>> the top two 2016 prospects both now getting an early preview of the scrutiny and spotlight a campaign would bring. >> the acts of sinners and saints would never be forgotten. >> tomorrow afternoon christie will deliver his annual state of the state address. >> the man has put his political career completely at risk. >> sometimes your surrogates don't have a good story to tell because there's not a good story to tell. it is a bridge over increasingly troubled water. this morning, federal officials launched a separate investigation into whether governor christie used hurricane sandy relief funds to produce

ads starring a man named chris christie. >> we're stronger than the storm. >> you bet we are. >> according to the allegations, the state paid $4.7 million for ads featuring christie, like that one, which caused $2.2 million than ads that did not feature chris christie. the very expensive decision has not gone over all. i suppose one could argue that christie is simply so telejenic -- or perhaps the state needs to suddenly reassure tourists that christie has mellowed and less likely to ruin their beach vacation by not hurling abuse at them while eating an ice cream cone. if ad gate and bridge gate look

like two separate problems, consider this. the politician who has them in balance goes a long way. christie seems to be fighting for you and for us. he almost always seems to have himself first and foremost in his mind. last month, it all seemed like a big joke to the garden state governor. >> i was actually the guy out there. wasn't in overalls and a hat. >> christie has been faced with the first serious criticism of his career. it's stuff that cuts to the very core of who the governor actually is. independent thinker or narcissist? this morning, the jersey

legislature announced a special committee focused solely on the christie bridge scandal. a new round of subpoenas is expected for key members of the governor's inner circle. it is not clear what the investigation will reveal. there's a question of whether calling a top aid stupid and deceitful before firing her without discussion, whether that move will serve chris christie well if and when that aide takes the stand. how long will they stay loyal to christie? joining me now the senate majority leader. thanks so much for joining us. i want to start with the news of today. you had an interview that you sent a letter to chris christie before the october 1st letter.

you wrote, i am at a loss for words regarding the authority's sudden traffic change. it has caused a significant hardship for many in the area. this decision has created significant congestion. did governor christie ever acknowledge receipt of that letter? >> could you repeat that please? >> you cc'd the governor on this e-mail. did he ever acknowledge that he received it? >> no. i first contacted the -- one of the port authority commissioners who happens to come from the county back on september 19th with a letter, quite a strongly worded letter, asking for the background of what took place here. i copied that letter to governor

christie's office. upon receiving no reply, i went to the port authority meetings in october, november, and december. and i stood up in front of those kind of very, very silent port authority commissioners who never answered me and explained to them there are no dedicated lanes to fort lee. that was a made up coverup and i can't use any other words other than those to describe what mr. bill beroni tried to sell to the transportation committee. there are no dedicated lanes to fort lee and there is no appropriate logical reason for why this was done. where's the traffic study? all of this has been going on since september. so the governor to kind of do this press conference, very long, gave very appropriate words, he's known about this for

four months at least. if he didn't know about it in advance, he's known about it for the last four months. he did a press conference and said, if it is such a big deal, why did the mayor of fort lee call the port authority? the mayor had a statement in the newspaper who said he called the port authority for four straight days. the governor at that point didn't think to find the mayor of fort lee and call him up and say what's going on here? there are two things you can derive from this. he either knew and he's not telling the truth to the people of new jersey or he doesn't want to know. >> in the days since these allegations first have come to light, multiple democrats, other democratic mayors in the state, have said they believe they were unfairly targeted in a number of

ways whether through hurricane sandy relief funds or meetings that were subsequently cancelled. this may have been more of a concerted effort against those who didn't support the christie administration. is that fair? >> a lot of people are prepared to believe all this. that's because the environment that the governor has fostered for the last four years. this environment of calling people names, of accusing people of things, using some fear tactics. people are prepared to believe all the speculative theories that are out there because we don't know the truth. i think most of us who are in politics or government know that we doubt very much that bridget kelly sat in her office -- that's the recently terminated

