flagship store in new york where hundreds of people are already lined up trying to get their hot little hands on the product. all right. that's going to do it for "way too early." good weekend! you know what today is? that's right. weekend. you know what today is. that's right. it's friday. you can get your iphones. "morning joe" starts right now. >> i think he has too much energy there. >> thomas? no he really brings it. >> there's nothing to get excited about for lovers of freedom across the globe. george w. bush in texas is probably choking on his own pretzel. mel gibson screams freedom. the scots say thanks but no thanks. no thanks. the union stays together. the queen is happy, oppressing the people. you fear mongering.

>> the president is happy. the people of united kingdom have chosen to stay together. >> fear tactics is shameful. >> in the long run this is the strongest vote for the united kingdom. people of scotland got to express their opinion. turn out was massive. they decided they are better off as part of a bigger country. >> even in victory you brits are conde se con condescending to those you oppress. >> congress showed a lot of courage. since 9/11 americans are afraid terrible things will happen. they stood up and could have tucked this bill into some

vote -- wait they tucked it -- they hid it in a spending bill that everybody could sort of shy away from. i had to vote that way or else the government would shut down. they are total cowards. everybody is pitching and moaning about barack obama. like the three bears. the porridge is too hot, the porridge is too cold. they tuck it into a spending bill. if i'm a member for congress and i voted on that bill i can say anything about barack obama. i mean that really was for an issue that's important that was a really cowardly display, in my opinion. >> two things were interesting. this had the support of republicans and democrats in leadership. you had john boehner and harry reid and michigan mcconnell and nancy pelosi on board with this.

number two it led to this interesting dynamic when they were counting all the votes because you had people like ted cruz and mike leigh voting against it. but you had elizabeth warren voting against it, kirsten gillibrand voting against it. >> and, sam stein, you have people who want to run the free world after the 2016 elections to be scared to death to be on the record on this vote. >> not just the funding. funding for syrian rebels but authorization of war which is simil similarly cowardice. they were asked how comfortable they felt going home to tend to their campaign without voting to authorize and they said this shameful we shouldn't be doing this. and they went ahead and indict. >> they went home. >> well we still have not

authorized -- i mean we're working off a 2001 authorization for this war but they should be voting on whether or not to drop bombs in syria and congress -- everyone said yeah we should be voting on it but, of course, elections are their primary concern. >> there's no profiles in courage. let's get people caught up on the news and then talk about your mom in washington. >> the senate joined house of representatives authorizing president obama to train and arm the rebels in syria to fight isis. the president addressed the nation. >> in more than 40 countries including arab countries have offered assistance as part of this coalition. here at home i'm pleased that congress a majority of democrats and a majority of republicans in both the house and the senate have now voted to support a key element of our strategy. our plan to train and equip the

opposition in sir kwa so they can help push back these terrorists. this is in keeping with a key principle of our strategy. the american forces that have been deployed to iraq do not and will not have a combat mission. their mission is to advise and assist our partners on the ground. >> mika, does that bother you, seriously? it bothers a lot of people you heard the president and seen him get criticized from both end of the ideological spectrum by members of congress who then are cowards. i can tell you as a one time member of congress, we didn't leave town. there were times that everybody said we're going on vacation you can't shut the place down. we shut it down until we had, i think at the time it was a funding issue and we demanded we have a real debate. these people swamped out in the middle of the night like true cowards. >> this is the kind of moment where you actually see who has grit and who does not.

