angered some victim's family member members. a new approach has republican rand paul breaking ranks with his party on voter i.d. laws. olympic-sized questions. is brazil running into trouble when it comes to preparing? there's one new surprising report. in office politics, he talks about how he graduated college at the age of 15. > hellhello, everyone. dramatic and frightening stories emerging today from witnesses who saw a hot air balloon explode into flames and fall out of sight. it happened in virginia, where police are still searching for two people. they have recovered one body. >> obviously the balloon was fully engulfed in flames and there was no way these people

were coming out of that. >> nbc's luke russert. do we know what happened? >> as of right now, we do not. what we can say is the balloon actually went into the power line. why did it go into the power line, if it was weather related, if it was pilot error, that has not been figured out at this time. we know the ntsb has been dispatched and are assisting in the effort. some harrowing accounts of eyewitnesses from what they saw. take a listen to the virginia official describing what eyewitnesses told them. >> that's what we had witnesses tell us, they may have seen two jump or possibly somehow they got out. whether they leapt on their own or maybe the basket and the condition of it, they fell, we don't know that for certain. we've also seen video that people have provided us, that it

does have that appearance, is two people exited in whatever fashion the basket. >> that sort of goes along the lines of what some eyewitnesss told our affiliate, alex. one eyewitness saying they actually heard someone in that basket scream, oh, my god, i'm going to die. and then one stayed with it. perhaps it was the pilot. we don't know now. when that balloon hit the power line, it severed the actual balloon from the basket and cause that terrible explosion. there is a press conference right now where we will be updated on the latest to see if they have found the other two victims. they still have not been identified yet publicly. we do know the families themselves were informed that their relatives were missing and in this case it's no longer a rescue operation, it's a recovery operation, the amount of time that's passed since this balloon went off and this operation's been under way. >> we talk about a power line

being involved which means it wasn't too high and then -- so people jumping from a basket, can you reconcile that, because it wouldn't be that high. >> well, if you -- they hit the power line, it was on the descent. they were apparently coming in. but the power line hit the balloon, it caused some sort of explosion. so the idea is they would jump out because there is a fire in the basket and, hence, it would be too hot to be in there. obviously, still trying to figure that out, piecing together eyewitness accounts. interestingly enough, though, if you go through the last few years, hot air balloon fatalities and crashes, they don't happen very much. they're not very frequent. they are regulated by the faa just like airlines but this is certainly a rare event to have something that ends this tragically with at least three deceased victims. >> thank you for the very latest. luke russert, appreciate that. a close call midflight between a passenger jet and a

drone is highlighting the potential dangers of sharing the skies with unmanned aircraft. the incident happened in march and is just being reported. the pilot reported seeing a small remote controlled aircraft so close to his jet he was sure they had collided. the aircraft apparently was not damaged and it's not clear who that drone belonged to. the faa says it's working on how to integrate unmanned aircraft into the nation's already congested airspace. an emotional appeal from the first lady today. earlier this week, michelle obama tweeted a photo of herself holding a sign that read, #bringbackourgirls. today, she renewed that call by delivering the white house weekly address. >> let us all pray for their safe return. let us hold their families in our hearts during this very difficult time. let us show just a fraction of their courage in fighting to

give every girl on this planet the education that is her birth right. >> good evening to you. what's the latest on the search for these kidnapped girls? >> the short answer is there's no sign of them. it's been almost a month. it's turned into a international effort with the u.s., france, the uk, even china getting involved. still no word. now, the fear is these 276 girls have been split up and moved across the border, which will make it a lot harder to find them. officials in this country, cameroon, bristle at any suggestion they would have allowed that. the truth is the northern part of this region is violent and increasingly lawless. >> a father of two of the abducted schoolgirls recounts the terror from the day the school was attacked. >> i had to cry. i'm very close to the school.

>> he says the radical group held the girls nearby, but nobody came for help. >> and no help in hand for a good 11 days. >> the slower response has been replaced by international outcry and mobilization. eight u.s. military personnel arrived in nigeria on friday. another seven traveled this weekend. >> the government would allow them to -- >> criticism of the nigerians have been leveled from all sides. amnesty international says the military had at least four hours of advance warning. >> at vance warning this school was under threat and nothing was done to save these girls. >> the government says it is doing all it can, but worried the girls are being used as human shields. >> we've got to be very careful. if they are holding 200

children, it's not the kind of place you go -- >> even the nigerian government admits it struggles to control what has become an emboldened insurgency. the insurgency as such has really been going on in earnest for the last four years but the last four months has been increasingly violent. there's a problem here in cameroon here too and there's been violence all week. the latest in nigeria on that border region was just today there was a family of a police officer that was kidnapped, as well as a bridge that was blown up. earlier this week, there was another bridge on the border blown up. as many as 30 people were killed, alex. >> terrible tactics. thank you so much, stephanie gosk. today in new york city, the o unidentified remains of the victims of the 9/11 terror attack was moved to an area near

ground zero. joining me from the site is andrew sift. >> here at the southern tip of the world trade center site, a very somber transfer this morning. vehicles from the new york city medical examiner's office brought military transfer cases which were draped in american flags and those cases contained unidentified human remains from the september 11th attacked. as you probably know, more than 1,000 of the victims have never been identified. they have been stored at the medical examiner's office for years. the bloomberg administration had long planned to move these remains to a basement repository beneath the 9/11 museum. and that time came today. and when the time for that transfer came, there was a small group of 9/11 families that were here to protest. they were upset about two things. one, they believe that keeping these remains inside a museum is

not the proper resting place for their loved ones. they also believe that there's some risk in storing some of these remains at the sub basement level, given the 9/11 site was prone to flooding after super storm sandy. but many other families do support the transfer and they have been working with the de blasio administration on this. members of the fire department, police department and port authority police department were on hand for this transfer. and the 9/11 museum opens to families this week. reporting from lower manhattan, i'm andrew sift, back to you. the scope and severity of the va hospital scandal is getting worse. allegations of patients dying while waiting for care is being investigated. as new whistleblowers continue to come forward. at a town hall in phoenix, yesterday, senator john mccain spoke about the potential consequences. >> look, if these allegations are true, if these allegations

are true, they're a violation of law. it's not a matter of resignat n resignations, it's a matter of whether somebody goes to jail or not. >> nbc is in phoenix this morning where it all started. you heard the applause right after that last word "jail." what is the mood like there in phoenix? >> reporter: alex, in that roof, the mood was frustration, but also relief that these concerns finally were being heard. a lot of the veterans that came to that meeting with senator mccain yesterday carried with them thick envelopes full of letters, copies of letters they'd sent to legislators and mccain himself, the va hospital administrators, to the president over the years, with the same allegations these whistleblowers have been coming forward with. so relief that they're finally being heard, but we also heard from widows and children of some of the patients who were denied care for so many months that they never got it. they died. and that, in fact, is alleged to

have happened to up to 40 people in that facility. more vas are coming forward. more va employees are coming forward. you mentioned the va in wyoming. the cheyenne employee who came forward said they were actually coached to change the numbers in some of the medical reports. and here in phoenix, the hospital whistleblower says, for example, they would put the patient's information into the screen, print out a screen shot of that, and then delete all the lines that had been filled in, so there was no actual record of the visit. so, you know, the 14-day limit in which they were supposed to see patients, if it didn't come true, there was no record of it, alex. >> certainly no allegations there of a cover-up. it's one thing to be heard. do we know if the patients are now getting the care they need? >> that's an interesting question. just because these allegations are being heard doesn't mean the problem is fixed and solutions are far off.

