by that decision in an enormous way for years, if the death penalty is sought. >> investigators are now poring over evidence found in james holmes' apartment. it took police two days to safely disarm it, discovering gallons of gas and body traps rigged to kill anyone who walked through the door. he had been stock piling weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition for months. no red flags were raised because it's all perfectly legal. there's no system to track stock piling fire power. no laws and no oversight or regulation of internet sales. holmes purchased ammo and tactical gear online. in fact, the only red flag holmes raised was through an online application to a local gun range. the gun range's owner grew suspicious of holmes after trying to contact him. >> when i called him, he didn't give me -- he didn't answer.

i ended up with his answering service that had a rather bizarre message on it that started me wondering a little bit about it. >> an attorney for holmes' family said she's concerned for their safety, but holmes' parents are standing by their son. last night, a vigil was held in aurora to remember the victims. 12 crosses were erected to honor the dead. michael white, a survivor of friday's massacre, questioning what motivated holmes to inflict so much pain. >> why? i mean, what's going on in your life to the point where you want to hurt other people? >> the president flew to colorado yesterday to meet with the families of the dead. mr. obama said the focus should not be on holmes but on the victims. >> when you have an opportunity to visit with families who have

lost their loved ones, as i described to them, i come to them not so much as president as i do as a father and as a husband. and i think that the reason stories like this have such an impact on us is because we can all understand what it would be to have somebody that we love taken from us in this fashion. i confess to them that words are always inadequate in these kinds of situations. >> the president also visited with those who survived the deadly rampage. but has no plans to pursue tighter regulation and oversight of existing gun laws. mitt romney agrees. >> i'm a firm believer in the second amendment, and i also believe that this is with emotions so high right now, this is really not a time to be talking about the politics associated with what happened in aurora. >> in sharp contrast, new york mayor michael bloomberg is criticizing both men for their

lack of leadership on this issue. >> how anybody can run for the highest office in the country where 48,000 people are going to get killed in the next four years and not have a plan. people say, well, you shouldn't address it now because we're in a time of crisis and mourning. yeah, well 18 months since arizona, and we did nothing. if not now, when are you going to do this? >> tonight, james holmes remains in solitary confinement in the county jail. i'm joined by nbc news' mike taibbi who is outside the courthouse in colorado. good evening, my friend. >> good evening, professor. how are you? >> i'm doing fine. where does the investigation stand right now? >> well, right now, you can guess, and this is always the case in instances like this, they're trying to build a watertight case in an instance where everything seems pretty obvious. no question who the identity was of the shooter, but he still is the alleged shooter. he's not even the accused suspect yet. he's just a suspect. he won't be formally accused until next monday.

they're trying to cover all of the bases in the investigation itself. forensic examination of the two locations, the theater and the suspect's apartment, has been completed at this point. they're now trying to compile records from the university of colorado where he was a grad student before dropping out mid-june, to try to find out a couple things. did he use his status as a graduate student to use a campus address for the delivery and acceptance of delivery for hundreds of -- at least 50 deliveries of 150 pounds of ammunition. 6,000 rounds, you made reference to it yourself, while it's legal, while online sales of ammunition are not regulated in any verifiable way, the question is whether or not somebody along the way might have noticed, should have noticed, had an opportunity to notice if something was amiss by this young man, a young man who was changing his appearance, changing his demeanor in front of people, too. one of the companion pieces is always who might have known. were there signals ahead of time? could anybody have headed it off? did anybody by inaction serve in some complicit way in allowing this horror to happen?

