in the northern marinas islands. now leave me alone and join me for "weekends with alex witt." storming a red state, president obama with a new message deep in the heart of texas. surviving the south, will one of the gop candidates be forced to drop out of the race after tuesday? the reviews are in. is the new film about the 2008 presidential race worth watching? we'll talk to a tv critic. it's electric and sticker shock may be the reason plug-in cars are not getting very far with the buying public. we'll examine some new reports. good morning, welcome to "weekends with alex witt." let's get to what's happening right now out there as president obama is striking an optimistic tone with a new message. the president spoke in houston at fund-raising last night on the heels of a new report showing another strong month of job creation. >> over the past two years, businesses have added almost 4

million new jobs. our manufacturers are creating jobs for the first time since the in 1990s. the economy is accelerating, america is coming back. the last thing we can afford to do is go back to the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place. >> without naming names, the president take aim at the gop presidential candidates. >> they think y'all have amnesia. they think you've forgotten how we got into this mess. they want to go back to the days when wall street played by its own rules. they want to go back to spending trillions of dollars more on tax breaks for wealthiest individuals, folks like me, even if it means adding to the deficit or gutting education or gutting investments in clean energy or gutting medicare. >> injoing me now for front-page

politics, national political reporter for politico, james hellman and reporter for the atlantic, mollie ball. we just heard what the president said there, the latest jobs report shows 227,000 jobs added last month with the unemployment rate holding steady now at 8.3%. do the republican candidates have any room on the economy with these latest numbers? >> there's no question that every time the economy gets better, obama's case for re-election gets easier and the republican's gets harder. with the number holing steady, that's not an improvement. what we hear from the republicans is trying to make a case that the numbers lie, that things are worse than they seem, that all these people are out of work and they're not looking for jobs and that's why the number is not getting higher or other cases like that. the more people start to feel in their bones like the economy is improving, the less appealing that case is going to be.

it starts to be seeming pessimistic. >> james, do you get any sense from inside these campaigns that they're concerned whether they may have to shift campaign messages because of economy? >> absolutely, alex. there's very real concern, especially in the romney campaign. he's the fix-it guy, he knows how to turn the economy around, give him a chance. all of a sudden they don't want to look like they're trying to talk down the economy. interesting numbers they point to, which is 60% of americans still think we're on the wrong track. that's a tough number for obama. it's all about trajectory. if people feel like we're moving in the right direction, unemployment rate will still be high in november. if they feel like the president needs a chance to let his policies work themselves out, he'll get re-elected. >> molly, do you think it's dangerous to say at this point that america is coming back if you have people across the country that aren't feeling it yet? >> i think it's the only thing he can say. he has to strike that tone of optimism, convince people things

are getting better. i think james is exactly right. it's all about which way people feel like things are going. no matter what number, what level that number is at, if people feel it's heading in the right direction he'll do well. >> okay. james and molly, sit tight. we'll have you back in just a second. the race for the gop presidential nomination heats up with another round of caucuses. mitt romney scored at least one win. the biggest prize is kansas with 40 delegates at stake. the others are the u.s. virgin islands, the northern ma ririan islands and guam. >> this election is about trust. who do you trust? not just to run this race. oh, the romney campaign can't wait to get out of this primary. guess why?

they can start tacking to the middle now. starting to get back in the comfort zone. they believe that's going to win. >> well, mitt romney is looking ahead to tuesday's contest in mississippi and alabama. he spoke friday in birmingham, alabama. reinforcing his familiar criticism of president obama's economic record. >> how about this? how about $15.5 trillion being passed on to our kids. that's something wrong with president obama. we've got to stop that. if i'm president, we're going to cut federal spending. we're going to cap federal spending and we're finally going to have a balanced budget. >> and newt gingrich says his presidential campaign will go forward all the way to the convention, even if he loses in alabama and mississippi. the gingrich campaign aide said earlier victories in both states are necessary for the gingrich camp to remain credible. we're bringing back james hellman and molly ball. molly, mitt romney appears to be pretty well in the latest polls in the south. alabama, he's in second place,

