gearing up for the midterms, we'll talk to republican national chairman reince priebus about the party's strategy for holding the house and taking the senate. football first. all-american defensive lineman and nfl prospect michael sam announces he is gay. is football ready for its first openly gay nfl player? for his university of missouri teammates, there is no question. >> i came out to my team this last august. and coming out to them, they rallied around me. they supported me. and i knew in that moment that this could happen, if my team can support me, any team can support me. ladies, the beatles, 50 years after appearing on "the ed sullivan show" and kicking off beatle mania, we'll look back on the fab four's lasting legacy in the u.s. >> people like us a lot more when we're older. you watch.

and good day. i'm andrea mitchell in washington. today marks the third full day of olympic competition in sochi. with the netherlands and norway tied at 7-7 for the most medals, the u.s. is not far behind with a total of five. joining me now to talk about the highlights, i'm joined by nbc's anne thompson and first to discuss the latest on olympic security, of course, our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel. welcome both of you. richard, first to you. it looks as though everything is going perfectly so far. >> reporter: so far it has been very smooth. a lot of the security concerns haven't materialized, and that's very good news. people have actually been coming up and commenting to me how low profile the security is here. we've talked about this ring of steel, well, for weeks now, and it is here. and there is anti-aircraft --

there are anti-aircraft rockets and batteries in the hills. but here in the olympic park, you don't even see guns. lots of uniformed security, lots of plainclothes security, but not an intimidating, threatening presence. so far, so good. >> and there was at least some concern by the head of the house homeland security committee. congressman mccall saying that something is going to happen. let me play a little bit of that for you. i'm not sure we have the tape. but he basically said that -- he said something is going to happen, something will detonate. you heard what he had said, and you're tracking it so closely. >> reporter: yeah, i heard what he had said. >> there's no threat base to that, right? >> reporter: not anything new. we heard that yesterday, and it prompted a lot of very frantic phone calls on this end. we were calling u.s. officials. we were calling our own sources to try and figure out, well, what is he talking about? why is he so convinced that something is going to blow up,

something is to detonate, in his language? and we were told that there is no new intelligence. nothing specific. just the same level of concern that we've been talking about for weeks now, that militants in the north caucauses want to do something. >> the most police we've seen is in the chorus, which is great. thank you. i want to talk to you about the games themselves. the vibe from the athletes has just been terrific. let's talk about what's happened so far. update us since the "today" show and morning coverage. >> reporter: oh, andrea, it's just been fabulous. this morning i was out at the women's super combined. that's when they race downhill, and then they do a slalom. and we saw julia mancuso. she came downhill. she was in first position. and after the slalom, which she admits is not her best event, she ended up with a bronze medal, and it was just absolutely thrilling.

and then literally five minutes ago i got back from the extreme park where there's a little bit of a controversy at the halfpipe course. shaun white and danny davis who are two u.s. snowboarders were complaining about the condition of the halfpipe, in particular, what they are concerned about is where they do the transitions. that's the bottom of the pipe. they said it's been really bumpy. and i just got done interviewing shaun white. he said it is better tonight. it's still not perfect. it's not up to that olympic quality that they expect. they're hoping that they can do more and that when the halfpipe happens tomorrow, that it will be back in shape. they say it's not dangerous, it just doesn't provide them the opportunity to do those kind of amazing tricks that they want to do at an olympic event. andrea? >> anne, that's really news because it's comforting that it's not dangerous. we know that shaun didn't

participate in the slope events because he was concerned about the safety of the course and also what it would take away from his real event, the halfpipe. but if it takes away from the americans' ability to do some of their amazing tricks and stunts, then that diminishes their ability competitively. >> reporter: well, and i spoke to both, you know, shaun and danny about that tonight, and they said, look. everybody's going to be riding the same pipe. so we're all in this together. they don't feel that the conditions favor or hurt any one competitor in particular. and in fact, shaun white said, look, i'm here to win a third gold medal. that's what i'm going to do. in fact, he was done with his training. he said he's going to sleep. he's not going to think about it anymore. he's going to focus on tomorrow. >> i want to ask you also about those incredible young medalists, the gold medalists. let me play a little bit from this morning with sage. >> i was just stoked to be on

the first-ever snowboard slopestyle team. and then to top it off with a medal, it being gold, the first-ever slopestyle medal, fourth ever american to have a first gold in the games and then first ever won in russia is just insane. it's too much to take in almost. >> sage cottsenberg and jamie, these kids are just so infectious and so amazing. and it is the first gold medals for us in these games and the first medals ever in this sport. so how exciting is all that been up there? >> reporter: it's been really just unbelievable. and that enthusiasm they have is truly contagious. i mean, i think one of the great things about sage and jamie is that they are so laid back. i love to talk to the -- they call them action athletes. when they start using words like stoked and sick, and it's gnarly. it's a whole language unto itself. but they really love what they do.

