of the northeast and great lakes. much of that same area was already buried under snow. the ice more than a half-inch thick in some places, dragging down trees on to power lines. pennsylvania has the most power problems at this moment right now with nearly 600,000 homes without power. and a look at the so called misery map shows the greatest flight problems. in the new york city area, so far today airlines have cancelled more than 2400 flights. right now in detroit, a private jet is stuck in the snow. crews have already freed two regional jets that were stuck earlier today. meanwhile, a 65-mile stretch of i-84 is closed in new york state. amtrak service is suspended between philadelphia and harrisburg. hundreds of schools across the region cancelled classes. and service is now restored to parts of the new york city

subway after a power outage. today's winter storm warnings are posted from the missouri valley to maine. and at this hour, old man winter's latest fit is affecting one in four americans. we start this wednesday with a report from my colleague ron mott in massachusetts. ron? >> reporter: good day to you from westminster, massachusetts, where the snow has been falling hard all day at a rate of probably one to two inches an hour. when this storm is over, this part of massachusetts is expected to receive as much as 14 inches of snow. been a long time since i've held one of these orange rulers. this may disappear by the end of this storm system. at this point in the day, we're closing in on that foot mark. to our south, the snow has got a lot more moisture to it and that's the type of snow that brings about those power outages. there are some widespread power outages in pennsylvania. probably a few less here in massachusetts. we hope it stays that way. a lot of school districts cancelled classes today, which is probably a pretty good idea. that left the roadways clear for the snow crews to get out there

and really get on top of this snow at its heaviest when it was traveling and coming down from the skies at one to two inches an hour. the evening rush should be a lot better than we saw this morning. and again, a lot of folks had to stay home with their children. but going forward, there is a possibility of a system coming in toward the end of the week. this kind of snow is really good for ski resorts here in new england. they're saying let it snow. that's the latest here from westminster. let's accepted it back to you. >> all right, let it snow indeed. my other ron colleague, ron allen has been driving the roads all morning in what has become -- it's been a nasty commute for millions. he joins me from behind the wheel in new jersey. and i hope you're being safe, sir. >> reporter: of course, craig. you know me. and it's actually the roads have gotten a lot better. they've gotten to be -- they're all black top. you can see out the window here. the plows have been through. a lot of people stayed home today from the offices. schools in this part of the

state and i think throughout new jersey were closed today. the governor here declared a state of emergency last night, 8:00, 9:00 at night. so everybody got ahead of the storm and it seems to be going well. we've gone into a couple of neighborhood where is there are some tree limbs down and some power outages, not massive outages, so people are dealing with that here in new jersey. there were some interruptions with suburban rail service coming into new york city earlier today. they're trying to sort some of that out. but generally speaking, you can see the plows have gone through. we've seen salt spreaders going through. there are a lot of towns that are under stress. their budgets deal with all the snow removal because many have already eclipsed the amount of snowfall and storm situations that they have to deal with this year compared to last year. and there may be more coming. also in terms of the precipitation now, it's just light rain falling. we're at 30 degrees, where we've been most of the morning. some of it is probably freezing

on the sidewalks and all that. we've gotten out to take a walk around. but the roads are -- they're in pretty good shape. and that's because people stayed home and stayed off them so they've been taken care of. and we're going to continue driving around and see what's happening. there's not a lot of people out. and that's the good news. and again, we'll see how it goes. the commute in the afternoon, the evening is coming up in a few hours. but i don't think it's going to be that big a deal because again, the roads are clear and people have stayed home and schools are closed. so good news for the most part here in new jersey, at least for now. but we'll see if any of this and how much of this freezes over. >> all right. nbc's ron allen taking live reporting to a whole new level there for us in new jersey. good to see you, my friend, and again, stay safe. thank you. by the way, a third winter storm is developing right now. we're going to get the latest forecast on that winter system in just a bit. but let's turn to matters here in the nation's capital. the white house has a new health care battle on its hand, this

time courtesy of the budget office. republicans have spent the better part of the last 24 hours or so pouncing on that new budget report from the number crunchers, so to speak, here in d.c. tucked inside that report was a new estimate for the number of workers choosing to forego full-time hours as a result of oba obamacare. by 2021, it could be as many as three times the old estimate, according to the report. at a meeting with the head of the cbo today, the knives came out. >> what is particularly troubling is cbo's projection of the labor force participation. most notably in this report, is that cbo also says that government policies, especially the president's health care law, are discouraging work. washington is making this problem worse. this does not have to be our fate. >> all right, so without getting too technical here, the cbo cites four reasons for the