trailing newt gingrich by one point. look at that. and in mississippi, romney is trailing gingrich by four points, 31% to 35%. everyone keeps saying the south is not romney territory. but is this the romney camp lowering expectations or are competitors being overly optimist optimistic? >> i think expectations management is over in this race. i think you try as hard as you can to win no matter what. that's what the mitt romney campaign is doing. unlike their competitors, the romney campaign and super pac have the luxury of going into some of these states ahead of time. they were blitzing with ads, mailers and robo calls. they are hoping they can soften up, rick santorum in particular and newt gingrich enough that perhaps he can divide that vote and get a win in one of these states. >> rick santorum suggests it will be a two-man gop race after

the primaries in the southern starts. is it santorum who will be one of those two? >> santorum has absolutely no reason to drop out. when you look at super tuesday, how close he came in ohio, won in tennessee. there are some in romney world that thinks it would be the best case scenario for newt gingrich to win in the southern states because it would keep him around for a while longer and divide the conservative vote. >> how much damage, molly, is newt gingrich doing to rick santorum? with that conservative vote split? >> he's doing a lot of damage. as james said, if this were a two-man race, rick santorum would have a much better chance of being right up there competitive with romney and santorum knows that. his campaign knows that. they certainly wish gingrich would get out of the way. but the race is entering a stage where the candidates aren't necessarily behaving rationally. there's a lot of reason to

believe none of these candidates can overcome romney in the delegate race. fact they're staying in in the first place means they're not being driven by the mathematics of decision. >> if romney were to win one of the southern states on tuesday, does that mean the race is over. >> it doesn't, alex. i would think the odds on favorite is that he will win one of the states on tuesday. you'll see santorum continue to fight on. there are a couple big battlegrounds coming up that will determine how long this race will go. illinois is coming up next week. >> molly, really quick, the article you wrote about the southern discomfort people have with mitt romney. it's kind of funny. people you say have a lack of appreciation for romney's humor. can you explain all that? >> i feel like he never gets the benefit of the doubt when he is trying to be funny. when he went to the south and said, look at me, i'm trying to

say y'all, i'm learning to like grits. >> right, right. >> i thought he was making a joke, a pretty funny joke. i think he doesn't get enough credit for his sense of humor. he has a long history of making fun of himself in a way that a lot of politicians are sort of too much of a stuffed shirt to do. i think he deserves some credit for that. >> well, molly ball, james hellman, good to talk to you both. thanks, guys. >> thanks. >> thanks for having me. 40 delegates are at stake in kansas. the voting goes from 11 a.m. eastern to 2:00. we give you a review of "game change." we hear have a critic who's seen the movie. in dallas, a flight attendant is under close watch following a startling on-board outburst. here's some of what a passenger recorded. so you can see there, employees are trying to subdue their

co-worker. she struggled with them. it happened just before the american airlines flight was set to take off for dallas bound for chicago. the passengers say the attendant ranted about the plane crashing, 9/11 and not taking her medication. yeah, clearly. passengers decided to step in. >> there were about four of us, i guess five of us, including the flight attendants who actually sat her back down in my seat. >> we didn't realize it was the flight attendant. it was almost like someone got ahold of the p.a. and was just speaking irrationally. >> the plane continued to chicago. please do not expect to charge the attendant. let's go to the weather now where paradise has been anything but peaceful this week. hawaii is looking kind of calm after rain, hail and even a tornado. weather is expected to break today. how is it going to be outside where you are? nbc meteorologist bill karins has those details. good morning. >> good saturday morning to you,

alex. we have a nice warm weather pattern heading for most areas of country as we go through the tail end of weekend. it's chilly in a few spots this morning. we've had the cutoff low, soggy and cool weather is being brought to texas. new england, we're very chilly this morning. a big storm coming from the northwest as we go to the end of this weekend also. a big rainmaker. as far as the wind chills go, it feels like winter from buffalo to upstate new york. we've had snow overnight, just north of boston. some people will do shoveling on the north shore. as far as what we're looking at, wind chill across the country, a cold morning in chicago. you'll love your extended forecast, big warmup coming your way throughout the weekend and into next week. there's not a lot of wet weather out there. i mentioned the know in new england that will be exiting. snow from dallas to san antonio to waco, maybe an inch. strong winds expected with that,

