conference with japan's foreign minster moments ago. >> we share a common interest in a peaceful and stable transition in north korea as well as ensuring regional peace and stability. we have been in close touch with our partners in the-party talks today. we reiterate our hope for improved relations with the people of north korea and remain deeply concerned about their well being. >> the death is prompting concern over the nuclear program. the chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell is live in washington. let's talk about this from the vantage point of the united states. >> we are relying on china and russia. it's interesting that secretary clinton said those calls had been made. the first call the president made at midnight east coast time was to president lee from south korea.

they have shown exthoer near patience every time there is a missile firing or test or a provocative act from the north. they are right across so there is no distance there at all. south korea has shown patience until now. if there is another test or some sort of action as the north koreans try to prove the medal of this untested 20 something taking over his father's leadership, there will be a reaction from the south and that can set off a war. >> you were in north korea with madeleine albright. from your perspective, having been there, you hear about his preparation to have his son step in as the leader. what should we be waiting to hear. given they is quie scressy of t country.

>> this is such a closed society. i tried to defy the rules and go out and take pictures at nbc and msnbc and they tried to take the tape away from me. i had to get the state department to intervene. there is no consilate office. they happened to be there because i was traveling with the secretary of state. you have seen what happens to other journalists. i'm forgetting the name of the other journalist held in 2010 and had to be rescued by former president clinton. it is a very, very tough place and the people there are starving and very little access from anywhere in the world. >> thank you very much for sticking around. we appreciate it. you were on all morning on every platform reporting on the big

news. scott snyder is from the council on foreign relations and you wrote about the situation and point out an unstable north korea is a hot potato. no one wants to own it, but effective cooperation wlt neighbors. talk about china. we saw the foreign minster with hillary clinton. i will ask you, what are you watching for at this hour? >> well, i think we are all watching to see the succession plan that had been put into place before kim jung ilpassed away. >> i wanted to talk about concerns in your article that the worst case to be anarchy and kim jong un, we know very little about him and his age is even disputed. >> that's correct. >> we know very little about him

and it's important to know that we knew even less about kim jung il when he came to power. it was when he came out and engaged with other international leaders that we began to see him. the issue for ginning jong un is his youth that is oriented towards a culture that respects seniority. this is a big challenge as relates to military authority. it's a point for the succession process. >> what are is next for the united states here? >> in the conference that you just ran, it indicated a desire to see positive things for the people. she doesn't focus on the government transition.

we know there were few days of discussions last week and between the u.s. and representatives. it is possible that itt turns u as a signal of communication and hopefully to create a decision point. >> scott snyder, thank you very much for this developing news out of korea. also big drama here in the states. the latest over extending the payroll tax cut and long-term benefits is about to unfold. the house is prepared to vote on the bipartisan sacrifice. the house is expehe vote happen around 6:30 p.m. eastern time. mark on your calendar and hang around the to watch this one.

house republicans say it is because the bill only provides for a two-month extension with the aim of agreeing on a full one-year extension. john boehner said they would support nothing les than a one-year extension and stood firm again today. >> we oppose the bill because two months instead of a full year causes uncertainty for job creators. it's time for congress to do its work and no more kicking the can down the road. >> let's take this step by step. first our political team points out either this was a miscommunication between mitch connell and john boehner or a complete reversal on behalf of john boehner. what's going on? >> there had been a big expectation when the negotiating was going on. the republicans really wanted a provision related to the keystone oil pipeline project.

that would compel them to make a decision on lots of jobs. there was so much focus on that as the one thing republicans really wanted, this issue of two months versus a year may have gotten clouded. there were democrats and those senate aides said when they vote and so many republicans went along with the two-month extension, there was implied approval from the house. it doesn't quite work that way and what the house speaker found is a lot of distress from his members. they held a conference call and let people air out their feelings and overwhelming opposition in the plan. part of the rational is they feel there is two weeks left in the year. they don't believe that's enough certainty to create policy. it's one of those stands that they want to take. not that they are opposed, but they don't like the packet. that creates the messy problem

and they turned out the lights and went home. they could be compelled to come back, but all the signals we are getting, they don't expect to come back. the house is expected to vote tonight. if there were republican who is peeled away from this opposition and voted for it, you might see it passed with the democrats, but so far they are saying republicans will vote it down. that leaves a problem. it could expire so the payroll tax could go back up and it will be difficult for them to get extended benefits and they will have to deal with it in the new year. he had indicated the victory over the keystone pipeline was a victory. the end game is not clear. >> thank you. joining me now is radio talk show host michael smerconish and msnbc contributor and filling in

