federal lawmakers are paying very close attention to how minnesota. the people of minnesota are reacting to the shutdown are they upset are they supportive of their legislators i mean are they are there are the if if that's the case if they are supportive of their legislators who are sort of staking staking out their positions but that would give them an indication that maybe they can go up to the brink on the debt ceiling negotiations you know that are there at the end done for four weeks from today but you know if if the public is so sure isn't so supportive of this sort of the sort of these principles ship tactics then you might see lawmakers try to make a deal earlier to for the void the backlash from the public i mean it all comes out we're still seeing how the public is coming is falling i mean it's we're five days in now over a holiday weekend the backlash really hasn't started this shutdown is going to continue until thursday at least and really by then we'll have an indication of how this will play out in minnesota and throughout the nation a

we have a budget problem in minnesota.ll these people were elected to create jobs, balance the budget. they were not asked to legislate on gay marriage. >> your son died defending our country and defending and fighting for our rights and our freedoms. and now i would imagine that you think his rights and freedoms are being taken away because he was a gay soldier, openly gay what do you think he would say about this initiative? do you think he would be fighting to keep it off the ballot and you think he would be fighting against the senator? >> absolutely. he -- this is a guy who actually read the constitution. he thought that states took great liberties with the constitution by putting topical things of the day on it. he believed it was a document that protected all human beings, and it was for equal rights. and he would be really upset by this for two reasons -- putting another amendment on the constitution that maybe is only important to a small group of people at this period of time in history, and it marginalized himse

you have that in minnesota. it's necessary but not sufficient. >> woodruff: and where you do see this tax is still on the table and still the subject of a live debate, have other states been able to figure that out? >> well, it's... again, we're just not seeing as much conversation about taxes. so, for example, in new jersey the legislature did deliver a tax increase proposal to the governor, but he vetoed it. and, you know, given the role of the governor in new jersey, he was able to do that and it stood. but a n a lot of cases, we're just not seeing taxes being used as a tool for closing the t budget gap. >> woodruff: instead you're seeing deeper spending cuts. and what kinds of things are you seeing that maybe weren't cut in the past? >> well, i think you're seeing significant cuts on the medicaid sides where states can. you looking at arizona. significant cuts to education. higher ned particular. >> pelley: layoffs. >> double-digit tuition increases coming up across the country in public systems. >> woodruff

here in the state of minnesota. >> what do you say to minnesota state senator warren limmer the author of this ballot initiative who wants to ban same-sex marriage in your state? what do you say to him? >> i would say the people didn't ask to vote. people should not vote on human rights. it was -- it just kind of came out of the blue, though he was kind of planning it for years. we have a budget problem in minnesota. all these people were elected to create jobs, balance the budget. they were not asked to legislate on gay marriage. >> your son died defending our country and defending and fighting for our rights and our freedoms. and now i would imagine that you think his rights and freedoms are being taken away because he was a gay soldier, openly gay what do you think he would say about this initiative? do you think he would be fighting to keep it off the ballot and you think he would be fighting against the senator?

state money problems have shut it down closed for business completely so could what's happening in minnesota and forecasting rough skies ahead for washington. it's tuesday july fifth and christine for is our in washington d.c. and you are watching our team. i want to start off today with a story of a top secret u.s. military base said to be the largest electronic monitoring station in the world a missile defense shield similar to the star wars project it's called menwith hill located in north yorkshire in the united kingdom and while it's been around since the one nine hundred fifty s. it has greatly expanded over the last few years at a price tag of ten billion dollars so what's it all for and is it really worth it at a time when the u.s. is experiencing such massive debts are paid a visit to the area and gives a for us a firsthand look at how many people in the area feel about the base. here it's a little piece of america in the heart of the u.k.'s yorkshire dales where it's britons who are demanding in. america this space symbolizes what's wrong with the special relationship between brita

they shut her down in minnesota, and look what happened.hut us down, whatever state we're in. joining me tonight is arnie carlson. good to have you with us tonight. >> my pleasure. thank you. >> do you think it can be presented as a possible microcosm that people are watching minnesota and this shutdown of the government? what's your take on that? >> i think both vice president mondale and me are very, very concerned about that. i think our viewpoint is minnesota will rapidly become nationalized by a variety of interest groups coming in with large amounts of money and will ultimately paralyze our political decision from making decisions. this was tim pawlenty's statement about this commission you put together with six other people along with walter mondale. he said walter mondale ran for president among a platform for higher taxes. it should be a surprise to no one they support more spending and higher taxes in minnesota. we did it the right way for the last eight years with dramatic ally lower spending and tack cuts. did he do it the right

