or at least said he would so blagojevich would appoint him to president obama's senate seat. jackson also denies that. joining me now, lynn sweet. also senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin. lynn, people are obviously open to interpret the social acquaintance thing, but beyond that, the ethical issue, what is the biggest question? whether or not he actually asked these businessmen to pay for plane trips? >> the issue here is that congressmen are very specifically not supposed to solicit gifts. whether it's an airplane ticket or anything else. that is one of the most clear-cut rules that members of congress have. >> even if it's a gift for someone else? >> right. because it still benefits you. you -- i can ask somebody to do something that might not be for me, but it's done at the request of a member of congress. that's a solicitation, that's not what they're supposed to do. >> what would it say about the congressman if in fact this is true, i mean, that he had this relationship with this businessman? it would be hard to imagine this would be the first time that this person was

>>> rod blagojevich's defense team may have a new look at his retrial next year. the former governor's lead attorneys want out of his case. good afternoon i'm steve sanders. >> and i'm pain pane. we welcome our viewers watching us around the country on wgn. america. and julian cruze join us with the latest. >> reporter: the two most colorful members of rod blagojevich's legal steam out. sam adam junior and senior are expected to be in federal court tomorrow and formally ask the federal judge to be dropped from the high profile case. the motion details some of the reasons behind the decision. he's out of money and he's entitled to a pair of court appointed attorneys and a parallel. and the ex-governor had a team of 14 lawyers and seven parallels and staff for the first trial. to given the limitations this time around, the adams duo asking to be dropped from the case. and in today's motion they say that they reached their decision in concert with rod blagojevich and other members of his legal team. two other defense attorneys are expected to remain on board. they'll

so -- can you imagine rod blagojevich in a prison jump suit?ld look like a traffic cone with a koosh ball on top of it. this is pretty funny. today on the bbc, which is the british, like, news channel, the anchors were tossing to their weather man. this is hard to follow because they only speak english. but watch the weather guy who apparently thought he was off-camera. >> now, we'll have the weather forecast in a minute, and of course, 100% accurate, all the detail you could want. i see him preparing for it so i'm not entirely -- >> well, one mistake. that was it now. >> jimmy: whoops. let's look at that again in slow motion. watch his face here -- [ applause ] like a poker player. not to be outdone here in the united states on "inside edition," last night, this question was posed to give us tonight's edition of "how is this news?" >> you may have noticed something different about me today. i'm now a brunette. thanks for the update. who are you again? last week, as you probably know, if you have cable television, was shark week. which is a big

blagojevich and jackson will personally raise another $5 million if blagojevich appointed him to the senate. nyiac says jackson reimbursed a washington restaurant whoitous for several trips to chicago at his request. the flights were never mentioned on jackson's financial disclosure forms. the woman says she knew nothing about jackson's political desires. jackson will not comment on these new allegations. >>> a new report found the homewood fire department il- prepared in the handling of a fire that killed a rookie firefighter and an elderly man last march. an investigation by the national institute for occupational safety criticizes the homewood fire department for using ineffective methods and being il-equipped. the firefighter was not wearing a required breathing apparatus at the time. he died of smoke inhalation. the homewood fire department has not commented. >>> a southern illinois university student from the chicago area died over the weekend when he fell from a roof. 21-year-old daniel sidle of evergreen park fell off the roofer from an off campus home in carbondale. he died

. >>> roy blagojevich will headline a program on trust.will speak in new york city xt tuesday. the organizers website said blagojevich will discuss his unique take on the topic. he was convicted of lying to fbi. the former governor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. jurors dead locked on 23 other counts agait blagojevich, he'll be retried on those chaes in january. >>> a federal judge gave the air force an order to reinstate a flight nurse kicked out of the milita for being gay. the judge in washington ste ruled the discharge of major margaret witt was unconstitutional. the air force removedher under its don't-a, don't-tell policy. it bans gays from serving openly in the military. the judge said testimony proved witt was an outstanding nurse. >>> a decorated world war ii veteran laid to rest at arlington national cemetery. he waited 60 years to be recognized. >> lieutenant baker fought at a time when african-american soldiers were not awarded medals of honor. he never considered himself a hero button lie member of his you no it live to

