they managed to change the income tax in kansas.business owners, if they do some legal paperwork business owners and professionals will no longer have to pay income tax. or farmers. who will pay it? the own ones, workers. they just managed to shift their tax burden onto the shoulders of their employees. >> jennifer: and people keep voting for it. thomas, thank you for coming inside "the war room." as you can imagine watching what is happening in kansas, i appreciate thomas frank best-selling author coming in and chatting with us. coming up, heaven help who gets in their ways. nuns on the bus sister simone campbell will join us and talk about taking on the vatican and paul ryan and mitt romney. and what happens when you run the poorest city in the country? and the window of picking a v.p. is closeing in on team romney. let's see if they can avoid managing getting their heads stuck in it. you're in "the war room." we'll be right back. there she is ! hey, i got a leak ! yoo hoo ! wait a minute, come back ! um, miss ? up here! right. li

folks, kansas is so republican that a democrat wrote a book called "what's wrong with kansas."[laughter] i don't profess to be an expert on kansas politics, but i don't exactly think republicans need to suppress votes to win elections in kansas. they have been winning them under all circumstances no matter what. it's not a hot battleground state, and if that sounds like, you know, a flip point to you, it's an important point because there's a myth that is out there the only states passing voter id laws are closely divided states where the election and whether it's obama or romney may come down to just a few votes here or there, you've got a better chance of getting kansas sitting in the world series than seeing a presidential ad this year. the baseball fans know i just have something there. rhode island passed a voter id law, and here's what you want to know about the voter id law. you know who put it over the top? black democrats. you know why they put it over the top? they actually had the audacity to come out, testify in public that they were tired of seeing voter fraud in t

kansas city is divided by the kansas and missouri state line. election that best illustrates this was the democratic primary. the commission was held by democrats and whoever won the primary would probably win the seat. rizzo and broyster were the last two names. approximately 50 somali nationals walked into the polling place, one at a time, with the same translator who instructed them to vote for rizzo. this happened all day long. all sorts of witnesses saw this. at the end of the day, rizzo won by one vote. that election caused great consternation in the missouri legislature and i could go into the legal rambling about that, but those people who registered illegally were non-citizens and they probably through that election. i am not saying that rizzo organized it, but somebody did. in counties, there was a hall- forming tissue in southwest kansas where there had to be a referendum to allow the particular type of operation. the county clerk testified that people who were non-citizens according to her belief were registered to vote. does it caus

i don't think he comes to kansas city very often. again that's a reflection of the technology we have available to us. >> we found the gsa's hawaii's mr. x may not come to see kansas city or lot. in the last year he has flown to the mainland nine times. in the last year, he has flown back to the mainland nine times. four trips to st. louis, four to washington, including a side trip to cincinnati and there was a trip to san diego. cost to taxpayers, $24,211. too much, according to the new administration now running the gsa, which told us we are not going to defend this type of travel. but what cnn and congressional investigators really want to know is just how many more mr. xs are out there. for weeks cnn has been asking for the numbers. we're still waiting. so is congress. >> reporter: what cnn has learned is the number of virtual employees could be between 200 and 300 people with an excess travel cost in the several millions of dollars. all for the convenience of gsa workers who want to work from home. do you fee the kansas city off

kansas city is divided by the kansas and missouri state line.that best illustrates this was the democratic primary. the commission was held by democrats and whoever won the primary would probably win the seat. rizzo and broyster were the last two names. approximately 50 somali nationals walked into the polling place, one at a time, with the same translator who instructed them to vote for rizzo. this happened all day long. all sorts of witnesses saw this. at the end of the day, rizzo won by one vote. that election caused great consternation in the missouri legislature and i could go into the legal rambling about that, but those people who registered illegally were non-citizens and they probably through that election. i am not saying that rizzo organized it, but somebody did. in counties, there was a hall- forming tissue in southwest kansas where there had to be a referendum to allow the particular type of operation. the county clerk testified that people who were non-citizens according to her belief were registered to vote. does it cause a great

ed the kansas primary with this trash they published this past friday. i haven't said anything because i expect them to retract it. so far nothing. before this week is up, they ought to retract it and they ought to apologize. up with your kids. to get your feet moving to a different beat. to step up to a new challenge. it's time to start gellin' with dr. scholl's and feel the energy from your feet up. thanks to the energizing support and cushioning of dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles, your feet will feel so good you'll want to get up and go. >> best new thing in the world. if you are a fan of the show, the whole staff got a little bit obsessed with the u.s. women's national soccer team in the world cup. they went to finals of the world cup, but they lost an absolute heartbreaker to japan for the world cup championship match, and right after that, we were honored to host four team usa members here on this show. i was very nervous, it was very cool. well, "the rachel maddow show" staff obsession has not stopped. as you heard, the u.s. women's soccer team

