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hello, everyone. it is high noon here in the east. here are the five stories trending at this hour. countdown to a daunting trask. jodi arias final plea to jury. first of the kind sugarry crackdown. we'll have details on the stories throughout the hour. first -- you are officials in afghanistan say a security threat forced the cancellation of today's joint. it came after two suicide bombings killed 19 people including a blast that set off outside that taliban officials claim was meant as a warning to hagel. karzai is accusing the us of

working with talibans. we are going to ask a member of congress about this latest development. let's go to politics today to president obama's charm offensive as the sequester bleeds into the second week. tom coburn of oklahoma is sharing details about the meeting with him and other republicans wednesday giving this assessment. >> i'm welcoming with open arms, i think the president's tremendously sincere. i don't think it's a political change in tactic. i think he would like to solve the problems of the country. it would be to his benefit if he did that. itis time to start leading. the way to do that is quick poking your finger in people's eyes and build a relationship. he's got a chance to accomplish a deal. >> democratic senator tim cain is shedding light on what may motivate both sides to agree on a compromise. >> we put our paychecks on the line if we don't pass it by mid

april. we all stop getting paid. we could put the visions on the table. i agree with what tom said, at the end of the day, we have to find a balanced solution that involves talking revenues, expenses, entitlements, we have to do that. >> meantime, president obama and other politicians took a night off to enjoy a night of humor. no cameras allowed inside. the president got in good natured jabs. he said if his jokes weren't funny, it's because the comedy writers were furloughed from the sequester. that was a good line. we have more meetings for the president. will they yield true solutions? >> you heard from tom coburn, he believes the president is sincere in this effort. we heard from the house minority whip ken mccarthy saying it's not clear, it remains to be seen.

there's scabs and sores. it's going to take awhile to heal. the charm offensive or schmooze is what's going to be in full effect. there's going to be three days, tuesday, wednesday on two separate occasions on thursday the president makes the rare trip up to the hill to meet with both senate and house republicans and democrats this week. here was tom coburn a short time ago on "meet the press" acknowledging the big problems that exist here in washington. >> washington is dysfunctional. it's dysfunctional in a dysfunctional way. members of congress and the administration agree on spending money we don't have. we agree on not oversighting the programs that should be oversighted. we agree on spending money on programs that don't work. basically, we agree on too much. we need to move back and start agreeing about what's the long term plan and how do we oversight the government to get real value of the thing that is

are legitimate roles of the government for the american people. >> reporter: after two years of disagreement on almost all things there's hopefully going to be some agreement. i had conversation earlier this week with the top senior adviser to the president who said hopefully now without the countdown clock, without a deadline we'll be able to make progress and have more thoughtful conversation. wait and see. >> we will wait and see, with your help. let's bring in adam schiff a democrat from california. representative schiff good to see you, thank you. >> great to see you. >> the president has a great chance for a big deal. doesn't any deal have to be cut with rigid republicans in the house? will breaking bread, the charm offensive all that with moderates in the gop change

that? >> well, look, i think the interactions are helpful. the president has a great deal of soft power. that is getting together with members of congress, going out to the districts. you can see the relationship he formed with chris christie and sharing the challenges the governor was facing. in the senate, a handful of votes can get you over 60 or not over 60. it can be critical. it's going to be tough in the house. the numbers are greater in the house. another, we have a larger click of hard core tea party members who really don't want to get together with the president or if they do, get together to rebuff him so they can go home and say basically, i put off the president. it's going to be a challenge. i think it's worth doing. when george w. bush was president, i was invited to the white house several times. it has an impact. it's harder to vilify someone

when you have sat down and broken bread with them. i applaud what the president is doing but there's going to have to be a willingness to engage with the president and overtures on the house gop. it's yet to be determined. >> my mother said keep your friends close and your enemy's closer. there's something to that as well. you get to know the people. senator coburn said the president talked of reforming medicare. how much resistance might he get from democrats? some democrats don't want to touch medicare, right? >> absolutely. there may be distance between the president and the democrats in the house when it comes to what he might propose on social security or medicare. on social security, he's proposed changing the cost of living increases reducing how much they would go up each year. i think many house members would be much more open to raising the

level of the payroll income that is taxed in order to support social security. medicare, he's talked of reducing costs. there's a lot of agreement among democrats, the way to approach medicare is reduce costs, not reduce benefits as the republicans would like. yes, it's going to be a tough sell within the democratic caucus. >> do the new economic numbers give them leverage against the republicans? taxes went up on the wealthiest in the beginning of the year. does that take away a gop argument? >> i'm not sure. that supposes the gop is subject to rational thought on this. some of the moderate members are. true believers aren't going to be moved by what happens to the economy. the frustrating part is we have great economic numbers. if the government would get out of the way and end the manufactured crises, we could have tremendous growth now. it looks very positive.

instead of 250,000 new jobs, we could have 300,000 or 400,000 jobs and be on pace to get the economy humming. if we could put an end to the artificial damper on the economy that sequestration is going to kill 150,000 jobs every month. imagine the growth we might have. i don't expect all the gop members to view it that way. this charm offensive is going to be important, but a challenge in the house. >> i want to talk about national secretary. there was a story about chuck hagel who canceled his first meeting with president karzai. the u.s. is pulling out in a year. this is unsettling, wouldn't you say? >> it is going to be a great challenge. things are still precarious in afghanistan. the gains have been hard to hold on to.

we have given the afghan government the time it needed, if it was serious about attacking the credibility problems it has, the corruption problems it has. we can't make the afghan people stand-up for the government more than the government is deserving of that support. boy, we have tried. i think it's appropriate that we signaled to the afghan regime. they have so much time to get their act together. we will be there to support the troops with intelligence. at the end of the day, we can't fight the battle for them. we have had a lot of disagreements with the karzai regime. i don't think this is going to be an easy task. i think it's necessary that we wind down our troop presence there and leave the afghan future, ultimately to the afghan people. >> may i ask you about something statewide. the tsa. is it more confident there are no terror -- they are allowing

pocket knives. >> i don't think it's the tsa is more confident there aren't terrorist attacks planned. we have done a good job degrading the core of al qaeda. the franchises planning the one off attacks are multiplying. it's still a grave threat. the tsa reconsidered the gravest problems we face on airlines are not necessarily the way that the terrorists attacked on 9/11 with box cutters. there are other threats we need to focus our attention on. explosives are a greater problem. they are take iing threats withe cockpit doors. if it means less of an effort to find thing that is truly are a threat. >> thanks so much. today is the second quiet sunday at st. peter's square

