today in south korea president obama signaled he's willing to make those tough choices. >> i'm prepared to make some tough decisions. i can't make them alone. i'm going to need congress to work with me. >> on the tax side, the plan calls for scaling back home mortgage deduction and other popular write-offs. the tax increases would be partially offset by lower simplified taxes. for drivers there's a 15 cent a gallon increase in the gasoline tax to fund highway spending. the plan is still in the proposal stage and anything that's approved would be fazed in gradually. with the very side demanding the end to out of control spending is outraged. the rights denounce the proposals as an excuse to raise net taxes on the american people. from the left -- >> the chairman of the deficit commission just told working people to drop dead. >> outgoing house speaker nancy pelosi said, quote, this proposal is completely unacceptab unacceptable. the united states isn't the only country tackling these tough cuts. yesterday some 50,000 protesters stormed conservative party headquarters in london, angry about a proposed tuition hike. in france, demonstrators raged for months over raging the retirement age. in greece, usos terry measures brought out the violent side, those who had gotten used to the government taking care of them. spain, a similar story. will it come to that rehere? >> you can't make 20% cut. john harwood is cnbc's chief washington correspondent. is that what we've come up, to the grown ups have to say we can't afford designer sneakers and video games that you get riots in the street? >> this is why it's so difficult, why it hasn't gotten done for so long. why it's been so long since we had a deal on tax reform and on social security. but in an odd way, contessa, you're putting me in a good mood with all that bad news you were putting on the screen. with these two chairmen of the commission, bowles and simpson, throwing the hand grenade in the middle of the room watching everybody scatter it underscores how difficult the choices are and maybe prepare the ground for some day, probably not the next two years, but some day within, maybe within the term of the next president, why we may get a deal because people will recognize that everybody has to give something, everybody has to have skin in the game. >> do they have to do that? we've gotten into a political system where what people are most concerned about is the next election. >> you're right about that. there's no question that's why it's difficult. remember, there are some precedent for deals of this kind. in the early 198 0z when ronald reagan was president, tip o'neill, alan greenspan and ronald reagan who had different views, especially tip o'neill and the other two, they made a compromise on social security. same thing happened when president reagan compromised with the house and republic conditions in the senate. they all came together on a plan that brougadened the tax base, removed deductions, lowered the rates. that's the formula for getting it done. it's not easy, and again, in the next two years especially when president obama is trying to run for re-election, republicans trying to hold the house and take over the senate, it's not likely these two parties are going to come together. at some point people are going to recognize that there but for the grace of god goes greece and same thing could happen to us. some of those images that you had of chaos in european countries, we could see that here. >> well, i hope not. i hope not, john. thank you. so here's the thing. when a person accumulates a mountain of debt, there are two options. cut spending or make more money. those are essentially the same choices facing the government. my big question today, is it time for americans to embrace austerity measures? i'd like to hear your thoughts. reach me on twitter, facebook. my e-mail traaddress is contes a contessa@msnbc.com. a slow boat from mexico has finally dock in san diego. we have the images of the carnival cruise ship "splendor." it lost power monday following a fire in the engine room. no hot meals, no electricity, no hot water, no ac. they got supplies from the coast guard. some passengers call it the vacation from hell. miguel joins us live from san diego now. what a relief to finally be in port. >> reporter: yeah, contessa. the "splendor" is here, the passengers aren't necessarily off of the ship yet. the passengers and crew are expe expected to come off that ship in just a short time. while we've been here the last hour or so, the ship has been in front of us, we've seen people cheering, have heard them screaming. we know they're certainly relieved to be pack here. it was a long trip for them. they were supposed to be along the mexican riviera a week. they were out on the ocean about a day and there was a fire in their engine room and generator room. that brought the cruise to a hault. there was no power, no hot water, no hot meals for these crews. people couldn't take a warm shower for several days and