hi, i'm thomas roberts. on the agenda today, getting out of the race. that's what mitt romney is telling his republican rivals saying it would take an act of god for anyone else to win the republican nomination. given the delegate math which is working in romney's favor. but the front-runner is flanked by two conservatives unwilling to step aside and shrugging off the talk of this race being all but over. >> if the governor thinks he's, you know, he's now ordained by god to win, then let -- let's have it out. they've got the machine. they've got the, you know, the insiders and the big money. we've got the people. i like my chances. >> certainly senator santorum would like to see newt gingrich step aside, but he's dancing to his own tune. >> i would say with all respect to my friend from pennsylvania, senator santorum, there is a big difference between being a good team member and changing the

game. i'm not going to washington to be a good team member. i'm going to washington to change washington decisively. >> and just to give you a programming note about the agener agendas this morning, rick santorum is speaking in huntsville, alabama and we'll take you there if need be. let's bring in the managing editor joy ann reed and susan dell pierce owe and jen sake. ladies, great to have you here. >> good morning, thomas. >> rick santorum being asked directly about newt gingrich and this race. take a listen. >> well, of course he should say if he wants to say. i've said that from the very beginning. what i'm saying is that the best chance for us to nominate a conservative is to get in a one-on-one match with governor romney and we're going through the process of proving we're the best conservative and we're the right person, not only to beat romney but to defeat barack

obama. >> he might not be directly saying that he wants newt gingrich of the race, but what's the difference if newt were to step aside to santorum's campaign? >> oh, it would be very significant. but i don't think we should count on that happening in i time soon. as a matter of fact, i think santorum and gingrich are going to say in as long as they can because there's no incentive for them to leave. unless of course there's pressure on the money people, the super pac people. the only way they'll stop is if they don't have the funds to do it. >> mitt romney has to be frustrated right now, to say the least, because he's in the winning standpoint, but everybody refers to him as a weak winner. the pundits saying he had to take michigan and ohio. he's done that, yet the expectations that everybody puts on him when he meets them he still can't win for losing or whatever that is. he can't seem to get people to follow behind him and believe in what he's doing. >> the huffington post had a great headline this is essentially a hostile takeover

of the gop nomination by mitt romney. he's not wanted or liked by the base. he had to win the big states and he had the infrastructure to win them. but if you take away the fact that romney can do the ground game and santorum and gingrich is counting on the one money man to buy the ad, he's in a tough position. as long as gingrich and santorum stay in he'll probably still get the nomination. >> so romney's problem is the south. but if he's the nominees, most are expected to go republican anyway. so doesn't a mitt romney ticket give obama a better chance in the region? >> look, i think the obama team is competing in some states in the south, virginia, north carolina. and they're beginning to organize there and will continue to. there's a risk to mitt romney really competing and trying to win some of the southern states during the republican primary because rick santorum has won them by appealing to the

conservative base, by talking about to a number of the social issues that are not only decisive, but where he is so far to the extreme he's exciting women, he is getting liberal voters out there and getting independent voters looking at the republican field and questioning what this is all about. so if mitt romney tries to compete with rick santorum in the states by going to the right of rick santorum or even getting close to where rick santorum is, there's a real risk for him in a general election. >> let's take a look at what's taken place so far. he's not shying a way from voting regions like mississippi. actually visiting there today. does it look worse for him to compete and lose than not compete at all? can he make the splash that his campaign needs? >> i don't think so. i mean, there's some talk of him doing reasonably well potentially in mississippi, but because he's not expected to win, he shouldn't play there. he's got to do little campaign reset of his own. because as the calendar goes forward, he will have opportunities to win big states like california and new york.