the president reiterated that no u.s. troops will be deployed for combat part of his plan that's causing a rift between the white house and military. this morning "the washington post" is reporting military leaders are openly questioning the effectiveness of a policy that doesn't contain ground troops. yesterday on capitol hill chuck hagel assured congress that the white house and military were in complete agreement. he also pushed back on reports that president obama intended to micromanage the strikes himself. isis, the isis threat is spreading outside the middle east. australia says it has disrupted a plot to abduct people on city streets and execute them on video. more than 800 officers in sidney and brisbane arrested people believed to be involved with terror group after intercepting a call from isis leader. >> it's really frightening what's happening in australia, can happen anywhere. >> new isis video shows captive

british journalist john cantlie in captivity for two years. he was forced to speak directly into the camera warning that more quote programs are coming. >> yeah the threat we're seeing from across the world not just america but across the world you got members of congress complaining they don't like what the white house is doing but yet they are not standing out and speaking up and having an honest debate on this. >> it's no shock. you do not have profiles in courage. when you talk about folks who are hypocrites when all you care about is your re-election not the american people not leading. that's one of the problems. that's one of the problems with this town in that you have folks all they care about is coming back in january. the president has made it perfectly clear even boots on

the ground and look part of the problem with the american people are not with our troops going into another war, another battle. so he's having to balance the military, balance republicans and democratic critics and most importantly the people who pay his salary and the salary of congress. >> you know, katy, what's fascinating you have generals, chairman of the joint chiefs who keep getting out ahead of his commander-in-chief. it's shocking two items the chairman has blind side the commander-in-chief. if you don't like what the commander-in-chief is doing, quit. he works for the commander-in-chief. follow odds for quit. >> he's reflecting the more widespread unease in the pentagon, there is not a clear end game for this strategy of

air strikes. what are they trying to do? are they trying to ruin the -- bomb the training kanks degrade the supply lines, roll isis back in which case how far are they rolling them back. that's where the unease is. >> the unease is shared in congress. congress doesn't know what they are going to do. they have no clear plan. they are just criticizing. we need a proper open discussion. >> the american people have no idea. they don't want to go back. they don't want to go back to what we had the past decade. in the meantime they are skafrd isis. shouldn't we have a debate instead of members of congress running home scared and campaigning. this is a pathetic. we need a moment in this country where we see what's happening in australia, britain and across the middle east. we need that debate.

in case congress walked out in the middle of the night in a walk of shame. >> it was in the cia, the intelligence community can this work. they have been training the rebels through the cia and they know they are affiliated with bad terrorist elements as well. to your point there's long term damage to congress walking out. what you end up doing you empower the executive branch even further vis-a-vis the legislative branch. the "new york times" had a story because they won't vote on this authorization are giving a de facto authorization. obama declared his intention saying the 2001 authorization applies, if congress doesn't vote yes or no they end up authorizing it by a de facto absenteeism. >> that's what they've done. i don't want to hear that commander-in-chief is shredding the constitution. if they want a real debate they would have had a real debate.

>> i do not want to get away from joe's point. what general denvercy is doing is dead wrong. he should step in line with the president. he is wrong to counter the president of the united states. we should not look over that. i don't care what the generals have to say. he's the president not him. >> he's done it twice now in a public way. i find it surprising. >> we'll get back to this. sources tell nbc news that federal investigators have found no evidence thus far showing new jersey governor chris christie had advance knowledge of the george washington bridge shutdown in 2013. nine months into the investigation officials say there's no sign he planned or ordered the closures. the investigation is still ongoing. yesterday during a press conference governor christie lashed out at another investigation being handled by the state legislature democratic controlled committee telling them to quote wrap up their

work. >> he's attempting to keep his name in the newspaper. we've fully cooperated with him. i'm really growing tired of him. i've known all along this is a partisan pursuit. an absolutely partisan pursuit. and the leaking that's being done by the legislative committee is just further evidence of the fact this is a partisan pursuit. >> what do you think? >> i think the governor has a good point. it's been nine months. this is not iran/contra. you're not figuring out what meeting agents funneled money. i mean, come on. listen, if chris christie screwed up, if he had advance warning then we need to know about that. but they've had nine months. >> okay, but -- >> oh, says the guy from the "new york times."

how many witnesses do you really have to talk to the figure out what happened? they closed two lanes or three lanes of the george washington bridge, "new york times" reporter? >> that's a determination the federal prosecutor should make not us and i would like to point out this is a leak. right? from somebody inside the investigation saying here's what we know so far. we don't know everything there is to know yet. >> a lot of times leaks are wrong. we're nine months into this. how long does it take? >> how far has the damage already been done to chris christie for his presidential -- how much do you hear -- still saying he's a major contender. >> the democrats in new jersey -- >> you need a probe and see to it to its conclusion. if it exonnerates we need to cover it as much as we covered the accusation.