deputy chief of staff -- sat in the front office and all by herself sent an e-mail to david wildstein, time to create traffic in fort lee. this governor in his press conference, he looked at the camera and he said at one point, what i blame myself for is why did my staff lie? what he should have said, why does my staff think this is appropriate behavior? >> thank you for your time. joining us now is the director of the university of chicago of politics. david, i have to ask you this. there's a lot of speculation out there. at the same time, you've worked inside an administration that at times has been accused of group think or a bunker like mentality. even if the governor was not part of all this, is it possible

that these staff members, senior and otherwise, thought that somehow they were doing the right thing and this furor comes as a surprise to them? >> the furor may have come as a surprise to them because they probably didn't expect to be caught. the real question is could he not have known about it if he didn't want to not know about it. this is like a twist on the old thing. what does the governor not want to know and when did he not want to know it? the story that's emerging here is did they isolate christie or did he want to be isolated from this? i thought he was very strong at his press conference. the strength of the press conference will be determined if there are other shoes to drop. that's still very much in question. >> david, one of the things that

strikes me as perhaps the most egregious in all this -- there's the saying that politics ain't bean bag. this wasn't sort of a dirty or nastiness on the other party. this was holding the citizens of new jersey hostage. this was blaming them. this was putting them in a bad place. we're not just talking about the bridge closures. if funds were redirected for political reasons, the people on the end of the line were the people of new jersey. i wonder from your perspective in terms of how this plays nationally -- people, i think, have a different understanding when it is citizens paying the price. >> i agree with that. i come from chicago where hardball politics kind of comes in mother's milk. i have never ever could have

imagined anyone shutting a bridge down in order to punish a political figure. it just wouldn't even cross anyone's mind. so this was pretty extreme and there were real victims. there were real victims to it. one thing i would say, alex, i said the other day, i think we have to see how this plays out in terms of the long term for governor christie because we oftentimes in situations like this -- we overreact and say, he'll never escape this or get past this crisis. it's very rare that these things actually do disqualify someone. if it turns out he helped orchestrate this or that -- it was mind blowingly out of bounds even for hardball politics. >> we're talking about memes

that continue to live on past their expiration date. it pointed out to me they're going to continue to make benghazi a deal and will litigated in 2014 and 2015. how potent do you think those are to swing voters to people in the middle? >> i don't think they're potent at all to swing voters. they' they're red meat more the base. take the irs, for example. the principal person who made the decision that irs -- i worked at the white house at the time. if you asked me who lois learner

was, i would have said she was involved with superman. this involved a decision by one of the closest aids to a governor of state. to equate the two is absolutely ludicrous. we ought to set that aside. i think that there are many, many efforts to deflect, but i don't think you can -- i mean, the story is very, very clear. i saw less of the conservatives defending christie than senate right republicans. what was interesting to me yesterday on the sunday show was you had karl rove and rudy juliany who made a feeble effort to defend christie on friday on "morning joe." i think republicans see him as their best hope. they're eager to create some

space for him to work his way through this crisis. >> one thing is for sure. the saga is not over. there are many chapters that have yet to be written. >> thank you. >> former senior adviser to president obama. thank you so much. coming up, we're getting president obama's comments on gates new book. a new report reveals the clinton world keeps extensive tabs on who was loyal in the 2008 elections. that's next on "now." getting national maim bra t

recognition was tough. for more, watch "your business" sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. 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. we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone. there's not one way to do something. no details too small. american express open forum. this is what membership is. this is what membership does.

♪ every now and then i get a little bit tired ♪ ♪ of craving something that i can't have ♪ ♪ turn around, barbara ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health.

moments ago president obama

was asked for his reaction to former defense secretary robert gates tell-all memoir. >> during his ten ure here, he was a great friend of mine. coming up, 50 years after lbj declared the war on poverty, a new report shows vast numbers of women have struggling to make ends meet. plus, is there a scandal bigger than bridge gate? the most important story that's being overshadowed by the chris christie saga. that's coming up next. not causd by a heart valve problem.

that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto. like warfarin, xarelto is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. so jim's not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well managed on warfarin there is limited information on how xarelto and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. xarelto is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. plus, with no known dietary restrictions, jim can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto, rivaroxaban, without talking to the doctor who prescribes it as this may increase the risk of having a stroke. get help right away if you develop any symptoms like bleeding, unusual bruising,

or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto with aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto if you have abnormal bleeding. xarelto can cause bleeding, which can be serious and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto is not for patients with artificial heart valves. jim changed his routine. ask your doctor about xarelto. once-a-day xarelto means no regular blood monitoring -- no known dietary restrictions. for more information and savings options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. [ male announcer ] this man has an accomplished research and analytical group at his disposal.

