or democrat depend on what's in your dna? fascinating new research just out. and some very rich three amigos. we have a winner -- or make it winners in that mega millions jackpot in maryland. but wait until you see this. what is up with the disguise these people are wearing to get that big check? we're going to talk to maryland's lottery director about that coming up live. a disguise so good, they even covered their hands. hi, everybody, i'm thomas roberts. good to have you with me this morning. here's what's on the agenda today. rick santorum is back after an extended break. he hits the campaign trail in just a couple of hours, eager to connect with voters in his home state of pennsylvania. santorum's return is welcome news for the santorum family. it means that his youngest daughter, bella, is out of the hospital. the former senator's campaign sent out this picture. adding that santorum would skip some morning events but get back on schedule later today including two keystone state stops. the beginning of a major campaign push that he hopes will deliver a victory come april

24th. nbc's ron mott is live for us in gettysburg, pennsylvania. ron, santorum needs to make up for some lost time. however, as we look at the calendar, still two weeks to go in pennsylvania. what are his advisers saying about the strategy moving forward? >> reporter: well, good morning to you, thomas. they're saying that pennsylvania is a must-win state. you know, they wouldn't quite go that far with wisconsin last week, a state this they lost to mitt romney, but they have made it very clear that he's got to win pennsylvania to remain a viable candidate here. we have been told that this 2:00 event is a press conference. it's not a rally or some sort of campaign event but a press conference. don't know what the former senator is expected to talk about. but obviously a lot of speculation, thomas, of late has been about whether he would drop his bid for president. the campaign has insisted that he is not dropping his bid. in fact, there is an event planned tonight in lancaster, and he is planning to attend that. we'll just have to see what he is going to say. but mitt romney's delegate lead has continued to grow with his victories. and a lot of people including some conservatives are saying that it may be the time for the party to get together, coalesce

behind mitt romney who looks like the presumptive nominee at this point, thomas. >> we'll all be paying attention, 2:00 p.m. eastern, my colleague, tamron hall, will have that. ron mott, thanks so much. nbc latino's alicia menendez, joe watkins and msnbc political analyst, richard wolffe. i want to start with you because as we look at the new "washington post" poll numbers, 52% of republicans say they want rick santorum to stay in this race, to be the conservative alternative to that of mitt romney. does that say more about the enthusiasm for santorum or the dragging a horse to water for support of mitt romney? >> i think that rick santorum certainly has been able to really fascinate a lot of republican voters and certainly a lot of conservatives, evangelical conservative voters are excited about his campaign. i think that everybody knows that mitt romney is going to be the republican nominee. and so i think that rick santorum is just going to help

sharpen mitt romney for the fall campaign. but rig but romney is going to be the nominee, and most americans know that. >> let's talk about the fall, richard. obama in this new poll, he has strong leads over mitt romney, strong leads over rick santorum. and then the major gaps against mitt romney. a large edge when it comes to likability, who's more inspiring. so how does mitt romney, richard, tighten these gaps up? >> well, this is the challenge he's had all along, which is how to humanize himself. how to show that he cares, how to show that he relates to the economic pain that's still out there in this economy. and so there is -- it's a challenge because if you have to humanize a candidate, it's a kind of implicit admission that they're not human to begin with. but, you know, republicans have never scored that well on do they care about problems that you face? even john kerry did better than george w. bush in 2004 on that issue, didn't help him in the end. it's not insurmountable to have

a small deficit. it's these big deficits especially with independents, with women, especially in these swing states that is really hurting romney. he needs to close them everywhere, especially among those core groups. >> alicia, as we talk about what's going on in this economy and relating to average americans, most americans are revealing that they feel that this economy is still in a recession, and they blame president obama. 76% believe that this country is still lagging behind in a recession. we've moved beyond the bush administration, those four years are now the last, that is, belonging to president obama. so how much is that going to hurt the president come november? >> i think going into november, the president's team has been very clear that they know that the economy remains their greatest challenge. i think that's in part why you now see them talking about the buffett rule, pivoting to this conversation about the amount of taxes that the wealthiest 1% of americans pay, really equalizing, making that fair. that is strong ground for democrats. that's what they want to be talking about going into november. >> you know, richard, as alicia