reduction in full-time workers, primarily health care subsidies and medicaid expansion. basically, in order to maintain eligibility for either some workers -- in order to maintain eligibility, some workers will decide to reduce the hours that they choose to work, either to part-time hours or completely. as "the washington post's" fact checker glen kessler put it, if someone says they decided to leave their job for personal reasons, most people would not say they "lost" their job, they simply decide ed not to work. republican congresswoman marsha blackburn of tennessee. welcome, congressman. good to see you as always. >> good to see you, yes. >> first of all, just give me your take on this report as it relates to full-time workers and obama care. >> well, i think what we're seeing is the direct impact of what is happening through this health care law. and craig, as you said, this was

the new estimates. the first estimates were 800,000 jobs. and after they've looked at reducing the hours to a 30-hour workweek, the impact of the subsidies that came back and said no, we need to adjust this upward. now as you said, it is three times that. and as we know with cbo, generally what they give us is the best case scenario, not the worst case scenario. so we are very concerned about this. we are concerned about the impact that the health care law, the president's health care law is having, not only on the health care insurance and health delivery marketplace, but on the jobs marketplace as a whole. >> congressman, let me -- the cbo also noted something else. i do want to point that out. "on the flip side the cbo notes here that when there is greater access to coverage on the individual market it could

influence labor productivity indirectly by making it easier for some employees to obtain health insurance outside the workplace and thereby prompting those workers to take jobs that better match their skills, regardless of whether those jobs offered employment will have based insurance." won't these new workers now be free to be productive in some other place of the economy? and is it a bad thing to not be attached to your job for insurance purposes only? >> craig, i am delighted to hear you support a conservative principle. welcome to a point i've been making for years. individual ownership of health insurance. the best way to do that is to repeal title one of the president's health care law, open up access in the health insurance marketplace and allow across state line purchase of health insurance. allow portability, and you know what? portability of health insurance is the number one issue with

women. when it comes to health insurance. if they have the plan and they like it, they want to keep it. the argument we made with the president. so yes, individuals should be able to have a policy that fits their needs at a price they can afford, and then be able to take it with them from job to job, state to state, town to town. that would be a good conservative principle. >> and you acknowledge that the current law allows for that? >> no, the current law does not allow for that. unfortunately, what it is doing is putting people into plans, into the exchanges, and this is one of the things that we kind of take issue with. wouldn't it be great if it were a nationwide marketplace where you have across state line purchase of health insurance, and individuals could work directly with the insurance company. you don't need the federal government. they're controlling the pathway to an insurance product.

>> congressman, the cbo also noted that the average for premiums is going to be down 15% this year. that would be something i would imagine you would celebrate? >> well, what we are seeing in the health care premiums is an escalation in that rate in the marketplace. i think i've talked to one person who said that their health insurance premium was actually down. in my district, we're seeing increases anywhere from about 15% to about 700%. >> 700%, congressman? >> yes, sir, absolutely. absolutely. >> and the governor in your neighboring state, the gunfire of kentucky has said on a number of occasions, as you know, that by and large, it's working well there. so why such a -- what's the huge difference between tennessee and kentucky? >> well, in kentucky, their

enrollee base is primarily in medicaid. >> if tennessee would expand medicaid -- >> that is one of the many problems that they've had. tennessee, we learned our lessons long ago. >> all right. congressman marsha blackburn, i always enjoy our spirited conversations. >> absolutely. good to be with you today. thank you. right now, a live look inside a house hearing on al qaeda's recent resurgence in iraq. what can the united states really do? what should we do? what it all means for the fight against terrorism. we're going to ask a congressman about that a little bit later in the hour. coming up, our power panel will assemble right here. we're going to pick up that conversation where we just left off with marsha blackburn with the house officially gavelled back into session. huh...fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. mmmhmmm...everybody knows that.

well, did you know that old macdonald was a really bad speller? your word is...cow. cow. cow. c...o...w... ...e...i...e...i...o. [buzzer] dangnabbit. geico. fifteen minutes could save you...well, you know. one day you'll be standing on a podium.ar future olympian, and here's exactly how you'll get there. you'll work hard, and you'll fall hard. you'll lose sometimes when you really should have won. you'll win sometimes when no one thought you had a shot. and you'll never, ever stop. we know this. because you're one of us. at citi, we believe in everyone's potential, which is why citi and evan are giving back to community sports programs to help future athletes every step of the way. i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't?

alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is. worst morning ever. [ angelic music plays ] ♪ toaster strudel! best morning ever! [ hans ] warm, flaky, gooey. toaster strudel!

obamacare is structured the opposite -- >> that's your opinion. that's your opinion. we're still going to have a demand and we're still basically talking about older workers -- >> my point to my other friends on the other side of the aisle -- >> that is not a socialistic scheme. >> a friendly back and forth there between members on the budget committee on the meaning of this new cbo report. did the report give new life to criticisms of obamacare, or are republicans on the verge of overplaying their hand as they have done previously on this subject? let's take it to the power panel. the ceo of voter latino. the republican strategist who worked for president george w. bush. good to have you in the flesh. we should do this more often. let me start there with you. >> now i'm getting nervous.

>> no! why would you get nervous? let's start there, though. are you guys on the verge -- and by you guys, i mean republicans. >> my party. >> yes, your party. are you on the verge of doing that thing again that you guys do from time to time? >> not following you. >> the overplaying of the hand. >> i don't think so. i actually think obamacare is a really legitimate -- the largest political issue current and on the horizon. it's what the election is going to be about. it could be what the presidential election is about. i think with the cbo -- >> not the economy. not jobs. >> i think obamacare is about the economy. i think obamacare raises two questions in people's heads, which is yes, we know there's a lot of problems out there, but we need the government to do more, and do we need to take on more debt? i think we're at that tipping point, where yeah, we can prime the pump, we can try to put more money in people's pockets. but if we do that and we raise the debt, our economy can't get the credit it needs, and things get locked up. so i think it is the major question facing all politicians.

>> this is something else that paul ryan said this morning about the new cbo numbers. take a listen. >> this is saying younger workers, the very people we want to go into the work force to work, are being disincentivized to do that. >> that's been one of the chief criticisms since yesterday, since this report came out. do we think that obamacare in any way, shape, or form encourages folks not to work, not to work as hard? >> i mean, i think this actually -- this is actually an important conversation to have. the fact that people were working and a lot of times they stayed in their job because they couldn't carry their health insurance with them. so this actually gives the worker the freedom to negotiate real wages and say okay, this is what my worth is. and it gives them that flexibility. i think until we have these conversations where they're not held hostage by their employer, then all of a sudden we can say okay, there is a level of freedom now as a result of obamacare. >> ms. blackburn, you just had

her on the show. >> right. >> i can't think of anything that would make the american peerge when it comes to their health care choices, more mobile than the ability to say to my employer, hi, i don't like working for you. i think you're a terrible person. the only reason i have this job is because my kid has autism. so now, guess what, i can now go either to the federal exchange and i can buy health insurance and i don't have to work for you. the schultzs in arizona who are realtors and they said we don't want to work for somebody else, we want to start our own business and they did that. >> i tried raising that issue with the congresswoman. >> you know, having not read the report cover to cover, which we probably all haven't read cover to cover. they're saying net job losses of two and a half million. it doesn't mean that you leave one job and that you can't start your own business. let me try to put it in a different way where i think we'll all agree. there will be two and a half million americans who will not be working in the job market, as they are now, because of obamacare. i don't see that as good for our

long-term problems. >> a lot of them are going to be elderly. a lot of them have to work because they need insurance can require early. >> why is it good to retire early? i'll play the role. what is good about encouraging people to get out of the work force. >> i want to pivot to another part of the conversation. you raise a point. an interesting point because there are lots of folks that have also argued that part of the problem in terms of the labor force is that if everyone would get onboard and pass comprehensive immigration reform, we would be able to flood the job market with at least two or three million additional workers. >> well, i'm going to try to take that one by saying i do think we ought to pass comprehensive immigration reform. i think we ought to do things -- our economy is growing. it is growing at a rate that we'd all like to see be a lot more vibrant. i think we're all concerned about it when we look at the markets. i think we ought to do what's

good for the economy. i think what obama care has done with the economy is a net negative. i think passing immigration reform in the right way would be a great benefit to the economy and to businesses across the country, and i think we should do it. >> here's what we do know about obama care. since it was passed, what are health care spending levels at? they're stat. they're even. what's the number one growing industry in the united states of america right now? health care. we have a shortage of nurses. we're bringing them in from india and other countries. my mother's doctor is an indian-american. now, someone explain to me why it is that the health care industry which is doing such awful bad things by teaming up with the obama white house to give american what is they pay for, by the way, health insurance for every american, why it is that we have a health care shortage when it comes to professionals. >> because americans don't want to go into the medical professions, they don't want to be doctors at the rates they were because they're not getting -- >> my daughter has never taken insurance. i pay him a certain month for concierge service.