>> today we add government shut down in minnesota. another budget battle that went down the wire but this time, the democratic governor, said end of this. i'm not putting up with your nonsense any more. i know you want tax breaks for the rich but i'm not going to have it. let's hear from the man himself, here he is. >> that's not why the people of palestinian soeta elected my their governor so millionaires could continue to avoid paying their fair share of taxes for the benefit of hefrn else in our state. some of them are my friends too. however, unlike the republican legislator, i believe in putting the people of minnesota first. >> boya! now we are having a conversation. you know the rich they are protecting, republicans in minnesota, their .03% of the population. that's who this would effect. 7,700 people out of 5.3 million people. but the republicans who are willing to go to the mat for them anyway. because that's their job to protect the rich. by the way, one other part of this, of course they wanted additional elements to this t

it's the republicans are sort of moving in here in minnesota and it made me. it's as we've seen a political it was what is it what's the what's your sense of how this is going and . for this. i have absolutely no idea one of the one of the people i or something yesterday's or you could go out january nobody has any idea and meanwhile like i said earlier livelihoods of people minnesota it's taken but i really think that there is i mean there are no talks scheduled right now no there are. no sessions scheduled between all because as time goes on is the state spending less money as a result of the shuttle shutdown and is that helping in there that two billion dollars divide or is or is the state losing money because they don't they're not running say parts and things that are collecting fees and what is what's the net net here that's my the latter is what i'm understanding is that they're spending huge huge sums of money to you know be there huge sums of money are being wasted because these government services are being you know are being put on and are continuin

, this is minnesota. we don't turn our backs on our kids. and i'm scared to death of what's happening. >> reporter: so is angela noble, she sends her two sons to sharon every day and is worried about what she'll do without the help. she's in training for a promising job and without day care, her career path could run off the road. >> this is my chance here that i finally got. it's in jeopardy if i don't have somewhere to take my boys. >> reporter: since day-care had been ruled a nonessential service, funding was up in the air at sharon's. it's all part of the chaotic mess minnesota's shutdown has created. all due to the stalemate between democratic governor mark dayton and the republican controlled legislature. >> the extreme right wing is very intractable, and the old notion that you work out a compromise and you share power responsibly is out the window. >> reporter: to close the state's $5 billion budget deficit, the governor has agreed to big spending cuts, but his plan to also raise taxes on the rich

at midnight local time last night minnesota closed down. you do not have to go home, but you can't stay here. 23,000 people who worked for the state have been laid off, out of a job indefinitely. 23,000 people. if you had a reservation at a campground for the fourth of july weekend, you are not camping. all state parks will be shut. all rest stops shut. the zoos are even shut, although it is considered an essential task to keep feeding the animals, somebody will still do that even though there will be no visitors. special services for blind and deaf people in minnesota have stopped. 950,000 pounds of food for the needy in minnesota are sitting on the shelves and in freezer, right now. that food cannot be delivered. the state has had to stop child care assistance for the poor. the state's prison. you can shut a prison while there are prisoners inside it. if you have a friend or family member inside prison you will not abe lewed to visit them. no more religious services in prison. no educational programs of any kind, no more alcoholic anonymo

campgrounds are closed, the minnesota zoo is closed. people will be driving, they may come up to signs on the road that say, you can't visit this place today, you can't spend your money here, the state's not going to get this revenue, so a lot of people are more irritated right now than anything that these kind of things aren't up and running either. >> chris welch, we appreciate you, live for us from minnesota, where the state government is shut down there, because the two sides are essentially battling over the same things you hear them fighting about in washington, d.c. higher taxes for the wealthy versus deeper spending cuts. joining me now to talk about what's going on in the state, the minnesota republican state representative, kurt zeller, he's in a suburb of minneapolis, st. paul, for me this morning. sir, i appreciate you being here. and are you, the republicans, and also the democratic governor working on this this weekend? >> well, yeah. and thank you, t.j. good morning. we continue to work and i think one of the things in th

