stay in the groove with align. this is probably the hard breast thing i've ever done. >> the mayor of one new jersey town in an exclusive interview here on msnbc. she says the governor's office held hurricane sandy relief money hostage from her city, unless she did a political favor. the new story, next. state of emergency. an unprecedented drought in california. we're going to tell you about what one of the biggest concerns could be, next. the strange new twist in the disappearance of a reporter for the "wall street journal" who went missing in new jersey. what does mexico have to do with it? could police take information on your cell phone and use it against you? that is a question the highest court in the land will now face. hello, welcome to "weekends

with alex witt." let's go to the allegations levied against two officials in governor chris christie's administration. in an exclusive interview, the democratic mayor of hoboken, new jersey, accused the christie administration of blocking hurricane sandy relief money, because she did not approve a real estate development plan that had ties to allies of the governor. >> the governor came to hoboken, she pulled me aside in the parking lot. and she said, i know it's not right. i know these things should not be connected. but they are. and if you tell anyone, i'll deny it. the bottom line is, it's not fair for the governor to hold sandy funds hostage for the city of hoboken because he wants me to give back to one private developer. and it's important that -- i know it's very complicated for the public to really understand all of this. but i have a legal obligation to follow the law, to bring balance development to hoboken. >> that is hoboken mayor dawn zimmer.

and joining me is msnbc's steve kornacki. steve, thanks. let's get all over this. first of all, i want to read the statement sent to you by the governor and lieutenant governor, speaking for both of them. and here's how it reads. mayor zimmer has been object fusive in her public praise in the assistance we provided in terms of economic development and sandy aid. what or who is driving her only now to say such outlandishly false things is anyone's guess. sum up this story for us. >> yeah, so i mean, part of the context that actually does mesh with the statement you got from the governor, the important thing to understand, if you look at this nationally, you might be tempted to say, democratic mayor, chris christie is a republican, he's down right now. so, of course, the democrats joining. you have to keep in mind, dawn zimmer was one of the democrats who had an alliance with chris christie, a working partnership with him. and she even said in her interview on our show today, she likes a lot of what he has done for new jersey and he has done a lot of things for hoboken. so for several years as mayor, she came in 2009, she worked very well and very cooperatively

with the christie administration. and where things started to go off the rails was in early 2013, when two things came to a head. one was there's this development project in town, owned by the rockefeller group, the rockefeller group is represented by the law firm of the chairman of the port authority, this guy david samson, who christie appointed chairman of the port authority. >> yeah. >> so they represent this -- the owners of this property in town. >> i just want to say, this property is 19 blocks of prime space, but the rockefellers owned three. >> three. that's right. >> and that's what's important. >> you get into the nitty-gritty of this, where the port authority commissions a study, it pays for study for hoboken and declares that those three blocks, and only -- this 19-block area. >> whole thing. >> are eligible to be declared for redevelopment. and that is like the -- you know, gold standard designation you want if you want to be redeveloping land. so the hoboken planning board, which mayor zimmer controls, doesn't go along with that -- with that -- >> because there are 16 other oh blocks and developers are like,

hey, what about us? >> so basically, this project is slowing down in early 2013. and at the same time, hoboken is reeling from hurricane sandy. >> right. >> and the mayor of hoboken applies for about $100 million in state aid and she gets $342,000. >> a hit. >> and christie has this $1.8 billion fund, and this is all they get for hoboken, which is 80% under water. >> i remember. >> so she writes a letter to the governor, pleading her case, does not get an answer. and then she is told the lieutenant governor, chris christie's lieutenant governor, is coming to hoboken. this is what she told us, coming to hoboken, would like to do an event in a shop in hoboken. they go and do the event and what mayor zimmer says happened is the lieutenant governor pulled her aside and said, look, this isn't fair, this isn't right, this isn't the way it's supposed to be, but if you want your sandy money you have to move this development project forward. >> its entirety. >> basically you have to

fast-track this development. and the mayor was so shaken up by this, she recorded it in her personal diary. she shared her personal diary. and it was amazing. and you can look -- did she doctor this thing up. this a diary that spans a long period of time, personal, mundane entries and in the middle of it, handwritten, telling this story of -- and trying to figure out -- >> she is disappointed. >> and two nights later in the same diary, talks about being at an event, a sandy anniversary event. and she is on stage with the man who is in christie's cabinet, and he is chris christie's commissioner of the department of community affairs. he deals with development around the state. they are seated next to each other, and she writes in the diary, she says, we're mic'ed up, we're not on the air yet. cameras may not be rolling, but we're miked up and he turns to me and makes the same explicit threat. if you want your sandy funds, you have to move forward on the rockefeller project in hoboken. so that is two extremely high-ranking officials in the christie administration. and she says also that lieutenant governor has told her

that she doesn't know why, but this project is very important to the governor. and that's why she is conveying the message. >> okay. i want to read now the response from commissioner constable. here's that one. mayor zimmer's allegation that on may 16, 2013, in front of a live auditorium audience, commissioned hoboken, moving forward with the development project is categorically false. so there are definitely two opposing viewpoints there. is there evidence that proves categorically otherwise? >> no, i mean -- what you have right now -- what makes to me just -- what would make zimmer a seemingly credible witness in this are two things. one is the fact that she does not have a long-standing axe to grind with chris christie. she took an enormous amount of heat from her own party, democratic party, for aligning herself with chris christie. when he began as governor, he had property tax initiative that a lot of democrats opposed. she hosted him in hoboken for the first town hall meeting on that subject. this is somebody even now, as i say, we had her on the show.

she is still sitting there saying, four years of chris christie as governor has been good for new jersey in so many ways. so many ways, he's been a good governor. so there's that piece of it. and then there's the piece of it of she recorded the diary at the time. and i find it -- it's very hard for me to believe, looking at this diary, that she doctored this -- you know, in the last few days or last few weeks. these look like -- maybe i've been completely duped on this, but it looks to me like these are the -- this is the real heartfelt pouring out of emotion as she is trying to grapplel what to do. i'm the mayor oh of this town, i need these funds, i don't know if i should be approving this and she is grappling with that and you can see it. of course okay. so these two who approach her, is there the possibility oh, steve, they are acting on their own accord, not specifically directed by governor christie. they could have made suppositions or decided this would be best for the governor overall. but without his saying do this. >> right. so according to what zimmer has told us, there is room for that.

it sounds like there is room for that in what constable -- the community affairs commissioner -- said. he alludes to the fact the word at the statehouse is you're against the rockefeller project. he doesn't use anything specifically. but, she says, lieutenant governor was more specific. and lieutenant governor tells her, i, lieutenant governor, was with the governor last friday, and i don't know why, but this project is very important to him, and you need to move it forward. so lieutenant governor, according to dawn zimmer, is conveying a direct message from chris christie. >> a direct message from him or something that he has gleaned, you know, that -- from what he says about the passion he feels about this -- >> yeah -- >> and there is going to be a difference when it comes to an investigation, right? >> right. right now, they're all denying it happened at all. but she -- the distinction, i guess, between the two, kim gudano, lieutenant governor, brought the governor into it, and made it clear in the conversation that this matters to the governor, and wanted her to know that this matters to the governor and this is a priority

for the governor. >> what do you think is happening next? >> well, look, we have had all this talk about investigations into the bridges and lane closures and these committees empanelled. and we had on our show today, mayor zimmer saying, look, i'm telling the truth. i will take a lie detector test. i'll appear before any court. i'll go under oath anywhere you want me to. and then she turned and is said, will they. will they. and so my question is, any of these investigative bodies looking at this, are they going to expand their inquiry into this at all? you know, we congressman, frank pallone on this morning saying this might be due for further investigation. so i don't think it's a story that's going to go away. i think it's a story where there might be some follow-up inquiry. >> okay. more questions for you. can you come back in an hour? >> yeah. >> okay. see you then. thank you very much. new reaction today to president obama and changes to the national security agency spy programs. among the biggest reforms the president announced today, the government should no longer store massive amounts of americans' telephone records. effective immediately, we will only pursue phone calls