on "hardball." what is going on here? if this is the case, this is exactly what we saw with the debt dealment a compromise made behind the scenes and after that speaker boehner said no deal. this would have happened twice now. >> they all look bad. >> meaning all of congress including the white house? what do you mean? >> everybody involved in the dynamic comes across as looking dysfunctional and the republicans look worse. we want tax dollars in the pockets of taxpayers. here comes a continuation of the tax cut except in this case the president is saying we need to continue it. he wants to between it and and their visceral reaction is we have to be against it. that was their initial posture and now they are saying and this is the part where the

incongrewity stands out and you are not extending if are a sufficient time period. we who didn't want to extend it, that's not long enough. people are paying close attention. their inconsistencies will be glaring. >> for passed a vote in the senate and we have senator mitch mcconnell indicating a compromise. everyone is on board. is it again the tea party element of the house that is causing this problem? the weakness of john boehner. >> symptomatic that existed since this class kachl of age in the congress. frankly what they are unified most importantly against, all things having it do with barack obama. >> if that's the case, you think that that would help this administration and this president make his argument that here again, they have this live

picture from the clock that said congress needs to act in this amount of time and they xed it out. one would think conventional wisdom makes the president a winner if he can make the case. >> if he can. he was gifted and his opponents were gifted in his messaging. they carry forth that message in the white house. this would be a prime opportunity. >> michael will be having a hot show today as this vote is expected around 6:30 eastern time. >> perfect time. >> thank you. >> watch michael filling in. "hardball" at 7:00 eastern. white house adviser valerie jarrett will get reaction from the white house on this show on capitol hill. what she said happening behind the scenes. with over two weeks to the iowa caucuses, newt gingrich's surge

is suddenly sleeping and ron paul is gaining steam. is it possible to have no clear front-runner out of iowa? the political panel will weigh in and they said when it will hear arguments on the president and health care reform law. that is big. a dangerous winter storm could affect holiday travel. we will get the forecast for you. join the conversation online. find usa twitter at "news nation." [ 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. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline,

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welcome back. the supreme court will take a week's worth of hours to decide if the health care debate is

constitutional. they will hear on march 26, 27, and 28. 26 states claim the mandate is not constitutional. a final decision is expected to come in late june. now to decision 2012. that was quick. just last week we were talking about the surge to the top. there were several polls that indicate she on his way down. according to a new poll released a short time ago, gingrich's lead is all but gone. among republicans, 28% say they support gingrich and 28% support romney and 14% support ron paul. let's bring in our panel and columnist for the hill and strategist and communications director for al gore's campaign and a republican strategist. i will start off with you. what do you make of what happened. is it the negative ads or the

last debate. what do we make of this fall from the top? >> it's interesting. most of the others, rick perry and herman cain had a month. this was quickly. i think it's a combination of things. his own response when mitt romneying issed he returned the money earned from freddie mac and he said mitt romney's earnings from bain capital should be returned as well and it offended many who thought he was making a socialist argument against capitalism and risk taking. he was as you know poled by ron paul and michele bachmann on freddie mac earnings. romney really makes a good combination to draw questions about newt gingrich and his viability. the establishment came out and big hitters, national view magazine and bill bennett.

important voices in the establishment say this is dangerous. it is taking a toll a little early. >> that is the remarkable part. i will bring you in here about a week. i believe it was monday we were talking about a 35-point surge that newt gingrich is the first in the field to hit 40%. if not about these candidates, what does it say about the primary voters before your party? why are they incredibly fickle? many of them said this group of men and one woman were weak and average. that was what the majority is saying. >> be careful what you wish for if you are newt gingrich. he searched the top and in addition he was hit with significant dollars by ron paul. the republican electorate is searching and looking for someone who articulate in an effective way.

