accused in the growing child sex abuse investigation. we'll bring you the details and then the explosive tell-all book written by a former white house intern who claims she lost her virginity to jfk in the white house. what does this do to the late president's legacy? hi, everybody. great to have you with me today. i'm thomas roberts and there is a lot on the agenda today. we start with rick santorum and his triple crown leaving mitt romney's argument of inevitability in a political tailspin this morning. santorum crushing the alleged front-runner in a clean and convincing three-state sweep. the closest contest was the biggest surprise. santorum turned a close race into a strong win in colorado, a key swing state in november's elections. then came the big blow-outs, fearly 45% of minnesota caucus goers throw their support behind the senator with romney unable to capture even a single county and crowned santorum mr. missouri. another double digit victory. santorum kept his foot the on the gas earlier this morning on

msnbc's "morning joe." take a listen. >> making the case in all three and across the country that mitt romney is not the best choice to go up against barack obama. needs someone who has a strong record to go up against president obama on the big issues of the day and, unfortunately, governor romney sided with the obama administration on three of those maybe most important issues. >> susan page is the washington bureau chief for "usa today" and joins me this morning. it's nice to see you so there is certainly this afterglow for rick santorum and his campaign after they slammed not only mitt romney but president obama last night. one of the strongest so far, take a listen to this. >> at 1600 pennsylvania avenue, you'd better start listening to the voice of the people. >> he thinks he knows better. he thinks he's smarter than you. he thinks he's someone who is a privileged person who should be able to rule over all of you. i do care about not 99% or 95%.

i care about the very rich and the very poor. i care about 100% of america. >> so, susan, it came across confident, strongest speech so far. how significant is this now this momentum for rick santorum considering mitt romney's margin of victory in 2008 in minnesota and colorado as we look at those numbers. >> well, thomas, last night was one of those days you're just glad you're a reporter because you can't predict some of this news. what a great night it was for those of us who 0 cover politics because it was unexpected. this is supposed to be a great month for mitt romney. five of the states he won in 2008 vote during the month of february but he lost two of them and colorado particularly a surprise. minnesota also tim pawlenty the state's two-term governor, former governor, out there working for mitt romney in minnesota but he couldn't even carry his home county for him. this is a sign that the base of

the republican party, the most conservative voters, the tea party movement supporters, the social conservatives are not happy with the idea that mitt romney is the likely republican nominee and they're voting that way. >> it talks about the comfort level they have now he especial at this point in the gop primary, these conservatives that are coming out in droves to say that they don't feel comfortable with him being the nominee. mitt romney, though, struck back last night and talked in a much more subdued way making this appeal. take a list en. >> washington cannot reform itself, and washington will never be reformed by those who have been compromised by the culture of washington. this is a clear choice. i'm the only person in the race, republican or democrat, who has never served a day in wa washington. >> is this argument going to be enough for mitt romney? how does he regain the momentum he has coming out of florida to get over the hurdle which is the

stumble of these three states? >> i don't think rhetoric about not being an insider will help him regain momentum. he needs to win some future contests. there aren't any for about three weeks that he can win in. we're waiting until arizona and michigan primaries on february 28th. that's the way you respond to getting the is shela are cking he got last night and he might. arizona and michigan both good states for him. michigan the state he was born in, his father was governor there. arizona a state with a lot of mormon voters who have been very supportive of him. he may come back but this is a real time of testing for mitt romney. >> you make a great point. we'll see if arizona and michigan are as well. "usa today's" susan page. >> thank you, thomas. the uproar over birth control and insurance coverage, the former senator has blasted the white house's mandate as another obama power play.

