and message. >> the attacks on diplomatic missions stretch to go yemen this morning. look at this new video. hundreds now making it o to the grounds of an embassy, yemen's president apologizing to president obama for that. then in egypt, demonstrators clashed with police outside of the embassy in cairo, clashing now for a third straight day. egyptian president morsi calling for calm, but also slamming attacks on the muslim faith. morsi's comments following a phone call with president obama and the president said this to telemundo anchor jose diaz. >> would you consider the current egyptian regime an ally of the united states? >> i don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy. they are a new government that is trying to find its way. they were democratically elected. i think that we will have to see how they respond to this incident. >> not an ally and not an enemy. two u.s. warships are moving in

to coast along the coast of libya as the hunt continues for killers of four americans. president obama vowing justice and continuing search for the murderers and their motive. >> as for the ones we lost last night, i want to assure you we will bring their killers to justice. >> meanwhile mitt romney will hold a campaign event in virginia within the hour still causing a stir after doubling down on his criticism of president obama as an poll guest in chief. politicians here and home and oversay sea oversay sees debating the judgment. >> these are moments that test the characters of the candidates. >> there is a lack of leadership there and that's what i would be hoping about and i hope mitt romney will be looking at the big picture. >> i think it was a big mistake. and it was because we're at the point of the campaign now where these impressions start to harden into concrete. >> you know what else it was, it

was desperate. it was a desperate political tactic at a time that a u.s. ambassador was dead. >> nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in cairo and we have the name of one of the two security individuals killed. one of the people killed identified as glen doherty, a native of winchester, mass. he served as navy s.e.a.l. for nine years leaving the navy in 2005 to go into private security. we know it's been hours since this attack. we've hd secretary clinton come out denouncing the videotape freshly this morning. it seems to spark the protests and riots that we've seen. cairo now growing to yemen. one would think that as quickly as word spread about this obscure video that got everyone upset, that word would spread just as quickly that the u.s. had nothing to do with this and

it would calm the tensions. why do people continue to protest and why are they spreading? >> reporter: it is spreading because the hard liners who were so in-tur yated by that video, the hard linerses who were inspired to take to the streets aren't listening to that message, they are not the kind of people who want to hear what the secretary of state has to say. they would like to see the u.s. take action. they would like to see the people who matt videotape arrested, they would like to see changes in laws in the united states that prevent these kind of reported messages that are inflammatory blocked in the united states. the clashes are still very much ongoing here in cairo. we just came down from the middle of that fray and i can tell you we spoke to some of the protesters there. some of them are very young. some of them had their shirts off, scarves around their face,

throwing tear gas back on to the security forces. they're firing stones. i asked them why they are out here, what they're trying to do. they say that they want to get to the u.s. embassy and carry out an attack on the embassy compound. they believe that the u.s. embassy and the united states is responsible and agrees with the content of that very obscure video. they had not heard the secretary's statements, but talking to them as i it did, they are not the kind of people who will listen to those statements anyway.t did, they are not the kind of people who will listen to those statements anyway. did, they are not the kind of people who will listen to those statements anyway.did, they are not the kind of people who will listen to those statements anyway. >> we heard the president tell telemundo that egypt is not an enemy or an ally. a statement like that, what are the implications especially with less than two weeks to go before the u.n.? >> reporter: i think the implications for egypt are significant. this was the united states president putting a line in the sand saying egypt has to proof itself, proof its friendship,

that it cannot take u.s. support, u.s. military, u.s. financial support for granted. will egypt listen to that or will egypt become a stand of principal with the new egyptian president saying we don't need you, we have the arab world behind you, we have the muslim world behind you that is something that remains to be seen. but it is a very different policy indication coming from the united states washington, who has long considered kree gipt not just an al lie, but one of its main allies in the arab world. egypt is the biggest arab country in the world. so for the president to come out and say, well, it's not really an ally anymore raises the question, well, why did the united states support this entire movement, the entire arab spring movement which began here and which is changing here if only to help bring about a government that at least tacetly