with no pope appearing. as they await tuesday's conclave, cardinals gathered in rome from all over the world. on saturday, firefighters installed the chimney from which white smoke will rise and signal to the world the conclave's decision. claudia is in vatican city for us. another good day to you. we enjoyed speaking with you yesterday. today, what is on the cardinal's agenda for those not necessarily at churches? >> reporter: as you said, today is the first and only day to start the conclave on tuesday. you said it there. many of them, the most popular timothy dolan, the cardinal of new york. in the church of rome, mass was packed with journalists and faithful alike. he answered questions and he

felt there was an atmosphere of fraternity among the cardinals. denying division or allegations of division among them. he replied to a question of who he believes will become pope. he said well, you know, you make gnocci with the dough you have. there's no real front-runner. he hinted at a date when we may see the next pope. he said good day to st. joseph's day, march 19th. it happens to be father's day here in italy. what is a better day than father's day to see for the first time the holy father. >> we'll see if it comes to pass. thank you very much. another winter storm headed to the midwest. clean up begins as the lathest storm hits the northeast. we are looking at plum islands in massachusetts. there it is. wow, lots of homes destroyed

there yesterday. how bad is it going to get? we have more details. good morning to you, dylan. >> it's amazing how the storms have changed the northeast. we are talking about the storm in the midwest. not a lot of snowfalling across nebraska. it's very, very windy. blizzard warnings in effect that way because of the blowing snow and redugsed visibility. these extend up to iowa and wisconsin. it's an area we will see more snowfall, up to six to 12 inches of snow, especially southwestern iowa steching into central wisconsin for the next 48 hours later today and tonight. we have heavy rain falling across missouri and into arkansas. we'll see a line of severe storms possible today through eastern texas and into louisiana. that is going to produce perhaps two to three inches of rain, especially if we get stuck in

the heavier downpours. it's going to spread eastwards. by tomorrow evening, we'll see some of that rain. the heaviest of the rain up and down the eastern sea board is on tuesday. it's all rain. no snow for new england in the forecast. it's too warm for it. >> the warmth is good. thank you very much. west coast headlines are next with a critics dim view of dazzling lights. when will main street take a ride like wall street? [ lisa ] my name's lisa, and chantix helped me quit. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit.

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tourists showing up at the white house this weekend are expressing anger and frustration. they are upset at the obama administration to cancel public tours because of the sequester. >> am i disappointed they canceled the tours? there's so much to be disappointed about.

this is just one of the series of things. >> it's just a bunch of guys not working together like we would like them to do. it would be nice if everybody could work together. >> however, we want to let you know the u.s. capital is open for tours. . welcome to both of you. thank you for joining the show. david, i'll begin with you. any evidence the outreach is going to work? did anything come from the initial meetings of the gop? >> you played a clip, he thought the president made some ground by doing this. i think there's a general sense that the tone in washington changed last week. i think there's a long way to go. the president, a few weeks ago is doing an outside campaign putting on public pressure talking about the effects of the sequester. i think the white house saw the

poll numbers drop a bit. he was not talking to capitol hill. i think what you are going to see is will the white house stay committed to this? the president tried here and there over the past couple years and quickly went away from it. the white house is skeptical they can make this charm offense work. if they stick to it, maybe down the line you might see movement. >> let's listen to paul ryan from this morning. here it is. >> i think there are things we can do that don't offend either party's philosophy and doesn't require someone to surrender principles to get a good down payment on getting this debt and deficit under control. >> you talk about his lunch with the president. how positive was it? could it change the fiscal talks? a tangible way? >> it could. it's what the white house is aiming to put out there and projecting with the outreach meetings.

what's important to say about paul ryan, this is someone who in washington was looked at as taking a serious approach to the long term fiscal change. democrats hate his plan. they say it would harm seniors and make cuts to seniors. he actually supported that under george w. bush. the president sent signals to fellow democrats as well. look, i'm going to ask you to make tough choices when it comes to entitlement reform. the two of them talking is an interesting scenario when it comes to a long term solution. it's not just john boehner that needs to make the deal happen. >> david, with the better than expected jobs numbers out on friday, can the president use that as leverage? >> he's trying to. with the stock market going up, hitting an all time high, the white house is saying hey, we are moving in the right direction. we don't want to stop it now. over the next few months, if you

see the sequester cuts slow the economy with people getting furloughed, it's going to have more leverage, unfortunately, to get people to pay attention and make people come to the table again. i think the public starts to be frustrated by slow growth and people filling in their own pocketbooks. it has more of an effect than the president touting his numbers. >> the president suggested sequestration is not going to be solved soon. could it stall the recovery? >> it's what they are putting the alarm out there. any fragile gains could be that, fragile. a lot of people are facing, you know, government workers are facing lower pay, longer hours, furloughs, more work for less hours and having to do more of that work in shorter hours. you are also seeing people are still affected by the payroll tax cut expiring. people's paychecks went down at

the beginning of the year. you are hearing a lot from the white house. in the end, a lot of the cuts are rolled out slowly. you are not going to feel them the way the white house is feeling them with tourists this weekend. >> grand bargain being reached by july, yes, no or maybe? david? >> there's a lot of skepticism. i think you will see the president keep talking about $600 billion in, you know, tax revenues. that's the big sticking point. i'm still skeptical about where we are going on this. >> christina? >> i'm with david with skepticism. this is washington, after all. not a grand bargain but a small bargain. they have points to negotiate downward. i expect some compromise. how grand is the bigger question. >> a baby grand. thank you so much. goods to see you. number five on the first of five stories. "snl" reunion.

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one big headline on the west coast splashed on the san francisco chronicle front page. bridge artwork dazzles but novelty fades. the lights were turned on using 25,000 little white bulbs. they call it as thin as the individual units for which it is assembled. as the housing market rebounds, the number of homes sold declined. leading today's number one money magazine names cleveland the best place to buy a foreclosed home. they shot up last year according to a year ago. you may think hollywood is the best place to make a movie. austin, texas gets top movie making. new york second followed by seattle, los angeles and portland.

