giffords who also was there in april. this launch was scrubbed then. she's now returned there, arriving yesterday, watching her husband launch up toward the international space station. also, because this is, in fact, the last flight of 25 for the space shuttle "endeavour," nbc's veteran correspondent jay barbary is there watching from the kennedy space center. jay, good to see you this morning. looks like a clean launch. >> it sure does, willie. it's going into orbit as it should be. everything is clean. and you are talking about this is the 165th flight. it's the 134th flight of the space shuttle. we had 31 flights begin with the mercury spacecraft gemini and apollo. guess who was with me some 50 years ago down here covering the missions when they first started? willie geist's father. yeah, down here with a guy named cronki cronkite, i believe. but everything is beautiful here today. we have about 500,000 here that are watching it go up into space today. and there will be only one more. and right now, that will be shuttle "atlantis" and it's set to fly in the second week of july. but right now, they are still on time, climbing into space. they have another 2 1/2 minutes or so to get there. and what we're looking at, we are looking at the underbelly of the shuttle if you will, from a camera that's on board the big external fuel tank. and what will happen here when it reaches orbit you can see the curvature of the earth behind us. when it reaches orbit, this fuel tank will separate, of course, from the shuttle and it will go on into orbit and then the tank itself will tumble back through space and burn up in the atmosphere over the indian ocean. so, anyway, everything is on schedule. you can see it happening right now as they are turning. this is rotating. you see the shadow going across the bottom of the space shuttle itself. and you can see it rotating as they are turning back over to fly upright. they were going into space heads down. now they are moving over to be upright as they go into orbit. so everything is going great. we are having no problems at all going up. and so any way we should be listening here, until -- we can pick up again if you like. we can pick up kyle herrin in mission control. he'll give us the latest as it happens if you would like to bring him in. >> let's listen in for a second. >> there we go. >> down slant is nominal. >> okay. shut down is nominal. everything is beautiful. you know, congresswoman gabrielle giffords is only a few hundred yards from us here. and she watched the liftoff. she's looking at this over there with the rest of the families right now. and you just bet you she's real happy. >> i wanted to ask you about that. you mentioned perhaps as many as 500,000 people watching in person. so many people watch this morning live on television. a lot of that interest, of course is because of the ship's commander, captain mark kelly and his wife congresswoman gabrielle giffords. what can you tell us about the added significance of that? i understand the commander and congresswoman giffords swapped wedding rings. each wearing the other's. she wanted a part of him down there on earth and he wanted a part of her with him up in space. >> i think that's just great. that's what we understand, too. we had several members of the congresswoman's staff over here at the nbc studios with us awhile ago. in fact, we're letting some of them on the much to our building watch this launch. it's magnificent. it's a good site here. i'm sure she's very happy right now. the 500,000 or so, of course, the fact she's here. she brought a lot of them in. but this is next to the last shot. and with the last shuttle coming up and the second week of july right now, there will probably be 1.5 million or 2 million people here. something like the days, willie, when we first had allen sheppard and john glenn go, when your father was down here with us. and we had those sort of crowds then. but for the last one, you'll probably see a million, million and a half people trying to get inside the fence, see what they can see. >> is there a sense of nostalgia for a lot of the people who have worked inside nasa for so many decades who helped bring about the shuttle era, now seeing that chapt ber to close here within the next month or two? >> yes there is. and these people who launched today, launched this magnificent spacecraft which is now separating from its external tank. it's in orbit. its engines have caught off. everything is fine. but the people that launched them today, willie, unfortunately, will be losing their jobs in the next month or two. they had, at the time that they started, made the announcement they were closing the shuttle program, they had 14,500 people working here, willie. they will have 7,000 when this is over with. less than half. and then they will move into the commercial space industry. we have a story today, if people are interested in this, bringing them up to date on the msnbc web science page called the next race to space. and it sets everything in perspective of what's going to be happening in the next four or five years here today. so, anyway, yes, there's a lot of nostalgia. people have accepted the fact that they've lost their jobs. i have family that worked here. i have one daughter that worked for 26 years. she's a single mother. she lost her job. so that's what's going on in this community now. people are looking and hoping that they can bring back the economy somewhat, but again on the other hand, the economy of the space coast might be suffering for a year or two, willie. >> that space program such a way of life there along the space coast of florida. we want to tell our viewers, you are watching a replay just moments ago of the liftoff of the space shuttle "endeavour" in its final flight. its first one came in may of 1992. this will be the last of its 25 headed up to the international space station to deliver some astrophysical equipment. something like $2 billion worth of it. jay is there a moment here where the guys in the control room there at cape canaveral can exhale a little bit and say, okay, we've got her off all right? >> yes. it arrived awhile ago when the main engines cut off and it separated from the international -- i mean the external tank. we're looking here at replays. and it's still attached to this tank. but she is safely in orbit, she being "endeavour" and the six. person crew, commander mark kelly. we know that congresswoman gabrielle giffords, she can take a deep breath now. so they'll be there for 16 days. coming back to a landing hopefully here on june 1st. so we expect them to be safe