we need to close out the war successfully and what that means now is not nation building. what it means is to follow general petraeus' advice and to get those security forces built up to the point where they can pick up the slack as we draw down. >> yet some believe keeping troops in afghanistan longer won't make much difference in the long run. >> afghanistan is not and never will be a centrally governed place. that's going to be governed by some group of people in kabul. >> if we simply keep an american dependency of our troops being there to do everything for the afghans, we're never going to get out of there. >> ron mott is live at the white house. the white house expected i presume some of this criticism. >> reporter: yes, they did. but chuck todd, chief white house correspondent and political director, says the reaction here in washington has been mostly muted which is unusual here. you've had some criticism on the far left and right that yeah, either this was too aggressive or not aggressive enough but the president seems to have struck just the right balance in terms of the draw-down schedule for this year, 10,000 troops, another 23,000 by next september. so there are a lot of folks who aren't really complaining about it. they just hope it goes well from this point forward. the president had a delicate dance to perform here. obviously those political considerations had to be taken into account but also, the treasury here, the u.s. is currently spending about $10 billion a month on this effort so as those troops start to come home, that number should go down at a time obviously when the u.s. needs as much cash in this economy as it can get its hands on. of course, the public sentiment, a lot of war weariness among the american people. it will be interesting to see going forward. as we move into the election season for next year, whether the public will grow more discontented with this war effort or less so. >> he's hitting the road to kind of sell this plan. >> reporter: right. up to fort drumm today in upstate new york to talk with the folks there, the army's tenth mountain division base there. so the president wants to get his arms, if you will, literally around the folks who have been to afghanistan and iraq, have put their lives on the line for this country, to also gain their support for this draw-down. i think a lot of folks are going to back him at this point. as we said, there are some folks in his party and on the republican side who thought that he erred one way or another. >> any comment from the white house on congressman cantor walking out of budget talks? >> reporter: have not seen any official comments this morning but obviously that will require some of their attention with the congressman walking out, saying the president really needs to step in and get this tax issue resolved before they can go forward. >> thank you so much, my friend. now i'm joined by retired army general james "spider" marks. thanks for being with us. question is, what's your call on the president's plan? >> clearly the president indicated when he put the troops in that he was going to take them out and this is according to that plan. i would also tell you that insights and recommendations that he's getting from his military leaders primarily general dave petraeus, he's listening to that very, very closely. i think there might be a large debate, of course there would be, we would expect that, that there might be some division between what the military has recommended and what the president has decided. but bear in mind, general petraeus and all the joint chiefs come forward and make recommendations to the president and they give him a range of options. so clearly, this fit within one of those options and all of those options are doable. so clearly, this is doable. >> but pulling out the guys that really are really fighting and are killing the enemy, pulling those out, isn't that of concern that maybe the tide would change in the near future after these people are out? >> bear in mind, it's not like there is a withdrawal of forces that are immediately in contact and those are the ones that are going to be taken offline. completely on the contrary. the forces that are going to be withdrawn are those that have achieved success and there has been a handover to the afghan forces. whether those are security forces, border troops or the military. so what you're going to see is that some units won't be replaced. some units will shift. so all of that will be done at a very operational and tactical level. so where pressure must be applied to the enemy, it will continue to be applied to the enemy with u.s. faces as well as afghan faces. >> is the afghan government and its institutions ready for this change? >> the argument would be absolutely not. they are not completely on board. we have plenty of time to get that straight. bear in mind also, at the end of the period for this remaining 30,000 to leave, ostensibly by next summer which the president has said, we're still going to have close to 65,000 to 70,000 troops in country. we're not turning to dust at that time frame. we still have another two years at least we have declared we have another two years before the united states will be -- will completely shift in terms of what its role is in afghanistan. >> pleasure to see you, sir, thank you. a programming note. lawrence o'donnell has an exclusive interview with house minority leader nancy pelosi tonight. "the last word" airs at 8:00 eastern. u.s. stocks are plummeting this morning. the dow plunging more than 200 points at one point. 