setback and refuse to show up. >> thank you so much, anne guerin from "the washington post," the chief diplomatic correspondent. i'm andrea mitchell. we'll have more tomorrow and throughout the day. and my colleague tamron hall picks it up with "news nation" right now. >> hi, everyone. i am tamron hall. we will soon learn which former and possibly current members of governor chris christie's administration will be getting subpoenas in connection with the so-called bridge scandal. ten to 20 people will likely be called. they are the first round of subpoenas from the special committee invest gaiting this entire incident.

former spokesman michael jorniak and bridget kelly. bridget kelly was fired after she sent the e-mail reading "time for some traffic problems in ft. lee. char will serve as special counsel on this very important panel. the christie administration has fired a law firm led by former federal prosecutor randy mastro to assist with its internal review. he is a former new york city deputy mayor. in a statement announcing the hire, christie's office says "governor christie made clear last week that he will conduct an internal review to uncover the facts surrounding the lane closures in ft. lee. his administration is fully cooperating with the u.s. attorney and other appropriate

inquiries in request for information." as for the governor, he's spending today doing just what he said he would do in his first state of the state speech. this week getting back to business. this morning, christie met with homeowners along the jersey shore still trying to get back on their feet after superstorm sandy. it was christie's first appearance since the scandal broke, and while he did not address the scandal, he made it clear he's trying to move on. >> as i get ready next tuesday to take that oath of office for a second time, i want you to know that i am as focused on completing this mission as i was when i woke up on the morning of october 30th, 2012. and nothing will distract me from getting that job done. >> nbc national investigative correspondent michael isikoff joins me live. nbc news reporting ten to 20 people likely to be served with these subpoenas.

is that about where folks thought that this would fall? >> no, actually, it's pretty surprising, because he indicated he would start small. do you means for bridget kelly and bill stepian. and now he's gotten a lot more ambitious with ten to 20. that's pretty broad. that's clearly going to include members of the governor's staff, including regina, the new chief of staff. it's most likely going to include a lot of other top players right in the governor's office. so i think it's more ambitious than we were expecting. >> and that is interesting. you have some analysis out regarding whether or not democrats will overreach in this, michael.

you may see federal prosecutors take over as a result. >> look, we now have three separate investigations going on. and that's something that was pointed out by republicans in this debate on the assembly. that just wrapped up. it was kind of interesting, because republicans were raising questions about this. raising concerns about the cost of how long this was going to go on. was this going to be an open-ended investigation that would go on for years. but at the end of the day, they all voted for it. 75-0 was the vote in the assembly. and that was pretty resounding. the takeaway from that is the statement out of the governor's office have been a little parse, saying he would cooperate with appropriate inquiries. that's the statement today. the u.s. attorneys and other appropriate inquiries. democrats are saying what are you suggesting there by using

the word appropriate, that our investigation here in the assembly is not appropriate? well, it would be very hard for governor christie to take that position when the resolution passes unanimously. as, by the way, it did in the senate as well. so there's complete unanimity here. >> and quickly, michael, here, these big legal guns that have been brought in on both sides. first let's talk about chris christie, this firm that his office has chosen to hire to represent them in this. >> right, randy mastro, a hard-nosed former federal prosecutor and political operative. he was the deputy mayor of new york under rudy giuliani. he's been a top giuliani aide for years. he knows how to play hardball. so one takeaway from that would be that there might be some pushback orchestrated by mastro

against producing all these documents. might there be claims of attorney-client privilege. might there be claims of executive privilege. that could get politically awkward for governor christie when he's saying he wants to fully cooperate. one other point i want to make that was interesting in the governor's statement today. he said the administration is fully cooperating with the new u.s. attorney's office inquiry. is fully cooperating. that is a sign that that investigation announced or inquiry that was announced last night by paul fishman, the u.s. attorney in newark, is actually under way. it's not just a review of whether or not laws might have been broken. all indications are they've actually begun, reached out to the governor's office and are seeking information and documents. >> the former assistant u.s. attorney who helped convict former governor of illinois rod blagojevich. we know the high-profile circus

