nanette johnston had a solid alibi.er nfl player, with who she had an affair. in 2009, johnston was accused of 3u9ing naposki up to the killing. now prosecutors have set their sights on johnston. they say she stood to make a fortune aftoff mclaughlin's dea. >> she had a $1 million life insurance policy on bill mclaughlin. >> she always had a lover on the side. does that mean she is a killer? no. >> reporter: she was a smart mba grad who would never leave her fiance. >> she would never, ever leave bill mclaughlin for anything. >> reporter: that former nfl player is facing life in prison. nanette johnston's trial is set to last about ten days. >> we're going bring in dan abrams live in the studio and from atlanta, nancy grace. dan, let's start with you. we heard in andrea's piece, the defense saying, she wouldn't leave somebody wealthy for someone that doesn't have as much money. >> i don't think that will fly with the jury. i think this is a more difficult case than prosecuting him. you had direct evidence of the gun bei

and the defense actually helped them along with johnston's own words.nt down, she did not take the stand. not a surprise. she gave an audio recording that came back to haunt her at trial. it was played for the jury. the defense tried to come up with a big dial "m" for murder moment. claiming there had been a switcheroo with the keys. their whole premise fell flat in the closing argument. i think they lost ground. >> i thought it was going to be harder than his trial. because in his trial, he's the one accused of doing the shooting. you had evidence with regard to him with a gun, where someone who made the key, remember, the key -- the key is absolutely crucial in the case. there was a brand new just made key left at the crime scene in the lock. so whoever did this had recently gotten a copy -- >> in the door, he's right. in the door. >> they hadt(q'tly made a copy of the key. someone testified in his trial, yeah, i had seen him in there having keys made. his trial was an easier one this my view than hers. with that said, i think there's a lot of evidenc

david cay johnston is on the line as well.ke on the progressive side about consumption taxes, they are regressive in the way you're suggesting. >> one thing that david point out, too, this will make american exports much more competitive. arguably, the fair tax is cost neutral. in other words, the coca-cola that sells for a dollar today has embedded tax that isn't evident to the tune of about 23%. you take that away, you implement the fair tax, arguably, the coke doesn't sell for $1 anymore, it will sell for 80 cents and be subject to a 23% tax. it's not regressive, i'm going to argue, from the standpoint, it offers everybody in the country a prebate check. we all get $200 a month, which allows all of us to pay for the fair tax up to the point of the poverty level. that's the escape from that criticism. >> it promotes savings and something we really do need in this country. if we're going to -- >> let me clarify. this is the standard way people amend a flat tax to make it not completely regress ef, right, which is basically yo

>> nbc's ron mott in johnston, iowa. i'm jealous. tell this is going to be a fun night for you. we'll talk to you soon. thank you. >> interesting to see the breadth of the different caucuses, the smallest to the very large ones. nbc's tom brokaw joins us now from des moines. he's been on the ground in iowa reporting and observing about what's happening in the lead up to the caucuses. great to be here with us. >> glad to be here, rachel. >> what are you noticing in terms of the tone that you are hearing from voters and contrast with previous years caucuses that you might be able to talk about. >> well, i think that this year is kind of unique because it's been so intense for so long and such a crowded field, and we've had so much surges. we've had michelle bachmann surging and rick santorum surging and mitt romney, 24%, 25%. how that will play before the end of the evening, we'll find out. i've been intrigued that iowa is a battleground state again. lost one electoral vote, president obama wouldn't state easily four years ago. it's no

where ron is is in johnston, iowa, not that far outside des moines. des moines is the largest city in iowa but it's only a couple hundred thousand people. there is no metropolis in iowa. there is a number of cities that have tens of thousands of people. des moines is the largest in the state. nbc news political director chuck todd has been looking for us tonight. overall he is the guy looking at things by the numbers. in particular he has been looking at the various areas of strength for the particular candidates tonight. chuck, what are you seeing so far? >> rachel, a few things and a few caveats about our entrance polls. one thing i want to remind people and the reason why we're characterizing it, just those three as we are with no order is that four years ago mitt romney was ahead on the first wave. mike huckabee of course ended up winning by nine points. so the most enthusiastic supporters get to these sites early and so sometimes that's where things mess around and we are confident in what the top three, which three candidates have the shot, actu

