i believe weight watchers can do the same for you. i believe you have more power than you think you do. i believe because it works. ♪ if you want it you got it your turn. your time. your year. [ female announcer ] join now for free. hurry, offer ends march 24th. weight watchers points plus 2012. because it works. hi, everyone. i'm tamron hall. the "news nation" is following the case. a grand will investigate the 17-year-old's killing. in a statement, norm wolfinger said, quote, i share in the desire of the family and the community who accurately collect and evaluate all the facts surrounding the tragic death of trayvon martin. this come as police released new 911 call late yesterday made by george zimmerman, the man who shot martin. those calls were made over the past six months. keep in mind this is before the

shooting itself involving trayvon martin. sanford pliss say zimmer magic called him 46 times since january 2011 reporting suspected break-ins, suspicious people and other incidents. police released six calls and in four of them zimmerman reported suspicious men in the neighborhood. >> what did they look like? are they white, black or hispanic? >> black males. one is wearing a white shirt. they're at the back gate of the neighborhood. >> now here's a portion of another call released by police where zimmerman is reporting two people he said he's never seen before. >> we've had a lot of break-ins in our neighborhood recently and i'm on the neighborhood watched and there is two suspicious characters at the gate of my neighborhood. i've never seen them before.

i have no idea what they're doing. they're just out, loitering. >> meantime, the justice department confirm, it is of course getting involved launching its own investigation and will meet with local leaders to address tensions in the community. the congressional black caucus had asked to look into the case. joining me now, emanuel cleaver. chairman, thank you for your time. first let me get your reaction to the fact that the department of justice is now getting involved and they also want to address what is so obvious, the tensions in the community in florida and beyond at this point regarding this case. >> we believe that it is very important for the jarnlt to become involved because the situation had become highly volatile. and because we think that a hate crime was committed. and i've got to tell you that unlike days of old when things like this happened, we just had mainly african-americans out

expressing outrage. now we have people from all walks of life who i think have trained their hearts to be sympathetic to injustice. so we're seeing people even here in washington, having people coming up, white, black, hispanic, republicans, all saying something is wrong here. the justice department had to get involved because the local police department obviously had some problems of its own and ultimately they need to look into that. the reason we think that this is a hate crime, if you listen to the tape. which i have refused to do anymore. it hurts too much for me. i can imagine what the family is going through. is the fact that the one thing the man said over and over and over. it is a black man. it is a black kid. everything was black. and then he said the magic words, they always get away with

it. so i think that i'm not a judge and jury, but i think that those who can do that kind of thing can bring things to a judge and jury are moving in that direct. the congressional black caucus is pleased at the response of the u.s. department of justice and not only because they're looking into the case but because they're going to try to get some of the understandable anger that is boiling up in the community. >> chairman, one of the reasons you point to why you believe this should be investigated as a hate crime because you say as we've heard in this state, trayvon martin is described as a black man. on the 911 calls that were just released, zimmerman is asked to identify, describe, if anyone has ever called 911, they know the operator asks to you describe. i have to note here that of the six callshat were released by police today, four of them, zimmerman identifies the individual as an african-american or a black person.

now, that is not to say that in the dozens of other calls that he made, that the other suspects were not white, hispanic, male, female, but in these calls released by authorities four of the six, as i understand it, were minorities. with that said, just because he described the individual as being black, how does that then lead to a hate crime? >> they always get away with it. they, who? i would like to have the answer to that question. they, who? and i also think that it is important for us to understand that it's very easy to generate suspicion based on race. we're going to get beyond it as a nation. i know the time is coming but we're not there yet. i think that even a casual observer can look at this situation. listen to this poor kid

screaming for help and this man executing him, allegedly, if all the facts are true. so it is difficult to see that race is not a factor. particularly when you hear the refrain, "they always get away with it." >> let me take you to this other point here. of course zimmerman is the focus. he is the person who fired the gun. now a grand jury will look at the facts here. i have to bring you to the sanford police department. you have so many people who equate this to famous cases in mississippi. cases in my home state of texas where actions were carried out by bad people but they were enabled by the inactive pursuit of police departments, of county sheriffs. i'm not saying that is the case here but how much pressure should be put on and questions placed on the sanford police department? >> i don't think there is any question. i implied that earlier. i think the justice department has to look at the police department. i'm from texas as well.