that surrounded the whole blago ordeal there. so he's quite familiar with political pressure. >> he certainly is. but remember, there's one issue here. this gets back to the u.s. attorney matter. when david wildstein appeared before the transportation committee the other day, he took the fifth amendment. the expectation is from everybody i've just spoken to here is that all the other key players, bridget kelly, bill stepien, will do the same thing. as any lawyer would advise them to do given that there's a federal prosecution. so while these legislative investigations are going to get a lot of attention, it's very hard to see how they're going to get around that problem of key witnesses invoking the fifth amendment. which may leave it all back in the court of paul fishman, the u.s. attorney in newark. >> all right, michael isikoff,

thank you very much. we're also following breaking news in california, where a fast-moving wildfire is threatening hundreds of homes in the los angeles area. sources tell nbc news three people are being questioned in connection with this fire. schools are closed and police are reportedly now going door to door, telling people near the edge of the fire to leave their homes. the flames have already burned more than 125 acres above a neighborhood near angeles national forest. mike, what can you tell us regarding these individuals who are being questioned? >> the press conference is under way right now. they haven't yet released any details about these three individuals. frankly, there's a little confusion right now over whether they've just been detained or whether they've been arrested. three people are being detained. that much is confirmed with. we may know over the next few

minutes whether they'll be arrested. the fire itself shows the kind of neighborhoods that are being threatened. glendale is an upscale neighborhood about 35 miles to the east, northeast of l.a. about 50,000 residents in the foothills of the san gabriel mountains. that's what you're looking at right now. early this morning when the fire started at about 5:55, the winds were coming from the east. not quite the santa ana winds velocity, but driving the fire down the mountain towards those homes. i was looking at the notes i took this morning at about 7:15, when there were embers bouncing all through those neighborhoods. so this moved very quickly. you can hear the anchors saying it's amazing how quickly this fire is spreading. as you said, right now, the 500 acres -- 500 homes or so in one neighborhood. 1,700 acres have been burned at this point. the good news is meter logically speaking that the winds seem to

have abated and they've shifted to some parts of the fire line. in that indication, they're coming from the east. but in other parts that we've seen, the flames have gone straight up. the smoke is turning white instead of dark. probably a good sign. however, the fire is still judged to be out of control. >> mike, thank you. i know you'll listen in to that news conference and give us any information as warranted. police have released the identity of the gunman responsible for a deadly shooting at an indiana grocery store last night. 22-year-old shawn bayer was shot dead by police after killing two women, an employee of the store and a shopper. police say the shooter had his gun held at the store manager's head when officers arrived. the shooting happened in the small town of eckhart about 15 miles east of south bend, indiana. bayer was armed with a semiautomatic handgun and a hunting knife. posts on what appears to be his facebook page paint a portrait of a disturbed individual.

"i may be going to hell but at least i'm going honest. look at me and you see this freak. i see a god." joining me with more, michelle, what are authorities saying about this individual? what more are they saying at this point? >> i spoke with the indiana state police a short time ago. a sergeant there. and from what he says, they're still out at the scene. this is a massive crime scene that really takes up the entire grocery store in this area. not only are two people, a 20-year-old and a 44-year-old shopper murdered inside of that store, but as you mentioned, the gunman himself was also shot and killed by police. and it was quite a scene in there when investigators were coming in just after 10:00 last night. because that store manager was on the ground. the gun was pointed to his head. and thank goodness they came in when they did, because it distracted him. ultimately, that manager was able to get away. also another employee inside of the store was also shot at, but thankfully was not injured. so at this point, what i am told

is the surveillance shows he was in there, bayer was inside the story for about 30 minutes walking around, talking on his phone texting before he allegedly opened fire. >> do they believe he had any connection with anyone in that store? customer, or employee? anything? >> you know, i did hear a report just a short time ago that he may have had a connection to the youngest victim, the 20-year-old. possibly they may have known each other. maybe even have dated in the past. that's not confirmed. it's just what we're hearing now. a lot of people are taking to social media. some of their friends are starting to post some things. but until we get a confirmation on their identities, want to make sure that next of kin is notified. >> so terrifying. all right, michelle, thank you very much. still ahead, dozens of military officers entrusted with some of the nation's land-based nuclear missiles pulled off the job for alleged drug possession and cheating on basic tests. it's being called one of the biggest scandals in air force history. plus, it is one of the stories

our team will definitely follow. hillary clinton if she decides to run come 2016. the latest fallout from the senate investigation that found the state department could have prevented the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. >> she has ultimate responsibility, secretary clinton did at the time, for the security of our personnel. >> reaction from clinton's supporters as well. you can join our conversation on twitter. we use this board to compare car insurance rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. [ rattling ] that's one smart board. what else does it do -- reverse gravity? [ chuckles ] split atoms? [ whoooosh! ] hey, how is that atom-splitting thing going? [ rattling ] [ electronic whistling ] oh! [ zap! ] a smarter way to shop around. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