he's not even under my plan. >> the reason that obamacare passed, it wasn't something that he thought of overnight. this was something that's been in the works for almost 30 years. it's because increasingly, americans were falling into debt. that was the number one reason why people were filing for personal bankruptcy. we're the only industrialized country that doesn't provide any type of social safety net when it comes to health care. >> how do you campaign -- i mean, when you've got roughly three million more young people on their parents' insurance and you've got folks who are covered now who weren't covered before, who had preexisting condition -- >> you also have people that don't have coverage that had it before. >> so what do you say to those folks? is the argument, you know what? i know it's working for you, but it's not working for these people. so we should repeal it. >> look, this is not some kind of -- look at what the american

people are saying. your problem is not with the republican party. not your problem. the obama administration's problem is with the fact that the american people believe that this was not the right way to do it. one of the reasons i think they stumble is because look, there's a lot of people across the spectrum, my party, there are people like olympia snowe who was in the senate at the time, it would have been better for them if they could have lassoed john mccains and olympia snowes at the time. it was a democrat passed bill that makes the politics tough. you know that. >> really quickly before we go, "washington post" robert costa reporting that the house -- the gop's debt ceiling strategy has stalled. "boehner, cantor, mccarthy, final gop options discussed monday have been dropped." what happens now? >> john boehner, the speaker of the house, has already violated the rule over and over again. there's to reason for him not to do it again. one thing that came out of the cbo report, that the yearly deficit has dropped from $1.2

trillion to $514 billion. that socialist obama, he really is bad on the economy. >> we're going to leave it there. thank you all for stopping by. >> thank you for having us. one day away. here we are. the olympic torch now in sochi. the competitions are set to again. but is russia ready for its close-up? we are live in sochi right after this. y room i walk into. [ female announcer ] olay presents the new regenerist luminous collection. renews surface cells to even skin tone. in just two weeks, see pearlescent, luminous skin. new regenerist luminous. from olay. and five simple whole grains, new multigrain cheerios dark chocolate crunch is breakfast... with benefits. start your day with a delicious new crunch. healthy never tasted so good.

humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures, living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car replacement, where, if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask an insurance expert about all our benefits today, like our 24/7 support and service, because at liberty mutual insurance, we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, so we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. plus, you could save hundreds when you switch -- up to $423. call... today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

but with less energy, moodiness, and a low sex drive, i had to do something. i saw my doctor. a blood test showed it was low testosterone, not age. we talked about axiron the only underarm low t treatment that can restore t levels to normal in about two weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer, worsening prostate symptoms, decreased sperm count, ankle, feet or body swelling, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing while sleeping and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. ask your doctor about axiron.

eight million new jobs. new businesses. new factories. anncr: you're working hard. all day. every day. and it shows... new hope. still, it's harder than it should be to raise a family... save for retirement. so president obama is urging congress to give america... a raise. his plan raises the minimum wage to ten ten an hour. and requires equal pay for women to boost family incomes. the snow continues to fall as this latest batch of winter weather matches east. and on the horizon, mother nature may have another trick up her sleeve. we're going to have the latest forecast from the weather channel straight ahead. first, though, governor chris christie will lead new jersey storm response. by night, he continues to fend off the comics. >> folks, this is just the

governor's word against david wildstein's. and yes, they were high school classmates. and yes, christie created a job at the port authority to appoint wildstein to, but it's not like they were close, right, governor? >> david and i were not friends in high school. we were not even acquaintances in high school. i was the class president and athlete. i don't know what david was doing. >> yes. christie didn't know what wildstein was doing at that time. i mean, it could have been anyone's head he was holding down in the toilet. let's say you pay your guy around 2 percent to manage your money. that's not much, you think except it's 2 percent every year. go to e*trade and find out how much our advice and guidance costs.

