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 presidential politics, they are

christie and clinton. let's go to the tale of the tape. both are dominating figures. the bridgegate mess has hurt christie in the latest nbc news marist poll. but with wednesday's senate intelligence committee report on benghazi, both dominators have real questions to answer. here are the latest christie developments. the administration has now hired a legal team to look into whether any wrong doing actually happened internally. meantime, the legislative super committee investigating the governor has brought in the same legal eagle who took down former illinois governor rod blagojevich. remember that guy? and a brand-new poll shows christie is faring well in his current job, but may have some trouble if he takes on hillary clinton for the white house. we'll get more into hillary in our second segment later, but we have jake sherman. it is so great to have you on the show. i hope you came ready to play. >> i'm always ready to play. >> right out of the gate. so two months from now, will

christie still be talked fwhout the same breath as hillary clinton? >> here's the thing. voters get tired of this. the super committees will be all over this. they have a great attorney who's looking into this. somebody who's going to dig everything up, if there's anything there. but if time goes by and nothing comes out, people are going to look at this and get tired of it. saw a congressman on capitol hill bought cocaine from an undercover fbi agent, was arrested, went to rehab and is still in office and people aren't etch talking about it anymore. >> you're talking about it right now. >> he's not running for president, though, is he? >> he's not running for president. i am. it's a comparison. >> oh. >> i got another problem with your analogy, not to pile on. but the tray raidle issue is closed. the one question for christie is how much does this go. i know you came ready to play. >> do you have a little rolled up ball of newspaper you're going to toss? a spit wad or something?

>> it's live what's happening right now. what i want to ask you is on the hill, where you are with these republicans, we've seen folks criticize chris christie for a range of issues including his back and forth with rand paul over national security recently. and yet from what we're hearing, very little direct criticism relating to what we're hearing of these investigations and allegations at this point. is that your take and what do you make of that? does that change if more comes out? >> i think more notably, john boehner today came out and said it's time to move on. a politician like boehner is cautious and doesn't get ahead of a scandal if he thinks there's something there. it's not in his personal interest. and he also represents 233 house republicans who are all seeking re-election and he doesn't want to be, you know, saying anything dumb if there's more stuff to come out. so i think we're at that point. and you guys are right. if anything else comes up, this can turn into a huge mess. but at this point, people are starting to defend him. like boehner, who's the most --

you know, not popular, but definitely the most well-known republican on capitol hill. or one of them, at least. >> jake, i know you'll be shocked to learn that jon stewart's been having a little bit of fun at governor christie's expense this week. let's take a listen. >> bridgegate. first of all, bridgegate? come on! does every scandal to have get gate? watergate was a completely different animal. there was a petty crime of political intrigue by an incumbent already cruising to an easy re-election victorinory. an unforced error where the cover-up was actually more damaging -- [ laughter ] i mean, this is no watergate. this is about -- [ laughter ] >> jon stewart certainly not the only comedian this week who's taking aim at christie. in fact, i think you would be hard pressed to find anyone on the late night shows who isn't

taking some cracks at christie. suspect that kind of the bigger problem here? this is his first introduction and it's gotten steam in the pop culture world, which can in a lot of ways be more devastating than when your opponents are just trying to take the hit on you. >> i think in trenton, as his political advisers sat around the table, this is not how they wanted his introduction to the country to go. that's for sure. but again, how long could these go on for? >> a long time. >> maybe. but we could be on to a new issue next week. just as these media cycles tend to go. if nothing else comes out, i think these jokes get kind of dry. >> i'm not sure we're going to be moving on quite so quickly, partly because the media in new york is really dying to make this go on and on. and we still don't have a clear sense of the motive behind this thing. so this is going to keep going on. and look, how are christie's opponents in the sort of invisible primary, how are they

going to use this -- again, lawrence o'donnell provided an example. i thought he was going to be funnier, but he actually was very serious with a realistic attack ad from last night's "last word." >> what kind of president would chris christie be? >> i delegate enormous authority to my staff. enormous authority to my cabinet. >> could we trust president christie's staff and cabinet? >> i am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team. >> chris christie embarrassed and humiliated new jersey. don't let chris christie embarrass and humiliate america. >> that's what can happen when you do a two-hour press conference, longer than a bruce springsteen concert. but the point is chris christie's prime argument within the gop so far has been "i'm electable." if that is eroding, then he's losing his argument. >> as you noted, no one's piling

