the late president on permanent display, it was likely already too late. but it is not too late to investigate whether it was just ordinary naturally occurring cancer that killed hugo chavez or whether it was cancer caused by poisoning by dark forces who wanted chavez dead and managed to secretly weaponize cancer to carry out their plot. in 2011, he suggested himself that the cia was infecting people with cancer. it was difficult to explain what has been happening to some of us in latin america. would it be strange they invented technology to spread cancer and we won't know about it for 50 years? and last week before announcing chavez's death, his vice president leveled a similar accusation. there's no doubt that commandant chavez's health came under attack by the enemy. he's launching a formalized investigation into the weaponized cancer allegation. we have the intuition that commander chavez was poisoned by dark forces that wanted him out of the way. the u.s. government denies.

having secretly poisoned hugo chavez with cancer. an assertion that the united states was somehow involved in causing president chavez' illness is absurd. and we definitively reject it. you know who else who thinks it's absurd? an oncologist and former president of the american cancer society who told cnn that the notion that injections or poisons could have caused chavez's cancer has absolutely no scientific substance. quote, science cannot sustain this hypothesis. there's the old line that even paranoids had enemies and lord knows chavez had them by the bushel. including, and this is important in the context of this, an american government that tacitly accepted a coup to remove him from power, heck, even a "new york times" editorial page that cheered on the coup from afar. if there's one thing we see in the u.s., here at home, in the era since 9/11 is that a persistent state of fear tends to curdle political leaders and hurt political culture. same holds true throughout the world and in venezuela. that does it for us. see you tomorrow morning.

in ten hours, i am back here at 30 rock, hopefully talking to all of you. so go to bed right now, wake up early. have a great show on tap tomorrow. up next is alex witt. surprise move. the pentagon beefs up security on the u.s. homeland in response to a growing nuclear threat from north korea. meet the press. the new pope faces about 5,000 journalists at a news conference today. even though he wasn't expected to speak. trouble on the high seas. again. another carnival cruise ship encounters problems on two different trips in the past few days. the shock announcement from a leading gop figure. how is his support for gay marriage playing in today's big conservative conference? good morning, everyone and welcome to "weekends with alex witt." let's get to what's happening right now. in a surprise move the pentagon is beefing up u.s. missile defense systems in response to

north korea's latest threat. defense secretary chuck hagel hinted north korea had made faster than expected progress on nuclear weapons and missiles. joining me now live from the white house, nbc's kristen welker. a very sobering good saturday morning to you. what's the latest we know about this? >> alex, that's right. it is a sober saturday morning for this administration. with defense secretary chuck hagel announcing that the united states will add 14 anti-missile interceptors in alaska. the defense secretary saying that this move comes after north korea really increased its provocations, its bellicose language, and also had made more progress in its nuclear development. so that's really at the root of this movement. if you remember, just last week, north korea threatened a preemptive strike against the united states, when the u.n. announced that it would increase sanctions against north korea. and it also announced that it was scrapping its 1953 treaty with south korea. so some really disconcerting

moves here. the defense secretary also talking about the fact that it had made progress in its nuclear capabilities. take a listen to what he had to say. >> north korea, in particular, has recently made advances in its capabilities and is engaged in a series of irresponsible and reckless provocations. specifically, north korea announced last month that it conducted its third nuclear test. and last april displayed what appears to be a road mobile icbm but also used its missile to put a satellite into orbit thus demonstrating the progress of its development of long range missile technology. >> now, alex, it should be noted that according to experts, north korea is still years away from being able to hit the united states with a nuclear strike. but, again, the progress that the country has made is disconcerting, as well as the ramped up bellicose language. this is really a disappointment

on the part of the obama administration more broadly when they look at north korea. they were hoping that the new leader, kim jong-un, who took over after his father died, would be more willing to work with the united states. but that is not the case. in fact, they have looked at the situation in north korea, and say that it really appears as though they are moving in the opposite direction, more bellicose, more isolated, so they are watching the country very closely. president obama, of course, has mapped out an ambitious second term agenda which includes immigration reform. a new gun control legislation. but a lot of people say that the situation in north korea, and also iran, could wind up dominating a lot of his second term. alex? >> okay. kristen, thank you very much for that from the white house. >> thank you. >> about ten minutes or so from now we're going to talk with congresswoman loretta sanchez. she's here in studio. she's of course a member of the homeland security committee and we're going to ask her directly how serious is north korea in terms of being a threat here to the u.s. homeland? meantime, in less than an hour a big gathering of conservatives resumes in

