i'm contessa brewer. tough times for a florida family. after 18 years they just learned their loved one was killed in the first gulf war. in fact, pilot scott speicher was the first casualty of that invasi invasion. the pentagon says it's positively identified speicher's remains. an iraqi civilian led them to the buerhle site. he was buried in the sand. with me is speicher family spokesperson cindy lockwood. good to talk with you today. tell me the reaction of speicher's family when they found out and got the confirmation? >> the extent of the knowledge at this point is that there's been a confirmation of scott's death, that they've confirmed the skeletal remains. further details, while we've heard them through the media, have not been reported directly to us by the navy and are in conflict with what we understand the facts to be. so we'll stand on that. the family is going through what families go through when they've lost a loved one. they're appreciative of the actions of the active duty military here in getting the incident we knew we

i'm contessa brewer.dead yet according to a handful of senators still working on it. the senate finance committee the last congressional panel still working on a bill and the only one left to get both parties on board. one of the members oregon democrat ron wyden says he has a plan that can work. he wrote, quote, in a. . op-ed. senate democrats met with the president tuesday and said they're determined to get reform passed this year. but if the senate finance committee can't craft a bipartisan bill by mid september the president may opt for a democratic bill even if he can't get gop support here. >> joining us is oregon's democratic senator, ron wyden, a member of the senate finance committee and author and cosponsor of the healthy americans act and staying with us is jonathan capehart. senator, welcome. before we get who is in favor and against, i would like you to walk us through how your plan works so that we can truly understand what it is you are suggesting we do and your sense of why it is that the

contessa?ge lewis, thank you for that. >>> coming up, dna evidence has become a key, as we know to, solving cases. what if dna evidence was fabricated? scientists now say it can be done. the details next right here on msnbc. i did not like suffering from nasal allergy symptoms like congestion. but nasonex relief may i say... bee-utiful! prescription nasonex is proven to help relieve indoor and outdoor nasal allergy symptoms like congestion, runny and itchy nose and sneezing. (announcer) side effects were generally mild and included headache. viral infection, sore throat, nosebleeds and coughing. ask your doctor about symptom relief with nasonex. and save up to $15 off your refills. go to nasonex.com for details, terms and conditions. introducing listerine total care. everything you need... to strengthen teeth, help prevent cavities, and kill germs. introducing 6 in 1 listerine total care. the most complete mouthwash. but i've still got room for the internet. with my new netbook from at&t. with

i'm contessa brewer.rying to hire a hit man to kill her husband. she got busted when she allegedly hired police to carry out her plan for murder. nbc's mark potter is in miami. i know you have the whole scoop for us. mark, what's going on here? >> reporter: she hired that police officer by mistake. she thought she was hiring a real hit man but instead she got and undercover officer and a trip to jail. police say they first learned about this scheme on friday from one of their informants. in a dramatic scene worth thy o hollywood but shot by police, a young newlywed returns home to find crime scene technicians there. when she's toll her husband of only six months has been murdered, she begins to sob and she continues to sob uncontrollably. until she is led away to be eventually arrested. >> i didn't do anything and i didn't plot anything. >> reporter: police say the 26-year-old woman did plot something. the murder of her husband. actually hired someone she thought was a hitman. >> but the twist is that tha

i'm contessa brewer. the big story we're watching, divers are in the hudson river trying to recover the bodies of two victims still mising from saturday as mid air collision. nine people in all were killed when a private plane and a sight seeing helicopter collided over the hudson. the bodies of seven people have been pulled from the river. earlier new york city mayor michael bloomberg addressed concerns that crowded airspace should have more restrictions. >> sadly, you know, sometimes people make mistakes. and i don't know in this case who made a mistake. that's for the ntsb to decide. >> nbc's ron allen is in hoe boeken, new jersey right now. ron, i understand the ntsb is expected to give a news briefing. are they learning anything new about why this happened? >> reporter: not as of yet, contessa. the search has been suspended temporarily we believe for the debris and two bodies they're still looking for because of the conditions some 60 feet deep in the hudson river where the debris is believed to be.

