>> who wants to pool together and get $16,000? it would be a great christmas present for me. i'm not saying -- >> we're out of show. >> see you tomorrow, everybody. here we go for a meeting that might decide the nation's course for the next two years. mitch mcconnell meets face to face with the president. will the parties be able to agree on anything? martha: there is always hope. good morning, everybody. i'm martha maccallum. this meeting comes while congress is at a major prols roads. will law makers avoid a shutdown. republicans prepared to go all the way to stop the president's action on immigration. senator mcconnell says in his

opinion, something has to be done. >> we ought to bust it up. pass as much as we can starting with the border securities which is a way of reassuring the american people that we are not going to have another calamity like we have had. bill: sir, good morning to you. what's the expectation for this meeting? >> city would say low. if the president cared about the opinion of house and senate republican leadership on immigration would have worked a deal with them. he wouldn't have gone the executive amnesty the route. this is a pro forma meeting that has to take place. the two sides have to meet. but its hard to think anything subject and tough will come out of -- it's hard to see you anything substantive will come

out of it. bill: you make the point they have a lot in common on this already. >> republican donors are in favor of increased immigration. they think it helps their businesses and it's good for the economy, their second effort to economy anyway. so they put a lot of pressure on leaders to support immigration levels. they are pro immigration. so they have a common baseline. the president thinks it's good for his party. but they have a lot of common ground. the problem is to get to a solution you need to negotiate which is time consuming and difficult. you have to compromise in order to negotiate. the president wasn't interested in any of that so he went around the constitution with scene executive order. that completely derailed the process.

irony is they weren't that far apart. bill: now you have the irony of the relationship between the president and mitch mcconnell. you remember this from 2013. >> some folks still don't think i spend enough time with congress. why don't you get a drink with mitch mcconnell, they ask. really? why don't you get a drink with mitch mcconnell. bill: there is your baseline, happy hour. >> there will be no bourbon summit between the two, probably not. that was a truth wrapped in a joke. i think the president fees that way and republican leadership on the hill feels they have been lied to by the president and details of their previous meetings have been leaked and they feel burned by them.

i think the white house feels the opposition to the president's policies are based in bigotry. they are not reasonable adults and cannot be and should not be negotiated with. bill: thank you, sir, from washington, leading our coverage. martha: the man who will replace chuck hagel has reportedly been selected. an ex-pentagon official ashton carter is the leading in the contender for this job. leland vittert is live at the white house with this. what are you hearing so far? >> reporter: so far things are quite. nothing on the schedule today. they are trying to walk that fine line between saying nice things about ash carter and laying the ground work for the nomination without actually doing it. in large part trying to take the

temperature of the capitol hill folks and the media as well. this is josh earnest yesterday after reports leaked that the president settled on ash carter. >> he deserves and has demonstrated strong bipartisan support for his previous service in government. he's somebody who does have detailed understanding the way the department of defense works. >> reporter: senators are lining unbehind hip. senator inhofe of oklahoma says he supports them before it's even been made official. martha: there were some names floated for this that pulled themselves out of the running immediately and didn't want the job. >> reporter: this is a job that was seen as a no-win in washington.

nobody really wanted it considering the contentious relationship between the pentagon and the white house. carter had been a deputy or at the pentagon for the past coup years. left in -- in the past couple years, wasn't considered a notable candidate for the top job. senator jack reid, jeh johnson the homeland security secretary took their names out immediately and that's how we got to where we are. bill: carter has extensive experience with hopeland the security. he worked as a pentagon weapons and buying technology chief. he has been award the department of defense distinguished service medal. he led the proper for these

up-armored humvees and armor in iraq that saved the lives of so many soldiers. martha: one of the biggest challenges for the next defense secretary will be to amend the relationship between the pentagon and the white house. perhaps he will be the man to do it. we'll see. our nation's debt set another unwelcome record. passed $18 trillion. that is up 70% since the obama administration took office. 70% in this presidential administration. stuart varney joins me now. that's an astonishing percent and. >> reporter: we are moving towards the train wreck and the train is picking up speed.

$10.6 trillion when the president walked into the white house. going close to 20 trillion by the type the president leaves office. we are now spending as of this year, $430 billion in interest on that debt. $9 billion a week,' of that going overseas. i think we are moving towards a debt crisis just like europe. don't know when it's going to hit. but we are moving faster and faster in that direction. martha: periodically there are serious discussions about cutting the debt. but then you hear about new programs popping in all the time. the retraining of police. there is never any discussion about what might be bumped off the budget to make room for that thing. it's absolutely mind blowing. it's not how most people can run their business. >> reporter: the gore rilla in

the patch is medicare and social security. that's what's driving us towards this train wreck. there is never or very rarely is there talk of seriously cutting spending and getting it under control. there is always talk about new programs to boost the economy. the president's program is to spend a lot of money, tax the rich and ignore the debt. unfortunately the debt is so strong, so high that it's catching up to us. when the election comes round in 2016, we are nearly $20 trillion in debt, it will become a political issue of major portions. martha: stuart, thank you very much. bill: a soap opera producer just became the u.s. ambassador to the country of hungary. she is a huge obama donor.

the white house having a tough time explaining why she is the best onene for the job. she does not have the confidence of senator john mccain as evidenced here. >> i'm not against political appointees. but here we are, a nation on the verge of ceding its sovereignty to a neofascist dictator and we are sending the producer of the "the bold and the beautiful." i urn the conscious to put an to end this foolishness. bill: also an am balances doer to argentina who cannot speak spanish. martha: you have to bring in the interpreter to speak spanish. coming up, a new threat to

airliners. that was just a test. the faa wants to make some changes after seeing those results. the everyday average thing your bag that cause that explosion. >> these two school busses colliding and now the communities look for answers as to how this happened. >> reporter: homeland security secretary jeh johnson getting grilled on barack obama's change change in tone on immigration. we'll talk to trey gowdy and see what set him november this heated exchange. >> not a single republican who is here now ever served under a republican president. not one. i hope i live long enough to hold a republican standard to the same standard this one.

