>> michele bachmann. guys. she gained the most out of this debate and when the smoke clears she's going to be one of the last candidates standing, i think. >> john king? >> i agree. michele bachmann gained the most from the debate if you had to pick one winner i would say mitt romney. he's the frontrunner. he's way ahead here in new hampshire. i think he expected to get a little more roughed up. the other candidates thought it was sboeduction night so they were more timid. >> did tim pawlenty and many said he should have been more aggressive. do you think he was? >> it's tough to score. sunday he escalates by saying obamany care and then on monday with the others watching and he said "courage." he wouldn't look mitt romney in the eye and say it on stage. >> i don't know why you would start an attack and not follow through with it and i think that was a little -- >> who do you think won? >> i think mitt romney had a big target on his back and he escaped unscathed and the loser was tim pawlenty. >> i agree with g

may be sarah palin, michele bachmann filled that void. >> will. >> i don't think michele bachmann made people forget sarah palin yet but might soon. >> eroll. >> i think they will, especially among republicans. >> thanks, guy, gentlemen, appreciate your time, will, errol and robert. >> the pilot saved his passengers but killed in a goodyear blimp accident. he told four passengers to jump when the blimp was off the ground. it then shot up into the air and exploded before crashing into flames. (a federal judge could overturn a decision that the same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional. that ruling coming from a judge who announced he's gay. >>> the army is replace their part of their uniform. troll cap is standard wear now. >>> it may be one of the biggest heists after the invasion of iraq. the u.s. followed up with plane load with plane load of cold, hard cash. that was meant to help iraq, but apparently billions of dollars have disappeared. here's brian todd. >> reporter: this the months after shock and awe. the mantra was spend and rebuild. at least that's what u.s. officials hoped.

we saw michelle bachmann rising. we saw newt gingrich gracrashin over and over and we saw tim pawlenty wandering aimlessly and mitt romney hovering above the fray. what does it tell you about the republican party. you're in that camp. give us your best shot. >> i think it's very encouraging. a republican party abandoned issues that were not constructive and moving the party forward growing its base. you see them connecting with a lot of american voters. i was actually very pleasantly prized by the debate. it was a big improvement over the first one and we'll see more improvements to come. >> i think there are two republican races going on right now. one of them features a small field. it's the race to be sort of the establishment favorite on on republican side. default choice for people in the party that decide six or nine months from now they want to win in 2012. that's a competition between mitt romney and tim pawlenty and maybe john huntsman if and when he gets into the race. among them mitt romney clearly had the

we're seeing the softer side of michele bachmann. not throwing out the red meat we've seen in recent years with her. the red meat i would say is more well done than medium rare these days. interesting in a few moments to see what her message is going to be, because this is her first official speech as a gop presidential candidate and we're all going to be watching here and there's actually a pretty sizable crowd here in this -- in her hometown. she's going to get a hometown welcome and hopes it's the beginning of a big surprise and shakeup in the republican ranks with this nomination. >> all right. jim, let us know as soon as it starts. we'll head back to you and take that live. appreciate it. >>> let's look at michele bachmann's reputation on the hill. her paying job. dana bash joining us with a look at the congresswoman's stand on issues and her standing among colleagues. dana? >> kyra she is somebody who hasn't been here very long, elected in 2006, the year that democrats took control of the house, but she is on a couple of key co

we saw michelle bachmann rising. we saw newt gingrich crashing over and over and we saw tim pawlenty wandering aimlessly and mitt romney hovering above the fray. what does it tell you about the republican party. you're in that camp. give us your best shot. >> i think it's very encouraging. a republican party abandoned issues that were not constructive and moving the party forward growing its base. you see them connecting with a lot of american voters. i was actually very pleasantly prized by the debate. it was a big improvement over the first one and we'll see more improvements to come. >> i think there are two republican races going on right now. one of them features a small field. it's the race to be sort of the establishment favorite on on republican side. default choice for people in the party that decide six or nine months from now they want to win in 2012. that's a competition between mitt romney and tim pawlenty and maybe john huntsman if and when he gets into the race. among them mitt romney clearly had the b

