the first test for the bipartisan budget in the senate about to happen right now. there's patty murray. we'll bring you the vote. even if it passes, the budget does not include an extension of unemployment benefits, and one congressman is making it his mission to make sure the unemployed aren't left out in the cold for the holidays. and massachusetts republican scott brown is packing up his house and moving to new hampshire. does this mean he's set his sights on challenging senator jeanne shaheen? plus their approval ratings are in the toilet. a new poll shows they're less trusted than car salesmen, but just how hard does congress really work? get this, a new survey suggests they're probably working harder than you. do you buy it? good morning, i'm chris jansing. right now the senate is about to take its first vote on the budget deal. 60 votes are needed to move forward. it appears the deal has not only the votes to pass this first hurdle, cloture, but also enough

republican support to pass the final vote tomorrow. and in about 45 minutes, the president will meet with 15 silicon valley ceos to talk about the obamacare website and the nsa. that meeting with high profile tech giants like apple's tim cook, google's eric schmidt comes as the white house is dealing with the fallout from a judge's decision about the nsa. the judge ruled the call program violates the constitution by sweeping up meta data on every american's phone calls. i want to bring in our company. dafna linzer is managing editor of msnbc.com. philip bump is a staff writer at the wire. good morning. >> good morning. >> let's talk about the budget first because they're getting together right now inside the senate chambers. they're about to start to vote. three republicans had said they'd come out and vote for the deal. chuck schumer says it's practically a sure thing. but we heard from the person this morning -- the first person we heard from out on the floor was republican senator roger wicker who is a no. here's what he said.

>> but my objection that moves me from undecided to a no is what this budget does to current and military retirees, and the fact that it breaks a promise that has been made to military retirees for years and years. >> so, dafna, here we are. we're just moments away from this cloture vote. is there anything we should be looking for over the next 24 hours or is chuck schumer right, this is a done deal? >> i think this is a done deal. the person you want to watch and who has been interesting to watch this entire session has been harry reid. i think he's done a tremendous amount of work. he's changed the rules, he's moved his people in one direction very strongly, and, you know, he hasn't had any problems in moving his own side in any direction, which i think is impressive, considering how incredibly contentious the

session has been. i think, you know, people like lindsey graham, members on the republican side who are facing challenges, primary challenges from the right, i don't think we're going to see their support on this. i think that everything they're doing is calibrated towards the next move for them in seeking re-election. >> so is the big picture takeaway from this, philip, and let's not kid ourselves, this is a pretty small deal. some people would say it's the teeniest deal they could muster, doesn't bode well from where we go from here? it's not an indicator that suddenly everybody will work together? >> i think anyone who tries to predict what congress will do next is playing a fool's game. what's interesting is it passed the house with flying colors. but the senate republicans facing very, very strong challenges next year by this upstart conservatives fund are putting their feet down. and so where it was in october the house that stood in the way and led to the shutdown, now it's the senate conservatives having their chance to speak up.

i think it was interesting what senator wicker said there about defending military pensions, which has been a big issue. jeff sessions said it as well. but it's an interesting argument for the republicans to make since that is also an argument that is made against them when it comes to public employee pensions, so i think it will be interesting to see how that plays out. >> i think it's also fascinating when you look at the latest polls that in spite of how little congress has gotten done this year, the president has really taken a hit. this is the latest poll that shows his approval rating at 43%. when asked who's better at dealing with the nation's problem, he's tied with republicans. last year at this time he was up by 15 percentage points on that question. i wonder does this budget deal help him? i don't know, where this does t all play into how -- who, if anybody, has momentum moving forward. >> it seems to be helping paul ryan, which is pretty amazing, for a guy who voted for the shutdown. i think he's made a remarkable sort of political recovery by

negotiating, as you said, the smallest deal possible here. you know, i think the president's poll numbers are very low. congress's poll numbers are very low. the president doesn't have the lowest poll numbers of any president at this point in his presidency, in fact not even close. so i don't think it's been a good political win year for anyone, and i think everyone is going to be very, very happy to say good-bye to 2013. >> and another problem he's dealing with, obviously, the nsa, the judge makes this ruling unconstitutional. here's what former nsa director michael hayden said this morning on "morning joe." >> the judge has expertise when it comes to rule of law and constitutional theory. the judge is not actually in a really good position to judge the efficacy of an intelligence collection program. and i think that's where we might have an issue. look, i understand that in that balance, what the program does for you has to play a role.

