no relief. parts of of this country in the path of severe storms right now. the latest weather details in minutes. at this hour, new reports on the pen ga benghazi suspect in u.s. custody. he's now been moved from off shore. you'll hear where and why in a live report. cross calls and a new look at drones in the sky in the u.s. and the dangers they pose even to commercial airlines. what some basses did this week to answer the demands of rabid soccer fans across the u.s. hey there, everyone, high noon here in the east. 9:00 a.m. out west. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." we are getting information about the suspected terrorist arrested in connection with the deadly

attack of the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. what have you learned? >> alex, good afternoon, that suspect, ahmed abu khattalah, is back on u.s. soil and set to be arraigned at a federal courthouse right here in washington, d.c., not far from the white house, a little bit later on this afternoon. u.s. officials say he was transferred from a navy warship to a navy facility, and then transferred to that courthouse. now, we're also learning that he faces a number of charges related to terrorism. we don't know what those specific charges are. but of course they date back to that attack against the u.s. consulate in benghazi which occurred on september 11th, 2012, which claimed the life of ambassador stevens and three other americans. that is the very latest. we'll continue to stay on top of all of the developments today. a little bit of background. khattalah was captured two weeks

ago by special forceses in libya. that came after an exhaustive investigation by the u.s. government trying to track down those responsible for the benghazi attack. so this is really the first person who is going to face charges related to that attack. it's also a political test for the obama administration determined to see the suspect tried in the american judicial system, all while you have republicans calling for him to be sent back to -- or sent to guantanamo bay. of course the obama administration has said they want to see guantanamo bay closed down. >> first of all, where has he been, do we know, the last couple of weeks? do we know if he's been talking at all? has he said anything? >> well, you'll recall, we're being told that he's cooperating, that he's being cooperative. inner er iterms of where he's he's been in libya. ways interesti

what's interesting, a year ago, he granted an interview in which he talked about the attack. he denied any direct involvement. but he wasn't exactly in hiding. when you ask the administration about this, why wasn't he captured sooner, they say these things take time. they had to build up a case. they had to have evidence. and so that is what they have been working on since that attack back in 2012. as you know, republicans have criticized the obama administration for not moving more quickly, for not bringing more suspects to justice. so, again, this is a breakthrough in that regard, but certainly interesting that this suspect is not someone who has been in hiding. he's someone who's been out talking to reporters. alex. >> i know there's a lot of action today. we'll check back with you next hour and get an update. let's go now to severe weather hitting parts of the u.s. in this last weekend in june. in kansas, a massive storm created huge winds and hail there. flooding in st. paul, minnesota, set off quite the stage of emergency in that city with no relief in sight. the weather channel's alex

wallace has more on the forecast. hi, alex. >> it looks like another active weekend across the middle of the country as we track this next storm system. a slow mover but we have a lot of moisture working its way up from the south, from the gulf, and that's going to spark off some showers as this cold front moves its way to the east. storms that could produce damaging wind, hail, even a a few isolated tornadoes. that's the threat for us today, anywhere in the red, general thunderstorms in the orange. tomorrow, still dealing with that risk. tomorrow, we actually see the tornado risk go up just slightly. so we'll be watching parts of iowa, into minnesota, for threat for some of those storms that could get on the strong to severe side. monday, still strong storms here. maybe spreading a little farther east into the western portions of the great lakes. and sliding south and westbound as well, into parts of the central and southern plains. weekend though in the northeast, picture perfect. high pressure settle on in. great for the beaches and great to take a stroll outside. lots of sunshine and mild

temperatures. we'll send it back to you, alex. >> appreciate that, alex wallace. developing overseas, in iraq, the u.s. military is stepping up its presence. armed drones are now stalking the skies over baghdad to provide cover for the 300 american advisers on the ground. in isis-held iraq, drones are on patrol, but they don't have authorization to fire upon the militants. joining me, nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel. >> reporter: for years, it was american troops who played this game of whack-a-mole with iraqi insurgents, attacking to one place, only to see them move to another town. this typime it is the iraqi military engaged in the same kind of fight against many of the same militants. today, the iraqi government launched a counteroffensive, a very small counteroffensive, against the city of mosul and against the city of tikrit, using some of the very few combat helicopters that the

iraqi military's able to call into this battle. there were some losses on the milita militant's side we're told in mosul and tikrit. the militants are advancing in other parts of the country. they're advancing in diyalah province, so we're not really seeing the iraqi army making any significant advances, it is just carrying out these limited air strikes. it is not changing the balance of power here. there are now, also, american military adviser, alex, who have been brought in to help give the iraqis tactical advice, tell them how to maneuver, how to better use their armed forces. the pentagon has confirmed, to protect those american military advisers, armed jets and drones are now in the skies over iraq. they're not authorized to engage in any offensive action. they're not authorized to join in the fight against isis. at least they're not authorized yet to do any of of that. that would require a political decision from the white house. instead, they're a weapon of has resort. they're here to protect the advisers as they move from place

to place and, in case one of their convoys comes under attack and the american's lives are threatened, then those drones and jets could be called into action. as this continues, i can see a lot of pressure being put on those military advisers to use those drones. the military advisers are here, after all, to help the iraqi military. they have extra weapons. they have weapons flying above that currently aren't being used. and the iraqi government and the iraqi military both want to see those drones not just to protect americans, they want to see them used to fight isis. alex. >> okay, richard engel, thank you for that from baghdad. numerous warrants issued today and more expected tomorrow to search the home of justin ross harris, the georgia dad would is currently in police custody, relating to the death of his 22-month-old son. cooper harris died a week and a half or so ago after being left in a hot car for more than seven hours. police say he told them he

forgot to drop his son off at day care and didn't realize he was strapped in the back seat while he went to work. police say the facts in the case do not point towards simple negligence. funeral services for cooper are set for 1:00 today. cleveland born singer/songwriter bobby womack has died. nicknamed the preacher for his voice. a range of artists from keith richards to stevie wonder. he had overcome drug addiction and prostate cancer. one maryland mom got the shock of a lifetime when she found a bag of marijuana with her sonic order. she found that surprise. the worker responsible later came forward, saying she thought she had tossed in a packet of ketchup. so bring on belgium. team usa is battling for its next battle in the world cup tuesday. soccer fever has hit the nation with world cup viewing parties

taking over bars and parks from coast to coast. now some believe the excitement for the sport is here to stay. nbc's kerry sanders has more. >> reporter: who could have guessed crowds in chicago, los angeles, even watching the big game on the big screen from the swimming pool on miami beach. some bosses this week shut down work for two hours to let employees watch. it says something, but what? >> people are watching it in record numbers. kids are playing it in record numbers. soccer is here. america is a soccer nation. >> the growth is there. the interest is there. everybody wants to be a part of major league soccer. >> reporter: but we've heard that before. >> now soccer. previously thought to be european -- >> reporter: in the 1970s, the world's best player, pele, joined the north american soccer league, initially huge crowds.