supports the activities on the ground. but i must say egypt shan security forces are it taking aggressive stance, firing a tremendous amount of tear gas. the egyptian riot police are themselves being pelted by stones as they are keeping protesters away from the embassy. and so far it does seem successful. we didn't see any demonstrators getting within a few hundred yards of the embassy itself. >> and to libya, is there any new information about the hunt for the attackers that killed the four americans including the u.s. ambassador? >> reporter: the only information is that hunt is clearly under way with drones being called in to action, the two u.s. warships being sent off the yemeni coast. the sus pish shan appears to be an al qaeda or al qaeda-affiliated cell in libya. and there are many libyan militias, the libyan government is against these al qaeda cells. so the u.s. will have

considerable local support and local intelligence with its fight. i think the chances of finding the perpetrators are actually quite high. >> richard engel reporting for us from cry r kay rowcairo. i want to bring in today's political power. david, president obama's sgripgs description of egypt saying not an am llly and not an enemy, wh might egypt be more long term worry for the obama administration? >> well, the biggest concern is that as egypt goes, so goes rest of the region. 70 million people and most powerful of the arab states.

but also a bellwether as it was in the early days of the arab spring. i think the concern about both the way the president characterized egypt's role and the way egypt's regarded today is that it could become more like pakistan. in other words, an ally in name, but worrying about what they are allowing to fester within the country itself. and you have seen president morsi walk this extraordinarily careful line between not wanting to walk away from the united states or the aid package and so forth, but also he's the first representative of the muslim brotherhood ever to take power. and he's got a base he has to worry about. >> john mccain appeared on "morning joe" today. i want to play for everybody what he said about the spreading turmoil now that we see rioters in the streets. >> the united states in the middle east is weak. we are seen as withdrawing and we are paying a price for that

weakness, whether it be unraveling in iraq, the tragedy in syria, the tensions with israel and the afghan situation unraveling. >> jack, how do you respond is this should americans feel partially responsible for what's happening in the middle east in because we injected ourselves in to pushing for change there, but may not be following through when it comes to the leadership. and basically nation building. >> well, part of the problem the americans have always had is we talk about doing something and then we pull back after the fact. we can go back into 980s and afghanistan. certainly my former employer was involved in that issue. but we can go back again and again. i think to highlight what mr. sanger was talking about, let's think about the egyptians. our number one ally in the region was the israellys. we paid them more than anybody else. number two was the egyptian.

so contempt bllate what it mean. the americans need to be continue to be involved here because if they pull back now, i think what it can do is create a vacuum and create even more instability. things like this do happen. but i to think there is a distinction right now between what's going on in egypt and this yemen and what we saw in libya. you look at that as an attack specifically with rpgs, wheres as in the other two countries is a lot of people on the ground who are upset on a religious issue. at least president obama is making the distinction here between it not being islam and it being these more conservative or extremist elements. and i think that is really critical. >> as we talk about in our morning editorial meeting, a lot of us are surprised at the demonstrations that we see and how close that they are getting to our embassies as we talk about in yemen. and let's remind everybody what happened in october of 2000, the

u.s. cole coal bombing where we lost 17 of our service members, and people widely consider yemen to be an active hot bed of terrorism activity p.17 of our people widely consider yemen to be an active hot bed of terrorism activity p. it's been on the radar for a long time. but explain for these embassies and to all of us who don't know. it's been on the radar for a long time. but explain for these embassies and to all of us who don't know what is the security common in these places and how much do we rely on the countries hosting us to help with that security? >> the security of the embassies is ultimately the responsibility of the host government where we have at the embassies diplomatic security and military personnel in many instances americans guarding the embassy and the post. but ultimately the host country is the one that will be responsible and president morsi himself said yesterday in egypt that they will take action to ensure their security. so we need to make sure that as

we analyze what's happening around the region, it that we're not painting with too broad of a brush a whole society. there are many egyptian, maybe libyans coming out in support of the united states and in support of our embassies. so we need to ensure that that's focused on, as well, and the security instances are clearly going to continue. but you those relationships matter. >> you make a great point about being specific about who is causing this mayhem and not casting a broad brush on the whole of these countries. gentlemen, my thanks to all three of you. i appreciate you making the time for us. so blocking votes. a new report suggesting voter i.d. laws could have a huge impact on voters this election season. particularly minority voters. we'll talk more about that, what states and what courts are saying about it. and then charlie crist fully embraced, look at that, on the campaign trail. we bring you the details ahead. and if you've got a bear hug picture for us, an otter hug,

