our own chris jansing is here in the studio with us now with more on the impact of this stubborn recession, especially on the children of this country. >> it's really tough stuff. to give you some perspective, a family of four is living below the poverty line if their income is less than $22,350 a year. this new study shows that high unemployment and foreclosure rates have effectively wiped out all the gains made in reducing child poverty in the late 1990s. >> okay let me help you with that. >> reporter: life in florida was very good for the hidalgo family, angel was a building manager. annie was a bank teller. they bought a house and their kids were doing well in school. then a year ago, both parents lost their jobs. >> we had the american dream, but it's going down the drain. >> reporter: the hidalgos show a snapshot of the economic vice that's gripping american children. in 38 states child poverty went up from 2000 to 2009. across the country, nearly 15 million children, one of every five lived below the poverty line, a big reason, stubbornly high unemployment rates. 23 million children

our report tonight from nbc's chris jansing. >>> there you are, emily. how many times do i have to scream your name? >> reporter: they are the movie bosses we love to hate. >> greed, for lack of a better word, is good. >> reporter: now, it turns out in real life, being bad is good, for your bottom line. >> a tendency to be a little bit more harsh, a little bit more arrogant, a little bit less likely to care so much about what other people's feelings are, and that tends to lead to more income for men. >> reporter: researchers found that disagreeable men earn nearly $10,000 a year more than nice guys, and difficult women earned more, too, but only $1,800 more on average. >> there's a jerk factor now? >> reporter: leslie seymour was a self-proclaimed nice girl at "vogue" magazine who had to toughen up before becoming editor-in-chief at "more." >> it took me a couple of years realize, like, wait a minute, all these people who aren't so nice, they are moving ahead, i'm sitting back here. >> reporter: but why does mean translate to greed? the study suggested s

i'm chris jansing.s to tell you about because there is fresh fighting and new defiance in libya where moammar gadhafi's forces are making a last desperate stand to stay in power and, in fact, in tripoli there's been fierce fighting at the gadhafi compound. the fighting in the capital has been intensifying throughout the day. mortar fire, explosions all across the city this morning. let's go on the ground to nbc's richard engel live for us. richard, what's going on right now?

i'm chris jansing.s dangerously teetering on the edge of recession are freaking out the markets again. take a look. stocks down once more this morning after the dow plunged nearly 400 points or rather 4% yesterday on a slew of gloomy reports on the economy. i'm joined now by cnbc's senior analyst ron insana. good morning. >> good morning, chris. >> where are we right now? investors are so spooked by any bad news or bad feeling that it sparks a sell-off? >> yeah. well, you know, we had a rough night against in asia and europe. something like -- something akin to a lehman like moment in europe where there are worries about the health of the banks and that is spreading to the u.s. we have opened lower, down 100 points at the worst and 105 points and rallied back a little bit. technology turning positive. we're going to have to see if we can get a turn around friday out of all this, but that remains to be seen. >> i know there's a technical sort of definition for recession. but if you talk to the average am

. >>> coming up, chris jansing and company and don't miss andrea at 1:00. see you tomorrow... wow, i'm blown away. you look great. hotels.com summer sale, save up to 30%. and get a free kindle. hotels.com. be smart. book smart. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. >>> good morning, i'm chris jansing and the question is, would we be in for another white knuckle roller-coaster ride on wall street today? fear has seemed to be in the driver's seat, but let's take a look at how we're doing in e

i'm contessa brewer in for chris jansing. the whole messy debt debacle could be over today. the senate is scheduled to vote just hours before the country would have defaulted. the house passed that same bill last night, 269-161. but after all the bitter pattersonship, an partisanship, an amazing moment. [ applause ]. >> congresswoman gabby tkpweufrdz returning to the chamber to pass her vote in favor of raising the detective ceiling. her colleagues gave her a standing ovation as they cried and cheered her comeback. it was the first time she was on the floor since she was shot in the head. >> it was most exuberant, exhilarating -- i mean, we were all crying. thrilled. we just knew she would make a triumphant return. >> kelly o'donnell is live on capitol hill. kelly, we're expecting a dramatic vote in the senate today. take us through the timing. >> well, there's still a lot of buzz and excitement even on the senate side for what everyone saw with congresswoman gabby gifford. it won't have the emotional punch of what we saw in the house. but it's expected at noon today that th

