flack to the gulf coast of -- flock to the gulf coast of florida, specifically to visit our beaches, our parks and waterways and our recreational opportunities. more than 80 million tourists mr. chairman, per year stay in our hotels eat at our restaurants and create many economic opportunities for floridians. the tourism industry is a multibillion-collar industry for florida and the national economy, mr. chairman. florida's seafood and recreational fishing industries also contribute thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to the local economy. . mr. chairman, i strongly urge this house to adopt the commonsense measure to ensure that the federal government consider all ramifications of lease sales and ensure that jobs and the economy remain the focus of any actions of our federal government. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from florida reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. markey: i rise to claim the time for the minority. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. markey: i thank the chair very much.

the gulf coast is critical. listen, great testimony. thank you, doctor, and all of you. my time is up. we appreciate your continuing to give this committee good information. >> senator landrieu. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i really appreciate the testimony, as usual. it's very, very helpful as we try to direct our policies to respond to some of the changing reality. i'd like to submit first for the record a report that just came out from our greater new orleans inc. that talks about the hidden job loss along the gulf coast. a story that really, in my view, hasn't been told because the unemployment numbers after the mccondo spill have stayed relatively flat. employment and unemployment. but it's because of the shift from south louisiana to north louisiana with the shale plays. but in south louisiana, we still are experiencing tremendous downturn because of the slow permitting process. the deepwater plays are significant, but the shallow water drillers have really been hurt. and according, mr. chairman, to this re

so getting the gulf back up and operating, mr. chairman and ranking member, is important, and it's going to remain a priority. let me ask any of you to further discuss the significant increase in liquid fuel production because while climate is important and the environment is important, i'm really, and my constituents, are very concerned about the economic vitality of the united states going forward. the president talked about building an economy to last. people are very interested in making america more energy secure. you talked about the increase -- substantial increase in liquid fuels. could someone describe in a little bit more detail, are we talking about oil, or are we talking about biofuels? where is the growth potential there? and what about new fuels created from other agricultural or other scientific processes like algae, et cetera? does anybody want to comment on that? because the combination of increasing our liquid fuel production and decreasing our use through efficiencies and automobiles is extremely exciting becaus

cooperation council that is the monarchies and camera and the persian gulf they include the other two monarchies in the or world morocco and jordan who last may apply to join the gulf cooperation council and turkey this is and i might add libya we can hardly talk to other governments in the condition of a lawless anarchy that of planes in a country but the regime of libya was one of the co-sponsors this is not a representative group of nations of course in the united nations or the world it's a very select lying that is largely the same group that the comparable resolution one thousand and seventy three against libya last year which resulted as we know at a seven month bombing campaign against the nation. forwarding i think their national can you name will now play in resolving the crisis after the white vote. well the true international community that is under ninety four members of the united nations and including most particularly the berths nations brazil russia india china south africa and other countries have to take a much more pronounced role of this it's just as the arab leag

oil drilling gulf is back to normal why are gas prices so high. real reason you are getting hit at the pump. coming up next. special edition of special reports tonight. emily's just starting out... and on a budget. like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. >> is it costing you in filling up your tank and stocks posting the best number in 15 years and yet >> gas prices hitting a record high for this time of year. you might not know the white house approving 66 percent fewer deep drilling permits than before the gulf oil spill. you say these two facts are relate more pain is coming. >> five dollar gas is coming. u.s. futures are pointing to rising gas prices and also opec saying we do want high oil prices to sustain our economies . this is coming at a time when cuba and mexico and bahamas and russia and canada are doing off shore drilling. we in the united states are instead subsidizing the failed solynd

forced the feds to close thousands of square miles of gulf. it was backbone of the gulf economy. is on hold and case may never go to court as tens of thousands of people wanted to hammer out a settlement. if you see the commercials with the green symbol on the left, you would think the place is better thanks to the fact they spilled 200 million gallons of oil. those commercials, i know you have seen them. come to mississippi, come to florida, we're open for business. no thanks to anyone on that screen. that is fact. the judge napolitano is here. >> the government has already supervised the distribution of $6.5 billion to 5896,000 individuals and businesses. when those individuals and businesses took their share, received their share of that money, they gave up their right to sue. who is remaining to sue? another 12,000 businesses and individuals represented by 340 law firms are all consolidated in one case before one judge who is going to try the case at one time. the case was scheduled to begin this morning. last night the judge said, i just heard happy news from the lawyers in