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is. we are watching developing news out of philadelphia, where oral arguments on a controversial new voter i. di law are under way at the state supreme court. and for the first time ever, that high court is televising these proceedings on this matter. the law going into effect on election day and it would require all voters to show specific forms of i.d. at the polls. take a listen. naacp president had a rally just months ago. >> the question in front of pennsylvania today is which way, pennsylvania. forward, this line, with the tradition of democracy in this country or backwards towards

dark days long since forgotten. >> big morning in philadelphia. ron al when is live at the courthouse with the latest. >> reporter: it's a six person panel. one july is not participating. three democrat, lee republicans who are elected and most likely they'll vote alo partisan laws and the law will stay on the books is what most people are guessing. as you said, the law is specific. it requires certain forms of voter i. d. to vote. opponents are saying it will disenfranchise tens of thousands of people if not more who don't have time to get that i.d. now and who don't have it. and this issue is wrapped in politics. it was a republican legislation that passed this law, republican

government signed it, and it has been here and in many states across the country democrats and the obama administration who have been fighting these laws. and it's not just about photo i.d. it's about provisional ballots and how they'll be counted, about renlg strag drigistration. and a lot of people say it could affect the outcome of the 2012 election particularly if swing states like here, ohio, florida, where also battles are under way, as well. and here we only have about, oh, a couple of weeks before registration ends. about 50 days until the election. so a lot of these battles are be fought in federal courts, state courts and they'll go right down to the wire. >> you make a great point about the other states we're watching. it was on august 30th that a federal three judge panel declared what was taking place in texas, they declared it as they said that the voter i.d. law there would pose strict unforgiving burdens on the poor.

noted the racial minorities there in texas would be more likely to live in poverty. are all of these states basically dealing with the same questions when it gets to the courts? are they all strung with the same needle and thread? >> the opponents of these laws say they are voter suppression, that they are making it harder for minorities, elderly, students, those demographics, those groups to vote. supporters say it's about protecting the vote. and they say that in an age where you have to show an i.d. at the airport or to get into office building, it's not an unreasonable burden to show a picture i. di to do something as sacred as voting. but again, it comes down to how the laws are being implemented. here the requirement is viktstr. in other states, there are requirements that allow you to sign an affidavit that says you are who you are and the poll worker will take your word for

it. in some states you can sign a provisional ballot and then bring your i.d. later. mr. so in some states they have sebse out september out more information about how to comply. but it's an effort to limit the vote of the group that supported president obama in 2008.about h. but it's an effort to limit the vote of the group that supported president obama in 2008.informa. but it's an effort to limit the vote of the group that supported president obama in 2008.to comp. but it's an effort to limit the vote of the group that supported president obama in 2008.comply. but it's an effort to limit the vote of the group that supported president obama in 2008. supporters saying it's about protecting voter fraud. both sides stipulate that they do not expect to have any in person vote are fraud in the upcoming election or in the press past. >> ron al when reporting live at the state supreme court for us in philadelphia. ron, thanks so much. so also going on this morning in front of a packed house at the national cathedral in washington, family and colleagues of space pioneer neil armstrong said a formal good-bye. the first man on the moon died last month after heart surgery. and among the speakers, best

friend and appal low 11 mission commander michael who said fate got it right when she chose armstrong to be the first moon walker. >> no one, but no one, could have accepted the responsibility of his remarkable accomplishment with more dignity and more grace than neil armstrong. he embodied all that is good and all that is great about america. >> neil armstrong's family has urged americans to give a wink and think of him when the moon smiles down at night. a life well lived. mom: ready to go to work? ♪ ♪ ♪

