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i'm chris saliza in for chuck todd. let's get to libya. president obama summed up the situation there monday from martha's vineyard. >> the situation is still very fluid. there remains a degree of uncertainty and there is still regime elements who pose a threat, but this much is clear. the gadhafi regime is coming to an end and the future of libya is in the hands of its people. >> for more on the politics of the libya situation at home, let's bring in nbc news deputy political director, murray. we heard from the president. this is the second time in two days he said something about libya. he emphasized situations are still fluid. what happened yesterday with saif gadhafi? does that change anything in terms of the politics of this or we still in a victory towards president obama? >> it seems to be a victory for president obama. it is a fluid situation. richard engel's reporting is that the rebel forces are at gadhafi's compound. that's probably not good news for gadhafi and his family. we talked about this in the past. these have been a tough last three or four weeks for president obama. finally some good news for him. once again it comes on the foreign policy front. >> fascinating. let's take a moment there. we were talking about this before we started up. this is a guy who, the biggest thing john mccain knocked him on is he doesn't have foreign policy experience. yet that's his strong suit. >> all of a sudden, he gets rid of osama bin laden, potentially moammar gadhafi, u.s. troops out of iraq, you start a pull down in afghanistan. as politico put it, the war time president may be a successful one. this is good news for him. a lot of bad news started around the time of the libya operation, the gas ond oil prices started to increase. these five months have been very difficult. >> libya complicated for him at the start, conservative republicans and liberal democrats opposed to it. let's talk about the republican field. a lot of them were critical on the front end of libya, changing their tune a little bit now that it looks like we're moving towards victory. let's listen to mitt romney on this topic yesterday. >> we're going to see the results of what's occurred. i think the world celebrates the idea of getting rid of gadhafi. this guy was one of the worst actors in the world stage, responsible for terror around the world. i think we're very pleased that he's apparently about to lose his position of authority. and we hope that the new government is a more representative form of government. >> so there's one interesting word in all that talk. there's no president obama mentioned there. this is a change of tune for mitt romney? >> it's backtracking. in fact he criticized president obama, even his presidential announcement seat, from obama leading from behind. >> that famous phrase. >> there's a lot of criticism from romney and huntsman, almost every republican presidential candidate. when you're running for president against a sitting incumbent, it's easy to wind back, throw those criticisms. the probable is when the criticisms turn out to be perhaps incorrect or you have to backtrack from them, that's when it's a problem. >> you know what's striking, i got an early look at this, but you know, in there, that this republican field, there's a real dergt of foreign policy experience in here. outside of jon huntsman who has worked abroad, we have a bunch of governors and former governors, michele bachmann in the top tier. does that matter in an election? >> the election will hinge on the economy, but it does matter in this respect. the republican presidential candidate, whoever that nominee is, has to clear a threshold. we saw president obama have to do that on that famous european trip where he went to the middle east. the next republican nominee, if it's not jon huntsman will have to do something similar. >> you have to look like you can represent the u.s. in the world stage. >> particularly when so much is changing. there's so much chaos out there. let's go to raw politics. gallup released numbers yesterday on the 2012 field, comparing barack obama to some of the people. let's go through them. mitt romney, president obama is losing to two points with mitt romney, tied with perry, up two points on paul and up four on bachmann. is this more about the candidates on the republican side or does that tell us about barack obama? >> it tells us about the bad month of august obama has seen. of course -- >> pollsters tend to stay out of the field in august because so many people are on vacation. i give you chuck todd. >> just last week, gallup came out with president obama's approval rating, 39%. these numbers aren't terribly surprising. good news, president obama has a long way to go. we saw harry reid pull out a victory in nevada where he was down considerably more than this. bad news is you have these republicans who right now, it sure looks like a game. >> it certainly seems unlikely that michele bachmann and ron paul are goranering 45% based on their own policies. mark murray, i made one plug, i will make a second plug. read "first read" in the mornings. the white house isn't ready to declare mission accomplished in libya. although gadhafi's long reign of power is over, the situation is still unsettled. nbc's kristen welker is live in martha's vineyard. what's the latest? >> hi, there. white house