contessa, what sels going on?ash between a sightseeing helicopter and small plane. police have recovered the bodies of six people on board. you are looking at live pictures right now. pilot and five italian tourists on board that chopper and investigators have found the body of a teenage boy on board the plane but police still looking for the pilot of the plane and another adult passenger. federal investigators still don't know why the mid-air collision happened. >>> congressional budget office says the federal deficit grew by another $181 billion in july. one month deficit is projected to hit now 1.8 trillion by the end of the fiscal year according to the hill.com it stems from the massive bailout of the financial and auto giants, falling tax revenue due to the recession. >>> later this morning a judge in los angeles holds a hearing on the late king of pop, michael jackson. let's go to or entertainment reporter courtney hazlett who is in l.a. what do you have? >> good morning. this morning, it's going to be a lon

i am contessa brewer.he health care debate, front and center. new york senior, chuck schumer says if republicans are not ready to get onboard, fine by him. they can stand by and watch as parts of the bill are passed using a budget process that requires just a simple majority to get it done. >> at some point soon after we get back, if we don't have a bipartisan bill, we will never be able to meet the goal of having a bill signed into law by the end of the year. so yes, we are considering alternatives. >> meantime, a flip of the tongue for senator john mccain, but his point, the public option is not a viable option for reform. >> i believe that one of the fundamentals for any agreement would be that the president abandon the government option. excuse me -- the public option. i think he would have to abandon the public option. ? >> and then the republican california congressman got an earful at a town hall meeting. he called the idea of a public option unacceptable. and then he added the president's health pl

i am contessa brewer.ity are deciding to block sick passengers from swine flu in the next outbreak. seniors have the authority to ask sick passengers to leave public areas and see a doctor. passengers that refused were still allowed to proceed to the gate and board their flight. now, the number is expected to grow with school back in session with the number of people infected with swine flu. 61% of the americans say they will accept the government rules. and 55% they will get vaccinated for the first time. dylan? >> thank you, contessa. joining us, the chief medical editor and host of "dr. nancy," dr. nancy snyderman. and john costello, an old colleague in his own right, if you go back a few years. tom, is there any precedent for the government mandating who can and can't get on a plane based on some evaluation being mandatory? >> in the most recent history, no. keep in mind, homeland security has only been around since 9/11. the issue is, who should have the authority to screen passengers and determine wh

welcome back, contessa.oing on. >> kathy griffin, fresh off the teen awards that she was at, and she was guest hosting "larry king," and she has levi johnston. you see the body language and leaning close. there is chemistry, maybe, and whether it's real or made up, we don't know. she asked him about life with the palins. >> my plan is sarah could make all the trouble go away if she moves you in the big house and everybody gets along and you get to raise the kid. why is that a problem? >> i don't know. she screwed all that up. i am not looking forward to being around that family any more. >> she called him a tiger and talked about making sweet love to him, and talked about moving to wasilla, and his chew habit, and that's tobacco and not gum. >> yeah, that's tobacco. >> i wouldn't know. >>> the chevy volt -- >> i am thinking about that, and that "larry king" thing is kathy griffin trying to have something with levi johnston. i am distracted. >>> shchevy says the volt will t 230 miles per hour. it will be avai

contessa, what else is going on around here?will hold a private mass in hyannis port. then a private motorcade will move the body. those remembering the senator today include some of his closest friends who also happen to be some of the most powerful politicians in the country. >> for decade toes come, people will talk about his legislative accomplishments and is public policy. to me, i lost my best friend in the senate, a great friend. and so it's been a long three, a year and three months. i'm saddened by it deeply. it's like losing a brother. i lost my sister about a month ago and i feel this pain all so much. >> i sat with him in the judiciary committee physically income to him and i sat with him in the caucuses. and it was in that process, every day i was with him, it's going to sound strange, but he restored my sense of idealism and my faith in the points of what this country could do. >> a funeral mass will be held for senator kennedy this saturday. president obama will give one of the eulogies and kennedy will be buried