on him. everyone says don't get on top of your opponent while he's stumbling. but this is a terrible ad. and lawrence o'donnell did a great job. could be an ad maker. and you're right, electability is a huge component of his success. he's been successful at sandy and getting new jersey in order. your aides reflect on that and he'll have to contend with that. >> one of the things i've been thinking about is the fact that we have frequently gone through these scandals and looked back at ourselves and said how do these guys think they were going to get away with it? why did they lie in that way? how did they possibly think that they weren't going to get caught? john edwards certainly comes to mind. isn't there something about the ego of a lot of times these men in politics that makes them think they're sort of above the law? and to be clear, we don't know what happened here. we have no direct evidence tying christie to this scandal. but i'm hearing all this analysis that oh, he was so definitive.

that there can't possibly be anything else there, because if there is something there, he's done. i don't think we should be so certain. >> i think, like you just said, if anything else is there and he lied for his two-hour press conference, he is most likely done. i think that's fairly certain. but people in power tend to get intoxicated by it. he has a lot of people in the media and political class bowing down to him. he's going to florida this weekend where donors are flocking to a mansion to pay their respects to him to tell him how great he is. so he certainly has that element of people being in love with him. again, we don't know what happened. but absolutely, if he is lying about this, if there are e-mails that he was copied on or anything like that, he is probably done. >> you know, jake, i find that conservative response to this so far an interesting one. they're very much laying low, hoping that this thing dies. boehner saying we're moving on from this. but as you were saying, you are no stranger to scandal. you cover the hill. what is your take on how this plays out?

what do you think is going to happen? >> again, unless something else comes out, this is going to fade. there's going to be the whole buildup -- like an ethics investigation on capitol hill, you have the whole buildup to the report. the report comes out. if there's something, he's in trouble. but if there's nothing, he could emerge and say listen, i showed all my cards. i let the investigator have full rein. they interviewed me, they interviewed my aides and they came up with nothing. i need to govern new jersey. he said that in a press conference. he said i have 1,400 days left in my term here in new jersey. i'm going to work. and i think he'll keep saying things like that if nothing else comes out. but the there's more, he's in big trouble. >> thanks for playing. be glad that you're disconnected from a screen, you don't have spitwads thrown your way. we appreciate you coming on. up next, part two of our prelim punch where we put the focus on the other 2016 heavyweight, hillary clinton. the "the cycle" rolls on for

this thursday, january 16th. [announcer] word is getting out. purina dog chow light & healthy is a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend. with 20% fewer calories than purina dog chow. isn't it time you discovered the lighter side of dog chow. purina dog chow light & healthy. hey, buddy? oh, hey, flo. you want to see something cool? snapshot, from progressive. my insurance company told me not to talk to people like you. you always do what they tell you? no... try it, and see what your good driving can save you. you don't even have to switch. unless you're scared. i'm not scared, it's... you know we can still see you. no, you can't. pretty sure we can... try snapshot today -- no pressure.

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.

back now with part two of our one-two political punch. hillary clinton. she is viewed in the political class as the dems' answer to chris christie, were he to run in 2016. and she's faced a little heat this week related to the scathing report regarding the benghazi attacks. there's some real differences here. mainly that america has known hillary for decades. her husband obviously was president for eight years.

she herself has already run for this job once. while chris christie maybe not around these parts here, there is a large section of america that is just being introduced to him. you know what they say about first impressions. "time"'s cover story asks the question we are all wondering, can anyone stop hillary? deputy managing editor redika jones joins us now. thank you for joining us. part of what your article looks at is the fact that hillary actually benefits from not being in this race. all those pressures that move a lot of people to announce and to announce early. the money, the organization, the attention, she already has. and so there's absolutely no rush for her to get in this race. >> exactly. people love to speculate. they've been speculating about her running since obama became president in 2008. so this is a familiar question for us. but you're exactly right. she has the donor network. she has the speaking engagements. she can road test ideas.