♪ but even more impressive is how he puts it to work for his clients. ♪ morning. morning. thanks for meeting so early. oh, it's not a big deal at all. come on in. [ male announcer ] it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. ♪ yep...doh. [ boy ] slurpably fun and a good source of calcium. dads who get it, get go-gurt. i took medicine but i still have symptoms. [ sneeze ] [ male announcer ] truth is not all flu products treat all your symptoms. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms. [ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go.

recently in washington unfortunately we have seen examples of the wrong kind of leadership. when politicians choose scorched earth over common ground, when they operate in what i call the evidence-free zone -- [ applause ] >> since leaving the state department, her public appearances have been rare. her on the record interviews even more so. the last one was back in september, but stories about hillary clinton's shadow campaign all ensure the clinton world is never far from the headlines. the latest, hillary's hit list is an extended excerpt from an upcoming book. quote, there is a special circle

of clinton hell reserved for people who endorsed for obama or stayed on the fence after bill and hillary raised money for them. democratic lawmakers were assigned numerical grades from one to seven. seven being the most treacherous. wait. the clinton's were keeping score? such a reveal may illicit the world's most gigantic yawn. she blended the serious with the

not so serious. both clintons have gone through a phase of being praised by republicans looking for a way to stick it to the current commander and chief, but he too has a set departure date. joining me now is chris matthews and michael steel. chris, is this news or is this news mostly because the clintons have more power to reward and punish politicians in american than any other couple in the nation? >> one of the reasons i like you so much on the air is this is because the kind of stuff you jump on. i think the lesson of this article is that the clintons do keep score and they keep count

for people who do favors for them. i've seen in pennsylvania the last couple of years they go out there very hard for people who have been loyal to them in the primaries back in the '08 campaign for obama. you can buy your way back into their good graces by raising a couple of million or whatever. these are stories you hear. i can't verify them. i think their malleable. i don't think they're permanent. i think they do live in a world in which you have new friends and old friends and sometimes people are bad to you for a while and then you get back together again. he didn't take a whack at hillary clinton on what she had done. he went after her nature. this is a hard thing to argue against or for. he said she's very political. she's not pure. well, politics isn't filled with a lot of pure people. >> right.

>> but the argument that she's very political might be the main battering ram they'll do to get to her among women voters who will tend to be loyal to her and supportive to her. they'll say she's not really nice. she's really political. >> michael steel, the allegation that she's political -- i think that cuts both ways. there's some republicans and democrats who said this current administration, they don't play politics well enough. when you have someone who plays politics well enough, that then becomes a liability. what happens in the runup to 2016? are all those old battle knives brought back out? >> i think in many respects they are. in the last 18 months or so,

since hillary stepped down from her post at the state department, you can't not run a 1990s campaign against hillary clinton anymore. you're right. it does cut both ways. for a lot of women today who are much more engaged politically and much more interested in these issues, they see that political side of someone like a hillary clinton saying to them, she can hang with the big dogs and the big boys and she needs to be able to do that to have that electorate. we saw how resentful she was to those in 2008 who treated her, you know, with a lot less difference because she was a

female candidate. that has some play in going forward. we'll see how they use it. she likes the tough political part as much as some may fear it. >> what's really changed is the popularity of bill clinton. i think that taint is gone. he's a definite positive in american history. the more bill clinton looks like, the more the record of the clintons looks good. they're willing to put aside a lot of questions if the answer is going to be, yes, i will have more savings. i will get raises once in a while. i will not get killed by inflation. if you give that as an offer to the american people, it's exciting to people right now to get that solid future.

