achieve the american dream. what will you say to marco? >> read the deal and get back to me. >> talk around the clock. a race for democrats to push through judicial nominees. majority leader harry reid's solution, turn the chamber into a 24-hour operation frf if we have to work through christmas, we will work through christmas. >> they have been up all night. yes, they are still going. the sign language interpreter at the memorial called out as a fake is speaking out. we'll share what he says caused the miscommunication. >> if i've offended anyone, please, forgive me.

>> and a very good day to you. i'm kristen welker, in today for andrea mitchell. all eyes here in washington are on the house of representatives where the budget deal reached by paul ryan and patty murray will clear the first legislative hurdle this afternoon. joining me for our daily fix chris cillizza, msnbc contributor and host of tv's in play. and kelly o'donnell live on capitol hill watching these documents. kelly, i want to start with you. do we expect this to pass? i believe they vote later this evening at 6:00. do we expect strong bipartisan support? >> it will need a lot of democrats and get a lot of democrats to get passed today. if people are frustrated, take a look today and you'll see the house and senate quite busy wrapping things up at the end of the year. this budget agreement which was orchestrated and negotiated by paul ryan on the house side,

patpa patty murray on the senate side, both will say imperfect. what it does provide is certainty the government will not shut down for two years. some modest deficit reduction down the line. the biggest thing is perhaps a sign that congress can get some work done. that seems like a small goal but right now that's probably a goal worth at least putting on the board. so there are a lot of conservatives who don't like the fact it does increase spending. they will vote against it. they are vocal. that's what prompted speaker boehner to come back and say this is a practical step forward, a small step forward. he believes those outside conservative groups in particular that have been encouraging conservative members to vote against this and to speak out against it, he believes they lost credibility in his words over the government shutdown and the plan to try to defund the health care law that failed. so in the wake of that, the

political reality is that this is something where congress has an opportunity to get something accomplished, small as it may be. and boehner and pelosi, harry reid and others are saying it's the right thing to do even though there will be some considerable conservative kind of pushback and democrats will be necessary to pass it. kristen. >> chris, i want to pick up on that point kelly brings up. she talks about the fact house speaker john boehner is pushing back against those conservative groups. i want to have you listen to what house speaker join boehner had to say and then get your response on the other side. >> they pushed us into this fight to defund obama care and shut down the government. most of you know, my members know, it wasn't exactly the strategy i had in mind. if you will recall, the day before the government reopened, one of the people -- one of these groups stood up and said, well, we never really thought it would work. are you kidding me? >> chris, this is really the

first time we have seen speaker boehner get this animated and push back. we're sort of seeing this war inside the gop play itself out on the public stage for the first time. >> yeah, we knew from reporting, kristen, that privately he was quite frustrated. i think you can see that. this is an example he's fed up. on wednesday and again today he lashed out. this comes after you played paul ryan on "morning joe" telling marco rubio to read the bill, after mitch mccom saying senate conservatives, leading outside conservative organizations was hurting the brand of the party. so look, the battle lines are drawn. the establishment was unwilling to step in and fight with the tea party and outside conservative groups. they are now all in. look to the mcconnell primary, may 20th, look at thad cochran's primary in mississippi on june 3rd. big posts to see who is going to win what you rightly point out

is a real fight within the party. >> i was going to bring up leader mcconnell. we anticipate he is not going to support this piece of legislation. does he need to do that politically? he's obviously facing a tough challenge from tea partiers, this is what's necessary for 2014 and looking further ahead to 2016. >> mitch mcconnell has done a couple of things. mitch mcconnell cut the deal to reopen the government after it was shut down. john boehner making it clear that was not his preferred strategy, shutting down the government was not the preferred strategy. i think mitch mcconnell has said a few things to say he's not all that worried about matt bevin, wealthy businessman that's challenging him. that said, i don't know if he puts a finger directly in the eye of the tea party. remember the thing about primaries and everywhere else a small electorate in which a very