>> these are the kind of outrageous overreaches when you give government power they will wield that power over you and that's why you have to be very, very careful about not just this administration but any administration. >> the whus is now suggesting it is open to compromise over the decision that has angered bishops and church groups across the country. joining us this morning is nbc political analyst and form earp dnc communications director karen finney and maggie gallagher of the culture war victory funneled. ladies, it's nice to see you this morning. maggie, i want to start with you because a white house blog made the argument that 98% of catholic women have used birth control at some point in their lives. full disclosure this stat coming from the abortion rights group. is there, though, a disconnect, maggie, between church leaders and contemporary catholics when it comes to this issue? >> i think the disconnect is between the obama administration and catholic voters. rick santorum was on fire last night when he said the obama d

administration is going after liberty, religious liberty, just a small group of people he said. just catholics in america. and i think you will find that even catholics who don't necessarily agree with the church's teachings on birth control are not going to appreciate the government stepping in and ordering catholic hospitals, catholic schools, universities to either provide contraception, sterilization and abortion pills which is what the morning after pill can function as under the orders of the obama administration and the people who are objecting the most are the catholic left who went out on a limb for president obama against the bishops who warned that obama care could have negative consequences for the liberty of the church and he has sawed off the limb and left them hanging. >> karen, i want to let you jump in here because you write a piece comparing the church's response to this very issue, to the response of the sexual abuse crisis saying that as a young catholic personally you felt disillusioned during the abuse crisis from the church who put

institution ahead of mission. do you believe it's the same thing going down the line putting institution above what is health care for women? >> indeed. i respect maggie's perspective here but i think the administration was acting in the interests of women's health, and i think the majority of us see this as a women's health issue not a religious rights issue. if you see it as a religious rights issue, i would say what about the rights of the woman who is noncatholic who happens to work in one of those institutions whose faith would allow her to have birth control? what we're saying then in that instance the employer gets to tell her what is or isn't okay, and i think, again, are the administration went to great lengths to actually try to preserve those exceptions. no catholic doctor is required to write a prescription. there is no -- the institutions don't have to provide contraception. they have to provide the option to contraception. and i think when you see 98% of catholic women have utilized

contraception at some point there's something out of step here that the church isn't accepting or recognizing that in the modern 21st century catholics, you know, this is a part of our lives. let's not -- and recognize that women's health is a major issue in this kcountry. and that it feels out of step for me. i'd like to see the church go out this hard, frankly, on poverty issues or the tenor of the immigration debate. that is part of our social justice and social teachings message. >> when we talk about this line between the business of being catholic and then catholic businesses, kacatholic affiliat hospitals that you bring up -- >> the charities. they're not businesses. they're nonprofits. >> but they're functioning as businesses at their core. >> no, they're not. they're not in the business to make money. they're in the business to help people. catholics, whether they agree with the church's teaching, which i do on contraception or not, are very proud of this network. >> the question that i want to get to is should the catholic church be treating its employees as congregants? when you talk about it as a

business, you need to treat your business employees in that manner. >> it is not trying to tell the government what it can tell commercial businesses to do for employee insurance. it is trying to preserve its own right to provide -- to act in the way that's consistent with its own teachings and, frankly, i think we can agree women's health is not going to be affect ed one little bit if catholic charities is not providing abortion pills for its employees. >> that's not true. again, for many women they not only use contraception for birth control, some for treating migrain migraines, some for fibroids -- >> those uses would not be objected to. >> if i'm a jewish woman and my doctor says this is what's right for you and i happen to work in a catholic institution, is it right for my employer who is not necessarily -- i don't take the position of it as a business but an entity that gets a specialized tax status from the government, does that entity then have the right to tell me i can't have access?

and what if i'm a woman, a mother, i have a family of four, and it's $200 a month for my prescription. that's money that i could be spending on taking care of my children, getting my car fixed, getting their teeth fixed. there are some very significant economic consequences. >> $200 on contraceptives you should find a better deal. i think women have figured out how to pay for our contraceptives without -- >> but why should women have to figure it out? this is the point of the administration that all women should have equal protection. all women should have equal access. >> ladies, real quickly, let me jump in -- >> has the right to tell the catholic organization they have to provide abortion pills. >> you have to treat all of your employees including women fairly. you cannot discriminate against a woman who works for you who may not be catholic, who may not hold to the teaches. >> this turns everything into the questions of equality and it's a shame. it's a crying shame. >> ladies, i have to leave it there. it's great to have you both on.

