good morning. grand old house. a big night for the republican party as they seize control of the house and make significant gains in the senate. for the democrats, especially president obama, a stinging rebeat. >> we have sent unmistakable message to him night and that is change course. >> wednesday, november 3rd, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

live picture of washington as we start off on a wednesday morning. good morning, everyone, i'm matt lauer. >> and i'm meredith viera. resounding victory for republicans on election night. disappointing outcome for democrats following a bruising campaign season for sure. the gop needed to pick up 39 seats to regain control of the house. as of right now, they gained 59 and that number is expected to rise as more results filter in. so here's how things stack up in the house this morning, 242 republicans, 193 democrats. and while democrats did hang on to power in the senate, republicans made a big dent in their majority there picking up six seats, bringing the totals there to 46 republicans and 49 democrats. and two independents. >> there was some good news. senate majority leader harry reid survived a fierce al cheng

from tea party candidate sharron angle to win his fifth term. we'll talk to him coming up. meanwhile out in alaska, incumbent lisa murkowski who was running as a write-in candidate appears to be in the lead but because she is a write-in candidate, the results there could not be known for days, weeks, we don't know when that result is going to be final. and sarah palin backed republican senator joe miller in that race, so how did the rest of the candidates that she supported fare and how will that affect a possible presidential run by palin? more on that coming up. >> we'll break down the resultless of the morning. let's begin with david gregory, moderator of "meet the press" who has been following the events all night long, and i do mean all night long. >> what a night, and what a story. plain and simple, the american electorate has lurched back to the right. voting, it's anxiety about the economy and frustration with washington. at the polls, a split decision, powered by the tea party, the republicans stormed back to power in the house, firing speaker nancy pelosi, but in the senate, democrats held the

majority after gop pickups fell several short of a takeover for president obama now. it's time for a reset. >> i have spent my whole life chasing the american dream. >> reporter: an emotional high for ohio republican john boehner, the man likely to replace nancy pelosi as speaker of the house. he held back tears addressing supporters after a triumphant night for house republicans. >> now we're witnessing a repudiation of washington, a repudiation of big government and a repudiation of politicians who refuse to listen to the american people. >> reporter: but the democratic leader in the senate, harry reid, had his own reason to celebrate, narrowly winning re-election in nevada after escaping a near-death encounter with the tea party.

>> the bell that just rang isn't the end of the fight, it's the start of the next round. >> reporter: still the conservative insurgency made its mark. >> there's a tea party tidal wave. >> tea party candidate rand paul won in kentucky after a particularly bruising fight. also winning, the 39-year-old cuban-american marco rubio in florida. exit polls reveals that the energized tea party voters turned out in droves. >> the impact of the tea party was larger than many predicted. 40% nationwide said they're for the tea party. 31% are opposed. what do they want? 85% want to limit government. just 12% think it should do more. >> the rain is leighing the station and the president and his advisors and colleagues and supporters can jump on board that train. >> reporter: many viewed the election as a task for sarah palin and the power of her political endorsement. yet, the palin effect wasn't all positive. >> we were victorious because

the delaware political system will never be the same. >> reporter: her backing of novice conservative christine o'donnell over a more established republican handed the delaware senate seat to the democrat, chris coons. still unknown, the result in palin's home state of alaska where the senate race is too close to call, thanks to a strong showing by write-in candidate lisa murkowski. >> what is so important is to make sure that every single alaskan voter is heard and we're going to make sure that that process is attended to. >> reporter: besides reid, democrats can point to some other important senate victories. in west virginia governor joe manchin triumphed over a insurgent republican rival to fill that seat. and barbara boxer held on to her seat in california. those wins preserve democratic rule in the senate, after vulnerable incumbents were sent home. and another high profile loss in illinois, the republican mark

kirk captured the seat previously held by president obama. >> we have gone through a period where we said government should be doing more. at this stage of the game, the american public is drawing back and saying, i don't know how much government should do. >> a huge driver last night, the almighty independent voter, that voting bloc swinging back to the republican party by a margin of 55 to 40. a huge wave here powerful enough to take down some veteran members of the democratic party. james observer star, transportation committee chairman from minnesota, going back to the watergate days, john spratt, the budget committee chairman had seen waves before but survived them. skelton was taken under as well. it's time for the president to take stock and areact. senate majority leader harry reid is with us now from las vegas, senator reid good morning to you and congratulations. >> thank you very much.

>> your race was a real nail biter, there were some polls in nevada that had you down by four points heading into this election. how did you survive when so many incumbents lost their seats as david just pointed out? >> i don't think it's a question of survival, i won by 41,000 votes, and in nevada that's a large number. it was a race that we thought was winnable, we worked very hard and we had a good operation. but i think the message to america today is that we have got to start working together, we have got to stop the name calling, we have got to recognize that the only way we can have progress is by working together. we have got to do that. >> it was a struggle for you to pass health care and financial reform when you had 60 democrats in the senate. a couple months from now, you'll have a small erma jort and a republican-controlled house. so you could be facing two more years of gridlock. >> i hope not. i have not talked to mitch

mcconnell today yet. i haven't been to bed actually. i will talk to mitch. we have a good relationship, we have a different senate than we had before. but i think it's time we started working together. that's what progress is all about. not from the far left, not from the far right. we have to work together to build a consensus and move this country along. >> what do you make of the influence of the tea party, not just on your race, but nationally on races? >> well, i think you guys are going to have to work that. in nevada it didn't have much effect. we'll have to see what happens. i think that the main stream of the republican party will sweep them up and i think there's some ideas that came from the people's concern about government and we'll all take a look at that and try to move toward a way that can allow us to work together.

>> but there are a lot of tea party candidates that are heading to washington including rand paul, we're about to hear from him. he disagrees with just about everything you stand for. what would you like to say to him this morning? and can you work with him. >> oh, sure, i can. i have no problem with him at all. i listened to his speech last night. he has some set ideas but we all do. but no matter how strong you feel as an individual, we have to work together as a unit. that's the way the founding fathers set up our country. the senate is a unique instrument. the government is one that people have tried to model over the years and it's hard to do. and the senate has worked so well for so long, it will continue to do that no matter what senator elect paul says or any of the others. >> senate majority leader harry reid. thank you so much this morning. tea party republican rand paul defeated democrat jack conway in the kentucky senate race. senator, congratulations to you. >> good morning. glad to be with you. >> you rode a wave of anger and energy to washington so we know you can win an election with

anger. can you govern in washington with anger? >> i think people are unhappy with the fact that we have to balance our individual personal budgets, but the government doesn't have to balance theirs. the democrats have proven themselves untrustworthy on this account. there needs to be a rule that you have to balance the budget by law. if you poll that question with republicans, democrats and independents, you'll find the vast majority are for a balanced budget amendment. >> i'm sure you were listening when meredith was talking to senate majority harry reid, and he must have said work together seven or eight times. i'm sure there are a lot of people who said they're not sure harry reid and nancy pelosi worked with others when they did things like pass health care legislation. are you detecting a very different tone from the senate majority leader? >> well, the interesting thing is people complain a lot about gridlock, but whenever you analyze government, state government or federal

government, it seems like the most fiscally conservative government is always divided government. debate the healthy and we shouldn't see it as unhealthy that we discuss the nation's problems and try to resolve them. when you have no debate and you don't include republicans in your legislation at all. that's when the country gets upset. and i think a lot of this discontent is about the democrats ramming through legislation that republicans had nothing to do with. >> let me ask you about the relationship between the tea party and the republican party in general moving forward. is this a marriage of convenience? will the honeymoon soon end or are you folks soulmates? >> well, i think the interesting thing is i tell people that the tea party is equal parts chastisement to both parties over not doing enough about the deficit. we're concerned about passing that debt on to our kids and grandkids. we're concerned that the bills are so long that they don't read them. we're concerned that they're mark and stick stuff on the bills that are not related to the bills.

we're concerned that regulators are writing laws not approved by government. so it's really about reforming government, it's not about one piece of legislation. it's that the government is broken and not really responsive to the people and not really responsive to the constitution. >> senator elect rand paul, ki hear from your voice you've been up all night. thanks so much. congratulations. virginia congressman eric cantor easily won his sixth term last night. congressman good morning to you and congratulations. >> good morning, meredith. >> since we heard from rand paul, let me start with something that his campaign manager said. he said if republican leaders think they're going to suck us in and continue business as usual, they are wrong. you are the next majority leader in the house. how are you going to deal with that attitude? >> in last night's election, the american people spoke loudly and clearly. what they said was we want a federal government to start

listening to us. right now we have an unemployment situation that is unacceptable to all people. what the people of this country are saying is stop what's going on in washington, let's focus on priority one and that is job. >> but they're always saying that. how are you going to deal with that kind of attitude i just described to you? >> meredith, look, the imperative right now is to get the economy moving again. the people are tired of a government that's not delivering results and as senator elect rand paul just said, they're tired of a government that continues to grow with reckless abandon, with no apparent ability to accept the consequences of its actions. so what we're going to do is join forces hopefully and be able to produce results to get people back to work, to cut government spending and to focus on the fact that we in america like to see opportunity, we admire those who are successful and we have got to end this war on success and people are willing to step up and take responsibility. i think all of us in it together can get this country back on track.

>> congressman eric cantor, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> it is 7:13. with more, here's matt. chuck todd is nbc's political director. he had a late night as well. good to see you. put it in perspective, the republicans are going to pick up somewhere around 60 seats in the house. compare that to recent midterm elections. >> this is the largest since world war ii, not since right after social security passed. did we see a repudiation of the democrats. it tells you in a phrase that bill clinton said after he lost in 1994, the era of big government is over again and that ends up being the big headline again last night. >> you did a great job showing the republican's path to victory. take me to the senate. any surprises there for you? >> the surprise is harry reid.

you can't help but look at what happened in the senate last night. this was a huge republican night. the only reason there's a split decision is because of the tea party. right now if it wasn't for the tea party, if you look at colorado which we haven't called yet and nevada and delaware if you put those in the republican column, they would be at nine. we would sit there and say, hey, washington state is the tenth senate seat and republicans would be looking at control of both. >> we still don't know what's going to happen in alaska. what about the governor's race in florida? when will we know about that? >> there's a dispute about how many ballots are left. the democrats believe there's a lot more to be counted and if so, they're in palm beach county and dade county. this is familiar. >> we've been there. >> florida, one of the big bright spots for republicans overall, the only reason rick scott is struggling here is because of his personal problems. and there's 2012 consequences for president obama. >> you had a big night too. appreciate you being here this morning.

the election results can be seen in large part as a referendum on president obama's first two years in office. and that has some people looking ahead to 2012. nbc's andrea mitchell has more on that. good morning to you. >> good morning, meredith. republicans haven't finished their viblthry lap yet and they're already eyeing the other end of pennsylvania avenue launching their claims to reclaim the white house. republicans basking in the glow of victory are now dreaming of an even bigger prize, the republicans known for picking their heir apparent are now entering unfamiliar territory, with their new partners, tea party activisactivists. >> republicans are usually eye article. it's sort of whose turn is it to win the nomination. this time there's a real vacuum. >> in 2012, the republican primaries may look more like the ncaa basketball tournament. first the establishment bracket, including former massachusetts governor mitt romney who ran in 2008. tim pawlenty, the former governor of minnesota.

mississippi governor halle barbour. indiana governor mitch daniels. south dakota senator john thune and new jersey governor chris christie. and former florida governor jeb bush. analysts say one of these candidates may be best equipped to take on president obama. >> pawlenty, barbour, mitch daniels, those are three that i'm going to be watching very, very carefully. >> and there's the grass roots bracket, tea party favorites who could attract evangelical support especially in the key states of iowa and south carolina. former arkansas governor mike huckabee ran before and could again, along with perennial hopeful former house speaker newt gingrich. but they may all be eclipsed by sarah palin who admits she is considering a run. >> if there's nobody else to do it, then of course i would believe that we should do this. >> reporter: the key question when it comes to picking the nominee, will the tea party

movement have veto power over the gop establishment or want to choose one of their own? >> i think the tea party will be involved in choosing our nominee. but i don't think it will be anything like monolithic. >> and will barack obama, weakened after the midterm debate face a challenger within his own party? >> it's on to the next fight. it's on to the next battle. it's on to 2012! >> reporter: the other outside possibility, a third party candidate. if sarah palin divides the republicans, don't rule out a run by new york city mayor mike bloomberg, and he could pay his own way. presidents obama will be under a lot of pressure to retool his own message after this defeat. that begins with his post election news conference later today. >> i'll bring chuck and david into the conversation. i still have a headache from 2010. the headline if there is one?

>> i would have to say it's a huge republican victory, with an asterisk and the asterisk is the senate. and i say this because all of a sudden if i'm speaker designate john boehner, i'm feeling great and i don't have to worry about a republican senate. i get to be my own guy, i get to feed the tea party whatever they want me to vote on, and then i can just say, hey, the democratic senate and the democratic president are holding everything up >> i did what i could. >> let's pick up on what you said and talk about these independents, we learned something about them, they are a fickle group and they don't have a lot of patience and just as they didn't have patience with the democrats over these last few years and got rid of them, what are they going to be expecting from republicans over these next two years? >> make no mistake this is the new normal now. this group can move again in the next two years. i think the big message here is that americans don't want government to play the role that it's been playing. it wants it to play a smaller role. and to your point, the independent voters are going to render that judgment and quickly. they want to see less

government, less spending, that's the focus now, cutting government spending, that's what you're going to hear republicans talk about every day, every week. >> but i confer i don't f you have the republican controlled house and democratic controlled senate, if anything will get done. >> that's the new fear, if we're in a new era of gridlock. >> when you were interviewing rand paul, they have support for gridlock. they want less government and that means they don't want action from congress. i think the real lesson is the obama coalition has disappeared in two years. the young people, the independents the minorities, they were not there for him. >> how is he going to get them back? >> he has to retool the message. i'm not certain that it's possible to put it together that quickly without either fighting with congress or working with congress. i'm not sure how he reaches outs and figures out the strategy. >> futons for everybody.

