bipartisan deal. the senate is working on. >> there are a lot of opinions about what direction to go. there have been no decisions about what exactly we will do. but we're going to continue to work with our members on both sides of the aisle to try to make sure that there's no issue of default and to get our government reopened. >> we felt blindsided by news from the house. but this isn't the first time. extremist republicans in the house of representatives are attempting to torpedo the bipartisan progress with a bill that can't pass the senate. can't pass the senate and won't pass the senate. i'm very disappointed with john boehner who once again tried to preserve his role at the expense of the country. >> if there's any hope here, they don't have the vote. why are they doing this to the american people? >> what they've done, once again, we understand from the

republican, to snatch confrontation from the jaws of reasonable agreement. that is what so angers and makes the public so upset rightfully with their government. >> now the house republicans plan changes the senate proposal by delaying the medical device tax for two years, taking away obama care subsidies for members of congress and eliminating affordable health care protections for labor unions. the white house called it a partisan attempt to appease a small group of tea party republicans who forced the government shutdown in the first place. as always of this unfolded religious leaders walked through the corridors praying for an end to the stalemate. the song of choice, "amazing grace."

♪ >> joining me now, nbc news capitol hill correspondent luke russert. luke, they had to turn to a hymn in hopes of sealing some type of deal here. in reality, i heard people say that the white house is optimistic. but where are they getting the optimism from, luke? >> reporter: divine intervention, i don't know at this moment. it has been a fascinating day with a ton of developments and reset it for the viewers. this morning the house gop conference meeting, the discussion between mcconnell and reid plan that leaked out, that plan was resoundly rejected by the house republican conference. they then pushed their own plan, which you mentioned in the graphics. from what we learned from that meeting, that plan that eric cantor and john boehner put together was not conservative enough. members within the meeting stood up and said one of the things we do not like here is that while our plan cuts off the federal benefits for health care

premiums for those who are members of congress and vice president or cabinet members or the president, it doesn't do that to staffers. we want this to extend to staffers. if you do that, you're going after the health benefits of the person who makes $29,000 a year answering the phone. that's what it would r take. they want to put something on the floor tonight because they want leverage with the united states senate. don't be surprised if they put a bill that is more conservative that could do that difference to benefits i just spoke of or perhaps take it a step further where the government would be funded only until middle of december, not all the way to january because they want to have it be funded for less amount of time. for where we stand right now, john boehner will try to put something on the floor. reid and mcconnell, those negotiations have stopped for the moment. and then there becomes a question wife seen many, many times before, you and i, can john boehner get 218 votes for

this proposal? we do not know the answer to that. default is on thursday. we're getting closer to that deadline. this now puts a real problem out there in terms of how they overcome it and no one knows exactly what will happen on the house and between the senate. >> okay, luke, there's been no shortage of angry words from people on what we refer to as main street. the dow is down right now 48 points. not a huge dip, not anything like we experienced the last time we saw this tangled web over the debt ceiling. but eventually, wall street will start to react to this. are you seeing any concern, if the people there are not listening to main street, that they will start to listen to the word from wall street. >> reporter: that's been conventional wisdom all along, mitch mcconnell and john boehner won't allow the nation to default. what is coming out of house republicans is this idea from some of them, not all, some of

them, thursday is not the drop dead deadline. maybe we could extend this to the weekend and go until tuesday, we'll be fine. the markets tank 800 points, boehner will put a bill on the floor that can pass the senate and everyone will go home and pat themselves on the back, we averted total catastrophe. it's one of those things from where we stand, the only thing that could come out of the house proposal, after the white house and senate said they would reject it, perhaps it gives them a vehicle to get to the senate and maybe send back the repeal medical device tax, some sort of fig leaf. one thing thrown out real quick, if the house passes this bill and they all go home, if that happens, watch out. it's fluid and to be honest, it's sququite scary. >> and house democratic leaders will meet with the president at 3:00 p.m. eastern time. >> in the past hour. one of the most wanted al qaeda

leaders pled not guilty in federal court in new york amid extremely heavy secure. the arraignment of al libi follows his capture in libya a week ago. he was held aabove the uss san antonio before bringing brought to new york over the weekend. he's be being charged that he planned the bombings in tanzania and kenya. richard engel is new york. you were in the courtroom today. tell us what happened there. >> reporter: tamron, his capture was certainly dramatic. u.s. commandos swooping in and grabbing al libi from his hideout in tripoli, libya. in court today, it was very normal. absolutely calm proceedings. it only lasted about 15 minutes.