>> you're raising compelling and poignant questions there, my friend. what about a motive, how close are investigators to establishing one? >> they may never know. jared lotlautner has been in jail, he's not been able to assist in his own defense in arizona for the shooting you referred to before. he's never made a specific comment to explain why he did that horror and visit that horror on tucson and the country. it's possible, and look at his demeanor, his affect or lack there of, he may have transitions to some level of pathology close to psychosis where he is insane. he'll be judged to be competent or not competent. if he is not competent, he could be forced to take psychotropic drugs to see if he can be restored to competency to stand trial, but there's no certainty that's going to happen. there's no certainty he is sane enough to do it. one defense attorney who specialized in insane defenses

said you can't fake it. you can't fake insanity for months on end. they will find out in these hospital settings. if he truly is insane, that's what the lawyers call an ngi, not guilty by reason of insanity. we'll know if that will be the case at the arraignment but that could be months from now. >> giving the swirling vortex of information sucking all of us in, have we learned anything else about him? >> well, i have a theory about it, probably not enough time in the program to talk about it, but this is a guy who in some ways may have peaked in high school. a lot of us know people or may have been someone when they were 16 years old, were academic stars, athletic stars and thought it would always be that way. you get to the next level and somehow it's tougher. the glory you had in high school, the feeling of being on top of the world is want going to get you there. if this gentleman who wasn't doing well in grad school, was in a five to seven year doctoral program and had taken his preliminary examination

evaluation and perhaps could told, on the basis of that evaluation could not take his first-year comprehensive exam, he might have been that the story went out for him. he might have known that several months ago. it was in may that he started allegedly stock piling his ammunition and bought the first of his four weapons. that might have all happened at that point. that's when he dyed his hair, when things changed, when neighbors described him as sullen and unresponsive. things changed for him. he tried to sign up for a couple dating services. never followed up. he tried to join the gun club, never followed up. it was all falling apart for him. maybe at that point, the pathology of acknowledging what you thought you were always going to be, he called himself an aspiring scientist on one of the online applications, maybe he realized it wasn't going to happen, and the only way to be special, the feeling of being at the top of the hill in high school is to do something so horrific it would be unforgettable. that's a theory.

in this program, we're allowed to talk about that, but it makes sense to me. >> the always eloquent mike tee taibbi, thank you very much. obviously, this has been a very difficult time for the families of the victims. joining me now is jordan ghawi, his sister jessica was killed in friday's shooting in aurora, colorado. thank you so much for joining us. i'm so incredibly sorry for your incredible loss. >> hearing her story and the rest of the victims. >> you got a phone call from your mother on friday morning telling you about the shooting. tell us what was going through your head when you first heard that news. >> i immediately flipped into the mode i was trained for and remained calm and tried to obtain more information and see what i could do for my mother and check on the status of my sister. >> how are your mother and sister, by the way? >> my mother and father are devastated, as am i. this is about her right now. >> right. and i'm sorry, i meant yr mother and father. so how is your family been

coping with this the last few days? obviously, it's been an incredible whirlwind of information coming out, yet, you have had to cope in the midst of all that with your grief. how are they doing? >> we're coping by sharing her story and celebrating her life. they're surrounded by family and friends as am i right here. as long as we're talking about my sister and the other victims, celebrating their lives, we can remember them. >> sure, you met with president obama yesterday. did he have anything inspiring or hopeful to tell you? what did he tell you? >> he came in knowing about my sister as he did with the other victims and he sat down with us as a group and as individuals and we made sure that he knew more about each and every one of the victims when he left. >> sure. do you think that there should be a push for tighter gun laws given the horror that you just endured and how it has impacted you personally, do you feel compelled to push for tighter gun laws?

>> here's the thing, we can try to politicize this and make a polarizing debate and make this a tenant of the election, but that's not what we're here to do. we're here to celebrate the lives of the victims who were lost. if someone wants to do harm to somebody, they're going to find a way to do it, whether it be with a weapon such as a rifle or whether it be with any sort of means. we should start to think about why people are doing this. the reason they're doing this is because they want their names out there. you look at brevin, he killed 77 people in oslo to get his manifesto out there. he wanted those 600 pages read by the world. what we're doing now by talking about the shooter is providing them with a platform they're using to get their names and stories out there. >> why don't we talk about the platform you have to tell us about her sister. tell us about her story and her life, what makes it so compelling to us. >> it's not just my sister. it's the other families. you look inside of this and amidst chaos, you had heroes, john, alex, and matt who died to protect the ones they loved. this was a chaotic scene. these people had dreams, these people had promise, so much more to live for and they were cut short. now it's about getting their stories out there. not just my sister.

