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how the northeast has become a hot bed for heroin. good morning, i'm chris jansing. governor chris christie will acknowledge the bridge scandal today in his state of the state. mention, but then try to move on. both an awkward and fortuitously timed chance to tout his accomplishments. not everyone is moving on, though, now a special new jersey legislative committee will investigate what happened. more subpoenas could come thursday, and we're hearing reports of my new jersey mayors who feel they are the reason for political retribution. the democratic mayor of new jersey city said after he got elected, christie's aides bombarded him with help and meetings with powerful officials but meetings were cancelled after he didn't endorse christie for re-election. another city's dmv was shut down. >> this is the way this administration does business. i mean, either you're with them

or you're not, and clearly what happened in 2010 was a harbinger of things to come. >> "the new york times" also reports several new jersey democrats were rewarded for their endorsements. the harrison mayor got money for a new transit station, the union city mayor got a bump in state aid and $3 million in port authority money, even though it doesn't operate there, and the essex county executive got millions from the port authority and the state. christie even put in a personal appearance at the ground breaking. let me bring in our company, dafna, bob herbert, good morning. >> dafna, you have these mayors making claims on both sides, retribution and sort of payback. does he have to address all of this in the state of the state today? what does he say? >> that's a really good question. i think he definitely has to address it in some way. he has to acknowledge this scandal and what's going on. it is, you know, enveloping his

administration, whether he likes it or not. he's coming out with his version of the state of the state and meanwhile we're seeing, you know, investigations with a very different version of the state of his state. >> then you have the specifics of the claim, like they closed down a dmv office. >> you know, i had wondered early on before any of the bridge stuff had occurred why so many democrats were lining up to support chris christie. it just seemed odd to me. i've been covering politics most of my adult life and never really seen one party line up for another governor the way they had here. so now i think we're beginning to find out why. >> dafna, you look at the polls, 18% of people nationally say they are paying close attention to this and in new jersey, 51% think maybe that chris christie has taken post-news conference hasn't been completely honest about what we knows. his approval rating is still 59%. does there have to be a solid connection for their numbers to take a hit?

do we have to learn, for example, he knew everything that was going on and lied about it? >> he's not doing well with independents. he bled 10% of independent support in the poll. you know, that is very important for him. his version of bipartisanship, as bob was saying, forcing democrats to cross party lines and support him. he needs independents to keep up that image of himself as somebody who can draw in people on both sides and in the middle, and he doesn't have it right now, so i think the polls could change quite dramatically. you know, does it matter everyone in the country isn't paying attention to this right now? well, he's the head of the governor's association for the republican party. that's a pretty big job. he's somebody who's made very clear what his presidential aspirations are. i think what happens to him changing the calculus for the republican party and who's going to run for presidential primaries in 2016. i think it's a slow roll. if things start to change for christie and the investigation start to uncover, you know, a

clear motive here, i think more people could be paying attention. >> we should say his office is pushing back, for example, they say that dmv office was scheduled to be closed, that the mayor is trying to advance his own political agenda. having said that, there is a lot going on. john wisniewski is leading the special committee that is looking into all this. here's what he had to say. >> obviously, if he knew his statement the other day is false, but did he authorize it? was this done at his request? was this done because his campaign manager thought it was something that was important to do for the campaign? >> and, of course, now there's even an investigation into his use of the stronger than the storm comments. i mean, how much explaining does he have to do? i think if you're in the room and you're trying to plot strategy here, bob, do you say, look, at some point we have to look like we're governing the state again, but there is this sort of steady stream. >> yeah, there's a danger of his

administration being overwhelmed because there's so much going on. there are the investigations at the state level and one of the things he really has to worry about is whether anyone finds there was a misuse of sandy funds. we don't know that yet, but if that comes out, that would be devastating. but beyond that, what you have is political blood in the water, and you have the press, both the new york press corps, the metropolitan area and the national press corps on this case, and they are like sharks in a feeding frenzy. >> they were on this case back in the summer when the two port authority employees stepped down, so this isn't something that's new to them. >> he has to worry about what might still be coming. and one other point are the aides that, you know, have already resigned or have been fired. one has pleaded the fifth already before a state investigation, state legislative agency, so what are they going to have to say? he's got a lot to worry about. >> let's switch gears, if we can, because there's also stuff going on with obamacare.