martha: three people lost their lives, including two children after a pair of school busses collide. this happened jed afternoon in knoxville, tennessee. one of those busses knocked over on its side. people stopped their cars running towards the scene of the accident trying to help. >> it's a huge effort and we are appreciative of everyone effort on this. we ask the community to pray

for^. martha: police say the little children killed in that crash were third grade and below. the crash leaves dozen of people injured. investigators are trying to figure out what caused this. >> the president said over 20 times that he did not have the legal authority to do this, to take this executive action and this is not how democracy works. do you agree with that prior statement? >> i looked at various excerpts of remarks about it president concerning his legal authority to act. i do not believe what we have done is inconsistent with that.

bill: jeh johnson being grilled over the president's action on immigration. jeh johnson helped the president draft that order. just want to know how do you read the law on whether he had the legal authority? >> well, you know, i asked jeh johnson several nos sea go whether there were limits to prosecutorial discretion and he confessed there are because he's also a former prosecutor and he knows there are limits to prosecutorial discretion but there are no limits in what you can do in the realm of politics, apparently. that's what's so cynical. you have a conservative lawyer who goes ahead and does it anyway because he's not going to

on the ballot again. it's dangerous to any country ground in the law. bill: it appears he went a certain lengths on his executive order and refrains from doing other things to keep kit within the bounds of the law. that's what the white house would argue. is the white house right or not? >> they are not right. senator obama and candidate obama was right and president obama is wrong. all prosecutors exercise discretion on a case-by-case basis. but to announce ahead of type we are not going to prosecute certain levels of crime. now you are arguing the president can suspend all civil remedies and added to that are you arguing not only can we not impose sinces on you, we can

confer benefits on you and and we can pardon you if you do commit krieps. why do you need a congress or supreme court. just have a president. bill: what are republicans prepared to do on this? >> that as great question. the house is debating how to respond to it. what the president wants to us do is overrespond so our public approval ratings are as low as his. my personal preference is for the senate to use advise and consents. you just spoke of ambassadors who can't find the country they are going to on the globe. john mccain said you want to act like an emperor and confer on advise and consent. bill: you would go after the nominations and the funding? >> i would do both.

the funding gets into a shutdown debate by we historically have never won. i think most our certain seasons want legitimate serious ambassadors going to foreign countries. we want good cabinet level officials. bill: what about the piece by piece strategy. border security in one bill, visas for highly skills workers in another. >> we passed four bills and homeland security passed another. i had a bill which provide intern security which is important. i continue to believe that is the right route to go. but bill you followed washington longer than i have. the word comprehensive people are in love with it whether it's dodd-frank. people love big bills. you get the grubers of the world when you get big bills. i would rather go step by step.

if there were a democrat on with me. he would say you have got five bills why don't you put it on the floor for a vote. and that person would be right. why don't we vote on them. bill: gruber will be here 5:00 eastern type. that will be interesting. martha: the coalition against isis holding its first ever meeting. john kerry saying the fight against the terror group could be going on for a very long time. >> reporter: that's the step farther for michael brown in the crowd after the announcement from the grand jury. will he now face charges.

by an american school typier apparently stabbed to death in abu dabi. the suspect is said to be a woman dressed in traditional clothing. she is 37 years old and had 11-year-old twins. the fight broke out in the women's restroom just before she was stwabd a sharp tool. it happened monday. martha: the fight against isis taking center stage as diplomats from around the world gather in brussels.

second john kerry meeting with optered world leaders today. what disjohn kerry have to say about this today? >> reporter: a critical first line he delivered is our efforts are already making a significant impact. that's the rosie assessment he delivered about that war against isis. this cape at a meeting in brussels. probably what is most significant about the group is the number of arabic countries involved. here is what he had to say about the accomplishments of this campaign. >> no large dash unit can move forward aggressively without worrying what will come down on it from the skies. in coming weeks the coalition's train, advise and assist missions will expand.

airstrikes will continue as necessary. >> reporter: he also noted this coalition was assembled in 2 1/2 months. basically washington and a lot of others were caught blindsided by the emergence of isis. martha: what about the challenges that are present in this battle? what do you say about that? >> reporter: he admitted this would be a long slog. he said this campaign could last several years. for those of us on the ground who have seen this battle up close, probably most significant is what he didn't say. he noted there have been 1,000 air strikes by the coalition against isis. but as we have seen the aircraft go up many times and don't hit anything. and oftentimes they in miss the target. it's definitely a work in progress. as we heard from many refugees

driven from their homes in the crucial early days, the iraqi army did nothing more than cut and run. he said that the allies would stay the course da course and pl until the job is done. bill: a serious threat to passenger planes. so that was the test obviously. but a popular battery that can cause explosions and new regulations that now go into effect. martha: the incoming senate majority leader sits down with president obama this morning. what will happen inside those walls? we'll talk about that coming up. >> the president has ignored the will of the american people and has refused to listen. he himself or his decision to

take unilateral action on immigration, action he himself seed exceeded his authority, makes it harder for the american people and our elected representatives to trust his word on any issue.

