expected to speak at the white house this hour after the senate passed an agreement for a payroll tax extension. welcome to an extended edition of "weekends with alex witt." the agreement only extends two short months until february, so

we could see this fight again on ground hog day, no less. remember that movie? good afternoon, mike. so what's the word from there? >> reporter: they'll be doing the pennsylvania polka in about 60 days -- that's a "ground hog day" reference for you there, alex. a rare senate saturday session. they passed not only a $1 trillion spending bill to keep the government in operation and thereby avert a government shutdown due to take effect at midnight last night and they passed a two-month extension of that payroll tax cut. this tax cut had been in effect over the course of the last year. it was due to expire at the end of this month. the president has been pushing for it. republican leaders said they wanted to extend it, as well. they could not agree on how to pay for it. it would have cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $250 billion. so on the same day they passed

that $1 trillion spending bill, could and find $250 billion in savings. the upshot of that is that it's only going to be good for 60 days. they'll be back at it again and there's that controversial pipeline legislation that the president has said he was going to reject, that he's now going to accept at least for the next 60 days. >> what is the president going to say, if he's on time? >> reporter: we expect the president in the briefing room. we can expect him to press for extension of the payroll tax cut, no question about that. we can expect him to try to explain the pipeline decision. administration officials have said we were trying to review the environmental impact of this. and many expected it to take a year, and many of the president's opponents noted it was a sensitive issue for him among environmentalists. and a review was going to take until after the election, perhaps. so this is an example of the

white house trying to -- i'm sorry, republicans trying to press what they see as a political advantage, and they also said it would create jobs, most estimate put the number of jobs at 5,000 to 7,000. but the president said he was going to reject any ex-trameasu. >> okay, mike, we'll be reconsleeping with you as the president gets under way. let's head over to capitol hill with luke russert. while the senate has been voting on multiple bills, so where does the situation stand right now, luke? can you categorize the tenor, the air, the feeling there? do they feel like they've achieved some sort of success as they break for the holiday? >> reporter: any time they can pass something out of the united states senate in the last few years, you can say that's a success in and of itself. this is a legislative body

that's been bogged down, absolute dysfunction. this morning, they did pass the tax cut holiday, that includes the unemployment benefit. but also they did the novel concept this morning of funding the entire united states government. listen to arizona senator john mccain and his comments on the senate floor about that. >> here we are again. a bill, 1,221 pages long, not one member of this committee has read it. 1,221 pages representing $915 billion of the taxpayer's money and here we are not with an amendment -- we do have minutes, we have 15 minutes. school buses, repository, $100

million for the next generation bomber which the air force says they don't want or need. some outfight like the combat dragon, which will be crop dusters equipped with weapons. c-17s, $225 million. additional c-17s that the military said they don't need. $3.5 billion just in the d.o.d. provisions alone. it's outrageous, it's outrageous. >> and there you see, alex, john mccain, a senator who is often railed against pork barrel projects, upset with some of the money that's in the government funding bill. this is something we seem to hear from him over the years he's been in the united states senate. nevertheless, that bill was passed by the house and senate and it will govern how much

money the united states government will spend over the next year and it's significantly less than it was last year because of what the gop conference did, moving away from spending, which is the whole reason they got elected was to cut spending. so a lot going on here in washington, d.c. usually would be a speedy saturday. i spoke to almost senator who said i should be out christmas shopping right now. instead, they are working for the people that elected them. but they did the business they needed to do. the bill goes to the house next week and should pass there, and the government of the united states is funded. no shutdown today, alex. so things are looking up at least at the end of the year after so much dysfunction. >> at least for the senators, because they're off and running now with their shopping. the house, they are not free to do so quite yet. they're back this week. >> reporter: they are back, yes. as early as monday, we've heard possibly tuesday, they will have to come back and approve this deal. it's expected to pass with bipartisan support similar to

