i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with crunch time. after a day of rest, both candidates in the presidential race are gearing up for a busy week on the campaign trail. president obama head to ohio tomorrow while mitt romney and paul ryan reunite in new hampshire with one week left before the republican convention. nbc's claire leka joins us with the details. claire, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, veronica. new hampshire is one of the 13 hotly contested states that will provide some results. it's reunion time. mitt romney and paul ryan pair up again in new hampshire this morning for a joint town hall meeting. this comes a full week before they were supposed to appear together again at the republican convention in tampa. >> they had at one point thought they would split up in the week before the convention but now they're going to be together. the dynamic duo out in new hampshire. >> reporter: both teams are battling it out in the granite state for its four electoral votes. obama won it hand

i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with tracking isaac. folks from new orleans to florida panhandle are watching and waiting as isaac makes its way into the gulf of mexico. forecasters say by the time isaac makes landfall, it could be a dangerous category 2 hurricane. nbc's jay gray reports. >> reporter: isaac continues to intensify in the gulf. wind and rain thrashing florida for much of the day. >> we're very vulnerable. we're only about two feet above sea level. >> reporter: thousands are without power. officials have reported mandatory evacuations in many coastal communities. to this point florida has only seen a glancing blow. >> a large area at risk here. >> reporter: isaac is a massive storm with wind stretching out more than 350 miles. as the forecast of the storm shifts, so does the focus. governors have declared states of emergency in florida, alabama, mississippi, and louisiana where evacuations have already started. >> it's important to be on high alert. >> reporter: in the center of the pote

i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "early today." just your next stop of the day on your nbc station. >>> a u knowing bow a constrictor has become a major attractive in poland. hydra has two heads. feeding time can be stressful for hydra's handlers. they have to put two mice in the bow a's tank at the same time to avoid a food fight. yikes! >>> in china, love is in the air, or, rather, in the water. as part of china's valentine's day if he is tifts, seven couples were chosen to compete in an underwater competition at an ocean park. the couple that could kiss the longest won souveniers and a year long pass to that park. sleeping beauties were chosen to lay sleeping for three days. men kissed them trying to wake them. participants had to sign a contract agreeing to marry if the beauty awakened during the kiss. organizers even passed out breath minlts. thank goodness that isn't how we really do things. >> what man would sign a contract that you have to marry the person if they wake? >> all things. >> who came up with that? >> i don't kn

i'm veronica de la cruz. those stories and much more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> and we begin this morning with another mass shooting. a gunman opened fire at a sikh temple just outside of milwaukee sunday morning, killing six people and critically wounding three before police shot and killed him. the attack is being treated as an act of domestic terrorism. reporter andy roesgen has the story from oak creek, wisconsin. >> reporter: police searched a home where they think the suspect lived, looking for a motive, a background, anything to answer the question why? >> what did we do wrong? was this a madman? was this just a guy who flipped? did he hate us for our appearance? >> reporter: the shooting happened at the twin services at the sikh temple. the gunman walked up to a temple member and shot him, then walked inside and opened fire. people cowered in fear, hiding wherever they could and calling out on cell phones. >> she called us very quick and she whispered. she said, don't come. she

i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with crunch time. after a day of rest, both candidates in the presidential race are gearing up for a busy week on the campaign trail. president obama head to ohio tomorrow while mitt romney and paul ryan reunite in new hampshire with one week left before the republican condition. >> reporter: after a week of personal attacks on the campaign trail, president obama and mitt romney spent a quiet sunday morning in church. the obamas in washington, d.c., the romneys in new hampshire. their surrogates sunday morning spent the day on talk shows where it was anything but quiet. >> the campaign of hope and change has changed to mere. >> mitt romney whining about the tone of this race is completely hypocritical. >> reporter: and the campaign continued to define them. romney adviser continued to press the latest on medicare. >> in order to pay for obama care, he raided the medicare piggy bank. >> reporter: stephanie cutter from the obama campaign. >> president obama through health care reform strengthed medicare.