>> take a little nap. >> andrea david and chuck, thank you so much. >> president obama's news conference is later today. nbc news will bring it to you live at 1:00 p.m. eastern time and have much more on the election coming up. >> let's get a check of the weather from al. >> we have got a big storm system in the gulf, that's going to be firing up and bringing a lot of rain, the spin around this upper level low that's bringing anywhere from one to three inches of rain. windy conditions in the pacific northwest. showers as a cold front moves through the central great lakes, we'll look at plenty of sunshine, warmer than usual temperatures, record setting temperatures in the southwest into southern california, getting up into the 90s in southern l.a. today. a beautiful shot of mt. diablo this morning. giants orange this morning. you'll see the victory parade starting at 11:00. 70s around parade time, 70s and 80s around the rest of the bay

area today with a lot of sunshine late in the day. i think we'll see low clouds approaching the coast inlane and across the north bay. highs 70s and 80s. tomorrow one more warm day inland but a big drop in temperatures on friday as the weather fortunes change. cooler temperatures and a chance of scattered showers late on friday. weather. meredith? coming up, we're going to have more on sarah palin's affect on the midterm elections. and the mixed showing at the polls over so-called mamma grizzlies. much more of our election coverage coming up, but first

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>> still ahead, ricky martin. >> we'll talk to him live in the studio after your local news and weather. ♪

[ male announcer ] the vanilla caramel latte from maxwell house international café. the 60 calorie way to stop your world. good morning, everyone. i'm am scott mcgrew. we are following breaking news this morning. this is a live look from chopper 11 at the caldecott tunnel. a confined space rescue team is on the scene of some sort of incident there. we want to show you some video we got in just of the rescue workers moving a person. this is just from a few minutes ago, onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. we have a crew on the way to the scene as we speak. let's turn to mike inouye. we're talking about the fourth bore of the caldecott tunnel so this is not a tunnel that has traffic going through it, right? >> that's absolutely correct. the initial report came in as a

tunnel collapse. big concern. we see one person being transported and the initial chp report had reports of two workers that were injured, but it's in the construction zone. here's a look at the caldecott tunnel. this will be as you're coming into the tunnel, to the north side so there may be a distraction as crews head in and out of that construction zone but it's behind a wall so it will be hidden from traffic. the traffic flow from the area relatively unaffected by all the activity. we're following the effects of the traffic in the area as well as the injuries to that worker and we'll track that in the newsroom. weather after the break.

welcome back. pretty outstanding day around the bay area. sunny skies, 70s around san francisco. low 80s around san jose heading into gilroy. one more warm day tomorrow before things turn cooler with showers rolling in approaching friday evening. jut got word from our assignment desk there's been one minor injury in that tunnel problem. we don't know what it is. we'll continue to cover it. more local news in half an hour and the "today" show returns in less than a minute.

7:30 now on this wednesday morning, november 3, 2010. a power shift is coming to washington. republicans have taken control of the house and closed the gap in the senate. just ahead, much more on the results of the midterm elections and including what they mean for the future of sarah palin. >> she threw her support behind a number of candidates including some women she dubbeded her mama grizzlies. how will last night's results impact her potential run for president in 2012? we're going to get into that

straight ahead. plus we're going to take a turn and talk to ricky martin. he became one of the world's biggest pop stars and now he is openly gay and the proud father of twin boys. we're going to talk to him about his life and that decision to come out and much more. but let's begin with sarah palin's role in the midterm elections and where she goes from here. first here's nbc's norah o'donnell. good morning to you. >> reporter: sarah palin called these midterms an earthquake, she had predicted a mom awakening. but exit polling shows it was a gender gap, white men not women that fueled this republican wave. as for palin's mama grizzlies only ten roared to victory. >> sarah palin promised big change. >> look out washington because there's a whole stampede of pink elephants crossing the line stampeding through on november

2, 2010. >> campaigning hard for conservative women she calls mama grizzlies. >> it seems like there's kind of a mom awakening in the last year and a half. >> reporter: one of those mama grizzlies nikki haley become the state's first female governor. >> now we can see 2012 from our house. >> two other palin endorsed women also won governor's races, marry fallen in oklahoma and suzanna martinez in new mexico. in senate contests, sarah palin's record was mixed. kelly ayotte won, but.

>> the republican party will never be the same. >> o'donnell was virtually own known until she was catapulted out of obscurity by sarah palin in delaware. a move that put palin at lagger head with the establishment republicans like karl rove. >> i look forward to karl rove and others looking at what cnn is reporting and other networks are reporting that exit polling is showing that mike castle even would have lost to chris coons. >> reporter: still while many o palin's mama grizzlies have become national stars, election experts say 2010 was no year of the woman. >> that really obscured the fact that the overwhelming number of voters are men. this year will will be a net decrease in the number of women in congress and that will be the first decline in congress. a lot of democratic women lost seats in congress and most women in congress are democrats.

south carolina governor elect nikki halle is with us good morning. you were one of the first candidates that sarah palin endorsed, do you think you could have won an election without her endorsement? >> we saw that we were coming from fourth place to about second place but certainly when she came into getting involved in south carolina, it got more people to just pay attention to the message. so we were very grateful. she has gotten the country to realize the power of their voice and she certainly did that in south carolina. we were grateful, we spread our message. >> the other two women who won governor's races were also endorsed by sarah palin, you were are her mama grizzlies. will you endorse her if she should decide to run for president in 2012? >> i think the responsibilities to the citizens of south

carolina is i look at the environment and i look at the slate of candidates who are running and i vo running. >> what do you think about the tea party and its influence heading forward in the republican party. >> i love the tea party, the tea party is not a party at all, it's republicans democrats and independents who said they have had enough. it was going back to the what the role of government should be, which is government to secure the rights of the people. it was never intended to be all things to all people. i am certainly a proud product of the tea party. we saw a time where both parties had gotten arrogant. we had seen excessive spending. >> you're also the first woman elected governor of south carolina and the first indian

american governor elected in this country. >> i think when people look at this race they certainly see that it's historic. what anyone that's proud because of this election, i appreciate that and my family shares in that. but the pride is really going to happen in january when we do great things for south carolina. >> south carolina governor elect nikki haley and once again congratulations. margaret hooper is a conservative commentator. good morning to both of you. let's branch out. christine o'donnell, she lost, sharon angle lost, when you look at all of that and you balance it out, where does her influence stand at this point? >> i think her influence is deep

and wide in the republican party. she got the tea party going and she in turn got the republican party going. even though she lost some big ones like christine o'donnell who if some republicans had won delaware they would be taking over the senate right now. her good friend nikki haley where there's a republican primary in 2012 is going to be residing over that state. >> palilinpalin's influence is very much there. how much do endorsements really matter? remember when the kennedys came out and endorsed barack obama over hillary clinton early on, there's a question of how much does endorsement really matter? >> does it move the party too far to the right? >> that's going to be determined in congress. the story now is going to be whether the republican leadership, whether mitch mcconnell in the senate or john

boehner in the house can take the energy of the tea party. we don't know the answer to that question. it's going to depend on the personalities and the policy that is pursue over the next few months. >> there's an influx of candidates coming in and he has a very good plan to incorporate everyone. it was a big wakeup call. there are some mixed results. rand paul, marco rubio, fabulous candidates did very very well. >> let's see what happens when all those tea party candidates get together. they haven't all met together. they're going to get together in washington for the first time. >> is sarah palin the defacto leader of the republican party? >> she's the defacto -- it's going to be interesting if they get one in congress. >> 650 organizations plus all over the country doesn't have one leader. so sarah palin certainly -- i

agree with you, she makes a lot of headlines, a lot of people turn to her, but she is not the leader. >> you have a lot of discussion among established republicans who say they are worried about sarah palin running in 2012. they think it will be very bad for their party. how do they balance the influence that she has with their concern for what she might do to the party? >> they want the energy that she represents. but in the national poll, in general election races, she's a disaster. but they also have other candidates they're pursuing. one reason you're hearing all the anonymous comments about sarah palin is they have other horses they're riding. >> the republican establishment cannot take a candidate. the republican party are going to pick their candidates not the establishment. >> now let's get a check of the weather from al. >> all right, thanks a lot, meredith, we have got some friends here from st. jude. nice to see you guys. having a good time?

and you're all very hearty, wearing t-shirts and it's 41 degrees. let's check your weather and see what's happening and we'll show you the latest on tropical itpression tomas. 's been downgraded, 410 miles south/southwest of port-au-prince. it still could strengthen back to a hurricane coming across haiti sometime late friday on into early saturday and then back out into the atlantic. the big story, the heat out west, 2/3 of the country well above normal. los angeles will be 20 degrees above normal but the southeast will be below normal. atlanta a high of only 54 degr well, 96 in los angeles today. here not that hot but still pretty nice. look at sunrise, live over san francisco looking off to the east. gorgeous day ahead. we'll see temperatures in the 70s for most of the bay area today, some 80 inland. 75 for san francisco. across the north bay we'll see

highs in the 70s to low 80s for this afternoon today. so as we take a look quickly at your seven-day forecast, tomorrow looks pretty warm inland and friday we'll see a big cooldown and a chance of showers by the evening. >> and we got somebody who's in double digits now. what was it really like to be living la vida loco. ricky martin will be here with a louvre interview. (stan lech) acid erosion i grng a iow problem...

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would you like me to read you a story? you can't read. [ grandma ] 'twas the night before christmas, and all through the house... whoa, that's grandma. [ grandma ] ...nothing was stirring, not kara, not maya... how does she do that? magic. [ grandma ] ...grandma loves you. [ both ] goodnight, grandma. [ female announcer ] be there to read them a story every night. read it to me again. [ female announcer ] hallmark recordable storybooks. this christmas, make it wonderful at your hallmark gold crown store. back now at 7:44 with more on the midterm elections, republicans reclaimed ten seats in the house and picked up six seats in the senate. tom brokaw was up all night watching the results. the president is going to hold a news conference today, she's jut had this stinging defeat.

how does he communicate to the american people that he got the message? >> it's helpful to be self-depry indicating, weather to -- we heard from harry reid, he's going to have to reach out. because it's a subset, we want you guys to get together and find a way out of this. they were sending a signal to the president by sending some very sharp critics of his to washington in the tea party votes but all the exit polls that we have looked at have said find a way to work together. >> you reach out a hand, but if there's no one there to grab it, what do you do? let me play you a little bit of what john boehner said last night. it was a big night for him. it also turned out to be an emotion night for him, listen. >> i have spent my whole life chasing the american dream.

and when i saw -- core values of this great nation, i put my name forward and ran for office. >> obviously emotional. he's the man now. so when that hand comes out from president obama, if it comes out, what does he do with it? >> in his case, he continues to insist that he's going to have more transparency as the speaker, he's not going to be as rigidly partisan as he says that nancy pelosi was. he's going to have to deal with his own party as well. the first big test is the health care bill. tea party wants to repeal it. they're prepared to introduce a bill every day to repeal it. they're going to have to find a way to fix it because a lot of people believe it's broken across party lines. that's going to be the first big test. >> the republicans in the tea party, they're coming to

washington, smaller government, they want to cut spending. can they make the cuts in spending they have promised? >> i don't think they k they can begin to make the government much more frugal and much more efficient. i think everybody would welcome that. but while defense is not on the table, senior citizens are not on the table, and the veterans are not on the table. you get up to 75% very quickly, matt. so they're going to have to find ways to get more efficiency. i think you're going to see more public-private enterprises going on in the next couple of years. but we're in for a tough time. the big question also is, with this new crowd in washington, how do you create jobs? what is the tax structure that you have to get, lowering corporate taxes is that part of it? because this is not a magic wand. >> tom brokaw, good to see you this morning. 47 after this hour, and coming up, our special series, is civility dead, why is it so pforeeopl to preople to say simple words

like please and thank you. but first these messages.