what you saw in the senate. you're going to get a lot of outspoken republicans who don't like the payroll tax roll tax holiday in general. expect them to vote against it. you may have some democrats that don't like the deal because of the pipeline. it will pass the house but the extremes on both sides will voice a very vocal opposition to it, alex. >> okay. luke russert, thank you so much from capitol hill. this deal for the payroll tax extension is just for two months, until ground hog day. for reaction, let's bring back in our panel. so welcome back, erin. what do you think february is going to look like, are we going to have this debate all over again in an election year? >> of course, which is exactly what the democrats didn't want. they wanted to push it ahead

until after this election. that it would go forward for a year. but yes, we're going to be seeing more of the same, always these temporary deals, that's what this year has been marked by in congress. february will be more of the same. >> goldie, what do you think people should take away from what's going on today on the senate floor? >> i think they should take away that washington is broken, that the hyper partisanship has pushed us into what i call a very uncivil war, where people don't care about what's happening on main street anymore. that's a real problem that if we're going to stick to talking points, stick to a hard line on whatever we believe, and the american people be damned, i think that puts us in a very wrong place. this is going to be held over until february in the middle of an election. there will be lots of politicking and that i think is going to be sad for the american people come february.

>> and megan, what do you think the public needs to hear from the president in about 20 minutes from now? and do you think that is what he will express? >> i think the president needs to be as angry in the clip you just showed of my father. by anybody's standards, this is a bill that's faulty and putting a band aid on a stab wound and somebody we're going to have to revisit in february and this is the worst parts of things that everybody hates about washington. the frustration we saw with the tea party movement and occupy wall street, it's anger at the process and it's anger at how broken it is. >> all right. ladies, thank you for sticking around. we'll be speaking with you shortly. we'll have more on the president, everyone, who is expected to speak at the bottom of the hour on that senate payroll tax cut vote. we'll be right back. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt.

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the senate approving a two-month extension of a cut to the social security payroll tax, jobless benefits for the unemployed will also continue. the president is expected to speak about this live at the white house some 15 minutes from now. we'll bring you his remarks live. let's go to 2012 politics as mitt romney has been getting help defending his faith. here are the top headlines.

nikki haley joined mitt romney friday. she endorsed romney for president and was asked about whether romney's faith would have an impact on south carolina primary voters. >> when it comes to the mormon faith, whatever the person's faith is, my constituents, that's not going to be an issue. what the people of south carolina care about is values, and family, and faith, and what you do and result. >> the great majority of the people in this country choose a leader based on their vision for the country. >> iowans are seeing a lot of negative campaigning. rick perry is taking aim at ron paul and the texas governor said paul's isolationist policies make him nervous, specifically when it comes to iran.

>> dr. paul talked about that he basically doesn't think that these mullas in iran are anything to worry about. that iran somehow or another, if they get their hands on a nuclear bomb, that's kind of their business over there. well, that greatly disturbs me. >> meanwhile, ron paul was busy last night making an appearance on the "tonight" show with jay leno. and here's what he had to say about mitt romney. >> give me your thoughts on the other candidates, how about mitt romney? >> he used to be governor of massachusetts. >> right. very good. that's a rick perry answer. very good. >> maybe that's what he should stay at, being governor. [ applause ] he's a nice guy. >> on the campaign trail today, rick perry, michele bachmann and rick santorum will be making

stops in iowa. jon huntsman is holding town halls in new hampshire. let's look to the weather right now on this last shopping weekend before christmas. a live look outside at new york city where it's a beautiful day. clear but a little by cold. how is it outside where you are? here are the details. hello, bill. >> around the country, everyone is wondering where is the snow and where is wenter? temperatures haven't been that cold yet. as we go into the heart of the winter season, sooner or later it has to arrive. there's some cold spots, denver, minneapolis, northern new england on the cold side. but not looking at the arctic cold. you have to go up into northern canada, north of montreal to find the really cold air. even canada at this point hasn't experienced the harsh winter. this is a different map, shows