162 almost down on the dow jones. standard and poor, 17 down. almost 16 points drop in the nasdaq. stocks have been falling for the past six weeks, the longest since 2002. many financial experts see this tumble on wall street as a result of an anemic labor force. the government announced this week that unemployment claims jumped unexpectedly to over 400,000. now to the casey anthony murder trial. for nearly a week, the defense has paraded expert witness after expert witness in an attempt to attack the state's evidence but now casey's attorneys could begin trying to prove their own case, that caylee accidentally drowned. one potential witness, george anthony's alleged mistress. we're live at the courthouse. what would this woman testify about? >> reporter: well, jose, this woman, crystal holloway, already spoke to the media saying she had an affair with george anthony in the summer of 2008 when caylee was still missing. she already told media that she heard from george anthony, that he told her, confided in her, that caylee's death was an accident that snowballed out of control. she says that he trusted her with much information so we might hear this from her. on wednesday, however, mark lippman, george anthony's attorney, released the following statement. george anthony never confided of his opinions or thoughts to holloway regarding this case and certainly never said anything that holloway is alleging. >> this is really an unbelievable story. if it weren't so tragic it would look like a script from a soap opera or something. it's getting to that level now with alleged mistresses. can you hear me? you can't hear me? she can't hear me. >> reporter: yes. yes. unfortunately, it isn't. as we hear this story, more witnesses might come forth to discredit this theory the defense is putting forward, or to support it, such as this mistress. >> thank you so much. good to see you. a ruling by a federal judge could put a wrinkle in the prosecution's plans for casey anthony if she's convicted. let's bring in savannah guthrie. pleasure to see you. what are some of the wrinkles? >> well, this is very interesting. the plot thickens in this case. there's a federal district court in florida that has ruled unconstitutional florida's way of handing out the death penalty. in the short term, this shouldn't have any effect on the casey anthony case, that florida federal ruling, it's not binding on the state court. but as a practical matter, let's say that first degree murder is -- she gets a conviction of first degree murder and we get to a death penalty phase and she's given the death penalty, and simultaneously some higher court says you know what, florida, the way you give the death penalty out is unconstitutional, that potentially could lead to an overturning of the verdict. so there's a lot that would have to happen first but it's definitely a concern and the judge in this case is certainly aware of this ruling in the federal court in florida. i suppose it's possible some lawyers think maybe he would try to adjust the procedures to kind of comply with that ruling just in case we ever get there but other lawyers say no, florida has been going its own way for years. we don't see any changes right now. >> florida is very pro-capital punishment. >> absolutely. in any event, there is no talk that florida will be getting rid of the death penalty. at most, what would happen is florida's legislature would have to amend its death penalty law to comply with supreme court rulings. >> let's go back to this specific case. you think the defense has been successful in creating any kind of reasonable doubt? it seems so convoluted. >> to a certain extent, it has. they have put on a parade of forensic witnesses, some more credible than others, who have gone -- who have really been actually, what i would consider to be kind of the dog that didn't bark kind of legal strategy, saying why wasn't there dna on this duct tape, if it was placed over the little girl's face. why don't we have the hair, the clothes testing positive for chloroform if that was administered to the little girl before she died. that's a classic defense strategy and it often can work. on the other hand, the defense in this case took a risk. it gave a big blockbuster opening statement, made a lot of promises, said this was an accidental drowning death. as a practical matter, even though defense does not have any kind of legal burden, the jurors are probably now expecting to see some proof of that, some evidence of that and so far, they haven't. all they've seen is the defense attacking the science. >> as a parent, you think your child drowns, you're devastated and call authorities. >> it's kind of that basic common sense reaction that is so powerful in this case. what explanation is there if the child drowns for the anthonys not to call right away to 911. what is this cover-up about, what's her behavior about in the 31 days her child was missing. >> so nice to see you. thanks so much. well, breaking