right now on andrea mitchell reports, the president tells house republicans no deals on the debt ceiling. >> the issue here is whether or not america pays its bills. we are not a deadbeat nation. >> taking a stand on the one-month anniversary of the newtown massacre. the families speak out. >> this is a promise to turn the conversation into actions. things must change. this is the time. this is a promise we make to our

precious children because each child, every human life, is filled with promise, and though we continue to be filled with unbearable pain, we choose love, belief, and hope instead of anger. >> calling them out. tough words from former secretary of state general colin powell for his fellow republicans on race. >> there's also a dark vein of intolerance many some parts of the party. >> the end of the longest war and the man president obama has nominated to wind it down coming up. retired general stanley mcchrystal on chuck hagel. the exit strategy from afghanistan and his own career. plus, show stopper. president clinton he should the standing ovation with his surprise appearance on "lincoln" at the golden globes. >> in "lincoln" we see a man more interesting than the legend and a far better guide for future presidents.

>> exciting special guest. that was hillary clinton's husband. >> that was bill clinton. >> that was. >> it was bill rodham clinton. >> that's right. and ben affleck finally gets his just due for "argo." >> it's an extraordinary thing in your life. these nominees are exceptional talents. >> good day. i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. thanks for joining us. president obama used the final press conference of his first term in office to draw a line in the sand on debt ceiling compromises. joining me now for our daily fix cris alissa, msnbc contributor of post politics.com, chuck todd, nbc news chief white house correspondent, political director, host of the daily rundown and questioner of the president and usa today's aush washington bureau chief. chuck, first to you. you were in the room. tell us about the dynamic you tried to pin the president down on the debt ceiling. tell us what your take-away is from all of this. >> i would sum it in two words.

frustration and resignation. i want to point something out here. jay carney tweeted out one specific quotes, and i think it's telling what you tweeted out. he said if congressional republicans refuse to pay america's bills on time, social security checks and veterans benefits will be delayed. so -- that seem to be the point of this press conference when it comes to debt ceiling is that the burden is on the republicans to raise it, period. he won't negotiate. now, what i was trying to pin him down on was this idea of you say you're not going to negotiate, but don't you need a plan b then. if you're not going to negotiate, then go somewhere else, and his plan b seems to think, b, the republicans don't do it, then we're not going to pay our bills. that that's going to happen, and, yet, then he would -- it was interesting. i don't know if it's an opening or adair. we'll let others sort of interpret this. he said, of course, if house republicans want to go by the standard that they've set for themselves, $1 in cuts for $1 in raising the debt ceiling, then

they need to cut. let's see if they can pass a proposal that cuts $2.5 trillion. he was basically daring them. he doesn't think that they can come up with a spending reduction bill even on their own that meets the standard they're trying to set. >> chris alissa, what was your take-away? the president clearly came out putting it on the republicans and all weekend they were telling us, you know, we're not going to go for the 14th amendment. we're not going to go for any of these cop-outs, and forget about that platinum coin. you had the unusual step on saturday afternoon of the federal reserve endorsing the treasury's response that the federal research would not buy that asset, which means it was a nonstarter. >> right. well, you know, it seems to me that this -- chuck said he summed it up in a few words. i'll sum it up in my few words, which is basically i won. the president was essentially saying he repeatedly on debt ceiling on the possibility of a government shutdown, he said, look, we had a campaign about this. we litigated this. the american people chose my

approach. not the republican approach. again, putting the onus, putting the burden on congressional republicans. look, you do something. look, this is informed by what has happened with the fiscal cliff. andrea, president obama recognizes that john boehner made a big attempt, a big attempt, a show of force and lost on that plan b, though, raising -- exempting everyone $1 million or under in the fiscal cliff, and so i think it is adair. i think chuck has hit it right. you guys do something. you know, i think the american public is behind me. i won this election convincingly. now, i'm not sure how much the debt ceiling played into the election for average voters, but i think president obama is trying to say, look, i have a mandate. i won a second term amid this economic crisis, amid questions about my handling of it, and now it's up to you guys, whether you want to deal with me or deal with the consequences. >> and he knows the difference in his popularity compared to the congressional popularity. >> right. >> susan page, we talked about this on friday. now, the question that jackie of

