controversial stand your ground law that zimmerman may use as his defense. this comes as florida governor rick scott names the 15 members he's chosen for a task force to study possible changes to the law. nbc ae nbc's kerry joins me live. >> the judge did not put it on the docket. however, he contacted the defense attorney, mark o'mara, and he contacted the special prosecutor's office. he went up in the courthouse behind me in the judge's chambers. i don't know the specifics of what happened there on the record but when the defense attorney mark o'mara exited from a meeting of about 20 minutes or maybe even less, he said that they were working on some of the procedures for tomorrow. discussing what they are going to do in terms of potentially who they might call to the stand. you might be scratching your head saying, call somebody to the stand? didn't this case just result in an arrest a few days ago?

it is because there is the possibility in this bond hearing that the state will oppose the release of george zimmerman. and in florida, that would trigger something called an arthur hearing which means that the defense could ask the state to put on sort of a mini trial. call to the stand their witnesses and their evidence. and basically, not only show the defense their hands but also show the strength of their case. and so they're working out that potential of what could happen tomorrow. naming some of those witnesses and determining for some security concerns where those people will be and how they'll be called in. it is possible that they will not ask for an arthur hearing because the state may not oppose george zimmerman's release on bond. but we don't really know what's going to happen until it gets underway tomorrow at 9:00. one other thing that i thought was interesting is the defense attorney mark o'mara did ask for permission for his client to

attend this hearing in civilian clothes rather than the jump suit that somebody wears as he currently wears here in the jail. the general sense of that is because the attorney says he's not guilty of anything. he's not been convicted of anything. i would like him to be presented to the public as any other person would be. >> all right, kerry sanders with us. now let me bring in kendall coffey. let me start with the last thing that he noted of interest. that george zimmerman's attorney would like to have him in regular citizen clothes and not the original jump suit or something that you would often hear? that's a very sensible request. you may recall the notorious case of laci peterson. one of the first things the attorney did is got him clean up and out of the jump suit so he would start to appear more human in front of the eyes of the public. >> so that is a standard question in a high profile case. especially when you have cameras following every detail here. >> and a high profile case where

the eyes of the nation are watching. you dope want your china to look any more like a criminal than perhaps he already does in the minds of some. >> let's get to what would likely happen in the bond hearing tomorrow. we know the judge met with the attorneys in his chambers. what is likely happening behind the scenes to get this decided on tomorrow? the two things may be going on, the state and the defense are trying to work out some agreement for what would allow george zimmerman to be released pretrial. remember, florida has a very, very heavy presumption in favor of pretrial release. even in cases where the crime of murder is charged. it is not an easy thing for the state to keep somebody locked up prior to trial due to the presumption of innocence. tame, both state and defense, assuming they don't have any agreement, are gearing up for what is a very, very important day in court tomorrow. >> we heard kerry mention this arthur hearing where if the state decides to challenge and not have zimmerman releesd, we

would perhaps see more details regarding the evidence in this case than we were prepared to see, perhaps because many people thought this would come down the line. >> exactly. a distinct feet you are in florida. an arthur hearing is required by the florida constitution. not something that you may have in any of the other states. what the state has to do to keep george zimmerman locked up, unless he is a flight risk or a danger to others in the community, they would have to demonstrate not only probable cause but well beyond that. they have to put together evidence that says that george zimmerman is guilty of the crime of second-degree murder. that their showing is so strong, it is even higher than the standard for conviction which as we know is the standard of showing guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. very, very high standard that the state would have to meet tomorrow if they want to keep george zimmerman locked up. >> because of the attention with this case, obviously the zimmerman family and george zimmerman's attorneys have expressed concern regarding his safety.

