right now developing news from the ukraine where there's been a potential break through in the three month long deadly standoff between the government and protesters. we'll get the latest developments in just a moment. first, though, the "news nation" is following the reaction to a juror in the michael dunn trial speaking out about that controversial verdict saying it was not about race. in just a few moments i'll talk directly to jordan davis' father and talk about how he feels about her statements as he joins me live here on the set. in an interview with cnn yesterday, juror number eight talked about what she described as a quote wild scene as jurors debated heatedly whether to find dunn guilty of first degree murder in jordan davis' death. jurors onable to agree. the outcome of a mistrial in that top count has sparked protests and cries of racial injustice which is according to

the juror why she's speaking out now. >> everybody is making this is a white and black thing and it's not. in our decision-making process nobody brought up, not one race. never. it was never brought up. >> what would you tell jordan's family? >> i would tell them that from my end, i tried. i really did try. i tried to fight for their son. meanwhile, this week prosecutors said they are planning to retry dunn on that first degree murder charge. they say it could happen as soon as hey. joining me now jordan davis' father, ron davis and the attorney ron phillips is in the studio with me as well. thank you both for being here. when you hear the juror say that this was not about race, that it did not even come up during the deliberations, what do you make of that? >> i think she's just trying to be politically correct, i guess and if she's not she's a little

delusional because within seconds of pulling up to the gas station michael dunn told his girlfriend before she even got out of the car i hate that thug music. so already you've identified the type of music and already identified that they are thugs without even speaking to the boys. they could have been the most polite boys in the world. so when you say thug music continually and when you say it's rap crap, what he calls it, you already know that, you know, you have a decision that you made without even talking to the boys. i think she knows that it was about black white issue in addition to other things. >> what other things? >> you roll down the window and tell the 17-year-olds, 18-year-olds to turn down the music. in your neighborhood or where you're from you tell the kids something they do it. that's the way you like to operate. you tell these kids who don't know you and they don't turn down their music and turn it back up then you roll down your window a second time again and

say are you guys talking to me. it doesn't sound like you fear anything. consequently there are shots ringing out. but you're the only one that's shooting. you're the only one shooting. >> in that same interview we just ran a clip of she said she thought dunn, her words, she thought dunn was a quote good guy. what's your reaction to hearing that. >> that happens when you can put witnesses on the stand and say he's never done this before but doesn't mean you're a good guy. the second thing is you couldn't put jordan's character on the stand. you couldn't show he's a family kid. that he's done all these things for the family, and that he's truly just america's kid, that he's a great kid, he wasn't a gangster or a thug. you couldn't put that out there because they feel it was prejudicial to the defense. and how do you say, you know, as a juror that you thought he was a good guy when you voted guilty

for second-degree murder. >> i want to play a bit of michael dunn's, this is a bit of one of his jailhouse phone calls. this was made in december of 2012. i think it was not used in court. here's what he had to say at one point. take a listen. >> you know, i was thinking about that today. i was like i'm the [ bleep ] victim here. i was the one who was victimized. i mean -- i don't know how else to cut it. they attacked me. i'm the victim. i'm the victor but i was the victim too. >> he thinks he's in an arena but he's the only one with the gun, you know. and that because he shot and killed and murdered my son that he's somehow -- he's the victor, like he was in a contest. and now my son has a hole in his chest but he's the victim. >> the first time you heard that, i'm assuming you didn't

hear that. the first time you heard that what went through your mind? what did you think? >> i thought this guy was a sociopath. i didn't think he should be in society. not loin are you unremorseful for putting down my son and shooting at the children who were unarmed but you think somehow that's a good thing you did. it was okay. you didn't even dial 911. you thought it was okay to do so. >> john, earlier this week i interviewed dunn's attorney. i want to play a bit of what he said when i asked him if jordan did have a gun, which, you know, dunn, of course, claims de. then why didn't he fire that gun. take a listen. >> i don't believe he either had the time or had the knowledge and ability to do so and in that aspect i think once a 17-year-old kid with a gun, even if he thought i'm just going scare that guy i'll get it out and show him i'm a boss, i'm a