i'm veronica de la cruz. those stories and more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with a storm threat. tropical storm isaac is still hundreds of miles away from the u.s. coast, but the possibility of a direct impact has florida officials urging residents to prepare now. nbc's kurt gregory has the latest. >> reporter: wind and rain in puerto rico, a glancing blow from tropical storm isaac as the system meanders across the caribbean. warnings are in effect for the dominican republic and in haiti, where aid groups are mobilizing to assist the thousands of people still struggling in makeshift shelters 2 1/2 years after an earthquake destroyed the capital city. >> the next 24 hours will be very critical for the population of haiti, and the international red cross is extremely concerned. >> reporter: concern is spreading throughout florida as well. the latest projection map shows the state feeling the storm's force as early as sunday. in cape coral, firemen wasted no time in s

i'm veronica de la cruz. in sports, ichiro hit two homers. and a japanese teammate had his own pitching gem, giving the yanks a big win against their biggest rivals. >> good morning. the yankee s ichiro suzuki isn' known for his power. he flexes his muscle. a bomb into the second deck. new york up 3-0. in the sixth inning, ichiro takes josh beckett deep again. another solo shot in right. two home rubs for ichiro. he has seven this season. the yanks win, 4-1. >>> if you think baseball is a slow a and long game, you haven't seen anything yet. cards and pirates played a seven-hour marathon. >>> chicago threatening, but ryan hannigan not having it. brett jackson tries to steal third. and hannigan guns him down. in the bottom of the ninth, hannigan gets him done with his bat. singles to deep center. ryan hannigan is your hero. you know what that means. a shaving cream pie to the face. >>> to houston, the astros have a new manager. but they still have the same players. d-backs' aaron hail with a pair of home runs. 8-1, the final. >>> nascar michiga

asking price $750,000. >>> i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "early today" just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> one zoo in portland is celebrating the arrival of a new litter of the world's largest rodents. usually born in litters of two or three, so zookeepers were pleasantly surprised see five born in this one. they're very social animals so, they usually live together in families, despite the fact that young ones become very independent very quickly. >>> in london it was time for the weigh-in. from birds to bugs, creatures of all shapes and sizes step on to the scale and up to the measuring stick. the measurements show the health of both fur and feather covered beast, and it's a good indicator for pregnancy. it was easier with some rather than with others i guess you could say. >>> also, in london there is one guy who can really hit a low note. oh, my goodness. tim storm is an american singer who boasts the world's deepest voice. he also holds the record for having the widest vocal range. ten octaves. the lo

i'm veronica de la cruz. today we begin with a storm threat. tropical storm isaac is still hundreds of miles away. a direct impact has florida residents preparing now. nbc's kirk gregory has the latest. >> reporter: wind and rain in puerto rico. a glancing blow from tropical storm isaac as the system meanders across the caribbean. hurricane warnings are in effect for the dominican republic and in haiti where aid groups are mobilizing to assist the thousands of people still struggling i make-shift shelters 2.5 years after an earthquake destroyed the capitol city. >> the next 24 hours will be critical for the population of haiti and the international red cross is concerned. >> reporter: concern is spreading throughout florida as well. the latest projection map shows the state feeling the storm's force as early as sunday. in cape coral, firemen wasted no time in securing a storm curtain around city hall. >> to protect the glass and any debris that comes up against it. >> reporter: and along florida's gulf coast. >> i'd rather be early than late. >

i'm veronica de la cruz, this is "first look" on msnbc.s right now. >>> today was supposed to be day one of the republican national convention in that arena behind me here. tropical storm isaac has turned it into a day whole sole platform plank is drinking inside this bar. it's "way too early" for this. welcome to tampa, florida, for a special edition of "way too early" live this week at the 2012 republican convention where after a long

