peter's basilica in rome. good morning and happy easter, i'm eric sean. >> jamie: good morning, i'm jamie colby, happy easter. welcome to america's news headquarters. there are millions around the world, that are celebrating one of the holiest days of the year, for christians. and well, have live reports on the celebrations. we'll begin with one of the biggest services, held in rome, and greg burke is standing by, greg, happy easter to you. it seems like the rain in rome, certainly didn't keep the people away. so many pilgrims showing up. >> reporter: jamie, that's right. happy easter to you, as well. and it looked like well over 100,000 umbrellas out there, actually, when the pope was giving his easter greetings, and

call all the irish bishops to rome. he wrote a letter and he's called for a visitation and he's accepted resignations. >> warner: but de solenni said its not enough to do that once in a letter. >> the pope is not going to do a press conference. but i think we need to, again, continue to hear more about what he's done and what he's doing. >> i think there are too many people who think they have to teach to the pope what he has to do. >> warner: father federico lombardi, the papal spokesmanat spokesman the eye of the vatican's communications storm, argues the popes actions should speak more loudly than words. >> if the pope say or do something it is not to be 100 times; it has model value, or example value. >> warner: but, lombardi admits, it's an uphill battle to restore confidence in the church's believability now. >> for the church is very hard. this was a wound for the credibility. this was clear. >> warner: even if the vatican learns to market its message better, this papacy has another achilles heel: how benedict hi

: a short time ago, i talked with margaret in rome.it was another very difficult week for the church and the pope but also one where they took some steps to publicly address the criticisms. >> warner: that's right, jeff. after weeks and weeks of really public silence on the issue, in the face of growing criticism not only of the vatican but of his own role in the way he's handled some sex abuse cases, the pope this week did take steps to demonstrate not only concern but emotion in that meeting with the victims in malta. now the defenders of the church here say it is not a moment too soon. that really the vatican has appeared to be completely behind the curve, lost control of the conversation and debate as these cases have mushroomed throughout europe. but the victims advocates groups say, of course, he hasn't done nearly enough. an they're looking for much firmer steps including making not just abusive priests accountable, but also abusive, i mean also bishops who transferred some of these beasts from-- priests from parish to parish. t

>> anne thompson in rome for us tonight.ng, thank you. >>> in a village south of baghdad, there's been an explosion of violence that one report called a chilling episode reminiscent of some of iraq's worst days. gunmen disguised in iraqi army uniforms shot and slit the throats of at least 25 people. most of the victims were sunnis who used to fight against american troops, but who now joined forces with u.s. troops and the iraqi government to protect sunni neighborhoods. iraqi authorities say more than two dozen people have been arrested in connection with these latest killings. >>> back now in this country, the floodwaters continue to recede across rhode island after the worst natural disaster to hit that state in 200 years. the president has declared it a federal disaster zone following two historic storms in just a single month. in many of the cities like cranston, people are returning to their waterlogged homes for the first time this weekend and finding little they can salvage. >> just watch your step. it's kind of slip

or at the very least, like the coliseum in rome. the breckage will only be there. say it's only aall the cl the colosseum is only a ballpark in rome. >> up next they travel from town to town spreading the gospel of baseball. baseball. we locon stuoup. causy we tarts of withollaas from hut it'ne. pizy siy cr ftops ju do. eat s, s pan zza.evernt. ♪ f wevener? ♪ not n ecs thister. [ maouncight ana at hut is j0. anza, ze, any, antoppings -- onl at yzza 'm nna nite eas hea, w whoa.. lafa ju to throe da do yp th ing o do somewitharet makeard g itut o if ie-le to goughrkda thourett - ea - n re any ww cigs. anno ree lif thourettee, ecomorg. w wahink abitti >>> welcome back to all' en baseball has always been a source ofor ca's sller weeke combin fil withhe worasebos. dodgers, giants and yankees ruled the world. the era was done. on october 9th, 1957, the yankee/milwaukee series was tied at three games each. the official wrote a 52-word statement ending the f the brooklyn baseball club have today met and unanimously agreed that the necessary steps be taken to draft the los