i was married in kansas city, missouri. we've gotten over many of our problems with the police department over the years. if a police officer has a justifiable shooting, that police officer is suspended with pay until there's an investigation even if all the facts show that the police officer was justified in the shooting. we had a man shoot down a 17-year-old bundle of hope and potential and he still has his gun. there was nothing done. it's like, okay, we'll see you later. the police department must i think receive a federal review and if something is there, i think a grand jury ought to be brought together to look at what the police have done in terms of complicity. >> all right, congressman, thank you so much for your time. we appreciate it. i can you and the other members of the black caucus will be down

there as well. let's take you back to how the events unfolded. trayvon martin was killed on february 26th. on march 8th, martin's father tracy market held a news conference calling for sanford police to arrest him for the murder. 911 calls were released on the same day attorney for martin's family call for an arrest. and late last night, an investigation into, and today a grand jury will convene on april 10th to investigate the the shoeing. with me, one of the most prominent attorneys in florida. south florida, kendall coffee. i pointed out, you're one of the best. we want to get your thoughts on this. i just got a note from dennis baxley. he tells nbc news, there is nothing that authorizes anyone to pursue and confront. it is a strictly self-defense

bill here. as we know, george zimmerman says he was acting in self-defense. what happens now? >> the stand your ground law has become a huge obstacle to preventing exactly this kind of self-pointed vigilanteism. this kind of vigilante justice. it used to be if you shot somebody in quote/unquote self-defense, you were protected. but in 2005, florida decided to become the pioneering state to extend this kind of self-protection to wherever the heck you go. the problem became that somebody like a zimmerman, unless there are witnesses that say, i saw you do it, the kid wasn't pro you, it wasn't self-defense. unless you've got witnesses it becomes very difficult to prove the circumstances that the shooting took place in. so cases have been defeated repeatedly where similar kinds of shooting took place.

a lot of time they don't even try to bring the case because it is so hard to get convictions unless you've got witnesses or unless the shooter shoots the victim in the back. what you've got is no witnesses except for the alleged perpetrator who says it was in self-defense. how do you prove that's a lie? >> with that that, is that why you believe the sanford police department avoided or did not bring this case to the grand jury and accept george zimmerman's word that he was acting in self-defense. is that because of the difficulty that is presented with this law. >> the law presents difficulty. it presents an easy out if the police department doesn't want to get very aggressive about investigating it. because certainly, if you have somebody's word, you can still try to break it apart but effective interrogation of the so-called suspect. and if you put that interrogation together with some kind of witness reports, people who said they heard crying or some kind of sound that sounded

like it was the young man, right before he was shot. if you try to put those things together, sometimes you can shake the suspect and get to the truth. the problem is if this was a slip shod investigation of a person where there is no actual eyewitnesses, who says he did it in self-defense, it could be very, very hard for anybody to get to the proof and to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt. i applaud the justice department's intervention. they're going to look at the actions of the police department. they're going to look at the possibilities of hate crime. but i don't want anyone to be unrealistic in terms of expectations as to where this ends up. it may already be too late to ever get the truth or to ever get a real prosecution out of this case. >> let me ask you regarding the 911 phone call that were released. calls made by neighbors, who were at least overhearing the commotion and the call made by george zimmerman where the operator says do not get out of your car. do not pursue.

does that play a role in all of this in what the grand jury will hear? does that come into play at all? >> it does come into play and the grand jury will want to hear it and they'll want to hear from the neighbors and they may find it was extremely poor judgment, even reckless judgment in continuing as zimmerman did to pursue the suspect. the problem will be at the end of it all, if all you can get is zimmerman's story, that he was being attacked. and the only way to contradict that is a couple people who heard things but didn't see things. from a prosecution standpoint, it becomes a very difficult case to get any kind of homicide conviction beyond a reasonable doubt. the proof of that, sadly enough, is that in florida since the stand your ground law was enacted, in these cases generally people don't even get prosecuted anymore. when they have attempted to prosecute these claims of self-defense, they've almost always been acquittals.

