that happened on andrea mitchell's show. senator olympia snowe of maine, her shock announcement that she was retiring from the senate. nobody thought she would quit, nobody had any idea why she was doing it, her first interview she explained herself, andrea mitchell's show. i don't know why it is not more of a national phenomenon, but andrea mitchell's msnbc show at 1:00 eastern breaks so much news it's unbelievable. there's almost nothing like it in media, period. and today, at 1:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc on andrea's show, it happened again. >> you were in our green room getting ready to come on and the white house now tells us we can reveal that you just got off the phone with president obama. >> yes, i did. >> the stakes have been raised high what did he say to you? >> he encouraged me and supported me and thanked me for speaking out about the concerns of american women and what was really personal for me was that he said to tell my parents that they should be proud and that meant a lot because rush limbaugh questioned whe

on andrea mitchell's show. that was the komen foundation interview they tried to just physician their defunding of planned parenthood and sparked all that outrage that led to them reversing course and undefunding planned parenthood. that all broke wide open on andrea mitchell's show. also the rick santorum zillionaire guy, him saying women don't need birth control they ought to put an aspirin between their knees, where did that happen? on andrea mitchell's show. senator olympia snowe of maine, announcing she is retiring from the senate. nobody thought she would quit, nobody had any idea why she was doing it, her first interview she explained herself, andrea mitchell show. i don't know why it is not more of a national phenomenon, but andrea mitchell's msnbc show at 1:00 eastern breaks so much news it's unbelievable. almost nothing like it in media, period. today, at 1:00 eastern on msnbc on andrea's show it happened again. >> you were in our green room getting ready to come on and the white house now tells us we

i'm andrea mitchell live in havana. at the supreme court today, the third and climactic day of arguments focusing whether health care reform can survive without the insurance mandate. after yesterday's arguments many think that the law could be on the critical list. chris cillizza is managing editor of post politics.com. pete williams is nbc's justice correspondent. and he has just come trt chamber. pete, first to you. what was your impression of today's argument after a lot of impressions yesterday that there were a number of justices very critically questioning the health care mandate? what was the take away today? >> andrea today's question is, if the supreme court were to find that the insurance requirement is unconstitutional, can the rest of the law stand? i think it's fair to say that perhaps a bare majority of the court thinks the answer is either completely no or mostly no. a majority of the court seemed to think that maybe there are sort of things on the very periphery of the law, things that were sort of tack

and good day, i'm andrea mitchell. police arrested actor george clooney, his father, nick clooney and martin luther king, iii, and several members of congress outside of the embassy in washington, d.c., i was outside of that scrum while was happening. >> you know, i'm proud to be standing here with my father. >> right before clooney was arrested, i was able to speak with him as he was escorted away by police. >> i'll stand together here with my father, so that at one moment in time when you people ask you where were you, where did you stand i want to say i'm standing on the right side of history. >> the father and son frafled to darfur in 2006 and have been trying bring attention to the regime. chris cillizza is managing editor of post politics.com and nbc haes david gregory is moderator of meet the press. you interviewed george clooney, he will be on "meet the press" this sunday. he is one of the celebrity using his fame, as angelina jolie has, he has traveled there and our own ann curry as you know, he talks and talk

mitchell reports," andrea mitchel. an honor to have you on this program. >> reporter: it's great for me to be with you. it's wonderful to be in cuba. this is an exciting moment, alex. >> it is an exciting moment. tell us a little bit about sort of the role of the catholic church in cuba now and sort of the weight of pope benedict's remarks. >> reporter: it's been fascinating for decades atheism was the official government position and religions had no legal standing here. and this is not as predominantly catholic a country as most of the rest of latin america. only 10% of cubans are actually observant catholics. but the -- since the last papal visit, 14 years ago, and of course john paul ii, there has been an increasing power and strength of the church, the vatican has had increasing influence because of the cardinal here, cardinal ortega in havana, and he's playing a much more important role in promoting political reform. he actually had an unprecedented conversation and negotiation with raul castro in negotiating for