you where the true arctic air is. the purple color and the white is the really cold polar air. the light blue that's chilly. as we go out to next weekend, you notice that the heart of the cold air, the purple, it still stays up in there in the hudson bay. it will be chilly but not any big shot of cold air. all the real cold air is locked up over siberia and around the north pole. so this weekend, saturday and sunday, both days are similar, just some showers down there in texas, mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies over much of the country. there's no snowstorms heading our way, no huge shots of cold air. it's great for getting errands done. but it doesn't feel like christmas yet. sooner or later, it will come, just not in time for a white christmas. >> thanks, bill. we continue to watch the white house. we're waiting for the president to speak at the bottom of the

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at 22 past the hour, keeping a very close eye on the white house, as the president is expected to speak about the senate approval of a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, just two months. as soon as he begins speaking, we'll bring you his comments live. let's go to the three biggest money headlines generating buzz this day. return to sender. travel surge and 'tis the season for tipping. vera gibbons is joining me now to give us all the details. good day to you. >> nice to see you. >> so the holiday sales are up, but what are we hearing about gift returns, which could set a new record? >> returns have been out of control. they're at a rate of 15%, which is double the rate you would see when economic times are better. so people are returning stuff left and right and doing so for any number of reasons. they're feeling cash strapped and they're finding similar

items that are prices. and some retailers have changed the return policies making it almost too easy to take stuff back, so we're taking advantage of that, bringing everything back from toys to electronics. >> despite all these continued worries about the economy, more americans are going to be traveling over the holidays? >> an astounding number, 92 million americans traveling for the holidays. really high volumes here, mostly by car. 91% by car, even though gas prices are 29 cents higher than they were a year ago. 5.4 million american also be flying. so we're putting other family and friends ahead of frugality. much like we saw over the thanksgiving period. >> what about tipping? in these times, you have to wonder are people still doing that? >> 16% of us will be tipping a little bit less this holiday season, because we're cash

trapped, we don't know how we're going to make ends meet. but 70% say we're still going to be acknowledging though who make our lives a little bit easier. we are still tipping and many of us are feeling generous despite the economic conditions. >> does that mean i have to give you a tip, vera? >> i forgot to give you your coffee. sorry. >> thank you, vera. we'll have more on the president. he's expected to speak in about five minutes or so, speaking about the senate payroll tax cut vote from three hours ago. we'll have it for you. [ female announcer ] new crest complete multi-benefit plus deep clean.

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approaching the bottom of the hour. we are expecting president obama to speak at any moment after the senate voted earlier today to extend that payroll tax holiday that was set to expire at the end of the year. some jobless benefits were extended, as well. but it's a mixed victory for the president.

so let's talk about the latest in washington and the tenor of things there. how do you read things, mike? >> reporter: the good things is for 160 million working families, their taxes are not going to go up at the end of this month. you know that we are currently operating under what they call a tax holiday, a 2% decrease in the tay roll taxes that everybody pays. going into the social security trust fund, it was due to expire at the end of this year. it was the result of the president's deal with the leader of the republican senate last year. hear's the two minute warning. but it was due to expire at the end of the month. it would have meant an extra $1,000 of the average family of four's tax bill. those taxes aren't going to go up right away. the bad news is it's just a temporary agreement, a temporary fix for the next two months. they're going to fight it all over again in february, alex. >> mike, we're going to let you

get to your spot. don't go too far. let's go right now to luke russert, there on capitol hill and following all the machinations there on the floor. so what are the senators telling you about passing this bill today, luke? >> reporter: alex, they see it as -- both sides as the best deal they could have gotten as we got to the end of the year. look, the united states senate and the house, a lot of them want to go back home to their constituents, campaigning around the holidays is very important to them. and they all seem to be pretty positive about this bipartisan agreement. so now it just needs to pass the house of representatives. while it should pass the house, alex, i have to tell people that we automatically think that something gets 89 votes in the snas it will be rubber stamped