big man, mind your own business, when michael dunn turns around and sees he racks one in the chamber at that point the kids in the car ducked and the only one that didn't duck of jordan davis. >> as an attorney what do you make of that claim. police never found the weapon. no one in the car testified there was a gun. >> since day one, craig, it's been about victimizing the victim. that's what they have to do. they have to do it with lies and mistruths. there was no gun. we're tired of this whole gun theory. they said we can't put in the character evidence of jordan davis. or go too far into the character evidence of michael dunn but you can portray him as a gun toting thug which he wasn't. it started with jose baez and now cory. attorneys need to be liable for their comments. >> i want to talk about some of

the legal strategy that was employed down there in florida. john guy was interviewed by a local station. he said the state wants to retry dunn for the first degree murder charge. this is what he said when asked about how he feels about the job they did. >> do you have you wish you had done anything differently? >> always. there's always things you can do dinnerly. different evidence. different argument. better performance. never a perfect trial. it will be better the next time. >> what do you think? >> got to be better the next time. we've got to get a conviction here. dunn wasn't an attempted murderer, he was a murderer. >> what would you have done differently. >> there's issues with character evidence. how far did they dig into michael dunn's background with these ex-wives. and these neighborhood interviews. that he wasn't peaceful.

>> you were in court every day. based on what you saw -- you know i know you don't have a legal background but based on what you saw. do you feel like the prosecution did the best job they could have done? >> i think that the prosecution laid out the facts as they were. >> that's different from they did the best job they could have done. >> well, i think there's always room for improvement. in answer to your question. there's room for improvement because just like the picture of jordan in court. there was an i.d. picture of jordan which you would have on your driver's license which is so ge he in rick. the jury needed to see jordan as a human being, playing with me, playing with your mom. he wasn't a picture on a driver's license or i.d. that's one thing. the other thing is this, the jury instruction is so powerful in these cases where at the end

of the trial this is what they hear. usually the last thing you hear is what you remember. when you're in school the last thing the teacher tells you that's what you remember. am i correct? >> yes. >> what happens is all the evidence came in all during the trial, they heard all that first but what's the last thing they heard in41 pages of jury instruction. what was in that instruction, stand your ground. if you have to get into the mine of the shooter was he thinking that he was in danger. that's what the jury was thinking about. i wonder if michael dunn thought he was in danger. that's why you have a hung jury because that's the last thing they negotiated whether he thought he was in danger. that's crazy because if i think that you are threatening me do i have a right to shoot you dead because i think you're threatening me. i think you have a gun. >> the scales of justice are a little tipped because the white business man gets the benefit of the doubt and the young black boy doesn't get the benefit of the doubt in a lot of people's minds. until we figure out how to balance those and show enough

character evidence to show this wasn't some thug and michael dunn was a thug, then, you know, we might have a more fair trial. >> good to see you. thanks for stopping by. we are also following some developing news in the ukraine. this is a live look at independence square in the capital, in kiev. there appears to be an end or a pause of the violence that's gripped that city for months and some calling a major break through opposition leaders signed a deal with the ukraine jan president, the foreign ministers ever of germany, france important, land helped broker the accord that include early elections, constitutional reform and the formation avenue caretaker government. while speaking to my colleague andrea mitchell the president's national deputy security adviser praised the deal but caused that the white house will watch how it's implemented. >> thanks to this agreement there's a way forward and a way

out of this crisis. we're not out of the woods yet. it still has to be implemented. but i think ukraine has pulled back from the brink. >> key question now is will the protesters accept it? one thing the deal did not include is the resignation of the president which was the primary demand of those protesters. however, the president did promise to bring opposition leaders into his government. the accord follow yesterday's truce struck by both sides that was over before it even started as both sides quickly resumed fighting on what would become the deadliest day of those protests. 47 people were killed. we're also learning just moments ago president obama spoke with russia's president, vladimir putin by phone about that deal. we should note here that the russian envoy sent to the ukraine by putin did not sign this new accord. no reason was given. nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel now with more on how that deal is being received in kiev.

