running mate. i think the american people are as deserving as john mccain was of knowing exactly what kind of commitments -- financial commitments mitt romney has and whether or not there are any potential conflicts of interest of the united states. >> stephanie cutter who first raised the question about whether romney committed fraud in the sec documents had this to say on "morning joe." take a listen. >> if you're signing documents to the federal government as we all know that you knowingly know that aren't true, then that is a criminal offense. but we're not suggesting that romney committed a krayem hecri. we're suggesting he's not being up front with the american people about what his involvement was with bain. >> people are going to be left shaking their heads on that one. stephanie is coming out, she laid out the word felony but then says we're not akuccusing m of anything. why is no one calling for an investigation? it is the position of the dnc that someone should initiate a fraud investigation if you're going to use that kind of language? >> actually, thomas, i think that's some independent analyst and some journalists have said this needs to be further investigated. >> but is it the dnc's place? if everybody is using that kind of language, do you feel you need to urge people on the hill to form some investigation to back up these claims? >> let's be really clear about what we're saying here. mitt romney claims that in that period from 1999 to 2001 he had absolutely no jurisdiction over the decision that's were made at bain. but we've seen sec filing that's say the exact opposite. that contradict mitt romney's sworn statements. therefore, all the right questions are being asked about what his role was as president and ceo of that company in that period. i have to say, thomas, when you look at that record, when you consider that mitt romney is holding this up as his chief qualification to be president, i mean this is somebody who claims that somehow he's gone back in time and retro actively retired from the company, dent have control over a company he was the president of. he has yet to disclose the taxes. this sounds like the dossier of somebody running to -- or is going to be the next bondsman in the next james bond film. so stephanie is asking all the right questions. our campaign is asking the right questions. increasingly the american public really wants to know what mitt romney is hiding. >> meanwhile, mitt romney is trying to change the campaign conversation, the campaign, the romney campaign that is out with this new strategy of accusing the president though of crony capitalism, the rnc reinforcing it with this new web ad. take a look. >> meet steve wesltly. he raise $500,000 for the obama campaign. they received $500 million taxpayer dollars. obama's friends are doing fine. the middle class isn't. >> yesterday romney said during a fundraiser in louisiana, patrick in reference to president obama, he is taking your money, tax money, giving it to businesses owned by his campaign contributors and at best that stinks. how do you respond to those accusations that president obama, his administration are engaging in political payoffs? >> first of all, the questions being raised by mitt romney and the campaign surrogates have been answered in a fullsome way about it united states congress. they spent the better part of a year looking into the question of solyndra and whether or not anything untort happened there and found absolutely nothing. this is clearly a distraction at a time when even leading republicans are calling on mitt romney to expose his taxes and explain his situation at bain capital. i want to remind you, the only reason why the rnc can run a video of who contributed to obama is because we have full disclosure on our side. mitt romney has yet to disclose who is bundling for his campaign. there is no basic honesty and folks are asking and demanding more information. >> the dnc's spokesman. thank you. we want to bring in the political power panel. it's great to you have all here. chip, "the washington post" fact checker gives romney 3 pin oak yoes for the reasons he gave for not releasing more tax returns calling his arguments misleading. so if you were, you know, in his ear telling him what to do, what would you say? why not just end this, release more of the tax returns? he was willing to give john mccain 23 years. what did he learn in that vet that he's afraid of this time around? >> we certainly don't know. it will be a lot easier to release the taxes. if you release the taxes, i think governor romney made the pain point, they'll go through every line and try to find something else to pick on. the obama campaign is going to push on let romney release taxes. if it's conversation about economy, release romney's taxes. until the romney campaign can change the conversation or get this off the table this is what we're going to talk about. it's fascinating. there is a lot of people interested in it on our side of the aisle. but as we have seen in the points, i'm not sure this is really working. if you look at the daily tracking numbers, romney ticked up a time or two over the last couple days. even in the battleground