she can road test applause lines. she has staffers. she has incredible experience. not only as a former candidate, but also a secretary of state. so the longer she stays out, in a way the more powerful she is. >> that's obviously her best interests. but you ask is that in the best interest for democrats, especially those that are thinking about running, as long as she takes her time with this, they have a hard time making their decision. i compare her in 2008 to where we are today. she was the one to beat. there was very little we didn't know about hillary clinton. that could be a good thing and a bad thing. she made the announcement via the web. actually, let's take a look at that. >> i announced today that i'm forming a presidential exploratory committee. i'm not just starting a campaign, though. i'm beginning a conversation, with you, with america. >> this really was her campaign to lose. and out of nowhere, much to her surprise and the country's surprise, you have this dark horse barack obama who brought

this new new jersey, new idea that the country was wanting at the time. isn't that her biggest fear, that she is the predicted winner and all of a sudden you have someone come out of nowhere that beats her in the primary. >> it seems like so long ago looking at that clip. one thing i would say -- i think of course that's true and there could be a candidate whose name we're not even familiar with right now who's going to come out of the shadows. but one thing i would say is that her reputation and level of global familiarity and popularity has changed a lot in that period. i mean, not just because she was secretary of state, but even just some pure image stuff, the sort of texting with hillary. she became cooler in the eyes of the public. that's no small thing when you're thinking about running a campaign. so etch if she's an older candidate by this point, she also just has a different pull for people, i would say. >> on the cover, which is a fantastic looking cover, it's how to scare off your rivals. one of the ways you do that, you create opposition research

books, where you know everything that you can about your opponents, their personal lives, to how they voted, to their campaign finance. and then you send those folks out, do you really want all this to be known? do you want your family, your kids to go through this sort of a campaign? and when hillary sends that book out to you, it's quite daunting. and quite frightening. and what book could you possibly send to hillary? for 20 years, she's been on the biggest national stage. everything that you could possibly say about her has been debated and parsed through and the voters already know how they feel about it, even when you talk about benghazi. so it seems that she has something teflon about her because she's been so famous for so long. >> i think that's right. she has been vetted probably more than anyone in american politics today. and she also -- i mean, we talk about this a little bit in this story. there's a sense if you think back to the 2008 campaign that she a little bit seeded some ground to obama in terms of breaking a barrier. she wasn't so willing to stake

her candidacy on look, i want to be the first woman president. i want to break this glass ceiling. it wasn't a major theme for her. there's a lot of thought that that would be different this time around, and that she would have a lot of public support for taking that stand. >> and you know, there's a lot of research that shows a lot of times companies and countries, when they're in sort of times of turmoil and crisis, they tend to turn to a woman. there's almost a sense of the guys have messed all this up. let's give the ladies a chance. and i think we may somewhat be at a moment like that right now. >> it certainly feels that way. we were just talking about it. it's been about a year since sheryl sandburg launched her campaign. we've had a lot of productive national conversations about women in leadership roles. we just appointed our first female fed chair. i think there's no doubt in people's minds that women can do these jobs. and there's certainly no doubt that hillary clinton is experienced enough to do this job. >> it could be very interesting, if it was hillary clinton versus chris christie who served the uber macho man, it would be

quite an interesting match-up. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. up next, a story that has tails wagging and animal lovers talking across the country. equality for mutts in the news cycle. that is next. ♪

[ female announcer ] aaah, the amazing, delicious cinnamon and sugar taste of cinnamon toast crunch and cold milk. ♪ cinnamon toast crunch.

the news cycle begins with game security for this year's super bowl. it will be played at metlife stadium in new jersey. officials are planning for any and all security concerns. parts of the plan we will see, others will be invisible to fans. it also includes new york's times square, which will be transformed to super bowl boulevard leading up to the big game. cops, bomb sniffing dogs and helicopters will be overhead during the three-day party. hopefully the bridges will remain open. fortune magazine is out with its list of the top companies to work for. google comes in at number one for the third year in a row.