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noork city's health board just voted to ban supersized sugary drinks at restaurants and concession stands. so this mean as 16 ounce limit

on cups and bottles on nondiet soda sweetened teas and other camry packed beverages. this does not apply to supermarkets or convenience store, but health officials say the ban is necessary to fight obesity. it doesn't say anything about getting back up for free refills, though. so there you go. here's a look at other stories topping the news. up to 200 million brand new iphone 5s could be sold by the end of next year. experts expecting 40 billion sales by the end of this year. it goes on pre-sale tomorrow. look at that beauty. that means sales of millions more adapters since apple has changed the adapter size. analysts predict apple's stock size could surge into the quad ri quadruple digits. so you thought $4 a gallon for gat was high? try $8 and $9. more than 50 stations in new jersey and pennsylvania have

doubled their prices in protest of a pricing scheme by like oil. at one station, an unsuspecting customer saw prices as high as $9.99 a gallon. like it or not, you're about to know exactly what you're getting when you scarf down a big mac and friday. because starting on monday, mcdonald's will post the calorie count on their menus. by next year, all major food chains could be required to follow suit. you've seen car chases in los angeles before. but when was the last time you saw something like this? look at the screen. suspects throwing wads of cash out the car window as officers close in. not a scene from a movie either. the alleged bank robbers were ultimately cornered after they got stopped by heavy traffic. two men arrested, two other suspects still at large. but they drew quite a crowd. we are keeping our eyes on the van dyke park in fair fax, virginia. mitt romney expected to hold a rally there in just a few minutes while he criticizes the president's handling of the

embassy violence in libya. now what has grown into cairo and also reports of yemen. but republicans have been critical of him, although he does have some support. and we show you these live pictures on the streets of cairo where protesters continue this hour. tear gas being fired into the crowd. we'll bring you the latest and take a closer look at the controversial film being blamed for spark this uproar.

developing right now, two events we are keeping an eye on. they're about to kick off on the campaign trail on the left of your screen, you see live pictures from eau claire, wisconsin. that is where -- excuse me, from virginia where mitt romney is attending a rally in fair fax. a suburb of washington, d.c. peter alexander will join me there in a few minutes. and on the right, live pictures from eau claire, wisconsin, where vice president joe biden will address supporters coming up in the noon hour.

wisconsin we remind you home state of paul ryan. we're also keeping a close watch on the breaking develops from the arab world. more live pictures in cairo where police are clashing with protesters after egypt's president vowed to protect the u.s. embassy there. will have been similar protests of the u.s. embassy in yemen, protesters managing to scale the walls but no one hurt. all this violence sparked by a little known internet video now viewed 1.4 million times on youtube. it's been blocked in libya and egypt. just a short time ago, hillary clinton denounced the video and violence that it has spawned. >> this video is disgusting and reprehensible. it appears to have a deeply cynical purpose to denigrate a

great religion and to promote rage. >> now the question is who actually made this film. it's a question proving a bit difficult toaibbi has been tryi get to the bottom of it. >> reporter: i'm one of thousands of journalists trying to get to the bottom of it, but a lot about the film that remains shrouded in mystery. number one, was it a bait and switch for the dlu worked on it. talked about maybe 80 people upwards of 50 actors. were they given a bait and switch. they answered a casting call for a movie to be called desert warrior. they say it was turned in to something cynical and meant to provoke. the bigger mystery, who is the guy behind this. the "wall street journal" and associated press quoted a man who called himself sam deseal who said he was an israeli american who is a southern california real estate developer

who raised 5 million dollars from 100 toe n o00 todonors non turned out to be true. a spot man is an ex-marine and calls himself a champion of first amendment, extremist anti-islamic views. an insurance guy whose name is steven klein. >> reporter: the key moving force behind the film is self described consult and and spokesman steven klein. klein has led and itity islam iks proce iksic protests and has a show called wake up america. in the same building where the video was shot. klein said it's a pseudo name for the produce who are came to him for help. >> knew that i wouldn't back down, that i wasn't afraid to tell the truth. >> reporter: but two of the film's actors say the filmmakers