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top air force officials say the nation's nuclear missile defense systems are safe and reliable after a drug investigation uncovers a massive test cheating ring, nearly three dozen nuclear missile launch officers are accused of sharing

answers on a monthly exam on their knowledge of how to operate those missiles. mick, as i understand, this did not start with an investigation of the cheating, but that's where it led. >> that's right. this investigation actually began with an investigation into the allegations that there were a number of these missile launch officers. those who actually have the fingers on the button to launch nuclear weapons if necessary. that the investigation began into allegations that several of them may have been involved, or at least possessed illegal drugs. and it was during the course of that investigation that they found out about this cheating scandal. 34 of these missile launch officers have been temporarily relieved of their position, pulled out of their launch capsules. they've had their security clearances lifted temporarily, pending an investigation. early indications are only that half of them may have actually

had access to those answers to the upcoming exam that were texted alleged by one of those missile launch officers. the other half apparently knew about this, but didn't report it to their seniors. all of those individuals will be retested at some time. and it will have to be determined via the investigation exactly what steps need to be taken against these. but the air force secretary, air force chief of staff have both said this is entirely unacceptable and it will be fixed. >> and they've also assured the public that the security and reliability of the land based arsenal is safe, but i'm curious, are they worried that this is a wider issue? that this not only exists with these individuals who are now under investigation. >> quite frankly, and secretary of -- former secretary of defense bob gates today told our andrea mitchell in an interview, this goes back several years, as the military -- as the air force

nuclear missile mission has been degraded. the cold war is over. there are arms reduction talks seemingly under way all the time. and as gates called it, the high fliers in the air force just don't want this job anymore. so there's beenless money, less attention paid to this mission. but they say -- the people in the air force say we have to get that edge back to make sure that everybody in this critical occupation in the air force is at the top of their game. >> all right, mick, thank you very much. still ahead, the justice department now set to expand its definition of profiling to go beyond race. the change comes after years of pressure from civil rights organizations, and we'll talk with a top aclu official on this move. plus, the family of the only service member currently being held as a prisoner of war hoping for his return after new video surfaces showing that he is still alive.

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welcome back. the justice department is considering new rules that expand the definition of racial profiling. they would bar federal agents from launching investigations based on a person's religion, country of origin, gender, or sexual orientation. the bush administration banned racial profiling in 2003. now, the changes come after years of pressure from civil rights groups who say federal agents single out muslims in terror investigations and latinos in immigration cases. joining me now, laura murphy, director of the aclu's washington legislative office. thank you so much for your time. >> you're welcome, tamron. >> linda is an advocacy director for the national network for arab-american communities. she says adding religion and national origin is huge, but if

they don't close the national security loophole, then this is really irrelevant. what she is referring to is the justice department profiling guide, still as it relates to the identification of a terrorist, recognizes race and ethnicity when looking at a suspect. and that is permitted by the nation's laws and it says the constitution. >> so i think she's right. and i think it's very important for people to know that this is an unconstitutional form of law enforcement activity. and we do believe that the national security loophole needs to be closed as well as the national origin and religion. and the fact that discrimination based on sexual orientation is barred is good. but i talked to a justice department official this morning who said the guidance was not ready. and we are hoping to meet with the justice department as soon as possible because since the 2003 guidance, there have been

enormous loopholes exploited by the border patrol, by the fbi and all of these other federal agencies. and also, the ban has not been enforceable. so we are really looking forward to working with the justice department to make sure there are no more loopholes left. >> as pointed out, the bush administration banned profiling in 2003 based on race. this would extend it to religion, country of origin, gender and sexual orientation. it is interesting that eric holder was meeting with the new mayor of new york. we know that the issue of stop and frisk was one of the reasons some believe he moved ahead of the competition in that race based on his stance against stop and frisk and even incorporating it within his own personal life, having an african-american wife and two children. >> yes. i mean, racial profiling is still going on in law enforcement all across the country. and as the federal government goes, the local law enforcement