did not happen in wichita, kansas. we basically thought we were insulated from everything else. well, that all changed when the oteros were murdered. we lost our innocence in 1974, and we've never gained it back. >> on the cold winter morning of january 15th, a murder shocked the community of wichita. >> well, the oteros parents were found in the bedroom fully clothed. they were strangled. they were lying face down. >> 38-year-old mechanic and former air force master sergeant joseph otero and his wife are savagely killed. >> joseph was on the floor. the mother was on the bed. they had both been strangled. they had bags over their heads. and they were bound with their hands behind them, and their feet were bound. >> they pulled the bags off their faces. they went to the phone to call for help. the phone line was dead. >> upon returning from school, the oteros teenage children discovered their parents' bodies. the police are the ones who find the mutilated body of 9-year-old joseph jr. >> little joseph was found in a bedroom, fully clothed, but he was bound extremely tight with hi

from nola foulston's office won the primary on tuesday in kansas. that's not what this is about.ress and you probably do, too. but the a.p. besmirched tuesday's kansas primary with this trash that they published about it this past friday. i haven't said anything about it until now because i keep expecting them to retract it. so far nothing. before this week is out, the associated ought to retract what they published and they ought to apologi apologize. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about market volatility. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 in times like these, it can be tough to know which ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 way the wind is blowing. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, we're ready with objective insights about ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 the present market and economic conditions. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and can help turn t

scatter thunderstorms from kansas city and kansas city to shreveport.ed showers along the east coast. >>> well, it used to be that a prospective groom would drop down on one knee and pop the question to his bride-to-be. it used to be so simple. >> used to be. but since social media, that has gone the way of covered wagons. and proposing has become a competition sport. here's abc's david wright. >> reporter: the mating ritual of the youtube generation. poing the qstion with over-the-top production values. blessing, sir. may i have your daughter's hand in marriage? >> reporter: in georgia, matt declared his love for jennie joyner. down in the corner, that's her real-time reaction. in portland, oregon, isaac mann got his friends and families to lip-sync to bruno mars. these days, there's flash mob proposal planners. it takes money and organization to get all those line dancers in place. price tag, as little as $2,000. as much as $1000 bucks. >> wedding proposals are out of control. i never hear a story where it's just a simple, hey, marry me. >> reporter:

the a's are in kansas city. and we'll have jim harbaugh dodge some questions. >>> the liver more police department is warning resident was a new trend in bicycle thefts. police have received several reports of thieves scaling the walls of apartment complexes and stealing bikes from balconies. these thefts are happening all over the city. police suggest that you store your bike indoors and report suspicious activity. >>> tragedy strikes a small community in the east bay. an albany woman has been arrested in kensington. this man was found stabbed to death in his home on monday with the knife still sticking out. police arrested this 56-year-old as a suspect. she and the victim knew one another. >>> a quick look inside. all temperatures at the moment getting to cool off. conditions.ok big news ! verizon wireless is teaming up with xfinity from comcast. now you get the xfinity triple play and verizon wireless plus a great offer. call 855-704-7400 to sign up and you'll get up to a $300 visa prepaid card by mail. veriz

kansas city is a doormat for the rest of the league, but kansas city plays us tough.ore with a homer, 2-2, staying that way. kansas city, bases loaded, peres, try the changeup bad move. off-the-wall, to run score. the tigers beat baltimore so the sox's lead is 1.5. tough year for cubs fans but they never give up. the base hit, center. the cubs' lead to 3-1. but the reds took the lead in the fourth. todd frazier smacks the two-run homer, making it 4-3. they win going away, the reds win 7-3. the bears broke camp today, back in chicago, getting ready to take on the redskins tomorrow at soldier field. cutler and forte will have their first action of the preseason. it was a lackluster loss to denver last week. the bears looking to improve this week against the skins. the state will be work in progress until the regular season begins against the colts. >> we still have a lot of time. what we show against the redskins is not the final product. we have the rest of the preseason and we have a game week to prepare an amber down what we do on offense. we want to get in the huddl

office but actually lives in leewood, kansas., he was the project manager assigned to oversea the renovation of the thurgood marshall courthouse in new york. he made 58 trips from leewood, kansas, to new york city. it cost us $99,000 in travel costs. that project was criticized for $75 million in cost overruns. now, i'm going to tell you, he no longer works for the gsa. i've got to ask the question of gsa, they couldn't find a potential candidate in new york city? i mean, the talent pool is so weak in new york city you had to go to leewood, kansas? >> to a guy who had the courthouse overrun by $75 million? i mean, that's -- well, that's sometimes the numbers and the words speak for themselves. one other thing, though, is a lot of people -- there was a lot of response to your report last week, about mr. x. we heard from some viewers who said, what's the big deal, don't you have to travel as part of business? these people were a little bit more understanding. >> yeah. we can only report that whatever excessive travel that was so ne

