and, this isn't about charlie rangel. this is about speaker pelosi's most glaring promise that she's broken, when she said in '06 that it was time to drain the swamp. i think speaker pelosi owes the american people some answers to their questions. >> reporter: rangel already stepped down as chair of the tax writing ways and means committee last march. that was after the ethics panel found he improperly accepted caribbean trips from corporations. >> lehrer: and we get more now from "newshour" political editor david chalian. david, there is a deal on the table. the lawyers have accepted it but that is as far as it's gone at this point? >> well, the rangel lawyers have put forth a deal. but the ethics committee staff, the nonpartisan lawyers and the nonpartisan staff there still reviewing it. and that may take some time. republicans are not eager to jump and accept this deal. they said today in the hearing, jim, you know, he had... charlie rangel had time throughout the entire investigative process to strike a deal. and as o

rangel's conduct. the committee has not held a public hearing like this since 2002 when it considered evidence against james traficant. he was convicted in federal court of multiple felony counts and served half a decade in prison. for mr. rangel, these proceedings present a fair and public opportunity to be heard before his peers and address each of the serious allegations against him. if these actions and allegations it proven would violate multiple provisions of house rules and federal statutes. this includes his alleged violation of the most fundamental code of conduct which states that a member of the house shall conduct himself at all times and a member -- in a matter that shall reflect credibility on the house. credibility is exactly what is at stake here. the very credibility of the house of representatives itself before the american people3 . i am mindful of the solemn responsibility we have when we hear about accusations of a fellow member. mr. riegle will present his own version of the despe

the rangel center. he solicited companies that had businesses before the tax committees he led at the time, goldman sachs, wachovia, and dozens more. rangel asked for $30 million from verizon and new york life, $10 million from insurance giant a.i.g. he's also charged with directing taxpayer earmarks to the center, failing to disclose income, checking accounts, stocks, and property, and improperly used rent-subsidized apartments for his campaign committees. the stage is now set for the kind of spectacle that many of rangel's colleagues had hoped to avoid. the last ethics trial was in 2002. james trafficant had been convicted of bribery and corruption. his defense: point fingers at colleagues who had been found guilty of having sex with young pages but were not expelled. >> is sex with a minor, 17 years old, a rape? >> well, at this point, mr. chairman... >> and a felony one, sir? >> reporter: rangel denies any wrongdoing. we're told to expect his trial to begin in september. katie? >> couric: sharyl att

>> charlie rangel came to power over adam clayton powell's scandal. so i think he understands that, yes, he could possibly be if this gets bad enough. >> karen, let's move forward to the midterms in the next couple of months and how much this really hurts the democrats. and you put in the economy with all of that. >> well, the economy is, obviously, you know, the main -- >> well, it was interesting. we did hear a little half glass full out of the the president today. the economics indicate that this is the slowest growth in almost a year. it's 2.4%. that suggests a significant slowing of the recovery. so that even as president obama was saying today that at least we're still seeing progress on the economy, most economists would tell you that 2.4% growth is not enough to be bringing back jobs. and that is, of course, the main thing that has to happen before the american public, the american voters, really feel like this is a true recovery. >> karen, how much does the anxiety that we are seeing from democrats, whether it's over the rangel mess or over t

rangel. this is "the default -- "the detroit free press" this morning, a new poll. it says here -- fort worth, texas. jerry on the republican line. caller: i've got a couple of issues. one of them is the issue of the immigration status. i have listened to all these programs because i have watched c-span for years and years and i listen to the republicans, including john mccain, standing up and say we need to give everybody amnesty and that came right out of his mouth. the thing is, i live in a part of town where a majority of them are spanish and they are immigrants. and i can't say that all of them are bad. they are not. they have made a great improvement on the area, in fact. but the thing of it is, the politicians up there, they have allowed this to happen. this started way back in the 1980's. this is not a new thing. it started back in the 1980's. i can remember that i have three divisions and two were shipped down to mexico. and this was the reagan area. they were doing this handover foo

