tweet me @thomas a roberts. we'll share your thoughts later in the show. [ female announcer ] the power to become a better investor has gone mobile. with features like scanning a barcode to get detailed stock quotes to voice recognition. e-trade leads the way in wherever, whenever investing. download the ultimate in mobile investing apps, free, at e-trade. download the ultimate in mobile investing apps, free, very sore looking kinda blistery. it was like a red rash... like somebody had set a bag of hot charcoal on my neck. i was a firefighter for 24 years. but, i have never encountered such a burning sensation until i had the shingles. i remember it well. i was in the back yard doing yard work. i had this irritation going on in my lower neck. i changed shirts because i thought there was something in the collar of the shirt irritating my neck. and i couldn't figure out what was going on. i had no idea it came from chickenpox. i always thought shingles was associated with people... a lot older than myself. i can t

his name is thomas roberts.tember 23rd to comment on the previous night's gop debate. and when i think about msnbc, i actually think of how many people work on each of their shows, and i think there are more staffers working for the shows than there are people watching the shows. and nevertheless, mr. roberts takes it away. >> i get out of all these things that many of these candidates would rather take legislation to build a time machine and go back in time to where we had, you know, no women voting, slavery was cool. i mean, it's just kind of -- >> well -- >> in other words, republicans aring to la diets, liberals are so perpetually better informed. tom roberts. our third and final nominee for the 2012 dishonors knuckle dragger awards is and, well, how can it not be -- [laughter] yeah. i don't know about you, but when i'm watching chris matthews, i feel like i have to reach for the baby wipes. laugh after -- [laughter] i happen to have a child who's till in diapers, so i have a lot around the house. but i want

i'm alex witt in for thomas roberts.days ago and just two days after an angry and testy debate, the president a. presidental candidates take a moment to roast each other in new york. >> earlier today i went shopping at stores in mid

i'm thomas roberts. topping the agenda the brawl in boca raton.nt barack obama and republican nominee mitt romney face off for the third and final time just hours from now in florida with 15 days to go. that's it before voters head to the polls officially although early voting is happening all over the country. if the last two debates are any measure tonight's show unwill be must see tv.

thomas roberts is up next.y first word was... [ to the tune of "lullaby and good night" ] ♪ af-lac ♪ aflac [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. [ yawning sound ] [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. what's more beautifultwo covergirls!rl? that's right, get two miracles in one product. covergirl makeup, and olay advanced hydrating serum. it's tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation. one pump, covers spots, lines, and wrinkles. and one bottle helps improve skin tone over time. that's what i was supposed to say now. well, no one can understand you. ♪ tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation from easy -- breezy -- beautiful... covergirl! covergirl! and try new pressed powder to help brighten your skin tone. flavor, meet food. it's time for swanson flavor boost. concentrated broth in easy to use packets. mix it into skillet dishes, for an instant dose of... hell-o! [ female announcer ] get recipes at flavorboost.com. >> hi, everybody. good morning. i'm thomas roberts. 12 days to g

i'm alex witt in for thomas roberts.ht only with 18 days ago and just two days after an angry and testy debate, the president a. presidental candidates take a moment to roast each other in new york. >> earlier today i went shopping at stores in mid town. i understand governor romney went shopping for some stores in mid town. >> in the spirit of "sesame street" the president's remarks are brought to you by the letter o and the number 16 trillion. >> well, new polling shows the race turning into a nail biter down to the finish with the president leading in two critical states described by nbc's first read as obama's midwest fireball. congressman paul ryan's home state of wisconsin, president obama is leading by six. >> is there any way in the world that barack obama is up eight points in iowa? >> no question. when is the last time iowa was decided by

fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. >>> good day, i'm thomas roberts.ylvania's controversial voter i.d. law is blocked. that decision coming in the last hour. what does this mean with the election just 35 days away? we go to nbc justice correspondent pete williams with the very latest on this. >> what it means is that the state's new voter

i'm thomas roberts. developing news topping the news to.or foreign policy address from mitt romney. scheduled to begin within just 20 minutes from now. with less than a month to go until the election, romney gives the speechit

i'm thomas roberts. topping the agenda today, the aftermath of super storm sandy. eastern seaboard is beginning to assess the damage brought by the monster

i'm thomas roberts.r, an unemployment report nobody seemed to expect but this reports puts the wind at the president's back today. both candidates speaking in virginia at this hour on the heels of a job report that shows unemployment at its lowest in years. 7.8% is the number for september, and that is the lowest monthly number since the president took office in january of '09. >> i don't think we should focus on the politics today. this is obviously showing we continue to recover from a horrible recession. >> politically -- >> what matters is that headline number with the seven handle as they say on the street. 7.8%, right? whatever the reason, the president can now say i've