or at the very least, like the coliseum in rome. the breckage will only be there. people say it's only aall the cl the colosseum is only a ballpark in rome. >> up next they travel from town to town spreading the gospel of baseball. baseball. we locon stuoup. causy we tarts of withollaas from hut it'ne. pizy siy cr ftops ju do. eat s, s pan zza.evernt. ♪ f wevener? ♪ not n ecs thister. [ maouncight ana at hut is j0. anza, ze, any, antoppings -- onl at yzza >>> welcome back to "basebal golden age" your ticket assembled through major league baseball from the 1930s through the '60s. up ne weok a lbarning. of ball. naturaleagues were brought barn storming was a post season in small towns an opportunity to see big leagueers that never would have other wiesz. but the primary function was to earn a few extra do byhe ll p who w t highd itho years. >> after the world series was over. they can pick up money, sometimes more money barn ng than s, a team including charlie s in october. ve was pitching with mittens on, was so cold. you think of that and you ugh. but then you thin

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nbc's ann thompson has the story from rome tonight. ank, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. most of the cases involved in this crisis are decades old. this one allegedly happened six years ago and involves a priest who was still working. half a world away from where the abuse allegedly occurred. today pope benedict greeted the faithful, retreated after a pressure-packed holy week. the easter celebrations clouded by allegations vatican officials, perhaps the pope himself, helped cover up child abuse by priests. and tonight another salvo, this time from minnesota where two teenage girls say they were raped by a priest in 2004 and 2005. authorities in minnesota are trying to extradite the father from southern india where he now serves with what attorneys say is the approval of the vatican. >> all roads lead to rome and the top officials there. >> reporter: the bishop of minnesota brought the allegations to the vatican's attention but by that time the priest was in india. charges the priest denies. now the vatican's attorney i

>> anne thompson on this good friday night in rome.nks. >>> back at home tonight, an update on the historic flooding that left parts of southern new england under water this past week. as we saw a moment ago, homeland security secretary janet napolitano was in rhode island today talking to local officials about the situation. many parts of the state are submerged and the state is asking for emergency federal grants to help clean up and recovery. >>> we turn to politics and by any measure, this was a bad week for the republican national committee. some big mistakes and revelations about questionable expenses have put the committee and its high-profile chairman michael steele under scrutiny again. our own andrea mitchell reports. >> reporter: the republican party entertaining donors at a west hollywood bondage-themed sex club. and mailing a fund-raising letter with a wrong number, mistakenly directed contributors to a phone sex hotline. to prevent similar embarrassments, today party leaders ordered new controls on expenditures. too late

>> ann thompson reporting from rome. thank you. now here's carl. >>> now to politics.resident hit the road touting his health care bill and celebrating a solid jobs report. this week the focus turn to the international stage as he heads to prague. here with more is david gregory moderator of "meet the press." >> good morning, carl. >> the president has been pushing health care on one front, jobs on the other. is that a preview of what he'll be doing on his way in november. >> without a doubt. there is no much confusion over health care and so much opposition. he's facing opposition as will democrats across the country that will campaign on the idea of repealing health care. he has to go out and make the case that there are immediate benefits to it. health care reform has a very real impact on the economy. that may be difficult to do especially with an uncertain economic picture and that's what he'll have to do between now and november. >> now there's chatter about a potential retirement on the supreme court. there are still pros and cons to be considered. i do have to

we'll be live in rome on this good friday. happy easter to you and yours. tried activia? listen to this story. my problem was occasional irregularity. my commercials didn't convince you? i'm definitely a skeptic. actually, my mom convinced me. and i have activia every morning for breakfast. activia definitely helped with my occasional irregularity. help get your system back on track. activia, with bifidus regularis helps regulate your digestive system. chances are someone you trust can recommend activia. ♪ activia! and try activia fiber. a delicious blend of cereal, fiber and activia yogurt. >> shepard: we're getting word from amboy, new jersey. an explosion led a house in a town outside of south amboy, new jersey. the explosion seriously injured two people. it caught fire just before 2:30 so 55 minutes ago. so residents seriously injured and burned. firefighters battling the flames. again, in middlesex county in new jersey, a suburb of new york city. sometimes it's a gas leak. we don't know what happened but man, that how is ripped to shreds and two in the hospital. >>>