david cay johnston, jon soltz thanks for your insight. this story won't go away. >>> remember tonight to answer the question at the bottom of the screen. share your thoughts on twitter, we want to know what you think. >>> coming up, is newt gingrich, i mean is this guy a surge on the who are in south carolina. tyler jones and bill press will weigh in. >>> democrats in wisconsin partied hard now the real fight begins. we'll bring you the latest on the record-breaking recall of governor scott walker and what he's trying to do to get support. >>> oh, yeah twitter is alive on "the ed show." if obama has to show his birth certificate, why doesn't romney have to show his tax returns? coming up newt gingrich, is he rebounding in south carolina? should mitt be worried, tyler jones jones, bill press will join me next. >>> psycho talk, what this super superstitious cheese head said about the packers who. >>> stephen colbert won't be on the ballot, his plan to win the united states of south carolina later on the show. share the thoughts on twitter,

david cay johnston, jon soltz thanks for your insight. this story won't go away. >>> remember tonight to answer the question at the bottom of the screen. share your thoughts on twitter, we want to know what you think. >>> coming up, is newt gingrich, i mean is this guy a surge on the who ahorizon in south carol s tyler jones and bill press will weigh in. >>> democrats in wisconsin partied hard now the real fight begins. we'll bring you the latest on the record-breaking recall of governor scott walker and what he's trying to do to get support. [ male announcer ] indulge all you want. now there's no need to hold back. ♪ new revolutionary scope with dualblast technology obliterates strong food odors and kills bad breath germs leaving your breath minty fresh. hey. sorry i'm late, baby. i bet you're starving. [ male announcer ] so there's no trace of evidence... hey, i thought i did the dishes. [ male announcer ] blast away strong food odors and bad breath germs with new scope dualblast. also, try crest complete extra white with scope dualblas

the governor presented an award to harry johnston. the man behind the memorial. >>> the black man how appropriately. the jefferson and the lincoln memorial and raising $120 million. that is what alpha phi alpha and heirde for this memorial. >> reporter: johnson has been the president and ceo of the memorial in 2002. and he was able to take it from design in competition by raising the $120 million in funding. >>> two survivors rescued after a cruise ship overturned off of the coast of italy. rescuers were banging on doors and heard a reply. the costa concordia brushed too closely to a tuscan lead late last night, ripping a 160-foot hole in the side. three people are dead and 40 are still missing. the captain of the ship has been arrested and is investigated for abandoning ship and manslaughter. >> incredible images. >> yes, it s. >>> and we're minutes away from highlights for the nfc play- off. >>> and gwen, we need a warm- up. >> in a few days we'll have it. trust me on that. as my brother used to say, the hawk is out and that means i

. >> reporter: david cay johnston is an expert tax journalist, and a successful businessman as well.i'm in the top 1%, and i'm trying to make every extra dollar i can even though i'm at the top marginal tax rate. i can't imagine saying, "no, i'm not going to take this opportunity to make more money because i'm going to have to pay 35% of it to the federal government." i mean, that's... that's nuts! >> reporter: a registered republican, johnston says a higher tax rate wouldn't encourage most high earners to slack off. in fact, it might have the opposite effect. >> if it's important to people at that level to have the same after-tax income, what are they going to do? well, they're going to work harder, they're going to work smarter, they're going to figure out how to make even more money and make their business even more successful so they can have more money, and if they don't do that the difference in their after-tax income isn't going to matter to them and it's not going to matter to society except we'll have more tax revenue to fund the things society needs to be prosperous. >> if