but michele bachmann was the biggest surprise. she was -- i don't think the country knew her very well. she was pithy. she spoke in a much cleaner sentences. she sprinkled interesting fact into it. and she introduced her biography. the 23 foster children, she said that twice. that was really -- >> and five children. >> and gloria and i were both -- >> 23 foster children? >> she must be good at time management. >> she's a social conservative,like rick santorum was. i think she was more impressive. >> results, the exclusive insider polls. cnn and the national forum got together. hey, did you ever finish last month's invoices? sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office. i can't hear you because i'm also making you a smoothie. [ male announcer ] marriott hotel

michele bachmann stole that mantel at the moment. she's surprised a lot of people and she'll raise a lot of money in the first quarter and with the success comes the tougher questions. that's her next challenge. she's a house member and she has to prove now she can be a serious candidate for president. >> and anderson, i think it may have happened a little quickly. i was talking to somebody close to her today and he said to me, we're not ready for all of this attention yet? she may not be ready for all of this attention yet, as you say. she's full of gaffes. she's got to learn the difference between being a congressional candidate and being a presidential candidate. which is a whole different playingfield and it's clear that she's not comfortable in these kinds of unscripted events. she did very well at the debate, at the cnn debate because you had her talking. >> let me jump in, to her credit, i've seen her -- she's come on this program. i've seen her on chris matthews' programs, a lot of these candidates won't do that. michele bach

another one that's impressive is michele bachmann. i think she's got a connection to people that's just evident and i really like her style. >> now, when organizers of the event asked those in attendance to applaud when they read off the names of the different candidates, michele bachmann was one of the folks who received the loudest round of applause from the tea partiers. perhaps the loudest was ron paul. he's a big favorite here among the tea party crowd. what was, perhaps, most striking, though, was not one person in attendance here thought that mitt romney actually won the debate. perhaps that's because he has basically decided to skip the straw poll here later this summer in iowa. a lot of folks around here not very happy about that. back to you. >> he spent some money in iowa last time around and this time just decided he's going to skip iowa. i don't know which comes first, the people saying he didn't rate for them or -- >> him being there. >> not going there because the people this time around are saying they don't rate for h

congresswoman michele bachmann is promising she's the bold choice to lead the republican ticket. kicking off her campaign in waterloo, iowa, the tea party's favorite is quickly moving up the polls. what are her chances of defeating the rest of the field and taking on president obama next fall? for answers we turn now to our national political report are for "the washington post." thank you very much indeed for joining us. now, if you were a betting woman, how likely is it that michele bachmann will be the next president? >> you know, i think at this point it is probably pretty unlikely that she will be the next president. but what is very likely is that her entry into this republican field is going to sort of change the dynamic of the republican field. traditionally republican nomination races have been sort of orderly processes. the establishment settles on a candidate pretty early, there's always a challenge, but that establishment candidate ultimately gets the nod. this time around, a lot of people think it may not work that way in part because the field itself has been so big

well, i know michelle bachmann. i have worked with michele bachmann. michelle bachmann is a friend of mine, and i can tell you michele bachmann means what she says. [applause] she walks the walk. she talks the talk. whether fighting for students in her hometown of stillwater, fighting spending as a state senator, are standing up to the special interests in washington, d.c., as a member of congress, no one has the record to match their rhetoric like michele bachmann. nobody. so, my friends, this nation is at a tipping point, and is crying out for genuine leadership. that is why i am so proud today to introduce to you my comrade in arms, my congresswomen, my friend, and the next president of the united states, michele bachmann. [cheers and applause] ♪ >> good morning. good morning. is this is so great to be here in iowa this morning, and even better to be here in waterloo where i was born. [applause] i think it is entirely fitting that we are here today act the site that was once the waterloo women's club, so thank you for being here. my name is michel