for 16 days and we expect them to be safe when they touch down here in the night, early morning hours on june 1st. >> all right. we all hope for that. jay barbree, we are so lucky to have you with us on days like this. space shuttle "endeavour" safely in orbit. jay, appreciate it so much. thanks. >> my pleasure, willie. nice working with you. turning now to louisiana where the mississippi has begun rushing towards several communities that are in effect being sacrificed in an attempt to save the bigger cities down river. the scope of the damage will be staggering. with the morganza spillway now open, water as high as 25 feet will flood hundreds of miles of cajun country. anne thompson is nbc's chief environmental affairs correspondent. she's live in croft springs, louisiana. >> reporter: this is one of the vehicles the national guard has staged here because it can get through high water. although they are expecting water here as high as 20 feet, and as a result, they have evacuated about 1,500 people who live in the low-lying area of crock springs. it's surrounded by a ring levee. where i'm standing it should be protected from the floodwaters that come down from the morganza. those who live on the other side outside the ring levee, they are the ones who are in trouble. and so yesterday, sheriff's deputies went door to door to about some 240 homes urging people to leave. most people did. we saw a lot of people packing up their belongings and putting them on trailers and then pulling out of town to get to safety. but there are a few stragglers who decided to stay. they were going to make their stand against this manmade flood if you will, saying it's our home. we want to stay and protect it. the problem is the national guard says, look, we understand that sentiment. but the reality is, in deciding to stay, you are putting yourself at risk and then you are putting those who would have to come rescue you at risk as well. and they say that once these waters hit, it could be several days before they are able to get to anybody who stays in their house. so that's the situation now. the water has not hit krotz springs yet, but they are expecting it any time. >> ann, do you expect a moment where the national guard and the government there will have to sweep in and in effect force people from their homes for their own good? >> you know, i don't think they're going to do that. i asked the lieutenant colonel here yesterday if there was any penalty for staying in your house and he said no, there is no penalty. other than you put yourself at risk. and they have made it very clear to people that that is what they are doing. i mean, a lot of this is formed, willie, as you can imagine, by the experience in new orleans of hurricane katrina. and the national guard just doesn't want to take any chances. and you can tell people they should leave but you can't force people to leave. that's the situation here. >> let's hope they are sbhart it. anne thompson in louisiana, thank you. dominique strauss-kahn, head of the international monetary fund, and a man thought to be a serious candidate for the presidency in france will be arraigned in court today. accused of sexually assaulting a maid at a manhattan hotel. the spokesman for the eu says the arrest of the imf chief on sex crime charges will not affect rescue programs for troubled economies being carried out by the imf. cnbc's becky quick is with us with more. >> this raises some significant questions about the role of the imf longer term. and that's what the markets seem to be focusing on today. obviously, there some are questions about this bailout package that we've seen for some of the european countries. expectations are that this news will not change the immediate future for that. there is a meeting of finance ministers taking place today. that's going on without dominique strauss-kahn. but this raises some serious questions about the imf which has played a major role in the bailout packages to this point. dominique strauss-kahn was a key player involved in those negotiations. he is someone who had, to this point, been seen as someone who revitalized the imf, beefed up its important and able to play an important role with negotiating some of these issues. that's why you are seeing some impact in the markets today. the dollar is once again near a seven-week high against the euro. some people are saying in the markets that this is in part because of these headlines concerning the imf. europe again has been under pressure with this. the euro has been under pressure and the dollar is trading at these seven-week high levels. it's having an impact on some of the other markets as well. willie, the good news on this is that as the dollar continues to strengthen, it's brought down some of the commodity prices. oil prices down again today. down about another $1. and that could mean eventually some good news for consumers at the pump. obviously, we'll be watching to see these headlines and asking the questions of what this means longer term for the imf. >> obviously, the ripples go far out from new york city. thanks so much. we appreciate it. up next, one of the strangest presidential nonannouncements we can remember. mike huckabee says it's not to be this time. we'll look at the winners and losers in this latest shakeup in the republican field. plus, who will get the now coveted huckabee endorsement? still to come that debt ceiling armageddon we've all been hearing about happens today. so is the sky falling where you live? it's okay here, for now. first, a look ahead at the president's schedule. you are watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. we're america's natural gas. and here's what we did today in homes all across america: we created the electricity that powered the alarm clocks and brewed the coffee. we heated the bathwater and gave kelly a cleaner ride to school. cooked the cube steaks and steamed the veggies. entertained dad, and mom, and a neighbor or two. kept watch on the house when they slept. and tomorrow we could do even more. we're cleaner, domestic, abundant and ready now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power today. learn more at anga.us. the new blackberry playbook. it runs all this at the same time. ♪ why can't every tablet do that? the morning after the big move starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now... and maybe up to 4 in a day. or, choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. smart move. ♪ all the factors say go, but my heart says no. from new york, this is mike huckabee. good night. god bless, and i guess i'll be back next week. i'm