joining me now is luke russert, nbc's "dateline" correspondent and nbc congressional correspondent. or having me, reverend al. i appreciate it. >> what was it about this case and this story that drew you in? >> i was first approached about this story when i was a rookie reporting just starting out at nbc. and dan sleplian the producer said, look. i have some letters from this guy in prison. everyone in prison says they're innocent but you should look at these guy's letters. he wrote with such fervor. the fervor you'd see and emotion you'd see in a pulpit on sunday. when i had my first meeting with him, he just came across as somebody who was not only trying to dispel a wrong he felt was against him, but instead of just talking about it he really took action. >> that's what i'm interested in, luke, because i have been -- i've gone to jail for civilç rights stuff over night and everybody there says they're innocent. what did he say? what happened that was so compelling to you? >> there's two -- there's two things. number one is the reason he's been in jail for the last 14 years is bec

i'm luke russert in for chuck todd. stories making headlines, alabama republican spencer baux chairman of the very powerful house financial services committee is reportedly under investigation for insider trading. "the washington post" reports that the office of congressional ethics is looking into a number of suspicious stock trades to see if bachus illegally used nonpublic information to guide his investment decisions. for the first time since the meltdown at 3 mile island the u.s. government has approved a construction of two new nuclear reactors inside the u.s. the $14 billion reactors will be built in eastern georgia and could be online as early as 2016. gabby giffords is endorsing her former aide ron barber's bid to finish her term in congress. barber who was shot twice in the attack that nearly killed his boss says giffords asked him to run in this spring's special election. even if he wins it is not clear whether barber will seek a full term in the fall. going to be a heck of a race. >>> three of the four republ

. >>> good morning, i'm luke russert in for thomas robert.t night's debate. did romney do enough damage to stop santorum's surge? the birth control battle dominating capitol hill today with house speaker nancy pelosi holding her own hearing. i'll speak with her number two congressman steny hoyer, and the only witness. >>> and the koran burning fire storm claims the lives of u.s. troops, now president obama is offering an apology. all that in the 11:00 a.m. hour on luke russert in for thomas roberts. >> thanks so much, luke. >>> in an abrupt change, virginia's republican governor and legislature backed down, gone from a bill just tasked into the requirement to get an invasive -- that women get an invasive ultrasound before an abortion. but the fight continues. today virginia's legislature holds a hearing on a bill and nancy pelosi a hearing on contraception. richard lui is here now with a look at virginia and maryland so close, richard, and yet, boy, so far apart on these kinds of business. >> the potomac separating virginia and maryland by ju

i'm luke russert in for chuck todd this morning.e some other stories making headlines. >>> human rights activists in syria say the government troops are still sending in tank fire and artillery shelling into homs, a day after the u.n. general assembly voted against the retaliation against the protesters. >>> also in syria today, two-time pulitzer prize winning reporter anthony shadid has died of an asthma attack while on assignment there. he was best known for his dispatches from the middle east for "the washington post" and most recently "the new york times." he was 43 years old. >>> last night the new jersey state assembly passed a same-sex marriage bill by a vote of 42-33. new jersey's republican governor chris christie has promised a swift veto. gay rights activists are vowing to fight any veto to the end. >>> the conventional wills dom right now is that super pac money the unlimited donations by corporations and unions is fundamentally transforming this year's presidential election, but will it really be a decisive factor come

. >> luke russert joins us. politico is reporting the five witnesses were all male religious leaders or professors including a catholic bosh op. two women were listed on the committee website as witnesses for the second later panel, but not the first. it set off the fireworks we saw there. >> reporter: that's right. a lot of this has to do with imagery. this is a debate around capitol hill. we went to the white house last week about contraception coverage. the panel was titled the obama administration impact rule on freedom. it struck a cord with a lot of democrats. nancy pelosi said they were having hearing about women's health and they don't have any women up there, duh, they should do that. that greatly upset lot of folks. listen to what the baptist minister on the panel mr. mitchell said about this hearing. >> this mandate in the name of health care seems designed to offend those who have morally informed sensibility. this mandate forces people to violate their consciences. a government that force the citize

we talk about it with luke russert a few minutes ago.etreat by republicans or as we explored earlier, is it a trap for democrats? it's our "news nation gut check." guess what, you can join us the "news nation" on our facebook page. go on right now on the commercial break. it's facebook.com/newsnation. today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers. have i got a surprise for you! yeah, [ bait's beneful healthy fiesta. gotta love the protein for muscles-- whoo-hoo! and omega-rich nutrition for that shiny coat. ever think healthy could taste so good? [ woman announcing ] beneful healthy fiesta. >>> by the way, you can join the "news nation" on our twitter page. it's at news nation. a couple of people have tweeted us re

