the governor out of the jam. 1,000 new documents are set to be released today which could reveal new details about led to the lane closing scheme on the nation's busiest bridge. a new theory from rachel maddow brings a new name forward as the pay back target. the state senator, lorraine weinberg will be joining us this hour. >> i can't get into heart and mind and know exactly what it is that provoked this. but bridget kelly sitting in her office did not suddenly think up, i have nothing else to do, i'm going to create a traffic jam. >> and as new details of the scandal unfold, the 108 minute press conference did not quiet the critics or the comics. >> some say this could ruin christie's chances of being elected president of 2016 while hillary clinton said, party!

>> awaiting the release of more documents from a new jersey senate committee that could explain the contradictions in governor christie's story. was the bridge traffic jam a one off political ploy or typical of revenge politics in christie's administration and how credible is the govern's denial that he asked no question as the scandal intensified and after two of his appointees resigned from the port authority under pressure. joining me now, political news director, chuck todd and mat katz for wnyc and new jersey public radio. welcome both. first to you, matt, the developments and of course the explanations, 108 minutes, what questions were not answered to

your satisfaction? >> the biggest question lingering over the briefing room, why the governor had not spoken to the people involved since he found out what happened. he said he dismissed one of his closest advisers, bill stepien, and had not had a conversation with him though when he dismissed him from his role with the state party and republican governor's association. and a lot of reporters were questioning that and asked him again and again about that. why -- he said he wanted to get to the bottom of this and why then wouldn't he ask them what happened and why they ordered this traffic jam. >> chuck todd, let's talk about bill stepien, how big a role did he play in chris christie's political life? >> i mean, he was one of the main chief advisers. it's the equivalent of if the president to put it back in the first had to fire david axelrod or david plouffe, it's that sort

of person who has been in charge of chris christie's political world. there's a reason why he was going to be simultaneously chairman of the new jersey republican party and chris christie's among his eyes and ears at the republican governor's association. to be in both places tells you everything you need to know. he was in charge in many ways. you have a few others also very important in the christie political operation, who apparently -- not a part of this it appears. but this is a -- this is a major shake-up in his political world. he's got his deputy chief of staff who some people describe as enforcer but the person who ran the state day to day. when i say that, meaning, made sure trainses were running on time then chief political person. it's a big shake-up in the christy worcris christie world. >> kelly o'donnell joins frus fm

trenton. the enigma was why he dismissed the fact he did not ask questions of the people he fired, beyond they had lied to them, but he never asked about their motivation, how did this happen and why did it happen? >> reporter: that was one of sort of the missing pieces in the nearly two hours we spent with the governor here. in part, he kept referring to his own role as a former u.s. attorney where he said so many times elected officials had spoken behind podiums and told them what to do. he did not want to do that. he did not want to interfere, he said, with any ongoing investigations by speaking to the two people that he broke ties with at a time when it was clear to him they were already implicated in some way in this, trying to give himself some cover. but it really -- i even asked the governor offhandedly that probably wasn't even picked up, was bridget anne kelly at work in the day in question? i'm not sure. it was per plexing to have a

couple of people who as you and chuck and others have been talking about, sort of the soul of the christie operation to not be part of his world anymore. i think in part why did the press conference go on so long? i talked to advisers who said they did want to find a balance between answering every question in the room, which meant some of us got to ask more than one and giving a perception, even if it was exhaustive, to people watching that he was willing to withstand the intense pressure of the moment and keep answering questions even though as we're discussing not all of the answers to outlying questions were resolved. he asked what was answered of him and there were big question marks. we did bring up the issue of he seemed so focus on the lie and when we pressed him on that, he said because the lie is the first gate in his evaluation of the loyalty and the fit for service credential of his close associates. when bridget anne kelly lyled to