now, she's casting a tall shadow over michele bachmann. while other candidates try to avoid stepping on their fellow partisans' announcements, she doesn't seem to worry about that. >> john hendren live this morning in washington. thank you. >>> is there a palin/bachman rivalry? michele bachmann talks live with george stephanopoulos later this morning on "gma." >>> as we head into the busy summer travel season, the government is issuing its annual report on security awareness. the fbi and the department of homeland security say while there's no specific or credible terror threats, travelers and people attending large-scale celebrations are still warned to be diligent about the possibility. >>> high-level white house meetings did little to move debt talks forward. republican leaders are flatly refusing to consider raising taxes.s. but the administration remains hopeful that a significant deal can be reached. >>> and disturbing, new details are emerging about tucson shooting suspect, jared laufer in and his behavior behind bars. and the woman

. >>> michele bachmann contends she is a serious person. the gop presidential candidate not only got her john wayne's mixed up, of a employ and a serial killer, but said that the revolutionary war began in new hampshire. here is how she explained it this morning on cnn. >> well, of course, they were just mis-speaking. that happens. i wish i could be perfect but i can't. one thing people know about me is that i'm a substantive, serious person, and i have a very strong background. >> all eyes on iowa today. months before the state's caucuses kick off, the 2012 presidential contest, president obama and sarah palin also there. cnn's political producer shannon travis is joining us. let's talk about palin and her movie premiere first. >> yeah. yesterday michele bachmann and today, sarah palin. are they kind of competing with each other is anyone's guess. as you mentioned, sarah palin

the issue -- not surprising at all that michele bachmann is doing well. she's been willing to be the most extreme of all kahn kan dates and that's the issue that's not going to survive well. traditionally in republican primaries, iowa ends up nominating the most extreme candidate and then everybody goes to new hampshire and people get slapped around and brought back to the center right. and michele bachmann wants to, you know, she said the other day, wants to repeal the environmental protection agency. just shut down the agency. i think americans actually kind of like safe drinking water. >> let's not discount one big aspect that she brings and that is the appeal that she has for a lot of the tea party voters, a lot of independent voters. she energizes in many way that constituency, gets them engaged early in the process and ride that wave all the way through. these are important ideas she's talking about. >> i don't know about the ideas but i think she's energizing and charismatic. the other fun thing this week to watch in iowa is that just like sarah pa

here's congresswoman michele bachmann for our series, the contenders. >> reporter: michele bachmann is often compared to another heavyweight female in republican politics, sarah palin. they've campaigned only one together. but it was enough to get their tea party fans dreaming. >> how many of you would like to see a palin/bachmann ticket? >> reporter: there's a big difference between these two. with bachmann, there are no games. she is running and she's running hard. >> we can win in 2012 and we will win! >> reporter: not long ago, she was dismissed as a right-wing fringe candidate. even mocked on "saturday night live" as not quite ready for prime time. >> under our current president, we've gone from the this to this. >> reporter: but now she's suddenly emerged as the person to beat in iowa. >> i'm impressed with you. >> thank you. >> reporter: she's generating far more excitement than any of her republican rivals here in a statistical tie for first place with mitt romney in the latest iowa poll. bachmann's trademark is take no prisoners conservative rehetori. >> we're on to this gangs

michele bachmann, who was going to announce shortly, is the person who has the similar constituency and persona, but bachmann is a member of congress, more serious about policy, and will action have a better shot and could do well, surprisingly well, in iowa. >> why don't republicans take palin on, mark? >> she has a constituency and that support. many would not vote for her under any circumstances, which is a big liability to start with, greater than any of the leading candidates. that pizza summit in manhattan, donald trump -- reality stars -- were bounty hunters and housewives of las vegas not available? nina's point is salient. roger ailes has taken off the air people -- rick santorum, newt gingrich -- make a decision. if you are a candidate, you are not a commentator. >> we let donald trump play us for weeks, and now she's playing us. >> at the convention in camp the next year, we are not going to remember today, we're not going to remember rolling thunder. we are going to have a serious candidate, is serious election. it is likely to be either ramadi or pawlenty -- romney or pawle