officials say the president continues to be dedicating a large chunk of his vacation staying on top of the libya situation. he's been in constant contact with his advisers, holding several conference calls with his national security team. i spoke with the senior administration official who told me they're encouraged by what they're seeing on the ground there. they're in close contact with the tnc, the opposition forces in libya. they say they're encouraged because they see a lot of coordination between forces in the east and west. they also say that they are estimating anywhere from 80 to 95% of tripoli has been occupied at this point by opposition forces. as of today right now in martha's vineyard, we don't know what the president has planned. white house officials make the point that he's staying on top of this situation, making phone calls. he came out yesterday and spoke and described the situation as quite fluid. what was interesting about his comments, chris, he talked about the fact that the people of libya are getting closer to what they've been fighting for. you didn't hear a whole lot of specifics about what exactly is happening on the ground. the president is being very careful not to get out in front of what's actually happening in libya because they want to make sure everything is confirmed before he speaks about it. >> one quick follow up. it seems to me the message we're getting from the president is very muted. this is not a mission accomplished send off the fireworks, we're all done here. i assume that's purposeful. >> i think that's right. i think that is in part again -- i've spoken to white house officials about this. they want to be really careful about what the message that they are sending. the message that the president is giving. in part because it is such a fluid situation. as you know the other day, we were reporting that gadhafi's two sons had been captured. then we heard from one of them yesterday. things are changing on the ground in dramatic fashion. they don't want the president to get out ahead of what's happening there to say something incorrect. you're absolutely right. his response right now has been quite muted and i think we won't see any major declaration until it's 100% confirmed that gadhafi has relinquished power there. >> thanks for staying on top of all that. we appreciate it. >> absolutely. you're looking at live pictures of tripoli where smoke can be seen bill lowing near gadhafi's compound. gunfire and explosions have been heard in the area. pro gadhafi forces are putting up a fierce fight. the long time dictator is still nowhere to be found. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in tripoli. >> reporter: we are about a mile and a half away from gadhafi's compound. it's called a compound. that is where a final battle or what could be a final battle in this war is taking place. the rebels have brought in reinforcements and they are attacking the compound. smoke can be seen rising from the compound itself. we've heard explosions, what sound like incoming artillery rounding exploding inside the compound and coming out of the compound, some of them going off right in this area where we are right now. in addition to those artillery shells going back and forth, there have been exchanges of gunfire, heavy exchanges which would imply there's some up close fighting going on right around the compound itself. now, while this battle takes place, we can confirm that the rebels do still control about 90% of the city as they are struggling and battling to take the last section, this fortified compound held by gadhafi. while this is all going on, taking place, gadhafi's son saif al islam made a surprise appearance, something of an embarrassment to the rebel movement. he showed up at the hotel which is also controlled by the government, very close to gadhafi's compound and he addressed some of the western journalists saying there under government supervision, under government control. saif al islam said not only is he not in custody but his government is still in power and will end this rebel i don't know soon. that seems unlikely but the government is making a final stand. it can still give statements but its ability to move freely in the city has been cut off. chris? >> thanks, richard. up next, we're continuing to follow this developing news out of libya. the war that seemed almost over could be heading toward a long and bloody standoff in tripoli. after yesterday's we've got them, we don't have them mix up with gadhafi's son, can the rebels be trusted. plus today's "the daily rundown" geek out. we're busting out the ipad for a look at the primary states where they vote early and often. what it means for the gop race. a look ahead at the president's schedule. still on martha's vineyard. you're watching the "the daily rundown" on msnbc. naturals from delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life. or creates another laptop bag or hires another employee, it's not just good for business -- it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities, so we're helping them with advice from local business experts and extending $18 billion in credit last year. that's how we're helping set opportunity in motion. helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. you had me at "probiotic." we share. shop from anywhere. and are always connected. we live in a social world. isn't it time