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he was not on the ballot this year, but former president george w. bush was certainly on the minds of some voters yesterday. >> now he's ready to speak out about his years in office. recently i traveled to texas to talk to the former president, his first interview since leaving the house and i talked to him about what others view about his time in office. here's what you write, i believe it's impossible to reach definitive conclusions about my presidency or any recent presidency for that matter for several decades. isn't that the purpose of a book like this to either cement perception or change perception? >> kind of. but the main purpose of the book is to have a starting point, not a starting point, a data point for future historians. this may seem strange to you, i

really don't care about perceptions at this point in time. i served, i gave it my all and i'm a content man. and the book has been part of the transition process to private life and it's a way for me to put the reader in the environment in which i had to make decisions. >> and our conversation covers a lot of those key decisions. we talk about 9/11, the wars in afghanistan and iraq, hurricane katrina, enhanced interrogation techniques, the financial crisis. we're going to have more of our interview with president bush next week, it's a one-hour prime time special, "decision point". that's next monday at 8:00, 7:00 central time right here on anbc. and then he'll be live in our studios next week. he seems to really be in a good place in life. he seems to be completely at peace with his surroundings. just ahead, a live interview with ricky martin, his life, his music and his decision to come

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just $20 for two at chili's. good morning, everyone. it's 7:56. i'm scott mcgrew. we are following developing news. one person was hurt this morning in what we think is a construction accident. the caldecott tunnel. today in the day's christie smith is there live and joins us by phone. what's the very latest? >> reporter: good morning. we're waiting for an update from caltrans, but i did speak with the chp and what they're telling me is that as far as they know, something fell off the face of the new tunnel. this is the fourth bore, and hit two caltrans workers inside. they're telling me that the injuries are non-life threatening and only one of those workers was transported. exactly why this happened is unclear, but they're telling me that cal osha will be out here later investigating. this is the fourth bore of the

caldecott that is under construction. what they're telling me is that at any given time there are about 25 workers inside. right now it doesn't look like traffic is being impacted at all but we do still see emergency crews standing by. that's the latest from here. as soon as we get more information, we'll bring it to you. >> thank you. mike, this is the fourth bore so not any of the traffic going through that one. >> and it's behind a retaining wall so mostly hidden from the commute. we do see some slowing because of the potential of some debris. pvc piping reported spilled across westbound highway 24 getting into the tunnel. eastbound only has one bore. that's why it's slow. a look at oakland 880 shows you the volume of traffic building through the east bay. there's the slowdown into downtown. weather right after the break. ♪

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pretty nice today around the bay area. mostly 70s around the inner bay. further inland you'll see low 80s. san jose out towards livermore, gorge out afternoon today. still warm tomorrow. then the clouds start to spill in on friday. that's going to bring a change in temperatures and some showers approaching friday evening. more local news in a half hour and the "today" show returns in less than a minute. ♪ ♪

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like that before. >> no, and he had a couch. >> that's pretty amazing. >> a lot has happened since then. >> no question. and matt lauer along with meredith vieira and al roker. we are inside studio a, and none of us will ever forget the backup dancers we had. >> we thought we were livering on the edge of what was acceptable there. >> yeah, i am focusing on him. he talks about his sexuality and he is a father of twin boys, and that's ahead. and then is civility dead. we hear the words less and less. why is it so important to bring them back into the daily conversation. and don't forget about today, our viral video challenge. we want to you create your own

"today" show-themed viral video. >> tell us how it works. >> pick a video and use it to create -- >> not that one. >> yeah, make us say wow. matt is doing his uncle. we're playing the winning video right here on "today." so log on to todayshow.com for all the rules and details. >> we have final say. >> let's get the latest on last night's election results. we have a new divided government. good morning to you, kelly. >> reporter: republicans do pick up the gavel in the new year but they begin to show off their new power today with a news conference this morning. while it was a historic victory, they think voters do not want to see them gloating. >> i recognize this is not a time for celebration.

it's a time to roll up our sleeves and go to work. >> the next speaker of the house, ohio's john boehner. who is known for getting teary could not contain his emotions. >> i have spent my life chasing the american dream. >> the president called with a congratulations. >> we hope president obama will respect the will of the people and change course and commit to making changes that they are demanding. >> bruised democrats do have one big reason to celebrate today. the senate's top democrat, harry reid, survived his own race. democrats needed to hold west virginia and did. the popular governor manchin

won. >> there is a tea party title wave and we're sending a message. >> reporter: ron johnson knocked down the three-term senator, russ feingold. and republicans pick upped up pennsylvania with toomey's win. >> i want you to see that i am still smiling. >> angle lost to read in nevada, and christina o'donnell's ride is over. >> our voices were heard and we're not going to be quiet now. >> one result his home for the president, illinois. his old seat went republican. and then rubio cautioned republican victory does not necessarily mean voters approve. >> and we make a grave mistake if we believe that tonight these

results are somehow an embrace of the republican party. what they are is a second chance. >> republicans behind the scenes are trying to be mindful of what rubio talked about, not wanting to look like they are overreaching right away. a lot of transitioning happening behind the scenes. pelosi has not appeared on camera but did put out a statement about the courageous decisions they made while they were in power. >> president obama will talk about election results at a news conference later today, and nbc news will bring it to you live at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. natalie is over at the news desk, and good morning to you. >> good morning, every one. it was nine out of ten americans telling nbc news the economy was their main concern this election. all eyes are on the federal reserve today and its plan to

revive the economy. melissa, what can we expect today? >> the focus is really on the fed here who is wrapping up a two-day meeting here, and we are expected to hear about a bond buying program to boost the economy. we are seeing stocks rally and the dollar sink in anticipation of this. we saw oil break through 80 bucks an hour overnight. back to you. >> thank you. voters in california rejected a controversial measure known as proposition 19 that would have legalized marijuana for recreational use. this morning, al qaeda in iraq is threatening new attacks on christians following a bloody siege at a catholic church on sunday. more than a dozen were killed in baghdad on tuesday and hundreds were wounded. and alert is up in athens today

because of a string of bombs. domestic greek terrorists are expected. nasa needs to launch "discovery" by monday otherwise it will have to wait until december. let's go to al roker now for a check of the weather. >> thank you, natalie. you couldn't agree on a sign? oh, my gosh. you made a sign that said you could not agree on a sign? where are you from? >> kansas. >> you could not agree on that either. it's nice to see you. thank you. everybody together here. >> yes. >> nice family, and good looking. we can agree on that. let's check your weather and see what is going on. pick city today, manhattan, new york city, the city so nice they named it twice. cool 54 degrees. it's so chilly our stage manager has to wear an extra coat was he is chilly. we have the jet stream way up to the north out west. look at the baby.

way out west to the north as we look at the jet stream. the jet stream -- jet stream -- are we going -- there we go. by friday, it kind of bubbles up in the midsection of the country moving all of the heat into the midwest and plain states, but in the east we will see rain and snow showers in new england and parts of the ohio river valley. that's what is going on around the here's a look at san jose. lots of sunshine, gorgeous afternoon for the santa clara valley. highs in the upper 70s throw 80s. even san francisco, great time, catch right here on bay area starting at 11:00 for our giants. low to mid-70s across the peninsula. 70s and low 80s for the afternoon. tomorrow another dave warm temperatures inland but cooling on the coast and then a chance of showers and more clouds lay it on friday.

>> and that's your latest weather. still to come, ricky martin on his rise to fame, on coming ut a.n therhood. we'll talk to him in our studio right after this. for 25,000 miles? but when you call... let me check. oh fudge, nothing without a big miles upcharge. it's either pay their miles upcharges or connect through mooseneck! [ freezing ] i can't feel my feet. we switched to the venture card from capital one -- so no more games. let's go see those grandkids. [ male announcer ] don't pay miles upcharges. don't play games. get the flight you want with the venture card at capitalone.com. [ loving it ] help! what's in your wallet? with the $2.50 breakfast combo.

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we are back at 8:12. when ricky martin hit our concert stage back in 1999, he was one of the world's biggest stars. it remains our largest crowd ever. he became a father to twin boys and recently revealed that he is gay. now he's writing about it all in his new book "me." >> i talk about that show on page 126. >> you even know the page number? >> it was an amazing moment of my life. it was a moment where i after 15 years of really intense work, i was accepted by the u.s. audience and it was a very -- it was like a before and after.

>> you started writing about your early childhood success with menudo, you were 12 years old at the time. did you always know that you were going to be an entertainer? >> i was 6 years old and i was in front of my family singing with a wooden spoon. so i always had the need for the attention, i would say. and then menudo in 1994, they started auditioning and i knew i was going to need it to become a star. being from puerto rico, i guess, it was the only way. >> the way for you to find your path? and then in 1994, you performed on the "today" show, you wowed them at the grammys. was that period of your life, where you were taking on every opportunity that was afforded to you, you never said no to anything. so many interviews and people began asking you about your sexuality and you kept avoiding

the question. why were you so coy about things? >> i'll have to say if i knew it was going to be this easy i would have done it ten years ago, because it really feels amazing just to be in front of a mirror and talk to yourself and say i love you. i just wish it upon everybody. >> and why back then couldn't you do that? >> i wish i knew. maybe because of my culture, maybe because of the fear of not being accepted. i think it's something that a lot of people go through and it's really sad that people go through life not being able to accept themselves. some at the age of 17 are able to do it. some in their 30s. some in their 60s. some never get to do it so. it's really sad. >> was the reason that you were taking every opportunity you had essentially because you were running away from yourself in a way? >> maybe. it's a combination of things. i always wanted the crossover. i always wanted to be accepted by the whole world and

definitely the united states was very important. but at the same time, i was working but i was really, really tired. it was 15 years of being on stage nonstop, but then again, i was receiving phone calls. and the same thing with sting. and to be on the "today" show. it was things that i really need to just say yes. but at the same time, it's like, stop. i needed to think about a lot of things. >> and you did stop. >> i did. >> you did stop when you made the decision to go to india and explore your spirituality. >> it was a very beautiful moment when i allowed myself to really think and feel. everything was pretty automatic back in the day. but for me to go to india with my backpack and go into temples and talk to people about different things and different philosophies allowed me to take a moment and say, you know what? you're a great man. there's nothing wrong with you.

and it felt amazing. >> and wasn't that the moment that you fell in love with a man and you came out to your parents. what was their reaction? >> my mom ask me, are you in love? and i said, yes, i am in love. are you in love with a man? i said yes, mom, i'm in love with a man. >> how did she know right away? >> stand up and give me a hug, that was her reaction. i'm a very lucky man. she's a mom, she knows. you don't have to tell her, she can see in your eyes what you're going through, what you're struggling with. same thing with my dad. i have a really cool father, he tells me i just want you to be happy. i just want you to stand up and be proud, be proud of yourself, be proud of your family. just go out there and share the love. >> and this year you made it official with your fans, you announced on your website in may, you say i am proud to say

that i'm a homosexual man, i am very blessed to be why am. how did you feel when you wrote that. >> i started crying like a baby, to be honest. but it felt amazing. i wrote this book because of my children. when i was holding my children for the first time, i said -- >> mateo and valentino. >> i said i need to be honest, otherwise it would be like teaching them how to lie. that's what this book is about. this book is for music fans, it's for people who are struggling with -- it's about parenting, it's a very complete book. >> what kind of father do you strive to be? >> it's very difficult. i think it's something you take a day at a time and for my kids to live a very transparent

life and for them not to get to know the meaning of judgment. >> when they get old enough to ask who their mom is, what do you say to them? >> i'll say, hi, nice to meet you. i guess, every family is different, i will tell them you are here because i wanted you to bad in my life that with the help of god, everything aligned for you to be part of my life. and i will them no families are the same. some families consist of a mom, two moms, two dads and you're part of a modern family and you have to be very happy and proud about that. >> where are you now musically? what are we going to see from you musically? >> hopefully in january or february, i release my next album. i can't wait to go on the road.

my kids already have their passports. they're coming with me. >> and obviously before i let you go, people want to know if you're in a relationship now, and i understand that you are? >> i am in a relationship, i feel complete. i am -- it's just going to get better. >> ricky martin, such a pleasure to have you here. we miss you very much. the book is named "me ricky martin". here, take the card. you go to the shops... i'll meet you at the gate. thanks. please remove all metal objects out of your pockets. with chase freedom you can get a total of 5% cash back. fun money from freedom. that's 5% cash back in quarterly categories and an unlimited 1% cash back everywhere else. and this too. does your card do this? i'm going to need a supervisor over here at gate 4.

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♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ the new cadillac srx. the cadillac of crossovers. cadillac. the new standard of the world. let us now head down to washington and check in with our good friend mr. willard scott. good morning. >> good morning to you all, i'm from the beautiful city on the potomac, we await the new arrivals that will be coming in and say so long, farewell and god bless to the old ones. that's the american way.

happy birthday from smucker's. margaret pereira. she was the first camel cigarette girl. they had a good looking girl for every pack of camels and she never smoked good for her. thomas leachman, he wrote memoirs for the university of virginia and also the library of congress. the man is very talented and we wish him a happy, happy birthday. dr. james korthouts, 100 years old today. he became a dentist in 1937. clarabell demers, 100 years old

from graf on the, north dakota. and george gosselin. he dances once a week. and melvin eichenwald, enjoys collecting teacups. attributes longevity to having good genes. and we have rita of rosenblatt, tennessee. 100 years old. and now back to the greatest city on the hudson. >> willard, thank you very much. still to come on this wednesday morning, the oscar buzz surrounding his latest movie role. >> directedly danny boyle. he is great. >> this is the story of aaron ralston. >> exactly, the guy who had to

cut off his arm because he was trapped in the canyo

good morning, everyone. 8:26. for those coming to work or going to work or going somewhere. a lot of folks are taking mass transit. so much so caltran have added additional northbound trains. huge crowds standing room only that's your key from the south bay and into the peninsula. transover to the b.a.r.t. system and then take b.a.r.t. under the crowds. you will go from underground and into the middle of the freeway

as folks are lining the streets. how is that weather? >> weather looks outstanding. 70s for most of the bay area except further inland we'll see temperatures approaching the low 80s around san jose. mid-80s around morgan hill and gilroy. one more day tomorrow. more clouds and showers arriving la ofr ti.me time is 8:7. more news right after the break.

for san francisco, torture

doesn't apply to giants baseball after a tight race, the lieutenant governor for the states number two spot. >> i got to tell you, there will be a few days in my life more extraordinary than sitting with my wife and baby in a parade to celebrate the world championships. >> the post comes with very little power. it serves as a stand in when the governor is out of state. the lieutenant governor also breaks tie votes as president of the state senate. more local news in half an hour. "the today show" returns in less than a minute.

8:30 now on this wednesday morning, november 3, 2010. we have a bunch of fresh faces here in rockefeller plaza, waving hello. we are meredith viera and matt

lauer and al roker. >> i would say that this group is a very polite group. not only on television, but also please and thank you, the norm here, but in a lot of cases, people are simply forgetting to say those simple words, we're going to find out why they're so important in our dailey lives. >> faced with a life and death choice, cut off your arm or die. now it's a movie stars james franco and there's already oscar buzz about this. we're going to talk to him. we're going to have one of his favorite recipes. even more shocked to hear some of the family stories.

>> we got rain in the pacific northwest, some snow showers in new england, and the western great lakes, sunny and mild throughout the midsection of the country. marathon sunday here in new york city, 9:00 a.m., temperature 37, by 3:0049 with plen, 39 with li. sunday heading into the pacific northwest. a gorgeous sunny view of san francisco. giants flag there in the foreground showing you and offshore breeze across the peninsula. we should see mostly 70s inland around the inner bay and 80s in some of the warmer places. morgan hill across the north bay 70s 80s despite patchy fog out

there. tomorrow cooler. especially on the coast and friday increasing clouds increasing chance of showers by the evening and another chance of showers rolling in later on sunday. >> and don't forget you can check your weather any time of the day or night on to the weather channel on cable or on the internet weather.com.

we're back now at 8:35, this morning is civility dead, please and thank you, just when you thought common courtesy was dead, there may be a little bit of help out there. >> thanks a lot, dad. >> thanks, beaver. >> reporter: there used to be a time when simply being polite was a way of life. >> oh, boy. thanks, ma.