states, romney is gaining ground or solidifying the lead. i'm not sure this is an attack ad that the obama campaign is really making hay out of. >> all right. we'll talk more about the numbers near a second. let's keep talking about what the choices were for john mccain back when he was picking up vice-presidential candidate. and the vet that took place for mitt romney then. 23 years of tax returns were released. steve schmitt of the mccain campaign saying it wasn't romney's tax returns but his wellth that was the biggest problems. for democrats, is that really the bigger issue here, not so much about the tax but the transparency and targeting him for wealth and how he made it? >> there is plenty of wealthy candidates before. it's about the secrecy, the lack of transparency. the questions that aren't being answered. stephanie cutter was also when she said on "morning joe" if he wasn't at bain from 1999 to 2002, why did he have three years to change the letter head? that's a really good question. how does a guy like mitt romney end up with $100 million in his ira when you can only give $5,000 or $6,000 a year? there are so many questions that american people deserve to know the answer to. >> we mentioned how the obama campaign's new ad is questioning whether romney even paid taxes. we add to that the accusation of fraud and sec documents related to bain capital. is the obama campaign walking a fine line of innuendo? >> they haven't gotten -- the romney campaign hasn't really responded to it. so this is going -- they're going to keep on doing this kind of stuff, releasing these ads. they think it's working. and there really hasn't been a good response from the other side yet. i think as long as you have that dynamic, you're going to see more of it from the obama campaign. >> chip, joe scarborough said on "morning joe" about the bain defense something telling. take a listen. >> i'm barack obama, i approve this message. >> tax havens, offshore accounts, caredied interest. mitt romney used every trick in the book. >> i agree that is not a good answer. give me a name. give me a face. give me -- the romney people haven't handled this well. the romney people have not handled this way. give me a name, give me a face. the questions surrounding romney departure from bain points out in '99 to 2002 not changing the letter head. but why not come forward with the real ceo? >> yeah, i agree. i think they have an opportunity to set it up. this is simple math. he left in 1999 to run the olympics. he couldn't have done both jobs if he was spending six days a week in salt lake. he's an impressive guy but i'm not sure he's that impressive. they have an opportunity to push back on this one. this is something that is it pretty clear. in 1999, he left bain. now will is some passive income. there are other deals that are forthcoming. the romney campaign needs to respond to this quickly. it's festered over a week or two now and they need to get out in front of it or at least put it to bed. >> why you are laughing? >> because it's not pretty clear, chip. you say it's clear he left in 1999 f that's the case yshgs did we spend two weeks talking about it? why can't he come up with a straight answer? how does smib retire retro actively? ed gillespie cannot provide an answer about what it means to retire retro actively. people are trying to figure out who is this guy mitt romney who we're being introduced to? >> in 1999 he left boston and moved to salt lake city to run the olympics. that's where he was for the couple years. he may have been flying back and forth and ceo of bain at the same time. >> yet he continued to put his name on the sec documents as managing director, as ceo, as owner, sole shareholder of this company that he has absolutely nothing to do. i don't know which is worse, claim you have nothing to do with the company or you were involved and you don't know what was going on. it's bad equally both ways. >> we have to leave it there. we're going to have to leave it there. thanks so much. my appreciation to all of you, today's political power panel. we're just learning that today the president george h.w. bush announced he won't be attending this summer's republican convention. president bush and his wife will miss the party in tampa due to health reasons. the former president urged republicans in a statement to get behind mitt and ann romney to turn the country around. it's going to be the first convention he missed in 35 years. the fbi joining in the search for two young cousins missing in iowa. unfortunately, though, not many clues for this one. . did you see that? this terrifying video captures a 7-year-old girl falling from a third floor story window shocking neighbors looking on. wait until you find out how this story ends. and our hiring now series returning with a company that wants to pay employees, get this, $7500 to take a vacation. however, there are some catches for that. if you want to weigh in on any of our stories, tweet me. people have doubts about taking aspirin for pain. but they haven't experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ hello...rings ♪ what the... what the... what the... ♪ are you seein' this? ♪ ♪ uh-huh... uh-huh... uh-huh... ♪ ♪ it kinda makes me miss the days when we ♪ ♪ used to rock the microphone ♪ back when our credit score couldn't get us a micro-loan ♪ ♪ so light it up! ♪ even better than we did before ♪ ♪ yeah prep yourself america we're back for more ♪ ♪ our look is slacker chic and our sound is hardcore ♪ ♪ and we're here to drop a rhyme about free-credit-score ♪ ♪ i'm singing free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ dot-com narrator: offer applies with enrollment in . welcome back, everybody. new details in the search for two missing cousins in iowa. the fbi is sending tracking dogs to help find 8-year-old elizabeth collins and 10-year-old lira cook morrissy. now authorities are draining the lake where their bikes were found on friday. they think it's going to take two more days to fully drain that body of water. friends and family held a vigil last night in evansdale. elizabeth collins' mom spoke at that vigil quoting scripture. >> i have hope because of the lord's great love. we're not consumed for his compassion never fails. >> joining me now is former fbi profiler clint van zandt. clint, just a heartbreaking story and to see the mom there holding it together in front of all those people knowing what their family faces now. police say they dredged the lake. they're confident that the girls are not there. but why drain that entirely? what gave them the motivation to feel that was necessary? >> well, number one, they want to be sure. they want to be 100% sure they didn't miss anything. and thomas, unfortunately, seems they don't have a whole lot else to go for. you and i can say these girls at 8 and 10 logically they didn't run away on their own and were able to hide themselves for four days. so i think the parents unfortunately are right to start to consider they were kidnapped. law enforcement looks at sexual predators in the area. there are dozens, maybe hundreds in that local area. three quarter of a million sex offenders in the entire country. so that's your kind of suspect pool. but right now because law enforcement has little to no clues, they have to consider everybody and everything. >> all right. let's talk about the clues. police say they are grasping at straws. what facts do they have about this scenario of the day when they disappeared? >> we know that little girls went on a bike ride at 12:15 friday afternoon. when the grandmother didn't hear back from them about 4:00, she notified police. thomas, that gives us at least a 3 1/2 hour window for them to not have only gotten to point a to point b and countered someone along the way. now we have the two bicycles found near a lake. we find the purse of one girl that was found near the lake. but we don't know if they were actually in a worse case scenario encountered there or somewhere else and somebody put the bikes and purse there because there's no evidence of a struggle. there is no clothing. there's no nothing. these girls weren't taking by aliens. something happened to them. somebody in that local area either more than likely had been out looking and saw these two girls as victims of opportunity. that's what law enforcement has to go on right now. >> clint, authorities say they have spoken to sex offenders in the area. they have cleared any of them from possibly being involved in any of this. so it is your estimation, your opinion that it is possible for just one person to overtake these two young girls who were 8 and 10? you told one of the producers the specific advice for parents about this. >> yeah. thomas, i'm seeing that happen. i've seen two sisters in the community that i flif were confronted by a sexual predator. the predator threatened the life of one sister to force the other one to come. then he murdered both. i'm a parent. i'm a grandparent. number one, our children should always travel in pairs. like tom cruise told us in "top gun," never ave your wingman. if you're in pairs, whether you're a child or adult and you're con fronted by a kidnapper or predator, run in two different directions. make that person choose which one he's going to go after because he has to know the second one is going to escape. he's going to sound the alarm. we give away a dvd, protecting children from predators at livesecure.org. we have to save our kids. there is just too many predators and too many children that are vulnerable out there. we got to feel safe enough to let our kids go on a bike ride. for now, from this point on, that community is going to have to question every time they let a child go on a ride. >> clint van zandt, former fbi profiler. thank you, sir. >> thank you for having me. >> so an explosive statement from witness number nine. how it's going to impact the case against accused trayvon martin shooter george zimmerman. martin family attorney ben gentleman man crumb will join me. plus, it pays to be part of the 1%. just ask facebook's mark zuckerberg and rumors swirling that mitt romney could pick his running mate as early as this week. but conventional wisdom and history reflects a different story. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios 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. