the poor. take a listen. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor. we have a safety net there. i'm not concerned about the very rich. they are doing just fine. i'm concerned about the heart of america. >> it's not the first time mitt romney has made such a stunning gaffe when he seemed to be on a roll. and everyone seems to be piling on. >> he makes himself a target with this stuff. he comes across as the rich republican. >> the founding fathers met the very poor, who they called americans. >> poor americans were hit hard by the recession. that's why he's been focused very aggressively on doing everything he can to grow the economy and create jobs. >> another guy with a lot of money, donald trump, is entering stage left keeping everyone guessing as usual. some reports say he's expected to announce newt gingrich in vegas.

could he pull a fakeout and put his chips on romney. that's what other people are reporting this morning. joining me is executive editor jim vandehi. right before air, we were hearing that donald trump is going to vegas to throw his endorsement behind mitt romney. earlier it was newt gingrich. any clarification? >> puts me in the beats-me category. we were hearing it was going to be gingrich. then there was word it could be romney. maybe he ends up running or endorsing nobody. te clearly loves to build the suspense and make sure they get maximum attention for this. my feeling is i don't know what it brings anybody. it's to the like his endorsement will shift voters. unless he decides to dig deep and grab money and put it in a

super pac and do it in sizes in the millions of dollars, i don't know what effect it will have on the race. >> newt gingrich is the only one to do any face time with donald trump. romney met with him, but he went out the back-door. >> went out the back-door and declined to join the debate that wasn't. the one trump thought he could moderate. if it's mitt romney, you have to scratch your head and said if you were prepared to back out because it was inappropriate, why take the endorsement now? if you want newt gingrich, you want any help you can get. maybe you think in spite of the clowning around donald trump that he speaks to some sort of tea party base. he had such fun with it earlier. apart from newt gingrich needing all "the help" he can get, it doesn't make a lot of sense. >> we'll know for sure coming up this afternoon. i want to get back to what

brought us into this segment. it's the gaps we have seen coming from mitt romney. the latest is a doozy. he set a lot of out of touch comments talking specifically about class. take a listen. >> i like being able to fire people that provide services to me. i'll tell you what, $10,000? $10,000 bet? >> corporations are people my friend. >> never get involved in politics if you have to win an election to pay a mortgage. >> i get speakers fees from time to time, but not very much. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor. >> how damaging is this in the long run to the campaign? how are these kmencomments goin play out in vegas? >> he's probably fine in vegas. i think it would hurt in a general election context because all of these you might be able to explain away. but as part of a campaign, they

do play into the character kature of mitt romney. he's a conservative republican. if you have your opponent, such as barack obama, trying to pitch the rich against everybody else, i don't know that helps him. rush limbaugh nailed it on the head. this stuff is damaging for mitt romney and it's really unexplainable because they are such disciplined campaign aids. they try to figure it out and nail it down in advance. they are unforced errors on his part. >> they set it up to look like a cartoon caricature. president obama almost directly this morning refuted romney's comments when he spoke about the national prayer breakfast in washington, d.c. i want to show everybody and ask you on the other side. >> it's also about the biblical call to care for the least of these, for the poor, for those at the margins of our society.

to answer the responsibility we're given in proverbs, to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. >> the president never mentioned mitt romney by name, and he e probably won't until there's a defined candidate he's running against, but are these swipes to the right? >> prayer breakfast speeches get written well before. i don't think they were directly at his comments, but the broader debate about how you balance out government spending, what the priorities are, should the super wealthy pay more so you can, for instance, extend unemployment insurance and keep teachers and firefighters in work? that's the kind of debate this president has been having with the republican leadership for the best part of two years now.

so romney is definitely playing into that. he's trying to tap both men are trying to tap into the anxiety of the middle class. so yes, you deal with the people at the bottom, but the middle class needs something for them. we saw that yesterday with the president talking about refinancing. >> jim, i want to talk about to you about something you wrote this morning. unemployment is going to rise nationally this year and the president has a problem in swing states against governor romney. how worried should the white house be in f that does uptick towards november? >> the conventional wisdom is that the president is rebounding and that the politics are improving slightly. there's a lot of numbers that have to trouble the white house. that poll that shows that romney even amid-the messy republican battle is tied with him in the swing states. also his approval rating in every state really went down in

