. >> joe biden urges iraq's prime minister to work to resolve a deepening crisis. as scientists discover some of the most significant planets outside our solar system. it is 10:00 a.m. in singapore. >> it is 10:00 a.m. in london. broadcasting to viewers in america and around the world. welcome to "newsday". in north korea the country's new leader met mourners. he died on saturday at the age of 69. concerns about the transition of power. >> kim jong il, a site familiar to others, now mourned. this is the new guardian, kim johnn un. with a few years at the top council, he is the man america and china will be negotiating with. many of them poorer and hngrier. more critical of those who lead them. their tears appeared just as real. ere they the last time. >> you could not not cry in public. you had to pinch yourself. others were laughing. it is even more fake. >> the great fear is not in sincerity on the streets of pyongyang. >> how well they will manage will be a test of his inability to manage the country. >> the governments are straining to get a clear picture of ho

the first i think is it's joe biden versus mitt romney here.alk about two guys that are fighting for the middle class, you put joe biden against mitt romney, is the calculus not immediate lly evident? >> i think, first of all, if i was mitt romney, i would not have fought joe biden. i would only fight barack obama. somebody in his campaign should teach him you don't punch down, you punch up if you're running for president. so that's -- >> which, of course, you know having run for president yourself. >> exactly. the fact that he could be baited into a fight with joe biden tells you all that you need to know what's going on wrong with his campaign. but the other thing to getç in this fight a week after they fought against the payroll tax cut extension which is right at the middle class, the timing of this -- i would have -- if i was romney, this was not the right time and biden was not the right guy to fight. all of that spells that he knows they're vulnerable with the middle class. they're looking at the poll numbers of the middle class so they

this fight today between joe biden and mitt romney? >> very sharp words.tell we're getting pretty close to the iowa caucuses. mitt romney had a few hard knocks lately as the lead has changed hands every couple of weeks or so, but as the christmas holidays approaches, he's still a huge factor in the race while some of the others have lost traction. >> we have to grow -- >> now that the newt gingrich boomlet has started showing signs of fading, mitt romney is thrust back into the spotlight. he's getting pressure from all sides. a lot thanks to some powerful newspapers. new hampshire's union leader slammed romney for doing events with seemingly scripted questions, taunting him to debate gingrich, who happens to be the guy the union leader has already endorsed. and in iowa, where some of the latest polling suggests romney, gingrich and ron paul are statistically tied for the lead, it was romney who was being singled out for special attention from the democrats. after mostly walking softly on the sidelines of the republican fight, the incumbents in the white ho

>> neil: right. >> joe biden? you have got to be kidding today when you say the taliban is not our enemy. i fought in korea, front line. i knew who the enemy were. the enemy were the people who were firing at me. and shooting at me. and so for some guy to come back and today, incidentally, to meet with the returning veterans and their families and i don't believe he would tell them oh, look, the taliban is not your enemy. just like they would have told us in korea, well, you know, the chinese are not really your enemy. they are just helping out the north koreans. get ahold of yourself, joe, not just that. look what happened just last week or so in europe when you go and you make the joke, guess who i have with me. i have representatives from the treasury department hundreds of millions of dollars. are you going to give this money to us? no, what do you have to say to these people? hang in there it's tough. when you find these gaffes, the question is who is going to be in place president in these instances. last ye

not only would obama retain joe biden, but he thinks joe biden is doing a very good job. and, in fact, he is doing a very good job by what vice presidents do, what presidents ask them to do, for the type of advice he's been giving the president, i would say that he's an asset politically. >> reporter: so we called the vice president's office to say we want someone to talk about this. and we call hillary clinton's state department and say we want someone to talk about this. and at the end of the day, no one talked about this. derek and anita. >> all right, gary. thank you. >>> now to the republicans less than a week before the iowa caucuses, the republican presidential race seems to be changing by the day. the latest poll shows mitt romney as the front runner with ron paul right behind him. but rick santorum has moved up to third while newt gingrich has moved into fourth. kent sorenson has now defected to one of her biggest rivals ron paul. >> in 2010 i was running for the state senate congressman paul came and did three separate events for me and i felt like he was by my

