>> completely vetted. this is a coordinated approach. there's no way with that the secretary of state husband's, former president of the united states, would be taking a mission like this without president obama's express approval. it does remind me, there is a parallel to what jimmy carter did back in 1994. bill clinton was president and jimmy carter went to pyongyang to try to negotiate a nuclear agreement and there was deep resentment at the white house. it was not well coordinated. in fact, carter came out and briefed the press in pyongyang and went on television before he even called the white house. a very awkward moment and it led to a lot of increased tensions between the democratic president, bill clinton, and the former democratic president, jimmy carter. this is a completely different situation. this is coordinated, obviously, with hillary clinton, with president obama, with the national security council. i think you will find, when you talk to david axaxelrod, that nobody is going to talk about the substance of these talks, but there is no daylight at all between the former president and the current president on this. and the fact that bill clinton went is a real sign of -- it's interesting that the north koreans would welcome him, because he was close to normalizing relations. when i was with albright in 2000, a month before the end of their presidency, and clinton wanted to go and normalize relations, but the you recall, there was the dispute over the election. the supreme court case, bush versus gore, so we had political instability in the united states, potentially, and the promise of peace talks at camp david with yassar arafat and israel and clinton very reluctantly forewent -- did not go to north korea and regretted it a great deal afterwards. >> well, andrea, before we let you go, i have to ask you about the other clinton, hillary clinton in africa today. tell us about this visit, what she's trying to accomplish. >> this is her longest visit, her most ambitious visit. she's going to seven countries. she's taking on some tough issues. here in kenya, the most crushing issue is poverty, age, food problems, trade, a corrupt government, political instability. it hasn't been that long since 1,500 people died in ethnic rivalry and wars and battles after disputed election. so there were a lot of problems here in kenya. then she goes to south africa. while here, she will deal with the subject of terrorism and place a wreath at the embassy, which as you recall, 11 years ago, was bombed on this anniversary. so there is a threat, an increasing threat of al qaeda in the horn of africa, and that is something certainly on the minds of people traveling with her. >> well, plenty of issues to grapple with. andrea mitchell, traveling with secretary of state clinton in africa. we will see you from africa tomorrow. thank you so much for your perspective this afternoon. >> thank you, savannah. and for more on bill clinton's mission in north korea, let's go to ron brownstein, political director for atlantic media. ron, let's pick up where andrea left off. she, reading the tea leaves, and i saw you nodding, saying it really appears there's more on the table here between former president clinton and the north koreans than just the release of these journalists. do you agree with that? >> well, i think the focus is the journalists, and i think andrea's point is the most important one. it is unlikely that you would invite an envoy as prominent as the former president of the united states if you were planning on sending him home empty handed. so this should be very good news for the women -- >> for the journalists. >> for the journalists. how far beyond that this could move, i'm not sure. the fact that the nuclear negotiator was one of those greeting him at the airport is certainly a sign. pyongyang is certainly impenetrable for those of us on the outside. but the difference between this and jimmy carter when jimmy carter went in 1994, the white house was at best ambivalent, if not unhappy about it. bill clinton has to be a good soldier with his wife in the cabinet and this is a very different animal in terms of his trip this morning. >> it was interesting, this morning, when bill gibbs was briefing us this morning at the white house he said, you can ask away, but we're not in a position to talk about this. he did answer one. someone asked about a report coming out of south korea that clinton carried a message from president obama to kim jong-il. he said, that is not true. so i don't know what you make of that. maybe it's north korea that's hoping to expand the dialogue. >> well, look, i think the president certainly wants to have a broader dialogue. you know, and he's been, i think, frustrated by the north korean actions, like the iranian actions. go back to the campaign, one of the great disputes on foreign policy, both in the primary and in the general election was his determination to talk to these rogue nations. the rogue nations hasn't made it very easy for him to pursue that agenda. and this may be an opening to begin. it is hard to imagine that if diplomacy works in a series of confidence building measures, traditionally. and if it only stays the conversation on the release of these women, if that is achieved, that is by definition, a building block to go forward. >> and some good intelligence. we haven't had a u.s. official meeting with kim jong-il in many, many years. so an opportunity to size him up. >> absolutely. let's move on to health care. the president is meeting, as we speak, having lunch with some of his friends over in the senate. the senate democrats have come over. how's he doing? do you think this is the kind of lunch where you would expect the president to say, get on board, get behind my agenda, or is this a fence mending? >> part of the problem is that they are operating -- the inside and the outside game at this point are somewhat in conflict for