but again, courts aren't well positioned to judge that. the two political branches, the president and the congress, who have to stand for re-election and live with the consequences of these kinds of decisions are actually better positioned to make that judgment. >> the argument he's making is that these fisa court judges who have sided with them all the time, they know more, they're in a better position to judge. is he right or is it just the best possible spin he could put on what's happening right now? >> that is the best possible spin. it would be effective if the nsa lived in your house and watched over your shoulder while using the computer. that does not make it something that comports with the constitution. and what judge leon said yesterday, he said that james madison, the father of the bill of rights, would be aghast at what the nsa is doing, which is extremely strong language. it is exactly the point that the judge is the one that's supposed to determine does this comport with what the constitution says. and saying that, oh, well, this actually works to stop terrorism, which by the way the

judge also noted the nsa was not able to demonstrate, saying that this helps to stop terrorism without any evidence has nothing to do with what the judge found. >> by the way, edward snowden, who brought to light all of this, you know, says he feels vindicated and that was the statement that he put out this morning. i acted on my belief that the nsa's mass surveillance programs would not withstand a constitutional challenge and that the american public deserved a chance to see these issues determined by open courts. by the way, he's also written, i don't know if you've seen it, the open letter to the people of brazil saying that he will help them with the nsa spying if they will give him some kind of asylum. dafna, what's going to happen to edward snowden? >> that's an interesting question. i think things have changed a lot. i remember even just last month chris matthews' interview with the president where the president said himself, you know, that the snowden disclosures have raised concerns. i think this latest move from judge leon, and i think it's very important that it actually

came from judge leon, who was a bush appointee, who is not a liberal judge, who is not somebody who was appointed by a democratic president i think is really important. i think a lot of these things help to sort of change the public tide and i think change very much so what it is that he was trying to do and trying to say. i think that's having a huge impact. when does edward snowden leave rub russia? i don't know. where does he go? i'm sure that's still an open question and he doesn't know either. but these issues for him i think have really changed dramatically, even just in the last 24 hours. >> i would just add one thing very quickly. what's fascinating about the judge's ruling is that the nsa says we get sign off from the executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch. now with this new panel coming back reporting to the president that this collection of meta data is probably unconstitutional. the executive branch has said it's not okay, the judiciary has said it's not okay and now the legislature is also saying it's

not okay, which deeply undermines things. >> and real quickly, what's it going to be like in that room when the president meets with the ceos of these tech companies, right? they're really not very happy about the nsa snooping, so what's that conversation going to be? >> i think different people in that room have different equities. for google, this is a different conversation than it would be for apple. i think for facebook, it's a different conversation than for twitter. but i think especially the latest disclosures about the nsa's ability to use a back door to get inside their servers without their knowledge i think has really been a game-changer, especially for companies like google and facebook and other companies that are now putting encryption. i know marissa mayers will be in that room from yahoo!. i just think if this was a relationship that the government had built over so many years with important companies in the hopes of getting good information that was going to protect this country, i think a lot of what has happened because of the snowden disclosures has really eroded that, and i think that those companies are coming

with deep, deep, deep concerns. i don't know if they want to discuss it in front of one another with the president or how much the president wants to get into that, but there's no question that this is really also altered that relationship significantly. >> and cisco said in november that the nsa disclosures were costing them money. so that's going to come up. >> philip, dafna, always great to see you. happy holidays. thank you. developing news out of afghanistan where we have confirmed six american service members died in an aircraft crash this morning in the southern province of zabul. u.s. defense officials say they're investigating but a defense official tells nbc news that a blackhawk helicopter had a hard landing because of mechanical problems. quote, the enemy attacked once, it went down. the victims were among u.s. military members providing military backup. checking the news feed this morning, winter has not officially started, but the northeast is getting blanketed by its fourth snowstorm in the past couple of weeks. it's already been a messy morning commute here in new york city where we're supposed to get just a couple of inches, but it