you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. who you . you can part a crowd, without saying a word. you have yet to master the quiet sneeze. you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts. well, muddlers, muddle no more. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. zyrtec®. love the air. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. [ whooping ] ♪ it was the best day ♪ it was the best day ♪ ♪ it was the best day ♪ 'cause of you we make a great pair. huh? progressive and the great outdoors! we make a great pair. right, totally. that's what i was thinking. all kinds of vehicles, all kinds of savings. multi-policy discounts from progressive. call or click today. i would not say i'm into it, but let's see where this goes. [ buzzer ] do you like to travel? i'm all about "free travel," babe. that's what i do. [ buzzer ] balance transfers -- you up for that? well... to

i'm andrea mitchell live in this historic square in front of the cathedral here in havana. the supreme court has just completed the first of three days. six hours of arguments on obama administration's historic health care plan. and the stakes could not be higher. both for the president and, of course, his republican challengers. chris cillizza is the msnbc contributor and managing editor of post politics.com and mark halperin is, of course, an nbc senior political analyst and "time" magazine's editor-at-large. both join us for our daily fix. first of all, rick santorum going to the supreme court today trying to make his case and at one point being drowned out by all the protesters. we'll show you just a bit of that to set up our daily fix. >> there's one candidate in this race who can actually make the contrast that is necessary between the republican position and the conservative position and one that is an overwhelmingly supported by the american public. >> chris, clearly, santorum, rick santorum is trying to make the case that the contrast between him and mitt romney ov

i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. in our daily fix today, the president speaking for the first time today about the fatal shooting of an unarmed 17-year-old, trayvon martin. talking about trayvon's death in deeply personal terms. chris cillizza is managing editor of post politics.com. in our daily fix today, this is so powerful, so strong. the president of the united states. let's hear a little bit more what the president had to say today. >> sure. >> when i think about this boy, i think about my own kids. i think all of us have to do some soul certainlying to figure out how does something like this happen. and that means that we examine the laws and the context for what happened. as well as the specifics of the incident. but my main message is to the parents of trayvon martin. you know, if i had a son, he would look like trayvon. and you know, i think they are right to expect that all of us as americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves. >> this is a national conversation about race. we have an

>> andrea mitchell in our d.c. newsroom tonight, thanks. >>> still ahead on a busy friday night, the growing firestorm tonight over that crude tirade from rush limbaugh who is refusing to back down. the woman he targeted is speaking out about those comments and the surprise phone call she received today. >>> we are back with this growing firestorm over the crude tirade from rush limbaugh directed at a young woman caught up in the fight over birth control in washington. tonight, the anger is spreading. that young woman is speaking out on her own behalf and limbaugh is refusing to apologize. we get the latest from nbc's anne thompson. >> reporter: today rush limbaugh did not back down. >> what can i do to the women of america? >> thank you for calling this hearing. >> reporter: his comments from sandra fluke set off a firestorm. she is the georgetown law student prohibited from testifying before congressional committee in support of government-mandated contraceptive coverage. limbaugh wednesday. >> what does it say a

that's next on "andrea mitchell reports." first, he may be best known as the author of the theme music for the beverly hillbillies. earl scruggs was the inventor of a style of banjo picking second to none. read steve martin in the new yorker on him. earl scruggs died today at the age of 88. coffee doesn't have vitamins... unless you want it to. splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart ways to sweeten. same great taste. splenda® essentials™. do about medicare and social security... security. that's what matters to me... me? i've been paying in all these years... years washington's been talking at us, but they never really listen... listen...it's not just some line item on a budget; it's what i'll have to live on... i live on branson street, and i have something to say... [ male announcer ] aarp is bringing the conversation on medicare and social security out from behind closed doors in washington. because you've earned a say. is it