him. that was it, he didn't need to look to the underlying conduct. what happened what happened and why they would have done this presumably on his behalf on to his benefit? >> matt katz, the underlying conduct, that's the issue that i keep coming back to because was it a one off? it seemed as though from the e-mail exchange when bridget anne kelly e-mails about it's time for a traffic jam in ft. lee and david wildstein says got it. it's almost automatic, they are having a conversation which seems to be -- >> as p it were part of a playbook. >> we picked it up in the middle of the conversation it seemed in those documents, but what it might indicate is the perception of the governor might be true and that perception is that they -- there's a subtle understanding that rolls down

from the top that -- enemies are taken care of so to speak. that's the perception christie is trying to beat. he's having a problem about that because others are now coming forward saying that the governor has gone after them, the mayor of jersey city, second big eflt city in the state. released a statement saying after he told the governor's people he would not endorse him for re-election, he had six meetings with six cabinet level commissioners canceled suddenly within the hour. so this perception of him being vengeful is really going to dog him going forward. >> chuck todd, finally, the wildstein baroni resignations in december -- >> we asked that. >> he has not explained why he didn't ask them why they had resigned? >> why did he accept them if he thought nothing was wrong? >> exactly. >> we asked that question and i remember writing it in first read, how do you accept the res igs nations in you believe nothing went wrong?

there's another part of these and some of these text messages and e-mails released but there's a point in there where i believe it's wildstein and baroni, can't remember which one, they are asking the question in a text, is trenton happy? or am i hearing good things from trenton? it was referring to trenton as the way we refer to the white house as an entity. sean that was another thing that set off to me at least a yellow flag if not a red flag. clearly who was really bridget kelly the only person in the office that knew. >> from all accounts he ran a very hands on office. >> that was part -- there was time as a performance, the more you know about the story, the less impressed you were with his performance. but there were times he sounded very loyal. it really reminded me of bill clinton in so many ways, the bill and bad when there's a precise way christie would

answer questions. these are the two people that report directly to me and i'm going wait a minute you're the governor of new jersey, one of the most powerful governorships in the country. there are a lot more than two people that directly report to you. >> chuck todd, matt katz, thank you very much and objectif cour kelly o. rachel maddow has been on the story for a month. last night rachel took another deep dive in new jersey politics, specifically what could have prompted bridget kelly to sent that fateful e-mail. >> tuesday, august 12th, 2013, late in the day. the governor blows up at senate democrats and yanks the judgeship of a supreme court justice and calls the democrats animals, not just a justice he admires and republican on the state supreme court, it is the wife of one of his key staffers. he's outraged at senate democrats. late in the day, august 12th, the next morning at 7:34 in the

morning on august 13th that his deputy chief of staff gives the go ahead to the port authority. time for some traffic problems in ft. lee. go to the list of legislative districts for state of new jersey, find ft. lee. ft. lee new jersey, legislative district 37. who represents district 37? they have two members of the state assembly and the leader of the senate democrats, leader of the senate democrats represents ft. lee. >> new jersey state senator and majority leader loretta weinberg joins me. thank you very much for joining us. have you gotten to the bottom of the question who was the real target and whether you think you could have been the real target as a result of that judicial bottle loyal that was being waged the night before the e-mail was cents by bridget kelly? >> andrea, the reason for the

speculation for the very speculation as to who, why, what, where and when is because the governor has not been forthcoming. i've been involved in this issue for four months. and it really amazes me that the governor just discovered two days ago that this was a big issue. he appoints or nominates each of the commissioners from new jersey on the port authority. he never called one of them and asked them what's going on here? why is senator weinberg appearing in public meetings of the port authority. his two top lieutenants, the two people he's most responsible for, bill baroni, deputy executive director of the port authority and mr. wildstein, who is his boyhood friend, who was described as his eyes and ears at the port authority, they resign under pressure. he never asks them what did you know? who did you talk to in my

office? why was this done? an e-mail was released from the executive director of the port authority, patrick foy, which said, not only were the processes at the port authority not followed, but in fact laws might have been broken here. he never called patrick foy and said, what laws might have been broken? did any of my people do anything wrong? then we fast forward, suldly when the e-mail appears right from his own front office, his deputy executive director, an e-mail that says time to create traffic. obviously that e-mail wasn't done in a vacuum. there had to have been discussions prior to it, maybe correspondence or texts, anybody's guess. but he fired her, never asked her why did you do this? that is so beyond belief from mr. hands on, i'm responsible for everything in new jersey, the buck stops with me governor