for a body in motion. >>> good morning, i'm chris jansing and let's start with a live look at the marketminutes into the trading day, you can see a little bit of

i'm chris jansing. andrea mitchell is up next. so keep it here on msnbc.ou anxious to protect your family with life insurance... but afraid you can't afford it? well, look how much insurance many people can get through selectquote for less than a dollar a day. selectquote found, rich, 37, a $500,000 policy for under $18 a month. even though dave, 43, takes meds to control his blood pressure, selectquote got him a $500,000 policy for under $28 a month. ellen, 47, got a $250,000 policy for under $20 a month. all it takes is a phone call. your personal selectquote agent will answer all your questions ... and impartially shop the highly rated term life companies selectquote represents for your best rates. give your family the security it needs at a price you can afford. call this number or go to selectquote dot com. selectquote. we shop. you save. my son and i never missed opening day. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within

i'm chris jansing. we are a day away from the highly anticipated iowa straw poll. big fireworks among all eight republican candidates in last night's debates especially between the two minnesotans, tim pawlenty and michele bachmann. chuck todd was there. >> i need to respond to that. >> reporter:

more now from nbc's chris jansing. >> mary leeward has lived in the same house in brooklyn for half her life. now the great grandmother is facing eviction. >> this is like a nightmare. >> reporter: after refinancing she couldn't keep up with the payments. the house was foreclosed. sdwlirchlgs across the country in california, 35-year-old rosemary is on the verge of losing her home too. >> i went through college. i'm an indicated woman. i thought that at this point i should be able and i have the right to have the american dream like anybody else in this country. >> she was one of dozens who stormed a pasadena bank. >> the stories unfolding across america today are in many ways an alternate reality to what's happening here on wall street. for millions of americans what keeps them awake at night isn't will i have enough money for my retirement. it's will i be able to pay my bills today. >> that's what we're seeing now is not only the fear of the rising ranks of the have-notes, but the fear that you could be one of those in, you know, the flip of a coin. >> i'm just trying to find somethin

i'm chris jansing.n congressman charlie rangel will be my guest to talk about the economy and your money. are you anxious to protect your family with life insurance... but afraid you can't afford it? well, look how much insurance many people can get through selectquote for less than a dollar a day. selectquote found, rich, 37, a $500,000 policy for under $18 a month. even though dave, 43, takes meds to control his blood pressure, selectquote got him a $500,000 policy for under $28 a month. ellen, 47, got a $250,000 policy for under $20 a month. all it takes is a phone call. your personal selectquote agent will answer all your questions ... and impartially shop the highly rated term life companies selectquote represents for your best rates. give your family the security it needs at a price you can afford. call this number or go to selectquote dot com. selectquote. we shop. you save. >>> market freefall. stocks tumble both at home and overseas on the heels of the u.s. losing its aaa credit rating for the

coming up next, chris jansing and company.n't miss "andrea mitchell reports" with you know who. see you later. >>> good morning to you. i'm peter alexander, in today for my friend, chris jansing. thousands of furloughs, millions of dollars already lost, and a partial shutdown of the faa. this could have easily been prevented, but yet again, congress cannot agree. >> this is a lose-lose-lose situation that can be easily solved if congress gets back in to town and does its job. >> if congress really believes in the words that they're saying about jobs, creating jobs, putting people back to work, stop your vacation, come back to washington, pass the bill. >> feels like deeja vu all over again. waiting for congress to act, but this could take a long time

coming up next on msnbc, "chris jansing & company." then at 1:00 p.m.eports." >> here's a look at your business travel forecast. i'm meteorologist bill karins. after a weekend of showers and thunderstorms in new england today's actually going to clear it out and be a nice day. if anyone couldn't get to their destinations today they should be able to. boston, torque, d.c. all looking good. detroit and chicago, no problems for you. it was a warm weekend in the west. that's going to change today. seattle chance of showers, 71. one more chariot please. ...we can bring the whole gang! i cannot tell a lie. he did it. right... it's hard to beat double miles! read my lips -- no new axes! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one, and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? so, you're a democrat right? how'd you learn to do that? what'd you use? every project we finish comes with a story built-in. it's how our rough ideas become "you did that yourself?" so when we can save more on the projects t

i'm chris jansing. it has been a very long day of intense negotiations, of meetings, phone calls that are still ongoing. but just moments ago, 50 hours before the united states would default, president obama addressed the nation. here is what he had to say in its entirety. >>there are still some very important votes to be taken by members of congress, but i want to announce that the leaders of both parties in both chambers have reached an agreement that will reduce the deficit and avoid default. the default that would have had a deaf sfath effect on our economy. the first part of this agreement will cut about $1 trillion in spending over the next ten years. cuts that both parties had agreed to early on in this process. the result would be the lowest level of annual domestic spending since dwight eisenhower was president. but at a level that still allows us to make job creating investments in things like education and research. we also made sure these cuts wouldn't happen so abruptly that they'd be a dra

