we're going to look at his potential to shake things up. and 8 1/2 years after shock and awe, the u.s. war in iraq has finally come to an end. what does it mean for iraq and america's men and women in uniform? we'll explore the questions. hi, everybody. i'm thomas roberts. we get straight to it. the countdown to the iowa caucuses, 19 days. and tonight marking the final republican debate before those iowans go to the polls to decide. members of the gop establishment are having their say, some raising real concerns about a gingrich nomination. but former republican candidate rudy giuliani said -- >> who makes the closer connection to the reagan democrats? mitt romney? or newt who can talk to them? newt, who comes from them to a very, very large extent?

>> joining me now, democratic strategist and msnbc contributor, crystal ball and robert trainham. crystal, robert, what is your reaction to giuliani's opinion that romney is more of an elitist than gingrich? >> mayor giuliani has interesting points. as someone that ran for president in 2008, he does have some perspective. however, at the end of the day, when you look at the tendency of overall republican voters, they want president obama defeated no matter who the republican nominee is going to be. if in fact mitt romney is going to be the nominee which i think he's very much in the driver's seat over this, the republican establishment will get behind mitt romney just because he is the anti-obama, regardless of whether or not he's a, quote, unquote, moderate or not, especially if mitt romney picks a tea partier as his running mate. >> is this a tricky argument, that the two candidates don't

want to get in a tit for tat? >> it's not a good argument for either one of them to make. but if you pick the plutocrat out of the two, it's not a slam dunk that mitt romney is the stronger general election candidate. romney's been slow and steady in the primary race. he's basically stayed right at 20% to 25%. if he's slow and steady in the general election, he doesn't win. if newt gingrich can sow a little chaos, that might be what the republicans need in order to pull off a victory in 2012. >> let's continue with this narrative. romney is trying to paint gingrich as an elitiselitist. he made the tiffany's reference several times yesterday. >> he's a very wealthy man. if you have $500,000 much from tiffany's, you're not a middle class american. as for him trying to reference a

$10,000 rhetorical bet, the speaker probably shouldn't be talking about that given a $500,000 bill at tiffany's. >> robert, these are both wealthy guys here. can either of them convince middle america that they will only fight not just for the wealthy but going to fight for them, too? >> sure. they can certainly make that argument. the question becomes whether or not the independents in the battleground states will buy something like that. republicans for the most part are going to vote for the republican candidate. hard-core democrats are going to vote for president obama. it's the independents in the swing states that matter. the question becomes whether or not those independents feel much more comfortable with a mitt romney or newt gingrich or with a president obama from a fiscal economic standpoint. >> i think it's not their background so much that's the issue. if you look at newt gingrich's economic plan, he wants to give the top .1% a $2.3 million tax cut while giving nothing to the lower 20%. those are the sorts of issues

that are going to be brought out in a general election. president obama can make a very strong case that this is not a person who's looking out for the interest of the middle class. >> take a look at what romney is trying to say about gingrich. the word he's using now to define him. >> za sni is nny is not what wea president. zany is great in a campaign. it's great on talk radio. it's great in the print. it makes for fun reading. but in terms of a president, we need a leader. >> crystal, we were talking about the debates you're going to be watching tonight. normally you live tweet so it's fun to follow you. do you expect more of these digs to be rising to the surface tonight, especially aimed right at newt gingrich? >> i think gingrich will be very much under attack. i also expect to see ron paul to be under attack in a way that he hasn't been because he's been rising in the polls in iowa. but mitt romney had this

above-the-fray plan, right? he was the one, he was the inevitable nominee. now we're seeing he's having to do more tv interviews. he's really having to mix it up and get a little bit nasty. >> but it's a larger point. what mitt romney is trying to do is speak to the narrative that a lot of republican elites here in washington are already talking about. that is that newt gingrich is not necessarily stable. he flip-flops back and forth. he says whatever he thinks. he is a brilliant tactician but when it comes to actually being somewhat of a tempered frame of mind, that's not the newt gingrich. that's what mitt romney is speaking to here. >> the flip-flopping argument is a tough one for mitt romney to make. >> let's talk more about gingrich. the national review, a conservative journal, says gingrich is not a leader. and in an editorial is saying, quote, gingrich has always says he wants to transform the country, he appears unable to transform or even govern himself, he should be an adviser to the republican party but not, again, its head. others in d.c. have made this argument gingrich should be

