yes, the jobs number has come down and people were looking at the range of jobs created above 200,000 and they were looking at something called the escape velocity to accelerate the recovery that's been under way in fits and starts and keep that trend going and that trend, that positive trend is what white house officials are accentuating. private sector job both, pointing out in november of 2010 and the unemployment rate was 9.8% and last august it was 9.1% and now 8.2%. some republicans are pointing out and skeptics of this economy are pointing out that this jobs number did not meet expectations because a lot of people are dropping out of the workforce and that sort of skews the numbers, making the unemployment rate continue to go down and people have quit looking for work. the front-runner, a very strong statement calls this weak and very troubling. the president's excuses have run

out says romney, alex. >> in other words, what you're giving us is information that both sides can seize upon. thank you very much, viq, we'll see you later. i want to bring in van jones, author of the new book "rebuild the dream" and krystal ball. you've come out on top. >> so far so good. >> and the first former obama official to write a book and i'm excited to be able to talk about it, and a lot of what we talk about is about the economy and this whole question about how we get americans working again. >> let's get right to it and look at the numbers. as you look at the unemployment rate, say january 2009, the president came in taking office with the 7.8% and it peaked to 10%, october of 2009 and then we have where we are today at 8.2%. is this a quick enough turnaround dropdown for the president or do they wish

november wassing for thor in the distance? >> they're going to want for things to keep getting better and this is like reagan and when he was going for re-election and the numbers were bad, but they were getting better. this is good news for the democrats, bad news for the republicans. the numbers are getting better. however, i do want to point out that on the discouragement question our older workers and our younger workers are both getting more and more discouraged. you have treasures for people who used to work their whole life and two years, three years, and they were teaching the young workers. they're going to the couch and they're going overseas and they're going to the school, why? that's going to be a problem. >> absolutely. let's take a look at what mitt romney said on the campaign trail. here it is, everyone. >> he came into office and the economy was in trouble. people were losing jobs.

homes were losing their value. energy prices were beginning to go up, and we would have expected him to focus his energy on getting this economy going. instead, he delegated the economy to nancy pelosi and harry reid. >> how effective, krystal is that argument and the general consensus is that the economy's getting better. >> it is getting tougher and tougher and what i think is interesting to that is the lead up. things were really bad when he took office. that almost sounds like the line that the president was saying. he wants to remind people how far he's come and mitt romney is helping him do that work, but the shift has happened. it used to be that the president had to argue the counter factual, that things would have been worse had it not been for his policies. now republicans are having to argue the counter fact all of things couldave been better if i had been in office and put our policies in place and that's a more difficult argument to make.

>> let's look at this tweet from reince priebus. three years ago, obama projected unemployment would be 6% by now thanks to the stimulus. clearly, it failed and we are still above 8%. so, van, if you look at that, there's some fact in there. how is that interpreted? >> i think that for the people who played the inside politics game they remember those numbers. he said it would be 6.1, but actually -- i think the average person in a sports bar and the average person at the laundromat are thinking are things getting better or worse? the polls show people still hold bush accountable for this economy. people -- they understand that obama got a really, really bad mess and he's been trying to clean it up. what you're seeing now is, geez, a year ago people were saying i don't see a light at the end of the tunnel. now there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it's good news for democrats and bad news for republicans. >> particularly in swing states like ohio, florida and nevada we've seen the unemployment rate

come down more dramatically than the rest of the country. >> especially because housing has been so tough. >> exactly. >> another point, i think it's tough for the republicans because everything that turns out to have worked they were against. >> the auto bailout. >> they were happy to flush detroit down the toilet, et cetera. so they have a very tough road now. >> let's take a listen to what was said just a short while ago on "the daily rundown" earlier. let's listen. >> we just got an alarmingly weak jobs report and all of the trend lines are bad. if you look from january to march, the declines of employment growth have been very troubling. >> senior adviser to the mitt romney campaign there. he, again, with all these numbers there's two ways to interpret it, right, krystal? >> we have been adding jobs at a steady clip and i would caution reading too much into any one particular jobs number. we've actually seen a lot of

