i had never even heard of brunei. >> a lot of people haven't heard much about brunei.there's also a scene about the guy that was with the president today. based on the per capita of brunei, it's the fifth richest country in the world, one spot above the united states of america, which explains the sultan of the country of 406,000 people would get the face-to-face with president obama. >>> and now we reach out to our sources around the world. a photo of president mahmoud ahmadinejad is upsetting the clerics. i asked if ahmadinejad is feeling the heat. >> reporter: he is feeling some help. to most people, these images look like nothing more than a simple hug. that's not how the clerics are seeing it, where strict interpretation of islamic law says men and will can't touch if they're not related. one cleric calling this a sin. another saying ahmadinejad was clowning around and failing to uphold the dignity of iran. this reaction really highlights a growing conflict in iran between ahmadinejad and his political enemies who say he overstepped his power during his two terms,

the president meeting with the sultan of brunei. also, chuck hagel. who just returned from afghanistan. that trip marked by two u.s. soldiers killed. also, we learned today that the helicopter crash in southern afghanistan killed five u.s. service members. although no word of enemy involvement. the house republicans unveiled their big budget ideas. the senate acted on gun measures. every day now, we await news on who will be the next pope. all eyes on the nbc news live camera of the sistine chimney, watching for white smoke. and naming a freeway in dallas after george bush and today, another pointless marathon involving the name og f a judge. this one might be a record. republicans in the u.s. senate stalled this goi's nomination for 484 days and then, they all voted for him. unanimously. 91-0. so, why the 484-day wait? why not? because they can. there's lots going on in the world and lots to get it this hour, but we begin with this. this is a piece of legislature introduced by john f. kennedy when he was a senator from massachusetts. we rep jfk now a

president obama will welcome the sultan of brunei to the white house. yesterday john kerry welcomed his majesty to the state department. today the president will discuss preparations for a summit of air ya-pacific countries that will be held in brunei in october. >>> cyclists who set out on a ride to newtown, connecticut, will arrive on the capitol steps. it will be joined by bikers, hundreds of supporters and congress members aiming to draw changes. >>> and it's a celebrity sexogenarian trifecta. james taylor, mitt romney and liza minnelli in their 60s today. >>> in an nbc news exclusive, here newly released audio of wikileaks suspect bradley manning speaking in military court and more of savannah's one-on-one interview of actress valerie harper. >>> keep it here for more news, sports and more. i'm richard lui. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a great one. >>> a toddler tied up for not napping. this morning, we have learned parents at a bay area preschool who demanded answers will now ge

oscar winner barry levinson and "new york times" frank bruney on the culture curve. the rominee returns. mitt tries to convince us he's normal. >> the market is surging but the paychecks are paltry. what gives with the american economy. >>> have some inner growth i never experienced. >>> and disgraced governor turned drug counselor jim mcgreevey talks redemption and second chances. >>> surrounded by mothers who lost children to gun violence, this afternoon, president obama remembered the tragedy in newtown, connecticut. >> shame on us if we've forgotten. i haven't forgotten those kids. shame on us if we've forgotten. >> that line highlighted the fundamental problem for the white house. it's been 104 days since newtown and shame that may be president obama's most powerful tool. so far two key pieces of legislate the president wanted, bans on assault weapons and high capacity magazines have been dropped from the bill majority leader harry reid says he'll bring to the floor next month, and it's still unclear how far the proposal will go on background checks. even this s

prince would be between the two economies if they don't work together and the same thing with brunei can you imagine your nice run by a sultan you can't join a union there's no freedom of the press what are they thinking to say that we can have a trade agreement with them is going to be all these inequalities and the answer is you know don't we really care about democracy don't we really if we all have the same then we can see having a trade agreement with another country that basically shares our values has a similar trade policy you know has basically the same standard of living we can trade with them but when you have these huge disparities between these companies countries i don't see how we can do it and take vietnam is the best example you're going to be trading with some company that is going to be owned by the communist party and they're going to own a factory there and nobody basically trading with the united states there's another thing by america if something is very important in a lot of programs that we have with regard to homeland security with regard to defense departm

difference would be between the two economies if they don't work together and the same thing with brunei can you imagine it's run by a sultan you can't join a union there's no freedom of the press what are they thinking to say that we can have a trade agreement with them it's going to be all these inequalities and the answer is you know don't we really care about democracy don't we really if we all have the . same then we can see having a trade agreement with another country that basically shares our values has a similar trade policy you know has basically the same standard of living we can trade with them but when you have these huge disparities between these companies countries i don't see how we can do it and take vietnam as the best example you're going to be trading with some company that is going to be owned by the communist party and they're going to own a factory there and nobody basically trading with the united states there's another thing by america if something is very important in a lot of programs that we have with regard to homeland security with regard to defense departme

bruney talked about it. it's not a 2,000-year-old tradition. i think it's 600 years old.he point is, it's far more complex and far more evolving of the leadership of the church than the individual accounts. >> let me ask you, journal, about this cardinal. he's a very attractive guy in so many ways. he's very american and regularly, if you will. has this guy got a shot or just thinking that he does? >> chris, i think what we used to call the super power veto, the notion that you couldn't have an american pope bauds the united states was the hyper power, as the french foreign minister once called us, i think that's gone. there is no overwhelmings super power. that was the case immediately after the cold war. and i've said on several of our broadcasts, i don't think a north american pope is out of the question. >> you mean the quebec archbishop miegts have a better shot? >> i think a number of north american cardinals are going to get a look in this conclave. and that's something really quite striking. it shouldn't be that surprising because given the very difficult circumst

