clearer skin is possible. are you kidding me? >> well, john boehner's new strategy seems to be working. call out conservative groups. put the tea party aside and get overwhelming support from members. move over, chris christie, mike huckabee be is thinking 2016 is his time claiming his own internal poll shows he's leading the pack in iowa and south carolina. and here's the first line of an article that will get your attention. get a wife. a look at work life balance in the u.s., the only industrialized nation in the world not to give mothers paid maternity leave. could a new bill finally bring some justice? plus one year after the tragedy in newtown, have americans forgotten about gun control? a new nbc news/wall street

journal poll looks at what i difference a year can make. good morning, i'm chris jansing. this morning the fight for the heart of the republican party is escalating between mainstream republicans and the high-power big money conservative groups, plus the tea party members they support. after a bitter war of words, the vote on the ryan-murray budget deal last night wasn't even close. 332-94 and it came just hours after john boehner took a swing at groups like heritage and the club for growth for a second straight day saying they have lost all credibility. >> you know, they pushed us into this fight to defund obama care and to shut down the government. most of you know my members know that wasn't exactly the strategy that i had in mind. but if you'll 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? >> well, comments like those prompting headlines like this

one from politico. the breakup begins. there was some arm twisting on the other side of the aisle as well. nancy pelosi was unable to convince 32 democrats to vote for the budget deal because it doesn't extend unemployment benefits. earlier in the day, admitting to her members that compromise wasn't everything they might want it to be, pelosi told them, quote, embrace the suck. >> i think it really captured the moment. it's not just the legislation, it's the whole process and the fact that we don't have unemployment insurance an those kinds of things, but at the end of the day we need to have a budget. >> let's bring in our company. alexander burns is politico's senior political reporter. april ryan is braving the cold weather outside the white house. she is also washington bureau chief for american urban radio networks. good morning to both of you. >> good morning, chris. >> so, alex, john boehner was able to get most of his members in line and get this budget deal passed.

does that mean that the gop at least in the house have learned something from the backlash post shutdown? >> i think certainly, chris, a lot of the speculation around the time of the shutdown is it would ultimately strengthen the speaker's hand if members were able to follow through and shut down the government and to see it didn't turn out that well, they would be more receptive to the idea of compromise in the future. clearly that has panned out here to some degree. it's also pretty notable that as my colleagues reported in the article that you just cited from politico, this is the first time that you've had republicans sort of en masse sort of call the bluff of these conservative groups. that they know that a group like heritage or the club for growth or, you know, any number of conservative groups, they cannot primary every republican member of congress or every republican senator. there's just not enough money to get it done. but it's a matter of if you're going to challenge these groups, you have to all challenge them together and that's part of why you ended up seeing well over 160 members of the republican

conference say, all right, if you want to call this unacceptable, you know, let's go. >> april, i'm so curious about what the white house reaction is too. i guess we could say the new john boehner. do they think the president can capitalize on this, kind of a window of opportunity for him on issues like immigration? >> well, chris, they thought that they had a window of opportunity when we had the last shutdown in october. they thought that we may have a chance to win the senate. but, you know, when the aca had the problem, they said, oh, let's see. but they're watching -- it's all about the political gamesmanship up and down pennsylvania avenue. each party is trying to secure their base and trying to win over. and right now the democrats are winning, but by a slight margin. if you look at it, the polls are showing everyone is totally dissatisfied with the republicans and democrats, but democrats are doing better. i don't think it's a breakup, i just think it's feuding family members who have to just try to get along with each oar at christmas and thanksgiving. and when they sit down together

to come together for votes an things of that nature. they have to come together because next year is a critical year for them. you have immigration, they're saying it's going to come through. and there are some republicans who just don't want anything to happen with immigration because there are people who are benefitting from it. there are others that say, let's see, let's tinker with it. you have a big faction in that party. they have got to come together if they're going to see any kind of wins for 2014. >> well, you mentioned the polls and americans' opinion of the tea party is now at an all-time low. this new gallup poll shows the unfavorable rating more than half. clearly, alex, the backlash from the government shutdown played heavily into this, but is there a sense, do you think, that this is a see change moment or is it more what some people are saying, which is just feuding family members? >> i think april put it really well. you all have to behave at christmas and thanksgiving. and, you know, i think it would be premature to say this is some sort of turn to the middle on