and i think it comes through in those interviews. and from what i understand, sage was actually complaining that the gold medalist is so heavy, it's kind of hard to wear. we should all have those kind of problems, andrea. >> anne thompson, thanks so much. and of course, the ice skating has just been tremendous. the fact that in the first team ice skating event ever, team america, team usa, got the bronze. i mean, that's a very big deal, too, correct? >> reporter: absolutely. and how about britain's gold perfope -- britney gold's performance. she was a surprise at nationals and boy has she come through in the olympic competition so far. >> we'll stay in touch with you. thanks so much, anne thompson, thanks for being with us. >> reporter: take care, andrea. >> thanks to richard as well. in other sporting news, big news here, s.e.c. defensor player of the year and missouri

player michael sam has announced he is gay. now sam is poised to become pro football's first openly gay player depending on what happens in the draft. >> i'm not afraid of who i am. i'm not afraid to tell the world who i am. i am michael sam. i am a college graduate. i'm african-american, and i'm gay. >> evan cohen is host of "evan & phillips in the morning" on sports radio and joins me now. evan, this is so impressive for this young man. he said he came out to his teammates in august before this season. and we know how mizzou did, how well they did. and he is a prime prospect. will this hurt him in the nfl draft at all? >> i hope not. and i think that you just noted something, andrea, that is so huge. think about this for a second. he played in the s.e.c., which is the biggest conference in college football in america. he told his team before the season a year ago that he was a gay man playing college football. and led by their coach, gary pinkel, who deserves a lot of

credit. none of them da-- none of them leaked his story. that they were under the understanding that it was so important for him to be able to tell his own story and nobody said anything about it, which is so unbelievably commendable, it makes you want to root for them at mizzou. i hope it doesn't impact his draft status. it should not impact his draft status. going into last night, before we found out about this, he was considered anywhere between the third and the fifth round of the nfl draft. let's just hope come may, he's between the third and the fifth round in the nfl draft and that some team takes him because of his football ability and the community embraces him because he's a good football player and hopefully a trendsetter for many people across the country. >> let's talk about him as a football player. tell me a little bit about his stats and about his talent as a defensive end. >> s.e.c. is the best conference in america. and when you win s.e.c. defensive player of the year, it means for one season, you're the best on one side of the ball in the best conference. that tells you something.

that is a huge accomplishment. this is not somebody that is doing this for publicity. he is a legitimately good player, and his team this past year was 12-2. they played in the s.e.c. championship game. so he is going to the nfl. this is an amazing story. and i truly believe -- and i may get criticized for this -- this is a guy that could actually save lives because bullying goes around all our country. every day there's bullying in our country. and now for young men and women, boys and girls who believe they could be home sexual to now have somebody to look up to, a role model, this is so important. this allows so many people to be themselves. and having a guy like this to hopefully be in the nfl is someone to look up to no matter what his stats are in the nfl. >> and there's the other piece of it, which is the stigma with some in the african-american community, some young men, and that it has been a tougher road for some african-american gay athletes. and this sort of opens up a whole window into his experience

and the fact that he is tough, he's proud, he's smart, he's strong and that he hasn't been bullied in the locker room. >> and he owns it. that's the other thing. you just played the clip, andrea, that he said, "i am a college graduate. i am hopefully going to the nfl. i am african-american, and i am openly gay." he owns it. there's nothing he hasn't already said about him, and now he can be somebody that is a role model for other people. >> now, there are some tweets we want to share as well. jayson collins was not nearly the athlete competitively, comparatively, and maybe the nba is a different atmosphere, but he said for the past two days, i have met with @mikesamfootball here in l.a. he's a great young man who's shown tremendous courage and leadership. that is awfully cool from collins. and michelle obama, you're an inspiration to all of us