2011. that's troubling. and then fundraising, where democrats really thought obama would have a decisive advantage this year against any republican, that looks like it might be a myth. republicans between their campaign and the rnc, and the rich businessmen are giving millions of dollars to super pacs and outside groups. republicans might actually be able to outspend obama in this campaign, which would be a shift from how people thought this would play out months ago. >> great to see you. thank you for your time. the democratic national committee responded to mitt romney's comments on the poor with a minute and a half-long video and accuses the governor of flip-flopping when it comes to helping the poor and claiming he wouldn't help the middle class either. joining me is the chair of the national committee, debbi wasser man shultz. this scathing response to romney from the dnc putting his comments into context. isn't he raising the same issue

the democrats are that the middle class is hurting? >> mitt romney has consistently demonstrated and this is just one more glimpse into the window of his mind where candidates keep those things to themselves. but mitt romney keeps revealing who he truly is. he has no concern about people who are struggling. and that includes the middle class. simply saying the words middle class don't demonstrate your going to go to bat for them. he has no proposals that would help make sure we could create jobs. he supports continuing the loopholes he benefits from in the tax code, making sure that millionaires and billionaires can do even better. as opposed to president obama who has given 95% of americans a tax break. thinks we should adopt the buffett rule.

so you can't just say the words middle class and actually get credit for caring about the middle class. >> i know you want to talk about what's happening with donald trump maybe endorsing mitt romney or newt gingrich. according to some reports though, what's your reaction to either way this goes to wherever trump throws his weight? >> it really wouldn't be surprising if donald trump endorses mitt romney because they both like firing people and they both made millions doing it. that wouldn't be surprising. but donald trump is such a cartoon character. an endorsement no matter who he chooses is likes bugs bunny saying which candidate for president he supports. so it's really kind of a nonnews event. >> we shall see what happens this afternoon. always great to see you. thank you for your time. donald trump does make that big announcement at 3:30.

martin bashir will have live coverage of that. it all starts here at 3:00 p.m. outraged e jipgss are blaming police for failing to prevent a soccer vriot that killed 70 people. nbc's a man mul dean joins me from cairo. was the riot a result of the sports rivalry or politics at play? how is it being determined? >> well, thomas, we have an investigative committee. the key question is whether this was something more sinister than what it seemed to be. according to many egyptians and analysts, they think there is

something underlying this violence. now as you mentioned, 74 people killed. but many people are surprised that the sudden spike of violence. yes, politics in egypt are common with sports. but the key question is, why did so many people get killed? was it a result of people rioting at the stadium with weapons planning to attack this club and fans? it's clearly something that cuts across all levels of society and politics. as you mentioned, the people here are putting the blame squarely on the shoulders of the security forces for not protecting the people. >> thanks so much. i appreciate it. defense secretary panetta announces a plan to bring home troops by the end of next year. why the military strategy is being criticized. plus marriage equality will be legal in another state. the emotional vote in washington state. we'll have it for you. also why a 48-year-old man is adopting his adult girlfriend

as his daughter. you won't believe it. e details ahead. [ female announcer ] the best things in life are the real things.

nature valley trail mix bars are made with real ingredients you can see. like whole roasted nuts, chewy granola, and real fruit. nature valley trail mix bars. 100% natural. 100% delicious. 100% natural. what do you get when you combine the home depot with this weekend? the cure for cabin fever. because with... get-it-done savings on everything we need... ...we can turn this weekend into a fresh floor... ...or an updated bathroom... ...or a brand new look. so let's hit those orange aisles - and make today the day - we make a big difference - no matter how big our budget. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get more project for your money - like this valencia vanity, now just 199 bucks.