blagojevich's defense team filed a motion in court late yesterday. they are asking the judge to either nullify the conviction or set it aside and try the former governor again. prosecutors plan to retry blagojevich on the 23 deadlocked counts early next year. he still denies any wrong doing. >>> president obama is urging students across the country to work hard, focus on learning and dream big. you are looking at a live picture of the president now delivering a back to school speech in philadelphia. the white house released the speech yesterday so people could review it ahead of time. before his back to school speech last year, some conservatives accused president obama of trying to force his agenda on vulnerable children. schools are not required to air the president's speech today. >>> next on the mid-day news, the american woman jailed for more than a year in iran is on her way home. latest on her condition. >>> the deadly explosion in california now raising safety questions about the nation's aging gas line infrastructure. >> you know him from hi

linking him to misdeeds involving rod blagojevich or they would have charged him. on a radio show this morning, jackson said he was at a meeting in 2008 where a businessman offered to raise one million dollars blagojevich's campaign. that it would be in exchange for appointing jackson to though seat. jackson says he never heard that. and if he's a conspirator, prosecutors should bring it on. >>> parents heading up a march. they secured a meeting with the chicago public schools. several dozen participants want a broken down house turned into a library for whittier elementary. tension today when police forced open the doors. nobody arrested. officials say that building is unsafe and must be torn down. but they'll hold off until after the meeting. whittier has classroom libraries but parents say they're too small. >>> the united airlines, continental merger cleared for takeoff. it will create the world's largest carrier. >> reporter: both united airlines and continental shareholders approved the merger. it will be based here in chicago. but continental ceo jeff smisek

. >>> then, former illinois governor rod blagojevich will participate in a forum in new york today. the topic that he will be talking on, trust. now, i didn't misread that, i'm not kidding. that's really what the issue is. >>> the calendar says it's fall and it doesn't feel like it in some parts of the country. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 absolutely. i mean, these financial services companies tdd# 1-800-345-2550 are still talking about retirement tdd# 1-800-345-2550 like it's some kind of dream. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 it's either this magic number i'm supposed to reach, or... tdd# 1-800-345-2550 it's beach homes or it's starting a vineyard. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 come on! tdd# 1-800-345-2550 just help me figure it out in a practical, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 let's-make-this-happen kind of way. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 a vineyard? give me a break. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 [ male announcer ] looking for real-life answers tdd# 1-800-345-2550 to your retirement questions? tdd# 1-800-345-2550 get real. get started. talk to chuck. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 but my allergies put me in a fog. so now, i'm claritin clear! clari

. >>> well, impeached former governor rod blagojevich taking part in a forum on trust.at's wrong with this picture? i'm just asking. >>> and more couples opting to choose the sex of their child. the growing popularity of gender selection. is it crossing the line? replant a forest? maybe you want to rebuild homes for those in need? or, maybe you want to help improve our schools? whatever you want to do, members project from american express can help you take the first step. vote, volunteer or donate for the causes you believe in at membersproject.com. take charge of making a difference. guarantee me the best deal on my refinance loan, or pay me $1,000? that would be nice, not getting swindled. um...where are we? don't just think about it. put lendingtree to the test. get the best deal, or $1,000. it'll cost a fortune to insure you. nationwide insurance, we need a freeze-frame here. let's give parents a break, right ? let the discounts they've earned be passed down to their teens. save mom and dad up to 25% versus the competition. we'll call it the nationwide family plan.

woul do well if he can clear the air about blagojevich mentioning him suspiciously. you could see rom, jesse jackson chris: there's no run-off? >> it's a run-off. the more the merrier. chris: when we return, the big question of the week, can republicans takee control of the senate as well as the house? chris: welcome back, since the surprise win by christine o'donnell cost republicans a gimme i the fight for the senate. can republicans win control of the senate this fall even without having delaware in the bag, which they counted on? >> of course they can. it's california, washington, connecticut, west virginia. if they sweep everything else, they have to win two of those four. on paper, they can win two of those four. >> the answer is maybe. >> i think wisconsin is interesting. ron johnson, businessman, first-time candidate could do well. >> yes, definitely. chris:the historic rul thanks for a great roundtable. chad todd, gloria borger, clarence page and kelly (voice 1) we've detected an anomaly... (voice 2) how bad is it? (voice 1) traffic's off the chart... (voice