upward revisions over the past month as well. so you have to take that in context and look at the overall trend and not just one month and the overall trend has been positive. >> go ahead. >> one thing i have to say if you're middle class, working-class folks and for young people who obama needs to come out, you can't rest on this. there still has a sense of urgency that the democrats put forward. right now if you're a young person, how do i get into the middle class? it used to be to get from poverty into the middle class, and you buy a house. now you go to college and you have debt and you can't buy a house. he's got to talk to young, discouraged workers to get them to understand he's on their side and he needs ideas for them. >> sit tight. don't go anywhere as we talk about this because president obama, he doesn't have an official challenger yet for november. it may look like mitt romney, but rick santorum met with conservative leaders yesterday to strategize what's next for his campaign. let's bring in the national

communications director for the santorum campaign. good morning. glad you're here. >> good morning. happy good friday, thanks for the time. >> there are hopes that the gop establishment wants rick santorum, your candidate to drop out to allow the focus on mitt romney. true? >> you know, if we've really been paying attention to what the establishment wanted i don't think rick santorum would have been in the race from the get go. it seems like the establishment has been trying to coordinate mitt romney after john mccain walked off the stage after his concession speech to barack obama and prop up his campaign, but the fact of the matter is somewhere along the way in that coronation rick santorum happened. we look pretty good and we'll take this thing all of the way into 1144. >> this was said by ed rendell, rather. let's listen to what he said

about advice, if you will, for rick santorum. >> rick, you've done incredibly well. a week before iowa, if anybody said you would have done this well, you would have laughed. you've done great. consolidate your gains and victories, walk away. it's hard to walk away. i've been there. it's hard to get out of the limelig limelight, but if rick santorum wants to have a future in the republican party, and i believe he does, now is the time to fall. >> how do you react to that? do you think what is happening now in the rick santorum campaign is building a political future? does he want to be a spoiler for this or is it a message campaign right now? >> well, again, i appreciate the question. of course, ed rendell, i respect him as well, but the fact of the matter is rick santorum has never been one of those people who focused purely on politics. this is about a message of freedom. he talked in 2006 and i'll point to the fact that he lost that election and that's fine, but that election wasn't about winning or losing. it was about sticking to his

convictions and getting out a message and conversely, mitt romney had the same uphill climb in 2006 and just quit and said i'm not going to run the race because i'm not going to face that loss. rick santorum lost that election, and we face the same thing here. this isn't about building a political future for him. that's not what rick santorum is about. he's about the here and now, trying to get the message out and trying to get back the white house and trying to stop mitt romney along the way and that's what he's been focused on and that's what he will focus on. >> how about running into newt gingrich all of the time? what is the angle there in terms of the continued presence of that campaign? how much does it affect things? >> i think it greatly affects things. we'd be fooling ourselves if we said it didn't. we have a lot of respect for speaker gingrich, obviously they worked together when they were in the house. the fact of the matter is if you look at the polls you can clearly see if newt gingrich were out we'd be beating mitt romney pretty badly in some of

these states. michigan say good example. ohio is a good example. wisconsin is a good example. it's not that he's wing tning t race and divides the money out there as well. we're being outspent 5-1 and it would be 5-2 if gingrich were out. clearly, i think some of the leaders of the conservative movement are looking to lean on speaker gingrich a little bit, but of course, we would never call for him to get out. the polls bear out and we'd be doing a whole lot better if he were on the side lines and in fact, we'd be doing really well if we said rick's the guy. he's the only conservative in the race. let's throw our support behind rick. >> do you think that will happen? any indication newt gingrich will do that? >> i don't have any indication right now, but i know there are conversations going on with him at this moment. i haven't talked to his campaign about it at all, but, look, it's a ways to go. we'll see what he wants to do. i'm not sure what speaker