christie. all of those holes are in that very dramatic wonderful presentation he made at thinks press conference, his apology to the mayor of ft. lee, i've been going here for four months. he never called and said to me, gee, what's going on here? i will tell you, i actually had a discussion i think it was sometime in november, with his chief of staff. and i said to the chief of staff, private one on one discussion, i was meeting with him on issues unrelated to this, but i said, i want the governor to know i'm not dropping this issue. i'm continuing to go to port authority meetings. we have to get to the bottom of this. so i gave a personal message to his chief of staff. and it is because he thought he would get away with this dramatic presentation, mr. curiosity, i never asked her why she did it. i don't know why my top two guys resigned. i asked one of my closest

advisers my campaign manager, somebody i had just urged to become the chair of the republican party in new jersey, i'm now throwing him under the bus, but i don't know how it happened. i don't know why it happened and i'm sorry. well, thousands of people were put in jeopardy, thousands of people that i represent and that governor christie represents and the speculation will stop when if ever, this governor who set an environment that people are worried about retribution and mayor of ft. lee stated one of his first questions to the governor is, i am worried that somehow there will be retribution on the people of ft. lee. what kind of atmosphere has been created in new jersey that elected officials and citizens are worried about that? that's because of the environment that governor christie has set. he's responsible for that. and he'll go along way to have

to work to restore people's confidence. >> what kind of power did bridget kelly wield? >> i'm sorry. >> bridget kelly, what kind of power did she wield? is this something she could have done on her own, creating this -- >> somebody didn't -- somebody did not sit in an office in the governor's office in a vacuum and suddenly say, gee, i think i'm going to create a traffic jam in ft. lee. that is so bizarre, so hard to believe. that's a missing link in this. why was this done and who orchestrated it? it is impossible to believe that somebody just thought this up. you are talking about the busiest bridge in the world, the george washington bridge. obviously a homeland security issue. it was the week of the first day of school where hundreds of

school kids were caught in this traffic jam and didn't make it to school in time. it was the week of the 9/11 observance. and thousands of people were caught in a traffic jam. it went on for four days. the governor then made some statement when he was making fun of all of this, a month or so ago, with what was such a big deal, why didn't the mayor of ft. lee call people. when it came out in the newspaper that the mayor of ft. lee spent four days reaching out to the port aauthority to no avail, one of the e-mails says in terms of getting back to the mayor, radio silence. the governor never went back to the mayor and said, gee, i'm sorry, i didn't realize that you had been calling for four days? there are so many holes in this, he gave a great dramatic performance, not first, not the last one i've ever seen governor christie do on behalf of the people. but, you know, he can't get away with this this time.

until we know the whole story, there will be all kinds of speculative theories. people will conjure up whatever people might think will fit the situation. it is the governor and governor alone who knows why this happened and the fact that over the last four months he never asked one question. zpl i know you -- >> he started out by talking about assemblyman wiz nessky, that we were fixated, i moved the cones myself. and then he suddenly found out this is really an issue. >> clearly now it is. senator weinberg, thank you very much for being with us today. >> thank you for having me. >> and president obama has declared a state of emergency in west virginia where a chemical spill has endangered the water supply for 300,000 residents.

people in nine counties along the elk river have been told do not use tap water and boiling water will not make it any safer. local officials are working with the federal emergency management agency to open distribution centers but nothing to be done about the messy spill. the chemical has to disspipate from the water on its own. ♪ ♪ ♪

the day building a play set begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪ [ male announcer ] that's handy. so i tri [ male announcer ] that's handy. ed depend so i it really made the difference between a morning around the house and getting a little exercise. hi-ya!