anas al libi was escorted into the courtroom in the federal courthouse behind me in new york. he was flanked by marshalls. his handcuffs were took off. he was sat down in front of a desk. a judge read the charges against him. he had already been indicted for the bombings in kenya and tanzania, he's accused of carrying out surveillance in the planning of the bombings that kilds more than 200 people. he was charged specifically with conspiracy to commit murder and destroy american property and conspiracy to destroy american infrastructure after he understood the charges, he said he could not afford his own defense lawyer. and he was speaking through a translator by the way. the judge said he would help find the defendant an attorney to represent him. and then it was over.

he was led out of the courtroom, handcuffs were put back on him and the case was add adjourned until october 22nd. >> and richard, what details if any, do we know regarding the interrogation? there were reports he was interrogated over international waters and that ended earlier than perhaps desired as a result of some health issue. what do you know of that? >> reporter: u.s. officials have told nbc news that the intention was to hold anas al libi for a longer period of time, perhaps several more weeks or months while being held on a u.s. military ship in the mediterranean. by holding him on that ship on the mediterranean he wasn't subject to american laws. he could be held without having his miranda rights in order to extract any kind of real time intelligence he might have about future plots. but we have been told by officials that after he stopped eating and stopped drinking, a

preexisting health condition started to worsen and that out of concern that he could die or his health could significantly deteriorate, he was brought to the united states. in court today, he did look quite frail. he said his age is 49 years old. that is the same age that has been released in the past. but he looked like a man significantly older than 49. he was moving slowly. he seemed to struggle as he was getting in and out of his chair. did aside from his looking frail, he wasn't showing any obvious signs of illness. >> we're following developing news out of the white house. in fact we have live pictures up of the east room where moments from now, president obama will present army captain william swenson with the medal of honor. that is of course the u.s. military's highest award. he'll receive the award for acts of bravery during one of the deadliest fire fights in afghanistan. it was 2009 when he risked his

own life to save fellow troops and recover bodies during a 7-hour battle near pakistan. parts of the rescue -- let's show the audience. parts of the rescue can be seen on video. it was recorded on a helmet camera from a helicopter pilot with the medevac team. he is seen actually helping sergeant first class ken ij westbrook shot in the throat. he can be seen at one point kissing westbrook on the forehead to comfort him. this happened during the battle. westbrook died a few weeks later. in an interview with nbc news, he described the moment that he and the team realized their mission was in trouble. >> this was an attempt for us to reach out to the village. this was not an attempt to fight the enemy within a village or have a kin etic presence. all the lights turned off simultaneously and we knew something this time was different. >> he will become the first army

officer to receive the medal of honor since the vietnam war. colonel jack jacobs, medal of honor recipient and nbc analyst and also the chief policy officer for iraq and afghanistan receipt veterans of america. all of these ceremonies are powerful. this one especially because we have video of what happened that day real time, what this army captain swenson was doing to save others. >> we just saw the back end of it. we just saw the landing zone. we didn't see what took place forward of this where closer to the village which was raked with continuous fire. he went back to go collect up other wounded and bring them back for evacuation and also later on recover bodies tchts an ambush of the most difficult situation you can face in a military -- on a battle field to walk into an ambush. the entire village was against a

small group of advisers. >> what's also incredible, after the battle, colonel, this captain showed another type of bravery in that he criticized the leadership for failing to provide adequate air support after multiple radio requests, the army later backed up his claim, concern about what happened there. >> yeah, they relieved and disciplined a couple of officers responsible for providing support. you know at the end of the day, people on the ground at the forward edge of the battle area, at the pointy end of the spear deserve the best support we can get. if we can't give it to them, we shouldn't send them on missions we can't support. the discipline that took place on the officers who failed to provide the support for captain swenson and his people, this sort of thing happens from time to time and it was one of those things that absolutely positively had to be done. >> captain tear an teen no, the other part of his life that is

heartbreaking and captures with what's happening with this country and vets. he has been unemployed since 2011, he found a life of solitude in his forced early retirement. his unemployment, 10% and the national rate is 7.3%. >> this illustrates something that a lot of our generation is facing. it's very difficult to come back from war and come back to being a citizen again. veterans are having trouble finding jobs, translating their skills they learned in the military. we have things like the post 9/11 gi bill to help people go back and go to school. but there are a lot of wounds from war that are seen and are seen. sometimes it takes a while to come back from that. it is a good news, bad news story. the good news we have example like swenson to show the leadership and potential of this generation and remind the nation we're still at war. at the same time, we have to remind this country, that even