in the house. but expect some votes from the republican side opposing this will saying this is a temporary fix, that it shouldn't be in there. expect some votes from the democratic side saying the keystone pipeline being in this legislation is a no-go. and expect folks from both sides saying a two-month extension is not long enough and a temporary band-aid and that's going to help the president politically and a lot of must bes don't like that. so it should pass the house. but it will be a spirited debate surrounding it. >> on that last point, luke, with just the brevity of this deal, two months only, were any senators -- well, you oar going to have to hold that thought. because the president will share his. >> congress should not go home for vacation until it finds a way to avoid hitting the 160 million americans with a tax hike on january 1.

extending the payroll tax cut that shows up in people's paychecks every week is an idea that i proposed in september as part of the american jobs act. at a time when so many americans are working harder and harder just to keep up, the extra $1,000 or so that the average family would get from this tax cut makes a real difference when you're trying to buy groceries or pay the bills, make a mortgage or make a repair. all kinds of independent economists agree. the number one challenge facing businesses right now is the lack of demand from consumers, which is why more people spending money means companies that are more successful and more able to hire more workers. today, congress has finally agreed to extend this middle class tax cut into next year. and they've agreed to another part of my jobs plan extending unemployment insurance for millions of americans who are out there who are trying as hard as they can to find a job. this is spending money that also

benefits families and businesses and the entire economy. and it's a lifeline that would have been lost for more than 2.5 million people in the first two months of next year if congress had not acted. so i'm very pleased to see the work that the senate has done. while this agreement is for two months, it is my expectation, in fact, it would be inexcusable for congress not to further extend this middle class tax cut for the rest of the year. it should be a formality, and hopefully it's done with as little drama as possible when they get back in january. this isn't hard. there are plenty of ways to pay for these proposals. this is a way to boost the economy that's been supported by the same democrats and republicans in the past. it is something that economists believe will assure that the

economies a the recovery is on a more stable footing than it otherwise would be. and my preference and the preference of most americans is we ask the wealthiest few americans pay their fair share and corporations to cover some of the costs. but i think that it's important for us to get it done. we've got a lot more work to do for the people who sent us here. but today i'm glad that both parties and congress came together and i want to thank them for ensuring that as we head into the holidays, folks at home don't have to worry about their taxes going up. so i had a chance to talk to senator reid and senator mcconnell. i thanked them for their cooperation on this issue. i'm looking forward to the house, moving forward and getting this done when they get back on monday. and hopefully we're going to be able to make sure that when everybody gets back next year, we extend this further all the way to the end of the year.

thank you very much, everybody. >> all right. so the president there weighing in on his thoughts, and clearly he's pleased with the senate vote today. of course, it has to be taken up by the house in just a couple of days. they may do that as of monday before they break for the holiday. we're going to go back to luke russert. the president touched on the point i was beginning to make with you, which is the president said he hopes this will be extended from the two months extension through the rest of the year with as little drama as possible. that begs the question, are the senators that you have spoken with this morning, are they aware of how frustrated the american people are with these little incremental successes and then you have to go back and debate this and do this all over again before something gets passed with any sense of permanency do it. >> reporter: the president is saying it should be a formality,

that the unemployment benefits are extended through the rest of the year. i think if you talk to individual members of congress, there is a sense that they are deeply unpopular around the country, because you see these battles literally to the legislative debt over things that a lot of folks just sort of see as being necessary, and a lot of people are left standing just completely lost. why are you fighting and fighting and fighting and not working together and giving a little bit here and a little bit there? this agreement is fairly bipartisan. it is paid for, which has been something that's been very much trumpeted by the gop. and it does not -- it preserves the democratic programs that the president wanted to see as he mentioned right there, were very much a part of his american jobs act. you're going to see, though, alex, in the next 60 days, we're going to have what we saw last