>> thank you very much. i know we'll be with you again soon. now to the investigation of the american soldier accused of killing 16 afghan civilians, his attorney said staff sergeant robert bales remembers him or nothing. mean type the top u.s. commander is telephoning before the house armed services committee about what's happening in the country. general john allen acknowledged the koran burnings and the civilian burnings but said progress is being made. >> each of these events is heart-wrenching my thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this violence. coalition and afghan alike. but i assure you, the relationship between coalition and our afghan security forces remain strong. >> joining me now, nbc pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski. allen talked about an investigation into the chain of command.

those who were around sergeant bales leading up to his alleged crime. >> that's right. everybody suspected this would eventually happen. but it's the first time today that in his testimony, general john allen revealed there is in fact an investigation underway into the command climate. just what was the level of discipline at that forward operating base where those special operations forces were could not village stability operations. they want to know why since he was that a special operator was he assigned to that unit. and what was the combat relationship between him and the others on the base. and although allen didn't explain it or reveal it today, it is also expected that part of that investigation will look into why was there alcohol on that combat outpost. and even if drinking was not directly, did not directly

contribute to that incident, in which 16 civilians were killed, it is sure in this investigation that some of those commanders are probably in deep trouble and could get demoted or even lose their jobs in the military as a result. i will say that there is no evidence, however, that alcohol contributed or that command climate did, but there are serious questions about what was going on at that outpost. as far as staff sergeant robert bales goes, it is still second that there will be charges filed against him later this week and the charges should come out of that u.s. military command there in afghanistan. >> thank you very much. in just a few hours, polls close. illinois primary, if mitt romney wins tonight, can he turn around his perception problem we've talked about? plus, rick santorum tries to walk back his latest controversial comments. not a social issue.

this is on the economy. >> i don't care what the unemployment rate will be. it doesn't matter to me. my campaign doesn't hinge oun employment rates and growth rates. >> what rick santorum is saying today. then the budget wars return to capitol hill. congressman paul ryan rolls out the budget. what the democrats are saying about the ryan budget. join me on my twitter page. [ donovan ] i hit a wall. and i thought "i can't do this, it's just too hard." then there was a moment. when i decided to find a way to keep going. go for olympic gold and go to college too. [ male announcer ] every day we help students earn their bachelor's or master's degree for tomorrow's careers. this is your moment. let nothing stand in your way. devry university, proud to support the education of our u.s. olympic team.

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i don't care what the unemployment rate will be. it doesn't matter to me. my campaign doesn't hinge on unemployment rates and growth rates. >> i want the people, one of the people that he doesn't care

about the unemployment rate. that doesn't bother him. i do care about the unemployment rate. it does bother me. >> that's the latest heat in the race for the latest republican nomination. rick santorum's eyebrow raising comments on the unemployment rate which left an opening for mitt romney to pounce. 54 delegates at stake. recent poll show mitt romney may be pulling away in illinois. let's bring in our "news nation" political panel, "washington post" and msnbc contributor. the chicago columnist, lynn sweet, and national syndicated talk show host steve who is still holding on to that newt gingrich endorsement. i'll start with you since you're the conservative on the panel. rick santorum saying i don't care about the unemployment rate. he came back out. he tried to clarify. let me play his clarification and see if you buy it.