it would be interesting to see if someone went in to put in an appointment today if they're seen in two weeks. that would be an interesting test case. we have no evidence that's happening. some of the solutions have been to do away with the va altogether. senator mccain says he doesn't believe that's a good solution because the va is specifically talented in traumatic brain injury care, for example, veteran specific things, that he doesn't think should be passed off to the general medical care. but to give veterans a card to allow them to go to other facilities if, in case, they do just have regular health care needs, he says that would be one possible solution in the long term. >> jennifer bjorklund, thank you. another gay marriage ban struck down in the south. and london calling. new questions and a new response from the ioc about the call to move the 2016 games from rio to the uk. have copd. i'm j-e-f-f and i have copd. i'm l-i-s-a and i have copd,

but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way of hosting my book club. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-daily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs for a full 24 hours. and breo helps reduce symptom flare-ups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay. breo is not for asthma. breo contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. breo won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking breo. ask your doctor about b-r-e-o for copd. first prescription free at mybreo.com

man: yeah, scott. i was just about to use the uh... scott: that's a bunch of ground-up paper, lad! scotts ez seed uses the finest seed, fertilizer, and natural mulch that holds water so you can grow grass anywhere! seed your lawn. seed it! man: we know when parents and teachers work together... woman: our schools get stronger. man: as superintendent of public education, that's been tom torlakson's approach. woman: torlakson has supported legislation to guarantee spending decisions

about our education tax dollars are made by parents, teachers and the local community... and not by sacramento politicians. and we need to keep that legislation on track. man: so tell tom torlakson to keep fighting for local control of school funding decisions. mattress discounters memorial day sale! what's this? a queen-size sealy gel memory foam mattress for just $497? mattress discounters has the largest selection of memory foam mattresses under one roof! comforpedic... icomfort... optimum... and wow! four years interest-free financing on the entire tempur-pedic cloud collection! don't miss the memorial day sale. ♪ mattress discounters

to politics now. the first marriage license to a same sex couple issued today in arkansas. a circuit court judge threw out the state's ban. meantime, republican senator and possible presidential contender rand paul is intensifying his push to reach out to minority voters. meeting with african-american pastors in memphis. >> i want to take issues that i believe in strongly that i think will resonate in the african-american community and say, i want your vote. i want to compete for that vote. >> the senator was in memphis to attend the gop's annual spring meeting. the partisan divide over benghazi's escalating today after speaker john boehner selected seven republicans to a special house committee investigating the attack. it is triggering some intense reaction from democrats. >> this is a stunt. this is a political stunt. we've been there, done this,

over and over again. >> there's no scandal there. it's a tragedy. 25,000 pages of documents they have. >> joining me now, msnbc.com's manager editor. and "washington post" reporter david mackinaw mara. the democrats are considering boycotting this committee. what are the questions that remain unanswered or is this all political? >> i think the question that remains unanswered is how long this is going to go on for. i do think this is all political. i think, you know, a lot of this has to do with 2016 and hillary's candidacy or potential candidacy, having her having been running the state department during benghazi. i think the fact that republicans are fund-raising off of benghazi in and of itself i think speaks volumes for what is going on here. >> looking at the democrats, they have five seats to fill in

this special committee. they're considering three options. either fill all five of the seats, boycott the committee entirely or just fill one seat as a token. how do you see this playing out? what do you think the strategy is here for the democrats? >> i think the democrats have been hinting they'd like to not participate in this but they recognize that risk if they don't have any members they won't be privy to information maybe gleaned by subpoenas. really sort of countering claims made by republicans. they want to be able to be out there. i think in the end they may think having a token member does not seem to be getting a lot of support. we need to fill this with their member, as much as they're upset, i think they'll try to use their spots. >> okay. let's switch gears here. i want to talk about the new article today that's on

msnbc.com. about meeting with african-american pastors in memphis yesterday. he was discussing how the gop can appeal more to minority voters. here's part of what he said. >> most republicans say republicans start out minus two electoral votes. that's not a good place to start. the only way to change that is to make our party more diverse, bigger, in all different populations. you name the population, other than the white population, we're not doing very well. asian-americans, jewish americans, you know, hispanic populations. we need to do better. we don't do better unless we go out and try. >> "the new york times" reports that senator paul is breaking with fellow republicans who advocate the stricter i.d. laws and he's quoted as saying the measures alienate and insult african-americans and the gop. does this surprise you at all? does it strike you as a purely political calculation? do you think it is reflecting what's in rand paul's heart? >> i think it's both. i think rand paul comes off when he makes these moves towards

growing the party and reaching out to african-americans and to other minorities that have felt unwelcome by the republican party, i think it's sincere. it's also a very smart political move. if this party wants to survive and wants to grow and hopes to get votes from a lot of people, it's going to have to do this. ways sad is rand paul seems to be out there all alone. especially on voter i.d. part. i mean, alone in his party. >> yeah. david, "the new york times" writes, here's a quote, mr. paul's remarks seem certain to stir up concern among republicans other whether the senator can appeal to the conservative voters who have some influence in selecting the nominee. so how do you interpret all this, david? how do you think it fits in the 2016 picture? >> i think that's been a concern for paul's supporters. whether he can win a primary. i think what you've seen as he makes these efforts to broaden party, which is something the party itself said they needed to

do after 2012, i think you're seeing rand paul reach out to the party establishment. he had rupert murdoch. the owner of "the wall street journal." attend the kentucky derby with him. he's making moves in a lot of different areas. he's held fund-raiser that's helped midromney's campaign. that's broadening the appeal that he's a legitimate candidate. you have also seen missteps as well. he embraced bundy, this montana rancher, then looked bad when further comments came out. sometimes it doesn't always square with each other. >> he is certainly back in the news. he's weighing in on minimum wage. >> i, for instance, as you know, part company with many of the conservatives in my party on the issue of the minimum wage. i think we ought to raise it. our party is about more jobs and better pay. i think communicating that is

important to us. >> i'm curious, in the statement, mitt romney is suggesting that we all knew that he was for raising the minimum wage. did we know that? because i'm looking at him during the primary season. in february, he makes one statement that indicates he's all for raising minimum wage. in march, he scaled back on that and said this is not the time to do so. >> yeah, i think that's exactly right. i think the idea that our party, the republican party, is all for raising the minimum wage. it's just completely off the mark. they voted against it on the senate side. i just don't think that's the party is. the benghazi story, rand paul, mitt romney and the minimum wage, just shows very clearly, you know, how different the views are inside the republican party still on core issues for voters at a very critical time heading into the midterms and

more importantly with 2016 on are horizon. >> was minimum wage -- when he was running? >> no, maybe he regrets that. i think prior to that, maybe he sort of suggested he could raise it to the inflationary -- you know, raise in inflation. i think maybe he's coming around to that. maybe freer to say his own opinions at this point. office politics with ronnen farrow. ronnen tells me why it's so hard to get the public worked up about climate change. plus, what it was like to finish college at 15. many of my patients still clean their dentures with toothpaste. but they have to use special care in keeping the denture clean. dentures are very different to real teeth. they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. polident is designed to clean dentures daily. its unique micro-clean formula kills 99.99% of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains, cleaning in a better way than brushing with toothpaste.

that's why i recommend using polident. [ male announcer ] polident. cleaner, fresher, brighter every day. so, what'd you think of the house? did you see the school rating? oh, you're right. hey, babe, i got to go. bye, daddy. have a good day at school, okay? ♪ [ man ] but what about when my parents visit? okay. just love this one. it's next to a park. [ man ] i love it. i love it, too. here's your new house. ♪ daddy! [ male announcer ] you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. zillow.

still running in the morning? yeah. getting your vegetables every day? when i can. [ bop ]

[ male announcer ] could've had a v8. two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories. with the summer driving season just around the corner, the price of gasoline is of paramount concern to motorists. it's about 5 cents more than last month, 10 cents more than a year ago. with that in mind, we begin today's number ones looking at the highs and lows of the gas

pumps. the state that often has the highest gas price still does, hawaii. the average price for regular, almost 4.40 a gallon. californians pay about 20 cents less than that. you'll find the cheapest gas in new mexico at about 3.38 a gallon. arkansas at 3.39. more people are biking to work these days. a new census report shows between 2008 and 2012, 786,000 people regularly bike to work. that is a 61% increase since 2000 but still a little more than half a percent of americans commute to work by bike. 6.1% doing so. madison, wisconsin, second. minneapolis, third. finally, searching for happiness, try going to the swiss alps. for a second straight year, switzerland is named the happiest country among the world's top industrialized nations. wealth and health are two of the primary reasons. norway comes in second.

canada third. the u.s. ranked 17th. and those are your number ones. ...we'll be here at lifelock doing our thing: protecting you in ways your credit card company alone can't. get lifelock protection and live life free.

what is this place? where are we? this is where we bring together reliably fast internet and the best in entertainment. we call it the x1 entertainment operating system. it looks like the future! we must have encountered a temporal vortex. further analytics are necessary. beam us up. ♪ that's my phone. hey. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system. only from xfinity. tv and internet together like never before.

only from xfinity. can you start tomorrow? tomorrow we're booked solid. we close on the house tomorrow. tomorrow we go live... it's a day full of promise. and often, that day arrives by train. big day today?

even bigger one tomorrow. csx. how tomorrow moves. we couplcome back. to "weekends with alex witt." ballot papers have been printed for vote, which has been declared illegal by the government in kiev. ukraine's acting president is telling residents they would be courting disaster if they vote yes. a new search for malaysia airs flight 370. an australian navy carrier is heading to the site where the longest sonar ping was heard about a month ago. weeks daily searches have failed to turn up any trace of of that plane which vanished in early march. a scare in the air in new york city. as a us airways flight to washington was forced to return to la guardia after hitting a flock of birds. the pilot contacted control to report an emergency.