the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go.o come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. from centrum. its unique assessment tool... helps you find the multivitamin and supplements... that are right for you. so visit nutritionpossible.com. better nutrition... is within reach. centrum. nutrition possible. better nutrition... is within reach. for fastidious librarian emily skinner, each day was fueled by thorough preparation for events to come. well somewhere along the way, emily went right on living. but you see, with the help of her raymond james financial advisor, she had planned for every eventuality. ...which meant she continued to have the means to live on... ...even at the ripe old age of 187. life well planned. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. >>> so, i remember when my older sister made me my first mixed tape. gave it to me on my seventh birthday, then took me to the beach. that's how i first heard celebration by c

on is the gulf countries peaceful nuclear program intended to counter iran's nuclear program or would you have developed it anywhere. yes we do have such a program but we're not going to use it to stand against anything else the issue of iran's nuclear program is an international one but we live in this region and when it's discussed with iran the conversation turns political and touches upon many other issues when something concerns a particular region the opinions of those living in that region must be considered there are big and influential states in this region the cooperation council must take their opinions into account but i'd like to say that we are no less concerned about instability in the region and then with the iranian nuclear program sometimes we can't help but feel that many other issues it's not our biggest concern getting back to the gulf country's nuclear program and i'd say yes but firstly it won't be built to oppose any other regional nuclear program whether it's iran or any other country secondly this issue is still being discussed and a specific legislative fram

we're committed to the gulf for everyone who loves it, and everyone who calls it home. i think we should see other people. in fact, i'm already seeing your best friend, justin. ♪ i would have appreciated a proactive update on the status of our relationship. who do you think i am, tim? quicken loans? at quicken loans, we provide you with proactive updates on the status of your home loan. and our innovative online tools ensure that you're always in the loop. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. >>> we're less than 24 hours of super bowl xlvi. the patriots and the giants will face off tomorrow night. nbc's craig melvin joins us right now. good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening to you. this time tomorrow, roughly 70,000 will be inside lucas oil stadium behind me. homeland security says at this point they don't have any specific evidence of a credible threat, but they're not taking any chances. there will be a no fly zone in effect for much of tomorrow. today though, the 300,000 fans or so who descended on indy, they continued the nonstop street party.

no more gulf of mexico? really? his office was faced with a barrage of calls. holland is now telling the host of angry critics it was just a joke. apparently he came up with the ruse to draw attention to a number of republican-backed state bills he feels are too harsh on illegal immigrants. holland says he's tickled that his satire was lost on so many people. some of his republican colleagues were less than amused by the trick if it was a trick. >>> up next, how much did the fight between the obama administration and the catholic church hurt obama with catholic voters? we'll have the "hardball" strategists when we come back. you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. ♪ it's nice to be here ♪ it's nice to see you in my bed ♪ ♪ ♪ there are diamonds...

the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go.o come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. want to protect the house. right. but... home security systems can be really expensive. so to save money, we actually just adopted a rescue panther. i think i'm goin-... shhh! we find that we don't need to sleep that much. there's an easier way to save. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. >>> welcome back. chances are the computer in your office, your post office and even your local hospital is made by dell. the company that michael dell started at age 19 years old turned into one of the world's largest makers of computer hardware and is looking for new business. he hopes to boldly bring dell where it hasn't been before. >> customers are interested in the new solutions that are helping them transform their businesses. they want cloud. they want virtualzation. they want the things that will enable them to stay productive and

brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter job on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ until the end of the quarter to think about your money... ♪ ...that right now, you want to know where you are, and where you'd like to be. we know you'd like to see the same information your advisor does so you can get a deeper understanding of what's going on with your portfolio. we know all this because we asked you, and what we heard helped us create pnc wealth insight, a smarter way to work with your pnc advisor, so you can make better decisions and live achievement. >> greta: tonight president obama has unhappy states over birth control and insurance coverage. seven states are taking obama to court.