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. naproxen, and meloxicam of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. . extreme heat is having a devastating effect on two of the country's biggest crops. acres of soy beans and corn literli literally going dry on the stalk. the drought could cause a price jump. when the weather takes extreme turns, we're luck dwry to have colleagues from the weather channel to join us. that includes eric fisher. explain where we're seeing such -- i guess, the heavy burden of heat and the fact is relief in sight for anybody? >> reporter: yeah, thomas, we're getting hit by back to back la nina years. that led to back to back droughts here across the lower 48. when you look back through time, it's usually not the tornadoes or not even the hurricanes at the most expensive disasters in the u.s. they are droughts. last year we had a very expensive drought. multibillion dollar. we're certainly well on the way to that this year. of course, the heat played a big role. we've been setting records since all the way back into march of very warm mode for everywhere except the west coast. today, another one of those days. we're up into the 90s here. detroit, the feels like temperature is already near 100 degrees. we're reaching back toward chicago. they've been setting records left and right. so you talk about averages. i'm standing out here. i got to say earlier in the year we did a report in d.c. it felt miserable. today, it doesn't feel that bad anymore because we've just been going through it. it seems day after day and week after week. the good news is there will be some relief as we head toward the weekend. the bad in suz there won't be relief from the heat across the middle of the country and midwest. 90s to 100 degrees will persist through july. if we go through august, thomas, we could be talking about a devastating drought situation for much of the country. >> all right. so we're learning to adapt. does that mean you retired the fan? >> there's no fan out here today, as a matter of fact. we got a good breeze. >> you're adapting. the weather channel's eric fisher in washington, d.c. thanks. also, can you always follow the weather channel's forecast in your neck of the woods by logging on to weather.com. the search is on in alabama for a gunman who opened fire inside a downtown tuscaloosa bar overnight injuring a dozen people. police released this video of the man they think pulled the trigger shortly after 1:00 a.m. three people were hospitalized. 12 others were treated and released. the fbi is trying to figure out how sowing needles wound up in turkey hand witches served onboard four delta flights from amsterdam to the u.s. look at that! the u.s. person -- excuse me, the one person on a u.s. bound minneapolis plane was injured. delta issued a statement saying it's taking action with the inflight caterer in amsterdam cooperating with authorities for this investigation. unbelievable. a 7-year-old girl is safe this morning after falling from a third story new york city window and being caught by a city bus driver. take a look at this. you know, that video shows the moment the child fell yesterday following right into the arms of stephen saint bernard. he says he was walking home from work when he saw this little girl standing on an air conditioning unit. he hurt his tendon in his shoulder on that catch. the child is autistic and may not have understood the consequences of jumping. better bernanke says the fed is ready to step up if the economy doesn't start to turn around. the chairman of the federal reserve is on capitol hill this morng to give his midyear status check to the senate banking committee. bernanke did not specify how or when the fed might take action. billionaire mark zuckerberg has a mortgage rate that is lower than yours. 1.05% to be exact. he refinanced his nearly $6 million mortgage on his california home with a 30-year adjustable rate. his new percentage allows him to save more than $1,000 a month. frugal businessman there. mormon families rallying behind mitt romney and contributing big bucks to elect him to the white house. we're going to have a look inside the mormon church's growing business empire and its political influence. make sure you check out my facebook page. can you always do that online. ♪ [ male announcer ] ok, so you're no marathon man. but thanks to the htc one x from at&t, with its built in beats audio, every note sounds amazingly clear. ...making it easy to get lost in the music... and, well... rio vista?!! [ male announcer ] ...lost. introducing the musically enhanced htc one x from at&t. rethink possible. introducing the musically enhanced htc one x from at&t. this is new york state. we built the first railway, the first trade route to the west, the greatest empires. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com. our current dividend tax rate will expire this year, sending taxes through the roof and hindering economic recovery. the consequences? millions of americans will see their taxes on dividend income spike, slowing investment in u.s. companies and jeopardizing development in energy projects that create american jobs. ask congress to stop a dividend tax hike -- for all of us. . a woman identifies as only witness number nine and a relative of george zimmerman telling police that the accused shooter molested her starting when she was 6 and he was 8. she described incidents that lasted on and off for ten years. she never reported what happened until now. saying, "i wanted to make sure it stopped but i didn't know how." that's one brief excerpt from tapes that the defense wanted blocked saying it was irrelevant to the case and it would hinder his client's ability to get a fair trial. >> it's our intent to keep them from public view not because the allegations are true, because they're not, but just because we knew it would be a little tornado on the side we have to deal with. >> the attorney represents sabrina fulton and tracy martin, the parents of trayvon martin. it's nice to see you here this morning. your team has known about this witness, witness number nine, for some time. do you believe the prosecution will try to call her as a witness at zimmerman's trial? >> thomas, i think that they will listen to what george zimmerman has to say when he takes the stand and based on that if they believe she can be offered to rebutt some of the things he said, she is rebuttal witness and what we call a character witness. if he tries to take the stand and say certain things, they may call her to rebutt what he said as not true. >> this is where she might be most pivotal. this witness telling authorities zimmerman and his family had a bias against blacks and only liked them if they acted white. but also said she couldn't cite any specific remarks, any specific behaviors. so are those claims credible especially fli she's coming up to refute the character or the testimony of zimmerman himself if she can't cite specifics about george zimmerman? >> well, thomas, two important things -- this is george zimmerman's family member. so she as his family, you would imagine she should know her family member. but number two and more importantly this witness called the police before any of the media came forward, before anybody said anything about racism. she called the police to report her statements. so it's not that she came after all the rallies and the protests. she came before this. and that's important to note. >> george zimmerman's attorney says he believes this evidence taints the case and going to keep his client from getting a fair trial. i want to play for everybody, here's what he had to say concerning this last night. >> mr. crumb p said in the past my client was a racist murderer. he has said then that my client shouldn't have gotten out of the car. then moderated further that he wasn't getting beat up that badly and didn't need to shoot. the question is did george zimmerman act in an appropriate self-defense and using deadly force against force likely to cause great bodily injury? we know he has the broken nose and head. i think if we focus on the objective facts, all this periphery which will never make night a courtroom needs to be left just there on the periphery. >> mr. crumb, as he points out, there are certain things you said in the past. do you think it's fair to bring into court the allegations that never have been proven in a court of law, not only have the allegations never been proven, charges have never been filed. >> thomas, two things -- he can't frame the issue. the issue is that george zimmerman profiled, pursued and confronted and shot trayvon martin in the heart. he got out of that car. nobody told him to get out of that car, number one. number two, we've said that we don't know george zimmerman. we don't know if he was a racist or not. we know he profiled trayvon martin for some reason. now his cousin thought he was a racist for some reason. and that's something that if she's called to the stand he would be able to cross-examine her on. she called before she knew of ben crumb or any rally saying he was a racist. so that is george zimmerman's family. >> attorney general ben gentleman man crumb, sir, thank you for joining us, sir. we appreciate it. >> thank you. we could be day as way from knowing exactly who mitt romney will tap to be his running mate. there are reports that romney is closer to making the decision and may name that person as early as this week. but as nbc's first report out today, it's a bit too early. joining me now is larry sabado. i want to tell everybody what our first read had to say about this. if history is any guide, won't announce the selection until next month. in modern time the earliest pick was made john kerry tapping john edwards in 2004. that was less than three weeks before the democratic convention began. larry, a lot of people said that was just too much time. and gave too much time to let the air out of the balloon, so to speak, when they finally got to the convention. so is now way too soon for mitt romney this week to make that reveal? >> well, it seems too early to me, thomas. essentially judging by history, it's normally done seven to ten days before a convention. in the old days, sometimes it was done at the convention. >> right. >> addly stephenson in 1956 even threw it open to the convention. that's when the senator from tennessee defeated john f. kennedy. the only race that