that are two steps removed from a number associated with the terrorist organization instead of the current three. and i have directed the attorney general to work with the foreign intelligence surveillance court, so that during this transition period, the database can be queried only after a judicial finding, or in the case of a true emergency. >> reaction has been swift. house speaker, john boehner, accused the president of failing to adequately explain the necessity of the programs. privacy advocates including mark yu dahl called for more restraint on the nsa and some, including michael haden, expressed concerns that national security could be weakened. i'm going to talk more with senator bernie sanders at the bottom of the hour. mean time, the u.s. embassy in afghanistan said today that two americans were among the 21 dead in a terrorist attack on a restaurant in kabul. the taliban claimed responsibility for that attack

which took place friday in a very popular eating spot. one of the attackers reportedly detonated a bomb in the restaurant, and others fired weapons as patrons fled in panic. nbc's ann i bell roberts with more. >> reporter: the restaurant targeted is in a part of kabul considered reasonably safe. the restaurant was perceived as having more or less adequate security measures, meaning that aid workers and journalists were authorized visits. but as you described, eye-witnesses say a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the entrance to the restaurant and then two gunmen started shooting indiscriminately. two u.s. citizens killed worked for the american university in afghanistan. they have not yet been formally named, but their families are being informed. in a statement, the university president said, we are devastated by the news. now, alex, in total, 21 people are known to have been killed. 13 of them foreigners. as well as the two u.s.

citizens, three u.n. personnel died, and also the imf's top representative in the country. so this was, in fact, the deadliest attack against foreign civilians in afghanistan since the war began nearly 13 years ago. the taliban has claimed responsibility, saying the attack was in response to a recent nato air strike that caused civilian casualties and president karzai has condemned it, describing it as a prosecbr attack and another statement also from the white house also condemning this attack, alex. >> okay. terrible news. thank you for that update. nbc's annabelle roberts in london. polar vortex part two. it's coming back. but will it be as bad? with glaring eyes, we head over to nbc meteorologist dylan dreyer. >> hi, alex. no, it will not be as bad. that was record-breaking cold and we do not have to deal with that. although it will be below average as the next arctic blast moves in. you see the whiter shades, they

never really pushed all the way south like they did last time. so while it will still be cold, it's just going to be colder than you would like to see this time of year. it's certainly not going to be anything compared to what we had not that long ago. it's still chilly right now, though, in chicago. 17 degrees. minneapolis is at 17. but we're in the 30s up and down the east coast. we're seeing kind of a rain/snow mix, especially in new england right now. and a second clipper system moving through chicago. so minneapolis, you're about done with the snow. but we will start to see that snow become pretty heavy at times in chicago. it's been a wintry mix in and around boston and points south. but most of the accumulation is further inland, where we could see about 3 to 6 inches of snow. and then further to the west, you could see some of the heavier snow is just south of chicago, and that's where we'll also see about 3 to 6 inches. these are those fast-moving clipper systems, in and out, just like minneapolis, woke up with snow this morning, already coming to an end before the next system comes in shortly. we are going to see temperatures today mainly in the 60s down through texas. tomorrow, though, it warms up. kansas city should make it up to

59. so a little warmup before it cools down again. alex? >> some places, dylan. thank you so much. a wall street journal reporter turns up missing after a walk in new jersey. how did his credit card get used in mexico? and it's not the same anymore. the wolf of wall street has a big change in how you watch movies in a theater. we are the thinkers. the job jugglers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions our life's work. we strive for the moments where we can say, "i did it!" ♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners. and we're here to help start yours. which 4g lte map has the most coverage? this isn't real difficult... pretty obvious to me. i'm going to have to say verizon. verizon. that's right!

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they're the driest conditions in more than a century, and they prompted california governor jerry brown to declare a drought emergency in that state, asking residents to cut back on their water use. this comes as more than 1,000 firefighters are struggling to get the upper hand on a wildfire in the san gabriel mountains east of l.a. nbc's joe fryer is in l.a. with the latest. hi, joe, how is it looking on the fire lines? >> reporter: hi, alex. the governor made it official

yesterday, saying california is in a drought and saying this is perhaps the worst dry spell in a century. and this announcement comes as firefighters continue to battle a fire in the middle of january. the stubborn flames typically associated with summer's brutal heat refuse to concede this battle of the seasons. california's latest fire has slowed down, but is still burning outside los angeles, a destructive symptom of a larger problem, extreme, dry weather. parts of 11 drought-ridden states have now been deemed natural disaster areas, with california experiencing its driest year since the state started measuring rainfall in 1849. friday, governor jerry brown declared a drought emergency, asking everyone to cut their water use by 20%. >> hopefully, it will rain eventually. but in the meantime, we have to do our part.

>> reporter: with the jet stream seemingly trapped to the north, california is missing out on much-needed rain and snow. >> we don't just need a normal rainfall. we need above normal to get back to zero, we're so far behind. >> reporter: rancher justin greer tells cnbc no rain means no grass for cattle to graze on, and that means spend morgue on feed. >> a lot of guys have to reduce their cow herd by significant amounts, 20, 30, 50%, just to continue moving forward. >> reporter: for california's vibrant vineyards, less rain means fewer grapes. >> the availability could become less, might mean i produce a little less wine, until we get some decent rainfall again. >> reporter: in a part of the country known for growing food, the impact of an extreme drought runs deeper than the flimsy snow pack now lining the sierra nevada mountains. >> it does affect you, if you want low food prices and high quality food. >> california's governor is asking people to voluntarily conserve water, but if things

don't get better, it could become mandatory. some cities and municipalities are already putting restrictions on water use. alex? >> okay. joe fryer, thank you very much for that update. let's go now to the bizarre case of a "wall street journal" energy reporter, who went for a stroll near his home in northern new jersey, and never came back. 55-year-old david bird's wife says he's been missing since last saturday, and she says the father of two left his cell phone and medications behind. now, a source close to bird's family says some of them believe his coverage of opec may have played a part in his strange disappearance. joining me now, daily record reporter, michael izzo. welcome, michael. this same source is telling nbc news that mr. bird's credit card has been reasonable used in mexico? what do you know about that? >> that source is unnamed. and that's the only outlet that has reported that. i have talked to authorities, and they did not confirm that. i've talked to the sister-in-law of david bird, and she said she or the immediate family had not

heard anything about that. they didn't report that -- she doesn't know who in the family did say that. it wasn't them, they know that they are looking into his finances, but that's common for a case like this. >> okay. this is a very athletic guy. he runs marathons, he hikes, he goes camping. though he does live with a certain illness. i believe he had a transplant, correct? >> correct. >> so he needs medication, you know, continuously. what are the chances that he just got lost in the vast wooded areas near his home? >> well, he has gone on walks as much as 20 miles before. so he definitely knows the area. but, yes, he takes that medication twice daily. his next scheduled dosage after he left at 4:00 p.m. was at 8:00 p.m. and he has been missing two dosages a day since then. >> yeah. >> so it is serious. >> absolutely serious. so the speculations here about him having gone missing relative to opec. talk about that. why would that play into this? >> i don't believe it would.

that was the same source that mentioned the credit card that you were mentioning. i think it's -- it feels like a bit of a reach. but i couldn't speak anymore on that. >> okay. who is involved here? we've got the fbi, all sorts of other agencies, certainly a massive search trying to find him. tune about any new clues? >> they have been following any leads they have gotten. they have gotten the word out on social media, and people have been very good on responding to them. but it doesn't seem like any of those leads have turned into anything. as for physical evidence, there doesn't appear to be any. >> wow. talk about disappearance. okay. 55-year-old david bird there, thank you very much for speaking with us about it, michael izzo. appreciate it. >> thank you. appreciate it. is it safe or not? we're going to tell you about new worries over the water in west virginia in our next hour. t rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, this can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain and improve daily physical function so moving is easier.