adding vice president joe biden.as dangerous as -- [ snoring ] -- as air traffic controllers nodding off on the job. this afternoon biden dozed off while his boss gave a speech. >> to keep the promise we made to care for our seniors. years from now if you're a 65-year-old who is eligible for medicare, you should have to pay nearly $6400 more than you would today. >> all right. granted, it was a pretty long speech, and president obama did have a mellifluous voice, one that can be soporific. just ask the kids at west point commencement speech. >> schools that promote academic excellence, personal responsibility, lasting success. it doesn't happen in an instant. we can't count on military might alone. now, let me be clear. the military that along with your families has already borne the heaviest of all burdens. >> think about the topic of the speech, the deficit. anyone who has seen ferris bueller knows a monotonous voice and a lecture lethal. it sends you into a rem cycle. >> anyone? anyone? the great depression passed

adding vice president joe biden.us as -- [ snoring ] -- as air traffic controllers nodding off on the job. >> to keep the promise we made to care for our seniors. it says that ten years from now, if you're a 65-year-old who's eligible for medicare, you you should have to pay nearly $6400 more than you would today. >> all right. granted, it was a pretty long speech, and president obama did have a mellifluous voice, one that can be soporific. just ask the cadets at west point or some other commencement speech. >> schools that promote academic excellence, personal responsibility, lasting success. it doesn't happen in an instant. we can't count on military might alone. now, let me be clear. the military that along with your families has already borne the heaviest of all burdens. >> think about the topic of the speech that made biden go night-night, the deficit. anyone who has seen ferris bueller knows a monotonous voice plus an economics lecture, lethal. it's basically a one-two punch that sends you into a recommend cycl

vice president joe biden speaking exclusively, excuse me, with me here in washington, d.c., today. at the end there talking about iran. the vice president was implicitly encountering some republican criticism that the obama administration should somehow be tougher with iran. among this year's republican presidential candidates, for example, even long-shot former utah governor jon huntsman, who sort of has the reputation as the cool, calm, collected guy in the republican room. even jon huntsman said he'd like to start a war with iran, a preemptive war. former vice president dick cheney said on cnn last night we should have dropped a bomb on iran last week. after one of our drones crashed there. personally, i have to say, it is striking to be in washington in this context. today having this face to face conversation with the democratic administration, this vice president, about his pride in ending the war, which you could see in the way he talked about it there. his pride and their satisfaction in finally extricating us from iraq after 8 1/2 years there. and then to have the parallel

it's joe biden's turn.in the register he writes, his policy prescription for opportunity society leads to less, not more opportunity for middle class americans. how can anyone forget the economic catastrophe brought about by the same policies mr. romney is proposing. romney responded. >> it's astonishing to have the vice president trying to describe how good things are. you have 25 million americans that are out of work or stopped looking for work or only find par t time work. >> reporter: a poll shows republicans think mitt romney best represents personal quality the president should have. voters were asked who is most likely to win the gop nomination. as romney showed, he is ready to fight back. >> they are going to fight to hang on to power. i think the right thing for them to do is recognize they failed. >> reporter: that's probably not going to happen. if you look at the latest, hypothetical matchup tween president obama and mitt romney, what you are going to see is obama edges out romney 52% to 45%. w

also, joe biden in iraq as the troops prepare to leave. >> who is this guy? can we trust him? >> and is this a great season for campaign ads or what? >> we do not always see eye to eye. >> no, but we agree our country must take action to address climate change. >> newt gingrich says he is the only one in the room than i did not know i was dead. this week, he received the endorsement of the conservative manchester leader. this is the same degree choose campaign staff walked off the job in june. the same one that mark shields has characterized on this program has carried more baggage than united van lines. here is gingrich in south carolina. >> i have a very long record of persistence. >> i have a very long record of consistency. does anyone have a problem with that sentence? the chair recognizes dr. krug hammer for about 20 seconds. >> i think there is no doubt he is on a rocket ride right now. the party, for a few weeks, was considering herman cain as a serious candidate for the presidency. the man who says the country needs a leader, not a reader. certainly, they can nominate

>> i don't think this is a gaffe by joe biden.k he is articulating what the white house strategy is. i think they know exactly what they are trying to do. they are trying to redefine the terrorist threat to be a limited group of al-qaeda people along the afghan-pakistan border. they are going to redefine the taliban away from that. they are going to ignore taliban in the arabian peninsula and al-qaeda in north africa and it's that one thing, we've killed osama bin laden. war on terror is over. >> greta: i was in afghanistan with secretary of state hillary clinton. she met with the women of afghanistan and i was in the room. i think a lot of people have forgotten what the taliban is doing about women. forcing the wearing burqas and they hit by cars, if you can't afford a burke ka you can't go to school. you can't wear shoes that make a noise because it may excite a man. you can't go to a male doctor or you can't go to school to be a woman doctor. the list goes on. is the u.s. really going to pal up with the taliban and say they are