washington, d.c., a meeting known as cpac. last night former florida governor jeb bush delivered a blunt message to his fellow republicans. >> way too many people believe republicans are anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-science, anti-gay, anti-worker, and the list goes on and on and on. many voters are simply unwilling to choose our candidates, even though they share our core beliefs, because those voters feel unloved, unwanted, and unwelcome in our party. >> for more on that, as well as the latest from the president i'm joined by amie parnes, white house correspondent for the hill and ed o'keefe congressional reporter for "the washington post." look, guys, tell me what you're thinking about what you're hearing from jeb bush? first up to you, ed, do you think he's got an eye on 2016? because it's like he's pleading with conservatives to change the course of the party. so if that's the case, how do you think that's going to be received inside the gop? >> i don't think anyone who is selling the book, and you know, otherwise has not much else to

do, would show up at cpac if he isn't thinking about it. so clearly he's relishing the opportunity to share his thoughts. and you know the message he delivered is consistent with what was heard from some other republicans who spoke out this week at the convention, and sort of trying to distance themselves from what mitt romney did during his campaign and also making clear that the party needs to expand. and i think, you know, trying to tell that to one of the most conservative audiences that they face on a regular basis is sort of an attempt to tell the base of the party, look, you know, we can stick to our conservative principles, but we've got to be thinking about ways to attract new people to the party, or bring back people who perhaps have left us in recent years because of the positions we've taken. >> you know, though, it's one thing to say you can't be anti-everything, but then you also have to have a plan. and we didn't necessarily hear that, amie? >> no, we didn't really hear that. they were all over the place. and i heard from republican strategists yesterday who were sort of complaining and grumbling about that. they felt like, you know, this

is a party that's still searching for an identity. and so that will come forward, i think. i think in the next couple months, before 2014 they kind of want to coalesce around some ideas. and i think that, you know, the portman's announcement, for instance, yesterday, when he embraced gay marriage is a step towards that. i think that you'll see more people sort of embrace those issues. they want to be more inclusive. they think that their party isn't so inclusive. so i think you'll see more of that. >> you know, amie, lots of speakers at cpac have also come out against same-sex marriage. inside the gop do you get a sense of any sort of emerging consensus on that issue, in particular? >> no. i think it's a very divided party right now. especially with the tea party. but i think that, you know, you're seeing people, the white house really embrace the gay issue this year and i think that was a success for them. so i think that you'll see republicans kind of embrace the immigration, for instance, will be coming up and i think that you'll see them sort of throw a bone to the hispanic community. i think you're going to see a more inclusive party.

>> ed, talk about headliners. you know what's coming up at noon today, sarah palin will be speaking there. we checked out the headline at msnbc.com, palin's message a mystery, as she prepares to address cpac. at this point, ed, talk about the weight that sarah palin carries with the conservative crowd at cpac. kind of gauge that for me. >> well, there's certainly people who still respect and admire what she did back in 2008. but, of course, remember, she really hasn't been very active. she's endorsed a few candidates, had a mixed bag of results during the 2012 cycle and of course there's always the question of whether or not she would ever jump back into the fray somehow. or just simply wants to remain relevant and part of the conversation. that is what cpac is for, so people like her to come and share their ideas and their sound bites, whoop up the crowd and perhaps score some goodwill in case you want to cash that in at some point down the line. but she remains a figure we continue to watch. she does have a following. it's just a question of whether or not she plans to ever amount