>> soccer in the united states is attracting young families. many from the suburbs. >> reporter: eventually that league failed. >> this is a world cup -- >> reporter: in 1994, the u.s. hosted the world cup. and again there was talk soccer would take off. today, there are 16 north american cities with major league soccer franchises. orlando, new york and atlanta are also getting franchises. and david beckham is working to bring a team to miami. but is this really the moment? or is what's happening simply national pride? >> i'm a huge american fan. >> anything american i love. if it's soccer, i love it. >> americans love big spectacles. so of course they love soccer and the world cup for now. when this party is over or when team usa gets the boot, which could be very, very soon, americans are going to go back to what they really love, the football they really love, the nfl. >> reporter: there's one piece of this equation that experts say you can't overlook.

while americans are raised watching american football like the falcons right here, there also is a huge immigrant population who lives in this country that remembers their sport, soccer, and the betting is that immigrant population, which is huge, along with the newfound fans, will help make professional soccer a success beyond this world cup phenomenon. alex. >> okay, kerry sanders, thank you for that. we saw some unusual 9-0 decisions in three supreme court cases this week. what to expect. important legal matters in just minutes. now it's quicker and easier for you to start your business, protect your family, and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.

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new today, president obama is sending a clear message, saying he's prepared to act on

issues with or without help from the gop. >> this obstruction keeps the system rigged for those at the top and rigged against the middle class. as long as they insist on doing it, i'm going to keep taking actions on my own. like the actions i've already taken to attract new jobs, lift workers wagers and hen students pay off their loans. i intend to do my job. >> former secretary of state hillary clinton back in her old stomping ground, s arkansas. she reflected on the time she lived in the state. >> of course we live in new york but we spend time in arkansas and we have such a great sense of commitment to the state and we want to continue to be good contributors in every way that we can to a state that we both love. >> and the controversial new gun law that critics call the guns everywhere law. goes into effect tuesday in georgia. this one allows licensed carriers to take guns into bars without restrictions along with some churches, schools and government buildings under

certain circumstances. two big developments when it comes to the use of nonmilitary drones in this country. a year-long investigation reveals near misses with drones and commercial airplanes are on the rise with some 16 cases in the past year alone. also, delivering packages with drones for a fee will remain illegal for now. earlier are i talkeded with patrick tucker. here's some of what he had to say about all this. >> they've come out and they've said that the recent faa announcement probably is not going to affect their ability to deliver packages with these flights. the faa would disagree and say right now commercial drones are still highly regulated.

saying right now commercial drone delivery is still something that's highly regulated, in order to use one of these things commercially, you have to have a pilot's license, a drone should be certified. there's a wide number of issues that we just don't have nailed down yet, and i think you'll see a lot more lawsuits like the ones involving parker, where people are figures out what's a drone, what's commercial. >> there's been like 15 reported near miss incidents around airports, notably, la guardia and lax over the past couple of years. >> this is increasingly urgent issue for the faa. this is part of the reason why they've been mandated to come out with new rules guiding how drones fit into civilian airspace. recently, the faa came out with

some new guidance, saying drones have to be 5 to 8 miles away from airports. as long as they're above 55 pounds. and that's going to help keep these model aircraft and drones away from aircraft. there's been a lot of misses so it's confusing. >> it's a month anticipated ruling we expect. it's the so-called hobby lobby case. this case challenges the affordable care act's contraception mandate. in short, the family-owned hobby lobby, a company that sells arts and craft, says it does not have to provide contraception service to women based on the owner's religious beliefs. let me bring in criminal and civil rights attorney to talk about this. a good day to you. >> hi, alex. >> so this high court hands down three unanimous decision, 9-0. i'm curious what you make of that. does it tell you anything about

this court? ba because it seems to be a startling die par chur from what has been the norm. again. >> again, the rules was unanimous, but the reasoning was not, and similarly, there was another case involving the nlrb. this addressed our president's right to reappoint people or recess appointments, rather, during periods of recess. again, the ruling -- they all unanimously agreed. however, the reasoning was differed between, frankly, the conservatives -- >> how did they end up ruling if they had a different approach? >> in that case, chief justice

roberts, he said, listen, we have to hold back on speech that's content neutral. justice scalia said, hold on, i'm going to write a separate opinion. where kennedy and thomas join me. this is restricting speech, that is freedom of speech. >> the fact is, this has all sorts of water cooler buzz. the question is, what is the implication for the abortion clinics? >> alex, this is the only clinic in the country that's doing it. there are alternatives. you have to talk about public safety. access to health care. and, again, the freedom of discourse that we know historically occurs on our sidewalks. so there's no implication. no one else is doing this

anyway. there's plenty of alternatives. >> also coming on monday, the court's going to announce its decision on the affordable care act requirement, that the employer health plans provide contraception coverage. >> i just feel this case has got your liberal extremists, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon because it's about contraception. it is really not. first of all, hobby lobby is suing under the religious freedom restoration act. alex, this act has been around for over 20 years. they apply a strict scrutiny test. this is not some sliding scale slope where everybody's going to claim a religious exemption to, in fact, discriminate. no. this case, they don't want to provide, hobby lobby doesn't want to provide 4 out of 20 available methods of contraception. >> the things that they are opposed to are things like iuds

and the emergency contracepti contraceptions, your morning after pill, because they're not opposed to what is traditional contracepti contraception, correct? >> that is correct. i don't think that the religious freedom restoration act is going to fall. what i think will happen is that they will work out a compromise where if there are women, employees, who want one of those four contraceptions, government can pay for it. government's done it before when it interferes on religious rights. they can do it. they've done it with the military. the bottom line is these women have a right to their choice of contraception. but at the same time, you have to weigh that against religion freedom. >> it is complicated to say the least. thanks for discussing it with us. so what do americans, germans and brazilians have in common? while a body in motion tends to stay in motion.

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in today's number ones. first, the best states for business. a new ranking names georgia the leader. georgia moved up this year. texas is the runner up. utah comes in third. rhode island is named the worst state for business. just ahead of hawaii which at least has the top rated quality of life. the west virginia state rounds out the worst. now to the gratuity. people from eight countries finds americans are the top tippers. 60% americans say they always tip on vacations. germans are second most generous. one-third of brazilians are equally as giving. >> what does marcellus wallace look like? >> what? >> that's pulp fiction. it came out 20 years ago. ranked as the fifth best movie