spoiler alert. it's low. it's guidance on your terms not ours. e*trade. less for us, more for you. did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪

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+. i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. we're continuing to keep a very close eye on that winter storm now dumping snow and freezing rain across the northeast and new england. today brought the second winter storm in just a week for a lot of folks, and a third storm may be close behind.

people we talked to have had enough. >> you really can't predict what mother nature is going to bring. >> when i was a kid, this was normal. but lately, this was probably the worst one i've seen in 20 years. >> weather channel meteorologist julie martin is standing by for us right now. julie, what are we looking at right now, and what more can you tell us about the possibility of yet another storm on sunday for a lot of folks? >> there is another storm, craig, in the works that could have some big impacts here in the northeast. the models are still a little bit uncertain in terms of just how much snow and who will be impacted. it just depends how far that storm is offshore. what we do know now is that this storm will be winding down and exiting the coast by this evening. nonetheless, it's already caused a lot of problems, including about half a million people without power in places like pennsylvania and northern jersey. right now, the good news is a lot of this is turning over to rain in the philadelphia area, hit especially hard. you see a little bit of icing, though, moving into the tristate

area here. especially the northern boroughs of new york city. for that reason, we have a winter storm warning extended until 6:00 this evening. that goes for folks in southern connecticut as well. just a real mess in terms of travel. boston getting hit especially hard. about nine inches of snow reported. some of those snowfall rates were up to an inch an hour earlier this morning. so heavy snow coming down, and this will likely not be winding down until after dinnertime tonight. so taking a look at the timeline here, you can see the snow does move out of the new york city area. but still watch out for freezing rain there on the roadways. but boston, for you, it's going to be a later event. we're looking at abouted my night before conditions finally improve and the snow moves out to sea. so taking a look, generally eight to 12 inches. we should have no problem accomplishing that even in cities like boston, certainly southern connecticut and even in jersey, where we're still going to be dealing with icy conditions as we move through the evening. as far as the next storm, craig, we will keep tracking that for

now. it does look like we'll have some impacts in the northeast. it just depends how severe stha will be. >> let's hope not severe at all. thank you. back to politics. in the two years since, all but 200 u.s. troops officially left iraq, chaos has overtaken that country. there's an al qaeda-led insurgency happening in iraq and the situation has recently gone from bad to worse, with militant groups taking charge of major cities, including fallujah. the death toll has climbed to its highest level since 2006-2007 when fighting between sunnis and shiites left tens of thousands dead. earlier today, there was a hearing focused on both al qaeda's resurgence in iraq and the threat to the entire region. congressman adam smith from washington state is the ranking democrat on that committee and joins me live now. congressman, in simple terms

here, is the war in iraq -- is it as far from over as it was a decade ago? >> well, it's a different struggle. the war a decade ago was about saddam hussein and our conflict with him. now you have an al qaeda presence there. and it's not just iraq. we're seeing the same thing in syria, in libya, in egypt. you know, radical extremist groups, violent extremist groups affiliating themselves with al qaeda are spreading. and a lot of times, they have local agendas primarily, but a lot of them also have the transnational terrorist goals that the groups in iraq and syria have aspired to. so that fight continues. >> congressman, moving forward, how will we decide which of these groups to go after? >> i think there's two critical factors. number one, the most important thing is if you have a group that we can establish is planning attacks against specifically western targets, like i said, in syria, in iraq, in a lot of places, they're

fighting a local revolution. the biggest threat to us is the ones that glum on to the transnational terrorist agenda. that's what we're trying to protect the homeland from. i think the second thing we need to be aware of is the limited ability that we have on our own to control this. we need local partners. we need people in these nations who are willing to stand up and fight against al qaeda, and when those people emerge, we have to help them. that's why for some time i thought we should have done more in syria, in terms of at least supporting the moderate groups who are opposing the violent extremists in that region. but this is not a fight where the u.s. can show up with boots on the ground and make a difference. because look, al qaeda's message is that they are defending the muslim world against western aggression. now, that message is garbage, frankly. they're trying to oppress people and nobody has killed more muslims than al qaeda. but every time we strike, it reinforces that message. we need local partners to lead this fight. >> you mentioned several times the connection between what's happening in iraq and what's