news from houston, texas. city bus was split in half in a horrific crash with a dump truck. take a look at these pictures. the driver was killed after swerving into the path of the dump truck. there were no other passengers on the bus at the time of the accident. the driver may have had a medical issue before the crash. if you have any comments, questions, criticisms, they're all acceptable. we're talking about today all kinds of issues. i would love to hear from you. find me at twitter at jd ballart. i will be tweeting during the show. quick break. coming up, how immigration reform could be the key to re-election for the president. plus, thousands are still without power right now after a tornado touched down in louisville and it was all caught on camera. h vegetables didn't taste so vegetably? 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[music playing] confidence available in color. depend® colors for women. looks and fits like underwear. protects like nothing else. depend®. good morning. great day. morning starts with arthritis pain... that's two pills before the first bell. [ bell rings ] it's time for recess... and more pills. afternoon art starts and so does her knee pain, that's two more pills. almost done, but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve because it can relieve pain all day with just two pills. this is lisa... who switched to aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. the wife of the man accused of killing four people inside a new york city pharmacy is apologizing today. she says she's sorry for her husband's actions. she made the comments from inside a police car after leaving the police headquarters on long island this morning. brady and her husband were arrested yesterday and are scheduled to appear in court today. he is accused of shooting to death all four people inside the pharmacy during a robbery for pain medication. firefighters making major progress in containing three massive wildfires raging in arizona. officials say the 348 square smi mile fire in the southeastern part of the state could be contained by this weekend. millions of acres have been scorched. 10,000 people have had to leave their homes. talking about politics now. in the battle for the hispanic vote, a recent pew poll shows voters went to vote in record numbers last fall and are the fastest growing group in america which means in 2012 the numbers could be even higher of latinos taking to the voting booths. president obama won 67% of the hispanic vote in 2008 in part on a pledge to make immigration reform a priority in his first year in office. two years plus later, that pledge is still unfulfilled. the president's trying again to court the hispanic vote on trips like this one to puerto rico. >> every day, you help write the american story. puerto rican entrepreneurs help create american jobs. even in the nba finals, j.j. berea inspired all of us. >> it's amazing, it's the second president to visit officially puerto rico in 50 years but groups like the newly formed tequila party, inspired by the tea party, are courting latino voters as well and say obama might not get all their vote. d.d. garcia and maria cardona, thank you for being with us. let's talk to maria first. you know this as well as anybody else. the president said, promised the hispanic community if he was elected he would spearhead immigration reform. what happened? >> what happened is when he first walked into office, we were losing 800,000 jobs a month and he had the economy on the brink of a second great depression so he needed to deal with that to put our economy back on track before he dealt with all of the other pressi issues. this continues to be a priority for this president and this white house. this continues to be a priority for the democrats. if republicans were the ones who could step up to the plate and show some leadership on this, we could get this done. >> let me ask you a question. did the president come back to the hispanic community and say i promised you this, but i got bigger fish to fry? he didn't. it was silence. >> no, actually he actually has been talking about this nonstop and you know this. he's talked to you, he's talked to many other leaders in the hispanic community, talked about how he continues to focus on this, but he also underscores the truth, which is he and the democrats cannot do this alone. this has got to be a shared responsibility. where are the republicans who just several years ago, supported 23 of them, 11 still in the senate, supported comprehensive immigration reform? >> i agree with you on that one. let's talk about the republicans on the other side of the coin. we look at how the republicans at least state-wide are acting, it's one thing. some of them are saying things that many in the hispanic community feel are insulting to them. >> absolutely. i agree with that. it is. we have an arizona senator who is referring to and pointing to operation wetback. the gop has been hostile to us. >> what's the solution, when you have some that say democrats say they are friends of the hispanic community but aren't really acting. and some in the republican party are talking about operation wetback. what's the solution here? >> i think what happened is you have some democrats, i know right