what do you take out of this rush limbaugh claiming that the romney campaign is following the path he's laid ahead, steve? >> well, i think i'm going to be alongside a lot of the conservatives around the country. i'm tickled pink, literally, to see the romney campaign finally go after obama as hard as it's gone after conservatives in primaries in the last two presidential cycles. if nothing else, at least we got him to fight back against the obama campaign. >> for our audience not aware, you're a conservative, no fan of mitt romney. you've taken great pride -- you believe that somehow this fight that the conservatives like yourself have been wanting has been brought to the table in a way that can win the white house? >> i do. i think in fact, it's probably the only chance romney has to win the white house. and that is, he's got to show

the country that he presents a vision dramatically different from what they're currently seeing. otherwise, people like the president personally more and people will go with the devil they know. romney presenting that case calls into question romney's credibility because some of the very crony capitalism he's rightfully criticizing the president for he's been guilty of and republicans have been guilty of in the past. what we really have, and i've told you for months on this campaign, i think it's a replay of 2004 where i disagree with conservatives. i do not believe this election is a referendum on obama. i think that's already been held. i think the majority of american people are from skeptical to hostile. romney has to close the s.e.a.l. as kerry did it in 2004 and failed to do. >> yesterday, they said if the race was today that romney would lose. do you agree with that? >> absolutely. yes. he's got to -- in the end, everything he's saying about

obama i agree with, but he still needs to give the country what will do instead. i think people get suspicious when he doesn't offer specifics because you're talking about a guy that was a global billionaire fans ear. the idea that he was able to raise capital and make so much money and be so successful in business without offering people specifics, people realize that's not the case. he still needs to provide the country with what is his actual vision beyond isn't obama very bad. >> margie, i think some people will find this perplexing, the argument that steve is presenting. we know that president obama as well as governor romney will need independent voters to come to their side. when you have rush limbaugh on his program basically bragging that john sununu and governor romney are taking a page from his playbook of bringing up drug use and all of these other things that have nothing to do with jobs, when you talk with romney surrogates they say we don't want to talk about the tax issue because it has nothing to

do with jobs. what does this strategy do in bringing over independents here? >> it's the last thing that mitt romney needs right now. and steve's comments really show one of the underlying liabilities of the romney campaign is they can't get enthusiasm with the far right without some of these incendiary hot -- without this hot rhetoric and can't win over independents with it. that puts the romney campaign in a bind. on top of that, you have the main argument they have as part of this tax release the tax returns discussion about what he's hiding and coming clean about his time the an bain is stop talking about me. don't pick on me. don't be negative by bringing up what i like to bring up about my own record. that's romney's response to this, but when they -- when you have john sununu using this incredible heated rhetoric that independent voters i talk to really hate, that takes away that argument. they're now actually going personal supposed to having a real debate about the issues of each candidate's record.

they're now going personal and inflammatory without talking about the issues voters care about. >> to be fair here, you have some people pointing toing this new ad from the dnc that shows ann romney's horse that will be be competing in the olympics, dressage pointing to mitt romney dancing around showing the public his tax returns or more of his tax returns. is that getting as dirty as you're accusing the conservatives and republicans of being in romney campaign? >> i think calling the president a socialist is different than showing an image of an a horse. i don't think that the web video is going to move a lot of swing voters. ultimately that web video is not about the horse. the web video is about mitt romney's tap dance about releasing his own tax returns and how he really doesn't want to come clean. >> let me bring you in on the conversation, abby. you have a lot of theories out there as to why governor romney does not want to release his tax

return. steve december believes he should put out more of his returns. abby, at least one report indicates it is possible with his losses with the stock market that he may have escaped paying taxes at all here. we do not know if this is what happened here. but part of the story line belongs to him. how do you piece together the puzzle if he does not -- if it's a document dump or if it's just one page at a time provide this information? >> yeah, i think this is is actually romney's argument himself, that he believe that this could be a black hole for the obama campaign, something that the campaign and the democratic allies will dig indefinitely. i think he's actually right about that. on the other hand, what romney's facing right now is friendly fire, and that is probably one of the most dangerous things for him. when he has republicans wondering what's in his tax returns, that's a huge problem. he's got to address that. the only way to address that really is to do something about the inquiries, release