will be snowing hard in boston for the evening rush and parts of maine could get up to a foot. as a result, airlines have already cancelled at least 450 flights. more fallout for congressman trey radel after admitting last month he bought cocaine. the house ethics committee now planning its own investigation to determine if raddel violated congress's code of conduct and could be forced to testify about his history of substance abuse. radel, 37, is currently receiving troeeatment in florid the clearest sign that scott brown might be trying to get back to washington. brown has sold his home in massachusetts and plans to move to new hampshire, fueling speculation he'll challenge new hampshire democrat jeanne shaheen for the senate. brown lost his senate seat last year to elizabeth warren. if you want a chance at your own christmas miracle, you have until 11:00 p.m. eastern to get that mega millions ticket. the jackpot now up to $586 million, but with ticket sales from today, it could go higher. a single winner would take a cash payout of $316.5 million.

and here we are watching the first senate vote on the budget. although even if it does pass, it won't extend unemployment benefits for 1.3 million people. we'll talk to the ranking member on the ways and means committee, congressman sander eer levin, what can be done next. what if we could keep enough plastic waste to cover mt. rainier out of landfills each year? by using one less trash bag each month, we can. and glad forceflex bags stretch until they're full.* so you can take them out less often.

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in what's been a year of dubious distinctions for congress, a new poll out this morning finds that voter approval is at near record lows. just 16% approval rating right now. and for the year, congressional approval averaged 14%. that's the lowest in gallup's history of t history. this might be y the house was in session for a record low 942 hours this year or 22 hours a week. in the senate 99 days were spent casting votes. that also near a record low.

but before you grab the torches and the pitchforks let's take a look at this headline in the "national journal." congress probably worked more than you did this year. "national journal" political correspondent alex seitz-wald has checked out the numbers. good to see you, alex, good morning. >> thanks for having me, chris. >> come on, hating congress is something of a national pastime but you write it's not the cushy job we think it is. >> there are so many good reasons to criticize congress but this isn't one of them. members of congress work on average 70 hours a week when they're in washington, 60 hours a week -- >> i don't believe you. >> they could be putting in tons of hours but clearly not doing very much. they have passed historically low number of bills. they shut down the government. they have driven their approval rating really low. that doesn't mean they're not working theoretically. this is a really grueling job. they get up super early in the morning. they're out at events by 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. and work straight in the evening until 9:30 p.m.

when they're back in their districts, they're feegt with constituents, meeting with the press, holding town halls. whether or not they accomplish anything legislatively that's a different story, but they are actually working hard. i think we can criticize their legislative output but not their work ethic. >> let's take a look at a typical work day. 35% devoted to legislative policy work, 17% for constituent services and for campaign work. this is from the congressional management foundation. but should we be skeptical at all of these numbers? are they self reported? >> they are self reported, but i mean you can talk to any member of congress and you can talk to their schedulers and there's no doubt that this is a grueling job. we shouldn't feel bad for them, this should be a tough job. they're running the country. they signed up for this. but this is a really hard job. everything in their lives is scheduled, down to haircuts, times to read, exercising. their schedules -- their lives are scheduled down to 15

minutes. a vast majority, something like 65% of members of congress have missed important family events. they get something like 15 to 17% of their time spent on personal time compared to 25% of time for most average americans. so this is a tough job. you know, i think we can absolutely criticize their work ethic and we very much should, but the problem is that if they were in washington more, it's not like they would get anything more done. the legislative process is completely broken down. republicans have said when they took over that they wanted to have fewer days in congress because more days in congress means more government overreach, more taxes, all the things they hate. so they are actively not trying to pass legislation. so they're better off being in their districts where they can talk to constituents, do their representative job and, you know, maybe help constituents get their social security checks, navigate the veterans administration, but being in washington probably won't help much. >> part of the problem too is, frank