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i'm chris jansing, and it has been a long day of intense negotiations, of meetings, phone calls still ongoing, but just moments ago, 50 hours before the united states would default, president obama addressed the nation. here is what he had to say in the entirety. >> there are still some very important votes to be taken by members of congress, but i want to announce that the leaders of both parties in both chambers have reached an agreement to reduce the deficit and avoid default. a default that would have had a devastating effect on our economy. the first part of this agreement will cut about $1 trillion in spending over the next ten years. cuts that both parties had agreed to early on in the process. the result would be the lowest level of annual domestic spending since dwight eisenhower was president, but at a level that still allows us to make job creating investments in things like education and research. we also made sure that these cuts wouldn't happen so abruptly that they are a drag on a fragile economy. i have said from the beginning that the ultimate solution to the deficit

tonight msnbc's chris jansing has more on what happened when summit got her stunning diagnosis and how her fighting spirit is part of a new game plan. >> reporter: for 37 years as coach of the tennessee lady volunteers, pat summitt has built a reputation as a fiercely tough competitor, but nothing prepared her for an unbeatable component. >> earlier this year doctors at the mayo clinic diagnosed me with an early onset dementia, alzheimer's type. >> reporter: a young 59 with eight national championships, she reacted to the doctor's dire prognosis with denial and then anger. >> at first i think she was a little mad, she was about to punch him in the face. >> reporter: in truth there had been clues, including uncharacteristic memory lapses, even in the heat of a game. but pat summitt didn't become the winningest coach in college basketball history by giving up. so after allowing herself a few months to grieve and to accept the devastating diagnosis, she made a bold decision. >> i plan to continue to be your coach. >> reporter: her lawyers told summit the university had every right to fire

. >>> well, last night as news broke of the rebels advance into tripoli, msnbc's chris jansing asked nbc news military analyst colonel jack jacobs if he's concerned about the stockpiles of gadhafis munitions that have been raided, including anti-aircraft missiles. >> i think it's going to be almost impossible to keep absolutely everything that was in the arsenals of gadhafi under control. you get a country like pakistan, for example which has a hard time accounting for all of its materiel, a place like libya is not going to be under control of conventional but deadly arms like sa-7 shoulder-fired surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles. i think it's going to be very difficult to control all that stuff. if you perceive that there is a number of arsenals out in and they get raided by the rebels, the law of large levels says most can be controlled by the rebels but some will get through controled by other people and some of those people are going to be bad guys. i'm very worried about that equipment. >> add gadhafi's regime crumbles, syria's president, assad, said his country will not mee

. >>> chris jannen -- jansing & company is next. and a choice. to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪ ♪ [ recorded voice ] onstar. we're looking for city hall. i'm sending directions to your car. [ recorded voice #2 ] turn right on hill street. go north for two miles. ♪ [ man ] this is onstar. i got a signal there's been a crash. do you need help? yes, please. i've got your gps location. i'm sending help. [ female announcer ] introducing onstar fmv. get it installed on your car at best buy or visit onstar.com for more stores. >>> good morning. i'm chris jansing. we're going to begin with breaking news out of the afghanistan. coalition forces strike back. they have killed taliban militants responsible for