passionate group can have influence. the taert remains not popular with the general public but a passionate group of people in a republican primary. mitch mcconnell is not unaware of that fact. >> this for both of you very quickly because we're running out of time. bob backer inserting himself into politics. we want to play this ad running as he campaigns for a candidate and get both of your reactions on the other side. >> when you get to be as young as i am, you call it like you see it. that's why i'm supporting david jolly for congress. because with jolly, the choice is right. >> so chris, there he is campaigning for david jolly. >> just missing have you had your pet spade or neutered. >> i spent a lot of ten years trying to get on the price is right. he's a key endorser in my world.

>> chris cillizza, kelly o'donnell, maybe that will be the next ad. >> we'll look for it. >> thanks to both of you. >> thanks. we want to shift gears now. saturday will mark the one-year anniversary of the shooting at sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut that left 20 children dead and six adults. none felt the anguish more than the family affected but the shock and sadness reverberated throughout the country especially for victims of gun violence, colin goddard, a survivor of the virginia tech shooting who and on this show that december day. take a look. >> when i saw on twitter this morning that had happened, i sunk in my chair. you really can't do justice to what these teachers and kids have just experienced, the violence, intensity, sadness. this is not something that should be normal in our country. this is not something other countries experience like we do. days the day for sympathy. days the day to be with your loved ones to tell people who

you're close to how much they mean to you. it kills me every time i see this but i try to put it towards motivation, to keep doing, keep calling for changes, keep calling for improvements. >> and at a memorial in newtown just two days later the president called for action. >> we can't accept events like this as routine. are we really prepared to say we're powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard? are we prepared to say such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom. >> thousands of people have been killed nationwide by firearms since december 14th. 173 of them children under the age of 12. joining me now is congresswoman

l l liz. thank you for being with us. our thoughts are with you as you mark this grim anniversary. i want to pick up where the president left off. he called for strong legislation, strong legislative push. newtown, a lot of members of your community fought for stiffer gun legislation. it didn't happen. do you have confidence you can see stiffer gun legislation, passed expanded background checks within president obama's second term. >> we should see action. whether we do or not will depend on political courage or cowardice of my colleagues. we've seen standout states, like my own state of connecticut, like colorado. but frankly as we've seen at the federal level, we've been stymied.

but lets not forget there was a bipartisan support in the senate, not enough to get around procedural checks but there was support for background checks. >> i want to put up a graphic, more states loosened laws than enacted stiffer gun laughs passed? does that make you feel it won't get passed? >> not at all. what i see happening, what i felt happening, the families of newtown with their courage and leadership have helped ignite a movement. they have opened the eyes and hearts of americans. it may take longer for congress to get that message but they do. that's why we see so many families, chicago, washington, d.c., aurora, or newtown, we are seeing support in the american people, unparalleled support for common sense gun laws.

we will not give up. we'll keep fighting as long as it takes. >> you talk about that fight. newtown families here in washington this week passing out pamphlets to lawmakers on capitol hill as you point out continuing that fight. what does this battle look like on a daily basis for you? >> one that requires sperzence. we've picked up two additional co-sponsor for the enhanced background check in the house of representatives. it's a slow process but we cannot allow the nra to run the table on this. the american people support these changes and we in congress who see the wisdom of this, we can't give up either. we have to keep fighting for this. >> i want to ask you more personally how will you mark this anniversary? how has the community healed since last year? has it at all?

>> certainly people are grieving and healing in different ways. i've been struck by leadership from town leaders, first selectman pat llodra, enter faith clergy, monty frank leading the charge with rides to washington, attention to this issue. saturday a private memorial mass that the community will be participating in. i'll be joining them in that and marking with a day of service and kindness. i'll be helping at a veterans cemetery this weekend. that is what the community has asked. they have asked americans who want to support them, support newtown and healing, to observe acts of kindness in their own communities. again, this is about grassroots change, change from the bottom up. >> congresswoman, thank you so much for your time this afternoon. again, our thoughts are with you and your community at this time. >> thank you, we appreciate it.