too. for your saturday forecast, i mention that warmup in chicago. beautiful 57. look at minneapolis at 60. denver gorgeous, too. northeast and mid-atlantic, your warmup comes as we go into sunday, up near 60 degrees once again. i-95 from d.c. to new york, still a chance of wet weather in the middle of the country. if there's one spot that has less than ideal this weekend, it will be in america's heartland. >> thanks for the heads up on th that. in office politics, my conversation with andrea mitchell. plus, what was it like to go fishing with sarah palin? it's all coming up here on "weekends with alex witt." [ male announcer ] let's say you need to take care of legal matters. wouldn't it be nice if there was an easier, less-expensive option than using a traditional lawyer? well, legalzoom came up with a better way. we took the best of the old and combined it with modern technology. together, you get quality services on your terms

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more violence in syria today. this is amateur video of an explosion in the city of homs. mortars and tank rounds killed at least 20 people. the united nations estimates that syrian security forces have killed more than 7,500 people over the last year. the u.n. and arab league envoy kofi annan met with bashar al assad today. new information about osama bin laden's hideout in pakistan. u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s raided the compound last year, killing the leader. a retired pakistani general is compiling a report about what went on between bin laden and his extended family inside that walled compound and how it all ended. joining me from islamabad, pakistan with declan walsh of "the new york times." welcome. >> i had there. >> absolutely fascinating article that you've written here. you write about this general's report and what you call poisonous mistrust between bin laden's wives, particularly the

oldest to the youngest. tell us about that. >> this is basically a retired pakistani general who has set about this sort of one-man investigation to try and find out what happened. and this led him to exploit his contacts within the pakistani military. he said he spoke with interrogators who spoke with bin laden three wives in abbottabad in may. he said there was a great deal of mistrust between bin laden's wives while living in extremely cramped conditions inside that house for five or six years. and that the newest arrival one of his older wives was particularly suspected, both by bin laden's wife, his newest wife, who was a 20 something-year-old woman and also by his son. they thought it was suspicious that this wife had suddenly turn up out of nowhere.

she had actually come from iran and they felt that -- and since bin laden's death they've told pakistani interrogators or the younger wife has told pakistani interrogators, says she suspects the older wife had something to do with the americans finding her husband and obviously killing him. >> indeed. she's made allegations that she's the one who tipped off american intelligence. having said all that, we know that osama bin laden went from safe house to safe house for a while. and there are reports that he shaved his beard? >> absolutely. the younger wife gave what i call were two other very interesting details to pakistani intelligence. while they were on their way to this house in abbottabad in 2005, just after the house had been built for bin laden, he had shaved his beard, disguised himself as an ailing tribesman traveling across pakistan's

tribal belt and settled areas of mainstream pakistan going between two or three different locations, generally houses of relatives of people he was close to, pakistani tribesmen before arriving in abbottabad. it was only after he arrived that he really grew the beard and acquired the sort of appearance of bin laden that we're most familiar with. >> also, there were all the reports when he first was on the run, ten years ago plus now, that he was someone who suffered from kidney problems, needed dialysis. everyone was trying to figure out how he would go from cave to cave in the pashtun province carrying a dialysis machine with him. she talks about a kidney transplant he had? >> she believes he had a kidney transplan the in 2002. this is based on her word. we have no way of verifying it's true but it certainly could be a

significant explanation for, like you said, this great puzzle. here we have the world's most wanted man. he's been on the run for a decade but living with this serious medical condition. how did he do it? well, if he did have this kidney transplant back then, that would offer one explanation but it also opens then fresh questions about who was helping him, how did he manage to get to a major medical facility, the sort of intensive care you would need to have an operation like that without being detected? >> yes. declan walsh, it's a fascinating article "new york times" in the. i suggest everyone go and read it if they're interested in all of this, the abbottabad commission will come out in may with its results. we'll see what they say. thank you, declan. >> thank you very much. what happens if gas goes above $5 a gallon? a new poll tries to answer that question. you're watching "weekends with alex witt." for fastidious libran emily skinner,

