welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler here are tonight's top stories. breaking news out of west virginia tonight, the governor declared a state of emergency after a chemical spill into the elk river in charleston, west virginia, nine counties are being used to not use drinking water to drink, bathe, cook, or even wash clothes. formal charges filed today against the indian diplomat arrested in new york last month, charged with visa fraud and making false statements, but she maintains her innocent. her lawyers says she will fly out of the u.s. tonight. i am heart broken.

>> new jersey governor, chris christie says he was blind sided by emails linking his staff to a traffic scandal. thousands of people got caught in gridlock caused by lane closures, the shutdowns were apparently ordered for political reasons. six bodies in abandoned cars and explosion if device found about 200 miles from soe sochi. "consider this" with antonio mora is up next. chris christie says he's not a bully and denies knowing about his aide's wrongdoing. will it work? dennis rodman says he is

sorry for blaming an american held cap tiff in north korea. also uncovering the shocking role women played in the holocaust. and duz the "the wolf of wall street" depict or glamourize greed gone wild. hello, i'm antonio mora. welcome to "consider this." ♪ we begin with chris christie, the new jersey governor and likely presidential candidate, faced reporters thursday to respond to the biggest political crisis of his career. emails and text showing top staffers conspired to snarl traffic on the george washington bridge in an apparent act of political revenge. >> iment am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team, and i come out here today to apologize to the people of new

jersey. i am responsible for what happened. >> christie said he was blind sided and his deputy chief of staff betrayed him. >> i am stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here. i have terminated the employment of bridget kelly effective immediately. >> the nearly two-hour press conference show how many questions remain news answer. this was a far cry from what he was saying in december when he mocked reporters for asking about the scandal. >> i worked the cones, actually matt. i was actually the guy out there, i was in overalls and hat -- but i was the guy working the cones out there. you really are not serious with that question. >> joining us now is bob engel,

the coauthor of chris christie. leslie sanchez is a republican strategist and the author of several books. she joins us from our los angeles studio tonight and with us here in new york is richard mertz. bob, i want to start with you. he took every question asked of him. of course the big question is was this enough? or is this just the beginning of an even bigger problem in >> well, after it was all over, and it certainly was a marathon effort, i had questions that weren't answered. in fact i don't think there were any answers today that we didn't already know from the newspaper stories. >> now, richard you have seen

this whole thing play out very closely there in new jersey. the one question that comes to mind is he always seems to have been a politician with common sense. why would he have done -- what his administration have done, wreak venn gej on a small city mayor who didn't support him? >> things get crazy in campaigns, and people do things that really most of us would look look look at and say this was not a good idea. >> he seemed to continue the spin his aids had used on the cause of the traffic jam. >> i don't know whether this was a traffic study that morphed into a political venn den ta, or

a political vendetta that morphed into a traffic study. >> but there doesn't seem to be any evidence there was a traffic study. leslie from los angeles where you sit, how did christie do? >> i think giving the governor the benefit of the doubt, and the cars he was dealt, i think he played it beautifully. there are not a lot of figures that could have taken this level of scrutiny, stood before reporters, and all of his colleagues to an exhaustive answer and answer all of these questions. is he out of the woods? no. but did he handle it well? absolutely. >> bob, you said you had many questions. what is your biggest question? >> well, this woman, kelly he said was fired because he called

the senior staff in and asked if they knew anything about this, and nobody said anything. so he fired her because she obviously did. well, i have been covering politics for a long time, and one of the things you know about it is there are really no secrets, so i don't believe that she was the only person in that office who knew who was going on. that being the case, why was she the only one fired. >> but then the question some are raising is we saw all of the scandals in washington over the past year, where the president said he didn't know about the irs scandal or the botched obamacare website, does the chef executive, bob, in your experience, covering governors, do they really know what all of their people are doing? >> well, christie said today he couldn't know what always 65,000 state employees are doing, and i agree with that, but i think he can know what his very close

knit small staff around him is doing, and if he doesn't, then he should. >> christie of course well-known for his personality, today we saw a more humble governor, but most people are familiar with these sound bites that have become very famous, his straight talking butment some accuse him of being a bully. let's listen. >> you have numb nuts like reid who put out a statement comparing me to george wallace and lester maddux. did i stay on topic? are you stupid. >> first of all it is none of your business. i don't ask you where you send your kids to school. i don't give a damn about election day. it doesn't matter a lick to me at the moment. i have much bigger fish to fry than that. >> but there is a history of him