bill: there is a hearing on defect i tough airbags about to start on the hill. critics argue the airbags could explode on impact and shoot pieces of metal inside the car. it could affect 8 million vehicles with the airbags made by takata. martha: a big meeting at the white house in the afternoon. the incoming senate majority lead letter sit down with portland * to discuss whether the parties can get together to move the country forward. but senator mcconnell says he's confused by the president's

actions since the gop mid-term triumph. >> by any objective standard the president got dplushed this election. so i have been perplexed about it reaction since the election, sort of in your face, dramatic move to the left. i don't know what we can expect in terms of reaching bipartisan agreements. that's the first choice to reach after he agreement if there are any. martha: we have the president of the heritage foundation. what do you expect out of this meeting with mitch mcconnell and the president today? >> unfortunately the president will do a lot of talking but he's not going to listen to mitch mccounselor anyone in congress. he will continue to bully the

republicans until they take a stand. it's time for republicans to stand up for what they say they believe. martha: let me play a bit of sound from john boehner. i want to get your retook what he had to say yesterday. >> this is a serious breach our constitution. a serious threat to our system of government, and frankly we have limited options and limited abilities to deal with it directly. we have not made decisions about how to proceed but we are going proceed. martha: a lot of people read the tea leaves and say our hands are tied. we'll move forward with this immigration deal regardless of the fact we have been yelling and expwreemg ho -- and screamiw

unconstitutional it is. >> the house has all the tools they need to stop this reckless implementation of the amnesty bill and the president is not reforming our immigration system, he's giving legal status and work permits to people who will take american jobs. the congress has the ability to fund all government operations but not to fund the implementation of this amnesty. that is a tool that the house has, and it's a tool they must use in order to stop this president. and i think keep the credibility of the american people who just voted in an election to stop the president. martha: that would be the way you would recommend going, to with hold the funding for homeland security that would allow this bill to move forward, correct? >> that's exactly right. the house doesn't have the ability to stop the president in

the short term other than stop the funding. this is something that goes on all the time. i have seen a number of what they call appropriation bills or omnibus bills that have phrases in them that no funding should be allowed for a particular cause. it's not an unusual move to make at all. until the congress stops rolling over. this isn't the first time he has done this. he is unlawfully appointed people to the labor relations board that the courts have struck down. his communication commission tried to regulate the internet outside the law and that's been struck down. we know whether it's obamacare waivers or a number of other things, the president will continue to go around congress and break the law until the congress takes a stand. >> when you say congress needs to stop rolling off and that -- you are pointing to republicans in the house of representatives, what's the takeaway mess across from the last election?

is it that the american people want to see some things get done and they said in a pretty broadway that they wanted to see things get done. i think that temperature where the effort is centered. mitch mcconnell talks about pulling 10-15 senate democrats who want things to get back to normal and a political center. do you agree that's the way to go or do you disagree with senator mcconnell on that? >> it would be nice to have some bipartisan work that need to be passed in the omnibus spending bill before next week. the expectation of republicans and democrats working together and the president signing a bill for the good of the country. of indication the president has given since the election is he's going to ignore what the people think. we evaluated a lot of the campaigns. a lot of the candidate who won for the senate, most of them

campaign for executive amnesty and against obamacare. the new members of congress need to cop out and carry out what they campaigned on. martha: are the votes will to eliminate the funding for homeland security that would support this and necessary city bill as you call it and fund the government from december 11 on? >> at the very least the house need to send a bill that fund the government but disallows funding for this unlawful amnesty. give the senate a chance to debate and get the democrats on record who said they are against what the president has done and maybe get a bill to the president's desk to see what he would do about it. if he vetoes the funding of the government and shuts the government down or threatens to shut the government down, the republicans will have to huddle again and see what they have to do in the best interest of the country. but it's not a good position for anyone in congress to be in. but the president is going to

break the law on this and many other issues until congress pushes back. martha: we'll see. jim demint, good to see you, sir. bill: could cell phone batteries pose a serious threat to passenger airlines? that would not be good. that, however, is a test. the faa finding lithium-ion batteries can explode especially when pack nadged bulk. currents rules say they shouldn't be bundled together. but loopholes have been found to package them together. martha: california is bracing for a very wet week this week, but the plaids are the only concern. what they are expecting to be a big issue on the west coast.

bill: president obama jumping into the fray in ferguson. why was no one at the ferguson police department at this white house meeting. we'll debate both those points next. >> with mr. obama under heavy fire for grarnght 5 million illegal aliens residency he has to trade softly on any issue regarding the rule of law. i'm not juice or fancy water. i've got 8 grams of protein. new ensure active clear protein. 8 grams protein. zero fat. ensure. take life in. if aunder a microscope, put we can see all the bacteria that still exists. polident's unique micro clean formula works in just 3 minutes, killing 99.99% of odor causing bacteria. for a cleaner, fresher, brighter denture everyday.

they take us to worlds full of heroes and titans. for respawn, building the best interactive entertainment begins with the cloud. this is "titanfall," the first multi-player game built and run on microsoft azure. empowering gamers around the world to interact in ways they never thought possible. this cloud turns data into excitement. this is the microsoft cloud.

i'm keeping my mom healthy! keepers, i'm keeping dad on schedule. i'm keeping my mom happy! comfort keepers in-home professional caregivers can provide meal planning and preparation, health and wellness services and personal care services through custom care plans that can change as needs change, so your aging loved ones can stay happy and healthy in their own home. ♪ martha: police are considering charges against michael brown's stepfather for getting heated the night ferguson grand jury decision came down.