>> we've had a strike on our engine. like to return to la guardia. >> is the engine still functional? >> yes. >> that pilot was able to turn that plane around and land safely. more than 100 people were on board. no one was hurt. overseas now. is brazil at risk of losing the 2016 games? take a look at today's headline. now a high ranking international olympic committee member is denying a report that major construction delays in rio could force the games back to london. the 2012 venue. >> that's nonsense. always to think. there is absolutely no plan for london. there is an alternative. there's absolutely no plan b. we, the ioc, the international federations and the organizing committee and the three levels of government have to work together and are working together to deliver the guidance. >> nbc's anabelle roberts is

joining me now. a good day to you. where did all these reports start? >> hi, alex. well, they started in the london evening standard. that is a paper that's london's biggest cheerleader and was a massive champion of the london games in 2012. this is a story that gets proud londoners thinking back very warmly to that amazing summer two years ago. now the paper quotes an unnamed source, saying at this point, two years before the games are due to begin, london was 60% ready, be whereas brazil is just 10% ready. so, this source says, there is need for a plan b. the only logical plan, come back to london. the ioc vice president, saw just there, describe brazil's preparations as the worst he's ever experienced. he said, we've become very concerned, to be quite frank, they really are not ready in many, many ways. he said construction has not begun and that water quality was

a major concern. the standard says london has been asked informally how many of the 2012 venues could be brought back into use. so, alex, could london do it? well, it would be quite straight forward. like wimbledon of course used for tennis, that's easy. others have already been converted for public use. the aquatic center, all the seating there, that's been removed. the athletes village where the competitors stayed, well, that's been sold off for private residents. so it would present huge challenges and would be very expense imto get everything back to the standard required for this level of competition. >> listening to the vp of the ioc, he's the one who kind of stoked all this by saying the concerns about rio and their preparation or lack thereof. so, you know, he denies it's a possibility that we're considering london and yet he's saying basically things are a mess in rio.

i'm curious, were this to happen, would this be an unprecedented move? >> funnily enough, it has actually happened before. in 1908. london stepped in to host the games then. they were due to take place in italy, but there'd been a volcanic eruption and it was deeped to dangerous. it would be the most awful snub to brazil. the ioc has denied it. very unlikely. but, alex, every good organizer needs a plan b. >> anabelle roberts, thank you so much, from london. congress is back home in the home districts. they're on recess this coming week. you can be sure many will be talking to constituents about benghazi. speaker boehner announced the members investigating the now highly publicized attack that killed four americans. democrats for their part still haven't announced if they'll even participate in what they've

called a kangaroo court and political stunt. representative cartwright, good to see you, thanks for joining me. okay, i'm going to make sure your mic gets hooked up. should, sir, there you are, and will democrats participate in the select committee, what do you think? >> well, i want to say it's certainly frustrating and disappointing, you know. those of us who are freshman in the democratic ranks, there are 50 of us, we came to congress hoping to join a deliberative distinguished body. people who are acting like grown- grown-ups. we're not seeing that. on one level, it's frustrating to see a continual mention of benghazi and can't let it go. on the other hand, it's not

surprisin surprising. you think about politics. there's a significant portion of the right wing base that has to be pandered to, has to be fed. these are folks that have been frustrated. they haven't heard about the birth certificate in a couple years. they haven't heard about plans for construction of a mosque on ground zero for a couple years. they haven't heard the things that enraged them and infuriate them and bring them out to vote. that's the big danger. these folks will forget to vote for their own economic interests. >> any opportunity to get all the information out there the and clear the air and move past benghazi? well, if you don't think the air has been cleared after 50 hearings, after 25,000 documents

have been produced, after the department of defense estimates over $1 million has been spent of taxpayer money looking into this. don't get me wrong, this was a tragedy. it was a horrible thing to lose four heroes of our american state department at benghazi. but to try to make this into a political fund-raising event, political pandering tool, it's not right. part of me agrees with a lot of the democrats who are saying we should not even dignify this with our presence. with these further hearings they're talking about. >> how big a mistake was it by the white house to not release the new e-mail that cape out this week in the original batch? >> you know, we were talking about that. it's hard to respond to something like that when you have all of these eyes on you and you're supposed to -- just

divulge all kinds of documents. if you forget one and it comes out later, somebody's going to make a scandal out of that, my point is, look, if they were trying to hide something, trying to cover something up, they never would have released that piece of paper. so to me it's just a question of over site among all of the paperwork involved in this ongoing and never ending investigation. >> as you're out on the campaign trail, does anybody ask you about benghazi, do people care? >> no, it's a beautiful saturday afternoon. people are concerned about their own lives. they're talking about bering themselves. and getting better jobs and getting jobs. we have 2.6 million american families who are still struggling because they got caught off unemployment, long-term unemployment compensation.

speaker boehner won't even bring that up for a vote, let alone push it through. we have a minimum wage that needs to be raised in this country. these are the things that people in wilkes berry care about and they're not being addressed. it's little wonder congress is in such low esteem in the districts back home. >>cy want to take a look, sir, what's happening inside libya. there are gun battles. here's part of a column from the "washington post" editorial board this week about the country. the obama administration and his nato allies bear responsibility for this mess because, having intervened to help rebels overthrow glad gafadhafi, they without helping libyans.

the congressman probed why it allowed a country in which it had military operations to slide into chaos. has the u.s. abandoned libya? >> no, i don't think so. obviously, the u.s. suffered a significant diplomatic setback in libya. anybody who has read the unclassified report, the arb accountability review board report that was put together by ambassador pickering, admiral mullen, will realize the complexity of that situation. and really the fact that ambassador stevens was an american hero. to go into that situation and be attempting to spread american good will. in the midst of that kind of chaotic situation. people are overlooking what an american hero ambassador stevens was and the complexity of the

situation there. >> this whole benghazidicative f u.s. policy over the years? the u.s. goes in, maybe helps topple a government, then everyoner to g er tforgets abou then shocked when it blows up in the end. afghanistan, somalia, egypt. is this a problem? >> look, alex, international diplomacy wasser er inever eas. it was not cookie cutter stuff. it's different in every place. in fact, that's part of the frustration i'm feeling. before the benghazi incident, we had something like 13 american embassies attacked throughout the world. all in different circumstances. with different situations. diplomacy is a very challenging

sport. for anybody to think it's simple, they're not thinking it through. >> representative matt cartwright, thank you so much, good talking with you. >> same here. the new front lines and the threat from climate change. the latest on a report that says specific places in the country are facing a present day danger. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition in charge™.

we are the thinkers. the job jugglers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions our life's work. we strive for the moments where we can say, "i did it!" ♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners. and we're here to help start yours. turning dreamers into business owners. as a i'm still not going toall the pmake it to mars,o visit. but thanks to hotwire's incredibly low travel prices, i can afford to cross more things off my list. this year alone, we went to the top of the statue of liberty... and still saved enough to go to texas-- to a real dude ranch! hotwire checks the competition's rates every day... so they can guarantee their low prices. so we got our 4-star hotels for half price. next up, hollywood! ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ hotwire.com save big on car rentals too, from $11.95 a day.