we had a social currency to match? membership rewards points from american express. use them to get the things you love from amazon.com, ticketmaster.com, and more unexpected places. they're a social currency with endless possibilities. . rebels have effectively toppled the regime of moammar gadhafi but the fight is not over. nato is still heavily involved. operation slipups point to a steep learning curve for a new governing group. let's bring in michael sing and a former senior director on the national security council. with us sara margon, a former top staffer on the senate foreign relations committee. thanks for joining me. >> hi. >> saif al islam, we thought he was in rebel custody and he pops up on television. what does that tell us? should we be concerned what we're hearing out of the rebels? >> i think what it points to more than anything else is there's a certain amount of chaos in tripoli. as we've known all along, this is not a professional fighting force. it's well organized. saif al islam could have been in custody and escaped is not entirely surprising. it should give us a note of caution that the fighting is not necessarily over. it doesn't mean gadhafi is going to come back. it doesn't mean what he says is true, but it suggests there are pockets of resistance not only in tripoli but outside of tripoli and this isn't over yet. >> we have a tendency to declare victory, it's over for us, but the reality on the ground is different. sara, what are the markers we should be looking for, nonmiddle east experts, the average person, what are the markers we should be looking for over the next few days that this is the end of the end? >> i think mike's point about the chaos is correct. i think we need to be careful about increased resistance, but those are going to be pockets. the end is increasing popular support for the rebels. if we see the opposition start moving towards tripoli to begin running the country and ensuring its inclusive of all libyans and moving forward pragmatically that way. >> let me touch on this. you said we shouldn't necessarily believe what saif gadhafi is saying, but one of the things he said was this was all a trap, we lured the rebels in and we're now moving forward. we're on offense. credible? not credible based on your knowledge of the region and what the gadhafi regime has left? >> it's simply not credible. we're all seeing the pictures from tripoli. the rebels are able to enter tripoli without much resistance. it's hard to imagine this is a devious plan by gadhafi. one thing i would say is, we should be careful not to expect clean breaks between the phases of this. i think sarah is exactly right. the fighting may not completely end before we need to move into the second phase of rebuilding of transition. >> let me ask you, i don't want to make the too fast comparison to iraq, but it felt in a lot of ways for people, until we captured saddam hussein and we saw him, the war wasn't over for people. do we need to capture gadhafi and have the picture of moammar gadhafi in, if not u.s. hands, nato hands for there to be closure or does that matter in terms of the region this process is moving forward, whether he's -- we've got him captured or not? >> it's an important indication of the fall of the regime overall. there are a number of things we can begin to do as the international community and the libyan opposition can begin to do to move the country in a different direction. we're going to start to see some of those measures implemented in the near term. >> let's talk, mike. we talked a little bit about implications for the renal. what does this mean for syria going forward? now that we think we're moving to an end, i hate to say whether it's the beginning of the end or the end of the end, what does it mean for the region? obviously last week, president obama called for assad in syria to step aside. momentum now for that sort of thing or are these separate entities that act independently of one another? >> so much of it depends on how this goes. if this is a prelude to a chaos and we have civil war, only obviously that has certain implications for the region. assad needs to be worried. this suggests people in the region but also the international community you can push back against a dictator willing to use force. that sort of killing your people and going out in the streets and trying to intimidate people isn't necessarily a winning formula for the dictators. that has to cause him worry. maybe it reopens the question of some kind of international intervention in syria. we haven't seen that so far, but i think he has to be worried. >> interesting. mike singh, sara mardom, thanks for joining us. >>s who's in and who's out for the running. we're making a list and checking it twice, because frankly, people keep changing their minds. we'll get a preview of the markets before the bell. can the market build on yesterday's tiny gain? that's next. first, today's trivia question. how many u.s. presidents have run unopposed? you can tweet us the answer @dailyrundown. this developing news out of libya. rejoining us, nbc chief foreign correspondent richard engel who has moved closer to gadhafi's compound in libya. >> we are on a rooftop right now, less than a mile away, half a mile from gadhafi's compound. you can see to a degree and hear the battle unfolding behind me. from this perspective, we are dead in front of the