i'm veronica de la cruz.re are some of the top stories making news this morning. 16 egyptian soldiers were killed by masked gunmen at a checkpoint at the border of gaza and israel, as the suspected militants attempted to cross into israel, one of their vehicles blew up while the other was hit by the israeli air force. >>> in syria, government troops are making a push on the city of aleppo, trying to regain areas held by the opposition. and a rebel commander says 48 iranians captured in damascus were affiliated with iran's revolutionary guard. >>> americans who retired today are the first generation of workers who will pay thousands more in social security taxes than they'll get in benefits. the trustees who oversee social security say its funds will run dry in 2033, unless congress acts. >>> jared loughner is expected to plead guilty tomorrow to the 2011 tucson shooting rampage that killed six people and wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords and 12 others. if the judge decides loughner is competent, the pl

asking price $750,000. >>> i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "early today" just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> we are following breaking news. a 17-year-old girl shot and killed in prince george's county. >>> a maryland state lawmakers is recovering this morning after being in a boat accident that also injured four children. >>> and one year ago today, our area was shocked when the ground began to shake. good morning, everyone. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. welcome to "news4 today" for this tuesday, august 23rd, 2012. today marks one year since this region was shaken by a 5.8-magnitude earthquake. here in washington, we're still feeling the effects from the quake. the washington monument sustained serious structural damage. the top of the abalos has several large cracks that need to be repaired, expected to cost close to $15 million. the monument won't reopen to the public until some time in 2014. fema will hold a news conference at the monument at 10:30 this morning to talk about the recovery effo

asking price $750,000. >>> i'm veronica de la cruz.s is "early today" just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> good morning. .e're looking at the radar we have mostly dry conditions over baltimore. a few showers in virginia. is the biggestty concern. ocean city mostly looking for fog this morning. most of this activity should be sitting down to the south. we will talkhe temperatures in ju a few minutes. >> 66 degrees on tv hill. the latest on the train derailment in ellicott city. >> 9 people are hurt in a boating accident. thlatest on that accident. >> we have some closures in [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> looking like a nice day today?

i'm veronica de la cruz. here are some of your top headlines this morning. th fbi and u.s. capitol police are investigating rare threats against missouri congressman todd akin, hisamily andstaff. he sparked controversy by saying that relatively few pregnancies happened from, quote, what he called legitimate rape. >>> republican mitt romney said the energy would make the u.s. free from foreign oil by 2020 and create 3 million jobs. the obama campaign calls it a, quote, backward plan that would reward big oil companies. >>> a nor weej gone court says andres bravick was sane when he murdered people last year. he will spend a minimum of 21 years in prison for his crime called the hain news attack a political statement. >>> nasa has released a high resolution of the landing of the curiosity rover on the planet mars earlier this month. it shows the final moments before the touch down of the spacecraft to record a landing on another planet. >>> and in spain, a century old art fresco of christ was in need of repair. so an amateur art restorer in her 80s took it upon herself to fix

i'm veronica de la cruz. you back to the program. >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. [ bleep ] >> anybody out there, all y'all, anybody that got somebody in their family or friend that's in prison, man, i want to tell you the most important thing y'all have got to do. be there for them. i'm telling you, [ bleep ] get hard, man. gets hard when people don't get no letters, people can't call their family. it gets hard. so all y'all listening [ bleep ], watching, remember your loved ones, man. >> while a lengthy prison sentence can represent a black hole that consumes years of life, some inmates insist the experience motivates them to become better people. >> that's my ultimate goal. i want to be a better man. i have the opportunity where i can be a better criminal, but that's not me. i want to be a better man. a better father. i want to be a better son. i want to be a productive member of society, you know? >> paul bennett had just arrived at the santa rosa correctional institution f

i'm veronica de la cruz.ion orders are under way for about 350 homes in western idaho. thick smoke from the trinity ridge wildfire blanketed the area. residents who choose to stay are being told they could be on their own if the fire approaches. >>> and john lennon's killer is up for parole for the seventh time. mark david chapman could have a parole hearing as early as tuesday. chapman shot and killed the former beat unt former beatle in 1980. i'm veronica de la cruz. now back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. ♪ >> wait a minute. we got a challenge for you guys. >> do the running man. >> do the running man dance. >> krystle o'reilly continues her time at the suffolk county jail in boston. awaiting trial for allegedly robbing two banks. but her life in jail has taken a major turn. her cell mate and good friend, melanie reddy recently had her prostitution charge dismissed and has returned to the streets. >> the neighborhood that i'm from, the armpit of massachusetts,

