are not going to want to hear this. >> and the site of the winter olympics is in the midst of a winter thaw. talk about a yolo flip. and i heard a rumor that matt lauer was wearing a tank top? >> and come back to spin about a thaw of sorts in american politics and a potential storm for speaker boehner. i'm ari mel ber in washington. and democrats are asking what can we get this guy to do? >> plus in the guest spot, who let the dogs out? the moderate middle is unleashed right here on the cycle. i'm abby huntsman, tune in today for my one-on-one with utah democrat jim mathison. good afternoon, everyone. and for the sake of about 100 million americans, i suppose i will use that term a bit

loosely. we are waiting here in new york for our fourth big storm of this crazy winter season, and a certain ground hog recently told me we have beweeks to go. snow and ice are making a mess of things in the south. it's not just a nuisance, the national weather service has thrown around the terms catastrophic and historic. we know the scene on the interat a times outside atlanta proper, but the governor is trying not to let the situation repeat itself. but the big concern is it may well be out of his hands. >> i think the real danger is people look out the window and say it doesn't look too bad. maybe get on the roads or go to work or do other things. we shouldn't be deceived by that. this storm has come in waves. there is another wave in the process of coming toward us now. and from the standpoint of the danger, it may be even more

dangerous than the other because it's primarily ice. >> the governor is prepared for something big, ased it mayor of atlanta. and we have rebecca from our nbc station there, and what's happening out there right now? >> reporter: well, i can tell you, this weather just can't make up its mind. it's going from slush to ice, ice to slush. but we have had about a half inch of ice in atlanta. about an inch further north. look at the tree limbs off to my left, you can see the weight of what is falling starting to take its toll. these are the tree limbs that power crews are most concerned about. we have about 132,000 people without power in the state of georgia. most of those here in atlanta. but this is a very different situation than two weeks ago. the d.o.t. has been out here actively treating the roads. you can see a drastic difference between the road that is treated and the sections that are not.

i broke off this piece to give you an idea how thick this is. this is interstate 20 off to the right, major interstate through the east-west corridor of georgia. and we have seen the d.o.t. crews trying to keep this open for those who have to be out or perhaps other emergency situations. but, again, they're asking folks to stay home, because that is the big difference between now and what happened two weeks ago. first the timing of the storm, most people were at home before this freezing rain, the sleet, the snow started to come down, and they heeded this warning, decided they would rather be trapped in their homes than out on the interstates, so they are staying home. just the concern that it's a false sense of security. it's not so bad, trust me, we have a few more hours to come down, and it is that bad. it's much easier to skate around than walk.

crystal. >> and in an icy atlanta. thank you. we are concerned about the southeast, but it's posing a major threat to the mid-atlantic states that see snow from time to time. but when they get a storm this size, they are slammed. look at greenville, south carolina, we checked in with mike seidel yesterday. now they have blowing snow and at times whiteout conditions. conditions have gone downhill in north carolina, where the governor is urging the state's nearly 10 million residents to take the storm seriously. >> the next 48 hours are going to be tough in the carolinas, from the coast all the way to the mountains. as you know, this is the second major storm we have had in two weeks that has covered the carolinas, which is very rare. >> nbc's erica edwards is in the largest city. what's going on there? >> reporter: it is very cold and very windy. the snow is falling hard here in

charlotte. we could get up to 8 inches, but the biggest worry is ice. we have been watching that ice storm as it moved up from atlanta into the carolinas. more than a quarter of a million people have been -- have lost power and could be out in the cold for days. officials are telling people to stay home today and tomorrow. we have seen a few cars stop on i-277, the main loop around eer of atlanta two weeks ago. they are not abandoning their cars. the roads are slick, there have been some accidents. everything is closed, schools, the government, kids found out they'll get another snow day tomorrow. back to you. >> thanks so much. >> next it will move up the coast and become a classic nor'east nor'easter. snow and flooding for the northeast. it's a slow-mover. the tail end isn't expected to

pull out of maine until friday. let's get more from weather channel meteorologist paul goodloe, manning the maps inside the weather channel's world headquarters. >> that's right. you talk about the big, slow-moving storm. with the reports from atlanta, we're about halfway through, there's more to come. but it's pushing into virginia, but the back end, the ice storm is underway, and we have maybe 24 more hours, plenty of snow on the backside. the snow right now, here's the push on through the carolinas. remember the scene from atlanta? you're seeing a repeat of that, cars stuck on the highway, people walking in charlotte, it's coming down so fast. and the snow creeping into roanoke, virginia. d.c., the snow is coming in tonight. here's our forecast. snow for you at times, whipped by the wind. and towards the coast, the