to serious attempt at politics again or just wants to continue to be a person that speaks out, as many people do, at this conference. >> yeah, i want to ask you both about this next part here. because the president was speaking to a crowd in illinois on friday, and cracked a joke about all the spending cuts. amie you wrote about this. first let's take a listen to what he said. >> those of you who have chairs, i want to make sure everybody has chairs there. please feel free to sit down. i'm sorry. everybody standing, i thought, one of the effects of the sequester, you had to -- you had to get rid of chairs. that's good. i'm glad we've got some chairs. >> so what did you make of that moment, amie? >> well, you know, they try to scare people into thinking this big boogeyman of the sequester, and then we've been hearing a lot about these white house tours being cancelled. but i think you saw the president sort of shift tones moments later and say this is actually a really serious matter. you know, administration officials all week have been

hounding me and saying, you know, what about you guys are so focused on these white house tours, but what about head start programs and other things that are being cut? i think they still want to emphasize the gravity of the situation, and you're going to continue to hear that from them over the coming days and weeks. >> yeah. ed, your take on the moment there? >> you know, a little humor doesn't hurt. but you're right the white house continues to -- the white house continues to push back because i think there's a real concern that they have lost the early rounds, at least with the messaging on this. but the worst is, indeed, yet to come because the furloughs will actually begin, and services will be cut. and i think then there will be a real question of, among americans, of whether they're actually seeing this and if they care. i think the white house is poised to begin highlighting. again once the furloughs begin and the service is cut back. >> amie parnes, ed o'keefe. good to see you both. >> thanks, alex. >> here are some other headlines. the hits keep coming for the cruise line carnival after yet another setback out on the open seas. the cruise ship "legend" the latest line to experience

technical difficulties. that ship was on the last leg of a seven-day cruise to the caribbean when a malfunction began affecting its sailing speed. on wednesday, it was the carnival ship "dream" reporting difficulties. that ship lost power, lost power rather no one was allowed to get off. carnival agreed to fly about 4,000 passengers back to florida. of course last month a fire in the engine room crippled the "triumph" off the gulf of mexico. more than 4,000 people were stranded at sea with limited food and no air conditioning. that was a nightmare. in steubenville, ohio, the closely watched rape trial involving two high school football players resumes this morning. three teenagers, all of whom were present during the alleged sexual assault, took the stand yesterday, and gave sexually explicit testimony. the football players are accused of sexually assaulting a teenaged girl, and then posting online photos showing her passed out and partially naked. much of this trial hinges on more than 360,000 texts between the defendants, the alleged victim, and others.

let's go now to the weather. it may be march, but winter seems to be holding strong, still. today north dakota is digging out from a snowstorm, while parts of the midwest, and northeast, are preparing for more wintry weather. nbc meteorologist dylan dreyer is here with more. good morning, dylan. >> good morning, alex. yes, winter does not want to come to an end. we've got snow up across the great lakes, and that is trying to move eastward. although it will fizzle out a lot as it does so. we do have very, very cold temperatures well down into the single digits up across the northern plains. 21 in minneapolis right now. but that snow that's moving through michigan, and about to move onshore in the west coast of new york state and also northwestern pennsylvania, that is where we are going to see accumulating snow, although not that much of it. this is a very fast-moving system. it is diving down into the mid-atlantic region. it looks like we'll just pick up about an inch to three inches, western michigan could end up with closer to about three to six just because that's where we have had some heavier snowfall reports. and then that snow that fills in

across minnesota. that's the next storm that's going to start moving in by early next week. and it does look like mostly a rainstorm for areas along the east coast on tuesday. in the meantime, though, 28 degrees in minneapolis. this time last year, it was almost 50 degrees warmer. we were in the 70s and 80s around st. patrick's day last year in the midwest. this time around, 20s and 30s. 42 today in new york city with more of a wintry mix. but again it's that going to accumulate. just a little messy for the st. patrick's day parade in new york city. for st. patrick's day itself, still looks chilly in the northeast. boston will only top out around 39 degrees. much, much colder this time around for st. patrick's day. alex? >> okay, dylan, thank you very much. well this morning we heard why the pope picked the name francis. plus congresswoman loretta sanchez on the tsa knife fight. . they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. polident kills 99.99% of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains.