now, the dhs, department of homeland security, has already deported almost one million undocumented people. they have the power. and i agree with representative corteres. we needed to do something to fix the immigration system. then you have the republicans who are implementing all of these anti-immigrant laws. they're extremely hostile. so the only way out of the situation is for hispanics to vote. we need to concentrate on the 20 million legal and eligible voters in order to push and give president obama, we want to work with this current administration, we want to give them the political covering to pass legal immigration reform. >> it's going to start at the grassroots level. >> i'm going to quote a little spanish here. i will translate. an old spanish expression, maybe that's something the president should be thinking about right now. certainly leaders in the republican party, who use words like operation wetback should be ashamed. thank you for being with us. i hope this conversation continues in the near future. >> thank you, jose. one of the world's most wanted and dangerous men is caught right here in the u.s. details ahead. crews in minot, north dakota are working to protect hundreds of homes from rising flood waters. things could get worse before they get better. plus, this next story may make you dizzy. take a look at these guys. this is called the motorcycle i must survive dance. jan glasser and wife tatiana wanted to get their retail clothing store into the miracle mile mall in vegas but needed a hook. they stumbled on the legacy of iconic '50s pinup betty page, licensed her name and branded the line betty page clothing. they now have six stores. with bengay pain relief plus massage yocan do this... get the ball, girl. hmmm, you can't do that. but you can do this. bengay pain relief + massage with penetrating nubs plus the powerful pain relief of bengay. love the nubs! a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead 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today at the derby horse track. officials rushed to make sure horses weren't hurt. races expected to resume tomorrow. talk about a wicked spinout. take a look at this. it's from a french motorcycle race. two riders crashed and all of a sudden, they just can't get their bikes apart. this video was uploaded on youtube wednesday and has already been watched by half a million people. time to call the ghostbusters. at a wedding reception in canada, the bride and groom had an unexpected guest. take a look at this. for all you skeptics. guests snapped this picture that some say shows the uninvited guest. trying to find him there. take a look at the right side of the screen, some see a figure that seems to be wearing a white top and floating in the air. the location of the wedding reception is known to have a haunted history. coming up, the tsa makes a change to its pat-down policy for certain airport passengers. plus, lindsay lohan's hearing, back to court. she's heading back to court for a probation violation. will she be end be up behind bars again? we'll find out. this is the aarp... now,listen to a magazine,aper, medicare supplement in curl up with a movie, and see a phone call. now, we can take a classroom anywhere, hold an entire bookstore, and touch the stars. because now...there's this. welcome back. i'm filling in for contessa brewer. the number of americans applying for unemployment benefits jumped last week by 9,000. the senate intelligence committee holds confirmation hearings for general david petraeus today, expected to be confirmed as the next cia director. the tsa changing its policy on how they search young children. and dropping a legal fight against facebook's ceo. the twins decided not to appeal a ruling that upheld their million dollar settlement. multi-million dollar settlement. according to a new study, potato chips are making us fat. more than soda, candy or ice cream. the reason? you really can't just eat one. in about 20 minutes, lindsay lohan is due back in court again, this time for a probation violation hearing. we are joined live by the burbank bureau. what happened now? >> reporter: we don't actually know why lindsay lohan, who has been under house arrest since pleading no contest to stealing a necklace earlier in the year. lot of people thought that going under house arrest would keep her out of trouble but even though she's not allowed to go out in public, apparently there is enough evidence of some kind of an issue that is bringing her back before a judge yet again this morning. all of this stems from a party that she had on the 12th. radar online and tmz and celebrity websites are reporting she tested positive for alcohol after that party. in an interview with "life and style weekly" due out friday, lohan dismissed the idea there was any booze at that bash, saying it was a barbecue and alcohol is not in my house, it is just not a part of my life. the reporter who interviewed lindsay lohan for that story said during the entire interview, lohan kept trying to say she's on the straight and narrow. take a listen. >> she told me time and time again that she wanted to prove everybody wrong, that her partying ways are over. >> reporter: jose, what happens at this hearing can go one or two ways. either the judge, if