about the midwest bracing for another round of possibly devastating storms after a series of twisters claimed lives. and two more u.s. troops killed in afghanistan in the wake of outrage over the accidental burnings of qurans. what can be done to calm that fire storm. i'm thomas roberts. great to have you with me. topping our agenda the issue that has become a political football in washington, the fight oench contraception and whether coverage should be required regardless of an employer's moral or religious believes. we are watching the senate floor where we expect this vote to take place over the amendment to allow any employer to be exempted if they have personal religious or moral objections. this has a wider ramification to it, as well. republicans argue this is a matter of religious freedom. democrats say this is a basic matter of health care.

>> this amendment takes aim at women's access to health care. it would allow any employer to deny coverage for any treatment for virtually any reason. >> now proponents say in this case we should just ignore the first amendment. that's what that proponents are saying. in this instance ignore the first amendment. >> joining me is nbc capitol hill correspondent. i'm hearing more like 11:30. >> this is bringing to a head days and days of debate over an issue that surprised many that it became such afore front not only in politics on the hill but much more broadly. in 2012 in senate races. what we're talking about here is a change only to the president's health care law. it would not effect state laws

or other kinds of rules that govern how people get access to health care. it would allow beyond churches or religious institutions that are already exempt, it would allow other kinds of employers to not provide specific insurance coverage for things that fall into the area of contraception and reproductive health. republicans are arguing that this is about first amendment religious freedom. democrats have been talking about this as an issue on women's health, access to care. so you can see how volatile this is on both sides where you have real passions coming out. what we'll see is an attempt in about a half hour or so. it will be in the very technical sense a way of trying to kill this amendment. it has been politicly hot. most republicans are for this. we have notably olympia snowe saying she would not seek reelection. she will not support her party

on this. you have a couple of democrats, they're not going to go along with their party. this will play out in all kinds of ways. we have seen activests and interest groups playing into this, as well. it is one of the things that has refocused on issues that people call the cultural wars, some say religious freedom. it has something for everybody. >> health and human services secretary has spoken out on this. >> she is testifying bet the budget. of course, this is a topic people wanted to ask her about. the administration says it has made a compromise to allow religious institutions to be exempt from this rule. they believe that is satisfacto satisfactory. the blunt issue named for senator roy blunt of missouri, that goes a little bit further and is really only focused on the president's health care law and saying the mandate would

exist. >> in a few minutes we are going to speak with the democratic senator maria cantwell of washington. she was on the floor. we'll have her here as our guest. there is growing concern that the gop could be entering dangerous territory by embarking on this prolonged culture war. one of the things to watch is who among republicans will vote no. as kelly mentioned at least one among the gop is voicing dissent. >> i think with respect to the blunt amendment i think it is much broader than i can support. i think we should focus on the issue of contraceptives and whether or not it should be included in a health insurance plan. >> joining me this morning alisha menendez and washington post political columnist, dana. the stakes are high for the

senate. republicans want to use it against people in missouri. what is the impact of republicans waging this fight now with women and independents and so important for 2012? >> they are doing a very good job of firing up the democratic base particularly women and independents. i think for a while this was a winning issue for them. it was really about religious freedom. now it's become about protecting the right of corporations saying that therapy conscience is more important than the conscience of women. i think for them this is a mistake to be pushing it as hard as they are pushing it. >> democrats are accusing mitt romney of flip-flopping on the issue. i want to play the comment yesterday and then the clarification for everybody. >> i'm not for the bill. the idea of presidential candidates getting into questions about contraception within a relationship between a man and woman and husband and

wife i'm not going there. >> i didn't understand his question. of course, i support the blunt amendment. i'm talking about some state law that prevented people from getting contraceptions. >> can he afford to have that right now especially with the left now pinning him with the flip-flopping stance and not being able to stand firm on issues? >> we live in a gotcha world in politics. you have to be careful what you say whether you mean it or not. it does not serve mitt romney well to be talking about cultural issues. it will be interesting to see how this plays out for rick santorum particularly in some of the states where independent voters might show up at the polls in the primaries. we can blame the senate for a party foul, if you will, because at the end of the day i don't think the republicans win on this issue or on this cultural

