already in session. first, the senate where debate is under way on a house will that would keep uncle sam in business but also defund obama care. >> here we are, i guess this is like the movie "high noon." the two sides are walking down the street. i just hope that like the movie "high noon," i hope the good guys win. >> let us not shut down the united states government and make us look like fools throughout the entire world. >> the democrat majority in the senate has built a fortress around the obama care. they will not do it unless they're forced to. >> here's what we'll likely see today in the senate. they're expected to clear the final filibuster hurdle around noon and then senator harry reid will likely reduce an amendment that would restore funding for obama care. final passage could come tonight or tomorrow. the house then has two options. vote on the altered senate bill or vote on an amendment from house speaker boehner that could

come with more conservative sweeteners. if that amendment happens, a shutdown looks a lot more likely. >> no interest in seeing the government shutdown, but we've got to address the spending problems that we have in this town. >> president obama is already drawing a line in the sand. here's what he said at a speech touting the health care law yesterday. >> i will not negotiate on anything when it comes the full faith and credit of the united states of america. >> october 1st, that's the deadline for washington to figure all of this out. with the white house pitted against congress, the senate pitted against the house and republicans pitted against republicans, is an 11th hour deal to avert a shutdown looking less and less possible by the minute? >> how do you begin to unwind this? we only have a few days now before the government shutdown. >> i don't know what the white house can do. how does the president negotiate

with a republican party that can't negotiate with itself. >> nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell is live with us. kelly, can you take us through what we can expect in the senate and the house in the next few hours and the next few days? >> well, it is a critical time, mara. you had some of those highlights of debate and that's going on right now through 12:10 p.m. eastern time. and it's sort of an interactive u.s. senate. i'm seeing, especially on twitter, there are people urging supporters on one side or the other to call their members of congress, to call these senate offices and tell them which way to vote. that's especially true among some of the most active conservatives who want to see this all kind of slow down, shut down, not specifically the government but that blocking of the health care law funding. so it is a critical time. we expect the senate will do a series of votes beginning at 12:30 p.m. and part of what will be in that is this issue of taking what the house passed, which includes funding the government for a time, but taking away funding for the health care law and the

senate is expected to take that piece related to the health care law out of it, just make it about keeping the government open. we should have quite the tense fight today. and some of it is republican versus republican. differences on strategy about what's the best way to try to challenge the health care law, given the fact that democrats have the upper hand, have more seats on the senate side. so expect those senate votes today. and then the ball really does go back to the house. and we expect that it is likely tomorrow all of it is subject to change and the house republicans will meet and come up with their strategy. we've seen them talking about different ideas of what they could do. what we don't expect is they'll simply say yes to whatever the senate passes today. so expect another iteration, another strategy to unfold. it's a critical time with the clock counting down to the end of the fiscal year which means a potential for government shutdown. >> kelly o'donnell live from the capitol. thanks so much. joining me with more is

independent vermont senator bernie sanders. thanks for being here this morning. >> my pleasure. >> now, if the house works through the weekend, the senate would get a new resolution on monday. does that give you and your colleagues enough time to act before tuesday's deadline or is there not enough time left to avert a shutdown? >> well, i think there is time but it depends absolutely on whether or not the speaker of the house, mr. boehner, listens to his right-wing extremists and whether he's prepared to work with other members of the house and come up with a reasonable approach. my concern right now is where we are at this moment should not be a debate about obama care. we could have that debate. it is to my mind a step forward, it's far from perfect, we should make improvements of it. the question is whether right-wing republicans are prepared to hijack the american people, shut down the government, tell members of the military who are putting their lives on the line to defend this country that they may not get a paycheck or be delayed, tell mothers who are bringing their kids to headstart today that

that program may not be there in two weeks. you can have a debate on health care, but you don't just bring the united states government to a halt, make us look like fools in front of the entire world, disrupt the economy, in order to make a political point. >> now, i should mention we're looking at live pictures of the house floor, of nancy pelosi speaking right there, but i want to touch on your reference to conservative, the extreme wing of the republican party. thursday house republicans laid out their list of demands tied to the debt ceiling. they referred to them as a republican ransom note. policy ideas including things like oil drilling on federal lands and suing for medical malpractice. the president has gone so far as to say they are trying to, quote, blackmail the president. what do you make of their approach in tying these policy proposals to the debt ceiling fight? >> i really think it's a contempt for the democratic process. it's in terms of health care where we passed the legislation, the supreme court upheld it.

