through all the times that washington has failed to tackle this problem. >> the president faces stiff opposition to his health care plan from republicans, but also now from some fellow democrats, especially the moderates and conservatives known as blue dogs. a key congressional panel today canceled votes on one version of the legislation while talks continue with wavering democrats. some believe health care reform could be in trouble. >> either this bill fails or it will change dramatically, and if the bill fails, it will be because of disagreement among the democrats as to the proper direction to head as far as health care reform is concerned. >> kathleen sebelius is the hale a -- health and human services secretary. on that last point you would agree this is the democrats right now that essentially have the votes if they could all get together and that's a big if. >> i think the good news, david, is that the democrats are very engaged in the house, and they're talking about not only having just a bill, but having the best possible bill, tackling comprehensive reform, paying for it, and lowering costs and raising quality for everybody. unfortunately, too many of the republicans in the house just have pushed away from the table, aren't even part of the conversation, decided long ago before there even was a bill that they were not going to participate. so on the senate side, it's different. we've got republicans and democrats working together, and i'm really impressed with folks who have rolled up their sleeves, are tackling this, are talking to business owners, are talking to constituents back home, working very closely with the president on lowering the cost for all, raising the quality, and making sure our system is sustainable for all americans down the road. >> one of the key demands in the obama administration has been this public option, the idea there be a government option part of any plan, but here's the latest political poll and it shows public support is slipping for the public option. on the idea of whether it would make it worse, 42% now say that a public option would make health care worse. 33% say it would make it better. 25% say it has no effect. but madam secretary, the idea that now more people believe a public option would make things worse, does that mean that the pr effort at the white house has failed? >> well, you know, the poll numbers change all the time. the recent poll i saw on the public option say if you tell americans do you want private insurance companies to control the marketplace, to have a monopoly, overwhelmingly people say no. what we need is a level playing field, but a public plan side by side with private plans to make sure costs come down. right now you have, david, in many parts of the country a monopoly by private insurers. they decide who gets covered and who doesn't. they decide if your kid has been sick, if you have a pre-existing health condition, if you have taken a prescription that was expensive in the past, you may not get coverage at all or if you do, you will be charged three times as much as your neighbor and might lose it next year or next month. that's what americans are living with day in and day out. those rules have to change, and i think once the american people have a chance to know that what we're talking about is competition and choice, they overwhelmingly like a public option standing side by side with private plans. >> health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius. real quickly, do you think congress ought to stay and work through the august recess? >> i think this is the most important issue they could tackle, to fix our economy and make sure all of us have high quality health care into the future. i think the fact that they're continuing to work, i want them to get the bill right and to make sure we have comprehensive reform and to do it this year. >> kathleen sebelius, secretary of health and human services, thank you for joining us. president obama appears to be using that bully pulpit to get health care legislation on his desk in a few weeks. so the president is now going after his republican critics. he says they're playing politics with health care, and he's also blaming them for delaying what he calls much-needed legislation. >> some will try to delay action until the special interests can kill it while others will simply focus on scoring political points. we've done that before. and we can choose to follow that playbook again, and then we'll never get over the goal line, and we'll face an even greater crisis in the years to come. >> mark whitaker is the washington bureau chief for nbc news. mark, we just heard from kathleen sebelius about this public option and what american people want, but this is the sausage making of this process, as we keep hearing. you heard eric cantor say this is about democrats versus democrats in so many ways and them working out something amongst themselves. >> that's right. really, the dispute right now is about how to pay for the plan and also, as you have been discussing, whether there's going to be a public option. the president has decided that he has to have the ball. it's the fourth quarter. he wants to get bills out of the house because he's afraid that if the congressmen go home for the recess in august without passing out these bills, essentially it will be like the roach motel, the bills go into the august recess and they don't come out. >> how serious, mark, is the problem that he has with the blue dog democrats or the centrists that we've seen targeted in ads and even in letters and