gadhafi compound. it is not exactly square. it spreads out for several miles in that direction. there is thick, black smoke coming from the center area of the compound. we've been hearing quite a bit of explosions. we're hearing what sounds like anti-aircraft guns being fired directly into the compound. if i step out of the frame and you widen out a little bit, if you see to the left, there is an area of smoke. that is a high building, and the rebels are using that high building, there was just an explosion right there, to fire on to the gadhafi compound. the rebel post is also on fire, but that building you're seeing to the left of the frame is not quite in the compound. it's just outside of it. if we pan a little bit more to the center, you see where there's a new plume of smoke rising. that's right in the center of the compound. that is where that famous statue is of the fist holding the american aircraft, a symbol for so long of gadhafi's defiance. right now, it appears to be on fire. >> richard, thank you for amazing pictures and realtime reporting. terrific stuff. thank you. just a few minutes until the opening bell rings on wall street where investors hope to build on yesterday's slight gains. for that, we turn to cnbc's melissa francis. what do we expect? >> it looks like futures are going to open higher. it's all about the european close. that happens at 11:30 eastern time. yesterday we came roaring out of the gates and we gave back most of those gains when europe closed. that dictates a lot of the tone. an interesting survey out this morning, they surveyed 43 economists who say they don't think we're going to slip into a double dip recession, but it's not going to feel much better for the rest of us. let me give you some of the stats. 26% chance they think we'll see a double dip so the majority thinking we're not going to see a double dip. they see the unemployment rate shrinking to 8.5% from 2012. they see gdp growth in the second half of the year is at 2%, much higher than we are right now. we see weakness coming from consumers, driving 75% of the economy. we're having a hard time getting the economy going, but basically the bottom line is an interesting survey, we may not slip into a double dip recession, but it's not going to feel great for the average person out there. right now we are watching the market move toward a positive open, you can't tell take your eye off the ball because of the wild swings we've seen lately. >> thanks, melissa. case closed? one of the world's most powerful men about to be off the hook on sexual assault charges but not if his accuser has anything to say about it. hurricane irene picks up steam. she's making a lot of people nervous, we'll track the gathering storm. don't forget the nbc news politico republican debate at the reagan library is coming up. it's wednesday, september 7th at 8:00 eastern on msnbc, the place for politics. what if we turned trash into surfboards? whatever your what if is, the new sprint biz 360 has custom solutions to make it happen, including mobile payment processing, instant hot spots, and powerful devices like the motorola photon 4g. so let's all keep asking the big what ifs. sprint business specialists can help you find the answers. sprint. america's favorite 4g network. trouble hearing on the phone? visit sprintrelay.com. really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? 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[ male announcer ] get ready for the left lane. the volkswagen autobahn for all event is back. right now, get a great deal on new volkswagenmodels, including the jetta, awarded a top safety pick by the iihs. that's the power of german engineering. hurry in and lease the jetta s for just $179 a month. ♪ visit vwdealer.com today. welcome back to "the daily rundown" i'm chris cillizza in for chuck todd. it would seem the rebels fight in tripoli is far from over. there are reports of intense fighting outside moammar gadhafi's compound and of nato air strikes bombarding the area. hurricane irene is packing sustained winds of 100 miles per hour and continues to strengthen as it motors toward the bahamas. the storm is on a collision course for florida. it could be a category 4 by the time it gets there on friday. no hurricane has made landfall in the u.s. since 2008. the opening bell has rung on wall street. investors will be keeping an eye on this morning's july home sales report. other stories making headlines. just weeks after downgrading the nation's credit rating, the president of standard poors deven shama announced he will step down. vice president joe biden visited the town of sendi, japan. he pledged continued support of the united states. not all of the trip has been so serious. he took some time out for silliness while visiting mongolia, facing off with a local wrestler and practicing his archery skills with the prime minister. dominique strauss-kahn accused of sexually harassing a hotel maid back in may could be making his last court appearance today. a manhattan judge is expected to grant the request of the prosecution and dismiss the case, but strauss-kahn's accuser is fighting to keep it alive. nbc's ron allen joins us from new york. what's the latest, ron? >> reporter: we're expecting strauss-kahn to be here with his attorneys around 11:30 eastern time. there's a huge crowd of media around, there's a small crowd of demonstrators