war. >> i want to turn to super tuesday. there are 11 states, 424 delegates ripe for the picking. no prize bigger than ohio with 66 delegates, the bragging rights of electability from ohio. now this new twist, this just in that donald trump will stump for romney in ohio. is that a smart move? >> well, you certainly roll the dice, so to speak, when you have donald trump doing your work for you. it's not clear that that is the man you need to appeal to the ohio factory worker. it shows that romney is still very nervous about sort of the tea party base of the party which is why he is continuing to embrace donald trump. if he were more confident of his prospects of reaching the general election he wouldn't want to be doing that right now.

it makes since that ohio is a difficult place for him. you can see romney would be anxious there. it seems likely after his wins in michigan and arizona that that polls should begin to sift in his direction again. >> i missed the conversations about what is taking place with the gop primary. jeb bush's name keeps popping up saying democrats continue to cast a weary eye on a guy they see as more dangerous and capable of connecting with middle class and latino voters than romney. do you see jeb bush rethinking his position the louder this noise gets? >> i think he is too politicly s savvy to get in the race now. he could release the death grip. you talk to any of his advisors and they say there is no way he is getting in. >> thanks so much. we appreciate you taking time

out for me. thank you. so much of the midwest is on edge today as they clean up from one tornado outbreak and now prepare for the next. nearly two dozen tornadoes touched down in seven states over two days from nebraska to tennessee. the twisters left a dozen people dead in three states, another 100 injured. forecasters now predicting a storm system for the same region coming tomorrow. for residents in the devastated town of harrisburg, illinois, many are pledging that they will rebuild. >> my husband looked at me and said well, i'm going to ask you this question, do you want to build it back? i said, sure. we have been here since 1972. we're not going anywhere. >> weather channel meteorologist is live for us in harrisburg, illinois. explain what we are seeing there. >> reporter: this is just an awful situation especially when

you go back and think about what we just dealt with last spring. the same jet stream that caused the tornadoes last spring is still in place. the difference is this winter we had no winter. so the gulf of mexico of warmer and we are allowed to tap that moisture more often and early. that is why we have had this february outbreak. this is a strip mall, one of about 30 # 0 homes and businesses that has been demolished here in the harrisburg area. you can see what is left. the tornado came this way and pretty much took this whole thing and blew it into this lake. we have huge chunks of the building, looks like a stucco wood frame. something about looking at a lake that has been completely littered with trash. here is a walmart just across the way. they are doing repair on that roof there. we have one of the power companies out trying to repair the lines. we were over there earlier today and they kicked us off those

streets so they could get in there. the tornado path came from in front of me, across the strip mall, across the lake and right up the hill where you can see several homes and trees that were taken out as a result of this path. the good news is everybody has been accounted for. the bad news is another severe outbreak looms on friday. >> paying close attention to. jim cantore, thank you so much. parts of the northeast are getting pounded with snow as we speak. about a foot in certain areas. winter is finally here. today being march 1. plus we're keeping our eyes on a developing situation in afghanistan. two more u.s. troops killed there today. more fallout from the inadvertent burning of qurans. wanna know the difference between a trader and an elite trader? it's this... the etrade pro platform. fast. beautiful. totally customizable. finds top performing stocks -- in three clicks. quickly scans the market for new trading ideas.

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the senate will be voting this hour on the controversial blunt amendment also called the conscience amendment overriding the president's mandate on insurance coverage for birth control allowing for exemptions on moral grounds. joining me from washington is senator cantwell from washington. tell us about what you were able to share with your colleagues from the floor and how you feel about this and what should be done today with this vote in. >> we don't want to roll back access to health care and that is what this amendment does. it is a lot broader issue than people realize. it would basically allow employers to discrimnate against women on a whole variety of health care that they currently have to provide on simply if they said they have an objection to do so. so there have been many cases over the last seven years against employers who have