and i felt this horrible pain on one side of my back. i saw this red, blistery, rash i had 16 magic shows to do. i didn't know how i was going to be able to do these shows with this kind of pain that i was in. i told my wife what i had. she went on the internet and said "i think you have shingles." i could feel the shock in my back and it was like "wow its got to get better than this or i'm in big trouble." constipated? .yea dulcolax tablets can cause cramps but not phillips. it has magnesium and works more naturally than stimulant laxatives. for gentle cramp free relief of occasional constipation that works! mmm mmm live the regular life. ♪

make every day, her day with a full menu of appetizers and entrées crafted with care and designed to delight. fancy feast. love served daily. in today's office politics, msn msnbc's ronan farrow. he shares his unique experience graduating from college at the age of 15. first, ask him why there's a sense of apathy from so many about climate change. >> it's a tough sell. it's hard to get people to care about climate change because we're not hard wired to care about things that happen down the line or future generations. if there's a misfire of our synapses where we can't see that far ahead. but it's only a couple of chess mood moves ahead now that we are

going to wipe ourselves out. we spend such a tiny fraction of our time worrying about it. >> what are concrete steps that can be done to make a difference? >> i mean, this is the thing, the thing that needs to happen is we need to stop extracting fossil fuels. that's not realistic. we need to tell people to walk away from trillions and trillions of dollars and find other energy solution. i guess the realistic interim version of that is trying to, you know, use natural gas as an interim transitional crutch as we switch to solar and wind. and there's the whole nuclear debate because i'm not going to touch here because this office politics should be fun. the irrev cable facts are we may see an inability for human life as we currently know it to survive down the line. right now, we're already projecting that with droughts happening even here in california. we could see the price of staple foods skyrocket in the coming years. actually, a number of publication, have run the

numbers on that and modeled how much the price of lettuce is going to increase. how much the price of all sorts of greens. it's significant. we're going to start feeling it in the wallet. >> how did you finish college at 15, come on. >> again, i loved -- >> was it your professors? >> -- the reading, i was so nerdy. i didn't need the friends. no, i had -- actually, the saving grace of all that was i had a great group of friends. both people my own age that i kept up with and then people with this weird generational divide who i just connected with anyway. so that got me through. i loved that experience. it did create this legacy through the rest of my life of i aririved looking different from anyone else and facing a raised eyebrow at all times like, all right, why did you cut in line, what's the deal. i've been so fortunate. i've had so many opportunities. i've had to prove my mettle in each those different things.

>> you go to yale law school. a lot of international goodwill efforts under your belt. is there something, though, that's the most rewarding? >> i love telling stories. i really -- that's what drove me to print initially. if you look back at those old "wall street journal" columns, they're all about introducing a character and trying to spark something where that became something that wasn't random and that people did care about. as a reporter, you know this, you start to connect with this and it becomes a movement. that's what you're trying for all the time. right. i've been really lucky. >> ferret music jegenre? >> i'm going nashville. i think if you're telling a good story, whether it's in the pages of a newspaper or on one of our

shows, you're capturing human drama. that song does that. >> favorite food? >> oh, no, here, i want to say lobster but i don't want to say it because it's -- this is not making me a man of the people. i like doritos too. >> lobster and doritos. together? >> think you know what that's a beautiful thing and it's going to happen. after our duet, i'll take you to a nice dinner of doritos. >> i can't wait ronan farrow, looking forward to. awesome. >> alex witt, you're a masterpiece. >> so watch ronan farrow daily weekdays at 1:00 p.m. i should note ronan tweeted this, i wanted to do office politics in bathrobes but we decided to save that for next time. i mentioned he's a prolific twitt twitterer. if he wants to do it in bathrobes next time, just tweet us and maybe we will. ronan tells me about his family's rich hollywood history that started with his

grandmother and whether the white house has anything to hide regarding the benghazi attack. the new american dream and why one big part of it is missing for so many. yup. all five of you for $175. our clients need a lot of attention. there's unlimited talk and text. we're working deals all day. you get 10 gigabytes of data to share. what about expansion potential? add a line anytime for 15 bucks a month. low dues... great terms... let's close. new at&t mobile share value plans. our best value plans ever for business.

little things, anyone can do. it steals your memories. your independence. insures support. a breakthrough. and sooner than you'd like... ...sooner than you think. ...you die from alzheimer's disease. ...we cure alzheimer's disease. every little click, call, or donation adds up to something big. alzheimer's association. the brains behind saving yours.

new data reveals home ownership in the united states has fallen to its lowest level since the mid-1990s. despite two years of recovery in the housing market, there are still fewer homeowners today. not everybody thinks it's bad news. in a recent "washington post" article, opinion writer argues americans think owning a home is better for them than it really is. catherine joins me to explain all of this with a welcome, catherine, these numbers, they look like this. 64% currently own their home which is down from the 2006 peak when nearly 70% did. why do you say this downward trend may not be a bad thing? >> i think the issue is americans, again and again and again, overstate the financial

benefits from owning a home. there are obviously substantial psychic benefits. the feeling of security. the feeling of, you know, owning your own piece of land and not having a landlord who can kick you out, that sort of thing. when it comes to the actual investment potential, americans really vastly overstate how rich it's going to make them. in that sense, they may be overconsuming household purchases or at least the purchase of the homes themselves. >> i want to say this word, because you put it in your article. i think you know what's coming here. americans still financially fetishize their home ownership. be specific there. what are they fetishizing? >> if you look at surveys of americans, when they are asked, what is the safest and -- what is the safest place to put your money, where is the safest and most enriching investment opportunity? they always say housing. they say housing ahead of the stock market. they say housing ahead of things

that have proven much safer even if the returns are not high. things like bonds. and the question is, why do they always believe that buying real estate is going to make them rich, that it has so much potential? if you look other the last several decades, you'll see on an annual basis the growth that you see from housing in terms of, you know, how much -- how much you get from your investment, it's less than 1% a year. whereas in something like the s&p 500, which in many ways is much more stigmatized, it's part of the american dream, it's like 6%. so you get much higher returns in a lot of other areas. but americans still very much believe that they should own a home. not because of these kinds of lifestyle reasons. although those are attractive too. but because that's the way they should, you know, tend to their nest egg and get rich.

>> isn't there an argument to be made there are certain part s i the country where owning a home is cheaper? >> yeah, in certain markets. if you had bought a home 30 years ago. places like the west side of manhattan. the mission district. in san francisco where i'm talking to you from right now. san francisco itself. there's certain places where they looked kind of dodgy back then. and they've done really, really well. if you had bought then, you'd be pretty rich now. but ex-ante it's often very difficult to figure out which areas it's going to be very profitable to buy rather than to rent. you can make the same argument if you had bought in detroit several decades ago, look, you know, things look kind of dodgy in certain areas back then. you wouldn't be so well off today. >> do you think the american dream should be redefined?

>> that's such an existential question. i think that in terps of the psychic benefits that are part of the american dream, the sense of human community and security and that sort of thing. i think those are totally valid concerns. and i understand and appreciate why that is so important to so many american families. the question is are people buying too much house. are they overextending themselves to buy more land and more property than they actually need because of this so-called american dream and because of the false impression they have that this is the way to get rich. and i think that's what's problematic. >> interesting discussion, thank you so much. where were you when the infamous o.j. simpson slow speed chase was happening? a key figure from that case talks to us next about what her life has been like since then and how she almost ran simpson over with her car. did you know, your eyes can lose vital nutrients as you age?