in fact he decides that she did violate her probation, could either send her back to rehab which obviously hasn't worked very well in the past, or could send her back to jail. most legal analysts say that jail is pretty much a likely option at this point. >> thanks so much. good to see you. if you have any comments or questions about what we're talking about today, i would love to hear from you. find me on twitter at jdballart. be sure to check out twitter tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. eastern. chris jansing, the great chris jansing, i'm going to be joining her for a live video chat. you can send us questions using the hash tag pound chris and jose. it will be a lot of fun. really looking forward to hanging out with her. she's extraordinary. i have some tweeter messages i can share with you. here's one. it says pretty sure you don't need to pronounce the accent in contessa. oh, no, i do. the money toward the war is needed here to fight hundreds of problems facing our country. and the only real way the immigration issue will be fairly acted on will be when the latino hispanic community becomes a force. and you really need help. i do. that saying you just cited is one of the dumbest things i ever heard. the president has always wanted to help but couldn't. when he could, he didn't want to and when he wanted to, he couldn't. i've got news for you. i've got even dumber sayings. i'll hold on to those. busy day for michelle obama in south africa with a trip to museum, organic food restaurant and the university of capetown. but first lady says one of the biggest highlights of her visit was visiting with former president nelson mandela. >> it was surreal. i never imagined in my lifetime that i would have the opportunity to meet, shake hands with, sit in the home of nelson mandela, let alone to watch my mother and my daughters meet him as well. >> must have been a truly extraordinary opportunity. take another break. just ahead, the unemployment rate for iraq and afghanistan war vets higher than 12% right now. the chamber of commerce is getting them back to work. plus, why the bad guys in "cars 2" are angering some conservatives. what's fueling the controversy over this film that i believe opens tomorrow? ♪ i thought it was over here... ♪ [car horn honks] our outback always gets us there... ... sometimes it just takes us a little longer to get back. ♪ morning starts with arthritis pain... that's two pills before the first bell. [ bell rings ] it's time for recess... and more pills. afternoon art starts and so does her knee pain, that's two more pills. almost done, but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve because it can relieve pain all day with just two pills. this is lisa... who switched to aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. a potentially game-changing development in the deadly drug war raging in mexico. a national security spokesman for the mexican government says this week's arrest of "the monkey" is a major victory and marks the possible end of the drug cartel. we are live in mexico city. julio, a pleasure to see you, my friend. how big of an arrest was this? >> reporter: well, according to the authorities, this is huge for president calderon. this might be the end for the cartel as we know it. we're talking about the bloodiest and probably one of the most violent drug cartels in mexico and when the capture of one of its leaders, well, it definitely becomes a lot more weaker than it was. this is part of the strategy of the government. >> but let's talk about this, because for a lot of us here in the united states, we hear over and over again about what's going on in your country, the massacres and the deaths almost on a daily basis. but i don't think we really understand just how violent, how ruthlessly violent, these cartels are. >> reporter: it is very, very violent. we are talking about gangs fighting to get control of their goods, to get the drug into the united states. so it is a big match between these gangs and we're talking about death tolls which are dramatic, more than 40,000 people have died during these past four years only because this war on drugs. 40,000 people. that's huge. 40,000 families -- >> it's like a city. 40,000 people is a city. >> yes. >> tk to me about the future. this monkey guy, big in the cartel, but what does this mean for the future? are we going to see the violence going down or maybe will they increase the level of fight between the two or three different cartels for that area? >> reporter: well, authorities believe that this really will stop the violence in this area, because by knocking off the heads of the cartels, they think cartels become weaker by breaking them down into smaller groups. however, many analysts believe that smaller groups fight between each other, and they are disorganized so violence increases. >> it's all about -- go ahead. i'm sorry. >> reporter: maybe the cartel becomes weaker with this detention. however, violence, there's no guarantee that it will stop. >> julio, this is all about these cartels being as close to the northern mexico border as possible, to cater to their clientele which are american illegal drug users. >> reporter: it is all about that. it is a huge multi-million business and they are fighting