discriminated against women. and those cases in court have sided with giving women access. we don't want to roll back access for women. and women across america want to quit being a pawn in a political debate and get congress to focus on jobs and the economy. >> senator, the right sees this a different way. i want you to listen to what the senator had to say yesterday and get your reaction on the other side. >> this amendment does not mention any procedure because i don't know what -- and nobody knows what things might be in some future date offensive who somebody's religious believes but you have no financial reason to not provide a service. so the only reason you would really have under this amendment would be a true moral objection. >> senator blunt answering criticism that the bill is too

broad. how do you respond to that? >> that's absolutely the problem with the bill. it means that any of those procedures like breast cancer screening, even diabetes screening could all of a sudden be at an employer's wim not to cover. the fact that you don't have to give an explanation for it or say i have an objection based on some values that we hold is denying access to health care that is already there for women today. it is proving valuable for people to keep health care costs down and giving women access. we have had this debate now almost seven or eight times every time there is a major bill coming before congress or a major budget decision. this seems to erupt. i hope that we will setting this today once and for all and get about focusing on our economy because women want their health care and they want jobs. >> interestingly, though, we

have senator olympia snowe saying the fight over this is one of the reasons why she is getting out of congress. she is voting against it while her colleague from maine is voting for the amendment. has the bitterness for this really damaged the dialogue in washington, d.c.? >> i think it is taking a lot of time. if you go back to what the budget decision was on getting a continuing resolution it was held up until we had a vote on defunding planned parenthood. there are other pieces of legislation that are all about defunding access to women's health care. there are so many case laws and so many saying this is the law of the land. you basically are just wasting time. and so you can keep using women's health care as some sort of political pawn to score points or we can get on with what is already on the books, already established and debated by the courts, make sure employers continue to cover women's access and get our

economy going and not bring it up on every debate. >> a woman who became a face of this debate, a georgetown law student was barred and then testified before another hearing called by senator pelosi and appeared on this show last week. >> translator: i don't think that anyone has treated me like a political football. it was discouraging to see women's health treated that way previously. i am glad to see that america is paying attention to women's concerns. if you want to hold a hearing on a sidewalk outside i'll show up to talk about women's health. i don't think that that forum could be criticized in that way. >> senator, rush limbaugh yesterday squarely aimed his words questioning her virtue, doing so in a pretty rude manner on the air waves. how do you feel about her character? is she being treated like a

political football between the parties? >> there is no call for those kinds of comments. those are very inappropriate and they should be repudiated by lots of people. this is about something that women have fought for and guaranteed the right to get access. having access to a mammogram screening or for diabetes screening or in many other instances just preventative care is about keeping people healthy in america. employers who did try to discrimnate were found in court to be wrong. let's not go backwards here. let's go forward. we are going to have to have our voices loudly heard. we are just wasting time by debating it over and over and over again. >> thank you for making time for us today. we appreciate your time. >> thank you. >> absolutely. she is being called hollywood's new "it" girl and

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u.s. soldiers accidently burned qurans at a military base, something president obama has apologized for. he defended his apology in an interview. >> the reason that it was important is the same reason that the commander on the ground general allen apologized and thatset to save lives. and to make sure our troops who are there right now are not placed in further danger. >> how is this effecting the overall mission and where does it go from here to try to quell the violence that has erupted? >> before we go there we did get late breaking information that there were actually three attackers involved in the attack that killed two american soldiers at that base in kandahar province. one was a civilian instructor and two were possibly trainee

as. the two uniformed personnel were shot and killed. it's unclear what happened to the civilian trainer there in kandahar province. in terms of how this affects the u.s. mission there, a few minutes ago a senior pentagon official said the u.s. is staying the course. there has been a lot of progress in transitioning to afghan security. they say as regrettable as these incidents are, the burning of the quran, and the deaths of the six soldiers and civilians killed in protests now is not time to abandon the mission. >> we appreciate it. history being made at the white house for the first time ever a president held a dinner honoring troops returning from a war, specifically the iraq war. >> as we look across this room today, we look at our military,

we draw strength from every part of aeroamerican family, every color, creed, background, every belief and every day you succeed together as one american team. as your commander and chief i could not be more proud of you. >> the president and first lady interstained about 200 hand pickpic -- entertained about 200 hand picked guests. new job numbers out today show big improvement. the lowest level since may, 2008 #. also the last time the dow closed above 13,000 until the other day. what these numbers could mean for the president's reelection chances plus davy jones is being remembered by fans as well as his fellow musicians including one of the surviving members. we're going to hear from mickey dole nds coming up.