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let's see what you got. rv -- covered. why would you pay for a hotel? i never do. motorcycles -- check. atv. i ride those. do you? no. boat. house. hello, dear. hello. hello. oh! check it -- [ loud r&b on car radio ] i'm going on break! the more you bundle, the more you save. now, that's progressive. welcome back to weekends with alex witt. headlines at the half. former tennis star say there is's a warrant out for her arrest. she and her exboyfriend got into

an altercation. she released a statement say there is's no warrant. a case has not been assigned and police do not have her side of the story. she won three grand slams and a gold medal. >> arias spent last week answering questions written to her by jurors. she admits to killing her boyfriend, she claims in self-defense. boston globe says harvard university administrators searched the e-mails of deans looking for a leak to the media about a case of cheating. stores of students forced to withdrawal in a cheating scandal for an exam. steerings of a grand bargain. president obama is set to meet with house republicans to work on a budget agreement. tom coburn, who attended the dinner wasn't celebrated on "meet the press." >> it shouldn't be news that the president is reaching out in a

bipartisan fashion to try to solve problems for the country. he is moving in the right direction, i'm proud of him for doing it. i think it's a great thing, but it shouldn't be news. >> joining me, jimmy williams. hello. >> good morning. >> jimmy, what are you hearing? are the meetings making headway? >> yeah. i'm shocked. i have been in washington for almost 22 years, maybe i'm jaded. i'll be honest with you, i think it's good news. it's also a baby step. as i have said before to you and others, i'm a cynic creature. i worked in the senate almost seven years. i distrust the executive branch whether it's this president, the last one or bill clinton. there's a tension between the branches of government. the president going and speaking to the caucuses this coming week is a big deal. the question is, will they

reciprocate. mr. ryan is putting in his budget. he's going to repeal obama care. talk about a poke in the eye. how many times have they tried and it failed? it's a two-way street. both sides have to pony up here. >> we are talking about this being the charm offensive. is this an attempt to change the narrative? by the way, the white house doesn't like the phrase, charm offensive. >> the white house doesn't have a choice in what we call it. it's what it is. he's trying to charm the congress. he tried to do it when he became the president. they stuck him in the eye with an appetizer fork and it wasn't pretty. he's trying again. i hope he does. if he tries and tries again and they rebuff him, it's going to make them look bad. maybe it's the strategy, i don't know. >> let's listen to the congressman in an interview this morning. >> are you saying as part of

your budget you would repeal obama care? >> yes. >> that's not going to happen. >> we believe it should. that's the point. this is what budgeting is all about, chris. it's making tough choices to fix our country's problems. >> there you hear a bit of a reflection of what jimmy was saying as well. is that not the whole problem with the gop? obsessing with a policy that is never going to happen at the sacrifice of deals that could be reached. >> he gets a gold star for having a one-word answer. politicians usually spend 15 minutes getting to that. when you talk paul ryan, they are putting budget priorities on a budget. the president has not got one vote. i don't think he got one last year on his budget. at least the house republicans are putting together their budget priorities in a document and passing it on a chamber. i encourage the senate to do the

same thing and maybe the president. >> jimmy, i want to get back to what we heard from senator coburn there. he makes an interesting point for democratic presidents. having dinner with republicans, that was news. it was wednesday night. how much has president obama's style hurt his ability to get a deal? >> he's not a politician like bill clinton was. everyone is trying to make him into bill clinton, he's not bill clinton. you can't put a round square -- >> circle. >> you know what i'm saying. i can't get it out. let's talk the budget stuff. this is very important. chip brought up the fact that senate democrats haven't done a budget in four years. guess what, republicans controlled the house and senate from 1995 to 2000 and what year was it? 2007. no one complained. the government didn't stop working. my gosh, we were fighting a war.

this budget is a scam. did you know the president doesn't sign the budget? >> the point i was trying to make is the republicans are putting their priorities on a document. that's what it's for. maybe the president should try to do the same thing. >> i appreciate that. i want the house to put obama care repeal into the budget, send it to the senate. it gets stripped and guess what? the president hasn't signed it. it's a sham. it's a charade. >> maybe that's why we are $1 trillion in debt this year. maybe we should try a budget. most households have to do it. >> you are right. the bush presidency, he didn't veto a single spending bill. you are right. we should go back and look at fiscal responsibility. >> every answer can't be it's bush's fault. >> i'm not saying it's bush's fault. i'm saying it's everyone's fault. the point is, the budget system

is broken and has been. >> can i ask you, if we get a deficit deal with a mix of revenues and spending cuts, do both sides lose or have republicans put more on the line? >> you know, i think if you are going to have a deal in washington, both sides have to lose. that's how you compromise. not everybody gets what they want. the republicans gave a lot of spending on the fiscal cliff deal. it was all revenue and no spending cuts. if they want something more spending cut oriented, they lose a little bit. it's how you make a deal. >> with both sides losing, do more spending cuts hurt president obama in the eyes of his voters as tax increases would in the eyes of the the republicans? >> both sides have to lose something. you have to do entitlement

reform. the president said we have until august to get a huge deal done. guess what? here we are all over again. the president is setting it up. he's setting up the goalpost. if both sides, the republicans and the democrats fail on this, both sides are hurt by it. but, i think it depends on what the spending cuts are. if we do do tax reform, it's going to be mostly on the business side. guess what? they are not going to like a lot of what they hear and the lobbyists aren't going to like it. go back to the '86 tax bill, it's revenue neutral. it was chuck full of massive loopholes for american businesses. but it was revenue neutral. let's go back down that path. that's fine with me. >> well, before we get to that point, quickly, chip, with the strong jobs report on friday, does that give the president leverage? >> i think it does.

i think i have heard both sides. democrats overselling it like it's the greatest thing in the world. republicans poo-pooed it too much. adding jobs is better than losing jobs. give the president credit for that. >> you like that, right? that is the last word? >> i love that. >> thanks. richard nixon should have pursued. carl bernstein weighs in. go to facebook and search weekends with alex witt and like it because we like you. has t. face it with puffs ultra soft & strong. puffs has soft, air-fluffed pillows for 40% more cushiony thickness. face every day with puffs softness.

