disturbing end to the search for a missing boy with autism in new york. remains have been found several miles from the school where avante disappeared. clothes match what avante was wearing. new subpoenas on the bridge scandal involving new jersey governor chris christie. and as he heads to fundraisers this weekend, new reports that some in his party think he should take a break from the national stage plus, a victory for voting rights. a key part of voting i.d. laws in the country struck down by a judge. keith ellison will join me live. hi, everyone, i'm tamron hall, the news nation is following what president obama is calling, quote, substantial reforms to the government surveillance programs the president defended the need for surveillance to prevent terror while acknowledging the privacy

concerns and calling for greater oversight. >> the men and women of the intelligence community, including the nsa -- it was clear to me in observing our intelligence operations on a regular basis that changes in our technological capabilities were raising new questions about the privacy safeguards in place. >> the president announced major changes to the nsa's most controversial practice. the president said that bulk meta data collecting will no longer be stored by the government. but, instead, by a third party. >> i believe critics are right to point out that without proper safeguards, this type of program could be used to yield more information about our private lives. and open the door to more intrusive bulk collection programs. >> in addition, the president also announced that starting immediately, judicial approval

will be required every time the data base of phone records is searched. and he has proposed a halt to surveillance of foreign leaders unless there is a compelling national security reason. the president proposed a number of other change such as establishing a panel of privacy advocates in the fisa court. the president rejected many of the recommendations made by a task force he formed last year. senator rand paul who has been critical of the president and the nsa said in a statement, quote, while i'm encouraged the president is addressing the nsa spying program, i'm disappointed in the details president obama's announced solution to the nsa spying controversy is the same unconstitutional program with a new configuration. joining me now, michael,

elizabeth and josh. thank you all for joining us. josh, let's start here with what the president rolled out. i think all of this, dribs and drabs have been leaked out here. but some of the criticism from rand paul, senator mccain, as well. at least, they believe, there are unanswered questions. he said president obama's speech today left many crucial questions unanswered. now it's time for congress to improve how it executes the oversight duties and ensure we are fulfilling our obligation to protect the security of our nation and the freedom of our citizens. so does this put the majority of the changes now in the hands of congress? >> i think a lot of these changes, congress will ultimately have to weigh in on. and you have to remember with respect to the 215 program, it's scheduled to run out. its authority runs out in the middle of next year. so if congress doesn't act, it's going to change pretty dramatically. i did think the president made a significant announcement today in saying the government would no longer hold this meta data.

but it was after that where it became more complicated. he didn't really come forward with a specific replacement plan. he said he saw two or three different options. he said a couple of those options weren't very good. and that's sort of where he left it. i can understand why some of the critics are saying there's more here that need to be explained. >> and that speaks to the complexity of it. we know the president was reviewing these recommendations before the new year and this speech much anticipated. but i think for some who are critical or suspicious, that is the letdown. yes, the government won't control this metadata, but the plan on what or who will take over has not been revealed. >> i think that's right. i think there are a lot of questions that remain to be answered. but he did pledge that this data would be out of the hands of the government. and he did one other thing that's quite significant, which is that he said going forward before the government searches the data, it will get a judicial order. it will obtain a judicial finding. he didn't really explain what

the finding was. but there would be some kind of judicial approval required before searching the data. and that is significant, as well. >> and what was also significant, michael, was the president's defense of the nsa. he did not waver at all in saying the necessity of surveillance for all of our safety. but he also made reference to edward snowden. let me play what the president said really quick. >> given the fact of an open investigation, i'm not going to dwell on mr. snowden's actions or his motivations. if any individual who objects to government policy can take it into their own hands to publicly disclose classified information, then we will not be able to keep our people safe or conduct foreign policy. moreover, the sensational way in which these disclosures have come out has often shed more heat than light. >> so, michael, people may not like the sensational way as the

president referred to it that edward snowden handled this. but the bottom line, these recommendations and changes the president spoke of today would not be on the table were it not for edward snowden. >> that's true. you know, at the outset, tamron, i wondered, would this be a speech where he would defend the program or advocate reforming the program. i think it's more defensive. and on that critical component of metadata, he didn't say we were going to end the practice. he said it won't be in government control. well, be careful what you wish for. because the only thing worse than the government having that data is whoever else is going to control that data. so i don't know where it leaves us. but he certainly didn't back off from the collection itself. >> absolutely. and, elizabeth, i'll bring you in on that. if you don't trust the government with this information, would you trust a