gingrich's gain is at this point, but that's a question for speaker gingrich. >> hogan gidley we'll let you go. appreciate your time. >> van jones and krystal ball. i want to look at what's happening at the white house right now. we have this great forum right now. the white house focusing on the council of women and girls and they'll bring in all sorts of speakers. you have business leaders and a couple of cabinet secretaries and hilda solis, and attorney general eric holder. this will be really great. >> big deal. >> it is a big deal, but van, having been inside you know the spin for a lot of people will say this is the timing. it is so political. let's talk about women now. >> come on, if nothing else this white house has been consistent of throughout the entire three years of trying to fight for this crazy principle of liberty and justice for all. you know, i don't know why they're still out there, but there they are and once again, sticking up for liberty and

justice for all. what are we going do with this crazy white house? this is not the first time they've done something for women and it won't be the last time and for veterans and every other part of the quilt that makes up america. >> you know, as we talk about women, the lack thereof at augusta national. that's been very interesting, krystal. as you know, it's going right now. the club does not admit women as we have the masters tournament being played here. both sides weighing in on that fact yesterday. let's listen. >> the president's answer to this question is yes. he believes, his personal opinion is women should be admitted. >> of course. i'm not a member of augusta. i don't know if i would qualify. my golf game is not that good, but certainly if i were a member and if i were in augusta, which isn't likely to happen, of course they should have women at augusta. >> we have also reached out to augusta national asking do you

have a statement and we're waiting for that to come through. as a woman, what's your statement on this and do you think other women are concerned about this? >> i don't think it's at the top of the priority list, but it's important symbolically and it's an important reminder of where the president has stood on women issues throughout his term in office. as van pointed out, one of his first actions was to pass the act. and the republicans through their pushback against women's rights have given an opening where he can highlight all that he's done for women and all that he's done to push things forward. i think he speaks really eloquently about how much it means personally as a dad having two little girls, these issues are very close to him. >> and married to a strong woman who is really a partner for him. >> absolutely. >> the whole thing, his mother and grandmother. so this is not something that oh, here's a good opportunity for me to pounce. however, the republicans are asking for it.

if it was calculated, the republicans did the calculation by attacking women. >> van jones and krystal ball, good chatting. thank you. >> thank you. as we said, the white house council on women is going to be bringing together an extraordinary panel to focus on women's issues. they will talk about more loans that were granted during the obama administration to women trying to get loans for education and also loans for small businesses. some $4.5 billion given to women for small businesses and we'll keep a close eye on things and the president himself will be taking that podium and when he does we'll take you there live. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] lunchables peanut butter and jelly with a crispy rice treat. feed your great ideas. [ feedback ] ♪ it's peanut butter jelly time ♪ ♪ peanut butter jelly time ♪ peanut butter jelly time ♪ peanut butter jelly ♪ peanut butter jelly [ cheers and applause ] peanut butter paul. a legend is born. ♪ peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat ♪

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any minute now, the president is expected to speak at a women's forum at the white house. the chair of the white house council valerie jaret will be introducing remarks.

we'll bring you the president live as soon as he takes to that podi podium. mitt romney is focusing squarely on president obama and the general election even if rick santorum were to bow out and calls for santorum to admit defeat, the former pennsylvania senator can still win the nomination. that was evident as a group of conservatives met with santorum to plot their path forward. joining me now is al cardenas, chair of the conservative union. thanks for joining me. >> my pleasure. good always to be with you. >> it seems like there's a split here. you have the gop establishment pretty firmly behind mitt romney, even senator john mccain went as far as to call for rick santorum's exit from the race on wednesday. why are the conservatives in the party falling behind around romney? >> i think social conservatives and conservative voters are, the

exit polling in wisconsin show conservatives and conservative voters are voting for romney, obviously, who i know so well and respect so much are hard nosed and good fighters and they're looking at every possible opportunity before calling it quits, but look, as far as rick santorum's concerned in my opinion in terms of personal advice, he does not want to go to pennsylvania. he's got, at best, a 50% chance to win and those numbers are getting worse every day. the reason why he got started so late in this presidential contest was because he had thattal bat ross that's almost a 20-point loss to case ney pennsylvania. he doesn't want an albatross around his neck by losing to mitt romney. if he leaves now he's got a bright future and he could be another mike huckabee, a leader of a movement going forward, but if he stays on and drags this on and loses in a poor loser way it's not good for him. >> this coming from the chairman