wintery mix. and pushing to new york in the midnight hour and boston as well. so, yeah, your thursday is snowy. basically from virginia all the way into new england, and the snow continues there as we head into your friday as well, which is valentine's day. and the cape and the islands seeing some rain. look at the snow here. parts of just outside of d.c. could see a foot or a foot and a half of snow. and that swath, just west of philadelphia, just west of new york city. that's the big target for the heavier snow around new york, also western mass and new hampshire and maine. as you mentioned, they might not get out until late on your valentine's day, which is this friday, by the way. a couple of cities to highlight, the first is d.c. leesburg and frederick, we could see a foot or a foot and a half of snow. meaning kids off for your friday as well.

it's a long duration. new york city, talking maybe 5-8 inches around the boroughboroug. and mission -- mixing in sleet and rain. northern new jersey, maybe a foot. and boston, out towards the cape and the islands, rain and sleet. not a big freezing rain, not a big ice storm. but a rain and snow mixture. that's going to cut down on the totals until you go west of boston and points north and west. maybe a foot to a foot and a half of snow. but so far in this winter of 2014, what's another foot snowstorm across the northeast. >> indeed. thank you so much. paul makes it sound like valentine's day will be a good day to snuggle indoors, maybe watch house of cards, let others fight their ways to the fancy restaurants with their sweetie. and the new york mayor is going to have to deal with weather

competency issues, rather than implement the agenda he's dying to get into. >> yeah, that whole thing has been sort of overblown in my view, the idea that he was engaging in class warfare with the snowplow. i know my mom is psyched. she's a teacher. she's excited. >> it affects every day life. you have kids, you know what it means when they stay home. my husband travels, but every week there's a potential huge storm, and you want to prepare for the worst. especially after atlanta -- >> how often has he gotten stuck? >> a number of times. and i feel like i've been holed up this entire winter. it's brutal. >> i know one of the worst times for me -- i think it was back in high school, we had a massive ice storm in virginia, and we were i mean, great in a way, we were off school for like three weeks. but i was so depressed because

you were trapped in the house. you can't do anything without slipping and falling. it's crazy. you can't drive anywhere, you can't walk anywhere. it was one of the more depressing times of my life. >> but the ice storm is an amazing movie. what have you got? >> i haven't seen the ice storm. in washington, it's the closest thing to a school context. people love a snow day, they love closing the federal government. i'm supposed to have meetings on the hill tomorrow. >> really. >> and more than one, right? >> aiding -- >> sorry, go ahead? >> you got it, ari. >> go on, my friend. >> go on. well, yeah, i hope the meetings don't get cancelled, people love to close it down. and basically what we have around washington, as the meteorologist mentioned, a foot and a half of snow will be huge. the only good news for the cycle is if it's a foot and a half or two, i may not make it back on

the train tomorrow night. >> oh, man. that's not good news. >> too bad. >> don't lie. >> all right. well, we will be watching this to see what develops. and up next, when no news is good news. please note the absence of a debt doomsday countdown clock today. why john boehner's role in the latest debt standoff is like a lead in an alexander payne movie. he will be here as the cycle rolls on. >> come on, i'm gng to take you home. >> i'm going to lincoln, that's the last thing i do. >> you didn't win anything, it's a complete scam. >> i'm running out of time. 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. if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner. we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone. there's not one way to do something. no details too small. american express open forum. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. ♪ [ male announcer ] bob's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. oh, there's a prize, all right. [ male announcer ] inside every box of cheerios are those great-tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol.

is it a superhero? kinda. ♪

folks in the city behind me happily woke up this morning to the end of an era. debt drama is over. as you know, house republicans have threatened to default on the debt if it they don't get concessions. it worked in 2011 and failed this year. john boehner pulled the plug instead. yesterday, as we reported, he sent a debt bill to the floor and let democrats take the lead in passing it president clean house bill just made it through a mail biter vote in the senate, and they're voting on final passage. this is a huge break through or a meaningless whimper in an exhausted drama. and he predicted this outcome five months ago writing for business insider, there was no