perks, benefits and other opportunities that keep employees happy. rounding out the top five, software firm sas, the boston consulting group. sadly msnbc just missed the cut. >> what? big news from the westminster dog show. for the first time, mixed breed dogs will now be allowed to compete. they will be allowed to participate in agility competitions but not yet best in show. really all a moot point because baxter takes top prize. promoters for the new movie have been parading this tiny terror through the streets of new york to drum up buzz. it's clearly working. m matt lauer got in on the act. >> she's actually about to meet

grace, our actress and the baby from hell. >> three, two, one. countdown to sochi. i'm darlene rodriguez. >> i've brought darlene flowers, not to apologize for the prank, but to use to defend myself if she starts hitting me, which she may do. >> darlene, let's do it again. >> hi, how are you? it's nice to meet you. what's your name? >> my name's grace. >> who's this? >> can you take a picture of us? is that okay? >> of course. >> can you watch the baby? >> i'll watch the baby. >> ah! ah! >> darlene? >> i can't believe you. i can't believe you! >> first the apology. >> no! >> it's always way too early for

that, abby. >> that is one frightening baby. all right, turning now to the glitz and glamour of hollywood. the nominees were announced this morning for the 86th annual academy awards. "american hustle" and "gravity" lead the pack with ten nominations each, including best picture, best director, and best actress. "12 years a slave" followed closely behind with nine nominations, but at this early stage, at least, it seems to be the critics' pick. i hear toure has maps or something like that. >> really? really? >> but i digress. >> really? that's relevant. >> to the surprise of some, oprah winfrey and "the butler" were completely shut out. so who's walking away with the gold statue? i cannot wait to hear toure's predictions for this year. but the ones i'm most excited about are best actor and best actresses, in particular, matthew mcconaughey, who i never expected to be on this list. someone i grew up watching. all of my favorite chick flicks,

you name it. "the wedding planner." "thousand lose a guy." "failure to launch." and most recently in 2012, he was in "magic mike." talk about a turnaround. now he is being nominated for best actor in the oscars. so i'm a big fan of his. there he is in "magic mike." she's clearly someone who can play a number of different roles. i think there's something exciting about a newbie winning an award. you remember jennifer lawrence last year, who was so excited, she tripped over her dress walking up the stairs. these are very human moments, and the moments that i wait for. so we'll see what happens. but i'm rooting for matthew. >> i'm rooting for matthew mcconaughey too because what he did in "dallas buyers club" was incredible and he transformed his body. the academy loves when you go that extra mile and transform for your body for the role. he's had a serious acting career for a very long time. she's done those fun movies, but he's done serious films. and i'm actually surprised to see a best actor category that is full of guys who can actually win this thing.

all first-time guys. christian bale, bruce dern, leonardo dicaprio. probably an outsider, but another figure who could win the thing. matthew mcconaughey, of course. and chiwetel ejiofor. i see all of them having a chance. when i talk to people who vote for this thing and talk to other wlos vote for this thing, there's a couple of criteria that emerge. they think about the performance. they also think about the body of work that the actors had. they think about the relationships that the actor had in hollywood. if you've done a lot of films, you work with a lot of different people, you're going to get a lot of people who want to vote for you, something that might work against chiwetel ejiofor this time because he's newer. >> he's been around for a while. he was in "love actually." >> but he hasn't done a ton of movies like dicaprio, mcconaughey. bruce dern might get something like a lifetime achievement sort of oscar, even though he's fully deserving for "nebraska." the thing that jumps out at me is a real winner here is david o. russell, who once again got

nominations for four people, which i don't think has ever happened. four nominations coming out of one film. i think pretty much everyone -- >> is that "american hustle"? >> yes. everybody wants to work with david o. rusz el today. >> one thing that struck me is that they separate the men and the women in the awards. i know they want to give out more awards. but why do you have to separate it into this best actor and best actress? why can't they all compete against each other? it just struck me this year as a bit off. when you look at the numbers, we still have a situation where out of all of the movies in 2011, for example, only 11% of the protagonists were female. so i almost feel like by having these separate categories, we're masking the fact that we still have a very male-dominated film industry. >> i think it's an interesting question. you can say that shakespeare only had men play every single role. but i don't know -- >> it's a little bit of a different time. >> it's a different time. but i would say that genders