[ male announcer ] that's why there's ocuvite to help replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. ocuvite. help protect your eye health. ocuvite. double agents? spy thriller? you don't know "aarp" thanks to the aarp tek program, this guy is spying on his new grandson. aarp tek gets people better connected to technology, to better connect with each other. with social media, digital devices and apps. if you don't think "hashtag love dad"

when you think aarp, then you don't know "aarp" find more surprising possibilities and get to know us at aarp.org/possibilities intercourse that's painfulit... due to menopausal changes. the problem isn't likely to go away... ...on its own. so it's time we do something about it. and there's help. premarin vaginal cream. a prescription that does what no over-the-counter product was designed to do. it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-severe painful intercourse caused by these changes. don't use premarin vaginal cream if you've had unusual bleeding, breast or uterine cancer, blood clots, liver problems, stroke or heart attack, are allergic to any of its ingredients or think you're pregnant. side effects may include headache, pelvic pain, breast pain, vaginal bleeding and vaginitis.

estrogen may increase your chances of getting cancer of the uterus, strokes, blood clots or dementia, so use it for the shortest time based on goals and risks. estrogen should not be used to prevent heart disease, heart attack, stroke or dementia. ask your doctor about premarin vaginal cream. and go to premarinvaginalcream.com this is worth talking about. [baby cries] ♪ [baby laughs] ♪

the va hospital waiting list scandal. it may be widening. veterans are outraged. a lead congressional investigator joins us. it's the deadly hot air balloon catastrophe. how did this joy ride turn so tragic? the murders at o.j. simpson's home. the sister of one victim discusses her new book and letter to o.j. simpson. warning signs. will a new government report on climate change finally convince skeptics? good day. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." now here's what's happening out here. first to the v.a. hospital scandal. in six states, whistleblowers and veterans allege their rec d records were manipulated so the va could appear to be treating more patients than it was. at an emotional town hall, senator mccain spoke about the

consequences. >> look, if these allegations are true, if these allegations are true, they're a violation of law. it's not a matter of resignations, it's a matter of whether somebody goes to jail or not. >> nbc's jennifer bjorklund is in phoenix. these allegations, they keep on coming. weep we've seen a lot of anger. but what are the solutions being offered? >> the solutions are difficult. you heard senator mccain talking about a resignation. the resignation of eric shinseki, which many people are calling for, from several veterans groups. and the solutions are going to be far reaching. as far reaching as the problem is. as you heard, another va hospital with allegations in wyoming. where the worker who came forward said they were expected to change dates on people's admissions and on people's

appointments to make it look like they were treating more people than they actually were. so the solutions, they're really long off. although the mood at the town hall meeting was very much one of relief, as well as frustration, over the years of dealing with the v.a. hospitals. many people complained for years over slow service and not being able to see doctors and health care being such at the forefront of everybody's consciousness these days with the affordable care act. this is their option. the veterans have this v.a. hospital and that's all they have. if they go somewhere else, they're turned away often or they'll go broke paying for care out of their own pockets. one solution senator mccain suggested is give them a card so they can go elsewhere for general care and leave the very difficult cases, the ptsd, the traumatic brain injury, some of the rehab that is such a specialty of the v.a., leave the hefty lifting to them for that.

but let the veterans go elsewhere because this is a system that's failing. >> we're going to pick it up now with more. joining me, democratic congresswoman from arizona ann fitzpatrick. ranking member of the oversight and investigations suggest committee. how broad is this problem? is this just the tip of the iceberg we're seeing there in your home state? representative kirkpatrick, can you hear me? all right, i think we'll try to get that audio. we'll come back to her. new developments on that hot air balloon that caught fire. about a half an hour ago or so, state police announced a second victim had been found. >> so this time, we've now located two of the occupants

from the hot air balloon that crashed friday night. we still have crews on the ground now searching for the third occupant. >> all right, everybody, keep everybody in mind. we're going to further that story. we now have the connection established there. we'll talk about this situation with regard to the hospitals. is this just the tip of the iceberg? >> as soon as i heard about this, i asked for a full investigation. as ranking member of the oversight and investigation committee, we want to see the report. we want to have a hearing on it. i am concerned it could be systemic. this we, i asked for an audit. and secretary shen schecky granted that request. we are hearing reports from other parts of the country.

that's just unacceptable. we've got to get to the bottom of this. >> what has been done for the care of these veterans put on these phantom lists? can you con firm they exist? >> i can't confirm. our committee requested a subpoena of the top officials at the va, asking for any e-mails, correspondence, that would relate. so we're waiting for that information. in the mean type, the most important thing is our veterans get the care they need when they need it. now, the v.a. has a system where they can refer people out to other physicians. they are within their system to get that kind of care. we want to make sure that's happening. any delays in care, denial of care, because our veterans have already paid the price. now we have to fight for them with all our might. >> i know you've been trying to get to the bottom of what in the world is happening here. i know you wrote a letter to secretary shen schecky calling

for an audit. do you have a time line? >> they will start immediately. it's my understanding that's going to happen immediatelyp. again, it's all about making sure our veterans get the care they need when they need it. >> do you think these audits will be legitimate? >> well, they'll certainly look at them. that's one of the things we do. my committee, again, is ranking member on the veterans oversight and investigations committee. if we think that things aren't being done write, we'll call them on that. >> is the v.a. system broken as some have suggested? >> you look at the myriad of problems that they have. i mean, last year we were working on the backlog of claims benefits. now we're working on the backlog of scheduling appointments. there's a concern that, you know, there's something wrong with the system. >> your colleague, senator mccain, said yesterday if these allegations prove true, there are people who should go to prison, and it got some applause

in that very heated group, among whom he was speaking. do you agree with that? >> as a former prosecutor, i know it's very important, first, to get the facts. that's why the inspector general's report is so important. we'll get the facts. we'll have a hearing. and there will be accountability and including asking for resignations or firings where there's appropriate. >> i spoke with medal of honor recipient colonel jack jacobs this morning. he said the system should be scrapped completely and replaced with a system that's like medicare. >> it's really interesting. when i talk with veterans who get care at the v.a., they like the care they're getting. the question is getting it for them. the timeliness getting that care. i honestly feel like, you know, the care they're getting and the physicians and the practitioners really care about our veterans. that's what they tell me. they like the care they're getting. they just need to get it in a more timely manner. >> how long do you think it's

going to take to get this problem under control? because for some who are sick, any time is too long. >> well, you're exactly right. that's why i said delayed care is denied care. this needs to happen immediately. because they can refer veterans out to other practitioners, we need to really push that right now. because we have veterans who are waiting and they need to be seen. they need to get the care they want and they need and they deserd deserve. >> thanks for your time. we're going to go back now and get more on the hot air balloon. state police say they are searching for a third victim. nbc's luke russert is in virginia. can we get the details yet on how this happened? has that been announced? >> it's still unclear. what we do know that came out of the last press conference is weather was not a factor by any means. it appears upon landing this

balloon struck a power line which then added to it a fire and explosion which caused the balloon and basket to sever. they found a second victim. there were three in the basket. a pilot and two passengers. the remains of the second victim have been found. they've not been identified publicly. we're told the families have been notified. we found out from the last briefing, because of that fire on board the hot air balloon, it was a possibility they might not find the balloon or the basket because it could have burned and incinerated into the air. where they're searching is a wooded rural area. there's 100 personnel. there's a canine unit. they're doing everything they can, especially while they have the daylight hours or the possibility of any smoke. the ntsb is here from washington, d.c. they're trying to do as much as they can to put the accident scene together, to get an idea

of how specifically this happened. as of right now, the only thing we know is from eye wit his inw the ground, it was pretty horrific. one victim was heard saying, oh my god, i'm going to die. they jumped out of the basket, it is believed. one pilot watching the events unfold on the ground, accord to last briefing, actually gave credit to the pilot in the basket. he said after they hit the power like, he did everything he could when that fire was engulfing the basket to try to put it out and try to move upwards into a safer ability to try and work through it. but unfortunately, this was not the case. so it remains to be seen if they'll find that third victim. they said hopefully within the next few hours. we'll have a better idea of how this happened. >> were they specific as to how far apart the two victims they have found were? >> yes. they said the second victim was found about a mile or so from the first one. roughly within the same area.

it's in this wooded area. it's not easy. you drive throughout here. it's sort of the civil war battlefield type of look. if you remember gettiesburg. it goes a lot of rural woods to look through. >> okay, luke russert, thanks so much from virginia. >> there are 4 million job openings in this country. unemployment is still so high. why is that? i'll ask the deputy secretary of labor. and about a deserving honor for a group of hard-working americans 150 years after a remarkable achievement. let's s? rv -- covered. why would you pay for a hotel? i never do. motorcycles -- check. atv. i ride those. do you? no. boat. ahoy, mateys. house. hello, dear. hello. hello. van with airbrushed fire-breathing dragons. ah! check. thank you. the more you bundle, the more you save. now, that's progressive.