brings up about the nation's fiscal future, this morning paul ryan on "morning joe" called the buffett rule, which we'll get those remarks this afternoon at 2:55, basically referred to the budget rule as budget pixie dust. on the political position that the president has taken on his own budget. take a listen. >> we've gotten kind of used to this sort of verbal tantrums from the president. to me, it's a little more petulance than presidential. >> why is he targeting you? >> we're offering solutions to a debt crisis that he isn't. >> that clip is from the "today" show. richard, verbal tantrums. how nasty is the rhetoric going to get from both sides as we get closer to november? >> well, it's going to get a whole lot worse than that. it doesn't bode well when you've got a serious figure in the republican party dealing with these issues where you've got to work with the white house, treating the president as if he's some kind of child. and likewise, it doesn't help that the president says that, you know, the other side are

being childish. you've got to get beyond the name calling to fix the problem, but this isn't problem-solving season. in the end, if you're going to try and litigate budget questions to the people, they're going to glaze over because they're all playing games with accounting and ten-year forecasts. they've got to show what their vision represents. is it just dealing with the debt? are there values associated with the cuts that they're trying to implement or the tax raises they want to put into place? it's the ideology that works more than the details or the numbers. >> leadership is all about casting vision. joe, let's talk about the fairness argument we'll hear today and the upcoming election if mitt romney is the nominee. he has a slim edge in the economy. president obama is way ahead, though, when it comes to protecting the middle class. so in your estimation, can mitt romney fix the middle-class issue that he has, this perception issue? and will the president's numbers plummet if the economy starts to dip once again? >> i think so. i think romney does have a way to fix the middle-class problem. i think he has a way to put 12.7 million americans who aren't working back to work, and there

are scores of millions more who are working -- they're counted as working but they're working part-time jobs, not making what they once used to make. and americans also care about the prices they're paying at the pump. and clearly mitt romney has a plan to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and to lower those prices at the pump which americans all care about. so i think going into the campaign, he'll deal with those two issues. >> alicia, interesting this morning, former president bush who has largely stayed on the sidelines talked about the tax issue, talked about small businesses briefly at an economic conference. but he also made his political intentions clear. take a look at this. >> i have decided to stay out of the limelight. i've had plenty of the limelight. i don't think it's good, frankly, for our country to undermine our president, and i don't intend to do so. >> all right. so he is limelightphobic now. so does mitt romney need to extend a political hand to president bush, or is this going to be really the extent of his involvement in the race? >> i think he's saying that this is going to be the extent of his

involvement. and if i can just go back to what joe was saying a moment ago, i do think there are major questions about romney and the middle class, especially as he wraps his arms around paul ryan's budget which basically slashes the safety net for the middle class, both in terms of medicare, medicaid, killing american jobs. so i do think romney has a much longer way to go in terms of wooing back the middle class. >> alicia menendez, joe watkins, richard wolffe, thanks to all three of you. you can catch the president's remarks on the buffett rule just before 3:00 eastern right here on msnbc. ♪ ♪ i'm ready ♪ i'm ready to go green that's not a clip from "glee," it's another video from the gsa and another government official placed on leave over that lavish conference in las vegas. plus, the special prosecutor in the trayvon martin case says no to a grand jury. but that doesn't mean that george zimmerman is in the

clear. as a matter of fact, he's asking you to help pay for his defense. i'm going to get reaction from trayvon's parents. they join me next with their attorney. stay tuned. water was meant to be perfect. crisp, clear, untouched. that's why there's brita, to make the water we drink, taste a little more, perfect. reduce lead and other impurities with the advanced filtration system of brita. whose non-stop day starts with back pain...

and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. 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.

power, precision, cutting edge the new lithium-powered worx g will save you time and effort. you'll never again hassle with mixing gas and oil. no more struggling with tangled extension cords. the powerful worx gt suast wiuh a simple touch of a button andm a powerful trimmer to a machine to a perfect cut every time. a clean, straight edge makes a big difference in the appearance of your yard.

we're hearing for the first time from neighborhood watch volunteer george zimmerman, hearing from him on his own website. therealgeorgezimmerman.com asking for money for his legal defense. he says as a result of the incident and subsequent media coverage, i've been forced to leave my home, my school, my family and ultimately my entire life. this after a special prosecutor canceled a grand jury scheduled to convene today to decide whether to charge zimmerman in the death of 17-year-old trayvon martin. joining me this morning are trayvon's parents, tracy martin

and sybrina fulton along with their attorney, benjamin crump. and we're going to talk specifically about special prosecutor angela corey and her investigation in a moment. but first, about this website, zimmerman calls the night of february 26th a life-altering event. he talks about losing his job, losing money, among other things. sybrina, what is your reaction to george zimmerman starting this website, and how do you feel that he is overtly asking people for money? >> this is america, so people can do as they please. we don't particularly agree with it. and our life has changed on february 26th forever. this is not just life changing for us. life ended for trayvon martin. so this has affected us very deeply. >> tracy, there is a section of the site titled "the facts." and on it zimmerman has but a quote from james w. lohan say people have a right to their own opinions, but not facts.