play different roles in film just like they do in everyday life. i don't know. also you give people more opportunity, if they're all in the same category, there's only one winner. >> we just had the graph of women are also -- they're not only less likely to be the protagonist, only 11% of the protagonists, but they're also much less likely to be cast as leaders, whether it's political leaders, or science, across fields. you're right that they are being cast in different roles. but i think that's part of the problem. >> but we are different. men and women, we're different genders. >> we should all be seen as leaders. >> what i would like to see rather than smushing the categories together, get more women getting power at studios and then you see more women getting roles that represent them as leaders or leaders in the films themselves. >> part of the question you're getting at is whether we see the awards as a reflection of all these inequities in hollywood, or rather they serve to reinforce and drive it.

scarlett johansson was seen as a great actress, although due to the rules, she won't actually be up for an award for her performance in "her." >> because she didn't appear on screen. >> i love this movie, which is more than just a technology movie. it's a love story. take a look at it. >> it's great, actually. yeah. i feel really close to her. like when i talk to her, i feel like she's with me. >> are you falling in love with her? >> does that make me a freak? >> no, no. i think it's -- i think anyone who falls in love is a freak. >> this is such a beautiful movie. without giving any spoilers away, it is a movie that does push the boundaries of what are relationships and how do we relate to technology. and i've heard some people say okay, well, i guess this is for people who are really into computers or the future. this is both that, because it

takes place in some faraway future and raises questions about how we relate to human beings in an increasingly digitized and mediated world. >> and how we emotionally connect. >> and the other thing that moved me is it's also a classic love story. and as a love story that raises questions about when your feelings are genuine and when they change, and if a relationship doesn't work out, that reassessment that you go through. was that really love? right? or was this a good feeling or an obsession or a fixation, that now if this relationship isn't working or is over, how do i look back and reassess it. i was not necessarily expecting all of that. i thought it was going to be this cool ride. i was like totally moved. totally deep. the kind of film where you walk out of there thinking about what matters in the world. what matters in romantic relationships. >> that's exactly why it should be nominated. these are the films where you do walk out of theaters thinking about life, thinking something you weren't thinking about when

you walked in there. >> what do you think of the snub of "the butlebutler"? >> i don't look at that as a snub. >> i ask because you're the film expert. >> it was a fine movie. it comes off to me, as steve said earlier, as a tv movie with good actors. i don't look at it as something like i'm like that should be dominated. >> not the level of "her" where you see the world differently. >> no. and important and valuable and historical discussion, i get that. i don't need 100 tweets about that. but i don't look at this as a snub. the golden globes didn't care for it. the oscars didn't care for it. how many people have to reject it before you're like, it's not a snub. the thing i'm excited about is we're going to have a success l suspenseful oscars because we don't know who's going to win.

we have to see what sag are going to say. >> okay. we'll see what happens. you've heard what we think. now we want to know your picks for the greatest oscar winning film. not just this year, but ever. our facebook friend michael lucero shows "the godfather." we agree, although we're partial, because that's our nickname for "the cycle's" fearless executive producer steve friedman. keep those responses coming. up next, american secret wars. how much do we really know about the size and scope of special operations being carried out abroad? it may not be a big oscar contender, but "lone survivor"'s box office takeover proves americans are intrigued. >> rules engagement says we cannot touch down. >> i understand. and i don't care. i care about you. i care about you. i care about you. i care about you. we can't do that. >> look at that soldier. >> they are unarmed prisoners. >> this is not a vote. hey guys! sorry we're late.

did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. 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-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪

♪ [ male announcer ] old el paso frozen entrées. now in freezers.

tomorrow the president will deliver long-awaited speech. will it actually mean more oversight? only time will tell. a new television raises questions about another arm of the government's counterterrorist strategies, special operations command. these forces, seals, rangers and green berets hunt down terrorists, train some of our allies and are positioned to keep u.s. interests safe, sometimes at a moment's notice. they were deployed in 134 countries in 2013. that is about 70% of the nations on earth. the military points out that on a skiconsistent basis, is numbes more like 80 countries.