break news coming out of nevada. nbc news can confirm that donald trump will be traveling there to endorse mitt romney. people were saying newt gingrich. garrett haake is traveling with the campaign and is joining me now. people were speculating being he had appeared with newt gingrich at a press conference. newt gingrich said he was going to go to the debate that he was going to moderate. mitt romney met with him and snuck out the back-door. this is kind of unexpected. >> yes. it absolutely is. the meeting happened earlier this fall. romney managed to get in and out

of trump tower around the press core, which was waiting outside. no photo opportunity whatsoever. and the schedule for the romney campaign was a mystery. we knew there was something going on in las vegas today. we didn't know what. reports leaked that mr. trump would be endorsing newt gingrich and threw people off the trail. we can report it will be donald trump endorsing mitt romney today. >> does that mean they will appear together? >> that's what we're expecting to see. it is a mitt romney campaign event. this is not like the jon huntsman endorsement with no official mitt romney connection. this is built as a romney event. >> star power to nevada for what's taking place today. you have been traveling with the governor as he makes it through nevada. how have the events been otherwise? >> we had two stops yesterday. one in minnesota and then a rally late last evening here in las vegas. it was sort of a three time zone

day. a couple hundred people in attendance. this is a strong state for romney four years ago. they expect it to be strong again this year. they are well organized here. the lieutenant governor endorsed him. now that rick perry is out, romney has some of the big names on his docket here. this is potentially another strong state for them. >> again, the news that donald trump going to be endorsing mitt romney this afternoon. nbc campaign embed garrett haake. always great to talk to you. thank you. an emotional moment for marriage equality last night in washington state. lawmakers vote to approve same sex marriage. >> it was very emotional. it was amazing just to see so many people come up and say such amazing, supportive things. to have that be followed with a vote is fantastic. >> ecstatic. absolutely ecstatic. especially that it it passed with more votes than we thought

it would. and that it had bipartisan support is just icing on the cake. >> that bill now heads to the house. if approved, washington will join iowa, new york, new hampshire, mahmoud, and connecticut where marriage equality is legal. lawmakers in new jersey and maryland are due to debate that issue this year. and maine could have a similar proposal on the november ballot. i blog ged about this issue on "the huffington post" website having recently interviewed the governors. check it out when you have a chance. thousands of union protesters rallying at indiana's super bowl village. sending a message to its legislature hours after it pass ed a bill of stripping union rights. much to the chagrin of the governor who signed the bill. that makes indiana not just the 23rd union-busting state, but the first new right to work state in ten years.

indiana state senate democrat leader vi simpson joins us. as we were looking at those images, thousands of workers are marching on lucas stadium and super bowl village. the governor didn't waste the time signing the measure. tell us about the impact of this bill and what can be done to reverse it with such an outcry? >> there is a huge outcry. and yesterday's rally was just partial evidence of how many people are opposed to this legislation. we had thousands of people at the state house every single day for the last month protesting this vote. and the republicans for the most part turned their back on their own constituents. it was a sad sight to see. but i appreciated all of those people being there to express their voice. >> as we talk about the political landscape, democrats are the minority. you tried to stall the vote by

boycotting it on and off to push it closer to this sunday's big game. are you hoping the publicity of the super bowl and the outcry we're seeing by the protesters will give this more of a national story? >> well, we're hoping so. wisconsin was the first state to be faced with union busting and attacks on the middle class. indiana is just the next state, the next notch in the belt of the national right to work people and the moneyed interests that have been pouring their funds into indiana to control the agenda here. and i suspect that there will be other states to follow. but there was an emergency clause in this legislation, so as soon as the governor signed it, it went into effect. it will affect any union contracts after march 14th this year going forward. and so all we can do is express our voices at the ballot box in november and try to overturn

this bad legislation. >> as we look at this as a national issue, there are republicans in arizona that are pushing a bill to ban collective bargaining. is this setting the stage for a recall effort in indiana do you think against mitch daniels like they are doing with the governor scott walker in wisconsin? >> we don't have a recall possibility in our legislation or in our sta chuts. but we have the best recall of all. we have the election box. and he e is a lame duck and is up for reelection. well he's not up for reelection. he's retiring. there will be a election in november to replace the governor. and to replace most of the legislature as well. and i expect that we will see some fallout from the vote at the ballot box. >> a lot of eyes. you have the attention of the country for the super bowl. we'll see what comes out of the

protest. vi simpson, thank you for joining me. i appreciate it. >> thank you very having me. >> i want to remind everybody. stay tuned. mitch daniels will appear on andrea mitchell reports here on msnbc. so late night host jimmy fallon introduced us to tebowing. last night, he got tim tebow's reaction. take a look. >> we created a character. what if david bowie met tim tebow. and it's called tee tebowy. i appreciate you being a good sport. >> the only thing that was messed up about it is you were a little bit off tune and a little pitchy. wouldn't you agree with that?

wanted to translate the look and feel of a high-end paper invitation to the digital realm in in 2007 they pooled their savings and start the paperless post. it attracted high profile users like condoleeza rice and the white house. watch your business on sunday morning. -one. -two. -three. -one. two. three. one. -two. -three. -one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% back on groceries. and 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. -it's as easy as...1. -two. -three.