all these things came to the surface. he doesn't have the money and the infrastructure. >> be careful what you wish for, maybe we can apply that to the republican who is only wish for sbhon is willing to fight the president in a down and dirty way. it may be michele bachmann or donald trump or whoever else you can name. their wish in many cases is simply that they want someone who can take on the president. maybe it's be careful what you wish for if you are a republican? >> if you look at the front-runners, they are good and articulate and for limited government, reigning in taxes and repealing obama care. they want someone who can stand up to president obama. i will disagree with the mean and nasty. let's not forget, president obama is gearing up to fight a tough battle of his own and he can throw sharp elbows in when

he needs to. ja pmaal is bursting out of his suit. you want to get in. i think this speaks more to the voters. >> i am not absolutely sure he wanted to be on top. >> they have one indicate. >> here raised $4 million. only $23,000 a week on television while romney's people are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on television. it will be hard to win this. the natural laws of politics still matter. you have to have staff and money and a platform. i think the republicans are in danger of being so mad at president obama and they want to be else to be mad. people in the middle may not be so angry with obama as they are about the situation with their families. >> i want it read something.

jeremy lau t wrote this on they is narrow of ron paul. if he could pull off a win in new hampshire, if those events do occur, all hell will rain down upon the police desk. the establishment will throw everything including the kitchen sink and garage door opener and two oversized dentures to keep him from becoming the nominee, but i'm getting ahead of myself. that's what people are talking about at this point. to jamaal, some things that are traditional are sticking and they allow us to throw out what we have known for years and years out the window. >> i think that newt gingrich is trying to challenge the traditional campaign rules and hoping that buzz and momentum and social networking will repel him to the top and they didn't have to have an operation on the ground. they didn't have to have what is usually required to bring people out and caucus for him.

the question is, whether or not he intended and is not spending the amount of time in iowa on december 9th that he would expect. he is not spending the money and whether or not he intends to try to win the nomination. ron paul is well-positioned to win iowa. is he well-positioned to win new hampshire? probably not. i don't think ron paul is going to run away with the two states. it's likely he will take away the anti-romney voters and come in first from iowa. he has to explain why he has momentum going in new hampshire. >> thank you very much for joining us. i will bring up reaction to what's happening on capitol hill. thank you for a dramatic vote. around 6:30 eastern time. the house is expected to reject the bill and the senate approved saturday that extends the tax cut and long-term benefits until the end of february. it is hoped a full one-year

extension will be agreed to. house republicans will accept nothing less than a one-year extension. joining me is the senior adviser valerie jarrett. thank you very much for joining me. >> how are you? >> things are not good in that town. we know in the briefing room there is this board up saying if house republicans do not act, this will cost middle class taxpayers. how do you explain what went down this weekend? >> it's hard to explain what happened this weekend. i will tell you given what's at stake, 160 million americans will see the taxes go up by an average of $1,000 a year if congress doesn't act by january 1st. the senate as you pointed out did act overwhelmingly. i can't think of a time that we had 89 senators bipartisan. 39 republicans agree on much of anything. if they came together under the

leadership of leader reid who worked very closely with minority leader mcconnell at the direction of speaker boehner with his full approval. they worked together and crafted this package and it's a two-month extension. we want a year, but what we have been able to agree to is two months. we should take that two months and come back and renegotiate a longer extension after the first of the year. >> senator schumer, i don't have it available, but i will paraphrase here. the republicans wanted to include the keystone pipeline and democrats swallowed hard. as a result negotiating with speaker boehner in senator schumer's words is like trying to nail jello to the wall. it is impossible here. what is the white house reaction with the vote some three hours away from now? >> they called on the members of the house, democrats and republicans alike to keep the focus on what's important and

that's the person people and the 160 million people counting on them to act. we saw what happened in the senate and they were able to work together and keep their focus in a bipartisan way on the folks who were so desperately in need of $5,000. what we call upon is in the house to do the same thing. we heard on your station, the senator is outspoken and in the senate, they are calling upon doing the right thing and we hope they follow their lead. >> what you are saying is what the president has been saying and giving big speeches and saying the congress needs to act. here we are with the situation in house republicans who are willing to stand in the way on what the white house wants. it is money that is money to pay your bills and help your family

survive in the tough economic times. >> you are right. it is a few republicans in the house who are trying to hold out against the republicans and democrats in the senate against the president in the white house. most importantly, what's in the best interest of the american people. we are still optimistic. there several hours left and an opportunity for them to step up and keep focus on what's important. that's what we call on them to do. >> valerie jarrett, thank you very much for your time. still ahead, a 14-year-old girl confronts rick perry about opposition to gays serving in the military. we will show what you he had to say to her. plus, details on the man behind $300 million investment in twitter. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics...