and with big margins. i think he needs to give people a reason to vote for him. nobody expects anything from him, to start telling people why they should vote for him going forward. >> i want to get to the article from "the washington post" about voter fatigue. people are losing interest which spells the weak enthusiasm. nothing good for the eventual republican nominee, but how does that affect how president obama's team is looking at the re-election campaign? >> well, there's almost nobody who does organizing better than president obama and his team and they are taking nothing for granted. they are on the ground in all of these states where they're competing and some that would expand the map beyond even where it was four years ago. so they are doing what they do best which is finding voters, expanding the base of who can support the president. and taking advantage of the lack of enthusiasm right now for the republican candidates. i will say another interesting and tough thing for mitt romney is that we saw this morning that he's having trouble raising

money from grass roots donors from the low dollar donors so he has to be careful in trying to get other candidates out of the race because he needs their supporters and he needs them to like them moving forward. >> joanne, as we look at newt gingrich and talking about him and getting southern hospitality, how long do you think he can maintain his campaign and do you think he'd be more effective in dropping out and supporting somebody like rick santorum? >> i think newt gingrich can stay in as long as sheldon adeleson keep writing him checks. even though he hasn't won -- i mean, rick santorum has won more southern states than gingrich has. i don't think his ego will let him get out. >> okay, the ego is tough to get out. as the slugfest rages on over the right to challenge president obama for his job, the white

house is relying on a minidocumentary to highlight the accomplishments of the white house. the 17-minute film, "the road we have traveled" chronicles the first term in office and the behind the scenes talks that shapes some of the president's biggest legislative decisions from healthcare to the auto bailout to a remedy for the great recession. >> his advisers would ask where to begin. which urgent need would he put first? >> which is one, which is two, which is three, which is four, which is five? where do you start? >> if we don't do this now, it will be a generation before 30 million people have health insurance. >> if the auto industry goes down, what happens to america's small manufacturing base, what happens to jobs in america? what happens to the whole midwest? >> and i'm joined now by ben labolt, national press secretary. explain to all of us about the film, why the administration

wants to roll it out now, this proof of performance piece. >> thanks for having me on, thomas. i mean, this is a documentary that's about the tough calls that the president made in the face of historic challenges over the past three years and the journey the nation is on. how did we get to the point where we's losing 750,000 jobs a month when the president took office and we have now created more than 3.7 million private sector jobs. it takes you into the room in the moment where the decision to get bin laden is made. >> okay. so that reminds us though about where we have come from the past. most importantly we have to talk about what's going on now and where the president wants to go with the next term. he made one of the most urgent appeals for the nation to end its dependence on oil. what he called a fuel of the past. i want to play everybody a part of the speech from yesterday. take a listen. >> since i took office, america's dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year. in fact, in 2010, it went under 50% for the first time in 13 years.

you wouldn't know it from listening to some of these folks out here. >> ben, so there's the president yesterday in north carolina. he's referring to the folks out here, one of which is mitt romney saying that the president should do more to open up domestic sites for drilling. but the president, ben, says that's not realistic. why not? >> the truth is domestic production of oil has gone up every year since the president has been in office. and we're at a 16-year low in terms of the amount of oil we're importing. you're hearing false promises on the other side, a lot of bumper sticker suggestions we can get gas down to $2. we need an energy strategy and that's what the president has pursued. the the other side they continue billion dollar subsidies for oil and gas companies and make taxpayers foot the bill. they're against raising fuel economy standards which are saving consumers money at the pump. >> the right sees a weak spot to talk about gas prices and hitting everybody in the

pocketbook. it makes sense. i want to talk though about the fact that the right being on the social issues front has kind of backfired for them and with you guys i want to talk marriage equality. because houston's openly lesbian mayor said that president obama needs to evolve faster on this issue. this comes after a california judge ruled that the defense of marriage act to be unconstitutional and meanwhile, l.a. mayor, the chairman of the 2012 democratic national convention saying on wednesday he favors a same-sex marriage legislation plainink on the pars platform. take a listen. >> i think it's basic to who we are. i believe in family values and i believe that we all ought to be able to have a family, to marry if you want to. and i don't think the government should be in that business. and -- of denying people the fundamental right to marry. >> so ben, will democrats make this issue a part of their

platform at this year's national convention and if the president does win re-election, does that mean he has evolved? evolving is over and we'll see movement on this in the second term? >> first of all, the president has done more to advance gay rights than any other president. he kept his promise to repeal don't ask/don't tell which wasn't in the interest of our national security. he secured hospital visitation eights for gay partners. and there are leaders across the country in many states that have legalized gay marriage. he's taken steps at the federal level to oppose divisive and discriminatory efforts in the states. there's a big tent party. and that will play out during the process. but make no mistake about the contrast with the other side. mitt romney is somebody who promised to be the left of ted kennedy when he ran for office in massachusetts and he's endorsed the federal marriage amendment. if you're a gay american, mitt romney is not your candidate. >> national press secretary for the obama campaign, ben labolt.