>> reporter: the protesters here in independence square have been celebrating. they think they have the embattled president on the ropes. after a series of political concessions. the president agreeing to -- authority. here you can hear them saying glory, glory and that's the message we've been hearing all day after the president said he would not only limit his presidential powers but give more authority to the are parliament and call for early elections. but the protesters are still in this square although happy with the compromises happened so far they want more. they think their presence here has pushed the president to this point, now they want to push him even further and are demanding his immediate resignation. richard engel, nbc news, kiev. up next, a severe weather alert. tornado watches and warnings now in effect for parts of the south and eastern u.s. we're tracking it all. plus gay rights activists outraged over a bill passed by

the arizona legislature that critics say would allow discrimination in the name of religion. the state's republican governor vetoed similar legislation last year but what is she saying about it this time. as always join our conversation on twitter. you can find us @"news nation." that's why there's ocuvite to help protect your eye health. as you age, your eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite is a vitamin made just for your eyes from the eye care experts at bausch + lomb. ocuvite has a unique formula that's just not found in any leading multivitamin. your eyes are unique, so help protect your eye health with ocuvite. 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?

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nation's capital where a tornado watch has been issued this afternoon. forecasters say several tornadoes are possible from north carolina all the way up to delaware as well as damaging wind gusts that could hit 75 miles per hour. this as a severe weather outbreak pushes its way across the southeast up the east coast leaving a path of damage in its

wake. in illinois as many as 13 possible tornadoes were reported last night. you can see what looks to be a funnel there in the background. there have been more than 200 reports of wind damage across more than a dozen states so far. as of this morning, more than 150,000 homes are without power as utility crews work to repair the damage. many schools also closed for the day because of downed power lines following yet another storm for us yet, whether channel meteorologist paul goodloe. mother nature's wrath continues, paul? >> reporter: it certainly does. a lot of people were enjoying the brief thaw we had. it's that warmer air, warmer than average for this winter we've seen. it's helping to fuel these thunderstorms. you mentioned severe weather. tornado watches out until 5:00, including philadelphia. doesn't include new york city. entire state of delaware is in this, delmarva out towards norfolk and continues to the south. areas of south carolina and

eastern north carolina, your watch goes until 7:00 tonight and that's where we're seeing strong and severe thunderstorms. as of now, we do not have any tornado warnings out, meaning people have spotted or indicated rotation with thunderstorms but still severe thunderstorms rolling across eastern north carolina right now. as you mentioned some of the biggest risks is the strong gusty damaging winds, gusts over 70 miles per hour as they move to the east of i-95 now, most of east north carolina will be under these thunderstorms as we head through this afternoon and evening. norfolk, virginia beach, under strong thunderstorms. d.c. the storms have already passed you by. a few light rain showers around the beltway. philadelphia still in the storms but stronger and severe storms to the south and east of you and the timing now, still looking for more storms to come in to atlantic city as we head over the next hour or so, still under a severe thunderstorm warning until 3:15 for atlantic, burlington and ocean counties.

philadelphia things should improve in the next hour. new york city storms come your way between 3:00 and 5:00. we expect them to stay below severe limits. they will be strong. after that we'll usher in cooler air to temperatures turning to the cold norm for this winter but unfortunately, craig, next week it looks even colder with many areas in the midwest waking up to teens below zero temperatures. >> paul goodloe, i love it when you start with bad news and you end with bad news. those are my favorite forecasts. >> reporter: i'm just is messenger. still ahead, academic punishment. south carolina republicans, some of them vote to cut finding for two colleges for signing books with gay themes. one state rep saying quote, if you want to make a point, you have to make it hurt. i'll talk to a state lawmaker who is fighting that measure. we'll be right back.

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a washington, d.c. is playing host to governors from across the country this weekend. they are in town for national governor's association annual winter meeting which starts today. sunday night president obama will be dining with governors from both parties, one governor who will not be there, though, chris christie of new jersey. he declined the president's invitation. he'll return to the garden state to celebrate his daughter's 18th birthday. today the president met exclusively with democratic governors at 1600 pennsylvania avenue topping the agenda. raising the minimum wage. >> an overwhelming majority of americans think that raising the minimum wage is a good idea. that is true for independents, that is true for democrats as true for republicans. and raise the minimum wage will help up to 16 million americans. and that's a big deal. the focus on governors is especially important because so many seats are considered up for grabs in this year's mid-term