>> reporter: common courtesy was just that, common. but as art imitates life, you would think times have changed. >> shut up, lloyd, i'll be fine. >> reporter: it seems decorum is dead. >> a etiquette and protocol consultant for decades, she says good manners. we're all perceived to be very, very busy and people's perception is that it takes more time to be polite than it does to just rush through something and be impolite. >> reporter: in today's fast paced high stress world it seems that so many people forget the simple things. are we really too busy, too important or just too

inconsiderate to say please and thank you? to find out, we headed to this los angeles coffee shop. after two hours and 27 customers, not a single person, not one failed to say thank you. a few said please, but they were all thankful. >> i just want to acknowledge what they did for me, i don't want to walk around entitled. >> i was raised to say please and thank you. >> reporter: etiquette experts will tell you good manners do come from mom and dad and they're re-enforced by society. but what happened here doesn't happen everywhere. being a barista can be a thankless job. but not on this day. . >> so how do you make please and thank you even more common in everyday life? reverend sherry houser and rabbi matthew greer are here to get us back to the basics. my parents drilled this into me and it was not a good thing if i

forgot please and thank you. but that was an exception. in our everyday lives we see >> good morning, i am chuck todd at nbc headquarters in new york city. we interrupt your regularly scheduled program for this special report. kelly o'donnell is live on capitol hill where we are awaiting the new leaders of the republican party and potentially the new speaker of the house, john boehner, to hold their first press conference post election. kelly? >> the shift of power begins now where we will hear from the top republicans from the senate and the house and across the country. they will talk about what voters did not say to them. expect to talk about being

humble in their victory, that this was not a grand sweeping endorsement of republicans in congress. they will try to talk about changes that people around the country is what they want. that's a pledge we will hear from them this morning. they will give them a sense of a transition, an organization of up to 20 members of the house, how they plan to take over leadership in january. there is a shift going on in the leadership, and some of the other positions may still be up for grabs. >> kelly, the interesting thing will be will there be added diversity. mike pence may step down to run for president himself. will they bring in some diversity? i will let you take your seat. here are the three leaders of the republican party. >> good morning, every one.

as you heard me say last night, we are humbled by the trust that the american people have placed in us. we recognize this is a time for us to roll up our sleeves and go to work on the peoples' priorities, creating jobs, cutting spending and reforming the way congress does its business. it's not just what the american people are demanding, it's what they are expecting from us. and the real question now is this. are we going to listen to the american people? the republicans have made a pledge to america and our pledge is to listen to the american people, and to focus on their priorities, and that's exactly what we're going to do. last night the president was kind enough to call me. we discussed working together on the american peoples' priorities, cutting spending and creating jobs. we hope that he will continue to

be willing to work with us on those priorities. as i said last night, the new majority here in congress will be the voice of the american people, and i think we clearly expressed that last night. we're going to continue and renew our efforts for a smaller, less costly and more accountable government here in washington, d.c. i also want to say thanks to my two colleagues. as you -- as most of you know, senator mcconnell and i have worked very closely together over the last five years or so. ha haley barbour and i have been friends for the last 20 years and i am proud to stand here today with both of them. mitch? >> at the risk of sounding like a mutual admiration society, let me say it was nice to work in

partnership roles here, and this is a happy day for the three of us. let me make a few observations as well. we are indeed humbled and ready to listen to the american people, and to lead on the issues that they have clearly indicated they care about. we're determined to stop the agenda americans have rejected and turn the ship around. we agree to work with the administration when they work for the people and challenge them when they don't. choosing the president over constituents is not a good strategy. this election yesterday was clearly a referendum on the administration and the democratic majority here in congress, ignoring the voters and their wishes as you could see during the entire two-year period, produces predictable results, and the health care

bill in my view is a metaphor for the government excess that we witnessed over the last two years. now the american people watch the government running banks and insurance companies and car companies and taking over their student loan business, and then they said now they are taking my health care as well and it became the tipping point during the course of the last two years. i would say to our friends on the other side of the aisle and listening what they have had to say this morning, they may have missed the message somewhat. i get the impression they are thinking -- their view is that we haven't cooperated enough. i think what the american people were saying yesterday is that they appreciated us saying no to the things the american people indicated they were not in favor of. i think the group that should hopefully get the message out of yesterday's elections, is our

friends on the other side of the aisle, and we hope they will pivot and work with us on things like nuclear power and other things. how do we meet in the middle is the question. the best strategy for the other side is to listen to the voters, because they made a clear statement of what they would like to see done. if the president comes in our direction, we want to make headway in the next few years. >> our network coverage, and please watch msnbc to watch this. i am chuck todd with nbc them will somehow give him the courage to do what he has to do. >> really this movie is mostly

about you, it's 90 minutes of you on camera, the whole time, your character. you talk to aaron, obviously to prepare for this role. how was important was it for you to get to know him? >> it was important, especially in the beginning. and actually the first time i met aaron, it was a pretty intense experience, not only because i was going to be playing his life, but when aaron was trapped, he really made these videos. so he brought those. >> he had a camera with him that plays a big part in these movies. >> he planned to just film the scenery, but once he was trapped, it became a way to leave what he thought were going to be his final messages. he doesn't show those to people other than his family and the people that are mentioned in the video. >> how does that affect you? >> as you can imagine, they were very intense, very moving.

and because, the key thing is, when aaron made those messages, he didn't know that there's a happy ending at the end. and so, it was his pure behavior in a way. it was him in the middle of the most intense moments of his life, thinking that he was going to die and he had accepted it. but the other side of that was the way he delivered the messages were with such, you know, this kind of composure and dignity because he thought it was the last thing that his mother would ever see of him. and so a very moving kind of contrast between what he was thinking and how he's presenting himself. >> i want to talk about the amputation scene, danny, because you must have had a lot of discussion. some people have screamed in the movie, some people have feinted. but it's very accurate? >> we didn't want to go into horror nor to trivialize it.

it's extraordinary that you experience it with james because what comes after is so much greater, that you're giving life back again, this rebirth. aaron calls it an ecstasy, a few forra, under the most impossible circumstances. he said he left that canyon a much fuller person. >> it took him 34 minutes to amputate his arm. how do you prepare for a scene like that. >> obviously i have never done anything like that. >> let's hope you never have to. >> i think the thing about this movie is, you know, most of us will never be in that situation and danny really has made a movie that is unlike most movies and experiences. people come out and say that was a unique experience, so you really are on the run with the character and it enables, i think the audience to ask the

questions. first what, when everything's chipped away, what was most essential in my life, what was most important. and for aaron it was his loved ones and the connection to his loved ones. >> he had lost the connection in some ways. >> that he had taken for granted and realized how important they were. >> and secondly? >> secondly that's what gave him the strength to do what he did. i think we all have something in us that would enable us to do that if we were in the same situation. as far as doing that scene, aaron walked us through every step of the way and we had a great, you knoa -- and we were able to shoot in such a way that we do those long takes and because the prosthetic was so good we could just kind

of do it. >> and the real aaron is in the movie along with his wife and his baby and i understand he very much liked the film? >> when we showed it to him, he was pouring tears down his face. i don't know what it's like to see someone else live through it, it's extraordinary really. >> congratulations on the oscar nomination, so great to have you here. >> we have learned that you can have no idea about this world you can just present your work as honestly as you can. it sounds like a strange movie, but it's for everyone, it's a main stream movie. >> it's a phenomenal movie. james franco, you're brilliant. thank you. >> and it opens in theater this is friday. [ dog barking ] mom!

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he's a fourth generation master baker from hoboken, new jersey, runs carlos's bake shop and his own reality show. good to see you.

>> good to see you. >> how did this happen? you're a sensation. how did that happen from hobo n hoboken, new jersey. >> i always get ask the question, how did you become the cake boss? and most people think it's like hitting the lottery, but it's actually been years in the work and the making of hard work and just my work ethic and my drive. >> and it's what you go into. he came up with a cookbook, but it's not a cookbook, this issed by your family, buddy senior who died when you were 17 years old. >> he died when he was 17 years old and i actually had to quit school and go into the family business and step into his shoes and he was such a great man. this is a book to inspire people to follow the american dream because my father truly lived the american dream and it's a dedication to him and his life achievements and mine also. >> i want to read something that you write in the book. i love this, i really do. you talk about the importance of

a baker's hands. you say ask a second or third generation baker if he thinks he has his father's hands and he'll tell you there's no doubt. you go on to say i became obsessed with my hands, like many who were born into my trade, i honestly believe and this may sound arrogant or blasphemous or conceded but it's true, i believe that my hands were touched by god. >> i truly believe that. i have had dreams about it and things like that and there's been so many life experiences and that's why i wanted to put them into the book about what i went through, but when i create something, you look at my hands, they're always perfectly clean and they're what makes me who i am. >> you have three kids and a fourth one on the way, do you look at them and say are these god touched hands? >> i have one son who says

daddy, my hands are not clean. >> do you know what's happened with chefs lately, buddy, they have exploded in popularity, they have become rock stars, not just to the older generation, but kids know the names of chefs now and they grow up saying i want to become a chef. >> you know what it is? i mean it's reality with real people. people want to become real people and achieve goals and, you know, i want people to know that i'm so happy that my show and the book and everything i do brings family together and i'm inspiring a new generation and the way i was inspired by my father, i'm happy to say that i'm inspiring people. >> are you at all worried that the bigger you get, and i don't mean physically, in terms of popularity and more tv shows and tours and you're an author that you get further and further away from the basics of your craft? >> absolutely not. obviously i am -- i don't feel like a celebrity, matt, i feel like a baker from new jersey because those are the seeds that

my father planted and those are the seeds as i say in the book, at the time i thought he was hard on me but he was actually making the good humble human being that i am and the man i am today and i'll never forget that. when you were talking about family values, if i didn't say please or thank you, i got a backhand. >> a lot of us did. and you brought some of your good goodies. you like pleasing people don't you? >> yes. >> does it bother you if i do that? because i have been staring at floor the entire segment. >> people think it's a recipe book but it's one of those books where it's unexpected. i want people to read it and tell me buddy, your book inspired me, it reminded me of my family and things like that. rhope people go and . i put my heart into it.

good morning. 8:56. we got a big parade. >> let me show you. look at this. this picture sent via twitter.

this is the fremont b.a.r.t. station. i never saw the fremont b.a.r.t. station with this bafg crowd. that's where you enter the building that takes to you the platform then the train. i still suggest b.a.r.t. as one of your alternates. driving will be a nightmare. crowd, of course, crowds on b.a.r.t. train or take the ferry over towards san francisco. more news after this. to challenge ourselves on the most demanding track in the world. with us, in spirit, was every great car that we'd ever competed with. the bmw m5. and the mercedes-benz e63. for it was their amazing abilities that pushed us to refine, improve and, ultimately, develop the world's fastest production sedan. [ engine revving ] the cts-v, from cadillac. the new standard of the world.

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meg whitman. last night he called for be a end to hostility and division in sacramento. we'll have live coverage of the giants parade starting at 11:00 our time right here on nbc bay area and on the internet nbcbayarea.com. people! look at you! texting...blogging... all this technology, but you're still banking like pilgrims! it's time for new school banking, bubbie. interest plus savings at capitalone.com.

why earn bupkis, when your savings can earn three times the national average!! three times the national average!!! new school banking at capital one bank. with interest plus savings, go to capitalone.com!!!!! what's in your wallet? somebody help me down. we're back with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, it's the 3rd of november, 2010. sunny but cold here in the big apple. not so cold. chilly. we've got a great crowd soaking up some sun outside studio 1-a. it's the day after election day. it was a big one for republicans as they gained control of congress, or at least the house. and a stinging rebuke for democrats and president obama. more on the results, coming up. also ahead, things that we should all be eating. we'll reveal the six superfoods that will help you fight cancer.

no real surprises, but the research, actually, is new. >> okay. and then our money 911 panel will tackle your financial emergencies, including what you can do if you don't think you qualify for these record-low mortgage rates out there. all right. we've got a lot to get to. you've got the top stories of the morning. >> in the news this morning, congress will have a new look come january with republicans now winning control of the house in tuesday's midterm elections. democrats did keep their hold on the senate, but by a slimmer margin. ohio republican john boehner leaving his home in d.c. this morning, is now in line to become the house speaker. and in a sign of the shift in power, he got a congratulatory phone call from president obama. earlier today, republican congressman eric cantor from virginia, who won a sixth term last night, with said the american people spoke loud and clear. >> what we're going to do is join forces, hopefully, and be able to produce results to get people back to work, to cut government spending, and to focus on the fact that we in

america like to see opportunity. we admire those who are successful. and we've got to end this war on success, and people are willing to step up and take responsibility. and i think all of us in it together can get this country back on track. >> meantime, it wasn't all-bad news for democrats. california senator barbara boxer held on to her seat. and democrats needed to hold on to west virginia and they did. governor joe manchin will become senator manchin come january. and in a closely watched race, nevada's harry reid survived a tough challenge by tea party republican sharron angle and will remain majority leader. earlier on today, reid extended a hand across the aisle. >> we have a different senate than we had before, but i think it's time we started working together. that's what progress is all about. not from the far left, not far far right, but we have to work together to build a consensus and move this country along. >> and the president will hold a post-election news conference today at 1:00 eastern time. nbc news will have live coverage for you.

in other news, the fbi's investigating whether a shooting at a coast guard recruiting office outside the nation's capital is linked to four previous shootings at military-related buildings in the area. no one was injured. the florida teenager best known as the girl with the uncontrollable case of hiccups will find out friday whether she will be released on bail. 19-year-old jennifer mee was in court tuesday for the first time since her arrest on murder charges last month. police say she lured a man into a house where he was then robbed and shot by two men. and hundreds of thousands of screaming fans are expected to celebrate the san francisco giants' world series win over the texas rangers. the team will motor through the city's downtown in a ticker tape parade and will receive the keys to the city. a big congratulations to them. it is three minutes past the hour. now you're up to date. >> they've got great weather for the parade. warmer than usual, lots of sunshine. very nice for them. the rest of the country, not so

nice. especially down around the gulf coast. big upper low spinning around, bringing moisture up from the gulf, through new england, and then wrapping around through the ohio river valley, back into texas. we're looking at some areas picking up 1 to 3 inches of rain locally. the rest of the country, pretty good windy as we get into northern california and we've got record-breaking temperatures into the southwest, into southern california. a lot of wet weather southeast on into the mid-ohio river here's a view of the san mateo bridge. folks are rushing web to catch that giants victory parade. chance of paper and confetti showers. otherwise 70s for highs around us. gorgeous day in the bay area. low 80s around the santa clara valley. 70s and across the north bay. your seven day forecast shows tomorrow almost as warm or a little bit of cooling around the bay and coast showers arrive lay it on friday.

