now after intense lobbying from civil rights groups, governor haley barbour ordered their release. >> i've cried out to god to help me to help my grandchildren and to keep jamie and gladys safe inside that prison. >> reporter: the governor did not call this a question of justice, instead he said he acted because jamie scott, who is 38, needs a kidney transplant to survive. the sisters no longer pose a threat to society, he said, and her medical condition creates a substantial cost to the state, $200,000 a year. but the release of gladys scott will be allowed only if she donates one of her kidneys to her sister, something the state says was her idea in the first place. the naacp has long protested the sentences as extreme. neither woman had a criminal record, the victims were not seriously hurt. only a fistful of dollars were taken and others involved in the robbery have long since been released. the governor's action brought strong praise today. >> our appreciation is the fact that they are now going to be able to go home, spend time with their children, have a better quality of life,

i'd also, i thought haley barbour in mississippi was going to be someone who was going to be a player in this. but his comment this week with "the weekly standard," bill kristol's magazine. >> chris: let me put it up. not a flattering caricature on "the weekly standard." >> you are always making fun of republicans. >> chris: haley barbour says growing up in the civil rights movement, "i just don't remember it being that bad." he talks about the white citizen council as his hometown in yazu city of being force of moderation in the 1960s. let me ask you about that. he walked it back the next day. do you think race and insensitivity on the issue is a problem for him? >> i think he was saying it wasn't that bad in his city. i think that city was less bad than a lot of other places in mississippi in the early '60s. it's a pretty interesting profile. people should read the whole profile. >> chris: yes, sir. a great christmas gift. >> yeah! for the holiday season. >> i don't think they'll hold against him one sentence how he remembers things when he was 16 years old. he's a good governor. th

the ideal guy out there, he won't take it, is haley barbour. >> yeah. >> he's a nuts and bolts guy ands had it, though. >> he's had it. if he doesn't run for president, that's who they ought to draft. >> the fact of the matter is haley barbour ran the rga like the rnc. volumes about the decline and fall of rnc. if michael steele gets the rnc again, it's going to collapse. the rga and others will thrive. >> that's right. haley runs a good show. >> i think the man behind the curtain is dick cheney. >> it's halliburton. >> a lot of pieces around, he's got this guy doing it, he comes on the show. he call the me three hours ago and said put feehrey on. just kidding. good luck. does care about our country, but boy, is he on the right. >>> up next the senate is pushing ahead on new s.t.a.r.t. something i do care about. when we return, let's debate whether new s.t.a.r.t. is good for this country. this couldn't be more important. we're going to have former secretary of state lawrence eagleburger on and former pentagon official doug feith to debate this. a debate, this is the hottest issue. are

late yesterday mississippi governor, haley barbour suspended their sentences. they were convict of the leading two men into an ambush that netted $11,000. the women had no previous criminal histories and denied being part of the plot. the three men that carried out the crime have been released. >>> supporters say even if guilty the punishment was too harsh and racially motivated. >> it's closure for the scott sisters and the state of mississippi. this is one thing that's out of the state of mississippi. >> jamie scott, one of the sisters has been critically ill dealing with a kidney failure while in prison and one condition is her sister gladys donate a kidney if she's a match. >>> the new year brings a new state law brings children with pre-existing medical condition can get insurance company. insurance coverage most offer child-only coverage making every child eligible. insurers who refuse to sell policies exclusively to children will be barred from the broader market for five years. the new law limits the amount insurers can charge children with serious heal

today, governor haley barbour announced he's suspending the sentences of gladys and jamie scott but on condition-- gladys must donate a kidney to her sister, which she has offered to do. california's outgoing governor arnold schwarzeneggar is also being asked for an act of mercy. kevin cooper has spent 25 years on the state's death row, always maintaining he's innocent of murder. now he's just hoping schwarzenegger will step in to block his execution. erin moriarty of "48 hours" has the story. >> we're trying to see governor schwarzenegger... >> reporter: attorney lanny davis. his best-known client was once the white house, but today it's the big house he's focused on, and saving the life of convicted killer kevin cooper. >> it's immoral for a society to kill somebody with this much doubt. >> reporter: davis is asking outgoing governor arnold schwarzeneggar to commute cooper's death sentence to life and has enlisted an impressive group of supporters, including a federal judge. william fletcher was part of a panel denying cooper's last appeal and wrote in a dissent-- "kevin cooper is pr

on the phone last night, the siste sisters thanked governor haley barbour for his mercy. >> i'm so blessed and i'm so happy. after 16 years that for me and my sister can go home to our families. we need that. >> reporter: they've been locked up in a mississippi prison for their part in a robbery, where three men walked away with just $11. the men who actually stole the money served less than three years. the two sisters were serving double life sentences. on talk radio, the hard on crime governor, who may some day run for president, tried to explain that setting the women free was only about saving money. >> you know it costs us $190,000 a year for dialysis for just one patient? mississippi's taxpayers ought not to be paying for that. >> reporter: but the sister who is donating her kidney already agreed to do so months ago, without a reward. and the governor knew that. there's a sense here that he may be trying to right a serious wrong. >> there are a whole bunch of people here in this state who are on dialysis right now who probably should be released. if governor barbour didn't think thi