the administration. to try to keep the process moving forward in both chambers, which is very difficult, it really is like grinding through mud. they are trying to give the democrats in both chambers maximum flexibility to develop a plan, to have differences between the plan, to do whatever it takes to keep the ball rolling forward, to get to the conference. but the cost of that savannah, the cost of allowing that flexibility is they don't have a single message they can take to the public in the outside game and say, look, here the is the plan i was for. that's certainly a debilitating factor at the press conference. i guess today is much more of a, keep this moving. having said that, there's growing democratic frustration about the way max baucus, the chair of the senate finance committee, has been handling this. he's been negotiating with republicans since june 17th. he's talked about a deadline of september 15th for that. it's fudging a little bit now. i think the urgency will be felt. the democrats are meeting again tomorrow among themselves. i think there's a desire for democrats to see this move forward with or woithout an agreement with the republicans and the leash may be getting shorter for chairman baucus. >> ron brownstein, got to cut it there. here are some other top headlines we're following today. three americans detained in iran could be charged with spying. iranian officials are looking into whether there's enough evidence to bring legal action against the trio which strayed across the border from iraq. in afghanistan, rocket attacks hit a number of neighborhoods in kabul, including one near the american embassy there. the taliban has claimed responsibility. and in thailand, the chief pilot of an airplane that skidded off the runway and crashed into an air traffic control tower has died. at least seven others were taken to the hospital after the bangkok airways plane attempted to land in stormy weather. with former president clinton meeting face to face today with north korea's kim jong-il, could this be a first step towards a new relationship with the communist nation? plus, the great tax debate. why is the white house keeping a little bit of trouble keeping the message straight there on middle class taxes? we'll ask senior adviser to president obama, david axelrod, next. cheez-it bakes... so much real cheese in such small bites? ♪ baking complete! well, now you know. cheez-it. the big cheese. the $100 cream. flabbergasted when we creamed the $700 cream! for under $30 regenerist micro-sculpting cream hydrates better than 32 of the world's most expensive creams. fantastic. phenomenal. regenerist. finally, good news for people with type 2 diabetes or at risk for diabetes. introducing new nutrisystem d, the clinically tested program for losing weight and reducing blood sugar. hi i'm mike, and i lost 100 pounds on nutrisystem d when i was first diagnosed with diabetes, that first step was more like a giant leap. till i discovered nutrisystem d. in a clinical study people on nutrisystem d lost 16 times more weight and reduced their blood sugar 5 times more than those on a hospital-directed plan. plus a1c was reduced .9%. choose from over 140enu options, there is no counting carbs, calories or points. i lost 100 lbs. and lowered my blood sugar level. nutrisystem d changed my life. mike is one of many who have lost weight and controlled their diabetes with new nutrisystem d. backed by 35 years of research and low glycemic index science nutrisystem d works. satisfaction guaranteed or your money back! new! nutrisystem d. om. taxes, health care, the economy. how does president obama plan to achieve it all in the midst of a recession? let's bring in susan page, "usa today's" washington bureau chief. susan, good afternoon to you. >> savannah, it's great to be with you. >> i want to first, before we get to some of the domestic issues, just ask you very quickly about former president bill clinton's trip to north korea. does this strike you as a good idea? >> well, i think it looks clear that the time was right, get these two journalists out of there, and bill clinton looked like the right envoy to be able to deliver that. and the administration has been trying to figure out how to deal with north korea. i think this very high level visit coordinated closely with the white house is the opportunity for a little bit of a restart when it comes to relations with north korea. >> let's talk about some domestic issues. obviously, with august is upon us. the senate is in the waning days of its session, and that really sets up the mother of all battles for health care reform over the august recess. i think we saw a little preview of it, where the white house this morning actually released video in direct response to something that had been on the drudge report, a website that a lot of people look at. do you see the white house getting into campaign mode here on this health care issue? >> yes, absolutely. and a little bit of a risk for them. it elevates the drudge report to have someone like linda douglass, a white house official out there responding to someone that was posted on drudge. but i think they feel that this debate is getting away from them. that consensus for health care reform that we saw during the campaign last year has frayed. the president's deadline for congress is not being met. the idea that the house and senate would pass bills before they left on their august recess. they really need to use this time to -- and it's not so easy in august. you and i are working in august. but for a lot of americans, august is a time to be with your families, to be on vacation. it's hard to engage the broad group of americans who see august as a time not to be debating the details of health care policy, to engage them and get them back on board before congress comes back in september. >> so how do they do that? i think even within the white house, they acknowledge that