jonathan karl has the story. >> reporter: the ethics committee report on rangel is detailed. and it is scathe. it accuses him of, quote, a pattern of disregard for the laws of the united states and for the rules of the house. in addition to failing to pay his taxes, the committee accuses rangel of using his position on the powerful ways and means committee, to raise money from big wall street corporations, like aig, citigroup and goldman sachs that had business before his committee. as for rangel, he insists he has never knowingly broken the rules of the house, violated themwatc he understands the seriousness of the allegations. >> years ago, i survived a chinese attack in north korea. and as a result, i go by the book that having survived that, i haven't had a bad day sense. today, i have to reassess that statement. thank you. >> reporter: the rangel ordeal has already been a major embarrassment for democrats. but it will become a much bigger one if the committee goes forward with plans for a big, public trial of rangel that will take place in september. that's right in the

rangel. what's not on this board and should be is that on the floor of this very house, and really what launched us all into realizing this was going on, mr. rangel stepped before the house and told us every one of these things. every one of them. he said he had turned himself in to the ethics committee. well, i'd like to explain that those of us that deal with the law have a saying -- justice delayed is justice denied. and that's one of the reasons why we have speedy trial acts in many jurisdictions of this country because justice delayed is justice deny. when we're talking about justice, not just justice for the individual defendant. we're talking about justice for everyone involved. if it's a criminal case, we're talking about the kind of justice that -- where the state, representing the people of a state or of this country is desiring justice on behalf of the people. and the defendant is -- and the defendant wants justice on behalf of the defendant. it doesn't matter who it is or who is b

rangel. from the nation's capital, this is "washington journal." . . host: our question for the moment -- for the morning centers around the arizona immigration law and the federal judge's decision yesterday to block key parts of it. we would like to hear your reaction. democrats, for democrats, 202- 737-0002. for republicans, 202-737-0001. for independents, 202-628-0205. good thursday morning to you. let's take a quick sweep of the headlines all around the country as we get your reaction to the situation in arizona with the federal district ruling yesterday on the preliminary injunction in the arizona law. let's take a quick look at "the washington post." it has aspects of the ruling from district judge susan bolten. "the portion of the law that drew the most objections, requirements that required officers to check deal status whenever possible, making warrantless arrests, and a provision making it illegal for undocumented workers to solicit employment in undocumented places, and the provisi

everybody in washington know as but charlie rangel. okay, it is going to continue to never have any resolution, okay. >> i don't want to trade in hearsay here. no one on the left or right has the market cornered on corruption. there are corrupt republicans and corrupt democrats. anyone who declares by putting -- >> we're talking about him now. the republicans are not in charge -- >> laura, laura, laura, laura -- if you stop talking over me. i am conceding the point. agreeing with you. a mistake for democrats to say that by coming into -- i know you hate agreement. democrats come into power to say they're somehow going to get rid of corruption is a lie. it's a flat-out lie. i don't say that. let's not pretend there is this huge wave of corruption bigger than charlie rangel if he did do something wrong. let's let the investigation continue. let's focus on the real issues which is not charlie rangel. >> unemployment is the real issue. absolutely. i want to talk about that all show. unemployment for the next ten minutes. i'm ready. let's d

details of the charges against rangel are expected to be revealed next week, but sources say rangel has racked up violations for wrongful use of rent-stabilized manhattan apartments and failing to report rental income from a beachfront property in the dominican republic. rangel took out his mounting frustrations on nbc's luke russert when he was asked if he's afraid of losing his job. >> how do you think i got my job? i was elected, right? how do you think i'd lose it? >> lose two ways. you could lose it if your colleagues voted you out of here because of ethics violations or if your constituents did not -- >> what station are you from? >> nbc/msnbc. >> well, you're young. i guess you do need to make a name for yourself, but basically, you know, it's a dumb question. >> rangel, who gave up his position as chairman of the house ways and means committee back in march, maintains his innocence. >>> now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. an ohio man is facing felony assault charges for allegedly attacking a police officer. that officer was trying to arres