i'm veronica de la cruz. the newly minted romney/ryan ticket will continue a tour of battleground states today. the team will start things off in north carolina before making a stop in wisconsin, home state of vice presidential candidate representative paul ryan. >>> president obama is in chicago with several fund-raisered planned. the obama campaign is blasting the romney/ryan team saying they'll help the wealthy at the expense of the poor and middle class. i'm veronica de la cruz. now back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >> there's certain ways that you conduct yourself in here, too, you know what i'm saying? >> somebody wants to talk to him. you know what i'm saying? i got to sit down. >> i might have to come up like this, or he can just turn inside here and walk this way. >> yes. this is how you do it. you do your back that way. you know what i'm saying? >> ain't nobody gay up in here. >> few things in prison are as key to survival as having a good cell mate. >

i'm veronica de la cruz.ver water and gaining strength as it heads toward florida. it's expected to become a hurricane as it approaches the western coast. the governor has already declared a state of emergency and republicans are delaying the first day of their convention on monday due to the storm. >>> america is mourning the loss of a national hero. neil armstrong, first man to step foot on the moon has died at the age of 22. i'm veronica de la cruz. now back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >> i don't know what else you want. this is it. this is life. okay? you know, you've got your cell, you've got this, and the yard. that's all there is. there's nothing else. come out, go to a table, play chess, get on the phone, get a drink of water, and that's it. prison consists of nothing else. inside the cell, a couple hours, maybe in the day room, a couple hours maybe in the yard. and that's it, day after day after day after day after day after day after day. it's the sam

. >>> i'm veronica de la cruz, and here's what's happening. was campaigning in new hampshire saturday, his third trip to the state this year. he criticized his opponent over taxes and medicare. mitt romney and paul ryan will be in new hampshire monday. >>> officials in dallas county, texas, say they will continue spraying for west nile virus today after it's been interrupted several times so far by storms. ten people were killed more than 200 sickened by the virus. i'm veronica de la cruz, now back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> doing time in boston's suffolk county jail is a world away from the colleges or ivy league university located just miles away. but once a week those two worlds intersect when students from harvard university and boston college come to the jail to help inmates earn their geds. >> for them to come in and do it for us as little convicts, i should say, that's a good thing. looking out for us. showing us, you know, there is a world out there. there is help out there. people

i'm veronica de la cruz in the msnbc newsroom. stay tuned. back it to my buddy's house and said, i did something bad. the next day i went to school, trying to make everything normal again. but in reality, it wasn't normal. i took somebody's life. somebody's son, somebody's brother. you know, and thinking back on it, it's sad because that didn't have to happen. that diplomdn't have to happen all, but it did. now i've got to deal with it. in the process of this, i want to try to help somebody else, like a guy that might have three years, make sure he don't come back as a murderer. that's my new life now. >> yeah! woo! >> but, no matter what's at stake in the game, the all-too-familiar sound of an alarm reminds the inmates of whose yard this is. >> why is everybody down? >> there's an alarm so that's just -- everybody in the institution, every time you hear an alarm, everybody gets down, all inmates. sometimes there might be a fight, there might be somebody who is hurt. so they have to press the alarm, make sure c.o.s know what's going on. most

i'm veronica de la cruz.president obama says many americans are finding work. he said the private sector's new 144,000 jobs were added but many americans are still out there looking. >>> meanwhile, mitt romney painted a far different picture calling the uptick in the unemployment rate a hammer to the middle class. >>> tropical storm ernesto is on its way to the caribbean sea where it is suspected to be a hurricane by monday. i'm veronica de la cruz. now back to programming. >>> over the last decade, many states around the country have spent more money building jails and prisons than colleges. in the l.a. county jail system, the average stay for an inmate is 45 days, but some can be locked up for more than two years. finding room for the prisoners is a constant challenge. it requires not only the building of new jails but also keeping the old ones running. east facility is the oldest operating jail in los angeles. otherwise known as "old max," it was built in 1951 to handle overcrowding. the 15 dormitories ins

