there. i know how much you hate shopping. >> i really do. >> this is ak0rding to a market research firm that just came out with these. >> where are people shopping? because i haven't seen many people out? >> they are out there. 66% are shopping online. and a lot of people -- that's where the action is. and we're also going to malls. that's not that surprising but the surprising part is that only 8% of us plan to shop via catalog. i still like the l.l. bean catalog but i guess people are

going online in lieu of the catalog. cot red happeneded with his dancing shoes on on camera. it's the dancing shoplifter. he was tracked down in new jersey with the help of a video. he was caught dancing with a kmart store before stuffing a dress down his shirt. it seems like for every anti-aging problem, there's a different cream. i challenge that with olay. i've found one cream with everything i'm looking for... olay total effects. with 7 age defying effects in just one, easy to use cream. i've swapped to all-in-one total effects. why don't you swap too? who needs internet? hotspot $5! [ indistinct conversations ]

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shift to a training and advisory role as soon as next year and that could speed up troop withdrawals. with a good day to you, atia, what are you hearing about the possibility of bringing troops home earlier? >> well, when you talk to the military here in afghanistan, they are going head and head right now and that's to continue the fight in afghanistan, continue the combat mission and train the forces to take over in 2014. the planned combat withdrawal date. right now what is possibly being discussed in the white house is considered the counterterrorism report, which requires less boots on the ground targeting certain insurgents at their own areas and compounds. but what we see is the counter insurgency plan, a plan that

really protects the population and wins the hearts and mind. if we look back in 2009, the counterterrorism approach was backed by joe died biden but didn't take shape. it seems as though the white house is possibly talking about that plan that didn't take place in 2009 and wanting it to take place fairly soon. >> you know, atia, a couple of things. it seems like it's a double-edged sword. >> are people who want the americans in there to keep peace and maintain things but yet they don't want the presence and want to be told to be autonomous. >> that's a really good object ser vags.

you will talk to people who are tired of the fighting and then you see people who have seen infrastructure and safety taking place. many say, don't leave us. if you leave us, the taliban will come back and security will persist in afghanistan. but this causes a big problem when it comes to the afghans and international -- i'm sorry. the americans and internationals here because right now they are confused on how to make their way forward. we've been in afghanistan for over ten years now in 2001 primarily the americans and international community was welcomed with open arms. ten kbreers later, many afghans are very frustrated. >> atia, thank you for that come

comprehensive report. president obama is returning from cannes. he steered his public comments to domestic issues, namely, unemployment. it showed positive numbers and yet growth is still too slow. a new word from vice president joe biden for stone walling the president's jobs plan. the vice president asks the american public to step up pressure on republicans. >> we're going to continue to act on our own and make the changes that we can, to bring relief to middle class families and those aspiring to get in the middle class. it's simple. we refuse to take no for an answer. that's why the president and i need your help, to tell the senators to step up tell them to

stop worrying about their jobs and start worrying about yours. >> and then scott brown said democrats are playing politics. >> it's the only that has the majority in the house and senate and endorsed by the president. so the decision rests with the majority leader harry reid. are we going to do something for the american people or are we going to let politics win out again? >> and meantime, next tuesday, the president heads to the battle ground state of pennsylvania but the white house says it's not a campaign trip. this morning we have the first independent assessment of texas governor rick perry's flat tax proposal. he says his plan would reduce taxes and create jobs. we'll look at the details found. it's more complicated than that. a perfect subject to start today's edition of fact or fiction. good morning, christina. >> good morning, alex. >> let's start off with the flat

tax assessment. here's the question. fact or fiction. 40% of u.s. households would see taxes increase and 40% would see a degrees under the plan by governor rick perry. >> that's a fact, according to this study here. should rick perry be a nominee, it will get heavy krit stichl from the democrats. they say, we need to help the poor, the lower middle class, and certainly when you have the democratic party and president obama saying the wealthiest should pay more taxes, this is the exact opposite of their plan. perry is right when he says that it should flatten the tax system and whether orot you file taxes but that's a much bigger