very strongly, very actively and very violently. so it is about getting drug into the united states and about having the control of the routes to get that drug across the border. >> your first english language interview and you did splendid, my friend. thank you. >> thank you very much. other news. thousands of residents in minot, north dakota are can paing up, hoping for the best as they flee the flooding from a rising river. officials have ordered 11,000 people to leave their homes ahead of what's expected to be the city's worst flooding in four decades. many families facing the agonizing task of deciding what to take with them and what to leave behind. >> with all the work we've had done, i just never imagined i would ever see the river like this again. amazing. >> just a tragedy. kevin tibbles is live there. what's the situation looking like there today? >> reporter: they are simply standing outside the main water treatment plant here in town, obviously desperate to keep the drinking water supply here as clean as possible. they have built this huge earthen berm from the early morning hours. now the national guard has arrived. they're putting sheets of plastic down on top of it and they are also going to be sandbagging it. this has been taking place all over town. what i should point out to you, i don't know if you can just zoom in across over there, we see this earthen berm here with me. behind it, you see the river. then you see a lot of houses. you may notice that the levee on the other side of this big earthen berm is a lot lower than this one. what has essentially happened is that they have essentially said that they cannot do any more for the people who live in these low-lying areas and when the river comes up, and it is going to come up, they say, this part is just going to be washed out. they're hoping to save the water treatment plant by reinforcing this berm behind me here. >> what a tragedy. any idea when these poor people will be able to return to their homes? >> reporter: well, there's the real salt into the wound of this whole thing, because this is the second time they have been evacuated so far this year. when the river behind me eventually does crest, which is supposed to be sometime next week, it will stick around. it's not going to go anywhere. this river is going to be very high for weeks, even months, and that means people are going to be out of their homes, worrying about what has happened to their homes, and they're not even going to be able to get back in there for a long time to assess whatever damage has taken place. the mayor says it will be a catastrophe. >> you know this better than anybody else, the longer those homes are under water, the more damage and the more possible permanent damage that those homes will take. >> reporter: absolutely. they had a bad flood here in 1969. we're already above that level. the worst flood was about 120 years ago and they are expecting they are going to beat that. so this is very serious here. >> kevin tibbles, thanks for being with us. take a quick break. we'll be right back. we have a lot more to talk about. if you want to chat, go to jdballart. [ female announcer ] ever wish vegetables didn't taste so vegetably? well, v8 v-fusion juice gives you a full serving of vegetables, plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. and try our deliciously refreshing v8 v-fusion + tea. ...they could stop spending our money on things like... ...a cotton institute in brazil... ...poetry at zoos... ...treadmills for shrimp... but instead of cutting waste... or closing tax loopholes... next month, congress could make a deal that cuts medicare... ...even social security. i guess it's easier to cut the benefits we earned... than to cut pickle technology. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] with amazing innovation, driven by relentless competition, wireless puts the world at your command. ♪ i'm andrea mitchell. coming up next, exit strategy from afghanistan. the president's deputy national security advisor. plus, the chairman of the senate armed services committee. and budget talks break down today. we'll get the latest on the republican walkout. see you in 15 minutes. "cars 2" doesn't come out until tomorrow but it's driving conservatives to complain. >> they're not only racing across the world. >> wish me luck. >> you go get them, buddy. >> welcome to the inaugural running of the world grand prix. >> they're racing to save the world. >> it's exactly that saving the world bit that's got some conservatives crying foul. they don't like the director's comments in "wall street journal." he described thinking about quote, a spy movie in the world where cars are alive. what would be a really good kind of uber bad guy? i kept going to big oil. you could have big oil versus alternative fuel. "wall street journal" editor joins me in studio. good to see you, sir. >> good to see you. >> there's a political tinge to what should be a kids' movie. >> that's what people are saying. the director of this film told us flat out they were looking for a villain and big oil seemed to fit the bill. they wanted a villain that spoke to the whole dilemma, the whole controversy between alternative fuel and regular fuel. they wanted to make it part of the plot. the plot