monday so more blinding snow. >> feel for those people. thank you so much. >> that's it for us. we'll see you here at 10:00. >> here is "smerconish." welcome to the program. i'm michael smerconish. isis forces making stunning advances in iraq seizing large chunks of territory now hundreds of u.s. marines in harm's way, just a few miles from the town of al baghdadi which is now held by isis. the propaganda machine continues, the terror group releasing a chilling new video purportedly showing them parading captured kurdish peshmerga fighters through the streets of iraq in cages. our own reporter phil black was in isis territory the most dangerous place in the world for a reporter he is on the move now and filed this dispatch moments ago from dohuk. >> the concern now is that if isis maintains this foothold in

al baghdadi it has a position from which it can launch further attacks against the air base. this in a province where isis is still expanding its control. it maintains some control of 70% of anbar province that control is still growing. the pentagon concedes that it's likely that this facility will come under further attacks in the future. >> we have someone who has been on the military base al assad, many times. cnn analyst retired lieutenant general mark hertling. at the top of the list for everyone's questions, how vulnerable are our troops at that base? >> i don't believe they are vulnerable at all, michael. they have got great defensive measures in the base. as you said it is a sprawling complex, it's a huge air base. and the attack yesterday was against one of the gates, you could almost liken it to jfk airport. and you say if we're going to attack one gate after you even get through the gate if you do

you've got kilometers to go before you reach the living area. so i'm not sure we have as much danger as what is being concerned right now. >> general, the fact that mismatched isis troops would even endeavor to attack such a sprawling base it says something about their will to fight and for me as a lay person a civilian reminds me of a famous movie scene. i want to show you a clip from god father 2. roll it. >> i saw an interesting thing happen today. a rebel was arrested by the military police. and a lot of them taken alive, they explode add grenade in his jacket and killed himself and took a captain of the command with him. right? >> rebels they are lunatics. >> maybe so. but it occurred to me the soldiers are paid to fight. rebels aren't. >> what does that tell you? >> they can win.

>> general, michael notes the soldiers are paid to fight t rebels aren't. what's the meaning, they could win. relevance? >> first of all, i love that movie and thank you for playing it. secondly it's one that we play often in the military. it has to do with the will to fight. you know what is the thing that gives soldiers the desire to take up arms and perhaps die for their country. what we're talking about now is not a group of cuban castro supporters in the 50s, which was a corrupt government and a huge disparity between the rich and the poor there. but what we're talking about is fanaticism not only are they fighting for a cause but to kill other people as many other people as possible. the attack yesterday, yes, was typically a tactical approach we've seen terrorists use in the past where they were attempting to breach a gate using people wearing suicide vests and then push additional soldiers through. but i think what's interesting

is as admiral kirby said yesterday, the iraqi soldiers fought back. they are beginning to have a better trust in their government and a better trust in their leaders, something they lost over several years between 2011 and 2014. >> right. and that's the intangible because that fanaticism that you reference gives isis and splinter groups patience. so the real intangible is when the united states is finally gone what will be the will to fight of the iraqis left behind? you're saying that there are positive signs in that regard. >> i think there are. you know you go back to an old dead german theorist and he says you need three things to be successful in a conflict. a very good army, the will of the people to support it and a solid government. over the last several years iraq has not had three of the three. they are beginning to raise up each one of those in different approaches but i think that is

what is needed in any territory where insurgents and terrorists atem to take over. we see that throughout the arab world now where there is poor government and bad armies. >> one more question with regard to the attack on al assad. does this make their argument a stronger argument for a ground battle maybe we should be opening up the gates and turning loose the u.s. marines instead of only air power. >> i don't think so. i spent three years of my life in iraq and what is interesting is the iraqis have to want it more than we do. for the several years i fought there and others fought there we always found ourselves in the lead of wanting and desiring reform more than the iraqis watching us do it. it's now time for them to step up and that's the important thing, that if you're going to fight for your country you need to fight for your country, not let other people do it for you. >> the final question general, this week the president sought war authorization from the congress to combat isis.