now they're back in san diego, not off of the ship yet, but back on dock. once they get off that ship many are going to have to continue their journey back to long beach, a two-hour drive. again, contessa, the good news, the ship is here. in an hour or two passengers will come off. >> let's talk to david zambrano from denver. how many days have you been stuck on the "splendor" now. >> four days. it's been stressful because of the condition but i have to tell you the crew was phenomenal in the way they snapped to and made everyone feel comfortable and relaxed. made sure they had food, water blankets. did everything they could to accommodate the passengers of the ship. >> i was reading about the fact that the ship lost power. it knocked out some of the stabilizers on the ship which meant passengers were complaining they could feel the ship rocking more than normal. did you see other passengers getting seasick? >> there were a few that were getting sick. a lot of them were just kids getting sick. i'll tell you, a lot of the passengers had -- they were just really happy and they felt comforted. you know, when you have good leadership, i'm talking about leadership of the captain of the ship and the entire crew. i have to give them credit. they really maintained order. there was no chaos. everybody did exactly what they were told. people who got sick were treated. people who were ill or were injured, there were a couple that fell. they were treated. there's one gentleman still in the infirmary waiting to get off. there are some people who did get sick. people were using their cell phones and cameras to light the rooms because they couldn't see, obviously. >> david, what's the first thing you're going to do when they finally allow you off the ship? >> the first thing i'm going to do is get something hot to eat instead of eating cold sandwiches. they got really creative. i don't know where the rumor of spam came from but there wasn't spam on the ship. they were creative in the way they redid the salads and breads. and the things that they could actually serve, when the refrigerators and freezers all shut down. but first thing i'm going to do is get a nice, hot meal and take a really hot shower. >> no doubt the people who are around you will appreciate the fact that you finally get access to those little luxuries we all take for granted now. david, thanks so much for giving us the report from onboard the "splendor." details leaked from the poent gone, don't ask don't tell, allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military would pose little risk. the effect of repealing don't ask, don't tell would be positive, would be mixed or nochb kp nonexistent. a draft of the study will be given to defense secretary robert gates december 1st. a tragic story near detroit. a 14-year-old girl killed herself weeks after allegedly being raped by another student. her acquisitions put her at the center of a reported school wide mocking and bullying campaign. john yang is outside the school this girl attended. >> reporter: this is a tragic story. the charges of statutory rape dropped yesterday against 18-year-old senior, joe turnopulsky. this came after 14-year-old freshman samantha kelly hanged herself monday. the police concluded the sex was consensual. they charged him because of his age. the ages of the two people involved. now, he admits he went on social media to defend himself, but the real flashpoint here appears to have come october 18th when i a samant samantha's mother and samantha, herself, with her face blurred, went on the local fox affiliate. and on that interview, issamant gave a different story than she gave before. she said the sex was coercive, forced and made what had been a secret at this high school a well-known fact. the school students say broke into camps over who was defending joe and who was def d defending samantha. at the end of this one young girl is dead. the young man in this says he's never going to return to this high school and the funeral services will be held on sunday for samantha -- 14-year-old samantha kelly. contessa? >> is there any blame going around about who wasn't aware of the bullying and name calling samantha was experiencing at school? >> reporter: well, you know, the school officials say they were stunneddy the suicide because they had investigated allegations of bullying and taunting and say they found nothing overt. the family says samantha's family says there were all sorts of taunts and threats and that this story ended so tragically. >> john, thank you very much. the federal government has a new plan to get smokers to kick the habit. hoping to scare them. plus an implosion. kind of gone wrong here. this is not the kind of oops you want to see. i couldn't conceive this as a heart attack. the doctor leaned over and said to me, "you just beat the widow-maker." i was put on an aspirin, and it's part of my regimen now. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. go see your doctor now. i was living on welfare and supporting a family of four. after i got the job at walmart, things started changing immediately. then i wrote a letter to the food stamp office. "thank you very much, i don't need your help any more." you know now, i can actually say i bought my home. i knew that the more i dedicated... the harder i worked, the more it was going to benefit my family. this my son, mario and he now works at walmart. i believe mario is following in my footsteps. my name is noemi, and i work at walmart. ♪ fifteen percent ormi, more on car insurance? does a former drill sergeant make a terrible therapist? patient: and that's why yellow makes me sad. i think. sarge: that's interesting. you know what makes me sad? you do! maybe we should chug on over to mambie pambie land where maybe we can find some self-confidence for you. ya jackwagon! tissue? crybaby. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. americans are pausesing to remember the nation's war heroes on this veterans day. vice president biden was part of the annual wreath laying at the tomb of the unknowns at arlington national cemetery. where some 300,000 american veterans have been laid to rest. meantime, president obama took time to honor veterans day, addressing the troops and participating in a wreath laying ceremony at an american base in south korea. today troops in kabul are marking the holiday in their own way and want folks back home to remember the good work they're doing. live from kabul, tell me what's happening there in afghanistan. >> reporter: well, hi, contessa. we all know there are no holidays or days off for service members who are fighting a war oversea s but at least for toda here in afghanistan some of those troops were able to come out and pay tribute to the veterans. a day to remember in a place they will never forget. u.s. service members along with their nato counterparts gathered at camp eggers to reflect on veterans day. >> this day calls to mind the fallen in foreign wars. >> reporter: for the chaplain, veterans day has an added personal significance. >> four generations of my family have served in the united states military. and so first it's a personal thing, and second, i don't think that veterans get the respect that they should sometimes. >> reporter: since 2001, nearly 1,400 american lives have been lost in afghanistan. with 2010 proving to be the deadliest year so far. >> we pray that we work ourselves out of a job. >> reporter: many service members here have served on more than one deployment. they want the people back home to see past the bullets and bombs and concentrate instead on their accomplishments. >> we're making a lot of progress with this transition command. >> reporter: at the u.s. embassy, war veteran and former prisoner of war senator john mccain led a congressional delegation to salute those in uniform. >> it's an honor for all of us to spend this veterans day in afghanistan among i believe to be the greatest generation of men and women serving in our military. today we honor you. >> reporter: honoring and remember the sacrifices of generations both past and present. there are millions of survivini veterans from the past wars as well as the two most recent in iraq and afghanistan. and there is no doubt that many of these men and women will be reminiscing about their time of service today and remembering those friends who made the ultimate sacrifice. contessa? >> thank you so much. a missouri pastor stands accused of killing his lover's husband. tops our stories foreign wide. pastor david love officiated at the wedding. in kentucky a case of seller beware. a man said two men cut off his beard with a knife and forced him to eat his own facial hair. harvey said he was fighting with a couple guys over a lawn mower he was trying to sell. the men felt they were being ripped off. they did plead guilty to minor charges. they'll pay a fine for a forced beard eating. we're honoring our service men and women on this veterans day. 40% of the military has been deployed to afghanistan or iraq at least three times. i'm talk to a woman whose husband is included in that statistic. first a look at what's hot on the web. amazon.com removes a pedophilia guide book. "the pedophile's guide to love and pleasure" made the company's bestseller list yesterday. how disturbing is it that that book would make the bestsellers list? the book was selling for $4.79 on the kindle store. it's been taken off. bidding on bernie madoff's underwear. thousands of his belongings are going up for auction this weekend. luggage, jewelry, artwork, hundreds of pairs of shoes, plus, his designer pleated, ready for this, boxer shorts are up for sale. they come with a nice pair of silk armani pants and more than 100 pair of used socks just in case you need to stock up on used socks. and now meet the pbob marle baby courtesy of youtube. >> this demon child as you can see can only be soothed with one thing. >> power of jesus? >> the power of reggae. >> oh, yeah, nothing like a little bob marley to soothe a troubled soul. we'll be right back. 