the administration announcing 2.2 million people enrolled. 24% are in the all-important 18 to 34-year demo. republicans say it's a bust. the administration says the numbers are solid. is it too early to read into any of this? >> i think it's an important marker and considering sort of the slow roll of the enrollment process, i think it's never too early. i think you do need to watch all the time very, very carefully. i think that's what the white house is eager to release statistics all the time on enrollment numbers. it's important they get a much higher pool of younger people. there's lots of time left to do that. i know they want to do this big push towards younger enrollees and that's a really good idea, but they have quite a bit more time still to fill the pool they need to make the health care system work. >> we said, bob, 24% is the number of young people it's at. to make this financially viable it has to be 40%. are they confident they are going to reach that? >> no, i'm not confident.

i always thought that there were bigger things for the administration to worry about than the rollout and the computer glitches. he's got to get, you know, 40% or so, close to 40% of younger, healthier folks to sign up, and i always thought that was going to be a very heavy lift. and the big thing for them to worry about politically is if premiums rise as a result of not being able to get enough healthy younger people to sign up, that's going to be devastating for the administration and for democrats. >> dafna, bob, always good to see both of you. thank you. >> thank you. you can watch governor christie's state of the state here on msnbc. it is scheduled to begin 3:00 eastern time. checking the news feed this morning, right now we're waiting to hear from speaker john boehner. expected to talk about a trillion dollar spending bill to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. it also eases the sequester. the bill includes about $85 billion for military operations in afghanistan.

that's a $2 billion cut. the department of homeland security is taking a $336 million hit, most of that money coming out of the tsa budget. there's $8.6 billion for head start that restores previous cuts. federal workers and military personnel are getting a 1% raise and the bill bars postal officials from ending saturday delivery and closing small, rural post offices. investigators are incredulous a man who was texting his daughter during previews at a florida movie theater was shot and killed for it. another movie patron and retired police captain apparently asked chad olson to stop. at some point, one person threw popcorn, it's not clear who, it all escalated and reeves pulled out a gun and fired. olson's wife was shot in the hand trying to protect the husband. drinkable water is available to residents in a small west virginia community plagued by last week's chemical spill although most residents say they

are still afraid to drink it. the once contaminated water is moving down stream. the woman known as octomom is facing welfare fraud charges. prosecutors say nadia suleiman didn't claim nearly $30,000 from video and personal appearances while on public assistance. she's due in court friday, faces up to five years in jail if convicted. she has 14 children. he devoted his entire state of the state to vermont's drug problem. we'll ask governor shumlan why coming up. this is kevin. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve.

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this afternoon could be a make or break vote for 1.3 million unemployed americans. lawmakers are still right now

trying to hammer out a deal. eight republicans are pushing a deal to extend unemployment for three months and roll back cuts to military retirees while guaranteeing ways to pay for both. joining me now, pennsylvania democratic senator bob casey. good morning. >> good morning, chris, good to be with you. >> you said last month if it takes finding spending offsets, congress should do it. you just heard what the gop proposal includes. do you support it? >> well, we're looking, i think, at a lot of different options to get to the conclusion, which frankly shouldn't have been that difficult even last week. to be able, as we were last week, which is to extend unemployment insurance for just three months, we should have been there by the end of last week, but there was republican opposition. i think there's been some good discussions the last couple of days, but i can't say with any certainty that we're at a point where we can get an agreement. >> what are the offsets you would accept? >> what's that? >> what are the offsets,

senator, that you would accept? >> what i want to see is we get at a bare minimum a three-month extension without a lot of add-ons or conditions. it would be preferable, though, to have a longer term agreement so we don't have to have another debate in three months. we ought to have a longer term agreement. this is real life for people. this isn't legislative theory, as some people seem to believe in washington. this is real life, right now, since december the 28th, people really hurting. i think the job numbers that we just saw indicate that the economy still has a ways to go before there's enough momentum mind it that we don't have to be as concerned about unemployment insurance as we are right now. >> yet we keep hearing about this fight in the senate between mitch mcconnell and harry reid over procedural stuff like amendments. let me play what mitch mcconnell said yesterday. >> the majority leader should