goes. so the federal government needs to attach conditions to funding local law enforcement so that they're not engaged in unwarranted traffic stops or pulling off people from trains in new york state just because they look latino or black. and that's what the border patrol has been doing. that's what federal law enforcement has been doing. and it's got to end. >> so it sounds as if your reaction and the other advocates who fought for this move, you are partially happy in that there is some movement, but to say that this is an overwhelming change is certainly overstating it. >> it remains to be seen what the guidance actually says. so we have to see it to believe it. but we're excited about the prospect that it could be coming soon. >> all right. thank you so much for your time, and again, we will see what eventually comes forward in the information that we get from the justice department. thank you so much, laura. >> thank you, tamron. still ahead, new hope for

the family of the only u.s. serviceman currently being held as a prisoner of war. what his loved ones are saying about a new video that shows he is still alive five years after his capture in afghanistan. the family spokesperson will join us. plus, benghazi versus bridgegate. two scandals that are sure to follow hillary clinton and chris christie. should they run for president. our first read team will break down the key differences they say exist here. we're gonna be late. ♪ ♪ ♪ oh are we early? [ male announcer ] commute your way with the bold, all-new nissan rogue. ♪

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♪ [ male announcer ] old el paso frozen entrées. now in freezers. 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. ♪ welcome back. we are waiting for any further word following the announcement that the u.s. military has obtained a video that shows america's only prisoner of war is still alive. the military has not released the video of army sergeant bowe bergdahl, who disappeared from his base in afghanistan almost five years ago. it is first proof of life in three years. as evidence, bergdahl made direct reference to last month's death of south africa's nelson

mandela. it is believed he is being held by the terror network in pakistan. his captors released five separate videos of bergdahl in the early stages of his captivity, appearing fit and well-fed, but u.s. officials say the latest video, bergdahl appears frail and shaken. his mother and father in haley, idaho, released a statement yesterday saying, "naturally, this is very important to us and our revolve to continue our efforts to bring bowe home as soon as possible. we request his captors to release him safely so that our only son can be reunited with his mother and father. your endurance will carry you to the finish line." joining me live on the phone, the colonel of the idaho national guard who's been serving as a spokesperson for sergeant bergdahl's family. sir, thank you for your time. >> thanks for having me on. >> absolutely.

first, let me get your -- i know this is personal and there's so much that you've spoken with the family i'm sure regarding, but what is their feeling today with this new information? >> well, their feeling is really as it's been for the last four and a half years, which is this is one more peak and valley in a long and ugly roller coaster ride. as for the video, i keep hearing about officials that are discussing it. i certainly haven't seen it. i can't verify that it even exists. but the family is hanging in there. what they did yesterday was capitalize on this new information to again plead to their captors and try to send a message of summit to their son bowe bergdahl. >> the families said naturally this is very important to them. do you know if they will have an opportunity to see this video, if you will have an opportunity to see this video? >> again, i can't say that it even exists, so i don't know about the video. but this was a great opportunity, like i was saying earlier, to really try to reiterate their message and express their support to their

son, and also to let folks know that this is still an issue. it's ongoing. it's not in the news every day, but it's at the forefront of their minds here in idaho. >> especially in haley, where there are still a number of trees and light poles that bear a yellow ribbon. i know there's a billboard promotion taking place to remind people. and there have been rallies and events nationwide. but this is not on the front page. as you point out. and people should be reminded as much as possible that bowe is still there and his family desperately wants him home. >> it's fantastic the support that he's getting in his hometown, which is also by the way my hometown. i was there over the weekend, and not only are the yellow ribbons out there, but they're regularly refreshed. i saw a bunch of new yellow ribbons on every street pole, every tree. and mr. and mrs. bergdahl see that support every day and i know they take it to heart.