the size and scope of the operations under way might actually harm u.s. interests abroad. while exact numbers and dollar figures are hard to come by, what's difficult for the military dispute is that these elite forces operate largely in secret and their reach may be growing. nick takes us inside the world of the shadow army. his book "kill anything that moves" is also out in paperback. welcome. >> thanks for having me on. >> absolutely. let's start with where these policies come from. your article says maybe this secretive and expansive program is problematic. you spend a lot of time writing about the military. does the buck ultimately stop with president obama and the congress having ordered and arranged this type of foreign policy, or do you think we don't know enough to know where the buck stops? >> well, i think -- of course, these policies certainly come down from the top, but there isn't a lot of oversight of special operations forces.

these are covert activities. congress has really, you know, gi given them a free hand and the president has relied on them. for years, the cia was known as the president's private army. since 9/11 and especially during the obama administration, i think you could say that special operations forces are the president's private army. >> when you talk about special operations, working in secret, fanning out over the globe, isn't this the way that modern combat has to be undertaken, given a world where we're not usually fighting against another nation, but we're fighting against a group that's not tied to a certain nation. >> there's a lot of chance of blowback, to use a term of cia trade craft. if you look at u.s. military interventions over these last years, look at iraq, they are a

country that had a government that was aligned against our enemy iran, and had no presence of al qaeda. go into iraq today, it has a government that's aligned with iran and there are al qaeda flags flying over two cities. >> our traditional military there as opposed to the covert forces that go in more surgically and take care of terrorists and groups and that sort of thing. >> i actually saw it as more problematic when it's covert, because then the american people have no idea what's going on. you get into larger conflicts this way. a lot of times people don't even recognize the blowback when it appears. >> i read the piece. and i have to say, i'm on the other side of this. i really don't blame the pentagon for not being as transparent as you say they should be. i believe that we should trust our leaders enough to know that they're giving enough thought to where they're deploying our men and women.

not much has changed since president obama has been president. in fact, we've actually seen more missions take place. so would you say that there is not a role anymore for secrecy? help me understand that. >> i think the military do need to have some idea where their military is operating. i've studied the vietnam war extensively. if you look at the way that that conflict started, it began with small teams of advisers. small special forces detachment. covert operations. by the time a full scale war erupted in vietnam with the u.s. in the midst of it, most americans had no idea how we had gotten there and had disastrous consequences for the united states and especially for the people of vietnam. >> that sounds like the mission argument, which people understand very well. we try to go in to do one thing that we're told is necessary. it's not a full scale war.

we don't debate it as such and before we know it we feel already half in to a larger argument. the special ops drone criticism, that this becomes video warfare, that it might stay lightweight. the problem is it doesn't get authorized and we're so distant and sanitized that we don't have to think about the consequences. >> the u.s. has been staexpandi into africa the last couple years. there was a great destabilization. that destabilized neighboring mali. because of that, there was terror in the region. they began with one predator drone flown once a day. now the latest that i've seen is

reaper drones and a lot more air force personnel on the ground. so even with these late fo footprint operations, they tend to get heavier and heavier as the u.s. doubles down again and again. >> it's an important cautionary point to think about. a conversation we wanted to get started. so nick turse, thank you for being here. up next, there's a new crop of skaters that get set for sochi. it's the olympics. they're here on nbc. it's been 20 years since one of the most bizarre scandals in sports history, tonya harding, nancy kerrigan, and the shot heard round the world. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth.

i have the flu, i took medicine but i still have symptoms. [ sneeze ] [ male announcer ] truth is not all flu products treat all your symptoms.

