ment, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? i think governor romney deserves some of the credit for helping make this thing workable. >> governor romney, do you want to respond to this? >> people need to understand how important this is for the economy. there were plenty of fireworks from the other presidential candidates on that stage. romney picking up a key endorsement today, south carolina governor nikki halley. will she help him with the

coveted tea party vote? key witness in the hot seat. penn state assistant coach mike mcqueer rib, the man who says he saw jerry sandusky raping a boy in the locker room showers, giving graphic testimony in court this morning. and facebook's 800 million members can now convert their profiles to the new timeline design, but there's another feature that's raising questions about privacy. we are going to explain it all for you right here. hi, everybody, great to have you with us this friday morning. i'm thomas roberts. we get straight to it the case against jerry sandusky is in a pennsylvania courtroom that is assistant football coach mike mcqueary giving very graphic testimony about an incident in 2002 when he swears, swears he witnessed sandusky sexually assaulting a young boy in a team locker room. former penn state athletic director tim curley and former university vice president gary schultz are also at that hearing. they are facing one charge each of failure to report child abuse and perjury. nbc's michelle fran zen joins me

now from harrisburg, pennsylvania, michelle, explain the testimony. we want to warn everybody, this is very difficult to hear, but explain what we were hearing from mike mcqueary this morning. >> well, it is, thomas, very graphic testimony, as you mentioned, from assistant football coach mike mcqueary, who back in 2002, was a graduate assistant at penn state. and what he told the grand jury in testimony, he was telling prosecutors today in detail about what he saw and what he said he heard on that day, accusing sandusky of molesting a boy in a penn state locker room, going into detail about how he had heard noises in the locker room and how he had looked in a mirror and saw sandusky with a boy he is under cross-examination right now from schultz and curley's lawyers. of course, the crux of this care the key witness, mcqueer ray a lot of his testimony, penn state officials are facing perjury charges, saying that they were not informed by mcqueary about

that detail of what he is accusing sandusky of and alleging in those crimes. of course, sandusky is facing 50 counts of sexual abuse charges against children, alleged victims reportedly from his second mile charity. again, mike mcqueary here at harrisburg inside a courtroom facing cross-examination and it's critical here today, thomas, because this will help prosecutors, what they are trying to show a judge is there's enough evidence to move forward against penn state officials and penn state officials, of course, are under fire about what they knew, when they knew it and how they responded. >> nbc's michelle fran zen in harrisburg, p.a., for us. thank you. joining me in studio is former prosecutor john q. kelly and john worthheim. a writer for sports illustrate. people will remember this week, joe amendola waiving the preliminary hearing for

sandusky, based on the fact that mcquearys wasn't going to be testifying in the preliminary hearing, now damning testimony coming out of the perjury case stemming from the penn state officials. what is this doing, when we hear about this my mind goes straight to jerry sandusky, i don't think about curley and schultz. it is very damning testimony. >> like you said, the technical charges against curley and schultz, this perjury and failure to report, but the elephant in the room is sandusky and the graphic testimony regarding his -- his conduct toward his 10-year-old boy, without going into the details, it's highly disturbing, it's sort of gut-wrenching and that's what everybody's focused on, not whether, you know, curley and sandusky later commit perjury in front of the grand jury. >> let's talk more about that. i think in reading some of the items that were coming out this morning, as john kelly is saying, disturbing details, mcqueary testifies that both the boy and sandusky making eye contact with him when he walked into those showers but we talk

about the fact that penn state officials here, curley and schultz, big names within that institution, are now facing these perjury charges and also putting a child in danger charge as well. what does this do overall to the institution of penn state as this damning testimony comes out? >> oh, it has been damning so far. you know, an elephant not in the room, though, is joe paterno, whose name has already come up, according to mcqueary's testimony today, paterno said, i'm sorry,000 see that which to me, is more damning than anything in that grand jury report. the cross is going on now, so far in that first hour, graphically speaking it is horrifying, as far as penn state and culpability goes it is pretty damning there, too. >> explain to all of us, a lot of people paying close attention to this the court proceedings are going to take some time as this moves forward, but how is today's court situation different from the preliminary hearing that people would have had or had access to on tuesday, if it took place? >> the hearing taken place on tuesday, the prosecution could