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[ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ only 24% of you knew that? come on, you guys. time now for the three big money headlines. top billing goes to the february jobs report where hiring was solid. the tipping point, when will gas prices be too much to deal with? and 2012 looks to be the year of the tourist. here to put it all in context is vera gibbons. >> good morning. >> a jobs report, good, not spectacular, right? >> positive revisions for january and february. that's good.

increased labor participation rate, that's all good. definitely signs of momentum and go things going on in terms of that. the concern is the pace of the improvements that's what everyone is talking about. we have losses and we're not seeing the kind of pace you need to absorb the losses. 24 million combined are either unemployed or underemployed which is why you heard even fed chief ben bernanke saying it's not normal. it's going to take a lot more deman for goods and services before things like more normal, quote, unquote. >> talk about normal not. gas approaching $5 a gallon. is there a point where the consumers will say enough is enough? and where is that. >> we used to say, $3.50, $4. the tipping point is $5.30. that's the point in which consumers say they would make significant changes to their life, carpool, consolidate errands, look into mass transit, walk, bike, whatever the case may be. >> not about $5.30 a gallon.

>> it's amazing to see that number. the scary thing is we're not too far from that. analysts expect to see $4.25 national average by the enof april. in some markets you're paying above $5, in some markets, $6 a gallon. we're not too far off that point. when we see that point, you will see consumers make significant changes. >> how about the year 6 the tourist which is supposed to be this one, 2012. >> you like to travel. >> i do. >> a billion travelers worldwide expected to head out and do some touristing here. if that's a word. planes, trains, automobiles, people are getting out there. you're seeing a lot of people over 50% come through the major cities, places like new york, chicago, l.a., atlanta, london, of course will get a big boost from the olympics, a couple million new tourists, visitors there. tourism up about 3% for the year which is obviously a positive sign for the economy with the bulk of the new tourists coming from emerging economies like

china, india and brazil. >> back at you, who loves tourism. frequent flyer, vera gibbons. >> thanks, alex. in this morning's one-minute play back, prince harry's dancing. he was in jamaica. dirty harry. not the british prince guy who got married to this princess girl last year but the cool one with the red hair, he was in jamaica on a goodwill mission and got down with some locals. in the span of just five seconds, harry showed more rhythm than every member of the british monarchy since the beginning of recorded history combined. >> right there, that wasn't harry. that was prince charles dancing in rio de janeiro in 1978.

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reality show or something was going on. it didn't seem real. >> reporter: passengers say that's when the flight attendant went on a rant demanding the pilot open the cockpit and turn around because the plane was going to crash. >> a lot of other incoherent statements trying to get in communication with the cockpit. it was almost as if she thought she was on phone with them only. >> reporter: passenger video captured the moments that followed when crew members struggled to subdue the woman described as a veteran attendant. >> get out of my way! >> reporter: several passengers, including kevin rich were enlisted to help. >> a couple of us were on top of her, one of us was behind her as she began talking rants, sporadically church, dying, crashes, racist slurs. tried to talk her through it and keep it calm. >> reporter: she complained about the airline filing for bankruptcy organization, talked about a friend who died on 9/11 and said the plane wouldn't take

off because it didn't have enough ice. she also mentioned she forgot to take her medicine for a mental disorder. when the pilot returned to the gate, police were waiting. after taking her into custody, she was then taken to a local hospital. american airlines says the attendant is receiving the proper care. security experts say the incident shows how crew members and passengers react and work together in a post-9/11 world. >> what we're seeing is that since 9/11 passengers are far more willing not just to take matters into their own hands but to be active and responding to events inside the airplane. >> reporter: once the plane with a new crew on board landed in chicago, passengers say they realize this incident could have been worse. >> really blessed we hadn't left the ground. >> reporter: michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >> scary, right? police say they do not expect to charge the flight attendant. now to battle for white house. the latest republican primary delegate count shows mitt romney with the lead ahead of trailers newt gingrich and rick santorum. but he's still a long way from the 1,144 delegates needed to