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tabling the blunt amendment. washington, d.c. where we are expecting a vote anytime on the blunt amendment. the blunt amendment is going to be to decide whether or not and i understand that -- say that again. so in atlanta rick santorum is speaking about this. let's listen in real fast. >> after his consultpants talked to him and then he came back and said i didn't understand the question. maybe he did or maybe he didn't. if i was asked a question like that my gut reaction would be always you stand for the first amendment. you stand for freedom of religion. you stand for the first amendment rights.

a lot will tell you what kind of president you are going to be when you haven't been properly briefed by your consultants and you're asked what's really going on here. ladies and gentlemen, you want someone who at their core believes and is willing to step up and fight, not put these issues on the back burner. conservative issues, not put them on the back burner and just focus on one or two things that may be popular like cutting taxes. i have never voted for a tax increase. don't believe in voting for tax increases unlike governor romney who has. i don't vote for tax increases. running around and talking about cutting taxes is not the hardest political thing to do. going out and talking about cutting entitlement programs as opposed to creating new entitlement programs like obama care and other state run government run health care

systems like in states like massachusetts, for example. those things are hard to fight. you're looking at someone from the beginning on the central issue of the day, obama care, health care, government mandate, that you buy insurance. i was never for a government mandate to force you to buy insurance. >> we have been listening to rick santorum talking in atlanta. we jumped in referencing the fact that mitt romney spoke to ohio journalists saying he was opposed to the blunt amendment and then quickly changed his stance on that within an hour saying he is really for it. and he said he was confused by the original question asked of him that now rick santorum is jumping over saying that mitt romney doesn't have the gut reaction he needs to stand by the first amendment rights for all americans in this country. again, to take you back to the floor we are expecting this vote to take place and we'll have it

wrapped up to have the tally in in a moment. we have been talking about this to allow all employers to reskbroekt visions in the health care law that run counter to their religious or moral believes. this has taken the tone certainly for the contraceptive belief. this has wider ramifications if this goes forward. we will have a tally coming up within the half hour. we shift gears to talk about what is taking place on the jobs front today. there is news out today that can't be looked at as other than goods because applications for unemployment have dipped to a four year low. fewer people are being laid off and suggest that some may be hiring more. jobs and unemployment will be a hot topic for president obama today when he travels to the swing state of new hampshire. the u.s. economic senator for the economist and the author of

the little book of economics. we are anticipating these february unemployment numbers. if it shows an increase in unemployment, what does that mean for president obama? >> well, if you take a look at the jobless claims numbers that you were referencing a moment ago, people on wall street think that is consistent with employment going around 200,000 in the month of february. we'll get the official numbers a week from tomorrow. that will be the third month in a row of vaerl healthy job growth. that's very good news for the president. keep in mind that looking forward two of the big three negatives hanging over the economy are basically in the rear view mirror. i'm talking about the payroll tax cut and europe which seems to have the crisis under control. the third thing is iran oil gasoline that continues to probably be the biggest shadow over the president's economic record right now. on that front we got a little bit of bad news today. it seems that consumer incomes

have not grown very much t. is a bit of a puzzle because it is not really consistent with the strong jobs numbers. it is kind of a cautionariy note that a big spike would fall rather hard on consumers. >> mitt romney came out with his political plan this week. an analysis shows his plan could mean over $3 trillion less. could the u.s. government in your estimation afford something like that senate could we see trimming ourselves into affording such a plan? >> thatset an awfully expensive plan. it is probably less expensive than the plans put forward. that is the operative word. mitt romney more than any other candidate has thought carefully about what he can do if he were president. if you know his team, these are very orthodox people. my prediction would be that if

