americans. >> as a start, i've called for a freeze on annual domestic spending over the next five years. this freeze would cut the deficit by more $400 billion over the next decade. budget freeze will require tough choices. it will mean cutting things that i care deeply about, for example, community action programs and low-income neighbors and towns and community development block grants that so many of our cities and states rely on. >> and joining me now, cnbc's chief washington correspondent, john harwood. as i mentioned, you are already having people criticize from both sides of the aisle, republicans and democrats. you also have people wondering about entitlement programs, why the president is not addressing social security and medicare. it's like the goldy locks bed search, one's too hard, one's too soft, finally one may be just right but it seems a long root road away. >> reporter: the president thinks, and his team thinks the conditions around right for negotiation between democrats and republicans but he is, and the clip that you played of him at the school talking about cutting community organizing, something that in his past work it's a community organizer was obviously very important to him, shows what their strategy is. yes, we need to cut the budget, we accept that but we want to be smart about it and there are some targeted areas, like education, where we're going to increase. what he hopes to do by making that argument is split the republicans because you've got tea party republicans who want to cut across the board and other republicans who aren't sure. that's why the president went to that middle school today and that's why he had that sort of nuance message on the budge. what about the question, is it enough? senator conrad saying, quote, we need a much more robust package of deficit and debt reduction over the medium and long term. is this enough from the president. >> reporter: it's not enough, all side as degree on that. the president's budget director, jack lou, left a briefing, he acknowledged that as well. what the democrats believe and the obama administration believes until republicans are willing to acknowledge the need for tax increases, then -- until then you cannot have a balanced negotiation drawing all parts in, trying to make a compromise. democrats are going to agree to cut ultimately some funding for medicare and social security but they want republicans to put something on the table as well, and taxes are part of that. >> with that said what are we expecting republicans to put on the table? >> i think what we're going to see, tamron, over the next year or two, is intense fights over the narrow slice of the budget that both sides are talking about cuts in right now, that's domestic discretionary spend which accounts for how much of the budge? >> reporter: like one-sixth, a narrow slice of the budget. the president said in his state of the union address. the key to getting that broader conversation is going to be after you have those fights and both sides decide, you know what, it's time we can't avoid this any longer, we've got to have a negotiation. >> john harwood, thank you for joining us. one proposed cut drawing criticism, the president's plan to reduce home heating assistance for low-income americans by 50%, or $2.5 billion. joining me is mark wolf, executive director of the national energy assistance directors association, which lobbies for the funding. thanks for joining me. >> we heard the president say tough cuts have to be made. every american these days, you're having to look at your wallet and determine where you can spend and where you will need to cut. >> well, we understand that. thing to remember, close to 9 million households that get energy assistance. these are very poor families and vast majority of them are elderly, disabled, families with young children. i think that, as americans look at this proposal, what i think people start to see that, you know, close half of the elderly, for example, over 85, have a medium income of $15,000 a year. they have no discretionary income. there's no other place they can look for in the budget to replace the funding. when you think of 3.1 million households that's like 800,000 holds in new york state, they're not families that have a lot of other places to go. we know what happens. they buy less food, less medicine, less clothing. they're very poor families. >> mark, this is what the white house is saying, the budget director saying proposing cuts they're taking them back to 2008 levels. the reason the program doubled from 2.5 billion to 5 billion due to a rapid spike in energy prices but that spike has lessened and 2.5 billion allocated would cover the amount needed to help those people who you're talking about right now. >> well, if you look at numbers that the energy information administration, their energy agent circumstance has released, you know three years ago the average costs to heat a home in the united states was 1,000. the average cost this year $970. a $30 decline. it's not that significant. i mean, yes, natural gas prices have dropped somewhat, but it's colder, and there are more poor families struggling to pay these bills. three years ago 10% of the poplation got into trouble every with energy bills. this year it's 20%. and i think that at the end of the day, they have a point. >> mark, is there a compromise here? is there some compromise? the president says, tough choices have to be made here. and certainly we don't want to leave anyone in the cold since this is the topic we're talking about, but there need to be cuts here. >> we understand cuts. we were expecting if there's modest cuts to pell grants or head start, other key programs our program would be included but we weren't expecting a 50% cut. we're all really shocked by that. 50% is very significant. and the thing is, if you're in maine the cost of home heating is $2,000. i think that the administration at one level, yes, right, you have to cut the budget. >> yes. >> when you think about it, these are the poorest families in the united states. they don't have much flexibility, and i think that's our concern. the other thing is liheap is not an entitlement. money runs out, the program's over. we're reaching 1 out of 5 eligible households as it is and these are some of the most struggling families in the country. i see their point but at the sam time, is this the place to make deep cuts? >> mark, thank you for joining us and bringing concerns of people who would be affected by these cuts to our audience. to