"today's" money 911 is brought to you by charles schwab. the answers to your big financial questions and concerns. jean chatzky is "today's" financial editor and david bach and last but not least, we have got cnbc's personal finance correspondent sharon epperson. we're going to say hello to candy from kansas. good morning, candy. are you there, candy? candy? i think we have lost candy. so we're going to move over to skype now, let's try julie in granite bay, california. julie, are you there? >> i'm here.

>> your turn, julie, what's your question? >> my husband and i really want to take advantage of a low mortgage rate, but we have a jumbo loan and we do not meet the 75% loan to value. we have an interest only loan and it works for us because with my husband's job we move every three to five years. we have excellent credit and always pay our mortgage on time. if we refinance, we could save close to $1,200 per month. what do we do? >> the fact that you have an interest only mortgage worries me. the problem that i have is that you're not paying down principal. i would tell you this, you should be adding principal payments to that mortgage every month. the problem is, you're exactly right, the banks do not want to refinance right now a jumbo mortgage unless you have 25% equity in your home and some banks are requiring 30%.

your best possibility however to try to refinance is to go back to your current bank, who's your lender right now? >> caldwell banker. that's actually your broker, not your bank. i would go back to who's got your loan right now. caldwell banker is the broker helped you do your loan. here's what you need to know. if you move a lot, like you said you did. it takes a year to recover the cost of refinancing in most cases, even with these low interest rates, by the time you include the title. the appraisaappraisal. if you're going to move in two to three years, i wouldn't even be worrying about refinancing. >> ask about a loan modification. there are banks when you go back to your original lender, and you ask them, can you just modify my

loan, and you pay them several hundred dollars, and they actually reduce the interest rate tolevels and not every bank will do this. >> i just tried this personally. and they said, forget it. >> it didn't work for me, but it did work for our producer mark victor, so there you go. >> one out of three. julie, there you go, you should call mark victor instead of listening to these guys. >> he's a retiree. >> my husband and i got married in september 2009, three months later unfortunately he lost his job, he's still unemployed. while my salary can cover the bills and other expenses, i'm not currently in the position to assist with my husband's $8,000 debt with the irs. in the meantime, the interest is climbing on his debt. what are our options? >> this is a tough situation for this couple.

what they need to realize, the irs is going to look at them, they're going to look at both of their incomes and both of their tax obligations. so if they're going to get a refund, that refund is going to go towards this tax that is due. and if they owe tax they need to look and see if they can avoid overpaying on taxes. the irs really wants to help folks and it actually has a very good website. irs.gov, go on there and do an online payment agreement. you can do it in one lump sum 120 days or you can pay them in monthly installments. it's worth it because you're going to start paying it off faster and that means less interest and it's going to be able to lower your late fees, cut them in half by doing this as a monthly payment. the problem is you're going to say this is all going to fall on me because he has no income. if you're trying to buy a house or a car, they're going to look at both of your credit and both of your lending and all of those

things and your obligations so it's important to do this. unfortunately, she's going to bear the weight. >> we have got candy back on the phone from kansas. can you hear me now, candy? >> caller: yes i can. >> what is your question? >> caller: my question is, a few months ago i applied and qualified for a new credit card. however after i mailed the application i began to have second thoughts and didn't really want to cards. i received the cards but never called in to activate the account. i do not wish to use them. i do need to contact the company to close the account or just burn the cards and never give them a second thought. >> unfortunately, candy, that card is already on your credit report. once you apply and you get approved, it's there, and that means you already took the small hit that you get when applying for credit. i would pull a credit report and pull a credit score as well.

chances are doing nothing, unless this card is charging you an annual fee is going to be the best move because if you close this card your credit is going to take a hit, i don't want to see you do that unless you think you're going to wild with that card and not be able to control yourself with the spending. >> actually she may improve our credit store by having more available credit if she doesn't use them and she just keeps the current balances that she has and keeps a very small balance on these and pays it off. i have done this and i actually did improve my score over time. >> it's a self-control issue, can you handle it? >> and the question is what did mark victor do. >> he got the card, he paid it off. >> here we go now, jeanette in tennessee, i am a 52-year-old single mom that is disabled, i receive a social security check, i have a roth ira that has $5,000 in my account.

can i draw any money out of this account to buy a house as a first time home buyer? >> technically, yes, you can pull money out of your ira account, up to $10,000 for a first-time home purchase without penalty. but they have's all you have in your ira, the last thing i want you to do is pull that money out and use it to buy a home. she simply doesn't have enough money saved to buy a home. you need to save for the next year for a down payment. you need three to six months of mortgage payments before you even consider buying a house. >> thank you so much. still ahead, eat smart "today," six cancer fighting superfoods, plus mother daughter fashions, affordable and coordinating with the lady in your family. but first, these messages. no more $2, $3 fees.800-0 tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no more paying to access your own money.

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this morning on eat smart "today," cancer fighting foods. "today's" contributor is a gastrointeronlyist. >> i don't think foods are the surprise here, because there's a lot of foods you would expect to be on the list. but the research is really fine-tuned and more specific as to how these foods help us fight cancer? >> on a daily basis we are assaulted by toxins to our body which can damage the dan and can lead to cancer. what a lot of these foods are doing is fighting that damage. we now know how these are fighting cancer and the importance of getting them in your diet.

>> broccoli, on that list as you would expect. what really makes it a real powerful cancer fighter. broccoli has a chemical that actually can target cancer stem cells, these are the initial cells that will grow into cancer. broccoli will fight that cancer potential. so it's really important to get them in your diet. we're not talking about a huge amount. a half a cup a day, two-thirds of a cup once a week can give you that benefit. >> when you cook it, you end up reducing some of the benefits. >> fried is not good, steaming is not so bad, and then raw is the best form. >> black raspberries are our next berries in general are very powerful. and also just a half a cup a day. >> a great way to do it is in the morning with some granola or oatmeal. berries in general are good, but black raspberries are best, they

have a site t have -- this targets that and stops that from happening. it's really important to get the berries. >> now for those of you who like tomatoes, good news for you, tomatoes as well on that list licopene. >> studies have shown it can stop the growth of endoimmediate tree yal cancer cell. a cooked sauce is a great way to get it. >> you can have your pasta and fight cancer cells. now on to walnuts and you can go nuts when eating your walnuts because they're very good for you. as you would expect. but what exactly is the cancer

fighting benefit? >> walnuts have a sterol that has an anti-estrogen effect that can help in fighting breast cancer and even prostate cancer. if you're worried about these cancers, you should eat some waln walnuts. you can chop it up, put it in a salad and it's a great cancer fighter. >> it's got fat, but it's good for you fat. >> just sprinkling, we're not talking a large amount on a salad is a great way to get it. >> and garlic might not be the best thing for your breasts, but it's known as a cancer fighter. >> for centuries people have talked about the cancer fighting properties of garlic. garlic specifically targets compounds and neutralizing their cancer promoting ability. >> it's good for your heart as

well? >> garlic is good for the heart, digestion and nausea as well. >> and if you can't really stomach having the bad breath, can you take the pills? is that good enough? >> they're not as good as if you get them naturally from your diet. >> black beans and navy beans. beanses in general for fiber. they have something called buterate which fights precancer cells really good for breast and colon cancer. >> half a cup a day, kind of a good rule of thumb for everything. in general, it should be at least 2/3 fruits, vegetables. >> beans beans, they are good for you. what are the foods we should avoid, the things that are going to probably exacerbate any issues you may have already, or

could lead to you having cancer? >> there's some foods that actually promote cancer, so a diet high in animal fat is not a good idea. that means meat, dairy, cheese, these are all derived from animal fat. alcohol is another one where you know, one drink a day is okay, but more than that can increase many cancers. and then, finally you just want to avoid processed meats so that's like the cold cuts and the pepperoni and the hot dogs. >> as always, great information. thanks so much. and still ahead, r&b legend smoky robinson is going to stop by and tell us about his new album. but first these messages. ve asthma. and when my symptoms came back i'd get this tightness in my chest. so i went back to my doctor again.

we chose symbicort to help control my asthma symptoms all day and night. [ man ] symbicort improves my lung function, starting within 15 minutes. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. it is a combination of two medicines and should not be taken more often than prescribed. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems, and children and adolescents may have an increased risk of being hospitalized for asthma problems. symbicort is not for people whose asthma is well controlled with a long-term asthma control medicine like inhaled corticosteroids. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop symbicort without loss of control, and prescribe a long-term asthma control medicine. be sure to see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. symbicort is a good choice to help control my asthma all day and night. [ inhales ] [ exhales ] ask your doctor if symbicort is a good choice for you. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

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the cinnamon, the sugar, the crunch. but i am the only one who's been really hard at work on the t-shirt, the bumper sticker and the handshake. high...and five! i could use a little help from my cinnamon sisterhood.

nigella lawson is back whipping up some comfort foods that are easy and inexpensive to prepare. but first a check of your local news. me. we knew the perfect place to go. man: cheers, everyone. i guess i did okay. i knew they'd love him. introducing olive garden's two new sacchetti dishes. stuffed pasta pouches filled with four italian cheeses. with herb marinated chicken breasts in a garlic cream sauce. or with savory sauteed shrimp. both served with our unlimited salad and breadsticks. it was a great time. and good practice for my parents. olive garden. when you're here, you're family. ♪ yes! ♪ look, they fit! oh my gosh, are those the jeans from last year? how'd you do it?

eating right...whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who eat more whole grain tend to have healthier body weights. multigrain cheerios has five whole grains and 110 lightly sweetened calories. more grains. less you! multigrain cheerios. good morning, everyone. 9:26. let's check the commute up to san francisco and into san francisco. >> because of the big parade. caltrain had their additional train go up peninsula. palo alto slammed below 20 miles per hour up to millbrae where everybody is getting off, trying to get on to b.a.r.t. which is packed heading in to the city. those city streets will close starting at 10:00 a.m. so just under half an hour before you can no longer cross market and that will cause folks to jam up

off of the bay bridge. don't drive into the city unless you absolutely have to. we'll have more news on the other side of this break.

twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. take a look at th. this is downtown san francisco. hundreds of thousands people maybe more getting ready for a parade, the champion parade of world champion giants steps off in about 90 minutes. here's a look at san jose from a few minutes ago. we heard as many as 1,000 people were on the platform waiting for trains, that train has since left due to large crowds traveling to san francisco to see the parade, could be 20 minutes delay on caltrain. here's an important note. passengers should buy a ticket from the vending machine u-can't get free rides according at least to caltrain. if you can't make to it the parade we do have you covered. we will carry the parade live

starting at 11:00 and stream it live on our website. >> the weather is looking outstanding for the event. some of those live pictures, lot was sunshine already climbing into the mid-60s in san francisco as the parade gets under way. confetti showers. how about for november we're talking 80s inland around san jose, 82 degrees in 80, 73 later on in the afternoon around san francisco. tomorrow one more warm day inland and friday cooling with more clouds and some showers as we head towards the evening. scott? >> we'll leave with you another picture out of san francisco as we get ready for this giants parade

♪ >> we can be somebody, al, what are you doing this thanksgiving week, we ask? may we suggest that you'll want to do this, that you come down to the plaza, because we are putting on a special holiday week concert series. singing sensation, suzanne boyle and kanye west. we have got quite the lineup for the holidays.

amazing. >> and susan boyle is going to be doing a duet with kanye west. coming up in this half hour, comfort foods. nigella lawson is in the house, she's all about preparing easy meals. turkey meatballs in a fantastic sauce. >> i'm still thinking about that lasagna that she made yesterday. coats for moms and little girls without going overboard. >> let's show you what's happening for our weekend. we have got rain in the pacific northwest and northern california, cold around the great lakes, sunny and mildthrough the gulf coast. warm in the southwest. marathon sunday, we have got morning temperatures only in the

upper 30s with breezy conditions by 401(k). -- 4:00. in the pacific northwest on sunday and snow in the mountains and then we have got showers also in the eastern great lakes, sunshine in much of the rest of the countr here's a live picture along the parade route about to get under way at 11:00. you can see the whole thing right here on nbc bay area. the weather will be outstanding. 70 in san francisco. 80s in san jose. mostly sunny skies. gorgeous day for a parade and the weather around the bay, actually kind of warm. tomorrow another fairly warm day but cooling especially along the coast and for friday the clouds spill in and a chance of showers as we head towards the evening. >> and that's your latest weather. coming up next, cute and affordable mommy and me lookses

