other for a giant spectacle of rich guy but kissing. it's my honor real honor and privilege to endorse mitt romney and by the way this is a great couple you look at this crowd there are some things that you just can't imagine happening in your life this is one of them. so i guess great heads of hair are drawn toward each other and so too are people who make a living firing other people in related news punxsutawney phil did indeed see his shadow this morning and we have six more weeks left in an unseasonably mild winter . the good the bad and the very very junket taisha slee ugly good. granda corp the australian based bus company was recently sold by the grand

a family for over four hundred million dollars rather than keep all that money for themselves like most american corporate honchos would family decided to reward their loyal employees with bonus payments ranging from eight thousand to thirty thousand dollars each in total a family gave gave away around sixteen million dollars to the employees of the company in describing the decision to pay the workers c.e.o. jeff granda said we sat down and thought how can we thank the people that have got us to where we're going to end up and it was a fairly easy decision for us you know in an age where corporations and c.e.o.'s care more about their bonuses than in the else it's really refreshing to see a company that genuinely appreciates the working well together. the bad rupert murdoch murdoch's news corp has been hit again with new allegations of phone hacking in england his empire was de bell's a major blow last year and it emerged the phone hacking was a common tactic used to gain information at news of the world on top of the british

tabloid at scandal involving hacking the phones of celebrities british royals even the phone of a murdered teenager today a british lawmaker announced that an investigation has been opened into the use of e-mail hacking at the times of london the flagship of murdoch's british news and employees this is an important revelation considering previous investigations into murdoch's papers had not involved e-mail hacked also given that the times of london is one of murdoch's flagship papers it's possible that other prominent newspapers and media outlets in the empire are using the same tactics and then when say the wall street journal or fox so-called news when the murdoch learn the freedom of the press doesn't include the use of illegal activity and a very very ugly senator mike lee. the tea party senator from utah has been adamant about exacting revenge for president obama's recent recess appointments and poor consumer and worker protections officials he had previously said that he would

engage in a scorched earth campaign of obstruction against each of the nominees well yesterday he stepped up his vitriolic rhetoric by tweeting gen for two thousand and twelve may well be a day that will live on and inform me as the day the congress ceded one of its rightful powers to the executive as take c.f.b. be the phrase he used. live on the day of infamy is of course the one used by franklin roosevelt franklin delano roosevelt to describe the horrors of atrocities witnessed the attack on pearl harbor sen league compared the reese the recess appointment of four officials one of the most horrifying and deadly days in american history. people utah are represented by a man who compares a personal disagreement to a monumental american tragedy and throws around words like sabotage obstruction and sports earth and promoting his agenda that is very very.

you know if you are outdoors at night in the forest naked cold and hungry i think it would be reasonable to say that you're unhappy. well know that and if somebody came out and said hey come on inside you know we're going to bring in make it warm give you some quo the sit in front of a comfortable fire have a meal. be full and happier so we know that you know if this much stuff you know there's this actual change in the amount of stuff the it have can actually affect your happiness. and this has led to a sales pitch basically a cultural belief that well if this much stuff will make you that happy then twice

as much stuff make you twice as happy ten times as much stuff must make ten times that one hundred times as a hundred times a thousand times as much stuff a thousand dollars and bill gates and mark zuckerberg must live in a state of perpetual the lists total ecstasy facebook announced today that they're going to do an i.p.o. and it's going to make a thousand new millionaires why are americans so into becoming millionaires why is it that the american dream since ronald reagan's time before reagan there the american dream was let's get into the middle class but since reaganomics the american dream has been recalibrated to i want to be a millionaire i don't do this in europe why is it that we have here and they don't know the answer is really pretty straightforward because to have real security you have to have a strong social safety net you have to have health care for everybody you have to have a real retirement available to you you have to know that if you lose your job through

no fault of your own there's real have employment that's actually enough to live on and that if something happens to you god forbid you get disabled or yet give birth to a child who's disabled there's not going to wipe you out that you have disability insurance you know in europe and in some south american countries in australia they haven't we don't so americans obsess on getting so rich that we can provide our own security because the because the state doesn't and in an era when one illness can literally cost you a million bucks wipe you out being a millionaire is basically the only security available to people in the united states this is profoundly dysfunctional. the whole purpose of community is to produce security for the community i mean traditionally you look at traditional societies and what they do is people all day long produce security and then they consume security and they produce security and in the process you know