the latest in egypt. speculation -- actually, these are live pictures that we are looking at. defense secretary robert gates is right now talking about the cuts or proposed cuts in the obama budget unveiled today. $78 billion in defense spending, defense secretary gates right now at a briefing discussing these proposed cuts of $78 billion in defense spending. we'll keep an eye on it and bring you the latest on what mr. gates is saying. to the latest in egypt. speculation is growing about the health of ousted president hosni mubarak. this morning, on the "today" show, egypt's ambassador to the united states said the 82-year-old may be in, quote, bad health. two cairo newspapers are reporting mubarak is refusing to take medication and has repeatedly passed out at his sharm el sheikh residence. traffic is flowing in tahrir square after the military cleared out protestors but smaller demonstrations are popping up. thousands of state workers like policemen and ambulance drivers are on the streets demanding better pay. the military's giving orders are for all strikes and protests to end. stephanie gosk joins me live from cairo. what is the latest that you're seeing on the ground? quite a bit of traffic, not a sight we've seen in a while. >> reporter: you did see traffic flowing through tahrir square. the military's not kicking people out of there forcibly, they're wry trying to root people to get cars in and out. they did urge people to get off the streets and go back to their jobs. but you know, the military's in a difficult situation, in some respects. they have two goals, and at times some to be cross purposes. one trying to secure the country and get the economy back on its feet, to do that people need to go back to work. two they want to satisfy protester demands. chief among the demands, freedom of speech. now that they won freedom of speeches after week of protest many people have grievances they want to share. that's awhy we're seeing protests pop up around the country with people feel they aren't getting paid enough, benefits aren't good enough and want people to know that. >> and stephanie, at this point, you still obviously have people waiting to hear more details on the military, how it plans to transition the government, as we move -- we're several month as way from the elections that people have been promised there. >> reporter: yeah, but the military has been taking steps, some quick and decisive steps. we saw sunday the parliament was dissolved, the constitution was suspended. they did put a six-month target date for the presidential elections, the military will remain in control of the country until that point. they did say if it gets delayed they will continue to be in control onthat until elections can take place. they did fall shy of a couple of protester demands, including lifting of emergency law that we've been talking about, and also the release of political prisoners. there are a lot of protesters hope they'll address that in the coming days. the tension is heating up in iran at this very moment. just moments ago, secretary of state hillary clinton spoke out in support of the thousand of protesters who have been gathering in tehran today. opposition leaders planned the demonstration for today saying it was in a show of solidarity with egypt and tunisia. we're hearing that the internet and phone lines are being jammed. nbc news tehran bureau chief joins me on the phone. can you tell me more what happened today? we're looking at students involved in these protests. >> reporter: that's right, tamron. tens of thousands of people took to the streets today out on the main route designated as rally in support of egypt but it's quickly turned into an anti-government protest today. in many, many sections of the protests, people were marching silently. as soon as they started to chant anti-government slogan, the police cracked down on them. the police were not heavy handed as they've been in the past during the day but at night, the protesters became more vocal, so did security forces they became more violent. hearing reports now that many, many protesters are trying to sleep and bring food packages into the square, also known as freedom square here, but being confronted by tens of thousands of militia preventing them from settling into the square. it's been a chaotic day here in tehran and something that people weren't expecting for this rally to take place. >> do we know if more rallies are planned? >> reporter: no, nothing has been planned. all of the planning had been for today. nobody expected today to mushroom into this rally that had happened. but you know, something might ignite further protests as the days and weeks continue. what we are sure of there will be a lot of arrests over the next couple of days. >> nbc's tehran bureau chief, thank you very much. ahead -- danger russ drinks. energy drinks are overused and can be harmful for teenagers and younger kids. will supreme court justice clarence thomas break his silence? for five years, justice thomas never spoken during a court argument. will this session be any different? plus -- >> can you think of a republican who you would consider voting for in 2012? >> bill maher not the only one asking that question. even speaker boehner says the gop field is wide open with no clear republican front-runner. what are president obama's chances of re-election next year? when your eyes are smiling... you're smiling. and when they're laughing... you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably... and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. welcome back. following breaking news in san antonio, texas. take a look at some of this video. a parking garage that has collapsed. two people have been injured in this. a building collapse on the northwest side of san antonio. that's what the information we're getting. officials say all construction workers have been accounted for but fire crews are searching the area for possible victims. but again, incredible images of this parking deck collapse in san antonio, texas. they are searching right now for any people who may have been injured. we know of at least, according to information from wdai, two people hurt in this parking garage collapse. we will bring you more details. >> a warning about extremely popular energy drinks and the health risks they could pose to some children. doctors writing in the medical journal "pediatrics" say the drinks could cause hearth palpitations, seizures, strokes and even death. dr. nancy snyderman is here with