involved in the party somehow but not as the leader. is this something to think about, potential vice presidential candidacy material here? >> for newt gingrich as vice presidential material? >> yeah. >> absolutely not, for the reasons that i just mentioned a few moments ago. what you want in a vice president is someone that's going to toe the party line, that's going to speak the talking points, that's going to be very disciplined. that's the antithesis of a newt gingrich. >> the problem is that 75% of the republican electorate is not satisfied with this field of candidates and they're really not comfortable with mitt romney. so they're saying, this guy's got problems but what's the alternative? >> thank you both for joining me today. appreciate it. >> thank you. nearly nine years after shock and awe ushered in the dramatic start of the iraq war, the unpopular middle eastern conflict is drawn to a quiet close. earlier this morning, defense

secretary leon panetta declared an end to the war in a solemn tribute honoring the servicemen and women who gave to the cause. >> to all of the men and women in uniform today, your nation is deeply indebted to you. your dedication, your commitment to this mission has been the driving force behind the remarkable progress that we've seen here in baghdad and across this country. >> in recent months, dozens of military bases around the country have been closed as 50,000 troops have rapidly been ushered back stateside. but the shuttering of that military operation has angered at least one republican senator. take a listen -- >> i really think we risk losing -- great risk at losing everything that we gained. it's a great risk and i think it was unnecessary. we always envisioned some residual force. and this administration -- they

were never really serious at all. >> iraqi civilians are frustrated about what has happened in their country, particularly its infrastructure since saddam hussein's rule was toppled. more than 100,000 iraqi lives were lost since u.s. troops first arrived. here's an nbc report from richard engel when he was in baghdad. >> reporter: there are not celebrations on the streets of iraq. in fact, there's a great deal of anger. people are frustrated with what has happened in this country since saddam hussein was toppled. a lot of iraqis say toppling saddam hussein was the best thing that happened to this country but the nearly nine years of u.s. occupation has brought up sectarian tensions, create add civil war and left the infrastructure in this country still in a state of shambles in many parts of baghdad, there are only four, five, maybe six hours of electricity a day. >> want to bring into the conversation, retired iraq vet who was there at the beginning,

army lieutenant scott rudder and joe sestak also joins the conversation. lieutenant colonel, you were part of the first units to be sent into iraq after the invasion. what does this day mean for you and what does it mean to the u.s. and their standing in the middle east going forward? >> it's very significant. you figure nine years, over 4,000 deaths and then the opportunity for our country to stand tall and be in iraq in order to contain iran. those retaining forces in order to set the conditions for our legacy, which we all realize the importance of what happens to iraq now after the u.s. abandonment of the location is going to be the legacy of the soldiers, of the great soldiers, men and women that i had the honor to lead. >> we're looking at the pictures of you when you were there serving during the time.

it's amazing to think how far we've come in this period of time but also amazing to think, congressman, how far we need to go. you were once a three star admiral in the navy. you served for decades. you campaigned to end this war. now that it's officially over, what does this mean as we move forward? america in partnership with iraq to making sure that it is secure, that it is a sovereign nation? >> yes, it has come time for us not to be involved in this war in iraq. and with great respect to scott and all those men and women who gave the potential for iraq now to be a democracy, to actually be self-governing and also to have an economy based upon oil that can actually have a growth rate as quick and as rapid as china and india is really an accomplishment. but we have to look at our overall national security. and we have an army that in the last ten years has done nothing but train for counterinsurgency rightly and has been unable to

respond to conflicts anywhere else in the world. so for our overall national security and to be focused upon other areas of the world and to retrain our army and retaining a strong presence that we can if we have to go in for a counterterrorist effort can do quickly from outside iraq is the right position to take at this time. >> gentlemen, the question that i have now is for both of you. earlier we played sound if an interview with senator john mccain who says loeaving now threatens all the progress that we've made. >> 100% in agreement. haven i was in desert storm and then going back in 2003 in iraqi freedom and actually witnessing and seeing the failure of our countries during the '90s. there were more people that died in iraq during the 1990s of the failure of our diplomatic mission in iraq.