frankly, they have to spend so much time fund-raising. i spoke to freshman congressman rick nolan, he came back after retiring 33 years ago. he said the biggest difference is how much of the workweek is devoted to campaigning and raising money. take a listen. >> right now members of congress are expected to spend, you know, 30 hours a week in call time dialing for dollars. we need to take the toxic influence that money is having on campaigns and elections and we need to go to work four and five days a week like everybody else in america does. >> i'm not saying that's not work. i can't imagine anything worse than having to make phone calls and ask people for money, but it is not work that benefits constituents. really what's the likelihood that that sort of mix between actual legislative work and constituent services versus running for re-election constantly is going to change? >> well, there's not much evidence. unfortunately this is the trend things are heading. if anything, they might get

worse and they'll have to spend more time fund-raising as campaigns get more and more expensive. to me i just don't see any evidence if they spent more time legislating that they would get anything more done. i think they have proven it's impossible for them to do that. so for many members of congress, these lower ranking freshmen, guys who aren't committee chairs, doing constituent service work, speaking with constituents may bow a more valuable use of their time than being in congress and trying to pass legislation that won't pass anyway. >> alex seitz-wald, good to see you. thanks for coming on. >> thanks for having me. senators are voting right now for cloture on the bipartisan budget bill. so far at least 13 nos but it looks like it will move forward. we're keeping our eye on the senate floor and we will keep you posted. ♪ i wanna spread a little love this year ♪ ♪ i wanna spread a little love and cheer ♪ [ male announcer ] this december, remember --

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bill, it's what's not. the extension of unemployment benefits. 1.3 million americans slated to lose those benefits on december 28th if congress doesn't act. that includes more than 43,000 people in michigan. joining me now, michigan democratic congressman, sander levin. good to see you, congressman. good morning. >> nice to be with you. >> do you feel like the democrats fought hard enough to get the extension of unemployment benefits in this budget compromise? >> we fought. we went to the rules committee and said let us have an amendment on the floor so that people who are going to lose their benefits would not. a million three, as you said. and i was just at a workforce office here in michigan, talked to a couple people who are going to lose their checks. one said to me, what are we going to do? how are we going to live? and i talked to the people who worked there who are working with the unemployed, who are looking for work, and there's a feeling of desperation growing

as we approach december 28th. so we tried to get a bill on the floor and the house republicans said we could not have that vote. >> well, you have tweeted a lot about the people who you've been talking about whose unemployment is expiring. i just want to read one tweet. when these benefits run out, i will have no means to pay my car and my car insurance payments. without my car, it will be nearly impossible for me to find work because of the nature of my profession, which priors that i drive my personal vehicle in order to perform my job. do you think that these kinds of personal appeals can change the equation, congressman? can they have an impact on members of congress who were not for extending unemployment benefits? >> i hope so. i think the answer is yes. the million three, the problem is they're invisible. we can't get their names and addresses because of the privacy laws. but i think if my colleagues

will do as i did this morning and go to unemployment offices, to workforce development offices and talk to the people who are desperately looking for work who can't find it, we've never cut off benefits, these federal benefits when the percentage of people who were unemployed are long-term unemployed. it's over a third who are -- who have exhausted their benefits. and i talked to the woman this morning. they have one week more coming and then they're out in the cold december 28. so i think if the media helps and if my colleagues will go to offices and talk to people who are in this position. one person said to me it cuts across all employment lines, blue collar, white collar, all professions, all ages. and those who are a bit older are having more trouble. one person told me she doesn't even say when she graduated high school because that will give

her age, and then the employer -- she sent out numerous, numerous cvs and she gets no response. so i think the answer to your question is the more we can bring home, make visible the people who are affected, i have to believe in this country of ours that congress will respond. >> let me talk very specifically then about how this might come to be. senate majority leader harry reid has indicated that the senate will take up the extension when they come back in january. of course it's the house that's a lot more uncertain. i want to play what speaker john boehner said just last week. >> when the white house finally called me last friday about extending unemployment benefits, i said that we would clearly consider it as long as it's paid for and as long as there are other efforts that will help get our economy moving once again. >> is there a deal you think could work, congressman? what are the democrats willing