. >> nbc's luke russert covers capitol hill for us. give us the backgrounder, the detail on this and, also, pivot pivotly when we can expect these votes. >> sure. it was worked on late into the early morning hours and today. the announcement, it was done after midnight. let's take a look at what is in here as speaker boehner says, the devil is in the details of this bill. specifically, ebbs tend the payroll tax cut, add $100 billion, deficit no longer paid for. huge concession by the gop. extend unemployment benefits, however, there will be reforms in there to bring them down to around 63 weeks for a lot of states. and then extend the medicare doc fix so doctors who take medicare patients see a 27% reduction in their pay. how are the unemployment benefits and the medicare doc fix paid for? that was what there is a lot of negotiation about yesterday. and all throughout this week. essentially what you're going to see is a spectrum sale by the government so that media companies can buy up spectrum. as well as federal workers will have to

and we get our report from nbc's luke russert. >> reporter: if you walk through any maximum securityo hear the same thing over and over again. i'm innocent. but every once and a while you hear an inmate's story that makes you wonder, maybe this time it's true. >> i should not be here because i didn't commit this crime. >> reporter: meet new york state inmate number aa-2303, john adrian velazquez, convicted of killing a retired new york city police officer during a botched robbery in harlem, a conviction he's always claimed is unjust. >> it was a tuesday, january 27th, 1998. >> reporter: attorneys bob gottlieb and celia gordon represented velazquez for the last two years. >> there was a number spot, an illegal gambling joint in harlem owned by albert wart. >> reporter: two men barthed in. there was a struggle and then gunfire. 59-year-old albert ward was killed. shot once in the head. the eyewitnesses gave detectives similar descriptions of the shooter and his accomplice. >> the gunman was a light skinned male black with braids. >> lo and behold when they have the lineup, you have joh

to clear it up let's get to luke russert. luke, house republicans have had a change of heart.iracy here. what's going on? >> a change of heart on valentine's day. >> i'm not sure i believe it. can you give us some substance? >> a lot of republicans acknowledge that back in december they got creamed on this issue by president obama. they started trying to say this tax cut had to be paid for because it was going to add $100 million in the deficit. president obama was able to say you're for tax cuts that aren't paid for but there's a middle class tax cut and that has to be paid for. americans took that message. it resonated with them. obama was able to win that argument back in december. no one on the republican side wants to relive that. they called it a sugar high last year. they are backed by the conservative score card that is usually worthy. you can find the pulse of the rebellious freshmen that say it's fine to add $100 million to the deficit. let's go forward because we don't want to lose the argument. >> i think 160 million americans would have some argument with that. >>

i just love the luke russert fides it's so funny that this is the only thing that congress is going to get done for the rest of the year until the elections because it's funny isn't it right that these people have been elected to represent us at their salaries are paid by us the taxpayers and yet they choose to sit around take moral status because they can afford to and waste everyone's time and not get anything done and then you wonder why discontent with washington and disapproval of congress are at all time highs these guys don't care right they're getting rich even if they don't pass any legislation and rick santorum is perfect prove that see you cash in after you serve after you've made connections and then you can be hired as a lobbyist or a consultant as newt gingrich likes to call it and the mainstream media well they just keep reporting on all of it like it's business as usual and see if that attitude doesn't change the not much else well but for now they're still saying it every day every day they are choosing to miss. are now if you listen to the media or lawmakers as well a

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we welcome back luke russert who joins us from capitol hill. i hear breaking news, the payroll tax holiday is moving forward, making progress in the conference. what can you tell me? >> that's right indeed, larry. the payroll tax holiday, there seems to be tentative agreement to extend that for the rest of the year. it will cost $100 billion to the national deficit. it will not be paid for. also within that bill there's a plan to attach unemployment insurance, as well as the medicare doc fix. there are important changes to both of those as to why it will get gop support in the house. unemployment benefits used to be 99 weeks. for most states, it would be 63 weeks, if they an state has a high level of unemployment, it will be in the 70s. however, limited drug testing will be in there as well as someone must be actively searching for a job to get the benefits to do the entire week allotment. on the medicare docs, these are changes going into the bill that should elicit enough gop support in the house, as well as democrats seem to have signed off

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. >> luke russert is live on capitol hill for us. how did this getdown done, luke?onday night, the republican leadership realiz t

"andrea mitchell reports" is next hosted by the always-awesome luke russert. >> you're more awesome thanou. >> a lovefest. >> indeed. coming up, a rare look inside syria as the violence escalates and the international community debates whether to arm the rebels. today's politico briefing, how foreclosures in swing states may dog the president's re-election prospects. is the processes for selecting a gop nominee out of control? national journal editor in chief read wilson is here to tell us if caucuses should be on the chopping block. all that when we come back.[ w ai 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 the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. insurance ... but afraid you can't afford it? well, look how much insurance many people can get through selectquote for

i'm luke russert and here's what's on the agenda today. mitt romney going all in in michigan. on what his campaign touts as a major economic address in just over an hour. romney is trying to snatch a victory, betting that his jobs message will make the difference on tuesday against rick santorum. but his real political goal might not be rick santorum, but president obama. his campaign is out with this new ad touting the auto bailout. >> made in america. for generations of michigan auto workers, it's more than a slogan, it's a way of life. but when a million jobs were on the line, every republican candidate turned their back. even said let detroit go bankrupt. no him. >> let's talk about the state of the 2012 race with ted strickland and michael steele, msnbc analyst and former rnc chairman. thanks for joining us. >> governor, i want to go to you first. president obama won michigan in 2008 by 17 points, but he seems to be on the air with this ad already in that state. why is he on the air? is it a fear that perhaps he's got a place in catch up in that state or maybe the numbers