my sister's story has been told. i want the rest of the victims to come out and tell their stories to you and the rest of the world and get this coward's name and image off the national media circuit. >> a humanistic impulse in the midst of incredible grief and agony. thank you so much, jordan ghawi, for joining us tonight. >> thank you. coming up on "the ed show," congress woman jan schakowsky sees the value in gun control legislation, but she's almost totally alone? why? the congresswoman joins me, next. we know a place where tossing and turning 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.

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coming up, the president's press secretary said there won't be a push for new gun control laws in the wake of the tragedy in colorado. congresswoman jan schakowsky joins me with reaction, next. a republican speaks out against michele bachmann's witch hunt. we'll have the details. and later, remembering the 12 victims of friday's shooting in colorado. hear their stories from their family and friends. share your thoughts with us on

facebook and twitter using the hash tag ed show. we'll be right back.

welcome back to "the ed show." the aurora shooting will not bring about any new discussion from president obama about gun control. of course, the president did the right thing by going to aurora yesterday and meeting with families of the lost and survivors. but his press secretary said there would be no new push on gun control. quote, the president believes we need to take steps that protect second amendment rights of the american people but assure that we're not allowing weapons into the hands of individuals who should not be existing law

obtain those weapons. the president's view is we can take steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them under existing law. that's his focus right now. when asks about an assault weapons ban, he said, as you know, there's been opposition to that since it expired within congress, so the president is focused on doing the things we can do that protect second amendment rights, which he thinks is important, but also to make it harder for individuals who should not under existing law have weapons to obtain them. and just a little fyi, the aurora mass shooting is not an anomaly in america. here's a map showing 36 mass murders across america in the past 30 years compiled by mother jones. and in each case, the shootings happened during a single incident in a public place and the shooter took the lives of at least four people. let's bring in congresswoman jan schakowsky of illinois. welcome to the show. >> thank you, professor.

>> are you disappointed that president obama won't get behind some form of gun control? >> i think the president is correct in thinking that it's unlikely, impossible, i would say right now, for any kind of substantial legislation to pass the house of representatives and probably the senate as well. but i think it is time to have that conversation. look, the national rifle association and others say, well, it's not time to be political. but it's they, the national rifle association and their kin that are making a public safety issue a political issue. they don't want to see any kind of legislation that would not only keep guns out of the hands of crazy individuals, but why does any individual need an automatic weapon? why do they need to buy 6,000 bullets? why do they need to have a high capacity magazine, the ability to shoot off 100 bullets in just

a few seconds and kill so many people? i think that most americans, even those, i imagine, that are part of the national rifle association, think that there are some limits that are reasonable and still protect second amendment rights. >> sure. you know what strikes me here, of course, is that when you hear the epithets being hurled on either side about politization of the issue, we know if that kind of amassing and stock piling of that kind of potential to hurt people through that, you know, through though bullets and guns and gases and the bombs and the like, if this had been stock piled by a person who was more likely to look reasonably offensive, a muslim, another minority, do you think the red flag would have gone up sooner than with this seemingly innocent young white man who under cover and protection of appearing normal was out to do some heinous deeds?