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a surprise move from the pentagon in response to a new threat this week from north korea. defense secretary chuck hagel says the american military is adding 14 interceptor missiles in alaska, and a second radar in japan. he hinted north korea's missile program appears further along than previously thought. joining me now is congresswoman loretta sanchez, member of the armed services homeland security and joint economic committees. and we're so glad to have you here in studio. >> thank you. it's great to be here in new york. >> here's what's a bit concerning. we're obviously making some moves. how immediate is the threat from north korea to our homeland security? >> well, it's not immediate. what they've been doing is they've been testing their missile. you need two things. you need the actual weapon itself, and you need a way to get it here. and we know that they have the weapon. but, their delivery system isn't very good. so this is what they've been

trying to perfect when we hear that. they're doing all these missile tests, et cetera. they're not there yet. obviously we know a lot of information because, the last one got up and went somewhere but the one before, for example, exploded. >> so we have until, if i read correctly, about 2017 is when we're projected to have everything in place that, that defense secretary hagel is, is calling for. which still means a couple years here before we, we, we feel completely secure or does this bother you or -- >> well you have to remember that this type of a missile, it breaks the surface, goes into the atmosphere and comes down. and the missile defense system we have hasn't been that accurate at being able to get that. it's like a bullet hitting a bullet. but one of the things that we do have, and that's one of the reasons why the president has said we're pivoting, or rebalancing towards the pacific. i in california always thought we were dealing with the pacific, honestly. but the -- we have these missile

systems on our ships. so, there is, depending on where you catch this, we can actually intercept it. so, we have coverage during that time. it's just not land-based in the way we're speaking. >> i see. so there will be some changes coming there. talk about changes. it's almost as if we're going back and forth with tsa policy and you know the uproar over the new position to allow these small sways army knives and other small knives on board planes. >> yeah, i love my leatherman and they took it away from me and now i keep my home. we love these little knives because they come in so handy when you need to snip, snap and everything. obviously our flight attendants prefer that people not have any type of a weapon. >> sure. >> i remember even at one point they were stopping umbrellas, you know, with large points on them. so, you know, the powers that be

have determined that these small leathermans and things are probably fine to come on. in particular they're worried about what's going on in the cockpit. and now that we have these armored doors, et cetera, they're not so worried about something like that. >> so then you're comfortable with this? >> well, you know, i -- i don't think we're going to see a time when everybody's bringing on their, you know, their swiss knives and leathermen. i think some people will bring them on. but, i certainly feel for the flight attendants. they're sort of the first line. >> absolutely. >> on what's going on. and they're really the ones that are saying listen, we just don't want to have to deal with that again. we don't want to be worried about that. you know i fly a lot, i my two or three times a week, and probably every fifth time, there's some sort of a mentally -- >> unruly passenger. >> drank too much before they got on kind of a passenger and i've never been on one of those

flights where the guy runs from the back to the front but it could be pretty paralyzing to peel. so, you know, i guess i would keep the knives off. >> yeah. but, in this case it looks like we're probably going to get the go-ahead and they'll start up next month being allowed back on board. you are traveling overseas to rome, you're going to go for the investiture, you're part of the congressional delegation that will be going over for tuesday. it's pretty exciting. talk about why this pope means so much to the united states. because i've heard it said that he can relate to us. is it because he's a man from the americas? >> well, he is a man from the americas. and that's important. because we've not had one before. he is somebody who has -- it's interesting he took the name of francis. because, you know, i'm a catholic. i'm a roman catholic. and you know, there's different people with different ideas of what a catholic or what a christian should be. and i adhere sort of to the saint francis, to the franciscan model which is that, you know, we help each other.

that those who have less than us, it is our mission in life to help them to get them back on their feet. you know, and saint francis was different. he was a new type of person in the 1400s when he came about and he said we should be doing this. and versus the robes, and the -- >> formality. >> and you know, and the secrecy of what many people see as the clergy being. and he was sort of an outcast for awhile. he was embraced by the people. so here we have a new pope who has been riding the bus, who hasn't taken some luxury apartment, who, when he became the pope rode back with the rest of the cardinals, instead of took the sedan going on his own. i think it sends a message. i think it sends a message that, you know, what i'm going to concentrate on are the people of the church.

