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$8 billion budget shortfall. >> if we get that done, we balance our budget, $8 billion in the hole, without a tax increase, and we cut taxes on income taxes, that's going to send a message to the rest of the country that if they can do it there, they can do it in their state, and then maybe, guess what, they might actually be able to do something like this in washington. we at least hope so. >> reporter: we are very early on in the process here. this is only a senate committee hearing. hasn't even been introduced in the house kwrefplt but republicans dominate the state legislature here, so things could move very, very quickly. the outcome is subject to change, with some amendments and the voice of protestors who gather later today might have a big effect on the outcome. martha. martha: thank you, we'll keep an eye on it, doug, thank you. bill: the white house is organizing for americans helping push back against the legislation in ohio. president obama had previously called the wisconsin measure an assault on unions. both wisconsin and ohio, key battle ground states won by
these two iranian warships, now said to be loaded in the dock in the suez canal ready for transit at the moment. and we have complete coverage of the situation, on our web site, 24/7. fox news.com and a lot of amazing articles and pictures as you see the iranian vessels there. check it out, foxnews.com and it is on-line for you, right now, for more information on this story. 6 minutes past now. martha? martha: all right, to politics now for a moment an america's election headquarters, today is the day, folks, the voters in chicago heading to the polls, to elect their new mayor and for the first time in 22 years the name daley is not on the ballot for mayor and we are referring to richard daley, who served as mayor of chicago six terms and look who is on the ballot? former white house chief of staff, rahm emanuel and it may be his big day. also, former chicago's school president jerry chico and carol moseley braun and del va lle,
off in libya, possibly, again today when he speaks and what his message. martha: we'll wait and see, here live in "america's newsroom." stay tuned for that. >> the fact is we could lay off every state worker in ohio, every police officer, every firefighter, every corrections officer, and we would only close 1/4 of the 8 million dollar gap, so -- $8 billion gap and trying to balance the budget only the backs of the public employees simply will not work. martha: you heard what she said, a pro union supporter walk talking to bill on the budget battle spriding to the buckeye state and -- spreading to the buckeye state and that is wisconsin, you have seen that playing out the last week-and-a-half and the general assembly will take up a bill this afternoon and where the governor said, layoffs may be right around the corner, for some of those folks, and then you have thousands of protesters, who are expected to rally today in ohio. against a similar bill in ohio as we watch it spread to other areas, now, that would target
down his friend in the car seat next to him, one week ago today. we should point out that mexican authorities are leading this investigation, their counterparts in the u.s. have offered whatever assistance they need in that investigation but so far, martha, no arrests have been made. back to you. martha: kris tkpw*uter \he did\eds, thank you very much. bill: awful story there. this year's severe winter weather causing new destructive flooding in the midwest. we knew this was a coming. it's just a question of when. massive ice jams forcing rivers over their banks, forcing people out of their homes to escape the frigid waters pouring inside. we'll take you there live. martha: to the bloodshed in libya, we are awaiting now for a statement from leader mommar gadhafi, moments from now, we'll bring it to you in "america's newsroom".
the two couples now dead, scott and jeanne adam, a couple out of southern california, and philis mckay and rob bi -- riggle, a couple from seattle. our condolences to their families and friends on the west coast. admiral, thanks again. here's martha. martha: tragic story. and we want to take you to libya for a moment, because we are watching the scene as pro gadhafi rally -- ralliers are in the street. we do expect a statement soon from the leader of libya, the longest leader in history. and he is expected to announce some grand reforms. what will they be? bill: also despite a lack of compromise, the wisconsin union, a bill that would slash collective bargaining rights for thousands, a live report in madison where the sun is out, moments away.
columbus and the governor is a republican. from a union perspective, you have to figure out a way to minimize the damage. what's the answer? >> well, the answer is not to destroy middle class jobs there's nothing in this piece of legislation that creates one job for an individual. there's not any sentence in this legislation that creates one additional worker right. i think that there is nothing about this legislation at all that does anything to make workers benefit or the state benefit as a whole. you don't create middle class by destroying middle class. bill: appreciate you coming on today. next hour we're going to give you the other side, but carol bowzer represents the union in ohio. we will follow it on the fox news channel. it is an interesting time. thank you. in columbus. martha. martha: we have a lot of breaking news right now and we're getting new details
athletics tomorrow. martha: all right, well, whoever said that lightning doesn't strike twice was not on board jetblue flight 446 to boston, folks. because there's newly released radio transmissions of friday's flight. check this story out. it reveals the pilot was telling the airport tower about the lightning strikes, and asking for a priority landing. eighty-two people were on board at the time. passengers say it was the bumpiest flight of their lives. listen: >> i think as much as i was telling my kids everything was going to be all right, i was convincing myself that we were going to be all right, then we landed and it was kind of a surprise that something like that actually happened. martha: unbelievable. get this, another jetblue flight going from boston to baltimore was also struck that friday night. unbelievable. bill: the nation's largest retailer, hitting a big slump. we'll find out what's going on in the aisles of walmart, whether or not it will recover, coming up here. and this: >> martha: this huge
have become untenable and democrats better show up for work in the legislature in wisconsin and teachers better get back into the classroom and do their job and we need to work it through so we can cut deficits in these states? >> yes. i think that that would be a great thing for him to say. i don't think that is something he'll say and it would be too harsh on the unions and i don't see... martha: their numbers have been declining. they are losing membership. >> i'm not -- look, it is also smart for the unions to be aware of that. and i think i have seen the liberal writers talking about the fact the unions are overstepping the bounds and people don't like this kind of behavior, and if they really care about sustaining their existence, they have to be aware of that. but the point is, i think we have to get back to, they've already said they are willing to give on those issues. they aren't willing to give on the collective bargaining issue and i think the idea that you can take that away from them is -- you are saying you cannot have unions. that is what you are doing. and people don't like --
they are willing to give on the money issues but not on collective bargaining and the president is correct in standing up for that and saying you cannot take away the rights of collective bargaining of' union and that is saying they are not a union and that is the whole point, that they collectively bargain and, people keep making the distinctions between the public union and private union and i fail to see the difference. and if anything, they should more have a right to collectively bargain and the government shouldn't have all the power. martha: government companies don't generally go out of business and private companies do if the bargaining chips are driven up so high the company cannot function and keeps a lid on collective bargaining in the private sector and that is a main difference. >> i think that is a fair point but i think the people who really should be held accountable are the politicians who gives the deals to them. martha: and unfortunately they haven't been. >> yes. but, that is not their fault -- collective bargaining shouldn't, taken from them because politicians made stupid deals. martha: mary katherine what do you think about all of that.
>> it is a tricky position for barack obama to be in and, the dnc are backing off of their origin that involvement, and the protesters leaving their jobs and protesting and, the people leaving the state, so they don't have to vote and as far as collective bargaining goes, that is the vehicle by which they got into the position where unions were paying less than 1% of their pensions and very little of their health care and that is the driver by which they got into the positions in the first place and as far as public employees go they are actually -- a special interest of their own, and they are able to pay to elect the bosses with whom they then negotiate. martha: exactly. >> and it's a tricky situation and you end up with really high benefits, and -- >> the politics of this for a moment, i'm fascinated by how the president will play this and, is it not, perhaps another potential leadership moment for the president to come out and say, sort of what you said, kirsten, look, these agreements