>> i agree. we're learning new details this morning about the domestic violence charges facing arizona cardinal running back jonathan dwyer. dwyer head butted his wife in july after she refused to have sex with him. dwyer is accused of punching her the following day and throwing a shoe at his 17-month-old son. the cardinals head coach says domestic violence is a major problem across the country and dwyer will not be a part of the team unless he's exonerated. >> finally people are aware of it and doing something about it. anyone who touches a woman or a child, my opinion needs go to jail for a long time. if this bad scar on the nfl makes the rest of the world aware of what's going on it's

damn good. >> domestic violence is the top issue for the league. she speaks about six times each day to roger goodell. >> i said last week it would be interesting to see what happened to a player that wasn't a franchise player like greg hardy from north carolina. we found out. if you're on the second team you are immediately treated the way any of us outside of the nfl would be treated if we were accused of such charges. >> chris rainey is on the a squad when the media began to question the arizona cardinals head coach about him and his past domestic violence, he was cut within an hour. now they didn't -- he wasn't recently arrested. i'm not excusing anything he did but within being questioned within one hour he was cut from the practice squad. what's interestsing? 20 minutes i was watching espn. they were showing highlights of u.s. women's soccer team and

lauding hope solo. she goes on trial in november for assaulting her sister and nephew. there was no mention about that. domestic violence is a national issue. should we not be questioning why hope solo is still playing on a women's soccer team and nike dropped adrian peterson had said nothing about hope solo. >> i'm a little skeptical about that. that's one example of a woman beating another woman. we have countless examples of men beating women. hope solo should have been, had the same kind of retribution men are having much let's not use that as an example to suggest women are as guilty of domestic violence. >> no, i'm not. >> it's overwhelmingly done by men. >> i've been covering this

issue, i've had to deal with domestic violence in my own family, taking in two young girls so i'm never silent on this. but i'm making the point if we are saying domestic violence is a national issue and it is, we must be vigilante across the board. what i'm saying we spend a lot of attention focused on the nfl but when there are other cases it's sort of a different standard. should be one standard. >> we want to talk about the alabama judge, claire mccaskill brought thisup a couple of days ago and i wanted you to talk more about that. we'll be doing that in the block coming up because, mika, that will be one positive thing that could come out of this horrible episode in the nfl if everybody that has been accused and shown to have beaten their wives or their children, you know, has a

hot glare. >> a month ago this dwyer story would have been dealt differently. still ahead on "morning joe," white house press secretary josh earnest baltimore mayor, stephanie raulgs-blake and saxby chambliss will be with. a frightening scene aboard a jetblue flight when the cabin fills with smoke. and then -- miracle on myrtle beach. ben affleck speaks out for the first time about his ban from the hard woke casino. okay. we'll be right back. [ hoof beats ] i wish... please, please, please, please, please. [ male announcer ] the wish we wish above all...is health.

so we quit selling cigarettes in our cvs pharmacies. expanded minuteclinic, for walk-in medical care. and created programs that encourage people to take their medications regularly. introducing cvs health. a new purpose. a new promise... to help all those wishes come true. cvs health. because health is everything. i have $40,ney do you have in your pocket right now? $21. could something that small make an impact on something as big as your retirement? i don't think so. well if you start putting that towards your retirement every week and let it grow over time, for twenty to thirty years, that retirement challenge might not seem so big after all. ♪ [ male announcer ] when you see everyone in america almost every day, you notice a few things.