[ male announcer ] 1, 2, 3 percent cash back for the things you buy most. the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you.

this is mary... who has a million things to pick up each month on top of her prescriptions. so she was thrilled that her walgreens pharmacist recommended a 3-month supply and would always be there to answer questions about her health. now mary gets 3 refills in one and for 3 months, she's done. more or less. ask your pharmacist about a 90 day supply today. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm! [ male announcer ] for excellent fruit and veggie nutrition... v8 v-fusion, also refreshing plus tea. could've had a v8.

nbc news can confirm that dopd trump will endorse mitt romney today. what that endorsement means? we'll talk to john ralphston. plus a decision to cut off funding for planned parent hood. why some are calling it a right wing witch hunt? and a wealthy man adopts his girlfriend. cer ] this is coach parker... whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪

here comes trump. the donald will jump in the race if the nominees don't meet his standards, but trump has found his candidate. he will endorse mitt romney later this afternoon. we'll have live coverage on the martin bashir show here on msnbc. joining me now though by the phone is jon ralston, host of

"face to face." first reports came out saying that newt gingrich was going to be getting the endorsement of donald trump. now we're learning and confirming that it's mitt romney. how big of a blow could this be to the gingrich campaign? >> it's an interesting point. when newt gingrich was asked about it yesterday, he seemed puzzled from what i could tell. the initial reports, i think, made sense to a lot of people. you have two guys with, let's be generous here, healthy egos who like media attention getting together. gingrich is somewhat desperate in his campaign. trump is desperate for attention. but now it's clear that romney has taken the endorsement. you ask what kind of a blow it is to gingrich. i find the strategy by romney unfath thomable. unless he figures that we in the

media are magnets for trump stories that we'll forget about that. >> romney went to meet at the trump tower but snuck out the back. he wouldn't go to be a part of the debate donald trump was going to moderate. i get a lot of tweets of people saying why is the news taking this so seriously. trump doesn't need another platform. so does donald trump really bring something to a campaign such as mitt romney's that he actually needs? >> i can't imagine what that would be, thomas. i've been thinking a lot about that. why does romney need the narrative that another rich guy is endorsing him? plus you're well aware of all of trump's baggage. why he would want somebody who had his phoney presidential run of the president being born somewhere outside this country, which is a toxic issue within the republican party. i don't understand the strategy. but maybe i'm missing something.

>> we'll know for sure coming up this afternoon. jon ralston, thank you. what will this endorsement mean for mitt romney and rival newt gingrich? joining me now is former communications director jen sakky and trey harden. it's great to see you this morning. we have a rock and roll hour going on trying to figure out. we have now confirmed that donald trump is going to throw his weight behind mitt romney. we just had people on comparing the endorsement to bugs bunny. >> i wish i had somethinged a good as that, but endorsements don't win elections. and this endorsement, there must be some following that donald trump has around the country that i'm not aware of. and i also think what jon

ralston said is on point. he has a problem with people he doesn't connect with middle-class voters and this doesn't help the cause. >> trump it's endorsement is coming after the rumors overnight and this morning he was going to be endorsing newt gingrich. we have seen the press conference they held together. he was going to participate in the debate donald trump was going to moderate. is there another hit for newt gingrich? >> listen. i think it definitely shores up the apprentice vote for mitt romney. no, seriously. i don't think that this will matter one bit. and frankly, i'm surprised if the romney campaign wants to stand next to him. this is trump tv. he's been ploying with the process for awhile now. but in these upcoming primaries and caucuses, it's not going to matter a bit. >> it's pretty showy for las vegas. romney's comment yesterday about having no concern for the poor, newt gingrich fired back with this as well yesterday.