we had an election last year. this is what the republicans ran on. they lost the presidential election. they lost seats in the senate. they lost seats in the house. and now they're saying, yeah, i guess we lost the election, but we can bring the government to a halt. we can shut it down. you better give us our way. so i think what "the new york times" is saying is basically right. here is our long list, this is everything we want. you don't give us what we want, even though we don't have the white house, we don't have the senate, we're going to shut down the government. i think it's anti-democratic. i'm tell you something else. what i think people have got to understand is this whole debate over obama care is just the -- just a small part of what this right wing agenda is about. check it out. most of these guys believe that we should abolish the minimum wage. they believe we should end social security. they believe we should get rid of the environmental protection agency. they believe we should privatize the veterans administration, veterans health care. this is a right-wing extremist

agenda funded by people like the koch brothers who are worth $70 billion, who have put hundreds of millions of dollars into the tea party and are pushing the goals of billionaires. people should understand that. >> senator, you were pretty fiery on the senate floor earlier today. we played some of that sound in our open earlier. oftentimes in times like this during these public showdowns, there will be a lot of back room maneuvering going on. is that happening right now? >> mara, i honestly don't think that there is and i think it's because what the president said. if you succumb to this kind of blackmail, not only is it unfair, is it not only is it anti-democrat, it sets a terrible precedent. we're going to have an election in a year, a presidential election in three years. do those elections mean anything or do the guys who lose the elections -- the elections don't matter, we could shut down the government any time we want in order to get our way. so i think what the president is saying, and i don't always agree with the president but he's right on these issues and it's

not just government shutdown. it's whether or not for the first time in the history of the united states of america we pay the debts that we owe. or we become scofflaws, free loaders, deadbeats and that may mean a global financial crisis with terrible job loss and so forth and so on. you can't be black mailed. we could have democratic discussions, we have elections. but you can't say to the world we're not going to pay our connects. you can't say to men and web in the military they may not get pays because we just lost the election and want to bring up those issues now. >> bernie sanders, thanks so much for your time, sir. >> thank you. shifting gears now to the environment, a landmark report released overnight delivers one of the toughest assessments on climate change to date and points the finger at us. the report by the u.n. intergovernmental panel on climate calls global warming, quote, unequivocal and says that it is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th

century. the report is the first since 2007 and is based on research by hundreds of the world's top climate scientists. joining me now is nbc's chief environmental affairs correspondent, anne thompson. anne, secretary of state john kerry released a statement saying that this is yet another wake-up call and that those who deny science or choose excuses over action are playing with fire. do you think that this report will have an impact on policy here or abroad? >> well, that's certainly what the scientists hope because they say we are on this path of continuing to produce carbon dioxide emissions which are warming the earth and having serious consequences. some of those consequences we're already living with. we have seen less snow and ice cover around the world. that's what the report says. and they say in the northern hemisphere, we can expect even less. we've seen sea levels rise. and we saw the difference that can make during superstorm sandy, because sea levels had risen a foot in new york city. the destruction was that much greater. this report says that we can

expect sea levels to rise anywhere from 10 to 32 inches by the end of this century. we are seeing greater concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. we're now up to 400 parts per million. they also say that we can expect more heat waves. we'll see them more frequently and they'll last a lot longer and we know the impact, look at our own country, that has had. we've seen drought in the southwest and all the wildfires out west. >> nbc's anne thompson, thanks so much, anne. a mother serving a 20-year prison sentence for firing a warning shot towards her abusive husband is granted a new trial. marissa alexander's attorney joins me next. plus this -- >> i told everyone to stay seated and somebody who could see said they saw them giving the pilot cpr. >> a united airlines pilot has a heart attack in the air forcing an emergency landing. and cory booker finally talking about his twitter exchange with a stripper. why he says it's no big deal.