taking action against political opponents, so what is your reaction? do you believe he is telling the truth or not? >> it's very hard to tell at this point. it does seem unlikely that a governor would be totally ignorant of what was going on in his own staff. and there were five people, virtually all of them his appointe appointees, the idea that a scandal would emerge and no one would pick up the phone and say we have a problem. >> let's listen to this. >> politics ain't bean bag. okay. and everybody who engages in politics knows that. on the other hand that's very, very different than saying that someone is a bully. i have very heated discussions and arguments with people in my own party and on the other side

of the aisle. i feel passionately about issues, and i don't hide my emotions from people. i am not a focus group tested blow dried candidate or governor. now that has always made some people as you know uneasy. some people like that style. some people don't. i'm in the business of trying to satisfy the people who elected me governor. >> republicans haven't been rushing out to defend him. even a moderate like senator lindsey graham is saying things like what richard and bob said tonight, he said he found it hard to believe that christtive's aids would have done what they did unless they thought their boss was of this mind set. conservative republicans who have never been big fans of christie including people like

rush limbaugh are at least giving him a sprinkling of support. >> and that's not uncommon. when people are looking at a 2016 possible presidential candidate, the last thing you want is this kind of investigation. i think one thing you know in politics is you have to see where all of the chips fall. what you can't deny is that he said he was deceived. you have to take the governor at his word at this point, especially after this exhaustive conference. he has done what many on the national stage never do, and that is face all of these questions head on for hours and try to do the best he can in his own way answer them. is he truthful? we're going to find that out, i think as more is discloseded, but it's his personality and style, and to many voters i would argue it's exactly what is his appeal. >> bob, as christie was

speaking, his high school friend david wildstein who is one of the most important people involved in this process. he was the one that received the email from bridget kelly suggesting that he create traffic problems in the washington bij bridge area, he took the fifth. >> on the advice of my counsel, i respectfully assert my right to remain silent. >> what will happen with him and how significant is the fact that he took the fifth amendment. >> well, it certainly didn't make a great impression on anybody. that's for sure. you have to ask why. why did his lawyer suggest that? and it could be that they are thinking that there is going to be some serious legal action coming down the road.

we know today there was a class action lawsuit filed in fact against the people who are alleged to have had their hands on the closing. >> leslie, christie wrapped up the way to go to fort lee new jersey, who went to the mayor to apologize. >> i'm grateful that he would hold a press conference this quickly. i'm grateful he would take such decisive action this quickly. i don't think there was any other alternative, but i think he made the right decision from that perspective. >> is the mayor, he had no other opportunity but to go to forth lee today? >> absolutely. i think the mayor comes across looking like a strong reasonable public servant who is looking out for his constituents at the same way the governor is trying

to reach across the aisle and show he was truthful in that he feels he was deceived by his staff. this was a high-risk situation that the governor was walking into. and his style of leadership is very evident right now, and i think that is also working in his favor. >> richard how does this rank on the political scandal scale we have seen over the last couple of decades? >> i think if it is determined that the governor hasn't been straight with the people of new jersey then i think there will be some pretty serious consequences, but the scandal here is not so much that somebody pulled a prank, the real issue is was there an abuse of power, because if someone aspires to be the president of

the united states, the last thing anyone wants is someone who is going to abuse power. >> let's listen to this. >> the american people are a fairly forgiving lot. if you got it wrong, you got it wrong. but what they don't like is when they think you are dodging it. and i think that's what the president looks like he is doing right now, dodging it. >> i want to ask all three of you quickly, what do you think this will mean long term? is it fatal or not for christie? bob, i'll start with you. >> well, if we don't hear anymore, that he did know and he was lying on us, he does have history on his side. we tend to forgive and forget and two years in politics is the same as 50 in anything else. >> richard? >> i think it's too soon to tell. and when we know whether in fact his story is credible; that he

didn't know, that will probably be determinative of how much damage he suffers. >> lessy? >> given the governor the benefit of the doubt he has shown and exhibited leadership and the style that a lot of independent voters and soft conservative democrats are looking for. that's his appeal and would propel him on the national level. >> thank you all for your time. appreciate you joining us tonight. the christtive press conference garnered lots of attention on social media. let's check in on that. >> this is one of the stories that blew upimmediately on social media. it quickly rose to number one, while hashtag chris christie took the number two spot. you have probably seen this

photo today after governor christie said he couldn't pick the mayor out of the lineup, as you see the photo shows christie meeting the mayor. and it compares bridgegate to a sex scandal. lots of opinions out there, antonio. >> yeah, it was a busy day on social media. coming up dennis rodman apologizes to the family of an american imprisoned in north korea. we'll talk to kenneth bae's sister next. and paid paternity leave is on the rise in the u.s. we'll talk about the impact at work and at home.