should charles rangel quit? >> well, look, harry, i think, as you mentioned, there's the bipartisan committee looking into some very serious charges. we think that's certain there right thing to do. i don't want to prejudge the outcome of that. i think that democrats going into this midterm election have an agenda to offer the american people about moving our country forward. s that where we will spend our time talking about this. >> all right. so today you go to detroit. and you are going to visit a gm plan and you will visit a chrysler plan. people will be stunned to know that both of those companies are turning a profit. they are hiring new workers. does it surprise even you? >> look, think think there is no doubt the team that worked on auto restructuring here at the white house did surprise where gm and chrysler are. the big three all reported a profit for the first time since 2004. and these companies are hiring again. the auto industry is hiring in for the first time since 1999. there's no doubt it is a s

charlie rangel charged with multiple ethics violations. the president signs finex reform into law -- finance reform into law. >> republicans say that we must pay for unemployment insurance but was not pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. >> a. "washington post" investigation reveals the multimillion-dollar world of intelligence gone haywire. and having a tea party in congress. >> what we are going to do is in by real people in and get their great ideas. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> some of you may remember the good old days of newspapers and tv and radio news where you had hours to work on your story and your editors and producers plenty of time to go through your stuff for accuracy. if you remember, you are a dinosaur. welcome to the blogosphere and the 24-hour instant headlines. which brings me to the story of ousted agriculture department official shirley sherrod, who was fired based on a single piece of internet video that was edited out of context and posted on a conservative website and air on fox

jon karl has more from washington. >> reporter: charlie rangel is defiant, angry about the charges and vowing to clear his name. >> you looking forward to this battle? >> no, hell no. nobody in his right mind would be looking forward to something like this. i want to make certain that before this election, people know who charlie rangel was and who is and proud to be. >> reporter: the allegations are serious, including accepting four luxury rent-controlled apartments from a new york developer. he paid about $4,000 a month. they're worth twice that much. allegedly helping a donor nor the charles rangel center in new york save half a billion dollars in taxes. failure to pay his own taxes on rental income from a villa he owns in the caribbean. the ethics committee has been investigating all of this in secret for two years, and tried to avoid a trial by getting rangel to admit wrongdoing. he refused. >> and it's kind of awkward to explain that to your kids and grandkids, what you see in the front page, but hey, i'm in the kitchen and i'm not walking out. >> reporter: now rangel faces a pub

rangel's lawyers are trying to avoid that. they're negotiating some kind of a settlement. but right now, all systems are go for a full-scale public trial before the tv cams are in september. >> jonathan karl, reporting for us tonight from capitol hill, thanks, jon. >>> and we move to the gulf. on day 101, another sign the oil crisis may be turning a corner. abc news has learned that officials are close to reopening large fishing areas in the gulf. at the same time, gulf residents are seeing cleanup jobs disappear. bp has laid off 16,000 cleanup workers. 30,000 are still on the job. and here's jeffrey kofman. >> reporter: many of those shrimp boats that have been used for oil cleanup for the last three months could be back shrimping very soon. with the leaking well capped and less and less oil on the water, the federal government is poised to announce a major reopening of fisheries. this huge area east of the mississippi will be open to commercial fishing for the first time in almost three months. work for the fishermen, but less work here. in venice, louisiana, bp now oper

congressman charlie rangel has become a bit of a fixture on capitol hill. now 13 ethics charges threaten to bring that career to a humiliating end. ethics investigators accuse rangel of a pattern of indifference or disregard for the laws, rules and regulations of the united states. the most serious charge, he used his status on the ways and means committee to benefit the charles rangel center at city college of new york, raising money from those with business before his committee. >> i'm prepared to prove that the only thing i've ever had in my 50 years of public service is service. >> reporter: rangel is also accused of failing to pay taxes on rental income from his villa in the caribbean and getting four luxury rent-controlled apartments from a new york developer, including one he used for a campaign office. thursday his normally loyal constituents in new york's harlem neighborhood sounded weary. >> people just like him, they always say they're going to help the people. and we're still -- we're in worse shape now than we've ever been. >> hopefully some of

