. >>> and then it turns out michael hastings and "the young turks" are being tracked by the departmenthomeland security. >> i want to turn to the portion of the story that you just broke tonight on "rolling stone." >> it says that we have to start worrying about these protests the bigger they get and the more popular they get. >> cenk: it turns out that they're watching us. oh yeah? well we're watching you watching us! we're going to talk about that on this show tonight. and then j.j. from "good times" on the show tonight. >> even as a brother you have to let him go, and he's not doing the gig. >> did you vote for him the first time around? >> cenk: oh, no, j.j. is against obama. and he's also against gay marriage. nothing but fun on tonight's show. don't miss it. go time. [ ♪ music ♪ ] >> cenk: you know, i think we now have one of the most important issues in this election, finally at the forefront. it's the issue of mitt romney's tax plan. obviously mitt romney and president obama has totally different views of what that tax plan would do. first, let's let mitt romney make make miss

we will share shocking photos from inside the hospital and speak to reporter michael hastings. then the case of army private danny chen who took his life in afghanistan after his abused by his comrades on an almost daily basis and what has been described as racial hazing. the sergeant has been found not guilty of negligent homicide, but sentenced to 30 days in a military jail for lesser charges. >> the reputation of the army is definitely tarnished when they allow a convicted surgeon for racial treatment to remain in the army. >> we will look at the fight over the u.s. postal service as republicans push to privatize the post office, the agency is bracing for its first-ever default today. unlike every other governmental agency, the postal service is required to fund 75 years of retiree health benefits over just a 10-year span. we will speak with ohio congressman denis kucinich and chuck zlatkin of the postal union. >> elderly people, disabled people, poor people and small business owners cannot afford the alternatives. >> novelist and playwright gore vidal has died at the age of

michael hastings, the notebook, michael from buzzfeed, you know, tell me who is behind this?pening? >> thanks for having me, man. good to see you holding down the fort at rebel hq. this is a story that i've been following closely for more months. as buzzfeed we reported the first disclosure when the navy seals came out and started attacking the president on this issue. the money behind these ads that are being run criticizeing the president, we don't know exactly where it's from. there is a democratic group for the president that claimed that the money is being funneled to this group by karl rove as well as the koch brothers, but we do know they are well financed. this is the latest hit that they've done on the president on the national security record, and finally it's getting the obama campaign attention. john kerry came out today and said he was not going to let the president get swift voted like happened to him eight years ago. >> michael: it was eight years ago now. it was so important michael when you think about that to respond, to not let these things lie. as john ker

buzz feed correspondent, michael hastings. jody cantor of "the new york times" is author of "the obamas" now o in paper back, and "bloomberg business week" editor, josh. five years, seven months, and 13 days after mitt romney first began running for president, the candidate has realized he's actually running for president. and that being the president of the united states would actually mean being the president of the united states. at a fund-raiser last night in north carolina, romney said, "i was at a coal mine yesterday. a group of miners, about 2,000 people gathered and one with tears in his eyes. i mean, really emotional. he said, i need you to save my job and help my family. i need you to save my job. and it hit me how big the responsibility is." coinciding with his new comprehension, team romney is embarking on a new strategy. politico writes, "romney spent nearly a year talking about how obama is a nice guy who just doesn't understand how the economy works because he has no private sector experience. but as a campaign

michael hastings, amanda marcott, and john fugelsang. ael shure has been doing a great job in covering this. and now here is the yacht that they're partying on. it has the cayman island's flag, isn't that outrageous, but not a peep. >> i think the press is busy with the pyrotechnics of just the event itself. but i think one of the interesting things at having all these billionaire donors down there, in the past the candidate would spend the whole week there. so brian ross helped to answer the question, why is romney spending the whole week in tampa. because he's meeting with the high-level donors. the reason why they're giving so much money to romney now $10 million and $20 million up to $1 million at times because obama wants to shut down their loopholes that will cost them millions. that will save them in the tax bill when romney wins. >> cenk: there is a story of reporting that david koch specifically would give $100 million to get paul ryan on the ticket for him to be the v.p. but if you do a calculation and paul ryan gets his way, an