contessa? >> dylan, right now we have north korea's official news agency which is of course state-run saying that kim jong-il has met with former president bill clinton, the former president is there, seeking the release of two journalists captured in march, euna lee and another journalist here. we also have a message from the white house saying that bill clinton is not carrying a message from president obama, contrary to the reports of south korea's yanhapious agency. bill clinton on his arrival you're seeing him, trying to win the release of those two captured journalists. we'll stay on top of it. >>> the top u.s. general in iraq disagrees with the colonel's memo that urges an early troop withdrawal, despite an improvement in the security situation. general odierno says americans need to stay the course in iraq. a u.s. army vilzer to the iraqi military wrote the memo last month saying the united states should go home 16 months ahead of schedule. >>> and more breaking news here. colorado state

thank you, contessa. lots more here on the agenda, including sarah palin.om around the country, and what a lovely list it is. i won't give anything away. it's a fine and dandy list of gifts, many of what i think toure would like. we'll be right back. when i really liked to be outside, i did not like suffering from nasal allergy symptoms like congestion. but nasonex relief may i say... bee-utiful! prescription nasonex is proven to help relieve indoor and outdoor nasal allergy symptoms like congestion, runny and itchy nose and sneezing. (announcer) side effects were generally mild and included headache. viral infection, sore throat, nosebleeds and coughing. ask your doctor about symptom relief with nasonex. and save up to $15 off your refills. go to nasonex.com for details, terms and conditions. people notice my devotion to family. people notice my love for animals. my smile. my passion for teaching. my cool car. people notice i'm a good friend and a good listener. people notice that i'm a good boss. people notice my love of nature. people notice i can fix an

>> thank you, contessa. >>> swine flu getting more attention here. dr. nancy joins us. we are back on swine flu rolling forword on a friday meeting after this. i was in the grocery store when i had a heart attack. my daughter was with me. i took a bayer aspirin out of my purse and chewed it. my doctor said the bayer aspirin saved my life. please talk to your doctor about aspirin and your heart. i'm going to be grandma for a long time. you need listerine® whitening vibrant white™ rinse. the mouthwash that gets teeth four times whiter than the leading toothpaste. and kills bad breath germs. listerine® whitening vibrant white™. mr. evans? this is janice from onstar. i have received an automatic signal you've been in a front-end crash. do you need help? yeah. i'll contact emergency services and stay with you. you okay? yeah. onstar. standard for one year on 14 chevy models. my name is chef michael. and when i come home from my restaurant, i love showing bailey how special she is. yes, you are. i know exactly what you love, don't i? - [ barks ] - mmm. aromas like rotisserie

contessa brewer here, of course. good morning, contessa. what's going on? >>> senator ted kennedy wants to make sure his senate seat is filled quickly should he lose his battle with brain cancer. he sent a letter to massachusetts governor deval patrick. i am writing to you about an issue that concerns me deeply. the continuity of representation for massachusetts should a vacancy occur. anne thompson is in hyannis, massachusetts. tell us more about the letter. >> reporter: well, the letter -- in that letter, contessa, senator kennedy asked that the state law regarding succession of a senate seat is amended. currently, under state law, if a u.s. senate seat becomes vacant during this term, there is a special election that is to be held sometime within about a five-month period. there is no provision in the law for a gubernatorial appointee to fill that seat in the interim. senator kennedy is asking that the law be amended, that the governor be given the power to appoint someone to fill that senate seat until a special election is held, and that that person pr

>> thank you, contessa. if you are not concerned in general whether it's guns or anything else, there are lots of reasons -- >> yeah, people had resentment on who the president was and whether he was leading the country in the wrong direction, too, and it's been going on for a long, long time. >> yeah, tax code and policy, and in such a short period of time, ever. it's a powerful time for america. the doctor is in the house for the next couple hours. we will talk health care with her. nancy has not gotten a chance to get in the conversation just yet. >>> we have people stuck on a plane for hours, and we are talking about one group who is demanding a passenger bill of rights. does that not exist already? >>> plus, the first swine flu victim wants the city and schools to pay up. should schools be held liable for deaths that result from the swine flu, depending on how they handle the outbreak? we'll be back. you are watching msnbc. so hurry. let us recycle your older vehicle and you could qualify for an additio