something. maybe one year additional year, maybe another additional year. that will satisfy conservatives even if it never satisfies democrats. >> steve, the obama team tweeted out a pretty funny tweet here if it wasn't such a serious issue, i guess it would be funny. they show president obama has released 12 years of his tax returns. governor romney one and they call it the transparent tweet. you see all the checks going across for how many years the president has released his returns and what governor romney has provided. what i find perplexing, steve, is that you're saying you're excited to see governor romney give the fight to president obama that he's given to conservatives. but you don't think he can win here. the national review says in all likelihood, romney won't be able to maintain a position that looks secretive and they say he feeds to release these returns. what is upshot for republicans here? you don't think he can win. is it that you just want to see him fight.

>> well, we think the only way he can win is by fighting and offering a direction and a vision for the country dramatically different than what we're getting. that's why this tax issue hurts him because he's not running on any issues. he's running on gee, obama sucks and i made a bunch of money in business. if you're going to run on biography, people will take a look at your biography. part of that is your tax returns. romney doesn't have a lot of friends in the conservative movement. rick perry came out yesterday and said that romney needs to release these records. remember that mitt romney did everything he could to slit rick perry's throat the minute he got into this race those first few debates. rick perry's not going to carry water for mitt romney. the conservative movement is not going to carry any water for romney because he's done nothing but try to destroy many of their candidates in the last two election cycles. this is why he's not going to get some of the political cover that will george w. bush got in the past.

you're seeing that in some of the analysis that conservatives are giving of the romney campaign. we're being far more honest about romney than we were about bush. if you were the romney campaign, i'd say i will release my paper trail when the president relations his. where is his college transcripts? where is all the transparency what he did before he was in the illinois state sneempl are you kidding me. margie, you believe that that is a fair equation here on one breath, you say that governor romney needs to be more transpare transparent. he is running for the highest office in is this country. the american people need to know more about his tax returns and you are saying this. aim not saying this. this is what you're saying but you want to flip the corner and then bring up the president's college transcript. that's your -- >> the reason -- i don't really. >> those things are equal here? >> the reason why is because i frankly don't trust -- this whole thing about his tax returns i think for democrats is

a red herring. this is about transparent say. the people ought to ask the president to be more transparent. >> the most transparent president we've had in decades. romney's own father released 1 years himself. mitt romney relations less than previous candidates before him. he runs on his record on bain. when you see mitt romney talk about his record at bain, rather than his record as governor of massachusetts because he was 47th in the country in job creation and said hey, it takes awhile for jobs to be created he himself has done many of the things that he actually accuses the president of. it's completely legitimate to have this conversation about what's he hiding and why can't he be consistent. >> i don't disagree with that. >> why can't he get his story straight? >> i think it works both ways. the american people got a president and four years elected somebody that went further left than they thought. i think they're entitled to find out why has this guy driven the

country so far left. >> steve, you're also saying -- >> what motivates him. >> steve, you've also said you are worried that governor romney will be further left than you would like here and other conservatives. i don't know what bowl you're drinking from to be quite honest here because you are also threateninged in many ways by governor romney and the presidency that he would provide to conservatives. you don't like either here. >> no, i don't. you're asking me two different questions. one is my personal opinion and the other is, what would i do if i were running the romney campaign. those are two totally different things. >> that's why we have you on. part of you is your personal opinion which you love to give. i appreciate it. abby, thank you, as well. coming up on "news nation," new developments out of syria following the early morning assassination of a military leader. leon panetta now sending a warning to syria. >> this is a situation tas rapidly spinning out of control.