the "new york times" asked of the president. the lack of diversity in his frontline cabinet appointments so far, this was his response. >> i would just suggest that everybody kind of wait until they've seen all my appointments, who is in the white house staff and who is in my cabinet before they rush to judgment. >> well, was that compelling and persuasive and convincing? >> well, i think we should expect the next appointments to have some female faces, whether they're top aides to the treasury secretary or the new budget director or other posts, but, yes, i think they're pretty sensitive about this. i think it's caused them some problems. it's really their own doing. it was such a focus on women voters in the election. women voters who came out for barack obama talking about the needs of women, the perspective that women bring, and i think that raises the bar for him to show that he is going to put women in these top jobs. i think the white house has been taken aback by the response they've gotten. they feel like he has a pretty good record substantively, but the optics of these opening

weeks have not been good for them on this issue. >> their own photo that they released, the white house photo. he was also asked by jackie about reports that he is too imsular and hasn't reached out. i topt play a little bit of that. >> most people who know me know i'm a pretty friendly guy. i like a good party. and, you know, the truth is that, you know, when i was in the senate, i had great relationships over there, and up until the point that i became president, this was not an accusation that you heard very frequently. >> chuck, let's talk about this because, i mean, you know the white house, this president, better than anyone. is this an unfair criticism that he is too surrounded by the very -- the guys mostly with the

exception of vallerie jarrett, the people that helped get him elected and re-electriced, and he doesn't reach out to people in washington enough, particularly those on the hill. >> he thinks he does. people on capitol hill compare him to not just president clinton -- i'm talking about democrats -- but actually compare him to president bush. there are those democrats that wonder why thief never gotten invited to camp david. it's little things. you know about these things, andrea. whether it's camp david, whether it's rides in air force one. the president hates this criticism. gets very frustrated by the criticism because it is -- it's -- it's my understanding this gets brought up to him quite a bit from sort of outside circle of advisors. not the foerlgs in the west wing, but folks that come in and visit say, you know, mr. president, why don't you have them over more? why don't you do this? this is allegways the form of advice he gets in many ways, and it's my understanding it frus rates him so he believes he is doing enough, and he also believes it wouldn't make a difference. like, he does.

you heard him in that answer there. >> that came through lloyd and clear. >> if they were playing cards, and we know he lots of to play poker and spades, those are his two favorite games, he doesn't think it would improve anything. >> as he pointed out, he shot one round of golf with the speaker, and it didn't mean that the negotiations went any better. >> that's the point. one round, and i've heard him say, hey, you should be doing -- you should use your golf outing every other week to be wooing some member or doing that. he doesn't. >> well, we'll have to leave it there. chuck todd, thank you so much. chris alissa and susan paige. the united states and afghanistan, meanwhile, are accelerating the transition from u.s. combat mission to a training role as they prepare for the u.s. exit in 2014. at a joint press conference with afghan president hamid karzai on friday, president obama defended the change of mission. >> we went to afghanistan because 3,000 americans were

viciously murdered by a terrorist organization that was operating openly and at the invitation of those who were then ruling afghanistan. it was absolutely the right thing to do for us to go after that organization. >> before he retired in 2010 four star general stanley mcchrystal rose to be the top military commander of nato forces in afghanistan until a controversial profile in "rolling stone" magazine quoted him and his inner circle making some controversial remarks about the president. the general resigned. he is now teaching at yale, among other things, and he has written a new memoir. his memoir my share of the task. in it the general focuses on leadership and on those dramatic moments of america's longest war that he led. general mcchrystal joins us now. thank you for joining us. thank you for your southwest. it's great to hear you. i have heard you speak. it's great to have you here in person and congratulations on the book. let's talk about afghanistan