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farmers around the world are abandoning coca crops for other commodities like palm oil which doesn't taste nearly as good. president obama's overnighting in south korea now. the third leg of his asia tour. he ran into a bit of trouble at the g-20 summit. mike viqueira live in washington, d.c. what happened? >> reporter: while we were asleep on the east coast there was plenty of action at the g-20 summit in seoul, south korea. a goal that wanted to be reached, set forth by president obama and his korean counterpart, what they both called a win/win, they wanted to put the ink, sign this agreement, a three-trade agreement between the united states and south korea around the summit. they did not get there, contessa. they put it off. there are going it be south korean negotiators continuing the talks coming here to washington. it's going to take weeks, not months to resolve. there are disputes over cars and beef. there's a dispute between the united states and its closest allies including germany. the president had a series of bilateral meetings including angela merkel, the chancellor of germany. they, the germans still upset about the move by the fed to print $600 billion in money. germany conscious of the threat to inflation. also bilateral between president obama and hu jintao. the president of china. exchange rates on the table, a point of friction. the united states has repeatedly accused the chinese of manipulating their currency to increase exports from china into the united states. that is the converse of what's going on between the united states and germany. so a lot of economic issues on the table. there will be a communique, the president moves on to another summit of asia-pacific nations tomorrow. >> in the meantime, are they hoping to work out a deal? >> reporter: right. the south korean negotiators are going to be here in washington. they had hoped to have it done in time for this summit that was going to be one of the centerpieces. they hope to have a deal in a matter of weeks. >> mike viqueira, thank you. it's the hanging chad 2.0, 2010 version. alaska, poll workers are looking at every single write-in ballot for the undecided senate race trying to find out if lisa murkowski, leslie what's her name, you get the point. her opponent joe miller says it shouldn't. the poll counts shouldn't be done. his legal team is challenging many of the unclear ballots. >> the high threshold for write-in counts. we expect the law to be followed and not have a fly as you go, change as you go system that's up to basically whoever is in position at the time to make a decision. >> kristin welker is in juneau watching it all. at this point the count seems to be in murkowski's favor. is there any way if they exclude all of the contested ballots that she still wins? >> reporter: right now she would still win, contessa. even if you exclude all of those contest eed ballots. we'll have to see what would happen at the end of this counting which would go on the next several days. this is a list of all of those votes that were counted yesterday. 89%, overwhelming majority went to lisa murkowski. another 8% went to lisa murkowski. however, those 8% were contested by folks in the miller camp. folks who are saying, those votes were spelled incorrectly, eventually. the write-in ballots were spelled incorrectly. now, those contested ballots are going to be crucial. if this matter goes to court, those contested ballots will be reviewed first. as you mentioned, contessa, the miller camp has been arguing all along that spelling errors shouldn't be counted. however, officials with the division of elections say they are basing all of their decisions on voter intent. they say if they can pronounce the name phonetically they're counting it as a vote for lisa murkowski. one point yesterday folks in the murkowski camp accused folks in the miller camp for contesting ballots for frivolous reasons. things like handwriting that was difficult to read. they say they're trying to stack up those contested ballots in case this matter does go to court. here's what both sides had to say about that issue. >> the miller camp right now is actually contesting absolutely correctly filled in ballots, which is why the state of alaska is returning 90% of them back to be counted. why they're doing that, we have no idea. they're obviously trying to boost the number of challenged ballots. >> all we've asked is if it's not spelled clearly and if it's not -- if there's any sort of misspelling or not spelled clearly, if there's question, segregate those out for further review. >> reporter: as you can see behind me folks are gathering right fl right now to start the counting process. altogether there are 15 teams of 2. they're going to get under way in half an hour. they initially thought this process would take three days, now they're estimating five. a group of power players are on their way to washington. last week 32% of tea party backed candidates won