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more drama for the zimmerman family. yesterday police were called for the home that george zimmerman and his soon-to-be ex-wife, shellie shared. shellie zimmerman's mother said that some things were missing from the home but police say they had no proof that the items missing were actually hers. they will continue to investigate. also from florida, there's new hope today for a mother who was found guilty for firing a warning shot towards her now ex-husband. marissa alexander was sentenced to 20 years, that's the mandatory minimum in florida, for firing a gun at someone. but no one was hurt and marissa had no criminal record and her husband had a history of domestic violence against her.

faith gay is a lawyer representing marissa alexander. she took over after an appeal and did not represent marissa during the george nal trial. thanks for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> a florida appeals judge has ruled that the jury received bad instructions and now she gets a new trial. what's her reaction to this? >> she is so excited that the system has worked for her. she was grateful for everyone who has supported her during the almost two years she's been in jail and she hopes to see her children. >> now, this case got a lot of attention in the wake of the george zimmerman murder trial because of what some of the people saw as parallels here. do you think that that public outcry and pressure played a role in the appeal judge's decision here? >> i think it was easy for the appellate court to follow the law. actually in the trial the burden of proof was flipped and marissa had to prove her innocence. now what has always been the case in america, which is the government brings charges, the government has to prove them.

the government must prove its case. >> so what happens now? >> well, the next thing will be an application for bail. we have changed circumstances because, of course, now no longer is there a conviction. the conviction is thrown out, the sentence is thrown out, we're back at square one so we'll make an application to get her home to her kids. that's next. >> what happens after that in terms of the long-term events with the prosecution. >> a new trial date will be set and we'll try the case again with a proper burden of proof so marissa can in fact present her defense but not have to prove that she is innocent. the burden will be on the government here now. >> and if she is acquitted then in that new trial, is her record clear or is there any remnant from the current situation? >> i'm sure there will be a remnant of pain from being in jail. >> absolutely. but in terms of the legal history. >> if she is acquitted here, that will be the end of all the charges and this will be over for her forever. >> congresswoman corrine brown who represents jacksonville and sanford, florida, had this reaction. she says, quote, mandatory

minimum sentences just make florida's already broken system even more arbitrary and cruel. what was certainly absent during the courtroom during marissa's trial as mercy and justice. is that the real issue here, that these extremely harsh mandatory minimums don't give judges any latitude in terms of imposing a sentence to fits the crime? >> there's been so much emphasis on stand your ground, but the mandatory minimums are just as much as issue. there was no choice for this judge but to give a woman who had an exemplary life, had children, no record, a good job and a violent husband 20 years. crazy. >> faith gay, lawyer representing marissa alexander, we will certainly keep track of this case and hope to see you again. >> thanks for having me. an international alert for the woman known as the white widow. the story behind a british woman turned suspected terrorist. and big brother is watching. taken to a whole new level. the nsa admitting its employees

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[ male announcer ] bob's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. in florida, a police officer accused of striking and killing a man with his cruiser won't be indicted boy a grand jury, and now the victim's family is demanding justice. the police department says back in may, officers were trying to pull marlon brown over for not wearing a seat belt. his family released dash cam video of the incident what they say is proof that the officer behind the wheel should have been charged. we have to warn you, the video is graphic and we will not show you what happens after the moment of impact. now, the video shows the police cruiser driving behind another police vehicle. it then continues chasing after brown and after he gets out and starts running, brown appears to have slipped on the ground and that's when he is struck by the cruiser.