like the fact that you're pretty attached to these. ok, really attached. and that's alright. because we'll text you when your package is on the way. we're even expanding sunday package delivery. yes, sunday. at the u.s. postal service, our priority is...was... and always will be...you.

you know, mika, we're in

washington, d.c. because we jove katty. and of course sam and all of our good friends at the "new york times." >> covering scotland. the loin way we could. >> we're here because of a really great event at the kreeger museum featuring your mom's works. >> and her book," the lord of the forest." it's right now on display at the kreeger. her body of work, 12 beautiful sets of sculptures including one of my favorites. that's ukraine trunk. she works with a chain saw and chisel. she's been doing this for more than 50 years. that's lament. >> these are huge. >> incredible crowd. >> huge sculpture. >> wonderful to see her honored and to see her vision realized. we had a great group of people.

>> you said last night it was rare something you envisioned turned out as perfectly. there's your father. i asked dr. brzezinski last night i said where your going this evening because he was planning to fly out and he said i'm going and i didn't hear him. i said excuse me. oslo. it's the capital of norway. thank you dr. brzezinski. he still does to it me. i said dr. brzezinski, i played in a garage band i'm deaf. >> so my mom right there, she's the newest spokes model for steel chain saws. they are putting her in a marketing campaign. she's going to do advertisements and talk about -- the only thing the steel people dime her house to outfit her with safety gear which she doesn't wear. she use an old 1980 steel saw.

they gave her a new battery operated one. steel people real people is the campaign. roger phelps. >> there's a few things more fun than wielding a chain saw. >> she literally -- she does this. these things are like 15 feet high and cuts it up. she's 82 years old. >> do you worry about her? >> i don't. >> having an accident? >> nope. she's good. just don't get too close. >> don't cut his arm with a chain saw. >> she works with a chain saw every day. she's 82 years old cutting these 15-foot trunks. she gets close to me with the chain saw running. >> let's squeeze in some morning papers. we'll start with the "los angeles times." passengers from a jetblue flight are shaking off an incredibly

unnerving experience. their flight to texas turned back to southern california when the plane's cabin filled with smoke after a problem with one of the engines. cell phone video captures what was happening inside with passengers grabbing oxygen masks and desperately trying to call family members back home. once on the ground they escaped the aircraft using inflatable sides with some people suffering minor injuries. >> we've been there and done that minus the masks. we were going down to this event in charleston -- stop it. >> i love telling people that because it makes them laugh. >> it's not true. >> you do realize when you're at 30,000 feet and smoke fills the cabin this is bad and nothing we can do.

>> my heart would stop. i would find it so terrifying. >> let's move on. >> we landed very, very quickly. >> thomas will do the next one. thomas go. >> this is from the "atlanta journal constitution," buccaneers and falconeers facing off. he takes it 62 yards the other way for nfl record, 20th return for a touchdown. only gets uglier for the bucks from there. the falcons win it 56-14. >> he broke sanders record. >> we have a bit of a controversy about your "way too early" performance. i think it was great. >> controversy >> don't we love controversy. >> exactly. he was perfect this morning.

>> details magazine has an interview with ben affleck who is coming clean about a recent dust up at a vegas casino. the oscar winner admits he was counting cards at a black jack table back in may but the actor who was banned for life from the hard woke casino insists he wasn't cheating, i knew with blackjack there's a way to improve your odds. i took some time to learn the game and became a decent blackjack player. and once i became decent the casinos asked me not to playback jack. i mean, the fact that being good at the game is against the rules should tell you something about casinos. this story tells me something about ben affleck. >> did he just realize this? >> this is silly. >> he needs to wear a disguise. >> i'm happy for him he has time for blackjack. >> the "daily mail." a 2-year-old girl is not messing around when it comes to h

her rendition of a song from "frozen." ♪ >> she's a little broadway diva, her irish accent.