to give up in order to get this extension? >> we don't have to give up anything. i mean people are going to lose their unemployment checks. look, we proposed a three-month extension paid for and the rules committee under the control of speaker boehner would not put it in order so we could have a vote. the speaker said he'll consider it. he better -- let me suggest i hope he'll consider this and that essentially he'll move off the dime on this, when everybody who -- the million three are losing every penny of their unemployment insurance beginning december 28. and then there's another 1,900,000 estimated who would lose every cent in the first six months of next year. so i think the more the media and the more our colleagues talk to the people who are affected, i think this will have to move.

that's the better side of this country, not to leave a million three who are looking for work. i saw the list of people who are looking for work at this workforce office, and i talked to the workers. they're feeling, as i said, this desperation that's coming across because they don't know what to say to the people who are coming in who are looking for work, who want to work. >> michigan congressman sander levin. it's good to have you on the program, sir. thank you. >> thank you. this hour we have been following the cloture vote on the senate floor to move the budget forward. they just wrapped up. let me bring in nbc news deputy political editor. what's the vote? >> reporter: we saw 67-33. it passed with 12 republicans voting in favor of this, which is interesting because in days leading up to this, we had been counting votes and it looked like they might be right at 60 and it looks like a few of those other republicans who had been on the fence on this decided to

go ahead and vote for cloture. >> 67-33, final vote. better than they would have expected. thank you for the update irks thank you. if you read only one thing this morning, with all the debate about the nsa and whether its tactics keep us safer, "newsweek" has a terrific article on the fbi's young guns, a new generation of spy catchers and how they're rooting out terrorists. it's my must-read up on my facebook page. head to facebook/jansingco. ♪

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gop-controlled house. but in a speech on the senate floor just moments ago, democratic senator patty murray says she is looking forward to next year's session. >> when we come back next year, i'm ready to go to work with chairman ryan or anyone else from either side of this aisle who wants to build on this bipartisan foundation to continue addressing our nation's challenges fairly and responsibly. >> doug thornell is a former national press secretary for the national campaign committee and david winston, an adviser to speaker john boehner. good to see both of you. david, you talked to john boehner. there's a lot on the table for next year. passing the farm bill, extending unemployment insurance, increasing the minimum wage, immigration reform. these are all issues that democrats have really been pushing. are we going to see another year of republicans focused on repealing obamacare which we know a lot of the candidates are saying is going to be their mantra or has this budget deal and, frankly, the government

shutdown sort of taught a lesson that compromise is not a dirty word? >> i think clearly this budget deal has shown the other side of the coin from the shutting down the government. i think what you're going to see the focus on next year, at least on the republican side in the house, is really sort of command focus on the economy. passing things to get this economy back on track. part of that will include some concerns in terms of what the health care bill is doing to the economy but on a broader scale in looking at tax reform, looking at energy -- >> tax reform is not going to get done, though, is it? i mean paul ryan is talking about it, but really? we've been talking about it for decades. >> true. well, again the last major tax reform bill was 1986. but what i'm getting at here is this focus that they want to have -- the republicans want to have in terms of really getting this economy jump started. you look at recent surveys, the "washington post" eight out of ten americans still think we're in a recession. the challenge here for legislators is what to do in terms of getting this economy

going again. >> what to do and what can get done is the other question, doug. democrats, for example, really pushing the minimum wage, raising it. virtually no chance of that, right? >> well, i mean to david's point, you know, they haven't been focused on the economy or jobs. republicans have voted 48 times to repeal obamacare. there was only 58 laws that were passed this congress. they have been focused entirely on trying to sabotage and undermine the affordable care act. to tax reform, they told dave kemp not to do it because it would distract from the obamacare effort that they're launching. i hope that republicans decide to work with democrats because on the minimum wage, raising it, on extending unemployment insurance to the 1.2, 3 million americans who are going to lose it, these are all economic issues, job-related issues that republicans have refused to do anything about. look, the budget deal is i think somewhat optimistic, but ultimately this is whether republicans are going to be able to walk and chew gum at the same