physical presence, containment, whether or not that's in urban operations or out, physically containing iran is extremely important. we have an iraqi security force that can handle internal insurgencies. but the borders are open, wide open for the money to come in from iran. we know why we went to iraq. we went to iraq in order to contain iran in order to provide security and stability throughout the world. our legacy will be received not what we did but what happens in the next three or four years in the region. >> congressman, you say we need to have a strong presence there. the goals for that, what does it mean? >> what it means is we can accomplish what senator mccain doesn't think we can. i have the greatest respect for john mccain. but just like the president showed, we will interdict into another country like we did in pakistan to get bin laden. we will do the same in kuwait,

bahrain, oman. we're remaining in that region. if we had remained in iraq, we weren't allowed outside of the green zone of baghdad. so any counterterrorism efforts of gathering intelligence, we can easily do from a place in kuwait. finally if we had left our troops in iraq, they could have only remained there subject to the court system in iraq. i never would want to have our troops under a court system of iraqi jurisdiction. we can with our fleets and our air forces and our army units there certainly have as much effort against this influence which scott is right about, that we have to oppose in that region. >> gentlemen, thanks for your time this morning. the clock is ticking on capitol hill and not just over the payroll tax cut extension. there's yet another threat of a possible government shutdown. but is a deal within reach? i'll talk with senator ben cardin of maryland about that. and the safest new vehicles

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developing now, we're waiting to hear from president obama. the white house announced that the president will make a statement at noon eastern time as part of his "we can't wait" campaign. the president is expected to propose new rules extending minimum wage and overtime protections to cover the nation's nearly 2 million home health care workers. alex wagner is going to have live coverage coming your way at the top of the hour. the house is introducing a massive spending bill to keep the government open past friday's midnight shutdown deadline. house republicans debuted their own bill late last night as a way to put the heat on democrats to sign on to a conference report worth about $1 trillion. democrats are worried if they approve the package, republicans would leave town before dealing

with the payroll tax cut, which expires at the end of this month. but just a short time ago, both sides of the senate said they're making headway on the big spending issues. >> we're going to try to do during the next few hours -- try to work toward resolving some of the outstanding issues. >> we have been in useful discussions about how to wrap the session up. he has covered the two major issues that remain. >> joining me now, democratic senator ben cardin of maryland. he is a member of the budget committee. sir, nice to see you this morning. what are you specifically hearing because we'd like to believe that there is real movement on these spending bill issues. is there? >> thomas, first of all, i think there is progress being made on the spending bills. i think we're just about there. there are one or two issues that still need to be negotiated. but we also need to deal with the payroll tax issue. we have to deal with unemployment insurance. there are certainly tax

extenders that need to be extended. we have an issue with the america and physician payments. these issues need to be dealt with before congress goes home for the holidays. it's one thing to get the spending bill done through, we hope, december 30th of next year but take care of the unemployment issues and take care of making sure that middle class families don't see less money in their paychecks in january. >> the republicans say the democrats have already agreed to this conference report. exactly what are the outstanding issues that need to get hammered -- dealt with with democrats? >> there are a couple of policy issues that were added to the agreements. they deal with our policies towards cuba. some of our environmental issues, some of the issues affecting the district of columbia. a few issues still remain. we're hopeful to resolve those issues. i think that can be done in the next couple of hours. but again, we can't go home for the holidays until we've taken

care of the employment tax issue. we don't want to see middle income families have less money in their paychecks in january. we need to extend the unemployment insurance system, the physician reimbursement under medicare needs to be taken care of. these issues also must be done before congress adjourns. the main debate has been, how do we pay for these issues? and the democrats have said, let's look at a fair way that doesn't overburden middle income families. and that's been our priority. >> senator, are senate democrats considering dropping the millionaire tax to pay for extending the payroll tax cut? is that on the table? >> we think the fairest way to deal with it is with those who have done well during this economic downturn. the proposal we had imposed a surtax opt taxable income above $1 million. so the first million was under the current tax rates. we think that's a fair way to go. we're willing to sit down and work with the republicans. it's not what the democrats want.