european media do you feel that a full scale war might break out in the region that would harm all gulf states and what that will obviously having worked in the media for a long time you understand a lot about politics and we even gauged in global politics for a long time to have the cries for battle ever stopped we hear them constantly throughout our lives they come from the west to the east and the north we can simply ignore those calls will work on our own military policy as we've been hearing war drums throughout our entire lives and we've become used to that but we must take the situation seriously it involves an atomic bomb which iran has developed because the i.a.e.a. the region his own state. the interference by various forces. political situation is affected by what happens in iraq iran and afghanistan the peace process is constantly threatened israel is still threatening as it always has to strike out against iran and its nuclear program we are concerned by the fact that a neighboring state appears to be working on a nuclear program which could lead to a region wide disaster i

of mexicomoisture into the gulf of mexico looking at the map we see the storm on the gulf coast ...re will be some snow showers tomorrow afternoon that's generated from wind coming off of lake michigan. lots of rain on the gulf coast that had really rough weather last spring and more storms are grain producers this time around it makes you wonder if a very active spring season is going to happen there once again this year and will it migrate north? we have a mostly sunny day to day high temperatures should reach the mid 40's we are already there in some places ... tonight scattered clouds 29 degrees. tomorrow fog in the morning 47 degrees by the afternoon we can see our rain shower late in the day possibly flurries late tomorrow night. saturday cloudy breezy slightly cooler ... lake effect snow showers can form late in the afternoon into sunday ... it's time now for today's trivia question: which of the following is not one of the new orleans mardi gras colors? the answer is still ahead in this new and that was me trying to be discreet with my vial and syringe. me, drawing my insuli

thithis was the gulf's best otourism season in years. to visit us... in louisiana. they came to see us in florida... nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out, they couldn't wait to get here. this year wagreat but next year's a be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back... to mississippi.. florida... louisiana... alabama. the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go. so come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. >> greta: 11:00 is almost here, flash those studio lights it's time for last

the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go.me on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. >>> i'm chief wayward. harris county sheriff's department. your name is rolando restocruz? >> yes, sir. >> rolando is the 33-year-old staff sergeant who kneeled in the kitchen and told a sob story. if he never intended to do anything wrong, how would he explain what investigators find in his truck? >> is all this stuff in the vehicle? >> yes. >> how about trojan, is that trojan condoms? >> yes, sir. >> you brought condoms with you? >> yes, sir. >> how about astroglide, is that some kind of sexual lubricant? >> yes. >> you brought that with you. how about panties and a camisole and the webcam? did you buy the webcam? >> yes, sir. >> why did you bring it with you? >> i promised her i was going to give her one. >> it was all there in the chat logs that perverted justice provided to law enforcement. remember, his screen name is married and looking for fun, 3

the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go. so come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. >>> two parties, one promise. whether you end up voting for president obama or the eventual republican nominee action both sides claim they have what it takes to fix the u.s. economy. but the director of the congressional budget office warned this week that despite all this optimism, america is many years away from an economy that's hitting on all cylinders. >> we expect economic activity to quicken after 2013, but will gdp to remain below the economy's potential through 2017. >> will, first of all, we don't usually have him on our show. he's a good guy and he makes a very important point. as excited as we are, and it's legitimate to be excited about some of these numbers, bottom line is we are still well away from a real recovery and most thinking economists have told us that. >> that's right. >> there are unthinking economists? i hope i don't res

the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go.o come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. >>> there's a huge increase in the government's no fly list. what's going on? >> that's right, the number of people banned from flying doubled in the last year from 10,000 to about 21,000. the jump can be attributed to a change in policy. the government now bans people who are deemed a threat to national security, not just a threat to crash a plane. analysts can also now use a single credible source to recommend someone on the watch list. >>> mortgage rates are at an all-time low with the average 30 year fixed rate now under 3.9%. president obama says he wants all borrowers to have those low rates and if his new plan passes congress, homeowners will save an average muchof $3,000 a year refinance pentagon. >>> and it is so cold in eastern europe people are actually dying. 65 have died from the freezing conditions, many of whom are homeless. more than

of mexico and the gulf coast their home. this has been a wonderful experience to work across the aisle with many who understand how critical it is that we take care of the men and women the hardworking men and women along the gulf coast and i urge approval and passage of this amendment and thank you for the time you've given me. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from louisiana reserves. the gentlelady from florida is recognized. ms. castor: i'll continue to reserve. the chair: the gentlelady from florida reserves. the gentleman from louisiana. mr. scalise: can i inquire on the balance of the time, mr. chairman? the chair: the gentleman has 1 3/4 minutes remaining. mr. scalise: i yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from texas, mr. olson. the chair: the gentleman from texas is recognized for 45 seconds. mr. olson: mr. chairman, i rise in support of the amendment introduced by my friend and colleague on the energy and commerce committee. the gentleman from louisiana. in april of 2011 the deepwater