take a listen. >> not too long ago, he was taken out of context that he liked to fire people, which was completely out of context. i don't think he would say i don't care about the poor people. >> sorry, guys. we had ron paul there defending the statement made by mitt romney. but newt gingrich came out and jumped on the gaffe that mitt romney put out there yesterday. trying to pile on. rush limbaugh did the same thing. the caricature that is the republican party. the red light candidates, that is. can gingrich ride a gaffe like this to jump back? >> there's no question the next 20 days are pivotal for newt gingrich. they are make or break. he needs to do two things. define why he's a better option for the republicans. clearly, there's an opening. people aren't comfortable with mitt romney. and he needs to change the conversation.

maybe mitt romney is going to help him do that. but we'll see. time will tell over the next few days. >> trey, the mitt romney train if it continues to gain steam, can newt gingrich last until the convention? >> i don't think he can. the math dictates he can't. he doesn't have any supporters in congress. no surrogates. this is the end of newt gingrich's political career. it's unfortunate he's going out on a scorched method here. >> great to see you both. thank you for your time. tea party favorite shar ron angle is weighing in on the debate. the santorum camp released a statement saying they were thrilled to accept the support of a strong fighter for conservativism and the tea party movement. in ore other news, planned parenthood has been flooded with donations. all of this within the last 24 hours. the ground swell of grass root

support coming in the wake of the komen foundation's decision to pull grant funding amid-a federal investigation into planned parenthood and abortion funding. the president of planned parenthood called it a shock in an interview with lawrence o'donnell. >> this is a relationship we have had for many years. it came as a total shock and real disappointment. when politics gets in the way of health care access. >> it was regrettable when policies impacting grantees, but the organization must evolve to meet the needs of women. joining me from washington this morning is lau ret ta sanchez. it's great to see you. you are one of a group of california congresswomen who issued a statement about this calling it a right-wing witch hunt. was komen forced to pull funding

or is there something giving them an out? >> the reality is that komen for many years has done a good job of raising funds to try to find a cure. they have given some moneys to organizations like planned parenthood to help women detect. so they have had a good relationship. it's a shame to see this break apart. i really think this was driven -- i mean, it's been there for awhile. there have been people in the organization that wanted to go part because of planned parenthoods wider mission. but i do believe that the woman who ran for governor in georgia became the vice president just in the fall for the komen foundation. i think it was probably driven by politics. that woman who ran ran on a basis she would eliminate all grants to planned parenthood. and just three months, we see

this is happening. >> congresswoman you're speaking about karen handle. she made a failed run for governor of georgia with a strong antiabortion message. she was antiplanned parenthood. is there anything that can be done to help reverse or repair the relationship between komen and planned parenthood? or is this a done deal, federal investigation aside? >> first of all, i do believe that that federal investigation will find no wrong doing on the part of planned parenthood. they are very strict about the type of work they do and accounting for all the funds they receive. remember that one out of five women in the united states have gone to planned parenthood for their checkups and mammograms because they may not have any insurance or they may not have a primary doctor elsewhere. they treat planned parenthood as a primary doctor. that's why over 95% of those thing its is those types of

primary care type of work for women. so i believe that these two organizations, again, can find a way in which they can work together. but i do believe that politics have no place in organizations that are really trying to help women. and are really trying to help young women. so i would hope that this new vice president would understand that it's a very negative thing what she and others have pushed within the komen organization. >> hopefully they can find the common ground to get back on the health. great to see you. thank you. the president of of planned parenthood will join us again here on msnbc. she's going to be a guest at noon on "now with alex waggoner." and then nancy brinker will join andrea mitchell. u.s. forces could wrap up

their combat role in afghanistan in a year from now. leon panetta says they could transition to a support roll backing up the afghan army by mid-2013. speaking on capitol hill today, cia director and former u.s. commander in afghanistan david petraeus told the house the handover wouldn't happen in a day but over time. >> the idea is that we gradually stop leading combat operations. the afghan forces take the leadership. it's in a successive series of transitions, as i stated up front on this one. his comments have been more than overanalyzed. >> the strategy is exactly the same one the u.s. used in getting out of iraq. more than 370 americans were killed after that combat mission was declared over. attorney general eric holder is back in front of the house committee taking questions on congressionally subpoenaed documents linked to "fast and