that you can't see behind the camera man who are in support of the hotel maid. they are holding signs that say stop blaming the victim and give her a fair trial. the problem is this 25 page court document the prosecution filed with the court yesterday outlining the reasons why they want to dismiss the charges. it's essentially a scathing indictment of the hotel maid. it says in part, for example, in summary, the physical, scientific and other evidence establishes that strauss-kahn engaged in a hurried sexual encounter with the hotel maid but it does not independently establish her claim of a forcible, nonconsensual encounter. if you read beyond this, the prosecutors are saying that during the course of a number of interviews, she has told them so many conflicting, inconsistent stories that they just don't believe much of what she has to say about anything, about her past, about what happened that night, and about so many other things that call into question her credibility. really a stunning turn of events when you consider back in may of this year, the prosecutors were so confident in this case that they pulled strauss-kahn off a plane, arrested him, he was in jail for some time before he made bail. now he's been waiting for trial. there's every indication that the charges will be dropped because essentially the prosecutors, after talking to this woman again and again and again just don't believe she's a credible witness. they don't believe they really know what happened during what essentially is a six or seven minute encounter in this hotel suite between the hotel worker and strauss-kahn. every indication that today, he will be set free. chris? >> ron, thanks for that report. after this month's iowa straw poll, we're finally getting a good look at the republican field. the nomination will be determined in large part by the key early primary states of iowa, new hampshire and south carolina. since 1980, every republican who has won the south carolina primary has gone on to win the party's nomination. pretty good record. since 1976, no candidate has secured the gop nod without winning either the new hampshire primary or iowa caucuses. joining me now, charlie cook, msnbc political analyst, the man who gave me my first job in washington, d.c. charlie, let's look -- >> first full time job. >> we've got the ipad out. we bring it out for special guests. let's start in iowa, which is our earliest primary state. maybe we won't start in iowa. looks like we're freezing up. we know mike huckabee won 35%, mitt romney, 13. where are we in iowa now? michele bachmann won the amos straw poll. is she the front runner? >> i think she's the one, as the american midwesterner, she has got it. for mitt romney, rick perry, it's like a key conference game, home game that's really important. michele bachmann needs to win. i mean win, win, win iowa. mitt romney needs to win new hampshire. rick perry, even though south carolina and texas are far apart, as a deep southern state, he's got to really win in south carolina, so the question is who could edge in one way or the other? >> who can steal the game essentially? >> right or any wildcards that jump in. >> you mentioned, i think we've got this up and running. let's try new hampshire. new hampshire is a state, this is romney home territory. in '08, mccain won. >> right. where independents can vote in a republican primary, yes. >> this is a must win for mitt romney. there's no way he continues in the campaign? >> there's not a path to winning for romney that doesn't include winning in new hampshire. >> who, in your estimation, or is it too early, because we don't know about iowa, who is the biggest threat there? jon huntsman spending a lot of time and money there, rick perry. >> i think it's too early to do that. we can stake out where the must wins, even before the football season or basketball season began, you could kind of already play out most of the games. there's going to be some variations. >> let's go to our last early state, which is south carolina. fascinating in '08, if you add up huckabee and thompson, it's significantly more than mccain. thompson dropped out a few days later and endorsed mccain. this should be rick perry's state, correct? >> it should, but the thing is, he's got to really defend the franchise. this is where the broader rupert that i do. to me, there's a combined tea party social conservative republican party that's two-thirds republican party. bachmann and perry are competing for dominance there. there's the old eisenhower, ford, bush, 41 old fashioned republican party. now that tim pawlenty is out, mitt romney has that pretty much nailed down. i don't think jon huntsman is breaking through. who could win each of those brackets in the tournament? i think that's the best way to do it. if bachmann can, you know, bump off perry, i mean, that's where south carolina would be really, really important. >> could be a member since 1980. no one has won it without winning south carolina. charlie cook, thank you for hiring me and thank you for coming on today. >> thank you, chris. up next, while the fighting rages in libya, all is quiet on the candidate front. our super tuesday panel is here to break down how the breaking news in libya is playing out on the campaign trail. we're getting out our score card to track who's in, who's out and who is still fence sitting when it comes to higher office. the