time. i get that they're going to go after the affordable care act but they have got to be able to do other things and they haven't been able to do anything else except raise, you know -- except to fight the affordable care act this past year. >> there's also another big issue we should not forget, the debt ceiling. here's what congressman paul ryan said about that on sunday. >> we as a caucus along with our senate counterparts are going to meet and discuss what it is we want to get out of the debt limit. we don't want nothing out of this debt limit. we're going to decide what it is we can accomplish out of this debt limit fight. >> david, are we going to be wondering whether or not there's going to be another shutdown this time or default? >> i think there was an interesting corner turned in terms of this recent budget deal. i think there was a sense of cooperation in terms of both sides that had not been exhibited before. and pushing back a little bit in terms of what doug said, republicans passed a lot of bills that ended up sort of lying dormant in the senate

thanks to majority leader reid. having said that, i think this exchange between murray and ryan potentially portends a more positive spirit for next year. granted it's an election year. i think people should feel a little more upbeat in terms of what the opportunities are. so i think there will be some resolutions before that. >> doug, do you feel a little bit upbeat? and if so, to what end? what might get done given the fact that it is an election year? >> a little bit but not much. i think a lot of members will go home and find coals in their stockings. i think 85% to 90% of voters are fine with that. look, they're very unhappy with the way congress has conducted themselves. and this is a real opportunity for leadership in congress by john boehner, by others, especially with house republicans to act on some of these priorities. again, unemployment insurance, that runs out. raising the minimum wage. all of these things are important job and economic items, and if republicans decide to kind of do the work of voters

and instead not launch this fight into obamacare, then i think we can see some progress. but i think it's really up to house republicans on how they want to conduct themselves this year. >> doug thornell, david winston, good to see both of you. happy holidays. >> happy holidays. checking the newsfeed again this morning, there is escalating violence in syria between the military and opposition forces. amateur video posted online today reportedly shows the aftermath of a bombing raid on aleppo. nbc news could not authenticate the video but this attack follows one on sunday that a human rights group says killed 76 people, including 28 children. germany's parliament elected chancellor angela merkel to a third term. it came three months after her party won the general election but fell short of a clear majority. because of that, she's working with the coalition government made up of several parties. the new government has pledged to redefine the relationship with the u.s. after revelations the nsa spied on merkel and other german officials. beyonce's latest album is

now the fastest selling ever on itunes. almost 829,000 downloads in just three days. this is the album, of course, she secretly dropped last friday without anyone knowing. no marketing, no promotion, and yet it's currently number one in 104 countries. time is running out to get free shipping for delivery by christmas. cnbc's jackie deangeles is here with what's moving your money. so i guess i've got to finally do it. sit down online and get those orders in. >> that's right, chris. if you're a last-minute shopper like i am, you're probably going to try to get a lot done online between now and christmas. so it really is important to know that free shipping deadlines are this week. here are some of the ones that are really key. today we've got amazon, tomorrow barnes & noble, thursday it's walmart, target, j.c. penney and the gap. then on friday, it's best buy. but here's the kicker, chris. tomorrow is free shipping day. that means that more than 800 merchants will offer free

shipping with no minimum with delivery by christmas. that includes some of the ones that don't normally offer it. so if you ask me, tomorrow is the money day. >> and what do we do with those unwanted gifts? >> do you take it back or do you regift it, right? it's the age-old question. the number of americans out there who are saying that it's okay to regift is on the rise. 73% say it's fine to regift or recycle a present. that is according to american express. that's up from 71% last year. still, only about a third admit to actually regifting. and if you do, here are some tips from the emily post institute. here's what they tell you to do. the present should be in its original store packaging. it can't look like it's been open or tested. you should rewrap it and be certain that both the giver and the receiver won't find out. that's the tough part, that you're regifting. let's admit it, we've all done it before. for me, that's the part that makes me a little nervous. >> so you're not allowed to like wear it or use it before you regift it. >> definitely not.