that's rules head and he's seen calling for people to quote burn it down. this was right in the aftermath of that decision. it looks like charges will not been filed. but police are look into insight violence there. bill: the one group missing from the meeting. anyone from the ferg stop police department. >> reporter: there is nothing wrong with having a concerns to discuss what can be done in ferguson. but when people are exclude it leaves a bad taste in people's mouths. bill: i'm look at elected

officials from milwaukee and new york and baltimore, philadelphia, faith leaders, youth leaders. i'm certain they want to do the good thing. if you want to be fair and balanced in this why not involve the people of st. louis * and ferguson, missouri. especially when you are using them as the need for the conference you are having. the president and eric holder decide they would inject themselves prior the grand jury being i am hand in august. by doing so they appeared to take sides. the president did not let the decision play out neither did the attorney general. the subverting the rule of law and giving people a lack of confidence that the system is fair by interject yourself and not giving it ability for local officials to handle a criminal

mall case. bill: the clip we played from human was last night with megyn. josh earnest was asked about this. he said the president was interested in gathering stakeholders from across the country, not just one community. but this was "the" communities. >> i don't agree with wrad that he injected himself in a way to signal ahead of time how this should go. of did not interfere with what the grand jury or the prosecutor did. the outcome is not something you would refer to president obama. i think it would be helpful to meet with all sides and give the sense that it is a basically fair and balanced meeting. >> when you have al sharpton,

the race baiter in chief sitting across from the commander-in-chief. that tells you everything you need to know. al sharp on is a tax cheat and a race baiter. and to give him credibility to sit with the president is an outrage. bill: do you have a problem with that? >> i think the president should be with all people on all sides and al sharpton represents a certain segment of the community. >> it's amazing he even has clearance to begin the side the white house with his reputation. bill: this is one point that ferguson was not at this meeting. the other point that o'reilly makes is the president should not be involved in this at all. bill: talking points believes the president should stay out of the ferguson controversy. he has to uphold the grand jury decision not to indict

mr. wilson. mr. president, please stay out of it. bill: it's clear the president will be involved to a point and we are not sure where that point is. critics would argue this is a white house that reacts to the current news cycle. once that news cycle flips to another story this are throng forgotten. should he stay out or not? >> he should stay out but the horse is out of the barn. the president chose to interject himself in august when he sent the attorney general to only meet with the brown family, not to meet with the police department. it was a local criminal matter. there was no hint or season tilla of evidence to suggest it was a racially-based shooting. after the grand grand jury, it was not a place more the president or the attorney general.

he made matters much worse by his interjection. bill: where are you on that, alan? >> o'reilly praised him for deciding police should have body cams. also people have been asking questions about it. if he ducked them he would be criticized for not answering the questions. he's got to respond. bill: does anything come this? >> hopefully body cams and great awareness in the community and police being on video when they have an encounter with a citizen. >> more division and less trust in the system because the attorney general and the president overstepped their bounds. martha: do you remember this guy in the former head of the gsa? can you imagine having his bathtub picture floating around. he was the poster child of the government abuse of taxpayer

dollars. now there are allegations of your money being spent on a $25,000 christmas party. bill: california getting much-needed rain but now it's too much. now there are worries about mudslide and what comes next. >> get the family out. grab the computer and pictures. this is the equivalent of the sugar in one regular soda. and this is one soda a day over an average adult lifetime. but there's a better choice. drink more brita water. clean, refreshing, brita.

thank you. ordering chinese food is a very predictable experience. i order b14. i get b14. no surprises. buying business internet, on the other hand, can be a roller coaster white knuckle thrill ride. you're promised one speed. but do you consistently get it? you do with comcast business. and often even more. it's reliable. just like kung pao fish. thank you, ping. reliably fast internet starts at $89.95 a month.

comcast business. built for business.

bill: we ask that question, where is my mind. 100 brains have gone missing at

the university of texas. the specimens were on loan from a nearby hospital. one teacher says it's possible student take them home to decorate their living rooms or use them for halloween. who's doing that? one of the brains believed to have belonged to the so-called clock tower sniper charles whitman who killed people at the university in 1966. martha: some people bracing for 6 inches of rain in california. what's the latest on this big storm? >> reporter: we are hoping for another inch of rain in los angeles. more in the mountains. we had downed power lines and trees. a rockslide closed the coast highway. the real concern is immediate

slides and flash flooding. -- mudslide and farb flooding. -- and flash flooding. we had a fire go through here that stripped the hillsides of vegetation. it slides like hot birth on a plate. the key is keeping these debris basins clear and using the sandbags to keep water away from homes. >> they did an assessment and they feel the hill slides are stable enough to lift the evacuations. we always want to err on the side of caution. >> we have the same type of preparations in orange county in the foothill communities. fearing more mudslides today. martha: what does this mean for the drought in california?

>> we are in a three-year drought. we have 55% severe drought. we need 150% of normal rainfall. in los angeles that means 23 inches. the key is snow fact mountains. 75% of california surface water comes from the snow pack in the mountains. that will be the key to fill the rels voars which are only 30% full. talk to me in april and we'll talk about our rainfall and the drought. bill: from soap opera producer to ambassador to hungary. martha: the wife of the leader of isis now being held in custody or not? we'll tell you what we learned about that when we come back.

martha: there is outrage and

confusion over the new u.s. am bass dear to hungary. white house picked an obama donor who is a soap opera producer. the white house has not been able to explain given that fact she is still the person for the job. i'm martha maccallum. bill: i'm bill hemmer. the senate confirmed colleen bell. she helped raise millions for the president's reelection campaign. when asked how that made her qualified, press secretary josh earnest stumbled. >> i'm wondering colleen bell's qualify cases for ambassador? is it she was a soap opera producer and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the obama election campaign? why was she chosen? >> ambassador bell has the president's confidence she'll do an excellent job representing

the united states and maintaining the relationship we have with the country of hungary. >> she couldn't name one major strategic interest the u.s. has with hungary. >> she has had her own private sector career. somebody who has succeeded in the business world, and she is somebody that the president has confidence will be able to maintain our relationship with the government and at people of hungary. >> can you tell me the fact that she raised hundreds of,000 of dollars for the president's campaign had nothing do with it. martha: he just referenced how things went during her hearing

which was not -- it did not go well. would you expect people to be at least briefed on the country they are endeavoring to represent. here is what john mccain said after he spoke to her. >> i'm not against political appointees. i understand how the game is played. but here we are, a nation on the verge of ceding its sovereignty to a neofascist dictator to and getting in bed with a dictator and we are sending the producer of the "the bold and the beautiful." march march this is strategic given the fact that putin is breathing down the necks of this region. >> you don't need 60 any more, you need 50. so she bumped on the way over. but she made it through.