." >>> good evening i'm chris jansing in new york tonight for chris matthews. leading off tonight. if you've been watching tv, or listening to the radio or following social media, you already know the headline, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit the east coast just before 2:00 this afternoon. tens of millions who think the quakes as something who happens -- were jolted into a rare and nerve rackic reality. it was centered in mineral, virginia, felt in 22 states as far west as illinois. while there are no reports of major damage, there may well be hidden structural damage. we'll have the details and bring you live reports throughout the hour here on "hardball." in that libya, where rebel troops overwhelmed pro-gadhafi forces and poured into his compou compound. they fired their reps in celebration and grabbed what they could, but colonel gadhafi's whereabouts remain unknown. no one was injured in the cathedral, and there was no damage to the stained glass windows, but the cathedral has been closed to visitors until further notice. the floors of the u.s. capitol rotunda littered with pai

i'm chris jansing in new york tonight for chris matthews, and leading off east coast earthquake. if you've been watching tv, listening to the radio or following social media, you already know the headline. a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit the east coast just before 2:00 this afternoon. tense of millions of people who think of quakes is something that happens to someone else, something that happens to people on the west coast, were jilted into a rare and nerve-racking e part of the state, but flt as far south and georgia, west and chicago and north at martha's vineyard where the president is vacationing pap powerful earthquake. no reports of major damage there may well be hidden structure damage. in washington, d.c. and in new york, people poured out of buildings for an unscheduled mid-day break. and washington evacuated until it was clear to return to that building. all the details and bring you live reports throughout the hour here on "hardball." >>> also what would otherwise have been our lead story tonight took place on the other side of the world. in libya, where rebel troops o

i'm chris jansing, thank you for watching. veronica day la cruz is in for thomas roberts.omorrow. i can't wait to take 'em out, throw 'em away and never see them again. [ male announcer ] know the feeling? get the contacts you've got to see to believe. acuvue® oasys brand contact lenses with hydraclear® plus technology, keeping your eyes exceptionally comfortable all day long. it feels like it disappeared on my eye. [ male announcer ] discover why it's the brand eye doctors trust most for comfort. if you have astigmatism, there's an acuvue® oasys lens for that too, realigning naturally with every blink. ask your doctor for acuvue® oasys brand. realign♪ naturally with every blink. ♪ ♪ ♪ introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog. ♪ [ country ] [ man ] ♪ gone, like my last paycheck ♪ gone, gone away ♪ gone, like my landlord's smile ♪ ♪ gone, gone away ♪ my baby's gone away with dedicated claims specialists... and around-the-clock service, travelers can help make things better quicker. will your auto and home insurer... be there when you need them most? for

. >>> i'm chris jansing. thank you for watching. veronica is up next for thomas.. [ male announcer ] germs in your mouth build up and form a layer called biofilm so strong it survives brushing. thankfully, there's listerine® antiseptic. its triple-action formula penetrates biofilm, kills germs and protects your mouth for hours. fight biofilm with listerine®.

i'm jeff rossen, in for chris jansing. thomas roberts is coming up next. bye-bye.ing in today's market requires decisive action. i go to e-trade and tap into the power of revolutionary mobile apps to trade wherever. whenever. life isn't fully experienced sitting idly by. neither is investing. [ birds chirping ] >>> default deflected or so everybody hopes. congress and the president reach a $2 trillion deal on the debt and now the scramble is on to secure the votes. >>> could the u.s. still face a down grade despite this 11th hour compromise? >>> the father of a missing new hampshire girl leads for his safe return as multiple states are now involved in the search fo

. >> i'm richard lui in for chris jansing. president obama coming up next.ale announcer ] members of the american postal workers union handle more than 165 billion letters and packages a year. that's about 34 million pounds of mail every day. ever wonder what this costs you as a taxpayer? millions? tens of millions? hundreds of millions? not a single cent. the united states postal service doesn't run on your tax dollars. it's funded solely by stamps and postage. brought to you by the men and women of the american postal workers union. ♪ >>> breaking news at this hour as we are waiting for president obama's first remarks on today's better than expected jobs report for july. finally, some good news on the economy after the dow's worst day in three months yesterday. will it be enough to stop the global fear factor rocking markets around the world? hi, everybody, great to have you with me on this friday morning, i'm thomas roberts. as i mentioned in just a few moments, president obama will unveil his push to help the nation's vets find private sector jobs. he's

coming up chris jansing and company. at 1:00 p.m., don't miss andrea mitchell reports.lis and john kerry. >> i'm meteorologist bill cares with your weekend forecast. as we go through saturday, a lost people have a chance for afternoon thunderstorms especially in the southeast, even people from new york to philly and d.c. will be ducking storms. the big story is the record heat in texas. cooler on sunday in dallas, but not much, still well over 100. 3q double shift... i need a break. he needs some gellin'. yeahhhhhhh. gellin' is like having a teeny tiny foot masseuse in your shoe. you like ? nice ! dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles. outrageous comfort, all-day long. >> very good morning. i'm richard lui in for chris