minnesota's government shut down. what kwo it mean for a certain former governor who is also running for president? >>> later, an in-depth look at the most underreported story of the week. why with its 5-4 decision the supreme court rules once again in favor of big money over small democracy. a lot of peo ple think fiber can a lot of do one thing and one thing only, and those people are what i like to call wrong. take metamucil. sure it helps you keep regular, but it doesn't stop there. metamucil is the only leading fiber supplement with psyllium, which gels to help remove waste and reduce cholesterol. it can multi-multitask. it's so 2012. look at it! it's doing over a million different things right now. metamucil. ask more of your fiber. our girl's an architect. our boy's a genius. we are awesome parents! biddly-boop. [ male announcer ] if you find a lower rate on a room you've booked, we won't just match it. we'll give you $50 towards your next trip. [ gnome ] it's go time. >>> the kwaept went dark today in minnesot

the holiday weekend is off to a very bad start in minnesota. from state employees who vacation is looking for a cam ground. a budget stalemate has shutdown most of those state services and that's casting a shadow all the way to washington d.c. where the 9 the deadline for raising the federal debt ceiling is now exactly one month away. johnson has the the latest. >> reporter: many fireworks in minnesota have nothing to do with the 4th of july. angry protesters took to the capitol steps barking at law makers for failing to close a $5 billion budget gap. the resulting government shutdown means 22,000 state workers were furloughed without pay. state parks, cam grounds, even the state sue sue sue was closed awe hold a holiday week even. >> how can you solve the budget crises if you're not employing people. it just doesn't make logical sense. >> reporter: in the past decade four other states have suffered government shutdowns. new jersey, pennsylvania, tennessee and michigan. this is minnesota's second since 2005. >> to me shutting down should not be

government in minnesota shut down lock outs. democrats aent republicans aren't remotely close to an agremt on the debt ceiling and cats and dogs still aren't living together. we don't seem to be able to agree on anything. dem krts and republicans are waiting for the other side it blink on raising the debt ceiling and the mere prospect of result has real life implications for the rest of us. interest rates and economic recovery. are the two parties really willing to play roulette with the u.s. and global economy? if the u.s. even come close, it could open the door to a serious run by an independent. not since ross perot have we seen anything like it. so on this independence day we ask, could we see a real run by a third party candidate. >>> plus, did mitt rommy put on the plip flip-flops again? romney said, i didn't say that things are worse, except that he did just days earlier. quite a few times. we have it all on tape. we put it together in an independence day panel of experts to look ahead at the republican field, all those m

minnesota is a great example of that.the long run, i do think the american people, the people that are hurting, the people without services, there's been a backlash. you look at what's happened with popularity in states where governors have maid draconian cuts. there's a real public anger. >> but look at dayton. he seems to be standing firm. i mean, is he an example of where the democrats ought to be, saying this is the line, and i'm not going beyond a certain point because of the majority of my state is with me, and does not want toss 0.3% get everything? >> i think a lot of democrats are happy to see someone playing hardball out there, right? but at the end of the day they have to come to an agreement. you have even walter mondale going in there and sort of trying to broker an agreement. almost like mom and dad are coming to the table to make sure the kids stop fighting. to that degree, look, five days is one thing, 15 days is another. this budget shutdown is sharper than the one in 2005 that hit the state. i think ther

here's the minnesota state capitol, closed for business. state services not deemed essential or vital are shut down. folks can't apply for a driver's license or even buy a state lottery ticket. across the state the shutdown is beginning to squeeze. >> there's a lot of people just in minnesota now they have no health care, including myself. >> mike linholts' girlfriend worries that a prolonged state shutdown could threaten her job with the city of st. paul. >> we're just sitting and hoping that we're not next on the chopping block. >> reporter: as the effects of the budget deadlock continue to ripple across the state. john yang, nbc news, st. paul, minnesota. >>> a new report on obesity in this country is out tonight with some sobering stats. in 1995, not a single state in the country had an obesity rate above 20% of the population. now all the stes but one do and colorado, the only one is barely hanging on with 19.8% of its residents considered obese. >>> up next here tonight, who's making hay after that epic dust storm swallowed up phoenix