because we had the president and karzai who have a very difficult relationship in the past, but they seem to be on the same page. they haven't dealt with the most serious questions, which are, you know, the residual forces and the immunity, but karzai seemed open to immunity, legal immunity, for whatever number of american forces remain, unlike what we experienced in iraq with president malaki. >> i think it's critical. you've got to take care of american forces wherever you go. i also think president karzai and president obama both agree on the need for strategic partnership on the way forward because afghanistan is obviously important to afghans. it's important to america as well. >> well, we've heard that general allen recommended far more troops than what the president seems to be prepared to leave, and a much slower pace. are we leaving too quickly before the fighting season is over? is this accelerated pace really too speedy a withdrawal, and are we going to lose an edge here in

terms of not finishing the mission? >> i think that the situation in afghanistan has improved significantly in terms of security and improved less but some in terms of governance and economic development. right now what i think we've got to do is insure that the afghan people have the confidence in the partnership with america. i don't think it's as much a number of people or billions of dollars as it is the sense that they've got an ally. >> let's talk about the book because you speak very briefly, actually, about the controversy. you were really astounded by the "rolling stone" article as it came out. it was not what you expected. the writer had a completely different take on the banter or whatever it was on that trip to europe. what was the shock like when it all unwound? >> well, i had been in the army for more than 34 years, considered myself a dedicated professional, been at war a long time with some dedicated professionals. suddenly you get something that is completely unexpected.

have you to make a decision on how you are going to deal with it, and i had several options, but the one that i knew was right was to just accept responsibility. this media controversy would swirl. at some point the truth would come out. there was a d.o.d. inspector general report later some months later, but it was important for me as a commander. you know, the simple elegance of command is you accept responsibility. you get credit for the good things that happen sometimes when you didn't cause them all, but you accept responsibility for everything, and i don't have any problem with that. >> what about what happened to your successor, to general petraeus, and you worked closely with him in other xafrts. how surprised, shocked, were you by that revelation and could he have stayed, or did the president have to accept that resignation? >> i have known dave petraeus for more than 30 years, and i have served with him earlier and then at war, and i have seen everything that he has done for the nation, so i would just say that i think about he and his

wife now and their time to go forward. leave it at that. >> is there something about the way we treat generals? you are a four star. do we celebrate our military leaders beyond what ought to be according -- i mean, there's no taking away from the heroism and none of us in civilian life can begin to fathom the leadership challenge and the basic courage of facing battle as you have, but do people get too large and do they have too many perks? i mean, that's an issue that has been raised. >> i think many any walk of life where you work really hard sort of journeyman status most of your career and suddenly you lead huge organizations and necessarily around you there are many of the trappings of power and the lever that is you immediate to be able to pull. i think everybody has to keep themselves very, very grounded, and i think that the vast majority have both feet firmly on the ground. >> now, it's one month after the horrors of newtown, connecticut. you've spokeern out about gun

control. you know, there's a lot of controversy, and popular support now for doing something about the assault weapons. where do you stand on gun control or gun laws or doing something that perhaps about bushmasters and the real weapons of war? >> well, for most of my life i carried a weapon of war, and in the last few years it fires a 556 round at 3,000 feet per second is exactly what american soldiers should carry, and it has just devastating impact on the human body of our enemies, but if the status quo in america is newtown, if that's what i'm being asked to accept, i'm not comfortable with that, and i think the balance between protecting people and protecting rights of individuals has to protect our children on our streets as well. i want a very serious conversation because to me the status quo is just not something i'm happy with. >> we ask you about chuck hagel. he has been nominated by the

president, and he has been criticized for policies, some that he really never embraced, but he has been attacked on a lot of fronts. he has also been criticized this weekend by senator corker as not having the temperament to lead the pentagon. the role is very likely going to be downsizing the pentagon many any scenario. what about chuck hagel and about the next leadership, civilian leadership at the pentagon? >> i like the fact that chuck hagel has had his feet in the mud as a soldier. i like the fact that he has had a lot of background. i don't endorse or not endorse him. i don't judge him based on his background, but i would say that two things, first, it's very important that president obama and the secretary of defense have a trust relationship. they're going to go through some difficult times in the next few years. if senator hagel isotology take on a tfk of this magnitude and the president trusts him, i think those are two really important things because it not going to be an easy four years. >> and, general, finally mali,