>> chris and michael, i pose this both to you. chris, i got to you first. no matter what, 2016 is going to be a very different race than 2008 was. >> yeah. >> the progressive left is in a different place than it was before. you have elizabeth warren out there. you have a national conversation beginning now about income inequality in a way that nobody was talking about that 40 years ago, 8 years ago. does that put hillary clinton in a different place? at the end of the day, they're modera moderate centrist democrats. >> that's where they need to be

to win. watching those people on wall street and watching the regulators and making sure they're doing their jobs. the presidency, i still think, is such a big leap from being a senator up there in massachusetts. i'm not a hillary hanger on. i have a lot of respect for her brains. she's got to become what he fears most. a first-rate top door pall. she has to get back into training. she's been out of training. politics is not something you jump back into like riding a bicycle. you have to keep at it. bill clinton has kept at it. he's always working at the craft and it shows. he's good at it. >> the craft, we are talking a

lot today about politics ain't bean bag. keep your knives sharp. if it is a race between chris christie and hillary clinton, you have two formidable candidates there. the clintons as much as they have many arrows in their quiver, it seems if anybody is willing to go the extra distance and forfeit the job one must do, it would be chris christie. >> i don't think they hurt him at all. there's a pew poll that shows there's no resonates with voters on this issue. it's not just chris christie. there are polls showing there is no objection to a clinton/bush

rematch in 2016. >> if hillary clinton can hold if obama vote, working class whites who have been distant from obama and hard to get and bring in conservative jewish vote voters, if she adds those people to the obama coalition, she wins big. that's all she has to do. bring in a little more conservative people and more hawkish. she's more hawkish to obama. she wins. >> i hope they're watching. we will be talking about this through 2016. thank you. thank you both. >> all right. five days after a chemical spill at a coal processing paint

tainted the water supply in west virginia, authorities lifted the do not use ban. it is raising some questions some old and some new about the cost of dirty energy and what happens when we don't pay attention to the industries that produce it. anna marie cox joins us to discuss the chemical valley. add vanishing deductible from nationwide insurance and get $100 off your deductible for every year of safe driving. which means you could save... a lot of benjamins. we put members first, because we don't have shareholders. join the nation. ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ [ female announcer ] aaah, the amazing,

delicious cinnamon and sugar taste of cinnamon toast crunch and cold milk. ♪ cinnamon toast crunch. crave those crazy squares. i've got a big date, but my sinuses are acting up. it's time for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is that won't relieve all your symptoms. new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel.

today 300,000 people in west virginia entered their fifth day without clean drinking water after a chemical spill in the elk river last week contaminated the water supply in nine counties throughout the state. certain areas saw bans lifted zone by zone. officials say only about 6,000

to 10,000 customers have been cleared thus far and will be able to use their tap water. some 300,000 west virginians have not been able to drink from their own faucets, been able to shower, or cook, or wash their hands. why? the story out of west virginia isn't just a story of inconvenience or one of accident. it is a story about what happens when you left an industry operate almost completely without any oversight and without any regulation. the chemical plant where the toxic chemical used to clean coal spilled into the elk river, that plant has not been inspected by state or federal officials in over 20 years since the year 1991. according to "the wall street

journal," officials knew they were stored near the drinking water of west virginians, but it is unclear what they did with that information. freedom industries has been trying its best to clean its hands of this disaster and move on. on friday night after only six minutes of speaking to reporters and in between sips of bottled water, the ceo tried to wrap things up. callie cart was not going to let that happen. >> look guys, it's been extremely long day. i'm having a hard trouble talking at the moment. i would appreciate it if we could wrap this thing up. >> reporter: we have a lot of questions. it's been a long day for a lot of people who don't have water. can you give us an exact timeline as to how this all happened? >> we were first aware of any material being spilled at 10:30

yesterday. >> is there any system in place at your facility to alert you to spill? >> at this time, that's all we have time for. >> we have more questions. we're not done. no. anyone else have anymore questions? >> two days after this, the public relations firm representing them said it would no longer respect the company. anna, thanks for joining me. you had one of the best analysises today about our skewed national imagination. we've been focusing a lot on bridge gate, but i thought your point was really worth repeating. you write, bridge gate in no way asks us to take a look at our own lives and behaviobehavior.