would there be likely any guidelines set aside? any security? anything unprecedented if his life is being threatened to protect and make sure that he is able to go on to court and have a fair trial in. >> that's exactly the issue. especially if the state and the defense might be thinking of working something out. how do you get one of the most controversial defendants in america right now released in a way that's safe? what they would look for, i would speculate, would be some form of home detention and someplace that is hopefully safely removed from potential distractions, extreme community pressures, at the same time as you know from other cases you've covered. ankle bracelets, lots of very exacting conditions. if that is put together, i think that would be a reasonable way to assure his presence and at the same time protect his rights to a presumption of innocence. >> knowing what you know, do you believe he is likely to be released on bail or bond tomorrow? f

. >> if i'm weighting man, i would say he won't be locked up. >> kendall coffey, thank you. now the prostitution scandal that has been rocking the secret service. nbc has just learned that more agents are expected to resign and that could come down this afternoon. so far three agents accused of taking prostitutes back to their hotel last week in colombia have been forced out. one supervisor will be fired. another was allowed to retire and a third employ year, an supervisor, resigned. joining me from capitol hill, luke russert. i understand you talked with congressman peter king. >> reporter: that's right. about an hour ago i spoke to peter king who briefed me on the latest details with regard to the secret service scandal in colombia. a few interesting details. one that you mentioned, he expects more agents who are involved to resign. possibly as early as this afternoon. also, that all agents that were involved in the scandal will be drug tested back here in the

united states. there is no evidence so far that they had drugs in the room or that they were on the prostitutes but there has been some concern that drugs were involved. possibly at that nightclub where they all were. in radar to mr. sullivan who is the director of the secret service, there have been some calls, specifically from randy forbes of virginia, a republican, that perhaps he should step down. that he is not the man for the job anymore because of the salahis and because of this. peter king reinforced it saying one man can't be held accountable for the actions of a small group of folks in this 6,000 person agency. that they believe he can continue to do the job. however, the homeland security committee will have four investigators who are investigating the case right now who are over the shoulder of the secret service and might possibly go down to colombia if they don't believe the secret service investigation is going on. it is ongoing in colombia. so far the secret service knows who these 11 women are.

but i was told they have not been able to make contact with all 11. i was not given the specific number but there are still prostitutes involved in this who have been avoiding the secret service. the most important thing is mr. king said to me at this point, they do not feel that security was compromised in any way. that there is no access by narco or terrorists and every agent involved turned in their blackberry the minute they got back to the united states. >> all right. on capitol hill for us, luke russert. thank you. we're following another breaking news story this hour. this one out of mexico. the coast guard is now mounting a recovery effort after a small plane crashed about 170 miles off the coast florida. it was flying, according to authorities, in circles for hours after taking off from louisiana this morning. this picture of the plane was taken back in 2007. according to what we've been able to get, the information, the pilot started flying erratically and controllers lost contact with that pilot about

9:00 this morning. air force jets were sent to make visual contact but they say the windows were iced over. it is believe the pilot was unconscious and the only person on board. >> i wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. michelle wasn't. >> president obama did not name names but mitt romney is picking up the spoon and responding. we'll let you know what mr. romney is saying about the silver spoon battle. plus, the nurse accused of murdering a mom and stealing her newborn baby. we're learning new details about the suspect's mental state. and join our conversation on my twitter page. you can find us at @tamron hall. durn'it, this thing's runnin' slow.

bet you think you're pretty quick? yeah, i guess it is pretty quick. jesse?!? jesse? jesse?! much obliged. suddenly, everything else seems old-fashioned. ultrabook. inspired by intel. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself.

i'm michael bazinet, president of creative digital imaging of bangor, maine. we have customers all over the united states. we rely on the postal service for everything that we do. the eastern maine processing facility is vital to our operation and our success. if we lose this processing facility we could lose clientele because of increased mailing times. we would have to consider layoffs as a result of that. closure of this plant will affect all of us. ♪

i would not say i'm into it, but let's see where this goes. [ buzzer ] do you like to travel? i'm all about "free travel," babe. that's what i do. [ buzzer ] balance transfers -- you up for that? well... too soon? [ female announcer ] fortunately, there's an easier way with creditcards.com. compare hundreds of cards from every major bank, and find the one that's right for you. creditcards.com. it's simple. search, compare, and apply.