have been putting on the actual victims of sandusky's alleged abuse. so would you have heard the graphic testimony from all the victims coming from them directly. today it is more what mcqueary saw in one specific act of sandusky in the shower and what he, in turn, told curley and schultz. then the issue is did mcqueary tell them about the actual child in the shower or did he just tell him he saw something marginally inappropriate and that's all they knew? >> quickly, with this being cross-examination, how difficult is this going to be with mcqueary being on the stand and then digging in, the defense that is what he gave in the grand jury report,s as to what has been out in the media in between? >> you know exit's ultimately splitting hairs. i mean, at one point, mcqueary said in the grand jury that he actually saw sandusky sod migz the boy another same, he said he saw sandusky and boil the naked, sandusky's hands on the boy's

hips, facing him. one or the other, it's horrible, it's disturbing, it's sort of, you know, beyond the pale in terms of conduct. and no matter what mcqueary told curley and sandusky -- i mean, schultz and paterno there should have been much stronger immediate action taken at the time. >> john q. kelly, john wertheim, i appreciate you being here this morning. republican candidates are not wasting any time, back on the trail to win more support after another contention debate. mitt romney leading the charge this morning, making stops in iowa and south carolina, wrapping up the second trip with his latest endorser, governor nikki haley. the gop leaders took turns last night taking shots at president obama. take a look. >> this president doesn't know how the economy works. >> i believe i can debate barack obama. >> a foreign policy based on pretty please? you got to be kidding. >> seven three-hour debates, barack obama will not have a leg to stand on. >> it is president obama we got to be talking b he has unveiled

himself as a president that's not -- not the right person to lead this country. >> our only opponent is barack obama and we need to come out of this process remembering, beating him is what we collectively have to do. >> a lot to get to this morning, let say hello to our pan that will we have assembled, david goodfriend, democratic strategist and former clinton white house staffer, tony frato, bush 43 deputy press secretary and msnbc contribute ber. i want to start with you, tony, nikki haley's endorsement, take a listen this coming from mitt romney today. >> what it comes down to is how do we get every person a job? how do we make sure our economy gets back on track in the only way to do that is go with someone that has done it not talked about it but actually done t. >> nikki haley giving that endorsement. how does this, tony, help him, romney, that is, and also, in your estimation, did romney stop the momentum that newt gingrich has last night? >> i think so.

let's get to the momentum in a minute, because i think what's happening is people are taking a second look at newt gingrich, but as for the endorsement, it is very significant for the romney campaign. if you think about the, you negotiate sort of number one concern among republican voters is, you know, has -- is mitt romney consistently conservative enough for the primary voters, likely to go out in iowa, new hampshire and eventually south carolina and florida? having the good housekeeping seal of approval of, you know, the darling of the -- of conservatives and certainly the tea party in the last election is very powerful for the romney campaign. that kind of laying of hands on romney goes a long way to convince somewhat skeptical republicans that he can be consistently conservative enough for them. you know, a i think a lot of people who look at gingrich say the consistency is something that is concerning them and where a lot of the second look for newt gingrich is taking

place right now. >> so, david, let's talk about newt trying to respond to romney's criticism of his character. take a look at how he responds. >> i sometimes get accused of using language that's too strong so i've been standing here editing. very concerned about not appearing ton zany. >> all right. so, obviously making light of what romney called him zany. are we starting to see some cracks in gingrich's armor, if he is admitting to the fact he is going to be editing himself? >> well, i thought that was a solid performance by gingrich, a little self-deprecating humor goes a long way and aimed square late romney. i think the larger theme, going back to my republican colleague's comments, is we really have a question who the tea party will fall behind. i think we witnessed in the republican primary that corporate republicans versus the tea party republicans and the tea partiers, with herman cain

falling out have rallied behind gingrich and i'm still not sure that that's permanent purchase. i think they are still kicking the tires f the nikki haley endorsement represents a sort of evangelical southern conservative move toward romney, that is significant. it is really significant, because the one thing we haven't talked about here is the fact that christian evangelicals have had a problem with romney from the beginning and if he is unable to carry the south in a significant way, i'm not talking about florida, but i'm talking about south carolina and arkansas and, you know, places where we think of red, southern state it is, evangelical vote doesn't go to romney, he has got problems. so that, to me, is the significance of the nikki haley endorsement. >> well, david, tony, thank you so much for joining me this morning. i appreciate it. a lot to talk about from last night. but we are moving on to some breaking news. again, thank you. this breaking news right now