contessa, you have other things going on?michael jackson's children. let's get to courtney hazlett who is outside the courthouse? los angeles. what are you expecting to see today, courtney? >> we're expecting to see the custody issue pretty much get taken of very quickly. last week, they came to an i agreement. today is much more important for the estate overall however. one of the elements katherine jackson's attorneys are exploring if she can argue about the guardianship. i'm sorry, the administrators without contesting the will. she doesn't want to trigger a no contest clause because she could lose everything she was given in michael jackson's will and who is going to shepherd his estate through a financial restructuring as well. he's worth $5 mun hundred million but only a hundred million is liquid. >>> in fairfax, virginia, you're seeing senator warner. president obama is expected to make remarks at the top of the hour on that post 9/11 g.i. bill that provides our men and women in uniform with comprehensive educational b

i'm contessa brewer.hour, we get real on health care reform. i'm looking at your twitter questions and comments and talking to viewers about what's top of the list concerns. plus, some americans are so fed up, they're taking action. they're joining michel ining mi. researchers say it's because of resentment and having a black president. we'll talk about what people get out of joining a militant group. >>> but the big story right now, town halls taking place, dozens of lawmakers answering questions and trying to calm concerns. many took to the mike and didn't just ask questions. many are making bold statements about what they think are in this bill. >> it does want to kill people like myself. i'm 73. i'm one of those throw aways, but i want you to know, i'm not afraid of dying. >> mick viqueira joins me now. mike, here was senator cardin putting himself in front of a town meeting that is conservative. voting for mccain. he's had a lot to shout back to i suppose. >> reporter: you're right. people got here f

contessa has some news for us. our blood. >>> here is claudette, coming through with rain and high winds. that's not a very good segue. after making landfall in the florida panhandle as a tropical storm this morning, claudette, now a depression, it caused minor flooding and downed trees there. meanwhile, bill became the first named hurricane of the season overnight. the hurricane is still over the atlantic, about 1,000 miles east of the caribbean islands. >>> president obama's next stop on the western tour is phoenix today. he will address the dfw's annual convention. you can expect the war in afghanistan to be a major topic in the address. right now the troops are trying to secure the country in this week's upcoming elections. >>> and today money problems is forcing chicago to maybe have some sort of government shutdown. what shut down, peter? >> well, it feels like a holiday, and it's unpaid for 18,000 city workers. if you were planning to put out your garbage this morning, it's not being picked up today. the hea

>> contessa, were you speaking to me? >> we just had a big jet plane that went over. i dent catch anything but the last few words. can you repeat it? >> what do you expect to see from the kennedy family once they have finished saying their good-byes to their father, uncle, grandfather? what are you expecting to see in terms of their involvement in politics? apparently we're having some technical difficulties. neil, you can answer that. >> i'm right in front of you. i have to. i think there's the question of what happens right away with his seat and if any family members get involved there. there are clearly some that are likely suspects right now for interest at least. beyond that is your larger question is do the kennedys still have a role in the national political scene. i think that is still very much an open question. i think many of them have sort of carved out their own places in public service apart from elected office because they've seen the baggage that comes along with being a kennedy in elected office. so i don't know what the answer will be to that. >> no

i'm contessa brewer.or president, but the taliban has warned them not to vote and has sended that message by killing election workers. richard engle is in kabul right now. how safe are these elections? >> reporter: there are doubts growing tonight about the safety of the elections. today, the afghan government says that at least six campaign workers were killed outside of kabul today. also, the u.s. military now says over the last 48 hours, six american troops have been killed. three today and three yesterday. then those statement frs the taliban, most being distributed in the taliban stronghold city of kandahar. that statement said it was a final warning. it told people to stay inside because they plan to have a series of mass attacks tomorrow. >> okay, so if the warnings are out there, i understand the afghan government thinks that journalists should not report the violence. how is that going over for people who's job it is to tell the truth? >> reporter: this only applies to local media. they have been

i'm contessa brewer. >> i'm melissa francis. up next. >>> we've been watching missouri live throughout the day. this is msnbc. ♪ bicycle, what are we waiting for? the flowers are blooming. the air is sweet. and zyrtec® starts... relieving my allergies... 2 hours faster than claritin®. my worst symptoms feel better, indoors and outdoors. with zyrtec®, the fastest... 24-hour allergy medicine, i promise not to wait as long to go for our ride. zyrtec® works fast, so i can love the air™.