i'm thomas roberts here in new york. we appreciate you staying with us. this is a city that is prepping for the worst as this category 1 hurricane barrels up the eastern sew board. all ships to arrive in new york harbor are -- new york city residents who live in low lying areas are ordered to evacuate on direct orders from the mayor. >> i can't stress enough that this is for your own safety and that if you refuse to evacuate, you are not only putting yourself at risk, but also the first responders who have to assist you in emergency. we have a plan to keep you safe. if you follow that plan, we'll get through this storm just fine. if you don't, people's lives are in danger. >> at this hour, hurricane sandy is still churning up at a glacial pace along the eastern sea board. forecasters are saying tonight that sandy could ultimately become the largest storm to hit the united states. according to the weather channel's jim cantore, there's a wind field that is 900 miles wide. here is what air travel looks like along the eastern sea board this evening. that pic

thomas roberts is up next.o, thomas. >> these new images just keep coming in and just when you think you've seen et al., we see new things that just blow your mind. we will continue to bring you those new images and the president is going to see face to face himself. president obama taking off in one hour to tour atlantic city with new jersey governor chris christie today. this is an odd couple politically, but now the men are working side by side to bring federal relief to millions affected along the eastern seaboard. meanwhile governor christie and atlantic city's mayor are going to come face to face during the president's tour. however, the governor and the mayor have been exchanging barbs about the mayor ignoring the governor's evacuation order for people in atlantic city. mayor langford joins me with his side of the story. and mitt romney gets back on the campaign trail, first stop the battleground state of florida. a lot of new information coming up in the next hour. stick around. when what you just bough

thomas roberts is up next. hello, thomas. >> hi, chris.ng, everybody. >>> the breaking news from pennsylvania, convicted pedophile, 68-year-old jerry sandusky sentenced to at least 30 years behind bars. details on the emotional victim impact statements and the 18-minute first-person explanation from jerry sandusky himself. >>> then, with just 28 days, that's it, left in the presidential race, it has never been tighter and we've got two new battleground polls that may be a huge wake-up call for the president's re-election team. and both president obama and mitt romney know the path to the white house leads straight through ohio. both men stumping there today, the last day for ohio voters to register for this very election. ohio state senator nina turner is going to join me live on set. that and more coming up. humans -- sometimes life trips us up. and sometimes, we trip ourselves up, but that's okay. at liberty mutual insurance we can "untrip" you as you go through your life with personalized policies and discounts when you need them most.

thomas roberts is up next. >> good morning to you, chris, and everybody.'ll look at the wild, wild west, reporters on the ground in nevada and colorado, but topping our agenda, who has the big mo, 11 days to election day and the battleground states all-important right now and the national polls tell two very different stories the obama campaign is focusing on women while mitt romney is making it all about the economy, so what is the real choice? i'll talk with the dnc chair, congressman debbie wasserman schul schultz, she joins me. a new low, a top romney aide suggests the colin powell endorsement is all about race and he walks it back. our power panel will weigh in on that one. >>> and the real october surprise, hurricane sandy, this historic storm taking aim at major cities up and down the eastern coastline. we're going to have details on the latest models on that storm and a lot more coming tup at ei top of the hour. they work with vmware to provide virtualization and cloud solutions tailored to a company's unique i.t. needs. so, you're my caddy. what s

[applause] but i thought that bob franken is going to except for thomas roberts, but i was told thatight. he was out looking for the right wing basis. very sad time machine? maybe i can go back and pass on this invitation. and my pal, chris mathews, well, i hate to say this, but i hate to chris mathews didn't win the award and i hate that he is not here tonight. it must've been sent name he hates. [laughter] or maybe it is just that the thrill is gone. as for thomas roberts and the time machine, maybe we can send him back to a time when reporters actually reported. you know the time, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and news was so easy that a caveman could do it and brent was running around in a loin cloth. i'm sorry, you just finished eating. next slide. let me just say on behalf of mr. robbers in the entire liberal establishment, mr c. comment you are a threat. and for the rest of us, thank you, brent bozell. i gladly accept this award and i want to thank brent and mrc were 25 years of exposing the bias and inspiring all of us to look beyond what we are told and look for the truth.

i'm thomas roberts. mitt romney under pressure to crush it tonight. stage is set. the coin has been flipped. all the practice, all the pregaming comes down to tonight, but with both sides getting their game faces on in these final hours. >> i think mitt romney has an opportunity to shake up the race tonight. obviously, you know, expectations, both sides have been playing the expectations game. the reality is that challengers win the first debate more often than not. >> i think if mitt is just mitt, he's going to do just fine because i've been to over 100 events with mitt romney. small settings, big sets. he's compassionate, confident, passionate, energetic. he's all of these things. >> today, new polls shows ohio solidly in the obama dugout, but in two other major battlegrounds, the race has tightened. the president still leading, but romney has narrowed the gap in virginia as well as florida. >> these states are really getting tight so such a degree that a great performance by romney tonight could change the dynamic. >> this is big stakes. this is really an opport