when we leave afghanistan, we're going -- we have to take care of these men and women so they can come home and continue to lead. >> there's something else about all of this, we've got a large kad ray of men and women really qualified to do any job possible on the outside. >> captain, one more question to you, kenneth westbrook, who was shot and the emotional moment that you see there on battlefield will be discussed today but his wife is also there. we're going to get started here. let's listen in and we'll talk with you both after this. ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen of the president of the united states and mrs. obama accompanied by medal of honor recipient captain william swenson. ♪

>> let us pray together. god who has been our helping in times past, continue to be our help in these days. more than two centuries you've blessed our nation with dedicated and self-less soldiers in uniform. stand ready to defend our nation's freedoms. as we honor captain will swenson for his actions during the battle. we honor the sacred trust he and his team embodied that day. we thank you for the last full measure devotion given that day. the medal of honor is draped around sap captain swenson. may the healing grace of hope

and peace rest upon each of us. his example rekindsle a spirit of sacrifice and sted fastness of purpose and renew our commitment to uphold the right to oppose the wrong and continue to work that has begun so long ago. this we ask in pray in your holy name. amen. >> amen. >> good afternoon, everybody, please have a seat. on behalf of ma shell and myself, a video from the combat helmet cameras of a medevac crews in afghanistan, it's shaky and grainy but takes us to the front lines that our troops face every single day. it's useful to remember that there's still a whole lot of our

troops in afghanistan in harm's way. in that video as the helicopter touches down by a remote village, you see out of a cloud of dust an american soldier. he's without his helmet, standing in the open, exposing himself to enemy fire, standing watch over a severely wounded soldier. he helps carry that wounded soldier to the helicopter and places him inside. then amidst the whipping wind and deafening roor of the helicopter blades, he leans in and kisses the wounded soldier on the head. a simple act of compassion and loyalty to a brother in arms. as the door closes and helicopter takes off, he turns and goes back into the heat of battle. >> our nation's history, we have

presented our highest military decoration, medal of honor, nearly 3,500 times for actions above and beyond the call of duty. but this may be the first time we can actually bear witness to a small fraction of those actions for ourselves. today we honor the american in that video, the soldier who went back in, captain william swenson. not far away that day was then corporal dakota meyer, to whom we presented the medal of honor two years ago. today is only the second time in nearly half a century that the medal of honor has been awarded to two survivors of the same battle. dakota is not here today but i want to welcome some of the soldiers and marines who fought alongside both of these men and the families of those who gave their lives that day. i want to welcome all of our distinguished guests, including

members of the medal of honor society, whose ranks today grow by one more. most of all, i want to welcome will's wonderful parents, julie and carl, and his girlfriend kelsi. i had a chance to visit with them. both carl and julie are former college professors so instead of a house full of g.i. joes he grew up surrounded by educational games. i'm told even when will was little, his mom was always a stickler for grammar and making sure he said to whom instead of to who. i'm going to be very careful today. i just had a chance to spend some time with him and i have to say will is a pretty low key guy. his idea of a good time isn't a big ceremony like this one. he would rather be somewhere in the mountains or on a trail

surrounded by cedar trees instead of cameras. but i think our nation needs that ceremony today. in moments like this, americans like will, remind us of what our country can be at its best, a nation of citizens who look out for one another and meet our obligations to one another, not just when it's easy, but also when it's hard. maybe especially when it's hard. will, you're an example to everyone in this city and to our whole country of the professionalism and patriotism that we should strive for, whether we wear uniform or not. not just particular occasions but all the time. for those who aren't familiar with the story of the battle that led will to be here today, i want to take you back to that september morning four years ago. it's around sunrise. a column of afghan soldiers and american advisers are winding a

way up a narrow trail towards a village to meet with elders. just as the first soldier reaches the outskirts of the village, all hell breaks loose. almost instantly four americans, three marines, one navy at the front of the column are surrounded. will and the soldiers in the center of the column are pinned down. rocket propelled grenades and mortar, machine gunfire pouring in from three sides. as he returns fire, will calls for air support. but his initial requests are denied. will and his team are too close to the village. then will learns his noncommissioned officer, sergeant first class kenneth westbrook has been shot in the neck. will breaks across 50 meters of open space, bullets biting all around him. lying on his back, he presses a bandage to kenneth's wounds with one hand and calls for a medevac for the other trying to keep his buddy calm.