i'm contessa brewer. >> and i'm melissa francis.e schools diploma factories? we're going to talk to a guy who conducted an experiment and a cat earned a high school diploma. >>> and a deal's in the work for brett favre to play football for his former rivals. what is with the legendary athletes retiring, making a big old scene and then they just can't stay away from the -- >> drama. drama. >>> but the big story, in two days, new rules for credit cards go into effect. some are rushing to raise their rates. >> starting thursday, they have to give you 45 days notice if they're going to increase rates. they can increase your minimum payment but not more than double what it was, and they have to mail bills 21 days before the due date. a financial analyst, bob sullivan writes for msnbc.com. let's start with you. what's with these banks and the fees and rushing to hike them before these new rules go into effect? >> this is one of those unusual situations, contessa and melissa where everybody's guilty. at the root of this is that consumers h

i'm contessa brewer. >>> president is heading to martha's vineyard and have an unexpected guest.e headlines camping outside george w. bush's crawford ranch in 2005. she said she wanted to meet with then president bush to discuss the death of her son casey killed in iraq five years ago but now she is going after obama's policies on the wars in iraq and afghanistan and told the washington examiner, quote. dylan? >> cindy sheehan is with us now. what do you mean when you say that, cindy? >> the only change i've seen in foreign policy is, unfortunately, things are getting worse in iraq, afghanistan, and pakistan, and we just need to be, you know, in the anti-war movement. we need to revive our anti-war sentiment because people are dying. our soldiers are dying. 51 soldiers have died in afghanistan this month. july was the worst month for soldiers in afghanistan. plus the innocent people of iraq, afghanistan, and pakistan, are still being killed, they are being displaced and being wounded, and we need to give the president the moral backbone he needs because we have the moral high gro

myers, florida, it's all the extras that contessa always wants.hing that's lacking for the tennants who live there, neighbors. only one resident lives there, one family. >> we have a good spot at the pool every day. >> i thought when we got here we would meet our neighbors, have them over. >> go like to a movie theater, meet people there. >> the only neighbors we have on the insects and the animals. >> sounds fabulous. michelle, how does this happen? >> reporter: yeah at this point they would welcome annoying neighbors. and at this point we all wish we had a condo to themselves. you talk to these people and you know it's just the opposite. the family sunk their nest egg into a unit $430,000 the vast majority of it mortgaged. but when they began spending time here, they realized they were the only people left in this whole building, everybody else got out. this building was for the most part sold according to the developers and according to the family's attorney. but the real estate crash started happening and people realized they were in trouble h

. >> thank you, contessa. >> we want to go to the white house briefing and listen to robert gibbs. >> are on vacation. we'll try to get you better guidance on that in terms of splitting up bills. jonath jonathan's story had it in there that the president was going to meet with advisers on this. unless that was a meeting that includes marvin on a golf course -- >> be on the budget -- >> maybe jonathan can clear it up for both of us. >> are you going to take questions? >> sounds like he needs to. no, let me discuss in -- discuss a little bit. obviously, our focus as i said yesterday, is on continuing this process in a bipartisan fashion. you heard the president say that again today. he reached out and spoken with members of congress including members of the finance committee over the past several days. yes. he talked with senator olympia snowe yesterday and senator conrad. as we've discussed, talked with senator baucus on friday. that's our focus is continuing to work this in a bipartisan way. i know that six senators on the finance committee have a conference call slated according to -

. >>> hello, everybody, i'm contessa brewer. why are we back on death panels? in the world honestly believes you reach an advanced age and get put down like an old racehorse? and yet, the president has to keep reiterating. >> it would give you all the information you need if you want it, to put you in control of your ziss. >> joining us now, anne kornb t kornblut. is sarah palin getting a lot of mileage on health care reform? >> yeah, it's pretty surprising because she left her job as the governor of alaska and has been able to really push this debate in the direction she wanted. which is to talk about government control and focus on end of life issues, two things that have gotten merged. what we've seen as you pointed out, was the white house having to respond to that, having to explain it to people who are scared. as a result, diverting attention from what they wanted to talk about, which was controlling costs of health care. they're trying to get the debate back to those three things, but had to talk about death panels for three days. >> when they talk about