thank you for being on. >> thanks for having me. 28 sponsors. out of 18,000. that's like losing a couple of french fries in the container when it's delivered to you at the drive-thru. >> rush limbaugh talking tough. advertisers flee his show. is the radio host too big to fail? then the biggest solar storm in years takes aim at the earth. how it can disrupt flights and deliver a knockout punch to your gps. i think about the future every morning when i wake up. i care about my car because... i think it's a cool car. i think it's stylish and it makes a statement at the same time. and i've never had a car like that. people don't totally understand how the volt works. when the battery runs down the gas engine operates.

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the pressure mounts for rush

limbaugh in the wake of the radio host's most recent controversial comments. 43 advertisers, two radio stations have now dropped rush from their roster. the man behind the golden mic vows to march on. >> everything is fine on the business side. everything's cool. there's not a thing to worry about. 28 sponsors out of 18,000. that's like losing a couple of french fries in the container when it's delivered to you at the drive-thru. you don't even notice it. >> we have an assignment editor with the daily beast and she is joining us to talk about this. 43 advertisers and rush said that's a drop in the bucket. some of the advertisers though are pretty big names. how much power do they really hold and how is rush doing with the perception is reality fight back?

>> sure, sure, thanks for having me, thomas. so aol, netflix, these are big names. these are big companies, but i don't think it's really going -- he's pretty much right, i think. it's not going to make a dent. at some point when -- they will be replaced with other advertisers. rush is doing his job. his job is to be a shock jock, his job is to be out there. i think what he's doing is working for him actually. >> when we talk about his job being that shock jock, being out there talking about maybe feeding red meat to the right base, how much does the left want to see him continue doing this? >> well, that's a good question. i mean, bill maher jumped in and shamed liberals into apologizing -- into accepting rush's apology which many haven't done. i think they're playing into it, but i think what's happening is that the conversation has shifted away from rush. i'm sorry, away from sandra fluke and contraception and

women's rights and these issues that she's brought to the fore, as you know, a woman who has fought for these things. we're not talking about her or those issues, but rush limbaugh. >> one radio station in hawaii and one in massachusetts dropping it. 20 million listeners that rush carries on that program. the number that gets thrown around, many feel that number greatly inflated though. are his ratings down and if so, does that debunk any of the feelings out there that rush is too big to fail? >> i mean, i have heard that his ratings are down, but 14 million, that's a huge number of listeners that he still has and he's -- i mean, this mouthpiece for a certain type of conservatism. and i think he's going to continue to be that. i think a lot of people still listen to him. they will continue to listen to him. maybe they don't take every single word that comes out of mismouth literally, but i think they'll continue to want to hear rush limbaugh. >> we will watch the cycle. allison, nice to have you on

today. thank you. >> thanks. a road to the nomination that runs right through dixie. rick santorum's strategy and how he hopes to sweep the south. from conservative preacher to hippie hero? pat robertson's argument for relaxed marijuana laws. i love that my daughter's part fish.

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[ male announcer ] enbrel. the #1 biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. not anymore. fiber one is bringing brownies back. at 90 calories, you can have brownies again. ♪ fiber one 90 calorie brownies. in the granola bar aisle. a plasma cloud laden with charge particles has blown off the surface of the sun and is rippling toward the earth. don't worry, this is just a solar storm. one of the biggest that the planet has seen in five years and it's making for amazing fireworks. while it poses no threat to people or the planet, it can cause technical problems. robert bazell is here to talk about it. so bob, none of us get superpowers out of this today? >> i certainly don't. i wish you the best, but -- >> thank you. >> but what happened is the majority of the charged particles from the sun, from this solar cloud explosion on the surface of the sun hit the