we don't really though if michele bachmann will he stayg power, to one hagone after her, the scrutiny of her has just begun, chirchtion in her conservative record. he took federal money for a family farm, questions about how much she benefitted from those things, but nonetheless, when the scrutiny comes we will have to see how she holds up. >> we continue with a look at the new law in new york sta on same-sex marriag with nicholas confessore of the morning time, toobin of the new york magazine and cnn and from los angeles, adam mc54 any of "the new york times". >> yo you will see a lot of peoe get invited to a gay marriage, it won't bes strange as before, the overall effect is those who oppose gay marriage are at a certain point going to start steaming like a bit o out liars at least in theeneral elecrate, we are nothere yet but i think we will be there in the next four or five years. >> rose: we look at a new documentary about the new york times called page 1, inside "the new york times", we talk to three people featured in the documentary, they are david car, bryan sfelter and gay t

iowa. >> my name is michele bachmann. i stand here in the midst of many friends and many family members to announce formally my candidacy for president of the united states. ( cheers and applause ) >> woodruff: at 55, the third- term congresswoman from next door minnesota has made an outspoken name for herself. she's aggressively opposed president obama over health care reform and economic policy. as she did again today. >> in february, 2009, president obama was very confident that his economic policies would turn the country around within a year. he said-- and i quote-- a year from now, i think people are going to see that we're starting to make some progress. if i don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition. well, mr. president, your policies haven't worked. spending our way out of the recession hasn't worked. and so, mr. president, we take you at your word. >> woodruff: the mother of five lost her first try for public office, a school board race 12 years ago. but she won a state

., is michele bachmann getting more media scrutiny than her male counterparts in the gop race? is that because she's a woman? we will get answers. >>> and what to protesters in greece have to do with the economy in the united states. we'll talk about the global domino effect. a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... for greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. soft! hard! [ male announcer ] how do you decide between crunchy and soft tacos? why don't we have both? [ male announcer ] old el paso. hard and soft tacos. ♪ feed your fiesta. physical therapists suggest cold therapy for pain relief, so, you know... ♪ just use new bengay cold therapy. it relieves pain with a blast of cold. you are so smart. [ male

. >>> republican michele bachmann tries to prove she's in it to win it. she launches her long shot campaign for the white house, showing new strength in iowa. >>> plus, blood and gore and free speech. the makers and sellers of violent video games score big in a brand-new u.s. supreme court ruling. but what about your children? >>> i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." >>> we begin with the standoff over the federal debt. lots at stake for all of us now. democrats and republicans agree on this much, something has got to give. this hour, right now, in fact, president obama sits down with the senate minority leader mitch mcconnell. it is an attempt to try to break a political stalemate that could have very serious implications for the u.s. economy. both sides face an august 2nd deadline for congress to raise the amount of america's debt or the country might potentially not be able to pay all of its bills. our white house correspondent brianna keilar is following the negotiations. >> reporter: wolf, the president is now stepping into the deficit r

michele bachmann is smart. she talks directly to the people and can inspire a big base out the there. independents are likely to vote for her. >> thank you all for being with us tonight. we'll continue this conversation for some time to come. conversan for quite some time to come. >>> and you won't want to miss the end of this show, we have good news to break. stay tuned find out just why john king is not here tonight. s] ♪ [ cat meows ] ♪ [ whistle ] ♪ [ cat meows ] ♪ [ ting! ] [ male announcer ] travelers can help you protect the things you care about and save money with multi-policy discounts. are you getting the coverage you need and the discounts you deserve? for an agent or quote, call 800-my-coverage or visit travelers.com. i've tried it. but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharmacist told me it's the only otc pain patch approved