memos? >> well, again, their concerned about the long-term fiscal cost of this, and that's really the dispute. the fact is they are closer to getting more people on board for this reform than they've ever been. a lot of the stakeholders of the president are on board, they have been talking, they're around the table, but what i'm hearing from a lot of peep around washington right now is, yes, the president is good at getting people to the table, but when is he going to pound the table? when is he going to say this is the plan that i want? if there's going to be a public option, exactly what is it, and what is the plan for paying for it that he endorses as opposed to saying i'm just going to leave it to congress to sort that out? >> that's the question that secretary sebelius was asked on "meet the press." she did not have an answer for it. what's been the answer you're hearing behind the scenes? why hasn't the president said this is the plan i'm behind 100% or whatever and get the american people rallied that way? >> well, i think he was hoping that there would be a better chance of getting it out of congress if he delegated and outsourced a lot of the negotiation, the compromising to congress, but i think there's a lot of sense that -- around the capitol now that that phase has reached its end and it's really time for him to weigh in. i think one big question remains, is he going to be willing to tax or to endorse taxing benefits because a lot of these blue dogs think that that's the fairest way to pay for it and also the one that is most likely to get people to stop abusing the system. >> all right. nbc's washington bureau chief, mark whitaker. great talking to you. thank you. a program note, we will have live kof coverage of president obama's time time news conference at 8:00 eastern. >> tamron, you can almost correlate that with the element of nervousness you're picking up in the hall of congress from people who are worried about whether this is going to get through. even though the president is being more forceful, at a certain point he has to put his cards on the table, and right now there's some nervous democrats who are worried he's not yet ready to do that. >> that may be also why some of the polling out there when people are asked about their confidence and approval in the direction of handling health care, we are seeing some numbers shake down a little bit. leaders in california's legislature have reached a deal to balance the budget, and now the lobbying begins. governor arnold schwarzenegger and the lawmakers announce they plan to close the states's more than $26 billion shortfall. under the plan state lawmakers would cut $15 billion in spending. a vote is expected thursday. and severe storms rocked the denver, colorado, area. look at this video. crews removed piles of hail up to a foot high, a foot high of hail with snowplows. the storms uprooted trees, even sending one crashing right into a home. luckily, no reports of any serious injury. the bad weather left more than 29,000 homes and businesses without electricity. >> amazing pictures. new protests in iran today. more than a month after iran's disputed presidential election, witnesses say riot police and plain clothed security forces beat protesters who gathered in tehran despite a ban. the group gathered to support opposition leader mir hussein mousavi. witnesses say dozens of the protesters were arrested. a troubled new trend in drug smuggling has come to the attention of the u.s. customs and border protections officials. this is a 17-year-old american after being arrested with 4 1/2 pounds of marijuana taped to his legs. authorities stopped him after noticing that he was walking funny. nbc justice correspondent pete williams joins us live from washington. so, pete, how is this so different than what we've seen before? we especially saw it out of colombia with them using mules as these people are called and they're being taken advantage of to smuggle in drugs. >> it's an pattern. you tighten enforcement in one place and you see the cartels trying something different. now there's more security on cars. people are trying to walk it across more. in the past year customs and border protection says it's arrested about 160 adults and teens coming across the border. compare that with 23 a year earlier. so a seven-fold increase in these people trying to walk through with drugs taped to their legs, taped to their backs. the government says about a quarter of the young men they've arrested have been under 18 and in just the past week they arrested five. two 15-year-old boys, two 16-year-old girls, and one 17-year-old. all said to be from the san diego area. they believe they're seeing a pattern emerging of using younger and younger people. unfortunately, this is not a very effective technique because they often show up either because they are walking in an odd way or wearing a big bulky sweatshirt or sweater that doesn't seem to fit in. it's pretty low-tech but it is a sign of how you tighten enforcement in one area, they try to get around it in another way. >> are they recruiting kids on like spring break in cancun or how are they getting the word out that this is what they need these american kids to do for them? >> you name it, they've tried it. the big enticement is what it's always been, money. >> it is an interesting trend and a spike in those numbers. thank you very much. nbc justice correspondent pete williams. i can't think of the movie, i think it's "maria full of grace" about this young girl being used by these colombian drug lords. i guess it's interesting because