we have a situation now where the troops that we helped are now turning -- they've become islamic rebels. they're fighting against the regime. we are being asked to play some support role perhaps with drones and other roles for the french troops. >> i think we're going to find that the whole world, but particularly africa and the middle east are changing and they're going to keep changing. i think what america has to first do is do our homework. don't be surprised by these very, very complex situations as they evolve. don't be surprised that syria is extraordinarily complex. mali is complex and going to get worse. then we've got to look at each one both individually to understand the nuances of that. also, within a wider pattern, because if you look too narrowly, the actions you may take and have negative consequences. >> general stanley mcchrystal, it's my share of the task, and we thank you. thank you for your service. >> andrea, my thanks.

>> and nbc news has learned that 88-year-old former president george h.w. bush is going to be released from methodist hospital in houston today, and is heading home. mr. bush was admitted to the hospital around thanksgiving suffering from a severe case of bronchitis, and a very bad cough. visitors to the former president he was in a good mood joking with family members and hospital staff, and that he is looking forward to heading home. we are fwrafl for that. coming up next, former republican presidential candidate john huntsman on the republican party's identity crisis. sfwlimplgts and he was snubbed by oscar, but ben affleck won big at the golden globes. "argo" took home for the award for best picture and affleck won for best picture. here's what affleck told us back in december about being the real cia thriller to the big screen about that iran rescue. >> what do you want the add wrens to take away from this? >> to me it's about the interconnectedness of people. it's about nations cooperating and using diplomacy for the sake

of and peace and solving problems and saving lives peacefully. eir way, in pampers cruisers. they adapt at the waist, legs and bottom, with up to 12 hours of protection for our driest, best fitting diaper pampers. gives you 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more... [ midwestern/chicago accent ] cheddar! yeah! 50 percent more [yodeling] yodel-ay-ee-oo. 50% more flash. [ southern accent ] 50 percent more taters. that's where tots come from. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on every purchase plus a 50% annual bonus on the cash you earn. it's the card for people who like more cash. 50% more spy stuff. what's in your wallet? this car is too small. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare,

you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral. see why millions of people have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. don't wait. call now. but, dad, you've got... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. with accident forgiveness, they guarantee your rates won't go up just because of an accident. smart kid. [ voice of dennis ] indeed. are you in good hands?

after lose twoing consecutive presidential elections and in 2008 alienating many women and minorities general -- the republican party now has to examine itself. general colin powell, self-described republican, told david gregory, the party immediate to figure out where it is heading. >> there's also a dark -- a dark vein of intolerance in some parts of the party. what do i mean by that? >> what i mean by that is they still sort of look down on minorities. how can i evidence that? when i see a former governor say that the president is shucking and jiving, that's a racial era

slave term. when i see another former governor after the president's first debate where he didn't do very well says that the president was lazy. he didn't say he was slow, he was tired, he didn't do well. he said he was lazy. now, it may not mean anything to most americans, but to those of us who are african-americans, the second word is shiftless, and then there's a third long that goes along with it. birther, the whole birther movement. why do senior republican leaders tolerate this kind of discussion within the party? i think the party has to take a look at itself. >> former u.s. ambassador and republican presidential candidate john huntsman is now a national co-leader of no labels, the movement that look at how to change our politics, and he joins us now from new york. thank you very much. good to see you, governor. >> hi, andrea. good to see you. >> have you given up on the republican party? >> oh, no. no labels is about bringing republicans and democrats together and finding ways to

solve problems. we just launched 25 members of congress. we'll have 75 to 80 by the end of the year who pledge many their deliberations to meet regularly, to put country before party, to govern for future generations as opposed to the next election cycle, to tell the american people the truth, and to work together, something that my co-chair joe manchin, that was here a moment ago, said doesn't even exist in congress today. no ability, no venue by which you can actually sit down with the opposition party to compare notes, so i will tell you, andrea, our nation works better when we have a viable two-party system. that's in the interest of long-term discussions and the american people. so i think it's in the interest of the american people that the republican party gets back on its feet. that it recalibrates from a policy standpoint, that it begins to build bridges to some of the lost demographics. it can be done, and i think this country is better served by a strong two-party system.