>> we're also getting late word from jay carney that president obama has spoken with russian president vladimir putin on the situation out of syria. a live report coming up. also ahead -- the head of the ncaa says he won't rule out the so-called death penalty for penn state which could end up having to cancel the entire football season. >> i don't know that past precedent makes particularly good sense in this case because it's really an unprecedented problem. >> join the conversation on twitter. find my page. variante ascari, monza. mile 7, highway 1. wehrseifen, nurburgring. the horseshoe, twin peaks boulevard. every famous curve has an equally thrilling, lesser-known counterpart. conquer them, with the lexus is performance line, featuring the is 250. real performance demands real precision.

this is the pursuit of perfection. idide? real performance demands real precision. you're not my dad ahh!! hey honey, back feels better, little dancing tonight, you and me? dr. scholl's pro inserts relieve different types of lower body pain by treating at the source so you're a whole new you. go pro with dr. scholl's. ♪ it's faster than the blink of an eye. ♪ faster than a flash of lightning. and it was the difference between michael phelps winning eight gold medals... instead of seven. a hundredth of a second... just think of the cheers if lightning strikes twice. visa. supporting athletes and the olympic games for 25 years.

join our global cheer. [ roger ] tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ voice of dennis ]...allstate. [ roger ] same agent and everything. [ kyle ] it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah we are. no...we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands?

we have some breaking news regarding syria. the white house is reacting to a deadly blast in that nation's capital that hit at the heart of the syrian government. president obama spoke with

russian president vladimir putin today regarding the escalating violence in syria. this after a bomb in damascus just this morning killed syria's defense minister and his deputy. also president assad's brother-in-law. syria's interior minister is among the wounded. many fear the country is tipping into chaos. here's how secretary of defense le leon panetta the assessed the attack. >> this is a situation that is rapidly spinning out of control. for that reason, it's extremely important that the international community working with other countries that have concerns in that area have to bring maximum pressure on assad. >> there are also reports today of five separate explosions near a military base in the capital. the division there reportedly led by bashar al assad's younger brother. correspondent a man mew ha dean is in cairo with the latest.

obviously, the headline at this hour is the white house confirms president obama has spoken within russian president vladimir putin critical of moving forward with the situation in syria? >> that's correct. there was supposed to be a critical vote today at the u.p. u.n. security council. we understand that now has been postponed at the request of kofi annan who is still trying to develop a new plan with the assistance of russia which was threatening to veto a tough resolution calling on assad to step down. today is definitely changing the calculation many of these countries have in power because president assad seems to be wavering after today's attack. the attack today striking a deadly blow to the heart of the regime. his inner most security circle, also indicating he's beginning to lose a little bit of that command of his own country and we saw the push by the free syrian army immediately after the explosion suggesting they are now moving on the offensive

particularly to the capital. >> ayman. joel ruben, thank you for your time. obviously none of us know the conversation between vladimir putin and president obama here, but we note that this is a critical situation on the ground and the fear, as you heard, if bashar al assad believes he is losing more control, what happens next? >> that's right. this is a new phase. the internal pressures that assad is facing today are different from yesterday. the assassination, the recent departures and defections of the ambassador to iraq, close confidantes of assad is creating the pressures that were expected from the international community. how assad reacs is the open question. there have been reports about the movement of chemical weapons. unclear whether or not that means that the regime would use them, but it does raise deep concerns. his core base of military backbone is currently feeling

the heat. and we're not clear what we'll do next. >> it is interesting, this latest attack obviously, the opposition knows that as a man mole ha dean points out this attack was strategic at the heart of the military and obviously could shake agassad. >> yes, the people that have been hit, the former now deceased defense minister, the deputy army chief of staff, these were the inner circle, initially appointed by as sad to lead in the putting down of this rebellion. so this was targeted with a purpose. a message to assad that his supporters are vulnerable too, and that type of pressure combined with the international condemnations, this is what the game is about now. it's about getting assad's power base to feel insecure. just today the treasury department identified roughly 30 individuals it is is targeting for sanctions a black list to amp up the pressure even more.