the ethics charges against rangel are scathing. they accuse him of a pattern of disregard for the laws of the united states and the rules of the house. charlie rangel continues to insist he's never intentionally broken the rules. charges have clearly hit home. >> it's a tough morning for me and my family. but we'll get through this. >> reporter: in exhaustive detail, the committee outlines 13 counts against rangel. from failing to pay taxes. to abusing his position on the powerful ways and means committee. republican leaders blame the rangel mess on nancy pelosi, who, four years ago, promised -- >> we will make this the most honest, ethical, and open congress in history. >> this isn't about charlie rangel. this is about speaker pelosi's most glaring promise that she's broken. >> reporter: rangel is a longtime ally of speaker pelosi. but she made no attempt to defend him. >> the chips will fall how they will be politically. but ethical standards is a top priority for us. >> reporter: a few weeks ago, party leaders were furious, when

this is a disaster for charlie rangel. and it is... . >> lehrer: as an individual. >> as an individual and it is a near disaster for democrats as a party. you could imagine if charlie rangel had cole uded with john boehner, the house minority leader and said i want to help you guys out, as a secret republican, what would be the best way to handle this and the best timing, it would be let's have a trial, a full-fledged trial with witnesses and open hearings and testimony in september, rit before the election. so we can hear a lot of clips on republican commercials about from nancy pelosi the speaker about how she is going to drain the swamp. unbelievable. and it's not that that is going to energize... i am a little bit contradicting myself. >> lehrer: it's okay. happens all the time. >> those voters are already unhappy. but it just diminishes a sense that these guys, the democrats are any different from the other guys. the other sleazy guys who got kicked out. that anything can ever change in washington that they are all co

rangel -- >> sir, sir, you did not file taxes on properties in the dominican republic. if that's true, isn't that a problem? >> it doesn't -- >> nbc asking these questions. it shows what has really happened to a channel that did have some respect. >> congressman rangel and luke russert. hearings on the rangel matter will begin next thursday. >>> now to phoenix, arizona, and a big legal showdown over arizona's tough new immigration law. the u.s. justice department is trying to block the new law before it goes into effect next week. today was their first day in court. our own lee cowan is in phoenix covering. lee, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. most people think the federal government does have a pretty good case here. the problem may be the timing. how do you ask a federal judge to quash a state statute even before it goes into effect? arizona today was arguing, at least give us a chance to prove ourselves first. [ chanting ] >> reporter: with just one week to go before arizona's new immigration law is scheduled to take effect, the protests outside the f

and i want to make certain people know who charlie rangel is, was, and provided to be. i don't see how any comment like that can be very useful in the purpose that i asked you to come here. i mean, that's -- that's objective stuff. i'm here to talk facts, and i'm here to tell you how relieved i am that i don't have to tell you what you should be so annoyed in hearing, would you please wait until the investigation is over? it is over. i'm glad you raised that question, because of course i'm not going to explain any relationship i have with my family, my friends, my constituents. it's a coming together, and it's been a rather moving, but very, very difficult experience. no, i can really answer that. that question is referred to my attorney. look behind you. i can respond to that. that has nothing to do with thursday. i don't wish him good luck. i wish feelings had something to do with the facts, but it doesn't really. and giving you this, i'd rather write a novel. four people have filed. i don't intend to attempt to get them off the ballot. as long as they're running, i i