question and you can manipulate those numbers any way thaw at y want in an attack ad. >> the state ranked 47th in the nation for job growth. is that fact or fiction? >> that's fact. governor romney often talks about his record. governor perry talks about his record and when you -- it's all about sort of comparison, sort of what kinds these were. governor romney was governor of massachusetts years ago and, yes, his state is performing a little better in the nation right now because we're in a bad economic situation. a lot of the jobs are minimum wage jobs. they are due to population growth, not necessarily something that he's done that is so brilliant. each of these governors are going to talk about this as they campaign here, talk about their record of creating jobs, particularly because they are running against president obama because they have a much tougher

time with the unemployment numbers and that's what voters will decide on next november. >> here's an interesting fact or fix regarding the president. his policies stopped job losses. is that fact or fiction? >> i have a little bit of trouble with the word fact. that is true. and i think that you can -- >> factish? >> you can look at the numbers. it is a fact and you can look at the numbers and say, yes, the trend is this but now it's this. the unemployment situation is bad and it's much harder for the president to make an argument that it could have been much worse if i had an ex and he famously got briefed right after he won the presidency, which was three years ago last night, and he got this briefing a three years later saying that we're headed for serious economic trouble. voters are tired of hearing him say that and want to see more results. they are in a very difficult position. i think the number that you will hear a lot in the attack ads is

the month that there were zero jobs created. that's what congress is hitting the president on. is it going to get better and the jobs report that we got was better than expected. that's what the house is really counting on. >> okay. i'm out of time. give me a one-word answer here. fiction or fact? both romney and perry's promise that on day one as president that they will sign as enex tif order to wipe out president? >> that's fiction. michele bachmann is true in this, that you need to have congressional action and it's not as easy as signing an executive order. >> that makes sense. appreciate it. >> thanks. have a great weekend. >> you, too. tomorrow, "meet the press," jon huntsman. if it's sunday it's "meet the press." check your local listing for the time. this is speculation of a

brit tissue bun in the oven. chapman bell is live from london. with a good saturday morning to you, let's talk about the buzz there. how much of the talk is the talk of the town in london? >> alex, there have been so many rumors about this royal couple. remember all of the speculation? first about the engagement and then the wedding and all of the details about the wedding dress. now there's a new royal rumor and this new rumor is being sparked by something small. peanuts. she's still the newest jewel in the british crown but how long will it stay that way. there are rumors that kate is carrying an heir to the throne. on a visit to copenhagen, william and kate were offered a taste of a protein paste. one given to starving children in africa. three royals indulged but kate

declined. >> william had some, passed to kate and gave her this look and she passed it on. >> but it contains peanuts, a food pregnant women are discouraged to eat due to possible links with al letter sees in the unborn child. later they admitted that kate does not have a nut allergy. they went baby wild and then there is this. while at a st. james reception, rumors began to speculate when kate declined champagne and drank water instead. >> it was a clear liquid, we think it's water. of course, as well as the peanut incident in copenhagen, of course, speculation is going wild. >> rumors about the royal household are not uncommon and due to recent change in the laws of succession, for the first time in over 300 years, a firstborn princess would be heir

to the throne, even if they had a younger brother. >> for them to become parents. so speculation is always at fever pitch. >> book keys in london are slashing their odds for a royal baby announcement in the coming months. some are closing the books all together. but for now all eyes will stay on kate for an owe fifficial announcement to the next royal throne. >> the palace warns not to read too much into it. but it's certain that many cannot wait for the baby to be the next chapter in this royal romance. >> we'll figure it out soon enough. chapman bell, thanks so much. it is that time of year again. daylight savings time ends tomorrow at 2:00 a.m. before you go to bed, set your clocks back one hour and enjoy that one extra hour of sleep.