>> earlier this week, the sandy hook elementary victims' families asked this tragic anniversary be marked with simple acts of kindness. a small gesture to shed light on this dark day. >> on the one-year mark of this horrific day, we know that many people across the country will be thinking of our children and educators so tragically taken from us. i'm wondering how to help. we ask that you consider performing an act of kindness or volunteering with a charitable organization in your own local community. we hope that some small measure of good may be returned to the world. hoo-hoo hoo. sir... i'll get it together i promise...

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>> this bill, this is more deficit reduction than what we have under the budget control act. i came here to cut the size of government. that's exactly what this bill does. >> i would hope we could show a good, strong bipartisan vote on the bill. i think that sends a message. >> something you don't see every day speaker boehner and pelosi on the same page giving a vote of confidence for the ryan murray deal hit the house floor and urging their members to follow suit. south carolina congressman and leader james clyburn joins me now. thank you so much for joining me this afternoon, senator clyburn. >> thank you for having me. >> do you agree with senator pelosi, should this legislation pass? is this a good deal? >> i think it is. it's a relatively good deal. all things are relative.

it's not the bill i would have written and i'm certain it's not the bill she would have written. but if you look at this, we have reached what i consider to be a pretty honorable compromise. that is what it's about. we don't get all of what we wanted, they don't get all of what they wanted but it's an honorable compromise and i'm vote for it. >> congressman as you know, a lot of progressive groups are upset about this deal because it doesn't include a provision to extend unemployment benefits to 1.3 million americans who are going to lose those benefits at the end of the year. did you fight hard enough to get that included? >> we fought hard to get it included. i never wanted to be inside this budget deal but wanted to be part of the budget deal. that is to say for us to have a rule that will allow budget to go forward. a separate vote on unemployment

insurance. you're talking about a $30 to $40 billion item we do not think should be offset. we think that's an emergency and ought to treat it as one. republicans don't agree with that. a lot don't believe in unemployment insurance and don't want to do it without an offset. come back the first of the year, the senate pushing this. we on our side will be pushing it. we have in past years. we've made unemployment insurance retroactive. i'm hopeful by the second week of january we can pass unemployment insurance bill making it retroactive to january 1, 2014, so these people will have no began in their security. >> congressman, you say you're going to take it up during the first of the year. i wonder where the leverage is, part of the budget deal it looks

like. how are you going to get this done in the first of the year and do you expect house speaker john boehner is going to have the votes to line up behind it. at this point it doesn't appear that he will. >> there are two or three ways to do this. number one, i think for the american people. i think every hourly wage worker out there that may find him or herself subjected to unemployment at some point, they ought to be fighting for this. they may be gainfully employed today but you have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow. all of these people will be weighing in, over half of those people who are now gainfully looking for employment, want to go to work, but the jobs are not there. hopefully the senate can pass something onto a bill that will be attractive to republicans to

vote for this along with something else. so at least two ways to do this that could be effective. >> all right. congressman james clyburn, we really appreciate your time this afternoon. >> thank you so much for having me. >> well, not everyone is happy about the potential budget deal. last night our chief white house correspondent chuck todd had to break the news to the daily show's jason jones. look happened next. >> bipartisan deal has been reached, a cease-fire declared partisan battles that ravaged washington. are we ready to give up this fight? >> you've seen smash hits budget battle i, ii, iii, iv, v, the sequel 24 hours news demands. a fight for ratings against impossible odds. >> this just got real. >> actually not really. they have been at a stalemate

for quite sometime and they are hoping not to shut down the government this time. >> believe that. >> it's not hard to believe. >> killing the momentum here, todd. >> sorry. this is the quicksilver cash back card from capital one. it's not the "fumbling around with rotating categories" card. it's not the "getting blindsided by limits" card. it's the no-game-playing, no-earning-limit-having, deep-bomb-throwing, give-me-the-ball-and-i'll-take- it-to-the-house, cash back card. this is the quicksilver cash card from capital one. unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere, every single day. so let me ask you... what's in your wallet? while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, this can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain and improve daily physical function so moving is easier. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief

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>> nasa officials say the six astronauts a bordt international space station are safe after the cooling station was krmd. they are conserving energy and may have to perform a space walk. they say it's critical but not life threatening. >> the crew is in good shape. no issues there. they are continuing to go about their day-to-day activities. you know, where we can, we're giving them good science. all the science we've collected at this point is not at risk. we're in good shape there. >> nbc's tom costello joins me live. thanks for being here. >> my pleasure.

>> sounds like it's a serious situation but not life threatening. >> nasa described it to me as urgent but not an emergency. no lives in danger. six astronauts on board. there are two major coolant loops on the space station, about the size of a football field. the trouble appears to be with a valve, a control valve. they don't know if it's an easy software fix or if it's going to require a space station. originally yesterday afternoon they were saying to me we might have to do a space walk within one or two days. now they are saying maybe not so much, maybe a week or two. you heard them say we're in a good configuration. they think they can maintain what they are doing now. they are powering down nonessential systems to conserve energy and not overheat the station. >> if there is a space walk, it

will be the first since july? >> that's important. the last space walk involved an astronaut whose helmet started filling with water. he almost drowned. they got him in. they have now determined what went wrong with the space suit. they got the space suit down to earth and did forensics on it to figure it out. even though they are not approved to do space walks, they would give the clearance in this case if they need to go out there and replace that valve. >> do they have a time line on this? >> it could be a week or two but they are playing it by ear. >> i know you're covering a number of stories. give us a quick update on federal bus safety regulators shut down companies. what's going on here? >> the department of transportation safety has been going after bus operators, coach operators it feels are playing loose with safety. they have since april shut down a total of 52 bus operators. these are not big names you and i would regularly notice or see on the roads every day. they are more regional players.

they have been shut down everything from drivers driving too many hours, maybe the tires aren't good. problems with bus safety. the dot is trying to get more aggressive making sure they play by the rules. >> on people's minds before the holidays. >> 700 million travel by coach. that's nearly as many as those who fly. >> thank you so much for all the updates. >> you bet. >> golden globes nominations are out. there will be plenty of stars to watch for in addition to host tina fey and amy poehler. from small screen, "house of cards" dominated, best acting for the series enigmatic power couple. >> it's all about location, location, location. the closer you are to the source, the higher your property value. centuries from now when people watch this footage, who will they see smiling just at the

edge of the frame? >> and in film, "12 years a slave" and "american hustle" are the movies to beat, each with seven nominations including best picture, best director and several acting nods. >> survive. i will not fall into despair. i will offer up my talents to master ford. i will keep myself hardy until freedom is offered to me. >> globes a predictor for oscar gold. surprising many the butler was shut out including oprah winfrey, but for this woman nominated for her role in "12 years a slave" is still wrapping her head around this. you can't blame her. she talked about going from a yale graduate to nominee. >> it's like a roller coaster going down. i'm still shaking from hearing my name in that context.

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public service. how did he gets so close to so many world leaders including barack obama. joining me live from pretoria, thanks for joining me, i want to ask you that point. how did this happen? >> that is a very good question, kristen. very good afternoon to you. it's a question we've been asking from government. the only response we get is we are investigating this. in an interview earlier as well, the interpreter said that he tends to get violent sometimes when he has his schizophrenic attacks, which is of great concern as well. >> you were actually the one to conduct that interview. was he remorseful? what was your takeaway from that interview? >> i've got to be very honest with you, i felt sorry for him. he believes he's a very good signer. he believes he's great at what he does. he said his only downfall was