week, a legislative battle between senate democrats and house republicans go into overdrive and lit be the defining issue for the first two months of 2012, and the president will be allowed to go around the country and say i'm for middle class tax cuts and the republicans are holding them up because they want to give tax breaks to the wealthy. but if you think about the cost of this legislation, we talk about things that maybe feel to a degree. this is legislation you feel literally. and you mentioned the stats. millions of americans will see $1,000 still in their paycheck that the president just mentioned they can use for groceries, pay down the mortgage. unemployment benefits that millions rely on. 1 in 45 children are homeless right now. those are going to be preserved. you still have the sense that is now in the back of everyone's head on capitol hill that this is surely not permanent for the

rest of 2012. this is just a little band-aid around the holidays, effectively that would have stopped a pr disaster. if you don't extend tax cuts around christmas, you really do look like the grinch. this is simply not over and it will be a defining issue for campaign 2012. >> did you get a read for any of the ten who voted against this -- i spoke with senator kirk of illinois, as well as senator manchin of west virginia. your sense from them if they hope to get this not extended come february, if there's a presumption it will be extended to the end of the year? >> they're interesting. they opposed this legislation because in order to pay for the payroll tax cut holiday, the social security trust fund is where that money is taken from. so they believe, as senator manchin's staff called it, it's

a raid on that fund. a lot of house republicans had a problem with that, as well. that's why they see this as a band-aid. so while republicans like tax cuts, in this case they don't see it as a true tax cut because they see it as taking away from a fund that should be there. nevertheless, that's one segment of the opposition to this. but a lot of the opposition to this from the republican side is the belief that the payroll tax holiday doesn't work. president obama views it as a central component of his jobs legislation, that it seeps the economy moving, people spend this tax cut. and that's the big argument you have between republicans and democrats. republicans want to have those high-end tax cuts because they say that helps create jobs and spur economic growth. democrats say no, it should be targeted tax cuts on the middle class because those individuals take that money and put it back into the economy. so we're going to continue that debate. but listen, the house gop, they don't want to move on this at

all. the senate doesn't want to give on this at all. you're going to have to same battle we've seen over the last week go into hyper overdrive in the chilly months of january and february and it will put a chill through everyone on capitol hill. if you thought it was bad this last week, just wait till you see how it's going to be in february. >> let's hope you are wrong, but i feel you are not. luke russert, thank you so much. let's go back to the white house. the tenor of the president, you know, he was very positive about this and gave his reasonings for this. but he didn't seem happy -- to be honest, those of us here in the studio, he looks exhausted. he does. >> reporter: i think from a political stand point, they have averted mutually assured destruction in having the tax cut expire at the end of the month. but it's not the best case scenario politically or economically when you extended a payroll tax cut that puts more

money many american consumer's pockets, not for the course of the year which businesses and people who forecast the economy can plan around. but sort of leaves everything in purgatory over the course of the next 60 days and the president said he's confident that this can go forward when this debate is renewed in february. remember, luke's friends in congress are off for the bulk of january. he says he hopes it can be done without drama. the evidence supports there's going to be plenty more drama, if you look at the gridlock that's brought us to this point right now. the president, it was just two weeks ago in a joint appearance with the canadian prime minister, said any effort to tie the keystone pipeline to the payroll tax cut i will reject. he did not reject that when it -- it will come to his desk when the house approves this payroll tax extension.