john f. kennedy ever lost, the race for vice president in 1956. look, it depends on the candidate. i could see why romney would want to do it early. the odds are -- odds are that he will pick a safe choice, somebody who can go out there and raise money and make appearances across the country. he can do it early. he can do it late. i don't know that he can sustain the enthusiasm for this person if it's a safe pick anyway. and the race isn't going to be about the vice-presidential choice. >> let's go ahead and talk about the safe pick. there are reports that rob portman is basically at the top of this list. he also does get called dull, safe, boring. if they're looking to charge some enthusiasm into this ticket, should they wait until the very last minute to bring out a rob portman? >> no. i think they want to give it a little time. you know, i don't care how dull you are, i think his son affectionately refers to his father as dad. dull is dirt. dull actually can be good. >> a lot of kids refer to their dads that way, larry. >> that's true. >> a lot of kids call their dad that. >> yes. it's not unusual. but, you know, dull can be good. look, i don't care how dull you are, you're going to get vetted. when you step into that arena, you can be sure that other party and the media will find controversial things to talk about even if they have to go back to kindergarten to do it. i think it's better to give a little time before the convention. let some of the vetting occur. let whatever negative stories are going to be published and aired occur before the convention. so i would say -- i wouldn't be surprised if this was easterly august. i also wouldn't be surprised if it were seven to ten days as we normally expect a nominee to be announced. >> you say kindergarten for the vet. i say back to the mother's womb in the political climate that we're in now. larry, thanks. and our own andrea mitch sl going to ha mitchell is going to have tim pal e paul lenty. >> the church of latter day saints is in the spotlight and done so like it's never done before. despite romney's rise, the church remains secretive about the inner workings. blo bloomberg business week takes a look at the church in a new piece called the nomormon empir. joining me is the writer. it was a fascinating read to look at this. you take a look at not only the religion but the culture of itself and the business mod it runs on. the church this month opened a $2 billion mega mall in salt lake city. tv, radio insurance and it brings in over a billion dollars each year, the church itself, more than estimated $40 billion. this is a massive profit for a religious operation. let's remind everybody this is an american born religion. >> right. the will religion was started i 1830. and what's interesting, you know, a lot of religions run businesses. but the mormon church is different in terms of the breadth and depth of the sorts of businesses it runs. it has cattle ranches in the u.s. and australia and brazil. it has the mega mall, as you mentioned. it has a cultural senter in hawaii. >> capitalism is baked in as an ingredient. a fundamental of how this religion operates. but they don't really talk about that very much. at least not so in a salacious way. it's just a given. >> right. the church definitely wouldn't refer to itself as a for profit business. it is, as you mentioned, a $40 billion -- is the latest estimate for the total value of the church. it brings in $8 billion annually just in tithing and then money from these businesses. >> they talked about the fact that the mega mall and from your piece itself that when they asked it will turn a profit. but not a very big profit. correct? >> right. >> so they make it out so that they have done all this great work. it is a legacy that they're building. but it also doesake money. >> absolutely. while most other religions kind of make a very clear distinction between the secular and spiritual, mormon theology specifically denies that there is such a distinction and the mormon leaders say that through the businesses they're helping to build the kingdom of god. >> so the mormon church didn't receive your piece or the cover art associated with it very well saying in a statement sad lit cover is a reflection of the bites and spen lacive nature of the article itself it is narrow and incomplete omitting a good deal of information given on how church resources are used y do you think that this report was met with such a negative response? >> i tried to be as complete and unbiassed as possible. i think one thing i came across that is very surprising is the church is taking in a good deal of money. it is giving, you know, about $50 million for charity a year which is relatively little compared to other religions and compared to what it is taking in. and that's for humanitarian aid. while mormones are incredibly generous at a local level with time and energy and their money, the mormon church itself is giving $50 million a year for charity but, you know, is taking in at least $1.2 billion through just one of the holding companies. >> the church itself knows the spotlight that is provided through mitt romney's candidacy. with religion being off the table so