we'll see what this does. >> what are we to make of the delayed actions by the u.n. as a result of this assassination? >> the delay was called for by kofi annan who was in moscow recently talking to the russians about further pressure. clearly he looks at this as an opportunity to get even more coordination with the russians. the russians were objecting. they did not want a vote to go forward. they would have likely opposed it. now with the delay, it can loos like the russians are being engaged even more intensely as you mentioned with vladimir putin and the president speaking today. they're trying to make sure assad knows he doesn't have any escape valves either domestically or internationally. >> coming up, does a presidential candidate's vp pick matter to you? we have the results of a new poll that shows just how much of an impact some voters it will have. is former congressman anthony

weiner are sharing family photos revealing an adorable picture of their new child. theirs first interview since his resignation from congress. but first, today's money minute. here's a look at wall street. i'm freaking out man. why? i thought jill was your soul mate. no, no it's her dad. the general's your soul mate? dude what? no, no, no. he's, he's on my back about providing for his little girl. hey don't worry. e-trade's got a killer investing dashboard. everything is on one page, your investments, quotes, research... it's like the buffet last night. whatever helps you understand man. i'm watching you. oh yeah? well i'm watching you, watching him. [ male announcer ] try the e-trade 360 investing dashboard.

have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur.

alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as $15 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. and i thought "i can't do this, it's just too hard." then there was a moment. when i decided to find a way to keep going. go for olympic gold and go to college too. [ male announcer ] every day we help students earn their bachelor's or master's degree for tomorrow's careers. this is your moment. let nothing stand in your way. devry university, proud to support the education of our u.s. olympic team.

going war of words between michele bachmann and senator john mccain. bachmann now hitting back today after mccain slammed her for a call for an investigation into hillary clinton's aid huma abedin. in a letter to five other members of congress accuse clinton's deputy of staff of being associated with the muslim brotherhood. in a follow-up letter bachmann

writes the brother, and deceased brother of huma abedin, deputy chief of staff to hillary clinton are connected to the muslim brotherhood and she too by extension may be working on the organization's behalf. today senator mccain said the allegations feed to stop and called huma a friend. >> these allegations about huma abedin and the report from which they are drawn are nothing less than an unwarned and unfounded attack on an honorable citizen, a dedicated american and a loyal public servant. >> within the last half hour, bachmann hit back saying her letter is being distorted. she wrote "this is just the latest example of the dangerous national security decisions made by the obama administration. i will not be silent as this administration appeases our enemies instead of telling the truth about the threat our country faces." let me take you now live to the town hall being held bill

governor mitt romney. he's in ohio. let's listen in. >> if the president's tax policies actually were enacted. because his tax policy is to take the tax on small business from 35% to 40%. i say that because most small businesses are taxed as individuals. and he wants to raise the marginal tax rate from 35 to 40%. and then they said if that policy gets put in place, it will kill 710,000 jobs. that's the direction of this president, and there's something else i think that you ought to know. and that is when something's in trouble, when people need good jobs, you would think the president would focus all of his energy and passion on helping people get jobs. but you know what he's been doing over the last six months? yeah, in the last six months, he has held 100 fund-raisers. and guess how many meetings he's

had with his jobs council? none. zero. zero in the last six months. it makes it very clear where his priorities are. his priority is not creating jobs for you. his priority is trying to keep his own job and that's why he's going to lose it. he is simply out of touch with what's happening in this country. and he's out of ideas. he's offered no new ideas to get the economy going other than to send in another bailout to states. do you want another bailout, governor. no, no. the republican governors aren't looking for another bailout. he's out of touch, he's out of ideas, out of excuses and that's yet in november, we've got to get him out of office.

now, on friday, he said something which the governor alluded to which really reveals what he thinks about our country, about our people, about free enterprise, about freedom, about individual initiative. about america. and you've heard it already. i've seen some signs that reference it. i just want to say it exactly as he said it. speaking about small business and businesses of all kind, he said this. if you've got a business, you didn't build that. somebody else made that happen. how many people here -- would the people who began a business or are leading a business in this room please stand up? wow. thank you. thank you. don't sit down. stand up. keep standing up. keep standing up. let me ask you, i know that you recognize a lot of people --

don't sit down. i want you still up. keep standing up. i know that you recognize a lot of people help you in a business. perhaps the banks, the investors. there's no question your mom and dad, your school teachers, the people that provide roads, the fire, the police. a lot of people help. but let me ask you this, did you build your business if you did, raise your hand. take that, mr. president. this is what's happening in this country. these people are entrepreneurs. thank you so much, you guys. by the way, there are a lot of people in government who help us and allow us to have an economy that works and allow entrepreneurs and business leaders of various kinds to start businesses and create jobs. we all recognize that. that's an important thing. don't forget, by the way, government doesn't invent those people out of thin air. we pay for those people with our taxes. we're paying for those resources that we receive.