phone carrier who may not and certainly there's questions of regarding how contractors and who has access to what. but when it goes into the hands of a private company. these issues don't dissipate. the concerns of your privacy must still exist. >> they do still exist for sure. but it's important to understand that the telephone companies hold this data. this is their billing records. they do hold it under existing regulations. they actually have to hold it for 18 months. so if the president were to end bulk collection tomorrow, the telephone companies would still have this data in their possession for 18 months. so that's a bit of a straw man. the question is whether the president is going to pursue some kind of legislation to require the telephone companies to hold it for longer or in a different format. in which case, they then become not service providers but agents of the intelligence establishment. and that is highly problematic. >> and some of the legal

actions, certainly, josh, on the table and have been discussed is that you would have judicial review as well as whether or not there will be an advocate -- privacy advocate, part of the process that is a key component for some people who believe that our protection should certainly not just be in the hands of the government, meaning the protection of our privacy. >> yeah. and the president touted that as a major reform. he talked about not just a single public advocate at the court but having a panel of lawyers and maybe some other experts with technological expertise that could weigh in with the judges. the law enforcement community and intelligence community doesn't want those advocates injecting themselves over every case. they want the court to decide when those advocates could be invited in. there's a lot of details here that need to be worked out. i would pick up on what elizabeth said to note that saying this data would not be in the hands of the government is pretty significant. one of the big concerns here, if the government can gather the

telephone data under this 215 program, they could gather almost any data in the private sector for almost any reason. and so that's a precedent that i think the civil liberties advocates have been very concerned about and the president is essentially saying they're right on that that the government shouldn't be able to just pick up any data base it wants. >> and i'm curious what people are saying on the radio here. we've seen some of the polling, washington post poll, does the collection of internet data intrude on privacy? 68% say, yes. 28% say, no. and i often tell people, we go to the phone companies, elizabeth pointed out, they have our number, there's some kid we don't know that transfers all the data from the old iphone to the new iphone you've just posted. you have no idea who that individual is or what that information can be used or who has access to it quite honestly. i'm curious of the engagement of people on the radio as far as what they think is happening and are they digesting it in a full view? >> well, that's a great

question. and this is all anecdotal, but on the intensity level, i note from calls i take day in and day out across the country, those who are opposed to this have much stronger passion, it seems, than those who are supportive. those who are supportive, you get a general hurumph from them that they are collecting this data through their purchasing power. but those opposed seem very hard core. >> i greatly appreciate you joining me today. >> thank you. >> "the news nation" is following developing news. police are investigating whether human remains found overnight here in new york could be those of a missing 14-year-old boy with autism. a lawyer for avonte oquendo's family says the items match what he was wearing on september 4th when surveillance cameras showed him darting out of his school walking toward a park. a massive search had been going on ever since.

and joining me live now reporter mark santora. thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> what are investigators saying right now? >> well, so last night a 14-year-old girl was out for a walker near the shoreline along the east river when she came across what looked to her human remains. she tweeted a picture of it. her mother saw the picture and went down with her to the shoreline and called the police. at that point, the police arrived and saw the clothing and it matched the -- shoes in particular, 5 1/2 air jordans matched what he was last seen wearing. so they had a good reason to believe there might be a connection here. they called his mother at 2:00 a.m., she went down to the medical examiner where they took dna and now they're doing those dna tests. we're waiting. >> and we are waiting. and to your point, one of the things that are items that people focus heavily on is that shoe, a 5 1/2 air jordan shoe. we've all -- at least in this area -- have seen these flyers