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samsung unveils the galaxy 4-s. new york city's new ban against sugary drinks goes into effect. it affects movie theaters and nightclubs. in office politics, author carl bernstein who co-wrote "all the president's men." he began by talking about the legacy of the man at the center of watergate, president richard nixon. >> i don't think he rehabilitated who he was as president in any way because we keep learning from his tapes how agregregious his acts as presid were, how -- what seems like most of his waking moments in the oval office, at least when he was talking were about

vengefulness and retribution against his enemies. one of the things you never hear on the tapes is what would be goods for the country. he's a man singularly unsuited. i think we know now, republicans would say the same thing, it's not about the party. this was never about a republican enterprise. it' about an individual president who was willing to engage in criminal constantly unconstitutional acts for reasons that had to do with his own psyche, with his own view of power as president, with his own view of resentment. there's a moment when nixon realizes that there are documents in a think tank safe. the brookings institution. as his chief of staff says to him, we could blackmail lyndon johnson on what lyndon johnson

did in the vietnam war. nixon says i don't care what you have to do, fire bomb the safe, break in, do whatever you have to do to get the documents. for two weeks he goes back to that time and time again on the tapes. have you gotten the documents. i don't care what you have to do. that's richard nixon as president. were there estimatable acts in his presidency? yes. the opening of china is the great one. he had a remarkable mind. if you read his books, read his analysis of charles, for instance, he would have been a great political journalist. his analysis and wonderful writing. this is a man of real intellect. what watergate is and what it represents is the whole american system worked. maybe for the last time.

the press did its job, got this stuff out there and in response, the congress and the united states undertook a great investigation. it voted the senate 77-0 to investigate the president of the united states in his campaign activities. it was a bipartisan investigation. it found out what richard nixon had done. it then went to the next stage, which was the house judiciary committee. republicans joined with democrats to vote articles of impeachment. at that point, the supreme court also, before them, headed by chief justice appointed by richard nixon. nixon refused to give up the tapes. he expected the chief justice to back him. he took the other justices aside and said we must have a unanimous decision showing he is

not above the law. the system worked. that's the great lesson of watergate. then, amazing things that nixon's successor, gerald ford pardoned nixon. i said have you heard the news? he said no. woodward can always understand my shorthand. he pardoned him. oh my god. he got it. for a couple years, we thought like many people that the pardon of nixon was an irresponsible act. it became clear. he lost the presidency when he ran for re-election because of that act. the most important thing journalists do is to decide what is news. it's the great thing about the movie involved in the president's men. it's not about the heroics. it's about basic reporting and

finding out what the hell happened. >> next weekend, ahead of the tenth anniversary, my interview with michael isikoff . why a rally on wall street doesn't mean happy days on main street. n, once you try an oral-b deep sweep power brush, you'll never want to go back. its dynamic power bristles reach between teeth to remove up to 76% more plaque than sonic in hard to reach areas. oral-b deep sweep 5000 power brush.

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the stock market is at an all time record high with the dow gaining 2% and trading above 14,400 for the first time. is wall street at a disconnection from the rest of the country where 12 million americans are still unemployed. annie, hello, good to see you. >> thanks for having me. >> i'm glad you are here. lit's talk friday's jobs reports. 236, 000 jobs added. is that what you expect when the dow hits an all-time high? >> it was a very good report.

it came on months and months of blah reports where we weren't adding lots of jobs. a lot of good news and the economy is really turning around and gaining strength in the report. there's a tremendous disconnect between the stock market and how business is doing. unemployment is still very high. it's been very, very slow to come down. corporations are sitting on a lot of cash. they are not hiring at a pace that brings unemployment down faster. >> why is that? >> if they have them, why not put them back in the system? >> it's a weird catch 22. businesses still, i mean they are starting to see consumers come in the doors and spend more. there's demand missing from the economy. the government cutting back is going to make it worse. the economy is still healing. it's getting better. businesses are hesitant to add workers, which is expensive for them unless they see a lot of

people coming in and spending money and the economy growing faster. >> is there a chance it's a lagging indicator and they are going pick up soon? >> there's that possibility. one thing we saw is house sg starting to add jobs and construction. if there's a turn around, if people feel fewer people are under water, more people buying homes, more demand for rennovations. house prices are increasing, we are not seeing huge snapback nor would we want to after the housing collapse five years ago now. >> last weekend, i spoke with the former fdic chair. she said the rich tend to sit on their money while the lower middle class are the one that is spend their money. does that mean the money made in this market rally isn't really going to help the broader

economy since it's the rich who immediately benefit from the market? >> it absolutely will help. i think there's a lot of truth to what sheila said. you are seeing lower income and middle income families hurting. things like increase in payroll tax leaving less money. there's families that spend a lot of their earnings, are still hit hard and unemployment remains high. yes, the stock market is going to help the economy. i think there's truth to the fact that we continue to see a big divide between the average household and the average business and how they are doing. a lot of that money is going to get saved as opposed to spent. >> is there a point which wall street gains trickle down to the job market? >> so, there's no definitive point. the way they work is very, very complicated, obviously. i note one thing that we are starting to see is a lot of

stocks have -- a lot of companies have given more money back to shareholders. it has an effect. it's not as strong of an effect as if you saw huge gains. the story of the recovery is it's plotting along, getting better. it's not strong in historical terms. >> great discussion. thank you so much. >> thank you. now it's time for the question of the day. new numbers suggest the economy is improving. are you feeling it? not feeling it, alex. i'm out of work over a year. last job paid 30% less for same work. kay smith says not feeling it. how accurate do you think the numbers are? way too many people not working. eli tweets, i am because i start a new job on monday. national unemployment rate fell from 7.8 to 7.7%. my personal unemployment fell

from 100% to 0%. >> we are happy for you. you can tweet me anytime. elijah comings on what a sequester means for unemployed minorities. ce. face it with puffs facial tissues. puffs has air-fluffed pillows for 40% more cushiony thickness. face every day with puffs softness. face every day try running four.ning a restaurant is hard, fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores. rewards we put right back into our business. this is the only thing we've ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. make your mark with ink from chase.