i'm d-a-v-e and i have copd. i'm k-a-t-e and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way my volunteering. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-daily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs for a full 24 hours. and breo helps reduce symptom flare-ups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay. breo is not for asthma. breo contains a type of medicine

that increases risk of death in people with asthma. it is not known if this risk is increased in copd. breo won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden copd symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. breo may increase your risk of pneumonia, thrush, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking breo. ask your doctor about b-r-e-o for copd. first prescription free at mybreo.com

145 years ago today, a nation devastated and divided by civil war was united as the final golden spike of the transcontinental railroad was driven into the summit in utah. dignitaries gathered to visit

what is still considered one of the greatest engineering feats in american history. not celebrated was the 12,000 chinese ingrants whose back breaking work helped make it possible. yesterday, the u.s. department labor inducted them into its hall of honor. >> today we begin to right an old wrong. we extend the much belated thanks of a grateful nation and afford these incredible pioneers their well-deserved place in american history. >> joining me now is deputy secretary of labor christopher lu. i know this has been a longtime coming to say the least. what was the message of yesterday's event? >> alex, thank you for having me. it is a long-term coming. there are many messages that come out of this event. that this is a nation of immigrants. as you pointed out, this is an historic not only economic expansion for the country, but it was also an incredible engineering accomplishment. 12,000 chinese workers had to build almost 7,000 miles of

railroad through difficult conditions. they had to cross rivers and valleys. they had to wrap the railroad around mountains. when they couldn't go around a mountain, they had to go through the mountain. this was tough work. over 1,000 of these workers died. and, you know, their mishmentes have not been recognized by this country. that was one of the reasons why we inducted them into the hall of honor yesterday. >> does this hold personal significance for you? >> it really does. i'm the son of chinese-american immigrants. when i studied this in school, this was not a history that i knew about. the photo that you showed at promtary utah had the dignitaries driving in the spike. there are no asian faces because the chinese work erers were tol they were not part of the ceremony. even though their back-breaking work was critical to the

accomplishment. >> i only recall reading about it in history books, so your point is well taken. when we get talking about these issue, you can't help but draw parahes to immigration. with immigration, how would reforce impact the economy? >> all the analyses done of immigration reform should it would have a significant positive effect on the economy. we already have 11 million people in this country who are working in the shadows. it's type to take them out of the shadows. help them work, give them good paying jobs. make them taxpayers to this country. so it's important we have immigration reform not only for immigrations but for the entire country. >> as you know, the president's, i guess, window of opportunity for big action, it's getting pretty narrow now. is that going to happen? >> look, we're not giving up.

the obama administration, certainly in the department of labor we're not giving up. we believe it is an important element of our economic plan to keep this recovery going to raise the minimum wage. as the president said, as secretary of labor tom perez said. no one should work full time and receive the minimum wage and still be living in poverty. >> the ladies departmey labor d were 4 million job openings in march. it also announced 800,000 people left the workforce. how do we put that population into those openings? >> the recent figure, show we have made significant progress in this economic recovery. we clearly have a long way to go. there are about 2 1/2 job seekers per opening. that's a good figure. it's better than where it was at the height of the great recessi recession. when there were about seven job seekers per job opening. there's clearly far more to go.

the jobs numbers from april demonstrated that we had created 288,000 new jobs in this country. we've had 50 months of consecutive job growth. 9.2 million jobs. the president has said, secretary perez has said, we have far more work to do. we need to do more to help the long-term unemployed by extending emergency unemployment benefits. we also need to raise the minimum wage. we need to take some commonsense bipartisan steps. for instance by making greater investments in infrastructure. highways, bridge, railroad, the types of things we are celebrating here. 145 years after the completion of the railroad. >> i want to mention you're going to be delivering the address at your alma mater, princeton, in a few weeks. a huge honor. i wonder what are you going to tell students and their parents who are graduatie ining in this

economy and job market? >> my message to students at princeton, consider careers in public service. i'll talk about my career spent in public service. there's no better way to make a difference in your life and the lives of other people than serving your country. that being said, i know this is a challenging job market. the economic recovery has improved things. this is the kind of economy where it is essential you have more than a high school diplomat ma. you need to have some level of advanced training, advanced education, to obtain the jobs not only of today but of tomorrow. >> deputy secretary of labor christopher lu. good luck with the speech. that's really awesome. >> thank you for having me. global warmi ingwarming, ri and trouble in america. what you're made of. why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex.

do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain. it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. if your doctor decides viagra is right for you, you can fill your prescription at your pharmacy. or, check out viagra home delivery, a convenient place to fill your prescription online and have it shipped at no additional cost straight to your door. viagra home delivery. get started at viagra.com.

so, what'd you think of the house? did you see the school rating? oh, you're right. hey, babe, i got to go. bye, daddy. have a good day at school, okay? ♪ [ man ] but what about when my parents visit? okay. just love this one. it's next to a park. [ man ] i love it. i love it, too. here's your new house. ♪ daddy! [ male announcer ] you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. zillow.

constipated? .yea dulcolax tablets can cause cramps but not phillips. it has magnesium and works more naturally than stimulant laxatives. for gentle cramp free relief of occasional constipation that works! mmm mmm live the regular life.

an alarming new report on climate change says a problem once considered an issue for the distant future has moved firmly into the president. devastating effects are already being felt and will impact every single american. is it too late to do anything about it? joining me now, a climate scientist. i'm glad to have you back to talk about this. this report which you contributed to, this is the most ominous we've seen. it breaks down how each region in the country will be affected or is already being affected. >> this really is the most comprehensive look yet about how climate change is already affecting us here in the u.s. due to increases in gas concentrations as we burn more fossil fuels. we brought together about 300 authors here. members of the public sect, private sector. identify things already happening. sea level rise of about eight inches. a foot in the northeast.

temperatures a degree and a half higher than they used to be. it doesn't sound like much but we saw twice as many record breaking high temperatures as record breaking low temperatures between 2001 and 2012. more frequent heavy rain events as well. >> i want to pick u on the low temperatures there. with all the evidence, there are still so many skeptics in the united states. there's a recent poll which found 1 in 4 americans doubts the effects of climate change and thinks the issue's been exaggerated and they cite this year's unusually cold and snow packed winter as evidence of that. the global warming, quote/unquote, is a fallacy. >> the first thing to highlight is actually was a warm year globally. the last decade was the warmest on record. we look at some parts of the u.s., california, alaska. they were very warm. it's posh to note it was in the northeast a very cold winter. that shows if we look at one part of the country, if we look at one year, natural variability

can give us that cold winter. as concentrations increase, the dice are getting loaded, probabilities are changing. we'll see if we can see more record breaking heat in the future. >> here's what the president had to say yesterday when he was in california. >> climate change is real. we have to act now. inside of washington, we've still got some climate deniers who shout loud, but they're wasting everybody's time on a settled debate. climate change is a fact. >> so when the climate deniers are actually shaping policy in washington, how can we make any substantive changes? are you satisfied with the steps this president has taken? >> from the perspective of this report, it's further evidence that climate is changing. and also really getting at how it's impacting people in the u.s. already and how that's going to increase in the future. if you think about the populations living along coast, just two feet or so of sea level

rise is going to triple the frequency of coastal flooding. something you're going to experience during the lifetime with a typical mortgage. it affects all of our infrastructure. i think increasingly people are going to engage as they perceive risk is changing. ways we can reduce our greenhouse emissions to lessen the impacts. ways we can prepare for some of these changes that are coming through investments, thinking about where we live for example. >> do you think people are going to be motivated to make changes based on this report? >> one thing this report really brings forward, we are starting to see a movement towards identifying solutions. people are starting to connect the dots and think about ways to reduce their vulnerability. that's a first step i think towards people activating, starting to say, now we know these solutions are out there, but how do we implement them. that's the big change right now. >> good to see you. come on back any time.

nearly 20 year since the murders of nicole brown simpson and ron goldman, ron's sister is speaking out in a new book and kim goldman will tell us why she's tried to visit o.j. simpson behind bars. that's next. yup. all five of you for $175. our clients need a lot of attention. there's unlimited talk and text. we're working deals all day. you get 10 gigabytes of data to share. what about expansion potential? add a line anytime for 15 bucks a month. low dues... great terms... let's close. new at&t mobile share value plans. our best value plans ever for business.

these are the hands a pediatrician. these are pioneering advances in heart surgery. and these are developing groundbreaking treatments for cancer. they're the hands of the nation's top doctors. kaiser permanente doctors. and though they are all different, they work together on a single mission: saving lives. discover how we are advancing medicine at kp.org join us, and thrive.