august isn't the best time to get the attention of the american people. and yet it's the very moment that they need to do that. >> well, they, i think we are seeing them trying to push back on some of the things that are scaring americans, like the idea that older americans would have to have counseling on end of life care. that's a, basically, a twisted version of something that is a provision in the bill, that would allow medicare to pay doctors to have those kind of sessions, if a senior wanted to have that conversation. i think they feel the need to push back on some of those tactics. and the fact is, their best salesman is barack obama, even though we've seen some erosion in his approval ratings, he is the person who is best trusted by americans to make the case that this is a change that is worth having. so not maybe the total august vacation he had hoped for either. >> it's interesting. i also hear more talk in recent days from the administration about the economy. they are walking a line here, because day do want to take credit for some of the improvements, but they recognize for ordinary americans who may have lost their jobs or afraid they will lose their jobs that things don't feel that much better to them. but do you think that if they could get some credibility on the economy, they could leverage that into getting some credibility on health care and getting the american people to think, we can handle this too? >> gee, absolutely. i think the idea that the stimulus wasn't working, the money wasn't going out, it was being wasted, that was very damaging to the effort on health care. because it went to the point of, cuff confidence in the obama administration to deliver on these big, complicated issue. the fact that the economy seems to be bottoming out, that we expect the economy to grow again if the third quarter or certainly by the fourth quarter, even though unemployment will remain high, and that the stimulus spending gets some credit for the fact that the economy's coming back, that all helps build the case that the obama administration has done a credible job in dealing with the economy. maybe we can trust them to deal with health care, another one, another enormous issue that means a lot to americans in their daily lives, savannah. >> all right. susan page from the "usa today," thank you so much. >> thank you. well, coming up, who is winning the message war on health care? we'll ask white house senior adviser david axelrod if he will join us next, live on "andrea mitchell reports." we're out here looking at bones just because they're inside you doesn't mean they're protected. oh, ladies. let's say you have osteoporosis. i do. you could be losing bone strength. can i get it back? (announcer) ask your doctor how to help treat osteoporosis with once-a-month actonel. actonel is clinically proven to help increase bone rength to help prevent fractures. so you can get back some of what you lost. do not take actoneif you have low blood calcium, severe kidney disease, or cannot sit or stand for 30 minutes. follow all dosing instructions. stop taking actonel and tell your doctor if you experience difficult or painful swallowing, chest pain or severe or continuing heartburn. these may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. promptly tell your doctor if you develop severe bone, joint or muscle pain, or if you develop dental problems, as serious jawbone problems have been reported rarely. the more you know about osteoporosis, the more you'll want to ask your doctor if once-a-month actonel is right for you. (announcer) if you can't afford your medication, visit actonel.com to find out how the alliance for better bone health may be able to help. the white house says former president bill clinton is not carrying any sort of political message from president obama to north korea's dictator kim jong-il, but the oval office reportedly did sign off on the trip, reportedly at the request of the laura ling and una lee family members. david axelrod is a senior adviser to president obama and joins us live from the white house north lawn. david, thanks for being with us this afternoon. >> good to be with you, savannah. >> david, i know the white house is really not commenting on this issue about north korea, but i've got to try to take a crack at you here. did the white house know in advance that this mission was happening, and does president clinton have any authority to speak for the administration? >> this is a, it's a private humanitarian mission on the part of president clinton, savannah. beyond that, i'm not going to comment, because our only interest here is to see to it that these two young women come home safely. and we want the president to have the maximum flexibility to get that job done. >> david, sort of setting aside the issue of the journalist, i wonder if i can ask you if there's any hope within the administration that this kind of meeting might lay the groundwork, might bear some fruit beyond the journalist's plight. >> again, i think that what's happening in north korea is a private humanitarian mission. i don't think it's related to other issues and our hope is that president clinton can obtain the release of these women and come home. >> let's move to domestic policy and the issue of taxes. as you know, white house press secretary robert gibbs really tried to make it clear to some of us in the briefing room yesterday where the president stands on middle class taxes. let's take a listen. >> the president's clear commitment. he's clear about that commitment. i'm reiterating the president's clear commitment in the clearest terms possible. i want to just state again, clearly, here, that the president has made a very clear commitment to not raise taxes on middle class families, period. >> so, david, we're all clear on that. but i have to say, gibbs was responding to a couple of statements from larry summers and timothy geithner over the weekend, in