>> what is your reaction to some of the criticisms of -- that colin powell just made on "meet the press" with david gregory about some of the code words that were used during the last campaign, the fact that republican candidates and former governors did not disavow the birther movement and spoke of the president as being "lazy" and using words like that? >> we are where we are, and we've been through an election cycle. in fact, we've been through a couple of election cycles where i think republicans are learning a lot. colin powell is a respected statesman. i remember well and i think you were there at the 2000 republican convention in philadelphia where -- >> indeed. >> -- where colin powell was talked about to become twuf state and the way in which people responded so enthusiastically to somebody of his stature. he still has a lot of people who respect him enormously, and i'm one of them, and we can do well by listening to those voices out there that are pointing us and

hinting in certain directs. this can be a very exciting time for the republican party in the sense it's a lot more enjoyable to be part of a rebelieve, a start-up enterprise which in a sense what is going on within the republican party than managing the status quo because inevitably as we saw in the elections of 1980, 1948, 1988, you are going to see the cycles of history that will kick in again, and the predominant party, they're going to get off their game, they're going to take their eye off the ball, and they're going to grow tired, as the governing party. i think that's just inevitable. the republican party needs to be prepared with the infusion of new ideas and enthusiasm and bridges built to those lost demographics -- women and youth, hispanic latino voters, asian-american voters. it all can be done, but we've got to have a positive optimistic strategy that points to the direction, and moreover, a message that is all inclusive, that brings people together and

gives them a sense of hope and opportunity. >> well, the president has nominated a republican, chuck hagel, for defense secretary, but is getting hammered by republicans and some democrats who don't like hagel's positions in the past or don't like hagel. what do you think of that? >> well, all i can say is i've got two boys at the naval academy and i care about who their secretary of defense is going to be. i also care about a secretary of defense who is going to be able to look to the future and our future issues are going to be the drawdown in afghanistan, which is long overdue, the redeployment of assets to some extent to the asia pacific region, and then looking at real reform around our contracting practices and around our procurement practice. >> is hagel that man? >> that means you're going to have to have -- >> he is an independent voice, and he is somebody who is not shying away from going against conventional wisdom, and i think if you are iffing to tackle the really big issues that exist in the pentagon in terms of real

internal reform, you are going to have someone who is willing to go against the status quo, and that is corporations, and that is special interests. the big cost drivers like health care and personnel, these are going to be the challenges right around the corner, and looking at chuck hagel's history would suggest to me that he is an independent voice who thinks for himself who isn't afraid to go against the status quo. it seems to me that they'll deliberate it in the senate and in the end he will have enough votes to get through. >> have you rethought the gun issue and the assault weapon ban since newtown, connecticut? i know during the campaign at first you said that you would not veto the assault weapons ban and then the next day you said you would. you said that you had misunderstood the question. where do you stand now on changing gun laws and closing the loopholes and background checks after these latest incidents? >> well, with a name like

huntsman, i'm thinking about those issues all the time. we've got to have a conversation that really does include several components of this discussion because you're looking at second amendment rights and you are looking at first amendment rights, but the issue is incomplete unless we can talk about mental health where increasingly law enforcement agencies are handling mental health because our budgets no longer have the money to fund it at the local levels. increasingly, it's going to have to be -- we're going to have to talk about the entertainment sector, and the kind of information that might desensitize violence for a good many of our young people. that's probably needing to be part of the conversation as well. in the end whatever works and whatever passes muster is going to have to include several components, and it will have to be a comprehensive approach. >> governor huntsman, thank you very much. i just before i let you go, we do now have confirmation from houston from methodist hospital and from the bush family that george herbert walker bush has