the pope remained silent on the issue during his easter service in rome. but here in washington, the archbishop told his congregation the pope needed their prayers. >> he prays for us all the time. we need for pray for him now. >> the easter bunny. thank you, easter bunny. >> and in a town as diverse as washington, d.c., there were plenty of different opinions among his flock. >> we as all catholics, we saw something coming down the line but we really -- we don't want to face up to it. >> when these terrible things happen, it will either destroy you or make you stronger. i think that utah out of this, the catholic church will just eemergency a little bit stronger and wiser. >> i would tell him t pray and have faith and don't let nothing stand in his way. >> but alex was reading his bible. >> i was just reading the gospel reading for today. >> reporter: he believes what is really important to catholics will continue to survive. >> it is not what is wrong with the church. it is the people in it. so i'm not worried about the gospel truth. >> reporter: in nort

karen, where is the disconnect between rome and american catholics in the pews today?, rome is doing what it has done for centuries and that is it's po texting itself and i think the disconnect is that in rome the vatican is treating this as a crisis for the institution and not a crisis for the faithful. you know, the mission of the church is to serve the faithful and to serve the innocent. not to leave children to be preyed upon by sexual predators and that is essentially what is happening. that's what's happening in the united states. now we're learning that it is a much bigger problem and so i think this is -- i will be going to church after this show today and i go to church with a very heavy heart. this is a real crisis of faith for many of us who are questioning what is the mission of the church if we can't protect children from within our midst? for american catholics, look, the catholic church in america has a very different political reality to deal with than the vatican does so i think you've seen this past weekend some of their statements is they're kind of

easter, very interesting, easter always a little special in rome. more so this year because of so much buzz, people waiting it see when and if the pope will address the issue again and he did in a rather lengthy way in a letter to the irish and a lot of folks are waiting for more. it wasn't the pope, it was the powerful cardinal who addressed the issue and defended the pope against what he calls petty gossip these reports attacking the pope or accusing the pope of mishandling some sex abuse cases. the cardinal saying that christians won't be i am tim dated by that. and they're very much on the defensive here and the vatican sees itself and the pope under attack. nasty weather for much of the morning failed to keep the clouds away. well over 100,000 pilgrims showing up for the easter mass and greetings and blessings afterwards, many of them carrying umbrellas and they heard the pope say happy easter in more than 60 languages. finally, harris, the pope has looked awfully tired in the last few days, some people think that's because the sex abuse crisis

jews try to accommodate themself, to rome's cultural civilizational power, but it was overwhelming. you could not finally match judaism with roman civilization. in the germanys, the first thing you get are local secular rebellions against the church of rome, the centralizing power, and when it doesn't work, you get them turning to religion. so you had this zealous revolt, which is actually much more complex and be careful about lie onizinizing the zealots. then you get the germans going thank you the same thing, resulting in the reformation, 130 years of incredibly bloody religious warfare, without a real competitor until the bloody 20th century, and now you have the late 20th century in the middle east. where the plo originally, while its demands were excessive, it was not religious. yasser arafat was hardly the model muslim. but as they couldn't get traction and couldn't compete, they did what others have done. they default to religion. so the -- if you do not find a means of accommodation in that first stage, where they're looking for a political resolution, once it goes into a r

jews try to accommodate to rome's cultural civilizational power. you could not match. for the most of our jews. in the germany, the first thing that you get is our local secular rebellions against the church of rome and centralizing power. you have this much more complex line of thinking. be careful about lionizing the zealots. they killed more jews than they killed romans. then you get the germans arguing the same thing. 130 years of incredibly religious bloody warfare. now you have the late 20th century in the middle east. where the plo originally while its demands was obsessive was not religious. yasser arafat was hardly the top. if you did not find a means of accommodation in the first stage where they are looking for a political resolution, once it goes into a religion, a religion fuel insurgency, there's no reverse. so on that level, i am not hopeful. the really good haters, the religious if i -- if i -- fanatics. we're in the world of wad borders. but again there's the other level which in the 20th century the countryside came to the cities. it's more cosmopolit

anne thompson, nbc news, rome. >>> we turn now tonight to a story about health care. not in washington, d.c., but one of the poorest parts of this country where a lot of people simply don't get care. now this region in the mississippi delta is getting help from an idea that started in a place a lot of americans would consider firmly enemy territory. nbc's tom trounk has our report. >> reporter: there is no shortage of poverty and pain. every sunday at church, names of the sick are announced. with each name this doctor shudders. back in the civil rights era, dr. shirley fought just to practice medicine here. now at age 77, he's fighting for a new solution to the health care crisis. he thinks he's found it in a very old country, iran. >> come hell or high water, we'll have a health house up and running. >> reporter: the health house is an idea from iran where community health workers, not doctors, deliver screening and basic medical care. dr. shirley and his colleague james miller traveled more than 7,000 miles to see health houses first hand. iranian doctors came to mi