some say he was too restrictive in his request, some say too expansive. what did you make of it? >> i made of it that the president is tossing it to congress because he is doing something right now and he's being sniped from both sides. so as that sniping is going on over things like a silly phrases like mission creep or boots on the ground he's allowed congress, which makes the laws to decide what the law should be in this case. and what they will support and at the same time he's taken executive action. so i believe it was a very smart move to word the document to give as much flexibility as it did to the forces while he's allowing congress to make the decisions on what they will support. it goes back to the thing you have to have a strong government in support of war when you go to war. >> thank you as always for your analysis. >> thank you, michael. >> we have much more to come with terrific guests. after a break, it sure looks like mike huckabee is running

for president again. he has spoken in a very unplugged fashion lately. i'll speak to him next. was kayla mueller's death preventible. and the fbi director's remarks about police and race relations, one retired new york city detective calls the comments both arrogant and insulting. he joins me ahead and joe klein will be here in defense of brian williams. [announcer:] what if one stalk of broccoli could protect you from cancer? what if one push up could prevent heart disease? [man grunts] one

wishful thinking, right? but there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease- pneumococcal pneumonia. one dose of the prevnar 13® vaccine can help protect you ... from pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain difficulty breathing and may even put you in the hospital. prevnar 13 ® is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. you should not receive prevnar 13 ® if you've had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients if you have a weakened immune system, you may have a lower response to the vaccine. common side effects were pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site. limited arm movement, fatigue, head ache muscle or joint pain less appetite, chills, or rash. even if you've already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, prevnar 13® may help provide additional protection. get this one done. ask your healthcare professional about prevnar 13® today.

tripadvisor not only has millions of real traveler's reviews and opinions but checks hundreds of websites, so people can get the best hotel prices. to plan, compare & book the perfect trip visit tripadvisor.com today.

welcome back. republican mike huckabee hasn't officially announced but seems clear he intends to run for president. he made some stunning comments recently that raised eyebrows tak tangled with beyonce and comment about same-sex marriage

and in his book bend over and take it like a prisoner. huckabee has never shied from controversy. >> joining me is former governor mike huckabee. governor thanks for being here. >> delighted. thank you. >> you're off to israel. will you see prime minister benjamin netanyahu. >> that's the intention. i was there three times last year. it's typical that i will visit with him. i have known him a long time. we're friends and i have known him in and out of government. he is a remarkable person and i think of him as sort of a church hill among chamberlains to be honest honest. he is a great leader and very thoughtful insightful leader. >> to the extent he will say governor i know there is this debate in the united states. should i keep my date with congress? you would say what? >> i would say go ahead and do it. congress has every right to invite whoever they wish. and they have invited him to come and speak. i think his message is an important message. he will give an update where

things stand with iran. i don't think there is anybody closer to that than he is. i understand it's a little awkward because of the white house's resistance to his coming to congress. i think the white house has acted with put you lens in this and i believe what they should have done said this is wonderful. we're glad he is come let us make accommodation. this is what statesmanship ought to look like. >> doesn't it countermand the role of the commander in chief. those who extended talk about what it means to be a great american and thump their chest but in this case it seems like they are casting their lot not with the president of the united states but the prime minister of israel. >> well even if that were the case and i don't know that it is i would think that they truly want to know what is the situation with iran because we have taken a different tact. one that democrats are uncomfortable with. i think that's note worthy. this is not something that is monolithic among the democrats, certainly in the congress. some of the most outspoken

critics of our policy are democrats. >> too many evaluate the dynamics with regard to whether they are for or against obama. if he is for it i'm against it. if he's against it i'm for it. what i've said governor the people need to evaluate the principle of it. i remember whenp eric cantor reportedly bet prime minister netanyahu and assured him we the republicans we've got your back. and i was unsettled by that because to me that was saying we've got your back to the detriment of our own commander in chief. >> i would say that to have israel's back is to have the u.s.'s back in this regard. everyone who targets israel targets the u.s. there is no enemy of israel who is nos not an enemy of the united states. it's the closest thing we have of a mirror image and that's why i've said we're not just organizationally related. we are organically related. >> are you telling him to keep the date. one other question on israel. you are known as a man of deep faith. does your religious conviction dictate your foreign policy