which they also made clear that the president doesn't want to raise taxes on the middle class, but says over the long-term, to really deal with deficits, anything is possible. you can't really rule anything out. is that not a sensible way to look at the issue? >> well, first of all, that sound like doctored tape to me, i don't know. i think the president has made clear, he made clear throughout the campaign and since as president that the middle class has born the brunt of this bad economy. not just during this recession, but even before the recession, they weren't doing well. the last thing he wants to do is to add to their burden. one of the first things he did was give a tax cut to 95% of americans who were struggling in this economy. so what he wants to do is strengthen the middle class, strengthen our economy, and that's where his efforts, that's where his efforts lie. >> but doesn't geithner have a point in saying that over the long-term, if you really do want to get serious about deficits, so i think everyone agrees that raising taxes on the middle class in the middle of a recession would be terrible policy, but it seems like the treasury skraecretary was looki down the road, saying, there's going to come a time where everyone is going to have to share that burden. is it good policy for the president to foreclose that as an option? >> savannah, we do have to do something about the deficits and the first thing we have to do is get this economy back on its feet, because the greatest antidote to both our fiscal and our economic problems is to get that economy moving again, to get people working, to get positive growth, and that's where we're focused right now. and i think properly so. we are going to deal with those issues down the road, but we want to do it from a position of strength, and that will give us the greatest leverage. >> let's talk about health care reform. i mean, obviously, you know president obama very well. most people consider one of his great strengths his ability to communicate with the american people. why has he not been able to find a message that resonates with americans, as to why health care reform is necessary? >> well, i think that he has -- i think he has found a message that resonates with people. the question is whether we've reached everyone with that message. the bottom line is that what he is promoting is health insurance reform that will help the hundreds of millions of americans who have insurance, as well as those who don't. this system works very well now for the insurance industry, but not always so well for the american people. and i think the president has communicated that, will communicate that. but here's the reality of it. for the last six weeks or so, the focus has been on the legislative process, the rang g wrangling over the most difficult details and so on, and it has obscured the benefits that will occur for every american in achieving health care reform. now in the month of august and going into september, we're going to be communicating that very, very strongly to people. i believe that people understand that this inexorable climb in costs, the sort of mercurial policies of the insurance industry as it affects people who have insurance, just isn't good for the country. it's not a sustainable thing. so we have to address this. i think the american people are expecting us to address it. and i think it will be addressed, come this fall. >> and we see you doing something pretty aggressive this morning in responding to some information that was on the drudge report, a link to a video that you guys feel misrepresented what the president feels about health care reform. and you issued your own video. is this a strategy we would expect to see in the future? >> well, look, health care reform, health insurance reform is an issue that lends itself to fearmongering, lends itself to distortion and lends itself to misinformation. and where we see it, we're going to respond to it aggressively. the american people need to know the facts and we're going to make sure they have the facts and we're not going to sit back and allow anyone to distort those facts or take tape and edit it out of context to give the wrong impression about what this is about. this is about providing stability and security to all americans in their health care system, to help them preserve what they have, but deal with the problems that are plaguing them within the system. and it has to get done, but it won't get done if we're passive in the face of a misinformation campaign. >> and before i let you go, david, i have to ask you about a memo that you wrote a few years ago before the president was president, about the campaign. it was published this morning in "the washington post" and i'll read you a little bit of it. you wrote to the president, "you care far too much what is written and said about you. you don't relish combat when it becomes personal and nasty. when the largely irrelevant alan keyes attacked you, you flinched." i guess i'm wondering, do you still believe that about the president? do you think he still cares what is written and said about him, or do you think he's over that? >> of course, that was written before the presidential campaign, and presidential campaigns are great proving grounds for candidates. i think it was a revelation to see him deal with the attacks and vagaries of a presidential campaign and handle it with such strength and such grace. i learned a lot him, perhaps he learned a lot about himself at the end of this campaign, but at the end of that campaign, my questions were answered. >> david axelrod, real quickly, i know it's the president's birthday. do you have any information about how he might be celebrating it today? >> right now he's celebrating it at a luncheon with the senate democrats, which sang "happy birthday" to him. that's one thing he'll be doing. >> david axelrod, thank you so much for your time this