been released after this long stay in the hospital, and we're so relieved. there had been some fear at one point that he had nooum, but apparently he is doing much better and is heading home or he is already home. that's good news for all. >> that's great news. he represents the best of america. >> indeed. thank you very much. good to see you again, john huntsman, now with no labels. still ahead, the long recovery after hurricane sandy. how should new york prepare for the next big storm? mrint plenty of laughs and surprises at last night's golden globes, but one of the evening's most memorable moments was jody foster's emotional speech. >> i'm just going fult it out there. loud and proud, right? i'm going to need your support on this. i am single. >> i hope that you're not days point thad there won't be a big coming out speech tonight because i already did my coming out about 1,000 years ago. and cut! very good. people are always asking me how we make these geico adverts.

so we're taking you behind the scenes. this coffee cup, for example, is computer animated. it's not real. geico's customer satisfaction is quite real though. this computer-animated coffee tastes dreadful. geico. 15 minutes could save you 15 % or more on car insurance. someone get me a latte will ya, please?

this breaking news just to

report that president george herbert walker bush -- i believe those are file pictures of president bush when he was at a healthier time, but he is out of the hospital, has headed home. president bush after being in the hospital since around thanksgiving time for bronx, persistent cough is well enough now. the bush family says to be home, the 88-year-old president has returned home with former first lady barbara bush. in other headlines we are following here on andrea mitchell reports. knocks has declared 23 other states with high levels of this year's strain. president obama revealed sunday the u.s.'s limited technical support to france's failed attempt to rescue one of their intelligence agents being held hostage in smol wra. the friday night mission left one french soldier dead and another missing. 17 islamist fighters were killed. the hostage is believed to have been killed by his captors. the president's notification was

under the war powers act. ahead of his interview with oprah today, lance armstrong issued an apology to the cycling community for being dishonest about his history of doping. armstrong has already been banned from competition and has been dropped by his sponsors, but until now armstrong has fiercely denied all reports that he had used performance enhancing drugs throughout his career. and one of the most anticipated births of the year is now on the calendar. st. james palace said today the duke and duchess of cambridge will welcome their baby in july. the statement mentioned a baby, putting to rest any rumors or heepz for royal twins. coming up next, the lessons learned from sandy. what can new york state do to minimize the damage from future storms? girls night out at the golden globes. from lina dunham to jessica chastaim. women ruled last night at the gloenz. >> this award is for every woman who felt like there wasn't a space for her. the show has made a space for me. thank you so much. >> to catherine bigelow, my

director. i can't help but compare my character of mya to you. two powerful fearsome women that allow their expert work to stand before them. you have said that filmmaking for you is not about breaking gender roles, but when you make a film that allows your character to disobey the conventions of hollywood, you have done more for women in cinema that you can take credit for. hat we love. so if you're one of them people who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn.

that make kids happy. and even fewer that make moms happy too. with wholesome noodles and bite sized chicken, nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

your financial advisor should focus on your long-term goals, not their short-term agenda. [ woman ] if you have the nerve to believe that cookie cutters should be for cookies, not your investment strategy.

if you believe in the sheer brilliance of a simple explanation. [ male announcer ] join the nearly 7 million investors who think like you do: face time and think time make a difference. join us. [ male announcer ] at edward jones, it's how we make sense of investing. >> superstorm sandy was the largest storm on the northeast in recorded history. we need and we deserve federal assistance. we must harden our infrastructure and hasheden the new york city subway system. the technology is there. it's expensive, but it's necessary. >> tomorrow the house will vote on $50 billion in sandy aid, but the bill already is facing strong only zigs from those who say that long-term disaster preparedness efforts are pork. is it even the right debate? joining me now is judith, president of the rockefeller foundation, co-chair of the