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with limited availability in select markets. ♪ welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." time for headlines at the half. the problems with the water supply persist in west virginia. residents received an order from the water company friday, instructing them to avoid drinking and limit their contact with the water. testing has revealed higher levels of the leaked chemical that had been determined safe. my next hour, i'll be talking with a reporter with his latest information on this. the company responsible for last week's spill filed for bankruptcy friday. freedom industries is facing at least 31 lawsuits because of the accident, which left hundreds of thousands without drinking water. new controversial comments from russia president vladimir putin ahead of the sochi olympics. he sought to downplay fears that homosexual visitors will face discrimination. he said gays can feel safe, but added, quote, please leave our

children in peace. the comment was in reference to a russian law that bans gay propaganda. and nut crops attracting thieves. hundreds of thousands of dollars in almonds, walnuts and miss tab owes stolen, ending up in los angeles for resale at farmers markets. president obama has announced several reforms to the nsa's controversial surveillance programs, but will they go far enough? in his speech yesterday, the president seemed to get to the heart of his critics' concerns. >> given the unique power of the state, it is not enough for leaders to say, trust us, we won't abuse the data we collect. for history has too many examples when that trust has been breached. our system of government is built on the premise that our liberty cannot depend on the good intentions of those in power. it depends on the law. to constrain those in power. >> joining me now is vermont independent senator, bernie sanders. senator sanders, always a

pleasure. thanks for joining me, sir. >> thanks for having me. >> i would like your reaction to the president's speech. what did you think? >> i think the president began the discussion. i think he has some ideas which merit consideration. but i think, alex, we have a very long way to go on what is an enormously important and complicated issue. and the bottom line is, everybody wants to see the government do all that it can to make sure that this country does not see another terrorist attack. no debate upon that. many of us want to make sure that we protect the american people without undermining the constitutional rights that make us a free people or our privacy rights. and the devil is in the details, because technology is exploding every single day, and the protections that we have today may not be useful tomorrow. so in my view, i have to say that i believe that the nsa right now is essentially out of

control. the idea that every -- virtually every telephone call made in this country is kept on file in terms of the numbers being called and length of time that people have been on the phone, i think that that is clearly unconstitutional. it is a huge embarrassment, and a real disservice to our foreign policy that people all over the world have learned that the united states have spying on our allies. we know that the nsa is able to get into our e-mails, know the websites that we visit. so the bottom line is, we need to debate what is a free country. are we comfortable, knowing that the government, and by the way, not only the government, but the private sector, has so much information about us. last point that i would make is that it is scary enough when you have law-abiding people running the nsa. and i think we have that today. i think these are serious people doing a very, very difficult

job. alex, you tell me what happens if somebody like a richard nixon were to become president of the united states and say to his intelligence people, i want you to destroy my political opponents, give me all the information that you can. think about that scenario for a moment. >> yeah. no, very interesting. you're actually echoing the sentiments of george packer in the "new yorker." that said, with your first point, perhaps the biggest reform in this speech was the call for the nsa to no longer house data it collects, which seems to go -- you know, to your liking here. though the president failed to offer a specificality it active. so what about solutions? what are they? >> well, that's exactly the point. we do -- i do not want to see the government house information on every phone call made in america. where does that information go? how long does it stay? who has it? the president also indicated that he wanted the fisa court to

give approval before the nsa could get into that information, which is also a step forward. but you've raised the real question. where does it go? how much difference does it really make? do the private companies even want to be part of that process. so the president took a step forward, but we have a lot more work to do on that. >> the president has called on congress in terms of work to pass legislation for all these reforms. so what are the chances of the house and senate agreeing on something as complex and divisive as civil liberties? >> that is -- i wish i could give you the answer. and i would say this, alex. if my heart of hearts, i believe there are very few issues more important to the people of this country. i will be doing a town meeting right here in vermont with some constitutional lawyers in a couple of weeks. >> february 1st, right? yeah. >> yes, on the 1st. and i would hope my colleagues armed the country would engage the american people. look, i have talked to people,

to be honest with you, alex, in vermont, who have said, you know what, i'm not a terrorist. i don't do anything illegal. i don't care if the government listens to everything i do. and there are a lot of people who believe that. i don't agree with that. i worry very much about our kids growing up, understanding and knowing that the government is watching everything they're doing. you know, has the potential to read e-mails. i don't think that makes us the free society we want to be. so we need a huge national conversation. the president started that. i think we have a long way to go. >> what about your take on the creation of privacy advocates in the fisa court? some of the former fisa judges have said that could slow down and constrain the process. what are your thoughts? >> i think it's a step -- well, you know, i think it's a step forward. but then again, who are those advocates going to be, to have that type of security clearance? are you going to have people advocating for the public who are really strong believers in constitutional rights and privacy rights? but i think it is -- it is a

step forward. >> okay. how about edward snowden? this is a man who said that his objective was to create a national dialogue. expose the programs. let the american people decide what is right. do you think yesterday's speech was a sort of mission accomplished for him? >> well, this is what i think. i think two things about snowden. i think the revelations that he provided not only the united states, but people all over the world, was usually important. no question about that. and would the president of the united states have made the speech that he made yesterday without snowden's revelations? of course he would not have. on the other hand, i have to say that when people work for intelligence organizations and they sign oaths of secrecy, i have a problem with people saying, well, you know, i will just release all of the information i want. so what i kind of think is that the charges against snowden by the government should be less. and this guy is not a common criminal. he did something that people all

over the world consider to be very, very important. i would hope that perhaps they could be a plea bargain with him. and if he ends up being tried, his -- his peers will have to ultimately decide whether he is innocent or guilty. whether what he did was so important that it justified breaking his oath and the law. but i would hope that the government understands, he is not a common criminal. what he did it was important. and we take that into consideration as we deal with him. >> okay. vermont independent senator, bernie sanders, thank you very much, sir. appreciate it. >> thank you. so here's what we have been asking you all day long on the heels of that. do the new nsa spy roles justify edward snowden's leaks? here are some of your tweets. carley says, i am glad we are having the nsa checked. still feel snowden acts like a weasel, though. rich tweets, let's be clear. snowden is not a whistle blower for stealing government documents and fleeing the

country to russia and china. he's a coward. beverly writes, snowden never went the route of whistle blower. stole the data, went to the press and left, avoiding accountability equals cowardly thief. donna tweets, mention of snowden distant validate his methods, not essential active info. keep talking to me at alex witt. meantime, president obama is renewing his call for both parties to work oh together and expand opportunities for the middle class in his weekly address today. >> to bring back more of the good jobs claimed by the recession and lost to overseas competition in recent decades. but that requires a year of action. i want to work with congress this year on proven ways to create jobs. like building infrastructure. and fixing our broken immigration system. >> meantime, there is a sign the $1.1 trillion spending bill that funds the government through the end of september. he signed one day before federal funding would have run out. searching your cell phone without a warrant.