that went up when avonte went missing and many of them are still up, quite honestly. i saw one the other day and it specifically reads he had on a dark color air jordan. at this point, did authorities say any more regarding the condition of the remains? >> yeah. they were deteriorated and the limbs matched the size and shape of what someone of his age would be. and going back to your point, though, i think the reason this case resinated around the city, he was autistic, couldn't communicate verbally, couldn't care for himself. and from the first few days, the family and the family's lawyer were very aggressive in pushing the search and these flyers, i can't recall a case where a face became as familiar as his face around the city. >> to your point, the new york police department said they never had such a widespread exhaustive search going through the tunnels. and part of the reason these were put near the subway trains, his family said he was fascinated with trains. and they thought maybe out of

curiosity he wandered down to one of the subways. but to your point, we had holly robinson peete on, her son has a autism, as well. and people wondered how in a city of millions could a child disappear without a trace? >> and his school was right near the east river there, a few miles to the southeast. and from the beginning, there was a concern that maybe he had gone that direction. but they had boats out, gone along the waterways, searched the coastline. hadn't seen anything. for the family they held out hope and even today until there's a final confirmation, i think they're still hoping, you know, beyond hope this isn't him. >> we are hoping with them. thank you, mark, we greatly appreciate your time. still ahead, as subpoenas still roll out in the bridge scandal, new reports that the former christie appointee who oversaw the bridge closure says he's willing to share more information if he gets immunity. plus, vladimir putin sends a

message today to gay people attending the winter games in sochi. telling them they'll be safe while at the same time saying, quote, leave the kids alone. richard engel joins us live from sochi. plus -- >> i actually thought it was a joke at first. >> you didn't think he was serious? >> no. >> and now? >> and now i think it's absurd. >> a california dad outraged after finding out his son's little league coach is suing the boy. the coach claims he was injured during a victory celebration. so he wants the kid to pay up. it's our news nation gut check. and join our conversation on twitter, you can find me @tamronhall @newsnation. [ female announcer ] season after season,

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welcome back. we're learning who among governor chris christie's inner circle is being hit by subpoenas by the committee investigating the so-called bridge scandal. nbc news has confirmed that they will subpoena the chairman of the new york, new jersey, port authority and governor christie's incoming chief of staff. in all, 20 subpoenas are being issued, three of which will go to organizations. sources tell nbc news one will be christie's reelected campaign organization. and now there's word that the former port authority official appointed by governor christie who directed the lane closures is ready to share information. his attorney tells the "associated press," quote, if he has immunity from the relative entities, he'll talk. he pled the fifth last week. meanwhile, this afternoon, the governor is set to administer the oath of office to the newest associate justice on new jersey's supreme court.

he's also forging ahead with a number of fundraisers this weekend in florida to raise money for the republican governors association. there's a question that's quietly being percolated among republicans. quote, should christie temporarily step down from his rga perch until the bridge investigation has ended due to all the scrutiny christie is getting? though, so far, no prominent republican has publicly made that call. michael isikoff joins us. at least for a lot of people, this headline that his attorney says if he's given immunity, he'll talk. some might see that as significant movement. >> it was, which is why we actually reported that last saturday at nbc. i had spoken to his attorney and he had just appeared with his client before that legislative committee the week before. and hinted as much at the time,

while he was taking the fifth amendment, if you grant my client immunity, the lawyer told the committee you'll get the answers to the questions you want want. he signaled that wildstein has a story to tell and can explain the origin of these lane closures if he gets immunity from prosecution. >> well, we know that last week he pled the fifth, but this comment from his attorney was reiterated today, michael. >> right. repeated what he had told me the week before. >> right. and thank you for that clarification. but as i pointed out, he's doubled down on this with the "associated press" today which leads some to believe that he means it. and the stakes are higher than last saturday.

>> i don't know they're any higher, it's clear the u.s. attorney is conducting an investigation. and by the way, it's worth noting if you parse the language very closely out of the statement out of the governor's office yesterday, it says the administration is cooperating with the u.s. attorney's inquiry. why that's significant is because the initial statement by paul fishman, he was looking to see whether or not federal laws were implicatmplicated. but clearly that statement indicates that there have already been outreach that there's been request for information by the u.s. attorneys to the governor's office and the governor's office is responding to that. that takes this a little -- that moves this up a notch that this is an active inquiry by the u.s. attorney. and it's important because that also makes these legislative committees' job all the more

difficult. it's inevitable that if wildstein took the fifth amendment, all the other key players, bridget kelly and bill stepien are going to do the same thing. it's highly unlikely they're going to testify before a legislative committee. >> all right, michael, thank you very much. and still ahead a voting rights victory a key part of one of the most strict voter i.d. laws in the country struck down. i'll talk about that with keith ellison next. and if jeb bush wants to run for president, well, he might want to talk to mom yet again for the second time on camera. former first lady barbara bush has made her voice known, at least what she thinks. it's one of the things we thought you should know. [announcer] word is getting out.