afternoon. we really appreciate it. >> good to be here, savannah. remember when barack obama was campaigning and everyone said he wasn't a very good bowler. he bowled a 37, i think, in seven frames. during yesterday's white house briefing, press secretary robert gibbs revealed his boss as a better handle on the game. this weekend he celebrated his birthday at camp david and did a bit better. >> the president spent a little time with some friends over the weekend at camp david, playing basketball and having dinner and bowling and having some fun with -- >> what did he bowl? >> i watched this -- 144. no, no, no. >> who was keeping score? >> the machine was keeping score. >> how many frames? >> is that a hypothetical? >> some skepticism there. gibbs said he told the president, if you'd done this well in pennsylvania, my life would have been a little easier, last spring. so many arthritis pain relievers -- i just want fewer pills and relief that lasts all day. take 2 extra strength tylenol every 4 to 6 hours?!? taking 8 pills a day... and if i take it for 10 days -- that's 80 pills. just 2 aleve can last all day. perfect. choose aleve and you can be taking four times... fewer pills than extra strength tylenol. just 2 aleve have the strength to relieve arthritis pain all day. live pictures right now of the white house briefing room where we're expecting press secretary robert gibbs to step up to the podium any minute now. chuck todd joins me now. chuck, i know that robert gibbs is going to be asked a lot of questions on north korea and won't be able to answer them. the white house is being really careful here out of concern for the safety of the journalists, but is there any question that this mission was thoroughly vetted by the white house and that they have the tacit approval of the white house? >> reporter: there's no doubt, especially when you have, don't forget, this isn't just an ex-president, and we know that when he was president, bill clinton was none too pleased when jimmy carter made his way north korea. this is a lot different, because he's not just any old ex-president, he happens to be the husband of the secretary of state. so i think because of that, there's no doubt that all the traps were run here. the question is, what else is going to come out of this, besides, we know north korea has a pattern of were they're a bit star crossed, right. they want to get the highest available u.s. official there to hand over their hostages. they've done this, frankly, before. the question is, is there anything else behind the scenes that's going to take place with president clinton on the nuclear issue, for instance? >> absolutely. and that's a question we'll all be wanting to ask. chuck todd, thank you so much. we'll keep in touch with you. president clinton can now count himself among the very few u.s. politicians who have ever set foot on north korean soil. he joins the ranks of president carter, who went to the secretive dictatorship back in 1994. former secretary of state, madeleine albright, who met with kim jong-il in 2000. and governor bill richardson of new mexico, who's been to north korea multiple times, most recently in 2007, and new mexico governor bill richardson joins me now live from santa fe. governor, thank you for being with me this afternoon. >> thank you. >> first of all, sir, let me just ask you, were you approached at all about potentially being an envoy to help these journalists in north korea? >> well, i was consulted. there was some discussion of that, but, obviously, this is a decision not just one party makes. and the north koreans most likely said, we want somebody like president clinton. this has been a goal of theirs for a long time. a president, they're not getting a president, they're getting a former president. they're getting somebody that they like and know, that negotiated with them in 1994 on a nuclear framework agreement. he almost was going to go at the end of his term. so for the north koreans, they get the prestige of a former president coming to their country and this is very good domestic politics for kim jong-il, who's already been photographed with president clinton. >> and a lot of us have been speculating and wondering today whether or not this will go beyond just the plight of the journalists and whether it will be an opportunity for sort of backchannel negotiations on other issues, like the nuclear issues. setting aside the u.s. position on that, which we don't know, do you think that the north koreans will try to expand the dialogue? will try to use this as a way to bring the nuclear issue up, since, let's face it, day really want to have a bilateral negotiation with the u.s.? >> well, they've obviously got the two journalists and used them as a bargaining chip. my prediction is that president clinton will get the two journalists out. and inside discussions, i don't believe there will be any negotiations on nuclear issues. but what might come forth is some kind of process that involves future talks between the united states and north korea. because tensions have been very high. there's been hardly any dialogue. the north koreans have retreated into a shell, because i believe there's a succession issue with kim jong-il, wanting to give power up to one of his sons, so there's some kind of internal turmoil there. but i think what president clinton can do is, he can make the atmospherics of the relationship better. the vibes have been very good on this trip. he was met by a high-level delegation at the airport. they've given him a state dinner. kim jong-il, the president, who hardly ever meets with any foreign visitors has met president clinton. so the vibes are good, at least for the journalists, i think that we will get them out, thankfully. but then it could be that president clinton just says, look, we got to start talking and just the process of face to face bilateral talks instead of the six-party talks, which the north