white house "soup of the day," gazpacho. you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. you could save a bundle with geico's multi-policy discount. geico, saving people money on more than just car insurance. ♪ geico, saving people money on more than just car insurance. in 1927 when nicholas sacco and vanzetti were executed. they professed their innocence until the end while historians continue to debate their guilt or innocence, massachusetts govern michael dukakis exxon rated both of them. >> reacting cautiously to the end of gadhafi's regime. last month, mitt romney accused the president of mission muddle in libya. yesterday, he struck a different tone. >> now the president is saying we have to remove gadhafi. and then your question comes up, who's going to take his place? who's going -- this whole powell doctrine which is if you break it, you own it, who is going to own libya if we get rid of the government there? i think the world celebrates the idea of getting rid of gadhafi. we're very pleased that he's apparently about to lose his position of authority. >> joining us now, syndicated columnist, bob franken, liz sadoti and republican strategist ron kristy. thank you all for joining me. i want to read -- you heard mitt romney. i want to read a couple other republican candidates as they deal with the news in libya. rick perry, the crumbling of homer calledtyfy's reign is cause for cautious celebration. jon huntsman, i'm home fiscal, and michele bachmann, i opposed to u.s. military involvement in libya. none of those statements including mitt romney's mentioned barack obama, gave him any real credit. how do you deal with this if you're a republican candidate running for president? >> what are they going to say? gadhafi should have continued to reign? they have no choice but to say -- >> the wing strategy? >> that this is cautious optimism. i thought rick perry said was quite interesting, which was it's also what happens on the political front. we don't know what's being to happen with the rebels. we don't know what the political outcome is going to be. think about hamas. >> ron, is there a place for republicans to criticize the president obama here, or should they just say regardless of how it happened, it's happened. it's good for our country. let's move on. >> i think it's important to say let's move on. i'm very cautious. i agree with liz's analysis here. we heard about the arab spring and the new renaissance. we don't know. the next couple of weeks are critical are the rebels going to be a transition of democracy. are they going to put stability in the region or are they going to have another monarch they put in place. republican candidates should say it's good for the united states. good to get a dictator out. move on. >> bob, we've spent the last week, the last 48 hours debating whether libya changes things for president obama. is this still an economy election or does this help him in some way? what's your take? >> first of all, the united states' voting population has amnesia. they're probably saying libya, what's that? as far as the republicans are concerned, what are they going to say? we should have invaded. i think lindsey graham did say that. the best thing the republicans can do is count on the certainty that this is going to be something that's forgotten by the time we run out of our news cycle. >> we're talking about republicans, good news for barack obama in libya, bad news in a gallup poll. this came out yesterday, four matchups with ron paul, mitt romney, rick perry, michele bachmann. the president is running basically even with all these people. more about president obama, more about the republican field and those numbers. >> look, this is a 50/50 country. so these numbers don't surprise me at all. the economy is dragging him down, but i actually look at it opposite. why isn't he doing worse? given what we've been talking about. >> 40% job approval, on the economy, 11% of the country feels good about where we are. we are in the doldrums, the summer doldrums or not. >> we're going to see a tight race regardless of what happens in the next 15 months or so. >> we will be back with all three of you in a minute, but first, trivia time. we asked how many u.s. presidents have run unopposed. many of you said one but the answer is two. yes, george washington, our first president ran unopposed. that was before contested elections had taken hold. the second, james monroe who ran unopposed for a second term in 1820. you learn something new every day. we'll be back with our panel and a look at who's jumping in and who's dropping out of the races. you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. - [ whistles ] ♪ know today, know today - [ cat meows ] - ♪ know that maybe i will be okay ♪ [ chimes ] travelers can help you protect the things you care about... and save money with multi-policy discounts. are you getting the coverage you need... and the discounts you deserve? for an agent or quote, call 800-my-coverage... or visit travelers.com. oh, just booked a summer vaycay. ooo. sounds pricey? nah, with the hotels.com summer sale, you can find awesome deals for places nearby. interesting... wow, i'm blown away. you look great. hotels.com summer sale, save up to 30%. and get a free kindle. hotels.com. be smart. book smart. let's bring back our panel, bob francn, liz sidotti and ron christie. we had a lot of people