>> andrea mitchell in our d.c. newsroom tonight, thanks. >>> still ahead on a busy friday night, the growing firestorm tonight over that crude tirade from rush limbaugh who is refusing to back down. the woman he targeted is speaking out about those comments and the surprise phone call she received today. [ leanne ] appliance park has been here since the early 50s. my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i came to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance

i'm andrea mitchell, live in washington. in our daily fix, moments ago, senate democrats defeated the blunt amendment, which would have allowed employers to be exempted from a requirement providing contraception coverage if they claimed personal religious objections or moral objections. the amendment went down 51 to 48. retiring republican senator olympia snowe voted with the democrats in order to table that amendment. democrats bob casey of pennsylvania, joe manchin of west virginia, and ben nelson of nebraska voted with the republicans. kris cillizza is an nbc contributor and managing editor of postpolitics.com. hey, chris. this was a key test already of the gender wars. it was pretty clear that it was going to be defeated. and susan collins voted with her fellow republicans, against some of the other women in the senate, saying that she thought that this was an amendment that was defective, but they could be fixed later on, but that the democrat were playing election year politics. >> well, you know, i would say both side

i'm andrea mitchell. if our daily fix today, after staying on the sidelines for months, former florida governor jeb bush endorsed mitt romney this morning. will other republican holdouts now get on board? chris cillizza is managing editor of post politics.com and msnbc news chief white house correspondent and political director chuck todd is host of the "daily rundown" right here on msnbc. jeb is the big get. >> a big get. there's they're or fo there's three or four more to get. the nomination plane is coming in for the landing the wheels are down. you can always abort landings. you can't -- this jeb bush endorsement, it's important. it would be -- it has been more telling that it took so long. look how it was done, by press release, by tweet. and then the romney campaign even you know, they put out a release talking about that it happened. >> where was the joint news conference? where was the stopover in florida? >> there's a long history here. jeb bush has not been happy with mitt romney and how mitt ro

see, we are just like you, america. >> good day, i'm andrea mitchell live in washington skeshs are -- conservatives are getting behind romney but there's a big swing in women voters against congressional members. chris cillizza is a managing editor of post politics.com and chuck todd host of the daily run down and chief of all things polling. chuck, first to you in the new poll. it shows that mitt romney has the support of 38% of likely republican voters. this is his best showing yet, rick santorum trails behind 32%, but the fight has had costs on the republican party, 40% viewing the party less favorable, and so, let's talk about this and the impact as we go forward? >> well, you pointed out the good and bad for romney. the good is you see coalescing of conservatives, he is not winning tea party, but he is now up to 35% among tea party supporters. that is double what he had last month. he is not winning the very conservative vote, but he has nearly doubled the support among the very conservative. that is explaining how he got 38% and the number one negative on santorum, he is seen as

>> andrea mitchell in havana again tonight. andrea, thanks. >>> and among those traveling to cuba to see the pope are several hundred of the catholic faithful from miami. for a lot of people it will be a very emotional homecoming, a long time in the making. nbc's mark potter reports also from havana tonight. ♪ >> reporter: an historic cathedral in old town havana, cuba, a mass is being celebrated by miami's archbishop thomas wenski. many on the pilgrimage with him are cuban exiles, who decades ago fled the cuban revolution led by fidel castro, never to return. but with pope benedict visiting cuba, wenski sees an opportunity to finally reunite countrymen separated by the cold war. >> i think people are recognizing the need to reconcile. not necessarily with a regime or with a government, but reconcile with their brothers and sisters. >> reporter: miami businessman carlos saladrigas and his wife olga are among those making the trip. packing extra supplies for the cuban people in need. >> for the kids, i'm taking milk, oatmeal.