michael hastings, thank you.olice department that has been fired. >> put more boots on the ground patrolling the neighborhoods in the community. >> unproven, untested, members who don't know the community. >> cenk: and then "newsroom" does what we were just talking about. real newsrooms not being able to do. call the republicans what they are. >> call themselves the tea party. they can call themselves conservative. they could even call themselves republicans but we should call them what they are. the american taliban. >> cenk: there go. be a part of our on-air and online coverage. >>now that is politically direct. [ male announcer ] the inventors of twix had a falling out, so the production of twix was divided between two separate factories. left twix factory cascades caramel and chocolate onto cookie, while right twix factory flows caramel and chocolate onto cookie. today they share nothing but a wrapper and a driveway. try both and pick a side. septic disasters are disgusting and costly, but avoidable. the rid-

ground in afghanistan you may remember an article back a while back in rolling stone written by michael hastings that article called the runaway general and it led to general stanley mcchrystal as resignation and also painted a different view for americans i want to put up a quote from a private first class interviewed in the article he said we should just drop an f. ing bomb on this place you said and ask yourself what are we doing here david what is the u.s. still doing in afghanistan. what well it's still those that have bases and weapons there afghanistan is strategically positioned next to china and russia and the middle east it's still hopes to another guest place wind runs through afghanistan and pakistan the president thinks that for political reasons miscalculating as he is that he is better off continuing the presence or the escalating very very slowly it's the same nonsense. the in listens that have kept this going for years and years i mean there are those profiting there are those in the military and in the military industrial complex with an interest in keeping every war going but

joining me now is michael hastings, he's a buzz correspondent.em last december. >> he's a fascinating guy. >> it's hard for me to figure out where i am on all of this because there seems to be a lot of conflicting facts. assange himself as a figure seems a complicated and in some sense a frustrating and maddening figure, also admirable in key ways. the key here i think is when you look at what has happened, one question is how did we get here? i mean he hasn't even been charged with a crime, right? >> right. >> he is wanted for questioning in connection to serious assaults, i mean serious allegations, right? >> and questioning that he has said he would go to the swedish embassy and answer these questions. he just doesn't want to go back to sweden. >> here's the thing. i feel like the wikileaks thing it's like a movie. who can you trust, right? because there's -- why -- if that's the case, assange says i offered the swedes and i'd go talk to them, am i supposed to believe the swedes have a nefarious plan? >> we need to step back and look at wikile

. >> really need to the state or said to michael hastings actually took mcchrystal, the pentagon makeshe puritans of all america look like greenwich village of bohemians. but not insubordination but indiscretion. the supposed to be buddy buddy with an interior, and he was and is a soldier soldiers. a lawyer not touching upon are pleased to have not done so in passing, a very scantily, the problem of corruption and governance to all levels in the least. proper security, and that involves the killers. the fanatic killers, religious killers, the revenge killers, and how you deal with that. all it takes is one juror to create havoc in a community. and then the third thing in the middle east, at least in afghanistan, drugs and how you deal effectively with that. so all those things play a role. and then, unfortunately, in the military the report determines who gets promoted, and that has sometimes less to do with ability but he likes you. >> is there one question? >> actually putting substance to the makings of david patraeus. >> it is -- those are all good questions and doubts to pontifica

. >> michael hastings actually torpedo mcchrystal. the pentagon makes old america look like greenwich village. but mcchrystal wasn't insubordination that was in discretion, and fraternization. somebody in the military isn't supposed to be with an inferior and he was the soldiers soldier. you have done so very scantily is the problem of corruption and governments at all levels in the middle east. proper security and that involves the killers, the fanatic killers, the religious colors and how you deal with that. all it takes is one sure to create havoc and at least in afghanistan or drugs and how to deal effectively with that. all of those play a role and unfortunately in the military the report determines who gets promoted and that has sometimes less to do with ability. >> to the makings of david petraeus. >> those are all good questions and thoughts and talk about the role of law and this is an issue that brigadier general mark martin's was helping to galvanize in afghanistan and we kind of traced his efforts to show how difficult it