credible threat, and deals and defaults were never going to happen. josh is in my seat at the table. we have a supersized spin cycle. >> good to be here. >> you get the middle box. >> love it. >> it's a huge and special box there. it's our bread bunch special. josh, my main thought beyond what we mentioned in the lead is simple. i have seen some reporting on this, there's now a cease fire on debt drama. i don't think it's a cease fire based on my understanding of what a cease fire is. i think there was one side taking hostages, they've said, now, in both houses, we're seeing the votes, they're saying they're not going to take this hostage anymore, and the other side saying, okay. >> yeah, that's a good summary. what's so interesting about the way it's played out, very few republican votes in both houses of congress to advantage this. and heavily weighted to leadership. john boehner, can you line up the 18 republican votes to pass

this. i'll be one, i only need 17 more. and similarly, the vote in the senate, they needed 60 votes to cut off debate to pass it, they could only find three republican senators to vote for it, they needed five. the vote was open, and finally mitch mcconnell and john cornyn, the top two in the senate providing those votes. even though they are voting against it, it's not because they want to fight over the debt limit. they just generally don't want the -- they just don't want to get stuck with having voted to raise the debt ceiling. they don't want attack ads, democrats have used this as a political football. and it will be interesting in the primary in kentucky, he has the tea party challenger, now he's one of the five votes that passed president obama's debt ceiling increase. >> obviously that's correct. but the suicide caucus is alive. with these passed just by the skin of their teeth, only 28

republicans came along to pass the debt ceiling in the house. so that's 90% of the house voting against it. right? robert saying when john boehner told them at the special breakfast what he was going to do here, they were mute and didn't boo. and he said i'm getting the monkey off your back and you're not even going to clap for me. >> it's progress. >> a lot of them did not want to endure the political pain of supporting a clean extension. these folks may not want to do this on the debt ceil, but they want to fight on other stuff too. >> they're not the suicide caucus, they're the please don't make me commit suicide caucus. >> josh. >> no, it's different. they understand it's suicidal. that's a key part of the battle. >> i don't understand the narrative that boehner lost the debt fight. he let members of the caucus vote against it without the blame of shutting down the government.

he played it smart. look at what happened last year, the republican party got a ton of bruises for shutting down the government. he's been careful and cautious, thinking about the midterm election. saying let's take the focus away from house republicans being obstructionists, and focus on obamacare. it's not popular. 50% view it unfave bleu. it's up to 47% maybe a more positive agenda, but maybe obamacare alone is enough. >> that's the piece here. people are asking themselves, is john boehner finally to the point, forget you guys, i'm going to do the thing i want to do. but that only goes to a point. because as you're saying, the focus isn't on i'm going to do what's best for the country, but what's best for the republican caucus. if it was best for the country, he would put immigration

reform -- >> exactly. >> it's not john boehner really finding a spine, it's john boehner really demonstrating to his caucus this was in their short-term political interests to go along. >> this was too far, but immigration reform isn't. >> the limits between the two is instructive. the typical house republican didn't want to vote for it, but wanted it passed and off the table. so he could betray the republican caucus by bringing it to a vote, most of them were pleased he did that. on immigration, much of the caucus would be unhappy bringing it to the floor. i think you're right, it's a certain kind of spine. i'm going to be the strategic leader of the party. he's beholden to the willingness to the caucus. >> two different evelevels of td rail, one kill use immediately, the other slower. >> i would have done the same thing. i want to shift to minimum wage. president obama signed an

executive order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. let's take a look. >> we have to reverse those trends. we have to build an economy that works for everybody, not just the fortunate few. and we have to restore opportunity for everybody so that no matter who you are, no matter how you started out, no matter what you look like, no matter what your last anytiname you can get ahead in america if you are willing to take responsibility for your life. >> a majority of republicans support this, and chris christie was asked about this. >> i don't think the american people want income equality. what they want is income opportunity. that's the spirit of this country. how do i get a little more? i think that the problem we have is that opportunity gap, not an income equality gap. you want income equality, that's

mediocrity. everybody can have an equal, mediocre salary. that's what we can afford. or do you want the opportunity for greatness? >> the opportunity for greatness, josh? >> break this down. this seems like the argument they are making, it's not about equality, it's opportunity. maybe this is a way to shift away from raising the minimum wage. how do you take that? >> it's a rhetorical shift. you can do things that decrease income inequality and i leavuate poverty while creating income mobility. >> i care about being great. >> i'm sorry. >> i'm disappointed. >> i'm satisfied with mediocr y mediocrity. >> he really focused on creating jobs, which is a message we can all agree on. >> but that doesn't mean you can't have a minimum wage increase. you can do whatever to create jobs and raise the minimum wage. and kris christie has offered one in new jersey. he vetoed one that was sent up