and, look, martha, let's hold out this possibility. there are all kind of things she could do to putin. she could use the old that's my twin sister trick. she could do the am knees yeah trick, i don't remember what i told but natural gas rights in the country. martha: so in terps of the motivation you make a great point on your piece on this this morning. the president in his own word is now liberated. he never has to run again. the hope and change things will not be done in the obama administration the way they were before. political appointees, people being rewarded for making large donations to campaigns, that's not going to happen anymore. >> the post-presidency, in the post-presidency phase there is a lot of muck raking to do.

it's reported next week you have to have turned in your proposal to host of the obama presidential library and that's the hq for what could be a billion dollar industry of being the president of the united states. that's booked. as the clintons have shown you can set up a foundation that can take money from around the world and it can help fund future campaigns. so the obamas still need to suck up to rich people for the duration of the presidency and beyond to fund the lifestyle they need. martha: you are suggesting the president is not as concerned with his own presidential legacy as he is in establishing a lifestyle and library and few tear for himself and his family and that's why he nominated this woman. >> the path want to be well regarded in the history books. he doesn't want to be the first

black president who had trouble being president. he wants a legacy of policy achievements that say i was groundbreaking but i was good at the job. we like the library to have something good in it. but that's met offr often types with competing impulses. he just appointed a guy to a key post because the guys a master of tax avoidance. why did he do that? because they still need relationship people. martha: pretty incredible. chris, thank you very much. bill: the model for tax breaks that soon could disappear if the house doesn't act. the house getting ready to renew tax breaks and send them to the senate. what are republican saying about avoiding a massive tax hike? >> reporter: speaker john boehner says president obama killed the locker-term deal period. they are whole fup there will be

strong bipartisan support for this temporary solution. >> i think that's something good for the economy. it would have been nice to have a longer-term deal, unfortunately the white house decided to go and block that. it put more uncertainty object people's plates. >> there is an estimated $45 million price tag on this. longstanding credits abductions that people and businesses have been used to taking. >> does the white house this plan any better? >> they have signaled they are more open to a short-term alternative and and top democrat said he's hopeful this will open the door too something much bigger and better fix can the tax code. >> we may be going to a shorter-term extension. i support tax reform. the congress needs to puckle down on a bipartisan basis and work on tax reform.

but you don't do that by providing certain long-term benefits to certain corporate interests and not to middle class families. >> reporter: the so-called tax extenders, something many consider a must-do item. look for action in the house today, bill. bill: mike emanuel from capitol hill. martha: there are new details on the shocking document scandal involving the irs and the white house. the irs is admitting they shared confidential filings with the white house. why would the irs do that? they said they will not make these public because of privacy concerns. it stems from a lawsuit that was filed by the group calls of action. the white house denies any

understanding of this wrongdoing. bill: kathleen sebelius turning her back on the architect of obamacare. she is knocking count importance of jonathon gruber. sebelius telling "usa today" that he was barely involved in designing the law. >> i think he meth met with various advisers but i did not meet with jonathon gruber. maybe he was in a large room. he could have been on a phone call. but in terms of discussing policies, that never happened. bill: lawmakers want to know about his comments on video that obamacare was passed by deception and the law only passed because of the stupidity of the american people. that will be one whale of a hearing. 9:00 a.m. eastern time next tuesday morning when gruber is forced to answer. a lot of things he has said have

gone viral. >> it's not that relevant whether he and kathleen sebelius have had conversations. what's relevant is if the things he said about tricking the american people into it turn out to be representative of the underlying program itself and hoodwinking the american people was part of how it got passioned in the first place. that will be the proof in the pudding. mark your cleanse, folks. we have breaking news in the fight against isis. word that the wife and son of the terror army's leader abu bakr al-baghdadi may have been detained in lebanon. john huddy has been tracking this down in our middle east bureau. there are a lot of conflicting reports about whether the wife and child are indeed in custody. what do we know about this? >> reporter: it depends on who you ask at this point. lebanese military officials say that it is true, that this woman

is the wife of isis leader abu bakr al-baghdadi. in fact they say she even admitted to it. but then today you have an iraqi official of the interior ministry in iraq denying that claim saying the woman is the quote sister of a terrorist suspect being held in iraq, not abu bakr al-baghdadi's wife. the hope was that if fit was or is al-baghdadi's wife it could help military officials track him down if he is alive. there were reports al-baghdadi was injured or killed in a u.s. coalition airstrikes but that was not confirmed. so a lot of murky and sketchy information. we are trying to put it all together for you. bill: there are now comparisons between the current hope and pope john paul ii. could francis help bring an end

to islamic extremism the way john paul brought about the end of the cold war? martha: questions about ashton carter the president's top pick for defense secretary. bill: a fake army ranger called south by a real soldier, stealing valor is a federal crime. >> why don't you admit you are a phoney. you have know that's illegal. >> i'm a phoney? then i wouldn't be wearing this uniform. >> you are phoney. i called out out on 10 different things and all of them are ble bleep.

bill: the man accused of impersonating an army ranger may face criminal charges. >> where is your combat patch at? why is your flag so low on your shoulder, it should be up here. why don't you admit around phoney. you know that's' illegal what you are doing now. >> if i was a phoney i wouldn't be wearing this uniform. >> i just called you out on 10 different things. our doing is illegal. i have worn that [bleep] uniform and i had friend killed wearing that uniform.