by this time the enemy has gotten closer and they are demanding the americans to sur rends der. will responds by lobbying a grenade. after more than an hour and a half of fighting, air support arrives. will directs them to nearby targets and it's time to move, exposing himself again to enemy fire, he carries kenneth the length of more than two football fields down steep terraces to the helicopter. then in the moment captured by cameras, he leans in to say good-bye. more americans and afghans are still out there. he does something incredible. he jumps behind the wheel of an unarmored pickup truck, a marine gets in the passenger seat and they drive that truck, a vehicle designed for the highway, straight into the battle. twice they pick up injured afghan soldiers, bullets whizzing past them, slamming into the pickup truck. twice they bring them back. when the truck gives out they

grab a hum v. they have no idea how they survive but by that time it didn't matter. we weren't going to leave any soldiers behind. finally a helicopter spots those four missing americans hours after they were trapped in the open ambush. will gets in another hum v that includes dakota meyer and they drive through the valley, exposed once more. will jumps out drawing more fire and dodging more bullets, but they reach those americans, lying where they fell. will and the others carry them out one by one. they bring their fallen brothers home. now scripture tells us the greatest among you shall be your servient. will swenson was a leader on that september morning, but like a great leaders he was also a servant, to the lives he saveded

and families of those who gave their last full measure of devotion on that far away field, as one of his fellow soldiers later said, will did things that nobody else would ever do and did it for his guys and everybody on the ground to get them out. that's why after i called will to tell him he would be receiving this medal, one of the first things he did was to invite to the ceremony those who fought alongside of them. i would like all of those who served with such valor alongside will, army and marines, please stand and be recognized. [ applause ]

[ applause ] . >> thank you. will also reached out to the families of the four americans who gave their lives that day. to them he wrote and i'm quoting will now, we have never met and never spoken, but i would like to believe i know something about each of you through the actions of your loved ones on that day. they were part of a team and you are now part of that team. so i would ask the members of this team, the families of first lieutenant michael johnson, sergeant edward johnson and sergeant aaron ken fikt and james lighten and family of westbrook to please stand.

[ applause ] >> kenneth was the soldier well delivered to the safety of that helicopter. after being air lifted out he made it to walter reed and started rehab and spent time with his wife charlene. they remembers the first time she spoke with will when he called to check in on kenneth. soon after the phone call kenneth took a turn to the worse. complications from his treatment but it's fair to say charlene

will always be grateful for the final days she was able to spend with her husband. and even now, a month rarely goes by when will doesn't call or text checking in with charlene and her three boys. that's the kind of man he is, charlene says it about will, you don't have to ask will for help. he knows when to be there for you. will swenson was there for his brothers. he was there for their families. as a nation we thank god that patriots like him are there for us all. will, god bless you and all of the men that you fought alongside and everything that you've done for us. god bless all of our men and women in uniform and god bless the united states of the america. with that, i would like the military to read the citation please.

>> the president of the united states of america authorized by act of congress march 3rd, 1863, has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to captain william d. swenson united states army for gal vant tri at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. captain william d. swenson distinguished himself by acts of gal vantry above and beyond the call of duty, task force phoenix, combined security transmission afghanistan and first support battalion, 32nd infantry againsted an armed enemy on september 8th, 2009. on that morning, 60 well positioned enemy fighters ambushed swenson's team.

as the enemy unleashed a barrage of mortar and machine gunfire, captain swenson immediately returned fire and coordinated the response of the afghan border police while calling in suppressive artillery fire and aviation support. after the enemy flaned coalition forces he repeatedly called for smoke to cover the withdrawal of elements. surrounded on three sides by enemy forces, captain swen son coordinated air assets in direct fire support and medical evacuation helicopter support to allow for evacuation of the wounded. captain w captain swenson stopped administrating aid long enough to throw a grenade at approaching enemy forces before assisting moving a soldier for air evacuation with complete disregard for his own safety.

he led a team in an unarmored car in a kill zone to recover the wounded and search for four missing comrades. after using aviation support to mark locations of fallen and wounded comrades, it became clear, captain swenson's time returned to the kill zone in a hum v. he voluntarily tearily exited the vehicle exposing himself to enemy fire to recover fallen marines and navy corpsman. his resistance against the enemy during six hours of continuous fighting rallied his teammates and effectively disrupted the enemy's assault. captain william swenson's extraordinary heroism and sel self-lessness are in keeping with the highest military service and reflect great upon

h himself and tenth mountain division and the united states army. [ applause ] [ applause ]