furious" and gun walking. committee chairman daryl isa spoke earlier. take a listen. >> this committee has lost its patience to wait longer. we will not wait until next ground hog day to get answers for the american people for brian terri and for others. >> i'm committed to ensuring the highest standards of integrity and professionalism at the department of justice. that's what i pledged to do exactly three years ago tomorrow when i was sworn in as attorney general. and it's exactly what i have done over the last three years. >> in arizona, the family of the man that congressman issa mentioned has filed a wrongful death suit against the government. family members claim he was killed because investigators allowed illegal firearms into the hands of criminals along the state border. the mississippi supreme

court will take up hailey barber's end of term pardons. ten of those par dons were still in prison when they got reprieves. the court will hear that case next month. the great has spoken and says there will be six more weeks of winter. punxsutawney phil saw his shadow. and with much of the nation temperatures were unseasonably warm this morning. and a winter storm is moving into the great plains. the system could bring six inches of snow to some areas including the denver metro area. so this is a legal maneuver that some call cagey. others say it's creepy. a club owner adopting his girlfriend as his daughter in an

attempt to avoid paying the price for his role in a deadly car wreck. carry sanders has been following this story in florida. a lot of people are looking at this story with a skeptical eye, but florida has interesting laws to protect him and his wealth. >> reporter: it's a very weird situation, but by all indications, even though this is a first, it is completely legal. a 48-year-old man can adopt his 42-year-old girlfriend and the result of that is that she now has immediate access to his wealth. john goodman, who is 48 years old and accused in a dui case has a considerable fortune. part of his trust that he set up for his two children exceeds $100 million. now by adopting 42-year-old heather hutchins, she gets immediate access to that money. this is all happening at a time where he's getting ready to

stand first in the criminal court charges in that dui and, of course, the dui is especially painful for the family of the young victim, 23-year-old scott wilson. so that family is also after the criminal trial bringing a civil case. they would like to get access, if they are successful, to get some of that $100 million. but by adopting his girlfriend, he may have limited access to some of that money. >> it really is a cagey move. kerry sanders, thanks so much. coming up next right here on msnbc, real jobs, real leads. we're seeing a lot of new jobs pop up in the midwest. we'll explain after this. of any small business credit card. the spark card earns double miles... so we really had to up our game. with spark, the boss earns double miles on every purchase, every day.

that's setting the bar pretty high. owning my own business has never been more rewarding. coming through! [ 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? nyquil (stuffy): just reading on ewhatyour label.ing?y day. wait! you relieve nasal congestion? tylenol: sure. don't you? tylenol (another bottle): hmmm...no... nyquil (stuffy): dude! anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. i want to fix up old houses. ♪ [ woman ] when i grow up, i want to take him on his first flight. i want to run a marathon. i'm going to own my own restaurant. when i grow up, i'm going to start a band.

[ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. thanks, mom. i just want to get my car back. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. ♪ you and me and the big old tree ♪ ♪ side by side, one, two, three ♪ ♪ count the birds in the big old tree ♪ ♪ la la la [ male announcer ] the inspiring story of how a shipping giant can befriend a forest may seem like the stuff of fairy tales. ♪ ♪ you and me and the big old tree side by side ♪ but if you take away the faces on the trees...

take away the pixie dust. take away the singing animals, and the charming outfits. take away the sprites, and the storybook narrator... [ man ] you're left with more electric trucks. more recycled shipping materials... and a growing number of lower emissions planes... which still makes for a pretty enchanted tale. ♪ la la la whoops, forgot one... [ male announcer ] sustainable solutions. fedex. solutions that matter. nature valley trail mix bars are made with real ingredients you can see. like whole roasted nuts, chewy granola, and real fruit. nature valley trail mix bars. 100% natural. 100% delicious.

a new study reveals that leprosy in humans is still a problem and may be linked to an unusual source. armadillos. there are several reports of people being infected after coming into contact with armadillos. doctors advise against handling or eating armadillos. welcome back. job growth in battleground states will be pivotal. we take a look at economies in midwest erin states lead egg the revival of an economy moving in the right direction. let's start with the snapshot of the states in this piece that you wrote. just a few months ago, this was the unemployment in ohio and michigan and michigan. indiana is rated 8th.