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bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." the whooping cough epidemic in california is getting worse. that makes mor s more than 3,50 the year. sadly, a third infant has died. more safety recalls from general motors. the company announced three more recalls totaling 475,000 vehicles. among the biggest issues, software that could automatically switch the car into neutral and a glitch that stops the windshield wipers from working. new jersey smokers. a new push to ban smoking in

parks and beaches just passed legislature. if approved, that law would mean some pretty stiff fines for offenders. $250 for the first offense. 500 for the second. $1,000 for each additional citation. breaking news at this hour. alleged benghazi mastermind ahmed abu khattalah is in washington, d.c. and will be arraigned this afternoon on charges for the 2012 terror attack in libya. we're getting some video of a lot of activity outside the federal courthouse. it's where he's scheduled to be arraigned. joining me now, our terrorism analyst. with a good day to you. give me your analysis of khattalah and how dangerous a guy he is. >> the big problem we have now is potential retaliation. there are individuals that immediately begin threatening u.s. interests. one of the questions is not just what the threats are here in the

u.s. but particularly in libya, surrounding states. how are his friends and allies going to respond. his organization is tremendously influential. they sent a whole bunch of people to syria to fight there on behalf of isis. libyans are among the largest contingent of foreign fighters in syria. principally because of the role of ansar al sharia. they're still a threat. >> do you have greater concern with foreign jihadists that would come here or that they may make a call here to domestic terrorists? >> i think the threat really in terms of his friends and allies the threat is abroad. it's really in libya and surrounding states across north africa. where ansar al sharia has a lot of supporters. and where u.s. interests are diverse and easy to strike. we saw that of course with the attack in benghazi. and these folks are capable of that again. >> based on that attack in

benghazi, what are the charges you expect to be filed against him? >> destruction of american property. killing u.s. nationals. we're going to have to see exactly what the evidence is and what witnesses they can bring. according to reports, this is an individual who essentially helped coordinate the assault. who was on site and was coordinating the assault and when asked, what should we do, when others came to him and asked what should we do, said flatten it, referring to the consulate. an individual who allegedly left and then coordinated a second attack on the cia annex at the same facility. again, if the evidence is what it is, this is someone who played a very integral role in this. we'll see whether or not the evidence can be presented in a federal court. >> we know he's been integrated at sea. we've heard he's been cooperative. do you know what that means? do you have any idea of the kind of discussions or evidence he's been giving up? >> sure, no. look, right now, everyone's been very mum about that. for good reason. because of the fact that any

information he's given up, if it was before miranda warning, is going to be vital for intelligence reasons. if it was post miranda warning, it is going to be essential evidence in his case. if you look at the senior al qaeda operative who was prosecuted in new york just a few months ago, some of the most important evidence were his own statements given to the u.s. government, given to fbi agents after his capture. it may strike someone as odd that someone would say something important to their own guilt when they're in the custody of the fbi, but it happens all the time. so, yeah, no doubt that this is going to be some of the most interesting evidence to see what he has to say. is he just being cooperative in the sense that he's not fighting back or in the sense he's providing specific information about where he was on the attack on the consulate what his role was, et cetera. >> the pentagon has announced, in addition to these 300 military advisers on the ground, we have u.s. fighter jets patrolling iraqi airspace where

isis in particular is in command of things. we also know there are droens there presumably picking up intelligence. what have you heard about this, about either the presence or the fear of information being passed? >> look, first of all, it should be noted, in the past few weeks, there has been a greater emphasis on these folks on looking for u.s. drones, preparing for the prospect of u.s. drones or having to deal with these drones. isis is the one group that has not been exposed to u.s. drone power. we've seen that in yemen. we haven't seen it in the past few years in iraq. these folks are now getting educated. in terms of how it will impact, it's a good question. if you're looking at how these drones are being used, they're being used apparently entrepreneurialpurely in observatory roles. they do have helicopters, other equipment. so far, it seems that every piece of equipment that's being

actively used to attack isis is their own stuff. it's not ours. we'll have to see. it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon. >> thank you as always for the discussion. we'll bring you back soon. just a short time ago, a small single engine aircraft lost contact with the air traffic control tower. it crash landed in the delaware river. we're giving you a look of that area. the plane appears to have landed in this marshy muddy area. we're being told by police there were two passengers on board. they've been pulled from the water. they're being treated for what we are told are nonlife threatening injuries. the plane crash between fort delaware state park and fort mott state park. we'll get you some updates as we get the news here on msnbc. some new questions on the case of a missing boy who was found in his own basement. the boy's father is expected to face criminal charges.

nbc's ron mott is in detroit with the very latest. >> very strange story. lots of twists and turns. as you mentioned, the father's essentially waiting to be charged. the stepmom has struggled to get out of jail on an unrelated charge. as for the boy, he is safe and sound at home with his mother. >> no comment. >> reporter: bracing for possible criminal charges in connection with his 12-year-old's son disappearance and odd discovery -- >> -- concerns going forward about getting your family back together -- >> reporter: he was not in as talkative a mood friday as in recent days. >> we're getting reports that your son has been found in your basement. >> i have -- i have no idea -- >> how concerned is he might face arrest? >> we're very concerned. >> reporter: as his attorney answered a myriad of questions over the case. >> my client hasn't been charged

with anything yet although we fully anticipate some sort of charges. we're prepared to defend any allegations, any complaints. >> reporter: he attended a family court hearing seeking to regain custody of his two younger children who were taken bib authorities when his wife unique, stepmother to charlie, the boy reported missing, was arrested on an unrelated probation violation charge. she was given bond of $5,000 and ordered outfitted with a tracking device. the stepmom who got police involved in the search for charlie is also represented by an attorney. >> they could have simply said, all right, we filed a missing person's report, leave it at that and lay low. but they did way more than that. >> reporter: meantime, prosecutors say they've not received a warrant package from police detailing evidence that could support filing criminal charges. charlie was found crouching in a small area in the basement of his father's home wednesday, officials say, where he also lived. an area previously searched by authorities. the attorney told nbc news charles botheull pushed his son

to lose weight when he moved in with them but he did not tie it to punishment. investigators are investigating whether he suffered physical and emotional abuse at home. >> based on what i've seen, the father loved this child more than anything. >> reporter: now, we previously reported that charlie might have been afraid of being punished for not finishing daily exercise. the lawyer says the father told the son recently he was going to have to go back to public school or even into a military academy after being homeschooled and he did not take that news very well, alex. back to washington and the president saying the gop is working to distract the american people from real issues. >> sometimes the news that's coming off is just -- these are just washington fights. they're fabricated issues. they're phony scandals that are

generated. it's all geared towards the next election originiginning up a ba. it's not on the level. >> joining me now, our nbcnews.com editor. and reporter david mcnamara. ladies first, daphne. republicans are investigating lois learner's lost e-mails. of course, she the ex-irs official at the center of this whole controversy. learner's lawyer says she doesn't know what happened and says it's quote, silly, that they think this. are there legitimate questions to be asked here? >> sure, but there's also, i mean, an amount of outrage, an amount of scandal, an amount of sort of paranoia and ideas that are just no factual basis for. one of my favorite headlines was in the chicago tribute today where it said e-mails lost and

so is sort of everybody's outrage. i think this thing has kind of ballooned in a way that i think is just not realistic with what's happening on the ground. >> that may well be, but has the irs given republicans the ammunition at least to attack them? has the story gained any traction with the public because it's the irs we're talking about? >> yeah, the irs, if there's one thing that might be less popular than congress, it could always be the irs. you saw president obama. i was on this trip to minneapolis. part of a summer tour where he'll try to talk to folks outside of washington, try to be more accessible. you're hearing what he said. these are phony issues. in addition to the irs, you have the benghazi panel, still investigating that, much to the white house's chagrin. you also have questions about some other areas. the health care act as well. still potentially fruitful for republicans. certainly an election year issue. i think the white house believes