>> you know, maybe, although given the lack of regulation of purchasing ammunition on the internet, given the lax gun laws and so many places, i'm not so sure that we could have stopped anybody, particularly one with this kind of intention. >> but do you think the fedex man would have noticed if he's taking something to an address constantly and they're seeing a pattern is being established. no red flag at all there? >> it could be. you know, one of the gun ranges actually turned him down because there was this odd message that was on his machine. there may be signals, and you're right, it may be if he had a different profile or looked different, that he might have been discovered, but the point is -- the point i think for the country is how many instances like this is it going to take before we say enough is enough?

you know, one of my colleagues nearly dying, but several people dying in the meantime near her including a 9-year-old child, a 6-year-old on friday. at what point are we going to say, let's take a look at the proliferation of guns. do we really want to be afraid to go to the movies? in chicago, people are afraid to walk certain streets. it is time for us to look carefully and have a rational conversation. the nra won't tolerate such a conversation. >> why is it even in your own party, however, your pleas for some kind of rational process here falls on deaf ears, even on those in your own party? >> it's very clear that the national rifle association is a very powerful political force. when they say that they're going to score a member of congress, that is rate him according to his votes, the most ridiculous pieces of legislation pass automatically. there was an amendment passed in the house with over 300 votes

that said in the case of bankruptcy, individuals may keep $3,000 worth of guns protected from any creditor. i mean, really, guns become the priority of the national rifle association and they scare the bejesus out of members of congress and threaten them with primary elections and with defeating them with ads. they have spent over $7 million on elections in the last cycle. and they're prepared to do it again. i think most americans, if you ask the question, aren't there some reasonable gun safety legislation that you would support? i think they would say yes. >> right. well, the accuracy of your account there is more chilling than most horror movies. congresswoman jan schakowsky, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. up next, the secret support for gun control. find out what the vast majority of americans really think and why the nra is not going to like it. senator john mccain shows

some leadership against michele bachmann's ridiculous witch hunt, and other republicans step up to the plate to do the right thing. why can't this happen more often? stay with us. ♪ ♪ i'd do anything for you, dear ♪ ♪ anything 'cause you mean everything to me ♪ ♪ i'd know that i'd go anywhere ♪ ♪ for your smile ♪ anywhere

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welcome back. do you think americans want tougher gun control laws or not? the real answer might surprise you. the latest pugh research poll shows most americans value gun rights over restrictions. it's not a wide margin.

49% say it's more important to protect the right to own a gun. but that hasn't always been the case. support for stricter gun laws actually spiked right after the columbine high school shootings in 1999. posters call it the columbine bump. after the long haul, that support for stricter gun laws looks like it's dropped or has it? it really depends on the question you ask. when pollsters ask about specific gun restrictions, this is what they get instead. 86% of americans want background checks. 63% want a ban on high capacity clips in magazines. 69% want to limit the number of guns you can buy at a time. 66% want a national gun registry, and a whopping 88% think people on the terror watch list should not be able to buy a gun. it turns out most americans support common sense restrictions on guns, but it's unlikely any of those common sense measures will be passed any time soon. i'm joined by ari melber, kelly goff, and republican strategist

ron christie. ari, let me go to you first. why isn't anyone offering common sense gun restrictions in the wake of the shootings in colorado? we wring our hands time and time again when this occurs but nothing moves the needle in terms of legislation. >> i think that's the question. and it's partly because we have a systemic problem in the way we deal with these tragedies. i would propose like a different set of ground rules. i would say you have the right to treat this as a period of mourning, absent any policy reform, and you have the right to respond to this tragedy by looking at what we can do as a country to change the underlying policies. the nra has a right to get up and talk about how they don't think basically any rules should ever be added to the way we regulate guns, and they do not have a right -- this is important -- they do not have a right to shut the rest of us up when we look at this tragedy, which echos so many other tragedies and figure out ways we

can regulate in this area. and the last thing i'll say on that is i grew up in a house with a gun. a lot of americans have. the question here isn't obviously whether there should be guns anywhere for hunting and self-defense. the question president clinton answered by signing the assault weapons ban, which is now expired, the question is whether we think weapons that are designed for mass murder have a place on the streets. i think the answer is no. i think the nra has a strangle hold over both parties on the issue. >> ms. goff, let me ask you this then. mitt romney says we don't need stricter gun legislation. when he was governor of massachusetts, he signed an assault weapons ban into law. when you go hunting, you don't need an ak-47. yogi bear is not wearing a kevlar jacket. here is how he explains the contradiction. >> as the governor of massachusetts, you did sign legislation restricting or banning assault weapons. did that work in massachusetts to your satisfaction?