nbc news, rome. >> coming up, the n.c.a.a. is facing a lawsuit this morning brought on by a former basketball player. >> some say they make millions of dollars that they never say. more on that next. >> sad news for the baltimore orioles as they lose one of their links to the past, one of the hall of famers and one of their ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] irresistible crescent rolls. "hoo hoo!" [ female announcer ] only from pillsbury ♪ ¿por que no probamos esto? [ male announcer ] old el paso. a special blend of seasoning for especially delicious tacos. feed your fiesta. >> we start with said news from friday. the orioles lose a great part of their past. miguel succumbing to cancer at the age of 72. he grew into a star. he had a devastating screwball. he is a cy young award winner. the first latin american ever to win that honor. he was a top pitcher in the league. oriole fans will never forget that picture. wrapping up the word portion of their spring training, taking on the yankees. top fifth, orioles down - making a comeback. --

nbc news, rome. >> stay with us. 11 fitness is coming up next. here's a look at the winning lottery numbers first. >> welcome back. it is time for 11 news fitness. three ways to build a strong in tight midsection. >> good morning. i wanted send best wishes to my friend and colleague that had surgery. get well soon. we want to talk about of the domino strengthening today. -- abdominal strengthening today. i read an article that a janet jackson did 5000 steps and night. but who has that kind of time? i would rather you do 25 really good ones. i could do this probably 100 times. when i use a 35 pound weight, i only have to do it 10 pounds. when you add weight, you get a better workout and more intense workout. follow me down to the floor. you can do it and ab crunch like this. >> i do all of this -- i do this all of the time. >> it works your lower and upper of dominoes. you can use ankle weights for more intensity. you can work the old leakblique. up and down. >> that is kind of like a plank. >> yes. hold my knees. >> did deborah tell you to get me

in rome.axwell running, he's in there. a.j. ellis had a hard time digging that one out. the nats have swiped a couple tonight. >> rob: the best thing about the dodgers, they don't have miguel olivo on their team. >> bob: well, we'll see plenty of russell martin this weekend. a.j. ellis having a hard time getting his footwork in order there. nyjer morgan, 1-3 with a triple and a run scored. that's a big helicopter swing he takes there. >> rob: you never know when the dodgers are going to break out. >> bob: they have four and five coming up in the inning. then belliard. >> bob: 1-2 to nyjer morgan. must be the way the breeze is blowing. the smell of grilled hot dogs is wafting its way into the booth up here. we don't get that often. >> rob: wafting? >> bob: yeah. >> rob: i know you love hot dogs. i do too. i'm just not allowed to eat them anymore. >> bob: my day will come. 1-2 to morgan. well hit, right field. the nats will score again. morgan digging for two. his 4th rbi of the year. the nation

. >>> today in rome, the pope celebrated mass.op vatican official on behalf of the pope criticized "the new york times," calling it distinguish sent by any reasonable standard of fairness. coming up next on "hardball," only on msnbc. when you want ak that travels with you. with you when you're ready for the next move. [ male announcer ] now that wells fargo and wachovia have come together, what's in it for you? unprecedented strength, the stability of the leading community bank in the nation and with 12,000 atms and thousands of branches, we're with you in more ways and places than ever before. with you when you want the most from your bank. [ male announcer ] wells fargo. together we'll go far. >>> we're already seeing some cracks in the republican pledge to repeal health care. senator bob corker of tennessee says his party's efforts to repeal the bill are futile. quote, the fact is that's not going to happen. corker told dozens of people in vanderbilt. as corker points out, republicans will need 67 senate votes and that's not li

anne thompson is in rome this morning.ann, do we expect the pope to make any further comments about this? >> well, we will have two opportunities to see him today, savannah, one is at a good friday service this afternoon in st. peter's and then this evening when he leads the way of the cross at rome's coliseum. now, this day, which is called good friday in the christian calendar, marks the day that christ died. while the pope has not yet spoken about the sex abuse crisis, it is shaping the good friday services across europe, particularly in germany. in germany, the leader of that church, the arch bishop of berlin, robert zolich today said he hopes good friday can be the start of a renewal for the church, one that is desperately needed in light of the scandal. he said the church has been shaken by the scandal. in germany alone more than 250 people have come forward to say they were sexually abused by priests when they were children. in dublin, the archbishop there an addressed his holy thursday mass yesterday. he said this