it's likely the gop could overreach here. when asked about the irs scandal, he said, they've had three hearings in 24 hours. that's more than i've even had meals today. it's certainly i think republicans are going to keep hammering on this. >> of course the commissioner, his political donations are now being called into question. the fcc filing show he's given more than $100,000 to democratic causes over the past 30 years. does this at all bolster republican's claims this controversy stems from some sort of partisan bent he irs? >> well, certainly is going to make it a lot more fun to claim that's the case. i think it's over 30 years. i don't think the administration is saying they had anything to do with what's happening in the irs today and with these e-mails. i think -- david is right, i think this is all part of a piece. for the republicans, this is just one more scandal that they can kind of push on and hope they get some traction as we head into the midterms. >> okay. switching gears, we're waiting the supreme court decision on

monday on the hobby lobby and the affordable care act contraception mandate. what is the sense from the white house ahead of this decision? are you hear anything? >> certainly they're not showing any signs of doubt. they think this law is bulletproof in that way. certainly inside i'm sure there's concern. this court is not exactly always friendly to liberal causes. i think right now for the white house the biggest thing at stake i guess is probably the idea that even if there's some sort of middle ground decision, that even sort of salvages the law, there's a sense, depending what the court says, it could look like the white house was going too far with this law, plays into the republican narrative that the president is taking too much executive authority, going too far. i think that's what they have to lose right now. certainly they're going to project a positive face until they hear more. >> these three 9-0 u man maunan decisions handed down by the court this week.

the third one having to do with the abortion clinic buffer zones. what do you make of all this? is there anything interesting going on in your mind? >> i think it's -- we're going to know a lot more about what it means after the hobby lobby decision comes out. there's always some horse trading inside the supreme court leading up to big decisions. all these decisions were held until very, very late, until the very end of the term. so i think we need to see. if hobby lobby comes out and it's decided very narrowly or we have a classic split like we are used to with the conservative and liberal wing of the court, i think we'll have a better sense of what that means. i think it's a little bit hard to tell. i would say the affordable care act is a -- it survived a general election, the midterm elections. it will be interesting to see how they tackle it.

>> always good to see you both. so the summer movie season is here. there's one film in particular i'm going to tell you about. it was not a so-called blockbuster like the one we are seeing right now on screen. film critics are joining me to talk about ways hot and what's not on the big screen this season. but we're not in the business of naming names. the fact is, it comes standard with an engine that's been called the benchmark of its class. really, guys, i thought... it also has more rear legroom than other midsize sedans. and the volkswagen passat has a lower starting price than... much better. vo: hurry in and lease the 2014 passat s for $199 a month. visit vwdealer.com today. ♪ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ [ birds squawking ]

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at 48 past, want to bring you up to date. look at that plane. that is a plane that has landed in some marshy area there in the delaware river. this is a single engine aircraft that lost contact with the air traffic control tower and it crashed into that marshy area. two passengers on board. both have been rescued successfully. no word of course on what has caused the crash. the passengers have been taking to medical evaluation and we should say their injuries do not appear to be threaten being at this time. it has been determined the incident occurred within the state of new jersey boundaries. there's one police department

from the town of penzville, they're going to be the point of contact for any further information if you are concerned about that plane. at least the good news, the the two have been taken out of that plane and are on their way to medical evaluation now. world cup fever. we're going to give you a live picture here from brazil. the real question is will the u.s. beat belgium today? i will talk with the best soccer mind around in the next hour. y. say "hi" rudy. [ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing. ok, here you go. have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth? the twist and nub design cleans all the way down to the gum line, even reaching the back teeth. they taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. [ barks ] nobody ever stomped their foot and asked for less. because what we all really want...

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my label's completely lost all faith in me. >> why did you give me your card? >> force of habit. i wasn't celebrating tonight. i was drinking, ready to kill myself. then i heard your song. want to get a beer? i want to make records with you. >> that is mark ruffalo and keira knightley in "begin

again." musical drama that "rolling stone" says hits that summer sweet spot. here with a review of some sweet summer films is "the atlantic's" christopher orr. i'm glad to see you again. i just loved "begin again." please tell me you liked it too and aren't saying it's such a girl movie. >> i did like it. thanks for having me. i didn't love it quite as much as i wanted to. i thought the music was wonderful. i have to say, i loved "once" so much that i think this was really just a circumstance where my expectations were so high it would have been hard to meet them. i think "once" is one of the most charming movies of the last ten years. "begin again" was good but i didn't think it quite rose to that level. >> we can agree to disagree. i agree with "once." i liked it a lot. "transformers" now, "age of extinction." this one's getting pretty awful reviews. this one sums up them all. it's long, it's loud and it's

really stupid. ouch. do you agree? >> i could not agree more. those are really -- those are pretty much the three words you'd use to describe this movie. i didn't think it was quite as mean spirited as the last one. i think it might have been marginally less stupid then the second one. it is really just a terrible movie. one almost assured of making $200 million. >> i think it's on track even with the international box office to make like $100 million just this weekend which is huge. what if you are looking, though, ton do your sci-fi fix this summer? what can you see instead? >> "x men days of future past" is good. the tom cruise movie "edge of tomorrow" was surprisingly good. i didn't expect it to be much of a film. it was quite good, with emily blount. there's a movie that's getting limited release but will be expanding called "snow piercer" starring "captain america's" chris evans, by a korean

director, bong jo hoe, it's a very stylish interesting addiction to the summer action menu. >> i saw that one and had to walk out of the room a couple times. >> it's brutal. >> it's unique and fascinating. >> that's true. we have to talk about melissa mccarthy having a really bad day in "tammy." here's a scene from that. >> stand back, ladies. right this way. >> you know, i -- i bet you've seen a lot of -- >> no, no, ma'am. ma'am! are you serious? >> there was a bee! >> there's no bees here, ma'am. >> there was a bee. >> you can't run from the law. >> i don't know why but i crack up every time i see her. she's -- i think she's hiss star call. can we ever get enough of this woman? also, susan sarandon, in her role. >> i love melissa mccarthy. i wish she got some slightly

better projects because she really i don't think has had anything on the par of "bridesmaids." she's just a joy to watch. she's really a gift to the country i think. >> susan sarandon in this one? >> unexpectedly funny. it was, you know, i couldn't call it a must see but a solid summer movie. >> "mally eficent." >> was a pretty good movie. i did think it was tonally a little all over the map. it had some extremely dark bits in it that i don't think would be suitable for kids. and then would veer into slapstick. it's one of those movies that the cgi takes over and really detracts in the end even from angelina jolie which is a shame because it's a really sort of big old-style movie, movie star performance. but the movie i think, it just layers the cgi on a little too

thick. >> couple of good sequels. unusually good. you're saying "22 jump street" and "how to train your dragon 2," what made them stand out for you? >> they were both really good. "how to train your dragon 2" is a little sadder but very much in the same mode. it's really the animated movie of the summer. it's not a year that's offering a lot of big animated movies. and "22 jump street" was an essentially clever extremely sel self-reverential movie. it was a real pleasant surprise, i thought. >> christopher orr, come see us again, always fun. >> i would love to, thanks so much. we'll bring you the latest out of washington.