it's american kids and not some of the other people we've seened in the past. >> and the creativity they will go to strap narcotics to various body parts. still ahead, should people be allowed to carry concealed weapons across state borders? >> it's the newest wedge issue sparking fierce debate on capitol hill, but first, who wants the watergate complex? the complex that was home to monica lewinsky and the break-in that brought down richard nixon went up for auction today. we'll tell you what happened. later, what sarah palin is planning for her good-bye picnic. it's a picnic. you're watching msnbc. diabetics on medicare. attention hello, i'm john fox---you may know that i'm a professional bass fisherman. but you may not know that i have diabetes. and it's never slowed me down thanks to the good folks at liberty medical. i've been a liberty medical patient for years and have relied on them for all my diabetic needs. and, if you call now you'll receive a free meter. it's easy to use with fast results. even the shipping is free and medicare may cover the cost of your other supplies. liberty medical keeps you on track by delivering diabetic supplies right to your door. they even take care of the paperwork, file your claims and send you a free meter. call right now and they'll also send you a free diabetic cookbook. diabetes doesn't have to slow you down. join me and over a million people who trust liberty medical. population 49 million. 145,000 teenagers are typing a text message at 70 words a minute. average speed of their parents: 8. right now, 90 high schoolers are shopping for new kicks on zappos.com. - none of them got game. - ( buzzer sounds ) 19,000 teenagers are flipping 354,000 burgers - to get the new samsung exclaim. - ( sizzles ) - ( gasps ) - just one of four iming, texting and twittering back-to-school phones you can get from sprint, starting at $19.99. sprint. the now network. welcome back, everyone, to msnbc. >> an uncertain future for the h historic watergate hotel. it did not attract any bids at an auction and was taken back by the lender. the watergate became famous because of the burglary that led to richard nixon's resignation. it was also once home to monica lewinsky, who had an affair with president bill clinton. diana oleic joins us live. you spent the day down at the watergate. this is part of some foreclosure. what happens now? >> reporter: what happens is pb capital, the bank that owned that $40 million loan, they had to take it back at auction because as you said they opened up a $25 million and kept saying $25 million and nobody raised their hand. it was really amazing. what happens now, the bang says they're going to market it and try to tell it although the owners of the hotel, that was monument realty who bought it back in 2004 for $45 million tried to sell it for the past year and they couldn't. what happens to the watergate is really less important than what this all says about commercial real estate in this era right now that we're going through and also what it says specifically in washington, d.c., because things here are not so bad compared to other cities across the nation that is in commercial and in lodging and hotels specifically. if you can't sell a hotel at that kind of bargain basement discount here in d.c., which has never been as hot as it is right now, then that doesn't say much about commercial real estate. we know financing is the biggest issue. banks do not want to lend and the watergate would need some estimates say about $100 million of renovation to bring it up to speed and that's the problem. that's why people don't want to buy it because they can't get the financing to renovate the place. >> it is fairly decrepit and you sort of wonder somebody out there, you'd think there would be-investor who would say it's a historic landmark, we could spruce it up. >> this is a name in d.c. it's as famous if not more as 1600 pennsylvania avenue. it's right on the potomac river. if, as you say, it is decrepit, all it needs is some renovation and then it will be a prize property with lots of people willing to come in there. but, again, it's the financing problem. if you can't get the money from theba bank, even ben bernanke sd commercial financing is a real problem. they're trying to do something with federal money for it. if you can't get the cash to fix the place up, what are you going to do? >> diana, thank you so much. while we are talking about one of the most famous scandals in political history, there's news on the ongoing scandal front with alaska governor sarah palin. >> that's right. the ap network reporting that documents obtained by them show the governor may have violated ethic rules with legal defense fund. she had 19 was the last count of ethics complaints against her. the ap is now saying they've obtained documents that governor palin may have violated ethics rules with legal defense funds. >> that will put a damper on her good-bye picnic. >> we have five days before the end and she says this is part of why she wanted to step down because of the legal expense of fighting all of these allegations against her, but we'll continue to follow this and dig around and get our own nbc and msnbc team on it to find out what the latest information is on governor palin. >> up next, going ape. >> some incredible video showing we have the real story behind these pictures. not what you heard. we have new info on why someone would just sit there and let these baboons take all their stuff out of the car. investigative reporting. ♪ (announcer) regular kool-aid. goes almost three times further than soda. kool aid. delivering more smiles per gallon. including who i trust to look after my money. ♪ (woman) the dust might be settling... that's great, but i'm not. ♪ (second man) i guess i'm just done with doing nothing, you know? ♪ (third man) oh, i'm not thinking about moving my money. i am moving it. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 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 140 menu 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. lose weight. live better. call or click today. tamron, there are a lot of things that could be considered news in this world. >> and, david, there are only a few things that make us say -- >> no way! >> no way! >> and we're going to be adding onto that no way soon. safari officials in the uk are on high alert. >> high alert. >> after a band of baboons wasn't shall i say ape. officials say the monkeys have learned how to crack open luggage, boxes on car roofs, as well as just tear things apart. safari staff say the animals have what they call antisocial baboon disorder. to demonstrate the behavior, staff at the park sent through a car with a roof box that they filled themselves, and you actually saw what happened there. as many as 140 baboons live in the park, but they've got disorders, and obviously antisocial baboon disorder. >> asbo. >> asbo. they have asbo. love that word. >> let's get this straight. they deliberately sent the car in there, so this wasn't some regular family. they deliberately sent the car in so they could show people what the baboons can do with your luggage. >> they started playing with the clothes and they did a number on that stuffed animal. >> also explained why they didn't just drive off. >> do they have meds for asbo? >> i'm sure there's some. speaking of, the man known as the naked cowboy hopes to give new york city, mayor michael bloomberg, a run for his money. burke has made a name for himself as the naked cowboy. he strums his guitar wearing nothing but a cowboy hat, underwear, and boots. we're going to ask him about his platform right here tomorrow. the naked cowboy will be right there. >> there's a great debate as to whether or not i will need to stand next to a man in underwear or david, and i sulth daviggest. i'm hoping david wins. in the saga over whether paula abdul will be back on "american idol" continues. simon is weighing in. he claims he doesn't get a lot of say, but he said he made it clear he wants paula on that show. radar online said abdul is demanding $20 million to return to the show. keep in mind ryan seacrest got $45 million. only time will tell if she gets the cash. >> paula abdul gets $20 million? >> ryan seacrest got $45 million. >> the american dream. or nightmare depending on your view. up next, a cricket? i see. good point. good directing, mr. wexler. >> crickets in our head. up next, a battle over concealed weapon. why some lawmakers want to make it illegal to carry them across state lines. and later in the hour, president obama defends his physician sense. yes, put on the spot about those jeans he wore recently. you're watching msnbc. my doctor told me something i never knew. as we get older, our bodies become... less able to absorb calcium. he recommended citracal. it's a different kind of calcium. calcium citrate. with vitamin d... for unsurpassed absorption, to nourish your bones. free credit report dot com! tell your friends, tell your dad, tell your mom! never mind, they've been singing our songs since we first showed up with our pirate hats on! if you're not into fake sword fights pointy slippers and green wool tights take a tip from a knight who knows free credit report dot com, let's go! vo: offer applies with enrollment in triple advantage. fair, straight-forward pricing. that's what td ameritrade stands for. think about it. why pay investing fees you shouldn't have to? or account fees that aren't clear? like inactivity fees? or maintenance fees? it's not right. and you know it. and the thing is, the other investment firms know it. but they do it anyway. and that's just not fair or straight-forward. td ameritrade. independence is the spirit that drives america's most successful investors. i'm rebecca jarvis with your cnbc market wrap. stocks ending on a positive note on wall street. the dow gained 67 points. the s&p 500 picked up 3. and the nasdaq added 6 points. ben bernanke testifying on capitol hill today said the economy is improving but offered a word of caution. the federal reserve chair said interest rates will probably stay at around zero for a while and unemployment will likely remain high through 2011. oil prices meantime ended higher today gaining 74 cents to settle just below $65 a barrel. and best buy is taking a new approach to finding just the right candidate for a new media marketing position. it posted the job on twitter, and best buy says the perfect applicant needs to be proficient with twitter and have 250-plus followers. that's it from cnbc, we're first in business worldwide. now back to msnbc. welcome back, everyone. i'm tamron hall. >> i'm david shuster. we'll have more on that sarah palin news in a few minutes but in the big picture at this hour, the right to carry a concealed weapon. senator john thune, senator of south dakota, is proposing an amendment that would allow people to carry concealed weapons across state lines including those mentally ill and criminal. chuck schumer is trying to stop the amendment and he's promised a filibuster of the bill if that is what it takes. it's part of a military budget bill. the senate is expected to vote on the