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♪ [ male announcer ] old el paso frozen entrées. now in freezers. welcome back. a state judge in pennsylvania struck down the state law requiring all voters to show a photo i.d. at the polls.

now, the judge ruled the law, one of the toughest, by the way, in the nation places an unreasonable burden on the fundamental right to vote. a law was approved by the republican controlled state legislature back in 2012. today's decision is expected to be appealed to pennsylvania supreme court. now, meantime, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has unveiled a bill aimed at patching a gaping hole in the 1965 voting rights act. that hole was created last june when the supreme court struck down a key part of the landmark law that allowed for federal oversight of states with a history of ballot box discrimination. joining me here in studio keith ellison of minnesota. long time champion of civil rights and defending voter rights and addressing this in his new memoir "my country 'tis of thee." first, let's get your reaction to this decision in pennsylvania. it's one of the first laws that really got national attention because of the obvious controversy. and now you've got this judge

striking it down. >> good decide. i think these voter i.d. laws are costly, don't do any good. don't improve the process, there's almost no cases of voter imposter voting anywhere in the country. and basically designed to exclude, depress the vote. and i think based on the statements of the republican-controlled pennsylvania legislature, it's clear that the court was right to strike it down because it was partisan and designed to repress. >> here in this ruling, the judge said an unreasonable burden on the fundamental right to vote. and that brings me back to your book. who would have thought, you know, 2013 we're looking at what some see as lawmakers who want to keep people from voting rather than including people in the process? >> they know they would lose the debate. if you were to ask the average american of any color, any religion, any culture, do you want to see secure retirement

for working people? do you want to see livable wage? do you want to see people who get guns have background checks? they say, yes. republicans and democrats say these things. these folks don't want a fair vote so they just take people's vote. but i want you to know, tamron, in minnesota, we organized people all across the state and defeated at the ballot box a photo i.d. measure so you could beat it in the courts, but you can beat it on the streets, too. >> and that's what you're calling people in your book, as well, to take action, through your story, through your life, and you taking steps to make history, in fact, in congress. but i've got to transition you to the nsa and the president's remarks. you have -- you listened, i think it's fair to say with a skeptical ear. you wanted to hear key things. as it relates, the president says not seeing any misuse by nsa workers regarding this m

metadata collection. you say there needs to be, if you will, checks and balances in place to make sure it never happens. >> how do we know there haven't been abuses? as a matter of fact, you know, people can take advantage, they can run data, do all kinds of things they're not supposed to do. and if there are not good controls on it, what we end up having is a loose situation where not only do we lose privacy. we may also lose security. so it's important that we dig in hard and really review the proposals the president put out. >> with that said, the proposals the president put on the table and those he wants congress to take action on, will that ease your concerns as a progressive and as someone who i imagine progressives ring your phone all day long saying this is a major issue. more than about edward snowden. >> well, we like the idea of a privacy advocate being in there, a judicial finding before the data base is queried. and we like the idea of the government not collecting this

metadata, but if the government doesn't have it, who has it? is that more or less secure? and we'll be working out this debate as the months go forward. >> congressman, thank you so much for your time. pleasure talking to you. thank you. well, 50 and fabulous, the first lady michelle obama celebrates her birthday fearlessly by her new aarp card. we'll have more on the birthday party planned at the white house. also ahead, rapper bun b will join us. regarding rap lyrics and whether they can be used as evidence in police investigations. ♪