koreans don't want, something like that might happen. so this is good for both sides, this visit. >> and good intelligence opportunity for lack of a better way to put it, right? as you said, very few from the west have met with kim jong-il, and president clinton will be able to come back and debrief the obama white house. >> absolutely. he'll be able to determine whether kim jong-il is engaged, whether he looks good. you know, there's been a lot of talk about his physical status. the power within north korea, does it appear that the military versus the civilian, at least on foreign policy and nuclear issues, have the upper hand. so you can get a lot of signals from a visit like this. >> and do you happen to know, just based on your own experience and your own dealings with the family, any of the backstory here, how this came about? >> well, i have talked to the families. lisa ling and i and other members of the family have been in discussions. i've tried to advise them and help them. they call me, i call them. you know, i think this, most importantly, we should see it as something very good as happened. the release of two american journalists, very serious individuals who i don't believe committed a crime, being able to come home after nearly five months in captivity. some of the longest captivity that the we've ever had, when i've gotten americans out, it's usually not been this long from north korea. so this is what we should celebrate. i know it hasn't happened yet, but i see all the positive movement for the release of the two americans, the fact that they're probably going to be released on amnesty grounds. we've asked for amnesty for them, and i believe on those grounds, kim jong-il will grant them their release to president clinton. >> all right, governor bill richardson of new mexico, who has visited north korea many times, sir, thank you so much for your time today. and let's go to evelyn farkas, an adjunct fellow and a former staffer for the senate armed services committee. evelyn, first of all, i presume you think the signs also are good. i mean, as the governor said, the atmospherics look good. what do you think north korea wants here? >> i think it's pretty clear what north korea wants. they want some kind of ease in the tensions. the sanctions, i think, that are -- >> but they've created some of the tension. >> i know, i know. they've absolutely, they are, i mean, i wont say 100% responsible, because we are responsible in part, but that's intentional. but they created a tremendous amount of tension with their nuclear tests, with the missile tests, and i think they found themselves in a bit of a box, because the resulting response that we've had, which includes the u.n. sanctions, has started to hurt them. in weird, little ways, that if you understand north korea, kind of make sense. they have a system where it's a very elite, structured system. the elites have strong control over what goes on in that country. and apparently, we've seized some yachts, some things of that nature, things that matter to them. >> and i should mention, you've actually traveled there as a staffer, so you've had the experience in country. what do you think the journalists have dealt with over there? what kind of conditions do you think they may have been held in? >> it's hard for me to speculate, because, of course, i went over there on an official trip. you know, i was a congressional staffer working for the senate armed services committee at the time, so they treated me as a u.s. official. in this case, of course, that they are claiming that these women went into north korea without the permission of the government and they put them on trial and sentenced them to 12 years hard labor. so i don't think that i can compare or even speculate about what kind of conditions they've been held under. and from what i've heard earlier this morning in various media sources, their families are concerned about their health. >> and real quickly, is there any danger here that the north will use this for its own propaganda, or is that virtually assured anyway. >> they're going to use it for their own propaganda, and i think that's fine. they have a very strong sense of face. earlier, your chuck todd mentioned starstruck. i don't think it's so much starstruck as, they want to feel that they are getting the respect that they deserve. and if they are going to have kim jong-il or even one of his senior foreign ministry folks meeting a u.s. official after everything that's gone on, i think they feel that in order to have the proper respect shown to them, it should be someone like former president bill clinton. >> all right. evelyn farkas, thank you so much for your time today. well, straight ahead, nbc's jim maceda takes us inside the fight in afghanistan as the military revamps its strategy to face the taliban. it's a report you'll have to see. it's next on "andrea mitchell reports," just here on msnbc. dyk has the fastest serve in the history of professional tennis. so i've come to this court to challenge his speed. ...on the internet. i'll be using the 3g at&t laptopconnect card. he won't. so i can book travel plans faster, check my account balances faster. all on the go. i'm bill kurtis and i'm faster than andy roddick. (announcer) "switch to the nations fastest 3g network" "and get the at&t laptopconnect card for free". a very important phone call i made. when i got my medicare card... i realized i needed... an aarp medicare supplement insurance card too. one simple call... gave me the chance to talk... with a personal health insurance advisor... who answered all my questions... about medicare supplement plans. so i could understand it all... after i called... i was able to choose the plan that was right for me. if you're already on or eligible for medicare... call now to find out how... an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan... insured by united healthcare insurance