an arizona deputy may have lied blagojevich is speaking at a forum on trust. it's happening in new york city. wrestling superstars matt striker and mvp are talking about reading. how to get kids who are not that interested to get more interested. one of these guys by the way, you know this. a former teacher? i know who works differently than many other allergy medications. hoo? omnaris. [ men ] omnaris -- to the nose! [ man ] did you know nasal symptoms like congestion can be caused by allergic inflammation? omnaris relieves your symptoms by fighting inflammation. side effects may include headache, nosebleed, and sore throat. [ inhales deeply ] i told my allergy symptoms to take a hike. omnaris. ask your doctor. battling nasal allergy symptoms? omnaris combats the cause. get omnaris for $11 at omnaris.com. >>> welcome become to msnbc on this tuesday. i'm contessa brewer. democrats are pushing it women to show up at the ballot box in november. without the support, the party in power may lose the majority. no one is pushing harder than alan grayson running for r

would do well if he can clear the air about blagojevich mentioning him suspiciously.ould see rom, jesse jackson chris: there's no run-off? >> it's a run-off. the more the merrier. chris: when we return, the big question of the week, can republicans takee control of the senate as well as the house? people! look at you! texting...blogging... all this technology, but you're still banking like pilgrims! it's time for new school banking, bubbie. interest plus savings at capitalone.com. why earn bupkis, when your savings can earn three times the national average!! three times the national average!!! new school banking at capital one bank. with interest plus savings, go to capitalone.com!!!!! what's in your wallet? somebody help me down. what's in your wallet? chris: welcome back, since the surprise win by christine o'donnell cost republicans a gimme in the fight for the senate. can republicans win control of the senate this fall even without having delaware in the bag, which they counted on? >> of course they can. it's california, washington, connecticut, west virginia. if

as a leader, his rod blagojevich -- a bugaboo was social justice. time you hear a priest, a minister, or a rabbi talk about social justice, you run out of that church. this is so contrary to what most people take as the christian message. when i was hungry, you fed me. that seems to be antithetic alabama he targets liberation theology with pope john paul ii did not believe an. >> that is a problem between the catholic church and the clergy in america. it has nothing to do christianity. every sunday at my church, we pray for people who are oppressed because people are oppressed in this world. yet, glen beck says that is what liberation theology is all about, being concerned about oppression. we should be concerned about the soul of the individual credit he does not know what he is talking about. >> i am at a disadvantage because i am not an expert on christian theological disputes. i am glad the co friendlby feels cleansed of his sense of it does that have to go to church next week. >there was an article in the atlantic on the march. he was skeptical

s name came up a lot during the former trial of illinois governor rod blagojevich.w the congressman is defending himself after months of silence as he reportedly considers a run for mayor of chicago. prosecutors say jesse jackson jr. attended a meeting in which a businessman offered to raise a million dollars for our blago's campaign. if the governor picked jackson to fill president obama's then open senate seat. prosecutors accused blago of trying to sell or trade that appointment along with -- although the jury came back deadlocked. today, jackson jr. said he was not aware of that fundraising pledge and, quote: >> our blago's retrial begins in january and could be going on during the campaign for chicago mayor two major airlines are now trying to create the biggest of them all in all the world. they are well on their way today. what would that mean for passengers and prices? that's the top story at the bottom of the hour. and a new report on what's in our bank accounts? are americans getting back any of the money that we lost in the great recession? that's coming

. >>> some people may not think of rod blagojevich first when it comes to is subject of trust.illinois governor has been invited to speak at a trust forum in new york city next week. they say he will provide a unique perspective in federal jury convicted him of lying to the f.b.i. but deadlocked on 23 other counts, he is set to be retried in january. >>> governor pat quinn has a preelection gift for many workers on the temporary pay roll. he says he will keep the keep illinois working for another two months. >> i've gotten so many letters and messages from people, personal visits as well, saying that this job has changed my life. >> as you see there, governor quinn joined other politicians in the 28th board on the west side today. he said the state will pay $75 million to keep some 26,000 people employed. the program was set to expire friday. congress could extend funding for the program but lawmakers haven't approved that bill. workers are paid $10 an hour at jobs in both public and private industry. >>> big name in the illinois republican party, former governor endorses brady