should have cause for all political forces in the region to develop a single approach to gulf security and in. the last summit of the cooperation council for arab states of the gulf put forward a proposal to create a common wealth to help have they taken any steps towards achieving this goal. the summit itself saw a number of steps on transformation of the cooperation council into a commonwealth as proposed by the king of saudi arabia a working group has been formed and the group is to hold a number of meetings to come up with his proposals in may and the annual summit of the corporation council and real steps are being taken not only as proposals but also in terms of concrete solutions that. are on field if you remember our previous interview we discussed the initiative by the king of bahrain to set up an interim commission on human rights and a special commission to gather evidence of human rights violations that has this initiative been approved if so what's been done so far that. cannot we've achieved to go in the first is that a commission on gathering evidence or as has been esta

as russia steps up diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis in syria major european and gulf states were called their ambassadors from damascus. week and the greek standoff clashes on the streets of athens as protesters voice anger at massive job cuts what coalition members struggled to agree on more austerity measures to secure our vital second bailout deal. plus a discovery that could reveal previously unknown forms of life russian scientists drilled deep into a subglacial late in the coldest spot on earth exploring the significance of the rare finding with our correspondent who's been there and had hard. i i. so levon pm in moscow. good to have you with us here on r t our top story both the syrian government and opposition leaders say they would welcome russia mediating talks between them that was the reaction after russia's foreign minister held negotiations with president bashar al assad in damascus after the meeting sergei lavrov said moscow will keep up its efforts to settle the crisis through diplomatic means. with the russian delegation in the syrian capital he joins us now with

brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. >>> violence in e vipt tonight.n tahrir square, more than 600 injured following the deadly soccer match last night. it's unclear whether the riot started because of sports or political, but it is clear egyptian police stood by while fans attacked each other with rocks and weapons. ben, good to see you again. what's happening there right now? >> what we have at the moment is several hundred people have made it through. they've knocked down a barrier in one of the roads. they've clashed with security forces and made it basically to the outside walls of the interior ministry. many of these protesters blaming the interior ministry and its security forces for not providing adequate security at the port said game, many accusing the minister for allowing it to happen. -- thugs who basically allowed this bloodshed to happen. >> you've had another day. yesterday, you said a lot of this was a result of the political upheaval, lack of control in cairo. any sense that's getting worse today? >> well, certainly wa we're s seeing

still a warm day today but rain down there, especially in the gulf coast states.hat's a look at the national forecast. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. raleigh, north carolina, today, 70. i think you can get away with a t-shirt with 70 degrees. houston, texas very warm. still mild in the air but we have the showers throughout the ohio valley like cincinnati and pittsburgh, a little damp. lynn, yesterday, in my backyard my grass was looking green and i killed a mosquito. things are a little strange. >> i know. >>> coming up, facebook is going public. don't worry, not all of your information. its stock is going public. your early morning headlines are straight ahead. it may be the biggest head-shaker when it comes to the special pac deals. you won't believe how much stephen colbert has raised. >>> carmelo anthony returns and the spectacle of super bowl media day. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning. welcome back. i'm lynn berry. here are your top headlines this morning. >>> the director of the national intelligence told the congress

we're committed to the gulf for everyone who loves it, and everyone who calls it home. forty years ago, he wasn't looking for financial advice. back then he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future. but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement planning for our military, veterans and their families. now more than ever, it's important to get financial advice from people who share your military values. for our free usaa retirement guide, call 877-242-usaa. [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. >> pelley: parents in southern california say their public school is failing them, and they're giving teachers and administ

the gulf coast is bracing for a potential severe weather outbreak today. meteorologist reynolds wolf is with us. is this a springtime weather pattern? >> it's similar to a springtime weather pattern. a reminder, spring isn't sprung yet. this is the kind of thing we see during the spring months. as we look at the dark conditions, we have thunderstorms popping up across the gulf coast then the sun comes out. we can expect instability along the coast of alabama back to louisiana. perhaps alabama. that's where you have the issues with tornadoes into the afternoon. florida is in the mix, also, the sunshine state. the area of low pressure is moving across. what we expect is with the heavy rainfall and the ground that is saturated, flooding is going to be a threat. we have the warnings and watches on the gulf coast. we expect it to come to the east. the severe thunderstorms will pop up for alabama, georgia, florida, mississippi and louisiana in the mix. how it's going to affect you is behind the storm system, denver and billings, highs 45. 45 in portland. 65 in m