michele bachmann has been on a role. she dazzled at cnn's republican debate, tied with mitt romney, but this morning, she played defense again on her vision of american history. fir first, on abc's good morning america when she insisted our founding fathers worked tirelessly to end slavery. >> john quincy adams, he was a young boy with his father serving essentially as his father's secretary, she tirelessly worked throughout his life to make sure we did in fact one day eradicate slavery. >> he wasn't one of the founding fathers. he was a president, a secretary of state, he did work to end slavely decades later, so you're standing by this comment that the founding fathers worked tirelessly to end slavery? >> john quincy adams was a part of the revolutionary war era, actively involved. >> it wasn't bachmann's first gaffe when it comes to history. in iowa, she played a bit of cultural history and mentioned johnway. >> what i want them to know like john wayne from waterloo, iowa, that's the kind of spirit that i have, too. >

michele bachmann certainly did g&e sparkle. in contrast to the others, but she sparkled absolutely. but she is flying at a given all the tooted and she did in the house -- flying any difference at all the two did and she did in the house and on conservative talk -- shows -- different altitude than she did in the house and on conservative talk shows. she said the to to india cost $2 million a day. that is what she has to avoid. >> last word. see you next week. for a transcript of this broadcast, log on to insidewashington.tv.

will it be michele bachmann? there's also a missing piece, the governor of texas, rick perry. who is thinking to get in. >> do you think he will? >> i don't know. i saw him last week. i came away with a definite maybe. in fact, iowa is made for a showdown between rick perry, who has texas job creation, to match romney, he has michele bachmann's rapport with evangelical christians who are 60% of the participants in the iowa caucuses. there's two steps here. how do you get down to the binary choice? >> she's come out really from the -- >> i think you make an argument michele bachmann is a front-runner in iowa. romney is barely competing out there. you have her in a statistical tie for first place. let's have a little perspective and look back four years ago, when rudy giuliani was in second place, john edwards was in first place. bachmann was born in iowa. she's going to be a force in the iowa caucus. >> she's going to announce this week. >> she's going to announce this week. and i think coming off her very strong debate performance that there will be a lot of excitement there.

michele bachmann stole that mantel at the moment. she's surprised a lot of people and she'll raise a lot of money in the first quarter and with the success comes the tougher questions. that's her next challenge. she's a house member and she has to prove now she can be a serious candidate for president. >>> signs of horrific torture in syria. victims as young as 13 years old and video of victims being beaten and the government insists there's no crackdown. they say they are -- that it's extremist groups doing the killing. we'll hear from a government spokesman and a woman in hiding. >>> and the lead investigator in the casey anthony case back on the stand in her murder trial and why the court proceedings suddenly and mysteriously screeched to a halt over the weekend. oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. sort of like two in one. how did you guys think of that? it just came to us. what? b

iowa. >> my name is michele bachmann. i stand here in the midst of many friends and many family members to announce formally my candidacy for president of the united states. ( cheers and applause ) >> woodruff: at 55, the third- term congresswoman from next door minnesota has made an outspoken name for herself. she's aggressively opposed president obama over health care reform and economic policy. as she did again today. >> in february, 2009, president obama was very confident that his economic policies would turn the country around within a year. he said-- and i quote-- a year from now, i think people are going to see that we're starting to make some progress. if i don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition. well, mr. president, your policies haven't worked. spending our way out of the recession hasn't worked. and so, mr. president, we take you at your word. od>> woruff: the mother of five lost her first try for public office, a school board race 12 years ago. but she won a state

meet michele bachmann. christianity is central server politics. she is anti abortion and gay marriage. she did not give up her political career to become a tv star. she stresses her pride in being a mother, five children and 23 foster children. unlike palin, she made her money as a tax lawyer. but she is a critic of mainstream politicians. most important, unlike sarah palin, she is a candidate. >> barack obama will be a one- term president. to announcewaterloo their plans for a battle. it is the small town where she was seductive for conservatives in such places to return to america as it used to be paired >> we made our own way. we depended on our neighbors and ourselves. it was not our government we depended on for our health, because we trust in god and our neighbors and not in government. >> even fox news questioned whether this spirit it too free with facts. >> are you a flake? >> i think that would be insulting to say something like that, because i am a serious person. >> what did he mean? she said president obama is anti-american, turning u