. >> haley barbour. >> and the governor of mississippi. i like louisiana and mississippi. >> bobby jindal. >> there's just a lot of people who are voices of reason. i think of jeb as a voice of reason. >> larry: what do you think of president obama? >> well, he's been very pleasant to me personally, very. and i remember when i went up to washington to do something. i forget what it was. he heard i was going, with jeb incidentally. the white house sent word over he'd like us to come by. we did that. he came here to my library at texas a&m for a points of light events. and he was very gracious. so, on a personal basis, i'm very strongly impressed. he's a decent, decent man. and he's taken a lot of heat lately, but that goes with the territory. >> larry: do presidents, despite the politics, have sympathies for other presidents? >> i think i would. i mean, i think so. and, i mean, i don't like to see anybody beat up on and down. and people are -- some are down on him today, although his numbers aren't bad. and -- but i -- he's a good man. he's

the ideal guy is haley barbour.at's who they ought to draft. >> he ran the rga just like the rnc and that tells you volumes. if steele gets the rnc again, it's going to collapse. the rga and others will thrive. >> that's right. haley runs a good show. >> i think the man behind the curtain is cheney. he comes on the show, he called me three hours and said, but feehery in for me. good luck. does care about our country, but boy, is he on the right. up next the senate pushing ahead on new s.t.a.r.t. something i do care about. when we return, let's debate whether new s.t.a.r.t. is good for this country. we're going to have former secretary of state on and former pentagon official. a debate this is the hottest issue. are we going back to the cold war? this is "hardball," only on msnbc. >>> we're getting fascinating nuggets out of the new census data. america's towns have become more racially integrated than any other time in a century. how about this? just three counties reported a median income of over $100,000. all thre

>> yes, reince priebus who is the nephew of governor haley barbour is a strong person because of onemportant fact, he comes from the committee. i think that having relationships on the committee will serve him in good stead, but the question for him is how does he do with the pro steele faction and the hard core anti-steele faction, because he is now anti-steele. >> well, to be continued. we will talk to you tomorrow about all of it. thank you, jonathan. >> thank you, andrea. >>> and a state of emergency in florida as residents brace for some of the coldest temperatures in two decades. it will affect all of us with fruit prices. >>> and we will show you how lucrative the excess baggage fees have been for the airlines, because it is said that they made $1.5 billion on baggage fees and $195 billion in reservation changes, which is a grand total of $1.5 billion. and like that, we had a new side to our business. [ male announcer ] when businesses see an opportunity, the hartford is there. protecting their employees and property and helping them prepare for the future. nice boots. nice ba

haley barbour has probably banged himself up again with comments this past week, to say nothing of people, former governor of massachusetts. there's a lot of moving around going on out there. >> what kind of candidate, peggy noonan, do you need to run in the republican party to take on obama? what is it at this stage? >> a big thing is how the tetonic plates keep moving in american politics. a lifetime in journalism, what did you learn? he said expect the unexpected. if we've learned anything from the past decade, it's that anybody can arise from anywhere and become a leader. gosh, what do the republicans need to beat obama? a credible alternative, a serious man or woman, someone with experience and some weight and heft, who can get through iowa and south carolina. >> and so not sarah palin, is that right? >> thank you, bob, so much for qualifying that. i have to tell you, i'm one of those who think palin will not run and i happen to think if she runs, it will not work. her people love her, support her, watch her on tv, read her books, love to cheer her. they especially love to defend her

the closest equivalent is govern a haley barbour of mississippi. he was a political director in the reagan white house. he was active in washington in different ways. he and mitch daniels have left washington and have become governors of their states and have developed wreckers that there will take on the campaign -- that they will take on the campaign trail. host: and another viewer says that john thune is another possibility. guest: it seems that he is creeping toward the starting gate. he has a lot of attitudes. he looks like he could be a potentially strong candidate. i think there are questions about john thune as there are about all of these candidates. all of us have got around to talk to people are looking at this race or strategists who are involved in it. it is a notion that for every candidate's strand, there seems to be a weakness. you can go down the list and say so and so has this problem and so when so has that problem. everybody looking at this has concluded that this race may be as wide open as any we have seen on the republican si

. >> what's wrong with haley barbo barbour? obama care. >> what's wrong with haley barbour? >> start with the charisma and where he's from, and no base. i think pawlenty is actually their best possible. >> do you really? >> yes. he's got no strikes against him. he has the right -- he's the right age, he has the right dynamic, he's from a good part of the world for republicans. >> what about billy geisst? he's from the upper west side. could he run? >> willie geisst, is worth considering, yes. >> get in late, too. >> vice presidential -- youth and vigor. vice presidential candidate, yes. >> and by the way, the heroin conviction, toronto 71 -- >> conviction -- charge. >> i am so sorry. i always make that mistake. same thing with miami. you and morrison. >> the exposure? >> yeah. but it was -- that's what you did. >> it was the '70s. >> or the late -- >> i feel like you and miley cyrus together as a ticket. >> oh, come on. >> youthful indiscretion, 2012. >> let's turn serious for a second. ronwiden. >> ron widen, the senator, of c