and in those cases where formal education isn't feasible because of t

den -- dennis rodman apologized today for comments he made earlier this week about kenneth bae. while in north korea to celebrate the birthday of the

man rodman calls his friend, dictator, kim jong un, rodman made bizarre comments that took a turn for the worse. >> if you understand what kenneth bae did, do you understand what he did? >> what did he do. you tell me. >> in this country. >> no, no! you tell me! why is he hell captive! that's what the hell you think! i'm saying to you! look at these eyes! look at them. >> rodman blamed stress and alcohol for his meltdown saying his dreams of what is he calling basketball diplomacy were collapsing around him. we are joined by kenneth bae's sister, terri chung. you have accepted his apology. >> yes, we are absolutely

appalled about his comments about my brother, for him to say he doesn't want to help that's fine, but everybody makes mistakes and he is human, so we're going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say okay, we accept. >> and you believe it was sincere? >> again, i think we're going to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope it is. >> rodman has been to north korea four times since your brother was imprisoned. and back in may he sent out a tweet saying . . . so were you shocked to hear then that he refused this week to speak on your brother's behalf? >>, you know, i mean -- it seems like he has slowly been changing his mind over the -- over the several months after that infamous tweet. so we weren't so much surprised by his refusal to help, which is disappointing, of course, we had

hoped he would, but more -- we were just outraged by just his hurtful comments. if he doesn't want to help, that's fine. but please do no harm. this is a very dangerous situation where man's life is on the line. >> talking about the danger, you have seen these recent political purges by kim jong un, he ordered the execution of his uncle, and i'm sure this makes you even more worried about your brother's safety? >> we are worried about my brother's life. he has been sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp. >> i know he was allowed to call home recently for the holidays. what did he have to say? i know he has diabetes. how is his health? >> i think he is hanging in there. he is still being held in a hospital, because he has chronic conditions such as severe back pain where he can't stand for

more than 30 minutes at a time. he has chronic treatments that require treatment back home, and he is suffering, and he is trying to put on a strong front for us, but it's the second christmas he has spent away from his family. this is the first time he has talked to his children in 14 months. >> it must be devastating. at least he is in the hospital now and not doing hard labor. as hurtful as radman's statements were, do you think in some odd way it may have been a good thing because it has now raised so much awareness and has people talking about your brother again? >> we do appreciate that other people are now paying more attention to kenneth's plite.

>> do you believe the u.s. government is doing enough to get your brother released? >> i think the u.s. government wants to help and see kenneth come home, and they tried to send an envoy, and that was called back. and i love my brother and i just want to see him come home safely. so until he comes home, it is not enough. >> i hope you do get to see him come home safely and that happens soon. best of luck with this. >> thank you for having me. as pattern leave becomes more common place in the u.s. is it already shifting the dynamics of american parents. the act gives three mull months of unpaid leave to mothers and fathers who work for medium and large-sized businesses. but a growing number of businesses have begun to give

leave to mothers and fathers. liza is the author of the richer sex. she also wrote about paternity leave for the new issue of the land -- atlantic magazine. great to have you with us. it's still only a small number of states and companies that offer paternity leave? >> right. i would like to say it is trending. it is true at large companies that many men and most men now take some time when a child is born, but often men have to use their vacation time, but it is a small but growing number of companies and in some cases states that offer paid time when a child is born. >> the u.s. is one of the few countries in the world that

doesn't require paid maternity leave. do you think it is going to be a while before we see paid paternity leave? >> yeah. the few number of states offering it are offering it to mothers and fathers alike. so if it becomes common in more states then i think it will apply to both parents. >> i was surprised by who you thought benefits most from this? >> right. obviously the men who get offered paid paternity leave in their workplaces are very happy. sometimes they are afraid they will be stigmatized, but i think more often they are very happy to take it. it's good for men's relationships with their children. studies show that men are very

interested in being more engaged father. but i think what people don't realize is the real beneficiaries are women, working women, and the companies who want to keep women in the work force. when men are able to take time when their child is born and become accustomed to the -- the care of a baby, and the sorts of -- you know, diaper changes and feeding and become comfortable with those routines, men are more likely to be engaged a year down the road or more. and that means women are more freed up. >> and you say that leads to gender equality in the workplace. and you cite a study that says it's all of us, because the stronger economies in the world are the ones that offer paid paternity leave. >> yeah, and women now are the majority of students in