elections. the map is tough for republicans. 22 gop seats on the ballot 14 are either open or competitive. nine of those are in blue states that twice voted for president obama. democrats have 14 seats to defend in 2014 including ten which are competitive or open. molly ball is the national political reporter for the atlantic. molly, always good to see you. we heard briefly from the president a few moments ago. he chose to focus those brief remarks on the minimum wage. this seems to be something that the white house sees as a winning issue going into the mid-terms, is it not? >> yes. you heard the president say he believes this is good policy and good politics and this won't be news to you or anyone else. it's not get through the congress any time soon. so the president is pressing this priority on the democratic governors as something that could advance this agenda of as he called it giving americans a raise and also potentially help the governors who are up for

re-election or the democratic challengers in those blue states that you mentioned. >> molly, from a purely strategic standpoint, would it not be advantageous for, perhaps, republicans to see this issue that, again, you know, when you ask the average american they say yeah we like the minimum wage to be raised. here's an issue with john q six-pack. why not take it off the table before mid-terms. why not make that an issue that democrats can't use? >> well, you would have to ask a republican why they have chosen not to use this as an issue from a strategic standpoint. from a policy standpoint a lot of republicans sincerely believe and economists disagree, a lot of republicans believe hiking the minimum wage kills jobs and, in fact, we did see a cbo report this week that said there would be jobs lost if the minimum wage was hiked nationally. this is a complicated issue from the standpoint of ideology or of economics. from the standpoint of politics

it does seem pretty clear cut and we've seen democrats and labor run this play before in 2006, for example, several states put minimum wage hikes on the ballot as a way to increase turn out of democratic constituencies. they were largely successful. even last year in new jersey, at the same time as governor chris christie was winning his landslide re-election a minimum wage hike was on the ballot and it passed at the same time as christie won. >> molly ball from atlantic. have a fantastic weekend. you mentioned an economist. we decided we would bring one in to talk about it. a columnist for reuters and a columnist for atlantic as well. we heard from president obama talking about raising the minimum wage. we saw that cbo report that molly just mentioned a report that among other things that raising it could cost the economy some 500,000 jobs or more. but would also mean more money

in the pockets for folks who earn the minimum wage. >> that cbo report actually said it could cost anywhere from zero to a million and 500,000 was pretty much the average point between two. this was not like a hard scientific, if we do this, then this will happen. >> have we made too much out of the report is that what you're saying? >> indeed we have. it was a very easy number to latch upon. if you read it and i'm not suggesting that people go read it because it doesn't make the best reading. >> i sifted through it. like you said, it's not nighttime reading. i did sift through it. you're right. that's pretty much par for the course with regard to cbo reports. >> they've now been used -- they get used by whichever party its conclusions suit because it's presented as a nonpartisan agency which it is. what we do with these things is guesstimates. a lot of the point of this minimum wage hike like a lot of

our political points is more to make a point about inequality and doing something about it than the fact if you give somebody an extra dollar a week on a 35 hour work week, where most people are. i'm not saying getting 7700 more a year isn't meaningful but it won't transform you from just barely getting by to doing just fine. >> listen to this response. >> one part of the conversation i think really needs to be injected in this is what it would do to our youth. i remember as a young man i didn't make minimum wage and i got a job and had to go to work and learn the value of work. when you raise the minimum wage you'll squeeze out more of our youth. >> we should note he's not an economist. is he right? >> look, a lot of economists are completely wrong as well. i don't think that's a title one should use. but the reality is that's a

great ideological statement. i don't know that there are a lot of businesses that are so tight on their margins that an extra $1.50 or $2 to that teen who is working 20 hours a week will be the make-or-break decision. i can pay them 6 but i won't pay them 7. people tend to hire labor at a reasonable cost when they need to hire bodies. they tend to not hire people when they don't need to. there's a much greater transformation which a lot of jobs can to be done by a piece of software, by a robot and doesn't matter what the minimum wage is and you won't hire someone without having to hire them. >> we're once again perhaps having the wrong conversation. microconversation, when the actual discussion should be more macro. >> absolutely. i don't fault the obama