>> of course i care about opportunity employment rate. i want it to go down. i'm saying my candidacy doesn't hinge on whether it goes up and down. >> here's the problem with that. president obama's re-election, according to the gop hinges on the unemployment rate, among other factors. why would it not hinge for rick santorum to come up with a plan or put it on his priority list? >> well, i think what you heard rick santorum say there, tamron, he is running on bigger ideas than simply what the unemployment rate is month in and month out. and this of course is what happens with the long swath of a campaign. if the unemployment rate is down, the obama people will crow about that. if it is up, then the republican challengers are going to obviously try to make hey about that. the bigger issue in the clims you just played is another example of just how low and despicable of a panderer romney can be as a candidate. how much he can insult the

intelligence of the american people. this is a guy who just -- >> wait a minute, wait, wait, wait. >> i know you have no love for mitt romney. you wanted to run him out of iowa and you go a lot of credit for doing that. come on. you're going on pivot to mitt romney while i'm asking you about rick santorum and say he's the panderer here? help me understand it. >> first of all, you guys are the ones juxtaposing the clips. remember two months ago, romney got cream for saying i don't care about poor people. that's not my issue. he got creamed for that. now he wants to turn around and he claims he was taken out of context. now he wants to turn around and say the exact same thing in this case. this is silly high school president high school election kind of stuff. this is the kind of stuff that just turns people off to politics. >> i'm going to take issue with that and you're one of my close friends. i do not think any conversation related to unemployment is silly. i think anything that is said

about it warrants comment. we're both fortunate to have a be jo. we're able to pay most of our bill on time of that is to me not silly high school talk. jonathan, to steve's point, this is a larger narrative of romney finding openings but he didn't open the door. rick santorum did it himself from social issues to this issue. >> rick santorum has this incredible pattern of being very forthright. very truthful. very honest. very not of the filter. gets into trouble and then has to backtrack. i think the difference is that he's back tracked very, very quickly off this, off what he said, not caring about unemployment rates. the reason why he's gotten into trouble, i hope i'm not sail stating the obvious. even though people like their presidents floating at the 37,000 level and trying to come one grand ideas to move the economy forward, they want to know that the person leading the country really does care about the number of people who are unemployment. what the unemployment rate is and what they're going to do

specifically to get those people back to work. >> is it just the simple fact, the reason why rick santorum and mitt romney will downplay the unemployment rate is because it is not at 10%? it is not at the high dream of maybe even 9 for some who want to see this president at the white house? is that the bigger issue here? because he cannot laser focus in and use that at this moment against the administration currently in office? >> yes. the answer is yes. when unemployment was over 9%, it gave a lot of material for the republicans to talk about. in this latest episode, romney not giving the benefit of the doubt. i think he wanted last week when he said he wanted to get rid of planned parenthood. then he said, i wanted to get rid of the subsidy for planned parenthood. at this level people have to say what they mean without backing into the negative. for santorum and romney, they

know that the lower the unemployment rate goes, or the more attention on it. and fits better for president obama, it makes it harder for them to make their case and it needs to be replaced. >> let me switch to illinois. mitt romney is up in several polls including one that puts a nearly double digits if not further ahead there. what do you make of this race tonight? >> well, i think we are seeing a status quo now portion of the race where mitt romney is going to win another state that republicans have a snow ball's chance in a very warm place of winning this fall. and he is going to crow about that. and really this whole race is stag napt. santorum will win on saturday. this is now stagnant. until april 24th, that's the pennsylvania primary. that is winner take all. if romney is able to win there, that will be a true road win. then that is the only plausible way i believe he could wrap this up prior to june 5th. if santorum wins -- if you run

the number, romney cannot win until june 5th at the earliest. >> if i could jump in, i hope your viewers know or should know, this is, the beauty contest, the popular vote which sit what you were talking about. now is something that mitt romney is probably going to win. the real story in illinois is the delegate hunt tonight. and because of the way they're apportion asked they're elected, santorum does have a chance of doing well. it is really 18 different elections. he didn't run delegates in every of the 18 districts but that's what you watch for and people know that. you can't slough it off. if santorum does pick up a chunk, it will give him another reason for staying in. so -- >> he can't win at least ten of the delegates because his campaign didn't file the necessary paperwork. >> yes. and he woke up this morning with that delegate deficit.

however, about half of them were in districts that are near the city of chicago where you have city and suburban republicans that probably would have voted for the romney delegates. when you look at illinois tonight, keep your eye on the delegate win. the beauty contest is nice. it will give someone bragging rights. everyone will be very surprised if romney doesn't win based on if nothing else, all the republicans in chicago and cook county and the surrounding suburbs. >> if it is a big night for rorror romney, he needs to win big. >> yes. it should go his way. rick santorum has this also another pattern of when you, in the days before going into a big state primary, he is either tied or in the lead or tied and then when the people actually go to vote, mitt romney pulls it out. that could happen again tonight.