evidence cannot be given much weight. zimmerman there seems to be saying that the evidence is not going to be on his side. what is your response to that? >> my response to that would be as sanford police department taking the evidence from george zimmerman that day, he definitely wouldn't be making that statement. >> benjamin, the special prosecutor, angela corey's decision not to convene the grand jury today, april 10th was a date a lot of people had expected to learn something potentially, certainly for trayvon's parents. a decision could be made at any day, at any moment, but what are you hearing about what could happen and when? >> well, thomas, we were encouraged that he did not queen the grand jury because that meant that ms. corey was going to either make a decision to go ahead and arrest george zimmerman for killing trayvon martin. we've been asking to follow

along and that she has enough evidence. we thought they had enough from day one for the police to make the arrest. but in the 43 days it has been now and counting, we think the evidence has unfolded to give a plethora of evidence to at least arrest george zimmerman. we're not talking about him being convicted. he'll have his day in court. he can make whatever arguments he wants. but to at least arrest him. so we are encouraged and we are hopeful that an arrest is imminent now any day. and the last thing i'll say on that one point. it goes without saying, it's 43 days. had trayvon martin did this, we believe he would have been arrested day one, and people are talking about outrage. where if it was reversed, we would have real outrage. and i don't think it would be as peaceful as it has been. and sybrina and tracy have encouraged everybody to stay peaceful in this, being

prayerful and patient. >> tracy, there has been some discussion that your family could file a civil suit against the homeowners association of the property where trayvon died. is that something that you want to pursue while the criminal process still plays out? >> that's a legal question. we're not dealing with that right now. we just first want him to be arrested. and then we'll deal with other stuff. >> sybrina, let me ask you, then, the online petition that you all started now has over 2.2 million signatures on it. the protests that have happened in your son's name, they continue, one even shutting down the sanford police department yesterday. have you prepared yourself, sybrina, have you and tracy, the entire family, prepared yourselves for the possibility that george zimmerman may not be charged? >> we're still hopeful. so we haven't looked at the negative side of him not being charged. i guess we'll cross that bridge once we get to it. but right now we're still hopeful that he will be arrested. >> tracy, as benjamin points

out, it's been 43 days. how are you and the rest of your family holding up? >> we're trying to stay strong. we'll continue to pray. we have strong faith. we believe -- we are very religious people. we believe that when prayer goes up, blessings come down. we continue to pray each and every day. we lean on each other's shoulders. we have our good days and our bad days. we're dealing with the loss of a child. we really haven't had time to grieve. but it's definitely made a drastic change in our lives because you're asking two parents that love and care for their child to adjust their lives without their child now. just learning to deal without him being around every day is something that i don't think i'll ever be able to deal with. >> and sybrina, for you, how are

you holding up? >> just like he said, i have my good days and my bad days. i have my moments when i'm smiling, thinking about trayvon's smile. and i have my moments where i'm still crying. and missing him and just want a hug and a kiss and just to talk to him to see how he's doing. so, you know, it's very difficult. but we're trying to make it. >> is it still both of your hopes and the desire that you express that the city of sanford remain calm as this investigation continues to ask people for more patience? because a lot of people did have this date on the calendar, hoping that by april 10th, there would be some forward motion in the search for justice for trayvon? >> we appreciate the support of everybody, everybody that's shown us so much love and support. we appreciate the support. as we're trying to be an example to remain calm and to let this case play out. let the evidence be gathered and

let them do a thorough investigation. and it's hard and it's difficult for us to remain calm. and we just ask the supporters to remain calm with us. >> benjamin, from a legal aspect, if the special prosecutor were to come back to say that there were not going to be charges filed, would there be any legal recourse for tracy and sybrina to try and move this forward? >> yes, we're talking with the department of justice. there's a possibility of federal civil rights claims. also, you address a civil matter. after the criminal matter, that is a possibility. but first and foremost, we think that it will be a huge miscarriage of justice if george zimmerman, this armed vigilante, was not arrested for killing an unarmed teen who only had a bag of skittles and a can of iced tea. the whole world is watching. so you've got to arrest him because what message would that send to the rest of the world if