coming up, chris jansing and at 1:00 p.m., angela mitchell reports. >>> i'm nbc meteorologist, jeff ranieri business travelers forecast. we are seeing what was once hurricane irene. we will still be dealing with flooding concerns and heavier rainfall across the northern plains. meanwhile, hot weather for those of you in texas. look at this. 107 expected in dallas today. [ male announcer ] look down. it's high time to make our floor look better and feel softer. ♪ how 'bout we start with the guaranteed low price on the carpet... the pad, and installation. let's get peace of mind for a lifetime. it all adds up to the lowest total price on our carpet project. guaranteed. and a room that looks better than we ever imagined. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get 12 months special financing on carpet purchases when you use your home depot credit card. get 12 months special financing on carpet purchases uld ching to geico reon car insurance? or more host: do people use smartphones to do dumb things? man 1: send, that is the weekend. app grapgic: yeah dawg! man 2: allow me

. >>> good morning, i'm chris jansing. suddenly a very busy thursday morning.es to tell you about. first of all, for the first time, president obumma is now calling for syrian president assad to step down. in a written statement, the president says that syrian people should decide their country's future and assad is standing in their way. the administration is also talking about new economic sanctions on syria. we are expecting to hear from secretary of state hillary clinton any minute now. we will bring that to you live when it happens. well, here she comes, the secretary of state. >> good morning. for months the assad regime for contempt of its own people. syrians are demanding their universal human rights. the regime has answered their demands with empty promises and horrific violence. torturing opposition leaders, laying siege to cities, slaughtering thousands of unarmed civilians, including children. the assad government has been condemned by all parts of the world and can look only to iran for support for its brutal and unjust crackdown. this morning pres

richar louie in for chris jansing. he's making a pivot. president obama turns to his jobs agenda. his focus is clear in his rose garden speech. >> well, washington has been object sorbed in this debate about deficits. people across the country are asking what can we do to help the father looking for work? what are we going to do for the single mom who has seen her hours cut back at the hospital? what are we going to do to make it easier for businesses to put up that now hiring sign? >> let's get straight to it. mike viqueira is live at the white house. what's the president's plan, as you're hearing? >> well, it's been frustrating to say the least or not president. all along the president is focusing on jocks. we have heard of hard pivot. the recovery was last summer. as a matter of fact, just about a year ago yesterday treasury secretary time geithner had an op ed in the "new york times" that said "welcome to the recovery." here we are again the president coming off this bruising fight over spending and debt. now he announced his plans through the "new york times", a multistate bu

. >>> and that wraps up this hour of jansing & company, i'm chris jansing and keep it here on msnbc.. >>> a roller coaster ride on wall street. stocks rebounding one day after the dow jones dropped 634 points. can president obama and congress survive the political fallout? large majorities of voters say they are ready to clean house come 2012. riots rattle great britain in the case of social chaos that that country has seen in two decades. what will calm the unrest there? >>> and the question is over. a 64-year-old woman was forced to end her history-making swim. her treacherous journey will

i'm chris jansing with this special edition of "hardball." leading off tonight, here comes hurricane irene. people living in the southeastern u.s. along the gulf coast, there is nothing unusual about bracing for hurricane in late august. but what is happening today is historic, it's extraordinary and frankly for a lot of folks, it's unfamiliar and scary. hurricane irene is bearing down on the entire east coast. all the way from north caroline why it maine with an incredible 65 million people in its path. rain and high winds have already begun to hit the carolinas, with that storm is expected to make land fall sometime early tomorrow morning. commuter transit systems in new york, new jersey and philadelphia are being shut down. with the enormous new york city subway system coming to halt beginning at noon tomorrow. a hurricane warning is issued for new york city, which is expected to get hit sunday morning. today, may mayor bloomberg ordered 270,000 people to evacuate from low-lying areas. that's the equivalent of evacuating the entire city of

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i'm chris jansing and thank you very much for watching msnbc.