view. some in the community believe they have got to be supporttive of israel because the second coming occurs only to the extent that the jews are in control of the holy land. are you in that camp? >> i think that the reason we're supportive of israel is not theological. there may be reasons but the reason is because what i said. it is a strategic and a tactical alliance we can't afford to do without especially in light of the ra pity iran is developing nuclear arms. if iran gets nuclear devices they are using it solely for defensive purposes and if they were to use it offensively against israel that they would stop and say we're done. >> domestic politics. an interesting week in alabama. you know a federal judge on thursday said that those probate courts need to be issuing same-sex couples marriage licenses. are we in the 11th hour of this fight? is it just about over now? >> it's like asking me are we in

the 11th hour of the discussion over sanctity of life. 1973 the supreme court and that was a supreme court, not a simple one federal judge in a district somewhere. the supreme court supposedly settled the issue of sanctity of life and abortion. here we are 42 years later still debating it. >> jeb bush, too moderate to win the nomination? >> no. jeb bush is a good man, good friend you know i hope he steps aside, lets me become the nominee but i doubt. >> mike huckabee insufficiently funded to win the nomination. >> we'll find out pretty soon. i think it will surprise some. >> is part of the reason you're going to israel is court sheldon adelson? >> no because he will be in las vegas if i'm going to court him i'll go the wrong direction. >> i'm not going to ask you to do this. were you to produce your iphone and i look at your song selection am i finding beyonce? >> you actually are. >> what is your beef with her? >> not everything she does. i said in my book that i admire

her talent. some of the lyrics she portrayed, those on television were not exactly appropriate and suitable to say this is a great role model for young girls, so look i'm not the prude some people perhaps might think i am. >> on that score, bend over and take it like a prisoner. >> yeah. >> come on. a sexual connotation. >> not at all. you know if you read the chapter -- it has to do the with the intake. as a governor i went to every prison. have i been there when the prisoners are brought in and go through the initial in take. and what i'm describing as the process of getting on an airplane as a completely innocent person with no probable cause, no criminal background, is akin to the intake of an inmate into a prison system. therefore it has nothing to do with a sexual connotation. i think if people read that chapter they aren't going to come away with that. >> one other aspect. you write a great deal in god guns grits and gravy.

made for a bumper sticker. slap it on the back of a car. about the cultural divide in the country. i looked at data. i want you to know where i get my material. they analyzed those that have a whole foods and those counties that had a cracker barrel. by the way, i'm partial to both though i can ill afford whole foods. bill clinton won and 40% of cracker barrel. a difference of 21 points. obama in 2012 77% of whole foods, 29% of cracker barrel. the 21% difference had grown to 48%. i see great significance in that because i think it evidences the divide in the country. my question is how do we bring it together? >> we've got to focus on the solutions to make america great. we have spent so much time on the polarization the cultural the political polarization the rashlg polarization. what we ought to talk about how

do we do something that gets the 90% of americans whose income has been stagnant for 40 years, where they can start realizing the american dream. something they haven't done. that unifies the country. >> how about minimum wage? >> why don't we talk about maximum wage. >> community college for free. >> why free? why should it be free? why shouldn't we have an this vestment. it ought to be affordable accessible. if it's free people don't take it seriously. >> i was surprised to learn that scott walker lacks a college degree. he went to marquette for three or so of the four years. should an individual who lacks a college degree be seriously considered for president of the united states? >> he certainly is seriously considered and i think that's something voters decide. but there's nothing in the constitution that says in order to be a candidate for president you got to have a college degree. you got to be 35 have to be a natural citizen of the united states never says what level of education one must attain. >> safe travels to israel.

thank you so much. >> great to be here. >> still ahead, kayla mueller's family says she was called to help suffering people. but did she underestimate the dangers she faced in syria? i'll talk to a journalist who met mueller before she was captured by isis. up next james comey made comments this week about police departments and race relations in this country. you can imagine not everyone is pleased with what he had to say. a retired nypd detective finds the comments not only insulting but racist. we'll find out why after the break.