>>> good day, i'm luke russert in for the indomitable andrea mitchell. the largest gatherings of conservatives is under way this week. four years ago mitt romney entered his presidential campaign. tuesday night he'll speak to activists here. can he persuade them he's actually one of them? in an election year, there are no signs conservatives are willing to compromise. >> i can guarantee you coach tom coughlin last week did not tell his giants to go out on the field and to work with those other guys. when you have a shared goal you can work together and compromise. we don't have shared goals with the democrats, folks. >> mark halpern is msnbc's senior political analyst and "time" magazine's editor-at-large. thanks for coming on the program. >> i remember back in the days when you used to go in the field and report rather than be at the anchor desk. >> you've been doing about 30 of these, i've been to three. let's talk about mitt romney set to address cpac tomorrow. folks saying this is mitt romney going into the lion's den. can he say anything that will m

. >> joining me right now luke russert. let's break down the numbers. these figures here, what is then the truth? >> that depends on if you ask. one they claimed that a lot of we refer to -- already been factored in. believing that in fact they'll never be -- quote, our families, seniors and grandchildren deserve better, as chairman of the house budget committee, i will continue to work with both parties to advance both solutions that lift and ensure -- tamron, this budget is nothing else than setting up a parameter for president obama to argue with during the election year. there's not a lot of cuts to entitlesments in this budget. there's a tax increase. republicans will have their own budget in march. they will cut entitlements, but will not make any efforts to raise taxes on the wealthy. so basically it sets up a choice in november that people say should we go in the direction where where he cut benefits or raise taxes. it's basically just kicking the can down the road more in washington, d.c. with a nice fancy 100-page booklet. >> that's one way to

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but they did bring sarah fluke, and here's what she had to say to our own luke russert in the 11:00 ourme be clear. i don't think that anyone has treated me like a political football. if you want to hold a hearing on a sidewalk outside, i'll show up to talk about women's health. so i don't think that the forum could be criticized in that way. >> and so, i mean, they were making a point, a political point, and it's a point that's going to help democrats in the fall, as republicans continue to bash out on these women's issues. >> you have to be cautious. it's incorrect to suggest that all women view this issue universally the same way. but the numbers do indicate that a sizable dimension of the voting women populous in this country. and remember, proportionally, women have outvoted men in every presidential election since 1980. >> and we're not talking about abortion, we're talking about contraceptive. >> by substantial numbers. not all, by a sizable portion of them. and frequently, within the independent ranks of women voter, both democratic-leaning women and republican-leaning women, th

nbc's luke russert is watching all of this on capitol hill this morning. bring us up to speed. >> good morning, thomas. we're going to see around 11:40, 11:45, by that time the house will most likely have passed this bipartisan deal on the payroll tax cut as well as unemployment benefits. this has been somewhat contentious piece of legislation, but they were able to find common ground this week, a bipartisan group of conferees. however there are republicans in the house that aren't thrilled with this idea. paul ryan on the daily rundown this morning told me that he doesn't think the tax cut extension will help the economy. there are a lot of folks that feel it is not going to be too beneficial. you've also seen on the democratic side the anger about how this deal is paid for. the payroll tax cut is not paid for the $100 billion, the unemployment benefits, part of the pay for of that, the federal workers will have to contribute more to their pension plans. well, who does that upset? members of congress, had a lot of federal workers in their district, specif

luke russert joins us live from capitol hill. as i said, you wonder anymoreful people know what the word civility means. here we are again. >> indeed, tamron. and about a few minutes ago, jay carney, the president's press secretary when asked about this contention issue going on capitol hill said look, both sides should be able to come together. these are easily resolvable issues. with conversations i had with aides from both sides, these issues are anything but easily resolvable. there are real differences between how democrats and republicans want to pay for the tax cut that affects 160 million americans. democrats would like to see a is your tax on the wealthy. republicans a federal pay freeze. older americans receiving medicare pay a higher premium because of their circumstances. there's a lot of issues dividing both parties in terms of unemployment. republicans want to see reforms getting a ged. democrats say that's not fair. you have both parties going back to the same fights they've always had, and to be quite honest with

tonight, luke russert with a "dateline" hidden camera investigation. >> you know what i am? wonder. maybe this time it's true >> i should not be here, because i didn't commit this crime. i wasn't at the scene of the crime or anything. >> meet new york state inmate number aa2303 jon-adrian velazquez, also known as j.j., convicted of killing a retired new york city police officer during a botched robbery in harlem, a conviction he's always claimed is unjust. >> an innocent man has done over 14 years incarcerated while another man who is a killer may be on a train with you when you go to work. >> "dateline" first heard from velazquez ten years ago when he began writing us letters telling us i don't belong here. >> i don't belong here, and my children should not be denied the presence of a loving and capable father. seeing my son struggling for attention is killing me softly. >> his letters made us curious to know more, and what began as a one-day prison visit by a "dateline" producer in 2002. >> how you doing, dan? >> has turned into a ten-year odyssey in the search for the tru