but to say what he said is to say that steve jobs didn't build apple computer or that bill gates didn't build microsoft or that henry ford didn't build for the motor company or that ray kroc didn't build mcdonald's or that papa crown's didn't build papa john's pizza. >> we are lis nick in on governor romney at a town hall in ohio reiterating similar words we heard yesterday. his line of attack going after president obama saying he does not support the american way of thinking when it comes to business. let me bring in new information before we talk to mark murray. new york "new york times"/cbs poll today that finds a significant majority of voters say a presidential candidate's choice of a running mate does have an effect on their vote. 74% say a vp choice matters a lot or somewhat. 258% say it doesn't patter at all. as for who romney might pick and

win, mark murray joins us. let's talk about the latest line of attack cominging from governor romney here, picking up off of comments made by the president saying that if you have a small business, it is people who have helped you, whether it was a teacher in your life, a mentor going on and on that this theory we're all in it together, a lot of conservatives have jumped on this, republicans jumped on this and mitt romney is using this to get that crowd rallying today. >> it is a feisty mitt romney. it's the second day in a row we've seen him and, of course, the context to all of this is that mitt romney found himself on the defensive. i think the message he wants to send to republican voters, also independents tuning in, he is fighting back. that's the big take away. as far as the context of that attack on president obama that if you have a business you didn't build that, the overall context of what the president was talking about was that businesses by themselves didn't create the roads and highways that if you actually did have a business, or you actually made

it in society that you had a teacher who helped you on the way. that's the full context of what president obama was saying when romney beak said president obama believes if you have a business, you didn't build that, that's out of context a bit. >> does it make an effective attack? obviously do people there in that audience, that is perhaps what they want it hear. we know the people who matter most at this point are not those who retreated to the corners and heard what they want to hear. it's the people we describe as independents. >> this is politics. it all seems to be fair. you're going to see democrats cherry pick certain lines that mitt romney ends up saying and this is just kind of all part of the game. we've seen, of course, the obama campaign fire back. but what i do think has been interesting is just taking the past week with mitt romney on the defensive and how he's actually trying to fight back. >> yeah, and also part of the fighting back i know you've heard these comments from rush limbaugh already saying the remarks made by governor sununu

and even governor romney using the language extraordinarily foreign when discussing the president's economic policy, that this is all from him at least from his perspective? >> well, rush is trying to take some of the credit. of course, we haven't seen romney himself issue some of these attacks. of course, we heard it yesterday from former new hampshire governor john sununu who is a surrogate for the romney campaign. we have seen some anonymous romney advisers saying they're going to take the brass knuckles to president obama, maybe revisit some of the drug issues that president obama had when he was in his youth. we've yet to hear it from mitt romney. it remains to be seen. i'm reemphasize, the fact that the romney campaign wants to go so aggressively at president obama that we're seeing mitt romney take the stump has to be explains in what we've seen with romney being on the defensive with his own taxes and record at bain capital. >> 74% say it matters, the vp choice that is selected.

we've heard no one votes for the second part of the ticket but apparently some people certainly weigh it heavily. they do because it does give you a window into the person at the very top of the ticket. does that person want to double down on their strength as we saw bill clinton to do with al gore when they were baby boomers? do you try to compliment or shore up a particular weakness? are you a risk taker? we get a window into these folks. that's why it matters more than overall mattering electorally november 6th. >> greatly appreciate it. i won't see you till i return from london in three weeks. >> have a great time, tamron. >> now to developing news. president obama is welcoming the 2012 ncaa women's basketball champions, the baylor bears to the white house. we'll keep an eye on it there. you see the lovely ladies there. the champions. . we'll be right back. [ man ] ever year, sophia and i use the points we earn with our citi thankyou card for a relaxing vacation.