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it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. so it's not about keeping my dentures in, it's about keeping the food particles out. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip. good day to all of you. welcome to weekends with alex witt. it's 1:00 on the east coast, 10:00 a.m. on the west coast. nancy pelosi is weighing in on president obama's decision to reach out to republicans. >> i think it takes a measure of the meetings. they are not, not having these meetings is not why we haven't had progress before. we haven't had progress before because the republicans were committed to blocking the initiatives of president obama. meanwhile, paul ryan is set to release his plan to balance the budget in ten years. he met with the president for

lunch on thursday. >> this is the first time i have ever had a conversation with the president lasting more than two minutes or televised exchanges. i have never had a conversation with him on these issues before. i'm excited we had this conversation. we had a very frank exchange. we come from different perspectives, i ran against him in the last election. we exchange very different frank, candid views that are different. at least we had this conversation. >> well, the president took time away from the political battles for a night of laughter in washington, d.c. the president got in humorous jabs at democrats and republicans, too. no cameras were allowed inside. joining me now, political reporter lauren fox and andy sullivan. good day to both of you. thank you for joining me. >> thank you. >> you heard congressman ryan saying he and the president have different views. are we going to see results or

is it political theater? >> i think the president has seen the campaign road show only gets him so far. if he wants to see comprehensive tax reform and changes to the entitlements he's going to have to reach out. the president is reaching across the aisle, trying to make connections and mend bridges that may have been broken since the last election. i think it's more than political theater. it's definitely a step to a comprehensive agreement. >> andy, the president is set to hold the meetings with democratic and republicans. what are you hearing? is there a consensus that it's going to turn into something tangible? >> it certainly can't hurt, alex. if you talk to experts like norm studying the institution for decades, they say one of the reasons behind the polarization is jet travel. it's so easy to get out of washington as soon as the votes are done on thursday afternoon, so many people leave and go home. before then, they were stuck in

town over the weekend. they have to go golfing with each other or out to dinner. the fact that the president is now sitting down, you know, over food and drink with these people is a big change from what's happening before where they meet at the white house to discuss the latest budget crisis and the republicans leave feeling like they have been lectured at for an hour or hour and a half. can't hurt, right? >> i agree. tim kaine of virginia was on "meet the press" today and offered this sobering reality facing lawmakers. >> we put our paychecks on the line if we don't pass budgets by mid april. we all stop getting paid. >> look at that. is this going to be the motivating factor for both sides to work together? they want to keep their paychecks. >> if you have skin in the game, this is an issue that is going to help forge a deal. certainly, some lawmakers wouldn't notice a difference if they didn't get a paycheck. the chairman of the budget

committee said the senate is working on it. paul ryan is going to release his plan this week. i think we'll see some budgets for the first time. >> here is what was said last week. >> what the president needs to do is reach out not just to republicans but to democrats and to ensure he gives them the political cover to do, frankly, what they know needs to be done. the need to deal with important entitlement programs. >> andy, your latest article says the president is facing skepticism from democrats, what are they skeptical of and what position does it put the president in? >> there's two crucial elements to get a budget deal. you have to tackle taxes. the other is you have to look at the very popular entitlement programs like medicare and social security. we have seen a lot of focus on

how republicans are digging their heels in. the president faces enormous -- no way can you do anything that would change the benefits given to people under social security and medicare. the things the president are talking about are slowing the growth of entitlements, the payments you get under social security. a majority of house democrats have now signed a letter saying it's a no go for us. he's going to have to do a lot to win over those folks as well. >> lauren, your latest article is about ashlee judd and whether she's going to run for mitch mcconnell's seat in kentucky. here is what he said. >> i think it's looking more and more every day that she's going to run. clearly, mitch mcconnell is panicked. as much as he can be. what are you hearing about this, lauren and what do you think the biggest challenges will be for her if she declares a candidacy.

>> she's been a strong supporter of the president. he's not popular in the state of kentucky. she's been an outspoken person against coal removal. what that basically does is it's a $4 billion industry, coal is in the state of kentucky. supports 19,000 jobs. she's got obstacles. she has to do retail politicking. or introduce a new economic future for kentucky. she's going to have challenges. star power is a powerful thing when running for election. >> yeah. andy, how about you? what are you hearing about an ashley judd run and the threat to mitch mcconnell and the announcement around the time of the kentucky derby if she decides to run? >> she'll have a nifty hat to wear. her ties to hollywood are a

money machine and she would get reporters chasing her around. you have money and publicity already. some of her stances may be problematic when it comes to what people care about in kentucky. i think she's a more formidable challenger than other democrats. >> good to see you both. thank you. >> thank you. maryland congressman elijah cummings will join us. there's a disconnect. we'll talk about that. developing now, security concerns with chuck hagel's visit to afghanistan that forced the consolation with hamid karzai. it comes a day after a pair of deadly suicide bombings killed at least 18 people in the region. mike taibbi is joining us. what more do we know about why the joint press conference was canceled? >> reporter: hi, alex. there's always a joint press

conference at the end of these type of trips. this was a strange ending. security concerns were listed as the reason, at least by the pentagon spokesman for the cancellation. the presidential palace says it was a unilateral decision. it was announced hours after karzai made critical remarks about the u.s. and the taliban working against them. he said the u.s. was negotiating daily with the taliban and the two were working together to prove that coalition troops would have to stay beyond 2014. that happened earlier in the day. then the cancellation was announced later. he said specifically, too, karzai did that two suicide bombings were intended to show forces could not leave after 2014 as had been announced.

the taliban and the head of coalition forces both rejected the comments. dunnford said we fought too hard and lost too many lives to think violence and instability would be to our advantage. secretary hagel and president karzai did meet privately. there were photographs tweeted from that. very strange ending to the two-day trip by secretary hagel to afghanistan. >> as you try to read between the tea leaves, is it genuine security concerns, do you think? >> there have been security concerns for genuine reasons. the suicide bombings were horrif horrific. hagel heard the blast. that's a real thing. if the general decided it was too dicey to have an announced

meeting between the two at the presidential palace that one assumes would ramp up the notion by insurgent that is this might be a good time to try something. it's a legitimate thing to consider the way afghanistan is right now. >> many thanks from kabul. north korea threatening all out war against the south and the united states. this comes as north korean state airs footage of them vowing to destroy the u.s. this is happening as they plan joint military drills. they are designed to target their country. a leading congressman pulls no punches in the ring. it's ra it's raunchy. mes miracles get messy. so we use tide free. no perfumes or dyes for her delicate skin. brad. not it. not it. just kidding. that's our tide. what's yours?