so what is it that's spurring this job growth through that sector of the country? >> strangely, it's the old industries. it's manufacturing, mining, drilling. it's the kind of stuff that made this area strong in the first place, which is the last thing you expected in 2009 with two auto makers going bankrupt. >> you lead off your piece, and it was heartfelt to read, about the growth spurt of the auto industry. explain the third shift of the 24-hour day production that's added to the efforts. >> that's sort of a spinoff benefit of everything going on in the auto industry. the third used to be a tradition with u.s. auto makers. they were pretty much gone at the recession at the time of the bankruptcies. now we have 15 or so coming back. it's a good sign for the auto industry in general. it's not just u.s. auto makers. you're talking west point and others as well. >> you start off with this

34-year-old woman who puts her kid to bed and comes home in time to make him breakfast. is that the transition? there will be different things to open themselves up to to get gainful employment. >> that's been one of the entry levels into manufacturing. you started there. that was one of the interesting things i interesting things i found in the story, 24-hour day care, there's a rising demand for it. it's an indication of, yeah, where things are going. these are not the best-paying jobs like they used to be, not $28 an hour, these are $15 an hour, but it's still a job. >> it's a great read. if you have any hiring now leads for us, particularly in the battleground states, tweet me @thomasaroberts. as boomers age, it becomes even more important to exercise. staying fit improves overall health, longevity, energy levels, and mood. the national institute on aging suggests these exercises for those over 50, build up

endurance by swimming or playing tennis. try biking to improve balance and your cardiovascular already system. the heart attack. i thought i was invincible. i'm on an aspirin regimen now because i never want to feel that helplessness again. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. talk to your doctor, and take care of what you have to take care of.

glitter, confetti, what's the difference? it's time now for the polpoly s bar. mitt romney was glimmer bombed yesterday on the side bomb. not once, but twice. romney took it in stride, even calling out the glitter bomber. >> there's the guy. wave your hand over here for the glitter. there he goes. how are you? hi, there! how are you? good to see you? i'm happy for a little celebration. this is confetti! we just won florida! we're just going to win the white house next? >> oh, i've got glitter in my hair. that's not all that's in my hair, i'll tell you that. i glue it on every morning, whether i need to or not. >> and romney wasn't the only presidential candidate who took a hit. a woman threw a bag of flour at the candidate running against french president nicolas sarkozy. bodyguards stepped in and the woman escorted off that stage.

>> congressman ron paul was flowered too, but with actual flowers. yesterday the event was celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary. congratulations to them. and now we know why the first lady has such great arms. check her out in a push-up contest with talk show host ellen degeneres. >> all right. >> all right. >> all right. you ready? >> yeah. >> all right. >> you guys count. >> two, three, four, five, six! >> it's hard. >> whoo! >> whoo! >> that was amazing! how many was that for her? >> 25! >> i just stopped. >> that was pretty impressive, right? ellen did 20, but saying sthe

didn't think it would be good to show up the first lady. that'll do it for me. "now" with alex wagner is coming up next. and alex is a woman who is glittery, pitch-perfect, with fabulous arms and ready to go. >> oh! the visual of me doing push-ups would provoke such a -- just a sheer horror, thomas. i would imagine -- >> who are are you betting on, though? >> we throw around money like it's water here, especially when it's chinese-made american currency. i'm betting on mitt romney for this one, for the donald's endorsement. we'll be talking about that, the playing of the trump card. martin bashir joining us to discuss just what the donald may have in store for us this afternoon when he rolls the dice on endorsing somebody probably named mitt romney live from las vegas. and it's mark zuckerberg's world, and we're just living in it. what facebook's ipo really means. plus, planned parenthood's cecile richard joins us on the political and financial backlash

from the susan g. komen breast cancer foundation's decision to cut its support. all of that when "now" starts in a mere 180 seconds. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, if your car is totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. liberty mutual auto insurance. okay... is this where we're at now, we just eat whatever tastes good? like these sweet honey clusters... actually there's a half a day's worth of fiber in every ...

why stop at cereal? bring on the pork chops and the hot fudge. fantastic. are you done sweetie? yea [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. hey, i love your cereal there-- it's got that sweet honey taste. but no way it's 80 calories, right? no way. lady, i just drive the truck. right, there's no way right, right? have a nice day. [ male announcer ] 80 delicious calories. fiber one.