our country's national habits are at the heart of west virginia's regional tragedy. i thought that was so true. hundreds of thousands of people cannot even wash their hands in west virginia and it is where in the national dialogue? >> it's in the lower third in news speak. it's just remarkable to me because in a way i say in the piece that bridge gate is sexier. everyone drinks water. it's a huge scandal. people are asking whether or not christie will survive this scandal. the governor of west virginia, to get elected, you have to roll with the coal companies.

the state knew about the storage of this dangerous, dangerous chemical. they did nothing. i just hope we can actually look at this and start asking some questions maybe even about bridge gate. we're spending a lot of time about the inconvenience that was caused to the people who were trying to commute, but we didn't ask why so many people commuting by car? why are there so many individuals trying to get to new york? that's a problem that's much bigger than whatever happened with chris christie. >> this reminds me of the west, texas fertilizer explosion and the lack of regulation and giving companies a pass. we are in the throes of a season where talking about imposing further regulation is a problem, especially for those on the

right. this is the story of hundreds of thousands of west virginians being placed in harm's way and nobody's doing anything about it. the west virginia is desperate to keep coal and mining in the state because of the economy. >> they say water is safe to drink or some of it is. i wouldn't drink it anyway. what's going on in west virginia is an ongoing story. it is dangerous to live there. i hope that this tragedy just brings more attention to it over the months to come. >> thank you as always for your time. we direct everybody to go reed your piece online. after the break, a nuclear

deal is made with iran. will congress get the last word? that's next on "now." [ chuckles ] wife beats rock. and with two checks a year, everyone wins. [ female announcer ] switch today and get two safe driving bonus checks a year for driving safely. only from allstate. call 866-906-8500 now. [ dennis ] zach really loves his new camera. problem is...this isn't zach. it's a friend of a friend who was at zach's party and stole his camera. but zach's got it covered... with allstate renters insurance. [ female announcer ] protect your valuables for as low as $4 a month when you add renters insurance to your allstate auto policy. call 866-906-8500 now. what are you doing? we're switching car insurance. why? because these guys are the cheapest. why? good question. because a cut-rate price could mean cut-rate protection. you should listen to this guy. [ female announcer ] with allstate you get great protection and a great price, plus an agent! drivers who switched saved an average of $498 a year. call now and see how much you can save.

just a few more ways allstate is changing car insurance for good. [ female announcer ] call an allstate agent and get a quote now. we're gonna be late. ♪ ♪ ♪ oh are we early? [ male announcer ] commute your way with the bold, all-new nissan rogue. ♪ try align. it's the number one ge recommended probiotic that helps maintain digestive balance. ♪ stay in the groove with align.

♪ [ male announcer ] old el paso frozen entrées. now in freezers. feels like listerine®? [ male announcer ] old el paso frozen entrées. [ male announcer ] ever wonder why no other mouthwash because no other mouthwash works like listerine®. in your mouth, bacteria forms in layers. listerine® penetrates these layers deeper than other mouthwashes, killing bacteria all the way down to the bottom layer. so for a cleaner, healthier mouth, go with #1 dentist recommended listerine®. power to your mouth™.

also try listerine® pocketpaks to kill bad breath germs on-the-go. what could be a major step forward in efforts to limit iran's nuclear program took place yesterday when president obama announced on january 20th there will be a temporary deal to restrict the uranium enrichment program. they'll stop enriching uranium above 5% and will allow daily inspections from the international atomic energy agency. iran will receive temporary sanctions relief to the tune of 6 to $7 billion. it is not all smooth sailing for the obama administration.