>> colonel, thank you so much for your time and loyalty to bowe and his family. our thoughts and our prayers are with them as this might be a sign of hope, and as they said to him, just breathe. thank you so much, sir. >> thank you. the special committee investigating the lane closures near the george washington bridge is expected to issue its first round of subpoenas any minute now. as governor chris christie deals with the fallout of the scandal, a new senate intelligence committee report is giving republicans new reason to talk about benghazi and hillary clinton. our first read team notes benghazi versus the bridge. the two stories could potentially last well into 2016. meantime, a new "time" magazine cover story asks, can anyone stop hillary if she decides that she wants to run for president. joining me live, mark murray. you and your team make some interesting observations about benghazi versus bridgegate, if there's even a parallel here other than the two individuals who may run for president. first with benghazi, you make

the point that this has been the focus of a number of hearings, and obviously a great amount of coverage both in conservative and so called liberal press as well. >> well, that's right. and you compare that to the bridge scandal for governor chris christie in new jersey. that's just barely a week old. and you're right, the benghazi story has been litigated significantly, whether it's the 2012 presidential election, during congressional hearings, independent reports, and of course there was the latest senate intelligence committee report that came out yesterday. that doesn't mean that this is going to be a problem for hillary clinton going forward. in fact, this is where a lot of conservatives and republicans feel like they're able to go after her on her national security credentials. but it's something that's been out there for a while. it has been all the tires have been kicked. we just don't know what's going to come out in this bridge matter for chris christie. and it could be something which he is completely fine at the end of the day, but that's not going to be for several weeks and

months ahead. >> with benghazi, this new report does not indicate there was a cover-up, as some have alleged and speculated. but certainly it points the finger directly at the state department, and great and grievous mistakes that were made. but no cover-up was noted in this report. >> that's right. the overall headline was that there was a lack of leadership in the state department when it came to this kind of security. that charge is probably if hillary clinton's up running for president in 2016 enough to damage her. if you're a republican, the republican nominee and the republican national committee in that next presidential election. but when you start trying to go into the conspiracies and the cover-ups that you sometimes get on the blogosphere and elsewhere, that is a little bit of an overreach. when people end up saying well, we've seen all these different reports, and there wasn't a cover-up, then that kind of falls on deaf ears. that's also a lesson for democrats in this bridge scandal story, that if they actually try to overreach, too, they might

end up hurting themselves. so sometimes it's better to go after the facts, because sometimes the facts are good enough to use in presidential campaigns. >> it's always better to go after the facts. mark, let me ask you. whether his answers were enough to satisfy people or not, chris christie answered questions for nearly an hour and a half or so, and he's got more certainly to do here. what is the word or the likelihood that we will see a big sit-down with hillary clinton before -- if she does plan to run, before she announces. we saw her very strong in that hearing and pushed back significantly at that time. but is there more to be expected before an official word on whether she will run? >> oh, absolutely. and the thing is she has plenty of time. i think if she ends up running for president, we're not going to see her actively campaign until early or mid 2015. so we're talking a year, year and a half away, tamron. she only sat down for one interview, i believe it was a "new york" magazine interview several months ago, but that's been it.

if she does want to run for president, she's going to have to give interviews from nbc news, msnbc, all other news outlets because there are plenty of questions that we have to ask about this subject and others. >> mark murray, thank you so much. we'll speak with you tomorrow. >> thanks, tamron. >> by the way, chris christie is the topic of today's "news nation gut check." do you think the republican base will abandon chris christie? a politico article up today indicating that some of the base, the big donodonors, are a little unhappy to say the least, and may be unhappy. you can go to newsnation.msnbc.com to cast that vote. new information coming in on that breaking news we reported out of southern california. a fast-moving brush fire threatening homes and forcing evacuations. we've got an update on three people being questioned right now. and nbc's ground breaking series on the economic challenges of women in america. today, the focus is on female service members and the unique struggles they face when returning home.