measure tomorrow. >> does it make sense to allow conceal eed weapons to be carri across state borders? will it result in a lawless society where shootouts are common? that's always part of the conversation. no fewer than 450 mayors from across the country signed onto this full-page ad running in "usa today." it says will you ask with us for gut our public safety laws? joining us is robert menendez, a democrat from new jersey. actually, it was interesting because, senator, there was a shootout in jersey last week. one officer was killed, four wounded, and two of the suspects were also killed. it made nightly news and the gun violence in chicago, more people have died in chicago violence than have died in iraq and afghanistan. the violence is widespread. what is behind this reaction though from senator thune do you think? >> well, i hope the senate will reject senator thune's amendment. for those of us who believe that there's already too much gun violence in our country, as a matter of fact if you're over the age -- between the ages of 1 and 19, it is the second leading cause of death is gun violence, the reality is that we don't need to have concealed weapons where law enforcement doesn't know that the person they're stopping in a simple traffic accident case may very well have a concealed weapon on them. and particularly what i would say is that, look, for those states that permit it, fine, but to impose the will of another state upon the safety of citizens let's say in new jersey that has much more stricter concealed gun laws, ultimately is fundamentally wrong. >> that's the heart of the debate that many who agree with you bring up. we asked senator thune to appear today. he was unable to do so but he did have this response to this. he says since criminals are unable to tell who is and who is not carrying a firearm just by looking at a potential victim, they are less likely to commit crimes when they fear that they may come in direct contact with an individual who is armed, and i remember when texas was looking at concealed handguns and it passed, that was always a part of the argument, that the bad guy doesn't know who can take them out or bring them down. what do you make of that argument that keeps coming up? >> i make the argument that the good guys, the people who protect us every day in uniforms like officer dinardo who died today from jersey city in the line of duty and officer camacho who is hanging on by a thread of life at a hospital in new jersey and the officers shot yesterday as well in new jersey, that they won't know the good guys from the bad guys. all they'll know is they'll have greater risk. that's why mayors and governors have said, look, if our laws are stricter, then permit our laws to protect our citizens to be preserved. do not create a federal mandate across the landscape of this country. do not ultimately obliterate states' rights here. it's interesting for the longest time the nra took a position that states should have the right to control their own set of circumstances and the law. now, because they feel they have more votes in the congress, they're obliterating states' rights and they want to dictate what the gun law should be in new jersey and new york and california and other parts of the country. that's simply fundamentally wrong. >> the brady campaign to end gun violence, a state by state comparison of homicides and suicides, and these numbers represent how many died per 1,000 in population. new jersey, 492, new york 1,002, colorado, 3,363. there are a lot of people in south dakota who claim they know best in how to keep violence down. >> i respect south dakota but what's the population of south dakota. >> this is a statistic based on -- let's be clear. to be fair this is a statistic based on how many died per 100,000 in population. >> the bottom line is that i'm sure south dakota doesn't want me sending toxic waste against their state's laws. i'm sure they don't want me to send radioactive materials against their state laws. you can't have it both ways. either we're going to obliterate the right of states to protect their citizens or we're ultimately going to preserve the rights of governors, legislators, mayors, and police chiefs to determine what is the safety of their citizens, how that best is accomplished. that's what the fundamental question is here. and so at the end of the day, i hope there are enough senators, even those who have different laws than new jersey, new york, california, and others that will say, look, i don't want to start obliterating states' rights to decide how to best protect their citizens because tomorrow i will face the same set of circumstances in a different way. >> senator robert menendez of new jersey, we certainly appreciate your time today. thank you. >> thank you. former vice president dick cheney is getting at least another six months of secret service protection. normally ex-vice presidents only get six months of protection at taxpayer expense, but cheney asked for an extension and president obama signed off on it. cheney's fends say he's become more concerned about his privacy and personal safety in recent years. >> in today's edition of the -- palin chronicles, the ap says there may be more evidence she received gifts. an investigator for the state personnel board says there is probable cause to believe that governor palin used or attempted to use her official position for personal gain because she authorized the creation of the trust as the official legal defense fund. meantime, palin is planning her good-bye for this sunday at the annual fairbanks