what? [ male announcer ] nope, they don't have an antihistamine. really? [ male announcer ] really. [ dog whine ] but alka-seltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms. [ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go. get it! [ male announcer ] can't find theraflu, try alka-seltzer plus for fast liquid cold and flu relief. 20 years ago, the world was getting ready for the 1994 winter olympics. as part of the women's figure skating team, the teams were set in detroit. and then this happened. >> i've never heard a scream like that. it was just an awful, horrified type of scream. >> what happened? what happened? and she said, somebody hit me. >> details are sketchy. she was struck several times. >> hit her several times. once, twice. i'm not really sure. >> there's been a violent attack

on an american athlete. >> nancy kerrigan was attacked as she left the ice. >> the golden gerg nancy kerrigan attacked. turned out the people who did it were associated and even married to the rival, the so-called bad girl tonya harding. and the soap opera is now an espn "30 for 30" documentary which debuts tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern. its director is nanette berstein. fantastic documentary. i watched it last night. my wife had her two girlfriends over. they couldn't stop watching it. they were trying to leave and they were like we've got to keep watching this thing! tanya harding contends to this day that she had no prior knowledge. she was not complicit. she didn't help plan this attack that was fairly planned out and meticulous, planned out by her husband and people around her. you looked her in the eye. do you really believe that she had no prior knowledge and no complicity? >> i mean, my hunch is that she had complicity. i can't prove it 100% because

they never found the evidence and she maintains her innocence to this day. but my strong hunch is that she was involved. at least knew about it. >> such a fascinating story. and it became this sort of class war, and the picture is so much about that. nancy, who seemed to be from the right side of the tracks. not as right ied side as we are told she was. and tonya, wholly from the wrong side. roll the clip. >> there was one year that i had like a bright pink color that i made myself. it was really pretty. one of the judges came up to me afterwards and said, you know what? if you ever wear anything like that again at a u.s. championships, you will never do another one. and i told them where to go. i said well, you know what? if you can come up with $5,000 for a costume for me, then i won't have to make it. >> the hand gesture there is the

best. crystal, did you love that or what? that little pink number. >> it was, you know, of the time period. >> no, it wasn't. but this class warfare thing, you make a big deal out piece. >> nancy was seen as very wealthy because she had patrician looks. i mean, she looked like she came from money. in fact, she was blue collar. and tanya, you know, she really was from poverty. to nancy got vera wang outfis and tanya had homemade outfits that looked a little sergeant pepper like. and this avs a big deal. half of your score is judged by arce is tri, which means your costume, your music, and your grace. and, you know, so tanya always had trouble playing the ice princess game. she was tremendously talented as an athlete but lacked the ability to conform to that grace and beauty. >> and part of what was so shocking and crazy about the

story, i was trying to rack my brain for another instance in athletic where is someone was attacked by, you know, people associated with their opponent and for it to happen in this ice princess sport is crazy. but ice-skating actually bizarrely benefitted from this scandal. right? >> it did. it did. you know, the ratings for the olympics that year were through the roof. the highest ratings ever for the olympics. and one of the most watched programs ever in television history. so after that, people developed, like, you know, this huge interest in skating, and there were all these professional skating shows on major networks. and so all the skaters made money except for tonya because she was banned for life from skating. >> we do love a good scandal, even in sports. you know, i tried ice-skatinging when i was younger. i never quite made it pro. it definitely is not one of my talents. but i got to know some of the girls who were trying to go pro. it's a really interesting culture. they wake up in 3:00 in the

morning their entire life. i saw them struggle with on one end they have this ego they know they tear best, but on the other end a strange relationship usually with their mother and their coach that they never feel good enough. it reminds me a lot of beauty pageants. >> yes. >> very much the case in harding's case. right? >> yes. i mean, she had an abusive mother who was both physically and verbally abusive. her mother talks about in the film how to motivate tonya she would try to tell her she was ugly, wasn't talented. that did drive her to succeed in the end but obviously in a very negative way. >> there's this amazing scene when a woman describes hearing tonya's mother hit her, incredible piece. congratulations. >> thank you. >> can't wait for the rest of the country to see it. up next, abby's prescription for the gop in 2014. is it take two obamacares and call abby in the morning? no? open to ambition. open to bold ideas. that's why new york has a new plan -- dozens of tax free zones all across the state.

move here, expand here, or start a new business here and pay no taxes for ten years... we're new york. if there's something that creates more jobs, and grows more businesses... we're open to it. start a tax-free business at startup-ny.com. 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. isn't it time you discovered the sleep number bed? because only the sleep number bed offers dual air technology that lets two people find the perfect balance of comfort and support for their bodies. their sleep number setting. ok, right there . and only the sleep number bed is clinically proven to relieve back pain and improve sleep quality. oh that feels really good.