were never truthful with them. one provided pages from the screen play to show the name "muhammad" and the most offensive lines were all dubbed in later. another, cindy lee gar see, a said the cast was misled plightly. >> when i saw the trail, i was confused and i thought what did he do to this movie. it was supposed to be something different. >> reporter: steven klein voiced neither regrets nor apologies. knoll sure at this point that there is a completed film. just that 14 minutes trailer. but this is the age of internet and on the internet, it went viral with the results that we saw earlier this week. >> mike taibbi in california. thank you, sir. as we mentioned earlier, mitt romney is holding a campaign event in the washington, d.c. suburb of fair fax, virginia. this rally one day after romney doubled down on his criticism of the president's response to the tragedy in libya and one day after the president said romney,

quote, shoots first and aims later. peter alexander is traveling with the romney campaign. so can we expect to hear romney triple town on his criticism today, fire back on the presidented for what he had to say to steve kroft? >> reporter: i think we can. if you can confine what we'll hear over the course of the day, it will be strength. they are going to own the remarks of mitt romney over the last 24 hours, his comments following the recent attacks. senior adviser telling us that those recent at it tacks are a stark reminder that american leadership is needed both abroad and economic leadership is needed here at home. remember, this is a candidate whose own book was titled no apology. and on the issue of foreign policy, this campaign has made no apologies even after questioning london in advance of the olympics. there for its prepared necessary for the games, causing russia the geopolitical foe saying israel had been thrown under the

bus by president obama. in each case, mitt romney has not backed todown and we don't expect to hear him do that today. northern virginia home to a lot of white suburbanites. a lot of people here in the state supported mitt romney's opponent president obama four years ago. the romney campaign is convinced there is a lot of disillusionment, a group they're targeting specific today. and they're focusing on women. as you'll notice on the podium, it is almost entirely women standing behind him and entirely women who have been here earlier today to introduce him. >> peter, explain who is the point person right now for foreign policy for mitt romney? we all remember that it was rick gra nell that was going to take that post, but he didn't get a chance to start because he spoke out in favor of marriage equality so they cut him loose. so who gives mitt romney advice on how to handle foreign policy issues?

>> reporter: he has a long list of advisers, seven in particular and a wider group, dan seenor has been specifically advising paul ryan in advance of the foreign policy issues that come up when he faces off with joe biden. he's going back to boston to help advise the campaign. but mitt romney and his advisers said they have a big core of people there making these decisions. but ultimately he's the one who signed off on the statement that the campaign put out just after the attacks began. >> we'll see what he says to the crowds there in fairfax. thanks. from be is also back on the trail today in colorado. the president arrived there last night and will deliver remarks at a grass roots event in golden. and joining mie forbes today, democrat being senator. and the president spent a lot of time there in your help state

over the summer, a poll taken there last month before the conventions gives mitt romney a five point lead and that's outside the margin of error when we look at the electoral vote, there are nine up for grabs. from what you've heard from voter, do you think the president's convention message last week will resonate and change the tide for colorado? >> first of all, good morning. thanks for having me on. yes, the president's message resonates. and that particular poll was a bit of an outlier. if you look at the averages, the president has a small but important lead. coloradoans are practicigmatic, minded. the president has reflected that kind of an approach. our politics work in colorado. we work together republicans and democrats alike. and when we look at what the president is proposing, to get our deficits under control, to invest in the future, to make

sure that we have an energy policy that's all of the above, i have no doubt that the president will win colorado. it will be close. people have to work hard. but his forward looking vision appeals to com coalians. women, hispanics and the young vote. >> i need get into foreign policy with you. do you agree with the lack of leadership and the fact is front and center in a huge fray concerning yemen? syria, egypt, and at odds with israel right now. >> the president has led in the middle east. this administration is built on the work of the two brprevious

administrations. there's violence that pops up periodically, but i disagree with senator mccain. and i want to return to what ought to be at the heart of our discussion right now, which is we ought to condemn these murders of ambassador stevens and our state department personnel, we ought to stand with the personnel who put themselves at risk all over the world to project our values and our world view. of course the military is also in that role. i serve on the armed services committee and then we ought to call on these governments in egypt and yemen to ensure that our embassies are protected. that's where our focus ought to be. let's let the politics in at the water's edge and keep faith with that long time ethic, if you will, of the american political system. >> senator, sir, thanks for taking time out for us. >> look forward to doing it again. could there be a break through in the teachers strike in we'll take you to chicago and talk more about this.