earth about 6:00 a.m. eastern time today. there was not as much damage as there had been from previous solar flares. in the past it's disrupted some utility systems and it's caused some problems with navigation for airplanes and gps systems. this turned out to have less energy than forecast. >> no harm to people, but again, could be the technical glitches that can arise out of this. what is the warning that goes along with that? is it more -- >> if you can see as -- scientists can see how much electromagnetic radiation comes closer to the earth, if it's very bad, and intensity worse at the polar regions, air planes are advised to avoid the areas where they could put people at risk and other things like that. there hasn't been that much of a response to this one as could have been and has been from previous ones. these things occur in 11-year

cycles. >> i was going to say how cyclical is this? >> we'll get more in the months and years to come. >> well, again, not the end of days for everybody. >> no, no. everybody is just fine. >> your blackberry was working. bob was on his blackberry coming in here. >> my daughter needed to know what time to get to the airport to take her spring break flight. >> all right. spring break is on. robert bazell, thank you. well, the peytonpalooza is beginning. which suitors are salivating over the free agent qb? we'll tell you. and forbes list of billionaires is bigger than ever before. we'll look at who's on top and who's on the list. ♪ oh. let's go. from the crack, off the backboard. [ laughs ] dad! [ laughs ] whoo! oh! you're up! oh!

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this experiment of free people forming a great country. having changed the world for 2,000 years, from 1776 you go back 2,000 years. life expectancy in world had not changed. the economy was an agrarian economy for 2,000 years. >> rick santorum speaking to a crowd that's gathered in huntsville, alabama, as he's looking for some southerns wh y hospitality. hoping that strong results will help the campaign. we'll bring anything to you from santorum's live event, again in huntsville, alabama. "forbes" magazine is out with the 25th anniversary list of the richest people. around the world there are a record setting of 1,226 billionaires, and they have a staggering combined net worth of

$4.6 trillion. topping the list for the third year in a row mexican telecom magnate carlos slim. he's followed by familiar names like bill gates. well we'll talk more about this in studio. so all of the money all over the world. however, a lot of changes this year. almost as many gained more wealth as they have lost it. that's especially true when we look at the top seven billionaires in the top 20% seeing their fortunes slip. so what factors moved the -- moved it the most. >> well, markets in hong kong, russia did much worse than the u.s. the u.s. net-net over the year that we were looking at, it was actually up. but different factors, the metals markets didn't do well. there were some tech folks that actually jumped up. ipos had a factor. so there was lots of innovation,

but people losing money. >> two young rich americans, the facebook guy, moscowitz and zuckerberg, only eight days apart in their age. they're the youngest to appear on the billionaire list. they're not going to be knocked off any time soon. >> no, they may be going up the list once facebook lists this year, but we have to wait and see how that well that company does. >> let's talk about women making a strong showing this year as well. the spanx founder sarah blakely graces one of the four covers at the top of the segment. why is her rise into the billionaire ranks so remarkable? >> it's so remarkable because there's so many few women who have made it on to the list and have made their fortunes themselves. there are a report of 104, but only 20 of them made their own f fortu fortunes. people like oprah and meg whitman. sarah did it by herself. it's a remarkable story. >> they did fall off the

billionaire list, who are they? >> well, folks like the blackberry makers. j.k. rowling she is one of the most successful women in the world. but because of the money she gave away and high u.k. taxes, she falls out of the ranks. >> okay. who is up and coming that we should be watching that may be making the hilist in the future? >> another woman, tori burch. her company has been very well. she's fashion designer who's very popular these days and we're hoping to see her climb into the ranks real soon. >> okay. we shall see and it's a fascinating read. it really is interesting to hear how the people have managed to build their careers like this. louisa, thank you. i want to take you back now as we were leading off the half hour with rick santorum in huntsville, alabama. our ron mott joins me now to fill us in. explain the type of message that rick santorum is trying to convey in the south, hoping to get some of that southern