. >>> hey, there, veronica de la cruz. here's what's happening.ropical storm isaac is getting stronger. the storm is headed northwest towards the gulf coast. >>> miss and louisiana are under a state of emergency. the storm is expected to make landfall late tuesday or early wednesday. >>> the republican national convention in tampa is pushed back a day to tuesday so the storm can pass. and now, back to "lockup." >>> while the b-line families celebrate the holidays, for many of the inmates, it can be a lonely time. >> christmas is a hard time in prison. it is. these people, they're human too. they're inmates, but they're humans. we have to be a little more diligent about watching out for mental health issues and that kind of thing around christmastime, because they do -- it's depressing. >> i really like christmas, but if i stop long enough and i think about it, i'll get teary-eyed. but it will pass. january 1st, it will be all over with. >> there is no place in angola where the spirit of christmas is stronger than at the toy shop. the toys are dist

i'm veronica de la cruz. >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >> did the deputiesy anything about the game this weekend? >>> it's the hawks. >> who they losing to? philly again? >> yeah. >> i spend my days in jail sleeping when i first got in here. then i got more active. i knew it could break you or help you. >> esteban merchan is awaiting trial on murder charges and has been in the jail in tampa, florida for a year. but his stay hasn't been without some benefits. >> i started reading anywhere between two to four books a week. now i'm reading anywhere between three to five books a week. i write letters. i draw. >> i do push-ups, a thousand every day. exercise to keep my mind and my body occupied. >> line up on this side, please. >> with the same routine one day of the week can feel like any other. but mondays brings something to look forward to. it's delivery day for jail canteen. >> i get canteen. to be honest, the food here is not that bad. it's just the quantity. the quantity is too little. i'm a growing man. on the industries i'm used to eating bundles. >> can

i'm veronica de la cruz.e the real thing on the streets. that's what they use. you can't get whatever they are selling on the streets. ky jelly. that's what that is. >> i used my butter to make an impression they called -- >> taylor was referring to the defiled letters he sends to prison officials. >> a typical letter to me will be about a five-page controlled let with the second and third pages completely coated with semen and an imprint of his penis on the third page. i just answered whatever questions he asked and send it back. >> taylor wanted to get a reaction from any of his enemies who might one day see this interview. >> i got killing to do. you don't get that. i got a big mouth and back it up with my tv personality. i have people who have to fertilize bushes and come up short. six feet short. if they ever run a pony, i have people chasing me. it's going to be like that for a little while. they would rather get aids. you catch ebolla rather than get next to me. >> you see you when you -- >> he stirred

i'm veronica de la cruz. here's what's happening. the economy added 260,000 jobs in july. the unemployment rate ticked up to 8.3%. president obama said the numbers show americans are finding work but far too many are still out there looking. >>> meanwhile, mitt romney called the higher unemployment rate a hammer blow to the middle class. he has said his economic plan would create 12 million jobs in four years. house republicans are planning to file a civil case against attorney general eric holder, an effort to force holder to release documents related to the fast and furious. >>> a new strain of the swine flu is spreading from pigs to human. state and county fairgoers are being warned. cases have been reported in the last few weeks. >>> late sunday, nasa's mars rover will arrive on the red planet and hopefully land safely. scientists discovered a dust storm near the landing site but it's not expected to pose a threat. now back to "lockup." >>> for more than 200 inmates at the anamosa state penitentiary in iowa, there's one thing for certain -- decades from now they will b