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this morning on "today's" styles, hopes for the young and young at heart. a lifestyle editor for online retailer. good morning to you. >> thanks for having me. >> i love this idea of mothers and daughters really sort of

stepping out in style together. and it's not being matchy, matchy, right? >> there's so many trends out there that moms and daughters can also share that are appropriate for both. >> what are some of the trends you are seeing? >> we're seeing amazing trends, today we have everything. >> i think it's really a classic look and you have some great price tags. >> this is mommy christy, with her daughter olive and christy is wearing a more classic look and this cape is from dara. it's a great scottish tweed and it's $129, but if there's one trend piece that you should invest in this season, it's a cape. >> and you want to layer under it. >> exactly. and they're great pieces so you just add more layers as it gets colder with the cape. and one thing you want to remember when you're wearing a cape is skinny silhouette on the

bottom. a skinny pant like christy is wearing or a skinny jean. olive, we sort of re-created the cape look just by layering, here we have a great knit layer that goes right over her coat. layering is cute for kids, it's also practical. you're too hot, take one off. cold, put one in. and it gives you this little red riding hood look. >> a beautiful mother-daughter duo. so are capes not really for everyone, if you tend to be a little bit shorter, a little bit rounder? >> you just stay a little slimmer on the bottom. capes are really flattering for most figures. >> good job, olive, you rocked it. >> next you have the military look which i absolutely love and

y . >> it's been announced for two seasons, but it's still marching strong and audra is wearing a double breasted wool army green coat. it's $129. >> i love the pockets too on that. >> i love the pockets and the belt detail. what you want to look out for military, army green, khakis, nautical navys. and i think the reason why this trend has stayed around so long is because it's so versatile. >> and it's very neutral too, but i like how you brightened up the look with the scarf and the gloves. >> that's the great thing, and these coats really can take you anywhere. >> and lola has some great coats too. >> and lola is showing us how to do the military for children. it's the same great look, it's still the silhouette look. but it's softer, we have peter

pan collars and a little puffed sleeve. and you know, throw it on with some striped leggings and some fun earmuffs from target and she looks adorable. >> i love your boots there, those are gorgeous, for both mom and daughter. beautiful, thank you, ladies. well done. >> okay, next is our faux fur trend worn by layla and luna her daughter. beautiful. >> and you know, this is -- >> it looks like the real thing. that's faux, people. don't worry, it's faux. >> this is a real statement made from a coat. and this coat is also from dara, and what's great is that it's as warm as it is glamour. not often is a fashion trend fashionable and functional. but this is is. but what i love about this coat is it's really an instant outfit maker. it doesn't matter what you've got on underneath it, you throw on this coat and you look instantly put together.

>> so i think about dropping off kids for school, throw this on, i could have on yoga pants and still look chic. then we have luna who's showing us another big trend in faux fur and that's the leopard print. leopard print is fun, it's also real classic, and people ask us all the time what do i wear with leopard print? and it's really pretty neutral and you can wear it with anything. this coat is special enough to wear it for the holiday but it's fun enough to wear it on the weekends. >> i love the bright tights too. it's very kid friendly. >> it sure does. ladies you look gorgeous. >> okay, next is plaid and we have jen and charlotte, mom and daughter here, absolutely stunning. plaid never goes out of style. >> it's still reigning as one of fashion's favorite fabrics and it's not going anywhere.

and jen is wearing a single breasted coat, it's got a red, white and blue plaid and it's from tommy hill ffiger. it's just fantastic on the weekends. >> and i love charlotte's look with her little cat boots too. >> charlotte's wearing a very classically tailored coat, it's from rothchild. >> the whole look is very maddening to me. >> it sort of feels very british proper, but when you mix it with the go go boots, it makes it an entirely different look all together. and this coat, charlotte's coat, it's really durable enough you can wear it every day, it will be a hand me down. >> and just paired it with some leopard faux fur earmuffs. and it does prove that plaid

goes with everything. >> bring everybody back out with one last look. and there's the beautiful mothers and daughters. it's great to have you here. coming up next nigella lawson is going to cooke comfort foods for us right after this. why spend all your time in the kitchen, when you can actually party at your party? with homemade chex party mix. five great recipes that wow the crowd. and you can make them in only 15 minutes.

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two café favorites now in one package. new from stouffer's. set your pace to island time. rich chocolate over creamy coconut. almond joy and mounds. enjoy more. this morning on "today's" kitchen, hot chef nigella lawson is here with fall comfort foods. "recipes are the heart for the home" good to see you. it smells so good in here.

>> this is some onion anding some celery which is are pulverized. you want to make a noise. carry on. i've got some canned chopped tomatoes. now a little bit of sugar, just because of the acidity. >> uh-huh. >> and some gorgeous thyme. >> oh, wonderful. >> and let it cook down to a good sauce. i open the can and i just swill some water around just to get every last bit of tomato. and this cooks and while this cooks, we go rolling, rolling, rolling. >> rolling, rolling rolling, get them meat ball rolls. >> the bit of onion and celery

that went into the sauce, some ground or grated parmesan, there's some bred crumbs and one egg. my children love these. absolutely love these. and i am going nto -- >> just drop them in the pot? >> the thing about these meatballs, we're all used to having meatballs made with beef, these taste so light and so delicate, i thought my children would say why did you change the meat ball recipe? normally they hate change, but these are a hit. >> we're making a cous-cous. >> we know if you want to have supper with friends, it's comfort food. put it all in a pan.

some cous-cous, which moroccoia pasta. >> actually it makeses a lovely vegetarian side dish if you use vegetable stock. and then it's cooked, what happens is, five minutes time, all the cous-cous will absorb the broth like this. >> and you just kind of fluff it with a fork? >> fluff it with a fork. i'll tell you later. and lemon juice and zest. some chopped scallion. >> that is so fragrant. >> isn't it gorgeous? it gives you a little edge of spring in the fall. it just turns meatballs into a dinner party, i think.

and also you've got your salad and your starch in one. so you don't need to cook anything else. that's it. the meat ball up. >> meat ball up. which is kind of definitely a culinary version of man up. >> yes, you're right. and actually, probably more comforting in life. there you are. i've taken all the cutlery. >> that's fantastic. mm. >> we have one split, warmed and buttered for you and ready to taken to your tent. >> i'm going to have a meat ball. sorry about that. i'm going in for the kill.

>> what the heck, i'm going to go too. >> and that's how not to teach your children not to eat with their fingers. >> nigella, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> still to come, we're going to test your knowledge of television's greatest families. but first, this is "today" on nbc. diabetes testing? it's all the same. nothing changes.

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[ man ] yep, that's the patented freestyle zipwik™ design. [ woman ] did it just -- [ both ] target the blood? [ man ] yeah, drew it right in. the test starts fast. you need just a third the blood of onetouch®. that is different. so freestyle lite test strips make testing... [ man ] easy? easy. [ man ] call for a special offer and go to walgreens to learn more about diabetes. and get freestyle lite test strips today. she cooked the cous-cous and buttered the biscuit. >> how do you top that? we got a lot coming up, don't we? >> smoky robinson. >> we're talking about bad breath. >> ooooh.

>> we're also doing something on famous tv families. we're going to go across the street. >> how many cosby kids were there originally? >> four. they added a fifth one in that third season. >> and her name was? >> kid number five. >> and then they had rudy. >> coming up after your local news and weather.

sweet n' sour filled twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. good morning, everyone. it's 9:56.

i'm going to come across the bay bridge and get into san francisco for the parade. >> let's show you. oh, it's slow. it gets worse after the bay bridge heading into the city. if you take the bay bridge you can't cross market to get the celebration. peninsula, it's very slow. folks taking caltrain up into san francisco. great route. don't try to transfer over to b.a.r.t. because it's also packed. slow drive through san mateo. it will be crowd. >> the weather will be outstanding, chance of confetti showers in down san francisco. temperatures soaring in the low to mid-70s throughout the parade. gorgeous for a parade in san francisco where we'll take you right now outside, a live look at civic center plaza. gorgeous sunshine over san francisco. if you want to catch the actnio and not be stuck in traffic, watch us on air and online all

the cagerovete gshe started at 11:00 this morning. >> let's talk about the republicans taking control of the house. the balance of the power in washington tilted to the right. republicans now own the majority and there are still some seats that are too close to call but as of now the gop stands to pick up at least 60 seats. the presumptive speaker of the house is ohio agencies john boehner. he said he would work to repeal and replace the president's new health care plan. you can expect the president to respond coming up when he addresses the country at the top of the hour. we have live pictures of the president or at least of people getting ready for the president. nbc news will be covering this live in less than five minutes. we'll see you in 30 minutes for another live update.

the president of the united states, barack obama, woke up to a new challenge. we have both chambers for you graphically to show you the changes that happened overnight. we're about to hear from the president at the white house, a statement, and he will take questions. 242-193 is now the count in the house which last night from democratic to republican control. you see the senate right now, republicans with a net gain of

six. savannah guthrie, savannah, any indication of the tone of the message? >> reporter: i think we'll hear a conciliatory tone from this president, one used the word humble. he will accept responsibility for these election results and reach out to republicans saying it's time to work together, that the american people expect all of washington to solve problems. the president, as you said, woke up to kind of a new world order here in washington. >> certainly did. savannah guthrie who made her way in the wee small hours of the morning from our studio down to washington. we'll allow you to be seated in just a few moments. the president will make his way down that hallway to the lectern. we expect the customary opening statement before he takes questions. good afternoon, everybody. last night i had a chance to speak to the leaders of the house and the senate and reached

out to those who had both won and lost in both parties. i told john boehner and mitch mcconnell that i work forward to working with them and i thanked nancy pelosi and harry reid for their extraordinary leadership over the last two years. after what i'm sure was a long night for a lot of you, and needless to say it was for me, i can tell you that, you know, some election nights are more fun than others. some are exhilarating. some are humbling. but every election, regardless of who wins and who loses, is a reminder that in our democracy power rests not with those of us in elected office but with the people we have the privilege to serve. over the last few months i've had the opportunity to travel around the country and meet people where they live and where they work, from backyards to

factory floors. i did some talking, but mostly i did a lot of listening. and yesterday's vote confirmed what i've heard from folks all across america. people are frustrated. they're deeply frustrated with the pace of our economic recovery and the opportunities that they hope for their children and their grandchildren. they want jobs to come back faster. they want paychecks to go further. and they want the ability to give their children the same chances and opportunities as they have had in life. the men and women who sent us here don't expect washington to solve all their problems. but they do expect washington to work for them, not against them. they want to know that their tax dollars are being spent wisely, not wasted, and that we're not going to leave our children a legacy of debt. they want to know that their

voices aren't being drowned out by a sea of lobbyists and special interests and partisan bickering. they want business to be done here openly and honestly. now, i ran for this office to tackle these challenges and give voice to the concerns of everyday people. over the last two years, we've made progress, but clearly too many americans haven't felt that progress yet, and they told us that yesterday. and as president, i take responsibility for that. what yesterday also told us is that no one party will be able to dictate where we go from here, that we must find common ground in order to set -- in order to make progress on some uncommonly difficult challenges. i told john boehner and mitch mcconnell last night i am very eager to sit down with members of both parties and figure out how we can move forward together. i'm not suggesting this will be easy. i won't pretend that we'll be

able to bridge every difference or solve every disagreement. there's a reason we have two parties in this country and both democrats and republicans have certain beliefs and certain principles that each feels cannot be compromised. but what i think the american people are expecting and what we owe them is to focus on those issues that affect their jobs, their security and their future, reducing our deficit, promoting a clean energy economy, making sure that our children are the best educated in the world, making sure that we're making investments in technology that allow us to keep our competitive edge in the global economy, because the most important contest we face is not the contest between democrats and republicans. in this century the most important competition we face is between america and our economic competitors around the world. to win that competition and to

continue our economic leadership, we're going to need to be strong and we're going to need to be united. none of the challenges we face lend themselves to simple solutions or bumper sticker slogans nor are the answers found in any one particular philosophy or ideology. as i've said before, no person, no party has a monopoly on wisdom. that's why i'm eager to hear good ideas, wherever they come from, whoever proposes them, and that's why i believe it's important to have an honest and civil debate about the choices that we face. that's why i want to engage both democrats and republicans in serious conversations about where we're going as a nation. with so much at stake, what the american people don't want from us, especially here in washington, is to spend the next two years refighting the political battles of the last two. we just had a tough election. we will have another in 2012.

i'm not so naive as to think that everybody will put paolitis aside until then but i do hope to make progress on the very serious problems facing us right now, and that's going to require all of us, including me, to work harder at building consensus. you know, a little over a month ago we held a town hall meeting in richmond, virginia. one of the most telling questions came from a small business owner who runs a tree care firm. he told me how hard he works and how busy he was. how he doesn't have time to pay attention to all the back and forth in washington. and he asked, is there hope for us returning to civility in our discourse, to a healthy legislative process. so as i strap on the boots again tomorrow, i know that you guys got it under control. it's hard to have faith in that right now, he said.

i do believe there is hope for civility. i do believe there is hope for progress. and that's because i believe in the resiliency of a nation that's bounced back from much worse than what we're going through right now. a nation that's overcome war and depression, that has been made more perfect in our struggle for individual rights and individual freedoms. each time progress has come slowly and even painfully, but progress has always come, because we've worked at it and because we believed in it and most of all because weer remembered that our first allegiance as citizens is not to party or region or faction but to country, because while we may be proud democrats or proud republicans, we are prouder to be americans. that's something that we all need to remember right now and in the coming months. if we do, i have no doubt that

we will continue this nation's long journey towards a better future. so with that, let me take some questions. i'm going to start off with ben feller at ap. >> thank you, mr. president. are you willing to concede at all that what happened last night was not just an expression of frustration about the economy but a fundamental rejection of your agenda? and given the results, who do you think speaks to the true voice of the american people right now, you or john boehner? >> i think that there is no doubt that people's number one concern is the economy. and what they were expressing great frustration about is the fact that we haven't made enough progress on the economy. we've stabilized the economy, we've got job growth in the private sectors, but people all across america aren't feeling that progress. they don't see it.