making decigs yesterday on candidacies, we'll start with paul ryan. many would say he made the decision he was not running for president, but he put out a statement saying, fyi, i'm not running for president. this time i'm for real. let's not talk about ryan but what is this about clambering in front of other people, we have heard of ryan and new jersey governor chris christie. what are republicans feeling about their field? >> quite frankly they are feeling barack obama is beatable, but nobody is there who can beat him. newt gingrich still hasn't dropped out. so maybe his announcement would be i don't care what anybody says, i'm still in. >> i'm running and staying in. a little more surprising in utah, jason, the congresswoman there, decided not to challenge orin hatch. vulnerable to a challenge? and is it surprising he took a pass? >> good young conservative, a bright, young future. hatch has been in for a while. some of the tea party analysts say it is time to go, but he's run into a money gap. he has a great house seat, why put that at risk. >> and young. that's the other thing. you have orin hatch who runs another term, maybe he thinks about leaving after that term. in six years jason chaffetz is still among the youngest members of the senate. we'll talk about somebody who has been in congress and wants to come back, chris shays. a moderate republican from connecticut, my home state, kind of in the southwestern corner of the state. he announced he's running. he expects to be challenged by linda mcmahon. can he beat somebody as well fund funded as $50 million in 2010. is she viable here or has he gone around the cycle one too many times? >> he could be viable, but i request whether this is an electorate willing to -- the elect rat booted him out with his links with a. he's been a long-time congressman trying to come back. i'm not convinced that -- >> it is not the best resumé point. >> this was an ad in the 2010 campaign against linda mchamon. let's play that and talk about it. >> liberal mchahon has kicked republicans for years. she attended the national convention. she will be another vote for taxpayer funded bailouts supporting obama's bailouts. isn't that just a kick in the -- >> so if you were counting, that was four kicks in the groin in a 30-second ad. that was by peter schaeffer. what else can be said? >> what has to be said is, gentlemen, stay a few feet away from her. >> in a more serious note, a lot of people including linda mcmahon, she ran her eyes. she ran a credible campaign. >> i think that chris shays is very well-known in connecticut and very well liked. the republican party has a date of birth of the folks that it could be good to have her in the party. >> it is not apples to apples because she has so much money, but this is a testament to liz's point. i would be remiss if i did not give you plugs. go. >> welcome casey hunt to the associated press national political team. she'll be a guest tomorrow on "the daily rundown. ". >> that's a nice segway. bob? >> i suppose i have to be shameless and plug my column, usually adjuster into finance pointing to awe directions. >> thank you for that. >> starting in september i'll be a resident fellow at the institute politics at the john k. kennedy school. >> this is two days in a row. we had christina on yesterday. it is a wonderful place. all of us have been there at one point but or another. i'm making a shameless plug to go back up there. thank you for joining me. that's it for this edition of "the daily rundown." see you back here tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. coming up next on msnbc, chris jansing and company. then at 1:00 p.m., don't misandrea mitchell reports. i'm meteorologist todd santos. i'm checking out some of the better chances of spots to slow down. minneapolis, chicago, des moines also with potential thunderstorms. could see those reaching severe levels, hail and strong wind gusts. new york to d.c., boston, beautiful. chicago with storms. denver is beautiful in the upper 90s. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've reached the age where you don't back down from a challenge. this is the age of knowing how to make things happen. so, why would you let something like erectile dysfunction get in your way? isn't it time you talked to your doctor about viagra? 20 million men already have. with every age comes responsibility. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects may include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. see if america's most prescribed ed treatment is right for you. good morning. i'm chris jansing. we have breaking news to tell you about because there is fresh fighting and new defiance in libya where moammar gadhafi's forces are making a last desperate stand to stay in power and, in fact, in tripoli there's been fierce fighting at the gadhafi compound. the fighting in the capital has been intensifying throughout the day. mortar fire, explosions all across the city this morning. let's go on the ground to nbc's richard engel live for us. richard, what's going on right now? [ no audio ] >> all right. we had connection with richard engel and we have lost that. but let's get you caught up on a little bit about what we know. over the weekend, of course, we heard that the rebels believed they were in control of the city. in fact, this morning,

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