@mikesamfootball, we couldn't be prouder of your courage both on and off the field. m.o. which means personally signed by michelle obama, the first lady. and so share your tweets with us as well. we're all really excited about this. evan, we could just track his progress and be, you know, following it and supporting it. >> easily we can move forward. and one quick thing with jason collins. he may not be in the nba this year, but let's not minimize the impact he's made. he can be a big brother for other athletes like sam who now are willing to come out, now have a role model for how do i go about this? who do i need to speak to? he's that big brother for the young homosexual gay community in sports, and that's a great thing. let's not minimize what collins has done for so many other people. >> good point. thank you so much, evan. always good to see you. thanks for being with us. coming up here, much more from the world of sports including former homeland security secretary and leader of the u.s. delegation to sochi, janet napolitano. first a trip to a part of

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for public consumption since 2010. so why now? joining me for our "daily fix," chris cilizza and mark halperin. mark, first to you, you and i were covering a lot of this back in the day. diane blair was one of hillary clinton's closest friends. the first friend she and jim blair whom hillary made when she moved to arkansas. she was a professor for 30 years in fayetteville. she died in 2000, and she was friendly with the clintons all through whitewater, lewinsky, impeachment, practically living at the white house by some accounts in 1993. so what is new here? these are the archival documents that her husband put in at the university of arkansas and put in to be released i guess four years ago. and now they're being made public by a conservative website. >> well, there's no doubt, as you suggested, andrea, that

diane blair was very close to hillary clinton. from that point of view, we're dealing with somebody, while she was alive as an adult, no one was closer to hillary clinton amongst her friends. that adds -- that puts a foundation down that says we should take this seriously. on the other hand, what we have so far, because we all need to go down and look at the regional documents ourselves, are things out of context without corroboration, and it's not clear when she's diane blair is quoting herself, paraphrasing hillary clinton versus what hillary clinton said. but on a range of topics, not just the controversies involving impeachment, but a range of topics including health care. there's some interesting things in here that we all need to read more about and learn more about. but i think the larger issue that it illustrates is that if hillary clinton runs for president, there will be a ton of stuff like this. and that the clintons need to know, as they do, and the people around them need to know, this needs to be handled. and if you just take since this story's been out now, maybe 12 hours or so, the way they've

handled it, which is silence, tells you something about their readiness for this kind of stuff. >> and chris, this shows you that opposition research is already out there, poised and ready to go. and that this is going to be an issue or not an issue? will people say, wait a second, that's the '90s? the statute of limitations on those scandals are long since passed, or will this, like what rand paul has been saying in the last couple of weeks about bill clinton, will this become new fodder for opponents of hillary clinton should she run? >> the short answer is i don't know. andrea. i'm just not entirely sure, but, look, i think part of the reason hillary clinton is in the position she is in if she wants to run for president, it is because in the last 30 years in which she has lived essentially a fully public life almost all of that time, she is someone who has, you know, been in the national spotlight. someone who people have talked about. someone whose name people do know. what does that all translate to?

well, the past and her past experiences that can be a strength, but i think as mark notes, it can also be a weakness if there's an appetite within the american public for more of their stuff. there will be more of this stuff. remember back to 2008 campaign, andrea, hillary clinton thought her experience, her resume, the depth of her life in public life would be a huge asset. president obama announced seven years ago today, he turned it into a real detriment to her, saying to her experience, didn't help her make the right judgments. the question is is there a candidate out there who can make a similar argument in 2016? we haven't seen one on the democratic side at least. >> let's talk about something on the republican side as well. to both of you, that jonathan martin's reporting on senator pat roberts from kansas and the fact that he hasn't lived in kansas. he shares a room in a home of donors on a golf course. his wife is a very successful real estate person working in alexandria, virginia, suburban

washington. now, we know that dick lugar had a problem of residency, and it really hurt him in a primary. is this going to mark -- hurt pat roberts in a potential primary? >> well, look, he's gotten aaggressive primary challenge from the right. and this story plays to this team of being out of touch and being in washington too long and there's no question that he, like many members, he built a life for himself in the d.c. area which at least exists parallel to his critics would say above his life in kansas. i think the lugar experience and senator bennett and some of the others have left all of these incumbents very aware that they can lose from the right. and he does have ties to the state without a doubt. the question of his residency i think is symbolic. the bigger issue is can he find a way to convince the people that he's not lost touch with the state? that doesn't key off of one fact. it's the totality as well as some of the issue positions his primary opponent's going to go after him for. >> andrea, just one quick thing. i agree with everything.