the minnesota state government shutdown entered its eleventh day on monday with no new talks planned between the political leaders this is now the longest government shutdown in recent history state's new fiscal year began on july first without a budget in place to close a five billion dollar two year deficit or a temporary spending plan so state workers are out of a job public services and construction projects are on hold and millions of dollars in revenue are going down the drain every day and the end is nowhere in sight since republican lawmakers continue to reject any and all proposals put on the table by democratic governor mark. sam lane is a reporter with the minnesota independent and joins us with the latest from date and today's date they twelve is new to the states government shutdown sam welcome thank you very much tom today is twelve days to you know how come the legislators that are shutting down the government are still drawing paychecks. president question now we reported on monday actually that one hundred thirty eight of bill that were just loose are still there sti

i mean, it's just -- not so great to be pawlenty. >> and another minnesota -- minnesota is pretty --t. here's what michele bachmann said about this. she said i applaud minnesota republican legislators for standing up to reckless stending and higher taxes. hopefully they'll realize fiscal restraint is what is necessary to strengthen the minnesota economy and create jobs. >> doesn't have the right record, legislative record, yet her positioning is right for where the whole fight is playing out. which is, if you want someone to stand up to the democrats, you don't go for pawlenty. the contrast makes it harder. he was initial branding, purple stay conservative. the guy to bring people together. fix the problem. be confident and here it's a mess and he's trying to pitch in on her turf, or perry or palin's turf, doesn't really square up. >> really tough for pawlenty. running for president, comes more scrutiny. play for you a sound bite. the therapist and things that he said about gay americans that is making the rounds on the internet and making people unhappy. what was said on a radio pro

and here's what's coming up tonight the big picture the state of minnesota is just hours away from stepping into its second week of the actually they've just resolved their second government shutdown. we'll see if this is going to affect the other states and another on a budget talks took place on the on the hill today yet no deal was that is the fate of our nation really rests on a battle of egos republic between republicans and democrats and they've gone from buying their way into college universities or buying their own laws i'll tell you how the koch brothers are using their billions to literally write legislation for one makers. getting to know this another day another round of debt ceiling negotiations another no go on reaching a compromise that would prevent the united states from defaulting on its financial obligations on august second but there's been no lack of drama in washington as last night's meetings ended with reports of house majority leader eric cantor and president obama facing off in a heated exchange of words and today treasury secretary tim geithner a lot like one lawm

a budget stalemate has shut down almost all of minnesota's state business.d signs went up early friday after budget talks broke down between republican lawmakers and minnesota's democratic governor. the sticking point -- taxes or, as some call them now, new revenue sources. >> sad commentary on politics. it's turned into a sport rather than -- than working to solve a problem. >> this is chris sapalko. when the government is up and running he gives driving tests. right now he is camped out on the capitol lawn, hadises way of protesting the shutdown. >> these people back here are acting like kids. i couldn't work with my co-workers like this. and just, you know, walk out of the room and say i don't want to talk to them or not -- not give any room on anything. never make any compromise with anybody. >> camping out on the capitol lawn until he can go back to work. >>> there are to be no more executions in illinois. 15 inmate already on death row have had their sentences commuted to life in prison. governor pat quinn signed the ban on capital punishment in march,

let me tell you the great state of minnesota is still closed. we brought you this story on friday when the people of minnesota were just finishing day one of their state government shutdown. state road repair, if it's not an emergency, forget it. those new bridges they are building, not right now. state rest stops, nope, hoping to get your driver's license? no. child care assistance, not now. parks like this one, closed. and now, actually, worse off than before they closed, police arrested 12 people this weekend for breaking into an office and a pair of cabins in minnesota and also for adding a body part in spray paint to poor smokey the bear as reports the minneapolis star tribune. the state sheriff's office says this wouldn't have happened if the state government had not shut down and sent the workers home. today a bipartisan panel of minnesota luminaries, including walter mondale stepped in and former republican governor stepped in too to try to broker some kind of deal, some kind of end to this standoff. democratic governor mark dayton met b