about fan anie mae and freddie mac. according to the securities and exchange commission, six execs will face charges for making misleading statements. again, facing charges for making misleading statements, the execs from fannie mae and freddie mac. we will follow that for you. it could be a really long christmas for congress, house minority leader nancy pelosi just told reporters that lawmakers won't be going home until the payroll tax extension is passed. we have got the details ahead. newt gingrich says that he will sign don't ask, don't tell back into law if he becomes president. why are gay rights such a hot button issue in the race for the gop nomination? i'm going to speak with steven him he is the soldier famously booed at another republican debate. and the violent hazing death rocking one of the country's best-known historically black colleges, now, florida's governor calling for the college's president to be suspended. much more after this.

♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of a pain free holiday. ♪ this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills. on one of the most powerful mobile apps out there. i'm trading here every day. and i'm customizing everything. everything. from thought, to trade. i'm with scottrade. i'm with scottrade. i'm with scottrade. and seven dollar trades are just the start. ♪ [ rodger ] with innovations like our powerful mobile app and free scottrader streaming quotes, no wonder more investors are saying... i'm with scottrade! have given way to sleeping.

where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then get lunesta for $0 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta.

welcome back, everybody. americans are waiting to see if congress will prevent their payroll taxes from going up, but it looks like one political disaster has been averted a tentative deal has been reached on a bill to fund the government through september. that would take a possible government shutdown off of the table. now, speaker boehner weighed in on the payroll tax cut debate this morning. take a listen. >> the house has done its work. we are waiting on the united states senate. but these rumors that are floating around here about a two-month extension, i will just say this, if that bill comes over to us, we will make changes to it and i will guarantee you that the keystone pipeline will be in there when it goes back to the united states senate. >> nbc's luke russert has the very latest for us. luke is this one down, one to go kind of business going on here? there we have john boehner saying the house is done, the

dishes are clean? >> absolutely, let's look at this from a broad perspective, tom mass number one, the fear of a government shutdown that is off the table. late last night the democratic senate and the republican house came to an agreement on $1 trillion-plus bill to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year. we got that off. we don't have to dust out the countdown clock for the shutdown of armageddon, we fig that out. next issue, payroll tax extension, holiday of that as well as the extension of unemployment benefits as well as the medicare doctrine, things congress needs to get done by january 1st or every single working american will feel them in very impactful way. most americans would see $1,000 disappear from their paycheck if congress cannot figure out the payroll tax cut extension. what are they going to do with that? the house is going to vote to pass a government funding bill today. they are going to go home. most likely come back next week there has been rumor, ones speaker boehner has been talking about about the senate possibly offering some two-month extension, all those things that i mentioned, not very popular in

the house, because a lot of rank and file member does not want to have to deal with this issue two months later, they see it a political victory for the president. boehner saying he would attach key step to any extension, throwing meet meat to his colleagues. more likely than not, thomas, we will see next week unemployment benefits, keystone, everything else, payroll tax holiday, everything we have heard from harry reid and mitch mcconnell, seem to be trending that way. >> luke russert, great to see you this morning. thank you, sir. >> take care, thomas. big super pac money going into big ads across iowa. mitt romney supporters on the offensive against newt gingrich, making voters think twice about the former speaker with the caucuses now just 18 days away. let bring in and say good morning to innocence deputy political director mark murray. you have broken down the numbers for us, the numbers comes to total spending by presidential advertisers by state. well really deseeing the big money going into the hawkeye

state. candidates respect taking the caucuses lightly when it comes to the innocence. explain that to us. >> iowa is the first contest it should be no surprise most of the tv advertisement has been occurring there. more than $11 million so far, according to ad tracking sources for nbc news. so, that's lot of money, but as you mentioned, what has been very fascinating is the pro-romney super pac restore our future, running $3 million worth of tv advertisements in iowa alone. thomas that is a huge sum for a state the size of iowa. and it is having at least anecdotally an impact on newt gingrich's campaign that doesn't really have the funds to compete and defend itself against that barrage of tv ads. >> let's get that graphic back up there, mark, a big spender has been rick perry, the rick perry super pac, make us great again, $3 million spent, a lot of ad buys in iowa, we move further from his gaffe. does the money -- is cash really going to be king in iowa and the ad game?