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withins have worsened. new mexico are bracing for blizzard-like conditions. texas, oklahoma and kansas as well as colorado in the storm's path. karl? >> a tense storm into new mexico and the southwest. i want to show you the vigorous disturbance associated with this. we have a well-defined area and spinning across the southern plains. as we take you down to the surface, the snow is coming down for a while. we had white out conditions along i-40 and a lot of winds. winds gusting to 56 miles an hour. light snow off 25 as well. snow has been developing and that rain-snow line migrating as the storm is getting stronger. the snow is coming down in southeast colorado. the wind will be a major part of this. the legend with strong winds and

gusting to 40 across much of southwest kansas and colorado. as much as 60 miles an hour in north east new mexico. when you factor that in, you have the makings of a blizzard. these are plizard warnings and parts of 70 for tomorrow. this is how the model seas it and the storm is it peaking through early tomorrow morning and winds down by late tomorrow. how much snow? probably around a foot of snow. southeast colorado and kansas and a large area of six inches plus. a major storm on the way across the middle of the country. back to you. >> thank you very much. coming up, newt gingrich pledged to run a positive campaign and what's behind his wife's retweets about mitt romney and what she put out there. plus --

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days of this hearing revolve around manning's personal background. >> that's right, but quickly the evidence today that was presented by a computer forensics expert indicates according to this expert that there were 10,000 classified do you means that had been downloaded from some of those secret intelligence computers there in that cell to bradley manning's personal computers. that is a charge against manning. the same expert testified that none of that showed up on wikileaks. he is accused of downloading and stealing more than 400,000 documents so some of that evidence is likely to come out later n. terms of his personal life, the defense attorneys are trying to turn this around on the army. they say first of all, one of the reasons all these documents were stolen in the first place

is because of the army's lax security in that intel center and manning himself had personal problems. he had gender identity disorder and would apparently often dress as a woman and had a website on facebook, a facebook page in which he identified himself as brianna. he was so disturbed before he went over to iraq he shouldn't have been put in that intelligence position in the first place. >> thank you very much with the latest. especially the information regarding what was allegedly on his computer. thank you. the president of florida a&m university will keep their job as they investigate the hazing death of a band member. they rejected a call to suspend him after a medical examiner ruled 26-year-old robert

champion's death a homicide. the band's director has been placed on temporary leave. the fraternity closed the chapter at the university of vermont after members cirqculatd a survey on who they would like to rape. >> a billionaire prince plans to invest $300 million in twitter. he said the deal represents an interest in "promising high growth businesses with a global impact. he holds stake in apple as well as murdoch's news corp. the deal with twitter represents a 3% stake in the company. the cdc issues a major warning for anyone who plans to come in close contact with infant this is holiday season. plus, mtv is bringing back a classic. no, it is not yo mtv raps that is my favorite. why a new round of celebrities

need to watch out. here are things we thought you should know. a 14-year-old girl who told reporters that she is bisexual and challenged the candidate rick pero his stand against gays serving openly in the military. the audio is difficult to understand, but she asked why you want to deny their freedom when they are fighting and dying for your right to run for president. he said this is about my faith. he believes serving open low in the military is "not good public policy." >> newt gingrich's wife calista took mitt romney by tweeting two slams. one read mitt's money never sleeps. though i personally don't mind it, but it won't play well in ohio. her other retweet about romney's appearance read poor romney.

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the new warning is after a surge in cases last year. with rainbow babies and children's doctor, thank you for coming on. >> i'm not a pit bull for babies, but -- >> but? >> no, i believe all babies should be protected. this is very serious. >> why the warning now? we know last year there was an outbreak in the new york city area, but why are we getting such a stern and serious warning now? >> because we understand the severity of this. it's caused by a bacteria that is contagious and spread by coughing. we want to make sure that everyone who comes into contact, they are immunized so they are not spreading it to the children. we don't give pertussis vaccines

until they are two months old. then just before they start kindergarten. so we have this window of time where they are susceptible. we know that. >> last year's outbreak, it was worst in california. over 9,000 cases and the highest incidence in 60 years. as i mentioned, everyone who comes in contact should get the vaccine with the holidays, but would that give you enough time so you would not infect your child? the recommendation is for the complete series. we now give it to everyone over 11.