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state of the state speech while democrats called for more investigations. in washington, president obama vowed to use executive power as he prepares to lay out his agenda in the state of the union address at the end of the month. and on capitol hill, congressional retirement season appears to be in full swing. joining me now senior political editor mark murray. that's the week that was. but i always like to look at sunday to see what you believe will be driving the sunday morning programs. will it be the president's remarks on nsa? or will christiegate or bridgegate keep the headlines? >> all right. how about all of the above? although i do think the nsa story will be the one with wings. and you'll end up having dianne feinstein, mike rogers, the republican from michigan on his panel, it'll be hey on nsa, but certainly what has been the chris christie story will play out. and he has very big fundraisers this weekend as you've already noted in florida.

on saturday and sunday. and so politics keeps on ticking and there are tons of stories out there to cover for us. >> and what about the report there are rumblings within the party that some believe that perhaps chris christie needs to take a break from the national spotlight, particularly as the leader of the republican governor's association to deal with this? >> let me just stress right now, this is very limited. and it's actually very quiet stuff. this came in e-mails we received from republicans that, you know, maybe this isn't the best time for chris christie to be leading the republican governor association and hitting all these fundraisers at the time of these investigations. it'll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next two or three weeks. one thing that's worth noting, tons of reporters following him. if that's the case, if these investigations -- if these fundraisers become a distraction, then you might end up hearing more on this. let's wait and see what happens over the next couple of weeks. >> thank you. enjoy your weekend. we'll see you monday. >> you, too.

well, in case you haven't heard, today is the first lady's 50th birthday and major preparations underway at the white house for a party. although the details have been kept under tight wraps, meanwhile, the first lady is now, take a look, showing off her aarp card. she shared this picture of herself holding up the card on her twitter feed with the caption, excited to join barack in the 50 plus club today. she's also opening up in a candid conversation in "people" magazine. what she could have up her sleeve after her family leaves the white house. and "people" magazine executive editor joins me. thank you so much for your time. >> sure. >> women and men see the first lady turning 50. and it is one of those things where you reflect on your own life. if you're not 50, you wonder what you'll be doing and if you're not, you wonder if you're on track to achieving some of those goals. and she's doing just that. >> absolutely.

she sat down with us and she was relaxed and open. it was girl talk. she's talking about facing this milestone and aging and being a grandmother and what she might do next. and it was really refreshing. >> one of the headlines, i mean, of this interview that seems to be getting all of the attention is this issue of her comments on botox of all things. and she says, women should have the freedom to do whatever they need to do to feel good about themselves. right now, i can't imagine i would go that route, but never say never. i think it's a larger message she's saying. feel good about herself, her decisions. and i remember when she wore the sleeves and everyone thought, oh, the first lady shouldn't do that or her initiatives regarding keeping kids healthy. some saying she's part of the policing of america, the nanny state. but she's always gone ahead with the things she believes in and behaves the way she believes she should. >> that's absolutely right. she talks about her feelings about her body. and she's not working out for

us. she's working out for herself, to be strong, to live a long, healthy life, to be there for her children and her grandchildren. she talks openly about how important it is for all women to get the various screening tests at each milestone. she really talks about all of it. >> she says i don't obsess about what i eat but i do make sure i'm eating vegetables and fruit and everyone knows i do exercise. and you do wonder whether she'll enter politics or i have often said she would be an amazing talk show host. she could replace oprah with the way she makes people feel so welcomed around her. and she says i will be in my early 50s when i leave here, but so much more i should do. >> well, it's interesting. she talked about maybe wanting to be some sort of mentor to young people. she is talking a lot more about college and getting more people to college and the importance of education. so one thing she might go in

that direction. but at the same time, she's already thinking about when her teenagers are going to have their own children and what kind of grandma she's going to be. >> that is amazing because there's a long road ahead for that. but i guess that's what parents do, look ahead to see what's next. thank you. great interview with the first lady and we'll get the scoop after it's all done. >> great to be here. well, 20 days ahead of the olympics and russia's president creating controversy with comments about lgbt athletes. richard engel on the ground in sochi and he'll join us next. ok. as a police officer, i've helped many people in the last 23 years, but i needed help in quitting smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix varenicline is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced the urge for me to smoke. it actually caught me by surprise. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking, or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental-health problems,