bringing back the flock. and that, for me, is pretty exciting because it sort of melds with what i believe as a catholic. >> womeell, then i think it's a perfect choice to have you going. >> i'm pretty excited. i've been able to go before on my own, representing the united states, when they made our -- a couple of our cardinals. so i'm pretty excited this will be my first time to actually see this with the pope. >> well, it's exciting. we wish you safe travels. and thank you so much for your time here in studio. >> thank you. >> loretta sanchez. the irs may owe you money and you don't even know it. that's coming up next. also we'd love to hear more from you so please head over to facebook and search "weekends with alex witt" and like us, won't you? still looks amazing. but with kids growing up fast, fighting seven signs of aging gets harder. introducing total effects moisturizer plus serum. for the ninety-two practices, two proms, and one driving test yet to come. she'll need our most concentrated total effects ever. ♪ shimmy, shimmy chocolate. ♪ shimmy, shimmy chocolate.

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winning streak which ended yesterday. quite a run, though. last time it was a streak like this we heard the phrase irrational exuberance, so should we be worried. >> it's interesting. the man who coined the phrase irrational exuberance the former fed chairman alan greenspan said that's the last thing that he would call it. and that's good news, alex, because of course we want a rational sustainable comeback. also you've got to put it in perspective. i think part of the reason he's saying that is make no mistake, the $20 billion that individual investors put back in the stock market is a drop in the bucket compared to the $500 billion that they pulled out from 2008 to 2012. so we're on the front end of this. >> okay. what about the irs? it's got what like $900 million in unclaimed refunds from 2009? but there's only 30 days left to -- >> yeah, well i'm glad we're talking about this. because it is important for a lot of people. that money gets returned after three years to the treasury. so it is, you know, claim it or lose it scenario.

also, it tends to affect lower-wage earners. people who might have thought i didn't even make the income thresholds to need to file. but that doesn't mean, if your employer pulled out withdrawals on your behalf that you're not due a refund. so this affects people in every single state, and the irs is saying that the average refund is around $500. or north of that. most refunds actually exceeding $500. so it would be wonderful to see people get their hands on that money. >> how about this one, unused vacation time has california on the hook for about $4 billion? >> boy. this is interesting. word that we hear a lot, furloughs. and the effect of that. because, of course, here's what happens. in california they have employed furloughs over the past year since 2009 and several times. so if you are a -- on employee of the state and there is a furlough, and it's one day, it might affect 5% of your income, but 50% of your time off. so what happens with your vacation time when it comes due?

well, you don't take it. so, people are saying, you know what? i did my gardening. i was home. i'm going to stockpile that vacation time. so now when you look at what's on the books, if everybody were to leave they would owe them $4 billion in unpaid vacation time. so they're looking at capping that, and/or some sort of buyback. but it's an interesting side effect of furloughs. >> it definitely is. and leave it to you to find it for us. in this morning's one minute playback bill maher on realtime talking about the downside to owning a smart car. >> if you have things on your keychain that are bigger than the smart car, it's not really a car. yes, the smart car is lightweight, fuel efficient and quiet but it also has its drawbacks like that awkward moment when you hit chris christie in a crosswalk and he asks if you're okay. [ sniffles ] [ female announcer ] for everything your face has to face. face it with puffs facial tissues.

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with alex witt." another carnival cruise, another problem for the world's largest cruise company. in just one month, four ships hit with one setback right after another leaving some passengers fed up and frustrated. nbc's gabe gutierrez is live in miami with the details of the latest pr nightmare here. what's going on? >> good morning, alex. we're here in orlando where we've been speaking with passengers about their experience aboard carnival's "dream" and while this has been a rough month from a pr standpoint for carnival, many of those passengers are saying that the cruise line handled this incident pretty well. they had been stranded in st. maarten since wednesday. and because of a broken backup generator. and again, most are in good spirits, saying that carnival did everything it could to make this a pleasant experience. there were some who were frustrated, though, with the situation. there have been problems with an elevator that stopped -- elevators that stopped working as well as a rest room that had problems. but overall positive reviews. here's the thing, the "dream" is

just one of three carnival ships that experienced problems in the last week. the "legend" had problems with its propulsion system late thursday and it is slowly heading back to tampa. then there's the "elation." it reported a steering issue last weekend. and this all comes a month after carnival's "triumph" an engine fire there stranded 4,200 passengers and crew for five days in the gulf of mexico with miserable conditions. no power, and no working toilets. since then there have been four lawsuits, and the head of the senate transportation committee jay rockefeller sent a letter to carnival ceo blasting the company's safety record. 33 now the ceo has promised a comprehensive review of 23 ships. and this really hasn't affected carnival's bottom line just yet. the company reported upbeat earnings on friday. and, it is apologizing to these customers. not only is it flying them home but it's also offering a partial refund and half off a future cruise. alex? >> okay.