the part of the republican party. it's really easy for folks in washington to look at the struggle inside the gop and say this is a matter of these groups on the right dragging the republican party to a place it doesn't want to be. the reality, chris, is the republican party, just the rank and file is a conservative party and so i think it behooves us not to overread the implications of this and say now the door is open for things like immigration reform, gun control. in some ways it may be even harder to do those things because there's already been such a high profile compromise and such a high profile challenge to the right. >> april, we heard from nancy pelosi. there's also the reality that not all democrats, even many who voted for the bill are very unhappy about unemployment benefits. she apparently stole that embrace the suck line from former congressman patrick murphy who used it actually when he was fighting in iraq to try to sort of get the troops going. is that what democrats are doing here, they're just sort of

holding their knonoses? >> yechlt there as. there are a lot of things they don't like, but in order to avoid another shutdown, they had to work this out because the american public doesn't have the stomach for it. granted, an extension of unemployment insurance is going to fall off the wayside for about 1.3 million americans come january 1. they have to deal with that at some point. but right now for the greater good, it's about making this work. and you have to remember when it comes to making it work, they're also -- and this is a whole other thing over here that they're trying to work together so they don't bring a lot of attention to the piece they're trying to make work, the affordable website which is hands on with that. >> april ryan, alexander burns, didn't to see both of you. thanks. >> thanks, chris. the two most prominent faces of the budget deal, congressman paul ryan and senator patty murray join david greg ory on sunday on "meet the press."

meanwhile revelations that the american who disappeared seven years ago in iran was actually on a cia spy mission. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams is with us now. pete, i understand a lawyer for the family of robert levinson is now confirming this to nbc news. >> well, in fact a lot of people have confirmed the substance of the a.p. and the "washington post" story saying robert levinson, the former fbi agent who disappeared on the iranian island in april of 2007 was actually there doing contract work for the cia. that's something that officials familiar with the case now confirm, including the family lawyer, who says that levinson was there looking into whether iranian officials were skimming money from the oil revenue, but the stories say that the cia officials who dealt with him didn't have any authority to approve what he was doing and they say that ten agency employees have since been disciplined. the only known traces of levinson were those that surfaced a couple of here's ago

when these pictures were released and a video sent to the family where he pleaded for help. iranian officials steadfastly say they have not known anything about him. several government agencies asked the a.p. to hold off on this story because they say with a new more modern president in iran the u.s. officials hoped they were getting more cooperation in finding levinson and strongly urged the a.p. against running a story now about levinson's work for the cia saying that it could hamper the ability to get him out. now, the a.p. said it was impossible to judge whether publication would put him at risk but they felt the story justified publication. interestingly, chris, the family put out a statement saying now they can say that the u.s. has failed to get one of its own. they say there are those in the government who have done their duty, but there are those who have not. it's time for the government to step up and take care of one of its own. >> nbc's pete williams. thanks, pete. >> reporter: you bet. checking the news feed this

morning, another deadline extension for obama care. the administration giving about 100,000 people another month to stay in a high-risk insurance pool because of the botched website rollout. the pre-existing insurance pool covers people private insurers wouldn't because of those medical needs. the white house keeping a close eye on north korea this morning after the announcement that leader kim jong-un executed his uncle and second in command. he was accused of trying to overthrow his nephew in the official announcement. the government called him despicable human scum, worse than a dog. tensions with north korea have been high since it threatened to attack the u.s. and south korea last spring and said it would resume production of nuclear weapons fuel. the proposal to allow cell phone usage on airplanes has cleared its first huddle. the fcc voting yesterday to consider lifting the ban. the chairman called it a technical rule. whether people can actually make calls on airplanes above 10,000

feet. he acknowledged the fcc will take into consideration the social aspect of having to listen to your seatmate for hours on end on a flight. i sort of added that a little bit, hours on end. up next, a view of the senate where the budget is headed next. iran sanctions may be on hold. and they're working around the clock catching zs on their couches. senator bob casey is next here on "jansing & co." you know, ronny... folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. and how happy are they jimmy? i'd say happier than a bodybuilder directing traffic. he does look happy. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