we used to get tetanus and now they added pertussis. grandparents who may be coming in contact, we know that many, many children are not even on holidays. it's by grandparents who are not properly immunized. >> is this something out of pocket and covered by insurance? >> for children, your health care should cover it if you have a coverage that covers vaccines. for children who are low income and qualify for state supported vaccines, they get it. >> what are about adults? >> they may have to pay for it, but it is part of the immunizations that are recommended for adults, particularly the tetanus. if your insurance covers adult vaccines, you will be covered. >> it's a great pleasure having ow again with this information.

very valuable to anyone who comes in contact with an infant. an nyu professor said he was fired for giving actor james franco a bad grade. the girl with the directing on tattoo stops by the "today" show and "saturday night live" is receiving rave reviews. that's from our columnist courtney. >> is this a trick question. >> let's start with ashton kutcher. a huge, huge mtv hit, punked that aired years ago coming back. it was not yo mtv. >> i loved punked too. >> in the new year's eve celebration, they will announce who the host will be. i know they have some episodes already in the can. they have been working hard to get it ready to go quickly after the new year. a lot of people looking forward to that.

moving on to james franco and this professor, he was a opportunity at nyu and he was filming 127 hours. one of the professors who taught directing the actor to part two, he gave the actor a d because he missed 12 of 14 classes. part of the reason he gave the bad grid. since then he said he has been under intense scrutiny and lost his job and filed a lawsuit in manhattan court. nyu got in touch with people there and said they haven't seen the lawsuit yet, however the claims that you are seeing in the media are ridiculous and beyond that, it is regrettable and disappointing to see a faculty member former or otherwise to discuss any student's grade for the purpose of personal publicity. they are accusing him to gain publicity for himself. he said he wants to get it. >> do we know if james franco

did get a d? >> he said i don't understand. i did the work and had the other classes. he did fine in other classes, but that was the professor's telling and wanting this to be a safe place for him to go to school. on the "today" show this morning, she stars in girl with the directing on tattoo. i am excited to go see it. i can't get enough of listening to her talk about what it was like to transform in this role. take a listen who to when what show told ann curry. >> she never felt that foreign. i understood her and she does have a lot of anger. it was always something we wanted to -- always something she is trying to keep at bay. >> i was surprised to to hear her say that. she said elizabeth was a familiar character to her and this was a troubled young woman. i don't think she is standing there saying i am troubled, but

there elements that she can relate to when physically they could not look more different. if you missed snl and you have a chance to watch the clips, do it. it was fantastic. jimmy fallon came back as the host. we have sound from one of the sketches they did together. check it out. >> back with a brand-new collection of christmas duets. with the legendary performance like sting. ♪ deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪ . >> that was spot on. that was mocking a variety of musical artist. michael is game for anything. >> bieber. >> massive ratings and again

like i said if you haven't seen it, you understand why. kudos to jimmy fallon. it was great. >> a weekend update with the joke off. >> that was a joke off. fantastic as well. >> thank you, courtney. >> for the latest entertainment news, logon to scoop or be a fan of the scoop on facebook. up next, there is over two weeks to go until the iowa caucuses. is it possible that we will not have a clear front-runner after iowa comes and goes. it's our "news nation" gut check. ♪ it's nice to be here ♪ it's nice to see you in my bed ♪ ♪ ♪ there are diamonds in her eyes ♪ ♪ and they sparkle in the night ♪

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you can join the "news nation." find it on our twitter page. we love hearing your thoughts throughout the day. time now for the "news nation"

gut check as mention at the top of the hour. polls show momentum may be nil. as quickly as the house speaker rose to the top, he seems to be falling to earth like the list of others who we have seen lead the pack. with that said, so much is being placed on the iowa caucuses and what we might learn about the candidates and where they stand. republican strategist had this to say this morning while being interviewed by thomas roberts. >> as i said, bachmann can surge and create an opening for john huntsman in new hampshire. huntsman is focused in new hampshire. he is by himself while everybody is focused in iowa. 44% of the voters will have an attractive and i think this is wide open. >> what does your gut tell you.

15 days until the iowa talk uses. go to facebook.com and cast your vote and look at what the "news nation" is saying. two long island high school students were suspended for organizing the grioup of students. it is called tebowing. it is named after tim tebow as a display of his faith. we asked do you believe the school when it said the boys tebowing in school hall ways was a safety hazard. 33% of you said yes. 67% of you say no. that surprises me. that does it for this edition of "news nation." you can catch it every weekday. martin bashir is up next. we're kind of a quiet couple. yes. but lately we've been using k-y® intense™. it stimulates arousal so the big moment is...

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