commission established by governor cuomo after superstorm sandy to recommend big changes to new york's aging infrastructure. >> not necessarily more expensive, but, in fact, less expensive in the long run that will make us safer and protect us from future storms and from real damage. >> well, we need immediate aid for recovery because until we build the long-term solutions that build greater resilience, reduce our vulnerability, allow us, if you will, to fail safely in small parts without taking the whole system down, we're always going to be spending disaster recovery money. we have rebuilt four times on the alabama coast as was reported in the "new york times" today. some component of what new york and new jersey are asking for is, indeed, immediate recovery

money. our recommendations in this report to governor cuomo really go way beyond the immediate recovery. their recommendations not only for new york state but for indeed all of america that reflect what's happening all over the world and where we see investments in building more resilient systems. systems that really do rebountd more quickly, have redid you understand answery built in. the important point, andrea, is that these are good investments for economic developments. not because they create jobs in the short-term. clearly they do that, but these are the things you want to built towards the 21st century economy. to say it's pork, to say it's just relief is foolish when we're really talking about how we get to a 21st century economy. >> now, a lot of us were shocked to see what happened in lower manhattan with the subways, and, you know, we know the affect of salt water on the subways, but the fact that the subway says

could be flooded as they were, that's just one example, but elsewhere we see hong kong, the netherlands, singapore now making efforts. what do we need to learn about our electrical systems, about our transportation systems, and about what to do especially as climate change is going to affect places that are as vulnerable as lower manhattan? >> well, the subway system actually lifted some of the engines because we had 24 hours or 48 hours to actually prepare for the onslaught of this storm, but away we're seeing around the world and what we're seeing and recommending here is a series of things that would have inflatable tubes in the tunnels, would have automatic vent closures that would respond to water starting to come in, that would have grids that came down at the entrances to the subways, so a whole system -- this is also true for the ports where we had tremendous failures, where

we could have built much more responsive systems on the edges. we're also talking about putting soft infrastructure around new york harbor. whether that's rebuilding the dunes, whether that's putting in oyster beds, which have a tremendous capacity. again, there's no single thing. the critical point of this set of recommendations is that, a, we never know where the next storm will hit, and whether it will be wind or salt water or fresh water or some other thing that will test our systems, whether they're energy or land -- or transportation or coastlines, and so we've got to build the kind of resilient system that has pieces. you know, we talked about being a network society. we need infrastructure in a way that uncouples. island, if you will, are created so that that comes offline, and the rest is -- of the pieces of

systems still go. smart grid technology enables us to do that in the energy system, but there are other opportunities in our transit systems as well. we need much more coordination among and between agencies and among and between different levels of government. again, we tend to do that after the storm and the emergency, but in the period of preparation there could and should be better recovery. we need to incent people not to rebuild the same way in the same places. these are very controversial issues, but we will always keep recovering from a disaster unless we really figure out a different set of land use policies. >> judith, thank you very much for touching at least the surface of the report, and we'll continue this conversation. this is a very big issue going forward. >> thanks, andrea. >> thank you. >> and zero dark thirty continues to generate controversy with its gritty

interrogation scenes. jonathan capehart's candid reaction to those. [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. ok. [ voice of dennis ] silence. are you in good hands?

living with moderate toennis ] semeans living with pain.is it could also mean living with joint damage. humira, adalimumab, can help treat more than just the pain. for many adults,

humira is clinically proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist about humira, to help relieve your pain and stop further joint damage. try the #1 gastroenterologist recommended probiotic. align. align naturally helps maintain digestive balance. ♪ ooh, baby, can i do for you today? ♪ try align today.

"zero dark thirty" has two big wins to celebrate. first the hunt for obama won the weekend box office battle in its first weekend in general distribution. taking in an estimated $24 million. then there was jessica chastain's win last night at the golden globes for lead actor in a drama making up for catherine bigelow's loss to ben after larg lack. it's generating a lot of buzz where with the way the film opens with a controversial waterboarding scene. joining me now is jonathan capehart, editorial page writer for the washington post, sportcaster for morning joe, or way too early, or all of the above, and msnbc contributor. love to start my day with you at 5:30, jonathan. >> it's a lot of fun. >> it is a lot of fun. you had a lot of football to talk about after this weekend. >> you have no idea. >> let's talk about torture. >> yeah. >> now, you wrote provocatively