a candid admission from the director of the fbi on race. at an address this week james comey says it's clear that racial bias exists in law enforcement, during his 22 minute speech he referenced a song from the hit show avenue cue called everyone's a little bit racist. the remarks were comey's first since the deaths of michael brown and eric garner. >> police officers on patrol in our nation's cities often work in environments where a hugely disproportionate percentage of street crime is committed by young men of color, something happens to people of good will working in that environment, after years of police work officers often can't help but be influenced by the cynicism they

feel. a mental shortcut becomes almost irresistible and maybe rational by some. the two young black men on one side of the street look like so many others that officer has locked up. two white men on the other side of the street even in the same clothes do not. >> comey's address sparked a debate about policing and race relations in america. joining me is mark lamont hill and retired detective harry hal. interesting to me neither of you liked what you heard from fbi director comey. harry, first to you. you don't accept that the behavior he described takes place. >> right. exactly. of course maybe a couple officers you know, think that. but i worked entirely up in harlem for several years on patrol when it was really really bad up there. i never looked at all black people as you know that i'm a racist or that they were all criminals. how he makes a blanket statement like this i have no clue where

this came from. here's a guy who never probably worked a day in the street in his life. he has been an attorney his whole life. a great career as a u.s. attorney and you know in the statement that everybody's a little bit racist then he has to call himself a racist. why is he running the fbi. >> what i think i heard him say, there are disproportionate figures that pertain to the minority community when it comes to crime and that law enforcement is taking that into account as they approach different scenarios. so they are looking to one side of the street more than another side. you believe this does occur, but you think it's preventible and he should have addressed that. >> he said that everyone has biases and people need to deal with those. biases are unavoidable but a lot police are is something that can be done. i disagree i can't speak to you on individual experience as a police officer. i have never been a police officer but there is large scale data that shows across the country and across the world there are race base differences in how people police.

a study out of stanford that says that white officers tend to see black suspects as older and more guilty than they are. so that's why a 14-year-old gets called a 21-year-old man. it is how we see black people. i think that needs to be fixed. >> can it be fixed? >> i think so. a few things we can do. do better training and professional development for police officers. we can have better dying gnostics when we decide who is going to become a police officer. i think all three of those things -- >> on that you agree with. >> i believe police officers come to a scene and leave and that's a problem. people don't get to know the police officer. p you know we need to go back to the street cop, the cop who walks the beat and gets to know the people. i did it as a cop in new jersey for two years. entirely black neighborhood. i got to know everybody. you know when they would call 911 they would ask for me. that's what we need to do. you have officers coming in making an arrest and leaving, there is no relationship at all between the police officers and the community.

and i think we need to get back to that. >> i don't think it changes until we get to the factors underlying crime. on that we agree. >> there are underlying factors. i don't think on what they might be. >> you talked about promise keepers. >> that's the problem. right. >> you talk about obama's initiatives. if we produce kids are violent resis dent we can fix this. that puts the burdens on the victims and suggesting that you can behave your way out of racist policing. and you can't. i've been mistreated by police and i'm pretty well behaved. >> most of the time. >> problems we have is especially in the ferguson and garner case the garner case we have people like al sharpton who come into a neighborhood and turn something into a racial issue that's not. i mean -- no, it was not. it was not. that officer acted properly.

all right. the feds even came in there is going to be no civil rights action against that police officer. i mean come on. >> was race a factor in the garner case? >> no, it was not. mr. garner decided he was no longer going to be arrested by the police. for committing crimes. what he did was he got himself into the point where he had to resist arrest and died a as a result of that. >> harry doesn't believe that director comey should have referenced the garner case the mike brown case in the same breath as the slaying of the two new york police officers recently. >> i think you absolutely have to. they are all part of the same equation part of the same moment. part of why there was so much tension in the air was as a response to what happened in ferguson and what happened with eric garner. all their lives matter all of their bodies matter, the reason black lives matter articulated so strongly is because of what we've seen with law enforcement. i think we have to put them --