i've been looking to have voices such as yours on this week as we talk about this. we'll have to have you back when we have more time. thanks again to both of you. >> thank you. disturbing new details this morning on josh powell in the final moments before he set his house object fire killing himself and his two young sons. newly released calls reveal a frantic social worker's d desperate attempts to contact police. >> he slammed the door in my face, i kept knocking. i thought it was a mistake. i kept knocking and then i called 911. they're 5 and 7 and there's an adult man, he has supervised visitation and he blew up the house and the kids. a memorial for the two boys will be held on saturday. miguel almaguer joins me now with more. miguel, what sort of evidence has been uncovered now? police uncovering that explains the motivation of powell decide to go take these drastic measures? >> reporter: thomas, we've learned police believe josh powell had been working on this

house fire and planning it for at least a day. on saturday they believe he began to put the plan in motion. they say he with drew some $7,00 from his bank account and transferred the money to another account. they say that he bought 10 gallons of gasoline that was used as an accelerant to light this home on fire that he planned to give away his boys' toys, that he certainly had begun thinking about this on saturday. of course you just heard that dramatic 911 call that was made moments after the boys walked into the house and josh powell, we learned, also made his own voice mails. he sent voice mails to family and friends just 20 minutes before that house fire. here is what he said. >> this is josh. i just wanted to say good-bye. i am not able to live without my sons, and i'm not able to go on

anymore. i'm sorry to everyone i've hurt. good-bye. >> reporter: those have been given to police who have gone through all of this trying to put together a better time line. as a matter of fact just yesterday, last evening, they searched a storage shed that was owned by or rented by josh powell, all of that their ongoing investigation, thomas. >> nbc's miguel almaguer, thanks so much. a big question a lot of people are talking about today is did jfk have his own hohn ka monica lewinsky. is in ways more scandalous than what rocked bill clinton's presidency. and new allegations against disgraced penn state coach jerry sandusky. is he spying on kids from his front porch? fference between a trader and an elite trader? it's this... the etrade pro platform. fast. beautiful. totally customizable.

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welcome back. i want to show you some live pictures. former senator rick santorum with pastors at the chapel there. this coming off the big win last night, the trifecta of the caucuses that he walks away with. we're listening in to see what he's talking about this morning. we just got there, introduced his family. we'll keep our eye on it and take you back there. reports that tanks and armored vehicles are storming a neighborhood in homs. residential neighborhoods in at least four cities were bombed by syrian troops and what activists say is the final push to reclaim areas under rebel control. the european union says it will impose harsher sanctions after dozens were killed in government-led bombings today. meantime assad says he wants his vice president to hold talks with opposition groups about a solution to end the violence.

a scandal that would send shock waves through today's political world, blockbuster allegations of an 18-month tryst that jfk supposedly had with a teen during his presidency. a new tell-all book from mimi alford now 68 years old who says she is unlocking decades old secrets of a sex life she shared with jfk. alford goes into this detail about losing her virginity to the commander in chief and how she felt about their relationship in an interview with meredith vieira airing tonight on nbc. >> you wrote that i wouldn't describe it happened that night as making love but i wouldn't call it nonconsensual either. he had maneuvered me swiftly and unexpectedly and with such authority and strength that short of screaming i doubt if i could have done anything to thwart his intentions, with which almost makes it sound like you did feel you were somewhat overpowered. >> well, i think overpowered in the sense that he was the president. he was this unbelievably handsome man, 45 years old, not

overpowered physically that someone had grabbed me and made me do something that i wasn't really willing to do. >> richard is a historian and vice president of vote iq. as we listen to part of the interview meredith has with mimi alford, it's no secret we've all heard rumors throughout the decades about jfk's possible promiscuity in the white house but does this shed a completely different light on who this president was talking about taking the virginity of interns in the white house? how does this tarnish his legacy is or does it? >> well, first of all, you referred to this as a rumor. i think at this point it's no longer a question of rumor. fact, established fact. there have been too many cases piled one on top of another on top of another and we know what kind of man he was.

in private he was lecherous. he took advantage of women, and he didn't seem to care too much about their situations or their feelings. he was concerned about himself. it's a dreadful portrait of a president. it is shocking. to be able to actually talk to this woman as meredith vieira has and i guess we'll see the interview tonight, that's shocking to be able to see it. it would be a little bit like having an interview with some former president, ex-president's paramour. for those people who have had their head in the sand the last 25 years while historians have been coming out with all of this evidence, i suppose so. but i find it hard to believe that anybody at this point is going to be shocked but the details are riveting.