that you did not have a problem with the deticks discussed. >> yes. because as i wrote maybe i've seen too many action movies. maybe i'm just desensitized or maybe simply because of the fact that i know how the story ends, i wasn't as troubled as a lot of people have been watching the scenes in "zero dark thirty." also earlier two years ago after bin laden was killed with and people were talking about alof these things. i wrote about how pre his capture i was one of those people and still am who believes that it is not in the nature of the united states to torture. that that's not who we are as a people. that, you know, we lecture other countries about these things, and we are right to do so, but then i was put in the position of being an american citizen who watched 3,000 other people die in those -- in the towers and in pennsylvania and in the pentagon that when push came to shove, i

found myself wrestling with the fact that he did to get the information that led to the capture of osama bin laden, that if it brought him to justice, that was fine with me and i ended that piece by saying, i never want to be put in that position again. >> what do you say to john mccain who survived five years of torture in the hanoi hilton and others who are very tough on defense but argue that it's really important for the protection of our troops that we not cross this line, that we have to be who we are because we are giving our enemies a weapon to use against our own if they're captured? >> right. let me be clear. one thing to agree 100% on with senator mccain is the notion that torture is wrong. torture is detrimental to our troops. but again, i was speaking

personally about how intellectually and personally i understand the arguments and they're right but on a deep down emotional level, when confronted with the news that osama bin laden had been killed, when the nation was going through the conversation about what role did torture play in getting information that led to his capture and killing, and my thinking, being in this morally conflicted space of thinking, well, you know what? i really don't care what it -- what the government had to do to get to this point. but again, i want to reiterate that i don't want to be put in that position again. i don't think americans should be put in that position again of being in this morally conflicted space because senator john mccain is right. torture is wrong and mostly more detrimental to the values and troops than anything. >> katherine bigelow at the premier here last week said it's not a documentary. it's a film and a lot is compressed, you know, decades

long search was compressed in to -- >> two and a half hours. >> the way it was depicted. very interesting and i'd be interested in your e-mails -- >> my twitter -- yes. absolutely. thanks, andrea. >> we'll be right back. how does this thing work? oh, i like it! [ garth ] sven's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! woo-hoo!!! so that's ten security gators, right? put them on my spark card! why settle for less? testing hot tar... great businesses deserve great rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? here's your invoice. humans. even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems.

namely, other humans. at liberty mutual insurance, we understand. that's why our auto policies come with accident forgiveness if you qualify, where your rates won't go up due to your first accident, and new car replacement, where, if you total your new car, we give you the money for a new one. call... to talk to an insurance expert about everything else that comes standard with our base auto policy. and if you get into an accident and use one of our certified repair shops, your repairs are guaranteed for life. call... to switch, and you could save hundreds. ♪ born to make mistakes liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

which political story will make headlines in the next 24 hours? talk about guns, chris cillizza. a leader says that they may work out a deal for new york but tomorrow vice president biden will present his proposals to the president. >> right. an andrea, a lot of moving parts here. president obama will receive the task forced man by joe biden, the recommendations there. interestingly, he didn't want to go too far in specifics today, i think wanting to wait, see the proposal and what he can get down and sounded a note that he understood he probably would n't get everything he wanted. >> thanks for that, chris.

we hope -- >> thank you. >> -- to see you tomorrow. starting the week. my colleague tamron hall has a look at what's next. >> great to see you. next hour, new reaction after president obama addresses two urgent issues in the last news conference of his first term. on the debt feeling, the president telling the congress the united states is not a deadbeat nation that doesn't pay the bills and on gun control legislation, the president urging congress to examine their own conscience and put politics aside. representatives jackie spear and adam schiff will join us and look at the battles ahead coming up in three.

[ heart beating, monitor beeping ] woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inches of water caused all this? [ heart rate increases ] woman #2: but i don't even live near the water. what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you -- including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as $129 a year. for an agent, call the number that appears on your screen.