give other senators more of a say in what we do around here, including members of his own conference. >> has their relationship broken down to the point that nothing's going to get done? >> chris, i think a lot of that analysis is probably overblown or probably -- we probably all spend too much time analyzing that kind of a relationship. the majority leader works well with folks in both parties. you can see just the last couple of days evidence of that, and i think we'll eventually get an agreement. we should try to wrap this up, though, as soon as we can so that we can get a budget done and we can also begin to work on some of the longer term challenges we have with the economy and with issues like income inequality, which is going to be a big issue for us. >> presumably to that end, you and other members of the democratic caucus are headed to the white house to meet with the president. what are your priorities for that meeting, is it about iran and the sanctions or about domestic issues like the minimum wage? >> i think whenever we have an

opportunity like that, we can address a broad array of issues, but the principle focus that i have, and i think most people have, is on jobs and the economy. we have a lot of good indicators, a lot of indicators yesterday, for example, that lead to some economists concluding that maybe at long last companies will start to put money on the table and start investing in their businesses again so we can really have a lift in the economy. part of the reason that they are willing to do that is not just because of growth rates or because of economic data, it's because washington is working together a little better right now, getting a agenda agreement. that's why getting an agreement on unemployment insurance is important and ultimately, this debate, which will come on the minimum wage, is going to be very important to the country. and i think we need to have a larger discussion, not just about the bill of the week or the debate of the week, but the larger question of how do we jump start the economy in the near term and also how do we put

in place a strategy for long-term growth, which i would argue starts with early learning going forward. >> before i let you go, there are new excerpts in the book on hillary clinton, you were one of the names reportedly on hillary's hit list, what's your reaction to that, senator? >> chris, you know there's a lot of politics in this town. that was, gosh, six years ago, we're not going to focus too much on that. i think most people want us to focus on the near term challenges, which is unemployment and jobs for a lot of folks, but also putting in place a longer term strategy that can be and should be bipartisan. and one of those areas is investing in kids so they can learn more now and earn more later and they can be pull participants in the economy. i think we can get some agreements on those. >> and a very deft turn on that answer, senator bob casey, always good to have you on the program. thank you. >> thanks. meantime, tomorrow vermont's

governor will roll out plans after the unprecedented decision to devote his entire state of the state address to what he calls the full blown heroin crisis gripping vermont. vermont has seen an increase of more than 770% in treatment for opiate addictions, more than $2 million worth of heroin and other opiates are trafficked into vermont every week. i'm joined now by governor peter shumlin, democrat from vermont. governor, good morning. >> hey, great to be with you. >> i know a lot of people were shocked and dismayed by your decision to devote your entire state of the state to drug addiction. what pushed you to make this issue the centerpiece? >> you know, vermont's a small state, where neighbors take care of neighbors and where we have very strong communities, and this is the one issue that can undermine our quality of life. and my frustration with this discussion, not only in vermont, but across the country, has been that, you know, we're dealing

with a public health crisis here and we tend to think we can solve the problem by simply locking folks up and throwing away the key. i would argue the war on drugs has been a disappointment and a failure, and we've got to find smarter ways to address what is a health care challenge. >> i think for a lot of people all around the country and i live 20 years in albany, new york, and spent a lot of time in vermont, this is shocking. your state is viewed as a beauty, healthy, outdoorsy lifestyle, yet the heroin problem is growing and nowhere more than new england, what's going on, governor? >> well, you know, it's not just a vermont problem. i want to make that very clear. this is what's going on about a decade ago, a little more, the fda approved oxycotin, which is heroin in pill form, it's an opiate. we dispense that with, i would argue, irrational exuberance in

this country. there's just no question, if you talk to the folks, the kids, the adults in vermont that are addicted, they usually start with oxycotin. now the street value of oxycotin is higher than heroin, so they turn to the cheaper option, which is a lifetime of addiction to a battle that is just heart breaking. >> well, your proposals include immediate relief for those on waiting lists by expanding drug treatment capacity, improving substance abuse treatment programs, mental health services, and also toughening sentences for drug pushers and increasing drug education. but you've also got a $70 million budget shortfall projected for next year, so the question, obviously, always becomes, how do you pay for it? >> you know, i'm going to devote the resources i need to to bend the curve on this struggle. this is important, not only as vermont, but as a nation we've got to confront this with a lot more creative thinking and a very different approach. and, you know, law enforcement has done an extraordinary job