. >>> and the gulf oil spill trial will not start tomorrow after all. both sides of the multibillion-dollar suit trying to keep it out of court nbc's jay gray has details. >> reporter: with high-stakes settlement talks continuing in the 11th hour, a legal battle over the deepwater horizon oil spill initially set to begin tomorrow morning has now been delayed for at least a week. in a joint statement released this afternoon, bp and the plaintiffs' steering committee confirmed the adjournment to "allow bp and the psc more time to continue settlement discussions and attempt to reach an agreement." the trial, rescheduled for march 5th now in a new orleans federal courtroom, is to determine the civil liability for the worst oil spill in u.s. history. the defendants include bp, rig owner transocean, and the construction firm halliburton. there are thousands of plaintiffs in the case, including fishermen, restaurant and hotel owners, and other residents along the gulf coast. in 2010 bp set aside $20 billion to be distributed to victims of the disaster. but to

arab gulf states along with spain france italy and the netherlands have now withdrawn their ambassadors from syria saying the government has failed to end the bloodshed that decisions were made just as foreign minister lavrov who was visiting damascus gulf nations also said they were expelling syrian envoys from their countries as a protest against the regime the u.k. also recalled its ambassador from damascus monday and the u.s. has closed its embassy to discuss these latest developments in syria i'm joined live from london. our president of the arab lawyers association so some easy when gulf states have recalled their ambassadors from syria what message do you think that sends to the international community coming at this time when russia is stepping up its diplomatic efforts in the country this is very clearly an attempt by the west to thwart any settlement because i don't think the western powers whether it's the u.k. u.s. from the europeans and certainly the countries the gulf countries really playing according to the rules that are being laid down to them by the americans they are

we thought so much from the arab league and now we're hearing of course this from the gulf cooperation council just how significant a body and how much of the impact could this have on the situation it is a very serious question because the g.c.c. was create. did in one thousand eight hundred one largely by the gulf arab states in response to the iranian revolution of one thousand nine hundred seventy nine the g.c.c. has a bloc inside the league of arab states but it doesn't have a majority position in the league of arab states in the question of libya the g.c.c. was able to move the arab states in its stead action and therefore the security council it was resolution one thousand seven hundred three right after that the league of arab states in a walk for a new leader rejected the qatari candide it on behalf of the egyptians never to not be allowed to be is that head of the league of arab states so what this means is that in the arab league there is now less appetite for allowing the g.c.c. to run things so the g.c.c. is trying to good alone that force never thought this move by the g.

we're committed to the gulf for everyone who loves it, and everyone who calls it home. forty years ago, he wasn't looking for financial advice. back then he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future. but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement planning for our military, veterans and their families. now more than ever, it's important to get financial advice from people who share your military values. for our free usaa retirement guide, call 877-242-usaa. ozzy... yeah? do you have a secret fantasy? yes. i'd like to fly to new york for a colonoscopy. enter the cbs cares colonoscopy sweepstakes. if you win our grand prize, we'll fly you to new york for three nights in a luxury hotel. watch the sunrise over central park, then kick back, relax, and enjoy a complimentary colonoscopy! so what are you waiting for? you can't win if you don't enter. visit cbs cares.tv. cbs cares-- making your fantasies come true. >> pelley: parents in southern california say their public school is failing them, and they're giving teachers and adminis

the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go.down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. can you get me out of it? of course. travelocity? that's amazing! but i'm still stuck. come on man, dig it! [ female announcer ] travelocity. get great deals on all kinds of beach vacations. getwill be giving away kinds passafree copies of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. >>> so it wouldn't be hump day without the camel report. i'm lucky enough to travel a lot with this job, which i love, but almost everywhere i go, i run into a camel. is this divine intervention or great luck. i have watched camel races, tried camel milk, hung out with alexander and joshua. there's alexander and there's joshua at the bronx zoo, and at the pyramids, rode daisy, a l e lovelov lovely camel with an attitude. earlier this month, when i was in south carolina, i didn't expect to run into a camel inton while on a shoot in firefly vodka. until

and european media do you feel that a full scale war might break out in the region that would harm gulf states and that well obviously having worked in the media for a long time you understand politics and we've engaged in global politics for a long time to have the cries for battle ever stopped we hear them constantly throughout our lives they come from the west to the east and the north we can't simply ignore those calls will work on our own military. we've been hearing war drums throughout our entire lives and we've become used to that but we must take the situation seriously the region is unstable due to interference by various forces our own geopolitical situation is affected by what happens in iraq iran afghanistan the peace process is constantly threatened and israel is still threatening as it always has to strike out against iran its nuclear program therefore we work all day every day to relieve tensions in the region and to reach a mutual understanding we have to work on then we have to take this situation seriously the war drums you mentioned and not getting hotter and they wo