very disturbing video there. joining me now is crystal brown, marlon brown's ex-wife and benjamin crump, taken for the family. thank you both for being here this morning. >> thank you for having us. >> miss brown, i'd like to start with you, the deland police officer fired officer james harris the same day that the chief saw that dash cam video that we just showed. he ishd you a statement saying the actions taken by officer harris are not skpichbt with our department's training, directives or accepted practices or techniques. we did try to get a comment from the police department but they are not issuing any new statement. we are also seeking comment from officer harris. the police department has settled with your family awa awarding you $550,000 but you're asking that officer harris be charged with vehicular manslaughter. why do you think the grand jury did not indict him on that? >> i believe that the information that the grand jury may have seen was tainted information. we've looked at the medical examiner's report and she

clearly states that there was no impact. everyone that has watched the video, the video speaks the truth. and we definitely see marlon being impacted by the vehicle. >> mr. crump, i'd like to ask you about that autopsy report. it shows that mr. brown was not killed by the impact of the police cruiser but rather they deemed it was an accident with mr. brown being trapped under a moving vehicle. in both cases, it would seem that the cruiser caused his death and what's your argument then on based on that information why charges should be filed against officer harris? >> yes, ma'am. miss brown and her family, they feel betrayed by the system, because when you consider a grand jury, it's a secret meeting. you don't know what the state attorney presented to the grand jury. they have no idea what they based their decision on. all they were told was that there's not going to be an indictment. then they got the video. this video was so riveting, it

was so horrific to see him chased down like this for an alleged seat belt violation. so, mara, what you have when you look at the technical terms of vehicular homicide, you just have to show a person operated a vehicle in a reckless manner that caused the death of another. and when you look at that video, he goes around two vehicles, goes through the backyard and through the vegetable garden and you have this execution of marlon brown in a vegetable garden because of an alleged seat belt violation. you don't have to prove intent, you've just got to show it was reckless and it caused a death. so that's why the family is so shocked that the medical examiner who make a report that says that the vehicle didn't contact marlon brown. over three million people have watched this video now. >> and i understand, mr. crump, you initiated some sort of legal action just today towards the medical examiner's office? >> yes, ma'am. miss brown filed a complaint based on conversations her and

her family had with the doctor who came to the conclusion that the manner of death was a horrific homicide. however, his boss would not let him put that in the report. marie herman concluded that the cause of death was an accident, and we believe if that's what the grand jury saw, then that is inaccurate, based on what the video contents and that the grand jury should be reconvened. >> miss brown, i just would like to give you an opportunity to respond to those to some of those who are trying to justify the grand jury's actions saying that your ex-husband should not have been running from the police to begin with and because he began that process, that's ultimately what led to his death. what's your response to that? >> the family has never stated that he was correct for running. however, it does not justify being ran down in a vegetable garden by a police officer. the police officer definitely disobeyed policies and procedures in the pursuit and he should be held accountable. our family is just asking for

justice. >> crystal brown and benjamin crump, thank you both for your time this morning. >> thank you. >> thank you. and now here's a look at some of the other stories topping the news now. a global alert issued for the british terror suspect known as the white widow. samantha lewthwaite is wanted for allegedly plotting to attack tourist resorts in kenya, but there's also speculation that the mother of three may have been involved in this week's deadly mall attack in kenya. a united airlines pilot who suffered a heart attack in the cockpit has died. the flight from houston to seattle was forced to land in boise, idaho, where paramedics met the plane and rushed the pilot to the hospital. the nsa apparently watching out for more than just terrorists. the agency is now admitting some employees spied on girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands and wives by listening to phone calls and checking their e-mails. the inspector general documents at least 12 cases since 2003. well, the jury in the michael jackson wrongful death

trial resumes deliberations next hour. jackson's family is suing concert promoter aeg live claiming the company negligently hired dr. conrad murray. attorneys for aeg argue jackson was ultimately to blame for his own death. a dramatic rescue caught on tape. a man walked off the subway platform in boston. seconds later several people rushed to lift him to safety. coincidentally, the man is a doctor. he did say he had a couple of drinks to celebrate passing his medical boards. two fast food giants in a war over who can be the healthiest. mcdonald's is now rolling out a side salad option instead of fries. it's also changing its menu to offer healthier choices early next year. that announcement comes after burger king just this week announced it was launching so-called satisfries with 20% fewer calories. ♪