by the legislature saying it was too much and too fast. >> it was then passed. >> but, you know, even chris christie, this is his rhetoric, but he hasn't said he's categorically opposed to them all. >> a lot of people have jobs that aren't paying them a living wage. the working poor. and we have to do right by them, not just folks who are unemployed. josh, thank you very much. as always, love having you here. friend of the show. come back. and coming up next, disappointment for the u.s. men in snowboarding. can the ladies do the deed and bring home the gold? the very latest on this exciting day in sochi is next. it's time for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is that won't relieve all your symptoms. new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. oh what a relief it is. than any other behind the counter liquid gel. life with crohn's disease ois a daily game of "what if's".

what if my abdominal pain and cramps end our night before it even starts? what if i eat the wrong thing? what if? what if i suddenly have to go? what if? but what if the most important question is the one you're not asking? what if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation? for help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisadvocates.com to connect with a patient advocate from abbvie for one-to-one support and education. 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. ♪ there's nothing like being your own boss! and my customers are really liking your flat rate shipping.

fex one rate. really makes my life easier. maybe a promotion is in order. good news. i got a new title. and a raise? management couldn't make that happen. [ male announcer ] introducing fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. [ male announcer ] introducing fedex one rate. ♪ see what's new at ] introprojectluna.come rate.

breaking news in the sports world, jeter nation is reeling after yankee all-star derrick jeter is retiring at the end of next season. he broke the news on his

facebook page in a long later to fans that began and ended with a thank you. even though it's us who should be thanking him. he's captain of the team, holds the all-time hit count for the franchise, and he's the man, and they will not be the same without him. now to the cycle olympic update. a live picture of sochi, it's 12:30 in the morning. and day seven of the games saw a rivalry renewed in women's hockey, and american speed skater shani davis looking to three-peat in the. but first it was the lady. here are the highlights. 40 seconds if you want to look away. no yolo, but it was gold. the american women claiming gold and bronze. kaitlyn farrington took the top spot, while 2002 gold medalist came in third.

and bright won the silver. and shani davis came up short in his bid for the third-straight gold, finishing eighth straight. the dutch dominated, taking the gold, and canada in the silver. and more disappointment, the u.s. women's hockey team took on their arch rival, canada, and came up short losing 3-2. they are in the semis, so expect not showdown between these two power house teams in the medal round. and today, the puck drops for the americans when they take on slovakia. here's where the medal count stands. norway is still the leader? what's going on? they have 12, followed by canada and the netherlands. the u.s. has nine medals, as does russia. that is your olympic update. >> thank you, i don't know the deal with norway. we have to keep an eye on them.

what's going on beyond sochi, a frozen political environment in washington, gridlock in the economy, and a structural impasse where corporations are making record profits, reaping the benefits of tax loopholes, workers are left holding the bag. and declining consumer confidence and the next-generation will be worse off. many are saying that america's best days are behind us. there's optimism, and that's the argument in a new book. predicts america's on the verge of one of the greatest economic growth spurts. it's by a senior fellow at the institute. it identifies four arguably uniquely american forces that could transform our economy and bring back jobs. joel is here with the good news. first question, joel, what are those factors and your you so

optimistic? >> well, what people don't take into account is just america's phenomenal creativity. the united states is launching companies. there's no -- nothing in the world like apple, there's nothing in the world like facebook. that can only be born in the united states. just take a walk in boston around mit, and you see so many startups in the fore front, industries like biotech, we lead that area. that's the first one. the second one is energy. i mean, we have more energy in this country now than any other country. saudi arabia is small compared to the united states in terms of production and reserves. that's not taken into account when people are negative. and then you add to that that manufacturing is coming back. we are seeing it every day. i have a list of 85 manufacturing facilities coming either from asia or europe to the united states. and they're going to places like pennsylvania. so we're seeing that happening. and then we have capital.