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i was under the impression

that when he was able to sleep with a woman, as opposed to fantasizing about a child he felt more normal, as a man. so, also, i had seen prior to this incident beautiful qualities about him and good qualities about him and things that were attractive about him. that is 32-year-old jodi arias explaining why she stayed with a man that had fantasies for young boys. she's accused of killing travis alexander. if convicted, she could get the death penalty. joining me are defense prosecutors, welcome to both of you. everything is interesting but karen, we have in this state, the ability for jurors to post questions to a defendant. >> i love that. >> it was interesting. >> yes, there's only a few state that is allow you to do that. other states put limits on the questions. these jurors asked 200

questions. it's a horrible sign for the defense attorney. >> why? >> it's not adding up. when you ask that many questions you have problems. when you start a question with how could you, it's not a good sign for her. >> okay. >> it almost seemed like the jurors are giving her one last chance to come clean. >> really. >> some people said it looks like they are fed up. i read it as the sincere attempt. jurors have so few chances to speak, have a dialogue with the defendant. in this case, they are saying why should we believe you? give us a reason to believe your third version of events. >> that's why. she's changed her story several times. listen to the tape here. here we go. >> lying isn't typically something i just do. i'm not going to say i have never told a lie in my life before this incident, but the lies that i have told in this

case are -- can be tied back to protecting travis' reputation or my involvement in his death in any way. >> she said she was not at the house at the time of the killing, the second was there were intruders, the third was yeah, i did it in self-defense. >> it's not helpful to the defendant. she multiplied it by giving televised interviews. it's not helpful. the recent airing of the self-defense defense when there's not any evidence to back up some of her claims of abuse, of photos, incriminating photos may well be leading to the dozens of questions we were talking about from the jury saying you have a selective philosophy toward the truth. sometimes you tell it, sometimes you don't. it's damaging to a defendant.

>> or shot, stabbed and slashed. after you see that, it's how can i get it down to a second degree murder? how can you explain that. it's not like it's adrenaline. shot, stabbed and slashed. who does that? plus the gas cans missing from her grandparents house. how do you get around an intentional act? >> driving out miles away to rent a rental car that gave her the best price. it costs you money to go 90 miles for that car. >> you are not a wall flower is you are seeing other people, engaged in sexual acts. this prosecutor took a lot of time, a nauseating amount of time with the sex and the e-mails and stuff she was doing. in the jurors mind, how can you be a person like that and also be the wall flower. >> a victim.

>> i want dwrou give me body language with her and the way she presents herself. even her delivery. >> it seems like, i'm no psychologist. there's a flatness of tone. i can't help but wonder, this is a woman with years of time in prison. >> this happened in 2008. >> to craft a story. you wonder if she spent a lot of time psyching herself up for a flat, delivery that may or may not help her with jurors looking for, i don't know, sympathy. >> yeah. >> some sort of story. >> they are not sympathizing with the questions. there seems to be one juror that does not believe her, thinks she's a liar. the way the questions are crafted, as a defense attorney, i wouldn't know what to do. i would have to revamp everything. let her stay there. she's sunk, just the way the questions were written. >> you make a good point, you can read. you can get access to anything

you want to. internet access, legal. >> the best experts are in jail. >> there's something she talks about. she was questioned about why she had not written about why these things happened. she said she's following the law after attraction, which encourages writing about positive things. >> it's not a law they teach you in law school. >> it's a different type of laws or set of laws. you can't help but wonder if jurors are thinking as they listen to her day after day of testimony, has she spent time crafting the latest in a series of stories, none of which may be true. >> credibility matters when testifying. >> keep your mouth shut. >> you always say that. you tell the clients, keep your mouth shut. >> they never do. >> how about that. >> karen and lisa, good to see

you ladies, thanks so much. a few political notes. mark sanford is having trouble raising cash in his run for congress. the once disgraced republican collected $130,000 so far. minimum wage would be $10.10 an hour higher than president obama's. in hopes of saving the post office, a counselman from berkeley, california proposes a tax on e-mail. he thinks a penny per gigabyte would raise millions. this is historic. the white house easter egg roll. kids dancing, eggs rolling, i'm in. >> that is kid president. that's the online sensation. the white house says despite the sequester, the egg roll will roll on as scheduled on april 1st. is the better choice for him,

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his critics have called him plenty of things for sure. i'm guessing artist is not a word used to describe president george w. bush until now. an art teacher taught him how to paint. he has such a passion for painting, it's amazing. he's going to go down in the history books as a great artist. that reminds us that grant was another former president renowned for his flair with paint and canvas. you can check it out on granthomepage.com. >> rand paul's filibuster approved successful. they tell the hill newspaper you might see more in the future. harry reid says for them to succeed, you must have strong convicts and strong will not to have to run to the men's room. vivian westwood is giving michelle obama a thumbs down.

i say thumbs down to her. have you seen britt fashion lately? the new york republican fought a former kick boxing champion for a fund-raiser and held his own on a draw. creditic joe foe li for taking it easy on him. >> this is ugly. this is ugly. oh my goodness. oh my goodness. >> the classic base brawl. canada and mexico engaging in a showdown when they got hit by a pitch. canada got the best of mexico on the score board, 10-3. those are your ups and downs. at a dry cleaner, we replaced people with a machine. what? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it? hello? hello?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7,

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there's no cause for him to be alarmed. he was hospitalized in december for three weeks for gallstone surgery and treatment for an infection. a charter that guarantees gaye rights and gender equality. she's expected to sign the document tomorrow. back in this country, christine quinn announced she is running for mayor. she opens to become the first woman and openly gay leader. the number of households with guns has fallen. the front page cite as survey showing ownership dropping 30% in the '70s to 34% last year. plum island, massachusetts, demolition crews are tearing down a third home battered by friday's crashing waves. a dozen homes are considered unsafe. those are your headlines. as we await the start of

tuesday's conclave people are celebrating mass all over rome. among them, archbishop sean o'malley of boston. he will gather to decide who will be the next pope. claudia is in vatican city. there are no clear front-runners, it seems. lots of speculation about who the cardinals might choose. who are some of the favorites you are hearing about? >> reporter: there's no real front-runner. what we are hear sg at least two factions are emerging among the college of cardinals. reformists, those who want to change things inside vatican city. especially under pope benedict xvi was blamed and accused of concentrating too much power. those who want to keep things as they are. who are the front-runners right now? we are hearing the two that have the best chance is one from