hospitality his way. >> hey, there, thomas. rick santorum got a little bit of flak for harping on the social issues particularly in michigan. while he's not going to get the same kind of heat down here in the deep south because that's message that the conservative voters want to hear. on paper, it would seem newt gingrich territory since he grew up a couple of states over in west georgia. but, you know, dealing with mississippi and alabama now, this is a lot about social values, this is the teeth of the republican party and the fans are in the deep south. that's why mitt romney isn't expected to do well here. this is a crowd he's had some trouble connecting with. while newt gingrich has focused on energy with the $2.50 newt gallon and who doesn't want to pay $2.50 for gas with the prices where they are, but rick

santorum has focused on restoring america's morality, if you will, and focusing on what he calls some anti-religious decisions made by the obama administration. 24 could be a two- -- this could be a two-man race. he'll probably get that here in alabama and mississippi against newt gingrich. newt gingrich's campaign said these are must win states for him. if he can't win both, he probably cannot continue to be a viable candidate here. >> nbc's ron mott, thank you, sir. to some other issues, syria's deputy oil minister announced the defection today to make him the highest ranking civilian official to abandon the regime of president bashar al assad. meanwhile, top british officials say russia and china are paying a diplomatic price for their opposition in china. and pakistan is charging osama bin laden's three widows with entering and living in the country illegally. they have been in detention since u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s raided

their compound last may, killing bin laden. a police officer that he's representing has in oinvolvement in the investigation of accused multimillion dollar madam, anna gristina. she is said to have used law enforcement ties to evade arrest. and whitney houston's will shows that she left everything to her daughter bobbi kristina. the will leaving 19-year-old bobbi kristina all the clothing and the cars. whitney houston died on february 11th. the city of indianapolis is still reeling from the news that after 14 years under peyton manning, he is no longer going to be the quarterback for the colts. the four-time league mvp was released yesterday after a neck surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2011 season.

he delivered a tear-filled, heart felt good-bye to the only nfl team he's played for. >> this town and this team means so much to me. it has been truly an honor to play in indianapolis. i do love it here. i love the fans and i will always enjoy having played for such a great team. >> i'm joined by the former pro bowl linebacker for the colts and he was with peyton manning when they won the super bowl, super bowl xli. great to have you here, cato and peyton manning so believed by those in indianapolis and all over the country in sports, do you think he got a raw deal in all of this? >> well, it's tough, man, because you have a situation where you have a guy that's been so much to a city and organization and then at some point like people say the ball goes flat and you have to -- the organization has to move on.

unfortunately for him, you know, had he still been healthy, he would still be a colt. and, you know, i think it was a great opportunity for them, and i think those who know him and have played with him understand how much he's meant to the organization and the winning over the past 12 years. it is a tough situation for all of us. >> cato, he's certainly a well respected player. having this to say after signing a deal with the colts last july, quote, i can't tell you what an honor it is to go start to finish with the same organization here in indianapolis. that is something i have always wanted to do as a rookie coming out of, of course. you never know if that's possible, but after yesterday, it is official that i will be an indianapolis colt for my entire career. i will not play for another team. it means a great deal to me.

how rare is it that a guy like peyton in an era where so many athletes get traded around, go to the highest bidder, can say something like that? >> it's very rare. especially in the free agent era. it just doesn't happen anymore organizations. organizations move on to the next younger, best thing and about bringing the next guy that's going to sell jerseys and that's just the nature of the game now. you see a guy like peyton manning who's been, you know, so integral in terms of the winning, the success that the city has had over the past 12 to 13 years. you just don't want to see him play in any other uniform. >> well, they're retiring that number, but there's speculation hours after being released manning taking his private plane to an airport 30 minutes from the miami dolphins complex. now, he reportedly has a house there. you know, has a house in that area. so he could be for going for r&r. miami may have interest in him.

what do you predict next for peyton manning? >> i don't even want to make that prediction. i'm going to predict he's going to come back and the colts will trade first or the second pick, whatever pick they have. and bring manning back. we'll shock the world. 18 will be a colt next year. that's my prediction. >> cato june, we will wait to see if that will happen. thank you. >> thanks for having me. >> absolutely. romney, cris, trying to vet bloom berg. who can we win with? >> none of them. is "game change" fact or fiction? and what can surprise even the most seasoned politico. ♪ and a country music singer creates a haven for the lgbt community. i'll talk to chely wright about how she hopes to make a difference for so many. s™ no calorie sweetener