and they understand that i'm the president of the united states. and that my core responsibility is making sure that we've got an economy that's growing, a middle class that feels secure, that jobs are being created, and so i think i've got to take direct responsibility for the fact that we have not made as much progress as we need to make. now, moving forward, i think the question is going to be can democrats and republicans sit down together and come up with a set of ideas that address those core concerns. i'm confident that we can. i think that there are some areas where it's going to be very difficult for us to agree on, but i think there are going to be a whole bunch of areas where we can agree on. i don't think there's anybody in america who thinks that we've got an energy policy that works the way it needs to, you know, that thinks that we shouldn't be working on energy independence, and that gives opportunities for

democrats and republicans to come together and think about whether it's natural gas or energy efficiency or how we can build electric cars in this country, how do we move forward on that agenda. i think everybody in this country thinks that we've got to make sure our kids are equipped in terms of their education, their science background, their math background to compete in this new global economy. and that's going to be an area where i think there's potential common ground. so on a whole range of issues, there are going to be areas where we disagree. i think that the overwhelming message that i hear from the voters is that we want everybody to act responsibly in washington, we want you to work harder to arrive at consensus, we want you to focus completely on jobs and the economy and growing it so that we're ensuring a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

you know, i think that there's no doubt that as i reflect on the results of the election, it underscores for me that i've got to do a better job, just like everybody else in washington does. [ inaudible ] >> i think john boehner and i and mitch mcconnell and harry reid and nancy pelosi are going to have to sit down and work together because i suspect that if you talk to any individual voter yesterday, they'd say there's some things i agree with democrats on, there's some things i agree with republicans on. you know, i don't think people carry around with them a fixed ideology. i think the majority of people, they're going about their business, going about their lives, they just want to make sure that we're making progress, and that's going to be my top priority the next couple of years. savannah guthrie. >> just following up on what ben

just talked about, you don't seem to be reflecting or second guessing any of the policy decisions you've made, instead saying the message the voters were sending was about frustration with the economy or maybe even chalking it up to a failure on your part to communicate effectively. if you're not reflecting on your policy agenda, is it possible al not getting it? >> well, that was just the first question so we're going to have a few more here. i'm doing a whole lot of reflecting and i think there are going to be areas in policy where we're going to have to do a better job. you know, i think that over the last two years we have made a series of very tough decisions, but decisions that were right in terms of moving the country forward in an emergency situation, where we had the risk of slipping into a second grade depression. but what is absolutely true is

that with all that stuff coming at folks fast and furious, a recovery package, what we had to do with respect to the banks, what we had to do with respect to the auto companies, i think people started looking at all this and it felt as if government was getting much more intrusive in people's lives than they were accustomed to. now, the reason was it was an emergency situation, but i think it's understandable that folks said to themselves, you know, maybe this is the agenda as opposed to a response to an emergency. and that's something that i think, you know, everybody in the white house understood was a danger. we thought it was necessary. but i'm sympathetic to folks who looked at it and said this is looking like potential overreach. you know, in addition there are a bunch of price tags that went

with that. and so even though these were emergency situations, people rightly said, gosh, we already have all this debt, we already have these big deficits, this is potentially going to compound it. at what point are we going to get back to a situation where we're doing what families all around the country do, which is make sure that if you spend something, you know how to pay for it as opposed to racking up the credit card for the next generation. and i think that the other thing that happened is that, you know, when i won election in 2008, one of the reasons i think that people were excited about the campaign was the prospect that we would change how business is done in washington. and we were in such a hurry to get things done that we didn't change how things got done. and i think that frustrated

people. you know, i'm a strong believer that the earmarking process in congress isn't what the american people really want to see when it comes to making tough decisions about how taxpayer dollars are spent. and i in the rush to get things done had to sign a bunch of bills that had earmarks in them, which was contrary to what i had talked about. and i think, you know, folks look at that and they said, gosh, this feels like the same partisan squabbling, this seems like the same ways of doing business as happened before. and so, you know, one of the things that i've got to take responsibility for is not having moved enough on those fronts. and i think there is an opportunity to move forward on some of those issues. my understanding is eric canter

today said he wanted to see a moratorium on earmarks continuing. that's something we can work on together. >> would you still resist the notion that voters rejected the policy choices you made? >> you know, savannah, i think that what i think is absolutely true is voters are not satisfied with the outcomes. if right now we had 5% unemployment instead of 9.6% unemployment, then people would have more confidence in those policy choices. the fact is, is that, you know, for most folks, proof of whether they work or not is has the economy gotten back to where it needs to be, and it hasn't. and so my job is to make sure that i'm looking at all ideas that are on the table. when it comes to job creation, if republicans have good ideas for job growth that can drive down the unemployment rate and

we haven't thought of them, we haven't looked at them but we think they have a chance of working, we want to try some. so on the policy front, i think the most important thing is to say that we're not going to rule out ideas because they're democrat or republican, we want to just see what works and ultimately i'll be judged as president as to the bottom line results. mike emanuel. >> thank you, mr. president. health care. adds you're well aware, obviously a lot of republicans ran against your health care law. some have called for repealing the law. i'm wondering, sir, if you believe that health care reform that you worked so hard on is in danger at this point and whether there's a threat as a result of this election? >> well, i know that there's

some republican candidates who won last night who feel very strongly about it. i'm sure that this will be an issue that comes up in discussions with the republican leadersh leadership. as i said before, though, i think we'd be misreading the election if we thought that the american people want to see us for the next two years relitigate arguments that we had over the last two years. with respect to the health care law generally, and this may go to some of the questions that savannah was raising, you know, when i talked to a woman from new hampshire who doesn't have to mortgage her house because she got cancer and is seeking treatment but now is able to get health insurance, when i talk to parents who are relieved that their child with a pre-existing condition can now stay on their policy until they're 26 years old and give them time to

transition to find a job that will give them health insurance or the small businesses that are now taking advantage of the tax credits that are provided, then i say to myself this was the right thing to do. now, if the republicans have ideas for how to improve our health care system, if they want to suggest modifications that would deliver faster and more effective reform to a health care system that, you know, has been wildly expensive for too many families and businesses and certainly for our federal government, i'm happy to consider some of those ideas. you know, for example, i know one of the things that's come up is that the 1099 provision in the health care bill appears to be too burdensome for small businesses. it just involves too much paperwork, too much filing. it's probably counterproductive.

it was designed to make sure that revenue was raised to help pay for some of the other provisions, but if it ends up just being so much trouble that small businesses find it difficult to manage, that's something that we should take a look at. so there are going to be examples where i think, you know, we can tweak and make improvements on the progress that we've made. that's true for any significant piece of legislation. but i don't think that if you ask the american people should we stop trying to close the doughnut hole that will help senior citizens get prescription drugs, should we go back to a situation where people with pre-existing conditions can't get health insurance, should we allow insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick even though you have been paying premiums, i don't think that you'd have a strong vote from people saying those are provisions i want to eliminate.

>> according to the exit polls, sir, about one out of two voters apparently said that they would like to see it either overturned or repealed. are you concerned that that may involve those who are from the other party perhaps? >> it also means one out of two voters think it was the right thing to do. obviously this is an issue that has been contentious. but as i said i think what's going to be useful is for us to go through the issues that republicans have issues on. not sort of talking generally, but let's talk specifics. this particular provision when it comes to pre-existing conditions, is this something you're for or against? helping seniors get their prescription drugs, does that make sense or not? and, you know, if we take that approach, which is different from campaigning. i mean this is now governing. then i think we can continue to make some progress and find some

common ground. chip reed. >> thank you, mr. president. republicans say more than anything else with this election was about was spending and they say it will be when hell freezes over that they will accept anything remotely like a stimulus bill or any of the proposals you have out there to stimulate job growth through spending. do you accept the fact that any kind of spending to create jobs is dead at this point? if so, what else can government do to create jobs, which is the number one issue? >> well, i think there's going to be an important question for democrats and republicans. you know, i think the american people are absolutely concerned about spending and debt and deficits, and i'm going to have a deficit commission that is putting forward its ideas. it's a bipartisan group that includes republican and democratic members of congress. hopefully they were able to arrive at some consensus on some

areas where we can eliminate programs that don't work, cut back on government spending that is inefficient, can streamline government, but isn't cutting into the core investments that are going to make sure that we are a competitive economy that is growing and providing opportunity for years to come. so, you know, the question i think that my republican friends and me and democratic leaders are going to have to answer is what are our priorities? what do we care about? and that's going to be a tough debate, because there's some tough choices here. we already had a big deficit that i inherited. and that has been made worse because of the recession. as we bring it down, i want to make sure that we're not cutting into education that is going to

help define whether or not we can compete around the world. i don't think we should be cutting back on research and development, because if we can develop new technologies in areas like clean energy, that could make all the difference in terms of job creation here at home. i think the proposal that i've put forward with respect to infrastructure is one that historically we've had bipartisan agreement about, and we should be able to agree now that it makes no sense for china to have better rail systems than us and singapore having better airports than us. we just learned that china now has the fastest supercomputer on earth. that used to be us. they're making investments because they know those investments will pay off over the long term. and so in these budget discussions, the key is to be able to distinguish between stuff that isn't adding to our growth, isn't an investment in

our future, and those things that are absolutely necessary for us to be able to increase job growth in the future as well. now, the single most important thing i think we need to do economically, and this is something that has to be done during the lame duck session, is making sure that taxes don't go up on middle class families next year. and so we've got some work to do on that front to make sure that families not only are seeing a higher tax burden, which will automatically happen if congress doesn't act, but also making sure that business provisions that historically we have extended each year, that, for example, provide tax breaks for companies that are investing here in the united states in research and development, that those are extended. i think it makes sense for us to extend unemployment insurance because there's still a lot of folks out there hurting.

so there's some things that we can do right now that will help sustain the recovery and advance it, even as we're also sitting down and figuring out, okay, over the next several years what kinds of budget cuts can we make that are intelligent, that are smart, that won't be undermining our recovery, but in fact will be encouraging job growth. >> most of the things that you just called investments they call wasteful spending and say it's dead on arrival. without their support, you can't get any of it through. >> what is absolutely true is that without any republican support on anything, then it's going to be hard to get things done. but i'm not going to anticipate that they're not going to support anything. i think that part of the message sent to republicans was we want to see stronger job growth in this country and if there are good ideas about putting people to work that traditionally have garnered republican support and that don't add to the deficit,

then my hope is and expectation is that that's something they're willing to have a serious conversation about. when it comes to, for example, the proposal we put forward to accelerate depreciation for business so that if they're building a plant or investing in new equipment next year, that they can take a complete write-off next year, get a huge tax break next year and that would then encourage a lot of businesses to get off the sidelines, i mean that's not historically considered a liberal idea, that's actually a idea that business groups and republicans, i think, have supported for a very long time. so, again, the question is going to be do we all come to the table with an open mind and say to ourselves what do we think is actually going to make a difference for the american people. that's how we're going to be judged over the next couple of years. peter baker. >> thank you, mr. president.

after your election two years ago when you met with republicans, you said that in discussing what policies might go forward, that elections have consequences and you pointed out that you had won. i wonder what consequences you think this election should have then in terms of your policies. are there areas that you're willing, can you name today, areas that you would be willing to compromise on that you might not have been willing to compromise on in the past? >> well, i think i've been willing to compromise in the past and i'm going to be willing to compromise going forward on a whole range of issues. let me give you an example. the issue of energy that i just mentioned. i think there are a lot of republicans that ran against the energy bill that passed in the house last year. and so it's doubtful that you could get the votes to pass that through the house this year. or next year, or the year after. but that doesn't mean there isn't agreement that we should have a better energy policy.

and so let's find those areas where we can agree. we've got, i think, broad agreement that we've got terrific natural gas resources in this country. are we doing everything we can to develop those? there's a lot of agreement around the need to make sure that electric cars are developed here in the united states, that we don't fall behind other countries. are there things that we can do to encourage that? there's already been bipartisan interest on those issues. there's been discussion about how we can restart our nuclear industry as a means of reducing our dependence on foreign oil and reducing greenhouse gases. is that an area where we can move forward? we were able over the last two years to increase for the first time in 30 years fuel efficiency standards on cars and trucks.