here in vermont with, i would argue, a hand tied behind their back, at least one, maybe both. when you're dealing with addiction, you know, you're dealing with a relentless disease that is really tough to beat. and we all know that, you know, look at vermont, our correction spending has doubled in the last nine years. 80% of the folks we lock up are either addicted or in prison because of addiction-related activities, and we can't possibly arrest our way out of this problem. so this is not only in my view dealing with this as a disease, treatment, and much smarter way of approaching recovery, it's not only a compassionate thing to do, it's the right thing to do for vermont taxpayers, their wallets, and quality of life. it is an extraordinarily beautiful state. i would say we have the best quality of life, bar none, any in the nation. i want to keep it that way. that's why this is such a priority to me. >> you have definitely shined a light on this problem, vermont governor peter shumlin, thanks

for coming on and talking to us about it. >> hey, thanks for having me. is the war on women still on? a brand new report card gives failing grades. coming up, the debate that isn't going away and what it means for the 2014 elections. ♪ [ laughs ] whoo! ♪ oh! nice! great! [ laughs ] a shot like that calls for a postgame celebration. [ male announcer ] share what you love with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. they're gr-r-eat! because an empty pan is a blank canvas. [ woman #2 ] to share a moment. [ woman #3 ] to travel the world without leaving home. [ male announcer ] whatever the reason. whatever the dish. make it delicious with swanson.

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if you read only one thing this morning, with chris christie dealing with bridgegate and more than a few analysts thinking he can't get past conservative states to win the nomination anyway, who are the republicans with a chance to beat hillary clinton? check out my must read, it's up on our facebook page. let us know what you think. [announcer] word is getting out. purina dog chow light & healthy is a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend.

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a women's rights group is warning a war on women will ramp up as we get closer to this year's midterm elections. the nation gets a grade of "d" when it comes to protecting women's reproductive rights.

24 states enacted 53 measures restricting women's rights, including arkansas, north dakota, and texas, which banned abortion after 20 weeks. this comes a day after the supreme court declined to hear about arizona's ban on abortion after 20 weeks. joined now by democratic strategist chris kofinas and kristen hawkens. good morning. >> good morning. >> more than twice as many, 25, get an "f," so, chris, are pro choice advocates losing their battle? >> well, unfortunately what's happening in a lot of these states, these state legislatures went far right. this is, i think, sometimes the fixation we have on national politicians, but these state legislatures, statewide races, local races have a significant impact on women's issues across the board, so this is, i think,

a battle and a significant one, but i think the challenges for the republican party nationally as we've seen this play out now in the last two presidential elections, if you lose women's vote by double digits, you're not going to win national office, so the republicans, you know, have a real problem because they keep alienating women, not just on choice issues, but pay equity issues, education issues. at some point, it's more than just a war on women's issues. you end up basically losing them for good. that's not a recipe for success. >> part of all this discussion is what has been going on in the high court. for example, tomorrow they'll consider whether a massachusetts law that created a 35-foot buffer zone on abortion entrances violates protesters' free speech rights. let me read you part of an editorial, "antiabortion protesters may still picket, hand out leaflets, and speak

freely outside the buffer zone. the court should allow women to make choices free from intimidation, harassment, or worse. is there a point being made here? i just wonder, at some point, agree to disagree, but don't harass someone who's made a difficult decision. >> look, the abortion law gives special rights to -- massachusetts law gives special rights to abortion vendors. this is unbelievable. on college campuses across the country, these bubble zones have been struck down because they are unconstitutional. what we see in massachusetts is what we see every single day. women aren't running away from those peacefully praying and offering financial support, they are running away from people that force them into the abortion facility, their boyfriends and families who won't support them and tell them abortion is the only option. they are not the enemy here. >> these are the kinds of issues