and i tried a baking class. one weekend can make all the difference. unlike the bargain brand, depend gives you the confidence of new fit-flex® protection. it's a smooth and comfortable fit with more lycra strands. it's our best protection. take your weekend on with a free sample at depend.com

know how angry i am in traffic, who did this to me? >> do you think it's something about the leadership style they didn't know? >> people will have to judge that. >> rand paul wasn't the only republican willing to let chris christie twist slowly in the wind. few republican leaders have rushed to christie's defense. joining me now, chris cillizza

of managing editor of post politics.com and susan page. chris, are you struck by the silence out there among republicans about chris christie? >> i think it's notable for sure, andrea. and there are probably -- there are a lot two reasons. let's say that. one is that christie's style, even prior to this debate over is he a bully or brash or blunt, it works in new jersey and helped to get him re-elected in new jersey but it can rub politicians the wrong way. the other part, andrea, everyone is waiting to see if there's any other stuff out there. is there another -- christie said unee quifically, he wasn't involved. he staked his political career on that pledge. other politicians will not sort of just jump in to defend him when we were really only about 48 hours out from the revelation that his deputy chief of staff

was involved in this, which when the week started we had no idea about. >> lindsay graham among others said that reinforces a narrative that's troublesome about the guy. he's kind of a bully. i don't see how people close to him would have felt comfortable enough to do this. isn't it common sense? i think he'll have a hard time in the south. the edge is part of it, he's a little bit too slick by half. that's tough stuff. >> i think his biggest problem in getting the nomination is not the bridge controversy. i think he's out of step with the base of the republican party. lindsey graham is getting to that a bit. the republican party is dominated by southerners and evangelical, not comfortable with a variety of things about chris christie that go well beyond whether he acted inappropriately in this particular controversy. >> and south carolina, an early primary. chris cillizza, the next step --

we hear more documents will come out within the hour or next couple of hours. does the democratic party in new jersey risk looking as though it's piling on? >> look, i think the democratic party was quite clearly pushing this story line that there was more there there up until this week. i actually think at this point they would be better served from a political perspective to pull back a little bit. there's plenty of there there to sort. you've got every media organization in the country going through as you said, this glut of documents we expect to see. there's going to be more going on. we obviously have the hearings in the state assembly related to this, possible talk of other investigations. at this point i think they would be well served to take a step backward to keep the partisanship out of it because ultimately this is about what did chris christie know and when did he know it. he seld he didn't know much and

found out about it at 8:50 this past wednesday morning. and i think we need to find more out to make sure that that story is checked out by all of the facts that will continue to come to light. >> and susan, this is a big distraction because he's about to take over the republican governors association and the quiet launch of a republican -- possible republican campaign. he has to have one foot in trenton or both feet in trenton, really at the same time he's supposed to be running the rga. >> beyond this particular issue, were there other incidents of political retribution. i mean if this was a climate in his office, hard to imagine the only time anything was done was in this particular case. if that happens, that's very troubling for chris christie and his team. if they can find a second incident or third incident, that would really launch this into a whole other level of trouble. >> susan page and chris

cillizza, thanks very much. >> on the same sex legal fight in utah, i'm joined by pete williams. >> the justice department said it will honor the same-sex marriages, will legally recognize those performed in the 17-day window after a judge ruled on december 20th that the state's ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional and this past monday when the supreme court pumtt a hold on tt ruling. eric holder says, these families should not be asked to endure uncertainty regarding their status as the litigation unfolds. now, it's an odd situation in utah now because the state has said it doesn't want to take any further action now to recognize though marriages, even though the attorney general told counties in a letter earlier this week that they have to mail out any same-sex marriage licenses for those that were performed during that period, so the state is sort of saying, we can't take any further action to recognize them bumt the federal government is saying it will

recognize them. as this case goes on through the courts, it's on appeal now. the court of appeals will hear argument in this case in february and who knows whether it goes after that. >> thanks to you, pete. >> and meanwhile, jay carney just announced that the white house -- that the president will announce his decisions on the nsa next friday. meanwhile the air force has identified the four airmen killed in tuesday's helicopter crash during a training exercise in england. tris tofr stover was from vancouver, oregon. his father said he was doing what he truly enjoyed, flying, 31-year-old captain sean ruane leaves behind a wife rachel and one-year-old son liam, dale matthews leaves behind a wife, two children and two stepchildren. and 28-year-old staff sargtd afton ponce pictured during her time as mentor at a camp that