>> well, actually, the law that we signed in massachusetts was a combination of efforts both on the part of those that were for additional gun rights and those who opposed gun rights, and they came together and made some changes that provided, i think, a better environment for both. and that's why both sides came to celebrate the signing of the bill. >> ms. goff, your response. >> i'm confused. is this a segment where i'm supposed to pretend that i'm surprised mitt romney was flip-flopping on the issue. i didn't know that's what we were here to talk about. that's a whole segment in itself. he was for it before he was against it, just like abortion, just like universal health care. it adds to the list of things he doesn't seem to have a committed position on. what else is new? to answer the initial question about whether or not we're going to get traction on this and why we can't seem to get traction on an issue that most americans do support gun control. why don't our legislators? the answer is simple, we have four branches of government, not three, the executive, judicial,

legislative and the nra. that seems to be the fourth branch of government running things in the country. neither party including president obama seems to have the courage to go toe to toe with them. it's disappointing and every american should not only feel shame that we have members of congress who can't get an assault weapons ban passed but we should feel enraged our tax dollars are paying their salary. >> ron, in light of all this, do you think it makes sense even for those who support the second amendment strongly, many who are conservative and many more who happen to be members of the nra, does it make sense to say, look, this is a common sense approach here? we support the second amendment, but there have to be limited imposed. do you think there's some limit here and that incidents like this spark outrage and the want to do something legislatively? >> i'm deeply upset by what happened in aurora. i'm deeply upset that we haven't had the burials for the victims.

we haven't had to time to reflect on those who were injured and those who lost a loved one and we're already talking about the nra as if the nra had anything to do with this. >> they did. >> the national rifle association had nothing to do with this. >> they did, ron. >> they had nothing to do with this. kelly, i didn't interrupt you. >> i'm sorry. i just disagree with you on this. >> this is a deranged individual. an individual who acted with premeditation to take the lives of innocent people. let's grieve, let's have the process that we have the time to reflect. in 2011, president obama and members of congress didn't press for an assault weapons ban or gun control after gabby giffords' tragic shooting. you didn't see that in 2004 when the expiration of the ten-year assault weapon took place. >> and that's why this happened. >> we didn't have any pushback, isn't that the point? >> you have harry reid who is now the senate majority leader who didn't favor extending the assault weapons ban. you had dianne feinstein saying

yesterday on television, this is not the time for congress to be debating these issues. >> bipartisan complicity is not right on either side. >> i'm not saying it's bipartisan complicity. it's less than three days after the tragic shooting. let's reflect, honor the memory of the people who were lost. >> let me let brother melber jump in. >> i think ron is expressing something heartfelt and has every right to. that's what i was getting at. he has the right to focus on mourning. if he thinks that's what is appropriate right now but other people in america have the right to look at the tragedy and look at solutions. and to the second substantive point you raise, ron, you are absolutely correct. you and i both know and many people should know to the extent anyone cares about gun control, whether it's the assault weapons ban or regulating sales of ammunition on the internet and other things that are fairly common sense, that do help the police, i think, in these issues, those things have been stymied by the leadership in both parties. i think that's a huge problem. anyone who's watching this segment and thinks this is about

romney versus obama would be missing not only the tone but the facts. the democratic party has stood by and let the assault weapons ban expire and has not moved on this issue, but i am not going to apologize to anyone for raising this as a policy matter in a time where the country does look here and wants to figure out how these weapons are so available. that is one appropriate, not the only, but one appropriate response when we see these tragedies. >> ms. goff, let me throw this in, in terms of the facts. and then you respond. investigators say holmes legally brought the four guns, the tear gas, the body armor, and thousands of rounds of ought the four guns, the tear gas, the body armor, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. should these purchases be legal? the fact they're legal has opened the door to the extensive carnage that we have seen here. >> no, and other poll shows the majority of americans do support having a limit on the amount of ammunition and firearms that someone can buy in any given sitting. what i want to say is ron, apologies for interrupting you. i'm going to get in trouble from mom who's watching at home for that. i feel passionate about the issue.