>> we see law enforcement acting properly. >> i think if you from the premise -- >> don't the facts matter? >> of course they do. >> if the facts really matter and you say -- and the facts matter in these two cases where the officers acted completely properly -- >> but that remains to be seen. when you -- first the fact you had a grand jury which -- grand jury which functioned like a trial, we talk about ferguson than a normal grand jury that's not a traditional grand jury. >> right. well i don't know how they do things in ferguson. >> the laws are different in every state. >> in nearly no state does the police officer act and defend himself and jump on the stand in a grand jury. >> but he can do that. >> i'm not saying he can't. >> that is one of his rights though. you say should that officer be denied that right? >> we're saying that there might be a difference set of circumstances that occurred there than normally.

when mike brown's body is on the ground for 4 1/2 hours. each the chief apologized. >> that's not. it happens in new york all the time. eve been at scenes the body stays for hours. >> without a body cover? >> the body's covered and then the person's pronounced dead yes. >> unusual circumstances in these cases that prompted our attention. >> to you maybe but to the normal police officer who works in the streets of big city where you've got so much crime going on you can't get crime scene to respond for like eight hour you can't get the ems will respond to declare somebody dead. if a police officer is involved in a shooting and the guy's dead they still handcuff him. that's procedures. cover the body. the body might be throughout for hours. >> gentlemen, i feel like michael buffer, you get the final word. unfortunately i'm going to have to call time. go ahead. >> i think that this conversation is exactly the problem. we come in with the attitude we're right and the people who disagree are wrong, the

community is wrong we're going to continue to have these types of antagonisms, we need a different conversation. we can't use -- >> i credit comey for beginning this conversation. i like having the dialogue. i would rather have it here than to have it in bar rooms because i happen to think it's healthy. thank you both. >> so are bar rooms. >> i'm all for that. after this. thank you both. coming up, kayla mueller's death is a sobering reminder that many aid workers face overseas. i'll talk to a woman who met kayla before she entered syria. her impressions of kayla and why she thinks she may have been too inexperienced for the job. i'm looking forward to. for some every dollar is earned with sweat, sacrifice, courage. which is why usaa is honored to help our members with everything from investing for

retirement to saving for college. our commitment to current and former military members and their families is without equal. start investing with as little as fifty dollars.

the exhausttive daring efforts to rescue aid worker kayla mueller from isis. president obama said enormous resources were used to try to rescue the 26-year-old. efforts that ultimately failed. someone who met kayla mueller on the turkish-syrian border before she entered syria is a middle east editor for "newsweek" and joins me from pair race. kayla had a heart of gold. as the outcome tells us you can't just get on a plane and go render assistance. >> absolutely. i'm speaking from someone that's

worked in war zones more than 20 years. while i think everything she did was well meaning and that her heart was huge and what she was doing was extremely admirable, you can't just turn up in a war zone without having certain qualifications without having some experience under your belt without having in my case i strongly believe that young journalists and humanitarian workers should have war insurance, should have the proper equipment, kevlar flak jackets, helmets, emergency first aid training. she was very young, very innocent very well intentioned. but syria is not the place for young journalists and young freelance humanitarian workers which is what she was, to go and try to cut their teeth. it simply is too brutal a war and i have gone through many wars. it's one of the worst. >> what is it about your exchange with her in 2013 on the syrian border before she entered

syria, that caused such concern in your mind for her? what specifically was the exchange or what was the experience that took place? >> i was working on a very long project on rape inside of syria on both sides of the conflict from both the regime side and the opposition side. i've been working on this for some time with a photographer and we had spent a lot of time on the ground there. the syrian conflict is extremely complex, the political situation, the various factions fighting. at that time we were seeing the emergence of nusra and other armed opposition groups. it was very dangerous. our friends were getting kidnapped, held hostage. she arrived at a place where i was interviewing women, victims who had been sexually abused in more or less a kind of a safe house and she was brought along with a mutual friend a syrian