clinch the republican nomination. first up on the agenda is today's caucus in kansas where 40 delegates are at stake. the real focus are tuesday's primaries in alabama and mississippi where the candidates are hoping to clinch the southern vote. joining me right now is mark murray, nbc news senior political editor, good morning, mark. >> good morning, alex. >> let's take a look at the delegate count as it stands currently. can rick santorum or newt gingrich still stage a come back? >> mathematically they can but the math looks very, very tough for them. we've actually crunched some of the math. for mitt romney he really just needs to win less than half of all remaining delegates. and so when you realize that many of these contests award these delegates proportionately, mitt romney is sitting in very, very good shape. however, when you look at rick santorum and newt gingrich for their math, they have to win more than 60% of all remaining delegates. that is a tougher climb for them. we still have a long way to go

if you think about this race as a 400 meter dash, we're about at the 200 meter point. mitt romney's in the lead but hasn't crossed the finish line just yet. >> might we be more like 300 meters down in this race on wednesday morning if mitt romney wins alabama or mississippi? >> yes. and there is a lot at stake at these alabama and mississippi contests right now. and all these candidates, including mitt romney have a lot to prove. mitt romney so far hasn't been able to win in the south. a win in mississippi or alabama or even both would really suggest to people that he is solidified the party. he's solidified conservatives, very conservatives, evangelical voters. there are a lot of them in alabama and mississippi. on the other hand, for rick santorum if he's able to win in alabama or mississippi or both, he is showing that he really is the conservative alternative to mitt romney and for newt gingrich, a win in alabama or mississippi would show that he has support outside his native

state of georgia which was the only super tuesday contest he won last week. >> yes. mark, i want to talk about what mitt romney said, which was southern states are an away game for him, as if they're trying to lower expectations. if you look at the polls, it's tight there. alabama shows he's one point behind newt gingrich there. 3 points ahead of rick santorum. so you know, where does he really stand in the south? >> he has a chance to win on tuesday. in either states or both of them. one thing also worth noting, not only is he within striking distance according to some of the polling we've seen, he's also advertising and his superpac is advertising more than any other campaign that's out there, they've spent more than almost $2 million. much more than the gingrich and his allies or rick santorum and his allies. so while mitt romney's probably right that it's an away game, given that he is a former massachusetts governor, he has several advantages, even on

terrain that hasn't been friendly to him so far. >> what about what the president was saying at that fund-raiser when he was talking about america coming back. how much do you think that bolsters his re-election chances? it may fall on deaf ears to some across this country. >> that's right. democratic pollster stan greenberg along with james carville, they have a polling firm called democracy corps. they had a polling memo about two weeks ago that said that when they actually dial tested that, that america is back, america is coming back, it actually did fall on deaf ears and it isn't as strong of a message as he might be able to have. as we saw president obama actually talking about the jobs report, the very positive jobs report from yesterday, he used language talking about how things are improving but we still have a long ways to go. i bet that's going to be the message we'll be seeing from democrats and president obama as we head into the general election, not necessarily that america's back and everything's great again. >> okay. we know we have a lot more

messages coming from you, mark murray, down the road. thank you so much. >> thanks, alex. in this week's office politics we talk with nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent and msnbc host andrea mitchell. we talk about the not always glamorous duty of reporting from around the world. i again by asking her if the democrats are becoming more confident this election season and if it's wise to feel that way? >> they are becoming increasingly confident. they see signs of green sprouts on the economy. they see accomplishments they believe in terms of the auto bailout and what's happening economic revival in michigan and some of the states they need. they are becoming increasingly confident. they know they'll have the money. they think they have the best of the retail candidates because barack obama can deliver on campaign trail so far better than mitt romney if he becomes the nominee. they shouldn't become overconfident, because we've seen that happen before.