colleges. and companies and country's interest to keep these women engaged. so the countries with the strong economies are the countries who have found ways to close the gender wage gap and keep their female work force in the workplace, and offering leave to fathers, and thereby changing the domestic division of labor in a way that makes life a little bit easier for women is one way to keep women in the paid work force. >> and you also found that it could lead to longer lives for men, better health. are there any negatives? because when paternity laws first took effect in california in 2002, there were real concerns it would be a real job killer. >> right. in california it is six weeks of paid leave, and that's a great thing, and that may seem like an

eternity to men who wouldn't expect anything before this, but that's not a super long time. and it's not just companies -- the great thing about the state laws is that it applies to men and women who are not in white collar workplaces. so for my peace i interviewed firefighters, a guy who worked in a restaurant, a guy who was a roofing contractor, and these guys were all so happy to have paid time to spend with their kids. and basically the study showed that businesses can cover. >> another piece in the atlantic showed that men who took family leave ended up having depressed earnings. does it carry the financial risk that it always has for women to take this kind of leave? >> men historically have enjoyed a premium when they have gotten married or had children.

there is the fatherhood or marriage premium for men. and company's would actually pay husbands and fathers more because they were the breadwinners, and there's still a lingering bonus when men become fathers either because they are working harder or because their employer sees them as more promotable and committed that men have enjoyed this benefit, so if it depresses men's earnings a little bit, keep in mind men are still benefiting this bonus. women are more likely to be stigmatized in the workplace when they become parents as less committed. >> so you are saying there could be a reverse stigma, that men

are expected to take care of their children and if they don't take leave a reverse sigma could happen? >> right. quebec offers families a certain amount of leave but there are five weeks that can only be taken by fathers. and if the father doesn't take that leave, the family just lose it. and what happens is that men are likely to feel more stigmatized if they don't take the leave. if you just throw it away, then it changes the cultural perspective. >> liza thank for being on the show tonight. >> thank you. time now to see what is trending on al jazeera america website. >> the highest growth in casinos

rose to what many considered a magsal model in living wages. it changed lives, but now three monks later 175 of those employees that worked in the casino restaurant have been fired. one frustrated employees explains his frustrations. >> this place is making millions and millions. day and night, and they trying to take away what they give us. we -- everybody in this kitchen deserves the raise. >> a spokesperson for the casino said the restaurant had lost money since it opened and each employee let go would receive some severance.

coming up how many congressmen are flush with cash? and later spiderman the musical just ended its disastrous run on broadway, so why are many new move i have adaptations vying to take its place?

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>> and join the conversation online @ajamstream. >> al jazeera america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news. most people think nazis were by and large men. but a new book challenges that feeling, "hitler's furies" following extensive research on women's role in the nazi empire.

wendy lower is the book's author and joins us from washington, d.c. wendy, good to have you with us. thousands of books have been written on the holocaust, most focused on men. but women were a part of the nazi regime and they were involved at almost all levels? >> that's right. when we talk about the rise of naziism and the rise of the third reich, we can't leave out women, especially young women, because this was in nazi thinking a large revolution that was to occur, and they were mobilelizing women as much as they were mobilizing men. >> let's talk about the different ways they were involved and talking about genocide one of the most shocking parts of the book is talking about the role that women played as nurses in killing people? >> yes, actually the first

deaths that occurred in the holocaust when the killing phase began of nazi genocidal policies, started with the beginning of the war in 1939 against the mentally and physically disabled. among the first victims were german children in these hospitals. and the women were mobilized for this. among the first perpetrators was brought together with 20 other nurses in december 1939, and she signed an oath of secrecy to participate in these mass murder campaigns. and at the high point of her career in this campaign, she was killing as many as 70 patients a day in one of these gassing facilities. she was mostly injecting lethal

injections and administering deadly medicine. >> and you bring up the many secretaries who were involved who at their desk -- it's really the perfect example of the buyalty of women. and they just stood by and participated in the process. >> well, in this regard women were no different from men. and women haden -- had entered into this part of the work force, but it really started to explode during the nazi era. the main organization, police organization in berlin was a huge administrative machine of about 55,000 personnel. women were part of this machinery working for famous