more. a lot of parents certainly will perk up hearing this information are so popular. >> they're everywhere, $4 billion mark, 4% targeted for kids 19 and under. this article that is leading this week's issue of pediatrics tackles the fact some children may be at risk not only for the caffeine in the drinks but added things. compounds the average mom doesn't look for, things that has sort of an add-on aspect to the caffeine. so for already hyper caffeinated preteens and teens, it is just one more insult. and i think what's gotten people's attention is this idea there's an energy drink or these are marketed with the vitamins. and there is no nutritional benefit to these. it does, however, give you a bit of a caffeine bump. >> right. >> in some children, the ones you had listed on the screen, those children could be at risk. >> some energy drinks have four to five times more caffeine than soda. >> than a cola, right. here's the problem. average kid already has insomnia because they are biologically hardwired to not fit the schedule you and i would have. then they go to afterschool and get whatever, frapachino and take one of these and they don't understand the cumulative effects. the concern for parents you have to pick up acan and have that conversation. i've dealt with this in my own house. my 16-year-old son. >> nimy 14-year-old nephew. >> we have had this conversation this may taste good and may make you feel sharper and brighter temporarily but when you plunge, you plunge. >> is advice to not serve up any of the beverages? in moderation but in this case -- >> they are legal and they -- the beverage association is going to say they come with enough warnings and you should be able to read a label. i think it's buyer beware. i cannot tell you they make life better for you, but they are here to stay. least have the conversation with your kid if you're having trouble sleeping at night, staying away from the stuff in the middle of the afternoon. >> still ahead the first lady chs evolution as a style icon. talk to the author of a new book who says mrs. obama has transcended traditional bounds of her office. and we've got new details on congresswoman gabrielle giffords' recovery. plus an interview with her husband, astronaut mark kelly, inspiring words from him. after years of hurdles and setbacks, boeing unveils the largest everyone passenger plane ahead. [ male announcer ] this is james. the morning after the big move starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now... and maybe up to 4 in a day. or, choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. smart move. ♪ smart move. diabetes testing? it's all the same. nothing changes. then try this. freestyle lite® blood glucose test strip. sure, but it's not gonna-- [beep] wow. yep, that's the patented freestyle zipwik™ design. did it just-- [both] target the blood? yeah, drew it right in. the test starts fast. you need just a third the blood of one touch.® that is different. so freestyle lite test strips make testing... easy? easy. great. call or click-- we'll send you strips and a meter, free. free is good. freestyle lite test strips. call or click today. ♪ we'll forget about the snow and rain ♪ ♪ while the skies are storming ♪ your arms will warm me ♪ it's winter again ♪ it's so thrilling when it's chilly in the winter ♪ ♪ and the frost is on the window pane ♪ ♪ hear the sleigh bells ringing ♪ ♪ my heart is singing ♪ it's winter again ♪ the wind may blow ♪ who cares? just let it blow ♪ i'll write to you ♪ love letters in the snow ♪ then we'll cuddle by the fire in the evening ♪ ♪ we'll forget about the snow and rain ♪ ♪ while the skies are storming ♪ your arms will warm me ♪ it's winter again [ female announcer ] don't you just love february? why not get away and book a royal caribbean cruise at royalcaribbean.com today? first lady michelle obama consistently praised for her personal style a mix of high fashion pieces with a look average americans see in stores perhaps it their neighborhood. a closer look at first lady's most memorable fashion choices and her impact on the world of fashion. kate bets author of every day icon michelle observe and the power of style. i love that your title includes power of style because it is easy for people to dismiss fashion as something frivolous but it's a billion dollar industry, many americans are employed because of the fashion industry and she has had an impact on it. >> well, she is, you know, in the position of first lady, style is one of the ways in which they communicate with the public. >> relate to the public in her case, especially. >> exactly. she wears brands like j. crew and h&m that we can relate to, that we can access and that's what makes her accessible to people. >> looking at the inaugural gown that she wore, perhaps not accessible to people but certainly one of the magical moments when we're watching this first african-american first lady, first african-american president and the message she's sending with this gown. >> i loved it. i wanted her to wear white because i thought it would send the message of fresh newness, a new beginning and i think there was that innocence. >> does she give that thought from your research to the message behind the attire in. >> i think, you know, all images calculated to a certain extent and i think there is some thought to it, specially the bigger public occasions like the inaugural swearing in or the inaugural gown, even the red dress she wore to the dinner the other night. >> from the formal to the casual, again, this white house was seen as moderate, it was supposed to represent what moms and dads looked like today and she blew people away in the garden and with this $35 dress she just wore on the "today" show that sold out instantly. >> exactly. a dress from h & m that almost anybody could buy. just giving the message that styles accessible to everybody and it's important to everybody. >> does it surprise you, though, the controversials that some of her -- i know that people criticize, for example, she had a pair of sneakers on and it was cost of the sneaker and the red dress she wore to the state dinner for china's president. we have video of that as well, controversy could be associated with what she would wear. >> people project a lot on to the position of the first lady and she does represent american women in her position. so, people feel like they can comment on what she's wearing. >> what do you feel is the takeaway from your book regarding her in this power of style? >> what she projects and wears the most