>> i love her. >> in this week's "parade" magazine, of the shows that you should be watching this fall. >> maggie is excited about this piece. we have to have maggie back next week. love maggie murphy. coming up the president has the approval of congress to arm syrian rebels. what will happen next? chairman of the armed services committee, joining us us next. why should the mid-terms be important? that's a tease. we'll explain that next in the must read opinion pages when we must read opinion pages when we come back.

that's right. it's just that i'm worried about you know "hidden things..." ok, why's that? no hidden fees, from the bank where no branches equals great rates.

no question about that. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial.

he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. when sales rep steve hatfield books at laquinta.com, so he knows exactly when he can prep for his presentation. and when steve is perfectly prepped, ya know what he brings? and that's how you'll increase market share. any questions? can i get an "a", steve? yes! three a's! amazing sales! he brings his a-game! la quinta inns and suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business. the ready for you alert, only at laquinta.com! la quinta!

♪ all right. joining us for the must read opinion pages -- >> every week mike sends me the alabama point spread. he's just a good friend because knees i'm always on the go and everybody has a playbook and

here's what's happening in washington and the world is coming to an end. i don't read that. he sends me direct alabama 22 and half point favorite. >> you know what we are this week against florida. >> you're up. >> hold on. i cue you, mike. happy friday. >> welcome home. >> it's happy friday. >> very happy. >> all right. eugene robinson a path to escalation. he asks this in "the washington post." it's not hard to imagine the sequence, more trainers, more period ones, more support staff, more combat-like roles, more troops to execute missions beyond the capacity of our less than impressive proxies. we've seen it before. i cannot avoid concluding that the logic of obama's strategy points toward escalation. i wish he would explain why. david ignatius has something on repeating our mistakes.

the united states has made the same mistake in evaluating fighters from the islamic state that it did in vietnam. under estimating the enemy's will according to james clapper, the director of national intelligence, clapper's comments came in a telephone interview wednesday. that we didn't do was predict the will to fight. in this case we under estimated the isil and overestimated the fighting capability of the iraqi army. i didn't see the collapse of the iraqi security force in the north coming. i didn't see that. it boils down to predicting the will to fight which is an imponderable. that's david ignatius. >> you know, sam stein, maybe one reason why congress got out of town last night. >> the chief component of the president's strategy here is in

essence having some of us do the ground war for him, make sure an arab army in some capacity will do the ground work and dirty work for us. that's the biggest question mark because of what we saw in iraq. at the same time absent putting in 30,000 american troops i'm not sure what the other alternative is. >> let's look at iraq for a minute because we're making the same mistakes over and over and over again. here in iraq we spent a decade, over 4,000 americans died. we spent a trillion dollars or so to build up an army which melted in a couple of weeks. they just melted away. >> remember we also -- but remember what led up to that, the actions of paul bremer played a role in that so he comes in. we pretty much fire everybody, send them away and see a way to reconstruct. remember when russia was

fighting afghanistan what did we do? we supplied weapons, if you will, to the folks who are fighting the russians and all a sudden those are the very people who turned around and fighting us when it came to the taliban, when it came to osama bin laden. so, we're in a conundrum. who do we support? do we support you today who is kind of our friend because you're fighting them but tomorrow you'll be our enemy and members of congress who are afraid in five years they will say you guys armed their people who are trying to kill us. that's why we're clueless what's going on. >> all right. we got a new politico piece this morning looking at politics explaining how opposition research is having a major impact on mid-term election. the senate race one iowa between bruce braley and juny ernts. >> we all know how washington politicians bruce braley compared his female opponent to

a chick. now he's taking his war on chicks too far. after a chicken crossed into his iowa vacation property he threatened to sue his neighborhood, a true iowa juan would have just talked to his neighbors. but not trial lawyer bruce braley. >> you may have a farmer from iowa who never went to law school serving as chair of the next judiciary committee. >> why did the chicken cross into his property? it may be coming home to roost. >> this is the year of dark art. it was something you got emailed or told over phone. now it's become a huge business on the right you have america rising on the left you have american bridge which started it all and all the factors are going together to give these outside groups more influence. the media cycle wants off beat stories. there are fewer reporters to evaluate what's out there.