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some headlines making news on the west coast. shoppers fret over target e-mails. an e-mail sent to 70 million target customers is causing panic, because some shoppers fear it could be an attempt to victimize them again. target says the message is legitimate, but has identified a small number of scalpers trying to take advantage of the public's confusion. on the front page of the "los angeles times" farewell to films printed on film. it's about how paramount pictures has become the first big studio to stop releasing its major movies on film in the u.s. the paper says the studio's "wolf of wall street" is its first film to be sbribted entirely in digital format. the "arizona daily sun" leaping lizards, scientists are studying the am fib i don't

knows jumping ability to develop a prosthetic foot. the u.s. court announced friday it will take up two cases involving the fourth amount and the ability of the police to search a suspect's cell phone. with all the information stored in our cell phones these days, some say this should not be considered a reasonable search and seizure. so how could the outcomes of these upcoming rulings affect your privacy? attorney faith jenkins is joining me to talk about that. hi, faith. >> hi, good morning, how are you? >> we have courts in california and massachusetts split on this issue. california saying it's okay to search through a suspect's phone. massachusetts saying no way. do you feel it's reasonable for police to search a suspect's cell phone without a proper warrant? >> it depends on the circumstances. but these two cases are really important, because the lower courts have really been divided on this issue and now the supreme court is going to address it. the laws have to reflect the developing technology and amount of information people are now storing on their phones. there's now a blur between what people used to keep on their

computers and now what they're able to keep on their cell phones and the amount of private and personal information people are carrying around with them. now, usually when the police make an arrest, yes, they can search someone incident to a lawful arrest, and that means they can take the -- any property they have on them and voucher that property. and also -- and it's done so for a very important reason, not only to protect the officer, but also to keep contraband from going into a prison. now people are looking at these cell phones saying what's the legal justification for an officer going through someone's cell phone when they have been arrested, for example, a traffic stop. >> right. >> or something like that. and that's why people are arguing that this now searching cell phones has now become unreasonable based on those circumstances. >> if you look at what many privacy groups are arguing, look, these modern cell phones they have in their phone records of all sorts of types of information about a person that's been mostly off limits without a warrant before. information like you've got photos, videos, contacts, appointments, web searches.

even medical records. >> right. >> so are they right? >> i think they're right. the nature of the data that people are now carrying as a result of being able to have smartphones and these personal devices has changed over time. so now the law has to change to address that people are now carrying this very important and expansive private information on their person. should the police have access to all of that information when a person is arrested for example, as i said before, a traffic stop, which happened in one of the cases the supreme court is hearing. one of those defendants was stopped and then arrested because of expired registration on his car. >> right. >> after the police did a comprehensive search on his phone without a warrant, they linked him to a murder, attempted murder case, and he was later convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. that's one of the cases that the supreme court is going to hear. >> it's fascinating, certainly. there is a lawyer for one digital civil rights group which

says i think it's another opportunity for the court to decide how changes in technology implicate the fourth amendment. so give me a sense of broader implications, faith that, you know, a ruling in favor of searching suspects' cell phone without a warrant might have for all of us. >> the fourth amendment protects all of us from unreasonable search and seizure, so you're going to hear arguments now these searches are simply unreasonable. and private citizens need to be protected from government intrusion and officers just having the right to go through vast amount of personal information that people are now storing on their cell phones. most people now have cell phones. a lot of people have smartphones. they're almost like -- they're like walking around with computers, essentially, in your pocket. should officers be able to access all of that data and information without a warrant, without going before a judge, and presenting a valid reason to get access to that information. >> it's a fascinating discussion. we're going to see what happens with this. attorney faith jenkins, thank you so much. >> thank you. the story behind the devil

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new jersey chris christie is in florida this weekend, fund-raising for governor rick scott's re-election campaign. governor christie taking the trip after 20 subpoenas issue thursday in the george washington lane closure scandal. the democratic national committee has unleashed new online attack ads targeting the new jersey governor. >> that is the big, big problem here. you know, that there is some kind of culture here that told people, this was okay. >> one of the legitimate criticisms here is that every single organization is a reflection of its principle. >> joining me now, political reporter for "u.s. news and world report" lauren fox and white house reporter, david mac mora. good to see you. >> good afternoon. >> david, the subpoena is out.

18 individuals, including governor christie's chief of staff, chief counsel, and top communication strategist, ordered to turn over documents regarding the lane closures. how many other shoes are there left to drop? what is left after these subpoenas? >> i think here on msnbc, you guys said you did a report earlier on steve kornacki's show that showed how broad this thing could go. there is a lot of ro reporters t there now, "washington post" that go broader than the george washington bridge issue. i think these subpoenas are going to be another problem for christie, because who knows what they're going to cover, what they're going to find. i think there are a lot of people who think this is a pattern of abuse that goes beyond this one incident. and the big question, of course, whether christie knew about the george washington bridge incident, did he know about other incidents and if there is evidence he did and was orchestrating a lot of this, that is going to be a bigger problem for him. >> how about you, lauren? do you have any expectations with all these subpoenas on

where this trail could lead? >> certainly. i think this could be a big problem for chris christie leading into 2016. he's in florida this weekend, like you said. fund-raising for some of these candidates who are going to be running for governor in 2014. but he's going to be facing donors down there who are some oh of the same folks who may be adverse to giving someone money who is broiled in the scandal, even though there is no direct correlation between chris christie and the bridge fiscal dan at this point. >> david, i was talking with george packer in the "new yorker" in a different segment. he compares bridge-gate to watergate and cites a piece and says, quote, the ft. lee traffic jam was mentioned as one of many cases and i have to admit, not the one with me, vengefulness so petty. if christie's team knew their boss was going to win re-election by a landslide, what was the point of closing down

these traffic lanes? you know, it seems like one of these high-risk, low-reward things. >> absolutely. and that's the way the question is, and i think a lot of politicians in new jersey, but also a reporter trying to figure out whether this is a pattern that was started from the top and, you know -- in his long press conference the other day, the governor kept saying, my team is a family. and i feel betrayed by this, as though this was one-off folks doing this on their own accord and totally without his knowledge. i think most people would agree, someone who has had the success chris christie has had in moving up the ranks and winning an election twice as governor in a blue state, as a republican, this is a my who has a disciplined team that does what he wants. he's setting the tone. and i think a lot of people are looking for that evidence that he's doing that. i think that's why, you know, you have these kind of stories to talk about when did -- what did he know and when did he know it. and i think a lot more is going to come out, unfortunately, for him. >> okay. lauren, let's move on to the president announcing the changes to the government surveillance programs. here's part of what he said on

friday. >> the bottom line is that people around the world, regardless of their nationality, should know the united states is not spying on ordinary people who don't threaten our national security. and we take their privacy concerns into account in our policies and procedures. >> so lauren, are private conversations still being spied upon? >> well, i think one of the biggest announcement the president made here was that private citizens are not figure to be spied on, but unless they're hurting national security. and the other thing that the president discussed was we have to remember that there were a lost foreign dignitaries that were being spied on in terms of their cell phones. and that's something that the president said he will not stand for again. he couched it a little bit and says, unless it's a threat to our national security. so i think a lot of things were not particularly clear as the president was coming out of that speech. >> okay. lauren fox and david in that

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[announcer] if your dog can dream it, [whistle] purina pro plan can help him achieve it. nutrition that performs. new allegations against the administration of new jersey governor, chris christie, who is making the charges and what does it all have to do with bridge-gate. running dry. it is the drought of the century in california. how is the parched golden state coping? the winter of a controversial rhino-hunting auction has hired round-the-clock security, but why? and it's a game that broke barriers and changed the world. why is it still important more than 40 years later? good day to all of you and welcome to "weekends with alex wi witt." approaching 1:00 p.m. in the east, 10:00 a.m. in the west. we have key lawmakers and other top officials reacting to

president obama's changes in the national security agency spy programs. take a listen. >> we cannot prevent terrorist attacks or cyber threats without some capability to penetrate digital communications. whether it's to unravel a terrorist plot, to intercept malware, to make sure traffic control systems are not compromised, or to ensure that hackers do not empty your bank accounts. >> some of the changes are going to happen right away, while others will require more study and action by congress to be implemented. those effective immediately, the nsa will be required to get a secretive court's permission before accessing phone records that are collected from hundreds of millions of americans, except in emergencies. the u.s. will not monitor the communications of allies abroad, unless there is a compelling national security purpose. in addition, the president has called for a panel of outside advocates to represent privacy and civil liberty concerns before the fisa court.