>> and another quote that i want to read for everybody from mimi's interview with meredith vieira she says i think when you keep a secret and when you keep silent about something, you do it because you think it's keeping you safe but, in fact, it's deadly. so, richard, this is how she is explaining the why now aspect of her coming forward. so how much scrutiny do you think mimi alford is going to face some 50 years after this allegedly happened and someone trying to go after her to tear down her credibility even though you say that a lot of these rumors have been proven to be true, what about her? >> well, she is going to face scrutiny. there's no question about it. i hate to think what the blogosphere will make her. everyone has an opinion about this. this is one of those subjects that everyone can have an opinion about. it's not talking about some obscure aspect of public policy that requires a ph.d. for the understanding. so people are going to talk. she's going to walk into a grocery store to do her shopping

and people are going to twitter and look at her and say, oh, that's mimi, jfk's teenage sidekick. it's not going to be terribly pleasant for her. i take it the book has been kind of an act of catharsis for her, so i haven't talked to her. this is what i'm gleaning from it. >> richard, nice to see you that morning. thanks so much. to pass along this programming note that you can see more on the story, the complete interview with meredith vieira tonight on "rock center" in its new home 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on nbc. sweet, nutty crunchy nut. [ sighs ] i can't wait till morning. wait! it's morning in china!

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♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ this is zales, the diamond store. the beloved and recently retired gabby giffords is expected to endorse her choice this week ahead of the june special election to succeed her. her choice is rumored to be a former aide, ron war ber, who was with her on that fateful day outside of the tucson

supermarket. was shot in the leg and the face in the attack and like giffords survived. it remains to be seen whether barber will run in the november election. joining me this morning is a democrat who has already announced he's running in that special election, arizona state representative matt hines. it's great to see you this morning. thanks for being here. >> sure, my pleasure, thomas. thanks for inviting me. >> if gabby giffords endorses barber, he would be the sentimental favorite but would that change your decision to run, and have you made your own appeal to congresswoman giffords to endorse you? >> if ron barber does indeed announce that he is interested in running for the special, i have already stated i would be happy to support him. he's a dear friend of mine, someone i respect tremendously and of course the congresswoman i respect tremendously as well so i would honor that and i would actually help him as much as i possibly could. and then i would, of course, change my own filings and my paperwork to run in the november

election, the august/november election. >> so this is something you do have your sights set on no matter what, whether it be now or later but it means filling some big shoes. would you continue your political agenda if you were elected and, if so, how? >> i would. i think it's important to point out nobody can replace my congresswoman gabrielle giffords period, about but what we can do is move forward and hopper her legacy, her conviction and strength and govern like she did so well for southern arizona, a moderate who would reach across the aisle to work together with republicans and democrats to solve problems tore the people in my community. and that is what i'm going to emulate. that is what i do now in the state house, and that is what i do every night when i'm on shift in the hospital as a physician. >> i want to talk to you about something that happened inc california while i have you here. as you are one of arizona's only openly gay lawmakers i want to ask you about prop 8 and what was your take on that decision yesterday where the appeals

court has said it is unconstitutional. >> tremendous victory. i was very, very pleased to hear that, and it is another step forward for equality. it is a very -- it's a focused decision. it doesn't actually apply, i think, more nationally, unfortunately, but it is certainly a great step forward for the community and for marriage equality in california. and i hope that's another step toward full equality nationally. >> arizona state representative matt heinz, thanks for your time this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you very much. appreciate it, thomas. >> abc routely. rick santorum sweeps all three contests last night, minnesota, missouri and colorado, putting another chink in mitt romney's armor. so where does all of this leave newt gingrich? plus, finding a cure. another komen official resigns over the fight. will the breast cancer foundation be able to fix its big pr problems? all i could do was worry !