their congressional races. of ten tea partyers running for the senate five won. in the house there will be 40 new tea party backed members out of 140 people who were hoping to go to washington. and now the beltway is bracing. for a new cup of tea. tony katz is a tea party activist, radio talk show host, joins me from burbank, california. tony, good to talk to you today. >> good to be here. before anything, happy veterans day. go out, kiss a veteran, shake a veterans hand, give them your car, whatever you have to do. >> people up and down the political spectrum agree, we thank our men and women in uniform and those who served there in the past. >> absolutely. >> on to politics in washington, d.c. how influn usual do you think the tea party folks will be in guiding the republican agenda moving forward. >> i don't know if i would call it the republican agenda because i don't even know if republicans know what the republican agenda is. the tea party agenda is just so easy to understand. the constitution, capitalism, fiscal responsibility and smaller government. it's an easy message. that's why it worked so well. that's why the tea party has gathered so many people, so many millions of people from around the country. when you see people like colonel alan west out of the florida 22nd, see senator-elect johnson out of wisconsin, when you see a pat toomey out of pennsylvania, they know this message. and what's more important, the tea party people understand that the establishment gop doesn't understand, they know that if they don't listen to us they're going to get fired. and there are establishment gop that are going to learn this lesson like senator lindsey graham in 2012. you're going to learn the lesson fast and furious and when the people start demanding that their elected representatives do the job we want them to do, and the elected representatives do the job, it's going to be a better country. >> so the deficit, the national debt, that was one of the biggest topics of concern when you would talk to people who counted themselves as supporters of the tea party. and yet here we have the new proposals for how we rein in this national massive debt. what does the right say? calls it, again, an excuse to raise net taxes on the american people. something's going to have to give and you have rand paul who has already said when it comes to voting to raise the debt ceiling, what you have to do in order to keep the government working, he's like, i'm not voting for it. >> right. of course he's right. remember, we're talking about a $1.3 trillion deficit and a $13 trillion debt. you have to do something, and the answer to that something is not increasing the credit card by adding a zero to the end of the number. >> would you be willing -- >> take a stand and say -- >> would you be willing to see government shut down as opposed to raise the debt ceiling? >> i don't think you have to shut down government. ask yourself what has to be cut. senator coburn from oklahoma said he wants to see $300 billion in spending cuts before he'll end the filibuster. you don't have to go to the extremes of shutting down governments. if that's the end result, that's the end result. there comes a moment you have to stop spending. the spending must end in order for us to survive. your big question today, contessa, is about austerity measures. dou how do you want to avoid these things? avoid them by stopping the spending and borrowing and putting yourself on a path to fiscal responsibility. >> it's interesting. i'm getting just slammed with viewer e-mails here. who say, no, we're not into austerity measures, take it out of the pockets of the rich, we're done belt tightening here. >> that's a nonstarter. that's a red herring taken out of the pockets of the rich. it's a nonsense attack. it's like the people who were okay with taxing people from aig, 90% on their bonuses. those people would never see the money from it. they want to see somebody else get hurt. this isn't a time to start attacking people and say attack the rich, those dirty rich, these evil rich. the rich are not the issue. the issue is you should be able to live in a country where you, yourself, can become rich. god bless capitalism. i said it here first. we need to be able to instill policies that keep the spending down. and allow the opportunities to fwr grow. >> i don't know if you're the first one to say that, but i appreciate the sentiment. >> maybe here. >> thank you for joining us today. 22 million living americans have served in our armed forces in some capacity. we honor those men and women. 2.1 million men and women served in iraq and afghanistan. 40% have been deployed two tours. 