in rome, greg burke, fox news. >> chris: a family values advocate in the u.s. is telling people to stop giving money to the republican party. remember when everyone was worried about the h1n1 flu? we'll tell you what happened to all that vaccine. >> chris: now the latest from the political grapevine. family research council president and conservative leader tony per kins is telling supporters not to donate to the republican national committee. instead he advises giving directly to candidates who, "you know reflect your values." perkins cites the recent revelation the r.n.c. reimbursed a $2,000 expenditure at a bondage theme nightclub in los angeles, as an indication the group is "tone-deaf." politico reports another incident that has republicans hot and bothered. a recent g.o.p. fundraising letter included a phone number that leads to a phone sex line. the voice greets callers as saxy guy before -- sexy guy before offering the chance to work with working girls from all over the country for $2.99 a minute. the r.n.c. says the wrong number was a typo made by the

peter's square in rome on monday. a noticeable brea from church ritual. an address, directly to pe benedict, defending the holy father. the dean of the college of cardinals told the pope they would not let themselves be influenced by the moment. the faithful and cheered, even as new revelations emerged about the abuse in the past. in moscow, there was tightened security at the largest orthodox church and theake of two terrorist bombings on the moscow subway. president obama and his family attended services at a historically black church, the allen chapel ame church, where they talked about patriotism and love of country. let these men and women at the fort operating baselining in afghanistan, taking in a sunrise service. back home, in u.s. tradition, at the stadium, where pastor rick warren preached to thousands. >> we live on a broken planet. nothing works correctly on this planet. nothing works perfectly. >> but even on a troubled planet, one eastern tradition still brings a smile, the easter parade down york's fifth avenue. in an editorial in today's "

. >> i drove from rome. i flew. and finally i took the last plane here. >> meanwhile the problems are costing the aviation industry $200 million flus a day. thousands attending a conversation in d.c. are stranded here. the conversation of the american association of geographers attracted attendees from all over the world. now the challenge for many is getting back home. here is news 4's derek ward. >> reporter: the association of american geographers conference, if anybody knows where the volcano is, they would be here. the conference winds down, many are doing their best to rebook flights and change their itineraries. >> i was supposed to fry to dublin. i was able to rebook for friday. i'm not sure if flights with go friday as well. i'm in a lucky position of having been able to get in touch with the airline and rebook. many have not. >> so far we did not get any response. >> i have been working all the time. enjoy the city and see some of the sights. >> reporter: some stranded hope to make the best of it. >> a gro

. >>> pope benedict xvi is back in rome tonight after an emotional meeting of victims of sex abuse. earlier tonight, the pope met with eight men in malta, who say they were abused by priests as children. the pope said the church would do everything possible to see justice concerning pedophile priests and to protect people. -- to seek justice. >> he listened to us. i am very proud. "i am very proud of you to have the courage to tell your story of." >> the scandal hit the vatican earlier this year -- to tell your story." >>> tomorrow, the anniversary of the bombing in oklahoma city. over 150 people died in that in 1995. the service will be held tomorrow. this weekend, is small group of survivors, family members, victims, and first responders took a tour -- a small group of survivors. >>> the toughest law in the country against illegal immigrants, a bill up for vote tomorrow that will make it a state crime to be in the u.s. illegally, and arizona police will be able to stop and demand proof of citizenship from anybody at any time. critics are calling it racial profiling and singing the

peter's square in rome you're surrounded by saints.ter the vatican finally gained complete control over the process of making saints. for more than a thousand years before local bishops just created their own often more legendary than legitimate. >> the word cannonization comes from the latin cannon which is a list. a list of saints. but we really don't know how many are on the list officially. >> if someone is proposed for saint the monsignor investigates claims. who qualifies? >> people who lived a heroic life or martyrs. >> his office is next to st. peter's and works at the congregation for saints the vatican department which advises the pope on who and who should not be cannonized. step one in becoming a saint, you have to be dead. at least five years to get the process started although for some especially holy people, mother teresa, pope john paul ii the waiting period has been waved. there's no getting around the room you have to be responsible for at least two miracles. this surprise, surprise is hard for investigators to prove.