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welcome back. rick santorum basks in the glow of his triple victory, his republican rivals want to put last night in the rear-view mirror but the seismic shift could have a big impact on the next states to come. rick santorum is already in the delegate rich state of texas hoping to capitalize on his three state sweep. newt gingrich is hanging his hopes on ohio where he had a campaign stop this morning in cleveland. s santorum talked about his campaign approach just moments ago. take a listen. >> one of the things i think is also important is for me to be transparent about how i approach these issues. and i'm very transparent about that. you probably can't see there's a teleprompter way in the back but -- >> nbc campaign andrew rafferty joins us. how has the momentum changed for rick santorum given what we saw

yesterday, the three state sweep? >> reporter: thomas, he's in texas right now and he has a 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. event. what's he doing in texas? he's raising money. the state of texas is a great place for republicans to try to gain some money. he will be doing the same thing over the weekend inc california so really trying to translate that momentum into cash as a candidate who has just over a million on hand and he wants to be able to compete in the super tuesday state spread all over the kcountry, he's going to nee more money and that's what he's trying to capitalize on in the coming days. >> when we talk about who he's meeting with today in texas it's tea party activists, correct? >> right. he's holding rallies with tea party activists, a group he's had tremendous success with, really establishing himself as the true conservative in the race, the anti-romney. they love his social conservative mess ang and this is a base he has pretty well

wrapped up in his corner at this point. >> andrew rafferty, thank you. a black eye on the susan g. komen foundation's pink brand. komen is suffering from an image problem following last week's funding dispute with planned parenthood, one of the most pow powerful messages of dissent that we've seen is that of a woman battling breast cancer who posted this personal message to komen on youtube. take a look. >> this is not pretty but i'm going to tell what you cancer is not. do you see politics on my chest? do you see republican, democrat, tea party or independent anywhere on my chest is this i don't. >> we chose to blur part of that video just in case you had kids in the room but if you'd like to see the entire message it is on youtube. joining me this morning to talk about komen's image problem is teri o'neal. it's nice to see you that morning. >> thomas, good morning. >> that youtube video was so

powerful, it really shows the face of breast cancer, the very people at the center of komen's mission. so can komen do anything to regain the long established trust that it's lost here in such a short period of time? >> thomas, they have to do one thing. they have to get politics out of their attempt to cure breast cancer. they have turned themselves into a political organization. they need to renounce that move. they need to return to being an apolitical breast cancer organizati organization. it's important for their donors to be able to believe that they are, in fact, a breast cancer organization and not a political organization. >> right. >> and, frankly, karen handel's departure is not nearly enough to transform komen from what has become, which is a political organization, and make it back into a breast cancer organization. >> and we were showing karen handel, she is the woman komen's vice president of public policy,

resigning in the wake of all of this. now she ran as governor of georgia, terry, on an anti-abortion, anti-planned parenthood platform. she was, i guess, pivotal in what took place at komen but is she being sent out with this resignation letter as basically a scapegoat that's going to help them save face? ultimately is this resignation enough? >> it's really not enough. the question in my mind is who hired her? that's number one. number two, what was the vetting process that got this politician into the top policy staff position at komen? we now know, by the way, that ari fleischer, a republican party political 0 operative with a vendetta against planned parenthood has been vetting candidates for senior vice president for communications at komen. and he acknowledged to think progress that he's going to even get paid for vetting these candidates and the story on

think progress is he specifically screened candidates with respect to how they would handle planned parenthood at komen. so what we learn now is komen is deliberately bringing politicians in to put politicians into top spots at the komen foundation. this makes it a political anti-abortion organization not a breast cancer organization. they need to get rid of that whole thing and they need to come clean and explain where did she come from, what was the vetting process, who else is a politician in the stop staffing positions? >> does that rest with the ceo and founder? >> you know, there is one of the board members of the komen foundation's new york city affiliate has resigned. she has an open letter to 0 i think ambassador brinker or to the komen foundation. she calls not only for the ouster of karen handel but for

the resignation of nancy brinker and the resignation of the entire nine-member board and have it replaced by people who will depoliticize the organization. >> well, they have done a lot of great work. they brought wonderful attention to trying to tind a cure for cancer. we'll see how they make it through the other side. terry o'neill, thank you for being hear and appreciate your insights. here is a look at other stories topping the news now. a jury has been selected and seated in the murder trial of former university of virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his ex-girlfriend. right now 24-year-old george hughley is in court. he pled not guilty to charges of first-degree murder in the may 2010 death of 22 ye-year-old lo who died from head trauma after an argument with hughley. prosecutors want former penn state coach jerry sandusky to stay indoors as part of his bail agreement. now this after a local neighbor reported seeing the accused child molester sitting on his