david cay johnston, i want you to stick around. we'll take a break and talk more about taxes and fairness after this. don't our dogs deserve to eat fresher less processed foods just like we do introducing freshpet healthy recipes of fresh meat and fresh veggies so fresh the only preservative we use is the fridge freshpet fresh food for fido i refer to her as "that woman with the great gums." as jill's dentist, i know that her gums are a foundation of a healthy smile. jill knows that, too -- so she uses crest pro-health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps eliminate plaque at the gum line, helping prevent gingivitis. it's even clinically proven to help reverse it in just 4 weeks. and it protects these other areas dentists check most. crest pro-health clinical gum protection. because healthy smiles are built on healthy gums. life opens up when you do. the sleep number bed. the magic of this bed is that you're sleeping on something that conforms to your individual shape. you can adjust it to whatever your needs are. so whateve

just after 9:00 p.m., johnston's lover, eric naposki used the key from johnston to enter the home andmclaughlin six times. >> death equals money. she becomes the millionaire. she becomes the golden goose. >> hate her as much as you want for being a thief, a liar, a cheat. a slut. whatever you want to call her. but you can't vote guilty based on that. >> reporter: that argument wasn't enough for the jury or the family. >> the jury needed about three hours to deliberate. this has been a long time coming. it's closure for us. >> reporter: johnston's coconspirator was found guilty of first degree murder last year. both are slated to be sentenced on may 18th. both can face life in prison without parole. >>> let's get the weather from sam. >> we're going to talk about mud slides. more than 5 1/2 inches of rain on the month. kind of hard to get the car out of the garage when the hill is laying up against the garage. a lot of detours, a lot of road blocks. this next system comes on later today. not as much mountain snow. it sets up the big snow slides, avalanches in the mountains. quick look

policia identifico a la mujer que murio a machetazos el viernes por la noche en el 1900 de la calle johnston take vo ---se trata de yvonne marie kirk de 65 anos edad--- ---cuando los oficiales llegaron al lugar de los hechos, dos mujeres aparentemente habian sido atacadas y se encontraban heridas--- ---kirk fue declarada muerta en el lugar de los hechos, mientras que sagal mohammod sadiq, la otra lesionada, fue atendida en un hospital y despues detenida como sospechosa--- ---sobre el motivo del homicidio, la investigacion continua--- cu - anchor ---mientras que en oakland, la ciudad cerr el aÑo con 110 asesinatos.. ---el ultimo caso, ocurrio antes de fin de aÑo, y tiene a la comunidad consternada.. y a la policia buscando pistas para dar con el asesino.. ---mayra tostado nos tiene el reporte.. take pkg la policia de oakland sigue sin saber el paradero del hombre que asesin a gabriel martinez jr, de 5 aÑos de edad, el viernes pasado.. sot johnna watson - polica "it's unknown exactly what happened........." las autoridades dicen desconocer el motivo del tiroteo ya que no se tiene informacin so

they're holding events in iowa with randy johnston, a man who was fire the from his job in 1992 afterworked. listen to how johnston characterized romney and his co-workers at bain capital in an interview with abc news just last week. >> i really believe, i think it's come out over years since this time, by other bain capital directors, that they had actually had a philosophy, a way of doing business and it was to make themselves richer. >> at the expense of? >> of the workers. i mean, they were to make the companies lean. they were going to drive up debt, charge fees, sell stock. whar whatever it takes to make big dollars for the investors. families were devastated. some cases we had the husband and wife both working there. they lost all income. and it doesn't get much worse than that. >> he makes it sound like the classic chop shop operation. go into a company, fire everybody. the company dies in a few months. you made a ton of money. >> well, look -- >> is that what bain capital is all about? >> i think mitt romney has been parading around as a big job creator but the guy was workin

police were called to a home on johnston avenue late last night. they found two women who were attacked and one died. the second was treated and released. police found a machete-like weapon in the house and thought it was a home invasion but they believe the second woman, sagal sadiq was the attacker. they don't know what the relationship was with the victim or the motive. >>> a lot of people in oakland are hoping next year will be less violent, a 5-year-old boy was shot and killed last night. he is the third young child lost to gun violence since august. he was with his family in east oakland when shots were fired at a taco truck. parents are pleading for the violence to stop. >> reporter: another tragedy in oakland. another innocent child killed. >> ever since i heard in the news i can't stop crying. >> reporter: family friends of the young shooting victim gathered where it happened. they lit candles, prayed, and shed tears over a life cut short. >> he played with my baby. i know him since he was little. i know his family. they're good people. >>