300,000 have gone back three or four times or more. michelle o'rourke's husband is serving in afghanistan with the 101st airborne division. how many times has he been over there? >> this is his fourth deployment with operation iraqi freedom and with operation enduring freedom. >> so he's been to afghanistan and in iraq. what does that do to your relationship, to see every year or every 18 months to see him leave for that period of time? >> it's hard to admit this, but we've kind of gotten used to it, sadly, but it is a strain. it's very stressful. it's hard, but we are committed to our marriage and committed to his career as a soldier. so we make it work. >> michelle, we're showing pictures right now of your baby boy, 15 months old, is that right? >> yes. >> and so this time around he had to leave not only you behind but little william as well. did that change your perspective on seeing him leave? >> yes. it did. when he left back in the spring, will was not even 8 months old. just crawling, not talking. and he actually came home last month for his two weeks of r&r and came home not to a baby but to a little boy who's talking and running and it's changed it completely because it's not necessarily our sacrifice anymore but it's our child's sacrifice. and i'm left here to try to explain to him when he can't find da-da and my husband is over there watching him grow up through videos and pictures. >> given the times he's had to leave, do you think your husband will keep re-ups wiping with th military? >> he's a lifer. he made that decision last deployment, he's going to stay in another 20 years. we have another ten years. if we spend a couple years apart it's not we haven't done before and we enjoy what time we get to be together. >> michelle, we appreciate certainly the dedication of your husband, but again, when someone enlists in the military it's not just that individual, it's also their family that's enlisting for the support. we appreciate your sacrifice and your dedication to this country as well. thank you. >> thank you. let's take you to san diego now, a live look at the carnival cruise ship, "splendor" sitting in its rather less than spe spendorous circumstances. passengers and crew stuck on that ship for days. 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[crowd cheering] a new york city cat lady managed to shock a city that considers itself immune to the shocking. the woman lives in a cramped queens apartment and kept 50 cats. 50. at least until animal service found out. you know, the thing is there's a show now that's dedicated to hoarders. >> yeah. >> and this is a case where people are hoarding pets. >> yeah. it's a big problem across the country. 900 to 2,000 new cases every year in this country. and it's not just cats and dogs, it's reptiles and farm animals. as you mentioned we met a woman in queens whose generosity grew out of control. >> one at a time. >> i'll go to the front door to clear this. >> reporter: catching cats is not easy. >> come here, baby. come here. >> they see cages and tend to spook really easily. >> reporter: especially when there are 50 cats in a cramped two-bedroom apartment. >> the smell of urine, ammonia, feces, it's not good. >> reporter: that's a situation here in queens. too many cats and a cat hoarder who's been caring for them. carmen who did not want to show her face has names for all 50 of her cats. >> bambino. >> reporter: animal hoarders grow very attached to their pets. >> they wouldn't consider themselves hoarders. >> reporter: the aspca's fiona night says neighbor started complaining about the smell from carmen's apartment. >> neighbors, that's how we find out about cases like this, complain about the smell of ammonia and cat urine. >> it crosses the line when there are too many. it can affect the owner's health and cats' health. >> reporter: that's what happened to carmen. she suffers from asthma and emphyse emphysema. >> the doctor says i can no longer have my cats or any animal with hair. >> reporter: how did carmen get to this point? she said she started with two cats. they were dropped off on her porch. three more were dropped off. those cats started breeding. more and more cats were dropped off. within five years those five cats morphed into 50. >> translator: i don't know if i have a big heart, but i don't like to hurt anyone, especially animals. i love animals. >> reporter: that love left her bankrupt. feeding 50 cats and keeping them healthy costs her more than $1,000 a month. >> translator: i have lots of debt. debt with the bank, debt with credit cards. they're all maxed out. >> reporter: in hoarding situations the aspca will remove the animals in various stages to make sure they can find shelters. >> come on, big boy. >> reporter: the service is free. since carmen is complying she will not be fined. the cats will be taken to the new rochelle humane society. they'll be given veterinarian care and put up for adoption. carmen had this message for those looking to adopt. >> translator: that they took care of them, they're good cats. >> if you know someone who may be a hoarder the best thing to do is contact the aspca or your local animal shelter. most people who are hoarders have no idea of their problem. all 50 cats you've seen in our story are up for adoption at the new rochelle humane society. >> it's enough of a problem that animal planet can