deck watching school kids at a nearby playground. the house is right next door to a school. sandusky's lawyer released a statement saying his client can open his front door to let out his dog without someone calling authorities. manhattan prosecutors will not file rape charges against new york tv anchor greg kelly. he's also the son of new york city police commissioner ray kelly. this after a two-week investigation into claims that he attacked a 28-year-old woman inside the law office where she worked after a heavy night of drinking. police say criminal charges are not appropriate. kelly says, quote, i'm thankful that the investigation established what i've known all along, that i am innocent. operators of the biggest hotels in new york city will hand out an unusual perk, personal panic buttons. the devices will alert security if hotel staff are facing danger inside a room. this is after one said dominique krause caan assaulted her in a

suite. the entire school staff will be replaced after two teachers were jailed last week for alleged sexual abuse. now outraged parents have pulled their kids out of school in the wake of these arrests and some parents say only bad teachers should be let go. >> our children are going to be devastated. when i tell my daughter that her teacher is leaving and she will never see that teacher again, she is going to be devastated. we're midyear right now. in june the classes are done. how are the new teachers going to evaluate our kids? >> nbc's mike taibbi joins us now from los angeles. we understand you have some new information regarding the case. >> reporter: yeah, thomas, there's a lot of new information about a case like this and this particular case because that's what happens at this stage of it when there's been an explosion of interest in it. the charges on their face are scandalous. the only word that really is appropriate. right now there is some discussion that has been in the media about potentially a third

teacher being implicated in the alleged crimes by one of the two teachers who has already been jailed. we know the information, we know her name. we're not going to pass it along at this point because it's only a story that's been provided by a plaintiff's attorney who represents the families of several of the girls who have been directly connected as victims, alleged victims, in this scandal. this other teacher allegedly was implicit in some way participated in the activities by mark berndt. we're not getting any information from the l.a. county sheriff's department or the d.a. that any charges are eminent. no confirmation of that. in addition, what we're hearing from the "l.a. times" in a report this morning that one of the two girls who allegedly charged the second teacher arrested, martin spring er is hs name, has recanted her story. again, we haven't at this stage confirmed that part of it but that's a story on the front page of today's "l.a. times." this is los angeles. this is the west coast. this is where the scandal happened in 1984 which resulted in hundreds of charges, indictments against individuals of that school, a five-year

prison stay by one of the defendants in that case and $15 million and two trials later zero convictions. so a lot of caution right now. the big thing is the disruption of the school and the transfer, as you said, of all those teachers to another school. thomas? >> i appreciate it. well, a big ruling in the fight for california's prop 8 and marriage equality. but, the fight is not over yet. plus, the first lady's fitness challenge, late night host jimmy fallon steps up to the plate. wait until you see it. >> good luck. you're going to need it. in the course of a day. but what's even more surprising is that brushing alone isn't enough to keep it clean. fortunately, you've got listerine. unlike brushing which misses 75% of your mouth, listerine cleans virtually your entire mouth. so what are you waiting for? it's time to take your mouth to a whole new level of health. listerine... power to your mouth.

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into the brain. a computer later translated the signals into sounds and researchers say that future research into the field may help severely disabled people communicate easier. if you haven't been following it, i'll catch you up on it. for a long time same sex marriage was not legal and then here in california it was legal for about 25 minutes and then it was not legal again because of something called prop 8 which bans same sex marriage and i'm happy to say that yesterday an appeals court ruled prop 8 was unconstitutional. >> that was ellen degeneres celebrating yesterday's appeals court decision on california's controversial prop 8. the supreme court is expected to affirm that decision finding the denial of marriage equality to gays and lesbians violates the u.s. constitution. one of the attorneys, ted olson, who represented george w. bush in bush vs. gore, spoke about that decision with rachel maddow last night. >> people have the right to get