of the american conservative union who one would presume you're completely behind rick santorum. i'm wondering how you square the numbers in pennsylvania right now. his popularity ranks at about 65% with a positive rating. that's only 1% more than it was six years ago when he took that 18-point beating losing to bob casey. so tell me how you square that. how is it that he can be popular in polls there in pennsylvania and not feel confident about wing the state? . >> because we're getting into the latter stages of a contest where the perceived winner has an added advantage. even santorum voters by a large percentage in the exit polls in wisconsin showed that they believe by an 80-% margin that mitt romney would win the contest. so as this thing goes on and the ultimate result is inevitable more and more people who care for rick are going to vote for the eventual nominee and that's mitt romney. it's just the way these things

evolve and how they happen. look, i care a lot for rick santorum. i care so much for my close friends of many decades who are supporting him, but you know, there is a time to leave things and the time has come. anything that we do moving forward will be counterproductive to beating the president in november, and most social conservatives believe that that's the ultimate goal. >> okay. al cardenas, the chairman of the american conservative union. thank you for weighing in. we appreciate that. president obama will be addressing the white house council on women and girls in just a few minutes. he's going to be discussing education, jobs and just how crucial a role women play in our overall economic well-being. we'll be back. c'mon dad!

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back to the white house now and there you see the chair of the white house council on women and girls, valerie jaret as she

delivers opening remarks there. it's a big day in the white house. they're focusing on the advancement of women and girls in business, their economic prosperity, education, health care and any number of things and it's quite a gathering of leaders in all those areas today. the president will be taking that podium in just a minute or two. when he does, we'll take you there as well, but right now here's a look at the morning headlines to share with you. there's new outrage over the government services administration lavish celebration in 2010. this comes after congressman daryl issa shied clip of -- luke russert, we may have to push you out for the president. do we have the president up? >> there he is. >> washed out for the president. >> i tell you, you've got to understand for the president. >> happy to play second to mr. obama. >> just stay right there.

listen to the president with me, everyone. as we listen to the president talk to the white house council of women and girls at the white house. >> they said no, no, no this place is full of women and they're still settling down. so when he says settling down, what are they doing over there? just creating havoc. welcome to the white house, everybody. it is a pleasure to be surrounded by so many talented, accomplished women. it makes me feel right at home. although usually i have my wingman bo with me. i want to thank everybody who has made this forum on women and the economy possible. i think thank mika for helping moderate this morning and for proving on your show that women are the better half. joe's not denying it. he's not denying it. i want to thank the members of

my cabinet and administration who are participating today, and i want to thank all of you who have come today, lending your time and your energy to the critical cause of broadening opportunity for america's women. now right now no issue is more important than restoring economic security for all our families in the wake of the greatest economic crisis since the great depression. that begins with making sure everyone who wants a job has one. so we welcome today's news. we welcome today's news that our businesses created another 121,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate ticked down. our economy's now created more than 4 million private sector jobs over the past two years, more than 600,000 in the past three months alone, but it's

clear to every american that there will still be ups and downs along the way and that we've got a lot more work to do, and that includes addressing challenges that are unique to women's economic security. challenges that have been around since long before the recession hit. that's why one of the first things i did after taking office was to create a white house council on women and girls. i wanted to make sure that every agency across my administration considers the needs of women and girls in every decision we make, and today we're releasing a report on women and the economy that looks at women's economic security through all stages of life from young women furthering their education and getting their careers to working women who create jobs and provide for their families to seniors in retirement or getting ready for retirement. there's been a lot of talk about

women and women's issues lately as there should be, but i do think that the conversation's been oversimplified. women are not some monolithic block. women are not an interest group. you shouldn't be treated that way. women are over half this country and its workforce. not to mention 80% of my household if you count my mother-in-law, and i always count my mother-in-law. every decision made by those of us in public life impacts women just as much as men. in this report you all have explains some of what we've done to try to lift up the lives of women and girls in this country, but i'd like to spend some time talking about why we've done what we've done.