to politics and mitt romney sticking with his strategy of staying hot on president obama's trail. romney just finished speaking at a closed national plant in lorraine, ohio. not far from where the president spoke yesterday. promoting his economic plan and job training program. the president visited that very same plant during the 2008 campaign and it would close down several months later, leaving 58 workers unemployed. >> i will use every ounce of my energy not to improve my golf handicap but instead to go to work to help the american people go to work. i will use every ounce of my skill and experience to help america be strong again. >> let's bring in our panel. nationally syndicated talk show

host. we'll talk about mr. gingrich later. he is still getting that secret service detail which is costing thousands of dollars. let me start on this, mitt romney following the president through these key battleground states. ohio mentioning being one of them. is that a smart strategy? a logical strategy? >> i think it is a smart and logical strategy. there is nothing new about it. and notice that everywhere he goes, he is talking about the economy. that cbs new york times survey which shows the dead lock that 46-46, only 29% say they like mitt romney. nevertheless has them dead locked because the economy is so important to the american people. >> i want to play the president's remarks this time yesterday where he refers to the hard work that he and the first lady faced, climbing the ladder of life and he refers to silver spoons. let me play that. >> somebody gave me an education. i was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth.

michelle wasn't. but somebody gave us a chance. >> so steve, romney oxley taking issue with that saying basically, that people are blaming him for his father's success but he is a self-made man here. you are a service. you're not a fan of mitt romney. will this silver spoon battle stick on him? >> with the president, if he is alluding to romney, if that's a veiled shot at romney, what he is alluding to is the exit polling data in the republican presidential primary. that consistently when he had to go head to head with rick santorum, consistently in states that did not have high mormon populations, mitt romney struggled to win republican voters and primaries and battle ground states that made less than $100,000 a year. in other words, what most folks would consider middle class voters. this has been one of the fears that i have been raising on this program for the last several months.

if someone is struggling to win middle class voters in his own party, i don't know how he does it more successfully when he reaches across the aisle. i would make the point that i could take the president's standard and turn it around on him. many conservative there's say, he was a college professor. he was a community organizer. he was a state legislator. he was a u.s. senator. he's been in the public sector his entire life. he's never run a company, he's never created jobs. what would he know about what creates jobs and the economy and his record in the last four years seems to indicate, not very much. >> with all those things, you still don't like mitt romney. >> well, mitt romney, this is the problem when we have two candidates who philosophically do not offer the american people stark contrast. we end up arguing around the margins. my elitist is better than your elitist. >> the republicans who have now formed a circle around mitt romney where people in your party will say you are hurting him with these comments, even though you are a conservative and you're staying true to your values. some are trying to still sell

mitt romney as a conservative. not perhaps the severe conservative that he referred to himself as. but a conservative. >> do i think mitt romney might be more conservative than president obama? yeah. but it's a little bit like saying, i'm skinnier than king kong bundy. we're not talking about principles. if it is true and people still don't like it original my show we like to say that's a you problem. >> let me talk about this new poll. the "wall street journal" poll released in the last hour shows mitt romney's favorable rating has risen to the highest level of a whopping 33%. still his net negative, 36% have a negative view of him. he trails president obama 48%. the positive's view of the president. when you look at this silver spoon battle here, someone doesn't like you. are they think that there's something about you for whatever reason, they don't want to have that political beer with you at the bar. it is easy for the silver spoon

to stay out because they don't like you. you have this thurston howell iii as some have referred to him as. this caricature of him. >> the new survey data comports with "the new york times" research. so everybody seems to agree that the likability factor for romney is somewhere close to one-third which is pretty unimpressive. the wallet and the almighty wallet governs these races. i've always believed that it is born out in the information. it is more important whether someone can provide shelter and put food on the table and have confidence about the economy than whether they want to have beer with -- if it's a sound economy, if folks are not struggling, then the beer question matters. you've got to be able to afford the beer. so romney needs the economy to just sort of sputter along. if it gets better -- >> which is dastardly for someone in need of others to hurt so they can succeed. with that said, and those are not his words but i get your