. >> i'm veronica de la cruz and here's what's happening. president obama cite sized his opponents over daxs and medicare. president obama and paul ryan will be visiting new hampshire on monday. they will resume spraying for west nile virus on sunday. so far ten people were killed. more than 200 secondened by by the virus. now back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter viewer discretion is advised. >>> at boston suffolk county jail, some inmates are better known to staff than others, mainly due to their many stays here. >> boston baby, beantown. bean town! >> sal guiliano, who is finishing up a year-long sentence for a probation violation, is here for the 12th time. it's a chance to catch up with buddies from his neighborhood. >> east boston baby, east boston. waitress. 2128, stay golden. [ bleep ] [ bleep ] how i grew up, just loyalty was a big thing. friendship was a big thing. don't find too many people who understand them words, friendship. friendship to me is, you know, i do for others, those that are my friends i would do befor

i'm veronica de la cruz and here's what's happening. evacuated earlier due to a bomb threat.o devices were found. >>> more than half of all u.s. counties are classified as disaster areas because of the drought. corn and soybean crops have been severely effected. >>> and stocks left unchanged. the dow fell 32 closing below 13,000. and the nasdaq lower by 19. now back to "hardball." >>> welcome back to "hardball." chicken sandwiches and waffle fries might seem like an unlikely set of controversy. but the ceo said he was guilty as charged when it came to supporting a traditional family. dan kathy told the baptist press quote, we are very much supportive of the family, the biblical definition of the family unit. we're a family-owned business, a family-led business and are married to our first wives. we give god thanks for that. we know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the lord we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles. supporters of gay rights have called for bans, boycotts, and protests where conservatives like mik

i'm veronica de la cruz. here's what's happening. the romney bus is making a stop. he announced ryan as his vice president pick on saturday. >>> thousands of labor union workers rallied on saturday to draw attention to the working class organizers calling for politicians on both sides to address problems like adequate health care and retirement benefits. that is the news, and now back to "lockup." >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> the vast majority of prisons we visited over the years have been male institutions. but when we've taken our cameras inside women's prisons, we've met inmates living by a very different convict code. >> the biggest difference between male and female inmates and how they get along with each other is basically looked at in two ways. one, male inmates tend to find gangs to get involved with. it's their kind of security blanket and protection. on the other hand, females find it through interpersonal relationships. there is much more drama. there's much more bonding in the sense of, you know, establishing kind

i'm veronica de la cruz and here's what's happening. six people were killed sunday at a sikh temple outside of milwaukee. three others were injured, including the first police officer to arrive on the scene. the gunman was shot and killed by police. >>> and this is the first image beamed back by nasa's "curiosity" rover, which landed on mars earlier this morning. the $2.5 billion nuclear-powered rover will search for the building blocks of life. more news at the top of the hour, but first, back to our program. >>> it's just minutes before sunset in downtown oakland and officer jim saleda is on the prowl. >> there you go. here's a young girl, too. hey, i got this one girl coming southbound on 17. she's already flagged me, and she's going to walk up to my car. >> all right, go ahead and ask her and we'll have someone come in and make an arrest. >> his target, young, underage girls, some as young as 12, who have been trafficked and turned out to service everyday johns looking for cheap sex. >> are you dating, young lady? >> but saleda is a

i'm veronica de la cruz. here's what's happening.efighters in oklahoma have gained control of a wildfire believed to be the work of arsonists. the blaze near luther burned dozens of homes. deputies are searching for a suspect witnesses saw tossed a lit newspaper out of a pickup truck. >>> tropical storm ernesto is gaining strength. forecasters believe the storm will skirt jamaica before hitting mexico's yucatan peninsula. now back to "lockup." >>> the penitentiary of new mexico houses the state's only death row. the last lethal injection took place in 2001, and you're about to meet one of the few men waiting execution. he has a reputation as a savage killer and a unique perspective on his crimes. >> my name's robert fry. i am in for four counts of murder, and i'm currently serving three life sentences, and as of now, i'm on death row. should that get overturned, i'll be serving a maximum of 209 years. >> robert fry is a serial killer. behind each of his murder convictions lies a tale of violence and horror. >> i feel that i had evil

i'm veronica de la cruz.o "lockup." >>> miami-dade corrections, the sixth largest jail system in the united states, is like a small overpopulated city, one that never shuts down. the task of officially running these facilities can be daunting, meals, medications, rec time, visitations. it's a never ending trouble to properly care for a population of thousands. with most of their time spent locked behind bars, inmates at miami-dade corrections welcome the three hours a week they're allowed outside for exercise. >> we come out to the yard, try to do some stretching. that way we don't have to worry about the officers with us when we're in there and everything. this is one of our privileges right here. basically everybody looks forward to coming to the yard. >> we come out here for a stretch then run, run a little bit, do a little jumping jacks, do a little pushups, you know, do a little shadow boxing. try to get the lungs open. very important because we need that fresh air, you know what i'm saying, to open up o