news of this fair broke in connection with the rod blagojevich case in which congressman jackson is apparently embroiled. >>> the ongoing debate over your money. we are talking tax cuts. will bush era tax cuts be extended. we'll check more headlines. >> rain moving in. it will be around here all day tonight, and into the daytime hours tomorrow. julie wright will be in at some point. she will have a look at your on- time traffic. that coming up after the break. >>> welcome back. it is 15 minutes in front of 5:00 on this monday morning. can't see a whole lot outside this morning. we have that rain coming down. tucker i know we need the rain but we don't need the flooding coming along with this batch. no flood warnings or watches in the washington area. certainly the possible, we'll get a lot of rain, we'll get some thunderstorms, possible of some heavy rain. you get the idea here. good news is we haven't had much rain all month. so the soil can take a lot. >> okay. >> that is the good news. we'll get a lot too. we'll make up some important deficits here because we are running about seven inches

illinois governor rod blagojevich the man responsible for burris questionable appointments was indictedcorruption charges. jury found him guilty of one count of lying to the f.b.i. >> this case did not prove any corruption. as i have said all along. >> nowhere in america is the swamp deeper, dirtier and more dense than in the tri-state area. in 2006, new jersey senator bob menendez was under investigation for helping a nonprofit community agency receive millions of dollars in federal grants while the agency was paying more than $300,000 to the senator in rent. after they subpoenaed documents the investigation did not yield any official charges. across the hudson, charlie rangel was charged with 13 violations of congressional ethics rules this year, including allegations that he failed to report rental income on vacation prom in the dominican republic. >> to me that the notion allegations evidence. >> since he rejected last minute pleas from fellow democrats and resign, a highly publicized trial is expected after the midterm election. massa may have only joined congress in 2009 but by ma

. >>> the jury convicted rod blagojevich after a two and a half month trial.was deadlocked on the other charges. the attorney is calling for the judge to override the decision. prosecutors say they plan to retry the other charges early next year. >>> it is primary election dpai. voters here in maryland and six other states along with the district of columbia go to the polls today. mary? >> reporter: we're going to talk about delaware for just a moment this might be one of the smallest states in the nation, but what happened just over maryland's border is a very big deal today. tara mergener takes a look. >> reporter: the tea party as its sights set on delaware. >> not celebrating yet. >> reporter: two weeks ago christine o'donnell was a long shot a former marketing consultant up against long time congressman. but then a check came for o'connell. the republican establishment acted quickly pouring money and political muscle behind castle worrying if o'donnell wins, she's too far to the right for november. >> i have the only candidate with a chance of wenning in

they asked the judge to be released before blagojevich is retried on corruption charges.ppose to be a lifeline for democrats floundering in the mid terms. an extension of the middle class tax cut. but democrats in congress decided to tread water essentially voting not to vote before adjourning last night. they went home to campaign, prompting this reaction from minority leader john boehner. >> the idea that we are going to leave here and not extend all of the current tax rates to end the uncertainty is an irresponsibility on the part of this congress. and how any member can vote to adjourn and put this into a lame duck session, i think is putting your election above the needs of your constituents. megyn: the big question, did democrats just snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by duck out on this? mike gallagher is a fox show host and fox news contributor. nancy skinner is a talk show host. it's become a political issue, they punted on these tax cuts and they are not willing to take this vote in front of the american people until after they have saved hair jobs or lost

blagojevich's defense team is asking a judge to acquit blagojevich of lying to the fbi.is the only guilty verdict returned. retail sales rows by the largest margin in five months. the u.s. may not be headed for a double-dip recession. let's hope that is true. well new details now on the big debate that is raging in washington right now. should lawmakers hike taxes on lks making more than $250,000 a year? if they do what will the reality be for small businesses? if those taxes go up on the so-called rich. small business owner norman overlander is my guest, he's the ceo of zip productions a small advertising and marketing firm. we'll start with this. the american public is against you. the polls say that when they ask people, do you want taxes to go up on the so-called rich who make over $250,000 a year, they say, i'm okay with that because we he don't really like the rich and want to see them pay. you say this is going to hurt you how if your taxes go up at end of december, beginning of january, as they are scheduled right now to do. >> i think it's going to hurt me in a