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is sfloen flown to the state. a funeral this hour for the toddler who died in an suv. and collision course. a busy highway, one of the worst places for a plane to make an emergency landing. you're going to hear what happened to one motorist. >> good day to all of you. it's 1:00 here in the east, 10:00 a.m. out west. we have this breaking news to share with washington, d.c. the suspect grabbed in a military raid two weeks ago in the deadly 2012 benghazi attack is now in federal law enforcement custody right here in the u.s. nbc's kristen welker is at the white house for us. >> we expect that suspect, ahmed abu cat lal abu cat lal la to be arraigned. white house officials say he was

flown from the warship to a navy facility and then transfer to the courthouse. he faces a number of terrorism related charges. all dating back to that september 11th, 2012 attack against the u.s. consulate in benghazi which claims the life of christopher stephens, the u.s. ambassador, as well as three other americans. now, just for a little bit of context and background, alex, khattalah was captured two weeks ago by u.s. special forces during a raid on a seaside villa just outside of benghazi. so he has been transported back since that time. and of course this mark, a major moment for the obama administration which has come under a lot of criticism from republicans specifically who say it hasn't done enough to bring the suspects of the benghazi attack to justice. so of course this is the first person who the obama administration is bringing before a judge. will undoubtedly get some

criticism as well, because a number of republicans are calling for him to be held at guantanamo. of course president obama said he wants to shut guantanamo down. we expect that suspect to be arraigned a little later on this afternoon. >> do we know the extent to which he's been cooperating? >> well, the initial reports are that he has been cooperating. and we anticipate we'll learn a little bit more about that during the court proceedings today. some of the questions that have surrounded this capture, why did this take so long? this suspect is someone who has spoken to reporters. he has not been in hiding. when you ask obama administration officials about that very question, they say, look, it takes time to establish a case against someone. remember, he is being tried in the american judicial system. so the argument that the administration would make is it's not as simple as just

detaining someone and bringing him before a judge. they needed to build up a case. that is what officials have been working on for the past several years. of course, doing so in libya, which is a hostile challenging environment for a number of reasons. >> absolutely, kristen welker at the white house, thank you. two passengers are recovering after their single engine plane went down just a short while ago. state police rescued two men from that aircraft. it's between fort delaware state mark and fort mott state park. the men were covered in mud but they were able to walk out to an ambulance. they're being treated for nonlife threatening injuries. at this hour, in alabama, a funeral service is under way for the toddler whom police say died after he was left in a car. police say the father of this child told them it was an accident, but police say the facts in the case do not point

to simple negligence. harris faces murder and cruelty charges and is being held without bond. >> reporter: today, his friends and family remember cooper harris, the mystery surrounding his death is deepening. in his obituary comes the first public comments from his family. he was loved and cherished and protected by both parents and all family members for his short 22 months of life. we will miss him greatly. but police do not buy his father's initial story, that he forgot to drop off his son at day care accidentally leaving him in a sweltering car for seven hours. >> the investigative information suggests the manner of death is homicide. >> reporter: in an arrest warrant released this week police say justin ross harris had breakfast with his son on june 18th at this restaurant in suburban atlanta. then drove to his office nearby. police say harris went to the car during lunch and opened t e

driver's side door to place an object in the vehicle, then went back to his office. he has pleaded not guilty, but prosecutors actually downgraded that second charge from first degree cruelty to second degree. >> it's significant and perplexing that prosecutors have downgraded the charge because of a lack of intent and at the same time they're charging this father with murder. >> reporter: when he pulled over that afternoon, a seemingly distraught harris told witnesses it was an accident. >> there's no way it would have been intentional. especially from the father's reaction. you could feel his sorrow. >> reporter: an online petition to drop the charges signed by thousands has been pulled by organizers, quote, due to the new information released. other witnesses are now questioning harris' behavior. >> it seems like he was acting. >> he was just running around with his hands up in the air what have i done, what have i done. >> reporter: initial autopsy

results suggest the boy's death was heat related. the big question now, exactly when did his father realize it. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >> for more, i want to bring in criminal and civil rights attorney sema ire. what information here in this case stands out? >> there's a few things. i do think it's possible this was an accident. and here is why. this man seems to have some perhaps memory problems or cognitive functioning difficulties. otherwise, he would have dropped the child off at day care. he worked for home depot. if he wanted to kill the kid, he could have come up with a better plan. now, there's so much being made he went to the car during lunch. he entered through the driver's side. the front of the vehicle. the child was in the back seat in the middle of the car in a rear facing child seat. so he -- the father may not have had an opportunity to see the child. i think what's bothering the

general public and why so much support is being pulled is because there was this search done on the internet about keeping the child in a hot car, so perhaps -- >> well, what does that tell you? >> well, it tells me that maybe this guy, harris, was worried about his behavior. maybe something else is going on that hasn't been made -- information to the public or even his family. maybe he's sick. maybe he has some mental health issue. maybe he has early onset of dementia. i don't know. i think he was worried about his own behavior and ability to take care of the kid. >> how would you go about proving intent here if he were your client? >> one way, well, as a prosecutor -- >> defense attorney, making sure he wasn't found guilty -- >> i think that internet search shows that willful deprivation of a child's sustenance and that's what you have for the first degree and that intent.

but when you're -- people are wondering why is he being charged with murder if there's no intent. there are other types of murder. there is criminally negligent forms of homicide. this is a felony murder. you need a felony, plus a death. the felony here is the child cruelty. they downgraded to second degree which points to the negligent theory. i wouldn't be surprised if they upgrade again to first degree. >> all right. based on new information, certainly. okay, sima, thank you. cooper's funeral is just now getting under way. his father is not able attend that funeral. also overseas in iraq, the u.s. military stepping up its presence. armed drones are now over the skies to provide cover for the advisers on the ground. in ice sis-held iraq, jets are the ground but do not have organization to fire upon militants. joining me is nbc news's jim

mema said da. how close are the militants today? >> hi, alex, nice to be back with you, and how bizarre we're talking about this story now, ten years after we started talking about it. that's true, it's a very flexible, very fluid, i should say, situation. but we do know when isis toppled mosul earlier in june and then swept across the northeast part of iraq, first taking tikrit and then moving south towards baghdad it got as far as samarra. samar samarra's about an hour's drive north of baghdad. since then, isis seems to be digging in, trying to consolidate its gains. samarra also seems to have become the iraqi army's last line of defense, which so far isis hasn't crossed. but south of baghdad, we know from my colleague, richard engel's reporting, that isis is in that so-called triangle of

death. it's only about 20 to 25 miles outside the city. that said, there's no indication, really, that isis will actually try to take baghdad. it could well try to choke off the capital instead. choking it off from the rest of the country, setting up check points and basically starving it into submission, alex. >> as you know, jim, the u.s. now has these armed drones, the fighter jets, the f/a-18s and 300 special forces on the ground, though they're being categorized as military advisers. is all this military presence, if it's there in the first act, it's going to be used sooner or later. >> well, checkoff's gun is certainly one interesting way to put it. for now, the u.s. aircraft flying over iraq are armed to protect u.s. military personnel. those hundreds of special operations forces. many of them already there on the ground given advice, assessing isis's capabilities. but even general martin dempsey

on friday, the joint -- chairman of the joint chiefs, said these air assets could be used to take out hvts or high value targets like isis commanders if that option presented itself. yes, checkoff's guns, as you say, could be used in the act, to come. back to you. >> jim meceda from london, thank you. republicans on capitol hill have come up with a way they hope to find the irs' lost e-mails. and it was too late for a motorist when a small plane came ro right at him. aughter ]