you're going to have governors like haley barbour finishing their sessions, and they're going to be steppingd of figuring out the stakes there. so it will be the perfect time for a debate in new hampshire next summer. >> it is starting already. peter, thank you. our political geek as you said in washington. we'll have your next political update in an hour. and all the latest new, go to cnnpolitics.com. thanks for watching. and you take once-monthly boniva, check out the myboniva program. it's free to join, and it shows you lots of ways to help improve your bone strength. like bone-healthy exercises that are easy to do. boniva works with your body to help stop and reverse bone loss. and myboniva gives you calcium-rich recipes... monthly reminders... and even a month of boniva, free. so call or go to myboniva.com and sign up now. ( announcer ) don't take boniva if you problems with your esophagus, low blood calcium, severe kidney disease, or can't sit or stand for at least one hour. follow dosing instructions carefully. stop taking boniva and tell your doctor if you have difficult or painful s

the closest equivalent is govern a haley barbour of mississippi. he was a political director in the reagan white house. he was active in washington in different ways. he and mitch daniels have left washington and have become governors of their states and have developed wreckers that there will take on the campaign -- that they will take on the campaign trail. host: and another viewer says that john thune is another possibility. guest: it seems that he is creeping toward the starting gate. he has a lot of attitudes. he looks like he could be a potentially strong candidate. i think there are questions about john thune as there are about all of these candidates. all of us have got around to talk to people are looking at this race or strategists who are involved in it. it is a notion that for every candidate's strand, there seems to be a weakness. you can go down the list and say so and so has this problem and so when so has that problem. everybody looking at this has concluded that this race may be as wide open as any we have seen on the republican si

caller: i have a comment about bobby jindal and haley barbour. they seem to be the only republicans in louisiana worried about the oil spill. all of the others are in arizona worried about immigration. where was the republican concern for the oil spill in the gulf of mexico? there was none. host: howard, independent, alabama. caller: yes, i just want to speak about don't ask, don't tell. they have all of those rapes and stabbings, that is what we will have in the military. taxing businesses and corporations, those people put a lot of people to work and are supposed to make a profit on every one that they hire. if they cannot, they will start putting them to work. host: we are on an open phones this morning. we are hoping in a little bit to discuss legal issues surrounding be wikileaks case. until then, mike, tenn.. caller: my little brother was getting censored, but he can watch the president's news conference on youtube. we have been waiting a long time to hear about this texting. of course, they get paid for what they say. it sounds like things

. >> that's actually how haley barbour's confidante joe -- >> joseph. >> how he spend his birthdays withy cake. >> ducking shoes thrown at him by friends and neighbors. happy birthday. >> happy birthday, joe. >> happy birthday. >> we're going to "the view." >> want to do "the view"? >> john boehner, we played the clip. he was weepy. fine, leave him alone. >> an amazing story. he is an -- >> there's a point to be made that i think you will like, what if nancy pelosi had gone through and sobbed? let's watch. let's watch. >> you could not keep -- he could not keep himself from getting really emotional. take a look. >> this guy had an, emotional -- has an emotional problem that every time he talks about anything that's not raise taxes he cries. and if you had seen nancy pelosi all these past years crying, what would you say? >> she's weak. can't handle the pressure. >> so when -- i hope he's a good speaker of the house. he's got a problem. >> i think that it's interesting to watch him cry. there's -- i've been watching him now. we call him the weeper of the house. and he -- he cries -- >> th

you have a bunch of governors, haley barbour, mitch daniels and others that are positioning themselvesyou have sarah palin out there as the populous hero. not sure if she's going to run in the end. but a lot of the presidential candidates realize the action is going to be on capitol hill for the next few months. some of them are going to lay low. i think this is going to be a republican race that develops somewhat more slowly than usual. you have mitt romney out there that has to deal with the problem of having championed in massachusetts a health care bill that has some resemblances to what president obama pushed through. he is laying low and trying not to be a target this early in the race. >> hard to believe, one cycle ends and the next one begins. john harwood, take care of that voice. >> i will try. i hope you get the man purse that you want. >> it is 7:14. once again, here's amy. >> sorry, carl. all right. >>> early storms have hills covered in snow areas across the country. and that sounds like fun. it means a lot of kids will be doing sledding over the winter break. and that ca

the closest equivalent is govern a haley barbour of mississippi. he was a political director in the reagan white house. he was active in washington in different ways. he and mitch daniels have left washington and have become governors of their states and have developed wreckers that there will take on the campaign -- that they will take on the campaign trail. host: and anotheviewer says that john thune is another possibility. guest: it seems that he is creeping toward the starting gate. he has a lot of attitudes. he looks like he could be a potentially strong candidat i think there are questions about john thune as there are out all of these candidates. all of us have got arnd to talk t people are looking at this race or strategists who are involved in it. it is a notion that for every candidate's strand, there seems to be a weakness. you can go down the list and say so and so hashis problem and so when so has that problem. everybody looking at this has concluded that this race may be as wide open as any we have seen on the republican side for long