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hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in america. but it turns out the women of america aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling. >> so that is from the new hbo drama "game change" which premieres in washington, d.c. tonight. then the film premieres to the country saturday on hbo. julianne moore plays sarah palin and i was lucky enough to be there, and i have to tell you it's great stuff. riveting stuff. julianne moore is fantastic playing the part of sarah palin. sarah palin's camp said they wouldn't watch it, but they did. and they called it a work of fiction. and the screenwriter is here. and aides to sarah palin posted

a statement on the super pac website. it said it's a series of scenes where the participants are invented or rendered unrecognizable for dramatic effect. what's your reaction to their kickback to this? >> we stand by the film as being completely accurate and truthful and representing what happened. it's true. the movie is true. you know, steve schmidt, the lead character in the film, played by woody harrelson, he has been on the record of that's what happened. >> so you don't take any creative license anywhere? >> sometimes you do, sure, but this this particular film because it was so hot button, it's such a controversial subject matter, that i would say this is as accurate of an event that we could possibly do. >> all right, so as i said, we were there last night. my executive producer and i were there. it was fantastic. everyone in the film is excellent. woody harrelson, ed harris as john mccain, he's great. he even had his walk down.

julianne moore for her portrayal as sarah palin. hits it out of the park because as a person watching this and someone who lived through the history of this as a journalist, it made sarah palin seem very compassionate as a mother, but it also showed a lot of openings in the armor of her as a politician. and that she might not have been prepared to be thrust on to the world stage in such an important role and in such a fast way. is that the take away for most people out of the film? >> well, i think a lot of people who have seen the film have been surprised about how sympathetic they are towards sarah palin, particularly what she was going through. which, you know, based on exactly what you were just saying, you know, a politician who was basically a local politician, a mayor of a small town. governor of the state of alaska for just 18 months. and then overnight thrust into the national stage right in the heat of a presidential election. nothing more challenging than that.

it was difficult for her. >> her son was serving in iraq, her daughter was pregnant. >> she just had a baby. >> she just had a baby within four to five months of being asked to join the ticket. so a lot of things were going on, as well as her responsibilities as governor of the state of alaska. >> tons of pressure. >> is the vet or the lack thereof the biggest surprise revealed in "game change?" >> i think there's a lot of surprises. especially leading up to her debate prep and how challenging that was for her. you know, another thing that you'll see is not just how challenging things are for her, but how hard she worked. and how she really was doing her best. i think that is how -- why a lot of people are feeling a sense of sympathy for her and a deeper understanding of what she went through during that campaign. >> danny, for people who want to see sarah palin run for office in any capacity, whatever office that may be, do you think this movie is going to help her or

hurt her in any future political opportunities? >> well, the movie is the truth and i think that deserves to be out there and for people to decide if she should higher office. >> i know you're jumping on the train headed to washington, d.c. washington, look out. here comes danny. president obama the king of fund-raiser in chief. "usa today" reporting that president obama tops all presidents when it comes to fund-raising attendance. 191 for both himself and others. president obama surpassed president george w. bush's number by this same point. in his first term. first lady michelle obama attended the 2012 international women of courage awards ceremony this morning at the state department. the awards were hosted by secretary of state hillary clinton. the event honored ten women from around the world who played a significant role in the struggle for women's rights. president obama's former

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so ellen degeneres is taking another stand on lbgt bullying, this time to advocate for a ratings change on a movie on that very subject. ellen's speaking out against the decision to give the documentary "bully" an "r" rating.