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take a look at this video. an emergency for the pilot of that small plane. for an unsuspecting motorist of

that red car. by the time the driver realized what was happening, it was too late. >> the wing went over. i thought i cleared it. then the second wing, right in the windshield. came through, broke off, right in front of my chest. >> he has pictures to prove it. he suffered only minor injuries. the plane skidded to a stop by hitting another truck. that driver's okay. as for the pilot, he survived own scathed. he said he decided to land his plane when the oil pressure suddenly dropped. hit him where it hurt. that seeps to be the strategy in the hunt for missing e-mails. the congressman introduced legislation that would cut irs salaries by 20% until those e-mails turn up. and would offer a $1 million reward to whoever finds them. joining me now, msnbc contributor jimmy williams, executive editor of blue nation review.com. and former congressman from

florida connie mack. i'll reach out to you because you're right here. if this were a movie, we'd say the missing e-mails at the 11th hour, too unrealistic. >> i'm never going to defend the irs on something like this. at the same time, we also have to but the this in perspective. in 2007, the pentagon lost the e-mails for the guys who wrote the torture memos. the point here, this happens quite a bit. i'm not going to defend irs on this. you would think the one government agency that can ask anyone for an audit their personal finances should be able to have computers that work and are at least backed up. this but this happens frequently. it's a complete and total witch-hunt. learner should be held responsible for what she did.

other than that, it's not really a scandal in my opinion. >> does this proposal, does it cheapen the republican stance? because he's talking about slashing the pay of almost 90,000 people. if that standard was held to congress every time it dropped the ball, you know. >> yeah, good point. >> do we need to say any more? >> good point. but i do think there's a lot of frustration on capitol hill. both republicans and democrats. when you see lois learner go and make the fifth after making a statement in front of the committee and all of a sudden all the e-mails disappear off of five hard drives and there's no backups, i mean, this is one of those things, it doesn't pass the smell test. beyond that, it's just not believable. so think you've got frustration coming out in the congress and that's what's driving this legislation. >> jimmy, here's the president

speaking on thursday about the irs scandal. >> sometimes, the news that's coming off is just -- these are just washington fights. they're fabricated issues. they're phony scandals that are generated. it's all geared towards the next election or ginning up a base. it's not on the level. >> any chance the white house and democrats, jimmy, are not taking this seriously enough? >> listen, if i were the white house i would certainly call on the irs to refor its practices and to do everything it can to recover the e-mails. as for democrats, i'm a progressive democrat. i think connie just talked about how democrats on capitol hill are frustrated by this. he's exactly right. listen, other than the 90,000 employ employees, someone needs to find anybody in america that likes the irs. i don't. you probably don't. and it's the one government agency that everybody loves to hate. but that doesn't mean they don't have a job to do.

if they can't do their job and not target -- if they're going to just target conservative groups or liberal groups, just be up front about that and be honest about what you're doing. i have a bigger problem though with the protocols of the irs and other government agencies that have lost e-mails going back decades. so that's the problem here. i just think they have to be up front about it. democrats should not defend the irs on this in my opinion. >> let's have another topic, beginning with you, congressman. we'll talk about the mississippi vote on tuesday. senator thad cochran turning around certain defeat by catering to the african-american voters. he went on an all out media campaign in the african-american newspapers, all touting the support of black colleges, medical facilities in minority areas. is this a cynical strategy to use a demographic for the primary? >> i don't think so.

isn't this what we want oured l. i'm glad he reached out to different groups. >> okay, but don't -- >> wait, wait, wait, having that dialogue is a good thing. i would imagine the stories should be across the country that this is a good thing, that republicans are reaching out to groups that don't typically vote with them. >> okay, but shouldn't we be having these conversations, you know, before -- just a couple weeks before our primary vote? because the timing of this is what was so unique. it seems like it was a desperate attempt to get the votes because he was facing certain detect. >> well, i think if you look back at what was on those palmlets that he was passing out, it was talking about a report that spoke to those people. so just because it wasn't in the media ether the whole time doesn't mean it wasn't part of what the senator had been doing throughout his career. so i think, you know, some of this is because everybody starts

paying attention to elections closer to election day and everyone was paying attention to this one because the question was, you know, tea party republican versus establishment republican. >> well, and actually, jimmy, in terms of that divide, is this actually a hit to the democrats come the general election because mcdaniel might have been an easier beat? >> electing a democrat in mississippi is remarkably hard statewide. even the guy they're running against that will now face off with cochran. former mississippi democratic congressman. his chances are very slim. mississippi, alabama, louisiana, are still very solidly conservative states. unlike georgia, north carolina, south carolina, virginia, where the numbers are trending. i will say this. when connie brings up the idea that the republican party should be reaching out to african-americans, i think that's exactly why they certainly should. it's not news -- it's not breaking news that a politician used politic, to get re-elected

by targeting a speck demographic group. we do it all the time with the bbgt community. there's nothing wrong with that. the problem with the republican party, they issued that autopsy back in january of 2013 and they haven't really done it. thad cochran doing it is revolutionary. i think it's something republicans should do more. >> the head of the mississippi naacp said this is an opportunity to support voting right measures. does he owe the community something for this? >> well, i think what he owes them is to continue to do what he has been doing and to continue to put forward his ideas, whether it's to a republican base or a democrat base. again, if you look back at the messages that he used closer to the election, these are things he's been working on for a long

time. so i don't know that i buy the idea that, you know, this is all brand-new for him. i do think as republicans we need to do a better job of messaging and interacting and relating to minority groups and people in our districts that might not normally vote for us. >> former republican congressman, connie mack, and guy, appreciate it so much. the stakes are higher for the u.s. world cup soccer team. it's becoming a losing hand. the increase in the number of gambling casinos. my name is jenny, and i quit smoking with chantix. before chantix, i tried to quit... probably about five times. it was different than the other times i tried to quit. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it's a non-nicotine pill. chantix reduced my urge to smoke. that helped me quit smoking. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix.