activist a well respected syrian activist. and i thought that she was incredibly spirited and bright and well-meaning. but that she didn't really know or understand what syria was, what the war was, the background of it putting it into context with the rest of the middle east which is of course extremely important. putting it into context with past conflicts in the region with the iraq war, with the borders, the fluid borders, with the rise of the armed factions. so i have to say and i'm being very honest here i walked away from that concerned. very concerned. and i was shocked and horrified and saddened when i learned that she had been taken after that but i have to say it wasn't -- it wasn't -- it just seemed she

was someone that maybe shouldn't have been there. and i say that with all great diplomacy and respect to her family because i can't imagine the pain that they are suffering and but i think that what i'm trying to avoid with other journalists, is trying to set standards of safety practices. so that there's not a rush to the border of people who want to be humanitarian workers who want to save the world without actually knowing the dangers involved. >> we have just 30 seconds left. i want to ask you, do you worry that other young humanitarian workers following the story and despite its outcome will seek to follow in her steps without the street smarts and experience? >> absolutely. that's why i'm talking to you. i think that when humanitarian workers work for the u.n. or doctors without borders or any organization they get proper training they are not sent there completely in the dark. what i'm afraid of is young

journalists seeing this and thinking it's glamorous or people who want to be humanitarian workers. it's just not the war to start in. >> thank you so much. we appreciate your being here. coming up the brian williams saga deepens. new questionable statements surface and new stories in focus as nbc says its investigation is far from over. twill long time news man get the official ax? let's take a look at your credit. >>i know i have a 786 fico score, thanks to all the tools and help on experian.com. so how are we going to sweeten this deal? floor mats... clear coats... >>you're getting warmer... leather seats... >>and this... my wife bought me that. get your credit swagger on. become a member of experian credit tracker and find out your fico score powered by experian. fico scores are used in 90% of credit decisions. the real question that needs to be asked is "what is it that we can do that is impactful?"

what the cloud enables is computing to empower cancer researchers. it used to take two weeks to sequence and analyze a genome; with the microsoft cloud we can analyze 100 per day. whatever i can do to help compute a cure for cancer, that's what i'd like to do. listen up... i'm reworking the menu. veggies you're cool... mayo, corn dogs...you are so out of here! ahh... the complete balanced nutrition of great tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals. 9 grams of protein... with 30% less sugars than before. ensure, your #1 dr. recommended brand now introduces ensure active. muscle health. clear protein drink and high protein. targeted nutrition to feed your active life. ensure. take life in. there's nothing more romantic than a spontaneous moment.

so why pause to take a pill? and why stop what you're doing to find a bathroom? with cialis for daily use, you don't have to plan around either. it's the only daily tablet approved to treat erectile dysfunction so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. plus cialis treats the frustrating urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision or any symptoms of an allergic reaction stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. why pause the moment? ask your doctor about cialis for daily use. for a free 30-tablet trial go to cialis.com

don't just visit new york. visit tripadvisor new york. tripadvisor not only has millions of real traveler's reviews and opinions, but checks hundreds of websites, so people can get the best hotel prices. to plan, compare & book the perfect trip, visit tripadvisor.com today.

nowhere near done. the words from nbc on the network's internal investigation into brian williams' statements on a range of issues, and now there are still more red flags record are regarding stories about the iraq war. perhaps most controversial right now, williams claims about his purportedly tight relationship with the highly secretive mean of seal seal team 6. in an interview williams talked about receiving a gift from one of the seals after a raid on bin laden's com pound. >> i got a white envelope and in it was a thank you note unsigned and attached to it was a piece of the fuselage the fuselage from the blown up blackhawk in that court yard. i don't know how many pieces survived. >> wow. sent to you by one of the -- >> one of my friends.