>> let us pray. eternal god we ask your blessing to rest upon us this day as we go fourth in peace aspired by the action of kour amgous and good people and follow the example set by captain swenson and his team, be people of valor, ready when the cause for which we have given our vow couldn confront us. fill us to grace equal every need and grant us the witness

domestic and wi wisdom and walk humbly, they with ask and pray in your holy name. amen. >> amen. >> well, let me say once again, not only to will but all of our men and women in uniform, who have served us with such incredible courage and professionalism, that america's grateful for you. to the families of those we've lost, we will never forget. and will, you are a remarkable role model for all of us and we're very grateful for your service. we are going to have a reception after this. i hear the food is pretty good around here. and so i hope all of you will have a chance to stay and those who have a chance to say thank you to will personally, obviously, that's very welcome. i'm going to be exited with will and michelle first and we'll take a couple of pictures but enjoy yourselves this afternoon.

god bless america. [ applause ] >> the president and first lady escorting william swenson out of the east room after he was awarded the medal of honor. he's 34 years old and risked his own life to save fellow troops, both u.s. and afghan fighters who were there that day in september. five americans, ten afghan troops killed as well as the interpreter in the battle in 2009. colonel jack, i've been with you now -- i'm lucky to be here with you on several occasions where we watch this honor. but you look at will's face there and you see what these men and women go through for our country and what they deal with when they return. >> you think first of all, about all of the people you lost, all of your friends and close friends. and there is a certain amount of

survivor's guilt. it is difficult to come to the conclusion that you really deserve to have made it through. it's not easy. there's nothing more difficult than being in combat and some people say that one of the hardest things is to survive. >> captain, the president noted this as well, what makes this even more extraordinary is that we actually have video of some of the battle itself, the minutes following it, as captain swenson attempted to save the life of sergeant first class kenneth westbrook who died soon after the attack, he was shot. but his wife was quoted by the president, charlene, saying, that with will, you don't have to ask for help. you just -- he just knows and you just know that he's there for you. in this video, you see captain swenson gently kiss the top of westbrook's head. he said at the time he was trying to let him know he wasn't

alone. that he was there for him. this adds to all of that and again the reminder that the struggle at home continues for these men and women because captain swenson, retired is still unemployed? >> it's an extraordinary example of heroism. it's -- it's hard to describe for anyone who has been in combat, the feelings you have with your men while you're fighting, after fighting. but all too often what we see is the men and women who do extraordinary things in combat come home and have a hard time adjusting. the vast majority tend to be okay, but far too many can't find a job and suffering from invisible wounds. have the survivor's guilt. as a community, we're very good at taking care of our friends and buddies and taking care of the spouses of those who we have left behind or those who have fallen. but it definitely illustrates that this country that's a lot more work to do to take care of the men and women who fight for us.

>> will was quoted as say, this was a monumental event for him and family and team mates and this day means a lot for those i served with. we're thankful for his service and all of the men and women who give their lives for this country every day. thank you both. >> thank you, tamron. >> the new american center results of an interactive new survey that shows where you fall in the political spectrum. michael smerconnish took this test. where does he fall in the political spectrum? affirmative action back before the supreme court focusing on states rights and whether voters can ban the practice through ren referendum. anything you want to talk about, your mind is on the debt ceiling and this debate with the

shutdown, go to at tamron hall on twitter. r ] staying warm and dry has never been our priority. our priority is, was and always will be serving you, the american people. so we improved priority mail flat rate to give you a more reliable way to ship. now with tracking up to eleven scans, specified delivery dates, and free insurance up to $50 all for the same low rate. [ woman ] we are the united states postal service. [ man ] we are the united states postal service. [ male announcer ] and our priority is you. go to usps.com® and try it today. ♪ violin... hey, what are you doing? music lesson. he has to start sometime. [ bell rings ] ♪ music lesson? whoo! [ bell rings ] [ female announcer ] by their second kid, every mom is an expert and more likely to choose luvs than first time moms. and new luvs with nightlock offer our largest absorbent area ever. they lock away wetness better than huggies, even overnight.

live, learn, and get luvs.