♪ sometimes, we go for a ride in the park. maybe do a little sightseeing. or, get some fresh air. but this summer, we used our thank youpoints to just hang out with a few friends in london. [ male announcer ] the citi thankyou visa card. redeem the points you've earned to travel with no restrictions. rewarding you, every step of the way.

i won't see you till i return . up warranted.

a little snack. on a wednesday. at 2 am. get that great taste anytime with kingsford match light charcoal.

welcome back. house republicans stepped up their efforts today to blame president obama for the looming $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts to the federal budget which are due 0 kick in in yrn. that's even though a majority of republicans voted for the deal that would trigger those cuts. meanwhile in just the past hour, the house approve the legislation that gives the obama administration 30 days to provide details how it will deal with required $109 billion in cuts to the 2013 spending. now, the bill had broad support from both parties passing by a vote of 414-2. let me bring in nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell. earlier the house armed services committee held a hearing to take a look at how the defense industry would be impacted by these cuts. >> and what we're hearing is people who do the hiring in the defense industry are saying that this kind of a drastic cut in january would, in can the fa, cost lots of jobs in lots of

places around the country. there have been estimates it could be tens of thousands of jobs, lots of concern about that. while this was passed last summer, it was sort of done under the crisis mentality of last summer you rememberent waing to keep the government open and raise the debt ceiling and even then people said we have to fix this sweeping program that would take place in 2013. now is that time. so it's rolled up into the election year politics, and do you have both republicans and democrats saying is there some other way. could other kinds of cuts be found to keep some of these defense plans and some of the jobs associated with them in place. so what they're looking at today is trying to get the obama administration under some pressure to say where would the cuts be made to try to identify that now. so there's a lot of anxiety here what it would all mean. the president has been saying he believes that that law voted in and signed last year should hold even though there's concern really from both parties here about what it would mean.

so it's a complicated issue that does tie to jobs and it becomes part of this whole volatile election year, as well. >> kelly o'donnell live for us on capitol hill. thank you. up next, a 97-year-old hungarian man charged with war crimes for allegedly helping to deport thousands of jews during the holocaust is one of our stories in news around the nation. first there here had some things we thought you should know. in case there's any doubt, former president george w. bush made it clear in a new interview with the hoover institution he does not miss the white house. >> i really don't want to be in the public eye anymore. eight years was awesome. and you know, i was famous and i was powerful. and but i have -- i have to desire for fame and power anymore. i don't want to undermine our president. or whoever president. and a former president can do that. >> the former president added he hopes mitt romney wins in november. and the issue of "people"

magazine hitting newstands on friday contains a new interview with former new york congressman anthony weiner who resigned a year ago amid the scandal over tweeting out lewd pictures. there are also family photos of the former congressman, his wife and their 6-month-old son. asked about rumors he may be jumping back into politics, he told people i can't say absolutely that i will never run for public office again but i'm very happy in my present life and not doing anything to plan a campaign. well, rush limbaugh is suggesting the new movie "the dark knight" the batman movie that the villain bane, he somehow believes it's a reference to mitt romney. >> do you think that it is accidental that will the name of the really vicious fire-breathing four-eyed whatever it is villain in this movie is named bane? >> well, the bane character, b-a-n-e was not created for the

movie. he first appeared in the comic book in 1993 before mitt romney was even a governor or thinking about running for president. those are the things we thought you should know. [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare? that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan,

insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they pick up some of what. and save you up to thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. call today to request a free decision ide to help you better understand what medicare is all about. and which aarp medicare supplement plan works best for you. with these types of plans, any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients... plus, there are no networks, and you'll never need a referral to see a specialist. there's a range of plans to choose from, too. and they all travel with you. anywhere in the country. join the mlions who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organizion serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations... and provided by unitedhealthcare insurance company, which has over 30 years of experience behind it.

call today. remember, medicare supplement insurance helps cover some of what medicare doesn't pay -- expenses that could really add up. these kinds of plans could save you up to thousands in out-of-pocket costs... you'll be able choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. and you never need referrals. so don't wait. with all the good years ahead, look for the experience and commitment to go the distance with you. call now to request your free decisionuide. this easy-to-understand guide will answer some of your questions, and help you find the aarp medicare supplement plan that's right for you. [ man ] "the odyssey," by homer. book one. tell me, o muse... famous town of troy... book three. book 12. poseidon... book 17. book 20. thunderbolts. book 24. the end. [ ryan ] alright, what's next.