>> but his friendship is being questioned by members of the special operations community and could be one of the things internal nbc investigation is focusing on. williams certainly has his fair share of critics but some are thinking the long time news man deserves a break. >> joining me is "time" magazine columnist and author this is joe klein. thanks for being here. when the williams story first broke you wrote for "time" the following words. in the end, i find the phenomena of the circus to be over route and unnecessarily brutal. do you still feel that way? there are additional revelations since those words. >> i have been writing about this for 30 35 years now. we have become very adept at witch hunts. and driving people out of politics and now driving people out of journalism. and i think that you know in brian's case there may be a

pattern here which would make it impossible for him to continue as an anchor. but there is a blood lust that happens any time one of these things comes up. with a politician or with a journalist. >> so what now determines his fate? is it assessment of credibility, is it to see what happens to the ratings, in the ensuing weeks and months or you think his fate has been determined and we don't know it? >> well it may already have been determined. it's going to be tougher for him to come back i suspect, the only way to get through it is to put your head down and work. and they essentially deprived brian williams of the possibility of doing that for the next six months. >> here's something else i don't get. you also wrote for "time" and the judgments you refer to the judgments about whether williams should be fired coming from pundits who have never seen the inside of a chinook helicopter. you said that is self righteous and gagging. brian williams has seen the

inside multiple times. what i don't understand the need for embellishment where the underlying story had merit. >> first of all he reported the real story when it happened. it's only afterwards in his own mind that he began to exaggerate it. you know i know from my own experiences in war zones, that there are weird things that happen and you tend to embellish them over the years. but it's a natural tendency especially among ego deprived people like brian williams and me and anybody else who sticks their face on the camera. you know there's a tendency to self aggrandize. he made a bad mistake. >> jon stewart announced this week that he will be leaving his current role. i was wondering as i saw the stories wondering if brian williams pursuit of acceptance by entertainment journalists like jon stewart, like david

letterman set him up for fall insofar as to go on the shows with regularity you've got to be prepared to bring it to have a good story, to be entertaining. do you see it that way? >> no. i really don't, michael. what i see is that brian williams you know i have known the guy for like 20 25 years, used to be on local tv with him here in new york. and he is naturally funny dude. he is a very funny guy. and i think that that's why he drifted in that direction. you know i also think that -- and it's interesting is that jon stewart is a very serious guy who is doing humor on tv. >> with regard to brian williams is there any culpability on the part of nbc? i ask that because as stories come out it seems like there was knowledge of different embellishments in the past. shouldn't someone have been tallying them and reining him in from the employer's standpoint?

>> if those stories existed. there are all kinds of allegations. but certainly none of us not even brian williams is bigger than the job that he holds. he has bosses or should have bosses and should have editors, thank god i have editors. and you know that's their job. but there's just too much fun involved in these things. and they are tragedies. there are a lot of people who love to take the pot shots, who love to condemn people for lying or this or that or the other thing, and i think that in the course of that we have to be careful not to lose some of our most important journalistic and political assets because no one's perfect. and in fact i would prefer to vote for someone who had been caught messing around you know

who had a drinking problem, who maybe lied a lot, i think that we really have to celebrate our flaws as well as our strengths and recognize them. zbll two reactions to that. one, social media social media makes easier the bad behavior you've just referenced because you can sit back say something nasty and touch the send key. on the bright side we have that characteristic of hoping to see someone fall and it's terrible but we like to see them get back up. that's the american way. so maybe there's a tomorrow for him. >> i certainly hope so. because, you know, he spent a lifetime doing, i believe, really excellent journalism and taking risks with his life. taking risk with his life. that's why i don't like the people who just sit back and stroke their chins and say, well, you know we have a moral problem here when they've never been out there risking it all for the story. >> joe klein, thank you as

always. >> my best. >> coming up the clock is ticking in eastern ukraine on a cease-fire between pro-russian separatists and ukrainian government forces. it marks a major turnaround for russian president vladimir putin who's all denied any involvement in the conflict and he's certainly never one to back down. so, what's behind the change? the world is filled with air. but for people with copd sometimes breathing air can be difficult. if you have copd, ask your doctor about once-daily anoro ellipta. it helps people with copd breathe better for a full 24hours. anoro ellipta is the first fda-approved product containing two long-acting bronchodilators in one inhaler. anoro is not for asthma. anoro contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. anoro won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms

and should not be used more than once a day. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition, or high blood pressure. tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, prostate or bladder problems, or problems passing urine as anoro may make these problems worse. call your doctor right away if you have worsened breathing chest pain, swelling of your mouth or tongue, problems urinating or eye problems including vision changes or eye pain while taking anoro. nothing can reverse copd. the world is filled with air and anoro is helping people with copd breath air better. get your first prescription free at anoro.com.