one quick thing, the residency question does have potential power if there aren't other proof points that he is connected to the state. everyone points to dick lugar, and rightly so. remember back to elizabeth dole when she lost her race back in 2008 to kay hagen, a general election, not a primary, one of the big things that started elizabeth dole's slide downward politically was the fact that she listed her home address as her mother's home in north carolina. she was very unfrequently back in the state. and they wind -- the democrats wound up very successfully using that sort of open up a window into elizabeth dole doesn't really care about north carolina. that doesn't mean pat roberts will have that same thing happen to him, but it is dangerous. >> thanks very much, chris cillizza, mark halperin, great to see both of you guys. down south, the south is bracing for another ice storm. overnight georgia's governor, though, is vowing today not to repeat last time's debacle. two inches of snow, we remember,

shut down atlanta and the suburbs last month, trapping cars on highways overnight, stranding thousands of kids in schools. this morning governor nathan diehl declared a state of emergency for 45 counties and released a plan to mobilize emergency services. authorities are asking people to stay off the roads starting this afternoon. it's time for the "your business" entrepreneur of the week. when charlie created north carolina-based luxury golf accessory company stitch golf, he wanted to source his supplies locally. he found them by going door to door throughout the state, finding the perfect partners and helping the local small business economy. for more, watch "your business" sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. if i can impart one lesson to a new business owner, it would be one thing i've learned is my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions.

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♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good around ♪ ♪ turn around, barry ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one. from the olympic games to the u.s. russian rivalry on the athletic field and not and worries about security, janet napolitano is an expert on all things sochi. the former secretary of homeland security led the u.s. olympic delegation at the opening ceremonies and is just back to sochi, jet lagged as well. thank you so much for being here right off the plane. >> there you go. >> great to see you. tell me about the atmosphere, the vibe and the relationship with the russian security officials. >> i actually thought it was quite good once we got there. of course, the expectations leading up were all security this, security that.

and there are issues there, just looking at where sochi is located, there are security issues. but in terms of the security for the games themselves and once you were in the parks or at the venues, once you had had your credential and could pass through the various readers and the like, it was quite good. and then you were in the olympic moment. and that's an all-encompassing kind of moment. that really takes over. >> you were at the opening ceremonies just as this hijacking threat was taking place. we didn't know what it entailed. were you aware of that going on? >> no, i didn't hear about it until afterwards. you know, that's the nice thing about being the former secretary of homeland security. i don't get things in realtime. but, of course, we heard about that afterwards. and the various other types of threats that have come in prior to the games. you know, not to minimize security, security threats. they seem to accompany every olympics, but also to say, having just come from there, that there is something about the olympics and the olympic

spirit that really does grab hold. >> now, there was -- the president didn't go, the vice president didn't go, the first lady. and so this was unusual. was that perceived as a snub, not to diminish you as the head of the delegation? you're a big deal to me. >> well, thank you. >> to them? were they looking for somebody from the white house or current official? >> well, a number of countries didn't send anybody from their current governments or current head of state. i think that probably happens more often, frankly, in the winter olympics than the summer olympics. i think the president shows a delegation that was a very well-rounded delegation. i'm a former cabinet secretary, now head of the largest public research university in the nation. you had other leading government officials. you had had olympic gold medalists. you have olympic champions who have gay athletes. i mean, it was really a mix of different talents and

backgrounds and skills. and that's what the president chose to send to the olympics. >> as you said, you're the head of the university of california system, the great university of california school system. >> thank you, yeah. >> now, what about the issue of the gay athletes and other human rights abuses and problems in russia? >> well, my perception during the time i was there -- and actually, talking with brian boitano and katelyn cahow, members of our delegation, is they were saying, look, if you're an olympic athlete, you are focused on your event. you want to perform the best you can for yourself, for your teammates, for your country, for your families who have gotten you to this point in time. and it's not a time or place for them for focusing on the politics of the moment. it's about the sport of the moment. nonetheless, we all know that the united states and russia have serious disagreements with russia over some of its