company... helps you pay some of the 20% of your medical expenses... not covered by medicareart b. that can save you from paying... thousands of dollars out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp... a name you trust. when you call now... we'll send you this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. so you can join the millions of people... who've already trusted us... for their medicare supplement insurance. plus we'll send you this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor and choose my own hospital. and i don't need a referral to see a specialist. call now to get the free information kit. plus we'll include this free medicare guide. and the advantages don't end ere. you can choose from a wide range of plans... that are all competitively priced... so you can find a plan that best fits your needs and budget. there are virtually no claim forms to fill out. and best of all... they're the only medicare supplement plans... endorsed by aarp. when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. call now -- 1-800-232-7773/tty and let us help you choose the right plan. so call now, 1-800-232-7773/tty and find out about... an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. a personal health insurance advisor is waiting for your call in afghanistan, july was the deadliest month for u.s. troops since the war began eight years ago. 43 americans lost their lives in july, and just this weekend, six americans died. nbc's jim maceda spent two weeks embedded with the u.s. marines in helmand province. >> reporter: a cloud of burning sand and you've made it to now zad, or as some people call it, apocalypse now zad. hellish heat and killer wasps. here marines face off with scores of taliban only hundreds of meters away. each side probes and reacts as the other comes too close. the fight has lasted year, the soviets, the british, and previous u.s. marine units all failed to take now zad's strategic river bed, used by the taliban to smuggle fighters, weapons, and drugs. captain zack martin feels the frustration of his mission. he has the firepower, but not enough men to hold any gains. >> for us to clear something out and leave and go clear it out again six months later is just mowing the weeds. >> reporter: martin has nowhere to turn for help. afghan forces fled the fighting and thousands of other marines are too busy fighting further south, securing populated areas. in remote now zad, where some 20,000 once lived, there are no hearts and minds to win. instead, a know man's land, riddled with mines and ieds as primitive of these. >> run into a machine gun net, then you would step on an ied we didn't know was there. >> reporter: every day the marines train hard. >> once sandbags completed, the crab walk. >> reporter: and drink at least three gallons of water, pumping car axles with ammo cans as extra week. at night they move single file with an ied sweeper and watch for infiltrates. it's left many younger marines here feeling uncomfortable. >> we have to kind of play around and hook and jab, here's a fight, let's go to it. >> reporter: captain martin believes the surge will eventually make it to now zad. our mags is ission is to shape battle field at this point for future operations. >> in the meantime, his men get through it. >> another day. >> reporter: defending a ghost town in brutal conditions where their next step could well be their last. >> and yjim maceda joins us now live from london. what is the biggest threat to the marines in this area? >> as that report indicates, savannah, i think the biggest threat for them has got to be the ieds, the improvised explosive devices. three marines from that unit have already died. seven more have been seriously injured, to the point where no marine goes outside the wire. you saw that nighttime shots, without tourniquets, one strapped to each leg, or without two armored ambulances as well, always carrying fresh blood. not plasma, but fresh blood. that gives you an idea what these specific marines are up against. >> it's a powerful image. nbc's jim maceda, thank you so much for your report. what political story will make headlines in the next 24 hours? that's next on msnbc, the place for politics. into an incredibly strong, healthy cat. his coat is incredibly shiny and soft and very thick. everybody thinks he's the most handsome cat they've ever seen. [ woman announcing ] purina one for indoor cats... unlocks the brilliance of nature... with a natural fiber blend that helps minimize hairballs... and maintain a healthy weight. [ laurie ] he's a character. he brings so much laughter into this household. and he's the best-lookin' cat there is. [ announcer ] it's amazing what one can do. my daughter was with me. i took a bayer aspirin out of my purse anchewed it. my doctor said the bayer aspirin saved my life. please talk to your doctor about aspirin and your heart. i'm going to be grandma for a long time. the $100 cream. flabbergasted when we creamed the $700 cream! for under $30 regenerist micro-sculpting cream hydrates betr than 32 of the world's most expensive creams. fantastic. phenomenal. regenerist. let's get right to the white house where senate majority leader harry reid is speaking after his lunchtime meeting with president obama and other senate democrats. >> we have four of the five committees that have greeted their work. everyone recognizes that we are going to do, if there's any way humanly possible a bipartisan bill. we don't want to do a partisan bill. and we hope our republican colleagues acknowledge that. we'll continue to work with them as long as we have to. the american people want health care reform and we're going to do health care reform. in spite of the loud, shrill voices trying to interrupt town hall meetings and just throw a monkey wrench into everything, we're going to continue to be positive and work hard. there was a lot of experience in that room and we had someone who