police say the 40-year-old marie johnston had several encounters with him. she teaches at grenada high in livermore. the relationship was formed through text and facebook. >> not to surprised. these things do happen and at the same time as a -- as a parent with three boys i'm always on -- in constant communication. >> what i see here is a tragedy. this is, a lot of people affected by the allegation that have been made today. >> authorities do not believe there are other boys involved but they recommend parents talk to their kids about their contact with johnson. > we first reported in today that the da will probably file charges against the sheriff for domestic violence and tonight he says the sheriff's wife still wants nothing to do with police and is refusing to cooperate. >> it's my hope that we will have a decision made soon, hopefully before the end of the week. >> reporter: that was the san francisco da commenting on reports that his office is about to charge the city's new sheriff with misdemeanor domestic violence. >> our task is to assess if a crime

now i will be back with actually i will be back with harry johnston my colleague will be back in about thirty minutes time with a full look at your news but up next our special report reveals the human story behind a vigilante patrolling the u.s. mexican border. and the immigration goes down in the senate that is the subject of the seedings talking points memo critics of arizona's newly signed immigration bill say it allows police to stop anyone on the street based purely on the person's appearance governor brewer's response when asked by a reporter what illegal immigrant looks like. i do not know i do not know what legal immigrant that's like but the sticking point is what to do with the millions of people who are in this country in this country illegally that the u.s. government will have no idea who they are and where they are in this very dangerous time that is a very dangerous thing as we. ran from an other country. when i ran round and round the america of the big. one but the people in mexico that need help oh yeah i call those people my lazy family they didn't want to come on t

johnston, one of the best tax reporters i know out there. david, let's see what you can divine from what we know so far. talk about what it might mean that mitt romney thinks he's paying an effective rate of near 15%. >> well, he probably is. he probably gives away a good deal of his earned income, like those fees, as tithing to the church. as a good mormon, i'm sure he gives the church at least 10% of his income. i think what warrants the real problem is that he probably still has some carried interest, that is, he has money he made on which he has never paid taxes. and so i think we have a reasonable issue here in saying, well, where is your money? is it parked offshore, and how much of it have you not yet paid taxes on? those would be very crucial issues. and by the way, i would expect romney to love the gingrich plan, because he says he lives mostly off dividends. under gingrich's plan, dividends would be tax free. >> let's listen to what bill o'reilly had to say about this tonight. this is a rich guy, bill o'reilly, who no doubt pays a

joined tonight by david cay johnston author of "free lunch." good to have you with us tonight. the scenario that i painted. is it very -- is it accurate? i mean, is this what companies do? is this what these financiers do? they go around looking for company that is have it pretty good, have a bank account, have assets, go in there and do the dirty deed? what do you think? >> the record on romney is somewhat mixed. there are companies that they essentially bought, sucked all the cash out of them, and then left behind. and i think the pension guarantee issue is one that will cause him a lot of problems, and a lot of explaining is necessary about why the government had to step in this area. but he also was involved in creating some companies. and in those cases, you have to look at the fact that staples created a lot of jobs, a lot of people buy things at staples. it also destroyed a lot of the mom-and-pop stationery stores. if it makes the economy more efficient, that may be good for the country, it's part of this remaking we're doing to the economy that helps explain inequality.