good morning, i'm chris jansing, that's what veteran forecasters are saying about hurricane irene. nor cross posted this morning -- i've never seen the models consistently show this level of threat, a big

i'm chris jansing with a special edition of "hardball" and leading off tonight, here cups hurricane irene. to people who live in the northeast or along the gulf coast there's nothing unusual about bracing for a hurricane in august. what is happening today is extraordinary by any standards. hurricane irene is bearing down on the entire east coast from north carolina to maine with incredible 65 million people in its path. rain and high winds have already begun to hit the carolinas where the storm is expected to make landfall sometime early tomorrow morning. commuter transit systems in new york, new jersey, and philadelphia are being shut down. but the enormous new york city subway system is coming to a halt beginning at noon tomorrow. the new york city area is expected to get hit sunday morning, and today mayor michael bloomberg ordered some 270,000 people to evacuate from low-lying areas. that's roughly the equivalents of evacuating buffalo, new york. president obama cut short his vacation and urged people in path of the storm to be prepared. >> i cannot stress this highly enough. if you a

. >>> up next on msnbc, chris jansing & co. >>> i'm meteorologist bill karins and the weekend forecasticane irene. a monster storm, approaching the coastline of north carolina. we expect that landfall sometime either early in the afternoon on saturday or possibly late saturday morning and all that rain and wind is going to spread up the eastern seaboard. be prepared saturday night and sunday on the east coast. just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. but your cloud of depression is still with you. maybe it's time to ask your doctor about adding seroquel xr to your antidepressant to treat your depression. seroquel xr is a once-daily, extended-release tablet, which means medication is released around the clock. for many, seroquel xr, when added to an antidepressant, was proven more effective than an antidepressant alone at helping people feel less depressed. call your d

one last piece of advice for those who heard me talking to chris jansing, about putting the bottles of in your freezer. don't worry about them cracking, they'll do just fine, you don't have to take any water off with the expansion of the ice and everything else. it will work just fine and you'll be glad you'll have that ice so that it then melts and you some nice cool water to drink. >> great advice. as irene roars up the east coast, more than 65 million people in the storm's path, they're preparing for possible dangers that may lie ahead, the flooding, the power, the phone outages and contaminated water, a few of the concerns. discovery channel host eaton edwards is the author of "preparedness now" here with a few other tips for us. all this stuff is intimidating. >> no. >> let's talk about the simple suggestions first for people out there that want to be prepared, that feel that -- what they need to do to accomplish it if they have little time. >> okay, one of the first things wasn't to start with is something as simple as a note bad. this is a write and rain or all weather note pad.

i'm chris jansing and hurricane irene is strengthening, the east coast still the target.irene to a major category 3 storm. that means winds are at 115 miles per hour. right now it's moving west-northwest at 9 miles per hour, and according to the latest forecast, irene could make landfall saturday morning, though its effect will be felt soon before. if you live on the east coast, here's the bottom line. you need to prepare now because this storm could strike anywhere from south carolina to new england, and tropical force winds could hit anywhere along the eastern shore.

i'm chris jansing. what a day it has been. a rare sunday. so many meetings, negotiations, the latest of which just in the last hour senator reid left mitch mcconnell's office. said still some progress but still no deal. we are waiting for a senate to vote on a compromised debt ceiling package. of course, both parties have been up in arms about it. 8:30 tonight, a very critical phone call. less than half an hour from now, speaker boehner will have that conference call with all 240 members of his caucus. meantime, members of the congressional progressive caucus have scheduled an emergency meeting at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon. joining me now, chuck todd, and nbc's andrea mitchell, the host of "andrea mitchell reports" here on msnbc. so, chuck, this is an interesting and certainly iwould say, the most challenging task john boehner has had as speaker of the house. he's going to have to try to sell to members of his caucus, especially tea party members -- well, let's remove the tea party members. some of the more conservative to moderate members who

i'm chris jansing. we are going to be live all without the day in iowa and all around the country. but that's what we're watching, the republican field of dreams is coming closer into focus with the ames, iowa straw poll. the voting will close at 5:00 eastern time. this is the first major test for these candidates, and while this always has not been a predictor of the eventual nominee, it can help winnow the field and point donors in one direction and away from others. any moment now in south carolina, meantime, the gop race will get even more crowded with texas governor rick perry joining the race for 2012. the latest u.s. today gallup poll shows perry running second to mitt romney, dropping michele bachmann to fourth. back at ames, we're about to hear from the candidates doing battle. mark murray is live in ames. mark, is rick perry stealing a little bit of the spotlight away from these straw poll contenders? >> he definitely is. you have a lot of the republican presidential contenders here in iowa. but the moment that rick perry said he was going to be announcing from south caro