that essentially forces the president to make a call within the next 60 days. anything can happen over that time, and i'm sure we're going to hear white house officials explain that. we don't know what's going to happen with that. but the fact remains that the president, while not using the veto, said he would reject it, and in fact, he's going to accept it. so while the white house feels very comfortable fighting on the ground here in terms of trying to extend this payroll tax cut, they think that this is very favorable ground to fight from a political stand point and republicans for their part were for it, as well. they simply could not agree on where to cut spending in order to pay for this to extend it for the entire year. that does not necessarily bode well for a no drama revisiting of this issue in february, alex. >> okay. mike, many thanks from the white house. stay with us, everyone. we'll continue our coverage of this payroll tax cut hike, that

vote in the senate, the president's reaction and get further reaction from our panel. we'll be right back. when you're a sports photographer, things can get out of control pretty quickly. so i like control in the rest of my life... especially my finances. that's why i have slate, with blueprint. i can make a plan to pay off big stuff faster... or avoid interest on everyday things. that saves me money. with slate from chase, i'm always in control. financially, anyway. get slate with blueprint and save money. call 855-get-slate today.

with a tax hike on january 1, extending the payroll tax cut is an idea i proposed in september as part of the american jobs act. at a time when so many americans are working harder and harder just to keep up, the extra $1,000 or so that the average family would get from this tax cut makes a real difference when you're trying to buy groceries or pay the bills, make a mortgage or make a repair. >> we'll get more there on the president's statement, made some

15 minutes or so ago. i'm back with my panel. erin, how did you read the president's statement? >> it was very quick, alex. but one of the interesting things i've seen people point out is that the president did not mention the keystone pipeline that was attached to that bill that he has to make a decision on. and i have seen it now today already, some chief aides to republican senate leader mitch mcconnell celebrating about the fact that he didn't mention it. one said not a word about keystone. ha! so the republicans are already celebrating that victory for them. >> goldie, should republicans be celebrating? is this a victory for them regarding keystone and the pipeline? >> i think it is a victory for republicans, frankly. the idea that this extension is going to happen for two months is a victory for republicans here. but it's really unfortunate.

i had one of my left wing advocate friends talk about how little $1,000 would mean to an american family. i flatly called him wrong, that $1,000 will help someone keep food on the table and for many tables pay rent for a couple of months. so this was really important legislation that should have been extended for much longer than two months. and certainly should have be ll been tied to keystone. >> meghan, the president praised the senate and the show of bipartisanship today. is that what you wanted to hear? >> if this is his idea of bipartisan success, he's got more problems than i think he does. it was very brief and short and what was most tellen is that he took no questions and didn't address the pipeline. so i think realistically, this was a failure for democrats. >> erin, the president said he wants to see congress take his payroll tax extension next year

without drama, extend it through the rest of the 2012 year. do you expect that to happen, relative to the drama part and lack thereof? >> in certainly will be drama. i think what he was saying there is that he's irritated because republicans and democrats haven't been able to come together until this point and there's been drama all this year, and he's sick of it and he knows that americans are sick of it all over the country. >> meghan, do you think those -- erin's sentiments there, do you think that's lost on those members in congress right now? they don't seem to act as if they're hearing that people want real change and effective leadership. >> it's daunting that members of congress haven't been able to get this through their skulls. there's been protesting going on in the streets since the summer. people are exhausted with the process. they're exhausted with this kind

of behavior and exhausted with this partisanship going on in washington. the 7% approval rating is indicative how disenfranchised everyone is from the process. >> goldie, looking ahead to a presidential election year, do you have much hope, without being cynical, there will be a more conciliatory tone, or do you think it will get worse? >> i think the election year will only exacerbate the hyper partisanship we have going on today. it will only get worse as we get past florida and south carolina and add in some of the states in the middle of the country. this will only get more tough and i expect the approval rating for congress to go lower. i could see it around 2%, 3%. it's heartbreaking. >> ladies, to that, i say buckle up, because we're in for a bumpy

ride next year. thank you for staying was, ladies. moving on to our office politics segment. we went to concord, massachusetts to visit the historian, author of several best sellers, including "team of rivals." she's now on work of a biography of teddy roosevelt. take a look. >> this home has history to it. you have built history into the walls of this home. is that inspirational for you, is it just natural for you? >> what the house really became was a house of books. we moved from another house to this house because we had too many books and they were overflowing the other house. once we got here, we decided to build extra rooms on so that books could be sort of organized. so the room that we're sitting in right now became the library

