whose ipod is that? >> i don't know. >> susan, it's yours? >> contributing editor to "van ""vanity fair"." >> oh, it's lady gaga, oh, that's my ipod. welcome. welcome as we put you on the spot right abap it's nice to have you. good morning. will cain is on your right, my left nice to see, you will cain. we spent the weekend together, as i did with roland martin. >> yes, we did. >> doing election coverage this weekend. nice to have you guys. appreciate it. president obama's re-election hopes rests heavily on whether the voters agree the economy has improved. the president said even though it's still on the mend he has earned another four years in office. this is what he told nbc's matt lauer in a sit-down that aired right before the sulk. >> i deserve a second term but we're not done. we created 3.7 million jobs over the last 23 months. we've created the most jobs since 2005, the most manufacturing jobs since 1990. but we're not finished. and the key right now is just make sure that we don't start turning in a new direction that could throw that progress off. >> congressman bill florez is a republican from texas. he is live in washington, d.c. this morning. he is a member of the budget committee. nice to have you, sir. appreciate it. >> good morning. soledad. great to be with you. >> i'm going go out on a limb and say you disagree with the president that he deserves another four years? >> i think it's understated. he had trotted about his happy fis about the employment numbers but the american people whole heartedly disagree. >> let's talk a little bit about how the economy is doing. many things that the president said in his interview with matt lauer all focused on the slow recovery of the economy. he came into office for the first full month, that number was 8.3% unemployment. went as high as 10% unemployment in october of 2009. now coming back. 8.3. doesn't he have a fair argument for something i'm doing is working? >> well, actually, let's look at the real facts. the real unemployment number was 7.8%. so we still have millions more unemployed today than we had at the point in time when he was sworn into office. the question here is a choice of policies. we can either go the policy package that president roosevelt tried back in the great depression or we can try what ronald reagan did. if we had followed the ronald reagan recovery model we would have almost 17 million more americans working today than we do and 5700 more dollars per capita for every man, woman, and child in this country in terms of higher gdp. >> those are very, very big fs, with all due respect. if you look at the trend, september, 9.1% unemployment. october, 9% unemployment. november, 8.6% unemployment. january, 8.3% unemployment. if you were in the white house, you see this chart, you're like, this is a good chart to campaign on. if you're a republican trying to take the white house you say, this chart not so great to campaign on. >> what is the challenge? >> we can take a lot of credit for the turn around in employment. we've got two policies coming out of washington today. on one hand, you've got the house republicans that are pushing the reagan type agenda, explosive growth following a deep recession, on the other hand, you've got harry reid and the president pushing the break on the private sector so that it is having trouble getting going. so i don't think that it really gives the president anything to crow about. there hasn't been a president that's been reelected when unemployment has been higher than 7 % since the recession. excuse me, since the great depressi depression. i don't see any reason for that cha to change today. >> the cbo is repro jekting the unemployment rate could go up to 8.8%, are you willing to say, listen, congress gets credit for that if that happens. that is our fault? >> again, we've got the house republicans pushing the pedal to the medal on a reagan type of ajend da that we know worked. we've got the president and harry reid who are trying to push a very big government type of agenda. unfortunately we're out numbered because they've got two parts of the elected branches of government and we've only got one part. we have done our part to help turn things around. but at the same time, we don't have full control. if we did, i can guarantee you we would have much better recovery than what we see today. the president's policies have failed. they have caused more unemployment than we had when he was elected. and we have also got a situation where he's retarding the level of growth that we could have. >> so when you look at these numbers in the poll that says how congress is doing its job, what you're telling me apparently is not getting out to the rest of the world because people think congress is doing a terrible, terrible job 786% disapprove. only 11% approve. what are you going to do to keep that number? >> what i'd like to do is continue a private sector, free market main street types of policies. those include less regulation. they include a fair or flatter tax system. they include all the above american energy solutions. basically america -- i mean, the gop has a jobs package we put on the table. >> what are you holding up? i can't -- my eyes are so bad. i'm looking at a prompter that's 2 1/2 miles away. >> i can hold it closer for you. >> what is that? >> gop jobs plan for america. and we've been working on this all of last year and this year. several of these bills are waiting on harry reid's desk to be considered by the senate. there are 30 bills that we passed who would make a main street solutions towards improving the economy but 27 of them haven't had any action by senate. >> congressman flores, thanks foreseeing us. can you pop that in the mail to us? or somebody in your office shoot it to pdf in our office. >> gob.gov and it's great to celebrate ronald reagan's 101st anniversary of his birthday with you today. >> i'm going to