positions on imptant values that we hold fundamental like free expression. >> vladimir putin, did you have any contact with him? >> i did not. i saw him from a little bit afar during the opening ceremony. but i was not there as a diplomat. i was there as chief of a wonderful delegation. >> and putin did show up at the flower ceremonies for the ice skaters, for the american skaters. there we see him with meryl davis. i mean, this was quite the moment for him to show up and give that kind of embrace to the americans and, of course, to the russian team, of course, spectacular. >> yeah. >> so he was really -- that was a different face of vladimir putin, not the tough former kgb face. but at the same time, we had on friday this extraordinary leaking and posting thursday and friday, the posting of victoria

nuland's comments, clear as a bell, the implication from everyone who we've spoken to, it was the russians eavesdropping her and probably picking up the ukraine end of that conversation, and embarrassing comments, yes, for the united states, embarrassing because angela merkel, very strongly put out the word that it is totally unacceptable for that kind of conversation to take place and that kind of disparaging of the european union. so the russians are pretty tough customers in terms of the pressure they put on our ambassador, mike mcfall, who is leaving after sochi. and the game that everyone is playing. clearly the u.s., as we know from edward snowden, is eavesdropping, and the russians are also. they are all in the same game. >> well, i don't know if they're exactly the same. i wouldn't put it that way. i think we all understand that there's a great deal of surveillance that goes on within the country of russia. i think we would all take

appropriate precautions in that respect. i think it's -- it was very evident to me that this is not the russian olympics. these are putin's olympics in that sense. they are the thing he has really focused on during this term of his presidency, to stamp the new russia. we will see at the end of the games how successful he's been at communicating that it is a new russia. >> in terms of edward snowden there in russia, i know you had to deal with this at the tail end of your tenure. but the damage that was done to some people, he's a hero to others, he's a villain, but just in terms of the damage assessment, the testimony now is that a lot of military secrets were exposed, first of how vulnerable does that make us, and secondly, how does that fit within his argument about exposing the secrets because of the invasion of privacy concerns? >> well, it's been quite a few months since i've been secretary of homeland security.

so let me not presume -- >> caveat that. >> -- that i don't know more than i know. i'm the president of the university of california now, a job which i truly enjoy. it's a wonderful job. but with respect to snowden and how snowden conducted himself and what he did, i think it was very clear from the outset that there were -- that great damage was being done to the united states and being done by somebody who decided that he was the only person that had the wherewithal to decide what should be disclosed to the public and what should not. we have laws that deal with that. and to me, those laws are very strong, and they stand for a reason. >> we should point out you're a former attorney general, a former governor and prosecutor. >> u.s. attorney. >> and a former u.s. attorney. >> indeed. >> thank you very much. it's great to see you again. come home more often. we miss on you this coast. >> thank you. and as we've reported here, the debate on capitol hill is ongoing about how to effectively prosecute sexual assault cases

in the military. well, in an msnbc.com exclusive today, senator claire mccaskill is taking questions directly from the msnbc community. to ask your question, just go to takingthehill.msnbc.com. leave your question in the veterans speak comment thread. and stay with us here on "andrea mitchell reports." republican national chairman reince priebus joining me next. hey kevin...still eating chalk for heartburn? yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief!

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any other president. but you could actually have the law start in 2017 without doing much violence to it. sfoo what chuck talks about delaying it, i think some republicans would be interested in that if we put in place the enforcement measure so that it would work. >> so is there a compromise afoot on immigration? well, speaker boehner's office today already called schumer's proposal impractical. but does the republican party they'd to do something about imgri immigration for its own future? reince priebus joins me now. thank you for being with us. >> hi, andrea. >> i wanted to talk about immigration. you know the demographics as well as anyone. is it important for the party to take some kind of action to vote something on immigration? i know the house voted to have something come out of congress for this midterm election? >> well, i mean, these no question about it. one thing i do agree with senator schumer about is that illegal immigration hurts the american work and i think we all agree the system itself is

pretty broken. you know, unfortunately, i think that in the divided government that we've got, and you've got two sides with different ideas of how to move forward, obviously it's difficult. and you've got a president that isn't enforcing the laws. i disagree that you just can't take one particular measurement and extrapolate that across the board. i mean, we've had a promise on border security since 2006, and nothing's been done. we've got an e-verify system that isn't working. and so, look. as party chairman, i will tell you, andrea, what we need to do as a party -- now, you're talking about policy and legislation and that happens across the street. but as a party, one of the things that we're focusing in on is that we need to be in communities on a year-round basis, in hispanic communities, african-american communities, asian communities, on a year-round basis. and so what's happened in at the national party, for us, for me, our own criticism here is that we have become a party that shows up about once every four years, five months before the election. that's something that we are