goods and services get spun off what we do in our societies we produce goods and services and out of that comes some money and then we use that money to try and buy some security and you know if you don't have millions you can't buy that kind of security in this country which is really tragic when you think about it i mean it's profoundly tragic the whole this whole sense of community you know the community that we have here in this country at the largest sense is the united states we should be organizing our economy to provide a real security for all of us not just for the rich instead what are we getting we're getting republicans running around on oh we need to have right do it right to work for less laws in indiana arizona declaring war on working people wisconsin and michigan an ongoing war against weren't working people in florida

a war on poor people with drug testing i mean it's time to wake up to the fact that there are very real human values that are part of a successful experience of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness when thomas jefferson wrote those words into the declaration of independence we were the first nation in the history of the world to have the word happiness in our founding document and consider it for a minute you cannot have life if you don't have a social safety net if you don't have a national health care program if you don't have if you don't know that no matter what happens with you have a job with you dealt with you're born into a rich family or poor that no matter what you can't have life if you don't have access to those things you can't have liberty if you don't have those things. as franklin roosevelt said so famously in one hundred thirty six in june of one hundred thirty six he said obsessive this man is not a free man you are free if you're homeless now free if you're sick and you can't

pay for free if you're jobless and the pursuit of happiness how can we pursue happiness when one we're constantly concerned about survival that is you know is just it's a pure dysfunction if we want to get back to life liberty the pursuit of happiness in the united states we need to be seriously looking at the way that they've done in other countries that actually works as the big picture for tonight for more information on the stories we covered visit our website to tom hartman dot com free speech dot org and our to dot com also check out our two you tube channels or links to tom hartman dot com entire show is available as a free video podcast on i tunes and we have a free tom hartman i phone an i pad app in the app store and you send us feedback at twitter at tom underscore arbonne on facebook at tom underscore arbonne our blogs message boards and telephone comment line at tom foreman. and don't forget democracy begins with you when you show up and participate get out there and get

active tag your it. wealthy british style. time.

markets finance scandals find out what's really happening to the global economy with max kaiser for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune in to kaiser report on r g.

closer to compromise the u.n. negotiates a revised resolution text on syria which adds russia's insistence is it no longer aimed at regime change. after street days of intense debate united nations security council members are sending elements of a possible future resolution on syria to their governments for deliberation get all the latest details from new york as head of the program. more killings are reported in egypt after two days of clashes left more than seventy dead within the military regime criticized for not doing enough. plus the father of murdered a former f.s.b. officer alexander litvinenko says he regrets accusing the president of carrying out

his son's death. in a period of political transition and that's what we've been hearing from the delegates at the troika economic forum here in moscow all have the details in twenty minutes time basis. and broadcasting live direct from the heart of moscow this is our team glad to have you with us russia is claiming a diplomatic victory at the u.n. after other members of the security council agreed to take a more balanced stance on syria calls for the removal of president assad and the enforcement of a voluntary arms embargo have been dropped from a revised resolution text which is still pending approval but moscow warns it will oppose any attempts to even targeting the syrian regime parties honest as more.

after ssri days of diplomatic deadlock over this arab and western backed regime change resolution it looks like russia's calls that it would not support such resolutions have finally been heard and we're seeing somewhat of a game changer take place delegates and diplomats seem to have agreed on new elements that they are considering putting into a new document and we do know that these new elements are being sent over to governments at home for consideration approval and deliberation and for what we know the russian ambassador to the u.n. has said that this does not mean that anything has been fully decided yet and russia continues to reiterate that even if the hint of a regime change clause continues to be presented in such a resolution it would not be supported now what we what we're hearing and some reports that this clause will actually be nonexistent in this new text being

considered whereas earlier the arab league and the western been seeing that the syrian leader needs to step down if this does not happen within fifteen days whole further measures could take place another clause that we're hearing is going to be removed from this document is the arms embargo that russia has also been opposing but from what we understand what will continue to remain in a new text is a support of a facilitation of a political transition now of course they have to again say that some of the details are still largely up in the air some diplomats are saying that a vote could come very shortly as soon as on friday others are saying that it's going to take a little more time monday possibly we will just have to wait and see exactly how events play out the security council in the days to come and it is an associate you're going to reporting there for us from new york and with the same story the u.s. and its allies are committed to seeing a change of power in damascus in order to strengthen their positions in the middle east that's the view of politics first magazine editor marcus papadopoulos. western