thomas roberts is up next. you look different. >> do i? i feel a little different.> you woke up happy this morning? >> little bit married. >> little bit. there's such a thing? >> i don't think so. it's like a little bit pregnant. >> don has been married about 25 years, he goes no such thing. >> it's a whole lot of married now. thanks so much. >> congrats. >> thank you. >>> coming up, chris christie saying it's the moment. wednesday night's face to face showdown between mitt romney and president obama. will it be the game changer that romney desperately needs? plus you've seen him in those bain commercials bashing mitt romney in the battle ground states. they've been spoofed on "saturday night live" now the workers have hitting the campaign trail. they are the new gop campaign ad rock stars. how they're using babies just like that in the ads to woo women. a lot more coming up in the 11:00 a.m. hour of me being a married man. see you in a second. e imperfects living in a beautifully imperfect world. it's amazing we've made it this far. maybe it's because when one of u

i went to a great weekend last weekend with thomas roberts and his partner, very nice wedding.gratulations, guys. ann romney co-hosting "good morning america" on wednesday, the 10th, the day before the presidential debate in danville on thursday, the 11th. should the wives or husbands of candidates be on tv? does it change the relationship? it's been a debate. gma reached out to the first lady as well. and then later on, fred, tonight, remember that news anchor who responded to a person about her weight? america seemed to rally around her but some people say she was the bully. last night i discussed wit wendy wal walsh. >> calling it bullying is insane because we loosely use this term now because it is hip in the popside culture. these were two human beings community kating with each other with different means of communication. he had a blog, she had her television microphone and camera. these were adults communicating their opinions. >> there was a line as a reporter crossed. however, it was perfect timing with the culture of being as hot and as really urgent for body culture,

his name is thomas roberts, and he was on last september 23rd to comment on the previous night's gopn i think that msnbc come i actually think of how many people work on each of their shows, and i think there are more staffers working for the shows than there are people watching the show and nevertheless, mr. roberts takes it away. >> i get out of all of these things things candidates would rather build a time machine and go back in time where we had no women voting, slavery was cool. >> well, i -- >> in other words, republicans are troglodytes, liberals are so perpetually better informed. tom roberts. our third and final nominee for the 2012 dishonors knuckle-draggers award is, and well how could it not be -- >> [inaudible] >> yeah. i don't know about you but when i'm watching chris matthews i feel like i have to reach for the baby wipes. i happen to have a child that is still in diapers so i have a lot are not the house but i want to both light of my television screen and myself. a lotf saliva happening. on november 15th, chris was a walking bumper sticker for the thinking of the l

thomas roberts might not be here today but he certainly is here in spirit.y from rio with patrick abner, final day of our honeymoon. see you monday at 11:00 a.m. he will be coming back with a tan. i tell you. all right. well right now everyone we're going to take you down to the president who's in fairfax, virginia, he will be there shortly. there we see a lead had in to the president, he's at george mason university. this is the planned parenthood president cecil richard and the president will be addressing women's issues at george mason university. let's take a listen to what she has to say. >> women every single day. he promised to reform health care so that women don't pay more for insurance coverage than men. and so that our birth control and cancer screenings are covered. and so our kids can stay on our insurance until they're 26 and that's exactly what he did. president obama promised to make sure that women, not politicians, can make our own health care decisions and to protect roe versus wade and that's exactly what he did. he understands that women

i'm thomas roberts.ent looks unprepared and his team tries to regroup while romney and fair-weather republicans bask in the after glow. mitt romney trying to keep the momentum alive. president obama trying to recover from headlines like this. the wall street journal, "romney

thomas roberts is up next. >> good morning to you. good morning, everybody. agenda next hour, 13 days, two candidates, seven battleground states. it is all about the final stretch and the math versus momentum. president obama delivers live remarks in iowa next hour with while romney's super pac relations a new eastwood ad. plus, early voing crosses the 5 million mark. we're going to talk about how the. your to get souls to the polls could decide the outcome in ohio with state senator nina turner next. >>> the romney campaign tries to make gains with women voters. jacquie spear joins me live at 30 rock coming up. [ metal rattling ] ♪ hello? boo! i am the ghost of meals past. when you don't use new pam, this is what you get. residue? i prefer food-based phantasm, food-tasm. poultry-geist works too if you used chicken. [ laughs ] resi-doodle-doo. [ female announcer ] bargain brand cooking spray can leave annoying residue. but new pam leaves up to 99% less residue. new pam helps you keep it off. good morning.