that have really spawned this whole phrase, war on women, on the democratic side, chris, and this new report singled out three of what they consider to be pro choice champions, wendy davis, who, of course, is running for governor. north carolina state representative elma adams, california assembly member tony atkins. you were talking about how it's going to hurt the republicans, but will this really play a key role, because is this going to be an election about the economy, how will women's rights, realistically, chris, play into this? >> well, it's a critical part of the larger narrative that defines both parties. we've seen this play out in the last few cycles where republicans had a chance to win both in missouri and indiana, both races which they lost, by the way, because of inflammatory

remarks they made about abortion. this is a decision each voter is going to have to make in terms of which candidate reflects their interests. when you have one side, specifically the republican party, not only on choice but other issues that are important to women, education, pay equity, day care and child care, those kind of issues, and you end up alienating because you don't reflect their interest, you're not going to win their vote. that's why it plays a key part in 2014. >> does it have to be a more civilized debate because republicans imploded when it came to their comments on abortion and lots of republican strategists have said we've heard this time and time again, don't go there. these are not the issues day in, day out, that americans are going to vote on. is there a danger for candidates? >> look, being pro life is still a winning issue. chris's former boss from west virginia relied on pro lifers to win his senate seat.

he courted them when he was running for election. this is something we hear all the time. what chris didn't mention, as the majority of americans are actually pro life. women are pro life. being pro life is not a losing issue. isn't something you have to shy away from. >> kristen hawkins, chris kofinis, thank you. something we're going to follow. i should mention, chris, one more thing you want to say. somebody's birthday. >> yes, it's my daughter's seventh birthday. happy birthday. >> happy birthday. you want to tell me what her present is? you can whisper. kidding, kidding. she might be watching. >> very nice cake. checking the news feed this morning, security tight today as egyptians go to the polls to vote on the new constitution. it is a critical day because president mohamed morsi was ousted in a coup last july. new and frightening information about the flight that wound up at the wrong

airport. the pilot landed on a runway that was half the length of the one at the right airport and the plane stopped just 100 feet short of the end of that runway where there's a steep embankment and highway below. both pilots are being questioned today, but in the meantime they've been put on paid leave. alex rodriguez is suing major league baseball and its players' union claiming the league imposed a suspension without just cause. this all has to do with a-rod's use of performance-enhancing drugs. the arbitrator who handed down the punishment said a-rod's misconduct was unprecedented. propose francis raising his cool factor another notch, auctioning off his harley-davidson for charity. surprised he owns a harley? well, the pope originally got the bike last june as a gift in celebration of harley's 110th birthday. it has a signature on the tank that reads francesco. no word if the pope ever took it for a spin. there's a new king of the

disney box office. jackie is here with what's moving your money. "frozen" is now at the top spot in the house of the mouse. >> that's right, chris, good morning. the numbers certainly don't lie here. "frozen" bringing in $700 million worldwide. that's more than the "lion king" in sales and also managing to snag a golden globe sunday night. it's also been a domestic smash, $317 million in sales in the u.s., according to the wall street journal and box office mojo.com. "frozen" now the highest grossing disney-produced animated film of all time and plans for a broadway version in the works. bob eiger saying we're not demanding speed, we're demanding excellence. also many betting on nominations, if not a win at the oscars for this animated film. >> when you look at these kinds of numbers, kids going to it not once, three, four times.

>> four times according to your producer. >> billions in this case, there's a japanese beverage company with a big thirst for an iconic american bourbon. >> it's a $13.6 billion all-cash deal where japan based beer and cocktail company will buy beam. very strategic acquisition here, it's going to take them from number 15 in global liquor sales to number three, so a very big score for the company and a fun fact about whisky, chris, american whisky exports had a record year in 2013. the year before they were worth roughly $1.5 billion. fascinating numbers there. >> why am i not surprised? jackie, thank you very much. well, the days of june cleaver are long gone, but has american policy caught up with the changing times? coming up, a deep dive into maria shriver's report on why the financial burden is hitting