for those of us that cover charlie rangel, we know that charlie rangel loves to talk. but he can't really talk about this in the press. host: what could happen to mr. rangel? guest: he could be rep handed -- rep ri manneded, he could be admonished. if they consider these rent apartments a gift, they could impose a fine. they could say you have to pay the difference between the going rate in new york -- whatever it is. after that, they could get the whole house to vote on that. they could kick him out. it just depends. host: has house speaker nancy pelosi said this means he would not be brought on as the chairman of the ways and means committee? host: not yet. this came out last night f well, yesterday at 4:00. reporters tried to ask both of them about assigning the unploim extension bill to which nancy pelosi tried to brush off the question, and rangel of course said, i look forward to answering these charges once i see what they are. host: molly hooper with the hill congressional reporter, thank you for your time. guest: no problem. thank you! host: democrats seem to

there are talks ongoing with congressman rangel to try to avoid that full airing of the charges. that's not the kind of spectacle they want. republicans will pounce on that. remember back in 2006, it was nancy pelosi who said they were going to drain the swamp from all the corruption from the republican side. if congress is head in lower esteem it will be difficult for democrats in an already very difficult cycle. it keeps coming back to jobs, lester. why aren't they being produced? timothy geithner who will be my guest on sunday, the treasury secretary, is confident there will not be a double-dip recession, but he is waiting for the jobs. >> nbc's david gregory. david, thanks. program note, you can watch "meet the press" including david's conversation with secretary geithner and a special roundtable discussion of the shirley sherrod debate here on nbc. >>> when "nightly news" continues this saturday, cracking down on pot in california. guess where they are growing now? >>> and you met him here last week. remember benny the dog left in the disaster of the gulf. >>> when it comes

first of all, charlie rangel. should congressman rangel cut a deal to spare the spectacle of a public trial a couple of months before the mid term elections? >> i don't get into that. charlie has run afoul of the ethics committee, he is owed a fair process. if he wants to cut a deal that is his process. this process has to work and i'm proud to say the process is working. he did some things that look like they ought to get him thrown out of congress and if it turns out he did them he is going to get thrown out of congress and that is the way the process is supposed to work. >> chris: there is talk that maybe they still would work out a deal that would be short of his expulsion from congress. >> congressman rangel has every right as an american citizen to defend himself. if he believes he is innocent he ought to fight. if he believes and his attorneys believe he is guilty it is to his interest and the democratic party interest to cut a deal and then the question of whether or not the deal would be acceptable to the

rangel denies any wrongdoing but democrats worry that a trial or even a full airing of the charges could hurt them in the polls come november. >> let's remember 2006, it wasn't just iraq and president bush's unpopularity. it was a half dozen major scandals involving republican congressmen that cost republicans control of congress. >> the purpose of today's hearings is to determine if there's enough evidence against rangel to take the case to trial. >>> jurors in the federal corruption case against former illinois governor rod blagojevich will begin their second day of deliberations this morning in chicago. blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to 24 counts, including trying to sell or trade an appointment to president obama's former u.s. senate seat. before instructing the jury yesterday, the judge said he did not expect a quick verdict. >>> and today president obama appears where no president has before -- daytime television. mr. obama taped his appearance on "the view" wednesday. he answered questions from the five hosts of the show and started with some jokes. >> i was trying to find a s

rangel had an opportunity to avoid an ethics trial but was unwilling to accept enough of the charges to satisfy the committee. >>> on the "cbs moneywatch" asian stocks were looking up this morning. ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on that. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. asian markets rallied this morning. japan's nikkei added more than 2%, snapping a five-day losing streak while hong kong's hang seng gained just about 1%. today wall street gets another wave of corporate earnings with ford, mcdonald's and verizon among the big names to report. thursday the market soared. the dow gained 201 points. and the nasdaq tacked on 58. >>> the checks will be in the mail for 2.5 million unemployed americans. president obama signed an extension of jobless benefits into law thursday after congressmen finally passed it. it effects only the long-term unemployed and applied retro actively. >>> the government's pay czar is taking aim at wall street. today kenneth feinberg will release a list of banks he has determined paid their executives too much while the fi