i'm contessa brewer.a plan that will keep cash for clunkers on the road. lawmakers reached a deal that would pump 2 billion bucks into the program. with me now, kelly o'donnell on capitol hill. >> the deal you referred to is really about how they do the voting today and how much time they allow for amendment. that gets sbood weeds a bit. there are some senators who want to see changes to the law that would allow cash for clunkers to get the money. they want to talk out some of the issues they think are being overlooked like how long should the program go, should there be a cap on income for people who can take advantage of this. after they do that, they expect, according to democratic sources, they will have enough votes to pass this through. they have to be able to pass it with no changes because the house of representatives has already left washington and they would not be able to vote on the changed version and that would bring the program to a halt. we expect it to pass. there will be a lot of convers

i'm contessa brewer. nbc news committed a team of people to read and analyze the newly released cia documents. this is not a pretty picture. the papers show a very dark side to the american war on terror. terror suspects, not just interrogated but threatened. even sexually humiliated. here's just some of what we learned. accused u.s.s.kohl bomber was stripped naked and threatened would power drill. suspects' families were fair game, too. one told the detainee we are going to kill your children. attorney general eric holder will investigate each case. details on the cia report about ten in all. additional cases were redacted from the report and skeptics are suspicious that more abuse cases could be even worse than the one weers reading about. those cases remain classified. for now. still former vice president dick cheney says the report vindicates the cia interrogators. he says that the activities of the cia were directory responsible for defeating all efforts by al qaeda to lunch further mass casualty att

hello, everybody, i'm contessa brewer. so many people are hurting and desperate for answers. of those responses on air. >>> plus, families here who lost loved ones in the bombing of pan am flight 103 watch as the man responsible goes free. boards a jet headed back to his native home land. >>> the afghan people are awaiting the election results. this afternoon, we'll talk about what lies in store for the families who have endured so much violence. >>> we begin with president obama's multimedia blitz on health care. he's going to hold an online town hall meeting this hour. it comes after he wrapped up a live radio interview. the president is standing by the public option he says as one possible part of the legislation, arguing that reform needs to boil down to choice, competition and reducing costs. >> nobody's talking about the government administering all of health care. what we're talking about here is a public option that people could sign up for but in that situation, they'd have to operate like any private insurer. the track record for government administering health care

. >> don't you love the way he says contessa? the role property taxes are playing on the foreclosure crisis. >>> just how much will the estate of michael jackson make for those the pop star left behind? it's the economy on msnbc. you'll love it. your old mop will just have to get over it... [ engine rattles ] [ man ] love stinks! ♪ love stinks! ♪ yeah! yeah! [ female announcer ] new swiffer wet jet is redesigned. it cleans deep in corners. its solution penetrates layers of dirt and its absorbent pad locks it away to clean better than a mop. the newly redesigned swiffer wet jet. ♪ love stinks! meet jack. recently turned 65. glad he's now got medicare on his side. but jack knows that medicare doesn't take care of everything. in fact, part b covers only... 80% of medical expenses. so, he got himself an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan -- insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. yep, when it comes to jack's health, it's all about team effort. ( team cheering ) a medicare supplement plan... allows you to keep your own

hello, contessa. >> obama still thinks the public option is the best plan for health overhaul.her the president is willing to drop the government-run insurance option in an effort to compromise on health care reform. health and human services secretary says the government-run alternative is not the essential element. she says competition for private insurers is the key. forecasters are keeping close tabs on hurricane bill. right now bill is churning about 1100 miles east of the western antilles and moving west northwest with winds around 75 miles an hour. national hurricane center says bill could become a major hurricane by wednesday. >>> the first named storm to make landfall has been downgraded to a tropical depression. claudette came ashore dufring heavy rain this morning. it's going to move south western alabama and mississippi today but not expected to cause significant flooding or damage there. >>> and, erin and mark, i'll send it back to you. >> mark, you know, we look, as contessa talked about claudette, at the names every six years they rotate the names through, the na