>> do you think if gas prices are high come the end of october that that can make a palpable difference in the way people vote? >> absolutely. it's like another tax. gasoline prices are felt so immediately by everyone who commutes. they filter through the economy. i used to be the energy correspondent when i first came to nbc and watched the end of the carter administration struggling with high gasoline prices, high interest rates. gasoline prices will fuel everything. it goes quickly into plastics and other commodities. so it is felt so immediately and it becomes a great talking point on the campaign. we've seen it being distorted, most recently by newt gingrich saying i can dlif youeliver you gas lean. that's absurd. but he gets away with it. he's reaching some audience with that claim. that will make the president vulnerable.

the white house is very sensitive to this. that's why you hear the president in almost every speech talking about the energy policy. they're very concerned about the impact of gasoline prices. >> you are always so fashionable. i'm wondering how it is that you're up here with sarah palin wearing the waders. >> we got in that boat and it was freezing. i didn't have enough gear and so actually todd offered me an old fishing jacket and so i was even in worse gear for a lot of that shoot. then we had to fly back from this really remote part of alaska and get back in time to turn an eight-minute piece for the "today" show. >> wow. >> within only a couple of hours. it was amazing. but it was great to see her in her element. there is -- there's so many sides of sarah palin, but seeing her out there in that fishing village, which is where her

in-laws go every summer and this was july. she just decided to step down as governor. it was her first big interview. it was fascinating to see that side of her. as we see "game change" the movie and all the other sides of sarah palin, you've got to acknowledge that there is a really authentic alaska side of her, with her family. all the kids out there. and this is the july ritual and we were privileged to see it. >> when i've had you as the recipient of questions, when you've been out in the field traveling the globe, i always love the way you bring the answers to the questions in a way we can all understood but you still make us just have to think a little harder about what you're saying. >> what i love is to talk to you some some place in the world, we did the first msnbc broadcast in nairobi in the middle of the night. i had just gotten there and i was there to cover hillary clinton in kenya but bill

clinton had just popped up in pyongya pyongyang, north korea, to rescue the two current tv women who had crossed the border. >> lisa ling was one of them. >> all of a sudden we were talking about north korea and what was happening in pyongyang. >> right. >> from nairobi in the middle of the night. what i couldn't tell you or anyone elimination se at the ti my bags were lost and i had been traveling for 24 hours in the same clothes. and i think i had a cast on my foot from busting my ankle covering inauguration. >> andrea will tell us her thoughts about this year's republican primary. watch her report weekdays at 1:00 p.m. only on msnbc. sarah palin says you'll be wasting your time if you watch "game change" tonight. really? "the washington post" critic

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it's appointment television for democrats and raynes alike or not. >> i'm very pleased to introduce to you the next vice president of the united states, governor sarah palin of the great state of alaska. >> sarah, sarah! >> they love her. she's a bigger star than obama. >> we can really win this thing. >> "game change" premieres on hbo tonight. it is based on the best-selling book by mark halperin and john heilemann. the film features a star-studded cast and takes an inside look at the 2008 presidential campaign and sarah palin's rise from alaska governor to controversial national figure. joining me now, hank stuber, tv critic for t"the washington po " post." what did you think? >> i thought it was pretty good. after so much buildup and hyperbole from both sides about this movie, when you get a

chance to see it, if you can set aside whatever you may feel about sarah palin it's a pretty good movie. it's very well made and very well thought. it will surprise you. >> here's what we know about sarah palin's interpretation of it all. she's disputed her characterization in the movie. she's called it a waste of viewer's time. so how does her character come across? >> you know, i really -- i think she will watch it. i can't imagine anybody would make a movie about me or probably you feel the same way and you wouldn't have at least take a look at it? >> hm-mm? just kidding. >> it would be a nerve-racking experience. i think she comes off pretty well. there's something to sympathize with. imagine your life taking off on this ten-week manic journey for the white house. and that you have to suddenly know things that you never thought you'd have to know. you're surrounded by people you don't trust.