>> jonathan lynn and steven, i would like to hear you say one more time mitt mentum. so one more time. is that it? >> i'm twitching. i don't know if i can do it. i'm sorry. >> thank you. that's from the conservative there. thank you very much, guys. greatly appreciate it. >> coming up, new video of damage in texas after a tornado touched down. thankfully, no fatalities. you see the damage there and one of the biggest mysteries. could it be soon solved? the state department joins in the search for amelia earhart. >> her legacy resonates today for anyone who dreams of the stars. >> but first, today's money minute. [ male announcer ] this one goes out to all the allergy muddlers.

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we're getting some news. a strong magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 120 miles east of the popular tourist destination, acapulco. the quake is what we're receiving now informationwise, shook buildings as far as mexico city and sent people running out into the streets. mexico's president says no serious damage has been reported. the epicenter is east. we'll bring you the latest developments. it is near area of ometepec. it struck near acapulco about 100 mile away. [ male announcer ] chicken broccoli alfredo.

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here's a chance to create jobs in america. oil sands projects, like kearl, and the keystone pipeline will provide secure and reliable energy to the united states. over the coming years, projects like these could create more than half a million jobs in the us alone. from the canadian border, through the mid west, to the gulf coast. benefiting hundreds of thousands of families throughout the country. this is just what our economy needs right now. here's what is the "news nation" is following right now. >> they've been trying to distract america from the real issues. they call it a war on women. as a woman, i'm here to tell you

the democrats are off base. >> republicans fight back against allegations they've launched a war on women. i'll talk with senator kay hagen who is calling on the new violence against women act. then the "news nation" gut check. is a life without parole sentence for 14-year-old cruel and unusual punishment. the supreme court is hearing arguments on juvenile felons. we're about it today. and demanding an apology. newt gingrich calls on a joke made by rob deniro about first ladies. newt says it is inexcusable. we'll tell you the joke and find out what you think. >> like our lost heroine, you will call carry our hopes with us into whatever field of endeavour you go. >> plus, what happened to amelia earhart 75 years after her disappearance. the search for the aviator is back on. and how secretary hillary clinton is now involved.

we began this half-hour with the gop house budget unveiled. today it is already threatening to spark another partisan battle and possibly another political win. at least that's how the democrats see it. the proposal that paul ryan released today will simplify tax, slash spending through cuts to safety net program like welfare. republicans also want to move forward with that controversial medical overhaul that sparked fire storms last year. >> we preserve the medicare guarantee for today's seniors so they can count on the benefit they've organized the retirement around. and we preserve that guarantee into the future for tomorrow's seniors by empowering them with choices, including a service option. >> nbc news political editor mark murray joins me here live in washington. i love that our script that it might spark the political battle we saw. this is pretty much a done deal, this war if you will over this

budget is on. >> this is going to be the terrain of the president obama and whoever his republican opponent probably mitt romney will fight on. in the fall of 2012. and it basically, the argument frame up, republicans say we need to do something drastic, something bold to get rein in our debt. this isn't balanced at all. you're asking poor people, the middle class, seniors to pick up the burden and they've been making attacks on that. >> you have the republicans regarding medicare. they say that they at least believe, this is a bipartisan deal. that's fudging it perhaps. none the less, maybe this could be sold as bipartisan. >> ron widen who came aboard and supported what paul rbi is doing. what paul ryan did last time, we want to privatize medicare so seniors would have to buy private health insurance.