point. let's look at ohio when the president was at that same community college in 2010. the unemployment rate was over 10%. now he's back there yesterday and i believe it is 7.6 in ohio. >> yeah. that's good news, obviously for the president. and it's a losing argument if romney is all of a sudden forced into a position of saying, well, it would have come more quickly. people just want to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. and one last observation. i don't know that in the end people will vote whether the unemployment rate is 8.2 or 7.4. they have to have confidence. there is a psychological factor out there that is hard to wrap your head around but it is very important. >> all right, michael. i know you have to get going. listen to the people on the radio. thank you, steve. i'll see you when you come back. and coming back to the gsa embarrassment, could the democrats be subject to a

government gone wild? plus, newt gingrich has even admitted he has little chance of winning the gop nomination but he is still getting protected by the seek service and you will not believe how much it is costing taxpayers. it is something we thought you should know. first in today's money minute. havi ng a n irregular heartbeat havi called atrial fibrillation

ng a puts you at 5 times greater risk of stroke. don't wait. go to afibstroke.com for a free discussion guide to help you talk to your doctor about reducing your risk. that's afibstroke.com.

today i own 165 wendy's restaurants. and i get my financing from ge capital. but i also get stuff that goes way beyond banking. we not only lend people money, we help them save it. [ junior ] ge engineers found ways to cut my energy use. [ cheryl ] more efficient lighting helps junior stay open later... [ junior ] and serve more customers. so you're not just getting financial capital... [ cheryl ] you're also getting human capital. not just money. knowledge. [ junior ] ge capital. they're not just bankers... we're builders. [ junior ] ...and they've helped build my business.

right now, president obama welcoming the university of alabama's national bcs football team. the crimson tide being honored at a special ceremony for winning its 14th national title. the crystal coach's trophy from this season's championship win. did you hear about this? it was shattered after a player's dad accidentally knocked it over during a team event. the hand made trophy was

sculpted in ireland and valued at $30,000. believe it orange it is not the first time it was broken. the florida gators broke it in 2006. but nothing makes you feel better than a visit to the white house even if your trophy is broken. coming up, what's really on marco rubio's mind in? >> first -- a ceremony for the space shuttle discovery as it was towed to its new home today at the smithsonian national air and space museum. "discovery" was escorted by dozens of astronauts. it will be moved to new york next week where it will go on display at the intrepid air and space museum. my cut hurt! mine hurt more! mine stopped hurting faster... [ female announcer ] neosporin® plus pain relief starts relieving pain faster and kills more types of infectious bacteria.

neosporin® plus pain relief. for a two dollar coupon, visit neosporin.com. then don't get nickle and dimed by high cost investments and annoying account fees. at e-trade, our free easy-to-use online tools and experienced retirement specialists can help you build a personalized plan. and with our no annual fee iras and a wide range of low cost investments, you can execute the plan you want at a low cost. so meet with us, or go to etrade.com for a great retirement plan with low cost investments. ♪

♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8. there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. our premium litters now work harder to help neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home.

a nurse accused of murdering a woman and stealing her newborn baby, faces a judge today. we're learning new information about her mental state. >> did you make those cookies? no, no. they came from the loco over. >> bakery. >> the local 7-eleven bakery or whatever. >> a taste less joke. he was slammed over his comment about a bakery. then our gut check. parents sue apple after their kids become addicted to what they call pricey apps. who is really to blame here? and the stars of hbo's show, joins me live to talk about a provocative new play he is producing that deals with race and segregation in the '60s. first back to politics and whether president obama and democrats could pay a price for the scandals now rocking the secret service. and the gsa, the general service administration. the government can't afford another scandal to surface any time soon and neither can the