illinois governor rod blagojevich the man responsible for burris questionable appointments was indictedn charges. jury found him guilty of one count of lying to the f.b.i. >> this case did not prove any corruption. as i have said all along. >> nowhere in america is the swamp deeper, dirtier and more dense than in the tri-state area. in 2006, new jersey senator bob menendez was under investigation for helping a nonprofit community agency receive millions of dollars in federal grants while the agency was paying more than $300,000 to the senator in rent. after they subpoenaed documents the investigation did not yield any official charges. across the hudson, charlie rangel was charged with 13 violations of congressional ethics rules this year, including allegations that he failed to report rental income on vacation prom in the dominican republic. >> to me that the notion allegations evidence. >> since he rejected last minute pleas from fellow democrats and resign, a highly publicized trial is expected after the midterm election. massa may have only joined congress in 2009 but by march of 20

. >> larry: rod blagojevich has filed a motion to toss out his only conviction in the 24-count corruption verdict, i thought the same thing i heard, i thought, when they let go of robert blake, when they let go of o.j. simpson, i mean, how many other people did the rodney king cops, you know, how many times do we have trials in this country where people just get it dead wrong? they have you on tape. they show you beating the ever loving daylights out of rodney king, you can't convict them. o.j. simpson, her blood was in his socks, they couldn't convict him. robert blake, i went back to the restaurant to get the gun, you know? and i think at the end of the day, what have you to understand is that things are not going to get better in this country politically, because of the people. it's the people. the country can't get well if the people are sick. and the people are sick. now, i know obama's not been the best president and the democrats are not the best politicians, but you know what? we elected him just two years ago to fix this massive bunch of problems we have, and because he didn't do

he continues to deny that he offered campaign cash to then governor rod blagojevich. all in exchange for the vacant senate seat. but revelations about a washington, d.c., cigar and martini whoitous are almost overshadowing the other allegations. new photographs surfacing of a part time model. a "sun-times" report says jackson asked a businessman and contributor to pay for two plane tickets to fly her to a chicago meeting with jackson. if the allegations are true, he could be looking at house ethics violation's both the congressman and wife, alderman sandi jackson released written statements. the congressman saying he is sorry for disappointing his supporters and at the same time not denying the allegations about the hostess. the two statements seem to imply there was some sort of inappropriate relationship between the married congressman and hostess. sandi jackson saying in her statement that for months the couple had been trying to deal privately with the, quote, painful and unfortunate situation. and jackson's second district people are reacting to the scandal. >> h

illinois governor rob blagojevich for example the man responsible for burris' questionable appointmentmpeached from office and indicted on 24 corruption charges. they found him guilty of one man in the fbi. >> didn't approve any corruption. >> the swamp is not deeper or more dense than in the try city area. mendez was under investigation by prosecutors for helping a nonprofit community agency receive millions of dollars in federal grants while the agency was paying more than $300,000 to the senator in rent. after they subpoenaed agency documents the investigation did not yield any official charges. he is charged with 13 violations of congressional ethics rules this year. including allegations he fail to do report rental income on vacation property in the dominican republic. >> to me these allegations are evidence that's all. that's all. >> since wrangle rejected last minute pleas for fellow democrats to cut a deal and resign and a highly publicized trial is expected in the house sometime after the midterm elections. eric nasa new york representative may have only joined congress in jan

news of the affair broke in connection with the rob blagojevich corruption case in which congressmankson is embroiled. >> the vice-president's official home, the naval observatory on mess avenue is getting a security upgrade and a big one. the secret service is confirming the navy will install a ten foot high security fence around the perimeter instead of the cable that is currently there. additional check points will also be added. secret service says these aren't upgrades in response to any explicit threats. $1.7million of taxpayer money has been set aside for the project. >>> it came out just this week the book right here the gop pledge to america. now it is under attack by democrats. republicans introduced the document as an outline for what they stand for. should they take control of congress in january. fox news correspondent steve santani has the latest from both sides of the aisles. >> reporter: republicans laid out their vision for the next congress in a document called "the pledge to america." it lays out a broad framework of what the gop would like to accomplish, most nota