[ man ] chapter one. call me ishmael. some years ago... [ male announcer ] at&t. the nation's largest 4g network. rethink possible. an aaccused nazi war criminal is arrested in hungary topping our look the an stories around the "news nation" right now. las low shuttery has been taken into custody on suspicion of helping to deport jews to concentration camps during world war ii. prosecutors charged him with the unlawful torture of human beings. he could face what's rest of his life in prison. and the mother of two young girls gone missing in iowa says she believes the girls may have been abducted. she says the two cousins don't usually go to the lake where their bikes were found. authorities are currently

draining the lake and have used scent dogs to certainly the area. and the fda approved a new diet drug called qsymia approved for use by overweight and obese people. according to government estimates more than one-third of u.s. adults are obese. pressure is building on penn state university to suspend its football program and take down a statue of joe paterno outside the stadium. the university says a decision on that statue will come in the next seven to ten days. the ncaa says it has not ruled out the so-called death penalty for penn state's football program. >> what the appropriate penalties are, if there are determinations of violations, we'll have to decide and we'll hold in abeyance all of those decisions till we've actually decided wa we want to do with the actual charges should there be in he. and i don't want to take

anything off the able into nothing off the table but no timeline as to when the decision will be made. joining me now via skype is mark brennan. he's with fight on state.com, which covers penn state but is not affiliated with the university. mark, thank you for your time. >> good to be here, tamron. >> what do you think is going to happen here, the death penalty for penn state football? >> i would be surprised if you listen to what former ncaa investigators are saying, there really isn't an indication of a direct ncaa violation in all this mess. now, of cours of course, there horrible things that happened and, of course, people did not handle things the right way, but in terms of finding specific ncaa violations, i don't think people -- i don't think they're going to come up with anything. now, of course, emmert is going to say fog's off the table because as judge and jury of this, it would be ridiculous for him to take anything off the table before they conduct their investigation. i would be surprised if they get

the so-called death penalty. >> you know when it comes to the so-called death penalty for football programs, people say what about the kids who did nothing and the kids whose futures are tied to these universities but their actions have nothing to do with decisions made by these colleges. i remember smu growing up in texas when that took place. but there are always the innocents who end up tied up in these things. >> yeah, and the other end of it is penn state football is one of only two moneymakers -- obviously men's basketball. if there were a death penalty, that's going to knock out a bunch of so-called revenue sports. they take away that revenue. there are a lot of different things to think about. clearly, everybody's hearts go out to the victims of the jerry sandusky, just horrible acts. but yeah, the repercussions are just, it's unbelievable how far they stretch. >> backing to this statue of joe paterno outside the stadium,

there was at least one group that had a banner that said take it down or we will. many people find it offensive given wa came out in the freeh report. what's your take? >> my take is they should pull the victims of the jerry sandusky be crimes and see what they think. people tend to forget about this. listen, he get that that statue has become a symbol of joe paterno's legacy. let's not lose sight of the actual victims here. from my perspective, if the victims don't care to chime in on it, i think it would be wise for them to poll the entire university community to find out what they want to do. ultimately, i think so much focus has been put on that stupid statue that people are forgetting some of the real issues at play here. >> obviously and those issues are too hard to forget. we know that. we're hoping anyway that the victims of these crimes stay in the front of everyone's minds here. we'll see what happens with the statue. the university says seven to ten days, they'll make the decision and perhaps close the door on

it. it's always a pleasure to get your insight. coming up, v.p.s matter. just how much of an impact does a presidential candidate's vp pick have on your vote? it is our "news nation" gut check. we'll see if your thoughts are in line with the 74% who say it does matter. you can join the "news nation" on face backor facebook.com/newsnation. ington.. ...more talk on social security... ...but washington isn't talking to the american people. [ female announcer ] when it comes to the future of medicare and social security, you've earned the right to know. ♪ ...so what does it mean for you and your family? [ female announcer ] you've earned the facts. ♪ washington may not like straight talk, but i do. [ female announcer ] and you've earned a say. get the facts and make your voice heard on medicare and social security at earnedasay.org. you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can