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now that the house has been able to bridge the divide and pass a budget deal to avoid another government shutdown, the next step is the senate. influential republican senators are so far mostly mum about how they'll vote. that includes minority leader mitch mcconnell who's facing tea party opposition in his re-election bid. senator bob casey is a democrat

from pennsylvania and a member of the senate finance committee. good morning, senator. >> chris, good morning. >> your house, your body expected to take up the budget deal next week and we know that there's probably a set of opponents that you can count on. cruz, lee, rand paul. rand paul said this is not a budget deal, it is a surrender. it is a cave-in. it is a shame. but also some senators who might have backed it, particularly because of military provisions, lindsey graham have said he's a no vote. what do you think is going to happen in the senate? >> chris, i think it will pass. i think for several reasons. number one is that it is bipartisan. it's really a uniquely bipartisan moment in a year where we haven't had many where you can have two leaders in different chambers and different parties come together to get a compromise, albeit a difficult one and parts of which we could all be frustrated by or complain about.

one of the things that's most attractive to a lot of people who vote for it is that finally we're dealing with a part of the sequestration, the indiscriminate cuts, in a substantial way. $63 billion over two years split down the middle. that helps enormously to relieve some of the pressure and the devastating impact of sequestration. so i think it will get enough votes to pass, but i can't speak for those who were opposed to it. they have got to make their own decision. >> as you know, a handful of democrats in the house voted no because the deal doesn't extend unemployment benefits. what do you say, senator, to people who are afraid that congress won't be able to get a deal to help them? >> number one is i think we've got to have even more determined efforts to pass unemployment insurance legislation. it's going to be difficult, i think, in the next seven days but if there's a vehicle to do it, we should take that. but i think in the very early days of 2014, there's going to be not only opportunity but i

think a lot of momentum to pass an unemployment insurance measure that will provide the relief and to give the economy a jolt in a positive way. >> but i think this is what frustrates people. does it take people having their benefits expire and suffering and pressure from them then or bad newspaper stories? i don't know. what's going to change between the next seven days and next year? >> well, i'll speak for our side. we've been -- it seems like every year we have debates with republicans about whether to do this. i don't think it should be a question of whether we pass a measure to provide unemployment insurance, i think the question is when. we're ready to do it. i hope our republican colleagues will join us. but they always, at least in the time i've been in the senate, almost seven years how, it seems like every time we reach this point, they do something to slow it down or to stop it. i would hope they would make an iron-clad commitment to pass it.

>> i also want to ask you about the push for more sanctions against iran, even after the deal secretary of state kerry struck in vienna. you were pretty vocal in your support for more sanctions, as were a number of other people. then the other day after a briefing from john kerry, you and several of your colleagues seemed to soften your stance. can you tell us about what happened in that room and was it a change of heart for you an others? >> no, i still believe we've got to have sanctions on the table and continue to use it as a very constructive, and i would argue, effective tool to bring the iranians to the table, the regime to the table, and in fact to continue the engagement. but how we do that is another question. a lot of us are trying to figure out the best way to do that. but i don't think we should ever take it off the table. and i do believe that despite a lot of back and forth and good discussions with the administration, very helpful discussions, i think the idea that we can just take it off the

table and put it on the shelf until the six months transpire is a mistake. but there are -- there are some good discussions about how to do it, the nature of sanctions, and i think there's a fairly consistent belief that having sanctions in place, new sanctions in place, but to suspend or hold in abeyance the imposition of them is probably the right way to go. but this is a very critical time. we have to get this right and we've got to be very thoughtful about how we do it. i've spent a lot of time in the last week and a half talking to experts, talking to the administration, getting both classified and nonclassified briefings. and i have more work to do and i hope people in both parties approach it that way. >> senator bob casey, you guys getting any sleep at all? >> limited. >> we heard a funny thing from angus king about how he slept on a couch that was way too short.

but good luck and thanks for coming on the program. good to see you. >> thanks, chris. in most of america, if you have a baby or you need to care for a sick family member, you do not get paid time off. but a couple of democrats are working to change that. what are their chances? that's next. it's time for the "your business" entrepreneur of the week. cass shriver used to sell his tie-dye shirts to big box stores. sun dog even opened a factory in guatemala to keep costs down. now that factory is closed and cass is making more money by giving up most of those big deals. for more, watch "your business" sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. if i can impart one lesson to a new business owner, it would be one thing i've learned is my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions. if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner.