good day, i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. in our daily fix another tuesday, another challenge as mitt romney hopes for a decisive win in illinois where he has a big advantage in delegate slates over rick santorum. chris si chris and mark. welcome both. first of all, let's talk about battle ground illinois the importance of this. chris, first to you. if mitt romney wins the popular vote and wins the delegate vote, much of a setback is that to rick santorum? >> andrea, at some point rick santorum is going to have to win somewhere where we don't expect and where it will allow him to make the case that, yes, mitt romney has a large delegate lead but, yes, i can keep him from that magic 1144 number for even get it myself. losing michigan, losing ohio, granted, narrowly, we think, we don't know, losing illinois, doesn't fit that mold. it's likely on saturday he'll go and win in louisiana, that should help him somewhat. but at some point given the delegate math, given romney's organizational and financial advantages, at some point r

this is "andrea mitchell reports." i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. the day starts with arthritis pain... a load of new listings... and two pills. after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain, back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. [ female announcer ] and try aleve for relief from tough headaches. i take the stuff everywhere. exactly. everyone's more

she told that to andrea mitchell? you know, i offered to pay for aspirins. i thought that i had been quite compassionate here. you know, also, one thing that is obvious is that when the left wants to pretend they have no sense of humor, they are excellent at it. >> sense of humor. slut? and he mocked the president for showing compassion towards you. >> apparently sandra fluke told obama when he asked her if she was okay, she said that obama told her that she should tell her parents they should be proud. okay. i'm going to button my lip on that one. the president sells sandra fluke, a 30-year-old sandra fluke, parents should be proud. okay. >> so joan you and i are pretty articulate on matters of politics, and i think something strange in the water with rush limbaugh joining in this fight from his high level, i must say it's a high level, basically attacking an individual for being part of the debate and then going after them and making comments like i never heard somebody make about another human being in the context of public debate. >> right. you know, you

i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. mitt romney's political rivals pounced on the campaign's etch-a-sketch flub serving up political theater with props. >> he said it's like an etch-a-sketch. >> he said it was like an etch-a-sketch. >> like an etch-a-sketch. >> this is an etch-a-sketch. >> an etch-a-sketch. >> an etch-a-sketch. >> how many ever you used an etch-a-sketch? >> my children had etch-a-ske h etch-a-sketch. >> she could now be a presidential candidate. >> this is the first of what i'm going to now call my etch-a-sketch tour of america. >> chris is an msnbc contributor. well, chris, we have entered the silly season. but it is damaging because it takes romney off message when he should have been celebrating a victory in illinois. >> right. quickly two points. you're exactly right in that this should -- we should be talking about jeb bush's endorsement in the wake of mitt romney's victory in illinois and whether this is officially wrapped up for mitt romney or unofficially wrapped up for him. but point number two

nbc's andrea mitchell covered the protest and has never really believed in covering a story at arm's distance. today she got a whole lot closer than that. as she reports tonight, it's all an effort to do exactly what it did, focus attention on atrocities taking place overseas. >> reporter: he is using his celebrity to sound the alarm, trying to arouse the world to stop atrocities by the leader of sudan. >> we are not talking about military intervention. not talking about money. we are talking about political wills. work on the sanctions, freeze this man's money so he can't buy weapons. >> reporter: time is short. in weeks the rains will start. urgently needed aid won't get to a half million starving people. desperate times call for desperate measures. today the actor and his father nick clooney, along with civil rights leaders and four members of congress, deliberately stepped on to the walkway in front of sudan's embassy and were immediately arrested. >> andrea, it's actually a humiliating thing to be arrested, but i'm proud to be standing with my father. >> very odd place to be for