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100% for the team. and i believe that in our team so far, nobody can claim that he reached his 100% yet. so this is a very important message to the players is that now prove it. >> i'd like to bring in gary hopkins. gary is the author of "star spangled soccer." selling and managing soccer in the usa. is this world cup any different than previous ones? you think there's going to be be a rise in popularity now and it won't fall off as it has in the past? >> it's been a consistent rise in popularity in the world cup, from world cup to world cup. this has been the most popular world cup since the beginning of them. we have something like 19 million viewers watched the u.s./portugal game last week. the highest rated numbers on espn ever for nonfootball event. it won't drop off. the sport's been growing consistently now for 20 years. stadiums, leagues, fans.

just look in the street, this week, all the talk's been on soccer. so they won't drop off. >> can i just say last sunday you predicted the 2-1 win for the u.s. and portugal? you were so right. the last 15 seconds, i had it, like, gary's got it, i was about to leave, like, what. come back to this game. >> that was a devastating blow. could have knocked the usa out of the world cup. this game against germany was a phenomenal game. england, portugal, italy, spain, have all gone home. would all love to be where the usa is now. so it's been a colossal performance for the u.s. >> do you think there's a changing of the guard happening at all in soccer? >> around the world? >> yeah, i think there absolutely is. teams like chile playing phenomenal. i think the world's catching up to the established powers.

in south america, no european's team's ever won in south america. but there's no doubt, look at the technical level. costa rica from concaf. have performed way above. >> give us your assessment on klinnsman effect on u.s. soccer. >> he brings something to the team they've never had. good coaches, but never really had that deep knowledge of the game. he's changed all tabout the tea. this team is not about individual stars. germany, portugal, $300 million. but juergen has them playing as a team. they never give in. one of the great things about all these games. look at the last minutes of these games. usa's battling and fighting. that's why they're winning.

we all think they're underdogs. they don't. these players are very, very confident. mentally strong. >> what do you think the u.s. chances are, both against belgium and potentially to take it all? >> taking it all -- only eight teams have ever won the world cup. that's a tough gig to go. belgium's a 50/50 game. belgium are no better than germany. usa will have more rest. they match up pretty well against belgium physically and technically. a lot of people think belgium could go all the way in this tournament. this is a very, very good belgium team. they're young. this is the first time belgium have progressed this far. this game is truly 50/50 game in my view. someone has to win. so it goes to extra time of penalties. someone will walk off that pitch winning. again, it's something real tough to call. we're in there with a real chance of doing something good.

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when you book at wyndhamrewards.com. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." the suspected terrorist grabbed in a military raid in connection with the deadly attacks in benghazi has been moved. he is now in federal law enforcement custody in the u.s. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams is outside the courthouse in washington, d.c. so, pete, with a welcome, what are you hearing about a court appearance today? >> in about two hours, alex, ahmed abu ckhattalah is in this federal courthouse behind me at the foot of capitol hill. he's been here about five hours. the end of a very long journey that began about two weeks ago and about 5,000 miles away when fbi agents and special forces in a daring raid snatched him from a seaside villa, took him by boat, and then he was taken to a waiting u.s. navy warship in the

mediterranean. ever since then, he's been slowly making his way on board that ship to the u.s. all the way, a team of integrators has been questioning him. authorities say he has been cooperative during that process. this will be the first time anyone suspected or charged in connection with the benghazi attack that killed four americans almost two years ago will be appearing before a judge in a u.s. courtroom. now, we know that charges were filed against him last year. they were filed in secret and only recently unsealed. this will be a new charge today. this will be an indictment. so he's been indicted by a grand jury. probably one charge. and we're told the reason for that is the government wants to reveal as little as necessary or as little as possible about its case in order to conceal or avoid disclosing the names of witnesses who they hope to reveal only when they have to as the trial moves along. this will be a big deal because it will be the first time anyone charged in connection with the

attacks appears before a judge in a u.s. courtroom. >> hey, pete, can i just ask you about security for this, i mean, how concerned are officials with security there and also with potential reaction, due to his arrest and his appearance in court? >> well, in terms of reaction, i think the time for that would have been two weeks ago. because that's when the world learned about this raid that snatched him out of a seaside villa outside benghazi and took him away by boat. the security here is more than you would see on a normal day here in washington. i should say having a hearing on a saturday is an extraordinary proceeding. the federal courts are normally not open on saturday. so this is a very unusual proceeding that will happen today. if you contrast the security here at this courthouse with, say, the security at a nearby courthouse in virginia, when zacharias moussaoui, the person who was accused of being in on the 9/11 plot, that was month more extensive.

this is just marshals around, visible show. they've got their weapons at the ready. but it's not the kind of intense, close off the traffic, block the streets kind of thing we had for moussaoui. >> okay, pete williams there, thank you so much, we appreciate it. u.s. special forces are now working with iraqi military to try to beat back rampaging militants. a green beret who served in iraq will be joining us. swagen passas above the competition, but we're not in the business of naming names. the fact is, it comes standard with an engine that's been called the benchmark of its class. really, guys, i thought... it also has more rear legroom than other midsize sedans. and the volkswagen passat has a lower starting price than... much better. vo: hurry in and lease the 2014 passat s for $199 a month. visit vwdealer.com today.

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>> my grandmother said, we've heard that you plan on doing something really crazy, going to mississippi with those and i'm never going to permit it. >> joining me, susan brown miller, now an actor and feminist advocate. welcome. so glad to have you here to talk about this. what inspired you to go on that trip? >> do you know something, you probably would have wanted to go, yes, when you were younger, if you were alive then when i was. it was the most moral thing you could possibly do, to join these courageous blacks in the south, you know, just trying to get equal rights, trying to get people registered to vote. simple things like that. how could you not respond to such a moral call? i know you said 700 volen teerns came from the north. we were other 1,000.

>> were you? >> oh, yeah. we could have gotten, they could have gotten more. but they didn't know how we'd work out. they didn't know. >> one thing you did not know as well, susan, was i think the state you were going into. i don't mean just the state of mississippi but really the mental and emotional and cultural state that was going on there. talk about what you experienced. and was there a level of fear? because it was not welcomed. by many. >> before i got to meridian, goodman schwerner and cheney had already gone missing. and the civil rights workers, long-term civil rights workers knew -- >> they knew. >> that they were dead, knew it, yeah. >> it took them a couple weeks, didn't it? >> several weeks, yes. it took of course years to get a few convictions. yes. >> so we have this film. i want to play a clip of you in

the film. here's a part of that. here we go. >> i remember one young woman saying, we're going to settle this problem and then it's on to the indians and we're going to settle that too. i mean, there was that kind of unbelievable idealism. >> that idealism you're bringing here, but when did the reality of what you were up against set in? >> young people really don't have a sense of something terrible could happen. i mean, we all -- >> certain invisibility, isn't there? >> we all understood there was a possible of death but it's not real if you're in your 20s. at least it wasn't for me. i hoped it wouldn't happen. but no, we didn't -- after the three murders, the triple murders in meridian, that's where i was assigned. i went to meridian afterward. >> what did you think as you were heading into that town?