for abraham lincoln, history, and buy riography. there's a baseball room for my love of baseball. but you're surrounded by the books which are partly the research. i have another room upstairs where teddy roosevelt is housed. it allows you to be surrounded by the things my husband and i have loved all our lives. >> who do you think is the most inspirational president? >> i'm not sure i know. i think it depends so much on the time. there's no question, if you look at the -- if you look at the human being that abraham lincoln was, he's the most inspirational. of all the presidents i've lived with, six years living with franklin, ten years with lincoln, another six years with jfk, and now i'm into my seventh year with teddy roosevelt. nobody compares as a human being

to abraham lincoln. i felt if i could understand him i would be a better person, because he was so willing to forgive past hurts. he was willing to surround himself with people who could argue with him. and he just had a set of emotional strengths that i think no other president quite has had. >> so let's get to president obama. where do you think, if you can look at the historical night in 2008, when he was elected, grant park, chicago, where does that rank in history? where does it place itself in history? >> there was no question, those of us who lived through 2008, the first african-american president becoming president. the first sense of a whole country seemingly united behind this huge step in american history. no matter what happened after that, that's a night that's going to be huge, i think. as we look back on 50, 100 years from now. bigger than when the first

jewish person becomes president, because history of race has been the problem in our country. there was such sense of hope, such a sense of possibility, and at that time, a sense of people on all sides of the aisle feeling this is a good thing for america that this has happened. >> are there qualities in president obama that you can see, ah, that's teddy roosevelt like, that's lincoln like, and if so, what are they? >> i do tend to look at these presidents and think they remind me of my guys. because obama had read so much about lincoln and the first time i talked to him, he called me up on my cell phone in 2007 when he was still way behind hillary clinton and said i just finished "team of rivals" and we have to talk. i picked up my cell phone and it was hello, i'm barack obama. we talked about lincoln's

emotional strengths and how he was able to put these past hurts behind him, to not feel the need to retaliate. i think obama definitely wanted to have that kind of temperament. he also had a sense, even then, that he wanted to be a president that would be remembered in history. >> on "meet the press" a few weeks back, you talked about president obama and how he should channel teddy roosevelt. then he subsequently goes to kansas and gives a significant speech. is he listening to you? >> the one thing about president obama is he really does love history. i've been part of three historian's dippnners, where weo down and have dinner with him and tell him what our presidents would do. there might be ani eisenhower personal, a jfk person, and he loves to listen to what other presidents can i learn from. the last dinner was in may and

we've had one every year. >> there weren't others that solicited your base of knowledge? >> no, not at all. and it's so much fun. he just is really good at that kind of seminar situation, making sure, hey, you haven't said anything, what are you thinking. and we all talk freely and give advice. i remember at the last dinner we talked about truman, and the idea that truman had run against a do-nothing congress. that was a potential avenue for him to go. we talked about fdr, teddy roosevelt. all these characters are in his head. he likes history and it's great that he can learn from history. >> dinners at the white house. i'm going to have more of my interview tomorrow, including why being a big baseball fan made her the historian she is today. that's a wrap of our extended edition of "weekends with alex witt." i'll look for you tomorrow

morning. stay with us, headline updates and breaking news as it happens. i'm alex witt. have a great day. we'll see you in the morning. on my phone, i got internet! hotspot five dollars. hey, hey, hey, hey. i can see who's on my network people! lance? lance? yes, yes you are next. all right. dave, i'm in. ♪ katie! what are you doing, sweetheart? supplementing my allowance. how long have we been gone? [ male announcer ] get low prices on the latest 4g phones, starting at $28.88. save money. live better. walmart. natural instincts can prove it. and they did. it's the only hair color that's clinically proven to be less damaging. for a healthy look... look no further than natural instincts. it's all good.

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