brian. >> all right, andrea mitchell in cuba tonight. thank you for that. >>> and still ahead as we continue this evening, a big story in health news tonight. weight loss surgery being hailed as a kind of cure for type two diabetes for those who qualify. >>> and later, why a big hollywood name made a dangerous journey nearly seven miles down to the bottom of the world. >>> as we said, big news in health news tonight and it is this. weight loss surgery may be a cure for people with diabetes, type two diabetes, a disease that an estimated 26 million americans now have. a disease that prestigious new england journal of medicine calls one of the fastest growing epidemics ever. our report tonight on this potentially game-changing research from our chief science correspondent, robert bazell. >> we're going to do a laproscopic gastric bypass. >> doctors have long known that weight loss surgery can help treat type two diabeteses, but new research at the cleveland clinic has discovered something far more profound. >> it's pretty amazing. many of

andrea mitchell with us tonight from our d.c. news room. good evening. >> good evening, brian. mitt romney is hoping to get most of the 54 delegates up for grabs in illinois tomorrow where rick santorum didn't even file slates in four districts. romney did get some attention when he acknowledged the economy is improving, but then santorum also raised eyebrows by saying he's not concerned with unemployment. his point being government shouldn't be in the business of creating jobs. and santorum was also asked today about a louisiana pastor who introduced him outside of baton rouge with fiery words. >> if you don't love america, you don't like the way we do things, i got one thing to say. get out! i said we don't worship voodoo, we don't worship mohammed. we don't worship allah. we worship god, god's son jesus christ. >> this afternoon, santorum responded. >> i think i made that pretty clear throughout my campaign, that i believe very much in freedom of religion. >> with another distraction on the day before another crucial primary showdown between those two candidates. >> andrea m

. >>> this is andrea mitchell in washington. they are both young, smart, devoted family men with the world on their shoulders, looking like two friends trying to blow off steam, but this duo travels better than most. marine one to air force one then a motorcade to an ncaa basketball game. if it was david cameron's first hot dog, you couldn't tell. he wolfed it down getting points from the nation's number one basketball fan. >> getting some tips. he'll help me fill out my bracket. >> he's going to teach me cricket. >> reporter: at downing street, the prime minister said he was taking a crash course to get ready. >> long as i don't have to play the basketball and fly the plane, i'll be fine. >> reporter: he was the perfect guest, trying to make up for that dust up a few years back. >> i'm a little embarrassed as i stand here to think 200 years ago my ancestors tried to burn this place down. you're clearly not taking any risks with the brits this time. >> reporter: despite the pomp and circumstance, at heart this so-called special

andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >>> still ahead here tonight, the final phone call before the shooting death of that teenager in florida, and the young woman who was on the phone with him as the situation took a dangerous and terrible turn. >>> and later -- she disappeared 75 years ago, trying to fly around the world. tonight, why hillary clinton has joined in the hunt for amelia earhart. >>> in florida tonight, demands for the arrest of a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed an unarmed teenager last month, they are demands that are growing in the wake of revelations from a victim's girlfriend that she was on the phone with him as the incident happened. and the involvement of the justice department, the other new development in this case. nbc's ron allen with us tonight from sanford, florida. ron, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. hundreds people are here inside and outside this church to confront local authorities and demand an arrest for the killing of trayvon martin. today in washington, the justice department said it would investigate the case. he

andrea mitchell, nbc news, havana. >>> and still ahead for us tonight, women, weight, and cancer. what could be a very dangerous combination, and there's new research tonight they're saying could save lives. >>> and later, a half a billion dollar dream. a lot of people tonight are in it to win this. >>> as we mentioned, new numbers on cancer deaths tonight are showing something of a gender gap. the numbers are getting better for men but not as much for women. our chief science correspondent robert bazell has more for us. >> in its annual report to the nation on cancer, the government finds that the overall death rate is falling, but not as much for women as for men. and the incidence of cancer continues to decline in men, but for women, it's leveled off. no one knows all of the reasons for the trends, but in a industry report, the government emphasized that obesity and lack of exercise are increasingly recognized as major risk factors for many kinds of cancer. a separate study out today concludes that fully half of all cancer deaths in the u.s. could be prevented. the biggest prev