she is michele bachmann. i don't know who romney is. >> if sarah palin gets in, can she still win in iowa? >> i think at the end of the day, it won't be a split vote. people -- they are going to watch -- they will watch and make choices. >> this isn't "morning joe" tag-team, you get to ask questions. you still aren't answering questions. do you think sarah palin is qualified to be president? >> i think she has deficiencies. >> up next, ten years since will tax cuts. conservatives said they would increase revenues. remember that reagan line. cut taxes and will money will come in. it is loaves and fishes. íaacevev >> we just saw a new poll that has romney edging out president obama. here is something the white house can take comfort in. a "newsweek" poll found bob dole leading then-president clinton by 49-40. i think the results were the opposite. he won the next year by 8 points, 49-41. >>> we're back. ten years ago today president george w. bush signed his tax cuts. today the u.s. faces a mounting debt. $2.6

michele bachmann certainly did the sparkle. in contrast to the others, but she sparkled absolutely. but she is flying at a given all the tooted and she did in the house -- flying any difference at all the two did and she did in the house and on conservative talk -- shows -- different altitude than she did in the house and on conservative talk shows. she said the to to india cost $2 million a day. that is what she has to avoid. >> last word. see you next week. for a transcript of this broadcast, log on to insidewashington.tv. many of this region's hill towns date back to etruscan times, well before ancient rome. others date to the fall of rome. when rome fell, europe was engulfed in chaos. people naturally grabbed for the high ground to escape the marauding barbarians that characterized those dark ages. over time, these towns were fortified and eventually functioned as independent city-states. in their glory days, they proudly charted their own course, generally free from the dictates of popes or emperors. then, the bubonic plague swept through tuscany in 1348. that, combined with th

my name is michele bachmann. i stand here in the midst of many friends and many family members to announce formally my candidacy for president of the united states. >> stephen: she announced her candidacy from waterloo, a name synonymous with victory. [laughter] [cheers and applause] somebody won that battle, right? this fine lady wasted no time buttering up the people of iowa, not easy because i believe iowans come pre-buttered. jim? >> i often say everything i need to know i learned in iowa. >> stephen: republican, she left iowa at age 12 and has had the courage not to learn anything since. [laughter] of course, some people -- good-looking lady. some people don't know michele bachmann so she told fox news everything she wants us to know. >> what i want them to know is just like johnway was from waterlao, iowa, that's the spirit i have too. >> stephen: she has the spirit of john wayne but the critics couldn't wait to it in pick on a detail. >> johnway is from iowa but three hours away. there's a john wayne from

thank you first of all do you support michele bachmann's tax plan. in part i don't think her proposal at this point goes nearly far enough for instance the corporate tax rate in the united states has to be lowered if we lower the corporate tax rate you will see a resurgence of employment and opportunity and our neighborhoods will thrive and bustle again but we have to tether this to something to offset the perspective costs and what we need to do is say let's say a corporation will only have to pay eighteen to twenty percent in corporate taxes right now they're all have right now they're only seven percent on average well know that that is a distorted distortion if you actually look at the tax rates i'm talking about however if i were to exxon here general electric pay in taxes last year well that's a really complicated issue here oh and i don't see them building factories around the united states do you well i'd like to address the issue that you brought up because you were the one who actually motivated me to pursue this road when you told me that

she is michele bachmann. i don't know who romney is. >> if sarah palin gets in, can she still win in iowa? >> i think at the end of the day it won't be a split vote. they will walk and make choices. >> this isn't morning joe tag team you get to ask questions. you still aren't answering questions. do you think sarah palin is qualified to make president. >> i think she has deficiencies. >> up next, ten years since will tax cuts. concerners said they would increase revenues. remember that reagan line. cut taxes and will money will come in. it is loafs and fishes. no, it ain't. . 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