nbc's kristin welker is at the white house for us. kristin, with a good saturday afternoon to you, what are lawmakers and officials saying about this? >> reporter: alex, as is usual, the reaction is mixed. but what makes this different, it doesn't divide along party lines. democratic senator dianne feinstein, republican congressman, mike rogers, both chairs of their intelligence committees, released a joint statement, welcoming president obama's announcement yesterday. on the other hand, you have privacy advocates, democratic senators mark udall and ron white. some struggled with how to respond, because they largely support the government surveillance program. but, of course, they traditionally are opposed to president obama. so, for example, house speaker, john boehner, released a statement saying that the president didn't do enough to explain why the programs were necessary. and then you have, of course, the reaction from the

intelligence community. some members of the intelligence community expressing concerns that some of what president obama announced yesterday would actually weaken national security. take a listen. >> the president will now demand that the nsa go to the fisa court before they ask the data a question. i was director of nsa on september 11th. that procedure reminds me of the way we operated before the september 11th attacks. that makes me uncomfortable, because in addition to this specific thing, it sends a message to the bureaucracy that we're trending back to the old ways of doing business. >> reporter: that, of course, was michael hayden, former director of the nsa. reaction on the stage also mixed. the president's goal yesterday, alex, was to reassure critics at home and also abroad. and also to try to turn the page. this took up a lot of time during 2013 it. he wants to get back toim so much his second-term priorities,

like immigration, like the economy, his weekly address focusing on the economy. we'll hear more about that on the run up to the state of the union address. >> thank you so much. let's go to our big story of the day. allegations levied against two officials in the new jersey governor chris christie's administration. in an exclusive interview on "up with steve kornacki", the democratic mayor of hoboken, new jersey, accused the countries thee administration of blacking hurricane sandy relief money because she did not approve a plan that had ties to allies of the governor. >> the lieutenant governor came to hoboken, pulled me aside in the parking lot and she said i know it's not right, i know these things should not be connected, but they are. and if you tell anyone, i'll deny it. the bottom line is, it's not fair for the governor to hold sandy funds hostage for the city of hoboken because he wants me to give back to one private developer. and it's important that -- i know it's very complicated for the public to really understand all of this. but i have a legal obligation to

follow the law. to bring balanced development to hoboken. >> so joining me now with the story is msnbc's own steve kornacki host of "up with steve kornacki" where this went down this morning. thank you for sticking with us. i want to read part of a statement that came from governor christie's office. sent to you speaking on his behalf, which the mayor of hoboken was speaking. the assistance we provided in terms of economic development and sandy aid. what or who is driving her now to say such outlandishly false things is anyone's guess. i would like you to sum up the angle of the story that involves dawn zimmer and also talk about what political peril she might face going forward now. what she has to lose by coming forward. >> right. she -- first of all, in terms of the political power, she is now kicked off a fight with the governor. and chris christie is in a vulnerable position politically right now, but chris christie still just won re-election with

60% of the vote. he did very well in hoboken, as she pointed out. more votes than she did. so you can say he came into this with popularity in her hometown, a state more dependent than most other municipalities on the state, on help, on cooperation with the state. so from a simple day to day governing standpoint, a lot to lose there. the story, look, what hoboken has needed badly, since sandy, has been these relief funds. has been funds to prepare the city of hoboken so that if there is another sandy, 80% doesn't end up under water. so the path system, which the entire region depends on for getting to and from work. so that's -- she sort of is up against and the story she is telling us, basically, she found out earlier this year the reason why her applications were basically being denied by the state, applications for sandy, this big pot of sandy money that chris christie sits on, she was told explicitly by the

lieutenant governor and commissioner of the department of community affairs, a member of chris christie's cabinet. she was told in separate encounters, there was a linkage there. that you will get your sandy money if you move this redevelopment project forward. expedite the project, and your sandy money will come. and she recorded this in her diary at the time, shared her diary with us today. you can, as much as you can auto then at this indicate a diary, it's a few pages thrown together a few days ago and saying hey, this is from last may. we looked at it. there is entries going back, mundane things, and she is talking about it and written in this tone of somebody who is shocked and who finds herself in, if what she is saying is true, in a very difficult position, right? because you want the sandy money, if you're her. you're not necessarily wanting to expedite this project. and if you're standing up to chris christie a year ago, before all of this, standing up to a guy with a 75% approval rating who is going to win your town while running for re-election. realistically speaking, a tough situation to be in. >> we should make a point, she has gotten some money for

hoboken. it's a relative pittance. when we talk about this redevelopment project, it's a 19-block area of which three blocks were given approval. the other 16 still -- >> so there is -- the other piece here is, right, this is the north end of hoboken, it's called. and a 19-block area. so what happened was to get this all moving was when she became mayor, she inherited a city council-proochltd -- the city council approved a measure calling for a redevelopment study, the first phase. >> which the city would have to pay for. >> right. so she said we don't have the money to pay for the study. that study is the necessary first step for this group, the rockefeller group, to be able to build there. so the state stepped in. the department of community affairs headed by another woman, stepped in and said we think we can get you some help on that study. the help they got was through the port authority. the port authority then provided the $75,000 grant to do the study. so the study takes two years. and that's what brought it all to a head in early 2013. the sandy funds come to a head at the time this study comes back and the linkage allegedly

occurs. the money for the study comes from the port authority. and, of course, this is the port authority in conjunction with the george washington bridge story. >> so these two officials that talked to her, the second one being the commissioner constable, okay? so i want to read the statement from commissioner constable spokeswoman who says, mayor zimmer's allegation that on may 16, 2013 in front of a live auditorium, commissioned hoboken's receipt of sandy aid on her moving forward is categorically false. so is there specific evidence that indicates otherwise? >> well, what we have is -- you have mayor zimmer's diary entries from the time -- we know they were on stage together. what this was, a sort of sandy six-month anniversary event in may of last year. and a bunch of new jersey leaders are on stage together for this two-hour joint public television special. with he know they were on stage together, sitting next to each other. you can see that. what she is saying in her diary and saying now is that while

they were miked up, but not when the cameras were rolling and there is a lot of chatter going on in the crowd and on stage and everything. that -- i guess initiates a conversation with her, where he basically says to her, you know, the word at the statehouse is you're against the rockefeller project. and she says, i'm not necessarily against the rockefeller project, but i'm not necessarily for it. and he says something to the effect of, well, if you would get moving on that, those funds would start flowing. so that's the message she says she was delivered there. the message she says the lieutenant governor a few days earlier delivered to her outside that shoprite was more explicit. from the lieutenant governor, specifically invoked governor christie. the lieutenant governor saying i don't know why, but i was with governor christie, and he made it clear this is a -- this is important to him. of and i don't know if this is right, i don't think this is fair. but you're not going to get your sandy money, unless you move forward on this project. and then supposedly if you ever say this in public, i'll deny it. that's what's in the journal entry from back then and what dawn zimmer is saying happened. >> okay. steve, joining us here in the studio, he's been listening the entire time and i want to bring