when he saw angels coming down on stage. at that point he knew he was getting a schizophrenic attack. based on that interview this morning, kristen, i have a suspicion he's been left out to dry. he believes he can do this. he must have gone through some type of security check. someone should have checked his cre tensions effectively before putting him right members to the president of the united states and some of the other very powerful people in the world we have. he was hung out to dry. he does feel remorseful at it. he sticks to his guns. he said i am good at sign language. >> i want to play more from the interview and get your reaction on the other side. >> what happened it was very much -- i don't know what could i call it. i see angels come to the stadium. immediately i see angels come to

the stadium. i start realizing the problem is here. the problem i don't know the problem when it comes. sometimes i will get violent on that place. sometimes i will see things chasing me. i was in a very, very difficult position. >> you hear him talk about his hallucinations, as you point out sometimes he gets violent. are authorities there saying they were genuinely concerned those leaders' security could have been endangered? >> well, my initial response that i got when i put that question to the department that coordinates all of this was that president obama arrived and left unharmed. surely that's okay. i said, no, that's not the point. the point is that someone who seemingly was unvetted spent time on stage with the president of the united states and with a

whole host of other celebrities and presidents as well. they are now saying, listen, they have made a mistake. there was an error. they seem to be backtracking but they are hiding behind what they call this investigation. >> we have been obviously focused on this quite a bit but the mourning for nelson mandela goes on in south africa. is this incident overshadowing that in any way? sort of set the stage in that context? >> if you think -- if you talk about the radio stations, if you're talking about the newspapers, for example, yes, it certainly is, certainly has been headline news in south africa. it certainly has dominate add lot of talk shows in south africa as well. but at the same time i don't think that mandela lying in state has -- the importance thereof or the perception of the importance thereof has dissipated. there's still a significant amount of focus on him lying in

state, people sharing their stories after they have seen him there. i saw him personally. it looks as if he had just fallen asleep. it's a lot of stories from people who have been through that particular area at the union buildings. yes, there's still a lot of conversation going on around president nelson mandela, the fact that he's gone, and also the legacy he's left. the only way you can keep a legacy is to keep living that legacy and that casey up a lot of the conversation as well. i have a sneaky suspicion this particular incident will be here for a day or two but the mandela legacy and discussion surrounding that will take over again. >> great point. thank you for your fascinating insight into this story. we appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. well, how about a feel good sign language story. one proud florida mom posted this video of her daughter's kindergarten class performing at a holiday concert. five-year-old claire is seen

signing and singing so her hearing impaired mother can fully enjoy the performance. her mother said she wanted to showcase a positive signing story and the video has already gone viral. ♪ ♪ ♪ and in other headlines, a group of teens arrested at this southern california mansion are redefining the term party crashers. police say they caused over $100 million in damage at a party there. a number of items are stolen including a stuffed white leopard worth a quarter of a million dollars. helmets from medieval times and thousands of dollars in armani suits. after the crushing loss weeks ago tide kicker endured a flood of criticism and threats for missing two field goals and having a third blocked. but one person who is still a fan of number 43, former george

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including postage and a digital scale. hall we do is go out to dinner.? that's it? i mean, he picks up the tab every time, which is great...what? he's using you. he probably has a citi thankyou card and gets 2x the points at restaurants. so he's just racking up points with me. some people... ugh!