nbc's anne thompson is in rome this morning with more. anne, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, amy t vatican finds itself under growing criticism and this time it's coming from other religious leaders, the archbishop -- and st. peaint peter's basilica las night. pope benedict leading the way of the cross. the event at the heart of christianity. jesus dying for the sins of man. but the outcries of the sins of some priests continued this friday, priests who allegedly abused children and those who covered it up, perhaps even the pope. those accusations brought -- at the good friday service he compared the attacks on benedict to the persecution of the jews. >> translator: i know from experience what it means to be victims of collective violence and also because of this they are quick to recognize recurring symptoms. >> reporter: those are the thoughts of the preacher and not the pope, words that angered jewish leaders around the world. the words stood out from the collective mea culpas in the churches. a special prayer was offered for

there is a lot of room for the state to rome, except to discriminate against the vaccine. as a matter of discrimination, not law. >> this court has the power to force congress not to duck issues, and that is an interesting thing, because if we buy what you say, we have our right to tell congress that it must take a very difficult political positions that it does not want to take, and we as a court can tell them they must do it.

. >> warner: on a soggy sunday in rome, thousands of the faithful celebrated easter mass in st. peter's square. but amid the age old ritual came a break with tradition. cardinal anglo, dean of the college of cardinals irb issued a ringing tribute to pope benedict xvi lauding him as the unfailing rock of the catholic church. and he dismissed allegations about the pope's alleged role in the church's sexual abuse scandal. >> holy father, on your side are the people of god who do not let themselves be influenced by the petty gossip of the moment, by the trials which sometimes affect the community of believers. >> warner: for his part pope benedict did not address the allegations swirling around him. yesterday's service followed four months of revelations of sex abuse by priests throughout europe, from ireland to germany, italy and elsewhere. and of a pattern of covering up by church authorities. in addition, questions have been raised about two cases benedict himself was involved in in the years before he was pope. in 1980 as archbishop rats zinger of munich germany he was involved

anne thompson is in rome this morning outside the vatican. anne, yesterday you hinted that we would hear something from the pope about this latest scandal. what are you hearing today? >> reporter: well, we haven't heard anything yet, chuck, but we have -- we will see and hear from pope benedict several times over the next few days. in fact, today, we will see and hear from him twice. this morning he celebrated mass at st. peter's, what's called a prism mass, where he blesses the oils for the entire year. at that mass, he did not mention the sexual abuse scandal raging here in europe. however, cardinal william laveda, who runs the office here at the vatican, used to be archbishop of san francisco, he went after "the new york times" on the vatican website, accusing "the times" of unfairness in its reporting about the pope and its inference that the pope, as cardinal ratzinger, had some role in the transfer of two pedophile priests. the cardinal said, pointing to the one case in wisconsin where father lawrence murphy abused some 200 deaf childre

now operating in the united states and 23 other countries, with its well manicured headquarters in rome. it was here that the father was alleged to have molested some of the young men under his control as seminarniaseminarians, going decades. >> i didn't know anything about masturbation. and he says, you know how to do it, let me show you. >> reporter: juan, a former priest in his 70s, and living in new york as a college professor, says he was one of some 30 boys abused by the father. >> i was one who called them from their bedrooms to go to see the father. >> reporter: juan says the father rewarded him with special privileges, such as this pry vat meeting with pope pius xii and assured him he was doing nothing wrong. >> but father, i think i committed a sin. don't worry, i about solve you of your sin in the name of the father, the son and holy spirit. >> reporter: it was in 1998 that juan wand err former members filed a formal league case with the vatican, asking for an investigation. but for years, nothing happened. >> absolutely nothing. not a word. >> reporter: the man in charge of

. >>> pope benedict is back in rome after an emotional meeting with the sex abuse victims.he pope met for more than half an hour with eight men who say that they were abused by four priests when they were living at a catholic orphanage. one of the men said that they had tears in their eyes. and everybody was crying. pope benedict promised that they will do all in their powers to bring the guilty to justice and protect the young. an iranian hosted conference. anded today with the demand that israel joined the nuclear not prolific treaty. the two-day conference follows the 47 nation nuclear security conference, hosted by president barack obama here in washington last week. and that summit excluded iran and north korea. >>> nasa says rain could delay the space shuttle's return to earth. discovery is scheduled to land tomorrow morning in florida after a two-week mission. the shuttle has enough supplies to remain in orbit until wednesday. >>> toyota agrees to pay a fine of more than $16 million for its four-month delay in telling the government about defective gas pedals about t