tonight in minnesota, the stand-off has turned into a shutdown. here's nbc's john yang. >> reporter: as the holiday weekend begins, minnesota state parks and campgrounds are locked shut. earlier, sarah hanson took her five kids to a swimming hole. >> we decided to come out here one last time. we heard it was going to shut down, so we got out here at 3:30 to go swimming one more time. >> reporter: also closed? state offices like driver's license exam stations, highway rest stops, even the state lottery. 23,000 state workers are laid off. it's all because the republican-controlled state legislature and the democratic governor can't agree on closing a projected two-year, $5 billion deficit. like president obama, governor mark dayton says any deal has to raise taxes. >> the republicans insist that inequality continue so that millionaires do not have to pay $1 more in taxes. so far they have. >> reporter: like their counterparts, minnesota republicans say savings should only come from spending cuts. >> this is about shutting down government for a polit

the state of minnesota is closed for business after they fail to reach tax cuts. it affects some of the people most in need in that state. sgloot a >>> and a 7-year-old busted behind the wheel of his father's car, and what the little boy said to the judge when he said he was just trying to go see his father when he took that car. >>> hello, everyone. i'm tamron hall, and everyone isle following the extraordinary events in the case of dominique strauss-kahn. after a court hearing, strauss-kahn was freed without bail. he is free to leave the $250,000 a month townhouse where he had been under house arrest. after posting $6 million in bail money. the only restriction, he cannot leave the u.s. and he is due back in court july 18th. all of this comes after serious questions were raised about the credibility of the hotel maid who accused him of sexually assaulting her. ron allen joins us from the courthouse here in new york, and let's get to the credibility issue, ron, and what did we learn today in court? >> well, tamron, it is hard to see how this could be worse for th

s team got a translation from a jailhouse phone call recorded in minnesota. as told to the times, a source tells cnn that a call in the dialect of the native guinea was made between a maid and the boyfriend the day after the alleged sex attack. the source tells cnn the maid said, quote, something like she says she is fine and this person is rich and there's money to be made. investigators also discovered several bank accounts in the maid's name in different states. an account she didn't disclose on her own. >> quote, she was getting deposits of several thousands of dollars at a time, a source tells cn, from someone she knew, potentially someone who was a drug dealer. >> they want the case dismissed. >>> a tragic holiday weekend for a family in yinld. one boy is dead and his older stepbrother now faces a murder charge. police arrived at the home on thursday. the 6-year-old had been shot in the head and later died. family and friends are still struggling to understand exactly what happened. >> they got along just fine, normal, nothing out of the ordinary to sug

. -- minnesota. the state parks are closed, the lottery is idle, the highway rest stops are off limits and 22,000 workers have been laid off without pay. but the effects of mine ---- minnesota's government shutdown have been more profound on this street. >> i'm mad. >> reporter: sharon runs a daycare center here and worries if she will have her monthly state subsidy to keep it running. >> we don't turn our backs on our kids. i'm scared to death of what is happening. >> reporter: so is angela noble. she sends her two sons to sharon every day and is worried what she will do without the help. she's in training for a promising job, without daycare, her career path could run off the road. >> this is my chance here that i finally got. it's in jeopardy right now if i don't have somewhere to take my boys. >> because daycare had been ruled a nonessential service, it was up in the air. >> it's all part of the chaotic mess minnesota's shutdown has created all due to the stalemate. >> the extreme right ring is v

>> that's the approach i took in minnesota. we have to draw the line in the sand.minnesota -- >> you're willing to face the credit rating dropping and the catastrophic effects that the treasury secretary describes? >> what i'm willing to do is tell the president of the united states that if he wants the debt ceiling raised, he should do the things i described earlier and he's the one who should slow down the spending and get the thing back under control. the reforms i mentioned earlier are the right reforms and there's no objection to them in terms of the president's willingness or desire, i should say, to do those. and he won't do them. but why is he opposed to a constitutional amendment to balance the budget? why would he be opposed to that? why would anybody be opposed to that? so, why can't we ask president obama to come in that direction? he's the one who's supposed to set the tone and tempo for this country and he's not doing it. >> do you support paul ryan's approach to medicare? changing it into a voucher program or premium support program? >> as between pr