picnic in alaska. that's when she's expected to tran fer power to the lieutenant governor. >> you have to be so careful with the legal trust funds. the idea there may be some evidence, it's usually pretty cut and dried this. will be a good one to watch. the longest serving u.s. senator is back on the job. 91-year-old west virginia senator robert byrd returned to capitol hill today. he spent more than six weeks in the hospital. today he got right to work voting to continue production of the f-22 fighter jet. that, of course, though was turned around by his colleagues. republican party is working hard to reach out to younger voters. >> they're hoping pop star -- she is a pop star but don't feel bad if you never heard of her. her name is lady gaga and she's kind of new on the scene, but the hipsters that would be the republicans have unveiled a new video at a republican meeting this morning. it's a parody of lady gaga's "just dance" but this is called "just tax." ♪ just tax, it will be okay ♪ spread the love around ♪ just tax, it will be okay ♪ just tax, tax, tax, just tax ♪ >> i think we can safely assume that lady gaga and political impersonations of her do not match. god. >> just tax, just don't do that ever again. up next, wow, face-off on health care. >> republicans versus the president versus blue dog democrats. you're watching msnbc, the place for politics. welcome to the now network. currently, thousands of people are enjoying the new palm pre with its revolutionary web os. they're running multiple live applications at the same time. - ( thunder and rain ) - 3 million are using the simply everything plan. each is saving $1200 - over an at&t iphone plan. - ( cash register dings ) together that's over $3 billion. - enough to open a dunkin' donuts in space. - ( walk-talkie sounds ) from america's most dependable 3g network. bringing you the first and only wireless 4g network. get the palm pre from sprint. only on the now network. deaf, hard of hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com. welcome back, everyone. it's time for "face-off." the president's all-out blitz to get health care passed, is he closer to success or closer to failure? >> once again today the president used the bully pulpit at the white house to make the argument that doing nothing is simply not an option. >> the american people understand that the status quo is unacceptable. they don't care who is up or who is down politically in washington. they care about what's going on in their own lives. they don't care about the latest line of political attack. they care about whether their families will be crushed by rising premiums. >> but there is a new poll from gallup and usa today that shows that 50% of americans disapprove of the way president obama is handling health care where as only 44% approve. out of the blue corner, david goodfriend, co-host of left jab on sirius xm, and matt in the red corner. >> david, what is going on on the democratic side? >> it's called legislatinlegisl. it's messy, it's not pretty, it requires a lot of work. it requires spending capital on the part of the president. he's prepared to do that. we should realize we're only a half a year or so in the obama administration and for the first time members are being asked to cast their vote in a markup that's in a committee to actually craft this legislation. the president still has the wind at his back in the sense that the american people do believe the health care system is broken. they do trust democrats and the president in particular more than they trust republicans. this is how the work gets done, issue biissue and vote by vote. it's not pretty, but the president is putting his effort and political capital into it and i think he's going to get his goals achieved. >> matt, is the republican effort about stopping health care reform or is it about somehow ruining president obama politically? >> it's about stopping a bad idea that's going to be bad for the country. i think the big -- >> just so we're clear you and senator jim demint have a different idea, but go ahead. >> look, i think stopping a bad policy is also good politically. i think there's a joint benefit there. i think very clearly the people that are blocking this most effectively right now are moderate democrats in the house. remember that there are three committees in the house that have jurisdiction. two of them have reported the bill out, one has not, the emergency and commerce committee. they were supposed to mark up the bill today and they postponed it because president obama wanted to bring them to the white house to try to negotiate with them and earn their support. it's unclear whether he has that. in the senate the bill is out of one committee but they haven't marked it up in the senate finance committee. what president obama and the white house knows is the longer the health care bill is out there being judged with questions being ask, with the american people learning more about it, there are more questions raised and there is deeper concern. that's part of the reason that you saw only 49% approve of obama's handling of health care, and i think that they are very worried about the political prospects for the bill. >> obviously, sitting here all day long, we hear a lot of messages from people. what matt just said is very s similar to what senator cantor said. making this a democrat versus democrat issue. secretary sebelius was asked where does the president stand? is it time for president obama to look into the camera maybe at this press conference on wednesday and tell the people who want