lie on one of those. if you want a soft bed you can lie on one of those." what we do is, we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. never tried this before. this is your body there. you can see a little more pressure in the shoulders and in the hips. now you can feel what happens as we raise your sleep number setting and allow the bed to contour to your individual shape. oh wow, that feels really good. it's hugging my body. take it up one notch. oh gosh, yes. when you're playing around with that remote, you get that moment where you go, "oh yeah" ... oh, yeah! and it's perfect. they had no idea that when they came to a sleep number store, we were going to diagnose their problems and help them sleep better. once you experience it, there's no going back. wow. wow. right now, save $500 on our exceptional p6 bed set. and hurry in for the final closeout of our 2011 flexfit adjustable base. only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699.

you can join the "news nation"en 0 our twitter page at "news nation." and minutes ago, president obama welcomed the 2012 ncaa women's basketball chams to the white house. baylor's lady bears set an ncaa record for both men and women by going 40-0 en route to claiming their national championship. >> i want to thank all the outstanding young women who are behind me and the coach for making my brokt loacket look go

least on the women's side. i picked baylor over notre dame but i haven't to say it wasn't that hard. >> the president also praised team members for their outstanding achievements in the classroom. time now for the "news nation" gut check. we talked about a new poll showing 74% of registered voters think a presidential candidate's choice of running mate matters a lot or somewhat. the poll comes as we await an announcement from the governor mitt romney. what does your gut tell you? will his pick matter? cast your vote and take a look about yesterday's gut checking about facebook founder mark zuckerberg refinancing his $6 million mortgage at a rate of 1% despite him being worth $16 billion. >> olivia wrote my gut tells me he must not have money if he won't pay cash. tam ra says it's legal and he's well within his right.

>> and thomas writes the rich get richer. i'm tamron hall. it is london or bust as i leave for london. i'm leaving for london for three weeks to cover the games. the whole "news nation" will still be here. icy craig melvin is in tomorrow. watch every weekday 2:00 p.m. eastern eastern time. "the cycle" is up next. got the jetta. i wiped the floor with the guy! not really. i would've been fine with 0% for 36 months, but i demanded 60. no...i didn't do that. it was like taking candy from a baby. you're a grown man. alright, see you at home. [ male announcer ] the volkswagen autobahn for all event. we good? we're good. [ male announcer ] at 0% apr for 60 months, no one needs to know how easy it was to get your new volkswagen. that's the power of german engineering.

at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car, and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free

lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life, or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money. at liberty mutual, we help you move on with your life, so get the insurance responsible drivers like you deserve. call us at... or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you. liberty mutual insurance, responsibility -- what's your policy? this is new york state. we built the first railway, the first trade route to the west,

the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com. there is developing news this wednesday in the cycle". a strategic blow to the heart of assad's syrian regime. today in damascus, rebels targeted his inner circle. his brother-in-law defense minister and head of his crisis team are all now dead. rebels say they've planned the bombing and army helicopters are still retaliati firing on

neighborhoods as the war rages on. the u.n. security council was supposed to be voting this hour on a resolution to put additional sanctions on syria and the assad regime. that has been delayed till tomorrow. russia, of course, has veto power over the security council and has been strongly against both added sanctions or military intervention in syria. there are also reports the white house is saying to stay away from all of this till after the november elections. but pentagon chief leon panetta says we might not be able to wait that long. >> we are very concerned by the increasing violence that's taking place in syria. the violence there has only gotten worse and the loss of lives has only increased. which tells us that this is a situation that is rapidly spinning out of control. >> all right. we will start now with nbc news foreign correspondent eamon

mohyeldin and mike viqueira at the white house. ayman, you say today's attack is tactically significant. >> tactically, you've taken out the deputy minister of defense, the defense minister and a senior military officer all within the command and control structure of the military at the tip and spear of these. 0 rations to suppress the uprising. have you disrupted that to the extent that the military can not trust of who is among its midst. how did they penetrate the inner circle of the regime to carry out such a lethal explosion. even if they cannot meet to discuss out who carry out operations you get the sense of the kind of paranoia that can infiltrate the inner circles of the regime. from a psychological point of view that somebody was able to go deep into the heart of the regime with little collateral daniel no doubt is going to raise