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♪ every now and then i get a little bit tired ♪ ♪ of craving something that i can't have ♪ ♪ turn around, barbara ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one. russian president vladimir putin says gays should feel welcome at the upcoming winter olympics in sochi, but he also said they must, quote, leave the children in peace. putin made the remark while speaking to volunteers at the games which began in less than three weeks. richard engel joins us live now from sochi. and richard, give more context

to that comment. leave the children in peace from vladimir putin. >> reporter: vladimir putin was here today in sochi. he was giving interviews, he was inspecting the venues. and he approached a group of volunteers. and it was actually one of the volunteers who raised this issue. i'm not sure if you've seen them, the uniforms that the athletes and judges and volunteers are wearing during the sochi games are very brightly colored, unique. one of the volunteers said, how is it possible, mr. president, our uniforms are rainbow colored yet there are laws in place in russia banning so-called gay propaganda. it is illegal in russia to promote homosexuality to minors. and putin responded, well, first of all, i didn't design the uniforms. and then he said that no one will be arrested based on their sexuality. that homosexuals should feel welcome in this country.

but then he went on to say, just make sure the children are left in peace. and promoting, some thought, the stereotype that gays are predatory and it has received quite a bit of attention online. >> and richard, he also made comments that gay people won't just be grabbed up on the streets. >> reporter: yeah. he certainly did. he was saying -- it sounded like he was trying to say -- trying to back away from this controversy saying if gay people come to the games, they should not fear for their safety, that they won't be arrested. but then he added this clause saying that, by the way, just make sure they don't try and promote the gay lifestyle to children because that's illegal. i think he was trying to say that there'll be an open games but the end result was not to give that impression. >> live for us in sochi.

thanks, richard. and next week, new jersey supreme court will consider a case centering around whether a defendant's rap lyrics can be admissible in trial. it's a subject that's gotten a lot of attention as we told you earlier this week. even the "new york times" has published a lengthy report on how the nypd is examining rap videos posted online to build their investigation against suspects in gang-related crimes. it's sparked a debate over free speech and gotten the attention of a number of well-known rap artists. many of whom have previously spoken out about this issue. joining m ining me now is one o artists, bun b, also serving as a professor at rice university where he lectures on the parallels between hip hop and faith. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> you have people who say, if someone goes on youtube or has a rap song and they are speaking

of a crime, in some cases murder, robbery, felons, and it turns out that it is true, why shouldn't that be used against them in court? how do you explain where this becomes a free speech issue? >> well, i mean, if someone chooses to incriminate themselves, that's their own thing. i think the problem is that you know, once we start to open this door to go through everyone's rap lyrics to try to find crime in there, i think that's where we have the problem. >> and it's also interesting that this article in the "new york times" just came out, but in reality, you, many other brilliant rappers, philosophers, people who really try to educate folks about the community and what they perhaps don't understand through ignorance. why this is so important for you and others regarding the issue of free speech and that in some cases, it does boil down to simply profiling or police

officers not understanding. >> well, you know, we already know that racial or social, you know, profiling is not acceptable in this society. but yet we still have issues like this popping up in places. as an artist, you know, i want to be free to speak my mind, my opinions, my outlook on the world. you know, if i'm speaking in hait against people, then that's a different issue. but if i'm just expressing my viewpoints about different things i see in society, see going on in the world, i don't see why there should be an issue with me expressing that viewpoint. we see it in all forms of music, not just rap music. why shouldn't we be able to speak our mind? >> absolutely. and i think the obvious question or the obvious suspicion is because you're talking about a music genre that's dominated by african-american males, inner city, and that lends itself to stereotypes. >> well, there's no, you know,

going around the fact that a lot of people that we see that are popular in rap music today do come from the inner cities. but most of them are speaking about what's going on in the inner cities and trying to let the world see a closer view of what's happening in their communities. a lot of people are upset with it, they're not proud of what's going on in their society, especially in the neighborhoods they live in and they want to speak about it, let the world know how ugly it is in the every day life. possibly when we shine a light on these kind of things, we can affect change. >> but i want to shine the light on something else, that at least one of our staffers. i'm from dallas, you guys are from houston. we kind of say houston is not texas. nevertheless, with that disclaimer -- that's what we say. listen, i understand you may be running for mayor in 2015. those are the rumors out there. what's the truth? >> i don't think i'm going to be able to run in 2015. it's just not practical. i haven't had any real experience in the political world. i would probably -- if i would