fundamentally changed at the republican party. and i think you're going to see great dividends of that both in 2014, but even more importantly as we get into the 2016 presidential cycle which it comes to roost during that presidential year more often than the midterm. >> you know, the speaker said that they were interested. he said they were interested in doing something piecemeal on immigration. then he backed off after the caucus or the conference, the retreat with house caucus members after heritage and others weighed in very, very heavily. so was he forced to back down, or is this a head faint and he's trying to get past the filing so they don't get tea party challenges and then revisit this with the white house later on? >> you know, and i didn't -- honestly, i didn't see it in that same way, andrea. what i understood was that the speaker and the members of the

republican congressional caucus were going to get together. that document was a starting document that all the members were going to go during the weekend, revise the document, edit the document. you know, look. i know it's a topic of conversation that still exists today. i know that members are still talking about immigration. rand paul was just in texas over the weekend and a few days ago talking about immigration reform. this isn't going away. it's just that at the current -- with the current state of affairs politically, obviously we're at a bit of an impasse. but that doesn't mean the conversation of immigration reform is dead. it just means that at this very moment in time, no one's going to be ramming through pieces of major legislation right now. so i think that's what it means. but as a party, obviously we're focused in on the political side of the equation, which is the 2014 midterms which is very good for the republican party. and then growing our party and continuing to grow into the presidential year, which is an ongoing process for us. >> and speaking of rand paul, he

has now three times made a point of bill clinton's impeachment and saying that that should be an issue, a legitimate issue against hillary clinton, should she run, that bill clinton had, quote, predatory behavior he said in one or two of these recent interviews. is that a legitimate issue, rehashing the '90s if hillary clinton becomes a candidate for president? >> i think everything's on the table. i mean, i don't see how someone just gets a pass on anything. i mean, especially in today's politics. i mean, i think we're going to have a truckload of opposition research on hillary clinton, and some things may be old, and some things might be new. but i think everything is at stake when you're talking about the leader of the free world and who we're going to give the keys to run the united states of america. you know, look. i think everything's at play. i think character matters. i think policy matters. i think, you know, the way that

somebody might operate as president matters. and so, you know, the american people are going to put a lot of pieces together. and obviously, we as republicans are going to help put those pieces together. and so, you know, hillary clinton provides a lot of opportunity for us. but, you know, we're going to have our own campaign and our own candidates, and i'm worried about 2014 right now, so that's a ways away. >> even though it's a ways away, we've had the washington free beacon, which is a conservative website, posting some excerpts from diane blair, a hillary clinton confidante's diary and other of her documents. they've been public for four or five years at the university of arkansas, but they're just coming out now. to your knowledge, did anyone in the republican party or republican organizations that you're aware of, are they at all responsible for the timing of this or for the opposition research in going through diane blair's documents and posting them now? >> first of all, the answer to you is absolutely nothing that i know of for sure.

you know, but i think it's important. it illustrates that hillary clinton was for single payer for a long time. look, i didn't read them. i will read them. i know the gist of it. i've read the articles. but obviously, i think, like i said earlier, hillary clinton will present many opposition research opportunities for us to set the record straight on what she believes and what her history is on a lot of topics. >> reince priebus, thank you very much. thanks for being with us today. >> thank you, andrea. and coming up, the fab four. 50 years ago this week, the beatles invaded the united states. and the rest you can say is history. michael beschloss joins me next on their impact on the generation coming-of-age in 1964. ♪ you walked into the hotel as a "5" but when she saw the room... you turned into a weird "7". when she saw the roof-top pool...

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vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. does breathing with copd weigh you down? don't wait to ask your doctor about spiriva. hi boys! i've made you campbell's chunky new england clam chowder. wow! this is incredible! i know. and now it has more clams! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. what? [ male announcer ] it fills you up right. purina dog chow light & healthy campbell's chunky soup. what? is a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend. with 20% fewer calories than purina dog chow. isn't it time you discovered the lighter side of dog chow. purina dog chow light & healthy. i just remember being on the stage. >> mm-hmm. >> yeah. >> you know what i mean?