>> that is a great question. so far, had it hasn't helped rick perry. no one has spent more money in iowa, actually in all the states than rick perry has. he has raised a considerable amount of money. also, you have that super pac supporting him, also spent a tremendous amount of funds some far, it hasn't worked. we will see for three weeks whether money and organization does matter. the perry campaign is hoping that is the case. but it has really been his debate perform mapses that have hurt him, although add pretty good one last night. >> nbc's mark murray, thanks so much. we go right into it because call it a hail mary pass, rick perry hopes to be the tim tebow of the iowa caucuses. did you catch this? could he stage an underdog upset? talk about what he has to say last night. speaking of tebow, two new york high school at sheets been suspended for organizing tee bog. have you seen this before? we will explain why they are in so much trouble. that ahead.

all right. so we want to get to our hiring now segment, dedicated to real job opportunities, real leads. perhaps in this day and able, knowing really says company on the rise better than a website that's so busy, it actually crashed. all morning long, we searched so jo studios, clicked on the site and nothing but an error message. the company has been working to support its online game called wee taupe ya, clearly an overnight, all-out sensation. joining me live now is lincoln brown wit. it is up and running now, right? >> up and running. >> we are good to go. >> good to go. >> explain to us what is wee taupe ya and why did it gape such overnight popularity to point where it was crashing? >> sure, sure. wee taupe ya is a social game, on facebook, you play with your friends to build a better world for children in the game and then by playing the game, you actually are contributing to building a better world for children in the real world. we show you how you do that through the game. >> and this gained in popularity because ellen degeneres talked about it on her show and you

gained a quarter of a million users, basically in nothing flat. and that's what did it to you. >> that's what did it to us, yeah. we grew to 250,000 users quickly and maybe weren't ready for the traffic, but we are now. >> lincoln, how were you able to get ellen's attention to drive users and check it out? >> we are lucky to have ellen and we have a long-term partnership with her and her team and if you think about ellen, she is really all about joy and giving back and having fun and our tag line is play for good and ellen represents that maybe better than anybody. >> explain what this has done for job opportunities, obviously, inc., lincoln, as you know, the country is in a crunch, tech jobs certainly hot. explains what this does for you guys as you continue to grow and do so so quickly. >> sure. sure. we have a real opportunity to take advantage of this -- what used to be thought of an odd phenomenon of public gaming. zipping ga is going public at $9

billion and validating the industry. we have job on at this time, i'm people looking for that fit our mold and embrace what we are doing. >> what type of people are you looking for? >> software engineers, the best we can find, really committed to the cause and giving back and the best of the best gamers on it as well. >> good luck with wee taupe ya, lincoln brown, thank you so much. pass along a ideas for our hiring now series, please tweet me @thomasaroberts. if gay rights advocates think this election doesn't matter, think again. newt gingrich says he will sign don't ask, don't tell back into law. steven hill was a soldier booed at another infamous debate. yes thinks this country is going for lgbt equality. and florida a & m university, famous for its marching band, the matching 100, now for something else, a hazing death that has got the attention

of the nation. we will explain that story and much more after this. pducers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. we get double miles on every purchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! i want a mace, a sword, a... oww! [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. i wonder what it could be?! what's in your wallet?