she says that's too harsh for such an important subject. >> i think it's important for the rating to be pg-13. that was the intention of the filmmakers, and after seeing it, i can tell you that the lessons that the kids learn from this movie are more important than any words they might hear, and they're words they already know anyway. a petition has been started by a high school student in michigan to change the rating. her name is katie butler. she's in the audience today. hi, katie. >> okay. so over 200,000 people have signed that petition started by katie butler. ellen says she hopes that more are going to lend their signatures in support. some other entertainers are joining forces to give a voice and be a beacon of hope to the lbgt community in kansas city. the woman spearheading a new community center in that city is an acclaimed singer/songwriter and author. the superstar and my friend,

country singer, shellchely wrig. we're talking about the like me center you're opening in kansas city, missouri, which is a beacon of light to at-risk lgbt youth. explain to me how this all came about? >> the likeme lighthouse is a manifestation of -- i came out a couple of years ago. has it been that long ago? >> it has, 2010, right? >> i came out and i started to understand what community meant, because i was all of a sudden identifying with my community. when you're out and open, you are able to do that, to connect the dots within your community. and the pie in the sky dream for me was to start an lbgt -- a brick and mortar center, which kansas city hadn't had. they had at one point had had one, and it unfortunately had to close down due to some funding issues. and i wanted to have one back for that community, which is my hometown. >> we've been showing everybody

the process of the likeme lighthouse. it makes you light up, for sure. a lot of people attending this weekend. it's a big weekend. people like yourself, comedian al sparks, alan cumming. i'm going to get to come out there. we're coming to support you, because we think it's important to be there and show community, what community can be like. but are you worried about funding? you said that there was another place like this, within the area, that ran out of funds, that can't be there. how do you hope your business model is going to be different? >> well, you know, we, so far, there have been no dollars from kansas city that have gone into getting this up and running. it's been the generosity of people around the nation that have given, to get the likeme lighthouse up and running. and now is when we hand it over to ktansas city and they get involved, and they are showing that excitement. that's what this weekend is about, to show this resource they have, to serve the community. and they're going to get on board when they see it. >> have you thought about this the maybe being a test maroon for other like me lighthouses

around the country? >> we've dreamed about it. and if we get this right, which we think we will, because it's just really -- as you can see, it's just a bright, open, exciting place that we know lbgt people, not just young people, but old people like you and me, we need it! >> right. >> and every community needs a place like this, where you can go and have meetings and go on to the internet and just have a real place to have a community. so if we do this right, which i believe that we will, we'd love for it to be a template, and we'd love to see a likeme lighthouse in albuquerque. >> can you give a rundown for what people should kbpt to see? >> friday night is the screening of "wish me aways wit," the documentary film about me coming out. that is sold out, however. we still have a few tickets left for the saturday night event, which, as you mentioned, is alan cumming, myself, jennifer knapp,

a local gal named kristi strummel. and sunday, you won't believe who's coming to town, the no-hate campaign to do their amazing photos. >> well, congratulations again. i know this has been a labor of love for you and it's been such a pleasure to have you here the to talk about this. again, i'm going to be there this weekend. i know you were in today, because you're flying out to get out there to kansas city. but chely wright, such a pleasure to have you on today. but i'll be back on monday to show everybody some great pictures. >> he's going to be promised. i promise, he'll look tired on monday. >> i'll try to do my best to catch sleep on the plane. that'll wrap it up for me today. thank you for your time. i'll see you back here tomorrow morning, 11:00 a.m. eastern. don't go anywhere, "now with alex wagner" comes your way next. i'm done. i'm gonna...use these. ♪ give me just a little more time ♪ [ female announcer ] unlike mops, swiffer can maneuver into tight spaces without the hassle

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team romney is finally tackling the entitlement issue. specifically, they're saying only an act of god can stop him

from becoming the nominee. it's thursday, march 8th, and this is "now." joining me today, sartorialist, ari melber of "the nation." and the also-always sharply dressed jonathan capehart of "the washington post." that is not an also ran for you, cape hart. you really are with well dressed. mitt romney's campaign is saying it would take an act of god for romney not to win and his rivals would need to, quote, bend the laws of reality to change that. but the romney camp may want to heed the warning of a 2008 romney adviser, with alex castellanos, who said, you can't treaty this like a math equation. your job as a candidate is to inspire people to join something greater than ourselves. i don't think saying an act of god is the only thing that can stop me from getting this nomination is necessarily a good strategy if you're mitt romney. i think this is a guy who with needs to think like he's going to be the nominee, but act