he was president and sworn in he would quickly look at the numbers, come up with a lot of excuss about why he can't immediately carry out the promises that he made during the campaign and end up having to compromise on some of these very aggressive promises. >> nice to see you today. thank you. msnbc will have live coverage of the president's speech on jobs and the economy coming up at 1:30 p.m. eastern time. the death toll has risen from the string of tornadoes. a man who was injured in kansas has died in topeka in a hospital there bringing the death toll now to 13. at least 100 more were injured by two dozen twisters which touched down from nebraska to kentucky. many of the same areas are bracing for more strong storms forecasted for tomorrow. they have to prepare for what is about to come. this one from the northeast where a winter storm has dropped

more than a foot of snow. despite as much as 14 inches of snow massachusetts electric utilities say there are no significant power outages. students marched hand in hand as they headed back to an ohio high school still in shock from a shooting rampage. hundreds of students walking nearly one mile in a show of solid arity. three students were killed in the attack. two are still recovering. the family of one of the victims talked out a short time ago. >> he always had a smile on his face. great memories will always be cherished in our hearts. we will never forget you. we love you. >> just 16 years old died on monday. ohio prosecutors have until today to file charges against the suspected shooter. he is a teen accused of opening fire on those students.

heart felt tributes continue to pour in following the untimely death of davy jones. this morning jones' band mate appeared on the today show to talk about his beloved friend and said he was shaken by the news of his death. >> it was a pretty big shocker, right out of the blue. he was the last one that i thought would -- he was the youngest one of us. i suspect a little bit it might have been the genetics. i think both of his parents passed pretty early on. he was a great guy, great father. sad. >> jones passed away of a heart attack in his home in florida. he was 66 years old. he is survived by his wife and four daughters. lindsay lohan talking about her efforts to turn over a new leaf ahead of her big saturday night live comeback appearance this weekend and sat down with

matt lauer. >> i regret the choices that i have made but i'm grateful for where i am today because i have seen. i don't need to see anymore negative stuff. i don't need to put myself in those places anymore. >> you can see how lindsay does when she hits the stage as host of snl on saturday. one of dr. seuss's more environmentally conscious tales is coming to the big screen, in this case, "the lorax". danny devito lends his voice to this show. take a listen to danny. >> what is this animation technique? >> it is gorgeous. i'm not too technically savvy on that. i know that they take my voice and they draw it all on a

computer and they do it in a 3-d way and it is really beautiful. when you see it it will blow you away. it's like really bright and colorful and beautiful and music is great. >> so you can catch "the lorx" when it opens in theaters tomorrow. justin bieber is now an adult. the tween heart throb turned 18 today. manager gave him a car today. we send a happy birthday to the beebes. i love that my daughter's part fish.

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and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctor's approval, as stopping may increase your stroke risk. other side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. pradaxa is progress. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if you can reduce your risk of stroke with pradaxa. ♪ 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. welcome back. we want to continue to keep you briefed. the senate voting on the blunt amendment as we speak. just a moment ago senator barbara boxer had her moment to speak on the senate floor. take a listen. >> look at the different important benefits that any

insurer or any employer could walk away from because if this amendment passes they have the right to do it. they would no longer have to offer breast cancer screenings, cervical cancer screenings. all they have to do is say i'm really sorry. we believe prayer is the answer. >> there is senator barbara boxer talking about the wide ramifications that this amendment could have, not just on the talks about contraceptives. we are going to keep an eye on that vote and bring you a full tally as soon as it is done. 99 senators voting on that. what started as a simple walk in the 47 years since no real steps were taken to preserve the memories of martin luther king's settlement of montgomery march until now. >> reporter: march 7 will mark

the 47th anniversary of the selma to montgomery march. many paint it as the turning point in the civil rights movement. >> it will be detrimental to your safety because you are ordered to disperse, go home or go to your church. this march will not continue. >> reporter: some pemembers of congress know about this first hand. john louis, the man who along with martin luther king, jr., led the march on selma is now a member on congress himself. >> i want young people to come along, staffers and others to understand that it was a simple walk, at least an attempt to walk from selma to montgomery to draumatize to the world that