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the united states is now the only industrialized nation that does not offer paid maternity leave, but two democratic lawmakers are working to change that. senator kirsten gillibrand and rosa delauro introduced the family and medical insurance act on thursday. it provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave for qualifying workers for the birth or adoption of a new child, serious illness of an immediate family member or a worker's own medical condition. joining me now is msnbc national reporter irin carmon whose latest article focuses on this new bill. thank you for joining us. >> thank you, chris. >> it's titled why democrats

doomed family leave bill matters. you start off with what i think is a pretty pro vauk california statement. get a wife. what do you mean? >> most of our politics is structured around this old-time notion that there would be someone at home who is not paid to takes care of when a child is sick and needs to be picked up from school, when a family member -- when an older family member needs to be taken care of, when a child is born and is young and dependent. and that was unpaid labor that was mostly be done by women. now we have so many more women in the workforce, we do not have a workplace or a political culture that has caught up to that fact that the care still has to happen. >> and there are only three states that have paid family leave. california, new jersey and rhode island. but overall only 12% of american workers have access to paid family leave through their employers. so if the bill is doomed, as you put it, why do you think introducing this legislation is so important? >> well, you know, as you mentioned, other countries have

a much different picture. they have not collapsed, their economies have not collapsed. people talk, especially on the right, about family values. this is a pretty clear expression of family values, supporting family members as they juggle both their economic duties and their family duties. the reason to present something like this, even though under the circumstances of the present congress it is, as i said, doomed, is that you keep it on the agenda. you say this is something we should be talking about, we should not be banishing this from the sphere of what is possible. at the same time, it puts republicans -- for democrats, it puts republicans on the defensive. they can say here is this part of this war on women that they have been pushing saying what about supporting families and women and also provide support to the fact that the real movement on these issues is on the local level. >> so what does it do? i know its modelled at least in part on the california, new jersey laws. how would it work? >> it would basically take 0.2% of your wages and as a result it's sort of like an insurance plan. they propose that it would be

administered through the social security administration so it's an existing infrastructure, doesn't set up a new agency, and then workers would be eligible for up to three months of leave at 66% of their wages. >> and so where does it go from here basically? >> well, you know -- >> just a talker? >> at this pointing it's a talker. but again, once you change what is considered a normal proposition, once you say this is a problem that americans with all different family structures are dealing, with it's a problem when workers don't have paid sick days and they come to work sick, that does not aid the workplace, that puts a burden on everybody. if you make it part of the conversation and part of the agenda, you can step forward on. >> it irin carmon, always good to see you. thank you. if you read only one thing this morning, with fewer americans smoking and fewer people in rich countries smoking in general, tobacco companies have a new front, spending money to fight anti-smoking laws in poor countries. check it out, let us know what you think.

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a new poll shows support for strict gun control laws has dropped back to where it was before the deadly shootings in newtown, connecticut. 52% of americans now say they do want tougher laws. that's down, though, from a high of 61% in february. it had ticked up in january, right after the shootings to 56%. groups formed in the year since the sandy hook tragedy aren't backing down, though. here's the founder of the junior newtown action alliance on this program yesterday. >> my generation, the millennial generation, is the most disproportionately affected by gun violence, especially in urban communities. we see students that can't go to school because they're crossing gang lines or they're seeing their friends being killed off every single year. and that's just not okay. >> i want to bring in democratic political analyst mark hannah,

republican strategist joe watki watkins. good to see both of you. don't know how many folks affected by newtown directly, her mother, by the way, is a teacher at sandy hook, i've had on this many practice. you look at the polls and you see up to 90% of american people supporting specific change, background checks in particular. mark, what happened here? did the democrats and the president not do a great job? were they outmaneuvered by the gun lobby? >> i think a year has gone by and we all need -- it's very imperative that we remember exactly how we felt on that year ago when we saw these images coming in through the news on msnbc and others. it's very difficult in this sort of rapid 24-hour news cycle to keep that memory alive and to keep those images very vivid in our heads. i think that if we have public opinion going sort of episodically from shooting to shooting to shooting, it's going to be very difficult to build popular and political support for proactive and effective gun