for me, at least, it begins with the women who have shaped my life. i grew up the son of a single mom who struggled to put herself through school and make ends meet, had to rely on food stamps at one point to get us by, but she earned her education. she made it through with scholarships and hard work, and my sister and i earned our degrees because of her motivation and her support and her impact. i've told this story before. she used to wake me up before dawn when i was living overseas making sure that i was keeping up with my american education, and when i'd complain she'd let loose with this is no picnic for me either, buster. and that's part of the reason why my sister chose to become a

teacher. when my mom needed help with us, my grandmother stepped up. my grandmother had a high school education. my grandfather got to go to college on the g.i. bill. my grandmother wasn't afforded those same opportunities even though she had worked on an assembly line, a bomber assembly line in world war ii. nevertheless, she got a job at a local bank, and she was smart and tough and disciplined and she worked hard and eventually she rose from being a secretary to being vice president at this bank, and i'm convinced she would have been the best president that bank had ever seen if she had gotten the chance. but at some point she hit the glass ceiling and for a big chunk of her career she watched other men that she had trained, younger men that she had trained pass her up that ladder, and

then there was the woman who once advised me at the law firm in chicago where we met. once -- she gave me very good advice, that's why i decided to marry her. and once michelle and i had our girls she gave it her all to balance raising a family and pursuing a career, and something that could be very difficult on her because i was gone a lot. once i was in the state legislature i was teaching, i was practicing law. i'd be traveling, and we didn't have the luxury for her not to work, and i know when she was with the girls she'd feel guilty that she wasn't giving enough time to her work, and when she

was at work she was feeling guilty she wasn't giving enough time to the girls, and like many of you, we both wish that there were a machine that could let us be in two places at once. so she had to constantly juggle it, and carried an extraordinary burden for a long period of time, and then finally as a father, one of my highlights of every day is asking my daughters about their day, their hopes and their futures. that's what drives me every day when i step into the oval office, thinking about them. every decision i make is all about making sure they and all our daughters and all our sons grow up in a country that gives them the chance to be anything they set their minds to. the country where more doors are open to them than were open to

us. so when i think about these efforts, when we put together this council on women and girls, this is personal. that's what is at the heart of all our efforts. these are the experiences and the prism through which i view these efforts, and that's what we mean when we say that these issues are more than just a matter of policy. when we talk about these issues that primarily impact women we've got to realize they are not just women's issues. they are family issues. they are economic issues. they are growth issues. they are issues about american competitiveness. they're issues that impact all of us. now think about it. when women make less than men for the same work, that hurts families who have to get by with less and businesses who have fewer customers with less to spend.

when a job doesn't offer family leave to care for a new baby or sick leave to care for an ailing parent, that burden's met as well. when an insurance plan denies women coverage because of preexisting conditions, that puts a strange on emergency rooms and drives up costs of care for everybody. when any of our citizens can't fulfill the potential that they have because of factors that have nothing to do with talent or character or work ethic, that diminishes us all. it holds all of us back, and then it -- it says something about who we are as americans. right now women are a growing number of breadwinners in the household, but they're still earning just 77 cents for every dollar a man does. even less if you're an

african-american or latino woman. overall, a woman with a college degree doing the same work as a man will earn hundreds of dollars less over the course of her career. so closing this pay gap, ending pay discrimination is about far more than simple fairness. when more women are bringing home the bacon, but bringing home less of it, the men who are doing the same work, it weakens families and weakens our communities and weakens our kids and it weakens our entire economy. [ applause ] >> which is why the first bill i signed into law was the lily le leadbetter act to make it easier for women to demand fairness, equal pay for equal work.