is these cars are racing around the world and using this super alternative fuel, and later, i'm going to give you a spoiler here, it turns out the alternative fuel is not quite what people expect and big oil is somehow behind this fraud. >> it's amazing, my 7-year-old daughter wants to see this movie tomorrow, and all she really cares about is about the truck with the buck teeth. why do we bring in these issues when these movies can be made with just goodness and heart and crazy action scenes? >> certainly pixar doesn't want people to focus on this issue -- >> can't be good for publicity right before it hits theaters. >> these are big blockbusters not just in theaters but also in stores. "toy story 3" brought in $2.8 billion worth of merchandising money. they expect this movie to bring in even more because "cars 1" was a huge merchandising champ. they don't want people talking about big oil. they want people talking about big christmas presents. >> there were some kind of issues in some of the other movies, "toy story 3" had recycling as a big issue. >> also environmental issues, the whole world became a big trash pile. pixar definitely brings the world into their movies. the question is some people have said maybe they went too far with this one. >> here's a really tough, hard-hitting question. you going to see the movie tomorrow? >> of course. i will bring my kids. i have seen every pixar movie made. i will see it and i'm sure my kids will enjoy it. >> good to see you, buddy. thanks for being with us. in other news, james bulger spent 16 years on the run as one of america's most wanted mob bosses. we have been talking about him all week. but this morning, he's waking up behind bars. the fbi captured the gangster near los angeles after he spent all those years in hiding for his alleged role in 19 murders. >> over the last 16 years, the leaders at the fbi and the fbi boston division have stood on this podium and promised to spare no effort to return james bulger to boston. i am proud to say the fbi has fulfilled that promise. >> joining me now is a former mafia member and author of "mob rules, what the mafia can teach the legitimate businessman." this is a huge story for boston and nationally. who exactly is whitey bulger? >> he was el primo creepo in the mob and fbi. this guy was a bum. every mobster in the world wanted him dead. the fbi wanted him captured, maybe some fbi agents even wanted him dead. this guy was a serial killer, masquerading as a gangster. he killed innocent people and people who broke rules in that world, that underworld, alike. he discriminated against no one. he was on the run for 16 years and hats off to the fbi. they got him. this is as big as bin laden in the underworld. >> how could this guy be on the lam for so long and stay right here in the u.s.? >> to start with, he was a shrewd guy. at some times i gave him thoughts at different times, i was in the penitentiary with a lot of kids he put away. he treated them as sons and then got them into the drug trade and then ratted them out later and sent them away for 40, 50, 60 years a clip, these poor kids. he was a shrewd guy. he was a double-crosser, an expert -- actually, he was a triple-crosser and quadruple crosser. this guy knew how to play both sides of the fence. he knew how to disguise himself. again, hats off to the feds because instead of going after bulger, they went after -- they took a pop at his girl, that greed. excellent move on their part. >> do you think this was really kind of the most important thing that really helped to conclude this issue? >> i think so. that huge campaign against him and focusing on the girl. again, some brilliant person in the fbi offices came up with the idea to focus on the girl and that person deserves a medal. the underworld would give her or him a medal at well just for getting this creep. he should be executed. >> let me ask you, you talk about triple and quadruple turning one towards the other. what do you mean by that? what -- >> this guy, in the mob, we had a thing where guy's a double-crosser, you have to be aware of that guy. he will double-cross anyone. a triple-crosser is a guy who could double-cross the people he's double-crossing. this is a shrewd guy. he's able to play a chess game with people's lives and that's why he was able to stay on the lam so well. fortunately for the fbi and the people -- the survivors of his victims, someone was smart enough to focus on his companion so he needed a companion all these years. if he did it alone he probably would have got away with this, but he wanted somebody with him. they will go after her, too. i bet after 16 years on the run, they will start to uncover a lot of people who harbored this fugitive and probably are cringing right now in their rooms saying i hope the fbi doesn't come for me next. i held him for a year or two. this guy's a rat, too. he will tell on those people. don't think he's going to save those people who harbored him. whoever harbored him is going to jail. >> thanks so much for being with us today. >> thank you for having me. the return home from war can be tough for veterans, both physically and mentally. according to the department of labor, veterans are facing a new challenge which is finding a job. currently, the jobless rate