helps military families deal with tragedy. the commander said the liberty wing feels as though it lost members of its family. we stand by to support one another and these airmen's family during this difficult time. [ telephone rings ] [ shirley ] edward jones. this is shirley speaking. how may i help you? oh hey, neill, how are you? how was the trip? [ male announcer ] with nearly 7 million investors... [ shirley ] he's right here. hold on one sec. [ male announcer ] ...you'd expect us to have a highly skilled call center. kevin, neill holley's on line one. ok, great. [ male announcer ] and we do. it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. ♪

isn't it time you discovered the sleep number bed? because only the sleep number bed offers dual air technology that lets two people find the perfect balance of comfort and support for their bodies. their sleep number setting. ok, right there. and only the sleep number bed is clinically proven

to relieve back pain and improve sleep quality. oh that feels really good. it's hugging my body. and right now, we're offering our lowest prices of the season. save $300 to $800 on our newest innovations. it's the perfect time for you to try the sleep number bed. plus, take advantage of 18-month special financing on all sleep number beds. sale ends soon. discover the sleep number bed. costs about the same as an innerspring, but lasts twice as long. only at one of our 425 stores nationwide, where queen mattresses start at just $699.99. sleep number. comfort individualized. i have the flu, i took medicine but i still have symptoms. [ sneeze ] [ male announcer ] truth is not all flu products treat all your symptoms. what? [ male announcer ] nope, they don't have an antihistamine. really? [ male announcer ] really. [ dog whine ] but alka-seltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms.

[ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go. get it! [ male announcer ] can't find theraflu, try alka-seltzer plus for fast liquid cold and flu relief. . joining me now, the one and only jim cramer, his new book entitled "get rich carefully", his new approach to investing in this economy. i want to ask you as a new jersey residents and someone familiar with ft. lee and george washington bridge, what do you make of chris christie's management style and his claim in 108 minutes that he didn't know what was going on beneath him? >> disappointing, it's not the chris i know. by the way, i know it's the first world problem, as my caughts daughters would tell me.

i'm on that bridge and i know it's an act of god. take anger management courses, but who would inflict traffic on anyone? holy cow. >> it's hard to figure out. now, here you've got this new book on getting rich carefully. how has the great recession and all of the volatility we've seen and new regulations and a lot of other post recession changes, how has that affected your investing judgments? >> what's happened is people feel the market is rigged against them or the big banks have decided they are in control of the markets or feel they look at all of these u.s. attorney investigations and indictments and think it's all crooked. what i'm trying to say, post great recession, there are a lot of opportunities, be less frightened but use the kind of things that happened in washington where the market shops 5 to 8%. to be able to buy longer term themes. what i focus on longer term than

i ever had, it's important to get people thinking 5 to 7 to 10 years rather than five to seven to ten minutes which has become the preoccupation on wall street. >> what about the jobs report today? weather related -- still, is this a softness? >> it was weaker. i had the labor secretary on and didn't expect this candidly because interest rates are down dramatically. this is watershed number, you thought the economy was really strong and we were coming in with a head of steam, think twice of hiring. when is thinking christie, definitely the right thing -- it is a scandal. i have to tell you it is a scandal how we're still -- nowheresville when it comes to hiring. this was a bad number. it was a worry some one. interest rates are coming down and mortgage rate will go down next week. but my breath was taken away. where are the jobs? >> and if you're asking where

are the jobs, what is janet yellen do in terms of tapering? is this the right time to take that stimulus away and also big new names the white house said that stan fisher is going to be. we expected this but for someone like stan fisher who is a preeminent economist and ben bernanke's these sis adviser, the fed is ramping up. >> i love fisher, studied his work for many years. he's kind of just one of these people unassumingly fantastic at what he does. he saved southeast asia during the crisis. it was him at the imf. i do believe there are a lot of jobs in a lot of places and people have to get there. i know the government doesn't want to be involved in trying to get economic mobility, let alone mobility to where the jobs are because there's such a xix down in washington. they need to think bigger than what they've been thinking. congress and president have to