legislation. we've seen they federal level more laws passed that loosen gun restrictions since newtown than actually tighten gun restrictions. that's why i think a lot of these groups like sandy hook promise are taking their fight to the local level when state legislators are a little more receptive to their constituents. >> is this where it's going, joe, if there is going to be change, it will be on the state level? even though there is a disproportionate level of gun laws that actually loosen them, when you talk to the folks who were in this fight, they will tell you that they feel that the strength of the gun control laws that have been passed by the states outweigh the others. >> well, nobody wants to have happen what happened in newtown ever again or in colorado or any place where there's been some signed of a mass shooting, washington, d.c. -- >> you say that but nothing is done. can i just show you some numbers and i'm going to jump ahead for the people in the control room. nbc did an investigation.

since newtown, at least 173 children under 12 have died from gunshot wounds. nearly half of those deaths were accidental. and i want to play for you one mother, ash lynn melton who lost her 13-year-old son after he was accidentally shot by his friend. >> i wanted to watch him go to high school and graduate and get married and have kids, and i just -- i'll never see that. we keep them safe with car seats, we put seat belts, we drive the speed limit. we have medicine that they can't get in. guns is right there with that. >> i mean her point is we can force people to wear their seat belts but we can't do it on the other side. i guess the question is, joe, is this going to become a wait and see how this plays out in the midterm elections and then maybe if it doesn't become detrimental to people who support gun control?

>> my heart breaks for the mother who lost their child. it's just a sad heart-breaking thing. the question for a lot of americans, and i think for a lot of elected officials, is not just -- is how do we prevent this from happening again and what can we do certainly to keep guns out of the hands of people who have severe mental health issues, because clearly a number of the atrocities have taken place with people who have severe mental health issues. and certainly this doesn't say what i think about the issue, but crime has gone down over the last two decades in general nationally and yet gun sales have gone up significantly. those are americans, individual americans making those decisions. legislators respond to what their constituents respond and do. americans want their kids to be safe. we all want our kids to be safe. but they want to make sure that the legislation that safeguards kids and innocent people makes sense. >> well, and i think what joe said is really important. the mental health issue is crucial. that's why you saw vice president biden on tuesday

enacting and this administration enacting through executive order these mental health related legislation. >> $100 million but there was no action, even by -- >> by congress. >> people who said this isn't about guns, this is about mental health. we need to pass sensible mental health legislation. that didn't happen. >> all our hearts break, but our hearts breaking are not -- it doesn't matter if our hearts break if we're not actually responding in a way that prevents tragedies like this from happening in the future. now, would one or two more gun laws necessarily have changed the outcome of newtown? it's tough to say. but there are political leaders who have some courage on this front and are trying to push for that kind of change. this time last year i was sending out a stack of christmas cards to my friends and family and my co-worker. on top of that was a condolence card to my co-worker who lost his daughter who just turned 7 years old. he's highly involved on the sandy hook promise group and

they're not getting the reception they need from their congressmen, specifically and i hate to make this political because this is a day more of commemoration but from republicans in congress who are so entrenched in the gun lobby. the nra, there's no question, is becoming a more fringe organization. they're losing membership. they're becoming kind of perceived as, you know, affiliated with the tea party. they're losing their mainstream appeal because they're not supporting common sense gun laws. >> we have to remember that at the end of the day we have to answer to every mother, every father, everybody who's lost -- every person who's lost a loved one because of these incidents. and the way to fix it is not necessarily just having tighter gun control. the way to fix it is to figure out legislation that actually meets the needs. >> give me an example of one or two pieces of lentiligislation would do that. >> remember what happened in d.c., the gentleman in d.c. who killed those people. >> so what gun control --

>> he had a shotgun that a lot of people use for bird hunting and the light. >> and someone at the community college. >> he had a gun -- that was legally licensed by his mother. but he had mental health issues. the guy in d.c. had mental health issues. >> i'd like to ask joe what kind of laws republicans would support. >> i will bring both of you back. it's an issue that's not going to go away. mark, joe, thanks to both of you. appreciate you coming in. let's check the news feed this morning. another incidence of violence in the parking lot of an nfl game. four people were stabbed during fights after last night's broncos game in denver. one is in critical condition. denver police are investigating. already they have at least three people in custody. secretary of state john kerry met with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu this morning but they took a moment before meeting to admire a rare sight, a very snowy jerusalem. >> well, i've heard of making your guests welcome and feeling at home.