the modification is that they could buy it or still stay in medicare. what's controversial, they would end up receiving premium support or a voucher as democrats have put it which wouldn't be able to cover the costs of their care. >> back to the overarching campaign and how this would factor in this plan with paul ryan would reduce taxes. we know the president wants to increase tax for those making over $250,000. this is how this all filters in to what we'll see in november. >> right now we're trying to see what the republican reaction to this. so far what we've heard from mitt romney and rick santorum has been silence. i'm sure we'll hear some in the future. mitt romney put his hand on what paul ryan was trying to do. they've all endorsed it. >> newt gingrich did not and then came back. >> what's been very interesting is how president obama has been girding for this. remember the speech in kansas, he was talk b shared sacrifice. there need to be modifications

in medicare and medicaid. there needs to be a serious look at how you balance the budget and get rid of the debt. his argument is there needs to be shared sacrifice. everyone needs to take a hair cut. when they talk about the paul ryan plan, it is the middle class and people relying on medicaid that get hurt and not everyone involved. >> i saw all your great tweets. i wanted to have you on. >> gas prices inch higher today, the latest in a series of congressional hearings on surging gas prices. what you're paying at the pump. the national average for regular rose another penny overnight. $3.85. that's four cents higher than a week ago. 29 cents higher than a month ago. 30 cents higher than a year ago. we need a math chart for that. joining me now, the ranking democrat on the house natural resource committee. that committee holds another hearing on rising gas prices tomorrow. sir, thank you for your time.

with all due respect, i have to ask you, are all these earrings just about talk or what action is possible at this point? especially we're leading into summer where some states like chicago, illinois, they have this blend that increases the price automatically on what people pay for their summer gas. >> you put your finger right on it. this is action that we have to take. the oil companies last year exported $100 billion worth of oil that was drilled for here in the united states. we have to stop the oil companies from doing that. the oil companies get $4 billion a year in tacks breaks. we have to stop that. that's one industry that does not need a tax break. the republicans are trying to stop the funning for the commodities futures trading commission. they're ones to crack down on wall street speculation which is at least 50 cents a gallon right now. they're just playing games with the market. the republicans are trying to stop the increase in the fuel efficiency of the vehicles which

we drive. they've already passed the boehner-cantor-paul ripe. we have a real problem with the republicans. gop is the gas and oil party. we just have to have an agenda that deals with what is troubling the american consumer at the pump. >> so obviously you just laid out your case there. can case for the democrats. this is not a secret. i'm not revealing anything to you. that you know the other side of the conversation on this is that this administration is blocking production to the key stone pipeline and other oil production. they believe it could be happening within this country that is blocking the radical environmentalists that some believe control or puppet this administration. what do you say to those people? >> i say that the romney-boehner-cantor leadership of the republican party, they just don't understand the oil markets. under the obama administration, we're at an eight-year high for

oil production in the united states. we have the lowest am of imports in 12 years. we're down to 45% from 57% when george bush left office in terms of the amount of the oil that we're bringing into this country. and meanwhile, the republicans are trying to slash the wind and solar and all electric vehicle budget which is our future. so i'm just afraid that the republicans don't understand the oil markets because of the oil industry which has them in their thrall. >> someone may watch "news nation" after we're done and fill up at the pump. they'll ask this question. why i am a paying this much for gas? if the production is up, you say the right moves the republicans don't understand. you're telling me the democrats do. why i am a paying so much? i not being me, i don't have a car. but the guy or a woman out there who is filling up right now. >> it's not obama. it is opec. as you know, opec, the saudis

announced under pressure from the obama administration, to begin producing more oil. to put it into the marketplace so that wall street speculators don't continue to tip consumers jump side down. because of the fear of a cut-off from iran as president obama tries to stop iran from getting a nuclear weapon. so because of the administration's pressure, opec is saying they'll produce more oil and we'll see it at the pump. >> thank you so much for your time. we'll keep an eye on those hearings. there's a lot going on today. here are some things we thought you should know. secretary of state hillary clinton gave her stamp of approval today on a new effort to confirm amelia earhart's fate. she vanished in 1937 while she was attempting to become the first female pilot to circle the globe.