interest in the conflict in syria isn't guided by wanting to advance human rights democracy or the rule of law in the region if it was about that then we'd probably see an american naval flotilla off the coast of saudi arabia which happens to be one of the most repressive regimes in the world it follows a pro western foreign policy syria is a huge player in middle eastern politics and the west principally america has a very problematic relationship with syria so it would be very much within america's interests for the syrian government for president assad to fall from power and for a more accommodating a more sort of pro western government to come to parallel should that happen that would give. almost full dominance politically in the middle east so instead of western governments the british and the american and the french ones

talking about president assad stays been numbered they should be more responsible in their outlook and the main focus should be on bring in peace to syria. still ahead for you this hour mixed messages from the u.s. . why washington is backtracking on a statement made by its own defense secretary on early withdrawal of troops in afghanistan. and how webcams that will be watching over the upcoming presidential elections in russia and a move for ultimate transparency. two protesters have reportedly been shot dead in the egyptian city of suez by police early on friday they were the latest killings in what's now a third day of violence in the country in cairo protesters are laying siege to the interior ministry having surrounded it on thursday more than six hundred were injured in clashes with police who fired tear gas to disperse rioters thousands

rallied against the failure by the forces to prevent the death of at least seventy four football fans after a match two days ago demonstrators are also calling on the ruling military council to step down professor of international relations mark allman says there are forces in egypt that actually want more turmoil. the police are very demoralized they took a beating if you like the fall barak they were defenders of his regime and the army eventually got rid of him and much of the social order problems in egypt crime attacks on tourists attacks from ordinary people in. the police seem to be to demoralize to do much and many people have said that the police in court so it said it had reacted with a heavy hand stop this i think we would be. on the other hand there are also people who say the police of course particularly dislike the a lack results of some club who were partial crowds back in general for every last

year that maybe people want to use this for their own purposes that look but on the one hand the muslim brotherhood disputes the government of failing and being in some way responsible for the riots they won the elections. call them and they want a quick transfer of power to them on the other hand quite a few of the people in the streets protesting happy about the muslim brotherhood victory in the elections and they may feel that disorder on the streets might give them more influence he may have actually been elected to launch egypt and then as i say that maybe people will say we need to learn and we can provide it but either way it's not a happy prospect for a smooth transition to a better egypt. more news up days. videos are waiting for you online at r t dot com here's what you can find on our website right now. israel increases the pressure on iran with a fresh accusations about the scale of the deadly threat coming from the islamic republic. gagged via google in its latest wave of reforms the web giant

has to begin censoring news or blogs more about that on our website. and a russian coffee house is holding up the presidential election of its own indulging customers with portraits of candidates drawn on the phone get a taste of the latest political froth at r.t. dot com. when former f.s.b. officer alexander litvinenko died in london from polonium poisoning in two thousand and six his father voltaire was among those who accused russia of his assassination but in an unexpected change of heart voltaire now believes his son worked for british intelligence and became a victim of a grand a spy game. went to meter course but you would.

never. this is how we found like that lead me and co praying in his tiny telling apartment no electricity no gas no hot water what. if it wasn't for the help of various people i would have died from hunger or frozen to death the last time i took a bath was on christmas eve. we expected more because six years ago after his son former f.s.b. officer aleksandr litvinenko was poisoned in london he was taken care of by some very powerful patrons like self ixil tycoon boris berezovsky and ahmed zakayev and a tourist former chechen militant both hiding in the u.k. . yet you get extremist you know dorsett there and he's given you're you're pretty

you're doris you would be. the one vital you to namco sent a letter asking to be interviewed by russian television we expected more of the same but instead. what image of a different team even that be made of each if you are watching this program please forgive me for all the slander the thai said and wrote about you for the hatred i had for you even only i had known my son worked for british intelligence i would not talk about his death he could easily have been shot as a double agent betrayers should be short of story what else can i add to the holes in the view of. the u.-turn vowed to assess came when his sons we doe marina bin and co revealed to the british media that her husband had worked for m i six further details followed when a newspaper launched its own investigation alexander litvinenko was receiving a retainer of around two thousand pounds a month from the british security services at the time he was murdered it is