adding vice president joe biden.t as dangerous as -- [ snoring ] -- as air traffic controllers nodding off on the job. >> to keep the promise we made to care for our seniors. years from now if you're a 65-year-old who is eligible for medicare, you should have to pay nearly $6400 more than you would today. >> all right. granted, it was a pretty long speech, and president obama did have a mellifluous voice, one that can be sop o riffic. just ask the kids at west point commencement speech. >> schools that promote academic excellence excellence, personal responsibility, lasting success. it doesn't happen in an instant. we can't count on military might alone. now, let me be clear. the military that along with your families has already borne the heaviest of all burdens. >> think about the topic of the speech, the deficit. anyone who has seen ferris bueller knows a monotonous voice and a lecture lethal. it sends you into a rem cycle. >> anyone? anyone? the great depression passed the -- anyone, anyone? the tariff bill. the

>>> my exclusive interview with vice president joe biden is coming up next.oined the navy when i was nineteen. i was a commissioned officer at twenty-three. i was an avionics... tactical telecommunications... squad leader. i think the hardest transition as you get further into the military is... you know it's going to end one day. chase hired me to be a personal banker. i'm a business analyst... manager. i'm very proud to work for chase. when you hire a veteran, you get... great leadership... decisiveness... focus. chase knows, when you hire a veteran, you're hiring america's best. chase is proud to help 100,000 veterans find jobs at home. >>> all year long we have been reporting on the roll back of voting rights in america. new ways to make it harder to vote and harder to register to vote. the rolling back of early voting, making voter registration drives all but impossible, blocking you from voting unless you show some kind of new documentation that you never had to show before and that hundreds of thousands of people in some states just don't have. all yea

. >> also, joe biden in iraq as the troops prepare to leave. >> i am running for office. >> who is this guy, can we trust him? >> and is this a great season for campaign ads or what? >> we do not always see eye to eye. >> no, but we agree, our country must take action to address climate change. >> newt gingrich says i was only one in the room who do not know i was dead. soaring in the polls, he received the endorsement of the conservative manchester union leader. the same newt gingrich's campaign staff walked off the job in june. the same nuking bridge mark shields has characterized as carry more baggage than united van lines. here is newt gingrich this week in south carolina. >> i have a long record of persistence. i ran twice and lost. i spent 16 years here. i thought it was better for the house that is what a free society is all about. >> i have a very long record of consistency. does anyone have a problem with that sentence? charles krauthammer? >> i think there is no doubt he is on a rocket ride right now, and the party -- a party for a few weeks that was considering herman cain as

>> greg: it's impossible to take joe biden out of context.himself is out of context. we don't know what context he is in. the left loves redefining things with the modern euphemism, terrorist activities and terrorist violence and they don't like to call the enemies, enemies. >> dana: this occurred to me possibly that what maybe the president and the vice president biden are working on some sort of reconciliation agreement. i can understand that part of it if that were true. i don't think extremists can be reconciled. what is your take? >> andrea: i agree. if you are the taliban and you invite al-qaeda back, i don't see the threat to them of the united states poses by president obama to get them out. just say we frown on you harboring terrorists? i don't think it will work. to negotiate with them. i think what they were trying to say if taliban isn't with them, soldiers are gone then they won't be a threat to the country in that way. harboring the terrorists they did. they are actively plotting. >> dana: not to mention how they treat women. er

and vice president joe biden rips into mitt romney in iowa. romney responds by completely ignoring the facts. john nickels and joe madison weigh in. we're right back. ♪ and just let me be [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ your ticket home ♪ [ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store. you tell us what you want to pay, and we give you a range of coverages to choose from. who is she? that's flobot. she's this new robot we're trying out, mostly for, like, small stuff. wow! look at her go! she's pretty good. she's pretty good. hey, flobot, great job. oops. [ powers down ] uh-oh, flobot is broken. the "name your price" tool, only from progressive. call or click today. tlnchts is breaking news out of south carolina to nonighttonigh. the department of justice rejected a new voter id law. minorities would be significantly burdened by the law. it would have required voters to show photo identification to cast their vote. the department of justice said the data provided by the state showed that minorities were nearly 20% more likely to la