. >> you grew up in kansas.- i know when i grew up, gay was a bad word, homo, and -- there were so many then, blacks and poor, the immigrants, them, now the them is me. it was a very poignant way of putting it. do you feel the then that is you and those who are then has been like you, are in a much better position now that you have a president prepared to go on television and say, i support. >> absolutely. i do think that was a big tipping point in this movement, in the movement toward equality and recognition towards diversity. it's very important to say, well, my president said he's for it. it actually having it be enacted at a federal level, that's a ways off. >> when you go back to kansas. >> yeah. >> is it better there in reality? is there more tolerance? >> tolerance. i don't even like to use the word tolerance. >> what's the right word. because it sounds like i'm doing something you have to tolerate. >> diversity recognizing there is no us and them. you can divide us up anyway between anything, sexually,

places like kansas? >> especially kansas. kansas in the '60s which was the middle of the civil rights movement. and kansas was always that neutral -- even in the civil war, was that neutral state where we're not south, we're not north. they've held that. good hard-working people that want to do unto others. they understand what that means. >> we're facing an election coming up in november. you have actually performed at the democratic convention in 20 2008. barack obama's facing one hell of a fight many people assume in november. what do you think of his record in the last four years? and what do you think of the potential prospect of a mitt romney presidency? >> okay. my politics have evolved. from very similar actually to the "us" and "them" we're talking about. i think it has done us more harm believing in the huge differences between left and right, democrat and republican, and that there definitely is differences socially. now i'm a little skeptical having seen the last 20 years of democrat, republican. they're still mov

>> especially kansas, i came from kansas in the middle of the 60s which was the middle of the civil rightssas was that neutral state, where we're not south, we're not north, we have held that, they're just good, hard working people that want to do unto others and they understand what that means. >> facing election, but you have actually formed the democratic convention in 2008. barack obama's facing one hell of a fight, many people assume in november. what do you think of his record in the last. >> my politics have einvolved. i think it has done us more harm believing in the idea of republican and democrat. their definition is socially. i am a little bit skeptical having seen the last 20 years of democrat and republican. they're still moving the same multinational corporation agenda forward, so i have -- i'm starting to go, wait a minute, i think there needs to be a little alternative. i'm starting to get really progressive here whether it's democrat or republican. socially, of course i would love to see the democratic party still control some of these issues are moving forward. >> you fee

ahead, the black and red looking for a win in kansas city and tiger loses to win. >>> and we begin with the redskins. whoever they are, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. rg3&impressed the mom, dad, entire family in one swoop, metaphorically speak, of course. he was not the only one to have people gushing at first plant. as a matter of fact, maybe the biggest surprise of preseason game one was not rg threes ' -- 3s play at all and that is because we expected him to play well. and richard crawford is turning heads with his play and seconds before the end of the first half on thursday and he was not big there. he was big in the kicks game and with three punts for a total of two affords -- yards and he was pleased with the team's defensive effort and humble in trying to play for a roster spot. >> i made mistakes and play and i did well. >> and when i win the game, i was nervous and [ indiscernible ] >> and pierre garcone. going to the field for the first time. and 20-yards to the house and right there. he joins the skins after a five- year stint in indianapolis

the a's working kansas city. and for those of you who want an excuse not to go to back, usf has a new logo. kr >>> several protestors were arrested tonight for holding a sit-in inside president obama's campaign headquarters in oakland and refusing to leave. self of the protestors sitting -- several of the protestors were reading t-shirts -- wearing t-shirts reading "iraq veterans against the war." five were arrested, the six left before police arrived. >>> some of the country's top corporations are paying more money to their ceos than they are paying in federal taxes. 26 large u.s. companies including at&t, boeing, and city group paid their chief executives an average of $20.4 million last year but paid little or no federal taxes on their profits. boeing's ceo was paid $18.4 million last year, while his company received a refund. $6.5 million. the tax reductions and credits are allowing corporations to pay their executives lavishly and cut their tax bills while washington gets no money at all from the corporation

especially kansas. the kansas in the 60s which was the middle of the civil rights movement. kansas was the neutral state where you are not south or north. they top the do unto others and they understand. >> facing the election, you performed at the democratic convention in 2008. barack obama is facing one hell of a fight many people assume. what do you think of his record in the last four years and what do you think of the potential prospect of a mitt romney presidency? >> okay. my politics have evolved. from very similar to the us and them we are talking about. i think it has done us more harm believing in the huge differences between left and right, democrat and republican in that there definitely is differences socially. now i'm a little skeptical having seen the last 20 years of democrat and republican. they are still moving the same multinational corporation agenda forward. so i am starting to go wait a minute, i think there needs to be an alternative. i am getting really progressive here whether d