in a chicago court attorneys for the former illinois governor rod blagojevich, our blago, have now asked to nullify his conviction and acquit him, throw the case right out the door. you may recall last month a jury found our blago guilty on one count of lying to the fbi. the jurors couldn't reach a decision on 23 other charges of corruption. another option, according to blago's attorneys is to set the conviction aside and schedule a retrial. an emergency medical crew making a rare winter time antarctic flight to evacuate a an american worker. our top story as we go around the world in 80 seconds. >> new zealand. the air force plane's crew landing on a run way made of ice to reach a man who we're told has a serious medical condition. is he in a hospital in christ-church. he works for rate i don't know, american company that supplies a research base in antarctica. the plane tried the rescue flight over the weekend but encountered blizzard conditions. greece. [horns] >> truck drivers striking for a second day across the nation. many of them parking their big rigs on news and blairing their

tonight's episode the band is breaking and entering up, according to a lawyer for the former governor blagojevichrney wants to quit the defense team and quitters never win, winners never quit, and there will be a status hearing tomorrow and he face is a retrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict on 23 of 24 corruption charges against him and he was convicted on one count of lying to the fbi, and his lead attorney, sam adam, jr. reportedly wants out of trial before retrial and we're told he's dealing with other cases and still insist blago is innocent and a judge has the final decision on whether adam, jr. can quit. from planet blago to another planet, apparently a real one up in space, scientist just discovered a new planet that in some ways resembles earth, in fact in a lot of ways and say it could have liquid water and a potential to support life and also say it is about the same distance from its star, as we are from our sun, but before you start thinking little green men and vacationing there, here's what an astronomer told us earlier today about what we could find there. >> if there is l

jim webb of virginia, jim blagojevich of ohio -- voinovich of ohio. >> voinovich will be important, in terms of whether he can give the democrats in the 60 votes that are needed. he does not agree with repealing don't ask don't tell. he wants to let the pentagon do their own study, reform before any legislation is enacted. so far, he has been the democrat to vote against the repeal. host: it is $75.5 billion. if there is the potential for a filibuster, what happens to the pentagon budget? >> it is usually not signed into law on october 1 when the fiscal year starts, but first, congress would have to approve continuing authority and a continuing resolution to fund the pentagon. senator levin left it up in the air and said it would be a serious setback in the defense bill if they did not have the 60 votes, which means he did not know and did not want to predict what will happen in a lame duck section -- session. it will be interesting. it could be a year where the defense bill does not pass this congress and will have to move to the next congress, and if there is a new congress, they wou

the same businessman said that jackson asked him to raise $6 million for rod blagojevich who was theow jackson has denied those allegations. but moving on, president clinton is talking tea party. in fact, what he's saying, john, is that the democratic party should not be engaging the tea party. in fact, the democratic party should be focusing instead on solutions and telling voters how they can make things better. this is how he described the tea party founders. they tend to be pretty far right extremists whose goal is to destroy the power of government to mediate the power of corporations. and he told our own wolf blitzer that yesterday on cnn. and sarah palin herself is talking tea party. all seems to be a big tea party. she put out a video yesterday highlighting the movement. it was an 80-second video called simply "the tea party." i've got to tell you, to me it really seemed like a presidential video in many ways because it used footage of palin addressing a tea party rally earlier this year. a lot of big crowd shots, john, kiran. >> no question about it, when it comes to enthusi

they were just discovered hidden in rod blagojevich's former desk..b.i. says they appear to be real but unrelated to the current scandal. fears that sharp hood ornaments could hurt pedestrians if by chance they're hit by the bentley. >> president obama's inner circle is breaking apart and they're leaving. his economic advisor larry summers is out of there. chief of staff rahm emanuel could be running for mayor and leave in weeks. could it cause him to hit the reset button only spelled right for the administration? p.j. p.j.o'rourke has a new book out called "don't vote, it just encourages the bastards." you are from the center of advance studies but lieutenant colonel tony schaefer, you have big news today. operation of operation dark heart which is out today, right? >> correct. >> let's talk about the change. p.j., will this help the administration get on track? >> it will help the administration be a nicer place. you're getting rid of two really -- you got a mean guy and you got a grouchy guy here. >> larry summers grouchy? >> grouchy. >> rahm eman