>> just to make sure you don't like it. >> definitely not. >> jackie deangeles, thanks, jackie. the rock 'n' roll hall of fame has announced its class of 2014. nominees are only accepted 25 years after their first album was released. nirvana is the only group this year getting in on the first try. also on the list, peter gabriel, kiss, the only woman, linda rondstadt. hall & oates and cat stevens. the ceremony will be held april 10th at the barclays center in brooklyn. ♪ 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. 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.

[ female announcer ] let betty do the measuring and get a head start on delicious homemade cookies. visit bettycrockercookies.com for fun holiday ideas. betty crocker cookie mix. just pour, mix...love. a powerhouse political action committee has begun endorsing women they see as rising stars in the critical 2014 elections. emily's list endorsing alma adams in the special election to fill congressman watts seat.

hooirt heather meisur, all part of their effort. i want to bring in stephanie schrio schriock. so this is i guess you could say a little early but what's the strategy. you're getting started in plenty of time. >> well, i'll tell you, 2014 is going to be a continuation of the momentum of women's leadership that we saw in 12. we've already seen great democratic women leadership in the senate and the house and we intend to elect a lot more women to congress in '14. >> it is interesting because over the last several years when i've had conversations with people who recruit women, they say it's been tough because women see what's going on in congress. they don't want, for example, to put themselves in the situation where they feel like they're beating their head against a brick wall. there's also concern, frankly, about the time it takes away, the scrutiny. are you having an easier time now recruiting candidates? is it getting a little better? >> we have had a great

recruitment year at emily's list this year. you just mentioned three of our candidates. we've in fact fully recommended four women for governorships, 16 women for the house of representatives already and six senate candidates. >> let's talk about a few of them, shall we? >> absolutely. i'd love to. >> we've had heather mizeur on and talked to her about public financing because she has obviously decided to not take outside campaign finance. that's going to limit her to roughly $2.5 million, which could put her at a big disadvantage. here's what she told me about that on the show. >> we're going to annapolis to end politics as usual. we're eliminating the influence of corporate and special interest money in our campaigns by participating in the public campaign finance system. >> can you win by doing that? >> mizeur is a progressive powerhouse in maryland. she's got an incredible grassroots organization. the energy on the ground around her is really something. i think if anyone krks can, it

be her. >> still a long shot? >> it's a complicated race, a three-way primary. but she's the only woman. she'd be the first woman governor of maryland, the first openly gay governor of maryland. so there's a good reason to get behind this race. and she is really talented. >> her backstory is really, really interesting. you have house candidate shawn seenot and she has gone to several training sessions. i'm wondering what is your message to women? do women run differently than men? >> our first message is you've got to run. we need to ensure there's more and more women stepping up and running. we've already endorsed more women this cycle than we did last cycle in a historic year number of women running. so we need them to run. emily's list is there to back them up. we're going to help find staff, we're going to train, do everything we can to increase those numbers. >> here's the question i get

from women. am i supposed to vote for a woman just because she's a woman. what do you say to that question? >> you have to absolutely vote for the best candidate. but i tell you what, as we are seeing what is happening and the impact of women in congress. your talking about senator patty murray and the budget deal that's been cut. you saw the reports of senator john mccain coming out and saying it was the women who got the deal done. women make a huge difference in our legislative bodies, and that is a reason to take a very serious look at these very qualified candidates who can make a huge difference. >> everybody is talking is it ill about hillary clinton, obviously, and whether or not she runs in 2016. the question is what she's going to do in 2014. we know there are some indications she's supportive of senator mark pryor, but also allison grimes, jeanne shaheen, we're just getting a sense maybe that she's going to have a competitor, scott brown from massachusetts. >> yes, who just moved to new hampshire, so -- >> how much of an impact could

hillary clinton have, particularly on getting women candidates elected? >> well, she already is having an impact. she's had an impact for years and years, but her -- secretary clinton's work, particularly in empowering women and girls across this country and across the world has motivated women to step up and run for office already. it's one of the reasons i think we're seeing so many women stepping up now. i think we're going to see more and more. depending on what she decides to do, her legacy is that she's motivated a lot of women candidates. i think what we'll see already is such strength in so many of our emily's list candidates that we're going to have a really interesting 2014. it's going to be about women's leadership once again, just as '12 was. >> stephanie schriock. today's tweet of the day comes from a washington capitals fan who took a puck to the head

at the hockey game but stayed to watch overtime before going to the hospital. trisha drummond most this photo and wrote i took 5 stitches for the team and they won. it's worth it. #caps. rainier out of landfills each year? by using one less trash bag each month, we can. and glad forceflex bags stretch until they're full.* so you can take them out less often.