we were here. and the backdrop and the rostrum was great because i was very high. >> yes. you were on a pedestal. and free-floating geometric shapes surrounded the band. >> yeah. like going back to your old school, isn't it? >> well, that's right. >> you were so little. you thought it was huge. >> paul and ringo back where it all began with david letterman, the ed sullivan theater, now home to letterman. but with the marquee from the american television debut on the sullivan show 50 years ago which she showed yesterday. joining me to talk about the beatles' influence on america in the '60s and since is nbc news historian michael beschloss. i was in college, but it just took over the states. they were here at the british embassy. we saw some film of that on friday. they came down, they came -- it's wonderful to see the old pan am flight. and it was the music, but it

was -- they were influenced by, you know, all of the black musicians and elvis as well when they were growing up. and then they sort of had the huge influence on american politics as well as music. >> that's right. and, of course, the most important thing about them is what the influence they had on the history of music. but if you're looking at politics, remember what this country was like. they came here 50 years ago tomorrow in a country that was still reeling from the kennedy assassination when it occurred maybe 11 weeks earlier. the most recent big thing that happened in washington was just before christmas, there was a memorial candle lighting ceremony at the lincoln memorial the month after john kennedy's death. so this country, this city was very depressed. then in comes the beatles. and in early february of 1964, sort of the first national happy event that occurred after what happened 2 1/2 months earlier. >> and brian williams dug this

up. this was friday night, the night that they arrived. and this is the way nbc nightly news with chet huntley handled this invasion, with quite a bit of skepticism, if not a little snark. >> they were not alone. >> like a good little news organization we sent three camera crews to stand among the shrieking youngsters and record sights and sounds for pos parity. our film cruise accustomed themselves with ingenuity. someone asked what the fuss was about, and we found we had no answer. good night for nbc news. >> a slight generation gap there. >> sure. >> but this is part of the charm, take a look at beatles first news conference, one of the first news conferences. >> get a haircut? >> no, no. >> i had one yesterday. >> george said he had a haircut yesterday the haircuts were very unusual, to say the least. >> absolutely.

people wore beatles wigs and so on. it didn't happen this way but preordained that their first live concert, after the ed sullivan show in the country, was here in washington at washington coliseum, which still stands, it's now a parking garage, but near union station. 8,000 people, tickets were 2 to $4 but that's where it began. >> here in washington, they traveled to some of the other sites here in washington. they completely took the city by storm. >> they were taken around and, as you mentioned, went to the british embassy for a reception, not the usual reception you saw at british embassy in those days. the ambassador was one of john kennedy's closest friends, so in a way that was almost poetic. >> david ormsby gore, he got the fact that the beatles were a sensation. >> this was something important. what began here was, if you look at '60s with 20/20 hindsight

that chet huntley did not have they brought in the ability to have a sound tract to 1960s anti-war, peace love, anti-establishment view and sort of contrarianism, in a way that would have been much diminished if they were not there. another way of looking at this is that they were number one on the billboard chart for the first time late january 1964, the previous song was bobby vinton, called "there, i've said it again" which was he was remaking a song that had been sung in 1945 that shows you what a huge sea change there was almost immediately. >> and we should point out 73 million people saw "the ed sullivan show" which is amazing. and the other thing on their tour, they refused to perform in segregated venues. >> right. >> particularly florida, i heard larry cane with them, a well-known local anchorman

traveling with them and said in florida, they insisted on renegotiating the venue because they would not go to segregated performance, they were shocked the segregation they encountered here in the united states. >> absolutely. the other thing think did in miami beach they posed with muhammad ali, they only did that because sonny liston turned them down, muhammow h muhammad ali w choice. [ screaming ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing the bold, all-new nissan rogue with intuitive all-wheel drive. because winter needs a hero. ♪ did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things.

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murdering unarmed teen average over loud music. a friend of the victim's family will join us live. talk to the publicist of michael sam, the university of missouri all-american who is now on the verge of becoming the nfl's first openly gay player, the league says it's ready, but what about the teams drafting him? we'll talk about that. plus the ceo of aol in damage control mode after the firestorm he created when he blamed benefits cuts in part on two mothers with, quote, distressed babies, one of the moms he was referring to will join us live to talk about the phone call she received from the ceo who is apologizing. all that and more coming up on "news nation." ll. oh, well in that case, back to vacation mode. ♪boots and pants and boots and pants♪ ♪and boots and pants and boots and pants♪ ♪and boots and pants... voice-enabled bill pay. just a tap away on the geico app. ♪ huh, 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. yup, everybody knows that. well, did you know that some owls aren't that wise.

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