happening in syria, where, of course, al qaeda still has an affiliate. this is the chairman. chairman of the foreign affairs committee this morning talking about the violence in iraq as it connects to syria. take a listen. >> multiple car bombings struck the capital this morning. the nearly 9,000 deaths in iraq last year made it the bloodiest since u.s. forces departed in 2011. the civil war in neighboring syria only further strengthens this group. >> with so many dangerous extremists making up part of the rebel fighters there in syria, how should we change our plans with regards to that country? what should we do doing differently there? >> well, i think we need to continue to look for moderate groups and be more aggressive in supporting them. i mean, we have been concerned about making sure we've picked the right ones, but we have clearly identified some number of folks who are actively

fighting against isi, the extremist affiliated groups in the region. we should support them in that fight. that's not boots on the ground, but it's getting them equipment, it's getting them humanitarian support. where appropriate, it's training them. and i want to say one note, a positive here. these extremist groups are spreading, but they also very quickly become unpopular. just like we saw in iraq. because they have nothing to offer. except killing. they are violent in the extreme. they kill the local population indiscriminately. and they can't govern or produce any kind of decent way of life for people. and people learn that and they want an alternative to it. we saw it happen in iraq, even in syria in recent weeks, there have been some setbacks for the violent extremist groups. we need to partner together, like i said. first of all, with locals. second of all, with our international friends to give support to those groups who want to oppose these violent extremist groups. >> congressman, as we gear up to

withdraw most or all of our troops from afghanistan later this year, how worried should we be that the same sort of deadly chaos unfolds there as the power vacuum is filled with terrorist groups? >> i think that's a concern in any of these countries. but look, it's not just in the countries that we've been in and then come out of. we've seen in egypt, we saw it in libya before we even got there. we didn't really get there, we just helped to move gadhafi. in afghanistan, i think it's a real threat. between afghanistan and pakistan, along that border that frankly the locals there don't even really recognize, you have a lot of al qaeda affiliated violent extremist groups. now, they're not all the same. like i said, they have different agendas, different takes on the ideology. but to one degree or another, we need to be concerned about all of them, and having a stable afghan government with a decent security force is clearly in our best interest. but the problem is we can't just

wave a magic wand and make that happen. we could stay there for another decade or two, and at the time we left, we'd be in the same situation. it's got to be the locals who take over responsibility for security. >> let's shift gears entirely here and talk about something a lot happier, your seahawks. your seattle seahawks arriving back in seattle today. you, of course, will not be there for the parade this afternoon. how excited -- how stoked are folks in seattle to have this first ever football championship? >> i have never seen the city this excited. in fact, my wife has told me from back home that i-90 is basically a parking lot right now leading into the parade. so the entire region is unbelievable. in seattle, we're not used to this. i think it's like our second championship in forever. so we couldn't quite believe it was going to happen. so when it did, everyone was just relieved and euphoric. it's really put everybody in a better mood throughout the region. it's very exciting. and they're a great team. >> congratulations to you. we certainly hope that they can

find some money out there to try to keep that squad intact. >> yes. well, fortunately, they're young, so free agency doesn't really start hammering us until after next year. but yeah, that will be a challenge. >> all right. congressman adam smith. good to talk to you, sir. thank you. coming up, a republican swearing off tea in 2014. e.j. dion of "the washington post" is going to join me straight ahead to talk about that on this wintery wednesday in the nation's capital. also, we'll head to sochi as well where the countdown to the winter olympics continues. ♪ [ cellphones beeping ] ♪ [ cellphone rings ] hello? [ male announcer ] over 12,000 financial advisors. good, good. good. over $700 billion dollars in assets under care. let me just put this away. [ male announcer ] how did edward jones get so big? could you teach our kids that trick? [ male announcer ] by not acting that way.

ok, last quarter... [ male announcer ] it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. ♪ makes sense of investing. [ mala body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure

or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions, or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. [ 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. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.® just over an hour from now, both presidents obama and clinton will address senate democrats at their annual retreat not far from here over at nationals park. while the president will lay out an agenda that he hopes can help them achieve, senate democrats

will undoubtedly be telling the president what they need from him to hold on to the upper chamber. republicans seem intently focused on doing the same thing, and there may be a change afoot. "washington post" columnist and msnbc contributor e.j. deion is live here for us. you raise an intriguing question in your most recent article. is the gop giving up tea? are we witnessing a formal breakup now between the mainstream republican party and the tea party? >> i think it's more like a quiet separation. you know, it's not that the tea party is dead. it's that its influence has really receded since the government shut down. because i think a lot of republicans looked at the party's poll numbers as a whole after the government shutdown and said if we stay on this track, we could actually lose the house of representatives. and in the meantime, a lot of them think -- i think wrongly, but nonetheless it's what they think, that obamacare is a good