hour awaiting pope benedict the 16th, set to take part in the cross proversion at the coliseum in rome in commemoration of good friday. ♪ >> the pope and more than a billion catholicses worldwide marking this holy and somber day before easter sunday. the video coming in from the vatican about an hour ago. fox news channel's greg burke is streaming live from rome, what can we expect to hear and see from the pope at 3:00? >> reporter: well, shannon, it's a very busy day for the pope. he's finishing up that commemoration of the passion in st. peter's basilica. you'll see about ten times as many people around the coliseum for the way of the cross. it is a very solemn moment and certainly a poignant one. five years ago the pope talked about cleaning up filth in the church. it is, of course, a day when they are talking about sin and repentance, so we'll see tonight in if he does refer to these scandals. he has not this week so far. >> and what is on the pope's schedule for the next couple of days? >> reporter: well, it's a very busy week always, and these are sort of the last three big days.

. >>> and now to a modern day case of rome burning. at the height of the financial meltdown, a number of senior staffers at the securities and exchange commission spent hours watching internet porn instead of overseeing the crashing financial system. the sec's inspector general investigated 33 employees, 31 during the last 2 1/2 years when the financial system nearly crashed. one senior attorney spent eight hours a day looking at and downloading porn. he agreed to resign. an accountant was blocked 16,000 times in just one month from visiting porn sites but bypassed sec filters. he received a 14 day suspension. 17 of the employees investigated earned up to $222,000. >>> this morning democrats are gearing up for a senate showdown next week over financial reform. the first vote is expected on monday, but republicans want more time to bargain. meanwhile, the president didn't mince words as he tried to convince wall street. tara mergener has more. >> reporter: well, democrats claim they are running out of patience with this whole debate and

peter's in rome. holy week for pope benedict, a time of humility and pen tans, acknowledging that the clergy sex scandal is a test both for the pope personally and for the catholic church. it is also largely overshadowed other continuing issues for the church. one of them, the debate over whether traditional catholic teaching opposing the use of artificial contraception makes it harder for women in the developing world to escape poverty. and there's an obstacle in fighting the spread of aids. the archbishop of westminster new intervention in this debate uses language that might surprise many. >> i think when it comes to third world poverty and the great pressure under which many women are put by men, i can see the arguments why in the short term means that give women protection are attractive. >> the pope visiting africa last year stirred the controversy over artificial contraception afresh. when he said -- and condoms could make the problem worse by encouraging riskier behavior. the archbishop's rema

a plane full of lucky passengers, finally headed to rome. >> been keeping my fingers crossed that this will happen. >> reporter: but thousands of passengers remain stranded. the concourse of jfk looks like a campground. hundreds of passengers are settling in for day six. the red cross, delivering blankets and cots. >> have you had a shower? >> no. >> no shower? >> no shower. >> we don't have extra money to take a hotel reservation. >> reporter: and the only thing that seems to be taking flight, boredom. >> kind of get up, do nothing. and split the day going to a different terminal. a change of scene. >> they say what you can take. >> reporter: and while patience is in short supply, kindness is not. dozens of people, like this woman, went to the airport looking for families they can help. the bartons opened their home to this family from scotland, total strangers. >> we thought that's the right thing to do. and let's do it. >> i'm so grateful to them i had this opportunity because we would still probably be stuck in a hotel room. >> reporter: but thousands of other passengers are stuck

bill: greg burke reporting live in rome, more developments as we get them here.alin may be in court soon. the former vp candidate cobb taking the stand at any time now, a former college student, just to remind you about the story, that brought all of it out, david kernell, in the middle of the video is on trial, right now. the charges are that he hacked into sarah palin's e-mail, in 2008, right after he was tapped as john mccain's running mate and his attorney says, no big deal, it was a harmless prank. but bristol palin testified yesterday and begs to differ and recalled how scared she was after her cell phone number made its way onto the web and a group of boys called her, one night on her cell phone, and they said we are right outside your house and she explained why that was so scary. she said he live in the middle of nowhere in alaska car, the middle of the woods and it was almost dodds describes it as almost a stalking kind of experience and she was frightened and that is the tip of the iceberg here, ann marie mcevoy joins us and keith sullivan, a criminal