come up with something beyond unemployment benefits and beyond minimum wage to create some jobs. this number was stark. and the market is changing because of it. it's great that interest rates go back to where they were before the big summer scare, but it shouldn't be for this. it shouldn't be because we don't need to borrow as much money. we have to create jobs and create them now. >> thank you so much. excited to have you on. next up, the company man, a rare look inside the cia's most controversial tactics post 9/11. [ male announcer ] start the engine... and shift through all eight speeds of a transmission connected to more standard horsepower than its german competitors. and that is the moment that driving the lexus gs will shift your perception. this is the pursuit of perfection. this is the creamy chicken corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet! me too! [ male announcer ] so indulgent, you'll never believe they're light. 100-calorie progresso light soups.

there's nothing like being your own boss! and my customers are really liking your flat rate shipping. fedex one rate. really makes my life easier. maybe a promotion is in order. good news. i got a new title. and a raise? management couldn't make that happen. [ male announcer ] introducing fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex.

and this park is the inside of your body. see, the special psyllium fiber in metamucil actually gels. and that gelling helps to lower some cholesterol. metamucil. 3 amazing benefits in 1 super fiber. the day building a play set begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪ the key decisions that led to water boarding and over controversial interrogation techniques later outlawed. it's a rare and revealing look inside the controversial history of the cia. even at washington's fabled spy

museum john riz zo is no james bond. but he is the ultimate company man, a lead cia lawyer during decades occasionally marred by scandal, intelligence failures and post 9/11 interrogation practices later outlawed. >> extraordinary measures have to be taken. >> extraordinary measures, you mean what was later decided to be torture. >> if it had been torture we wouldn't have done it. >> they helped recreate sites in zero dark thirty. he got the bush department to sign off on them in real life. the origin of the program started at cia. >> absolutely. >> with you? >> with me and few others, yes. >> do you have any second thoughts about that now? >> no, rizzo first came to the cia in the 1970s as iran later held diplomats hostage, they

orchestrated a daring scare by six portrayed by argo. >> ben affleck character was fairly close. >> there were a few heroes in the cia during ronald rag and iran-contra scandal. >> it was not an exercise in good judgment. >> revealed by the attorney general -- >> resignations will show the cabinet is functioning? >> i know of no other res igs nations requested. >> rizzo's job was to explain it afterward. >> i was learning at the same time as the american people. >> rising to become the top lawyer, he saw it all, from the hunt for cia mole to 9/11, the valerie flame case and saddam hussein's nonexistent wmds. >> how close to reality is something like "homeland". >> the character in the series reminded me of several similar types i met during the course of

my cia career. >> told you everything, didn't they in. >> yes. >> does he remind you of yourself? >> no, no lawyers in homeland. >> rizzo's career was cut short over the controversy over water boarding and secret prisons. >> i told the truth. >> he leaves with no regrets. >> what if there had been a second attack, how could i live with myself if that were the case? >> how can you live with yourself knowing that what you did and got approved by the justice department was to many people not only morally repugnant but illegal? >> looking back on the times and what i had to do, my conscious is clear. >> the inside story of the cia in good times and bad. and coming up next -- a former senate and statesman sam nunn about the lack of bipartisanship.