was leading us who we all admire so very, very much. the president didn't get one standing ovation, but several of them. he was really kind of reminded me of the days when i was an athlete and the coach was giving you a pep talk before the game. you came out of that pep talk that the coach gave you ready to take on the world. we're ready to take on the world. senator dodd? >> well, thank you. we thank the president. this is very gracious. we're going to recommend we do this every tuesday here at the white house. the president was enthusiastic about where we are and what we have accomplished. let me echo the leader's words and the president's strong suggestion obviously and that is that we get this job done. as the leader pointed out, four of the fife committees have acted. i have a lot of confidence of the person standing to my left, max walters. with max's leadership leading the health care committee, and we're ready to sit down and nail down legislation to begin work with the house. the process is a dynamic one, it's open. we're welcoming people that want to come to our table and share their ideas whether it be republicans, democrats, doctors, nurses, and others who think they can improve and strengthen our efforts. we welcome that participation. but we're determined to get this job done. we're going to be gone a month. in that month that we're going to be gone, a half a million people will lose their health care insurance. we need to come back with a sense of purpose and do whatever possible to bring that sense of certainty and stability to the american public that they no longer have to worry at night as to whether they have the coverage or the opportunity for care when they get in trouble. i have to go in for surgery in a few days, i have a good health care plan. i have never worried about whether i had a health care plan or whether i would be able to use it. if someone gets sick they ought to be able to get health care in this country. i'm confidence that we democrats and republicans are going to join us to get that job done. max? >> this was an enthusiastic, comforting, warm, reaffirmation, rec recon firm mags that the american people are working together to accomplish it this year. we agreed that it should be bipartisan because that's more sustainable, it's more enduring, it's the right thing to do. the american people want to see us working together. second, we have got to get costs down. >> we have been listening in as senate democrat who is just had lunch with president obama describe their meeti ining sayi they're ready to take on the world. we'll be right back after this. ( conversation ) garth, you're up. hold on, i'm at capitalone.com picking a photo... for my credit card. here's one from my prom. oh, what memories. how 'bout one from our golf outing? ( shouting ) i know, maybe one of my first-born son. dad, mom says the boys gotta go. personalize your card by uploading... your own photo at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? ♪ what's in your wallet? could save 'em hundreds on car just telinsurance.e geico it's actually doing it. gecko vo: businessmen say "hard work equals success." well, you're looking a arguably, the world's most successful businessgecko. gecko vo: first rule of "hard work equals success." gecko vo: that's why geico is consistently rated excellent or better in terms of financial strength. gecko vo: second rule: "don't steal a coworker's egg salad, 'specially if it's marked "the gecko." come on people. ke it hard to breathe. but now that i'm breathing better with advair... i can enjoy the zoo with my grandkids. (announcer) for people with copd including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, great news. advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other medications because it contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help you breathe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. we had a great day, grandpa! we sure did. ask your docr how advair helps improve lung function for better breathing. (announcer) find out how to get your first full prescription free at advaircopd.com. president obama's pushing hard for more money for the nation's junk cars, but with so many americans worrying about the government's big spending, will lawmakers go along with the plan to put a couple more million bucks into that plan? when it comes to fencing properties, the credit crunch is hitting the high end hard. "it's the economy" here on msnbc. >> we'll get you up to date on the latest details of bill clinton's mission to north korea. two american journalists were sentenced to hard labor in that closed off communist country. a couple of americans researchers are trying to convince families to go green by not having so many kids. but first, the president just wrapped up a meeting on health care with senate democrats today at the white house. >> as congress goes on break, the battle for reform is played out on the airwaves. president barack obama's words said his health care reform plans eventually would eliminate private insurance. >> because he's talk to the american people so much, there are people out there with a computer and a lot of free time and they take a phrase here and there, they simply cherry pick and put it together and make it sound like he's saying something that he didn't really say. >> joining us now is linda douglass, a member of the office of health care reform. why does he feel the need right now to address? >> there's no question that we're moving into a different phase now as the debate moves away from the inside the belt way discussions here in washington back to people's neighborhoods and communities where the health care crisis is really felt. members are going to be going out around the country and the special interests are gearing up trying to scare people as they always do with misinformation and disinformation, so it's very important now as people go back t