it's stolen valor! bill: the u.s. attorney has been notified it maybe a federal crime impersonating a hero. martha: can pope francis hope to end islamic extremism the way pope john paul sparked the fall of come anything. so pope francis traveled to turkey last week. he urged muslim leaders to unite and publicly condemn the violence of isis extremists. he reflected on his meeting with bartholomew, the head of the oisht dock church. i said lord heat us put an end to these wars. it was a moment of sincere prayer says pope francis. those scenes, reminders of

scenes like this from the cold war. pope john paul ii kissing the ground in poland in 1979. the pope meeting with both mikhail gorbachev and president reagan along with margaret thatcher. ralph peters, good to have you with us. obviously different circumstances in many ways but this is a pope who is popular around the world, and is also a quite fearless individual it seems. >> there is no question pope francis is an admirable man. he may turn into a great tree forrist pope if they can overcome the vatican bureaucracy. the comparison with john paul and the fight against come anything just doesn't work. john paul ii had the ultimate home court advantage. while pope francis is playing

the ultimate away game. pope john paul was a pol. he had the street cred. he knew the russians. he knew the psychology and he was literally preaching to the choir because east europeans were already convinced communism was a bad idea but didn't know how to get rid of it. martha: pe francis, his hope court is christianity and christianity is under fire in all of these countries he's traveling to. there is a need in this world for someone to speak out, for moderates to come together and fight against is -- against islamic extremism. obviously it's unlikely anyone in his position could do it alone. but if he were to pull together the kind of coalition or if a

coalition reached out to him to bring his ability to it with political leaders like thatcher and reagan, is there a potential to rein in this craziness going on in the world? >> no, there is not. i admire pope francis. i think what he's doing is while. it should help solidify some of the peace new views of moderate muslims in the middle east and around the world. there is also between eastern and western christians as christianity is exterminated in the middle east we are finding more common ground. but there is simply no way pope francis can reach jihadis. martha: i don't think that's what he's trying to do. what he's trying to do is reach moderate muslims and ask them to turn on this faction of their own religion. that's who's reaching out to.

nobody expects jihadis to find some sort of peace and turn their backs on being violent. >> again, i think what he's doing is admirable but it's not going to have an effect. he's not going to bring kurds, moderate shiia and sunnis together in a vast coalition against extremism. these people in the middle east, the moderates there are already under fire. they are already being crushed. and unfortunately when you are dealing -- pope francis is a truman of peace. i'm not a catholic. but i admire him enormously. but the on way you deal with these fanatics isn't through negotiations and the popular will. the majority will doesn't matter. the only way you deal with these fanatics is to kill them. i think pope francis, this heart

and soul is in the right place. i wish he could make a difference but he won't. martha: we'll see, raffle. thanks for bringing -- we'll see, ralph. thanks for writing your side of the story. bill: a grand jury deciding whether to bring charges against a white police officer in the death of a black man in custody. will ferguson play a part in that decision? martha: remember jeff neily? he's the poster boy for lavish government spending. now there is a government spending scandal you need to know about when we come back.

you're down with crestor. yes! when diet and exercise aren't enough, adding crestor lowers bad cholesterol up to 55%. crestor is not for people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant.

tell your doctor all medicines you take. call your doctor if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine, or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of serious side effects. i'm down with crestor! make your move. ask your doctor about crestor.

>> polic poison orleans lookingr woman caught on surveillance camera randomly stabbing people on the street. you can see this woman walking along holding a sharp object. first she stabs a guy riding a bike and then reaching out and stabbing another man as she walks along. both victims suffered minor injuries. there you see it right there. looking for her. bill: millions of dollars in government waste complaints the national foundation out of touch and out of control. the latest outrage has climate cachange. the morning to you, what are we talking about? >> not quite as bad as those pictures sipping wine out of

vegas hot tub, but they do raise questions of taxpayer money could be better spent. the audit conducted by the inspector general and contract agency finding the national as logical observatory network spent $25,000 for a christmas party and premium coffee service and $150 million for construction cost and lobbying contracts. neon is a nonprofit designed to operate a network of 62 planned a geological observatories across the continent to study climate change, land use and invasive species or natural resources but the hearing just getting underway. johnson just said, bill, she objects to the hearing and it is premature and not a valid. it is not a bipartisan hearing. bill: it is not the first time

they have come under scrutiny for spending. what else? >> for all the good work the national foundation does, these audits prove how difficult it is to rein in government bureaucracies unless really strict oversight is maintained. in 2011 center released report on wasteful spending identifying $1.2 billion in losses from waste, fraud due to mismanagement. $80,000 study on why the same teams always dominate march madness, and else's of how quickly parents respond to trendy baby names. $2 million to figure out people who post pictures on the internet from the same location at the same time are usually friends. $581,000 on whether online dating site users are racist. he retires at the end of this term, one of the few members of congress who really does he flew boreas oversight, he will be missed in the senate.

bill: we will see who steps in if anybody does. in washington. martha: today at white house debate over immigration with feet up to be sure. some lawmakers raising a red flag thing isn't about border security, it is an issue of national security for them. bill: the first step on the launchpad right now, the first step in sending human beings on a mission to mars.

martha: an american couple cleared of charges in the death of their daughter finally on their way home. this is new video at the airport. they were arrested last year on charges of murder after their eight-year-old adopted daughter died.