it's 4g, so you can do more faster. so, kathryn, post more youtube videos of your baby acting adorable. baby. on it. matt, ignore me and keep updating your fantasy team. huh? jeff, play a game. turbo-boosting now, sir. dennis, check in everywhere you go on foursquare. that's mayor dennis... of the water cooler. you're the best. liz, rock out to pandora. oh, no i'm an only child. and nick, you shouldn't even be here, you can do everything from the golf course. good? good. [ male announcer ] on at&t, blackberry® torch moves at the speed of 4g. ♪

breaking news right now, new video into msnbc of mike mcqueary leaving court in harrisburg, pennsylvania. he gave graphic testimony about what he claims he saw in the showers between jerry sandusky and a young boy in 2002. mcqueary says it appears to have been a sexual act, basically sandusky raping a boy in those showers. he testified that the boy looked to be 10 to 12 years old. he also testified to the fact that both the boy and sandusky looked him in the eye. you were running in massachusetts, took liberal positions, running now in position, you take more conservative positionsome that principle or is it just politics? >> well, i begin by taking exception with your list there i

did change -- >> which one? >> gay rights. i am firmly in support of people not being discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. at the same time, i oppose same-sex marriage that has been my position at the beginning. >> social issues took center stage the in the debate but not the first time lgbt equality was infused into the conversation. remember this? >> in 2010 when i was deployed in iraq, i had to lie about who i was because i'm a gay soldier. and i didn't want to lose my job. my question is under one of your presidencies, do you intend to circumvent the progress that's been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military? [ booing ] >> all right. so the soldier from that video, steven hill, joins me now. steven, nice tough with me this morning, i appreciate your time. >> thanks, thomas. i want to start with don't ask, don't tell that is a signature accomplishment for president obama here is how newt gingrich

takes that position. >> i don't think in the military, you want sexual behavior to be an overt issue. >> you wouldn't want it repealed? >> i would not want it repealed. >> would you try to reinstate it? >> i would sign to reinstate it. would you actively work? >> i would urge the congress to pass reinstating it. >> when you hear something like that what does it say to you about newt gingrich and the republicans, especially when it comes to military operations, obviously after the successful implementation you can the repeal of don't ask, don't tell. what does it say to you? >> it tells me they probably don't really understand what don't ask, don't tell really was b don't ask, don't tell was had he hiding pictures in my own house what i had to do under that policy, so it's -- there's nothing about behavior in this at all t is not about behavior. nobody asking for different conduct, just asking not to be kicked out. i'm a human being and when you're talking to an auditorium

full of percentage you are talking about a human being, talking about hiding pictures and hiding your whole life from people. >> mitt romney has his own ideas on marriage, basically now a three-tiered system, maintaining marriage rights for straight couples, allowing gays who have already married to remain married, basically grandfathered in, but barring future same-sex marriages, romney wants to whip over obviously independent voter, stephen. how out of touch is a system like that, especially for yourself, you're married, correct? >> i am married. i got married on my r & r from irremark i came home and married my husband during my r & r from iraq.aq, i came home and marriey husband during my r & r from iraq. i don't undersadd stand how they could implement something so complicated with marriage. i think all we want is to be married like everybody else, the same system, they say they don't want to discriminate but say they are against same-sex

marriage. isn't that a form of a discrimination? >> listen to this. >> in the 1960s, when i was drafted in the military, he got several deferments, he chose not to go now he will send our kids to war but at that time, he said that one person wouldn't make a difference he didn't know how he could make a difference. >> stephen, with the successful repeal of don't ask, don't tell, do you think that statements like this from newt gingrich are hurtful, especially to the military, those that would be straight allies to their gay sb? >> i think they are hurtful. i don't think anybody understands, except soldiers in the military, how it affect the military. i can tell you my own personal

experience, it was 100% positive. the military was awesome. it was just -- i went to work on the 20th of september and i did nothing else different than i've ever done the 20 years i have been in the same as every other man and woman that is in the military right now. we did the same job, just like we always do. the only difference is the day of the 20th, we did have to worry that we would lose our job. that's it. >> obviously courage is not something in question for you. it took a lot of courage to submit that question that you did from iraq to the republican debate, then you got booed, what was your reaction to that? how did that make you feel? >> well, initially when the booing happened, you know, just like anybody else, i thought did i do something wrong? you know, i didn't think that what i was doing was wrong. i just asked the question because i was really worried that a lot of people would come out and then what would happen if a different president got in and would try to reinstate the repeal? so i felt like somebody needed to step up and ask that question. initially i tried to do it with anonymity and not divulge my