the democrats and republicans are going to have to work together. so, yes, we are willing to sit down and negotiate a fair way to bring this session to a fair conclusion. >> senator ben cardin, nice to see you this morning, sir. thanks for your time. >> thank you. president obama is gearing up for a really tough reelection battle but it might be as tough as certain people think. i'll talk with a columnist who says the president could be headed for a landslide. and the faa gives the go-ahead for ipads. but it's not for everyone. everyone believes in keeping their promises once a year. but we believe in helping people take steps to keep them every single day. that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow.

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could there be a light at the end of the dark tunnel that's been the america job market? the number of people applying for unemployment benefits has dropped to its lowest level since may of 2008. weekly jobless numbers show applications fell by 19,000 to 366,000.

the magic number for unemployment benefits is just above that, 375,000. when applications fall below that number consistently, that's usually a sign that hiring is strong enough to impact the unemployment rate. a staggering number of americans are now in poverty or just scraping to get by. new census figures showing one in two americans are either poor or low income. low income means roughly $45,000 for a family of four. states in the south and the west have the highest share of low income families as those states scale back, aid programs for the poor. but in terms of sheer numbers alone, california and texas each have more than 1 million low income or poor people. despite the november dip in unemployment, over 13 million americans remain out of work currently. that struggle to find work is harder for those with criminal records especially in the african-american community. that translates to a staggering loss of revenue. guest get this, between $57

billion and $65 billion. the good news is green jobs are helping ex-offenders get back in the workforce. joining me with more on this is cnbc's "street signs" host. this is interesting to see how it's all translating. >> it may be a new path to employment. we took a deeper look at a group of people who may have the toughest time finding a job in this tough labor market. ex-offenders gather at ando international in queens to learn green construction skills as part of this project managed by the fortune society. oscar rivera, a 50-year-old husband and father, recently enrolled in the epa-sponsored program. >> my plans for here is once i'm certified and have all the certificates is to find a good-paying job in the industry. >> reporter: stanley richards, senior vice president of programs at the fortune society, says he's seen an increase in

demand for job placement services. >> we've always had a line in terms of employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated men and women. that line has gotten much, much longer and formerly incarcerated men and women are at the lack of that line. >> reporter: in 2009, the fortune society assisted 754 clients. in 2010, they helped 1,030, a 37% increase which may reflect a hidden unemployment rate. we have at least 729,000 men and women that are released every year from prison. so we need to find the solution to getting them back to work and and make them taxpaying citizens again. >> it's such a specific skill being taught. we look at the total number of men who were in prison as of 2009. the ethnic percentages, it raises questions about this hidden unemployment rate. do we know why men who have been incarcerated are not being counted as part of the official

reported unemployment percentage? >> right now, your criminal background is not a question that's asked during the household surveys when they look at calculating the unemployment rate. so what happens so many times when people are released from prison, they're going back to communities that are already -- have been hard hit by the economy. so they're going into situations where the unemployment may be double-digit already. and so they return home, have a difficult time finding employment and so the real employment rate for that community could be 20% or more. >> more staggering than we already now. thank you. want to pass along to everybody, check out thegrio.com for other stories about injustice in america. could ron paul stage a surprising upset in iowa? another sleeper candidate could be emerging in new hampshire, jon huntsman. and a medical miracle, a baby born weighing less than a pound is going to be home for

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here's a look at some other stories topping the news now. seven miners in indiana are safe this morning after being pulled from 5,900 feet underground at one of the nation's deepest mines called lucky friday. the men disappeared after a rock burst there yesterday. after being rescued, one was treated at the hospital for nonlife-threatening injuries. this is the third mishap at lucky friday in just a year. the first two incidents were deadly. a bad batch of bootleg liquor is being blamed for 125 deaths in eastern india and the number could jump higher. hospital officials say half-conscious patients have been carried in, so many victims shah that some are being treated on the floor. the deaths come days after a hospital fire killed 93 people in the same state. both tragedies highlighting lax safety regulations within that region. the insurance institute for highway safety releases its list