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in california, a fast-moving wildfire is threatening hundreds of homes in the los angeles area. three people have been booked into jail for recklessly starting that massive fire. some schools are closed and police are reportedly now going door to door telling people near the edge of the fire to leave their homes. 2,000 people have been evacuated so far. more than 500 firefighters are on the scene of that blaze. all this week across nbc news, we have special coverage of the economic status of women in america. today we're going to take a deeper look into some of the

particular challenges faced by women in the military. the shriver report, which details the financial struggles of millions of american women, found that women in the military face a higher risk of poverty and homelessness. it also found the unemployment rate for women veterans of the iraq and afghanistan wars is nearly 13%. that is higher than the 10% rate for male vets. and the 8% rate for female nonveterans. joining me now, sonya guerrero. she's an assistant professor of research at the university pittsburgh school of medicine. thank you so much for your time. >> thank you for having me. >> absolutely. you know, when i look at these numbers, it is stunning. we know that our vets face many struggles, but for women veterans, the thing that really hit my heart was that they face this guilt and they face a social stigma for leaving their children and spouses behind, far more than their male counterparts face. >> right.

well, i'd first like to say that most u.s. veterans report that their time in the military has really helped them advance in their career and their life. but at the same time as you said, a significant proportion, especially those returning from the conflicts if iraq and afghanistan, have reported significant struggles with re-entry back into civilian life. while both men and women are struggling with some of the service related medical and mental health conditions that they're facing, as you mentioned, women have some unique struggles and one of these is reconnecting with families, which is, of course, undoubtedly hard for both men and women. but i think because of traditional gender roles, women do face more social stigma and guilt from having left children and husbands behind. we know that the rates of divorce are significantly higher for women service members and veterans compared to their male counterparts. we also know that there's more

single mothers than single fathers. this can contribute to financial instability. >> in your report, in your article as part of the shriver report, you write "women veterans are now the fastest growing segment of homeless population in the united states. they are much higher risk for homelessness than their male counterparts and are almost three times more likely to be homeless compared to female nonveterans." why is that the case? >> well, it's a good question. a complicated one. we're still investigating the root causes and the pathways to homelessness among women veterans. but there is one issue that disproportionately impacts women, and that is military sexual trauma. among patients coming into the v.a. for their health care, about 20% of women have reported experiencing military sexual trauma compared to 1% of men. and we know that military sexual

trauma is associated with a range of mental, physical, and social consequences. one of these may be homelessness. there are data to suggest that now experiences with military sexual trauma may be contributing to the higher rates of homelessness that we see among women veterans. the good news is that -- i was just going to say that the good news is that the v.a. is really committed to ending homelessness, and to screening all patients coming into the v.a. for military sexual trauma and facilitating access to care for those who have had these experiences. >> all right. thank you very much for your time. we greatly appreciate it. the report is compelling and hopefully a call to action. thank you, and we'll be right back. maybe a promotion is in order.

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for many in hollywood this morning likely brought the most exciting early wake-up call they had ever gotten as the oscar nominations were announced. this year's batch of nominations naturally came with a few snubs

and surprises. leading the way with the most nods was "american hustle" and "gravity." both got ten nominations each. ted johnson joins me now to help break down all the categories. so ted, i was at the golden globes. it looks like we're falling in line with what we saw for the most part with the globes. and one of the things that follows is another snub for oprah, which turned out to be the headline just about everywhere. >> it sure was. in fact, it wasn't just oprah, it was the whole movie that she was in. "lee daniels' the butler." i'm thinking back to august when that movie was released. everyone thought this was going to be such a shoo-in. oprah and the star of the movie forest whittaker even were on the steps of the lincoln memorial for the 50th anniversary of the "i have a dream speech." you can't get any more prestigious than that. but i think this is really a function of oscar voters having forgetfulness. there was such a slew of contenders that came in in

october, november, and december that i do believe that "the butler" just kind of got lost in the shuffle. >> it seems that way. to your point, the entire film, which was the case with the golden globes. but "american hustle." you know, the buzz around this movie, the young stars in the film. another pairing with jennifer lawrence and bradley cooper. i mean, they are just a recipe for success here. >> yeah. i think this movie did really well because it's an actors movie. it seems you watch it and the performances are very different from what you traditionally see in an oscar-nominated movie. it's almost as if there's a lot of improvisation. remember, the biggest branch, the biggest pool of voters in the oscars are the actors branch. so they have enormous influence in what ultimately gets picked. >> let's go down the list quickly. best actress, amy adams, "american hustle." cate blanchett in "blue

jasmine." sandra bullock grabbing another phenomenal role. judi dench, "philomena." meryl streep, "august: osage-county." best actor, christian bale, bruce dern, chiwetel ejiofor, matthew mcconaughey, and a lot of people say leonardo dicaprio this is the best work he's done in "the wolf of wall street." >> this movie has gained mum. it's somewhat polarizing. there's not an easy movie to watch. there's a lot of foul language and debauchery. really a poor showing of wall street, that's the point of this movie. but another surprise was that jonah hill also was nominated for this movie. people were not expecting that at all. >> yeah, best supporting actor. and with him in if competition there, barkhad abdi from "captain phillips." an amazing story. he was a taxi limo driver in his first role there with tom hanks. bradley cooper. michael fassbender.