you could do this in america, the great beacon of hope and the great beacon of justice, for everybody in the world to see, and this, saying you can kill an unarmed teen and not even be arrested for it. it cannot stand. that cannot be the message we send as a country. >> attorney benjamin crump along with trayvon martin's parents, sybrina fulton and tracy martin. my thanks to all three of you for joining us. we'll continue to follow this story to see what news develops from the special investigation that's being conducted right now by angela corey. thank you again. >> thank you. >> thank you. so have you ever wondered why you lean the way that you do? and i'm talking about democrat or republican. and it might have anything or nothing to do with the beliefs in big or small government, even taxes. you have to think about your genetics on this one. we're going to show you some research. plus, turns out this woman really didn't have the winning lottery ticket, but we're going to introduce you to the real winners, at least sort of.

man: 1939 -- my parents ran across an ad for a hot dog cart. my motr said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis,

lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. when you pour chunky beef with country vegetables soup over it... you can do dinner. four minutes, around four bucks. campbell's chunky. it's amazing what soup can do. four minutes, around four bucks. between taking insulin, testing my blood sugar. is this part of your life? freestyle lite test strips? why, are they any beep! wow, that hardly needs any blood!

yeah. and the unique zipwik tab targets the blood and pulls it in. so easy. freestyle lite needs just a third the blood of onetouch ultra. really? yep, which is great for people who use insulin and test a lot. max and i are gonna run out and get some right now. or you can call or click today and get strips and a meter free. test easy. [ male announcer ] want your weeds to hit the road? hit 'em, with roundup extended control. one application kills weeds, and stops new ones for up to four months. roundup extended control. we have two car insurances that we're going to have you taste. the first one we're going to call x. go ahead and take a sip, and then let me know what the baby thinks of it. four million drivers switched to this car insurance last year. oh, she likes it babies' palates are very sensitive so she's probably tasting the low rates. this is car insurance y, they've been losing customers pretty quickly. oh my gosh, that's horrible!, which would you choose? geico. over their competitor.

do you want to finish it? no. does the baby want to finish it? no. welcome back. want to fill you in on breaking news we've been following on msnbc. miami marlins' manager, ozzie guillen, has suspended for five games effective immediately. these are images of him speaking live at a press conference surrounded by the national media, local miami press. basically, he was suspended over his comments to "time" magazine that he has respect for cuba's fidel castro. now, guillen is in this news conference, but this is what he said just a short time ago. take a listen. >> i apologize to the peoples here, outside who are looking at me, and i'm very, very, very sorry about the problem about what's happening. and i will do everything to make it better. everything in my power to make it better. >> so the marlins released a statement before this news conference saying that the pain and the suffering caused by fidel castro cannot be minimized

over 800,000 cubans live in miami-dade county. here's a look at some other stories topping the news now for you. an unprecedented month-long drought is fueling tinderbox condition as cross the u.s. and triggering wildfire alerts from the northeast down through the deep south. nine states are now under red-flag warnings. just look at that. among them, new york state and at least 300 acres there are now burning on long island and staten island. at least one firefighter is hospitalized with burns and two others with smoke inhalation. last night a raging brush fire suspended service for millhaven, connecticut. a fire is raging in burlington county forcing the evacuation of dozens of homes. and in florida, at least 20 wildfires are now burning. three of them, at least 100 acres in size. ♪ ♪ so a new youtube video shows general services administration employees making a music video

and singing to president obama about going green. the footage was put online by the house oversight and government reform committee which says it was all taped during working hours and on the taxpayers' dime. house oversight chairman darrell issa will hold a hearing on monday on gsa's las vegas 2010 convention. it cost over $800,000 and included a mind reader and a clown. another agency head, the deputy commissioner of public buildings, has been placed on administrative leave as a result of the investigation. you know, today marks 100 years since the rms titanic set sail for its ill-fated voyage. hundreds of descendants of titanic victims gathered on the docks in southhampton, england, where the ship left port in 1912. they threw flowers and wreaths into the water. no town suffered more losses than southhampton which was home to many of the crew. the services ended with the playing of the hymn "near my god to thee" which is said to have