for the first time we have an excess of capital, consumers are in the best shape they have been in in 35 years. they have paid off their debts. the government has debt, but the consumers don't. we're in fine shape. >> i grew up in boston walking around the mit area, charles river, you can feel the brilliance in the area. creativity is deeply embedded in what it means to be america. apple, central american success story. but it is manufactured where, in china? that seems to be a metaphor, we are coming up with the ideas, but there is globalization. >> but china's coming of age at the worst time in the world to come of age. they're trying to bring 200 million people into their cities to work in manufacturing right at the wrong time. we've already gone through that transition to services. we don't need to make so much. but they're coming of age during

the third revolution in robotics. they're not going to have the jobs for those people. but the robotic and automated plants are coming back here. so we're providing the place where apple's next-generation is going to be manufactured. >> it's exciting. >> and you mentioned energy. and we are experiencing a revolution here in the united states, becoming more and more independent. and time wrote a piece last week. they said next year the u.s. is projected to overtake saudi arabia as the biggest oil producer on earth. no one would have called that ten years ago. and no one knows the future. it's providing us with a genuine economic stimulus built on the free market pillars of hardwork and invasion. >> and all of this came about by the entrepreneurship of americans. and one spent 200 million of his

own money to perfect the technology that's made this happen. and only in five years. it's almost too fast for most people to assimilate these changes. they're monumental, transformative. and i think if you look at what's happening in energy, the statistics you gave are already obsolete. the u.s. has surpassed saudi arabia. >> amazing. really exciting stuff. joel, what kind of jobs are we actually talking about here? one of the problems we face as a countries, the manufacturing we have and that's coming back, it doesn't create the number of good, middle class jobs that it once did in this country. so is the revolution that you see us as being on the precipice of, is that going to solve the middle class job crisis we have now? >> well, the problem with the middle class jobs is not that there aren't enough of them, there are plenty of them. the problem is people aren't educated well enough to get those jobs. we're not sending jobs, we never

sent jobs overseas that americans could do better. we sent the ones that are needed. >> that true? the largest job growth in the service sector, largely low-paid jobs. >> it's also very high-paid job when you think about entertainment or accounting or consulting or insurance or all the different areas in that sector. those are high-paying jobs. yes, there are people who are flipping burgers, but that's not all of the sector. so i -- when you look at that, the issue is education. all of the jobs and all of the unemployment seem to be missing from the people who are not highly educated. and that's where our issues are. if you think about it, the unemployment rate for college-educated people 25 years and older has been in the 4% range -- >> right. >> through the ups and downs, through the worst of the great

recession. but where we have been hurt is in people without college educations. >> right. >> joel, i was going to say, you have what they call a positive mental attitude. i hope you are right about the jobs and economy. thanks for telling us about the new book. >> you're welcome. up next, this is a good one. a dying breed in this building behind me, abbey sits down with the one of the few remaining, quote, blue dog democrats to talk about why he's leaving congress, and it may not be the last you see of him. when jake and i first set out on our own,

we ate anything. but in time you realize the better you eat, the better you feel. these days we both eat smarter. and i give jake purina cat chow naturals. made with real chicken and salmon, it's high in protein like a cat's natural diet. and no added artificial flavors. we've come a long way. and whatever's ahead, we'll be there for each other. naturally. purina cat chow naturals. ameriprise asked people a simple question: in retirement, will you outlive your money? uhhh. no, that can't happen. that's the thing, you don't know how long it has to last. everyone has retirement questions. so ameriprise created the exclusive.. confident retirement approach. now you and your ameripise advisor can get the real answers you need. well, knowing gives you confidence. start building your confident retirement today.

i was 80% nervous to lead the meeting. 90% confident i'd say the right things. but with 100% odor protection, i had nothing to worry about. [ female announcer ] only secret offers clinical strength antiperspirant in your 2 favorite forms, with 100% odor protection. introducing new clinical strength invisible solid and new clinical strength clear gel. [ woman ] i never settle for less than 100%. [ female announcer ] secret clinical strength. fearlessness. apply daily.

ad az we've talked about on the

most people take away the labels, they are centrist. >> which is why blue dog democrats are no important. you have been one. >> yeah, it's more conservative democrats in the house. at the high water mark we had 54 of us. they represent a lot of what america's about, pragmatic, problem-solvers and work with anybody on either side of the aisle to get something done. it's more about what's right for the country than what's right for the political party. we need more of that.