among veterans, about 2% higher than the general population. the number is far worse for young male veterans with 30% of them unemployed. nbc is teaming up with the u.s. chamber of commerce in support of a job fair for veterans at the intrepid sea and air museum. give us a setup of the scene. >> reporter: i think you mentioned what is the most staggering statistic of all, 30% of young veterans serving post-9/11 under the age of 24, unemployed right now. when you consider that, you recognize the significance of days like today. right now, there are about 100 companies from around this area and around the country here trying to get involved with about 1500 or so young veterans and others who are coming in here looking for opportunities. one of the biggest challenges is to take these young men and women from the battlefield and find them opportunities in the boardroom or wherever else, and really just sort of indicate the value of a vet, to show and to translate their skills from in the field back here at home. i want to introduce you to one of the young men who is going through that process right now. 28-year-old staff sergeant christian mullens. it's your birthday today. happy birthday. obviously the challenge you're experiencing is trying to find work. you spent time serving in afghanistan. what has been the biggest challenge during this process? >> personally, i found i have had difficulty translating my experiences and the skills i have attained and writing those on a corporate resume and explaining to potential employers what it is i have to offer. >> reporter: hard to put in words what you do out in the field but as you indicated, when these guys see your skill set they will recognize you are a valuable asset to them. >> we use different terminology but same skills, same managerial opportunities i hope they can understand. soldiers have the same abilities. >> reporter: make good contacts so far? >> i hope so. >> reporter: nice to meet you. happy birthday. we wish you good luck. >> i appreciate it. >> reporter: christian from the d.c. area here as part of today's event. this is not the only city they will do this. one of the most remarkable stats we learned, when they had a test run of one of these hiring fairs, they did it in chicago earlier in the year, roughly 5,000 applicants showed up. 400 of them left the event with jobs that day. in order to come, you got to have jobs to offer. they are hoping many people will leave this event or in the months ahead get hired because of it. >> that's so important. a lot of the job fairs will have companies that are kind of interested, see what's out there for the future, but these are actual physical jobs that are available. >> reporter: yeah, they are. they are major companies involved like walmart, amazon.com, also financial services here, deutsch bank, goldman sachs, whole lot of names. >> thanks so much, peter alexander. really good story to report on. with that, we wrap up this hour. thanks so much for watching. see you back here tomorrow, noon eastern, 9:00 a.m. out west. every weekday evening as well. up next, andrea mitchell reports. how are you? up next, with cantor pulling out of the talks, what's next in the debt showdown? plus, on the president's troop draw-down plan, deputy national security advisor and former national security advisor joining us. all that plus president obama facing a lot of pressure on the gay marriage issue today as he gets ready to speak to gay supporters in new york city. >> ( rooster crows ) >> by 2020, 50 billion network devices will roam the earth. that's seven devices per person. this will change how we work in ways we've never before imagined. what do you need to secure your people, their devices, and your business? a network that can evolve and grow to protect your human network. what is that? it's you! it's me? alright emma, i know it's not your favorite but it's time for your medicine, okay? you ready? one, two, three. [ both ] ♪ emma, emma bo-bemma ♪ banana-fana-fo-femma ♪ fee-fi-fo-femma ♪ em-ma very good sweety, how do you feel? good. yeah? you did a really good job, okay? let's go back to drawing. morning starts with arthritis pain... that's two pills before the first bell. [ bell rings ] it's time for recess... and more pills. afternoon art starts and so does her knee pain, that's two more pills. almost done, but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve because it can relieve pain all day with just two pills. this is lisa... who switched to aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. right now, budget breakdown. the white house release of oil from the strategic reserve. is this about oil shortages or gas price politics? the troop withdrawal from afghanistan. president obama strikes a balance. >> america, it is time to focus on nation building here at home. >> at this hour, the president is heading to fort drumm to sell his plan to soldiers who have seen more than their share of deployments. here in washington, frustrated critics say the draw-down does not go far enough. plus, what about the impact on the fight against al qaeda next door in pakistan? >> i recently visited pakistan and had as we say in diplo-speak, very candid discussions with its leaders. the united states has clear expectations for this rela