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it's time now for the big three. three topics and talkers. we're looking at 2011 mood swings. the toughest competition is herman cain's wild week. i'm joined by erin and msnbc contributor, joy-ann reed. hello to all of you. >> hello. >> here we start with the mood of america in the 12 swing states that could be deciding the election. we have 60% of the voters saying that they are not better off than they were three years ago. 37% saying that they are. how much trouble does this spell

for the president? >> well, as you know, it's one year away from election day. and we are also one year removed from the mid--term election which people forget and the numbers were, in plane cases, worse a year ago for the midterm. is he in trouble? yes. but he has a whole year to recover and that means that he can make up a lot of ground between now and then. >> okay. joy-ann would be it you be unprecedent? >> we're at the kind of levels of unemployment that we are at now where barack obama is in trouble. the gallup poll in august showed that he was case can the president make to the voters in the swing states and how can you argue that the voters should stick with him for a second term? >> well, i think because -- >> actually, i'm going to let joe get that one. although, you wonder why because

he's the republican. but i'm going to let you weigh in on that one, joe. >> sure. i think the president will continue to make the case to the american people that he's not the reason for this mess and i think a lot of americans don't blame him for the trouble that they have. the buck stops at the oval office so he has a responsibility to make it. the case that he's making to the republicans is he fixing it and fixing it fast enough? i'm not sure that the economy is going to turn enough for him to make that case. >> okay. let's look at the challenge of the top gop contenders there posing for the president. according to the usa and gallup, president obama and romney would be at a head-to-head match up. is this good news or great news for the romney campaign? >> it's great news. he's the most electable of any republicans and republican

voters badly want to beat president obama. and when you have someone like romney who is tied with obama whereas none of the other republicans are, that helps them make their case. >> okay. and to that extend, joy-ann, with the other 45% and overall how strong is the perry camp? >> most americans are paying some attention to it, but people are just looking at them as sort of generic. until it's one of them who is being defined by the obama campaign. for rick perry, because he has money, he has time to improve his image among republican voters. >> and joe, if we put the matchup between the president and herman cain, he does a little than rick perry, the numbers 48% to 46%. should the white house and other democrats view cain as a serious threat, joe? >> they should, because herman cain has real legs. he was at the bottom of the pack in the beginning of all this

republican presidential campaign. and now he's somebody who is staying at the top of the pack. he's either one or two in almost every poll. this week, he's at 30% followed by mitt romney, who is a strong candidate, who is seven points behind. >> we'll talk about cain after the break and ask you who had the best and worst week in washington. stay with us, everyone. we'll have more right here in a moment. oh,♪ fe ]hobrrry gl

it's time to rate the week in politics whochlt had the best week and who should believe glad this week's over. so if you voted for who had the best week in politics, joe, who's it? >> herman cain. he's at the top of the polls.

everybody is talking about him. they're looking at all the policies he's talking about, his 9-9-9 plan, where he stands on all the issues. it's done wonders for his name and doing very well in the polls. >> yeah, okay, if being accused of sexual harassment is good. any way, erin, who do you think had the best week? >> i don't think very many politicians had a very good week, but i would think newt gingrich had the best week. >> he is moving up in the polls, that's for sure. joanne? >> i'm going to give mitt romney the best week in politics because everyone ignored him. any time people are ignoring mitt romney, it's a good week. >> that seems to be his m.o. he flies under the radar and stays slow and steady. okay, let's get to the worst week in politics.

joe, who do you think? >> herman cain because of these nagging allegations. it's no fun of course to have your campaign be about whether or not you did something 15 years ago or not. so from that stand point, it was a tough week for him, but he managed to survive. >> i guess my wisecrack earlier, i'm sorry. >> no problem. >> erin, worst week? >> i also have to go with herman cain. to joe's point earlier, you know, as far as polls are concerned, yes, he's still at the top, but sometimes these allegations take a week to cycle through. i don't know if we'll be seeing him at the top in a week or so. worst week, herman cain. >> joanne? >> the herm-inator. everybody was talking about his 9-9-9 problems. >> okay, that's a wrap, everyone, of "weekends with alex

wi witt." i'll be looking for you tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. but don't forget, set your clocks back an hour. stay with us, breaking news as it happens. again, we'll see you tomorrow morning, 10:00 a.m. eastern time. have a good one. the employee of the month is... spark card from capital one. spark cash gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. it's hard for my crew to keep up with 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. 2% cash back. that's setting the bar pretty high. thanks to spark, owning my own business has never been more rewarding. [ male announcer ] introducing spark the small business credit cards from capital one. get more by choosing unlimited double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? this guy's amazing. yeah, i toog nyguil bud i'm stild stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't un-stuff your nose. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your stuffy nose. [ deep breath ] thank you! that's the cold truth!

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