for those of us that cover charlie rangel, we know that charlie rangel loves to talk. but he can't really talk about this in the press. host: what could happen to mr. rangel? guest: he could be rep handed -- rep ri manneded, he could be admonished. if they consider these rent apartments a gift, they could impose a fine. they could say you have to pay the difference between the going rate in new york -- whatever it is. after that, they could get the whole house to vote on that. they could kick him out. it just depends. host: has house speaker nancy pelosi said this means he would not be brought on as the chairman of the ways and means committee? host: not yet. this came out last night f wel yesterday at 4:00. reporters tried to ask both of them about assigning the unploim extension bill to which nancy pelosi tried to brush off the question, and rangel of course said, i look forward to answering these charges once i see what they are. host: molly hooper with the hill congressional reporter, thank you for your time. guest: no problem. thank you! host: democrats seem to be

turning to the ethics case now against veteran congressman charlie rangel. the new york democrat faces a trial in the house of representatives this fall on 13 counts of ethics violations, a process that could take months. in an exclusive interview, "the early show's" harry smith asked president obama his reaction to the rangel case. >> i think charlie rangel served a very long time and served his constituents very well. but these allegations are very troubling, and, you know, he's somebody who is at the end of his career-- 80 years old. i'm sure what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity. and my hope is that that happens. >> couric: you can see much more of that exclusive interview with the president on "cbs sunday morning," and monday on "the early show." meanwhile, in southern california, a new wildfire is on the march. it started in the hills outside los angeles yesterday, and quickly spread over more than 8,000 acres. ben tracy is in palmdale, california, tonight and, ben, a landscape literally changed there overnight. >> reporter: very t

>> reporter: the 80-year-old rangel repeatedly ridiculed the question. when you're young, you do need to make a name for yourself. basically you know it's a dumb question. >> reporter: back in march rangel was forced to step down as powerful chair of the tax writing ways and means committee for a gift rule violation. the ethics committee has examined a series of allegations including treating legislative favors for an an oil company, accepting special deals for lower rent on four new york city apartments. and while he wrote tax policy, he is accused of failure to pay his own taxes on rental income from this vacation villa in the caribbean. "the new york post" first ran this photo of rangel lounging there and it became a symbol of the allegations against him. >> what it really looks like is a pattern of arrogance as if the rules just didn't apply to mr. rangel but it's got to be more than minor infractions for the committee to announce this public hearing. >> reporter: and that public hearing is really like a trial set for next week where a different grou

in washington, i'm terrell brown, cbs 5. >>> veteran new york congressman charles rangel is expecting a september trial now to face allegations of ethics violations. the house ethics committee accusing him of 13 violations including failure to report rental income from vacation properties. if the house panel finds rangel guilty, he faces punishment ranging from a report criticizing his conduct to a vote to expel him from congress. rangel is one of the longest- serving members of congress. >>> 5:38. >>> the bay area county that's seeing a rise in whooping cough. >> also ahead, a link between calcium supplements and a heart attack. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, including one in the hills of los angeles county. amy murphy joins us now from rancho vista... not far from "crown fire" has >>> several wildfires are burning in california including one in the hills of los angeles county. amy murphy joins us now from rancho vista, not far from where the crown fire has forced evacuations. >> reporter: last night, we were in this location and this hillside behind me was aglow with fire. the good news has been th

. >>> and there will apparently be no plea deal with democratic new york congressman charles rangel over his alleged violations of congressional ethics. republicans on the house ethics committee say it is too late and house speaker nancy pelosi is resigned that there will be a trial in september. >>> silicon valley may be running on caffeine. the daily beast has a list of the most caffeinated cities in america. the survey was based on the number of coffee shops per 100,000 people. the average amount that is spent on coffee every month. the total caffeine consumed from all sources that includes teas, sweets, energy drinks and pills. the results, number within, no surprise. home of starbucks, seattle. portland, oregon is number 2. and the third most caffeinated city is san jose. and i went to the website. and if you pull it up, you see san jose coffee shops there, 20 coffee shops per 100,000 residents. they don't have the caffeine index, but average monthly spending on coffee, $34 per individual. >>> shake-up at "american idol"! >> also, where you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the ma