party that has come to represent the idea that government is at least part of the problem. let me bring in the national political reporter for real clear politics and steve deace is still with us. let me start with you. our first read team points this it out clearly. make no mistake, these scandals are not coming from the obama white house or from the aides working closest with the president. more importantly, the obama white house hasn't tolerated that government gone wild behavior. but it goes on to say, with this secret service scandal work the gsa, one more issue like this certainly could open the democrats up for attack by republicans. what do you say? >> i think that is right. i would point out first that the secret service is a nonpartisan agency that is certainly, it shouldn't reflect poorly on the president. he has no control over them. as political pointes like he

does. the gsa scandal is a little bit did i ever and that is a good issue for republicans to use. essentially, it is just a sign of bloated, clogged government. too many employees and not enough accountability so they can run wild with their money. now, for mitt romney specifically, that is a very good issue because when he was governor of massachusetts, he did a little bit to shrink government, to consolidate some of the agencies underneath him in massachusetts and he cut some of those funds. so he can use that as an issue to say, if i'm president, i will shrink some of these agencies and you might not have this problem under me. >> here's one problem with that. and i'll bring you in on this. it was that behind closed doors fund-raiser in florida that mitt romney asserted to that wealthy crowd of donors that he might for example cut the darrel of education, housing urban development might be cut. none of these, if he sees the government as being bloated has he presented to the government as his ideas and his direction for the country.

which is part of the problem you have with mitt romney. >> well, i just would like to follow up on what erin said. i think she is correct. like sporting event, it takes on a life its own. sometimes when momentum is going against you, perception becomes reality and they have a tendency to snow ball. i go back to the 2006 mid-term elections when just when it seemed like the republicans were already teetering on the brink of getting their teeth kicked in, you had the mark foley scandal emerge late that year. that was a sign yet again the republicans didn't do what the voters want them to do. they're a bunch of hypocrites and they paid a penalty. that momentum snow balled against they will. that's something stories like this can do as well for the very reasons that were articulated in the quotes that you gave us. if you're going to present yourself as the party that uses government as a solution to people's problems, then when government presents problems, you're going to have to own that as well and that is momentum that can work against you. the one positive is, we're sitting here in the middle of april and the majority of

americans are still not paying attention yet. >> absolutely. they're not paying attention but they see the details and we've not heard any reasonable republicans come out and try to attach the president to the secret service scandal. certainly not to this oversight agency that was obviously run amok. >> i think it would be silly for republicans to do that. when your opponent is struggling on its own, get out of the way and let they will. it would be a boomerng effect. we don't know the facts yet. if you're the republicans, you want this story to stay out there and linger, drip theory as long as you possibly can. in order to sort of try to create that momentum i was just talking about. >> is that even possible at this point? is there something even there that even if it comes out in a drip form that republicans would be able to gather up and collectively manipulate?

or even attack the democrats on? >> it depends on what comes out. i would go back to the point about 2006. republicans in the house didn't go after some of their own members and instead the democrats turned the culture of corruption. and that did very badly hurt the republicans going into the 2006 mid terms. now if they turn around and try to attack the democrats on that, it also looks hypocritical. so steve is right. they have to let the democrats perhaps bury themselves. the other thing i would point out here is that president obama has come forward to try to crack down on some of these things. he right away condemned the actions of the secret service agents,ial though as i pointed out before, it is a nonpartisan agency so he doesn't have the same kind of control over it. by coming out right away, and saying he condemns it, he is doing a little more than the republicans in 2006 did. >> but back to the initial point which was made by the first read

team. you hit on this as well. actual problems versus perceived problems. we know, for example, that it was rins preeince priebus said a war on women, he equated it to the war on caterpillars saying it wasn't a real war. and this seems to fall into this similar category. if republicans tried to camdenize at this stage on either of these scandals trying to weave together this narrative, it might not fall under an actual problem to those few who are paying attention to right now. >> well, i think your entire questioning is one of the reasons why we see fewer and fewer americans participating in the political process. there is some polling out that shows mitt, the "washington post" reported that mitt romney is the least popular nominee of a party since they started polling in '84. in the same story they said there's plenty of bad news for obama as well. and i think it is because the