starting with michelle bachmann who had a breakthrough night in manchester. among her claims, that the president's health care plan will hurt the economy. >> the c.b.o., the congressional budget office has said that obamacare will kill 800,000 jobs. what could the president be thinking by passing a bill like this knowing full well it will kill 800,000 jobs? gwen: ok. there seems to be two things there, jim. she said there are 800,000 jobs which will be killed. and she said the president knew full well that that would happen. are they true? >> not really. the c.b.o. report that she cited did not say 800,000 jobs will be killed. what it did say is that the work force is going to go down by about one half percent primarily through workers who are choosing to reduce their labor. so think of someone near retirement age who's basically hanging on to their job to stay in -- to keep their company-provided health care program. under the obama health care plan, they can qualify for tax subsidies that will then allow them to go purchase their own health care in exchange

michele bachmann calls the presidential popularity contest a, quote, big deal. but gop front-runner mitt romney has already decided to skip the contest. betty. >> all right, joel brown in washington. thank you, joel. >>> former illinois governor rod blagojevich sat stunned when he heard the charges. on monday a jury convicted him on 17 of the 20 corruption charges against him. alexis christoforous reports. >> reporter: a jury delivered a stunning defeat to former illinois governor rod blagojevich, guilty on nearly all counts of trying to sell or trade president obama's senate seat. jurors were deadlocked on two counts. blagojevich was found not guilty of only one count. >> patti and i obviously are very disappointed in the outcome. i, frankly, am stunned. >> reporter: the guilty verdict came in a retrial. the jury in blagojevich's first trial could only reach a verdict on one of it 24 counts. convicting the former governor of lying to the fbi. for the retrial, both sides changed tactics. prosecutors dropped racketeering charges, and dismissed all charges against

coming up michele bachmann has introduced a tax plan which benefits two groups if you are thinking to low and middle class think again about the rich and the filthy rich. steinmetz twenty four seven live streaming news towns what to do about the ongoing financial hurricane unlimited free high quality videos for download. and stories you never find on mainstream news. something that will sell me a political. person more on our team not just saying. but i know now as he's running for president it was only a matter of time before congresswoman michele bachmann introduced her new text tax plan and like tim bolen she's talked tax scheme bachmann's puts the bush tax cuts on steroids in order to pay for even more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires but one wants to raise taxes on the working families especially people in poverty arguing that everyone in america should be paying their fair share of taxes even those in total poverty or who are disabled but is everyone except billionaires who make their money sitting on their butts. by the pool collecting dividend checks bachmann thinks

>>> in the running, surprisingly strong poll numbers give michele bachmann a boost as she formally launches her bid for the gop presidential nomination today. >>> washed away. floodwaters bury 4,000 north dakota homes and threaten two nuclear plants in nebraska. >>> and surf's up, a frisky shark shows one florida surfer how to really catch a wave. captioning funded by cbs >>> and good morning, everyone. appreciate you joining us. i'm terrell brown in for betty nguyen. congresswoman michele bachmann formally launches her bid for the republican presidential nomination today and she'll do it in the city she was born, waterloo, iowa. the des moines register poll, former massachusetts governor mitt romney came in first by over one point over bachmann. businessman herman cain came in third. tara mergener is in washington. good morning to you. >> bachmann is kicking off in her campaign in familiar territory and on the heels of encouraging news. michele bachmann is hoping her hometown roots will help steer her to the white house. >> everything i needed to know i learned in iowa. >> reporter: this m

michele bachmann is here in waterloo, iowa, to kick off her campaign. as you mentioned, that won't happen until tomorrow. but she is already on a roll. in the political world, she's the woman of the moment. at the top of the polls in iowa even before starting her campaign. >> president obama is a one-term president. >> reporter: coming off a presidential debate earlier this month where she outshined the more experienced candidates, bachmann has just been dubbed "queen of the tea party" by the conservative "weekly standard" magazine. suddenly, the congresswoman from minnesota, once seen as something of a fringe candidate, has emerged as the person to beat, especially in the critical first caucus state of iowa, the place where she was born. how big a deal is that poll? "the des moines register" has you tied for first place. >> it is a very nice welcome home gift, let me tell you. we are excited. you know, we had heard wonderful things on the ground and this confirmed what we were hearing. >> reporter: another clear sign bachmann has broken through -- >> b