identity, but they came back and asked me to say who i was. so it did take a little bit of courage, but i think the question really needed to be asked. >> stephen, thank you for your service to this country, congratulations on your marriage and i really do appreciate you joining me this morning. thank you, sir. >> thanks, thomas. here is a look at some other stories topping the news for you right now. the man accused of an alleged assassination attempt on president obama is in court today for a hearing on his mental state. oscar romero ortega mer nan dez is accused of firing shots at the white house last month. friends say he had been acting strangely and police say he was obsessed with president obama. students at florida a & m, famu, are voicing their anger today over the call to suspend the university's president after the death of a marching band member. police say a drum major died in a hazing incident following a football game. florida governor rick scott is calling for the suspension, leading students to gather outside the governor's mansion in a protest. nbc's mark potter joins me now from miami to explain.

mark, bring us up to speed, the very latest on the case as we know it now. >> the investigators looking in three things right now, investigators led by the state. there are three basic questions, one, what happened in two indianapolis dents, not just one, two incidents two separate incidents in which, in one a student was killed, another, a student was hospitalized with a broken leg, both are described as hazing incidents. what happened there? first question. second question, is there a culture of hazing at the university, and particularly in the band program? does this go back a while? and number three and most importantly perhaps, what did the official there is know about this what steps did they take to address this fix it, did they try to cover it up, was there fraud? all of those are questions now and being dealt with in the investigation. the lead agency in this investigation is the state -- are state police investigators with the florida department of law enforcement, the orlando

sheriff's office is also involved and an independent panel trying to figure out the hazing issue and how long it has been going on. this is a wide-ranging investigation that's being taken very seriously now, thomas. >> mark, when we talk about campus incidents, a loft hazing happens for frat tirnts, sorori sorority, obviously, this is a hist torrid marching band. have they talked about the specifics, anybody come forward to describe any type of hazing they may have been a part of in the past? >>. >> there have been cases in the past, lawsuit, other incident and certainly not just at this school. this investigation could be looking, have an effect, rather, on other schools as well this is a big problem nationwide and being focused on here but it is not the only place. by the way that band was supposed to be playing at a commencement today but that's not happening because band ac visits been suspended in the wake of this investigation. >> nbc's mark potter in miami.

mark, thanks so much. i appreciate it. four high school students in long island were suspended for so called tebowing in the hallways. look at this tebowing, though is bending down on one knee and bringing their fists to their foreheads what tim tebow does. three of the students were varsity football players, doing this reportedly nonstop for three years. the school doesn't have a problem with tebowing, except it caused a dangerous situation in the hallways. author and essayist christopher hitchens is being remembered for his prose this morning and legendary sharp tongue. he passed away last night from complications from pneumonia as well as complications from esophagus cancer. mother theresa's order says they are praying for him and his family. you may recall he once called hear fanatic, a fundamentalist and a fraud. hitch was 62 years old. all right. so, parents out there, listen up. you know, just getting kids to write ten thank you notes after a birthday party that can be a real chore. so, all the more impressive that one 11-year-old is about to

deliver 180,000 thank you cards for our troops. my next guest, steven goodman, decided two years ago he would make it his mission to let every u.s. service member overseas get a personalized pick me up and he joins me now live from phoenix. steven it is great to have you with me, buddy, and congratulatio congratulations, because i understand you just reached your goal today. you and your family are going to go to luke air force base to deliver 180,000 of these greeting cards to be sent abroad. so i have to ask, what inspired you to start on this journey that most kids probably would never think of? >> well, my grandfather went overseas to vietnam and he didn't get any cards, so he felt forgot. so i want the troops overseas now to know that they are never forgotten. >> stephen, i know you teamed up with kodak last year in this process. they printed -- helped you fund more than 100,000 of these cards, they got the word out to people around the country who then bought your cards to send

overseas. what has this pros lesses been like for you? how do you feel about this big accomplishment? >> well, it makes me feel excited because now that i'm done, due to the help of kodak and all the other people who helped, i can finally lift the spirit of our soldiers overseas. >> stephen, we talk about the cards themselves, describe the cards to us. what do they say on the inside? what do they look like on the front? >> on the front, it says thank you and it has got a picture of the united states. on the inside, it says for protecting our freedom or serving our country with a flag or a statue of liberty. >> do i understand that you went over your actual goal though? >> yes, i actually went to 181,612. >> so, now you've achieved this goal, what's next in your sights? what can't you accomplish when you get it in your mind that you want to do something? >> well, when -- since we have