we're pushing for legislation to give women more tools to pay -- to fight pay discrimination, and we've encouraged companies to make workplaces more flexible so women don't have to choose between being a good employee or a good mom. more women are choosing to strike out on their own. today, nearly 30% of small business owners are women. their businesses generate $1.2 trillion last yore. but they're less likely to get the loans they need to start up or expand or to hire which means they often have to depend on credit cards and the mounting debt that comes with them, and that's why through some outstanding work by karen mills and the sba and other parts of our administration, we've extended more than 16,000 new loans worth $4.5 billion to women-owned businesses. [ applause ]

not to mention cut taxes for small businesses 17 times so that more women have the power to create more jobs and more opportunity. we're also focusing sure on focusing that more women are prepared to fill the good jobs of today and tomorrow. over the past decade, women have earned well over half of all of the higher education degrees awarded in america, but once they get out of college we still have a lot of ground to cover. just 3% of fortune 500 ceos are women. fewer than 20% of the seats in congress are occupied by women. is it possible that congress will get more done if there were more women in congress? is that -- is that fair to say, joe? i think it's fair to say.

that is almost guaranteed. and while women account for four and five degrees in areas like education which is terrific because obviously there's no profession that is more important than teaching, we also have to recognize that only two in five business degrees go to women. fewer than one in four engineering and computer science degrees go to women. they make up just 25% of the workforce in the science and technical fields. no unspoken bias or outdated barrier should ever prevent a girl from considering careers in these fields. when creativity is limited and ingenuity, that discourages all

of us to stay on top. we've got to do more to encourage these women to join these fields as well. make it easier to afford the education that's required to make it. send a clear message to our daughters which i'm doing every night, math, science, nothing wrong with it. a lot right with it. we need you to focus. that's why our education reform, race to the top, has put a priority on science, technology and engineering and math education. it's rewarded states that took specific steps to ensure that all students, especially underrepresented groups like girls, had the opportunity to get excited about these fields at an early age, and we've help more than 2.3 million more young women afford to pursue higher education with our increases in the pell grants. that's good news. another example, health reform.

it's been in the news lately. because of the health reform law that we passed, women finally have more power to make their choices about their health care. last year -- [ applause ] >> last year more than 20 million women received expanded access to prevented services like mammograms and cervical cancer screenings at no additional cost. nearly 2 million -- [ applause ] >> nearly 2 million women enrolled in medicare received a 50% discount on the medicine that they need. over 1 million more young women are insured because they can now stay on their parents' plan. later this year, women will receive new access to recommended preventive care like domestic violence screening and contraception at no additional cost. [ applause ]

and soon insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage based on preexisting conditions like breast cancer or charge women more just because they're women. we don't know -- we haven't gotten on the dry cleaning thing yet, though. i know that that's still that's still frustrating, i'm sure. so when it comes to our efforts on behalf of women and girls i'm proud of the accomplishments that we can point to. yes, we've got a lot more to do, but there's no doubt we've made progress. the policies we put in place over the past three years have started to take hold, and what we can't do now is go back to

the policies that got us into so many of the problems that we've been dealing with in the first place. that's what's at stake. when people talk about repealing health care reform they're not just saying we should stop protecting women with preexisting conditions. they're also saying we should kick about a million young women off their parents' health care plans. when people say we should get rid of planned parenthood. they're not just talking about a woman's ability to make her own health decisions, they're talking about denying as a practical matter, like mammograms, that millions of women rely on. when folks talk about doing away with student aid that disproportionately help young women, they're not thinking about the costs to our future when millions of young americans will have trouble affording to go to college. and when something like the

violence against women act, a bill joe biden authored, a bill that once passed by wide bipartisan margins, is suddenly called to question, that makes no sense. [ applause ] i don't need to -- that's not something we should still be arguing about. i don't need to tell anybody here that the progress is hard. change can come slow. opportunity and equality don't come without a fight, and sometimes you've got to keep fighting even after you've won some victories. things don't always move forward. sometimes they move backward if you're not fighting for them, but we do know these things are possible, and all of you are proof to that.