...i got lots of advice, but i needed information i could trust. unitedhealthcare's innovative, simple program helps moms stay on track with their doctors to get the right care and guidance. (anncr vo) that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. marge: you know, there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. try phillips fiber good gummies.

they're delicious, and an excellent source of fiber to help support regularity. wife: mmmm husband: these are good! marge: the tasty side of fiber. from phillips. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." the los angeles clippers have a new interim boss. the nba has selected richard parsons to be the team's ceo after kicking out sterling in a lifetime ban. he is the former chairman of citigroup and former chairman of time warner. now from los angeles, more on this. >> after advancing quickly tr l through the first round, the clippers seemed like they had a bunch of momentum but the franchise can't shake the drama. in los angeles late friday night, a loss for the clippers. while off the court comes a change at the front office. dick parsons, the former

chairman of both citigroup and time warner, will now take over as ceo of the team. >> from everyone who knows him and from talking to him today, i think it's a very good hire for us. >> put in place by the nba, parsons brings new leadership for a team that can't escape a controversy now two weeks old. >> who thinks anybody's gonna tape something? what the hell? i'm talking to a girl. >> accord to the website radar online, clippers owner done fald sterling is breaking his silence again. in another privately recorded phone conversation with a confidant. >> i know i'm wrong. what i said was wrong. >> reporter: nbc news cannot authenticate the voice on the tape is thatle of 80-year-old who's accused making racist comments to his assistant v. stiviano. >> the girl's black. i like her. i'm jealous that she's with her black guys. >> reporter: with sterling banned for life from the nba, he remains adamant he won't sell

the team. but as the nba tries to force him out, sterling's estranged wife shelly, a co-owner, says, through her attorney, she won't sell either. >> no major sports league hasser gone forward with their procedures to forcibly exclude and seize the team, and i surely hope that doesn't happen here. if it does, mrs. sterling will fight to the death to protect her property rights. >> reporter: today the playoffs are far from over. and so is the fight for the team. trailing in their cities against oklahoma city, the clippers will take back the court this weekend. it's the headlines off the court getting the most attention for now. >> legal analysts, are they suggesting how long that fight to the death that your interviewee mentioned it would take? how long might this battle play out? >> i can tell you, at least mrs. sterling's lawyer saying they are prepared to drag this fight out for quite some time.

they believe the clippers, their organization has been theirs for the last 33 years. they say they're prepared to fight for it. they want the clippers to then go to their children. according to her lawyer, they certainly are willing to drag this out as long as it takes for them to win the ownership the team. >> thank you very much. it was called the trial of the century. nearly 20 years ago, o.j. simpson's ex-wife nicole and her friend ron goldman was brutally murdered. a trial that captivated this nation. for the families of the victims, the not guilty verdict was a devastating blow to their fight for justice. ron goldman's sister kim has written a book about her journey. it is called "can't forgive," my 20 year battle with o.j. simpson. kim joins me now in the studio. i'm so glad to have you here. it is so hard to believe it has been that long. talk about the incentive, though, after all this time to get this book written. >> for so long, i was fred's

daughter, ron's sister, now my son, sam's, mom, that i lost my way, i lost my voice, i lost control. i didn't know what path i was on. writing this was helpful for me to regain some strength, some control. it was very cathartic. that's pretty much why. >> i admire the control that you demonstrated in this shocking scene shorter after the acquittal when you say you saw o.j. simpson when you were in a parking lot. >> we were all living in los angeles at the time. emotions were still high. i was driving in a parking lot and i saw this figure walk in front of my car and i was for sure it was him because i knew that swagger that extra little dip in his step. i revved the engine, i white knuckled it and i thought i could take him out, nobody would ever know. ultimately, obviously, i didn't. that's not me. i think of my father. i could never put him through that. >> that's sometimes the most paralyzing part, we were both in

the city at the same time. >> it must have been impossible for you to escape the scrutiny, the listening to people, the reading about it, to the point that it put you in a very dark place, didn't it? >> it did, because i didn't have any privacy. my very private greeting was very public. every step we took was scrutinized. people had opinions. as much as we had so much love and support, it was also very isolating to be in that situation. and it still is because people still have such raw emotion about it 20 years later it. >> but the fact that o.j. simpson sits in a nevada prison, what does that give you? >> it gives me a chance to breathe. because now that he's behind bars, he has less time to raise havoc and, you know, he's sitting somewhere for at least nine years and i can pull myself together. i can live a healthy life. i run a charity, you know, that counsels teenagers. i'm raising a great kid. it was time for me to put my appropriate anger for him on a shelf where it can sit and now i can walk. >> you have written letters to

him. you tried to see him. >> i did. i wrote him a letter because i needed to diminish him in size. he'd taken up so much real estate in my brain that making him feel small and seem small to me made him a little bit more manageable. i have not heard from him. i did speak with his attorneys and they tried to knnegotiate se terms with me. the exercise, even writing was helpful. >> as we were sitting here talking during the commercial break, i said, i hope this is cathartic for you. that is a different thing than getting closure. >> yes. i truly believe in my heart that victims and survivors are categorized as being helpless, debilitated. i have joy in my life. and i have happiness. i have successes. i have grief. i have anger. but i manage. and for me, as long as my brother's gone, i'm always going to have that pain in my heart. but i manage it like you do everything else.

and i'm coping. and i'm healthy. and through therapy and support, writing is incredibly helpful for me. >> something i think about as a mom, you've not 10-year-old, sam. this is something that will be part of his life to a degree. what does he know or understand about it? >> he knows pretty much everything at this point. age appropriate. as he's gotten older, the questions have been more sophisticated. he knows my brother was stabbed to death trying to save his friend. we get to talk about what a hero means. he knows that our justice system failed. but it does work sometimes. we've had all those conversations. he now knows that the killer is the famous football player. we don't use his name. but it's hard because he's now very aware of it. whereas before he didn't understand it. he thought everybody's family was on tv when they died. so now he's a good soul and i feel sad that he's had to learn compassion this way. but i think it's going to be better in the long run. >> when people finish reading

your book what do you want to be the takeaway? >> to go at their own pace. that everybody's process is unique to they. until you've walked in somebody else's shoes, don't judge. just be patient, loving, kind. i live my life with integrity. i'm proud of the woman i am. this book is a celebration of all of our traumas and tragedies. victims, you know, are not incapable of living happy lives. even though we've suffered a trauma. >> we mentioned o.j. in jail right now, that he's got a nine year sentence. at some point he may be out a free man. were you to cross paths with him, have you fant sized about what you would say to him? >> i don't know anything i say would ever penetrate him. i know he hates us because of our pursuit of him for the last 20 years. he hated when i was in the courtroom. he used to stare me down. now it's just a matter of feeling stronger. it's tall. it's that visualization that if we would ever see each other, that he didn't break me. he took a huge part of my life

but he didn't limit my ability to live still. i think just standing upright would be the most powerful statement i can make. >> it's called "can't forgive, my 20 year battle with o.j. simpson." get on that plane and get home to sam right now because it's mother's day tomorrow, it's all good, thank you. there are plenty of opinions on the new article written by monica lewinsky. we're moving our company to new york state. the numbers are impressive. over 400,000 new private sector jobs... making new york state number two in the nation in new private sector job creation... with 10 regional development strategies to fit your business needs. and now it's even better because they've introduced startup new york... with the state creating dozens of tax-free zones where businesses pay no taxes for ten years. become the next business to discover the new new york. [ male announcer ] see if your business qualifies.

become the next business to discover the new new york. nineteen years ago, we thought, "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects

with our snapfix app. visit angieslist.com today. ♪ [ female announcer ] there's a gap out there. ♪ that's keeping you apart from the healthcare you deserve. ♪ but if healthcare changes... ♪ ...if it becomes simpler... the gap begins to close. ♪ when frustration and paperwork decrease... when doctors are better connected... when grandparents get to live at home instead of in a home...