do a reality show, "confessions of animal hoarders." >> it's reported more. the aspca is getting more cases because people know how to spot it. >> when i was in local news i covered a story similar to this. i remember the incredible stench. were you blown away going into it yourself? >> i didn't take off the jacket when i went in there. it smelled really bad. the ammonia from the cat urine stays with you the entire day. all the clothes have to be dry cleaned. >> the woman is seeing the cats she considered part of her family emotionally. >> she was in tears, totally broken up. i said, do you realize you have a problem? she said, if i had the money, if i had a bigger house, i'd keep all the cats. >> thanks. xpress yourself ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] because coffee is like the holidays. it's better when you add your flavor. coffee-mate. from nestle. [ male announcer ] ever have morning pain slow you down? introducing bayer am, an extra strength pain reliever with alertness aid to fight fatigue. so get up and get goin'! with new bayer am. the morning pain reliever. we've been talking online today about the new proposals to cut the national debt. things like raising retirement age or hiking up the gas tax. will american people get behind these measures? carl logan writes, no way. it's time for the uber-rich and corporations to pay their fair share. if corporations and wealthy people paid their taxes there would be no need to penalize average americans for the never ending greed of the prosperous class. david hutchison says, you want to stop the economic bleeding? stop the wars and pull every member of the military from every base of the world and bring them home. do we not remember rome? b. bennett q, these cuts will only get worse. we need to do these things now while i still have time to make adjustments to my future plans. rick, the answer is your question, yes. it is long overdue. i'm tired of the money being spent by lobbyists. i always like hearing from you. reach me on facebook. get me on twitter. always get me on e-mail. contessa@msnbc.com. fresh off the midterm elections republican lawmakers in texas unveiled controversial proposals to crack down on illegal immigration. a handful of new bills filed this week include a measure to sanction businesses that hire undocumented workers. one bill would require state agencies to report on the costs of providing services to illegal immigrants. another measure would allow police to check an individual's immigration status on reasonable suspicion. this coming monday msnbc in partnership with voto latino holds a special two hour town hall event. we'll take a look ind-deptin-de. maria theresa kumar is executive director of voto latino and co-hosting the town hall event with msnbc's lawrence o'donnell. the thing with immigration, legal, illegal, and everything in between is it's a difficult complicated topic. >> it's complicated. what folks don't understand when you're talking about the 12 million undocumented, contessa, they are from families meaning that the mom might be a u.s. citizen and the child might be undocumented. we have a lot of folks serving in our military that are on the process of citizenship. they pass away, they die in combat and all of a sudden their family who lost their loved one in war is sent back to their country. so part of the special is really to dig deep. we're going to have rosario dawson, and jose valard and looking at individuals on the opposite side of the issue. >> are you looking as well at the political influence of this growing minority? >> absolutely. what we found, when you look at states such as nevada, colorado, california, the decisive vote of who able to take the senate seat, boxer, reid or bennett, it had a lot to do with the tone of immigration. you saw incredible ads where the culprit, mean looking latinos is the reason why you lost your job. >> or in nevada the one that said to latinos, we know you're not going to vote for sharron angle, so don't vote. we want people to know when they can see this special. a two-hour discussion on immigration and latino america this monday night 10:00 eastern, 7:00 pacific time on msnbc. thank you so much. that wraps up this hour for me. i'm contessa brewer. i appreciate the time you spent with me today. see you back here tomorrow noon eastern, 9:00 in the west. president obama is attending the g-20 summit in seoul. we're watching for that. and the christmas tree arriving at rockefeller plaza. i'm looking a live shot rockefeller plaza, all the ice skaters. it's beginning to look a lot like christmas. up next andrea mitchell reports. have a great day, everybody. that's breakfast with two pills. the morning is over, it's time for two more pills. the day marches on, back to more pills. and when he's finally home... but hang on; just two aleve can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is steven, who chose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. 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