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we want to update you now on what's happening on capitol hill. just moments ago we heard democratic caucus chair talking about the trillion dollar spending bill and unemployment benefits. >> many of us are still concerned that if this package does not include or give us a chance in the house of representatives to have a vote on extending unemployment insurance for those americans who are right now seeking work but can't find it and, therefore, are without job through no fault of their own, it's still a tough vote. >> congressional negotiators just released the details of that $1.1 trillion budget that would avoid a government shutdown. we'll keep you posted as that debate continues. president obama is going to meet with maria shriver later today to discuss the alarming findings in the shriver report, a woman's nation bushes back from the brink. the report focuses on the

millions of american women struggling financially, many raising families on their own. one in four families with young kids is now headed by a single mother. nearly three-quarters of unmarried births are to women living at or near poverty, and the family of the '50s is gone. today, only one in five families has both a working dad and homemaker mom. let me bring in stephanie coons, who contributed to the shriver report. good morning. >> good morning. >> only 25% of families have fathers and breadwinners and stay at home moms compared to the vast majority in the '50s. clearly, the landscape has changed dramatically, but public policy hasn't kept up, has it? >> public policy hasn't kept up, work policies haven't kept up. through most of history, women have been co-providers of their families, yet america designed

all its work policies, its unemployment policies on the basis of the idea there would be guys whose wages would rise every year, who would have steady employment, and they would support women and children. and that's just not the way the world is now. 70% of american kids are raised in households where every single adult in that household is employed, yet we are the one country out of 181 countries recently studied that does not have parental leave policies. sick days, paid sick days, many women have to choose between losing their job or sending their kids, leaving their kids home alone sick. it's just insane. >> the reality behind the numbers you just saw is women are not only caregivers to their children, but in many cases to their aging parents, as well. >> well, and, of course, also to their male partners. this is, you know, not just a women's issue to help women get equal pay and get the kinds of family leave that they need,

because today there would be much more poverty in this country if women were not working and there would be much less if women earned equal wages or could work, because of the lack of parental leaves, the lack of child care, many women have to quit work when they have kids and that hurts their kids, hurts them, and hurts their partners. >> when you look at, for example, other countries, what are employers doing, what can employers do here in the states to keep up with these changing dynamics? what works? >> well, there's a whole bunch of different things that work. first of all, employers have to recognize they can no longer count on a worker who has a wife at home to take care of the rest of life, and it actually turns out that family friendly work policies are productive for employers, too, because they increase worker morale and they decrease worker turnover. the other thing we as a society have to recognize is that people need living wage jobs.

one of the big causes of the gender gap in the united states is that we of all the countries, wealthy countries, have the greatest gap between low-wage jobs and high-wage jobs. and low-wage jobs, you can have two people in the family working a low-wage job and they still won't earn enough to keep them and their kids out of poverty, so we have to do something about establishing a livable wage floor. we have to get better work family policies. we also have to make better arrangements for kids. this is a world where education is so important, and it turns out that preschool and child care are very important to get a child ready for kindergarten. that affects the way they live for the rest of their lives and whether they are going to be able to get good jobs, whether they'll go to college or drop out of college and be saddled with debt and without a job. so we have to invest in that sort of thing, too, as well as be models for young women to tell them, don't count on, you know, being rescued by a prince

charming anymore. that's a fairytale, not the real world. >> the real world also is, you talk about this gap between the rich and the poor, this isn't just a woman's issue in the workplace. you wrote an op-ed in "the new york times. "whether they realize it or not, men have a direct stake in policy that advance gender equity. much of it stems from general wage inequality in society at large." so a blunt question for you, does the fact that it impacts more men increase the chances that something's going to get done about it? >> well, you know, there's an ill wind that blows nobody good. the bad news is women are suffering and men are suffering, too. the good news is this gives us something in common. you know, back in the early 1960s when women said we want access to these good jobs, too, we were asking men to give something up. but men have had that taken away

from them, not by feminists, but by a very punishing economic climate. now we're in the same boat and we should be working, rowing in the same direction. >> it's not only a punishing economic climate, but a punishing political climate. look, you can't look at these numbers and not think it's hurting us as a country as a whole. we know how many millions it's hurting individually, yet when you look at some of these issues like extending unemployment insurance, raising the minimum wage, this has become such a polarizing debate. how does this get done? do you see a realistic path to getting these changes in place? >> well, i think that we americans have just simply got to call our politicians, that section of the media that refuses to recognize this kind of growing inequality, that blames the very people who keep our country going, the ones who get up at 4:00 in the morning to serve us coffee, to clean our offices, and calls them takers,