. >> sreenivasan: long-time congressman charles rangel will face multiple ethics charges in the u.s. house. the announcement today means the veteran democrat will be tried before a house ethics panel. the charges stem from his financial, tax and real-estate dealings. but rangel said he's ready to defend himself. >> i feel extraordinarily good that my supporters over 40 years will be able to evaluate what they come up with. and i don't have any fear at all politically or personally what they come up with. >> sreenivasan: rangel stepped down last march as chairman of the powerful ways and means committee. senate democrats gave up today on an energy bill to cap carbon dioxide emissions. the measure would have charged utilities and other industries that contribute to climate change. today, senate majority leader harry reid said he cannot muster the 60 votes needed to advance it. president obama has now apologized to shirley sherrod, a former agriculture department official in georgia. she had been fired this week over race-tinged remarks at an n.a.a.c.p. event. they later proved to be ta

rangel lose out on due process. they believe, or at least most of them believe that he is entitled to a defense and trial. there are a lot of potential land mines for democratic leaders and they are hoping that charlie rangel himself will help them navigate through those by falling on his sword. host: one final point, time being of the essence because of the august recess that is coming, if he does not resolve this before tomorrows ethics committee meeting, what kind of pressure is defacing? caller: at that point i think we will see everyone getting the official allegations from the ethics committee. it will come out publicly, but it is likely that the ethics committee will not have acted by the time of the primary. even though it is congress, and everyone keeps calling this a trial you want to see that completion of that. if you are congressman rangel you would like to be able to get through the primary without being punished by the house for something. host: thank you for talking to us. this is from "the washingto

rangel remains popular in his harlem district. but it could complicate democrats' bid to keep control of congress. >>> the military has booted out a gay officer who was an outspoken critic of its policy on homosexuals. lieutenant dan choi announced yesterday, that california national guard discharged him. choi, who is an iraq war veteran, announced last year he is gay. he protested the don't ask/don't tell policy outside the white house in march. that policy could soon be repealed. >>> the former governor of nevada has died, after falling from the roof of his las vegas home. terry gin suffered an apparent heart attack while making repairs on his roof. he served two terms during the state's most pros prus era. >>> now, for this morning's weather from around the country. severe storms, with 80-mile-per-hour winds and golf ball-sized hail, could pound the dakotas and iowa. rain should hit the great lakes region, arizona, new mexico and south texas can expect some heavy rain. the west coast, meanwhile, can expect warm and pleasant wea

rangel's lawyers had been working to settle the case before details are made public today. >>> and in beverly hills, actor mark wahlberg will get a star on the hollywood walk of fame. >>> all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." >>> and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. biden one on one. the vice president gets candid with ann curry. >>> and tragic mix-up. hear from the parents who were told their daughter had died in a car crash when, in fact, she was still alive. >>> and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

the house committee said rangel's financial dealings broke the, quote, public trust. a possible trial could begin as early as september. >>> the house has rejected a bill that would have provided more than $7 billion in aid for ground zero responders who fell ill after the 9/11 attacks. the measure would have granted free health care and compensation payments to rescue workers who became sick after working in the world trade center ruins, but yesterday it failed to win the 2/3 majority needed to bring the bill to the house floor. republican opponents say it amounted to a big government entitlement program that would have led to potential job losses and increased taxes. >>> in a setback to president obama's jobs agenda, senate republicans have blocked a $30 billion plan to help small businesses. democrats say the fund, which also included more than $12 billion in tax breaks, would have encouraged banks to increase cash flow to small businesses. but some republicans who complained about not being able to amend the package likened it to the unpopular bailout of the finan