the deal is only temporary. before we go to break, let's get the market wrap. hi, alex. red arrows across wall street today. dow losing 179 points. the nasdaq shutting 61 points. [ male announcer ] what if a small company became big business overnight? ♪ like, really big... then expanded? ♪ or their new product tanked? ♪ or not? what if they embrace new technology instead? ♪ imagine a company's future with the future of trading. company profile. a research tool on thinkorswim.

from td ameritrade. ♪ every now and then i get a little bit tired ♪ ♪ of craving something that i can't have ♪ ♪ turn around, barbara ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one.

there's a new face in the war on poverty. chris hayes joins me to discuss who is getting hit the hardest. that's next. it's time for aveeno® positively radiant face moisturizer. [ female announcer ] aveeno® with soy helps reduce the look of brown spots in 4 weeks. for healthy radiant skin.

aveeno®. naturally beautiful results.

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. of the 100 million americans

living at or near the poverty level, almost 70% are women. that is 42 million women. and of the millions of americans earning the minimum wage, women make up almost 2/3. these are a few of the statistics released by maria shriver. of the 42 million women living at or near poverty, shriver writes these are women who are already doing it all. they're doing it all yet they and their families can't prosper and that is weighing the u.s. economy down. joining me now is our very own chris hayes. we know you're doing a whole special tonight on this. >> we are. >> it would seem like there are

solutions here, right? more than 70% of low wage workers get no paid sick days at all. you have a minimum wage that's no longer a livable wage. and if you look out on the political horizon, the prospects of these are going to be uphill political battles. do you think couching in gender helps at all? >> i don't know if it helps politically. it is the truth. the way the bottom wrung of the american wage scale works is it is a very female space. women as you cited are a majority of minimum wage workers. there's an entire universe of professions that are growing that can't be outsourced that are overwhelming done by women and paid very, very little. women more and more have gone

into the work force, but there has not been an equal alteration in who does the child care. you have a labor market and a kind of domestic set of expectations that just put more and more expectations on women, particularly low wage women. >> gender neutral work practices were traditionally based on masculine models. the normal worker had a wife to do the care giving for him. >> that's been the assumption. policied conversations now about people should get an education,you'll see -- a woman you'll see tonight is a fast food worker says, she wants to get an education. she doesn't have time. she works and takes care of her

kids. >> what is amazing to me if there is something that is great about all this is the narrative of income inequality. there seems to be some ground swell. nowhere is that more evident. however, paul has a great column on this today. there's no policy they can agree on as a party that would change things at all in terms of income inequality. >> there's a perception on republican politics that there is a requirement to talk about this. first, do no harm. stop cutting food stamps.

stop cutting unemployment. get on the phone and get your senators to expand medicaid. >> what's so striking they are literally at the end of these -- these should be nonpartisan issues like unemployment insurance, basic protections that have existed for so long. i think it is fairly dastardly that it could be overcome with rhetoric. >> the ugly truth is the facts of the two political coalitions is such that a sizable percentage of the base of the republican party believes poverty is punishment. believes it is produced by poor choices and anything that would alleviate would coddle people and make them lazy.

the people that believe that are very near the center of the core voting block of republican primaries. those folks need to change the way they think about this issue or we're not going to get much change. >> i think there's been unw unwitting behavior here. they're spoken of as benefits or entitlements, that conotes this kind of laziness. you owe me, but not using that rhetoric. i think that's part of moving the ball forward or further to the center. >> the narrative to the deserving poor goes all the way back to the victorian era and progressive reformers. a lot of what the state has done is try to decide who is deserving and who is not. what you end up doing is screwing a lot of people who should be, quote, deserving. >> i look forward to your special tonight.

this is a topic i cannot get enough of. "50 year war -- the changing face of poverty in america." that is on at 8:00 p.m. eastern. "the ed show" is up next. good evening, americans. welcome to "the ed show" live from washington, d.c. let's get to work. >> using the george washington bridge of public resource to exact a political vendetta is a crime. >> not one single link to chris christie has been found. >> i was blind sided. >> i was blind sided in that circle of trust. >> we're starting our own circle of trust and guess what? you're not in it. >> i don't know.