people, but my book takes that role of women in the clerical field and moves it into the killing fields. and these were women working right in towns where the massacres and mass killings occurring. >> you also talk about ss wives and other higher level nazi women involved in the process. >> yes, a lot of the violence the women participated in, in the eastern zone was done in a way that was very -- i don't want to say add hoc, but it happened almost spontaneously or randomly, women -- the wives of ss officials who were visiting their mates or living with them in these communities, they would be going on walks in the woods or walking through town or at their villas, and they were not

only exploiting jewish laborers, and soviet pow's but they were whipping them, and there's a pattern that is quite astounding of ss wives who are shooting from the balconies of these villas. the scene in the movie shinneder will's list that is not an anomaly. women are part of that violence. >> and some of the most notorious killers that were women were concentration camp guards. almost one-tenth of all camp guards were women. >> yes, there is a list that surproosu survived the war. it took me decades to peace this all together, and the list we have of camp guards of 3500,

that's what we have got, that's the number we use, but honestly now that we know there were as many as 40,000 different camps, i think that that number of camp guards is also quite -- quite low. i think we need to revisit that number as well. >> what happened to the women who participated after the war? you wrote that some committed suicide. were they sorry? >> it was very difficult to track down these women, because a lot of their crimes were committed -- those committed outside of the camp system were difficult to document. they were done -- they did them by their own volition. they were not part of an official killing unit, so it was hard for prosecutors to find, you know, substantial evidence. there was a lot of witness testimony from survivors, but often that was not enough to

convict these female criminals. they changed their names after the war. they got married because a lot of them were young single women who participated. and frankly prosecutors when they did come across them and were questioning some of these women in conjunction with cases, when they were pursuing their bosses or their mates, they couldn't believe what they had done. so there was a lot of disbelief that was attached to this, that didn't create the kind of will let alone the drive to convict these women. >> there are some horrible stories and i know one of the reasons you write that these stories took so long to get out is a lot of it happened behind the iron curtain. but it's a very important book, and we thank you for joining us. the book again is "hitler's furies." >> thank you. >> straight ahead there are more millionaire congressmen than

ever, so why do they have so much cash on hand. and "the wolf of wall street" is up for best picture, but are younger audiences missing the point of the film being about greed not being good? ♪

>> start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story

weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america (vo) al jazeera america we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. (vo) we pursue that story beyond the headline, past the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capitol. (vo) we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. (vo) and follow it no matter where it leads, all the way to you. al jazeera america. take a new look at news. today's data dive gets rich in congress. for the first time in history, more than half of representatives are millionaires. financial disclosure figures just released show their median net worth. they are even wealthier in the

senate. the median net worth there is more than $2.7 million. lawmakers have always been richer than the average americans, but this growing number raises concern they are out of touch. members of the house and senate each get $174,000 in salary plus benefits. the speaker of the house takes $223,000. not bad when you consider that their are in session less than a third of the year. that doesn't include all of the fund-raising events, and meetings and work back home. they get paid well, but they need to pay for a place to live in their home states and d.c. with average rent on capitol hill at $1,500 a month, even a basic place could cost them

$30,000 plus tax. two senators bunk together with two represents in this town house. it has had problems with row depths. their families don't even like to stay there when they come to visit. not exactly the lap of luxury. coming up why are rocky and aladdin following in spiderman the musical's footsteps in >> al jazeera america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get

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$26,000 for one dinner. >> no, no, this could be explained. dad we had clients. >> right theporter house -- >> we had to buy champagne. >> and tell them about the sides you ordered >> sides? $26,000 worth of sides? what are these sides do they cure cancer? >> that's the problem. that's why they are expense if. >> "the wolf of wall street" depicts the greed of jordan belfort. a growing controversy is questioning whether the film exploits belfort's victims. bill wyman joins us. the question is what responsibility do filmmakers have to their audiences in being careful not to glamourize a

subject like this where the subject is a criminal? >> that's an interesting question. the hard answer is filmmakers have no responsibility to their audience. and this is where you start to feel that this is an artist who isn't engaging in artistry, but looking for some sort of crowd-pleasing thing. it tends to leave a bad taste in your mouth once you start thinking about the implications. i think it's a film making failure. there's no sub -- sub text. it's more like a porky's. it seems to be a little empty. >> but you are talking about a movie that shows a guy who ripped off millions and millions of dollars, but you show him

having yachts, and sports cars, the most beautiful women in the world. and this guy only goes to prison for a couple of years, and then comes out and has a perfectly nice life. >> you can make that argument, on the other hand, people who go toward that kind of life are probably already tending to go toward it. basically they called up vulnerable. there are people who are great con artists who can go into any room and con somebody, and then there are the people who look for the most vulnerable people in the world, which is what he did. so that's the first aspect. and secondly, you never see the other side in the film, right? the movie is completely tone deaf towards the victims.