it fills you with energy... and it gives you what you are looking for to live a more natural life. in a convenient two bar pack. this is nature valley. nature at its most delicious.

a new survey by nbc news and esquire shows the rest of the nation is not as polarized as we've been led to believe. americans are sharing the same ideas. it is call the new american center and it is not one big block krogs the spectrum, included groups, the whatever man, pickup populists. joining me now mark murray, and michael smerconish. i'll start with you, mark, this is fascinating for many reasons. i grew up in the great state of texas like yourself. we've seen a change even in our state which has been solid red

depending on the communities that you visit. who are in the center which may surprise people who follow politics? >> you follow american politics every day like you and i end up doing, you almost see a sense of this is red versus blue. democrat versus republican. this segmentation survey which is fascinating broke the american electorate into eight different groups and 51% of the folks are in groups that find themselves in the middle. as someone who follows elections and loves presidential contests and national elections, what was really fascinating, president obama either won or tied in all of these center groups which explains the 2012 presidential election. if you end up winning the center, you win national elections. president obama did well with the mini van moderates and tied mitt romney with the mba middle and someone like me is going for

elections, winning the middle is so important. >> let's put the screen back up if we can, guys. one of the groups to the left, you have is the gospel left. how do you describe those folks? >> tamron, the people in the gospel left are predominantly african-american and what sets them apart from the bleeding hearts is that they are more religious and more conservative on some of the social issues like abortion and gay marriage. that's how you end up distinguishing them from the bleeding hearts who are folks who like government interaction, they like government action a lot and very liberal on social issue and less religious. >> the mini van moderates, obviously you would think about the soccer mom. that's what that sounds like there. >> yeah, the person who came to our mind who's on this, is clair dun fee from modern family, the mom taking her kids to soccer practice and taking her kids to school. and what was fascinating among this group, they are very

liberal when it comes to social issues like abortion and gay marriage. they also believe the government should do things and president obama won them over mitt romney by a 2-1 margin. he did very well there and it shows you the battles over abortion and contraception why those were so important to the obama campaign in 2012. >> the whatever man, i guess you use celebrities to help us identify. the pickup populists, phil from duck dynasty, what is the whatever man? >> it is someone who really isn't all that engaged in politics. they don't care about politics as much as all of the other groups in there. that's why we ended up saying, if we end up using someone from -- it was turtle from entourage, a big of a slacker, not as engaged as other folks. >> michael, you agreed to take this test. your politics, you've evolved in

different directions since i've been privileged to know you over the last six years, i think. >> well, i think it called it the way it is for me, at least in terms of how i see myself. i don't have a mba but they put me as an mba moderate which means i don't -- i have a don't tread on me streak to me with regard to economic issues but very progressive on social issues. tamron, i think i'm the least surprised about the nbc survey with "esquire" anecdotally this is what i've said, the folks in the middle don't shout the loudest and might no have the passion on the fringes but i always believe the real strength lies in these numbers. the question is politicians begin to respond to this group because i draw a causal connection between this and what's going on in washington. those who are holding the house hostage, they are the fringe group in this survey. and they are not the majority.

>> which speaks to why it is so remarkable you're looking at mark and michael, about 30 and 40 members of the house as they are described who are these people on the extreme right. there's always safety in numbers. there's always power in numbers. michael, when you say you're least surprised, i think a lot of people would agree they are not overwhelmingly surprised. they talk to their neighbors and talk to the other parents waiting in line to pick up kids. we're not all surrounded by people of the similar ilk and we exchange dialogue. most people would not be surprised by this either, guys. >> i always say the only people that i meet for whom the issues are entirely left and right and liberal and conservative are the radio host and cable television presenters with whom i rub shoulders. when i'm leading my real life, when i leave you in ten minutes and pick up at school this afternoon, i'm going to engage people on issues for whom the issues are a mixed bag, conservative on fiscal issues

and liberal on social issues and whole host of things thep haven't figured out and not afraid to say so. >> exactly. quickly to how this might impact politics moving forward, particularly, i'll throw the house in there, when you look at people elected in districts, tiny towns or areas, the reality is, will they be forced to listen to the larger group, the safety in numbers group as opposed to a few here and there on both sides that are on the outer specter of the model? >> you're talking more sometimes about the extremes and people to show up in primaries and people who turn out, it's different than a presidential model and even electing u.s. senators. as i mentioned earlier, if you end up winning the mini van moderates and whatever man, you're going to win the presidential election. when it comes to presidential contests, these electorate and