change in health care what exactly he supports? >> there's no doubt that the president's comments are becoming more and more specific, but, remember, he made a very conscious decision at the beginning of this process to defer to congress in ironing out the details as best they could before he -- >> but when you look at the polls, the trust that remains is the trust that the people have with the president. >> right. >> the republicans obviously doing very poorly. their numbers -- they're not even gaining in polls where the president is dropping, and speaker pelosi still not popular in these polls. the popularity is with that man we just saw in the video. >> i agree, tamron. my only point is he's made a conscious strategic decision to defer to congress at the outset, and now if you listen carefully to his comments, they're getting more and more specific. you will see this trend continue. as the issues are keyed up and there are votes being taken and we need to have a majority call in, my republican colleague is absolutely right. the president is bringing members of congress into the white house and saying, all right, now i need you on this particular vote on this particular issue, you're with me, and he's getting those votes. that's what presidents do. look, every president, george w. bush was no different, you see them on the phone or in person talking to members of congress. the constitution set this up. it's congress that legs lats. >> matt, are the republicans bringing up this democrat versus democrat so you are -- the republicans are not to blame if this does not happen, if health care reform does not happen? are the republicans trying to save their skin? >> you're asking who would be to blame if it doesn't go through? >> no, i'm saying today we heard a lot of republican strategists and lawmakers say that this is really about the democrats versus the democrats. is this a way to try to pull yourself out of the conversation so that if it fails, that the republicans don't take the blame for standing -- >> and i'm add a secondary one, doesn't it also allow republicans -- gives them breathing room so they don't have to introduce their own plan? >> look, david, republicans have ideas on health care. you know, you played up yesterday an interview where you said the crickets were sounding because one republican on television didn't have specific ideas. republicans have put specific ideas out there. wellness prevention, equity with regard -- >> matt, how are they going to pay for it? >> how are they going to pay for it? >> how will they pay for any of those ideas? >> for one thing the republican plan will not be anywhere near as expensive -- >> but again, matt, you just said they have a plan, but they don't have a plan to pay for it. >> it hasn't been scored. the ideas republicans have are bipartisan ideas, like i said. wellness prevention, equitable tax treat, small business health plans similar to a co-op provision, tort reform, medical malpractice reform. the bottom line is are the moderate democrats going to vote for this and allow it to pass. >> democrats do not need to incorporate republican ideas. they have 60 votes in the senate and they have a majority in the house. >> and we don't want republican ideas because if i were bleeding and taken to the republican emergency room, they'd say here is a band-aid now go home. that's not enough. what you just talked about is no recipe for helping our broken, infective health care system. every american has a story. i have a story. members of my family have stories. >> but, david, there's -- >> people who can't get treatment. it's broken. it has to get fixed. we have the answers. they have nothing but no. >> there's two important questions here though. one is, is the bill going to be deficit neutral? president obama has said it has to be. the cbo said it would add $239 billion to the deficit over ten years. the second point is regarding the group that did a study saying most americans, almost 50%, will not be able to keep the private plan which obama has promised. 88 million people who have private insurance will have to go on the public option. that breaks the promise he made during the campaign. >> may i take -- >> real quick. >> you guys are complaining about having to pay for it. nothing in life is free. we need it. we have to pay for it. number two, the study you cite is questionable. cbo and the health and human services department and congress have all pointed out that the public option is just that, an option. i can choose to take it or not. nothing stands in the way of you and your doctor. nothing stands in the way of your plan. it's an option. >> you answered both questions. david and matt, it's obvious those crickets hit a nerve with you republicans so we'll hold back on playing crickets when you don't -- >> matt knows a little more and is offering a little more than some of his republican colleagues. >> we will hold back. just ahead -- >> some things we thought you should know in addition to the idea that matt does not like the crickets. john mccain running on everyone at this. a senator's embarrassing twitter moment. we all have those, and president obama talks about dad jeans. then on "hardball," chris matthews looks at whether the gop has a problem with its base. the far right fringe who think president obama is not a u.s. citizen. that's running on empty by jackson browne and a story about that song is one of the things we thought you should know. >> browne has settled a lawsuit over use of that song that got john mccain in trouble during last year's presidential