enough issue that if they just keep things on a steady path, they can hold on to the house and maybe win the senate. so a lot of republicans are saying let's not go over to that extreme anymore. and speaker boehner has made very clear that he doesn't want to go there. and on a whole series of votes, the tea party could only muster about 60, 65 votes against the leadership. i think that's because a critical mass of about 100 republicans who are worried about tea party primaries, but are even more worried about losing the majority, have shifted from backing the tea party initially on the shutdown to a much more cautious position now. >> you mentioned the house. let's talk about the senate for a second. undoubtedly, during the conversation today, senate democrats are going to be talking to the president about precisely what it is they need from him, especially some of these vulnerable democrats. mark pryor comes to mind, a number of other ones. how likely is it that the democrats lose the upper hand this time around? >> i don't know, i see it as about a 40% chance. i think it's gone up a little

bit because the republicans have been smart about targeting more seats than just the ones that are ochgtbviously in play. that's what the democrats did last time and they were sort of there and ready if there's a tie. so i think the republicans have a decent shot because the map is not good for the democrats. but i don't think it's a done deal yet. i think a lot depends on what obama care looks like in october rather than now. and i think a lot depends on some of these issues that actually unite democrats like the minimum wage, extending unemployment insurance. and i think the president laid out a pretty middle of the road agenda actually in that state of the union that will make it a little easier for some of these democrats. but some of them are going to attack him because a place like arkansas, perhaps louisiana, that's what you have to do to win re-election. >> it really is strange that they haven't been able to move a little faster on extending the unemployment benefits. >> it is. and so far, i think the republicans have put up more resistance than the democrats expected. because it's really not good for the economy to have all these

folks throughout without money to spend. >> really quickly, you also write in your column about the immigration overhaul and how it is a possibility if the gop is open to some sort of path to skinship, since you wrote that column, senator mcconnell has said it's not going to happen this year. how might midterm elections affect comprehensive imgrigs min reform? >> i think it probably has to get done before the midterms. the reason i think there's still a shot is republicans didn't say no path to citizenship. they said in that statement -- >> special. >> special. >> yeah. >> and so as a former president of ours might say, it depends on what the meaning of the word special is. and i think there are ways in which you could still reach agreement to get people going towards citizenship without a "special" path. >> great to see you. thank you, thank you so much. coming up, we'll go to russia, sochi specifically, for a live report as the games are set to begin. [ female announcer ] it balances you...

it fills you with energy... and it gives you what you are looking for to live a more natural life. in a convenient two bar pack. this is nature valley. nature at its most delicious. this is nature valley. if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about trying or adding a biologic. this is humira, adalimumab. this is humira working to help relieve my pain. this is humira helping me through the twists and turns. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for over ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. for many adults, humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections,

including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira , your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your doctor if humira can work for you. this is humira at work.

the countdown to the sochi olympics nearly complete now, as actual athletic competition is almost set to begin in russia. is russia ready for its close-up? here to help us find out, msnbc's brian schactman. shaun white. >> reporter: yeah, he's out of this event in slope style snowboarding. he's out in of the olympics. he's still going to be the half pipe. not like lindsey vonn who's not going to be in the olympics. people are disappointed, but they get it, craig. he's banged up. he didn't like the course. his signature event is the half pipe. he's won two gold medals. if he wins a third, his legacy

as an olympic legend is solidified. what if he did the slope style, which is a brand-new event, which he hasn't done a lot in the last few years. what if he got hurt and did a medal there and couldn't compete in the half pipe, and there just was too much at stake. he's a competitive guy, it was a difficult decision, but it makes a lot of sense when you break it down. he's got a few injuries that he's nursing. it's something he doesn't want to compromise. >> some horror stories that we're hearing about. hotel rooms -- a lot of reporters have been tweeting pictures. >> reporter: right. >> what's the word on that? is this serious or is it much ado about nothing? >> reporter: the stories are real, craig. it's not like it's a public health situation. i mean, people have been showing water in the toilets and all these other things. i think that it's a very difficult situation for people who aren't fortunate enough to be in hotels that are finished. up in the mountains it seems to