convicted on child endangerment charges sentenced to three years in prison. on sunday the overturned the conviction that the couple have been barred from leaving until today. u.s. ambassador making announcement via tweets. they are wheeled up, emotional, these are the moments diplomats live for. they will be reunited with their other adopted children back at home in california. bill: a lot of buzz over replacing chuck hagel. the road scholar at the top of the list for the president's choice getting support from both sides of the aisle. we welcome adam smith from washington, ranking democrat, how are you, sir, and will come back. what is the holdup? why is it not just happened? >> i don't know for sure, i am

sure they are dyed in the eyes, crossing the t's to make sure talking to all the national security firms in the white house, but an outstanding selection, he was very good after working with congress, had an opinion of his own. worked well with white house but was not afraid to disagree with them where he felt it was appropriate. spring the kind of robust discussions we need. bill: i am wondering now will it happen? >> you never know. it is very difficult and demanding job. the question is whether or not dr. carter, is this something he wants to do. you are at the pentagon and secretary of defense, talking 15, 18 hour days high pressure, high stress job, does this fit in his life right now? i don't know the answer to that question be at i hope he takes it.

bill: we have heard from a lot of people saying his record stands for it self. four defense secretaries in six years, what is going on there? >> part of it was unique circumstance. bob gates had said he didn't want to go past the george w. bush administration but the president gave a thought was was a wise decision given the situations in iraq and afghanistan to go for continuity. he said i will do it but there is a finite timeline and the same with leon panetta. over 70 years old when he took the defense job, taking it on a short-term basis as well. bill: do think the problem is with the commander-in-chief and not the secretaries themselves? >> i don't think the problem is with either one of them. those are two people who said we have a short timeline, given

where they were at in life. obviously there was a discussion between him and the president. i have long felt the white house and national security front need to be more inclusive, not just the pentagon but also with congress. it can be frustrating working with them to advance national security policies. they have a pretty small circle at the white house and i think that was part of chuck hagel frustration. bill: the critics would argue what the white house really wants is a yes man in that role, do you agree? >> it is less of that when they do not consult enough with the pentagon. i don't know yes man is the focus. i just think they don't have a broad enough circle of people and somebody like chuck hagel gets frustrated with not being really included in the

discussion. bill: having the small circle can lead to problems. >> i have said many times publicly and directly to the white house they need to reach out and expand that circle. i don't agree with the notion a president should always do with the general say. we have civilian leadership for a reason. generals being generals almost always say give me a little bit more money and a few more troops and i can do anything. it is up to the president to exercise that controlling the military so we don't overdo it. bill: bring other people into that circle, you don't see that changing, do you? >> i don't, no. bill: what does that tell us? >> it's unfortunate, and i hope i'm wrong. i hope carter gets the job as we expand and we're about to pass

the act which will have the trained mission for syria and iraq in it, something we did work toward on the white house. we have worked with them on negotiations over the nuclear deal. i will be somewhat hopeful. bill: a reason that is so critical, such a critical time in the nation and the world history, america you think deserves better and the people of the world are still fighting today deserve that. >> it is not so much a matter of better or worse. expand the circle, there are difficulties that come with that as well. things get leagues, contradictory opinions, everybody is not on the same page, white house feels this is the best way to conduct national security inform policy.

i think they should brought in the but certainly been wit whaty think is best in the policy. bill: appreciated, thank you, sir. martha: a story that has been making a lot of headlines lately. bill cosby is now facing another lawsuit, another woman claiming she was sexually assaulted by the comedian and now she will sue. plus this. bill: new york city on edge as the gran grand jury is expectedo the side if a white police officer should be indicted for now this infamous image on video.

bill: some more drama now for bill kospi. southern california filing a lawsuit claiming he said we

assaulted her the playboy mansion in 1974. she was 15 at the time. cosby since 2005. former universit university accf the same crime. in that case cosby settled out of court. this lawsuit comes after a string of new allegations. cosby has refused to speak publicly about anything. martha: silly country is bracing for yet another grand jury decision in a case involving a white police officer and a black the them he was try to take into custody. happened in july, cell phone video captured york city policeman place on the 43-year-old eric garner into a chokehold during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes on the street. hornegarner eventually died from those injuries. as you can see, a lot of witnesses to this and terry event, the n.y.p.d. is bracing edgeork for potential protest.

after grand jury decided not to indict ferguson police officer dan wilson and in that case joined by the president of conservative review and fox news contributor. michael junior a contributor for the hill. welcome to both of you, good to have you here. they postponed the release of the decision to new york after the tree lighting semites night in rockefeller center with so many people concentrated in midtown because they are very concerned about it. what do you think about the fact this is where we find ourselves in this country with race relations so tense it feels like it is another time, honestly. >> it is the same old story, lack of faith institutions related by government are going to serve the committees of color fairly and effectively. i doubt you will see the same type of protest.

you will see some. that sentiment shared across country by frustration and lack of access that will get us the same kind of parody with others in this country. >> this stemmed with the new york situation, lack of opportunities. it starts with the operations. i have seen how children have been transformed from going to failing schools to schools of opportunity and hope and having a successful future. look at our panels, worked on his phd. i went to college for 11 years because i had to work full-time. the first college graduate in my family. people having access to those opportunities. martha: a lot of voices getting a lot of attention.

in terms of how to deal better with these situations. i want to get your reaction to them. >> cannot pick out certain instances that don't go our way never let the cops are all bad. you know how bad it would be thathewas in for the cops? >> we die and they die. soon we will sit at a table and talk about retired we want some of this because we will tear this country up. martha: disturbing. november 22. he was packing that church. >> a tremendous frustration things will not change. schools really can make a difference.