i'm contessa brewer.der in a pennsylvania gym. his online blog a testament toward his fury of attractive women. >> we are very grateful that we were granted amnesty by the government of north korea and we are so happy to be home. >> a family's joy. their loved ones rescued from prison in north korea. lisa ling and euna lee back on u.s. soil. but three americans are being held in iran. >>> a few republicans and democrats are joining forces on a health care plan. it seems workable, so why won't the party leaders jump on this and push this through? president obama visits indiana and explains why his plan will help one of the hardest hit towns in the nation. that's where we begin this hour, with president obama pushing the positive signs we're seeing in the economy. he spoke to people struggling in indiana. as part of msnbc's award winning project. the president then gave an exclusive interview to chuck todd. >> our goal is to first of all, rescue the economy from the brink and you're starting to see unemploy

actor contessa brewer injected race into the story saying -- >> here you have a man of color in the presidency and white people showing up with guns strapped to their waist. bret: which then sparked a discussion about a danger to p president obama. the video was edited in a way that you can't see the whole picture. the man featured with the weapons was african-american, not white. no one on air pointed that out. msnbc never got back to us but told politico brewer was speaking generally and not about that specific person with the automatic weapon. our friends at nbc can give you a deal if you're in the market for a barack obama action figure or a yes, we did t-shirt. they are selling no fewer than 29 obama-inspired products at their new york gift shop and on-line. fox foxnews.com reports cbs and abc on-line stores sell books about the president and the campaign but no merchandise. fox and cnn sell neither. while some say nbc is just making a smart business decision, others aren't so sure. the executive director for media and ethics law at the university of minnesota says "whatever money they're

. >> well mug shot requirements aside, you say facetiously, listen to contessa brewer's interview with back in may when she first announced she was thinking of running. >> the less seriously opponents take me the easier it is to sneak up on them. it maybe will inspire someone else who is extremely qualified who's the best person from the state to do the job. maybe it will encourage that person to step up and run, too. >> what does this all do to her credibility? she mentions right there other people should be encouraged to come in. people will say she's out because of this or do you think she's got a shot? >> i think this certainly does hurt her. i think that the way she might frame it is basically david vitter who she might run against has had some "sins" of his own in past, dealing with infidelity. some people might say do you want a cheater or a beater? i think this is going to hurt her because, a, men are half the population. i don't think you wanted to busted for beating them up. two, she doesn't look like the most stable candidate. her platform's always been my sins, my life is a

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. >> thanks, contessa. i'm john harwood. that does it for me this hour.us next friday at 2:00 p.m. for more of the "new york times" special edition only on msnbc. up next more of our special coverage of the passing of senator ted kennedy. thousands of mourners are filing by his casket at the jfk library in boston. coming up, david shuster and tamron hall will take a look at who may be in line to succeed him in the senate. lexities of a. the rest of the body is a no brainer. doesn't your whole body deserve excedrin strength relief? excedrin back & body. excedrin. what ache? some pharmacies make you work for it with memberships and fees. but not walmart. they have hundreds of generic prescriptions for just $4 for up to a 30-day supply or $10 for 90 days. save money. live better. walmart. a tornado hits, air life denver takes off... their night-vision goggles keeping the rescue mission safe... and powering those goggles-- the only battery air life trusts: duracell. trusted everywhere. people notice my devotion to family. people notice my love f animals. my s

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. >>> also on the agenda today, we are calling it the death panel, death match, contessa.ong the gang of six. we look forward to talking to him. and tropical storm, the triple threat have jump started the hurricane system. where are they? how much damage will they cause? we will try and answer both. >>> aliens among us. is et really out there? the high-tech missions to find out whether we are really alone in the universe. some say the circumstantial evidence, contessa, overwhelming in favor of et. it's 9:00 a.m. pull up a chair and join the morning meeting. >> good morning to you. once what was a piller of the president's plan, we are getting mixed messages on the so-called public option, and whether it needs to be ultimately, and whatever the bill that comes forward this fall is. savannah guthrie on the beat has the latest. >> reporter: a lot of people raising their eyebrows at what has been said, wondering if this is the signal the administration is backing off the insistence of the public option in a way it's remarkably consistent. there has been talk from robert gibbs