groups are so key for success. you can't end up winning on the partisan right or partisan left. >> mark murray, thank you. >> thanks for taking that quiz for us. >> you can take the test to see where you stand, your position on the political spectrum, go to nbcnews.com and click the icon that says quiz, where you stand and you can tweet us the results of your quiz if you choose to. two florida girls arrested on bullying charges after their classmate's suicide tops our look at stories around the "news nation" today. authorities say the 12-year-old and 14-year-old girls were taken into custody after one of them admitted online to harassing 12-year-old rebecca saidwick. she jumped to her death last month from a tower at an abandoned cement factory. she was terrorized by as many as 15 girls who harassed her for months online and text messages. they are charged with aggravated

stalking. a former san diego mayor pled guilty to felony false imprisonment and misdemeanor battery, after filner was forced to resign over sexual harassment of countless women. did not elaborate on the circumstances. the fbi is investigating who's behind dry ice bombs found inside a los angeles international airport. three dry ice bombs were found one night after a similar device exploded in the airport bathroom. they were made with plastic bottles containing dry ice. authorities say no injuries were reported. still ahead, it is our "news nation" gut check. the latest affirmative action case before the supreme court that survey we just talked about shows most americans want to end affirmative action. what does your gut tell you? be sure to like the "news

nation" on facebook. [ male announcer ] this is claira. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for her, she's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with her all day to see how it goes. [ claira ] after the deliveries, i was okay. now the ciabatta is done and the pain is starting again. more pills? seriously? seriously. [ groans ] all these stops to take more pills can be a pain. can i get my aleve back? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap.

the court added a major environmental issue to the docket, agreeing to hear a challenge over the epa authority to regulate green house gas emissions and justices heard rg. in another case regarding affirmative action. let's two to justice correspondent pete williams standing by. let's start with the affirmative action case here. >> reporter: the court is not being asked to consider whether you can have affirmative action because the supreme court has already said you can. the question here is whether a state can ban it. the case comes from michigan, which is the last big affirmative action case the supreme court decided. the state of michigan passioned a constitutional amendment banning affirmative action. the opponents of that ban say that amounts to racial

discrimination because it singles out minority groups and says if they want something out of the universities, they have to get a constitutional amendment change. by contrast, if someone wanted to say i should be given a preference in my admissions because i'm a great athlete or good scholar or because i speak french really well, all they have to do is persuade the school. it's a different rule for changing the preferences on a race. that they say is racial discrimination. now, it did see that there were certainly some justices on the court who felt the ban was wrong. justice soto mayor was the most outspoken and said she was a beneficiary of affirmative action and said the ban has essentially resegregated the universities in michigan. but it did seem a slim majority of the court was much of the view it was all right for michigan to have this amendment banning affirmative action. the chief justice says if the state wants to say we're not

going to give any consideration given on race whatsoever, why can't the state do that? i think if it comes out the way it did in the argument here, the state will say, the supreme court is going to say that states can do that. michigan plus seven other states have banned affirmative action, either by constitutional amendment or executive order or vote of a legislature. if the supreme court said michigan can do this, those bans will be safe in the other states as well. >> pete williams, we also mention they are going to hear a challenge to the epa authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. this affirmative action is the news nation gut check. should states be alouped to ban affirmative action programs? what does your gut tell you? go to facebook.com/newsnation. here's what was said on the controversy over columbus day. california could join them, among the reasons by the time

columbus discovered america, native americans have been here for several years. according to historians, columbus ordered a brutal crackdown in which many native americans were tortured and killed. should columbus be continued to be recognized as a holiday. 85% said yes and 15% said no. we'll see what the results say tomorrow regarding the affirmative action and states rights. that does it for this edition of "news nation." i'm tamron hall. "the cycle" is up next. (announcer) answer the call of the grill with new friskies grillers, full of meaty tenders and crunchy bites. [ unr ass [ female announcer ] e people like to pretend a flood could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ] it doesn't. stop pretending.

only flood insurance covers floods. ♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk. 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 insurance plans, they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call today to request a free decision guide 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, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients...

plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. there's a range of plans to choose from, too, and they all travel with you anywhere in the country. join the millions who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp... an organization 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 in out-of-pocket medical costs. you'll be able to choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. and there are virtually no referrals needed. 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 decision guide. 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. ♪ >> let's make a deal. behind door number one, harry reid and mitch mcconnell, door number two, barack