been played by musicians on the deck of the titanic as that ship went down. we certainly understand that when people play the lottery, they want to win. you want to win. however, if it can't be you, these are precisely the people that you would want to see win the lottery. >> all right. the mega millions mess over. maryland's lottery director introducing us to the winners of all of that money, kind of, sort of introduces us. can you see the hands in that? they're even covered up. but we're going to find out what we can about the three amigos who are now totally loaded. plus, mischievous, naughty. that's how ann romney describes her husband and how she's trying to make him more likeable. ♪ spread a little something to remember ♪ ♪ ♪ spread a little joy... [ female announcer ] fresh milk and real cream. that's what makes philadelphia. ♪ so spread a little... [ female announcer ] and that's what makes the moment we enjoy it,

a little richer. ♪ real belgian chocolate whipped with philadelphia cream cheese. new indulgence. the moment just got a little sweeter. about providing for his little girl. hey don't worry, e-trade's got a totally new investing dashboard. everything's on one page. i'm watching you. oh yeah? well i'm watching you, watching him. [ male announcer ] try the new 360 investing dashboard at e-trade.

i'm here to unleash my inner cowboy. instead i got heartburn. [ horse neighs ] hold up partner. prilosec isn't for fast relief. try alka-seltzer. it kills heartburn fast. yeehaw! welcome back, everybody. the charm offensive from the romney campaign is hitting high gear. out with a brand-new ad narrated by ann romney, taking the candidate off the campaign trail, out of the boardroom and into a setting that they hope helps him connect with the

average voter, the kinder, softer mitt romney. politico national reporter alex burns joins me now to talk more about this. alex, it's good to see you this morning. and for everybody that hasn't seen more of this, i want to play a portion. ann romney trying to convey to everybody a different side of her husband. take a look. >> i hate to say it, but often i had more than five sons. i had six sons. and he would be as mischievous and as naughty as the other boys. he'd come home, and everything would just explode again. and that's the kind of energy that he'd bring home and just get them all riled up again. you know, wrestling and throwing balls and just being a kid himself. >> alex, this is a smart move. so do you expect to see a big wave of these ads continue as the campaign marches on, especially going up against president obama who's seen all the time with his girls like yesterday at the white house lawn egg roll? >> well, thomas, i think particularly ann romney's role in that video is really notable.

she has been from the beginning of the campaign perceived as a real humanizing asset for her husband. and i think you are starting to see the beginning of an effort to cast romney as less of a sort of stiff corporate type and more as a goofy dad almost that's a more likeable, down-to-earth kind of image. >> alex, this is the type of video that really will get a strategic response to romney's polling problems especially with women, won't it? >> i think it may. i think that we've seen new polling today from "the washington post" and abc news that has barack obama winning over mitt romney by massive margin on the question of who is more likeable, more friendly. i think the more you see romney in the context of being a father, being a neighbor, being a guy you can imagine in your neighborhood just makes him more accessible to people. and it's a little bit of a challenge because unlike president obama, he doesn't have teenage children. he doesn't have young kids. he has adult sons. so going back to the file footage is sort of the option he has if he wants to show himself in live action, so to speak, in

those kind of settings. >> and alex, when we see this come out and basically, you know, portray the wider narrative of the candidate, it doesn't mean that the negative ads are going to stop. >> no, it certainly doesn't. and i think that, you know, one of the balancing acts romney's going to have to execute as we really move into the general election phase of this is figuring out how to both build himself up on the airwaves, try to adjust that problematic image that he has nationally while also ramping up his negative ads against president obama. >> politico's alex burns, alex, great to see you. thank you. north korea is a go for launch. pyongyang space officials say plans to send a new communications satellite into orbit are complete and that a countdown could happen by april the 16th. the controversial event puts a new spotlight on the korean peninsula where intelligence officials in the south claim the north is also prepping for another nuclear test. nbc's chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, is among the few with inside access

to this story. >> reporter: thomas, if you listen closely, you can barely make out orchestra music. i'm not sure if you can hear it on your end, but we can certainly hear it here. and across this city today, preparations are under way for a series of events and parades and concerts all designed to show this country's strength, to celebrate the 100 years since the birth of the country's founder and part of these festivities also include this controversial rocket launch. today north korea said the rocket launch will go ahead sometime between the 12th and the 16th. in fact, north korea says the rocket is ready to go right now. the launch is sparking international condemnation, particularly from the united states and south korea. both of which say this will only further isolate north korea, and even russia and china are calling on north korea not to do it. but in this time of festivities, this time of national pride, it