no, i've got it. the citi thankyou preferred card. now earn 2x the points on dining out and entertainment, with no annual fee.to apply, go to citi.com/thankyoucards all deliveries of nonlethal assist inside into syria after syrian opposition reportedly seized by the islamic front, a coalition of islamic fighters that have broken from the american-backed moderate option. what does all of this mean for the civil war in syria and u.s. policy there? joining me chief military correspondent for "new york times" michael gordon. thank you for joining me, michael. >> thank you. >> what does this decision mean? you have a lot of opposition groups who say the aid from the

united states has been too little too late anyway. will this have a significant impact? >> i think it's an indication that the american strategy is in trouble. the strategy was to put pressure on bashar al assad so he would relinquish power. the mechanism for putting that pressure on the regime was to provide nonlethal assistance from the state department and arms through the cia to the syrian opposition. now we have a situation where the favored party in syria, the ones that the united states has been backing has become weaker to the point where they can't even control their own warehouses in northern syria, which is what forced the aid cutoff. it shows that the military strategy the u.s. is pursuing is in trouble and so is the diplomatic one. >> on this point we are getting reports that a general interest of the opposition forces has fled to turkey. what do you know about that and how does that play into what you're saying, which is united

states strategy there is crumbling? >> i don't think he fled to turkey because he frankly spent more time in turkey than he did in syria. he was in turkey when this event occurred. he went after this to qatar, which has been one of the main backers of the opposition presumably to have discussions there and return to turkey. next month is geneva 2, which is the peace conference that's supposed to seek a political solution for war in syria. all these events are happening literally just weeks before an event that john kerry set in motion last may. >> right. john kerry, the administration, has argued all along what they would like to see is a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the syrian civil war. does this make chances for that, and chances for that gaining any progress next month at those talks less and less likely?

>> well, you know, all along secretary kerry has said there's only civil war in syria can only be resolved politically. that's indeed what the united states is seeking in concert with its partners. but in order to have a political solution in syria, lets say the united states had in the balkans, kosovo, bosnia, have you to create a situation where the regime in power, assad regime, is willing to hand over authority to some sort of transitional entity. you have to set conditions to achieve this political solution. i think what these events show, they are just an indication of a broader problem. what they show is those conditions have not been set. while you can't exclude there could be some sort of political progress in geneva, it seems highly unlikely you could have the kind of breakthrough that would lead to a substantial reduction in the fighting there. >> we know that you have been traveling with secretary kerry.

he is obviously back in the middle east as we speak. we're also learning today of more sanctions against iran. they are not new sanctions but sort of an announcement about an entrenchment of sanctions that had already taken effect. what is the latest in terms of iran. obviously there's been a lot of opposition to this deal particularly among some lawmakers who would like to see stiffer sanctions put in place. >> i was with secretary kerry and the american team when they negotiated this six-month accord with iran that was intended to pause iran's nuclear program. the aim is to create space and time so negotiators can pursue a much more far reaching accord, one that would put much more substantial constraints on the program. what the administration has argued, they told congress please don't put new sanctions on at this point in time, that will poison atmosphere for talks

that will create problems with our allies. there is a lot of concern in the congress that this temporary pause may become rather prolonged and that this comprehensive agreement the administration is seeking may never happen. what happened today was the treasury department announced not new sanctions but enforcement actions. they announced they are taking steps against a number of companies including a number from singapore for violating existing sanctions. the reason they are doing that is to try to show the congress, hey, we're enforcing the existing sanctions very rigorously even as we negotiate with iran so you don't need to put new sanctions on. it's not a coincidence these sanctions were announced an hour before wendy sherman, the top american negotiator testified to congress. they had a political point behind them. >> good point there, thank you. michael gordon, we appreciate it. >> thank you. and in an unprecedented step, 13 international news organizations, including "the

new york times," "washington post," reuters and the ap have signed a letter addressed to the syrian rebels warning reporter abductions threaten the coverage of the syrian conflict. the organizations are urging rebel leadership to help identify those groups holding journalists and help secure their release. on tuesday the spanish newspaper el mundo revealed two of their journalists had been sipped in september. espinoza survived the bombing that killed another and photographer held by an extremist group according to the newspaper. the kmd to protect journalists reports there are as many as 30 journalists missing in syria with seven abductions in the past two months alone. so you'ree your mom has a mom cave? hi boys! i've made you campbell's chunky new england clam chowder. wow! this is incredible! i know. and now it has more clams! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. what? [ male announcer ] it fills you up right.