campaign. browne sued senator john mccain, the republican national committee, and the ohio republican party last year over use of the song in a web ad. financial details of the settlement have not been announced, but the deal does include a pledge by the gop not to use any musicians work without proper permission in future campaigns. browne says he hope that is will benefit other artists. >> i think it will. tweeting when tired can be dangerous as we all know. senator claire mccaskill learned that the hard way. while expressing her views on health care she wrote this. i support the pubic option on health care reform but must make sure private market can compete. working on that in the senate. a few minutes later she corrected the typo. adding big mistake, tweeting when dead tired. one more time spelled right. i support public option, as long as private can compete. >> when you tweet the letters go in slowly so you don't realize you made a typo. when it comes to fashion, president obama says it's simple. he doesn't like to shop, which the first lady has also said about him. the president caught some heat after wearing a pair of simple baggy jeans when he threw out the first pitch -- >> what's wrong with those? >> i don't see anything wrong. he threw this out at the all-star game. today meredith vieira asked the president about his fashion sense during a recent interview. >> i heard they were cracking on my jeans. >> dad jeans. called them nerd jeans. you are married to one of the most fashionable women in the world. do you want to defend the pants? >> no. here is my attitude. michelle, she looks fabulous. i'm a little frumpy. basically, up until a few years ago, i only had four suits. she used to tease me because they'd get really shiny. i hate to shop. those jeans are comfortable and for those of you who want your president to, you know, look great in his tight jeans, i'm sorry, i'm not the guy. >> so no low-riders for you. >> it just doesn't fit me. i'm not 20. >> he doesn't like jeans. he doesn't like to shop, and he doesn't -- his jeans are comfortable. so what's wrong? >> i don't think anything was wrong with his jeans. i think they looked like normal guy jeans. granted, i guess if you go to some bar and a 20-year-old has muffin top jeans, but i don't want to see the president in any low rise muffin top jeans. i have been waiting to say that all day. >> those are just some of the things we thought you should know. tamron does not want to see any of those. >> i don't want to see the president in muffin-top jeans. >> tomorrow the president will hold his fourth prime time news conference. >> tomorrow the focus will be obviously health care. it's just one of the stories we'll be watching headed into tomorrow. mark murray is deputy political director for nbc news. he's here with our first read. mark, more polls coming out showing some uncertainty that the american public is having with the president and health care reform. >> no doubt about it, tamron. that's exactly why the president scheduled a prime time news conference for tomorrow. his fourth so far in his early presidency. and actually it will be his ninth event in some form or fashion or comments on the topic of health care in ten days. just an all-out blitz. tomorrow president obama will meet with iraqi prime minister nuri al maliki before that prime time news conference. then also two very well-known republicans, newt gingrich, and rudy giuliani will be giving competing speeches on the economy. >> did you find anything wrong with the president's jeans? >> david, i found nothing wrong with those jeans. yes, if he were going out clubbing someone might have something wrong -- >> that's what i said. >> but when you're 47, 48, 49 years old or even older, you're looking pretty good i think -- >> mark murray, nbc news deputy political director and fashionista. >> and a texan. >> and a texan. >> make sure to check out first read first thing every morning. it's updated throughout the day. logon to firstread.msnbc.com. >> no muffin tops here. i'm tamron hall. >> i'm david shuster. up next, "hardball" with chris matthews starts right now. deal or no deal? that's the health care question. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. leading off tonight, let's make a deal. can president obama get a health care deal? today the president said we're closer than ever to overhauling the country's health care system. he's trying to create momentum but there's no agreement on how to pay for the total price. we will talk to two u.s. senatorses who will have a lot to do with what the final bill will look like and who and what will pay for it. plus the so-called birther movement. the people who blif barack obama doesn't have a birth certificate and not a u.s. citizen. most of those birthers are republicans and this is becoming a big problem for the party. take a look at this incredible video from a recent town hall meeting in delaware with republican congressman mike castle in which a woman brandishing her own birth certificate makes her case. >> january 20th, and i want to know why are you people ignoring his -- >> yeah! >> he is not an american citizen. he is a citizen of kenya. >> i think we're in an insane asylum. it gets worse. the real problem is what's left of the republican base is very open to this kind of fringe talk. we'll talk and show you more about that video, more of what you just saw from that person later in the show tonight. and how did a prominent harvard professor get arrested for breaking into his own house? well, the scholar was an african-american, the great he