seems very unlikely, at least at this stage, that north korea will back down. thomas? >> richard engel reporting from pyongyang, north korea. and in syria, anti-government rebels say the country's military is continuing to attack towns across that country. take a look at this amateur video showing heavy fighting in the central city of homs and the town of maer. nbc at any time verify its authenticity. rebels say government forces have not withdrawn as required by the u.n. cease-fire. that deal calls for all fighting to end by 6:00 a.m. on thursday. and moving back to the shores where a controversial crime in tulsa, oklahoma, has taken another twist. the two suspects in a good friday shooting spree reportedly confessing to that deadly rampage. nbc's janet shamlian is in tulsa and has the latest for us. >> reporter: thomas, good morning. according to documents from the tulsa police, the two men arrested over the weekend in

connection with that friday shooting have confessed to the crime. as you'll recall, three men died in that incident. two others were injured in what appeared to be very random acts. all of the victims are black. the two men arrested in connection with this crime have been described as white. they were both in court yesterday and are now being held on $9 million bond, facing a variety of charges including three counts of first-degree murder which could bring the death penalty. now, these apparent confessions hold no indication of a motive. and police have previously said that it's possible that one of the suspects was trying to avenge his father's death from two years ago. but, again, these documents seem to indicate that the men arrested over the weekend have indeed confessed to these crimes this thomas, back to you. >> janet shamlian reporting in tulsa for us. janet, thank you. on a lighter note this morning, three lucky employees of maryland's public school

system are now mega millions richer. but we cannot tell you their names or show you their faces. instead, they call themselves the three amigos. and take a close look at this picture. the three amigos, this is a friendship worth over $218 million now. all three are educators. they pooled their money to buy the winning ticket at a baltimore 7-eleven in millford. and even lottery officials say they can't imagine a more deserving group. >> we certainly understand that when people play the lottery, they want to win. you want to win. however, if it can't be you, these are precisely the people that you would want to see win the lottery. >> joining me now is the man who had the privilege of presenting them with their cash, that big check today, maryland lottery director stephen martino. stephen, it's nice to have you with us this morning. so as they have been called the three amigos, and i know we can't ask for their names, but their background, just so everybody knows about this, it really is amazing. each of them worked three jobs,

one an elementary schoolteacher, the other is a special ed teacher, and the third provides educational field support. so stephen, how do you feel about the rightful winners finally coming forward and putting an end to all the speculation over who that ticket holder was? >> yeah, thomas, i don't think that we could have scripted an ending better than this. you're right. they all work in public education in maryland. marylanders hold the public education system here in extremely high regard. it's the number one rated public education system in the country for the past four years. and so for them to have come out of that system, to be contributing back to it and then as you highlight, one's an elementary schoolteacher, one teaches special education, one provides administrative support, but they all work at least a second job. one works a third. i can't think of anyone to have as good a look as these three did. >> so these three winners basically are the invisible three amigos. if we can show that picture again. the check is covering their

face. they've got to red sweatshirts, but even down to their gloves -- are those officially lotto-branded gloves that they're wearing? >> absolutely. only the very finest. >> absolutely. so they are in complete disguise, so to speak. i'm sure that behind that check are a lot of teeth because they're smiling at winning the mega millions. however, as you talk about, we couldn't have scripted a better ending of this. speaking of writing a script for characters, this news follows two weeks of pretty suspicious claims by a female mcdonald's employee repeatedly telling the media that she had the winning ticket, wilson. then she claims she misplaced it. now she's being sued by a coworker for making a false claim. stephen, how often do these false claims happen like this, get made in the state against the lottery system, and is there anything that you can do? would you plan legal action against her? >> i don't think that there's anything the lottery is going to do regarding the stories of last week. you know, to your question of, you know, how often does this

happen, frankly, i've been the director now for nearly two years. this is the first time something like this has happened. of course, obviously, we're talking about the largest jackpot in the history of the world, $656 million. i think what happened and what came out last week was unfortunate. however, we're really, really pleased with how the story has ended and that the three winners came forward in their own time after they had an opportunity to get financial counseling, speak with a lawyer, and that they were as, you know, humble and modest and just happy about the circumstances as they were. >> stephen, again, we can't tell you -- show their faces, don't want to give their names, but did they reveal anything? are they going to keep their jobs? >> the two teachers both indicated that they had no interest in leaving the classroom either this year or in the foreseeable future. they spoke very compellingly about their commitment to the kmirn th children that they teach. >> right. >> i think they may be shedding

some of their part-time jobs but not their commitment to education. >> let's hope that they do. wonderful for them. lottery director stephen martino, thanks for taking the time out to talk to me. appreciate it. >> thank you. coming up, the differences between democrats and republicans, and i'm not talking about taxes or social issues. i'm talking dna dimpss. plus, will the special prosecutor in the trayvon martin case bring charges against george zimmerman. i'll ask a former federal prosecutor, kendall coffey, about the legal actions that are still on the table. choose control. introducing gold choice. the freedom you can only get from hertz to keep the car you reserved or simply choose another. and it's free. ya know, for whoever you are that day. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. water was meant to be perfect. crisp, clear, untouched. that's why there's brita, to make the water we drink, taste a little more, perfect. reduce lead and other impurities with the advanced filtration system of brita.