if you can imagine that, and refuses to raise their wages. people who look at people who have been looking for jobs, can't get them, and say, well, after all, we don't want to encourage them to stay on the dolls like most people want to do that. so we really have to push back against this. we have to understand and we have to teach our kids and our community and tell our political leaders that we want a society where everybody has a fair chance. >> stephanie coontz, professor of family studies, thank you so much for coming on. >> my pleasure, thank you. maria shriver will be on andrea mitchell reports today with more on the report and why women in poverty lead shorter lives on average. today's tweet of the day comes from think progress, which tweeted out a link to an article saying, "fact, 2.3 million children live with unemployed parents who were just cut off from benefits." it's hip-hop. for cross-country, classical. and for jumps, i need something...special.

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to politics now where

senator ted cruz's latest tire is called a slap in the face to house republicans. cruz just hired paul teller as his deputy chief of staff. he was fired last month as director of the republican study committee, accused of leaking information to outside groups. looks like vice president joe biden won't get a raise this year. the nation's number two pay is being frozen as a result of the new spending bill congress just agreed to. another causality, no more official portraits painted of cabinet members. some of those pictures were pricey, between $20,000 and $40,000. the real alpha house in washington, d.c. is breaking up. senator chuck schumer is looking for a new roommate now that congressman joe miller is retiring. he tweeted, "seeking roommate, lover of cold cereal a must." new virginia governor terry mcauliffe got a surprise, a stuffed black bear in the

governor's private office bathroom. his predecessor left it there as part of a prank with a note saying, quote, it can get really wild in the governor's mansion. ♪ oh, who doesn't remember that viral video? gangnam style. well, former republican presidential candidate mitt romney decided to show off his version over the weekend. ♪ okay, can we just play that over and over again? romney was attending a conference for young mormons in arizona. one more time, come on. good sport. my must read, with chris christie dealing with bridgegate and analysts thinking he can't get past to win the nominations anyway, who are the republicans with a chance to beat hillary clinton?

well, you've been commenting over the hour. al writes, condi rice should run in 2016. probably their best bet, another bush. let us know what you think. that's going to wrap up this hour of "jansing and co." i'm chris jansing. stay tuned, richard lui is up next and i'll see you right back here tomorrow. we're gonna be late. ♪ ♪ ♪ oh are we early? [ male announcer ] commute your way with the bold, all-new nissan rogue. ♪ i love that just washed freshness, but then it goes to your closet...to die. so do what i do -- try glow unstopables in-wash scent boosters.

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♪ 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. oh what a relief it is. hello, everyone, i'm richard lui. topping our agenda today, chris christie preparing to deliver his state of the state address in just a matter of hours, but the state of his political career is the big question this morning. for the first time since his marathon news conference last week, christie will try to change the subject and ask to, quote, put politics aside. that state of the state scheduled for 3:00 p.m. eastern time. every day bringing new information, the potential of a new scandal, perhaps, leaders in both houses of new jersey's government are preparing to create a, quote, super panel to

investigate christie's inner circle. >> two legislative panels will investigate the september lane closures on the george washington bridge. >> our concern is that there was apparently a very massive abuse of power, and an attempt to conceal that abuse of power. >> aide fired by christie is called loyal team player, not rogue operative. >> this is the way the administration does business, either you're with him or not. >> so few republicans came to his defense. talk about an acid test. >> there's something here that just does not connect fully. >> new e-mails showing christie aides cancelled planned meetings in new jersey city, rather, last year. it happened right after the democratic mayor of that city declined to endorse the governor in his re-election bid. and a new poll in new jersey shows 83% are paying close attention to the scandal.

64% believe the lane closures on the george washington bridge were political retaliation. and 80% expect more christie staffers will be implicated. on the question of christie himself, 52% think he knew about what his staff was up to before the news broke, and 51% say christie has not been completely honest. joining us right now from trenton, new jersey, nbc's kelly o'donnell has been following the story for us. welcome to both of you. kelly, you're going to kick us off here. how much does christie's state of the state speech, i understand you've had glimpses of excerpts of it. how much of it is going to focus on the bridge scandal we have heard? >> well, aides have not addressed that directly, but what we can expect is because the state of the state address is its sort of own entity, annual event that is intended to talk to the state, to the lawmakers about the critical issues, so expect most