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[ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. reps for strike teachers are back at the bargaining table in chicago and both sides say that they have made progress. if things work out, classes could resume tomorrow and union leaders say they're hopeful for that. >> i'm a pretty optimistic person, so on a scale of one to ten, i'm a nine because that's how i am. >> the historic walkout now in day four has left hundreds of thousands of students with no place to go. still strikers say what's best for the kids and what's fair to the teachers whose job security could depend on test scores. about the fight between the union and the city's mayor is raising questions about a democratic civil war one that if it were to spider web nationwide

could potentially hurt the president. joining me now to talk more about the politics of this strike is professor melissa harris. great to see you. first let's get into the politics of this. president obama managed to have it both ways on education reform. steady student from teachers while promoting the evaluation system that is hugely unpopular. now this strike in his adoptive hometown of chicago, where all his movers and shakers like mayor emanuel hatched the plan for his re-election, also arrest any done cap tarne duncan. how much does it reflect on him? >> i don't think it will have much of an impact and the reason is because there's not a real choice here it between president obama and governor romney on the issue of school of choice.

president obama despite the fact this there are many policies that he's engageded in as president that i think many unions would say have weakened unions overall for teachers and certainly we've seen rahm emanuel support a state law in illinois that weakened teachers' unions, the fact that it's not as though mitt romney would strengthen teachers unions. so i think in that case since it doesn't create a choice, i think it has a relatively low impact another election. >> a lot of people would say this has theismagimage of a nat mobilization, one risk is seeing public opinion turn against teachers. and then that becomes something of a political hot potato for president obama. how does he a individual that without things blowing up in his face? >> so this is really tough 37 and it's very personal for me. i have a niece and nephew who are in sixth and fourth grade there in the chicago public schools who have been out of school for four days. my sister has put together like

a ramshackle home school situation for kids in the neighborhood. and there is no doubt that parents even parents who are very, very supportive of teachers unions and teachers rights when they are facing with this kind of circumstance, it is very easy to start to feel quite negatively about the unions. but on the other hand, i think that the issue here in a much broader sense is that we come to this point of crisis because of a set of policies that have been polled guy sort of education reformers who rather than reforming the fundamentals of education have seen teachers as the main threat to students. and just that idea that what's good for teachers and what's good to students are exn. competition for each other is the wrong way of how we need to think about education reform. >> you're a shaper of minds. so explain what is the better way? >> one thing is for certain and that is that this high stakes testing does not provide the best educational opportunities.

it's interesting when we look at the very top at the most elite universities in this country, many of them have gone away from even using the s.a.t.s or the acts as part of their entrance requirements because they recognize that standardized tests tell us almost nothing about college student performance. but you go down to local public schools, third and fourth and fifth graders and we're taking standardized tests and using it to measure both the quality of teachers as well as the life trajectory of young people. and we've got to move quickly in the exact opposite direction of high stakes testing. >> i hated those tests and i'm glad my teachers weren't graded on my scores. professor melissa harris perry, great to see you. as always, you can check out her show right here saturday and sunday mornings 10:00 a.m. playing the blame game. bill clinton telling a group of

florida voters the economy is not, not, president obama's fault. >> i honestly believe doesn't matter who caused it or whether the contributor factors all happened under president bush or something i did or something ronald r ronald reagan did 30 years ago, regardless, president obama did not cause it. >> sarah palin says hit hard and get personal. >> those are not just buzz words. those are accurate descriptions. >> so ire sayiyou're saying yes- >> he should be very aggressive in his attacks on obama's record which is so dismal, his plan or lack of a plan of obama's to get us out of these woeful times. >> it worked well for her.