one of the things i'm frustrated about is people on both sides of the aisle, this is not a democrat or republican issue, are counting on you to say what you said, this is not the right time to talk about it. and they're counting on the fact we keep waiting and waiting and waiting, and then the public who cares about the issue, is engaged in the issue, will forget about the issue, and then it goes away until 18 months later another shooting like this happens again and the cycle starts all over again. when are we allowed to talk about it if not now? when are we allowed to talk about it? >> we'll talk about it after the break. ari melber, kelly goff, and ron christie stay with us. there's a lot more coming up in the next half hour on "the ed show." stay tuned. >> there's influence from the muslim brotherhood in the highest levels of the federal government. >> grover norquist calls the republican attack on hillary clinton's top aide, quote, completely indefensible. the muslim brotherhood said they can't even penetrate the egyptian government. the panel weighs in on the good things that can happen when the

republican leadership calls out the crazy. >> and the man behind the colorado massacre has stolen enough headlines. later, we'll pay homage to the victims with the words from their families.

welcome back to "the ed show." it's a sad state of affairs when a scurrilous allegation by congress woman michele bachmann leads to this. huma abedin, a top aide to secretary of state hillary clinton is now under police protection because of a death threat from a new jersey man according to the "new york post." congresswoman bachmann and four other house republicans had sent letters to security officials suggesting she has tied to islamic extremists. but last week's major leadership moment by senator john mccain changed the picture. he denounced the claims against abedin and then others republicans called out bachmann as well.

the latest comes from jim sensenbrenner -- i love his name -- who defended abedin at a town hall meeting. >> i do know huma abedin, and i think that the comments that were made about her in that letter, whether or not they were taken out of context, were the wrong thing to do. >> but when the constituents pushed back, so did congressman sensenbrenner. >> i think there's a political ideology that's a concern in islam that is concerning and that should be looked at and that people should -- we should know that this person is not -- >> the first amendment prohibits the government from making a distinction between what is good religion and what is bad religion. that's none of the government's business. i just quoted two sections of the constitution, ma'am. you know, one in the original constitution that says no

religious tiffs so the fact that huma abedin is a muslim, whether or not she practices it, is none of the government's business or for that matter, any of the rest of our's business. >> to coin a phrase, that's what i'm talking about. i'm joined again by ari, kelly, and ron. still more republicans taking the truly principle stand in the face of the outrageous attack on huma abedin. does all this put a stop to the witch hunt by congresswoman michele bachmann, ari melber? >> i think it stops it in its tracks. we talk on this show and a lot of people about some of the really rough sides of the right wing. and i think this is an important time for us to go on record and really say, although it is, to me, it is quite obvious you should hold these positions and they're old and in the constitution, it's also a time to say good for mr. sensenbrenner, good for john boehner and john mccain who led this charge.

this is something that comes up at different times in american history. the mccarthy hearings in large part related to a long list that was never actually released but a long list that was used to smear and put out innuendos about supposed communists in the state department. instead of communists, it's supposed muslims or practicing muslims or as sensenbrenner said it so well, none of our business. i think they hit the nail on the head. it will stop some of this. that's important because we can't put it aside and say we shouldn't be talking about it. once a member of congress lodges these serious allegations based on smears, based on bigotry or racism, it has to be stopped. >> mccarthyism 2.0 to be sure. grover norquist's wife is a muslim. he responded to the allegations saying it's completely indefensible, there's nothing else to say. does it, frankly, help when people have a personal experience with prejudice or