understood that sir john scarlett now head of m i six and was based in moscow was involved in recruiting him to the secret intelligence service. at first by turnitin and cole like many others claimed his son had been poisoned with polonium two ten on putin's order the former f.s.b. officer and fierce critic of the kremlin alexander litvinenko spent twenty three days in a london clinic slowly dying from a toxic substance possibly consumed through a cup of tea even before police in london started questioning suspects the victim's father was actively kucing the russian government today by their admits he was saying only what the west wanted to hear. of course i realize russia's f.s.b. and the idiot you know have to take polonium to london sprinkle it over some heads and leave traces everywhere and their suspect and a little boy is not a fool either it was anger and blind hatred speaking inside of me viger now

believes his son fell victim to his own game of double agents now he wants his words to be heard but the media outside russia which once beat down his door for interviews now won't even reply to his requests. why is that because they like it when i scold the regime i was a root treasure for them of the whole there are very few people who would say as many horrible things about me as i did you know living in two thousand and eight but the only thing young called what russia or sanctuary need something is settled in the sleeping quiet town of sinegal it offered to new anonymous life the man claimed putin was his number one enemy so hiding in europe he believed was the only safe solution today was the lithuanian co is still afraid to open this door not because of putin though but because of his landlord to whom hill has a lot of money this miserable life has made him a slave of his sanctuary. but actually sold everything he had in russia to come to

eataly he opened a small business several years ago but it went bankrupt things got worse after the seventy three year old had buried his wife but are now fears here casket could be removed because he hasn't paid the cost of a barrel plot and it's been months since the electricity was shadow to his flat he's lost forty euros went on a gas canister and that is gone to. this is how. it that i live in this dual to let the southern wind inside. do is east only as russia. learned from. tourists i want to go home to russia. i do want to stay here. in the grandchildren aren't t. sity gallian eataly. coming your way in the program learning how to be

a community. muslims in belgium are divided over the local islamic fundamentalist group with their proposals on radical islam. washington is downplaying a statement from the us the defense secretary who said the country plans to end combat operations in afghanistan one year before the country is due to pull out we are panetta said america intends to shift to a supporting military role sometime in two thousand and thirteen but washington says it must first be approved by other nato policymakers and i'm a summit in chicago america's decade long presence in afghanistan has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of local civilians and almost two thousand u.s. soldiers there crow of the nonprofit brave new foundation believes it is still unclear when troops will completely be withdrawn. hopefully what this means is

panetta said something like this on the plane when he made the surprise announcement that it would mean troops moving out of communities and on to bases first like they did in iraq and then eventually be pulled out so it absolutely does not mean that we have a date certain for all troops to be out of afghanistan and that's something that our community that's working to end the war and get the troops home has to be very clear on we do need to keep continuing to pressure the government well i certainly think that the lives and the resources that were spent on the military first strategy were absolutely a waste what you've seen people say in the southern regions of afghanistan that they want is a fair elections process and aside from the corruption issue that means that you can't have people who are blatant war criminals be allowed on the ballots in those regions just because they're u.s. and cobble allies. china as prime minister says the country's considering contributing to european rescue funds and to play

a bigger role in resolving europe's debt crisis when those comments were made during a meeting with german chancellor angela merkel who is in china on an official visit merkel has been trying to reassure beijing about the economic situation in europe and to persuade china to invest in the euro iran and syria are also expected to be discussed during the second day of her trip to china gets ten percent of its oil from iran and merkel has been calling on beijing not to buy more after and bargo and to use its influence to pose way to tehran to abandon any possible atomic weapons ambitions but political analyst christophe horse still believes europe desperately needs china's help on both political and economic issues. our chancellor is on a trip of begging to if she wants money for europe she once you know a support from beijing for the new un resolution which beijing is not going to give

and she also wants beijing to cut off its own oil supply which beijing is widely not going to do and of course beijing has also to take into consideration that india its competition in the region is standing straight with iran and buying ever more rain in oil so i don't think she has any chance of you know talking china out of buying uranium oil that will not happen again i would say she will not put any much focus on it she will she will say that she will look to the ceiling and then she was smile and say let's talk business now her main focus in this trip is the german economy and she's wise to do that she will even not you know lobby very much for chinese investment into europe because she knows in our heart of hearts that this is truly a bad investment. it is a question of identity versus integration shari'a islamic group in belgium is under fire for views which local p.