did it haunt you, the knowledge of the murders? >> in truth, meridian itself was one of the safest places in mississippi. a little farther north in philadelphia, which was real hard scrabble, poor whites, poor blacks, indians. that was a dangerous county. but meridian was supposed to be the safest. and would have been if these three people hadn't of course tried to investigate a church bombing. you know in moshaba county. >> i think it's enough for everyone to watch this. the american experience. thank you so much for coming in, susan brown miller. let's go now to this developing story in iraq. specifically baghdad. american drones armed with hellfire missiles are flying other the iraqi capital. their mission, to protect the 300 u.s. military advisers on the ground. now the pentagon says american f/a-18 fighter jets are

patrolling over the large swath of iraq in the hands of the isis insurgents. joining me now, an army green beret. welcome, thank you so much for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> when you look at 300 u.s. special forces, these troops all being military advisers, how effective do you think they can be when confronting an enemy this well armed? >> they can be really effective. the key is to understand the quality of the people you have there. a lot of times i think we kind of get wrapped around quantity of advisers or soldiers over the quality. and that's not to say that, you know, all of our soldiers don't have the high quality. but, you know, the type of guy you put on the ground really makes a difference. and a lot of these advisers for example are u.s. army special forces or green berets and these guys are specially trained, selected and equipped to advise indigenous units. >> can you explain, though, advising? some of these green berets get embedded with the iraqi unit.

what does that look like? what are they doing specifically? >> yeah, it's a good question. i mean, it's something that special forces actually do. green berets do all over the world. you'll find them advising host nation armies in places like the philippines, el salvador. they embed and work by with and through host nation, military units, to stand up for, you know, to stand up for their own countries and fight their own battles. by embedding with them, it really allows them to, to, you know, bolster them up and to stand up. also, a lot of these advisers work with informal civil society as well. like in afghanistan, you'll find a lot of green berets working with villages to stand up for their own communities. the bottom line is they embed and work by, with and through those local military organizations to stand up on their own and it takes some time. >> they are being described by

the president as noncombat troops. we know they're heavily arms. do you think they will see combat? >> i think that calling them, you know, noncombat troops or anything like that is a bit of a misnomer. any time you put a green beret, navy s.e.a.l., marine special operator, into one of these c contentious areas, those are combat troops. it's like calling it a small war. so the guys that are doing this advising, what it really means is they're working by, with and through their partner . they'll try to work and let him lead. but they're going to go where he goes, share what he shares and experience what he experiences in many cases. the more constraints we put on these advisers, the more we limit really what they're able to do, a lot of times the less effective we are. the key is to let our visors get in there and work with the units, help them stand up, help

bolster them. over tyime, they'll get better. we ahen e were working with the lu home bean military. today, they're much better. but it takes persistence, patience and presence. >> i know you served in afghanistan where there's been just a rash of insider attacks by afghan soldiers. do you see that as a looming threat in iraq as well? >> i think it's a looming threat any time you're working with an indigenous force. i believe a lot of these insider attacks often result from our inability to appreciate the local realities of where we're working. a lot of place, you're dealing with ethnic, clan and tribal societies. our ability to understand and work within those realities is extremely important. if we demonstrate, for example, that we're not in step with some of those realities and the narrative of islam under attack plays out in these local units, yeah, it can manifest with us.

so the key is, once again, have advisers in there who are mature, who speak the language, who know the culture, and who can work closely with these host nation forces. insider threats are always a factor. nations. the reality is as an adviser, the closer you get to the people that you're advising, the more you dress like them, the more you work like them, actually the safer you are in many cases. >> retired lieutenant colonel scott mann, thank you. it is becoming a losing bet as casinos are becoming more common across the country, some cities are now hurting. we'll show you how next. heck, i saved judith here a fortune with discounts like safe driver, multi-car, paperless. you make a mighty fine missus, m'lady. i'm not saying mark's thrifty. let's just say, i saved him $519, and it certainly didn't go toward that ring. am i right? [ laughs ] [ dance music playing ] so visit progressive.com today. i call this one "the robox."

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a gambling glut has brought on tough times for atlantic city. caesar's is closing its show boat casino and adjacent 20-story hotel in august. revenue from atlantic city has overall declined by more than $3 billion since 2006. meantime, gambling competition in the region has grown at a surprising rate. in fact, more casinos have

opened in the northeast over the past decade than in any other part of the country. joining me now, business columnist for "the boston globe," shirley, i'm going to put up two maps on the screen. my director will do it for me. this shows casinos open in the northeast by 1990. one place, atlantic city, that is it. now check out this explosion. all these red dots on the map since 2013. that was registered in 2013. what brought all this on? >> well, everyone just saw that, you know, americans love to gamble and it's a big business. i think a lot of it was driven by indian gaming in connecticut, you know, in the northeast. mohecan sun and fox woods opened in the '90s. they represent one of the biggest complexes of gambling in the world. so i think a lot of people saw how much the state of connecticut was benefiting, so everyone wanted to get in on the game. >> uh-huh, literally speaking.

atlantic city, though, suffering clearly, as we see a second casino closing its doors there. that spells trouble for the revenue for that area that it's surely counting on. it's going to provide essential services with that money that they're counting on, that they're not going to have now. >> right. it's just like any business. atlantic city is probably overbuilt. they used to have a monopoly really in the northeast on gaming, and right now, philadelphia has opened a casino. we have new york. i think new york has five indian casinos. they have nice race casinos, slot machines at racetracks. i think the legislators are considering opening four resort casinos. atlantic city is going to suffer a bit because they're no longer the only one -- the only place where you can go in the east coast for gaming. >> yeah. can you take that competition and reclassify it to have this casino boom basically being a kind of war between these states over revenue? >> yeah, i mean, it's a real arms race. that's why massachusetts decided

to -- the legislature a couple years ago decided to pass casinos here. that's a little bit up in the air now. but i'll get to that later. but the reason why is we had a great reception, just like the rest of the country. for decades we thought about doing a casino. we thought this is a jobs bill, so we're going to open a casino. we're going to bring back all that revenue. massachusetts residents love to gmab gamble. we provide almost half the gaming patrons in connecticut and also rhode island. there's a slots casino in rhode island as well. so our legislature wants to bring that money back to massachusetts. now, just last week, the residents -- our high court here ruled that residents can actually vote on whether or not they want to repeal the casino law, so it is yet to be seen whether or not we'll have actually casinos in massachusetts this year. >> business columnist for the boston golden globe, thank you so much.

>> thank you for having me. >> that's a wrap of this edition of "weekends with alex witt." i'll see you back here tomorrow at noon eastern time. up next, t.j. holmes. have yourself a great day. t.j.'s getting this thing five seconds early. i would never do that to craig melv melvin. start your business, protect your family, and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. then you'll know how uncomfortable it can be. [ crickets chirping ] but did you know that the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath? [ exhales deeply ] [ male announcer ] well there is biotene. specially formulated with moisturizers and lubricants, biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy, too. [ applause ] biotene -- for people who suffer from dry mouth. because you can't beat zero heartburn. woo hoo!

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we are following breaking news at this hour. the suspect in the 2012 attack on the american complex in benghazi is on u.s. soil, expected to face a judge this hour. our pete williams is live at the courthouse for us. also, on a mission in iraq. new details about u.s. drones and jets are supporting the iraqi government's counteroffensive against militants from isis. is it true? excuse me, sir, did you abuse your son? >> police now focusing on the dad of that 12-year-old boy who disappeared for days, then turned up in his family's basement. investigators are now looking into abuse