and because of the online world so much is at the google dot there's tons nor evaluate. american rising has trackers in 30 states. the other side is doing almost as much. >> the trackers are people going around with video cameras -- >> trying to catch these things. >> scott brown was in a canoe on a vacation and they sent a tracker in a kayak behind him just to make sure they were following him down the river. >> in a canoe? >> yes. >> following in a canoe. >> we wonder why good people don't want to run for office. >> why do you bother? >> seriously. >> insane. >> i'm surprised it hasn't happened more often. >> punching of the tracker. >> we talked to politicians before, mayor, governors, they say they will go -- their wives, one governor from the northeast state said his wife a democrat said his wife was followed

around in grocery stores for about three months with a tracker just right behind her and everything she bought -- >> we get the blandest most cautious, most calculated candidates running for high office. >> i would actually vote for anybody from either party that would take the camera out of the tracker's hand and smash it against the wall. it's absolutely outrageous. >> you have these senators who don't realize they have to live in their state. that's come out through opposition research and so a lot of information in these races is real. >> let me go to roland. before we leave i want you to talk quickly you were talking about nfl players and other athletes. let's talk about an alabama judge. an alabama judge who has been accused but hasn't got the same publicity as an nfl football player. >> not accused.

he actually pled guilty to beating his wife in a ritz-carlton hotel in atlanta and what he got was 24 weeks of counselling, his record will then be expunged. the story died down. what bothered me with all these politicians who were blasting the nfl but ignoring the federal judge. this is a guy appointed by the president, approved by the senate judiciary committee and you say nothing. last week i called every remember of the alabama congressional delegation. nobody said a word except congresswoman terry soul. that's what led to shelby, sessions, the governor and now it's picked up. politicians were silent on a federal judge and i'm sorry, because of the power, he has way more power than any football player and i'm saying you go after ray rice you go after the federal judge. >> oh, my gosh. different time now. >> you go after the federal

judge first. you're exactly right, roland. there's few people as powerful as a federal judge that are beyond the reach of the people directly. i'm sorry. i think the judiciary committee needs to have hearings. a guy that beats his wife is not-foot be a federal judge. >> not foibt anything. roland, thank you very much. >> thank you. skbroo we'll s >> it's alabama by 14 and a half. >> still ahead, all options on the table versus no boots on the ground, which message should the president be pushing for. congressman tom rooney and donna edwards debate that live just ahead. is president obama listening to his military advisors. the chairman of the armed services committee, congressman buck mckeown is next on "morning joe."

shopping online is as easy as it gets. wouldn't it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list, now it is. start shopping online from a list of top-rated providers. visit angieslist.com today. sweets become salaries. an oven heats up a community

la cocina, a small kitchen that kick-starts the careers of 41 entrepreneurs. they bring the talent. we help fund the tools. it's a small way we help that's been huge for the community. little by little we can do a lot. because... small is huge. visit www.wellsfargo.com to see how big small can be. whenwork with equity experts who work with regional experts that's when expertise happens. mfs. because there is no expertise without collaboration.

nature valley crunchy granola bars give you energy from 1/3 of your daily whole grains, so 1/3 of this commercial is dedicated to what you could do with all that energy. energy to take the road less traveled. we've always been] at the forefrontumman, of advanced electronics. providing technology to get more detail... ♪ detect hidden threats... ♪ see the whole picture... ♪ process critical information, and put it in the hands of our defenders. reaching constantly evolving threats before they reach us. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman.