him into the consideration conversation, special counsel to the city of hoboken. state senator, i'm glad you're here. first of all, i want to make clear you do not personally represent hoboken, your firm is not involved in this development deal, correct, sir? >> not at all. we're special counsel. we don't represent any development matters in the city of hoboken. in the past we have, so we would have to have recused ourselves, which we do. >> i would like to get your reaction to mayor zimmer's allegations which were played on steve's show live this morning. >> first of all, mayor zimmer is the straightest shooter in politics i've ever known and i think anyone else knows. that's her reputation. and the fact that she made contemporaneous writings and recordings, which are admissible into evidence, you know, and have great weight, says a lot about the voracity of it. and, of course, it folds into the entire culture of corruption

and culture of intimidation that has enveloped the entire christie administration. >> i'm curious, steve, if the allegations for zimmer are true, it begs the question as to whether or not there are other cities, communities, that have been affected in such a way, as she alleges. maybe getting the money for sandy rehabilitation and the like. i mean, what are the thoughts on that? could this be larger than just hoboken? is. >> well, that's -- i think this is what we'll find out. part of the story here, you're seeing the time line that these threats that she is talking about, she is alleging occurred in may of 2013. and here we are in january of 2014, and she is coming forward. part of it is if you think back to the political climate of may 2013 for anyone in the state in politics, any mayor in the state, chris christie was a very -- chris christie could do a lot of damage to you if you opposed him in public. and i don't just mean he could do damage by going to war with him in words. he was a very popular governor with a lot of power behind the scenes and he had the people behind him. like a 70, 75% approval rating.

chris christie is at a moment now where things like this are starting come out, where people i think around the state are starting to reassess and say, hey, maybe do we fully understand -- have we really gotten the full picture here and i think it creates an opening for people who maybe felt intimidated and maybe it was reasonable to feel intimidated before just politically. would feel more, you know, willing to come forward with something like this. i think we're entering a moment like that, potentially. >> senator lesniak, is it reasonable to consider these two who mayor zimmer alleges said these things basically tit for at that time, if you do this, you will get your sandy aid, is it reasonable to think they may have gone rogue on their own, not being directed specifically to say these things to mayor zimmer, interpreting his feelings and saying, okay, this is what we know he means. >> certainly. but if that's the case, governor christie's administration is loaded with rogue folks who use threats and intimidation and

quite frankly, illegal tactics to promote either people's personal agenda or political agenda. this rogue operation is spreading throughout his administration. which means he's a very poor choice of character, and certainly has not set the right tone for a clean and honest administration. >> and sir, if the allegations prove to be true, what response do you think should be taken? >> well, these are very serious criminal allegations. we're going to get to the bottom of it. there are federal investigations, state investigations. this certainly goes to the top of the list in terms of importance to find out who said what, and find out all of the evidence that's available to us. >> steve, i'm curious all you had on your show today, does this bring us any closer to understanding why these lanes were shut down in september for four days across the george

washington bridge to begin with? >> no, it doesn't. but if what she is saying is true, it does get you to -- you can see the christie administration here looking for a lever, right? they found in sandy aid, found a lever to try to get something they wanted from her. and it raises the question of -- it would raise the question to me, at least, of looking at the lane closures, did they see that as a lever -- what's been reported in the press is the speculation about the endorsement of the mayor. this had been speculation that hoboken -- the bridge ft. lee, the speculation before today had been it's the sandy aid had not come to hoboken because of the endorsement and that's why. now she is telling it us no. it was a development project. it makes me wonder that if -- if there is a similar situation playing out around the bridge where the administration or members of the administration would have seen closing those lanes as a lever to extract something, something besides an endorsement. because what we found out was

that all the speculation this week about hoboken, at least according to the mayor, about an endorsement being the reason for this. what she is telling us is no, that's not what it is. it's about something else. and that something else question still exists with ft. lee. >> okay. senator, i do want to get with the bridge investigation with you, sir. 18 individuals, the governor christie statehouse office and re-election office have all received subpoenas this week. what specifically are you and your colleagues in the legislature looking for? >> well, we're looking for not only the reason why the lanes were closed but the cover-up. certainly christie's entire administration, his campaign team, david samson at the port authority, bill baroni, his close political associates, circled the wagons. let's tell a story. let's fake a traffic study to cover up the real reason. so we have the lane closures itself, which certainly endangered and recklessly endangered people's lives. but then we have the cover-up of

that offensel as well. so those two aspects, we have a lot to get down to and go after for sure. >> and senator i know you have been leading the charge in calling for a federal investigation into the governor's office's role on this bridge scandal. do you believe laws were broken, beyond just abuse of power? >> well, abuse of power is pretty significant. especially abuse of power that recklessly endangered people's lives. but i also, as i said, we have to look into the obstruction of justice, which is an additional offense to keep from the public and to keep from law enforcement authorities the fact that laws were indeed broken. >> all right. thank you so much, senator lesniak, for coming into the studio. and steve kornacki. i tell you, appointment tv on this story. 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. we'll be watching. thanks. for more, you can also find steve's full story on msnbc.com. there is a frightening turn of events for the man who won an auction to hunt a rhinoceros. why the fbi is now on the case. next. ♪

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what's being called the driest condition in more than a century has prompted california governor, jerry brown, to declare a drought emergency and ask residents to cut back on their water use. >> well, now we're facing a phenomenon of nature that makes us realize we're dependent on rain, we're dependent on one another. and to the degree that we can collaborate rate and cooperate as the greater community offal california, we will have a greater quality of life. >> they continue to battle a fast-moving fire, and temperatures feel more like july than january. joe fryer is in los angeles with the latest for us. joe, with another good day to you, this is a historic drought. what kind of effect is it having, first off, on all of the crops out west.

>> reporter: yeah, definitely a big impact on the crops. we're starting to hear from farmers and cattle ranchers, because they don't have the rain, because that jet stream is parked north. there is no rain, no snow coming into the area. and so because of that, they are suffering. and this is an impact that could be felt across the country, fruits and vegetables, if the prices have to go up, everyone is going to feel that. the governor signing this declaration yesterday declaring a drought is asking everyone in the state to voluntarily cut back on their water use by 20%. it is not a mandatory demand, but in some cities, especially in the northern and central parts of the state, we're already seeing some mandatory restrictions asking people to cut back on their water use, because there is really no end in sight. this is a problem that could get worse. when they mesh measure the snow pack in the sierra nevadas that provides water throughout the course of the year. that snow pack is incredibly low. looking down the line, this is

something that could really have an impact on crops and everything else in the state throughout the course of the next several months. >> yeah, and with regard to firefighting, they can't skimp on those efforts. but what is the update on that fire near glen dora area? >> just east of los angeles, that fire is getting a little bit under control. it's 30% contained right now. but because those santa ana winds have died down, that's giving firefighters a chance to really get ahead. most of the evacuations have been lifted. and the good thing with this proclamation that was signed yesterday, it means there will be more firefighting resources to help out if more fires break out during this unusual extended wildfire season. >> joe fryer in los angeles, thanks so much, joe. it was a game-changer in super power relations. more than 40 years ago. why it matters today, coming up. and shocker in a stroller. this is viral video marketing magic? that's right, no hidden fees. it's just that i'm worried about, you know, "hidden things." ok, why's that? well uhhh...