he lived in rome for a time. for a brief time, he lived in florence, one summer. and then at the end of his life, he'd come back to concord, where he'd bought a house, and he lived and was buried in concord. c-span: you say that when he died, he was worth $26,000. >> guest: yes. c-span: how much would that be today? do you have any idea? >> guest: i don't know. it's a good question. the reason i brought it up was, what i said at the end was that it was enough to keep him out of the almshouse. by the end of his life, because he'd been ill, and when you're ill, you can't write, and he didn't have political jobs, he was worried about the maintenance of his family. he had a wife and three children. so $26,000 was more than -- it was enough to make him comfortable, and it included his real estate, and so forth. it wasn't a huge amount, by any means at all, but it was more than he thought he had. he'd saved a lot of that money while he was the consulship -- while he was consul for liverpool under the pierce administration. and part of the reason he took that job was to

. >>> pope benedict marks the good friday by leading a procession at rome's colosseum.is the day christians commemorate the crucifixion of jesus. >>> and coming up later on "good morning america" -- police in florida are trying to figure out how this granny went from scam victim to scam artist. they say she ripped off her friends and even a pastor for nearly a million dollars. >>> well, for some of you your local news is coming up next. as we go to break a look at washington's cherry blossoms in full bloom. this is the peak time to see them if you get a chance. articles. worksheets. tips. strategies. they got tools. tools? [ male announcer ] one website to help you... save a little money. make a plan. stay on budget. ut some money in the bank. this will help me... get your act together. ohh! yea. stay on top of bills. have some breathing room. reduce taxes. this is how we can... get ahead of it. [ male announcer ] get started at bankofamerica.com/solutions perfect! ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] kids who don't eat breakfast may not be getting the nutrition they need to keep t

some scenes from yesterday's in rome on eastern -- easter sunday. the democrats' line. go ahead. caller: forgive me, i'm a first- time caller. i am a little bit nervous here. but as far as general karzai is concerned, no, he would night -- not make a credible partner for the united states. he is like any other dictator, if he asked me. he is very defiant. not willing to go by the sanctions that president obama or anyone else set for him. even with the new sanctions that obama wants. no, i don't think he would be. i do disagree with a lot of the other callers calling in saying that obama needs to step up the, and his foreign-policy is like bushes. no, it is nothing like that. i don't think it is like that at all. if you think about it, when we first went in on 9/11, our intentions were good when we first went into afghanistan. we were supposed going after bin laden and the taliban and everything like this. but bush dropped the ball when he started this -- changed his stance and started looking at iraq. a caller came in and said that iraq would have been a safe haven. if that is th

. >> reporter: at rome's coliseum, the pope led prayers tonight at the ancient battleground the church reveres as the place of christian suffering. and at a service in st. peter's basilica, benedict heard a homily from his personal pastor today expressing anger about pain the church is facing now. attacks on the church in the sex abuse scandal, said the pope's priest, amount to collective violence against a religion and he compared to t criticism aimed at catholics to anti-semitism suffered by jews. benedict sat in silence, but jewish leaders reacted with outrage. >> to invoke the issue of persecution against jews as a lever to try and distract or deflect attention from what's going on is not only unfortunate frankly, it's stunning. >> reporter: the vatican quickly said the priest's remarks don't represent official church position. in the pope's native germany, there was blunt talk today about the scandal and the abuse of children. in colon cathedral, a prayer was offered for children who'd been molested at church schools. and a statement from the leader of germany's catholic bishops s

that report is expected in rome by the end of this month, diane. >> okay, brian, thanks. that out today. >>> and, "on the money" tonight, if what's good for the automakers is good for america, it was a good month, ending today. sales by all the big car companies rose dramatically, including toyota. chris bury tells us there's a clear explanation why. >> reporter: for all its recent troubles, the massive recall, the public relations fiascos the embarrassment of having executives hauled before congress, toyota enjoyed sizzling sales last month, up 41% over last year. the big reason? generous incentives that lured bacchus hers. >> it's clear there are a lot of loil toyota customers out there that were ready and willing to take advantage of the incentives. >> reporter: toyota fought its image battles with an aggressive advertising campaign. >> we want to believe we can always be better. >> reporter: but the biggest incentives in toyota history, nearly $2300 per vehicle, helped turn around two straight months of declining sales. and american car makers were on a shot streak, t