and, number one, that's how we party in kansas. >>> why are you awake?s, texts and e-mails are coming up next. "morning joe" also just moechl s moments away. muddling throug. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds, pay bills or manage your finances anywhere, anytime. so that wherever your duty takes you, usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. yeah, maybe not. v8 v-fusion juice gives them a full serving of vegetables plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. v8. what's your number? itic on

but 84 and sunny in kansas city. low humidity, perfect. the big problem over the weekend was the fires out west. they're still burning in many spots. it will be warm again. montana in 93. the firefighters in idaho are probably seeing the worst of it. a quiet monday, brian. we're not looking at big issues throughout the next week. maybe by next weekend, the tropics would get interesting. >> people in st. louis coming home from the game last night, weather not too bad. 19 innings. >> we're going to do the story right now. did you read the rundown? >> yeah, i cheated. >>> you know the story. to sports, the pirates and the cardinals needed over six hours to find a winner. let's pick it up in the 16th inning. garrity jones, a grounder that bounces off the pitcher's glove. the pirates cheer. but the cardinals would draw even in the bottom of the 17th. tony cruz, a fly ball out to left. that's deep enough to bring home a run and tie the score at 3-3, in the 17th. tied at 3-3, in the 19th inning. pedro alvarez drives one deep to right field. pirat

bankers in the kansas city reserve say crop land and ranch land values continue to post strong gains over year ago levels but the rate of increase showed during the second quarter. the land value gains were 3% over the past few months while those irrigated nonirrigated jumped 25% higher than the same time last year. the reserve bank of chicago is that represents five states iowa to michigan shows a 15% increase in year over year land values. land owner mike walston said though the pace is slowing, it's still a dynamic market. the. >> march. >> we have seen soft sails but others have been very strong. there was a new record last week 15, 6hundred an acre and it was a large number of acres. it wasn't who, it was over a hundred and over 13,000 in indiana which is the hardest hit stage. those are the two hardest hit that you are setting record highs for. said crop insurance is a supporting factor and thinks lapped prices will continue to rise. >>> with everybody watching the drought, profarmers yearly midwest crop tour will be one to watch closely. in its 20th year they run from nebraska

right over the top of topeka, kansas.is heading for kansas city. it's weakening but we'll take whatever we can get. we may get as much as a half inch of rain. that's at least a little help. as far as the tropics go, if this does get a name and strengthen, it will beer necessa be ernesto. it could possibly head into the gulf of mexico. so for the u.s., it looks like the middle of next week is the danger time. we'll watch that storm for you closely, jonathan. so a lot going on. drought and we're going to start tracking the tropics here. >> great, thanks, bill. >>> to sports now. as we turn our attention to the olympics in london. it was a busy night for the americans in the pool, but no one had a more thrilling finish than nathan adrienne in the 100 meter freestyle finals. >> in lane four, adrienne trying to get to the wall first. down in lane seven, brett hayden. too close to call. adrian with a gold for the u.s.! >> nathan adrian outtouched world record holder james "the missile" magnuson of australia by the slimmest of m

. >>> emergency crews on the scene of a freight train derailment in eastern kansas outside kansas city. officials say 22 cars hauling grain went off the tracks. several cars landed in a river. there are no reports of injuries. about 4 million bum bo baby seats are recalled this morning because babies have been able to maneuver out of the seats and fall. there have been dozens of injuries, some serious. consumers should stop using the seats immediately until they get a free repair kit. for more information visit our website, to do a.com. >>> young undocumented immigrants brought to this country as children can begin applying today to a new program. it's estimated 1 million immigrants between 15 and 31 are eligible. >>> investigators are searching for the cause of a house explosion tuesday that killed a baby boy and injured 14 people on long island, new york. five police officers and two firefighters were among those hospitalized. a town official said the building had been illegally converted into a rooming house and the owner had been cited for numerous code violations in the past. >>>

we are watching rain moving through portions of kansas, especially along interstate 70. it's one of the hardest hit drought states. so, we'll take this rainfall. it will be eventually moving into areas like kansas city and possibly even oklahoma city late today. the other area that's going to be a little wet and rainy today, the beaches of north carolina, heading up eventually to virginia beach and norfolk, and that looks like it could last into the weekend, so, especially in areas around maryland and in delaware. so, the forecast, veronica, not too bad around the country. again, all eyes on isaac. weekend forecast coming up. >> sounds good, all right. >>> investors drill down, gold pinches a pretty penny and the parking spot of your dreams. your "first look" at business headlines is straight ahead. >>> coming up, a slugfest in boston, adrian beltre is red hot and olympian gabby douglas like you've never seen her before! you're watching "first look" on msnbc. i've discovered gold. [ female announcer ] the gold standard in anti-aging. roc® retinol. found in roc® retinol c