>> right. but jordan belfort himself said he went into finance partially thanks to the michael douglas film "wall street," and douglas has talked about how people have come up to him in the past and said hey, i went to wall street because of you. and his character was again a bad guy. is it a possible that young people have a little bit of a struggle getting the full underlying message? >> again, i just don't agree with that premise. 90% of the movies made and television are upbeat, and it's hard to point the finger at a peace of film making. and there are people who are inclined to this kind of nonsense, so i'm reluctant to point the finger to popular culture, but i think you are allowed to look at this

particular piece and say this is bad art. there are a lot of bad rap songs that i don't think are a bad influence on society, but just bad right. >> we found a video online where leonardo dicaprio vouches for belfort. let's listen to what leonardo dicaprio did in this video. >> what separates jordan's story from others like it is the brutal honesty in which he talks about the mistakes he made in his life. there is nothing quite like jordan's public speaking and his ability to train and empower young entrepreneurs. he standings as a shining example of the transformty qualities of ambition and hard work, and in that regard he is a true motivator. >> bill, that certainly seems like an endorsement of a guy who

again was a criminal? >> yeah, and there are people who attack hollywood for its general lack of morality, but when you look at this, it looks like you have a very, very rich movie star who losing moral focus and embracing a guy who is really one of the cockroaches of our society. virtually everyone involved with him and anything he had to do with were awful people. and it's like ricking up rocks and fining more and more cockroaches every time you pick up a rock. and it's truly embarrassing that leonardo dicaprio would say something about a guy like that. and the other thing at the end of the movie is he turns on all of his friends and rats on everyone. the movie builds these guys up these characters and the minute they get caught they become a

squealer. >> a woman named christina mcdowell, she is the daughter of a lawyer who was associated with belfort. one of the guys that belfort ratted out. christina mcdowell who is shown here with her dad on his private plane, she went public with her complaints about the movie glorifying terrible people that hurt people. you brought up the victims earlier, the movie could have at least included something about them, and that is christina mcdowell's big complaint. >> yeah, it just doesn't -- >> people who lost their saving -- who lost their life savings because of this guy. >> yeah, the lives that are ruined by this, and again, another interesting thing is it's not about a big wall street trader this is the sort of stuff

that goes on all the time, it's not glamorous , but it's mundane and sad. but when you read what those write, there is something very odd about them. >> yeah. very interesting. spiderman the musical just closed its disastrous run, losing some $60 million. several other movies are about to become musicals despite spiderman. do you think there is still a lot of money to be made? >> absolutely, it is one of the great craft games of american society, and broadway remains a special environment. okay. but you really have these people that have this big dream and there are people who just understood broadway, and it seems so odd when you say why

are they making a musical out of that? and sometimes it becomes an enormous hit and sometimes it doesn't. but look at the lion king, it became one of the biggest money makers ever, and i -- i perversely admire the creators of spiderman. they took a lot of chances. they were obviously trying to . . -- appeal to men on broadway, and watching the whole debacle has been quite interesting. >> that raises an interesting question, which is the creative team bemind matilda just announced they are going to adapt groundhog day. is there a difference in taking a movie that was a musical as opposed to taking groundhog day or spiderman that weren't

musicals. >> we get these things repurposed because marketing people like it. so everything is driven by marketing, and marketing people in some organizations have enormous power, but secondly, again, broadway is an interesting thing. this is very close to opera, which is the greatest art form that you can imagine. and musicals are very close to that, and you have to admire the crazy energy that goes into it. with the exception of these companies that have the market executives running, you have to admire the creator that says i have build a story there. and i have a great ending. >> and we have rocky and aland din among others coming up. bill wyman as always thank for joining us. and the show may be over, but the discussion continues on our

website. david wildstein >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. >> state of emergency - breaking news - a chemical spill triggers warnings about the water supply for up to 300,000 in west virginia. we'll have the latest. >> plus... >> i come out here today to apologise to the people of new jersey >> damage control - chris christie is sorry for the bridge saga, but is it just beginning or friendly >> passage to india - diplomat accused of fraud here and hailed as a hero in india. we talk to her attorney. >>