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it has, you guessed, gone viral. here is a bit of it. ♪ [ convenientscreaming ] >> ah! >> so believe it or not, since tuesday, this video has received some 32 million views. joining me now to discuss this evil infant and what it means for the advertising world is the executive editor of ad week, tony case. thanks for joining me. >> hi, alex. >> it's funny. we were kind of laughing about it, because people do get freaked out and the face of that baby is pretty horrific. but apart from being funny, kind of mortgagefying, isn't this video a super clever marketing tool, promoting "devil's due." >> of course, microsoft, one of the biggest advertisers announced this week it was looking for a new ad agency. a company that spends $1 billion

a year in advertising. and this was the biggest story in advertising this week. demon baby. like you say, a viral stunt. something that we have been seeing a lot more of, and we will be seeing more of, because simple fact is, 30 million views on youtube in five days. >> in fact, this is exactly the same tactic that was used by the same company last year, and it made the viral video promoting the "carrie" remake. remember? for those who don't, let's look at that. >> just get away from me. [ screaming ] >> just get away from me! >> that was pretty good. what kind of impact did that have on the ticket sales for the movie? >> well, you know, that's the big question. is, you know, we're all talking about this, every media outlet covering the devil baby this week and as they covered the "carrie" stunt. what does that mean for ticket

sales? i did an informal survey of consumers here, and almost all of them said that -- even though they enjoyed the video, it wouldn't necessarily make them see the movie. so that's the big question. >> so james percently, the co founder of this company, think moto. and he says that the company's videos typically produce 10 to $15 million worth of free media coverage like this included. youtube hits. so, you know, notwithstanding the proof that it necessarily makes people go out to movies, do you think this is going to be more par for the course, these viral video ads? >> of course, it is. because they're relatively easy to do and relatively cheap to do. when you compare how much it costs to produce this kind of stunt and then let consumers really do the legwork for you compared to having to, you know, produce spots and buy air time. there's no comparison. >> yeah. hey, tony, can i ask you, because i want to shift gears quickly for a second. on monday, there are reports that jerry seinfeld and jason

alexander met for a secret project. do you know anything about this? do you think this is super bowl-related or something else? >> there has been all kinds of rumors about in this week. filming a super bowl spot, filming jerry's, you know, web series, comedians and cars getting coffee. doing a documentary. it's interesting, because it's all been sort of hush-hush. which obviously if it is for a super bowl ad, it's building momentum in kind of the traditional way that buzz has been built for super bowl ads. even though in recent years, you know, marketers have been putting their ads out in advance, and getting even more traction for that. so it's kind of a traditional approach to that. i would not be surprised to see them in a super bowl ad. >> okay. well, fun talking with you about this ad week, tony case. thanks. new worries about the waters in west virginia and people suing the chemical plant, next. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth.

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welcome back to "weekends with alex witt" at 32 past the hour. new tests revealed there are problems with the water supply in west virginia following last week's chemical spill. reports say residents received an order friday instructing them to avoid drinking and limit their contact with the water. testing revealed unsafe levels of contamination in the water supply. what's next for the residents struggling for safe water? steven, with a welcome to you, the water right now, is it safe or not? this is a big deal for hundreds of thousands who have gone for days now without safe water. >> well, i think it's been declared safe, and increasing number of areas around charleston. but i think most people who live in those areas aren't really sure. and they're not -- they don't trust the authorities, and i think most people there are going to be drinking bottled water for some time, even if the water company does go ahead and say it's okay. >> yeah.

there are certainly reports that the company responsible for the chemical spill that's freedom industries, filed for bankruptcy on friday. so what does that mean for those who have these pending lawsuits. i believe there's at least 31 at last count, all as a result of this accident. >> yeah, well, they're not going to -- if they need compensation, if they deserve compensation, they're not going to be getting it from freedom industries. they're going to have to seek either the owner of freedom industries, who is a mine owner in the state of pennsylvania, or they're going to have to try to get compensation from eastman chemical, which made this chemical. or from the american water company, which is the company that kept its intake pipe open after this spill began. >> so steven, did they declare bankruptcy just to get out of paying millions of dollars in claims? is this the easy way out? >> well, it's -- there is no easy way out here, really. this company is not that huge, so most of the claims would be

far in excess of what it's probably capable of paying. but there's still going to be a lot of legal costs and this -- this isn't going to end any time soon for freedom industries. and it's not going to end any time soon for the plaintiffs in these cases. this is going to be a lon long-running soap opera with everyone pointing fingers at each other. >> what kind of changes should be made when it comes to transporting chemicals? >> this is the most important thing really. there are so many chemicals we used in everyday society now, and many of then are not regulated well. a lot of them we don't even know about. this chemical is a very good example. freedom industries says it's not subject to regulation. eastman chemical said it filed information about it in 1997 to epa and never heard back from epa. even though many places on the form about the long-term effects, the toxicity effects,

are filled in with the words "no data available." so there's a lot we need to do to regulate chemicals around the country, and it's very hard. because there are lots of chemicals we use day to day, and there are a lot of small companies that are dealing in these. >> which is very concerning. steven mubson from the washington post. appreciate it. police in philadelphia are seeking a high school student they believed open fire in his school, leaving two students wounded. another teen is in custody and is considered a co conspirator in that shooting. for more states reporting a widespread flu outbreak. the number of children doubled from 10 to 20. a royal caribbean cruise ship returned to port with 66 passengers suffering from symptoms of norovirus. the ship was sanitized and passengers offered a chance to reschedule. rio de janeiro needs repairing after struck by

lightning. a bolt damaged the tip of the thumb on the right hand. the index finger damaged last month. the national zoo's adorable baby panda made its debut earlier today. bao bao. when the panda house opened, the 5-month-old was taking a nap. they are expecting a wave of visitors. those are your fast five headlines. the texas man who won an auction to hunt a rhino now feels he's being hunted. he has received death threats and is taking them seriously. charles hadlock has the story. >> reporter: he may feel like the hunted. co host of a hunting show on the outdoor channel, notan placed a winning bid of $350,000 for a permit to hunt a rare black rhino in africa in the name of conservation. one poster said, i can only hope

that someday, somehow, a beautiful wild animal will cut your life short and hang you on a trophy wall. another said, donate the money and let the rhino live. noltan says he has hired 24 hour security and the fbi is investigating threats. >> i don't think i should be hated because i lead my life a certain way. >> he told pierce piers morgan he fears for his family's safety. >> i had no idea it would be this visceral. i had no idea they would be attacking my 2-year-old daughter and 7-year-old daughter and beautiful young wife. and they would want to kill us all and burn us. >> the hunting permit was sanctioned by the country, and says the money raised will go to save the black rhinos whose numbers are dwindling due to poachers. nolto will get to shoot a rhino, but with fewer than 5,000 in the world, opponents say there is no valid reason to kill one. >> the first rule of saving rare

species is to save the individuals. >> please don't rush to judgment, he wrote, in part, on his facebook page. i deeply care about all the inhabitants of this planet. charles hadlock, nbc news, dallas. the big three tackles the latest headlines in bridge-gate. that's still ahead, plus the outcome of a ping-pong game still being determined. work. and his new boss told him two things -- cook what you love, and save your money. joe doesn't know it yet, but he'll work his way up from busser to waiter to chef before opening a restaurant specializing in fish and game from the great northwest. he'll start investing early, he'll find some good people to help guide him, and he'll set money aside from his first day of work to his last, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. which 4g lte map has the most coverage? this isn't real difficult... pretty obvious to me. i'm going to have to say verizon. verizon. that's right! the choice is obvious.