johnston, a columnist for reuters and a professor at syracuse law school.ickly, what do you make off the top of your head of newt gingrich's tax numbers, if true? it looks like, according to my math, quickly run here, he's paying a 31.6% effective rate on $3.1 million in income. >> well, that's about what we would expect from someone at his level. remember, he has earned income. and we tax wages, salaries, money he gets for speaking fees and consulting work at a higher level for capital income. if we adopted his plan, his tax rate would drop to 15% on that, that is by more than half. >> and just to explain to the audience, the 35% top tax rate, virtually no one pays, because someone like gingrich probably has a mortgage deduction that could be worth as much as $50,000 off the top, he probably has a couple hundred of thousands of dollars in investment income taxed at a lower rate, and that's why the rate ultimately stumbles down to around 31%. but as you say, for someone at that income level, that is actually a fairly high rate to be paying at $3 million of

johnston is coming up. i have copd. if you have it, you know how hard it can be to breathe and what that feels like. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms... by keeping my airways open a full 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. and it's steroid-free. spiriva does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and seek immediate medical help if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. does breathing with copd weigh you down? ask your doctor if spiriva can help. >>> when you release

police were called to the home on johnston avenue last night. inside, they found two women who had apparently been attacked. one woman died from her injuries. the second was treated at a hospital and released. police found a machete-like weapon at the scene. at first they thought it was a home invasion. but investigators now believe the second woman 40-year-old sagal sadiq was the attacker. however, they don't know what her relationship with the victim was or the motive. sadiq has been booked on suspicion of homicide. >>> the director of the fine arts museum of san francisco has died. john buchanan, jr., died yesterday after a battle with cancer. during his five-year tenure, attendance reached all-time highs. mayor lee says unhis direction the city museums were the finest in the world. john buchanan was 58 years old. >>> san francisco already has the highest minimum wage in the nation. and tomorrow the city will be the first to break the $10 mark. minimum wage will increase to $10.24. that's nearly $3 more than the federal minimum wage. experts

the incident happened last night on johnston avenue. when police responded they found the unidentified victim dead. at that point, they say that sagal sadiq said the attacker was somebody else escaping on foot. it is the 39th homicide of the year. >>> and updated figures on the drunk driving arrests this year, contra costa reports 109 arrests, san francisco arresting 90 people on suspicion of dwi, there were 130 arrests in santa clara, and sonoma county, 146, the holiday enforcement period runs through new year's day. >>> and starting january first, repeat dwi offenders could lose their license for a long time. the san mateo assemblyman looked at the case of one man with nine drunk driving convictions, only losings license for a year. others can have their license suspended for up to 10 years. >>> and several transit agencies expanding service, offering free rides, they will all be free, bart, ac transit, offering extended service, some local cabs also will provide free rides, and triple a gives you a free lift if you call to say i need

police were called to a home on johnston avenue last night. inside, they found two women who had apparently been attacked. one woman died from her injuries. the second was treated at a hospital and released. the police found a machete-like weapon at the scene. at first they thought it was a home invasion, but investigators now believe the second woman, 40-year-old segal siddique was the attacker, however they don't know the relationship of the two or the motive. >>> a high speed car chase through san francisco left behind a trail of collateral damage. it started around 2:00 this afternoon when someone called police to report a kidnapping and stolen laptop in soma. about half an hour later, officers spotted the suspect car in the tender loin and began chasing them. they ended up on highway 101, then into the bayview district. along the way, the suspect's car struck a bystander in a wheelchair, almost hit an officer, and collided with another car, injuring two people. police finally caught up with the two suspects in engleside and took them into

. >> reporter: neighbors on johnston avenue in this quiet willow glen neighborhood are coming to gripsh what happened in this home. >> it was just shocking. >> it's a very bizarre way to end. >> just as shocking was how 65-year-old yvonne kirk was killed, allegedly with a large machete. >> it shouldn't happen. you know, to -- so, yeah. >> reporter: police arrested 40-year-old sagal mohammed sadiq. she's a nurse who came to the u.s. from somalia in 1996. investigators say she first told police a man in a black mask had attacked her and then killed kirk. but in a matter of hours, detectives shifted their attention to sadiq and arrested her. the victim is the mother of her partner. neighbors say they haven't seen kirk for weeks. but her facebook page says she worked at goodwill of silicon valley. kimberly parker talked to her when she and sadiq moved in a little while ago. >> find out what she's about. >> reporter: investigators won't say why yvonne kirk was visiting her daughter in sadiq's home the other week. this neighborhood has come a little closer. >> it's a quiet neighborhood. a gr