jonah hill. jared leto. and the best actress in the supporting role, sally hawkins. jennifer lawrence. lupita nyong'o for "12 years a slave." her first film. her debut film. a yale student who now has blown the acting world up. and julia roberts in "august: osage-county," and june squibb there. what do you like in that category? >> well, this is probably the most unpredictable category of them all. you had jennifer lawrence win at the golden globes. i really do think that anything can happen. it's just really hard to predict. although i would go with the globes winner right now, because i think by mere fact of the number of nominations that "american hustle" got really says the preferences right now of the oscar voters. >> good stuff, ted. can't wait to see what happens. thank you so much for your time. it's a pleasure, always, to speak with you. >> thank you so much. tomorrow is a big day at the white house.

the first lady's 50th birthday. many want to know how she is celebrating so. far all that she's really shared is that she plans to mark the milestone with a new workout that will include more yoga. but of course, there will also be a huge bash to mark the big day at the white house. nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker joins us live with more. so kristen, what do we know about what's planned? beyond yoga, which is fantastic. i love yoga. but i also love a good party. >> and i think there's going to be a big one here on saturday night, tamron. for days they've been gearing up for a big bash. guests have been told to wear comfortable shoes and to be prepared to move around a lot i think that's an indication there will be a lot of dancing and you can bet there will be no shortage of celebrities. the buzz about the first lady's birthday party, possible performances by adele or beyonce, who has dazzled for the first family before. ♪ at last but for now, saturday's plans

are top secret. what is known, president obama is playing the role of planner in chief, after the first lady threw a big 50th bash for him three years ago. >> you do get the sense that his competitive juices are flowing. >> just back from an extended stay at oprah's house in hawaii, a gift from the president, the first lady seems to be taking the big 5-0 in stride, opening up only to "people" magazine. >> i've interviewed four different first ladies and i've never seen one as candid and relaxed and upbeat about such a personal thing. she is dancing into her 50s. >> reporter: obama told the magazine each decade brings her a greater sense of calm, certainty, maturity, and confidence. the first lady may not look like a candidate for botox. she won't rule it out. "i've learned to never say never," she says. her message to women, be healthy. i have never missed a mammogram or a pap smear. i've had a colonoscopy. >> one of the things that the

people who know her best, her relatives and closest friends will tell you is that in her real life, she's incredibly frank. >> reporter: a revealing look at michelle obama as the plans for her big milestone are kept under wraps. >> i asked the president if he could whisper in my ear what he was planning to give the first lady as a gift and he said it's top secret, not even the nsa knows that. >> reporter: i'll have to wait until saturday to find out. guests were also told to eat first. i think that means there's probably going to be a lot of dessert here on saturday night. >> i love that. eat first. because when you come to this party, it is about something different. i kind of like that. eat your food at home and come and party. thank you, kristen. that does it for this edition of "news nation." i'm tamron hall. i will see you tomorrow. the cycle is up next. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go--

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is your tv powered by coal? natural gas? nuclear? or renewables like solar... and wind? let's find out. this is where america's electricity comes from. a diversity of energy sources helps ensure the electricity we need is reliable. take the energy quiz. energy lives here. america's talking, and so are we right now at 3:00. heavyweights doing battle on two

very different fronts. is it fair to compare benghazi to bridgegate? oscar the grouch. the academy snubs a few and really rewards two. the nominations are out and our reactions are in. we're talking oscar gold. this week from the winter games, a new espn doc takes us back to the soap opera of skate iing. tonya harding, you remember that one. plus, the devil wears a bib? there's a really scary baby roaming the streets of new york. i'm crystal ball. like the rest of you, i did not see this coming. we begin today with a look at the two biggest names in 2016