of 2012 vehicles with the best crash test ratings. there are a record number of rides on that list this year, 115. quite a few got high marks for stronger roofs to better protect vehicle occupants during a rollover crash. toyota has the most for the first time in its history. honda was most improved with getting get marks. pilots get the okay to use ipads before take-off and landing. but the power has to stay off at the start and the end of every trip. pilots can use ipads in place of paper flight manuals despite the gadgets might interfere with airline equipment. no testing so far on mass use of electronics in the cabin. take a look at this. paris jackson, daughter of the late michael jackson, opened up for the first time in a solo interview with ellen degeneres. she dished about everything from getting the acting bug to those

much talked about masks. >> do you remember wearing a mask going, this is kind of weird? >> yeah, i'm like, this is stupid, why am i wearing a mask? but i kind of realized the older i got, he only tried to protect us. and he explained that to us, too. >> so paris credits those masks with finding her little anonymity. she said she was thrilled to find none of her classmates knew who she was. this is one of the smallest babies ever born, 9 1/2 ounces and born premature at 24 weeks. it could be home by new year's eve. the baby arrived this summer and has been living inside a neonatal unit ever since then. she is almost ready to go home. she tips the scales at four pounds. e earned a place in history as the world's third smallest infant to survive in the world. ahead of tonight's

republican presidential debate in iowa, newt gingrich and mitt romney are getting most of the attention. but the man to watch in the iowa caucuses just 19 days from now may be congressman ron paul. he's been drawing the biggest crowds in iowa and reportedly has the best organization there of any of the gop candidates. in the latest nbc news/marist poll in iowa, paul is statistically tied for second place with romney and his numbers have been rising. joining me now, mark murray. explain to all of us, why is ron paul doing so well and could emerge as an unlikely winner there? >> campaigns are actually mattering. ron pal is the one person in addition to rick perry who's been on the air advertising both positive ads and also negative ads. he also has an organization. i was just out in iowa last week and i went to an event. college students at iowa state in ames, he packed more than 1,000 students into an auditorium to give a speech talking about the fed and his foreign policy views. but it's something that when i

was traveling, newt gingrich, there was excitement around him. mitt romney. but the ron paul situation is real. he's somebody to watch in iowa and maybe beyond. >> there's the other potential sleeper candidate, jon huntsman. explain. >> jon huntsman, there's a brand-new suffolk poll that showed him in double digits and, again, campaign matters. jon huntsman moved his entire operation to new hampshire. also a super pac supporting him has run more than $1 million worth of tv advertisement. the question for huntsman since he's not really playing in iowa, he won't be able to get any momentum. whoever wins iowa, if somehow huntsman gets overshadowed because that iowa winner gets so much buzz. >> this is the last debate before iowa. news max was canceled. we'll see everybody tonight. who needs to shine? >> newt gingrich is going to be in the spotlight, mitt romney after that $10,000 bet is going to try to rebound from his performance last week.

and then we were talking about ron paul earlier. since he has been rising, i wonder if a lot of his foreign policy views, views on drugs, et cetera, he's a pure libertarian. i wonder if that comes out in the debate tonight. >> mark, nice to see you in person here in new york. in an election season where front-runner status seems to be won and lost as quickly as a stack of chips in vegas, one reporter is putting all his chips on one bet. no matter which republican hopeful slides into position opposite president obama this winter, november could turn out to be a landslide victory for the president. he joins me live from washington with more on his analysis of the polls. michael, nice to see you today. in this "daily beast" article you point to south carolina, a state typically that lights up red. and yet an nbc/marist poll shows obama has a slight chance of winning that state in hypothetical match-ups with either romney or gingrich. explain to all of us why that

would be so significant? >> because south carolina's one of the most republican states in the country by far. i don't really think that barack obama is going to win south carolina at the end of the day when november 7th finally comes around. i should point out, thomas, i'm not really predicting that this is going to happen. it's plenty early for predictions yet. but i am saying that given the current state of the republican primary and the disarray and the changing polls and everything that you and mark just referenced, they're in trouble. they're in a mess. and the interesting thing is this -- barack obama's only at 44% in the polls. that's pretty anemic. you would think a president incumbent at 44% could easily be taken out. but then when you go look at polls like the one you just mentioned, south carolina, that same poll had a florida set of numbers in which obama was pretty comfortably ahead of both romney and gingrich, i've seen polls from arizona where obama leads both romney and gingrich. in other words, his approval rating is one thing.