you know, you're having to sort of contort your political beliefs to match your running mate. i did feel sorry for her. >> we all have the comical image of tina fey as sarah palin etched in our mind. how about julianne moore's portrayal? >> there's a scene where jew julianne moore as sarah palin is watching tina fey portray sarah palin. i'm telling you, julianne moore as sarah palin is fantastic. it's a knockout performance. in about 30 seconds we completely forget the apprehension when the pictures first came out of her in the hair-do and the glasses. she's really very good. i was kind of ready for her not to be very good at it. i really was taken by her performance. >> it's always hard to portray somebody who is alive and has a

public image. we have perceived notions there. do you think the film itself will change anyone's perception of sarah palin or the 2008 election? >> i really don't. it's just too difficult in our culture, the way we do politics now, the way we discuss politics, the venom and vitriol with which we approach this subject. sarah palin is very much in play in our political sphere. i think it's difficult for viewers who feel strongly either way about her or about the republican party. it's just too hard to set that aside and just enjoy this for what it is, which is, still, again, a good movie. >> i can't wait to go to a watching party tonight. it will be good to see. thank you very much, hank stuever from "the washington post." >> thank you. kermit the frog says it's not easy being green. the folks at general motors might agree. in just a moment, the jolt over the volt. why has the hybrid been such a flop so far?

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new reports this week that might surprise you on electric cars. sales are failing to speed up even with the soaring gas prices. in fact, gm suspended production of the chevy volt because of low ganed. t demand. what does this mean for the future of electric cars? michelle kreb is joining me live from michigan. good morning. >> good morning. >> what do you think it is that is keeping drivers away from the volt? >> there are a number of reasons. it's expensive. it's $40,000. takes a long time to pay that return -- get that return on investment. there's not a widespread infrastructure for charging yet and the other interesting thing

that has happened is there are a lot of cars out there that get 30 and 40 miles per gallon without the higher price. so it has a lot of challenges right now. >> i know the president announced he wants a bigger electric car tax credit. do you think that will help sales? >> i'll be surprised if that goes through. the president is looking to increase the tax credit from $7,500 to $10,000 and in this political environment i'm not sure that will happen. these cars need help to get them started. this is a new technology that people have to be educated about and introduced to. >> yeah. i know that there were expectations were pretty high for things like gas mileage that didn't necessarily live up to the expectations. is that just one of the problems that has plagued the volt? >> i think one of the biggest problem is people don't understand electric cars and i would say the volt is not really an electric car. a plug-in hybrid with an

extended range and you can farther. i don't think people understand them. the people who are buying them are early adopters who are very techie and geeky and understand them and environmentally conscience and want the extra mileage. >> the reliability of these cars, how do you rank that? >> we'll see. they haven't been on the road all that long, you know? the volt has had no fires on public roads. these were fires that took place -- two fires that took place when some testing were done on them and they happened much longer after the tests had taken place. but, again, you know, it's bad publicity and that confuses the public. >> bottom line, michelle, do you think the future of the automobile industry lies in electric cars? >> i would say electrified cars. i think ten years from now, we will not be having this discussion because every car will have some form of

electrification from hybrid to full electric, and they are the way of the future. it's just going to take -- be a bumpy ride getting there. >> michelle of edmonds.com, thank you. >> thank you. >> that's a wrap of this hour of "weekends with alex witt." join me for a two-hour edition of the show today at noon eastern time. straight ahead, we have more smart political talk on "up with chris hayes." following that, melissa harris-perry and all to come for you on this saturday on msnbc. what do you get when you combine the home depot with this weekend? the cure for cabin fever. because with get-it-done savings on everything we need... ...we can turn this weekend into a fresh floor... ...or an updated bathroom... ...or a brand-new look. so let's hit those orange aisles, and make today the day, we make a big difference - no matter how big our budget. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. lay down a better floor for less. new pergo xp laminate,

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