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it's been enacted by the congress, signed by the president and the president got re-elected after doing it. it's called health care. >> and so did the republican congress get elected at the same time and the american people said we don't like that law and want you to change it. things are going to be paid for and the president is the one who is revising history. he continues to. >> those are words. you're speaking words but not an answer. those are words. those are words, but will you answer the question with words. >> a classic "hardball" moment with chris matthews and written congressman scott perry mixing it up on everything from defunding obama care to the debt ceiling plan. so is the threat of a shut down real or will john boehner blink. that's today's topic for today's agenda panel. dafna linzer, zerlina maxwell and bill scher. thank you all for being here this morning. >> thank you.

>> so we're counting down right now to this 12:30 senate vote. we should also mention the markets have been falling today on the debt limit worries but the house still has no clear path forward. this was written about the list of ideas calling it a jaw-dropping list of ransom demands containing more than a dozen discredited republican policy fantasies. the absurd tee of the list shows just how important it is mr. obama ignore every demand and force house extremists whether they really want to be responsible for an economic catastrophe. bill, i'll going to start with you. what is boehner supposed to do with this mess? >> well, boehner is being jammed by his own party, but i think anyone has to recognize there is no way that boehner is going to allow an actual debt default to happen. he may allow a shutdown to happen because a shutdown is bad for the economy but survivable. a debt default would spark a global depression and risk

democrats taking over the house. so republicans have three options available to them. they can see the light now and start proposing reasonable demands and not hostage demands. two, they can see the light at the last minute and just cave. or number three, they can not see the light and force boehner to put something on the floor that gets passed with democratic votes mainly. and that might lead to a coup attempt but i'll let other panelists to respond and get to that later. >> the party does seem to be fighting a civil war of sorts. let's listen to how things got heated on the floor last night. >> i don't think ever in the history of the senate have we had a 21-hour filibuster and then the persons carrying out the filibuster voted for the issue they were filibustering. >> why is majority leader harry reid going to vote the same way you are going to vote. why is every democrat in this

chamber going to vote the way you're proposing to vote? >> normally we ask the question what's going to unify the two parties. dafna, in this case what's the common ground for the different factions of the republican party? >> that's right. you see a very unified democratic front here on obama care, on the economy, on where they stand on a shutdown and the debt ceiling and we see just an absolute civil war mess within the gop. and that corker/ted cruz exchange which went on and on and on was really indicative of a disaster in place. a party that is unified and that has a unified front is going to win on this one and a party that's just a mess and has nothing to show but division, which frankly it just keeps getting worse and worse. i don't see this party even recovering sort of 20 hours after the faux filibuster from the damage it caused. so i see just a lot more division. frankly, that is what they are projecting. >> zerlina, i want to ask you

about the public price that the gop may pay for this when it comes to perception and support. michael tomasi says you can only said so many houses on fire before people figure out this isn't happening by accident and you must be an arsonist. i also want to listen to what nancy pelosi had to say a few moments ago. >> the republicans sowed the seeds of this dangerous partisan path that we find ourselves on today. it's impossible for democrats to negotiate with house republicans when they can't even negotiate with themselves. instead of legislating responsibly, they want to live dangerously. and that's not good. >> zerlina, will we see public outrage directed at the gop over these issues? >> i think so. i mean that's only if in 2014 we turn out the way we didn't in 2010, which led to what we're dealing with now. but you have 40 or so republicans in the house that refuse to govern. they got elected and they don't want to do anything to actually