it's hugging my body. and right now, it's the final days of our lowest prices of the season. save $300 to $800 on our newest innovations. it's the perfect time for you to try the sleep number bed. plus, for five days only, special financing until january 2017 on select sleep number beds. ends monday. discover the sleep number bed. costs about the same as an innerspring, but lasts twice as long. only at one of our 425 stores nationwide, where queen mattresses start at just $699.99. sleep number. comfort individualized. i'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.

we have to address the structural causes of that opportunity, and they are social, educational, and economic. and the problem with our current safety net programs is that they help alleviate some of the pain of poverty that they do absolutely nothing to help people emerge from that poverty. >> right. >> that was senator marco rubio hitting on some of the core underlying elements that he feels need to be addressed in order to achieve our economic am bigs. look, it's time to face some hard realities. the real reason we're having this debate around extending unemployment ben fills is because we haven't been able to create enough jobs. and don't ge gete me wrong, i agree we should be extending benefits for the next three months. but you cannot fix broken bones

with a band-aid. what do i mean by broken bones? we are nearly 8 million jobs short of where we were at the start of the recession if you include population growth. in fact, at the current pace that we are adding jobs it will not be until september 2019 that we actually close that gap. president obama is only getting half of it right when he talks about economic inequality. the other half of his argument that seems to be missing is how we stimulate greater economic growth. why can't we walk and chew gum at the same time? there's no reason why we can't talk about unemployment benefits right alongside tax reform and energy policy. that is not what we're hearing today. the focus isn't on these underlying structural problems. democrats want to continue the message that we're on the up and up and that the democratically controlled government has done the best possible job to reenergize the economy coming out of the great recession. they don't want to talk about economic reforms because that suggests things could be better. politically it makes sense to focus on a declining unemployment rate versus the reality that we are still

woefully behind on job creation. but only 74,000 new jobs were created last month. 74,000 versus the 200,000 many were expecting. just to keep up with population growth, we need to be adding 143,000 jobs a month. so sure, you get a lower unemployment rate when people have given up, but focusing on that number doesn't help anyone in the long run, which why the gop should be all over this. here's "abby road's" advice to my fellow republicans. own this issue. you should be hammering this message of increased economic opportunity time and time again. there's clearly room in this conversation to take control. spend less time on strucking the extension of unemployment benefits for the next three months and use that time to draft a real roadmap to economic prosperity, something that actually has a chance of passing. moving forward the message in 2014, a key election year, can not be about obamacare failures, about ben g.a. si's failures or about the irs failures.

while they all deserve attention, we need to rebuild the republican brand around successes and an optimistic vision for the future. successes for all american, not just those on our side. the winning strategy for republicans is focusing on the pain along with the gain. we've got to be the party that can walk and chew gum at the same time. that does it for us at "the cycle." alex wagner is here. take it away. three investigations, 20 subpoenas, dueling high-profile attorneys, and jazzercise. governor chris christie, this is your life. it's thursday, january 16th, and this is now. i suspect there are a few more cameras here today than we would have thought. >> hitting the comeback trail. >> all kinds of challenges come every day out of nowhere. >> new information on the ongoing scandal. >> new subpoenas to come. >> i am going to be subpoenaing

documents from the governor's new chief of staff. >> it's been a rough couple weeks for new jersey governor chris christie. >> whatever test they put in front of me, i will meet those tests. >> he's hired his own outside counsel. >> people aren't necessarily believing that he didn't know about bridgegate. >> the third of those we surveyed say he's lying. >> when you take that oath, the tag line on the end is not "if everything goes the way it's supposed to." >> if he's telling the truth, he's good. if not, he's gone. >> if tag line at the end is "so help me god." >> one week after governor chris christie's 107-minute press conference on the bridgegate scandal, the political drama continues to unfold in the garden state. moments ago a special committee investigating the jersey traffic snarl and the ensuing allegations convened for the very first time. the committee is issuing subpoenas, possibly one for