give you texas a&m shoutout. >> celebrating reagan, okay, thank you, sir. this was vicki worth, the entire interview. >> i just want to say, because i read this congressional budget report. >> riveting, huh? >> so riveting. it gets to the end and it says, as you pointed out, you know, jobless figures could get much worse following statistics needs to happen. by the way, ignore all of the above if europe implodes, which is not impossible, or if any of the bills that we just said are going to pass, don't pass. and i felt like saying, or if an asteroid hits the earth. i mean, like, really, it's all a bit meaningless. >> a big guess. >> a big guess. >> his lar use, with the conversation, again, you hear on one hand the president can do nothing to create jobs, private sector creates jobs. but then, oh, we're going to blame the president for not creating jobs. but then he says congress, we've done our part. when the democrats control the house they complain about the exact same thing. the senate isn't getting any bills pass because they say republicans are blocking it. we try to assess blame but then take credit. >> let's move off of this blame because it's unusual because i often enjoy blame. i like figuring out who is responsible for mucking things up. however, what does it's mean for an election year? if it goes from 8.3 -- that chart, really the downward motion is what everybody is going to look at. if it goes up again, does it mean that president obama struggles to get in office or does not get in, does not get elected, whoever the gop nominee is? >> if unemployment goes up, very difficult on president obama. the conversation with the congressman, the conversation we're having. we too often treat turn employment statistic -- we treat -- you and i have talked about this. >> we have. >> too often treat the unemployment statistic as though it's a scoreboard for the economy and, therefore, the scoreboard for how the election should go, so many things involved in how the economy is doing. debt, foreign affairs. if all boils down to how you feel as a consumer and, therefore, how you feel as a voter. >> got to play a role in how you feel. you see a chart that goes like this, unemployment going down, has to play a role. >> last night, super bowl halftime, i think that's how america feels regardless of these figures. we're at halftime. if that's not improved -- >> how you feel matters but also how the stock market performed. all of that is factored in. of course, it's all a part of it. >> we have other headlines to get to. i can see how this morning is going to go. panelists to chitchat and i'm trying to toss to the news. it's going to be a long, long morning. christine, i'm trying my hardest to get to you this morning. good morning. >> to roland's point, the stock market is at a four-year high. the dow and s&p, there you go. the state department says it is deeply concerned about egypt's plan to put 19 american on trial. among that group, sam lahood, son of the u.s. transportation secretary, ray lahood. accuse of illegally accepting foreign financing in egypt's crack down on non-profit organizations. jill daugherty live in washington with the latest on this. good morning, jill. >> hey, christine in is escalating very, very fast. you've already had warnings from president obama, from hillary clinton, and from members of congress that this really has to stop. one of the problems is, for the egyptians, if it does not stop, the pressure is building right now on capitol hill to stop giving aid to egypt. that is about $1.5 billion that is at stake. the egyptians say that these groups, democracy support groups, are getting out-funding. they get funding from the state department, of course, and others in the government and they are trying to foam unrest. but the groups are saying they're trying to register. they are trying to do the right thing. so it's a very, very decision right now and no sign that anything is going to be resolved. these people could go to court. >> jill daugherty, thank you so much, jill. also making headlines this morning, 30 more deaths reported overnight in the syrian city of homs. government forces showing the city after china and russia blocked a u.n. resolution calling for syrian president bashar al-assad to be removed. in just a few moments we'll talk about the next step tort u.s. on this syrian congress. joined by susan rice, u.s. ambassador to the u.n. authorities in washington state say josh powell blew up his home and killed himself and his two young sons yesterday. it happened just days after he was denied custody of his children. powell was a person of interest in the 2010 disappearance of his wife susan. new information about the komen foundation last week to stop funding breast cancer screenings. komen has since restored that funding after an outcry. the huffington post reports it saw e-mails that prove komen's vice president for public policy karen handel, she was behind the original decision. several online petitions are already circulating calling for her removal. minding your business this morning, concerns about greece's debt problems pushing markets lower this morning overseas. u.s. stock futures are pointing to a lower open right now after a very nice rally on friday following a strong jobs report. and for the second time in four years, new york city will be honoring the new york jintsz with a ticker tape parade. the giants defeated the patriots, 21-17 to win super bowl xlvi last night. second super bowl championship in four years. the other big talk from the game, madonna's halftime show, close call for the material girl when she slipped and nearly fell at one point during the performance. she had a little trouble regroup for a moment but carried on. the match-up of her songs getting mixed reviews this morning. soledad, you liked it, didn't you? >> i did. mixed reviews, what are you talking about? >> i know. sore