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i expressed my desire to play. of course i want to be out there and finish the season with my guys, see it through.

and he explained to me his reasoning. at the end of the day, coach's decision is what we go with. that's what it's always been. so you know, i have to do that. >> well, the redskins seem to be making headlines every day this week. it's not just capitol hill. let's dive into the other washington drama with msnbc contributor and "andrea mitchell reports" nfl analyst chris cillizza. >> i'm glad they got my title right. >> a very important part of your title. chris, sort all of this out. you have robert griffin, coach shanahan, sort it all out. >> if you thought politics in washington was only contained to capitol hill and 1600 pennsylvania avenue, you'd be very wrong. we've had leaks and counter leaks and press conferences and questions about would mike shanahan be fired, would he sit robert griffin. the end result here is robert griffin iii, which is basically

the redskins gave up their entire future draft picks, like four future draft picks, to get will be inactive for the last three games of the season. mike shanahan says to keep him from getting hurt. huge controversial. no one expects mike shanahan to stick around. dan snyder is dan snyder, the owner of the redskins. he's sort of a legend of sorts in this town for involving himself in this whole back and forth. i mean, it is a drama that even politics would struggle to rival. it is unbelievable. it feel like there's something new every couple hours. >> and that's saying a lot. >> it's great if you're a sports writer at "the washington post." it's a fascinating story. less so if you're a redskins fan because there's no question that robert griffin iii is widely regarded or at least had been widely regarded as the future of this franchise. >> chris, i want to read you to that point an excerpt from a

cu column today. it's not right that griffin may be used as a pawn to ratchet up shanahan's public war with ownership to govern his team. if that's why the decision was made to further provoke snyder, no nfl owner should trust shanahan's motives again going forward. what do you make of that? this is getting ugly. >> the conventional wisdom is that mike shanahan is provoking dan snyder, including sitting robert griffin iii, who dan snoider is close to, is provoking him in order to get fired so he can get the final year of his contract. mike shanahan says it's about his health. i think we always know sports and politics have a lot in common. we always know what people are saying is not always exactly what's going on. my guess is we have not heard the last of this. and kirk cousins, former michigan state great, will be starting on sunday. >> all right. chris cillizza, i think i hear

espn calling. >> is that what that is? >> all right. thanks, chris. well, that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." ann dree is back with you tomorrow. among her guests, democratic party chair debbie wasserman schultz and hunter biden. remember to follow the show online and on twitter @mitchellreports. my colleague tamron hall has a look at what's next on "news nation." >> hey, there. thank you so much. several developing stories in the next hour. right now the former chief of staff to senator lamar alexander is in court charged with possessing and distributing child pornography. we'll have the latest, including new details on what investigators say happened when they raided his home. and what they found. plus, the house set to take the first votes on the new bipartisan budget deal in a couple of hours as both speaker boehner and congressman paul ryan lash out at conservatives criticizing the deal. we'll talk with the top democrat on the house budget committee. and this story, this one is one for the ages, perhaps.

outrage over a texas judge's decision not to send a teenager who killed four people after driving drunk to prison. part of the young man's defense was that the teenager grew up too rich and was taught he could get away with anything. so is he being taught that again? it's all coming up next on "news nation." we're working to be an even better company - and to keep our commitments. and we've made a big commitment to america. bp supports nearly 250,000 jobs here. through all of our energy operations, we invest more in the u.s. than any other place in the world. in fact, we've invested over $55 billion here in the last five years - making bp america's largest energy investor. our commitment has never been stronger. a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation -- an irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem.

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developing right now on "news nation," new details into the raid of the home of the man who was chief of staff for senator lamar alexander. within the hour, he'll have his first court appearance after being charged with peszing and distributing child pornography. plus, the sign language interpreter who outraged millions during nelson mandela's memorial now blames his performance on schizophrenia and