if you look at what is happening a lot of local schools and lot of communities of color, brown university study that talk about schools not making colleges career ready. high rate of suspension fork heads of color, putting them in the kernel justice system early, so when you are dealing with all of this you're looking at a complete and utter frustration and essentially the sentiment i can't go any further if you listen to michael brown mother's comments the day her son was shot she said i work so hard to send my son to school. martha: where are the leaders on all sides in this situation. bill o'reilly said he thinks the president should stay out of this. i think the president is uniquely positioned to demand

people take responsibility to listen to the things charles barkley is saying and not necessarily the things others say which has been very detrimental obviously. >> president obama is playing it both ways. he mentioned how young black men are victims and a couple days ago on how individuals not cause unrest and destructive. i find it very disturbing but from the president on down to the likes of al sharpton whipping up individuals not just ferguson but across the country. >> i don't mind he is in the room because reality is on the issue nobody else around the country. it is not sad because i know there are so many groups on the ground who deal with it every

single day and lots of talk about sharpton and jackson, sony groups dealing with this day in and day out. martha: who is standing up and saying this to these people? are there bad cops? yes. always have been bu what you ned to understand the police are here to help you. talk to each other, sit on both sides of the table and talk to each other. >> but i do think that happens in the fact you have a lot of police officers now african-american and latino shows they're going into the department knowing how to transform the culture. i just want that please officer to treat them with fairness and respect. >> from that this point. >> i don't know if you exactly saying that.

he is saying we as every americans do feel the impact. liberals and conservatives have problems with what he said. there are conservatives who think he stay out of political matters. martha: if he had not stolen the cigarette or gone into that police car, he would not be in the situation he is in. >> i don't know what happened in those two minutes. what i know is in those two minutes michael brown could have been contrite, we will never know. >> what doesn't help is the hands up don't shoot individuals a leadership position, that does that help the situation because based on the evidence that is not what happened. >> it calls attention to the issue and if it called attention to the issue, i want them to help me and my community.

martha: thank you very much. always good to see you both. bill: jon scott is coming up, what is happening? jon: all eyes on capitol hill on how they plan to tackle spending and tax measures, whether or not democrats will play along. and too much too quickly, team coverage of the big storm from relief and headaches. why a political party might be better off losing the white house. explain that controversial notion on "happening now." bill: nasa says it is possible to get ready for launch setting the mission on its course. next. while every business is unique,

everyone is looking for ways to cut expenses. and that's where pg&e's online business energy checkup tool can really help. you can use it to track your actual energy use. find rebates that make equipment upgrades more affordable. even develop a customized energy plan for your company. think of it as a way to take more control over your operating costs. and yet another energy saving opportunity from pg&e. find new ways to save energy and money with pg&e's business energy check-up. we're for an opens you internet for all.sing. we're for creating more innovation and competition. we're for net neutrality protection. now, here's some news you may find even more surprising.

we're comcast. the only isp legally bound by full net neutrality rules. bill: nasa great launch a spacecraft that will pave the way for human exploration deep into space and that includes mars. chief astronomer, how are you, sir, good day to you in philadelphia. the launch is tomorrow, how much does nasa have riding on this? >> nasa actually has quite a bit riding on this flight. it is a test flight, we have to remember that means it is a shakedown flight in which they are going to test systems they put in place and try to see what other things might go wrong in a spacecraft like this but nasa does have a lot riding on this because it is the first caps on

launch of any that they have done in quite a long time and really the first step toward taking humans off to mars, so this is a big first step forward. bill: how deep does it go into space? when you consider the potential for going to mars is still seven years away. >> at least seven years away, no question about that. it will take it up to 3600 miles above the earth, the things that will be tested on the onboard system, operating systems, they will also test the heat shield for reentering, the systems that go along with this and testing the parachutes that will bring the spacecraft down to a soft landing, a splashdown landing actually. but there is a complex system of

parachutes that will be tested as well. bill: this stuff is not cheap. how do you justify the cost ultimately getting there? >> the way you justify closest to the beginning is look at the position is the american space program versus all of the other space programs for countries around the world. many states space program actually is the leading space program in the world, a position he was should hold onto. it is justifiable for maintaining the position of seniority there. they also pull other technologies up along with it. bill: we're out of time, but thank you. we will watch it tomorrow. martha: the budget deal and high-stakes gamble, we will be right back with more.

comfort keepers can provide a variety of custom in-home services for your aging loved ones, including medication reminders and transportation to the doctor. ♪ but a lot of us leave our identities unprotected. nearly half a million cars were stolen in 2012, but for every car stolen, 34 people had their identities stolen. identity thieves can steal your money, damage your credit, and wreak havoc on your life.

why risk it when you can help protect yourself from identity theft with one call to lifelock, the leader in identity-theft protection? lifelock actively patrols your sensitive, personal information every second of every day, helping to guard your social security number, your bank accounts and credit, even the equity in your home -- your valuable personal assets. look. your bank may alert you to suspicious activity on your credit or debit card. but that still may leave you vulnerable to big losses if a thief opens new accounts in your name or decides to drain your savings, home equity, or retirement accounts. and your credit report may only tell you after your identity's been compromised. but lifelock is proactive protection and watches out for you in ways that banks and credit-card companies alone just can't, giving you the most comprehensive identity theft protection available. whenever the patented lifelock identity alert system detects a threat to your identity, you'll be notified by phone, text, or e-mail, helping you to stop identity thieves before they do damage.

you even get a $1 million service guarantee. that's right. if your identity is ever compromised, lifelock will spend up to $1 million on experts to help restore it. you wouldn't leave your car unprotected. don't leave your money, credit, and good name unprotected. call now, and try lifelock risk-free for 60 days. act now, and get this document shredder free. that's a $29 value. ♪ or go to lifelock.com/go. try lifelock risk-free for 60 days and get this document shredder free -- a $29 value -- when you use promo code go. call now.

martha: we go from here to talk to brian, need on the radio. bill: wednesday. have a good day, everybody. martha: have a great day, see you tomorrow. ♪ jon: high drama on capitol hill. a budget deal to keep our government open for business. welcome to "happening now." heather: house speaker john boehner proposing a closed-door meeting to find most of the government through september 2015 but only fun in the department of homeland security through early next year. given the new congress and opportunity to debate president obama's effective action on immigration collectivelclaytonthe house and.