administration for unilaterally taking a step that the rest of the government will not take. congress is completely out of the picture right now by its own volition. it could be thinking of creative ways to enhance employment, to help people make a transition from a 20th century industrial economy to 21st century informational economy. the president can only do so much without congress and we can only do so much, the federal government can only do so much. we're talking about these things because that's the only thing government can do. i'm skeptical of putting too much weight on this which is solving an issue of income inequality, skills mismatch, how to generate a living wage in that particular world. >> zachary, thank you so much. there's a new book out. >> called "the leading indicator" a short history of the numbers that rule world which touches on some of that stuff. >> we won't charge you for that. we're nine months away from the

2014 mid-term elections but already the congressional races are having a major impact on what does or as zachary just mentioned does not get done in our nation's capital. looking at the big picture today our first team comes to this conclusion. both democrats and republicans have cleared the decks of anything that could divide their parties before 2014 mid-terms. both sides are deploying a do no harm strategy. it's not even march 1st and both parties are waving the policy white flags. mark murray is our nbc news senior political editor. joins me live now from d.c. mark, here's the thing. this is already as has been widely reported one of the least productive congresses in history. by a few measures the least productive congress in history. you contend that we're actually going to see even less work get done over the next months. >> reporter: it looks like it, craig. not only that, but over the next

nine months before the mid-term elections, look at some of the actions from both sides. republicans basically said they aren't going to get immigration done. democrats say look we're going to take some of the entitlement reforms that have been in our budget as a way to get republicans to the negotiating table, we'll take that way. also we don't want to work on trade. the reason for both sides is they don't want to divide their base at the mid-term athletics. there's more incentive for the republicans to do nothing. they like the current political environment and want to play defense. but we're big football fans. sometimes playing defense crease an unintended consequence. be interesting to see what happens between now and november because i imagine there's some bumps and some hurdles and some things that we might not know that comes around. >> putting the legislative agenda aside, politically speaking things will pick up over the next few weeks. what's stick out for you as we

look at the calendar. >> reporter: some really interesting events. on tuesday bill clinton will be campaigning with allison grimes, the democrat running in kentucky against mitch mcconnell trying to challenge him in the general election. the next day hillary clinton will be speak being at the university of miami. then come march 4th we'll see texas senate primary, john cornyn versus steve stockman. cpac republican conference will take place two days later starting on march 6th. then a very big congressional special election in florida on march 11th. so craig, a lot of stuff for us to talk about in the next two or three weeks. >> have a good weekend, my friend. still ahead all eyes on arizona governor jan brewer and whether she will sign that controversial bill that critics say allow discrimination based on religious beliefs. we're going to talk to the executive director of the arizona democratic party. ogena® pore refining cleanser.

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arizona state legislature has passed a controversial measure that supporters call the religious freedom bill. opponents call it the right to discriminate bill. those opponents say the bill could allow business owners to turn away gay and lesbian customers or discriminate on the basis of race, sex, national origin, age or disability as long as they claim to be doing so in the name of religion. republican governor jan brewer vetoed similar legislation last year but has not said what she's going to do this time around. her spokeswoman said the bill has not yet reached the governor's desk and monday would be the earliest that the governor would take action. once the governor receives that bill she has 90 days to sign it into law, veto or do nothing. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams joins me now. arizona democratic party executive director dj quinlan. pete, let me start with you.

break down this bill for us and explain why gay rights activists, why so many are outraged over its passage. >> reporter: many states and there's a federal law as well have what are called religious freedom restoration components and what they say is that religious institutions cannot have to abide by generally applicable laws if it would substantially burden their religious practices. these laws were a response to a supreme court decision of some years ago. now what the arizona bill would do is take it a step further and say that unlike the present law which would apply to religious organizations, this would also apply to or individuals this would also apply to businesses. that's the big change here. it would allow businesses to assert a claim of religious freedom in order to escape having to abide by say an anti-discrimination law or a public accommodation law.