donald trump. this is a special announcement. mike huckabee is not going to be running for president so, mike, enjoy the show. your ratings are terrific. you are making a lot of money. you are building a beautiful house in florida. good luck. >> mike huckabee confirmed he will not be running for president. he did it saturday night in an announcement on his fox show. sandwiched between appearances by mario lopez, ted nugent and donald trump. making a full-throated appeal for candidates to appeal in iowa. newt gingrich is on a tour through the city. mitt romney makes his first city there may 27th. jeff zellny is with "the new york times" and laura for the associated press. good to see you both. liz, i'll start with you. surprised that huckabee didn't jump in? >> no, not at all. nothing governor huckabee has done over the last two years, even three years since his last campaign ended indicated that he had the fire in the belly to go. he wasn't creating an organization on the ground in key states. he wasn't keeping in touch with his network of supporters. and he seemed to be far and away more focused on building a -- building a celebrity career, a television personality career than he was taking on barack obama. >> jeff, how much of this has to do with president barack obam. did huckabee see some strength in the president, perhaps this wasn't the best time to challenge him? >> i think you have hit on a thing. the republicans are not saying that president obama's potential strength is an issue here. without a doubt, whoench has made a decision to not go, first john thune, then hayley barbour. for huckabee, he knew if he was going to run this time it was not going to be like four years ago. he'd get scrutiny. he slipped around the edge four years ago in iowa. won the iowa caucuses. he knew that would not happen at this time. his record as governor of arkansas which included raising taxes, was going to be under review. so i think he was thinking about his own record. but also the fact of the matter is this is going to be difficult to beat this president. i don't think his decision gave us any more of a sense who is going to be the nominee but more of a sense whof is going to be in the field. with him being out of it, it does leave an opening for more people, you know, particularly in iowa, and i think we'll see that beginning this week. >> liz, who are some of those people for whom it leaves an opening? the field is getting whittled down here. who benefits the most if anybody, from huckabee? >> i certainly think it remains to be seen. one of the things we tend to forget is people who follow politics closely is that voters don't vote in a bloc. so we can say social conservatives are up for grabs. sure, they are. but we still have to see who they fall in line behind or whether they splinter in their support. you know, former pennsylvania senator rick santorum is somebody who could benefit in iowa with christian evangelicals and social conservatives. michele bachmann, the congresswoman from minnesota, also could benefit. also herman cain strikes tones that could sit well with christian evangelicals. the guy who is really hoping for those folks to fall in line behind him is tim pawlenty. while he is a conservative, he hasn't been nearly as outspoken on some of the social issues that christian evangelicals really want their candidate to espouse. >> jeff, of course, huckabee has a big following out there and all the other candidates jumping to sort of assume his mantel and heap praise on huckabee. pawlenty saying huckabee is a friend and a colleague and important leader within the party. jon huntsman, it's unfortunate we'll not have his voice or the bass guitar. rick santorum, i have long admired governor huckabee. newt gingrich saying, governor huckabee will remain a major force for conservatism. another name that comes up, mitch daniels. i don't know if the huckabee news does anything to influence daniels' decision over whether to get in. but what is the state of mitch daniels? are we just going to keep talking about him or is he going to be a player in this race? >> i think he has to make his decision probably in the next few weeks in the next couple of weeks. if you talk to all his supporters, everyone who wants to get him to come in, and they are very positive about this. a lot of people from the bush administration, even the reagan administration. he worked in both. they say he's really close to a decision. when you look him directly in the eye. i traveled out to indiana. i asked him, do you want to be president. he said i don't know yet. he has not yet made the decision. there's been a lot of talk about his wife. it's much more than that. it's his family as well. he, at the end of the day, i have no idea what he's going to do. you could -- some days it seems like he's close to it. other days it seems like he's talking himself out of it. but, boy, the pressure is absolutely on him. he knows that. but he's done a pretty brilliant marketing strategy here in terms of creating, you know, this urgency for his candidacy. so if he runs, i think all of this will look pretty smart. if he doesn't, it certainly leaves a hole in the field. he right now is trying to see if he can do this a different way. is there time for him to run a different way through his rv and on his harley through iowa, through new hampshire. it's a great strategy but time is probably running out for a lot of that. i look for him to make a decision, if not by memorial day weekend, certainly in the first week of june. >> he's got to answer that fire in the belly question. >> he does. >> one guy in the race for sure is newt gingrich. he was on with david gregory on "meet the press" yesterday. i want to play a clip for you. newt gingrich critical of the paul ryan medicare plan. listen. >> -- is any more desirable than left wing social engineering. there are things you can do to improve medicare -- >> not what paul ryan is suggesting? >> i think that is too big a jump. >> striking, liz, to a lot of people that newt gingrich is accusing paul ryan of right wing social engineering saying he has perhaped veered too far off to the right. what do you make of it? >> i think this is very interesting. it speaks to the seniors who make up a large segment of the gop caucus electorate in iowa. and the seniors who don't like the ryan budget. but what this also shows us is that the presidential candidates on the republican side are going to be influencing the debate in washington. simply by making a break the way gingrich did. he's forcing the question to be answered and put in front of folks up here in