>> like the worn out coy boy boots in his office, he's not ready to let go of his hopes for washington just yet. >> we need this radical center, i call it, to rise up and say we want something different than the polarized, ideological extreme politics that dominates the parties. >> many house democrats say that republicans are the party of no, obstructionists against whatever the president puts forward. is that fair? >> i would say it's for both. it's the party of not working together. nobody wants to work together. >> what's the president's role? >> i have been in congress under two presidents, and the obama administration has not been aggressive about reaching out and developing relationships with members of congress. i do think that has limited the administration's ability to have an impact on what's going on in congress. i wish this administration had

had a more aggressive approach to getting to know members of congress on both sides of the aisle. but i'd be careful not to blame all of the gridlock in congress on the president. i think i'd blame it on congress. >> much of that gridlock started after the partisan passage of the affordable care act. he was one of 34 house democrats who didn't support it and voted to defund it. how did they handle obamacare? >> if you're a democrat who voted for it. i voted for it, i don't think it's working right. let's change it. let me give you my ideas about how to make it work better. it can't be a for or against thing. they have to talk about makes it better. >> the race is heating up, with one candidate leading early predictions, mia love. he barely beat her in 2012, and she's bringing in high-paying donors. do you think she can take it? >> she can win this. but the filing deadline is not

until the third week of march a. there's at least one other republican, and maybe more now that it's an open seat. we're a little too early to be anointing the next fourth district member of congress from utah. >> do you think it's unhealthy to only have conservatives which could be the case with you leaving? >> if they have an all-republican delegation, that limits their ability to how things happen in washington. that's for any state sta, not j utah. any state. >> a balance that will likely be missing come this fall. back home in utah, his constituents with debating gay marriage. they are challenging a district court's decision to overturn utah's ban on same-sex marriage. gay marriage in utah of all places, where is that going? >> i think the judicial branch ought to weigh in on this issue. not to get too cliche, but back

in the high school days, we learned about the three branchs of government, and the judicial branch is where the constitutional issues will be defined. it's going to help solve the issue. >> if it is legal in utah, would you be okay with that? >> if the courts say it's constitutional, it's constitutional. >> what's next? you said when you retired you were going to have many chapters. this is going to be the next one. will you run for governor? >> i haven't decided. my dad loved it. and he said you would be great. >> so did my dad. >> running for governor is not off the table, but after spending some time with him, there could be a race in his future. senator, you might want to listen up. >> my ratings are better than anyone else. >> in the most conservative district of utah. >> compared to the other people, senators and house members. and tells me that the public wants something more like my

type of leadership and reputati reputation. i come from a political family. and my dad said trust the voters. they know what they're doing. i'm a mathison democrat, people at home know what that means. i'm pragmatic, realistic and constructive member of congress to have public policy to give everyone a chance to succeed. that's what a mathison democrat does. >> there's more of my exclusive interview on our website. one last bit of mathison trivia. he comes from a long line of basketball coaches and players. the banner hanging in his office in washington. and here's what we call a turn.f a definitive biography. basketball coach john wooden. did we pull that off? feet...splashing. better things than the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

if you're trying to manage your ra, now may be the time to ask about xeljanz. xeljanz (tofacitinib) is a small pill, not an injection or infusion, for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz is an ra medicine that can enter cells and disrupt jak pathways, that comes with ra. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers have happened in patients taking xeljanz. don't start xeljanz if you have any kind of infection, unless ok with your doctor. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz, and routinely check certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common, and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections.

tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you are pregnant, or plan to be. taken twice daily, xeljanz can reduce the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe ra, even without methotrexate. ask if xeljanz is right for you. of moderate to severe ra, even without methotrexate. a steel cage: death match of midsize sedans. the volkswagen passat against all comers. turbocharged engines against...engines. best in class rear legroom against other-class legroom. but then we realized. consumers already did that. twice. huh. maybe that's why nobody else showed up. how does one get out of a death cage? vo: right now, get 0.9% apr on all passat models plus a total of $1000 in bonuses. 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?

make friendship a fine art. failure to prepare is preparation to fail. be quick, but don't hurry, make each day your masterpiece. these are just a few coined by the greatest college basketball coach of all time, johnwooden. in the 60s and 70s led ucla to ten championships in ten years. he was dominant and brilliant, but he understood basketball wasn't everything. and after his wife of 50 years passed away, he wrote her love letters and visited her grave every day for decades. he is covered in a biography

written by seth davis who's a good guy even though he went to duke. tell us why he was such an amazing coach? >> it's duke versus say is he h great players and that was what was the case towards the end of his career. it took him 16 years to win his first national championship at ucla. wooden was a teacher. he was a great teacher. he prepared his players in practice. he taught them how to play. when the game came around to them, he told them don't look over at the bench. he was a teacher. he taught his kids how to play. when game night came, that was their final exam. >> you have to have a genius in dealing with people. he had to have a phd in dealing

with other human beings. right after he became kareem abdul-jabbar and they're riding on the bus and christians are talking about religion and it bonds them, wooden is a very serious christian. he accepted that kareem was a difficult person to get to know. talk about their relationship a little. >> he changed his name to kareem when he converted to islam. he was a 7'1" african-american teenager, a prodigy from new york city. his coach referred to him as a minority of one. i think the thing they both had in common is they were both great competitorcompetitors. you don't win ten national championships by being sweet.