like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. is this where we're at now? we just eat whatever tastes good? like these sweet honey clusters... actually there's a half a day's worth of fiber in every ... why stop at cereal? bring on the pork chops and the hot fudge. fantastic. are you done sweetie? yea [ male announcer ] fiber one.

are you done sweetie? yea are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. oh. let's go. from the crack, off the backboard. [ laughs ] dad! [ laughs ] whoo! oh! you're up! oh! oh! so close! now where were we? ok, this one's good for two. score! [ male announcer ] share what you love with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes.

they're gr-r-eat! not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways to help us get there. they helped me fix my economy, the one in my house. now they're managing my investments for me. and with fidelity, getting back on track was easier than i thought. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get one-on-one help from america's retirement leader. more on the trayvon martin case and why did a special prosecutor decide to forgo the grand jury? the special prosecutor's decision puts george zimmerman's fate in her hands and her hands alone. joining me this morning is miami criminal defense lawyer and former u.s. attorney kendall coffey. kendall, it's good to see you. as we've been talking about the prosecutor's office, they were

able to put out this short statement yesterday. before today, the april 10th date cautioning the decision should not be considered a factor in the final determination of this case. still, kendall, people speculate, you know, what this could all mean about the status of the investigation. and either sign can spin it to be beneficial to them, can't they? >> well, they can. but what it means for sure is that she is not requiring that she gives herself cover for her decision. because in a case like this, where she clearly has all the authority she needs to make the charging decisions, one way or the other, she could, if she wanted to deflect criticism, convene a grand jury and say, well, that's what the grand jury decided up with way or the other. she chose not to do that which suggests a couple things. one, they have plenty of backbone and moxie which is consistent with what we've heard about her already. and two, she may not need cover. and frankly, if she's making a decision to charge with some kind of crime, that's not a

decision that is going to need cover. if she decides not to bring charges, then she'd better have a darn good explanation. >> all right. so kendall, some have called the prosecutor's decision a vindication for the martin family. others say potentially this benefits zimmerman's side. if we talk about the fact that what authorities could go ahead and charge, in your legal opinion, what would authorities potentially be able to charge? a lot of people -- this isn't premeditated murder, not first-degree murder, what could they get to stick? >> well, and i don't think this decision about not going to the grand jury is a victory for anyone. it just tells us this special prosecutor is taking full ownership of what she's going to do. there's a range of charges. and obviously, no one is seriously saying that this is premeditated first-degree murder. i think that's off the table. and by the way, the fact that she's not using a grand jury eliminates any possible other capital charge. the likely scenarios under state

law are manslaughter, but they're also cases involving assault, aggravated assault using firearms. and i think that's the zone that she's probably studying. as we've also heard, the federal authorities are taking a look under their hate crimes jurisdicti jurisdiction. but keep in mind that the feds have two burdens, not only to prove a killing, but they would also have to show by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that it was motivated by racism. and so far, it's far from clear that they have that kind of evidence to show that this was a racially motivated shooting. >> kendall coffey, kendall, thanks so much. i appreciate it. >> okay, thomas. thanks for having me. >> absolutely. so the green monster and more green to fund a presidential campaign. mitt romney's latest fund raising bid tops the sidebar. the romney campaign's adviser is called a day on the road with mitt. supporters were asked to donate $3. of those, one donor will be chosen to go to a boston

baseball game with the gop hopeful and one of his sons. the game on massachusetts patriots day, that's a state holiday commemorating the revolutionary battles of lexington and concord. speaking of campaign cash, elizabeth warren raised $6.9 billion in the first quarter. that can't be right. $6.9 million in the first quarter. according to her campaign website. that's more than double the amount raised by current senator scott brown in the same time period. former presidential candidate donald trump back in the spotlight. the donald will be featured as a speaker at the north carolina republican party's convention coming up in june. and we wanted to show you what's taking place, some live pictures in florida as president obama has just arrived there and getting off of air force one. president obama is in florida today to talk about the buffett rule. you know, that is the rule talking about the fact -- meeting with people on the tarmac right there, excuse me. the buffett rule that the president will be talking about today basically about warren