and joe biden's a great guy and he loves joe biden, but joe biden would be an excellent secretary of, too. >> a lot of their base is similar. they do appeal to working, middle class whites. joe biden's done a lot of things for women. i think we're going to get plenty of energy when the republicans nominate who they're going to nominate. >> you're probably right, but i'm not ruling it out. if the economy deteriorates, if he sees his numbers going down, if mitt romney's the republican nominee, got a strong vice presidential candidate with him, he sees himself as a one term jimmy carter, that hail mary pass. >> 2016 for hillary clinton. >> she'll be 68 years old. >> plenty of time. >>> michele bachmann hasn't had the best week. my life interview with her is coming up and rick santorum the surging in the polls right now. that means more scrutiny. stay with us. you're in "the situation room." i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all

and vice president joe biden rips into mitt romney in iowa. romney responds by completely ignoring the facts. john nickels and joe madison weigh in. we're right back. ♪ and just let me be [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ your ticket home ♪ [ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store. tlnchts is breaking news out of south carolina to nonighttonigh. the department of justice rejected a new voter id law. minorities would be significantly burdened by the law. it would have required voters to show photo identification to cast their vote. the department of justice said the data provided by the state showed that minorities were nearly 20% more likely to lack a division of motor vehicle issued id and be disenfranchised. the same assault on democracy is going on in dozens of states across the country. and as i've said before, it seems like the republicans are spending as much money trying to stop people from getting out to the polls as they are spending money trying to turn them out. make no mistake, the justice department is standing u

>> joe biden. his scott hartnell glorifycation are occasionally amusing but always tiresome. >> donald trump and sarah palin. >> enough whining about political partisanship. the nation's future is in political play. consensus is essential. we will not be able to chart a clear direction without it. it may take one or two election cycles for that consensus to build. until then we need argument. rational argument. enough of whining over argumenttation. worst lie, pat? >> worst lie? i just don't know where that money went, says john corzi. >> i am just a historian. >> occupy wall street and then president obama, the idea that some people are poor in this country because some people are rich. >> i have never done anything improper with anyone in my life. herman cain. even if were true, it sounds like a lie. >> worst lie. congressman anthony weiner. first he attempted to blame his underwear photo on unnamed enemies. then went on cnn claiming he did not send the picture to a female college student. later

. >>> vice president joe biden is in iraq and talking jobs. the vice president is urging america's workforce to welcome iraqi veterans back home with open arms. it's part of an exclusive interview on the "today" show with ann curry. >> every american business out there, if you want somebody who knows how to handle pressure, who knows how to handle bls billions of dollars worth of equipment, who knows how to operate under fire, hire a veteran. we have an obligation. they fought over here, they've gone through these god awful sands and deserts in the middle of a war. they're in god forsaken places out in afghanistan. they shouldn't have to come home and fight for a job. >> you can see the rest of ann curry's exclusive interview on "today" show coming up at 7:00 right here on channel 4. >>> right now, secretary of state hillary clinton is in a meeting in myanmar. this trip is seen as a test to weather myanmar's new civilian led government is, in fact, more democratic. >>> virginia attorney general ken kuchanelli has his eyes set on the governor's

vice president joe biden praised the role that syria's neighbor turkey has taken to put pressure uponhe assad regime. from istanbul, jonathan head reports. >> a standoff in northwestern syria. at the moment, there's no shooting. a similar scene in other towns. especially in homs, in dahra, they're calling for more international help, for protected buffer zones. the uprising, president assad's opponents can't oust him. and he hasn't been able to stop the protests. but his efforts have exacted a heavy human cost. >> the commission to report documents, widespread systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by civilian authorities, by acts such as killing of children, by beating, or shooting during demonstrations, arbitrary detention, torture, and ill treatment. >> etc. an emotion -- the human rights council, delegates were given a chilling report. >> our message is firm and clear. to the people of syria, the world stands by you, and we will not ignore your plight in the face of ongoing violence. to the seizure government, the time has come to end the flagrant

with vice president joe biden. >>> up next, "first look." >>> dead on arrival. the house is set to approve legislation renewing the payroll tax cut. but senate democrats say it doesn't have a chance. >>> parents' worst nightmare. horrific video shows a little girl being run over by an suv. >>> and or ka encounter. a california tour boat has an amazing run-in with a killer whale. good morning. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with dueling power plays. in washington this morning house republicans are scrambling to gather enough votes to pass a sweeping budget plan. the senate's top democrat says no one is leaving town for the holidays until both sides agree on payroll tax cuts. nbc's tracie potts joining us from washington with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. a couple issues going on here. the budget and the payroll tax cuts. and it looks like congress may finally have a solution to that can they've been kicking down the road month after month. health, educati