milan, the italian cardinal and on the other side from south palo brazil. if they don't get the 77 votes necessary to be elected pope in the first few days of the conclave from tuesday, then the two runners up might have a chance. guess who they are? the americans. timothy dolan from new york and o'malley from boston. in the past, it was impossible for an american to become pope, it's not farfetched now. alex? >> interesting. any indication we'll have to go through a couple rounds of balloting? without a front-runner, there's at least a day of that, right? >> reporter: well, more than a day, i believe, alex. let me remind you in the last 100 years the longest conclave was five days. but we don't have a front-runner now. it is believed it will take longer than pope benedict xvi. he was voted in after four

ballots and two days. there are divisions among the cardinals. it may go as far as number of days we don't know whether it will be five or more. this will be a record breaker for the century. alex. >> thank you, we will see. be sure to watch beginning tuesday for live coverage of the conclave and election of the next pope. president obama is expected to meet with more republicans in the house and senate in the hopes of reaching a deal on the budget. senator tom coburn and nancy pelosi gave their views of the new day in washington. >> it shouldn't be news that the president is reaching out in a bipartisan fashion to solve problems for the country. it shows you, he is moving in the right direction. i'm proud of him for doing it. i think it's a great thing. it shouldn't be news. >> one success can breed

another's success putting something together that is a compromise, a collaboration. it's what we come here to do. >> i could hear a lot of republicans saying the same thing. >> i haven't heard them say that. maybe they say it to you. >> joining me now is democratic congressman, eliza cummings, ranking member and member of the joint economic committee. welcome to you. >> good to be with you. >> we heard from a couple of your colleagues there. what do you think? do the meetings really make a difference? >> i hope they do make a difference but i can tell you, when ever i hear my republican colleagues come out of a meeting with the president more less happy, i worry. it's going to be interesting to see when the president, who is my friend and who i support tremendously comes to the congress this week i want to make sure that any kind of bargain, grand bargain, budget negotiations keep into

consideration the things the president talked about in his state of the union address. that is, we cannot balance budgets on the backs of our children or our seniors. i'm concerned about that. the president said he is willing to address the cpi question that is reducing benefits for our seniors. at the same time, he's also talked about other ways that things that he's willing to do. with regard to the so-called entitlements. i'm concerned about that. you are going to find a lot of democrats concerned about that. again, these seniors, many of them have nothing but medicare, nothing but social security and so the question is, what are we giving up. then, of course, you know that coming up this week, ryan is going to present his budget. so, in the past, that budget has not been kind to seniors. so, i'm concerned about that,

very much so. >> what about the economy oversaove overall, if you look at the numbers. it's down to 7.7% with 236,000 jobs added. >> yes. >> your read of this report is what? >> i think it bodes well. i think we are doing good. i must tell you, though, that the sequester situation we find ourselves in now, i think may very well cause us to have problems in the future. it's what i worry about. again, everyone in my office, we are now calculating how we are going to have to have people on furlough days. i'm hearing from constituents, social security administration is in my district. so, they are letting go 1500 people. we found 10,000 government workers losing their jobs in that very report. the african-american unemployment rate, double as usual, of the general unemployment rate.

there's still a lot to be done. we have to find ways to get back on the message of jobs. we kind of got away from that. we have been spending so much time talking about how do we cut spending but like the president said, we cannot cut our way out of this problem. when we have so many people unemployed. >> i'm going to ask jason, our director to throw up a screen with the unemployment rate of african-americans being twice that of whites and asians. what are the specifics that can be done to close that gap? >> congressman jim clyburn who has a brilliant idea he's said over and over again, what we need to do is direct resources and assistance as far as job stimulation dollars to areas that suffer the most unemployment. i think that's a good idea. you will find that if you do that, not only will you help people who may be african-american, who are unemployed, but you help a lot of other people who are

unemployed, also. i think we can't -- this whole thing of austerity is not the way to do it. keep in mind, in europe, the unemployment rate is 11.9%. they have gone on that austerity type thing. we have to find ways to stimulate the economy. the van hollen proposal is one where he addresses this issue by having targeted cut so you don't do so much damage to the economy bringing back up the boca rule and having tax reforms that address loopholes for these gas companies, oil companies. we have to do things like that. again, i want -- everybody is excited and i watch the talk shows today, oh the president is meeting with the republicans and he's meeting with -- we may have a grand bargain. we have to remember, we have to ask ourselves the question, when that grand bargain is done, what

will be the vision for our america? will it be seniors who won't be able to get medical care? children like the ones i just saw at howard university who had to leave school with 3.5 averages because they don't have money to go to school? is it closing head start centers? what price do we pay? i hope the president keeps in mind something he said over and over again. he said this country lacks an empathy deficit. i'm here to tell you, i, along with many other democrats am going to remind the president and the republicans we cannot have a strong country unless we give strong support to seniors and children and our future and not lead them down a road to poverty. >> i agree with everything you are saying. that hurts hearing of a student with a 3.5 gpa that has to leave school because they cannot afford it. >> we are better than that. a lot better. >> yeah. can i ask you about a

disconnection between wall street and main street, if you will? wall street ending with a record high for the dow. in terms of what you are seeing in baltimore on main street, are you feeling it? >> no, we don't feel it too much here. keep in mind, we are now about to be some of the most harsh and most -- we are going to be victimized by the sequester tremendously. keep in mind, in our area, we have a situation where we have a lot of federal employees. those folks are being furloughed. a lady came to me just last sunday around this time and said to me congressman, i just got a notice. i just got a notice that i'm going to be furloughed two days every two weeks. what that means is that's $800 out of my paycheck. that's the money i would normally use to send my child to college. she's in college. what am i going to do? she was at an i hop and started

crying. we are seeing that. in my own payroll, i have to reduce and go to furlough days. these are not people making a lot of money. you are talking $40,000, $50,000 folks. the thing that upsets me most and makes me emotional is when i see folks trying to cut the federal employees. when it comes to the rich, we don't want to charge them a dime. not a dime. freeze the federal employee's paychecks but not charge the rich a dime more. something is wrong with that picture. equal sacrifice, shared sacrifice. we have to do that. >> is there the possibility of having true economic recovery without tackling the deficit? >> oh, i never said we should not -- no, i think we must tackle the deficit. i think you tackle the deficit in a way, as i say, you cut your spending like a heart surgeon

doing the most complicated heart surgery and not like somebody going out in the forest and cutting down trees. there are ways to do it. we are seeing it now. even with the sequester, you know. my colleague from maryland who now has the appropriations committee on the senate is looking at ways to make the sequester, everyone the sequester less painful. it's not going to reduce or put more money into the budget. what it will do is try to give a certain department easl's leewa shift so it's not as painful. >> that's good to hear. a belated congratulations for the baltimore ravens. we last spoke on super bowl weekend. you were betting on them and you were right. good for you. >> so often, folks are considered underdogs -- >> yeah. >> -- i root for the underdogs.