how does the talk compromise is whole darn country, contessa?s is the result, contessa, women have been driven to drink. the statistics show it. that story of the wrong way driver who killed seven, including four children, may not be an isolated case. a new report suggests women are drinking more than ever. >>> swine flu in schools. a live news conference this hour to announce the government's plan of action. dr. nancy snyderman will join us. it is 9:00 a.m. friday morning. nice to see you. >>> welcome. a nice day. >> this is big story of the morning here. this was supposed to be a town hall in tampa, florida. hosted by congresswoman, kathy castor. >> you work for us, you work for us. >> police estimated 1500 people tried to cram into an event. they jammed up against the doors. one guy says he was actually man handled, may end up going to police about it. >> one of them took my arm and doing a arm -- arm twist, tore my watch off, then the other one grabbed me by the neck and shirt and tore the shirt off. i'm not a protester. i'm a businessman. i

father, who's english, speaks a lot of rhyming slang but i wouldn't have an idea. >> thank you, contessae come back, more moussings from our guest host, art cashin and dick armey. we'll talk about bernanke's reappointment and stocks. taking its rightful place in a long line of amazing performance machines. this is the new e-coupe. this is mercedes-benz. >>> if you're just waking up, the president has renominated ben bernanke as fed chair. futures have been lightly unmoved off that news. world stocks have had favor straight sessions to the upside. >>> when we come back we'll talk more about why ben bernanke is getting the nod from the president. >>> back to work and back to school. september is sure to be busy at staples. we'll hear from the company's cfo on the latest company result and if he can even find a spiral notebook in the aisles this week. >>> the governor of minnesota, tim pawlenty, his take on the economy, politics and of course the fed chairman when "squawk" continues. i'm racing cross country in this small sidecar, but i've still got room for the internet. with my new netboo

contessa is off, chris jansing will join us for the balance of the day. mr. capehart is here. >>> the lockerbie bomber may be getting moved back to libya. families of victims of that bombing will join us. is this a game of oil politics using a convicted terrorist as leverage? we'll have that conversation. >>> also, hillary clinton on the one hand tina brown says she's doing a spectacular job, great six months. at the same time there is this nasty web clip of her carrying on. then the generational divide. is health care quite simply about old and young and at what point do the young in this country say enough is enough. there's our friend secretary of state hillary clinton. i've referenced her just a second ago. again, we'll talk about her past six months. but let us begin first here with the lockerbie story. >>> i think we have stephanie gosk live at the libyan embassy in london but i'm not sure. stephanie, are you there? >> reporter: i'm here. i'm actually in our london bureau at the moment, dylan. can you hear me? >> yeah, i can hear you. can you hear me? >

we begin with contessa brewer with the breaking news on the turbulence and those injuries on the continentals morning. a plane heading from brazil to houston forced to make an emergency landing in miami. the turbulence so bad on the continental jet that 26 people reportedly were hurt. let's go to kerry sanders on the phone from miami. what's the story? >> reporter: well, four passengers have been taken to the hospital with serious injuries. in all, 14 people were transported to hospitals. this is continental flight 128 flying out of rio de janeiro, the destination was houston. at about 36,000 feet without warning the plane hit some clear air turbulence. it was just north of the dominican republic. the folks i'm talking to now are folks who were uninjured getting off the plane here in miami and they're going to make new plans for their flights. they say that most of the injuries were in the rear of the plane and that those are the folks who are most injured. obviously didn't have their seat belts on. let me talk to one of the passengers here very briefly. you were onboard. did you get any war

contessa brewer joins us. >> good morning. tropical storm claudette dumping heavy rain in florida.t's not expected to cause significant flooding or wind damage but expected to weaken as it moves over land. in california, 11 wildfires have been burning. firefighters have been making progress on one big fire in the santa cruz mountains. hundreds returned home after an evacuation order was lifted. that fire burned at least 10 square miles. >>> a competition in germany had contests diving their way to the top. 100 turned out to compete in the splash diving championships. the goal seems rather obvious given the title. whoever makes the biggest splash. how is that? there it is, biggest splash. becky? >> that's the worst contest in the world. do you know how much that would hurt? >> it depends on how you land. >> that's exactly right. >> that means you're trying to cover as much of your body over the water as possible, which means, ow. >>> in other news, new york attorney general andrew cuomo expected to file charges against charles schwab. we'll take a quick brought right now. the global