you might get a reality show on tlc. charlie crist is adamant that he's still an independent and not a democrat, but fully embracing president obama with his endorsement. >> this is a guy who really cares about people, about politics and doing what's right for the people that you serve. >> crist also fully embraced by shop owner, remember him? or at least this hug. this is the same guy that gave president obama that bear hug that lifted him off the ground. former white house intern monica lewinsky may be in the spotlight and soon. according to the "new york post," she's shopping a top secret book project. monica gave some interviews in the past but under the radar for a while. her rep not commenting officially now. empty nesters and boomers are a growth market for the cruise line industry. aarp has tips on staying healthy on high seas, avoid seasickness,

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welcome back, everybody. as we've been telling you, keeping an eye on fairfax, virginia. that is where mitt romney is holding a campaign rally today. fairfax being a suburb right outside of washington, d.c. we're waiting to see mitt romney and -- if he will address the situation and what we've been watch, the developments of foreign policy. right now we have president obama giving interviews to steve kroft of "60 minutes" and jose diaz ba lart of telemundo used the term of describing mitt romney someone who aims first, shoots later in regard to the assessments that he made about the libyan foreign policy situation and the loss of our u.s. ambassador. let's listen in to mitt romney. >> and karen chu, if i'm the next president of the united states, we'll help you get a job and other veterans, too. our veterans coming home ought

to be able to have a job when they get home, you know that? we've got to get the economy working for our veterans. thank you for that introduction and welcome. you are fabulous, thank you. you know, northern virginia could well determine who the next president is, and i hope you make that decision to get me elected. >> you guys are the best, i'll tell you. you give me such a boost of energy and optimism. i'm excited about our future. i know that we've -- we have heavy hearts across america today. i want you to know, things are going to get a lot better. but erect niz threcognize that four diplomats across the world, we're thinking about their families and those that they've left behind. what a tragedy to lose such a

wonderful -- wonderful people that have been so wonderful and appreciate their service for the country. >> usa. usa. usa. >> and so, i would -- i would offer a moment of silence but one gentleman doesn't want to be silent so we'll keep on going. let me talk about something else, and that is today we saw the headlines in "usa today" and say the median income in america has dropped by $4,300 per family. in these are tough times for american families that have work. you 23 million people out of work, stopped looking for work, underemployed. these are tough times. but you know what? your optimism is my optimism. america's coming back. we're going to make sure we have the jobs that we need.

america's going to remain strong. we're going to make sure we remain the hope of the earth. now a strong america's essential to the world. it's essential to us and to our future. but also to the world. i was in poland a few weeks ago and i met with lech walesa, a world hero. and he -- he saw me come in and, through an interpreter said, you must be tired. you've come from across the oce ocean. he said you sit, i talk, you listen. abrupt and to the point. he said this, time and time again, the world needs american leadership. where's american leadership? we need a strong america. where's american leadership? i intend to lead to have an america that's strong, that helps lead the world. as we -- as we watched the world today, sometimes it seems that we're at the mercy of events

instead of shaping events and a strong america's essential to shape events. a strong america, by the way, depends on a strong military. we have to have a military -- we have to have a military second to none and that's so strong no one would ever think of testing it. this president's done something i find hard to understand. ever since fdr, we've had capacity to be engaged in two conflicts at once, he's saying no we're going to cut that back to one conflict. so he's put in place cuts of almost a trillion dollars. but with his budget cuts and the sequestration cuts we'll have almost a trillion dollars of cuts to our military. if i'm president of the united states, we will restore our military commitment and keep america the strongest military in the world. >> as the white house calibrates its response to an ever changing and potentially has does situation in the middle east the republican party tries to calibrate a response to the ever

changing and hard adoes candidae they've chosen. it's september 13th and this is "now." joining me today, rolling stone executive editor eric bates, msnbc contributor and queen bee of thegrio.com, joy-ann reid, and msnbc political analyst, our favorite import from the united kingdom, richard wolffe. mitt romney has again found himself out of sync with the gop. after launching a political attack on the president hours after the killing of four americans in libya and attacks on the u.s. embassy in cairo, seasoned foreign policy advisers and party elders have been slow to come to romney's aide. senator mccain didn't endorse romney's on slap but didn't support it either. >> in heat of the battle you get all kinds of advice and all kinds of second-guessing. i'm not prepared to do