we didn't even need legislation, we just needed the cooperation of automakers and autoworkers and investors and other shareholders and that's going to move us forward in a serious way. so i think when it comes to something like energy, what we're probably going to have to do is say here are some areas where there's just too much disagreement between democrats and republicans, we can't get this done right now, but let's not wait. let's go ahead and start making some progress on the things that we do agree on and we can continue to have a strong and healthy debate about those areas where we don't. >> i'm sure there are going to be areas particularly around, for example, reforming how washington works that i'll be interested in. i think the american people want to see more transparency, more openness. as i said, in the midst of the economic crisis, i think one of the things i take responsibility for was not having pushed harder

on some of those issues. and i think if you take republicans and democrats at their word, this is an area that they want to deliver on for the american people. i want to be supportive of that effort. jake. >> thank you, mr. president. i have a policy question and a personal one. the policy question is you talk about how the immediate goal is the bush tax cuts and making sure that they don't expire for those who earn 200,000, 250,000. republicans disagree with that strongly and want all of the bush tax cuts extended. are you willing to compromise on that? are you willing to negotiate at all, for instance, allow them to expire for everyone over a million dollars? where are you willing to budge on that? and the second one is, president bush when he went through a similar thing came out and he said this was a thumping. you talked about how it was humbling or you alluded to it perhaps being humbling. i'm wondering when you call your

friends, like congressman pariello or governor strickland and you see 19 state legislatures go to the other side, governorships in swing states, the democratic party set back, what does it feel like? >> it feels bad. the toughest thing over the last couple of days is seeing really terrific public servants not have the opportunity to serve any more, at least in the short term. and you mentioned, there are just some terrific members of congress who took really tough votes because they thought it was the right thing. even though they knew this could cause them political problems and even though a lot of them came from really tough swing districts or majority republican

districts. and the amount of courage that they showed and con viction that they showed i admire so much, i can't overstate. so there's not only sadness about seeing them go, but there's also a lot of questioning on my part in terms of could i have done something differently or done something more so that those folks would still be here. it's hard. and i take responsibility for it in a lot of ways. i will tell you they have been incredibly gracious when i have conversations with them. and what they have told me is, you know, we don't have regrets because i feel like we were doing the right thing. and they may be just saying that to make me feel better, which again is a sign of their character and their class. and i hope a lot of them

continue to pursue public service because i think they're terrific public servants. with respect to the tax cut issue, my goal is to make sure that we don't have a huge spike in taxes for middle class families. not only would that be a terrible burden on families who are already going through tough times, it would be bad for our economy. it is very important that we're not taking a whole bunch of money out of the system from people who are most likely to spend that money on goods, services, groceries, buying a new winter coat for the kids. that's also why i think unemployment insurance is important. not only is it the right thing to do for folks who are still looking for work and struggling

in this really tough economy, but it's the right thing to do for the economy as a whole. so my goal is to sit down with speaker-elect boehner and mitch mcconnell, harry and nancy sometime in the next few weeks and see where we can move forward in a way that, first of all, does no harm. that extends those tax cuts that are very important for middle class families, also extends those provisions that are important to encourage businesses to invest and provide businesses some certainty over the next year or two. and how that negotiation works itself out, i think it's too early to say. but, you know, this is going to be one of my top priorities, and my hope is, is that given we all have an interest in growing the economy and encouraging job growth, that we're not going to

play brinksmanship but instead act responsibly. laura mechler. >> thank you, mr. president. you said earlier that it was clear that congress was rejecting the idea of a cap and trade program and you wouldn't be able to move forward with that. looking ahead do you feel the same way with epa, regulating carbon emissions. would you open to them doing the same thing through an administrative action or is that off the table as well? secondly, just to follow up on what you said about changing the way washington works, do you think that -- you said you didn't do enough to change the way things were handled in this city. in order to get your health care bill passed, you needed to make some of those deals. do you wish in retrospect you did not make those deals, even if it meant the collapse of the program? >> i think that making sure that families had security and that were on a trajectory to lower

health care costs was absolutely critical for this country. but you are absolutely right that when you are navigating through a house and a senate in this kind of pretty partisan environment, that it's an ugly mess when it comes to process. you know, i think that is something that really affected how people viewed the outcome. that is something that i regret, that we couldn't have made the process more healthier than it ended up being, but i think the outcome was a good one. with respect to the epa, i think the smartest thing for us to do is to see if we can get democrats and republicans in a room who are serious about energy independence and are serious about keeping our air

clean and our water clean and dealing with the issue of greenhouse gasses and seeing are there ways that we can make progress in the short term and invest in technologies in the long term that start giving us the tools to reduce greenhouse gases and solve this problem. the epa is under a court order that says greenhouse gases are a pollutant that fall under their jurisdiction, and i think, you know, one of the things that's very important for me is not to have us ignore the science but rather define ways that we can solve these problems that don't hurt the economy, that encourage the development of clean energy in this country, that in fact may give us opportunities to create entire new industries and

create jobs and that put us in a competitive posture around the world. so i think it's too early to say whether or not we can make some progress on that front. i think we can. cap in trade was just one way of skinning the cat. it was not the only way. it was a means, not an end. i'm going to be looking for other means to address this problem. and i think the epa wants help from the legislature on this. i don't think that the desire is to somehow be protective of their powers here. i think what they want to do is make sure that the issue is being dealt with. ed henry. >> thank you, mr. president. i wanted to do a personal policy one as well. on personal -- you had a lot of fun on the campaign trail by saying that the republicans were drinking a slurpie and sitting on the sidelines while you were trying to pull the car out of the ditch but the point of the story was if you want to go forward you put the car in d, if you want to go backwards, you

put it in r. now that are 60 districts that projected that message, is it possible that a majority of americans think that your policies are taking us in reverse, and what specific changes will you make to your approach to try to fix that and better connect with the american people? and just on a policy front, don't ask, don't tell is something you promised to end. and when you had 60 votes and 59 votes in the senate, it's a tough issue. you haven't been able to do it. do you now have to tell your liberal base with maybe 52 or 53 votes in the senate you're just not going to be able to get it done in the next two years? >> well, let me take the second issue first. i've been a strong believer in the notion that if somebody is willing to serve in our military in uniform putting their lives on the line for our security that they should not be prevented from doing so because of their sexual orientation. and since there's been a lot of

discussion about polls over the last 48 hours, i think it's worth noting that the overwhelming majority of americans feel the same way. it's the right thing to do. now, as commander in chief i've said that making this change needs to be done in an orderly fashion. i've worked with the pentagon, worked with secretary gates, worked with admiral mullen to make sure that we are looking at this in a systematic way that maintains good order and discipline, but that we need to change this policy. there's going to be a review that comes out at the beginning of the month that will have surveyed attitudes and opinions within the armed forces. i will expect that secretary of defense gates and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral mullen, will have something to say about that review. i will look at it very carefully. but that will give us time to act in potentially during the lame duck session to change this

policy. keep in mind we've got a bunch of court cases that are out there as well. and something that would be very disruptive to good order and discipline and unit cohesion is if we've got this issue bouncing around in the courts as it already has over the last several weeks where the pentagon and the chain of command doesn't know at any given time what rules they're working under. we need to provide certainty, and it's time for us to move this policy forward. and this should not be a partisan issue. this is an issue where, as i said, you've got a sizeable portion of the american people squarely behind the notion that folks who are willing to serve on our behalf should be treated fairly and equally. now, in terms of how we move forward, you know, i think that the american people understand

that we're still digging our way out of a pretty big mess. so i don't think anybody denies they think we're in a ditch. i just don't think they feel like we've gotten all the way out of the ditch yet. and to move the analogy forward that i used in the campaign, i think what they want right now is the democrats and the republicans both pushing some more to get the car on level ground. and we haven't done that. if you think i was engaging in too much campaign rhetoric saying the republicans were just sitting on the side of the road watching us get that car out of the ditch, at the very least we were pushing in opposite directions. >> you're saying that your policies are taking the country in reverse, you just reject that idea? >> yes. i think, look, here's the bottom

line. when i came into office, this economy was in a freefall, and the economy has stabilized. the economy is growing. we've seen nine months of private sector job growth. so i think it would be hard to argue that we're going backwards. i think what you can argue is we're stuck in neutral. we are not moving the way we need to to make sure that folks have the jobs, have the opportunity, are seeing economic growth in their communities the way they need to. and that's going to require democrats and republicans to come together and look for the best ideas to move things forward. of it will not be easy. not just because democrats and republicans may have different priorities, as we were just discussing when it came to how we structure tax cuts, but because these issues are hard. you know, the republicans

throughout the campaign said they're very concerned about debt and deficits. well, one of the most important things we can do for debt and deficits is economic growth. so what other proposals do they have to grow the economy? if in fact they're rejecting some of the proposals i've made, i want to hear from them what affirmative policies can make a difference in terms of encouraging job growth and promoting the economy. because, you know, i don't think that tax cuts alone are going to be a recipe for the kind of expansion that we need. from 2001 to 2009 we cut taxes pretty significantly and we just didn't see the kind of expansion that is going to be necessary in terms of driving the unemployment rate down significantly. so i think what we're going to

need to do and what the american people want is for us to mix and match ideas, figure out those areas we can agree on, move forward on those. >> i want to ask if you're going to have john boehner over for a slurpie, but i actually have a serious question. >> i might serve that. they're delicious drinks. a slurpie summit, that's good. i like that. >> since you seem to be in a reflective mood, do you think you need to hit the reset button with business? how do you plan to set that reset button with business? would you include anything beyond your cleveland speech, those proposals, to get them off the sidelines, get them off the

cash they're hording and start hiring again? >> yeah, i think this is an important question we've been asking ourselves for several months now. you're right, as i reflect on what's happened over the last two years, one of the things that i think has not been managed by me as well as it needed to be was finding the right balance in making sure that businesses have rules of the road and are treating customers fairly and whether it's their credit cards or insurance or their mortgages, but also making absolutely clear that the only way america succeeds is if businesses are succeeding. the reason we've got a

unparalleled standard of living in the history of the world is because we've got a free market that is dynamic and entrepreneurial and, you know, that free market has to be nurtured and cultivated. and there's no doubt that when you had the financial crisis on wall street, the bonus controversies, the battle around health care, battle around financial reform and then you had bp, you just had a successive set of issues in which i think business took the message that, well, gosh, it seems like we may be always painted as the bad guy. and then so i've got to take responsibility in terms of making sure that i make clear to the business community as well as to the country that the most important thing we can do is to boost and encourage our business sector and make sure that

they're hiring. so we do have specific plans in terms of how we can structure that outreach. now, keep in mind over the last two years we've been talking to ceos constantly. and as i plan for my trip later this week to asia, the whole focus is on how are we going to open up markets so that american businesses can prosper and we can sell more goods and create more jobs here in the united states and a whole bunch of corporate executives are going to be joining us so that i can help them open up those markets and allow them to sell their products. so there's been a lot of strong interaction behind the scenes, but i think setting the right tone publicly is going to be important and could end up making a difference at the margins in terms of how businesses make investment decisions. >> would you have used the proposal to go off the sidelines

and start hiring? >> i discussed a couple with chip that haven't been acted on yet. i made these proposals two months ago or three months ago but it was in the midst of campaign season where it was doubtful they were going to get a full hearing just because there was so much political noise going on. i think as we move forward, sitting down and talking to businesses, figuring out exactly what would help you make more investments that could create more jobs here in the united states and, you know, listening hard to them in a context where maybe democrats and republicans are together so we're receiving the same message at the same time and then acting on that agenda could make a big difference. >> matt of reuters. >> thank you, mr. president. how do you respond to those who say the election outcome at least in part was voters saying that they see you as out of touch with their personal

economic pain and are you willing to make any changes in your leadership style? >> you know, there is a inherent danger in being in the white house and being in the bubble. folks didn't have any complaints about my leadership style when i was running around iowa for a year and they got a pretty good look at me up close and personal, and they were able to lift the hood and kick the tires. you know, i think they understood that my story was theirs. i might have a funny name, i might have lived in some different places, but the values of hard work and responsibility and honesty and looking out for

one another that had been instilled in them by their parents, those were the same value that say i took from my mom and my grandparents. and so, you know, the track record has been that when i'm out of this place, that's not an issue. when you're in this place, it is hard not to seem removed. and one of the challenges that we've got to think about is how do i meet my responsibilities here in the white house, which require a lot of hours and a lot of work, but still, you know, have that opportunity to engage with the american people on a day-to-day basis and know -- give them confidence that i'm listening to them. you know, those letters that i read every night, some of them

just break my heart. some of them provide me encouragement and inspiration. but nobody is filming me reading those letters. and so it's hard, i think, for people to get a sense of, well, how's he taking in all this information. so i think there are more things that we can do to make sure that i'm getting out of here. but, you know, i think it's important to point out as well that a couple of great communicators, ronald reagan and bill clinton, were standing at this podium two years into their presidency getting very similar questio questions, because the economy wasn't working the way it needed to be and there were a whole range of factors that made people concerned that maybe the

party in power wasn't listening to them. this is something that i think every president needs to go through because the responsibilities of this office are so enormous and so many people are depending on what we do and in the rush of activity, sometimes we lose track of, you know, the ways that we connected with folks that got us here in the first place. and that's something that -- now, i'm not recommending for every future president that they take a shelaccing like i did last night. i'm sure there are easier ways to learn these lessons. but i do think that this is a

growth process and an evolution and the relationship that i've had with the american people is one that built slowly, peaked at this incredible high and then during the course of the last two years as we've together gone through some very difficult times has gotten rockier and tougher and, you know, it's going to, i'm sure, have some more ups and downs during the course of me being in this office. but the one thing that i just want to end on is getting out of here is good for me too, because when i travel around the country, even in the toughest of these debates, in the midst of health care last summer when they were protesters about and, you know, when i'm meeting families who have lost loved ones in afghanistan or iraq, i

always come away from those interactions just feeling so much more optimistic about this country. we have such good and decent people who on a day-to-day basis are finding all kinds of ways to live together and educate kids and grow their communities and improve their communities and create businesses and work together to create great new products and services. you know, the american people always make me optimistic and that's why during the course of the last two years as tough as it's been, as many sometimes scary moments as we've gone through, i've never doubted that we're going to emerge stronger than we were before, and i think that remains true and i'm just going to be looking forward to playing my part in helping that

journey along. all right. thank you very much, everybody. interesting bit there at the end with bill clinton literally looking on between the pillars, his presidential portrait overlooking the front entrance hallway there in the white house, the president went from the depths of what happened last night using the word shelacking and said it feels bad to the way to make himself feel a little better about talking about getting out. but a lot of self analysis. david gregory watching with us in washington, i know you'll agree. >> i'm really struck, brian, i have to tell you. this is a president who was dejektd, who was clearly trying to project humility, but i can't imagine anyone who thinks back to two years ago in his trium triumphant win as president would hear him two years later struggling to figure out how he connects to the american people

at a time of great political upheaval. he said when you're in the white house it's hard not to seem removed. that's what he seems to be struggling with. i think supporters might say this is a humble president. i think other supporters might say where was the fight, where was the plan, where was he going to take on republicans going forward here. there seems to still be some impatience with the american people's impatience on where the economy is. >> chuck todd is sitting here watching with me. you noted no question about the tea party per se but he said he did learn he had to sit down with business and listen to them. >> it really struck me, bill clinton's post-election press conference in 1994 was the i'm relevant press conference. i think this one will be known as i'm putting myself on the couch press conference. it was a ton of self analysis, as you pointed out. i do think this dejected mood may have to do with what he shared, calling of all of these losing democrats, ike