suffering from the flu is a really big deal. with aches, fever and chills- there's no such thing as a little flu. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. prescription tamiflu attacks the flu virus at its source. so call your doctor right away. tamiflu treats the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant,

nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. so don't wait. attack the flu virus at its source. ask your doctor about tamiflu, prescription for flu. [ chainsaw whirring ] humans -- sometimes life trips us up. sometimes we trip ourselves up. and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming at you, so do the solutions. like multi-policy discounts from liberty mutual insurance. save up to 10% just for combining your auto and home insurance. call liberty mutual insurance at... [ thump ]

to speak with an insurance expert and ask about all the personalized savings available for when you get married, move into a new house, or add a car to your policy. personalized coverage and savings. all the things humans need to make our world a little less imperfect. call... and ask about all the ways you could save. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? i losi'm a year short ofbably qualifying for my retirement.. they had some cutbacks. i was the most skilled technician and also the highest paid. for my unemployment to end now, i wouldn't have money to go on an interview. my retirement is going away as a result of this. i do have a husband, thank god, or i would be homeless. tell republicans: restore unemployment benefits now.

iran announced an agreement over the remaining nuclear issues with the west. but they say nothing is final. iran's nuclear program and north korea's weapons are part of the latest report from the nuclear threat initiative. i sat down with the tlesh initiative's leader, sam nunn, a leading expert on nuclear proliferation. >> and joining me now is sam nunn, the head of the nuclear threat initiative. you have -- congratulations, you have achieved a great deal just in the last two years. seven fewer countries have nuclear material. but one that still does is obviously north korea. we've seen this crazy trip to north korea by dennis rodman. you have a dictator there whom no one seems to understand who executed his uncle, the power behind the throne. we have a very unstable world. >> there's no doubt about that.

both iran and north korea are serious problems and the world has to cooperate to deal with those problems. of course, iran doesn't have the weapons yet as far as we know and north korea does. they are in different categories but both extremely dangerous. the good news the index we put together is a score card on nuclear material security. we know a couple of things that are very important. terrorists would like to get weapons nuclear material and have the know how available to build a weapon. we know if they get the material and build a crude weapon, they'll use it. we know that the hardest job they've got is to get nuclear material and that's what we've got to make impossible if we can. so the good news is that we have gone from 50 countries in 1992 to 25 that have weapons useable nuclear material on the territory. just in the last two years and i think president obama's nuclear summits have had an effect on

this. we've gone from 32 to 25 countries. so it's moving in the right direction but there is a long, long way to go and has to be sustainability of this effort. the effort can't end after president obama's leaves office. we have to have the withhohole engaged and we're trying to have a school card and measuring 56 different categories with countries all over the world. other countries that everyone has a duty to make sure that territory is not used to store stolen material or transport stolen material. it's a big index an we hope it will be stimulative for netherlands security conference in march. >> how important is it for us to negotiate a nuclear agreement with iran if iran does not agree to limits on its nuclear program, there's the possibility of proliferation by saudi arabia and others in the region who have the money and actually

financed nuclear program before and can call it due. they don't have to work on the science. >> we have a real dilemma with iran. if they get a nuclear weapon, you're exactly right, there will be other countries within the decade in the region that will get nuclear weapons or try. and region will become much more dangerous and it already is dangerous. if we have to go to war, that has huge downside risks. trying to get them to negotiate in good faith is what the sanctions have been all about. fortunately the world has joined in the sanctions, they are very effective sanctions and it's very important now to let it play out and hope congress will let it play out and let's really test the iranians. the one thing we don't want to do is erode the coalition. if we do erode the coalition and iranians don't make a deal in good faith, we will not be able to restore those sanctions the way they are now. i hope congress will work with the president on this one.

this is one of those times where congress and the administration really need to be on the same wave length if america is going to be able to continue to have the credibility to lead this kind of alliance which has been very effective in getting the iranians to the table. >> it's been a while since a nunn from georgia was in politics, but you now have your daughter, michelle nunn, running quite a race and raised overall upwards of $3 million now. >> well, she has done a remarkable job and has a lot of support. she spent 25 years inspiring young people to volunteer all over georgia and all over america. and indeed around the world. so michelle has become a really good candidate. she has not been in political office but she has been in business of inspiring people and most important to me and i think if she gets elected to washington is, she really wants to come to washington to find people on both sides of the aisle to work with. she believes we ought to concentrate on solving problems and get off some of the