well, lots to consider there, gabe gutierrez, thank you for that. let's go to politics and the final day of cpac kicks off in less than half an hour with some of the biggest speakers still to come. yesterday we heard from mitt romney in his first public appearance since the november elections. and rumored 2016 presidential candidate jeb bush who called for a more inclusive republican party. joining me now nbc's political reporter casey hunt. thanks for joining me. >> thanks for having me, alex. >> i'm glad you're here. i hear you call governor bush's speech a forceful argument for why the gop should change. so explain that. >> sure. well, jeb bush stood up and gave a speech that really marked a different tone here at cpac. some other speakers you've heard a note of defiance saying that the gop, while maybe it needs to change its message a little bit absolutely doesn't need to change its values. bush stepped up and really offered something of a point by point speech for how the republican party could come out into the future.

he really offered a -- he refuted what was a little bit, we heard, in the 2012 campaign the 40% attitude that mitt romney struggled with. he said the gop really needs to recognize that some people have the deck stacked against them. >> so do you think this sounds like the speech from a man who may be preparing to run for president? >> there certainly is a lot of buzz here that that could be the possibility. now, of course, jeb bush has asked to have his name taken off of the straw poll ballot here. people do vote over the course of the weekend to pick who they would like to see become the next president. so, in some ways, that insulates him in the event that folks aren't on board with his immigration policy he's been sort of out front fighting for immigration reform. you know, he won't actually have to stack up and answer to the voters here this year. >> hmm. we have a lot of big names on the agenda for this final day. what do you think we should expect to hear? is there a certain tone we're looking for? >> well, it certainly sounds

like we're going to have a sharper day today than we've had certainly than jeb bush's speech. sarah palin is on tap. ted cruz is on tap. he's had a fiery entrance into the senate. you're also going to hear from newt gingrich who is always good for a couple good one-liners at the very least. so i think you're going to see the tone really step up today. >> okay. kasie hunt thank you very much reporting from cpac. we appreciate it. it has been a week since the white house tours ended because of sequestration and now a new survey shows most want those tours resumed. 54% said in a poll conducted for the hill, they said so, 28% said the tours should not be restored. a setback this week for new york mayor michael bloomberg in his fight against sugary sodas. now the mayor wanted to stop sales of drinks and cups larger than 16 ounces. the city is appealing. today there's more to the story. michelle franzen is here with that. >> good morning, alex. that's right. while this case will be heard by a new york appellate court in

june, a final ruling may not come before bloomberg leaves office at the end of this year. but one leading mayoral candidate is already trying to stay out of this fight. >> i don't support the soda ban. now that said, i want to congratulate the mayor. he's done more to fight obesity probably than anybody in any city anywhere. but i worry that if you tell people, you can't have that, they're going to go get two of them. >> and the mayor says that's the point. he's counting on the ban becoming a deterrent for people not wanting to buy two sodas. he's also confident the ruling will be overturned. >> limiting the size of sugary beverages is consistent with the board of health's tradition and its mission, and we believe that ultimately the courts will find it consistent with the law. >> the ban, or portion control as the mayor calls it, puts a 16 ounce cap on sugary drinks sold at restaurants, delis, movie theaters, sports venues and street cars but doesn't include stores like 7-eleven, a major

point of contention. bloomberg says 70,000 people die each year from obesity-related diseases. 5,000 of them from new york. state figures, however, show this was over a tleer-year period and the cost of treatment is taking a financial toll on city funds. new york paid nearly $12 billion on obesity-related diseases in 2011. diseases the cdc says has taken aim at new york's minority communities. the mayor's decision to limit how much soda people drink is not necessarily popular with the public. >> i think it's great. there shouldn't have been a ban in general or even proposition for a ban. >> until a definitive ruling on this issue, they're all in limbo. vendors who doubled down in anticipation of the ban lost money after paying for smaller cups, and tossing out larger ones. mayor bloomberg says he hopes vendors will follow the ban voluntarily. alex? >> okay. michelle franzen, thank you very much for the update on hat