themselves have been on the receiving end of a witch hunt, that they are much more empathetic? we know this as people of color or minorities who struggle against the main stream lack of a kind of personal story and narrative, does this help? >> absolutely. look, there have been stories about for instance, elected officials even here in the state of new york who switched their vote on gay marriage because they had gay neighbors and their kids were being raised in a house full of love and that changed their position. and we saw this on people who had one position on interracial couples until they had a half black, half white grandkid. it's really refreshing for once to see our politics united against hate for a change as opposed to united in hate. and i center to say, usually congresswoman bachmann is on my list with alan keyes and other for being some of the most entertaining, sort of wacky individuals in politics. she's crossed the line from eccentric wacky aunt to someone her own campaign manager said crossed over into evil territory.

she's rapidly losing her entertainment value. >> dr. evil would have a whack hat to hit her with. ron christy, why don we see more leadership moments like this on issues like gun control or taxes or the deficit from republicans who dare to speak out against lockstep positions in their own party, like grover norquist insisting people sign a pledge not to raise taxes? >> you have seen a remarkable amount of republican leadership on the issue of taxes and budget reform. the republicans have passed a budget. the senate refuses to negotiate on that issue. let me go back to michele bachmann. this is very, very important and it pains me to have this conversation with you. i'm a big fan of hers. but i think that as -- i'm an unapologetic fan of michele bachmann. >> perhaps an apology tonight? >> as a member of the house intelligence committee and as someone who is a lawyer, if she has the facts, she's got to put them out there. you can't have a senior member

of congress come out with these sorts of allegations against a private citizen and then now find that person in the situation where they have death threats lodged against them. you have a great responsibility and a great amount of power, and i think grover norquist was right. her comments were indefensible, they were wrong. them out there. you can't have a senior member of congress come out with these allegations against a private citizen and then find that person has death threats against them. you have a great amount of power, and i think the reverend was right. her comments were inadmissible, they were wrong, and if she can't say here's the exact connections, i think it was irresponsible for what she said. >> even the muslim brotherhood responded saying, quote, the muslim brotherhood can't even penetrate the egyptian government in reference for how hard it's been for newly elected presidents to take power. regarding america, one president said, i haven't heard these rumors but they strike me as ridiculous. surely the united states government selects its employees very carefully. i mean, what do you all make of that here? here's the muslim neighborhood saying we can't even get on in the home team, what are we going to do with foreign agents of our particular idealogy in politics? >> it's funny, because on the one hand you sort of see they're to do with foreign agents of our particular idealogy in politics?

>> it's funny, because on the one hand you sort of see they're actually using the question. what a lot of politicians do is get to their own issues which is the concern there that the egyptian military has retained more of the key legislative powers in egypt, and that's more what they care about than our own scuffles. the other part is the serious part, which is, again. and out of order period, also have the unintended consequence of muddying up discussions we may or may not be having with other political parties and governments around the world. again, not the role you want to play as a member of congress. >> all right, concomitant. it means at the same time. thank you so very much. >> thank you. >> coming up, mitt romney's trouble with the truth. he misquotes a foreign minister, maligns the american economy, and makes international news in

the process. that story is next.

up next, lost in translation. australia's foreign minister says mitt romney's misinterpretation about america is incorrect. then we'll hear from the family and friends of friday's shooting in aurora, colorado, as they remember their loved ones. stay tuned. those little things still get you. for you, life's about her. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach,

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welcome back. mitt romney's trip overseas isn't until later this week, but he's already causing some tension with one of america's closest allies. romney met privately with australian foreign minister bob carr. later romney said carr and other foreign leaders think america is in decline. romney said, with this idea of america being in decline, it was interesting carr said that. he led the talk of america being in decline. romney says business won't

invest in america because of decline. but here's the problem. carr never said america is in decline. he had to release a statement saying romney's interpretation is simply not correct. president obama had this response. >> so if anyone tries to tell you that our greatness is past, that america is in decline, you tell them this. just like the 20th century, the 21st century is going to be another great american century. for we are americans, blessed with the greatest form of government ever devised by man, a democracy dedicated to freedom and committed to the ideals that still light the world. we will never apologize for our way of life, we will never waver in its defense. we are a nation that keeps the peace and turns back aggression.

we are americans who welcome our global responsibilities and our global leadership. the united states has been and will remain the one indispensable nation in world affairs. >> all of this madness about where obama stands and is he really american and truly a defender of the nation? that's the president speaking in defense of his country. coming up, we're going to remember the 12 lives that were lost in friday's shooting. stay tuned. eligible for medicare?