married, which is a fundamental right in this country. you cannot take it away from those individuals without violating the constitution. >> joining he this morning are jeff cirillo and tom, two of the plaintiffs in the original case that kicked off the debate. it's nice to see you this morning. >> hi, thomas. how are you? >> thanks for having us. >> absolutely. jeff, i want to start with the argument of liberty. even some conservatives saying at the heart of this very debate is personal tree dfreedom. have you spoken to anyone who has changed their opinions about this or have people in your own circles knowing what you've gone through stood firm in how they feel about the issue? >> oh, sure, thomas, and it's not even just in the recent weeks. it's really been since we filed this case almost two and a half years ago. we have spent time telling our stories and changing the hearts and minds of people across the gay and lesbian community and also in america overall. >> so, paul, on a personal level

yesterday's appeals court decision, do you see that as a vindication, really a win for your original lawsuit or just another hurdle accomplished in the battle of this ongoing fight against prop 8? >> it's a part of the process. yesterday was a great day. it is absolutely a step in the right direction. the 9th circuit's ruling yesterday says you can't recognize a right for a minority group and then lobby against that group because you have a bias and strip away that right for them. it is a vindication in many ways because for a long time we never thought we would actually have these rights and now we'ren the road, the quick road, we hope, to being married and having equality. >> when we talk about what's taking place in the country right now, jeff, washington state specifically has legislature scheduled to take up today a bill supporting marriage equality that is supported by the state's governor. do you think that your battle had anything to do with this nationwide movement towards marriage equality, movements we're seeing take place on the

east coast and maryland as well? >> i would certainly hope so. i think when you look at the record that we've put together, first at the district court and then the 9th circuit court of appeals and we have ted olson on our side, we have spent the last two and a half years not only educating people but making sure that people are informed when they go to the ballot box and they understand that we do not put the minority rights up to a vote. >> paul, again, this has moved on ultimately do you feel this has to reach the supreme court? >> you know, as much as we want equality for california, i think we need equality as a nation. there's people in other states that are like jeff and i, like chris and sandy, that have the same desire to marry, to be part of that institution that has universal recognition and we would hope if this does become a supreme court case and the supreme court does accept it that it could eventually affect our entire nation. to us it seems strange that you could have rights in one state and not in another so eventually we hope that all gay and lesbian

people across the country and the world have equality. >> you guys are leading the charge on this, paul and jeff. thank you so much for being here this morning. i appreciate it. >> thanks. so from a former slave to f being immortalized in wax. had harriet tub man took her place in the wax museum, she is believed to have released at least 300 other slaves on the underground railroad and her faep said she looks so real all -- americans believe they should be in charge of their own future. how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning.

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again, it's time for the poli sidebar. santorum was the latest candidate to get glitter bombed, it was a near miss for romney in missouri last night. the secret service interrupted the attack, romney escaped but the carpet got hit.

he was not so lucky earlier this month, he was showered with the glitter not once but twice in minnesota. ron paul was target there'd on monday and newt gingrich was the first victim in may. president obama got to meet some of the smartest kids in the country, but what got the most attention? the extreme marshmallow cannon. check this out. >> let see what happens. >> so it was an air gun that fires marshmallows that fires them across the white house one person joked that it should be strapped to a predator drone. ♪ >> does she look familiar? do you remember obama-girl from the last presidential election, well, amber lee not sure if she still has a crush on obama, she

is undecided at the time, at least for now. she is hurt that the president never thanked her for her video. first it was push ups with ellen degeneres and now the first lady is challenging late night host jimmy fall on to a fitness challenge. who do you think won some >> we are going to start with a stair race, are you ready to do this? >> i was born ready. ♪ [ applause ] ♪ >> all right a win tore the first lady, fallon lost.

i'll see you back here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern time, as always you can follow me on twitter. don't go anywhere, "now" is little owen wanted to play, but his nose was raw and sore. achoo! [ male announcer ] and common tissue made it burn even more. ♪ puffs plus lotion is more soothing than common tissue, and it delivers our most soothing lotion for every nose issue. a nose in need deserves puffs plus lotion indeed. to give your cold a comforting scent, try puffs plus lotion with the scent of vicks. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care.

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