that person is the sultan of brunei.t before sitting down for a talk with the president in the oval office today. the sultan is of course known for his vast wealth and that includes a collection of some 7,000 high-performance automobiles valued at more than $5 billion. among his collection 604 rolls-royces. that's right. 604. 574 mercedes, four under and 52 forest and a 380 bentleys, 209 bmws, 179 jaguars, 21 in bikinis, 11 aston martins, and -- you get the picture. payday in the nfl as free agency begins, although of flat salary cap has some team scrambling to restructure there contracts and to cut players ahead of next month's college draft. the nfl setting the 2013 gap at 123 million. that is where it was back in 2009 when the last collective bargaining agreement this -- expired reprenting only had $2 million increase from a year ago. wide receivers of the super bowl champion baltimore ravens, the minnesot vikings trading to san francisco and seattle respectively. stars like victor cruz of the giants and there'll reav

in a new york time op ed, frank bruney made this comparison. he said somewhere along the way standing up for gay marriage went from nervy to trendy. it is the harlem shake of political engagement. senior political editor mark murray joins us. maybe you wouldn't have made the harlem shake comparison. you get what he is saying. i don't want to use the word trendy. we're talking about lives of human beings and their children. we are seeing this trend not just with the gop but claire mccasskell. >> right now it was really the big story when rob portman came out in favor of gay marriage. one of the few republican politicians to do so rob portman in 2016 when he is up for reelection. in a lot of ways there was this silence. sometime when there's silence, that means people have cover to do what they want to do. for republicans, there are a lot of republican who's are against gay marriage. just 27% in a recent nbc "wall street journal" poll, in favor of gay marriage. you will see a lot of republicans not completely do what rob portman did but right now

and lee and that's all for now, i'll see you back tomorrow at noon eastern when i'm joined by frank bruneirts and you've got to catch alex tonight for a little "now" at night. this evening she'll be joined by cecile richards and david sarota, you can follow the show at "now." and "andrea mitchell reports" is next. when what you just bought, just broke. or when you have a little trouble a long way from home... as an american express cardmember you can expect some help. but what you might not expect, is you can get all this with a prepaid card. spends like cash. feels like membership. these are sandra's "homemade" yummy, scrumptious bars. hmm? i just wanted you to eat more fiber. chewy, oatie, gooeyness... and fraudulence. i'm in deep, babe. you certainly are. [ male announcer ] fiber one. [ man ] excuse me miss. [ gasps ] this fiber one 90 calorie brownie has all the deliciousness you desire. the brownie of your dreams is now deliciously real.

you watch this pomp and circumstance, which is beautiful and historic and in many ways but frank brunei makes an interesting point today. he says much of what has eroded the church's authority must be addressed is the addiction to secrecy. its rejection of transparency. when an organization shrouds itself in mystery it is invariably treated as a cradle of intrigue. and yet here its self-appointed leaders are, walling themselves in order to make the most important decisions about the church's governance in complete isolation and privacy. they will keep only their own counsel and speak to the outside world in smoke signals. >> they can look like an island unto themselves. i was not raised catholic. >> you're kidding. >> putting that news out on the table for america today. >> can you still speak to the idea of secret institutions. >> i do think what you have as an institution, even above and beyond the terrible sex crimes which chris was speaking about eloquently earlier. an institution that hasn't caught up at all with modern life. you talk about transparency. the way young people expect

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then he will be holding a bilateral meeting with the sultan of brunei.lunch with him at 1:30 this afternoon. the president will be coming up to capitol hill to meet with senate democrats at the united states capitol. back at the white house later this afternoon. he and the vice president will be meeting with secretary of defense chuck hagel just back from a trip to afghanistan. briefing today with jay carney at 12:30. we'll cover it all. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> bill: good morning friends and neighbors. it is tuesday march 12. good to see you today. welcome to the "full court press." right here on current tv. where we tackle the big stories of the day every day and give you a chance to talk about it. tell us what it means to you and to your family at 1-866-55-press. we'll cover what's happening here in our nation's capital around the country around the globe, in rome today. three hours from now. the cardinals will be in the sistine chapel and will be ready to cast their first vote, the first of four votes i believe they'll have tod

secretary hagel not in brunei and then joined in a meeting with president obama in the oval office. as many of you know, the series iv on chair. the 2013th chairmanship will conduct three multilateral exercises in the asia-pacific region and will host the ministerial. they look forward to this important relationship as we continue to deepen our engagement in the asia-pacific region. the saturn and the secretary will meet with secretary of veterans affairs, ericsson seki, and the first meeting since secretary hagel's meeting last month. this is the first year the meeting. the two have known each other more than a decade ago served in the ninth in the true division in their combat tours in vietnam. secretary hagel is eager to continue progress that impacts the lives of servicemembers and veterans. on thursday, secretary hagel will host the first quarterly meeting on the civilian and military leadership. the joint chief of staff and combatant commanders and other secretaries. the upcoming leadership council will focus on budget and strategy and later that day the secretary will be form