extra cards, we are going to send those to the different va hospitals around the country. >> that's fantastic. well, congratulations. what are you doing for christmas this year? have you said what you want to get for christmas this year? >> i wrote a list and i'm not sure if i'm getting it, but i wrote one. >> what's at the top of that list there, stephen? >> it is a boom boo from best buy, a tablet for the computer. >> gotcha. now we put it out there into the universe. hopefully that will be coming your way christmas morning. 11-year-old stephen goodman. thanks for joining me today. again, congratulations on the fantastic work you have done. i know you will lift the spirits of our troops all around the world. thank you. >> thank you very much. all right, so british troops are pretty bumped up about returning home for christmas this year. and they are spreading the joy a youtube song. take a long. ♪ i don't want a lot for christmas there is just one thing i need ♪ >> for the grand finale, look at

this the troops spelled out their christmas cheer with a message sent from their bodies and soul, "hms ocean" just returned home. thanks for my aunt pat, she sent us this link and we got it on the air. ♪ i think i'm falling [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ for you [ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store. shop our largest diamond store online anytime at zales.com. try bayer advanced aspirin. it's not the bayer aspirin you know. it's different. first, it's been re-engineered with micro-particles. second, it enters the bloodstream fast, and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. the best part? it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before. bayer advanced aspirin. test how fast it works for you. love it, or get your money back. ♪ [ male announcer ] when you're a true fan... [ exhales ]

...there are no sick days. [ crowd cheering, screaming ] vicks dayquil. defeats 5 cold & flu symptoms. [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] vicks nyquil cold and flu. the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold...medicine. ♪ your new progresso rich & hearty steak burger soup. [ dad ] i love this new soup. it's his two favorite things in one... burgers and soup. did you hear him honey? burgers and soup. love you. they're cute. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare,

call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, helps cover some of the medical expenses... not paid by medicare part b. that can save you up to thousands of dollars. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... and guide to understanding medicare, i can keep my own doctor and choose my own hospital. and i don't need a referral to see a specialist. as with all medicare supplement plans, and help pay for what medicare doesn't. call this toll-free number now... ♪ imagine me and you, i do ♪ i think about you day and night ♪ ♪ it's only right ♪ to think about the girl you love ♪ ♪ and hold her tight ♪ so happy together [ male announcer ] when life changes, so can your insurances needs.

use travelers free guide to better coverage to stay prepared. is your auto and home insurance keeping up with you? contact your local travelers agent, or call 800-my-coverage. a new associated press poll shows president obama has a 50/50 shot at re-election heading into 2012, but if the president is booted from the white house after just one term, he could have one of the most successful postpresidencies ever. the gifted speaker would command vast sums of money through speaking engagements as well as book deals, while joining one of the most exclusive clubs on the planet i'm joined by nick summers, senior reporter for "newsweek." so nick, whip or lose, president obama certainly has a lot going for him. obviously, he is going for this second term, but what sets him apart from his predecessorers in terms of earning potential once he becomes an ex-president? what is it that makes him so bankable? >> well, partly is his age f he does get voted out next fall, he

would be just 51 when he left office and that would be the youngest ex-president in more than a century, since teddy roosevelt back in 1909. so he would, first of all have a lot of time to do all this stuff. the things an ex-president does, write books, give speeches, obama is really good at that stuff. and so he sort of figures to be, you know, if he does get booted out after just one term, he could have a pretty good run. >> as we look back over history, there were ex-presidents unpopular in office, such as nixon and carter, very successful, though, after leaving the oval office. >> that's right. >> are americans more forgiving though, nick, once the president leaves the white house? they tend to forget the past, so to speak and allow them to live in the legacy they deserve, so to speak, being a good president? >> yeah, that's fair interpretation. you know, when someone leaves office under a cloud, whether being voted out after just one term, or nixon's case, having to resign there is this drive to