much in the primary now and the general itself, what was the reaction to you trying to put together this report? did you find it hard? >> well, yeah. it was hard. it was a lot of research. but the church leaders were actually quite gracious in talking with me and helping me set up an interview one of the ceo's of the holding companies. and, yeah, it wasn't easy. it wasn't easy and there were a lot of questions that went unanswered. and there is a very low level of transparency even from mormons. and what is interesting i actually have been getting a lot of e-mails from mormons saying it's interesting that we have to come to your publication to learn how our church operates. >> it was a fascinating read. thank you so much. appreciate it. >> we're going to be right back with much more here on msnbc. ur. ...but washington isn't talking to the american people. [ female announcer ] when it comes to the future of medicare and social security, you've earned the right to know. ♪ ...so what does it mean for you and your family? [ female announcer ] you've earned the facts. ♪ washington may not like straight talk, but i do. [ female announcer ] and you've earned a say. get the facts and make your voice heard on medicare and social security at earnedasay.org. but they haven't experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer. use the points we earn with our citi thankyou card for a relaxing vacation. ♪ sometimes, we go for a ride in the park. maybe do a little sightseeing. or, get some fresh air. but this summer, we used our thank youpoints to just hang out with a few friends in london. [ male announcer ] the citi thankyou visa card. redeem the points you've earned to travel with no restrictions. rewarding you, every step of the way. going to bring in and say good morning to sarah schmitt. great to have you with me this morning. >> thanks, thomas. it's great to be here. >> explain to everybody why did you feel the need to launch a super pac now, especially one that is going to be focused on lesbian related issues? >> you know, in the last couple months we've seen women's rights and lesbians' right under attack by just coming at us from every corner. it seemed like we had this critical opportunity to engage now, engage in the process and change some things. >> is this more about feminism or more about lbgt rights or a marriage of the two? >> it's really marriage of the two. lesbian rights are women's rights. we see that connection as critically important. and we want to have our voices heard as policy is defined for this country. >> there will be candidates across the country interested in receiving cash from you. let's talk about who you're interested in, the candidates that is. you haven't released an official list of those you plan to support, correct? >> no, we haven't yet. we will in the coming weeks. but this isn't about one campaign or one political cycle. this is about engaging lesbians in the political process to have a voice, a real seat at the table in american politics. and we will define our slate in the coming weeks. but we're about much more than just endorsing a few candidates in 2012. >> is this about people that support planned parenthood? people that support equal pay for equal work? is this about concern for lgbt rights? >> yes, fwz all it's about all things, lgbt rights, equality, women's preproductive freedom ad it's about all those things. >> you have big names that are behind you. do you have a tall live how much money you've been able to raid so far or a goal of what you'd like to do in your inaugural year? >> yeah, our goal is to raise $1 million in the 2012 cycle. wee feel really optimistic about that. we've had an overwhelming response from men, women, gay and straight people around the country and just in the couple day who's want to reach out and support the pac and get involved and engaged. we feel really excited about it and the celebrity support we received is phenomenal. and welcomed. we just feel really bouied by this whole experience over the last couple days since the launch. >> we'll continue to watch. lpac say krchlc sarah schmitt. thank you. the president and first lady not fans of pda. that is presidential displays of affection. watch what happened when they were caught on the kiss cam during the usa-brazil basketball game last night. president obama on the ever popular in house arena kiss cam. >> he blew it. >> he did? >> i don't think he saw it. >> all right. so the couple didn't disappoint the second time around. the president planted a big smooch on mrs. obama right on the lips at the urging of first daughter malia. the crowd ate that up. president obama created quite the cookie controversy in cincinnati yesterday. >> what's your favorite girl scout cookie? >> i'm pretty partial to those mint -- >> those mint thingies. someone in the crowd booed over. that thin minutes, you know that name, they are the best-selling cookie followed by samoas and caramel delights. happy birthday from one former president to oochlt bill clinton paid a visit to nelson mandela today at his home in south africa. chelsea came along, too. mandela turns 94 years old tomorrow. you want to save money on car insurance? no problem. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem. you want to find a place to park all these things? fuggedaboud it. this is new york. hey little guy, wake up! aw, come off it mate! geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance. why let constipation stry miralax.? mirlax works differently than other laxatives. it draws water into your colon to unblock your system naturally. don't wait to feel great. miralax. our hiring now series making a comeback. this is a good one, a denver based software provider that actually pays its employees a $7500 bonus, that's right, $7500 to go on vacation. the catch? of course there's a catch. the company full contact.com says employees have to actually take that vacation. they have to completely ditch technology. that means no e-mails, no texting, no phone calls. co-founder and ceo of full contact.com bart joins me now. great to have you here. i want to show our viewers this picture of you riding a camel in egypt or texting on your cell phone. how did this photo play a role in offering employees a paid for vacation? this would be a no-no nowadays. >> that photo made me realize i needed to change something about my life. our employees actually were good enough to post this photo on our wall and frame it to remind me of what an uber-connected guy i am when it comes to being on the grid all the time. i started thinking how can we change this. >> the conditions, though, i want to reiterate, they have to go off this grid. they're not allowed to work. they have to take a vacation to get paid the $7500 bonus. how have your employees reacted to this? have they taken you up on this offer? overall, people are going to look at this, how does it affect the bottom line? >> yeah, absolutely. a few guys have already taken advantage of it, just going off the grid. what we've seen is that after about three days, our guys sort of say wow, this is amazing, and then they can enjoy the rest of their vacation. they come back refreshed, recharged, unbelievable productivity compared to a normal vacation. as for the bottom line, we're in a very competitive industry in tech recruiting and you know, it's not that significant of a hit for us in the bottom line. >> let's talk about who are you trying to attract, what jobs are open right now? >> right. so software engineers from web front end to mobile device developers to back end engineers to big data developers, really, really heavy web stuff. >> all right. if everybody wants to check it out, they can go to our website, full contact.com. great to have you on today. we appreciate it. if you have a company you would like us to cover on the "hiring now" series, send us your suggestions. that will wrap things up for me. "now" with alex wagner is coming up. i feel i haven't seen you in a month of sundays. how are you? >> it's because you put me out on a $7500 vacation. >> how was it? i couldn't get you on your phone, nothing. no facebook. >> after three days on a camel, i really saw my future. thomas, we got a lot coming up. team romney continues its awkward ballet on the subject of taxes, bain and outsourcing. we will discuss how much longer they can stay on point. meanwhile, mr. cheney goes to washington to gin up outrage over defense spending cuts. jane lynch visits the set to talk about what happens after high school, namely a mountain of student debt. tune in when "now" starts in a mere 180 seconds. [ male announcer ] at scottrade, you won't just find us online, you'll also find us in person, with dedicated support teams at over 500 branches nationwide. so when you call or visit, you can ask for a name you know. because personal service starts with a real person. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. our support teams are nearby, ready to help. it's no wonder so many investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurce plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral to see a specialist. so don't wait. call now and request this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare... and which aarp medicare supplement plan might be best for you. there's a wide range to choose from. we love to travel -- and there's so much more to see. so we found a plan that can travel with us. anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands a year in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. why severy room deserves ll us what outo look great.or is? and every footstep should tell us we made the right decision. so when we can feel our way through the newest, softest, and most colorful options... ...across every possible price range... ...our budgets won't be picking the style. we will. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. make room for savings with $37 basic installation on martha stewart living and platinum plus carpet. the romney campaign is stuck in the way-back machine, unable to get past the years 1999 through 2002. what's the best way to unstick yourself in time? build three models of deloreans, bobby jindal, rob portman and tim pawlenty and hope they can drive you back to the future. it's tuesday, july 17th. this is "now." joining me today,
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