>> earhart may have been an unlikely heroine for a nation down on its luck but she embodied the spirit of an america coming of age. and increasingly confident, ready to lead in a quite uncertain and dangerous world. newt gingrich is demanding president obama apologize for a joke made by rob deniro while at an event tappeded by the first lady, robert deniro sarcastically asked, do you really think the country is ready for a white first lady? those were his words. today gingrich responded on behalf of his rivals. >> what deniro said last night was inexcusable. the president should apologize for him. it was an obama fund-raiser. it is exactly wrong. it divides the country. ben looks owns the media group will they are a tiny cable

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inevitable versus the insurgerient. the very latest on the killing of trayvon martin and why the republican first wives club is out in force. back to the news. the very strong earthquake that hit mexico. people out on to the street after the quake hit. we're learning an aftershock shook mexico city. it comes after a 7.6 earthquake struck 120 miles east of acapulco. mexico's president has tweeted out saying there was no damage near acapulco near where he was. there was a work he who road damage to businesses located in ometepec. they're hearing the damage to some buildings were sustained. he said some had fallen. some had not. and there have been electricity at the location, problems with electricity. we're getting in a spattering of details at this point but as you see there, several people on

their cell phones standing outside. quite honestly, i'm sure, fearful of entering those buildings not not knowing how stable they are at this building. a 7.2 magnitude quake hitting 120 miles from acapulco. now to the latest on what's being called the war on women by democrats. both the rnc and dnc have released web videos. republicans are slamming the obama white house calling it a quote boys club. while democrats are going after the law saying republican wos put insurance company back in charge of women's health. all of this come as democratic senators fight to get gop support for the once bipartisan violence against women's act. joining me now, kay hagen joins me live from capitol hill. thank you for your time. >> good afternoon. >> there is a lot to talk about here. i want to play, congresswoman kathy mcmorris rogers said regarding what she views. she is a republican.

which she views as scare tactics from democrats. let me play her comments. >> democrats are trying to scare american women. and it is a scare tactic that isn't going to work. the american women fear most of all president obama's policies. >> so senator, this is coming from the highest ranking woman, republican woman in congress. what is your response to her? >> you know, i think it is disheartening in the last several months that petty partisan gamesmanship has really dealt a critical blow to policies that are very important for women. right now we're talking about the victims against domestic violence. the reauthorization of that bill. it gab in 1994. it was reauthorized most recently in 2005 on a voice vote signed into law by president bush. this should not be a partisan game in a bill that really reflects that kind of attitude. this is something that's very important to women.

right now there are over 12 million women a year that suffer from domestic violence. and the other critical element is, we have 15.5 million children that are actually living in homes of domestic violence. this is a woman's issue. a family issue. and this is obviously an issue that obviously affects children. >> you cannot see the screen but at the bottom we have the quote war for women" because this will play out in how women vote in election. this is a larger issue. while we're talking about violence and one topic, the next day, even today continues to be women's health issues. it is a battle to show women vote here's are the majority in this country that they have support from your party while the other says they have the support there. >> what we're talk b in north carolina, i think the women want us to be about jobs and the economy. that's what they're interested in. we have a 10% unemployment.

people are feeling the gli at. they want us to stop the divisiveness and do some progressive work. that's why this reauthorization of the violence against women act is so critically important right now. an example in north carolina, there was a woman recently who received threatening e-mails, threatening texts. she was being talked by her ex-husband. she had been helped by a police officer. when she left her office, her ex-husband was her. she went straight to the police department and sure enough, husband followed. when the police checked his car, he had loaded weapons in his car. so in essence, they've saved this woman's life. this is what we're about here. this is what we need to be acting on. >> well, senator haggan, thank you for your time of in the past this has been supported on a bipartisan effort and that is not the case this time. thank you so much for your time.

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