i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is.

to "politics now" where mike huckabee is gearing up to launch a news publication called "the huckabee post" set to debut next month and will cover politics to pop culture. he is also considering running for president again in 2016. former nba star dennis rodman heading to north korea on thursday, even after kim jong-un executed his uncle. rodman calls kim his friend for life and is heading there to train north korea's hoop stars. a spokesman says the plans were made before the execution. they may be the least productive congress in history, but that hasn't put a damper on the holiday spirit. nbc's kelly o'donnell shares

this holiday fun fact. senator al franken is organizing a senate secret santa. he's done it the past three years and this year 65 senators are exchanging gifts. and leave it to jimmy kimmel to uncover the latest video sensation starring toronto mayor rob ford. >> the west toronto church of god invited mayor ford to their church. not only did he show up, he wound up on the altar singing with the choir. we have videotape fortunately. he's the one on the right. look at the -- i call that move, i'm the only white person in a gospel choir shuffle. >> the gift that keeps on giving. that wraps up this hour of "jansing & co." i'm chris jansing. thomas roberts is up next. hey, thomas, you want to show us your shuffle. >> yes, exercise does a body good, right? could you see that? >> i saw it.

i am afraid, very afraid. >> you're shocked, i know. all right, chris, thanks so much. the agenda next hour, does a judge's ruling on the nsa data surveillance program vindicate edward snowden. we'll ask senator bernie sanders of vermont about that. then chris christie's bridge to nowhere. questions about whether he or one of his cronies really shut down a major bridge to get political revenge. it could cast a dark cloud on his 2016 aspirations. we'll talk to our agenda panel about that and get them to weigh in on that and more. and the debate over whether santa claus is black or white. is it missing the entire reason for the season? our agenda panel will tackle that one too, straight ahead. after re adg all the reviews i know i'm making the right choice. online or on the phone, we help you hire right the first time. with honest reviews on over 720 local services. keeping up with these two is more than a full time job, and i don't have time for unreliable companies. angie's list definitely saves me time and money.

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i have a cold with this annoying runny nose. [ sniffles ] i better take something. [ male announcer ] dayquil cold and flu doesn't treat all that.

it doesn't? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast-acting antihistamine. oh, what a relief it is! ♪ ♪ if i was a flower growing wild and free ♪ ♪ all i'd want is you to be my sweet honeybee ♪ ♪ and if was a tree growing tall and green ♪ ♪ all i'd want is you to shade me and be my leaves ♪ grown in america. picked & packed at the peak of ripeness. the same essential nutrients as fresh. del monte. bursting with life™. hi, everybody, good morning. i'm thomas roberts. topping our agenda today, breaking news on capitol hill. a test vote on a bipartisan deal has advanced through the senate 67-33. now, a final vote could come as early as this evening, thanks to a handful of republicans giving

democrats the necessary votes to avoid a filibuster. now, this deal replaces $85 billion in sequester cuts and deficit reduction and raises airline fees and the amount federal workers must contribute to their pensions. the general consensus, it's better than nothing. >> although neither side got everything it wanted from this agreement, it should help break a terrible cycle of governing by crisis. >> this bill isn't exactly what i would have written on my own. i'm pretty sure it's not what chairman ryan would have written on his own. >> still, some grand ole partiers plan to protest this deal. three plan to bring military families to the senate to protest military pension cuts. can a bipartisan budget deal dig a do-nothing congress with a meager 16% approval rating out of a political hole? joining me from montana, jon tester. he is an excited guy. look at that smile on his face. sir, let's talk about