this is about as far as i've ever seen anybody go, giving me a nice new england snowstorm. >> in his ninth trip of the year to the mideast, senator kerry issiis trying to lay out a framework for peace. a deadline is may but u.s. officials are concerned that may not happen. this friday the 13th could be really lucky for someone. today's mega millions drawing is $400 million, the fifth largest jackpot ever. to pump up its jack pots to compete with powerball, mega millions recently lowered the odds of winning and increased the number of states where tickets are sold. and we just got this video in moments ago of prince harry and the wounded warrior teams. yes, they arrived at the south pole. this started out as a charity race pitting the u.k. against the u.s. and the commonwealth, but harsh weather conditions forced organizers to cancel the race but it turned into a team effort to reach the end together. you can see the sun was shining for the finish.

congratulations to them. ford is about to go on a hiring spree. cnbc's bertha coombs is here with what's moving your money. how many jobs are we talking about? >> reporter: we're talking about quite a few, at least 5,000 here in the u.s., another 6,000 around the world. ford is looking to add some muscle to its car lineup next year. it's going to have 24 new models, including a new ford mustang, a new f-150 pickup. so as a result, they're going to need more muscle on their production line. in terms of u.s. jobs, that's going to mean 3300 jobs that will be salaried positions, mainly in research and development. 400 of those will be dedicated to power train development, if you're really interested in all of that stuff. focusing on battery-based technology. this is in addition to some 14,000 jobs that ford has added over the last couple of years. the car makers have really rebounded very strongly since the downturn. and ford, you will note, is the only u.s. automaker that didn't take a bailout back in 2008.

there's also word this morning amazon has plans to take on some of the warehouse giants like costco. >> reporter: yeah, amazon has accustomed a lot of us to just shop online for everything. now they're going after the customer who likes to go to those big box stores. costco, sam's club customers. they tend to be big family co custome customers. so amazon is launching a new deal, according to sources that talked to "usa today" called pantry. it's going to allow people to choose from some 200 different consumer packaged goods ranging from cleaning supplies, canned goods, they can put those items into a set size box, as many items fit in that box will ship for one small fee. so it will be interesting to see. >> cnbc's bertha coombs. good to see you. have a good weekend. >> reporter: you too. we all know james bond liked to drink, shaken, not stirred,

of course, but there's a new study out showing he would have been an alcoholic. consuming on average 92 drinks a week. in goldfinger he had 97 drinks. from russia with love, 106.8. bond threw back 113 in "for your eyes only." as the series went on. he drank more. in 1963, "on her majesty's secret service," 179 drinks. in the second to last bond book "you only live twice," a whopping 225.8 drinks. you can have a link to the full fascinating study. it's up on jansing.msnbc.com. ♪ by the end of december, we'll be delivering ♪

♪ through 12 blizzards blowing ♪ 6 snowballs flying ♪ 5 packages addressed by toddlers ♪ ♪ that's a q ♪ 4 lightning bolts ♪ 3 creepy gnomes ♪ 2 angry geese ♪ and a giant blow-up snowman ♪ that kind of freaks me out [ beep ] [ female announcer ] no one delivers the holidays like the u.s. postal service. priority mail flat rate is more reliable than ever. and with improved tracking up to 11 scans, you can even watch us get it there. and look for our limited edition holiday stamps. you (ding, ding)ch us get it there. how long have i had my car insurance? i don't know, eight, ten years. i couldn't tell you but things were a lot less expensive back then. if you're 50 or over you should take a new look at your auto insurance. you may be overpaying. actually that makes a lot of sense. old policy. old rates. and thanks to your experience behind the wheel, you might save $395

by switching to the aarp auto insurance program from the hartford. plus, you'll get benefits that reward your driving record, like our promise that you won't be dropped. wait, you won't drop me? seriously? that's right, you won't be dropped. i'm gonna call. if you're 50 or over call now to request your free quote. i'm calling. i'm calling. call now to request your free quote and we'll send you a free calculator. call today and make the switch to the aarp auto insurance program from the hartford. open to innovation. open to ambition. open to bold ideas. that's why new york has a new plan -- dozens of tax free zones all across the state. move here, expand here, or start a new business here and pay no taxes for ten years... we're new york. if there's something that creates more jobs,

and grows more businesses... we're open to it. start a tax-free business at startup-ny.com. there are just 12 shopping days until christmas and two new surveys don't bode well for retailers. there's a sharp drop in holiday spending plans, down more than 9% from a year ago. a new quinnipiac poll suggests