but when he is put in head-to-head match-ups against the two people who are likely to be the republican nominee, he's ahead in a heck of a lot of states. >> do you think the american people as you point out with president obama's approval rating being in the 40s, do you think the american people are so frustrated with the republicans that they would rather send a somewhat unpopular president into a second term? >> yes. to elaborate on that a little bit, i think in particular that independent voters increasingly see the republican party as being pretty extreme. this is not just a function of the positions that the candidates are taking. it's also a function of what they see out of the republicans in congress. i've seen a new pew poll that supports that contention, that people see the republican party, particularly congressional republican party, as very extreme. so i think the republicans are just sort of moving themselves out of the space where they're competing for a lot of independent votes.

>> michael, as always, great to see you. thanks for your time this morning. >> my pleasure. as we head off to break, if you were aching to get your hands on memorabilia from the elizabeth taylor exhibit here in new york, don't despair. an online auction of tons of items including handbags, clothes and artwork continue until saturday. an auction of jewelry netted $137 million. you can see the collection from our newsroom. this is outside my window. right above elizabeth taylor's pictures there, you can see all her jewels. we didn't have to take the tour. we can see them from our window. i wanted to show you an insider's perspective from right here at 30 rock. follow the wings. when you have tough pain, do you want fast relief?

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and keeps the government open past tomorrow night's shutdown deadline. joining me now is democratic senator tim conrad of north dakota. he's chairman of the senate budget committee. good to have you with me. both senators reid and mcconnell said earlier that they were optimistic they could come to a deal in the next few hours. explain to us what's changed and are you hopeful that those two men are right? >> yeah, i am hopeful things are moving in the right direction. sometimes when you stare into the abyss, it has a way of sobering everybody up. it's been a curious 24 hours with republicans in the senate not wanting to vote on the republican proposal from the house of representatives. we've also seen give on both sides, democrats saying, look, although we think this should be paid for in part by a levy on those making over $100 million a year, a modest levy of less than 2% saying, look, republicans absolutely will not go for that,

would rather have a tax increase on 160 million americans than to have a modest imposition on those that are the wealthiest among us. we have to find some other way to do it. and that is the work that is under way now to find a way to pay for this package of extending the payroll tax cut, of extending unemployment insurance benefits to those who are long-term unemployed and to take on some of the other tax extenders that are important for the economy. >> so, sir, house speaker boehner talked to reporters a short time. he said he's committed to finding this bipartisan deal. take a listen. >> it's my hope the conference report will be signed and we can bring to it the floor of the house. if it does not happen, we have taken the essence of that bill and put it into a house bill and

we're prepared to move that. >> so, sir, what are your feelings on the conference report? is it what the senate is working on as we speak right now, working on today? >> yes. look, that is on the omnibus bill. the omnibus bill has the spending levels for each part of government through the next year, that is, until the 1st of october of next year. so that's important that that job get done. separate and apart from that is a package extending the payroll tax cut, the unemployment insurance benefits, dealing with the reimbursement for doctors who treat medicare patients. that is moving on a separate track. and we also are seeing progress there. >> senate democrats reportedly, are they considering dropping the millionaire tax to pay for extending the payroll tax cut? is this something that's really on the table? you said it's going to be this minor inconvenience to the wealthy. but is it something that you'd be willing to cut? >> we'd prefer not to.