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welcome back to "the ed show." in memoriam tonight, we remember the 12 people's lives that were tragically cut short in friday's colorado shooting. >> he really was a renaissance man at 18 years old. he played viola, played on the baseball team. he had more friends than anybody i have ever known. >> 51 year-old gordon cowden. his two teenage daughters escaped unharmed. >> she was pass at, she was curious, she was boisterous, she was well loved. >> i want people to remember that heart, remember the good things she's done, remember that smile, what were her possibilities, what were her peculiar spec tifz, what she could have done in the future?

>> matthew r. mcquinn was one of those killed in colorado yesterday. he moved to colorado with his girlfriend. >> i think they were very devoted to each other and very much in love. they had the sparkle of love in their eyes when they looked at each other. >> 23-year-old micayla medek attended a community college. >> she loved the batman adventure. she was really looking guard to going to this premier. >> this was my little girl that was killed in the shooting. a six-year-old, excited, just learned how to swim. just a great little girl. excited about life. we should be at six years old. >> friday was alex sullivan's 27th birthday. survived by his parents, wife and a sister, his family says alex was smart, funny and above all, loved by his family. >> he was a wonderful nephew, he was a wonderful person, loving,

caring, intelligent. if the world were filled with people like him, we would have no problems. he always put everybody else ahead of himself. >> staff sergeant jeffrey childress, an air force reservist, 29 years old. a cyberspecialist who loved sports, the kind of guy, the sort of friend who would help anybody. petty officer third class john larimer. 27 years old. who, like his father and grandfather before him, joined the navy and who is remembered as an outstanding shipmate. rebecca wingo, 32 years old. a veteran of the air force, fluent in chinese who served as a translator, a mother whose life will be an inspiration to her two little girls. and jonathan blunk from reno. just 26 years old but a veteran of three navy tours whose family and friends will always know

that in that theater he gave his own life to save another. >> the tragic losses of a senseless tragedy. our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of those lost in the colorado shooting. that's "the ed show." i'm michael dyson in for ed schultz. ezra klein is in for rachel mad dow tonight. ezra klein is filling in for rachel maddow tonight. >> good evening and thank you very much. thank you to you at home for staying with us for this hour. rachel has the night off. in colorado today, the suspect in last week's mass shooting in the denver suburb appears in court for the first time. james holmes had what is called a first advisement this morning. he sat with one of his court apointed attorneys. reporters in the courtroom said his lawyer shielded him from victims of the shooting and the relatives who had come for the hearing. he is not expected to be charged formally in the case until next week. the trial itself could be as much as a year away. prosecutors say the man stormed into a midnight premiere of the new batman movie last week in

the city of aurora. he came in with tear gas and guns and wearing enough protective gear that police almost reportedly mistook him for one of their own. though officers arrived in two minutes, he managed to kill 12 people and wound 58 others. he was armed with a pair of glock handguns, a 12-gauge shotgun, and an ar-15 assault rifle. all appear to have been purchased legally. law enforcement in colorado said he had stockpiled bullets before the massacre. he stored up 6,000 rounds buying from ammunition suppliers online. the list includes 3,000 rounds for handguns, 3,000 for the assault rifle, and 350 shells for the shotgun. just like the guns used in friday night's massacres, all of the bullets were also purchased legally. for the victims, the family and friends, for aurora and the rest of the country, the shootings were stunning, traumatic, and as horrible as an event can be. to know about it is to be full of grief.