american people want these elections to be about them. and what's best for the country and not these political footballs. not these side shows. not the street athlete per frankly both parties use in order to round the sheeple into the men and blame everybody else for the problems going. on i think the american people want to know, what is best for the american people. and let's have a real debate about that. >> the debate over the economy. not this government gone wild notion that is floating out there. thank you very much. greatly appreciate it. an outpouring of dedication after the passing of television icon dick clark tops our look around the "news nation." the man clark hand picked to co-host the new years rockin eve show. fans are paying tribute. flowers are resting on his star at the hollywood walk of fame. they will not hold a funeral. police in southern california say a body found near

a lake, the wife of a u.s. marine. kill gore went missing after filing for divorce. a woman who lives one mile from killgore's home has been arrested on suspicion of murder. police say they found apparent suicide note allegedly explaining what happened to killgore. the suspect, jessica lynn lopez is expected to be arraigned later today. luis perez, the last person known to have seen killgore alive, is in police custody on weapons charges. and newes developments in the case of a nurse killing a mom and kidnapping her baby. verna faced capital murder charges and was appointed two defense attorneys. they say the capital murder charges is too extreme and they plan to enter a not guilty plea when she is formally arraigned. they say her mental state at the time could be the focus of their defense.

>> she seemed to be very upset. somewhat confused about the proceedings going on. when you have an isolated situation with no prior history it is difficult to prove that person would be a future danger. >> she is accused of shooting a woman swrout side a pediatrician's office and kidnapping her 3-day-old son. she recently had a miscarriage and was looking for a baby to pass off as her very own. michelle, we've seen these kinds of cases in the past. some of them include people who leave hospitals with children who were not theirs and others have been deadly and violent. what more do we know about this woman's background? >> we've learned a little bit more. a couple of keys, she was supposed to get married next month. and that miscarriage that she apparently suffered, she was trying to replace that child. with the district attorney, and investigators have actually told me, she was out there and did

not specifically target the mom. but could have targeted any mom at that point. something along the way, she snapped and that's when the murder took place. the alleged abduction happened. the baby was taken away. there's just been a lot of chaos surrounding this case. >> do we know any more about how this, according to police, how this went down? >> here's what we know. we know this was a facility that mcclain does not work at. that she actually had attended. i'm assuming through her miscarriage. this was also the same facility about. the victim was at. that may have been a place of opportunity for her to be out there and sort of case the parking lot to be able to see which parents were coming in and which parents were coming out. i can tell that you the car, she did not own a car. she did not have a savings account. she does not own a home. that was one of the things mentioned in court today. that she did possibly borrow the car from her sister. that's where the vehicle comes in to play. that the baby was taken to a

family member and safely located and returned home with his father. also, the bond hearing today was actually delayed until monday. because the defense does want her to have bond. the prosecution says absolutely no way. she could be facing the death penalty. >> that is something that they would think they could get bond in a capital murder case. with that said, what about any kind of mental test to evaluate where she is now? mentally and where she was at the time of the alleged crime? >> i can only imagine that that is going to happen. if you watch that video from her in court today, she is mumbling. she seems a little bit scared and just confused and looked down a lot. i think that there is a lot to be said for the way that she presented herself today. for maybe her state of mind during the alleged crime and for also her past. just as the attorneys mentioned, she does not have a past criminal history. her mother and grand mother have spoken out to say this is just odd. this is not my daughter.