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sport. it's the baseball of china. >> joining me now, nicholas griffin, author of the new book, "ping-pong diplomacy, the secret history behind the game that changed the world." welcome, nicholas. i love ping-pong. this is a fun thing to think about in its deeper meaning. let's join at the beginning. why was the u.s. team invited to china in the first place? >> well, it came about because i mean, the real answer is for the first time in 22 years, the chinese and americans had something in common, which was a mutual suspicion and hatred of russia, so nixon would say warning to get something going on on the american side and mao the other side but the signals weren't being red read properly so mao wanted something to definitely get the idea they wanted to restart this friendship. and that was ping-pong. >> interestingly, the match has been described as president

nixon's breakthrough with the republic. you argued it's actually more mao's opening to the u.s. so who do you think was the one to deserve the credit? >> for that precise moment, i think it was mao. obviously, nixon and kissinger were involved in opening the back channels before that. but if you look at the timing, you look at the method of communication and you look at the location, it's china, china, china. and i think that's very important. >> nicholas, you write that for the chinese, ping-pong was always political, not necessarily the happy catalyst that was portrayed by the western media. can you explain that? >> that's right. the chinese embraced the game as a national sport for two reasons. one, it just so happened they already played it. they used to play in the 1930s when they were trying to escape up in the mountains. but the real reason they embraced it was because it was the only international sporting

body in the world that happened to be run by a communist spy. he was an englishman, no one figured this out until the mid '60s. but he was a spy for the soviet union. >> yeah. and this is really cool. i don't know that we have time to get into that, but, in fact, you spent some oh of your christmases as a child with relatives of this family. i believe he was the uncle, the long, lost uncle. and here you go, and went upon your research and experienced that to get more on this man, mr. montague was his name, right? >> that's right. i started my research in china before i knew what, i was going back to my own childhood home. actually, my father's best friend, his uncle, was never allowed to meet him. and no one quite knew why. now i think i know why. >> yeah, he was a spy for stolin, apparently, in world war ii. interestingly, you talk about a clash, culture clash. it wasn't between the two teams, the chinese and americans. rather within the group of americans themselves. so what happened? >> well, it is actually -- it

was an invitation we thought of as spontaneous, so no preparation from the american side. the group of ping-pong players who happen to be representing the country that april suddenly found themselves in beijing within 36 hours of being invited. it was actually this tremendouslily representative group. it had men and women, high school girls, it had ibm program, it had a black immigrant who worked in the documents section of the u.n. one interesting spark in that group and that was because it was also an american hippy in there and another 19-year-old there called john tannehill, a very bright young student. and both these men were in college at a very political time in america with all of the anti vietnam protests. and they didn't necessarily get on very well. so there is a fascinating back and forth between these two, the whole trip. >> yeah. well, i think it's a fascinating book, overall. i want to thank you for joining me, nicholas griffin. the book is "the ping-pong

diplomacy: what changed the world." the best of luck. the big three takes on the headlines in the bridge-gate scandal and the decision in the case of a bakery refusing to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. is it religious freedom? thankfully, there's zzzquil. it's not for colds, it's not for pain, it's just for sleep. ♪ because sleep is a beautiful thing™. ♪ zzzquil. the non-habit forming sleep aid from the makers of nyquil®. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+.

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governor christie's spokesman who also represents the lieutenant governor sent us this response -- quote, mayor zimmer has been effusive in her public praise of the governor's office and the assistant we've provided in terms of economic improouft and sandy aid. let's go to you, susan. what's your reaction to this? >> she seems very sincere. but i'm very skeptical of this. this incident happened in may of 2013. she was running for reelection. this past november of '13. and the fort lee mayor accused governor christie of potentially

doing some political retribution. so she had plenty of time to bring this pup. and she wouldn't have been the first one to come out with these claims. it looks like she's looking for a bandwagon to jump on. if it was so serious and so important, she would have brought it up during the reelection of the governor of new york. this would have stopped him from getting reelected. if she cared that much about new jersey, she owed it to bring it up to the public. >> this is a very tough thing for her to bring up. she faces all sort of political retribution. you see why there was a pause? >> i understand why there's a pause. but, again, when he was up for reelection -- this is the type of scandal that could potentially bring somebody down and she wouldn't have been the first. there was someone already out there accusing him. the fact she waited until after the election, until after the scandal came up, i really have to hold the whole thing in suspect. >> morris, the governor is in

florida today, fund-raising for florida governor rick scott. a bit earlier, i talked with debbie wasserman schultz. here's that. >> he's not having any public events with rick scott. and it's clear that either rick scott doesn't want to be seen in public with chris christie or chris christie doesn't want to answer any questions. but it's probably both. >> now, the republican party of florida sent us this response, quote, it is ridiculous that congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz is spending her saturday in her home state determined to create a political sideshow rather than working on the issues that matter to her constituents. what is your reaction to all this, morris? >> my reaction is that he's on a fund-raising swing, not necessarily does he need to have public events. i think that debbie wasserman schultz is doing what she needs to do as the democratic party chair. the democrats see blood in the water. i'm the type of person, you shouldn't overplay your hand. we'll see where it pans out. i have to agree with my colleague.

if this mayor felt that passionately about it, she shouldn't have withheld it -- >> you're talking about mayor zimmer? >> absolutely. i have to mention that. if you feel that passionate and it's that big of a deal, you step up to the plate. you don't wait for an opportunity like this. but to the point of his zej, it's fund-raising, you don't need to have a public event when you're fund-raising. >> goldie, where do you see all this going? >> i think the reporting by steve kornacki and rachel maddow have been extraordinary. these are extraordinary allegations. but mayor zimmer had her own word and her own diary. that's not enough to come forward with these kinds of sort of earthshattering allegations. but allegations, they remain. why did she wait to come forward until now? maybe she felt there was a safe har bobor against this governor. maybe she feels this is a more opportune time. but we have a special prosecutor who's going to ask a lot of

questions that aren't contained just to a bridge. i say let the facts fall where they may. let governor chris christie's political life fall where it may. but if somebody withheld federal sandy relief funds from a city, a jurisdiction, a county, because someone didn't endorse, someone wouldn't push forward a development project, someone wouldn't do your political biddi bidding, i think that person belongs in jail. >> but you have to back it up. >> facts to back it up. that's what's going on, the investigations, to try to get those kind of facts. let's get to religious freedom. oregon's bureau of labor and industry says a local bakery violated the rights of a same-sex couple by refusing to bake a cake for the couple. the owners of the bakery say they were practicing their

rights to religious freedom. >> this is clearly -- they were wrong. and i'm happy they got called out on it. >> other people will bake a cake. i think you should just move on and get your cake somewhere else. >> goldie? >> i think that's just what happened. i think people moved on and got their cake someplace else. >> best and worst of the week? >> my best is the president's nsa speech. but my worst of the week is also the president's nsa speech. i think he had to say something that would assuage the fears, growing fears of people around what's happening. but at the same time, maybe he didn't go quite far enough. >> susan, yours? >> best week, john boehner. he got the spending bill through and wasn't concerned about the tea party and the ultra conservative groups and he got another resignation in congress. and the worst week goes to jeb bush. his mom basically said, don't run for president. >> morris, how about you? >> for me, best week is nigerian

homeowners that created a fannie mae-type program. the worst goes to j.r. smith. i thought he was turning the corner, maturing. he blew it on a big platform. i don't think he'll be in new york next year. >> thanks so much. i have to get off the air right now. that's a wrap of the show. see you back here tomorrow at noon eastern. [ sneezes ] [ female announcer ] the start of sneeze season. the wind-blown watery eyes. [ sniffling ] the sniffling guy on the bus. and, of course, the snow angels with your little angels. that's why puffs plus lotion is soft. puffs plus are dermatologist tested to be gentle. they help soothe irritated skin by locking in moisture better. so you can always put your best face forward. a face in need deserves puffs indeed. [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy.

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give him the calorie-smart is a nutrition of beneful healthy weight. with wholesome rice,real chicken,soy, and accents of vitamin rich veggies... plus a taste he loves. beneful healthy weight...from purina. right now, exclusive new details emerge surrounding allegations against two members of the chris christie administration. a new jersey mayor accuses the governor's office of holding sandy relief money hostage. we are traveling with christie as he meets donors in florida. good saturday afternoon. i'm milissa rehberger in for craig melvin. you are watching msnbc. also ahead, trust tested. >> for our intelligence community to be effective over the long haul, we must maintain the