this incredible collection of accomplished women, you're proof of change. so is the fact that for the first time in history young girls across the country can see three women sitting on the bench of the highest court of the land. [ applause ] or they can read about the extraordinary leadership of a woman who went by the title madam speaker. or they can -- or they can turn on the news and see that one of the most formidable presidential candidates and senators we ever had is now doing as much as anybody to improve america's standing abroad as one of the best secretary of state that we've ever had. [ applause ] and they can see that every single day another 500 women just like yourselves take the helm of their own company right

here in america and do their part to grab those doors of opportunity and open them a little wider for the next generation. as long as i've got the privilege of being your president i will keep working every single day to make sure those doors forever stay open and widen the circle of opportunity for all our kids. thank you for what you do. keep it up. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. thank you. >> well, the president there getting personal reflecting on the influence of his mother, of course, his wife michelle, and really looking at the role of his daughters in his life and the world that he wants to leave for them as they mature and grow into adults and have the opportunities possible pressened to them. he did stop short of saying whether he helped sasha and malia with their science homework at night. molly, there are some who suggested this was a political timing, something to put up the

obama campaign. you can't, you know, ignore the fact that we are in a political season here, but this did seem particularly heartfelt. >> i think there's no doubt that it's also political, not just the timing of it and we've seen the polling come out and we're already having this conversation about republicans losing women voters and this seems to me to be a clear case of the obama campaign/administration looking to press its advantage and really push that message of what all of the things that he has done for -- that he says help women. >> how do you think, then, republican spin will come out of this? what do you expect? >> we heard the president say women are not an interest group and a monolithic block. i think if you're a republican and you watched this speech you would say this is blatant interest group politics and this is pandering and talking about specific legislation for women and women in the administration and all of that. the question is do voters see it that way or do they look at those accomplishments and those

specific things and say these are things that the democrats have done for women that the republicans can't match. >> molly ball, thank you very much for sticking around for this speech which went about 20 minutes in length. we appreciate that. we'll take a short break and we'll be right back here on "jansing & co." in. way to go, coach. ♪ the chevy cruze eco also offers 42 mpg on the highway. actually, it's cruze e-co, not ec-o. just like e-ither. or ei-ther. or e-conomical. [ chuckling ] or ec-onomical. pa-tato, po-tato, huh? actually, it's to-mato, ta-mato. oh, that's right. [ laughs ] [ car door shuts ] [ male announcer ] visit your local chevy dealer today. now very well qualified lessees can get a 2012 chevy cruze ls for around $159 per month. e.p.a. estimated 36 miles per gallon highway.

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that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. celery, popcorn may be better for you. there's new research that shows that air-popped popcorn is low in calories, high in fiber and has more antioxidants than some fruits and vegetables. the hull, those annoying bits that get stuck in your teeth, are actually the highest in fiber. are we drowning popcorn in salt and butter washes out any health benefits. so that's a wrap of this hour of "jansing & company."

i'm alex witt. tina brown will be my guest on thisec wooend's edition of "office politics." thomas roberts is saunterring over here next. carbs are bad. carbs are good. the story keeps changing. so i'm not listening... to anyone but myself. i know better nutrition when i see it: great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. for multi grain flakes that are an excellent source of fiber try great grains banana nut crunch and cranberry almond crunch. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice...

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a critical jobs report out for the month of march. the unemployment rate ticks down ever so slightly, but the number of jobs added falls far below what analysts expected. so who's getting jobs and who's not? how is it affecting the markets? >> country clubs and the war on women. president obama and mitt romney both agree the all-male augusta golf club should allow women, but will the home of the masters change 80 years of tradition? and guarding jackie kennedy. the secret service agent who was a firsthand witness to president kennedy's assassination joins me live about the first lady and what he knew about her during america's darkest moments. hi, everyone. happy good friday. we have a lot on the agenda, but we