. >>> hey, there, i'm veronica de la cruz. here's what's happening.emperatures were searing in oklahoma where a series of wildfires were burning. it was a record-breaking 113 degrees yesterday. >>> more than 100 u.n. members voted to condemn the syrian government for the escalation of prices there but russia, one of syria's closest allies called the measure harmful. >>> and authorities say a blown tire caused the deadly crash of a double-decker bus in southern illinois. and now back to "hardball." >>> welcome back to "hardball." swing states are being hammered with political ads this summer. if you look at the past month, the pro-romney forces and the campaign and the super pacs are outspending the obama people. the koch groups, america for prosperity plans an ad buy to begin next week. should the obama campaign be worried? it seems despite all those republican dollars spent, romney isn't inching up in the polls. let's bring in our strategists who are ad makers. the ad men i must call them. democrat steve mcmahon and republican todd harris. gentlemen,

. >>> i'm veronica de la cruz. here's what's happening.re learning more about the shooter involved in the sikh temple in wisconsin. the suspect was shot and killed by a police officer. >>> these are the first images back from the rover which successfully touched down in a mars crater just hours ago. now back to our program. >>> msnbc wanted to get a firsthand look at the houston cantinas that law enforcement described as modern day prisons for hundreds of young women. fbi agents warned that while the cantinas looked like regular restaurants or nightclubs, traffickers guard their profit-making houses carefully and not just anyone is allowed access. as the day turned into night, we found a bustling empire with parking attendants who directed traffic and helped organize the arrangement of vehicles. there were even taco stands outside, serving midnight snacks to cantina customers. we caught occasional glimpses of prostituted women outside the club. with multiple security cameras, all of the cantinas we saw were well guarded with gun-toting sec

. >>> hey, i'm veronica de la cruz. the man accused of shooting gabby giffords plans to plead guilty. he will be shown to be mentally competent and could face life in prison. >>> firefighters in oklahoma face a wildfire believed to be the work of an arsonist. and now back to "lockup." >>> the penitentiary of new mexico houses the state's only death row. the last lethal injection took place in 2001, and you're about to meet one of the few men waiting execution. he has a reputation as a savage killer and a unique perspective on his crimes. >> my name's robert fry. i am in for four counts of murder, and i'm currently serving three life sentences, and as of now, i'm on death row. should that get overturned, i'll be serving a maximum of 209 years. >> robert fry is a serial killer. behind each of his murder convictions lies a tale of violence and horror. >> i feel that i had evil within. not that i myself was evil, but that i allowed myself to be drawn towards evil things. >> while robbing a store, fry stabbed his first two v

. >>> i'm veronica de la cruz, now back to our program. >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretions advised. >> my grandma actually called me jumpy when i was a baby. i used to jump in the johnnie jumpups, and it stuck with me my whole life. and i've got some other nicknames. do you want to know them? some people call me b, just a regular b, because like a bee, a swarm of bees. some friends know me as snaps because i click. when i see somebody from far away, they'll know it's me from far away because i do my little click sound. >> corcoran security housing unit, or cshu, is the largest in the state of california. and holds the worst of the worst inmates. robert glen is no exception. though ironically, his prison history all began with one nonviolent crime. >> i came to prison for grand theft auto, i got sentenced to three years. >> but instead of simply doing his time and going home, robert has assaulted more than a dozen inmates, lengthening his original sentence. >> because of all of them assaults, my points again rose to a level four inmate. and the classification committee deci