this is not my granddaughter. this is not something she would do. she has other children. and so her estranged husband, he also spoke out to say this is not something that mcclain, he would even have thought that she ever could have done. something happened. something snapped and it is getting to the bottom of that will. >> michelle sigona. have a good day. coming up, wendell pierce is the star of the hit show and you know him from the wire, of course. next, he will join me live in studio to talk about a provocative broadway clay. it tackles immigration and race in the '60s. first, a lot going on today. here's some things we thought you should know. newt gingrich still hasn't dropped out of race for president so he is still getting seek service protection that could be costing taxpayers millions of dollars. four years ago, the director of the secret service said the

protection cost around $40,000 a day. gingrich has had protection since march. did florida senator marco rubio let the cat out of the bag four months out of the bag before the republican presidential convention? take a liberty. >> if i do a good job as vice president -- i'm sorry. if do i a good job as a senator -- i'll have a chance to do all sorts of things. >> okay. senator rubio is among several name being tossed around as possible vp picks for mitt romney. rubio told the national journal this morning, he does not want the job despite that slip-up. and mitt romney is getting some heat for comments he made about cookies, of all things. they were laid out at a campaign stop near pittsburgh yesterday. here's what he said about cookies. >> i'm be sure about these cookies. they don't look like you made them. did you make those cookies? you didn't, did you?

no, no. they came from the loco over 7-eleven bakery or wherever. >> well, it turns out those cookies were from a very popular local bakery. the incident has since been named cookie gate by the republican owner of the bakery who says, let him eat cake next time. and house majority leader eric cantor know listen to this. well, he likes apparently a good amount of hip hop and rap in his diet. today he told politico's mike allen, what songs are loaded on his ipad. >> a little jay-z and the rest on there. obviously, the lyrics are horrendous and we try and have the clean-up version. but you live with teenagers, you sort of have to understand what they're about. >> those are things we thought you should know.

today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers. [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering.

home protector plus, from liberty mutual insurance, where the costs to both repair your home and replace your possessions are covered. and we don't just cut a check for the depreciated value -- we can actually replace your stuff with an exact or near match. plus, if your home is unfit to live in after an incident, we pay for you to stay somewhere else while it's being repaired. home protector plus, from liberty mutual insurance. because you never know what lies around the corner. to get a free quote, call... visit a local office, or go to libertymutual.com today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

thor's couture gets the most rewards of any small business credit card. [ garth ] thor's small business earns double miles on every purchase, every day! here's my spark card. and here's your wool. why settle for less? great businesses deserve the most rewards! the spiked heels are working. wow! who are you wearing? uhhh, his cousin. [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day!

wait! your boa. what's in your wallet? coming up at the top of the hour, cookie monster or just the silver spoon candidate? mitt romney tries to convince voters the president may be a nice guy but nice guys shouldn't always finish first. plus, mitt romney stood up for stay at home moms and republicans defended her. will they support legislation to enable more moms to stay at home? i wonder. back to tamron. actors apologizing after a casting call sheet asking for a particular type of african-american actor is leaked. the casting call was for a popular super bowl ad featuring jerry seinfeld and jay leno. according to the casting sheet, acura was looking for an african-american agentor who was quote, nice-looking, friendly and be too dark. here's a clip of the actual ad.

>> i want it. i would love to have the first one. >> i'm so sorry but you're number two on the list. >> who is number one? >> that guy. >> so you're number one. how would you like to be number 20? >> so the automakers apologizing saying the casting sheet was only now brought to our attention. we are taking appropriate measures to ensure that such language is not used again in association with any work performed on behalf of our brand. that casting sheet was actually leak out by an actor who said he was rejected for the role. from that actor controversy to the national divide over the trayvon martin shooting case, the topic of race has never been easy to discuss. now wendell pierce, known for his gritty roles is behind the scenes working on an explosive play that tackles race relations head on. clybourne park is a play that shows what happens when integration and real estate

collide. >> who are you? >> this is why we have wars. one group, one tribe tries to usurp some territory. now you have this territory and you don't like having it stolen away from you. we get it. we apologize. but what good does that do if we perpetually fall into the same predictable little euphemistic tap dance around the topic? >> you know how to tap dance? >> you see? >> wendell pierce joins me to talk about his new project. congratulations. you're used to being the actor, the star. now you're the producer. >> yes. i started producing a couple years ago. i produced radio on broadway. >> you're tackling one which is always timely, which is certainly race. this play was off broadway in 2011. it received the pulitzer prize for drama. the list goes on and on. the timing is everything. when the trayvon martin case