we think it is entirely reasonable that those who have had the greatest benefit from the economy over the last decade and who at the very top have seen their tax rates almost cut in half, that it's not unreasonable to ask those earning over $1 million a year -- remember, those earning up to $1 million a year would pay nothing in addition to what they currently pay. those earning over $1 million would pay 1.9% on the earnings above $1 million a year. so if you're just over $1 million, you pay almost nothing. we don't think that's unreasonable to be able to extend a tax cut for 160 million americans who on average get $1,000. but the republicans have said, absolutely not, no way, we would actually rather -- this is the republicans saying they would actually rather have a tax increase on 160 million americans than to ask those

earning over $1 million to pay a little bit more. so we are not going to be at the end of a day in a situation in which 160 million people get hit with a tax increase. that would be bad for the economy and it would be unfair. >> you say it's sobering to stare into the abyss. we'll let you get back to that. appreciate your time. >> yes, sir. developing now, we're waiting to hear from president obama in about 15 minutes. coming your way at noon eastern time, he is expected to announce new action as part of his "we can't wait" campaign aimed at congress. nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker joins us to explain. this is an effort to help the nation's nearly 2 million home health care workers. explain that to us. >> reporter: that's absolutely right. this is the president's 18th "we can't wait" action. in this case, it is aimed at home health care workers, about 2 million of them. the president's proposal is that they would essentially be entitled to federal minimum wage

salaries as well as overtime pay. right now, they're exempted from that. they've been exempted from that since 1974. 90% of those 2 million people are women. they're generally the primary breadwinners within their families. they work about 70 hours a week and make between $17,000 and $20,000 which puts them below the poverty level. the white house arguing this action will make a big difference for those workers. we should say there are some within the industry who are a little bit skeptical about how much impact this will actually have. the president expected to speak at the top of the hour. >> kristen welker, thanks again. as you point out, we'll have live coverage right here on msnbc. now to some important housekeeping that i wanted to do myself. we reported on a block item yesterday that compared a phrase used by the romney to one used by the kkk in the 1920s. it was irresponsible and incendiary of us to do that. we apologize to the romney

campaign. we're back after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ how did it fit down the chimney? [ male announcer ] get low prices on the gifts they love, like the latest connected technology by sony. and get free shipping to your store or home. save money. live better. walmart. and get free shipping to your store or home. everyone believes in keeping their promises once a year. but we believe in helping people take steps to keep them every single day. that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow.

a prominent religious leader is slamming the rick perry ad. he wrote a "washington post" op-ed saying rick perry would be pathetic if he weren't so infuriating. it is breath taking and not in a good way when someone den greats the soldiers he means command. i'm honored to have you with me. >> thank you. >> i want to read what you wrote in this, the blood of gay and lesbian soldiers flows as ready hi and as redly as that of other young americans fighting in

afghanistan. he uses them as can none foder, he would stigma ties this brave young men and women who are risking their lives on our behalf. this is patriotism, count me out. you make such a valid point saying these are the people he wants to be the commander in chief of yet that he would use them as this type of bait for votes. >> i think it must break god's heart to see it used in a campaign like that. there is something wrong in america, he got that right. but it's when we denigrate our brave soldiers risking their lives for us and then slam the separation of church and state which is absolutely appropriate and constitutional. >> why do you think it is such a red herring when it comes to what the right is trying to do, in terms of encouraging their base to get to the polls?

>> i think gay and lesbian people are still marginalized. they are an easy target and it plays very well to evangelical christian base but it really plays to their worse natures and the fact of the matter is, this is a man running for president. don't ask-don't tell is gone. it is the law of the land. for him to use the brave soldiers in that way seems to me despicab despicable. >> have you heard from them? >> i would love to governor perry himself to talk. i think anyone running for president and to be commander in chief, he needs to understand to be commander in chief for all of our troops like all of our citizens need to be full citizens of this country. >> reverend gene robinson, great to have you here, bishop. >> thanks so much. >> that will do it for me today. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern.

don't go anywhere though. "now" with alex wagner is next. another we can't wait announcement for you straight ahead. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake.

walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then get lunesta for $0 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta.

is newt gingrich running for president is this the most overhyped book tour in publishing history. this is "now." joining me today, msnbc contributor jimmy williams, steve schmidt and msnbc political analyst and top adviser to john mccain's presidential campaign in 2008 and hugo lind gren is editor of "the new york times" magazine. joy ann reed. we're waiting for the president to announce his 18th we can't wait initiative from the white house and we'll bring