he was extremely competitive. he was tough on referees. he lived a complicated life. i address in this book, sam gilbert, who was a booster who lavished a lot of favors on the players who were in violation of the rules. it's not to take him down by any stretch. john wooden was not a perfect man, but he was an extraordinary man. >> we're all a lot more complicated than maybe like the first layer of media coverage might indicate. the second most storied player to play under wooden was bill walton. wooden was this conservative, religious guy. who was the what was their relationship like? >> complicated.

wooden loved coaching him. bill walton, we know him as a television commentator now. at the time, he had a speech impedement and was shy. wooden was very progressive and quite liberal in terms of his political beliefs, more liberal than people might now. he opposed the vietnam war because he opposed all wars. he didn't think it was right to occupy the intersection of streets because what happens if an ambulance needs to get through. it's very hard to adapt and be able to relate to young college students. it caused wooden a lot of stress and a lot of health issues. he was at a stressful time in

his life. those 12 years when he was winning championships were the most unhappy years of his life. he is a very insecure man like a great of people who came out of the great depression. it cost him to retire earlier than he needed to because of the stress and the strain and everything that came along with winning. it wasn't the basketball. he was very much on top of his game when he retired. he said to his player, i'm bowing out not because i want to, but because i have to. >> we know so much about his life on the court, but you could write a whole story about their love story. every sunday he wrote her a love note for years. talk to us about their relationship. >> they met in high school,

martinsvil martinsville, indiana, in the 1920s. she was intextroverted. they took a vow of chastity in high school that he would go away to perdue and get married. it was really his players who didn't quite understand him and a lot of them didn't like him when they played for him because he was not emotionally connected with them, but they sustained him later in life. he got smarter as they got older. and he also adapted and he was able to repair a lot of relationships. he lived to be almost 100 and was completely mentally c cognizant. his body just gave out in the end.

he was able to repair a lot of his relationships later in his life. >> but the classic story of how he maintained these relationships with the players years afterward and they would come back to him for advise, look to him as a father figure, you talk about that's the reason why kareem decided to go to ucla. i feel comfortable here. i love you. it's a fantastic book. thank you very much for your time. >> i appreciate it. that does it for us. it's time for "now" with alex wagner. this is for you. ♪ [ male announcer ] bob's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen

to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] sponges, take your mark! ♪ [ female announcer ] one drop of ultra dawn has twice the everyday grease-cleaning ingredients of one drop of the leading non-concentrated brand... ♪ [ crowd cheering ] ...to clean two times more greasy dishes.

dawn does more, so it's not a chore. i didn't think i could buy them their own, let alone for under $300. but this asus with windows is lightweight and has everything they need -- not like chromebooks that can't install office or have to be connected to the internet to get much done. with this they can do homework, chat, play games -- on their own laptop, and their own time. so no more fighting... at least not over my laptop. ♪ honestly, i wanna see you be brave ♪ ♪ we asked people a question, how much money do you think you'll need when you retire? $500,000. maybe half-million. say a million dollars. [ dan ] then we gave each person a ribbon to show how many years that amount might last. ♪ i was trying to like pull it a little further.

you know, i was trying to stretch it a little bit more. [ woman ] got me to 70 years old. i'm going to have to rethink this thing. [ man ] i looked around at everybody else and i was like, "are you kidding me?" [ dan ] it's just human nature to focus on the here and now. so it's hard to imagine how much we'll need for a retirement that could last 30 years or more. so maybe we need to approach things differently, if we want to be ready for a longer retirement. ♪ ♪ purina dog chow light & healthy is a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend. with 20% fewer calories than purina dog chow. isn't it time you discovered the lighter side of dog chow. purina dog chow light & healthy.

he may not look like a pirate, but ted cruz made members of his own party walk the plank. it's wednesday, february 12th, and this is "now." >> president obama -- >> signing that minimum wage hike into law today. >> you work hard.