i'm veronica de la cruz. >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> indiana'senile correctional facility is the end of the line in the juvenile system for kids who have committed serious offenses. >> stop! >> [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> i told you to stop, didn't i? >> [ bleep ]. >> don't fight. don't fight. don't fight. >> oh, oh. >> relax. relax. >> relax, we'll relax. >> [ bleep ]. [ bleep ]. >> extreme anger issues haunt most juvenile offenders who wind up at this maximum security facility. >> we are going to pick you up and you're going to get on your feet. you understand me? >> are you going to walk or are we going to carry you? which one? are you going to walk or are we going to carry you? huh? answer me. >> you gonna walk or we gonna carry you? >> i'm gonna walk, man! >> okay. calm down. calm down. >> once he does calm down, we can stand there and read him the oc administrative warning, then we'll continue with the decontamination. as long as he is combative like that, that is on him. we will decontaminate him as soon as he becomes noncombative. >> [ bleep

. >>> hey there i'm veronica de la cruz. >>> evacuation orders are under way for 350 homes in westernoke from the trinity ridge wildfire has blanketed the area. residents who choose to stay are told they could be on their own if the fire approaches. >>> in dallas where a west nile outbreak is under way, officials will continue spraying insect side from mosquitoes to the west nile virus is now in 43 states and killed over two dozen people this year. >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> doing time in boston's suffolk county jail is a world away from the colleges or ivy league university located just miles away. but once a week, those two worlds intersect when students from harvard university and boston college come to the jail to help inmates earn their geds. >> for them to come in and do it for us, us little convicts, i should say, that's a good thing. looking out for us. showing us, you know what i'm saying, there is a world out there. there is help out there. people want to help you. >> girard cohen has been teamed with alexander, a harvard sophomore. >

i'm veronica de la cruz.to our program. >>> due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. >>> while many prisoners at wabash have committed horrendous acts, both to others and to themselves, you're about to meet two men whose shocking crimes are simply beyond our description. we warn you again, what you're about to hear is extremely graphic. >> i believe that people coming into our system, i think, our are bringing their illness with them. i think that a lot of times they have no structure out in society to make sure they're taking medications and getting treatment. >> within the residential treatment unit at wabash valley are some of the most violent and disturbed inmates at the facility. once again, with the permission from the prison and mental health staff, as well as the inmates, our cameras return to the rtu where the prisoners tell us their chilling stories. >> my name is howard franklin street jr. i'm 38 years old. i have been down since 1993 for shooting my mom. i started having delusio

i'm veronica de la cruz. here's what's happening. the cdc warned a new strain of swine flu is spreading. many cases mostly in children. so far cases appear to have spread through direct contact with pigs and not person to person. >>> after weeks of speculation, attorneys for james holmes disclosed in court the gunman is mentally ill. >>> and the dow broke a four-day winning streak today shedding ten points. the nasdaq up seven. now back to "hardball." >>> what am i supposed to do? you changed your number. i'm not going to be ignored, dan. >> i'm not going to be ignored. what guy can forget that? that scene from "fatal attraction" should carry a message for mitt romney about his party. they will not be ignored. they want paul ryan to be his v.p. today two heavyweights joined in the wall street journal. there they are. the editorial page asked why not paul ryan? and politico today, the editor of national review councils romney, don't fear ryan. but should romney fear the right? bob acosta. welcome back. i want to start with you then yo

let's get started at capella.edu >>> i'm veronica de la cruz. here's what's happening.will be a convention next week as tropical storm isaac inches closer. some changes may be made to the speaker schedule. >>> court papers show alleged gunman james holmes told a classmate he wanted to kill people months before the aurora, colorado attack, saying he would do it when his life was over. >>> and samsung was ordered to pay apple $1 billion after a jury ruled its galaxy smartphone ripped off iphone technology. now, back to our program. ♪ >>> mitt romney came to politics fairly late in life after graduating from harvard with a combined law and mba degree in 1975, mitt romney decides not to practice law, the usual profession for politicians but instead, becomes a business management consultant, first at the boston consulting group. that's where he makes the acquaintance of benjamin netanyahu who goes on to become prime minister of israel. in 1977, he takes a position at another consulting firm, bain & company. after a few years, the company's ceo and founder, bill bain, asks ro