richard lui is in for thomas roberts. remember when we were that young?ese are future msnbc contributors. i don't remember that nar bacfa. topping our agenda next hour, high hopes at hofstra and it's all about suburban woman. our first read says that is the firewall the president needs to protect tonight just hours ahead of tonight's critical debate, can he. we'll have our power panel break down the stakes. also, is there a dramatic shift? the electoral maps? new fears ohio may be slipping away from the president. we'll talk with ted vehicle land. and town hall debates by the numbers. the man who has cataloged 50 years of presidential debates tells us what it will take to win tonight. oh the kids would love this hot wheels wall tracks with monster jumper. i think they're gonna love this, leapfrog leappad2 with games and apps. i say we flip a coin. you mean with your double-headed coin? you know you could put both those things on layaway and pay a little at a time. awesome!! awesome!! high-five? [ mom ] mmm, you and your trick coin... shop now. get the hot

. >>> i'm in for thomas roberts. topping the agenda, the battle in the blue grass. paul ryan face off for the first and only time before election day. with team obama effectively on the ropes, can the current vice president deliver a knockout punch, avoid any bidenesque gaffes and serve up a much needed democratic thrill in danville. >> he is looking forward to tonight. he's raring to go. >> harry truman said i don't give him hell, i just tell it like it is. and they feel like they're in hell. >> well, tonight will be paul ryan's first time debating on a national stage. can he go toe to toe with a debating veteran and block any possibility of a joe momentum? >> one of of the

. ♪ >>> hi, richard lui in for thomas roberts. topping our agenda today, hot night at hofstra.ernor romney doesn't have a five-point plan. he has a one-point plan. that plan is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules. >> it was a night in which one of the presidential candidates was fact checked on live tv. >> want to make sure we get that for the record. it took the president 14 days before he called benghazi an act of terror. >> get the transcript. >> he did, in fact sir. >> can you say that louder candy? >> delivering body blow after body blow and romney fighting back. >> the suggestion that anybody in my team whether the secretary of state, our u.n. ambassador, anybody on my team would play politics or mislead when we've lost four of our own, governor, is offensive. >> mr. president, you looked at your pension? you know i don't look at my pension. >> let me give you something -- >> four consecutive years where he said when he was running he would cut the deficit in half. instead he's doubled it. >> and it was a night in which the candidates appea

. ♪ >>> hi, richard lui in for thomas roberts. topping our agenda today, hot night at hofstra.r romney doesn't have a five-point plan. he has a one-point plan. that plan is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules. >> it was a night in which one of the presidential candidates was fact checked on live tv. >> want to make sure we get that for the record. it took the president 14 days before he called benghazi an act of terror. >> get the transcript. >> he

thomas roberts, don't say a word. >> come on, just one? that's the great thing about chris jansing.her interview, prince, palmers and elmo. they are all great interviews. great job. good morning to you. good morning. "the agenda," the bump in the polls fading for mitt romney in advance of nbc's newest polling numbers? we examine the latest tightening of the presidential race. r is there a premature panic among president obama's supporters? we call them the a-team. responding to former president bill clinton and first lady michelle obama and vp joe biden. october 10 mar, anti-bullying. why more people are wearing orange. we will see new just a couple of minutes. l health plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. it has more of 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day 50+. side by side so you get the same coverage, often for less. that's one smart board. what else does it do, reverse gravity? [ laughs ] [ laughs ] [ whooshing ] tell me about it. why am i not going anywhere? you don't

. >>> i'm thomas roberts.tire eastern seaboard impacted by what is proving to an epic megastorm. hurricane sandy this hour is a monster system, the effects of which can be felt from new york to delaware to virginia and all the way down to north carolina. this storm has picked up speed and taken a turn towards the new jersey coastline. states emergency have been declared in 12 states and washington, d.c. and hundreds of thousands have moved to higher ground and millions more are bracing fo

i'm thomas roberts here in new york. we appreciate you spending time with us.age this afternoon and through this evening of what is shaping up to be an historic storm. we have reporters stationed up and down the eastern coastline tracking hurricane sandy's path. we'll be getting to all of them in a moment. the very latest enough from president obama who is officially off the campaign trail just wrapping up a stop at fema headquarters in washington, d.c. a short time ago. the president was briefed by fema's regional directors and then he addressed the american people. >> it's going to be very important that populations in all the impacted states take this seriously, listen to your state and local elected officials. my message to the governors as well as to the mayors is anything they need we will be there and we're going to cut through red tape and we're not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules. we want to make sure we're anticipating and leaning forward into making sure we've got the best possible response to what is going to be a big and messy system.

thomas roberts up next as our live coverage of this massive storm continues here on msnbc.yle lite test strips? why, are they any... beep! wow, that hardly needs any blood! yeah... and the unique zipwik tab targets the blood and pulls it in. so easy. freestyle lite needs just a third the blood of onetouch ultra. really? yep, which is great for people who use insulin and test a lot. max and i are gonna run out and get them right now. or you can call or click today and get strips and a meter free. test easy.