happened, we text messaged each other talk bg you hoyt feels to be profiled. how does it feel to have this now on broadway? first of all, it is a play that is wickly funny as they say. >> which is hard when you're talking about race. >> which is hard when you're talking about race. to have a satire like this, we're saying things that people never get the chance to say. so it opens up the dialogue a lot more. we have a terrific cast and a terrific play written, i think this brings all the discussions together in a very unique way. that was a thing that made me want to be a part of it. >> for everything that i read, what i think hits home, the notion of what's happening in your neighborhood. the new family moves into the neighborhood. in this case, it happens to be a black family. it is a reverse. >> it is the connection to what inspired miss norris was a raisin in the sun. the play in the first act takes place in 1959. he had a question of who was the

family selling the house in 1959? and so this is the story that we have in the first act. then you see 50 years later, 2009. the neighbor has changed. it is predocument thanly african-american. the white family is moving in. all that brings up. the idea of race, real estate, you know, gentrification. the values that we have. >> all of that hits home for you. you're from new orleans. a lot of what you've talk about is how the people of new orleans were read the after hurricane katrina. those who were left displaced and didn't feel welcomed back to the place they called home. people wanted this new new orleans and it still goes on. >> we have an influx of new people coming into new orleans. it is wonderful. at the same time, you have people who are trying to get back that have the challenges. what is so curious is we never discuss it. we never have the courage to discuss it. what bruce norris has done with clybourne park is put it in this wondering terrific satire. a humorous entertaining play

where people actually hear and talk about things they've never gotten to talk about. sometimes that's the thing that sets the table for it. that's a discussion that not only is happening in this play, in this fictionalized story but can happen in new orleans. >> fictionalized that you it is so real. >> art ill tating life, life imitating art. >> and al roker is in new orleans, he is filming him playing himself. >> he plays al roker. >> what else in he is in new orleans. >> i'm very excited to see the new season. i think it is the best show. >> it is an exciting night tonight on broad way. we want everyone around the country to come to new york and see the play. >> you've been fantastic. thank you. congratulations on this. up next, a group of parents suing apple because they say their kids are addicted to pricey game apps. is that really apple's problem?

or is that the parent problem? our "news nation" gut check. tell us what you think about wendell's new play.

a group of angry parents in california are suing apple after their children ran up huge bills, playing game on their parents' iphones. one parent claim his 8-year-old ran up a $1,400 bill. that kid needs to get a job. many of the game apps are free on itunes but the parents say they compel children to make purchases during the game. children don't need to supply credit card information. instead, the costs are usually charged to the itunes account already linked to credit cards. apple says parents have the ability to easily adjust their phone setting blocks so your children cannot make the purchases you don't want them to

make. what does your gut tell you? should apple be blamed for providing what is described as highly addictive apps that are costing some of them a fortunate? is that a parent problem beyond apple? that does it for this edition of "news nation." martin bashir is up next. you know, those farmers, those foragers, those fishermen.... for me, it's really about building this extraordinary community. american express is passionate about the same thing. they're one of those partners that i would really rely on whether it's finding new customers, or, a new location for my next restaurant. when we all come together, my restaurants, my partners, and the community amazing things happen. to me, that's the membership effect. 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. j.d. power and associates has ranked quicken loans "highest in customer satisfaction in the united states." call or go to quickenloans.com to discover for yourself why we're engineered to amaze.

to discover for yourself you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing hers? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acid related erosions in the lining of your esophagus. talk to your doctor about the risk for osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels with long-term use of nexium. possible side effects include headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. let your doctor do her job, and you do yours. ask if nexium is right for you. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. 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. it's thursday april 19th. here's what's happening. mitt romney, man of the people. >> i'm be sure about these cookies. they don't look like you made them. did you make those cookies? no, no. they came from the local 7-eleven bakery or wherever. >> he's doing well in the polls. just not on questions of likable. i wonder why. >> most of our dinner table events written volving humor of one kind or another. ann is not here today.