age i have say long friend. long time. i m thrilled to be here. nice to have you. will cain is here as well. we all know will cain. back again. got lots to talk about this morning. our starting point though is rick santorum waking up a big winner this morning as he swept all three states last night. strong victories in missouri and in minnesota. and a nail baiter win in the state of colorado. santorum says it is not just a victory for him but for the party overall. tonight was not just a victory for us. tonight was a victory for the voices of our party, conservatives and tea party people who are out there every single day in the vineyards building the conservative movement in this country, building the base of the republican party, and building a voice for freedom in this land. thank you. ron brownstein is the editorial director at the national journal and he will join our panel this morning. he has gotten so much better as a candidate, not ron brownstein, but rick
in a battle with the white house over birth control. health care lawman dates employers provide it. catholics, some say it s against their fundamental beliefs. all that and much more ahead as starting point gets under way right now. can you come in and fix russell s audio? welcome, everybody. unbelievable, that s kathy s play list. she s a contributing editor for the washington post and founding publisher which i have been in a time or two. nice to have you. co-author of grand new party and russell simmons, mogul, founder of def jam and ceo of communications is with us. good morning. welcome. let s get under way. talking about the new investigation coming to us from the washington post. nearly 50 lawmakers who helped direct earmarks to projects that potentially helped their own property or immediate family members. they say it benefits the public, not private interests. one of those who is on that list is the republican congressman joe barton, he is a republican f
i ll be back at the top of the hour with more live news. now i need to hand it over to your bottom line. the housing market has changed. so have you. what you need to know if you own a home, want to buy one or rent. plus is it ever okay to walk away from that mortgage even if you can afford to pay? let s start with the american dream of owning a home. you re a buyer it s a dream market but only if you can get the loan. with the end of the nation s largest mortgage lenders denying 27% of loan applications last year, that s up from 23.5% in 2009. this is according to wall street journal analysis. if you re a seller it s a nightmare. home prices rose slightly for the first time in eight months. according to the most recent s&p kay schiller index. prices are down 32% from their peak in 2006. home ownership is at the lowest level now since 1998. chris meyer is here. is the worst behind us here? depends where you live. i think in some of the coastal markets in coastal calif