story. so here's a question for all of you, what should happen to new york city's proposed ban on large, sugary soft drinks? you can all talk to me on twitter @alexwitt. we'll be reading some of your tweets throughout the day. in this week's office politics, nbc investigative journalist michael isikoff, don't you wonder how reporters uncover their juicy stories? well i asked michael about that, and you can manage the answer that he gives me. but first we discussed the end of his longtime professional home "newsweek" magazine, and the story that put him in the national spotlight. as i look at this last print issue of "newsweek" magazine, which i want to ask you about, because you were there for so long, we look at a story like the lewinsky story, which you broke, and they were loathe to print that for some time. it was just not some place they wanted to go. >> yeah. yeah. well, look, when you get in to -- look the higher the

stakes, the more nervous the editors are. that's -- that's a given. and when you're talking about wrongdoing, or misconduct, or secret conduct by the president, the stakes are bigger. now, of course, one of the things i laid out, actually, in that last article in "newsweek," which ran in the last issue, was actually the story that we finally -- that i finally wanted to publish, was not -- was really triggered by my knowledge of the secret investigation of kenneth starr into the president's relationship. it was not a story about the president's relationship with lewinsky. it was that there is a criminal investigation launched by a special prosecutor into the president's relationship with monica lewinsky, and as i wrote

in that issue, and as i had said in the hours and hours of internal debates about this at "newsweek," this is as much a story about ken starr as it is about bill clinton. >> well, one story seems to be worthy of a publication like "newsweek" and the other one you really could have seen on the cover of the national enquirer for any number of weeks in the supermarket aisles. >> it was the investigation by the independent council. it was the congressional proceedings that followed that, that elevated the clinton story beyond where it otherwise would have been. >> how hard was it for you to see this, this last print issue? >> it was definitely nostalgic, and a little bit sad. >> very. >> "newsweek" was so much a part of the american journalistic landscape for so long. >> mm-hmm.

>> and played such an important role in shaping public understanding of current events and the world, that to lose something like that is sad. in its glory days, it was quite a publication, and i still remember growing up when "newsweek" would arrive in the mailbox and there would be big stories out there and i would devour "newsweek." >> at what age? >> you know, any time from probably even before i was a teenager, 10, 11, 12 years old. >> that's why you're doing what you're doing now. >> in different ways. in different ways. yes. >> this book uncovering clinton is "new york times" best-seller. >> yeah. >> you've been an investigative journalist for so long now, without giving too much away,

you talk about getting access to these classified information at different points in your career. how does that happen? >> happens in all sorts of kiv ways. that i can't discuss because it's classified. there's no one formula. it happens in all sorts of different ways. >> more of our conversation today at 12:00 noon when i talk with michael about what he uncovered in an exclusive on the obama administration's controversial drone policy. the bombshell announcement that rippling through cpac. next. with the spark cash card

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i've come to the conclusion that for me, personally, i think this is something that we should allow people to do, to get married, and to have the joy, and the stability of marriage that i've had for over 26 years. i want all three of my kids to have it, including our son who is gay.

>> that is republican senator rob portman, reversing his position, and now announcing support for same-sex marriage. the surprise announcement coming with cpac in full swing. meantime, gop lgbt groups notably excluded from officially participating in the conference and joining me from washington, d.c., jimmy lasalvia. jimmy, good morning, welcome. >> good morning, alex. >> so your group, go proud, other gay gop groups, they weren't invited to participate at cpac but i know you've been inside that convention center in maryland where events are going on. let's talk about senator portman's announcement and how is that received? >> well, i think that the senator's announcement hit home for a lot of americans across the country, and it certainly hit home to a lot of people at cpac. because, everybody has gay people in their lives now. it's 2013. and more and more conservatives are thinking about that issue