in minnesota, it's also spoiling summer's most popular holiday. chris bury, abc news. >> our thanks to chris. >>> we're getting our first look tonight on new numbers on american pay, pay raises to be exact. the typical american worker earning a little under $40,000 got a raise of $200 last year. that's an increase of one half percent. the average top ceo earning $8.9 million, getting an increase of just over $2 million. that pay raise? 23%. and so abc's aaron katersky digs into the numbers tonight. >> reporter: the recovery remains stubbornly slow. unemployment is still over 8%. 14 million are still looking for work. >> troubling news about jobs and housing. 9.6% unemployment. >> reporter: but for those few at the very top of the economic ladder, things are definitely looking up. a report prepared for "the new york times" found the chief e c executive of directive was paid $33 million last year. t viacom's chief got $85 million. on average? ceo pay went up 23%. while wages for r e rest of us rose a meg earl half percent. >> what's really troubling

keeping minnesota competitive.overnor day tonl's tax increase would make us the second highest tax state in the country. and during tough economic times, we can't afford to be uncompetitive. >> you mention that had the major sticking point, particularly for the republicans, including yourself is that correct it is about spending. there was a significant proposal on behalf of the republicans who say planned parenthood, abortion services, that should be among those things cut. is it really about finances? is it about the economy? or is it more about certain social issues that you and others are fighting for? >> well, you know, there were some bills the governor had vetoed. as long as there has been politics and state houses in washington, d.c., bills that have been vetoed are asked if we could reconsider them. some of the other bills that the governor vetoed was a photo identification bill, a spending cap for property taxes, a cap on tuition for our college kids, a redefinition of the prevailing wage here in the stat

for the second time in six years the state of minnesota had to shut down its government this morning the government of minnesota shut down because lawmakers sailed to close a five billion dollars deficit that means twenty two thousand state workers are now out of a job. that's right just last week state lawmakers were butting heads over a five billion dollars budget deficit ultimately forcing the entire state to come to a standstill and the democrats including governor mark dayton and house republicans argued over proposal of how to fix this ailing budget by taxing the state's top earners and so as you can imagine the minnesota g.o.p. said no way and the statements of deadline to pass a budget so every day minnesotans i.e. not politicians are now live it over the stalled arguments saying that their representatives have checked out and analysts are pointing fingers at both sides of the aisle for not using all of their assets to solve the problem. to move republicans ference of the they've got a step forward and republican lawmakers up for reelection next year you would think that woul

well just ahead while washington tries to raise the debt ceiling minnesota is entering a week to have a government shutdown will have a look at how this shutdown is hurting small businesses in the state and the phone hacking scandal in britain grows now there are allegations that reporters of her own papers attempted to have former prime minister gordon brown and victims of nine eleven so could that be the end of her off the empire but interesting. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so silly you think you understand it and then you give them something else here's some other part of it and realized everything you thought you knew you don't. charge because of the. we are. live and you know i. feel five ft six ft. let's not forget that we live in apartheid right leg i think either one hundred twelve. whenever the government says they're keeping safe get ready because of her freedom . for the second time in six years the state of minnesota had to shut down its government this morning the government of minnesota shut down because lawmakers failed to close a five billion dollar

well just ahead while washington tries to raise the debt ceiling minnesota is entering week two of a government shutdown will have a look at how this shutdown is hurting small businesses in the state and the phone hacking scandal in britain grows now there are allegations that reporters from murdoch owned papers attempted to hack former prime minister gordon brown and victims of nine eleven so could that be the end of murdoch's media empire get into it. for the second time in six years the state of minnesota had to shut down its government this morning the government of minnesota has shut down because lawmakers failed to close a five billion dollars deficit so that means twenty two thousand state workers are now out of a job. that's right just last week state lawmakers rebutting heads over a five billion dollars budget deficit ultimately forcing the entire state to come to a standstill and the democrats including governor mark dayton and house republicans argued over proposal of how to fix this ailing budget by taxing the state's top earners and so as you can imagine the minnesota g.