govern the country. i think really we're talking about a kamikaze caucus here where they just are in there and they don't want to do anything responsible to make sure that people get jobs. we're not talking about jobs. we're not talking about the fact that we're still in sequestration. all of this is a really outrageous and insane conversation about defaulting on the debt which used to be a routine vote. >> faux filibuster, kamikaze caucus. i'm getting all these new fun political terms today. not everyone in the republican party is on this so-called crazy train. let's hear what chris christie had to say. >> i don't think you hear responsible republican leaders. i think it's always irresponsible to advocate to shut it down. that by definition is a failure. you've got to work it out. >> so, bill, how does the party handle this extreme wing of the gop? >> that's why at the end of the day boehner is going to have to lean on democrats. he cannot keep the party hostage to this faction of 40, because

if they're seen as this irresponsible, they will lose the house. so boehner doesn't get to be speaker anyway. that's why boehner puts something on the floor, passes with democratic votes. if the coup attempt comes from the tea party right, they can't take him out with republican votes alone because the party is not unified. they would need democrats to join the coup. boehner can go to democrats, go to pelosi and say, hey, keep me as speaker, make me a bipartisan speaker and you'll get immigration reform. you join them, you'll get nothing. so boehner has a get out of coup free card. i understand why he doesn't want to play it today but if it gets to that point, he'll survive, i believe. >> bill scher, dafna linzer and zerlina maxwell, thank you all for being here. a quick programming note. senator ted cruz will be david gregory's guest on "met the press" sunday. happening right now, iranian president hassan rowhani is

holding a press conference. he's here for the united nations general assembly. he said just moments ago that the atmosphere in u.s. and iran ties is quite different now than in the past and could pave the way for better relations. his remarks come a day after secretary of state john kerry sat down with iranes foreign minister zarif. the meeting was the highest level have contact between the u.s. and iran in six years. he's no carlos danger, but cory booker breaks his silence about those flirty tweets with a stripper from oregon. why the senate candidate says it is no big deal. ♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good around ♪ ♪ turn around barry ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ ♪ diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria.

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i want peacocks. peacocks? walking the grounds. in tuscany. [ man ] her parents didn't expect her dreams to be so ambitious. italy? oh, that's not good. [ man ] by exploring their options, they learned that instead of going to italy, they could use a home equity loan to renovate their yard and have a beautiful wedding right here while possibly increasing the value of their home. you and roger could get married in our backyard. it's robert, dad. [ female announcer ] come in to find the right credit options for your needs. because when people talk, great things happen. and congress should keep government funded while developing now on capitol hill, debate is under way this morning on the senate floor. senators are debating a house bill that would keep the government up and running, but in the process defund obama care. senators are expected to clear the final filibuster hurdle in the noon hour today. we will keep our eye on developments and bring them to you as soon as they happen. well, four days now until a

key part of the president's health care law kicks in. online exchanges where individuals and small businesses can buy coverage, they open next tuesday. something the president heralded just yesterday. >> the affordable care act is here. on october 1st millions of americans who don't have health insurance because they have been priced out of the market or because they have denied access because of a pre-existing condition, they will finally be able to buy quality affordable health insurance. >> well, ahead of tuesday's rollout, we continue our special series, rx for america, what you need to know about the health care law, today focusing on its impact on small businesses.