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for a deal? >> if you think about the tea party types, might they block a chance for compromise? >> i think republicans in congress are running out of excuses. they said the president wouldn't offer concessions. they said the president wasn't talking to them. he wasn't reaching out. now he's had dinner, he's headed to the house. at this point, they are running out of excuses. if there's not a grand bargain, they don't want one. when it comes to republican resistan resistance, here is what i mean. >> are you saying you would repe repe repeal, assume the repeal of obama care? >> yes. >> that's not going to happen. >> we believe it should. that's the point. this is what budgeting is ant, chris. it's making tough choices to fix our country's problems. >> that was congressman paul ryan. he met with the president last week. does that sound like compromise

to you? >> no, it sounds like someone who could be running for president who is speaking to a narrow audience on fox news. consider the source and who he's speaking to. at the end of the day, it's about compromise and coming together. this isn't about reneging on your philosophical beliefs, it's coming to the center to figure out how to get us out of the problem. both democrats and republicans got us into the problem. another thing about the president that i think is very, very important. he's not running for re-election. two, he's learned how the washington game works. you have to compromise and talk to the other side. you have to engage the other side. the other side is relevant and he's finally figured that out. >> when it comes to paul ryan, don't you think americans are disgusted with the inability of congress to do things? why talk about and put your money on doing something which you know will never happen? i mean why go there?

>> because you are running for president and you are probably speaking to a narrow base. that's the base that is going to come out in the presidential primaries to vote you into office. i'm not saying it's right. it's how the game is played. it's what he is doing. he's making sure his right flank is covered in case he wants to run for president three years from now. >> congressman murphy, interpret what you are hearing here. do you think there's a chance for a grand bargain? a real chance for that? >> i do. the problem is it takes two to tan go. i have a lot of respect for robert. saying that's how the game is played, that's why people are ticked off out there. this is a game. he said paul ryan was huge. he's talking to a narrower audience on fox news. that's the problem. most americans, whether democrat or republican, paul ryan should say we can't repeal obama care.

it's the law of the land. let's move on. come forward and find common ground. >> what do you say to that, robert? is that a better tactic to look at it, say the reality of things, move on. there's plenty of other things to do and talk about and ea peel to the right flank, if you will. >> i don't disagree. i's how the game is played here. >> you are the messenger. >> right. let's be honest, this is how it works here in washington, d.c. the congressman knows that. >> robert, you are right. this wasn't a slight on you. paul ryan didn't get the memo, they lost house seats. republicans lost house seats and the senate. the democrats have control. president obama was reelected. gentlemen, ladies, let's move on. move the ball forward. we need a massive deal together so we can sustain our economy. we have 236,000 jobs growth this past month. it could have been more if they were putting the country first

and not playing games. >> we have to move on, speaking of that. the next we have to move on to next topic which is burns questions with you, erin. the ban on sugary drinks in new york, over 16 ounces. that goes into effect on tuesday. there are people protesting this. do you think it's big brother gone wrong? >> at this point we have to do anything when it comes to the obesity crisis. these soft drink conglomerates are screaming at even a tax. it's not going to stop people from buying two drinks but we have to try anything from a public health perspective. >> a lot of people upset about tsa's changing the carrying of pocketknifes onboard starting next month. >> we've all heard stories of passengers, you know, that might have had too much to drink and something like that. flight attendants are trained to

de-escalate a harmful indication and you introduce a blade into the situation it becomes dire. >> how do you read this change in policy? >> this is how the policy was in effect in the past and that's how it is now. i understand the flight attendants are upset. i know i probably won't get peanuts now the next flight i'm on. i get it. but the fact is we live in great country in america and it's how the other airlines in europe and other countries have it as well. allow these very small minor, you know, swiss army knives and other types of utensils or tools. >> robert, former florida governor jeb bush facing criticism from republicans. according to his new book he supports a path to legal residency and here's what he had to say about that today. >> well, first of all, i haven't changed. the book was written to try to create a blueprint for

conservatives that were reluctant to embrace comprehensive reform. i support a path to legalization or citizenship so long as the path for people who have been waiting patiently is easier and costs less. >> robert, a quick reaction to that? is this an about-face? >> politicians are human and they reserve the right to change views overtime. look at president obama changing his view on gay marriage. i don't think it's bad. i think it's a good thing. >> coming up, sex ed and condoms. who picked that in the big read? oop, she told you. campbell's chunky beef with country vegetables, poured over rice! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. it's not for colds. it's not for pain. it's just for sleep. because sleep is a beautiful thing™. ♪ zzzquil™. the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil®.

we're now back to the big three for this week's must read. robert, do you first. >> alexander burns has great story about how the gop was flying blind from a polling standpoint going into the general elections. it's a deep dive how the republican party is going to need more data if it's going to go forward into the future. how about you?

>> atlantic wrote about mississippi's struggle over sex education or lack thereof, how they're trying to deal with the highest teen birth rate in the country at the same time that they're banned from showing how to demonstrate condoms. tough problem i i'm listening to that going how does that even work? >> i mean it's abstinence plus, which is not evidence-based. >> hmm. former kojman murphy, what's yours? >> well, front page of "the new york times," only one-third, 34% of american homes have a gun. that is a four-decade decrease. it used to be 50%. now only one-third. less hunters, less folks interested, especially when you look in the south states and out west. declining. >> that's really good. it indicated, you know, where the culture is very pro gun, definitely a decline. all good. thank you so much. good to see you all. and that is a wrap of this

sunday edition of weekends with alex witt. later more news with craig melvin. have yourself a great sunday. hed because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. like other precious things that start off white, it yellows over time. when it comes to your smile, if you're not whitening, you're yellowing. crest whitestrips whiten as well as $500 professional treatments. guaranteed. crest 3d white whitestrips. there's a lot i had to do... watch my diet. stay active. start insulin... today, i learned there's something i don't have to do anymore. my doctor said that with novolog® flexpen, i don't have to use a syringe and a vial or carry a cooler. flexpen® comes prefilled with fast-acting insulin used to help control high blood sugar when you eat.