that's the issue here. what gay and lesbian organizations say is that it's intended at them because arizona does not have any discrimination protection on the basis of sexual orientation, which it does have for racial or sex discrimination and that that would open the door to allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians and leave them with no recourse so they could sue but the law would provide a business a defense. >> dj, tell us more if you can about the history of this measure, and why it was that the governor vetoed a similar piece of legislation last year. >> well, thanks, craig. what we've seen, i think, is a lot of business groups come out and say we're not asking for this. this is not a problem in arizona. arizona is a diverse and inclusive state. really this is the republicans and the legislature throwing their lot within the tea party. that's why we're urging the governor to veto this again and we're very hopeful bust we'll see. we don't know what will happen. >> what have you heard so far

from her office or have you heard anything? >> we haven't heard anything. i just threat capital and people are already getting together on the lawn of the capital. i know a big business group here in phoenix the greater phoenix economic council just sent a letter urging the governor to veto. the republic has written an editorial. we're joining with a lot of different groups asking her to veto this. she hasn't said where she's going to be on this but we're hopeful she will veto it. it's wrong for arizona. arizona is a very diverse and inclusive state and not consistent with our values. >> pete some opponents said this measure is also unconstitutional. if it does become law is it likely to end up at the high court? >> reporter: hard to say. the supreme court only takes cases where there's a split, usually, among the lower courts. but this law raises an issue that actually is before the supreme court this year. and that is do businesses have a

first amendment right of religious freedom. does that apply to a business in addition to an individual. that's the question the supreme court wilkon front hel confront issue that businesses say they are run by religious families like hobby lobby and they shouldn't have to abide by the obamacare requirement to pay for contraceptive care to their employees. the supreme court will look at a related question can a business assert a religious freedom. >> dj, pete, big thanks to both of you. have a great weekend. still ahead, these two books are at the center of a controversial measure to cut funding for two south carolina colleges. we'll have more on the move to punish schools for assigning material that among other things deals with homosexuality. it's a fascinating case. also man arrested accused of assaulting one of the stars of the hit tv show "modern family."

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that's merrill edge and bank of america. south carolina lawmakers are hitting the books. sort of. it appears it started when two public colleges assigned two books that had homosexual themes. critics say they present a one sided view of the lifestyle, lawmakers are now aiming to get those universities where it hurts. the pockets. the house budget writing committee in south carolina that committee voted this week to cut some $70,000 from the budgets of the college of charleston and university of south carolina upstate. joining me now democratic state representative. she sits on the house ways and means committee as well. good to see you again. let's start with these controversial books. >> sure is good seeing you. >> one is called "fun home" one

is called "out loud." they are assigned to freshmen i understand. how did we get here? what's happened down there? >> well, craig, first good seeing you and thanks for having me. we got here because we're living in a climate here in south carolina as we are across the country where the silent majority has allowed a very vocal minority with very set opinions about what people ought to look like, what they ought to think, who they ought to love. they have become the voice that lawmakers listen to. and here in south carolina because we are up for re-election those of us in the house, i think we are looking at what happens when that word that now has become a verb, primaried, wets real for people. >> oh. >> that vote is something we never should have taken. you know, one of the things that's amazing to me is that in

a free country there ought to be room for freedom of opinions. and voices. and that's not the prevailing thought of some of my colleagues in the general assembly. >> it sounds like you're saying this was pandering. >> well, it would be disingenuous to say this as opposed to anything else wass d was pandering. but bottom line is it's not our job as legislators to dictate to higher education what should be on a book list. and then to further complicate it by cutting funding to universities when there are books on the list that we don't like. that is not the role of a state legislator. if we want to do that we should consider running for board of trustees because the college and

university board of trustees in my view are the ones who are responsible for setting policy. >> there's also this centuries-old law in south carolina, apparently, that i was not aware of until i started to read this story that requires college students to learn the declaration of independence and constitution as well as several state senators say that that's not happening there. can you speak to that? >> well, craig, here's the problem with that. we have to assume at some point that our public school system is doing a pretty good job of teaching american history and civics and all of those classes about the constitution, about the declaration of independence. the law in the south carolina books came about more recently with this whole tide of patriotism and all of that. quite frankly, it appears to me that when we start micromanaging

to our universities as far as curriculum, mandating certain kinds of courses that must be taught, again, i think we have strayed out of our lane. it's not the job of a state legislator or the general assembly, in my view, to dictate curriculum to higher institutions of learning. you know, there's a role for that but it's not our job. and when we talk about the constitution and teaching and all of that, there's nothing wrong with that. but what are we going to do when we have forced these universities to teach constitution and all of declaration and all of that at the risk of some other classes that young people need or that students need. >> always good to see you. >> ools good seeing you craig. we're proud of you here in south carolina. >> thank you very much. i appreciate that. >> okay. going to switch gears.