rehabilitate their legacy, americans have shown they are pretty willing to, yeah, give them another shot. i mean, nixon is still, you know, thought of darkly but among -- among scholars, really well regarded, wrote a lot of well regarded books on foreign policy and carter really is sort of the number one guy in -- he won the nobel peace prize for the work did he as sort of a global -- working to create peace on a global stage. even herbert hoover, thought of as one of the worst presidents of last century, had a really good ex-president circumstance he became this statesman, helped out europe after the end of world war ii. >> nick, even though we talk about it potentially now after his first four years, doesn't this just mean it's a lock if there are eight years? bar. basically, yeah, if obama got eight years, he would still be really, really young, just 55 so young, and he is a really healthy guy and smart in so many different ways that even after eight years, he could do -- still do a lot of things on this

list, co-runt university, co-join the supreme court, he would have decades in which to make even more of a contribution after he leaves the white house, whether it is after just one term or after two. >> nick summers, senior reporter for news week. nick, great to see you today. thanks for your time. >> thanks for having me. now time for the polysigh bar. mark meck letter is facing jail time for gun charges, arrested the new york city's laguardia airport after a gun was discovered during check in. meck letter told authorities he carries the gun because he receives threats on his life. he is due in court january 12th. organizers trying to kick governor scott walker out of office say they will soon have enough signatures to force a recall lykes, collected 500,000 in less than a mom. the group must submit about 540,000 signatures by january 17th. governor rick perry hopes to be a comeback kid like denver broncos quarterback, tim tebow. >> there are a lot of folks who said that tim tebow wasn't going to be a very good nfl

quarterback. there are people that stood up and said, well, he doesn't have the right throwing mechanisms or he doesn't -- you know, he is not playing the game right. and you know, he won two national championships. am i ready for the next level. let me tell you, i hope i'm the tim tebow of the iowa caucuses. >> all right. the prayers steam to work for tim tebow. we'll see coming up on january 3rd. and john huntsman was hoping for some laughs, laughs from this line. >> i'm not going to contort myself into a pretzel to please any audience i'm in front of and i'm not going to sign any silly pledges. and i'm not going to show up at a donald trump debate. >> all right. if only humor translated into votes. we'll see on that one. [ sniffs ] i have a cold. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil

but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm! [ male announcer ] for unsurpassed fruit and veggie nutrition... v8 v-fusion. could've had a v8.

another day, another change for facebook users. a new feature that's going to let you create a virtual time line of your life. take your photos, videos, take your stories. then morph them into a tell-all time line to your friends or friends of friends can all see on the website. and another new change to tell you about, too. this one a little more controversial. facebook launching a program aimed at preventing suicide. now the gist here, if someone spots a suicidal comment on a friends face book page, they can click a link and report it. the friend will then get an e-mail encouraging them to call the national suicide prevention hotline or begin a controversial online chat that could help them out. all right. so in other news for you today as we take a look, a lot of things going around the country today, especially in the courts. let's get you updated on thatment we're keeping an eye on this live feed. the sentencing day for colton

harris moore, better known as the barefoot bandit. he was on the run for two years after plane theft, boat theft and a number of other burglaries. he pleaded guilty to seven federal charges but still faces more than 30 in washington. next batter up, home run king barry bonds. he could be stoent prison today for on strugting a federal investigation into steroid use. prosecutors want 15 months. and did you hear this? chicago bears receiver sam herd will be in court for a bond hearing. he was arrested on wednesday on drug dealing charges after he was allegedly caught with more than a pound of cocaine. herd was also reportedly looking for 1,000 pounds of marijuana, looking for that on a weekly basis. all right, there you have it. thanks for your time. i wish you a great weekend. i'll see you back here on monday 11:00 a.m. eastern time. until then, follow me on twitter. don't go anywhere. now with alex wagner comes your

way next. that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow.

the word last night, electability. the word this morning, inestability. it's friday, december 16th. and this is "now." joining me today is essey cup, nbc news political analyst richard wolf and ben white. thank you guys for joining me. in the final showdown before the iowa caucuses, newt gingrich was once what rick perry called a debate pinata. the question is, will it send his campaign as far south as perry's? i totally read that incorrectly. and, in fact, rick perry was once the debate pin ata. was newt gingrich the pinata last night? >> he was. he was the center of the stage and focus. i think it wasn't disastrous for him. he got dinged pretty hard on the fannie mae stuff.