differently, because everybody wants their friends and family to be happy. and that includes, you know, partnering up and settling down, and being happy. so i think it resonates with a lot of people. because, everybody in america is thinking about that issue differently. >> well, we had florida senator marco rubio. he addressed the issue of same-sex marriage during his cpac speech this week but he stuck to the usual party line. let's play part of that. >> just because i believe that states should have the right to define marriage in the traditional way does not make me a bigot. just because -- >> now jimmy i know you said you agree with him. could you explain why? >> well, i think that everybody in the country is thinking about this issue and grappling with this issue. and i don't think that everybody who doesn't support same-sex marriage just doesn't like gay people. but, let me -- let me say that there are some in the conservative movement who just

don't like gay people, and that's just not okay anymore. because, like i said before, gay people are in every community in the country, and if we're going to build a winning coalition, a new conservative coalition that can win, then we have to include everybody, including gay people. >> did cpac organizers, speaking of inclusion, give any reason for why you were not included? >> well, anyone who's followed this story for the last four years knows that we were a part of cpac for two years, and there were boycotts and protests. and we were kicked out two years ago. and then this year, when the agenda came out, there was an uprising in the grassroots of the conference movement, protesting the fact that fact t proud wasn't on the agenda because people all over the country in the grassroots of the conservative movement know how important our voice is to the future of the conservative movement. and so that just demonstrates how out of touch many of the establishment leaders in

washington are. they are so out of touch they are out of touch with their own base and that's where the protest has come this year. >> jimmy, give me a real read on being a member of the republican party and being a member of the lgbt community. how tough is that, or do you get a sense of people giving you support? >> i can't tell you how many people, especially at cpac who reach out to tell us how much they want us there and want us to be involved. but i will tell you that we get attacked and we get attacked from both sides. the extremes on both ends give us all kinds of hell because they can't understand our position. but the fact of the matter is that we believe conservative policies are good for everybody including gay people and that includes marriage. marriage is a conservative institution and we think that's good for everybody including gays. >> so, jimmy, i know you're inside the conference there. what is your goal?

>> well, the conservative enterprise institute sponsored a panel the other night that i spoke on and we talked about same sex marriage and it was an overflowing crowd and it was the fire marshall had to keep people out of the room because some people were there and that's what we're doing. we're showing that there is discussion happening, and even though we're not part of the program, we definitely still have a voice in the conservative movement. >> all right. well, good to talk with you. i'm glad to do it here on the show. thank you so much for joining us. next pope francis meets the press but what did he have to say? [ female announcer ] switch to swiffer sweeper,

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more than 5,000 journalists have an audience with the pope this morning. the pope met with the media for a short time important the first time. we go to vatican city during this historical weekend.

we heard this morning the pope was meeting the press. did the media get a sense of the man after this first meeting? >> reporter: i should certainly hope so, alex. he's a very transparentally friend whose faith shines throw. shows a real good sense of humor today. i think people are going to get to love this man very, very quickly. there's something refreshingly candid and open about him. he talked about his fears inside the sistine chapel when things were getting a bit dangerous for him as he said. but i think he's also a man who will get a real grip on the machinery here in rome and i suspect some shakeups will be coming in the not too distant future. >> interesting. you know a lot of people have wondered why he chose the name francis. and he explained that.

>> reporter: he did. he was known in buenos aires as the jesuit who lives like a francescan. the founder of the order was inspired by francis assisi who is the most popular saint in history. also a great patron of italy. it's a way to bind the bishop of rome, pope francis, to the italian people that he serves. >> i know investiture is scheduled for tuesday. how about his meeting with pope benedict. it was rescheduled. do you know why? >> reporter: he tried to call the former pope from the room of tears outside of the sistine chapel right after the election and the call couldn't get through because of all the jamming equipment that was in place to prevent spying on the

conclave. >> that's an interesting nugget. makes sense. let's face it it is rather interesting to be able to talk to the former pope. that never happens. anyway, we're glad to talk with you. we'll do a loyalist. that's a wrap up of this hour. join me for a two our edition of the show at noon. across the studio more smart political talk with "up with chris hayes." the beauty of our swaying palms. and the magic of a people... ...and a place like nowhere else on earth. behold...the islands of the bahamas. as well as they could 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.