be worse. i've talked to some people in multiple hotels and have things that don't work. we're lucky at nbc universal, we're well-taken care of. but it's not some huge spread out problem. but you can go anywhere and look in any direction and see something that isn't finished. but it's not much ado about nothing, but it's not some sort of overall crisis. >> all right. we'll leave it there. thank you, sir. be safe. and the winter games, of course, start tomorrow, only on the networks of nbc. now, to another sochi story headline that's going to be playing out tonight. some 5,300 miles from the olympic site. two members of the russian punk rock protest group who served 21 months in prison after they served a demonstration against the vladimir putin regime in a russian orthodox cathedral, they were only released this past november. tonight, a day before those olympic competitions get started in sochi, they will be in the house in brooklyn, new york, as part of an all-star concert

presented by amnesty international. i'm joined now from new york, by maksim. good to see you, sir. >> thanks for having me. >> director of a documentary about the group and its confrontations about the putin regime. they've been getting a lot of attention in american pop culture, as you know, like this appearance on "the colbert report" last night. >> what i don't understand is why you would be going against someone like vladimir putin, who is just trying to preserve the peace and bring russia into a brighter future. [ speaking russian ] >> translator: we have different ideas about a bright future and we don't want a shirtless man on a horse leading us into that. >> funny, even in translation.

are they now the main voice of russian dissidents? >> absolutely. after they were released, especially, and given the media attention to the trial to their initial performance and then to their incarceration, right now they've come out and yeah, they're absolutely the main spokespeople for the opposition and they've been using that attention to -- they've been using that attention to draw more attention to other political prisoners such as the prisoners of the uprising last year, who in a week or two are still facing the possibility of five to six years in jail. >> really quickly, what's going to happen next? i mean, what happens when the wave of fame moves on for this band? >> i think that they're artists and they'll continue working and continue to do interesting things. i mean, i think in terms of -- i don't think they face greater

repercussions for doing what they're doing now. i think that when they're in prison, even a lot of prison authorities were afraid of them given how much attention was on what they were doing and that they were able to bring so much attention to prison conditions in russia and other factors. >> all right. we'll leave it there. our thanks to you, and our thanks to you as well for watching. i'm craig melvin from washington, d.c. on this wednesday afternoon. my colleague andrea mitchell, just a few feet away, standing by. she'll pick things up after the break. our high impact winter storm moving through the northeast, it will improve as we go throughout the day, especially in the ohio valley. we saw a lot of ice along the ohio river. the snow will continue for much of the afternoon hours. a lot of freezing rain and sleet through southern new england and through new jersey. drive carefully.

anna, your hotels have wondrous waffle bars. ryan, your hotels' robes are fabulous. i have twelve of them. twelve? shhhh, i'm worth it& what i'm trying to say is, it's so hard to pick just one of you, so i'm choosing all of you with hotels.com. a loyalty program that requires no loyalty. plus members can win a free night every day only at hotels.com fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that parker. well, did you know auctioneers make bad grocery store clerks? that'll be $23.50. now .75, 23.75, hold 'em. hey now do i hear 23.75? 24! hey 24 dollar, 24 and a quarter, quarter, now half, 24 and a half and .75! 25! now a quarter, hey 26 and a quarter, do you wanna pay now, you wanna do it, 25 and a quarter - sold to the man in the khaki jacket! geico. fifteen minutes could save you... well, you know. did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things.

you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪ with limited availability in select markets. she loves a lot of it's what you love about her. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis.

side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. right now on "andrea mitchell reports," slip and slide. a dangerous mix of snow and freezing rain in 32 states, making a mess of the morning commute. now the crisis turns to extensive power outages. we'll have the latest on the forecast, the travel conditions and where the next winter blast is ready to hit. missed call? new york city calls were not closed, creating the second weather crisis for the city's

new mayor. >> schools all throughout the northeast closed with the exception of new york city, which i think is inexcusable because the mayor has not closed the schools. it's dangerous out there. this school principal in kentucky is singing a different tune. ♪ school is cancelled school is cancelled ♪ ♪ because it's cold to everyone grab a snuggy ♪ ♪ and watch tv or play the wii ♪ ♪ play the wii >> schools you wush you could go to. pushback. we'll have a reality check. smoked out. the ground making m