this is "andrea mitchell reports," it's only on msnbc. ma. now washington, they're looking at shutting down post offices coast to coast. closing plants is not the answer. they want to cut 100,000 jobs. it's gonna cost us more, and the service is gonna be less. we could lose clientele because of increased mailing times. the ripple effect is going to be devastating. congress created the problem. and if our legislators get on the ball, they can make the right decisions. the day starts with arthritis pain... a load of new listings... and two pills. after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain, back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. [ female announcer ] and try aleve for relief from tough headaches. the two trains and a bus rider. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by

i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. in our daily fix today, mitt romney winning the delegate math. so why can't he get respect? the romney campaign argues that the race is over. but southern states lie ahead. and romney's rivals are not letting up. chris cillizza is an msnbc contributor and managing editor of postpolitics.com and joins us now for our daily fission. what about the fact that mitt romney did win super tuesday, such as it was. he's got the delegates, certainly the delegate momentum on his side. but take a look at what rick santorum had to say, responding to the sort of active god moment, where romney said that it's just not even possible for them to catch up. >> what won't they resort to, to try to bully their way through this race? you know, if the governor thinks he's going -- he's now ordained by god to win, then let's just have it out. >> is mitt romney correct that it would take an act of god for either of the other two to pass him and be able to cinch this nomination? >> i don't want to say "act of go

our report from our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: sporadic gunfire on amateur video. the rebel neighborhood of homs, perhaps the last resistance after a devastating month-long government siege. syrian state tv showed workers cleaning up for the onslaught as residents escape with what little they have left. the opposition calls all this a government effort to hide a massacre, war crimes. after being barred for a week, finally today a u.n. official is permitted to see for herself. and relief workers resume distributing some aid. but regime forces have reportedly now turning their fire on other towns, near the turkish border, terrifying residents. will anyone come to their aid? today john mccain demanded to that the u.s. arm the rebels. >> how many more have to die? 10,000 more? 20,000 more? how many more? >> before i recommend that we put our sons and daughters in uniform in harm's way, i've got to make very sure that we know what the mission is. >> well, let me tell you what's wrong with your statement. you don't mention american leadership. americans

tonight, nbc's andrea mitchell has a look back at its namesake. >> reporter: andrew breitbart was the shooting star of the conservative blogosphere. a one-time entertainment writer who worked for both arianna huffington and matt drudge, only two nights ago, he was analyzing the michigan results. >> i would argue that he missed an opportunity. >> reporter: today, he was mourned by the republican candidates. >> it's a big shock. what a powerful force. >> reporter: mitt romney tweeted that he and his wife were deeply saddened by the passing of a brilliant entrepreneur, fearless conservative, loving husband and father. breitbart who called senator ted kennedy a villain and worse when he died called himself an accidental cultural warrior. most memorably exposing anthony weiner and grabbing the stage before the congressman could resign. >> the media says breitbart lies, breitbart lies, breitbart lies, breitbart lies. give me one example of a provable lie, one. >> reporter: one prominent breitbart target, agriculture department employee shirley sherrod, fired unfairly after breitbart posted

as andrea mitchell reports it's not just rebels. >> reporter: sporadic gunfire from baba amor, the neighborhood of homs, perhaps the last resistance after a devastating month-long government siege. syrian state tv showed workers cleaning up from the onslaught as residents escape with what little they have left. the opposition calls all this a government effort to hide a massacre, war crimes. after being barred for a week, a u.n. official was ber mitted to see for herself and relief workers resumed distributing some aid. regime forces are now turning their fire on other towns, near the turkish border, terrifying residents. will anyone come to their aid? today's john mccain demanded that the u.s. arm the rebels. >> how many more have to die, 10,000, 20,000, how many more? >> before i recommend that we put our sons and daughters in uniform in harm's way, i've got to make very sure that we know what the mission is. >> let me tell you what's wrong with your statement. you don't mention american leadership. americans should lead in this. >> reporter: the administration says stopping syria's president