people wanted to register to vote. >> reporter: in a rare move house majority canter is working to compile testimonies on video from members who participated in the civil rights movement passes on the house floor. >> it's a part of our history of this country where the country didn't always get it right. and we want to make sure that we are putting into the history of the house the experience of members and john louis is in the lead, surrounding the freedom march that our commitment to equal rights and our commitment to equal opportunity for all. >> these days cooperation between republicans and democrats is a rarity in congress. preserving the history of the civil rights movement crosses over party and racial lines. >> i never had any dream that all these years later that you would have members of congress,

especially members from the deep south coming for this. let's preserve this history. let's preserve it for generations yet unborn. it is important for future congress, for future members of the congress, doesn't matter what part of the country they may come from, to know what happened and how it happened. >> reporter: history preserved so that new generations of congress forever know and understand the journey of the country they serve. >> that was nbc's luke russer reporting. a lot of people saying today the biggest thing for civil rights today is same sex marriage and support for same sex marriage in new jersey has hit a new high. a poll shows garden state residents are in favor of it 57-37%. those who oppose the maryland

bill are fighting to keep that from happening. it's good to have you here. as i understand the it governor will be signing the bill into law. the human rights campaign and the service employees international union sent dozens of workers and volunteers across the state to talk about this issue. what kind of feedback are you getting now that this is going to happen and let's talk about the resistance that still exists. >> thanks for having me on and talking about it. the feedback we're getting a really positive response from our members. the governor stepping out. his leadership was tremendous in getting this done. the momentum right now is on our side with polls coming out in new jersey with 50% of marylanders supporting it.

and we're just planning to continue to have conversations, because we're seeing that the conversations in the churches, at the dinner tables, in the workplace are all are, you know, bringing about really positive results. so it's an exciting time. >> ezekiel, as i was saying, the governor, martin o'malley, is going to be signing the bill into law later today. there are those on the other side who say they want this to go up on a referendum, bring it before the people. what do you think needs to be done to make sure that this isn't overturned? >> just, like i said, that we continue to have the conversations within our membership. we expect that over the next nine months, you know, there'll probably be hundreds, probably thousands of conversations taking place. you know, and that folks who either, you know, are opposed or on the fence about it, really understand the details of the bill. and one of the major things in this bill is the religious exemption, and that, you know,

no pastor who disagrees is going to be forced to have a gay couple get married in their church. this is about, you know, them legally being able to go to the courthouse and get a marriage license. so having those conversations, i think, is crucial that we continue to just talk about it. >> marylanders for marriage equality, president ezekiel jackson. sir, great to have you on. thanks for joining me. i appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. >> absolutely. we need to turn to some sad news we need to report about andrew breitbart. breitbart passed away unexpectedly today at the age of 43. he died from natural causes, reportedly, in los angeles. the conservative journalist was a guest frequently on this very network, but you also might remember him from the anthony weiner scandal. he broke the news about those inappropriate social media interactions, which included naked pictures of the congressman. he was also at the press conference when the married congressman tearilily admitted

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welcome back, everybody. as we've been following through the hour, the vote that's taking place right now in the senate. the vote on the blunt amendment. just to give you full perspective here, aides are saying that they do expect full attendance there with 99 senators there, although senator kirk being absent. this motion will be to table it or defeat the amendment. opponents of the blunt amendment will vote yes to defeat it. however, those that support it, that want it to move ahead, people like senator casey, people like senator collins, they have voted to support it. but we're going to have the final tally coming up in a moment. that'll wrap things up for me. i'll see you back here tomorrow, 11:00 a.m. eastern. until then, you can always follow me on twitter, @thoma twitter, @thomasaroberts. but alex, it's really interesting, when we talk about this, we have freedom of

religion in this country and freedom from religion in this country, where the debate falls. >> indeed, and we'll be talk about that blunt amendment in the next hour, thomas. the flip-flop rock continues. we'll track mitt romney's changing positions on the amendment, allowing employers to opt out of birth control coverage. and five days out from a gold star day in the presidential race, we are beginning to handicap the super tuesday strategies. willie geist joins us to discuss. and is it clinton versus obama part ii? we will unpack it 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. that's good morning, veggie style.

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