ankle, too. >> six-inch heels with a sprained ankle. what does she have to do, like levitate? >> i say work it. >> you didn't like it? >> i hated it. >> why? >> cleopatra? really? >> i liked it. >> really? >> 2012. >> there was a point -- >> i liked it. >> my son, when the guy was on the high wire and flipping and flipped, my 7-year-old was like, wow. >> i know. my kid fell asleep to madonna but he's 3. >> that was awesome. i thought it was great. >> the last super bowl halftime entertainment that blew your mind away was prince. that was just hot. >> i liked bono. i like u2. >> everybody has their favorites. speaking of super bowl, the one thing we're not talking about, did you see this? m.i.a. was sort of like the sidekick performer. >> pay attention to me, like a child, me, me, me. >> guess what, we're paying attention to her this morning. what she did did draw a little attention back and forth. also the crisis in syria, why russia and china's involvement could be stumbling blocks to tree to get peace there. susan rice is joining us from the white house coming up next. short break. back in a moment. 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>> well, soledad, what happened on saturday when russia and china chose to veto a resolution that would have given political backing to an arab league plan to begin a negotiated transition, is that they put a stake in the heart of efforts to resolve this conflict peacefully. the resolution on the table would have done nothing more than have encouraged the arab league in their efforts to bring the two sides to the negotiating settlement and transition to democracy. they have, by their actions, by their veto, dramatically increased the risk of greater violence and we've seen the manifestations of that and indeed increase the risk of civil conflict. united nations will continue on this issue. we of the united states 13 of the 15 members of the security council are yunited in seeking peaceful resolution of this. we will step up our economic pressure. we'll coordinate with our arab partners ever so closely to increase the pressure on assad and isolate him. and russia and china will, i think, come to regret this decision which has aligned them with a dying dictator, whose days are numbers, put them at odds with the syrian people and the entire region. >> were you surprised -- it seemds seemed to me and other people that moscow was to going to do this for while a while, scuttle any ind cough resolution. >> i think toward the end when we came to a vote, we knew what the outcome was going to be. but we thought it absolutely essential that we not fall for further russian delaying tactics. they wanted to put off the vote until middle or end of next week and continue neg yagnegotiationn the basis of rec'ing amendments. their their callcadling and supe syrian dictatodictator. they have been. the people of syria will remain in the crosshairs. we, the united states, stand with the people of syria. russia and china are obviously with assad. >> do you see a formal contact route in libya that would help coordinate assistance to the syrian opposition? >> well, soledad, we're looking at a wide range of next steps. ic i think many of our partners in the arab world are discussing this. they will meet on february 11th for another set of decisions. we are actively and aggressively discussing this with them. i think, frankly, a whole range of step, diplomatic, economic, and otherwise are at our disposal and we will be b. working together to determine the most appropriate steps. >> does otherwise mean military options? >> soledad, i think clearly we and the entire region have an interest in resolving this crisis peacefully. that remains our objective. >> and does that mean that military options are off the table or military options are certainly still on the table? >> soledad, i don't want to get into speculation. but i do think that our aim has been throughout to use diplomacy, sanctions, and economic pressure to make it absolutely clear to assad that his days are numbers, which indeed they are, and there needs to be a transition to represent siv democratic government in syria. >> susan rice is the diplomatic ambassador to the u.n. thank you. >> thank you. >> i never like when they won't really say yes or no to the military option thing instead of, well, everything -- >> absolutely. >> peace is always what we're thinking about. >> conversation is reminiscent of the one we had a year ago. you wonder how much of this stems from a year ago. we had a resolution in libya for humanitarian purposes. we outlived it for regime change and russia and china are not happy with what happened in libya. >> i think to your point, the difference in actually america backed britain and france and i, in fact, recently interviewed the philosopher who thinks he singlehandedly brought down gadhafi but led the french and led the british, but the americans paid for it and took no credit. they want to distance themselves from going into countries militarily. i think they're wait for someone else. >> the difference is nobody wants to go to syria this year. nobody wants to take the lead. >> i think that's the big difference. i think they will eventually because syria is close to iran and that is dangerous. >> interest ppg. ahead this morning on "starting point," it wasn't a wardrobe malfunction but m m.i.a. -- was m.i. "american idol" oh was she at the super bowl? >> yes. also, newt gingrich's plans to colonize the moon. snl did a funny stand-up on thanchts we're going to leave you with a little credence clearwater? >> that's right. ccr. >> i like this. this is will cain's ipod. ♪ i remember the days before copd. my son and i never missed opening day. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better, and that means... game on! symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. 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