♪ ...the gap closes even more. ♪ and you begin to live a healthier, happier life. ♪ so let's simplify things. ♪ let's close the gap between people and care. ♪ it's time for the big three in today's topics. let's bring in my panel. msnbc contributor goldie taylor. analyst for the degreo ruby maxwell. republican strategist joe watkins. good to have you with me. >> happy saturday. >> happy saturday back at you. we're talking about monica lewinsky's new interview with "vanity fair," goldie. is there any room to be sympathetic toward her plight and this exercise could be

cathartic for her? >> she has the right to have her own story. i have daughters that are about that same age now. i'm going to hope they can comport themselves when they are presented to be in environments like that. if they don't, as their mothemo i'm going to fight for them. does she have the right to her story? absolutely. is it relevant in sh environment? absolutely not. >> "vanity fair" points out lewinsky has remained silent for past decade. she says her goal is to get involved with efforts on behalf of victims of online humiliation and harassment and to start speaking on this topic in public foru forums. is that the reason, to further her causes? >> that might have been in her calculation and the editors of "vanity fair" are thinking about 2016 and how this story will fit

into the narrative of hillary clinton running. i do think there's a very big problem with cyber bullying now. i can't imagine if twitter and all the social media plat fors used to harass folks were around when monica lewinsky -- >> she talk about that, she says it would be worse. >> i'm agreeing with her on that point. like goldie said, not relevant in terms of a presidential campaign. if you're going to cast her under this big shadow, i think you're trolling in a little bit of sexism there. >> i want to ask you more detail about that. ways yo jo, what's your thought on this? >> i thought it was a very old story and it was unfortunate when it happened. i hope she has a chance to move on with her life and to do other things. but i hate to keep rehashing this story. it's not fair to president clinton.

it's not fair to hillary clinton. she was the victim, if anything. i thought she handled it with grace and poise. and it won't have any impact on her campaign if she chooses to run. >> that said, the second topic here is fallout. she writes about this relative to 2016. hillary clinton wanted it on record she was lashing out at her husband's mistress. she may have faulted her husband for being inappropriate. i find her impulse to blame the woman, not only me, but herself, troubling. so regarding hillary clinton,better lewinsky gets all this out there now and not anywhere closer to 2016 if clinton runs? >> i think it's a bunch of po y poppycock if lewinsky think she can assess how the woman on the other side of this should or

should not have behaved. do i think it will cast a shadow on her campaign? i don't think it will. i think it's fodder for some interesting blogs. it's great to talk about. will it impact the way people vote come to 16 if hillary decides to make a bid for the white house? absolutely not. she has a right to her own story. hillary has a right to her narrative as well. >> i want to get with you on the wife of former vice president cheney, lynn, how she's reaccount anning. >> if this isn't an effort on the clintons part to get this story out the way. would "vanity fair" publish anything about monica lewinsky that hillary clint didn't want in "vanity fair"? >> what's your reaction? >> that sounds like the benghazi conspiracy theory almost. it sounds really over the top. i think this in no way helps clintons. talking about mon what lewinsky

is something many millennials do not care about. it wasn't something that is relevant to the 2016 election. obviously, that's years out too. we really should be talking about 2014. the framing framing that monica lewinsky writing an article in 2014 will impact millennials and young women of color in 2016 is ridiculous. >> so, jo, obviously lewinsky didn't speak at all when hillary clinton unsuccessfully ran but now that she has gone public, might that change at all the dynamic if clinton runs for a second time in 2016? are you comparing then to now? do you think there's any bearing on that? >> i don't think so. i think it will be a very, very dead issue if secretary clinton chooses to run for the presidency. i think by the time we get to 2016 it will be a very, very dead issue. people will be more focused on whatever the key issues are in 2016, probably the economy and various other things but certainly not this thing that

happened nearly 20 years ago. i think it will be very, very old by then. it's even old now. i hope monica can move on with her life and do other wonderful things with herself and show that she's somebody different than people suspect she is. i really wish her the best. >> absolutely. >> given all three of you and your perspective, i think we spent a few too many minutes on this already. so we're done with this. christopher columbus' name will get dragged into a worst of the week selection. that's coming up next. new car! hey!

[squeals] ♪ [ewh!] [baby crying] the great thing about a subaru is you don't have to put up with that new car smell for long. the versatile, 2015 subaru forester. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

it's time for the best and worst of the week. joe, we're going to you first. what's your pick? >> well, my pick is krauthammer. it has to be a joe friday stick to the facts kind of thing, it can't be a political witch hunt. worst was bringing back monica. i wish her the best but i wish we hadn't brought her back. >> do you wish you hadn't come to work today? no, i'm just kidding.

we talked about it so much. goldie, how about you, best and worst? >> my best of the week, shockingly you may not ever hear this again in my lifetime as long as i'm breathing breath, but mitt romney for coming out in favor of raising the minimum wage knowing that it raises pro productivity and may create jobs. on the other side, my worst is ramaa mosley who unashamedly, publicly across multiple national news works claimed that she kicked off the bring our girls back hash tag, thus kicking off a u.s. movement in solidarity with the nigerian women who are in search of their daughters in nigeria and so i say to mary strawberry you owe this country an apology. >> zerlina? >> actress from the blockbuster "divergent" says i'm not a feminist and then goes on to

misdefine what feminism is. feminism is the idea that women are people. so if you think women are people, you are a feminist. >> wait. so she's the worst but she's also the best? >> it provides us an opportunity to properly define feminism and to ask her if she thinks women are people. so it's my best and worst because it's the worst, it's annoying, but it's an opportunity to properly define it for folks. >> i see, okay. glass half empty and then glass half full. okay, it's all good. appreciate your time. and that is a wrap of "weekends with alex witt." i'll see you right back here tomorrow. up next, we have craig melvin, and do take note, 30 seconds early. >> unprecedented. >> never going to happen again. we've never sold a house before.

(agent) i'll walk you guys through every step. there are a lot of buyers for a house like yours. (husband) that's good to know.

sunny or bubbly? cozy or cool? "meow" or "woof"? wheels or wheeeels? everything exactly the way you want it ...until boom, it's bedtime. your mattress isn't bliss: it's a battleground of thwarted desire. enter the all-new sleep number classic series. designed to let couples sleep together in individualized comfort. starting at just $699.99 for a queen mattress. he's the softy: his sleep number setting is 35. you're the rock: your setting is 60. that works. he's the night owl. his side's up while you're in dreamland. you're the early bird. up and at 'em. no problem, because you're in it together... keeping the love alive. and by the way - snoring? sleep number's even got an adjustment for that. crazy? only if sleeping peacefully with your soulmate is crazy. find your sleep number setting only at one of our 425 stores nationwide. you can afford a sleep number bed, you can't afford another mediocre night's sleep. know better sleep with sleep number.

and you want to get an mba. but going back to school is hard. because you work. now capella university offers a revolutionary new way to get your degree. it's called flexpath, and it's the most direct path, leveraging what you've learned on the job and focusing on what you need to know. so you can get a degree at your pace and graduate at the speed of you. flexpath from capella university. learn about all of our programs at capella.edu. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition in charge™. we're nigerians and this has happened to our sisters, our daughters, our nieces. >> i thought enough is enough.

enough of the drama, enough of the boko haram, enough of the politics, enough of everything we've gone through in nigeria. >> no calls this afternoon for action in nigeria as the world searches for 300 missing girls. we'll also talk to the man who once commanded u.s. forces in africa about what can be done. as congress prepares for a new investigation into the benghazi attack, we'll ask him about whether the new effort is substantive or spectacle. >> they should be held accountable because it's a crime. you know, delayed care is denied care and it's just not fair. >> the outrage spreads over mismanagement at the va. now it's revealed there are more hospitals where staff may have lied to cover up mistakes. >> i would much rather have somebody who drank and drank too much taking care of my child