. breaking news. one of the world's bloodiest wars could end today. i refer, of course to the declaration of a cease-fire in ukraine where russian separatists have been fighting to grab back part of ukraine. for months vladimir putin has ignored the world's pleas to leave ukraine alone but his week he agreed it should stop. there has been fighting in the final hour leading up to the deadline. in the last 24 hours search ukrainian soldiers have been killed and dozens more wounded. nick peyton walsh joining us from ukraine with the latest. did vladimir putin capitulate and if so, why? >> we're not seeing any real sign of either side capitulating at this stage. we have as you pointed out, two sides, separatists trying to take part of ukraine and return it to mother russia and declare their self-republic here.

as the hours go towards midnight things are looking precarious. the separatists say they will cease-fire at that time as under the agreement but there are two confusing elements here. there's a report a statement from the russian foreign ministry they believe some of the western sigmatry to the mince minsk deal are beginning to change the grounds it is written upon. suggestions it may be falling apart fractionally and the status of the key town everyone is fighting over here to the northeast of where i'm standing the belt se va thousands of troops in it that separatists say are surrounded. it's clear in the eyes of some that territory those should give up and surrender to them. that's where many are concerned the fighting could escalate and another risk the civilian shelling that's been landing in the city behind me and on the ukrainian government controlled side as well for the past months.

factors cause people to be so full of loathing for the other side that the idea of now as many spritz separatists putting their arms down and giving up the fight is a long stretch. it could be a messy night. >> why so much fighting in the build up to the cease-fire? is it driven by the hatred you referenced or a geographical play for more turf? >> well what often happens when you have negotiations going on both sides try to improve their position on the battlefield when the talks happen and when a cease-fire is signed, particularly a cease-fire of this nature which some say remarkably allowed a good 48 hours left of fighting with heavy weapons before the guns were supposed to fall silent people would use that period of time in order to grab the land that they want and set boundary boundaries they may have to live with for months if not years, they would find most preferable. that's the fear and the technicality in the agreement knocking the cease-fire back 48 hours from when the deal was signed that has led to the

escalation here and potentially a level of violence which may be hard to switch off when the clock turns midnight mikechaelmichael. >> from ukraine, nick patton walsh. for some every dollar is earned with sweat, sacrifice, courage. which is why usaa is honored to help our members with everything from investing for retirement to saving for college. our commitment to current and former military members and their families is without equal. start investing with as little as fifty dollars. toenail fungus? don't hide it... tackle it with new fda-approved jublia! jublia is a prescription medicine proven to treat toenail fungus. use jublia as instructed by your doctor. once applied jublia gets to the site of infection by going under, around and through the nail. most common side effects include ingrown toenail,

application-site redness itching, swelling, burning or stinging, blisters, and pain. tackle it! ask your doctor now if new jublia is right for you.

. thank you so much for joining me. don't forget follow me on twitter if you can spell smerconish smerconish. see you next week. a fragile cease-fire in ukraine could fall apart before it even starts.

it's expected to go into effect in just hours, but there is already shelling on the ground right now. >> u.s. helicopters deployed in the battle of isis near an air base in iraq housing u.s. troops and an iraqi leader op the ground is warning isis is gaining. we have all the new details. and a monster storm is about to hit all of you in the northeast, i'm sorry to say. it could impact more than 60 million of you this morning. the region is under a blizzard warning. we'll tell you exactly what to expect. want to wish you a good saturday happy valentine's day and thank you for starting with us. i'm christi paul. >> i'm martin savidge in for victor blackwell. it is 10:00 on the east coast, 7:00 on