it is a natural for michele bachmann to win. the voters in the caucuses are hard-core social voters, by and large, and i think charles is right. >> it doesn't get you much. ok, you've got the social conservatives there, you are from the region. harkin in, what was it, 1988 -- >> 1992. >> didn't do him any good. >> i agree in tom harkin's case, but mike huckabee was projected to the point where he was a serious candidate 3 south carolina all the way to the end. he was one of the finalists with john mccain of for the nomination, he survived beyond mitt romney. is more than cultural and religious. it is a showcase for is somebody to show that he has an appealing quality -- >> a person who showed up are pretty well in early polls in iowa is a novelty candidate in this race, armond kaine. i don't know if he has -- herman cain. i don't know if he has staying power, but he is getting a second look out of people in iowa. >> jimmy carter was made in iowa. he made iowa. >> george bush had a big ball in 1980 and it collapsed in new hampshi

you have been bridge there, michele bachmann -- have gingrich there, michele bachmann. he and mitt romney are the two ken dolls in the race. you have michele bachmann, barbie with fangs. just like a caricature, no substance. >> good to see how simple and non-ad hominem we are, in that huntsman spirit. [laughter] >> is fascinating, the mormon experience of being a missionary does really open up a people. he spent two years in taiwan, lifelong interest in china, decided to learn mandarin. kind of a fascinating aspect. rick perry is the one republican right now, according to my republican sources, who could energize an organized right-to- life, national rifle association membership, and the tea party people. >> the fbi finally gets nyt bolger -- gets whitey bulger. >> if i found him, i would have done the same thing to him as he did to my sister. >> that is the brother of a woman in james "whitey" bolger is alleged to have killed years ago. the rest of white people for was too good to pass up. -- the arrest of whitey bulger was it too good to pass up. how did they finally

but is michele bachmann ready for the big time? that's coming up. ou are my suns♪ ♪ my only sunshine ♪ you makes me happy ♪ when skies are grey ♪ you'll never know, dear ♪ how much i love you ♪ please don't take my sunshine away ♪ [ male announcer ] as long as there are babies, they'll be chevy's to bring them home. ♪ oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. sort of like two in one. how did you guys think of that? it just came to us. what? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today. >>> just want to remind you, we are watching for that verdict to come down. everyone's in the courtroom, including former illinois governor rod blagojevich and our very own ted rowlands. as soon as we get news on that verdict, jurors have come to a conclusion on 18 of those 20 charges the former governor faces. we'll bring it to you live. >>> want to go to washington. developi

she is michele bachmann. i don't know who romney is. >> if sarah palin gets in, can she still win in iowa? >> i think at the end of the day, it won't be a split vote. people -- they are going to watch -- they will watch and make choices. >> this isn't "morning joe" tag-team, you get to ask questions. you still aren't answering questions. do you think sarah palin is qualified to be president? >> i think she has deficiencies. >> up next, ten years since will tax cuts. conservatives said they would increase revenues. remember that reagan line. cut taxes and will money will come in. it is loaves and fishes. no, it ain't. 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'

after that, there was no kissing michele bachmann good-bye. there have been some funny moments, for instance when her supporters mocked host chris matthews for saying an uplifting obama speech sent a thrill up his leg while he mocked her. >> congresswoman bachmann, are you hypnotized tonight? has someone hypnotized you? because no matter what i ask you, you give the same answer. >> reporter: then there was the time she misplaced the start of revolutionary war. >> here you see where the shot was heard around the room. >> reporter: lexington and concorde are in massachusetts. she was speaking in new hampshire. one of her most uncomfortable faux pass wasn't even her fault. >> good evening, my name is congresswoman michele bachmann. if her eyes seem to be wandering off camera during her key party reply to state of the union, that's because they were. look no further. >> reporter: instead of looking at the network pool camera, she was looking