deadly shoot out. topping our news stories. in california a former indian tribe leader is accused of killing four people and injuring two others at tribal headquarters. police say the 44-year-old woman opened fire and fired until she ran out of bullets. tribal members were holding a meeting on the eviction of that woman and her son. "modern family" star who played haley is okay after being assaulted. a man grabbed her chest at an event. he's been charged with indecent assault. a charge carrying a potential five year prison sentence there. still ahead -- how old is too old to serve in congress? before you answer, listen to this. listen to this man who says that he has the life experience to serve and he's more than 100. >> so if people are going to say who is this fool at 101 is running, call me a fool.

>> call me a fool. a lot of you are already talking about the story on our facebook page. join the conversation as well. we are at facebook.com/newsnation. who are so congested, it feels like the walls are closing in. ♪ who are so stuffed up, they feel like they're under water. try zyrtec-d® to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms... so you can breathe easier all day. zyrtec-d®. find it at the pharmacy counter. zyrtec-d®. are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule.

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today. here are a few of the things you should know. the white house released this picture of the president meeting the dalai lama. it lasted about an hour. china warned it would seriously damage the relationship with the united states. the white house says that the president commended the dalai lama's commitment to peace and nonviolence and reiterated america's position for independence for tibet. many same sex couples in chicago may not have to wait until june to get married. a judge ruled that couples in cook county would not have to wait. the order only affect couples in that county. a florida man is looking to make

history by becoming the oldest person ever elected to congress. 101-year-old joe newman of sarasota is planning to run as a write in candidate. he wants to fund social security and fighting poverty. newman acknowledges he faces an uphill battle but hopes to inspire citizens of all ages and walks of life to get involved. >> so if people are going to say who is this fool at 101 that's running, call me a fool. i'm sorry. but i've got to get out and convince john and convince jim hey think. >> those are just a few of the things we thought you should know. time for "news nation" gut check. we talked earlier about what supporters call the religious freedom bill passed by the republican controlled arizona state legislature. but opponents have dubbed at any time right to discriminate bill. it would allow business owners to refuse service to gays and

others if the owner believes doing so violates the practice and observance of their religion. opponents say it opens the door to discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, age and disability. what does your gut tell you? do you agree with the critics and say the bill create as license to discriminate or you do not? go to newsnation.msnbc.com to vote. tamron halbach on monday, new time, 11:00 eastern, 8:00 pacific. we hope you'll join us right here on msnbc for that new lineup.ng "the cycle" not going anywhere. it's up next. (laughs) it's more than just a meal, it's meow mix mealtime. with wholesome ingredients and irresistible taste,

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ask your doctor if humira can work for you. this is humira at work. (knochello? hey, i notice your car is not in the driveway. yeah. it's in the shop. it's going to cost me an arm and a leg. that's hilarious. sorry. you shoulda taken it to midas. get some of that midas touch. they tell you what stuff needs fixing, and what stuff can wait. next time i'm going to midas. high-five! arg! i did not see that coming. trust the midas touch. for brakes, tires, oil, everything. (whistling) >> straight ahead, breaking news from sochi. team usa and a days of deja vu on the ice with canada. i'm toure' we're live in the middle of it all where the medal race heads now. it's miller time. we know it's 5:00 somewhere but

this has nothing to do with beer. i'm angela rye. scott miller is ready for happy hour. we're on tornado watch. warnings issued for most of the east coast. this is happening in places we were referring to as the polar vortex. what a winter. rick perry unplugged from potato front page politics. we go head-to-head with the lowerful texas governor. i'm abby huntsman. we had another epic match-up with our neighbors to the north on ties today. the u.s. and canada faced off in the semi-finals of men's hockey and more was on the line than just a chance at a gold