40% of americans plan to spend less than they did last year. so a lot of retailers are pulling out every trick in the book to get you to part with your money. here with an insider's look on what to watch out for is retail analyst heatha. this is fascinate. for the uninitiated there is nothing left to chance in these stores. let's start with something called the compromise effect. >> what stores try to do is get you in on a sale item. they'll say that a tv, a blender, a vacuum cleaner is marked down and then try to upsell you once you get into the store. so maybe this has happened to you. you go and you think i'm getting a sale on the tv and all of a sudden they start adding on things or try to upsell you on another name brand television. >> next thing you know you went from a 27 inch to a 60 inch. they obviously try to lure you in with bargains and it's no coincidence you'll find these right when you get in the store. >> actually the stores have a floor plan. when you walk into the store, they bombard you with these small gifts, half price items on

socks, tea lights, for example. they're not as expensive but they want you -- >> things you didn't go in to buy. >> they're called open your wallet items. they want you had to do that. especially they bombard you at the cash register as well. >> and they put the displays in high traffic areas because they're obviously trying to get people to take these deals. >> exactly. >> so costco, wholesale clubs, they're famous for this, right? >> right, they absolutely are. what costco and wholesale clubs want to do, they want you to be a part of the hunt. the american consumer likes to feel like they are pulling the wool over retailers. >> we do. >> so what they do is they like you to go downstairs and go to the bargain basement. they want you to walk around the store and find that sale. a great example of this is when the former ceo of j.c. penney, ron johnson, went in there, he used to be retail manager over at apple. one of the retail executives, i should say. apple is very sleek.

he tried to implement the same situation at j.c. penney. didn't work because the j.c. penney consumer wants that discount. now you see j.c. penney, it's all about discount and bargain basements. >> i think this is really interesting. they try to get you to buy stuff by faking popularity. >> right. >> i'm a total sucker for this. if i think something is going to sell out and everybody wants it, i want somebody that i want to buy a present for to have it. >> that's exactly it. they want to create this sense of urgency. so if they say there's only a couple items left over, they want you to go ahead and buy them. there might be a ton of items in the back, they just want you to feel that sense of urgency. >> so they'll put up little sign that say say limited number? >> right, exactly. >> we're expecting snow on the east coast tomorrow. are retailers concerned? >> well, retailers are definitely concerned because a study came out by plantronics. 15% of shoppers -- there was a 15% decrease in shopping traffic in these retailers. retailers lost about half a

billion dollars. so if that tells you anything, chris, if the snowstorm is any worse than last weekend, they are set to lose a lot more money. >> people will go online and buy where they don't have to put on their snow boots. >> right. there's the option there. >> heatha, thank you so much. in case you missed it, beyonce caused quite an online stir by secretly dropping her latest album on itunes last night. 14 new songs with videos, featuring her husband, jay z, and their daughter, blue ivy. today's tweet of the day comes from senator cory booker. sam murphy tweeted them, are they at least playing the new beyonce album in the chamber? to which booker replied, nope, but i'm told it's blasting in the republican cloakroom.

to "politics now" where conservative mike huckabee is thinking about a run for president in 2016.

he passed in 2012, mainly he said because he didn't think anyone could beat president obama. but now he tells "the new york times" he's keeping the door open and his own internal polls show he's leading the republican field in iowa and south carolina. no secret santa at the white house, at least no gift exchange between the president and vice president during the holidays. but vice president biden told tmz they do get each other birthday gifts. one year apparently obama got him a putting gadget. he got the president a golf bag. and the group get covered is raising awareness for the health care law with this video that has an obama impersonator rapping snoop dogg lyrics. >> i'm commander in chief and i'm two terms strong, plus i've got this health care which has got it going on. affordable health care, officially a go. that's better than what we had a year ago. your option are really wide, don't worry about them, her or he said. educate you and this could be