buffett and his secretary who pays more taxes -- tax rate higher than warren buffett does. we're back with much more right after this. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. love the air. [ sneezes ] on the first day you take it. let'all we need is a couple end. of gallons of our hardest-working paint... ...from the get-it-done place that gives us more top-rated brands than anywhere else... ...at prices that won't shake up our budget. let's make a one-wall statement... ...or tackle a total room takeover ...with paint that'll get the job done in fewer trips up and down the ladder. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. the number one brand of paint just got better. starting at $23.98. is the pain reliever orthopedic doctors recommend most for arthritis pain, think again. and take aleve. it's the one doctors recommend most for arthritis pain.

two pills can last all day. ♪ how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one. together for your future. ♪

there's been a lot of talk about the deep political divide we're seen on the national scene in the election year. what if political divisions between democrats and republicans were generated by genes as opposed to opinion? new research suggests the answer could lie within our dna. journalist sasha eisenberg wrote a fascinating piece on the subject, in the latest issue of "new york" magazine. sasha joins me now. your article mentions really interesting, perceived contrasts between republicans and democ t democrats i want to get them up. republicans are neat freaks versus democrat whose have sloppy. republicans are law and order based where the democrats are live and let live in terms of friendship, republicans, loyal to only a few whereas the

democrats have friends from all walks of life. socially, republicans being more cautious, being more reserved, democrats are talkative and outgoing. first glance those seem to be well-defined stereotypes. you say psychologists believe they're grounded in reality. how so and why. >> well, we're starting to find that what we think of as ideology is often highly tied to personality traits, like some of the ones you were describing. increasingly psychologists, biologists are finding those personality traits are manifested early in life, children who are observed by psychologists playing at ages of 1, 2, 3, before the line of which liberalism or conservatives is available to them are manifesting personality traits that match up later with ideologies when interviewed as adults. increasingly, we've learned so much about genetics that we're seeing that that personality is often inherited in some form or

another. it's a really indirect complex link between any particular gene and any particular political outcome. we're starting to see personal gives way of organizing the world and that manifests itself in politics. >> in your article, being the reference point here, what's the profile of someone like a romney supporter versus someone of president obama that supports him? >> well, i mean, you went through a few of them. at the core you see that conservatives sort of are looking to lead orderly, conscientious lives, that comes to in a lot of personality research. liberals are sort of more open-minded seeking new experiences, creative. and i think that there's a way of looking not necessarily through the two candidates but through the sort of two i ideological approaches of them that romney is suggesting sort

of a more orderly, systemic approach to looking towards the future and that obama, like many on the left, is sort of offering something different. >> missing out on the independents. what if you're sloppy but like law and order? does that mean you're an independent? >> right. you know one of the things that we're seeing in politics, even when you take out the genetic conversation, is that so few of people in elections these days are actually swing voters or independents. and i think that the more you think about it biological terms, the more it make sense that considering these elections is long debateser where you have open-minds people trying to figure out where they belong isn't the case as much as you have two sides of people in very few in the middle who can move back and forth, because as you --

>> opposite personalities attract. you think we'd get more bipartisan support out of d.c. if you want to read more, check out the latest issue of "new york" magazine. that's going to wrap things up for me today. see you back here tomorrow 11:00 eastern. follow me on twitte twitter @thomasaroberts. hello, thomas. today, team obama is filling up at the buffett line, making the case that millionaires should be paying their fair share of taxes. weighing in on the tax debate, former president george w. bush going on record about those aptly named bush tax cuts. republican on republican warring, how the gop is cannibalizing its own in the run-up to november. all of that when "now with alex wagner" starts in 180 seconds. m. not in my house. with maxwell house french roast, you let gravity do the work. [ male announcer ] maxwell house french roast.

always good to the last drop. the sleep number bed. the magic of this bed is that you're sleeping on something that conforms to your individual shape. wow! that feels really good. you can adjust it to whatever your needs are. so whatever you feel like, the sleep number bed's going to

provide it for you. now, sleep number redefines memory foam, combining coolfit gel foam with sleep number adjustability! during our white sale, receive $400 in free bedding. only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699.

rick santorum is holding a press conference in a small room.