look to run for mayor, i would probably want to start somewhere in city council, get the feel of local politics, get my hands dirty, so to speak, not dirty, though. get my feet in the water and get a feel for it. >> right. >> being a mayor of a major metropolitan city like houston is probably not an easy job. our current mayor is doing a great job but she gets a lot of backlash on the things she does in spite of the things she's trying to do. it's not an easy job. i might need a little more experience before i try to run. >> sounds like you're ready. you've got a lot of it down. i appreciate you joining. and somebody on twitter said since i know nothing about the streets, i should be honored you are on with me. but they don't know, bun b. they have not heard my rap lyrics yet. >> oh, they don't know you're about that life. >> they don't know. thank you for laughing at my pretty lame joke there. take it easy. talk to you soon.

>> thank you. still ahead, a little league coach is suing one of his teenage players after he said the boy injured him during a victory celebration on the field. that's coming up in today's "gut check" and i don't want any tweets about my bun b interview and me not being hip enough. 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 ] alka-seltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms. [ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go.

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there's a lot going on here today. here are things we thought you should know. barbara bush did it again, she reiterated comments she made on the "today" show about her son running for president. this time on c span. >> i think this is a great american country, great country. and if we can't find more than two or three families to run for high office, that's silly. although, there's no question in my mind that jeb is the best qualified person to run for president. but i hope he won't because i

think he'll get all my enemies, all his brothers. and there are other families. >> and duck dynasty patriarch phil's comments hurting the show. the ratings in, 8.5 million people tuned in, that is down from the 12 million who watched last year. time now for the "news nation" gut check. a 14-year-old little league baseball player in california is being sued by his coach. now, the coach says while celebrating a victory, the boy injured him. reporter mike tulse has details. >> allegedly it hit back here. >> reporter: he told me the moment he saw a lawsuit filed in connection with his son throwing this baseball helmet in the air in celebration, he was dumbfounded. >> i actually thought it was a joke at first. >> you didn't think he was serious? >> no. >> and now? >> and now i think it's absurd.

>> reporter: in this court summons, he found out his 14-year-old son who his dad asked us not to be named is being sued by his former little league baseball coach for what beck said the boy did during a game. the boy's dad said his boy was on second base when his teammate hit the game-winning hit. and as his son came around to score, the dad says he threw his helmet into the air. >> that's when the boy's own coach said in court papers that it hit him in the ankle severing his achilles tendon. now asking for $7,000. >> he's not going to want to do anything today. >> when i finally did contact allen beck this week, he said he can't comment until he gets the okay from his attorney. >> reporter: but at the field where this happened, a former coach and his son openly questioned what basis a teenager could be head liable. >> reporter: he agreed that this

is going to be a tough case to prove in a sport where bats, balls, even helmets fly around during every game. >> and there's a good chance that whoever responds to this lawsuit will be able to get it dismissed on the issue that the plaintiff in this case willfully signed on to potential contact because baseball is a contact sport. >> so the boy's dad says he's already paid more than $4,000 in legal expenses. the case is scheduled to come before a judge in march. what does your gut tell you? should this lawsuit be thrown out? and should that reporter might have done that stand up running? i kid because it's friday. that does it for this edition of "news nation." thanks to everyone who tweeted i'm about this life. that's right. i'm about this life. "the cycle" is up next. [ male announcer ] this is betsy.

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talking and talking and talking and so are we. the secret is out, president obama announces reforms to the nsa, but is it enough? i'm toure. a fine line between safety and snooping. block the vote, important action in congress for anyone who cares about voting rights. i'm ari melber. a new bill meant to protect the core of our democracy. fourth down, the biggest weekend of the nfl season so far is upon us. and i can wait -- i mean i can't wait. sports, sports, sports. i'm krystal ball, the dynamic duo of mike smith. here's to hoping they have a game plan. and i'm abby huntsman, may be 3:00 here in new york, but hey, it's 5:00 somewhere.