your health ed. jump on your mom's plan. i dealt with all this health care by dealing with iran. >> and this friday the 13th marks some big events in recent history. it was this day ten years ago saddam hussein was captured in iraq. he was later tried and executed. here at home 13 years ago this week, the nation faced one of the most confusing an memorable election aftermaths in election history, bush v. gore. the results came down to florida where it triggered a mandatory recount, ending up in the supreme court and a controversial decision that effectively awarded george w. bush the presidency, although al gore did win the popular vote. i was in tallahassee, florida, for 36 days as the drama unfolded. here's today's flashback friday. >> i'm chris jansing in tallahassee where a critical deadline looms in just a few

hours. >> and it is continuing to be the focus of some legal challenges. what we continue to talk about, those dimpled chads. >> a clear majority of the people who went to the polling places and tried to vote did vote for joe lieberman and me. >> manual counting with individuals making subjective decisions about voter intent introduces human error. >> what did the legislature do and why did they do it? >> it was the full house, brian, and they voted 79-41 to certify a slate of electors for george w. bush. >> seven justices of the court agree there are constitutional problems with the recount ordered by the florida supreme court. >> they don't contemplate a further recount. >> can i ask why you decided to come out here today? >> yes. i came out here because i'm very, very unhappy with everything that happened in the state of florida. >> just moments ago, i spoke with george w. bush and

congratulated him on becoming the 43rd president of the united states. >> i'm thankful for america and thankful that we are able to resolve our electoral differences in a peaceful way. >> you know, thomas roberts, one of the most interesting things about those 36 days were the number of americans who came literally from all around the country who just wanted to be in tallahassee. you don't want to hear this. you just want to laugh about the hair and the outfit. >> it's the chris jansing hairstory. it's hair today, gone tomorrow. and gosh, it makes me think. 13 years ago. you kind of looked like in that first shot with that pink coat like an unofficial pink lady. yeah, i love that! >> whoever did that -- >> from "grease". >> from "grease"? >> yeah. remember frenchy? >> have a great weekend. that's one crossing off of my christmas list. >> chris jansing, friday in

hairstory. >> this is serious stuff. i don't know why you're joking. >> it is serious stuff. that is serious hair. i love it. have a good weekend. >> you too. the agenda next hour -- chris is going to beat me in the commercial break. republicans are firing back. is john boehner sticking a finger in the eye of tea party supporters and how will the senate vote? and honoring newtown on the eve of the sandy hook shooting. i talked to family members on how they became instant advocates for gun reform and how their messaging battle is holding up against gun rights supporters and no hate. it's that iconic photo campaign born in response to proposition 8 halting marriage equality in california. prop 8 doesn't exist any longer so how are the founders of in hate still snapping away and expanding the footprint on their original mission? we'll talk to them coming up. hands for holding. feet, kicking. better things than the joint pain and swelling

of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. if you're trying to manage your ra, now may be the time to ask about xeljanz. xeljanz (tofacitinib) is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers have happened in patients taking xeljanz. don't start taking xeljanz if you have any kind of infection, unless ok with your doctor. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests, including certain liver tests, before you start and while you are taking xeljanz. tell your doctor if you have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you are pregnant, or plan to be. taken twice daily, xeljanz can reduce the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe ra,

even without methotrexate. ask if xeljanz is right for you.

even without methotrexate. across the country has brought me to the lovely city of boston. cheers. and seeing as it's such a historic city, i'm sure they'll appreciate that geico's been saving people money for over 75 years. oh... dear, i've dropped my tea into the boston harbor. huhh... i guess this party's over. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. hi, everybody, good morning. i'm thomas roberts. topping our agenda today, the

mainstream strikes back against tea party conservatives. is the battle beginning in earnest for the heart and soul of the republican party, and what does it mean for 2014 and beyond? now that the bipartisan budget deal has passed with overwhelming support in the house and is headed over to the senate, congressman paul line and house speaker john boehner are basking in their victory and blasting outside conservative groups who have tried to push the party to the far right. paul ryan's speech in particular seen by some as an audition for 2016. >> i think our constituents are expecting a little more from us. they're expecting us to not keep shutting the government down. they're expecting us to pay the bills. they're expecting us to be accountable. they're expecting us to watch how their dollars are being spent. and they're expecting us to find common ground. >> the day before the government reopened, one of the people at one of these groups stood up and said, well, we never really thought it would work. are you kidding me? >> boehner appeato