idealogical extremes that have brought progress on any number of issues. she wants to work with republicans and wants to work with democrats and solve problems. we're very proud of her. she's got -- healthy about her fund-raising is she's got over 10,000 people who have contributed and that's an average of under $100 and she's got something like 8,000 volunteers so in a red state she has an uphill climb but has a real shot. >> i remember covering you in the senate in the years when politics actually worked and the senate did things and so did the house. it's been broken for whitequite while now. lots of luck with the mission. >> i remember when i left the senate, i made a talk at the pentagon and i said i never had a major piece of legislation pass without a republican co-sponsor and i think we've got to find a way to get back to that. most of america's problems are not ideological. most of them are really solving

problems. that's particularly true with the fiscal situation. hopefully both parties, republicans and democrats, will begin to elect people who are willing to work together and who understand the art of government and governances compromise and food faith. >> sam nunn, thank you very much. good to see you. we can probably guess what political stories will make headlines in the next 24 hours. stay with us. but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

her long day of pick ups and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪

what political story will make headlines in the next 24 hours? a lot more on chris christie expecting that to come out. we're talking about playoff weekend. saturday and sunday. four of the best games that we've been anticipating all season. and i don't know who you are rooting for anymore now that our team is gone. >> let's not say our team. i did grow up as a giants fan. my son is 1,000% onboard with the redskins. he may convert me.

only team i'm rooting strongly against is the new england patriots due to the longtime attempt to use connecticut as a bargaining chip to get more out of massachusetts for their stadium. i'm for the saints. i kind of like drew brees. i think he's sort of a great role model. all eight of the quarterbacks by the way, probably eight best quarterbacks in the league which tells you all you need to know about how you succeed. redskins do have robert griffin. we need him from two years ago and not from this past year. >> this weekend we need andy luck. >> interesting. you're an minneapolindianapolis. that's fine with me. as long as you don't root for the patriots, everything is fine. >> i'm good with that. we'll review the bidding on monday. have a great weekend. the same to all of you. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." remember follow the show online and on twitter at mitchellreports. richard lui has a look at what's next on "news nation."

>> i'll go with colin kaepernick. breaking news for you today, a state of emergency in west virginia. more than 300,000 people being told not to use the water coming from their taps after a massive chemical spill. schools and restaurants are closed. bottled water sold out and there's no telling when it will be cleaned up. we'll have the very latest. at any minute now, more e-mails and text messages are expected to be released in the traffic scandal that rocked the christie administration and there's another problem for the governor. possible payback from conservatives who blame him for helping the president win re-election. and target now saying the number of people affected by that massive data breach is nearly double than first reported and it gets worse. that's next on "news nation." [ mom ] with my little girl, every food is finger food. so i can't afford to have germy surfaces. but a fresh sheet of bounty duratowel leaves this surface cleaner than a germy dishcloth. and it's clinically proven to be 3 times cleaner. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to bounty duratowel.

and it's clinically proven to be 3 times cleaner. it's donut friday at the office. aso every friday morning they psend me out to get the goods. but what they don't know is that i'm using my citi thankyou card at the coffee shop, so i get 2 times the points. and those points add up fast. so, sure, make me the grunt. 'cause i'll be using those points to help me get to a beach in miami. and allllllll the big shots will be stuck here at the cube farm. 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

this is the creamy chicken corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet! me too! [ male announcer ] so indulgent, you'll never believe they're light. 100-calorie progresso light soups. hi, i'm richard liuilui.

don't drink the water in west virginia until further notice. that's the latest message from government officials. more than 300,000 people are still unable to drink, bathe or cook with the water coming out of their taps. it may have been contaminated by a massive chemical spill. tests are being conducted on the water right now. the president has signed a federal disaster declaration for nine counties, which include the state capital of charleston. in the past few hours, the u.s. attorney says federal authorities are now looking into what caused that spill. already grocery stores in the area have sold out of bottled water. schools and restaurants are closed and the state legislature is on hold. the chemical leaked into the river close by from a local coal treatment facility yesterday. it's colorless and some say smells like black licorice. it can be harmful if inhaled or ingested. environmental offi