under the law firmds wiare firm with 50 or more employees must offer coverage or pay a fine. it was supposed to start january 1st but has delayed a year about employer complaints about overly complicated paperwork. businesses with few than 50 are not required to provide coverage and those with 25 employees can qualify for a tax credit if they do provide coverage. joining me for more is ceecee connelly, she's the co-author the "landmark, the inside story of america's new health care law and what it means for us all" and specializes in guiding companies through the implementation of the affordable care act. thanks for being here. >> great to be here. >> if you are a small business, what do you need to know? >> well, an awful lot. but the good news is there's plenty of time, so we're all focused on that october 1st. i think of it as opening day. this is a game that's certainly going to go nine innings. some of the things that small businesses need to think about,

as you already pointed out, the threshold. if you're under 50 workers, you don't have that requirement, it's an option. but we know that a lot of small businesses today, about 71% of small businesses today do provide some health insurance for their workers. they think that it's an important benefit to provide and keeps them competitive. so what those folks are going to be looking at are different options now available to them. they may be able to go onto this, it's called the shop exchange, specifically for small businesses, take a look, see if there are some better prices for health plans for their workers, or they might make a decision that their employees would be better off shopping on their own on the individual marketplace that you looked at. so there's a lot of math involved here to kind of assess where the better deal is going to be. >> and there are four levels of coverage that are offered for the individual, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. is that true for the plans available to small businesses as well? >> i don't know that they have the fabulous olympic titles

associated with them, but there are going to be different levels of coverage. there is, though, one thing that i want to point out that's been something of a disappointment to small businesses. on the federally sponsored small business exchange, for 2014 businesses can only select one plan for all of their workers. it had been hoped, and we think in subsequent years an employer could offer their workers a few choices of plans, but for that first year kind of simplicity sake they can only choose one plan. and some have felt disappointed in kind of limiting that. >> now, the white house of course is doing this big push to get people to enroll and make sure they understand what's happening. they just this morning posted a new video online called the white house white board, what obama care means for you, so it seems they're doing something similar to what we're doing here on the air. one conversation that you hear a lot when it comes to businesses, especially small businesses, that this law is going to force employers to cut back people's hours or force them to cut

employees so that they fit underneath that threshold and don't have that mandate to adhere to. is there a real concern about the effect this could have on small businesses around the country? >> well, it's certainly a concern and something that a lot of us are watching carefully. i can tell you that pwc did a survey of businesses just late in the summertime and one of the questions that we looked at was whether or not they were trimming their workforce under that 50-employee threshold. we found just 1% of the employers that we surveyed said that they were looking to trim the size of their company. so, so far the data does not suggest that that is happening. i think maybe a bigger concern for a lot of these businesses are some of the new fees and taxes that are built into the affordable care act, that they're going to have to pay and contribute to help kind of spread around the subsidies. that's a financial burden that's going to cut into profits. >> we'll keep an eye and see how all of this unfolds over the next weeks and months.

thanks so much, we appreciate your time. well, is she or isn't she? no, we're not talking about hillary clinton. it's time for you for the poly side bar. since becoming a rising star for her epic filibuster, rumors have been swirling around wendy davis and whether she'll run for a higher office. now a number of sources say, yes, she is running for governor. she took to twitter and said a week from today i'm announcing something big. can you chip in now to show the strength of our grassroots network. and that very anti-abortion law davis fought against during her filibuster is facing a serious challenge today. three advocacy groups, including planned parenthood, say they plan to file a lawsuit challenging the restrictions. the law is set to go into effect next month. kevin spacey is known for making beltway politics look brutal in "house of cards," but this weekend the actor icoming to washington for a great cause. he's hosting a fund-raiser for his foundation which supports

aspiring actors and filmmakers and the children's charity only make believe. anyone thinking he's a ruthless meth maker can think again, he can play a president too. fans can catch him starring as lindon -- lyndon johnson in a new play. and cory booker is breaking his silence after a series of tweets he exchanged with a stripper caused quite a buzz of the he said he simply responded to a kind gesture. the 26-year-old goes guy lindsay lee. saying some of the judgments i've seen of this young lady are really over the top. in djibouti, africa. 2004. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection

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wounded soldiers for a special presentation and tour. it's the president's way of

thanking them for their service and sacrifice. imagine the excitement of this 5-year-old who got to meet the president and walked away with a one-of-a-kind excuse note for the teacher. the president is writing, "please excuse alanah from school. she was with me. with us her mother and father. thank you all for being here this morning. so alanah, i want to talk to you. i want to know what you said to the president to get him to give you a note and what he said to you? alanah, can you hear me? sounds like we may be having trouble with them. i want to start with her mother yolanda, because i'm thinking we have a better connection. can you tell me what happened,

how we got to the photo we saw, the president writing that excuse for your daughter? >> well, when we went into the white house, alanah -- before we went to the white house, alanah had wrote the president a notah card. once we arrived, secret service took the card. they took alanah around to different areas in the white house. they took the card and said they had to scan it before it got to the president but they never brought the card back. it was at the end. alanah was like, where is my card, mommy? i said, well, secret service still have it. so the president came out walking down the red carpet. he said, i got your card. i got your card. alanah immediately started running to him. she fell and got right back up and started running. she ran into his arms. from there, he picked her up. then they talked and walked to the area where all of the other soldiers and civilians were standing.

and he greeted -- the president and vice president greeted everybody, gave us coins and thanked us for our service. >> yolanda, we can see alanah and her father there, but they can't hear me so we'll talk to you. she's adorable and looks adorable in the photo with the president as well. what did she say to you afterwards. was she excited about meeting him? did she realize how important that meeting was? >> yes, she was very excited. she was really excited. alanah, she likes the president. she wrote him a note and she was like, dear president obama, my name is alanah. i'm 5 years old, from hathaway, louisiana, and i love you, president obama. and just having an opportunity for my 5-year-old baby to interact and meet the president, it was just absolutely an honor. >> did the president say anything to you? >> yes. he spoke to each and every one

of the wounded warriors that was there on tour and presented us with coins. >> that must have been a wonderful visit for you and your family. alanah, stacy, and yolanda, thank you for your time and service to our country. >> thank you. >> i do want to note there's developing news on the senate floor right now. senator ted cruz back on the senate floor speaking in reference to the budget showdown taking place. we're expecting a vote on that budget measure within the senate in the next hour. we're keeping a close eye and will bring the latest details as they develop. that wraps things up for me. have a great weekend everyone. "now" with alex wagner coming up. joy is here with what's coming up. >> i love the interview with the family, so poignant. >> so adorable brf thanks a lot. the senate gets set with a series of votes to keep the government running while the house gets set to -- we're not sure. we'll discuss the rapidly did e

devolving strategy. we'll explain 2015 cash dash. scientist michael mann joins us and gop's aversion to facts. all that after this. if you have the audacity to believe in straight talk, not double-talk. if you have the nerve to believe that in a puzzling financial world, clarity is king.

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at humana, our medicare agents sit down with you and ask. being active. and being with this guy. [ male announcer ] getting to know you is how we help you choose the humana medicare plan that works best for you. mi familia.

♪ [ male announcer ] we want to help you achieve your best health, so you can keep doing the things that are important to you. taking care of our customers. taking care of her. and the next thing on our list is bungee jumping. [ male announcer ] helping you -- now that's what's important to us. to avoiding a government shutdown. it's friday september 27th, and this is "now." i'm joy reid in for alex wagner. with four days to go before a shutdown, republican wacko birds have had their wings clipped and blindly flying into each other on capitol hill. ted cruz on the floor.

the senate expected to take a series of votes to extend funding. after cruz and his band of merry pranksters blocked progress last night. this did not please members of his own party. what could be the most passive aggressive fight on the senate floor, fellow republican senator bob corker took cruz to task. >> i don't think ever in the history of the senate have we had a 21-hour filibuster, and then the persons carrying out the filibuster voted for the issue they were filibustering. >> why is majority leader harry reid voting the way you're proposing to vote? why is every democrat in the chamber voting the way you propose to vote. >> you voted in favor of the thing you're filibuster and senator harry reid joined you in that, too. it seems to me they are very similar. >> meanwhile inside the bag of blindfolded hungry