♪ 46 past the hour. with us now chair of the house armed services committee republican congressman buck mckeon of california. great to have you here. >> a big night four last night. they hung your portrait along with some great chairmen of the armed services committee. your kids all came from the west to see it. had to be big night four. >> great night. >> let's talk about what else happened last night, congress jammed authorization for the syria bill. for the syria action in a spending bill and then got out

of town. why didn't your committee get a week or two at least to really debate this issue? >> actually, about a week ago -- i lose track of time -- yeah it was last week, tuesday hal rogers chairman of the appropriations committee was ready to put the cr, he gets a call from the president that he would like have this in the bill, we were supposed to vote on at any time next day. so leadership fortunately pulled back and said no. >> we're going to talk about it. >> yeah. so our staff worked all weekend to -- because the language wasn't something we really could live with. >> no. >> but we came up with a bill and we debated it for six hours what tuesday, wednesday and passed it. but it was much more limited. there were members that voted again it because they wanted to have a discussion on the whole strategy. >> right. >> and there were some that

wanted to look at the amuf and there were various reasons. we had a strong vote in support it. >> up look at the front page of the "the washington post" there's a lot of skepticism by the military about this plan, the cia has questions. >> again there's always questions in a situation like this because there's so many unknowns. you say, sir, we cannot succeed from the safety of some headquarters building. most irresponsible thing the president can do is give the military mission but not the tools it needs to do the job. boots on the ground, is that what you're saying, leave all options open? >> what i would -- if i were president or king for a day or something, i would never just start out every discussion with taking off the table what i would not do. why would we tell the enemy what we're going to do? so, i just think -- >> or what we're not going to do. >> either way.

>> right. >> let them be guessing. >> don't tip your hand. >> yesterday we had secretary hagel before our committee to talk in more depth about this and i said please tell the president don't take options off the table. communicate more with people. he's got two years left in his presidency. it's not been a very successful presidency. but he could turn it around. if he would really focus -- you know came out and gave a speech and said we need to, we need to go after isil and really, you know, all full bore but the next week fighting ebola. we cut a trillion dollars out of national defense but keep getting more and more missions. we need to bring some focus. >> mr. chairman, this debate is

not over while it's been delayed you guys are likely to take up a fuller use of force authorization in december once the current one expires. one of the things i hear from members of congress a lot is they don't think that any type of ground action or military action in syria can work but they say it's the definition of insanity trying the same thing over and over again and getting the same result. do you think there's a chance if that comes up it fails? >> is there a chance? in this town, anything could fail or pass. sitting now, a few days away from an election and then talking about what's is going to happen after the election, everybody can guess on that. >> who knows. >> mr. chairman, thank you so much for being on the show. >> hit to be a big moment for you last night. >> we served together. >> yes, we did.

>> how was he. was he well behaved? >> he was great. >> you're not telling the truth. >> is president obama handcuffing his own strategy against isis. we'll ask the question of congressman tom rooney and congresswoman donna edwards when "morning joe" returns. want to change the world? create things that help people. design safer cars. faster computers. smarter grids and smarter phones. think up new ways to produce energy. be an engineer. solve problems the world needs solved. what are you waiting for? changing the world is part of the job description. join the scientists and engineers of exxonmobil in inspiring america's future engineers. energy lives here.

sfx: ambient park noise, crane engine, music begins. we asked people a question, how much money do you have in your pocket right now? i have $40, $53, $21, do you think the money in your pocket could make an impact on something as big as your retirement? not a chance. i don't think so. it's hard to imagine how something so small can help with something so big. but if you start putting that towards your retirement every week and let it grow over time, for twenty to thirty years, that retirement challenge sfx: crowd cheering might not seem so big after all.

♪ for over 19 million people. [ susan ] my promotion allowed me to start investing for my retirement. transamerica made it easy. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica. transform tomorrow. into one you'll never forget. earn triple points when you book with the expedia app. expedia plus rewards.

♪ let's have a debate over the vote that happened last night over how we handle isil. with us congressman tom rooney from florida and donna edwards from maryland. tom you voted against this. why? >> i thought it was a losing strategy. i listened to the commander-in-chief. i wanted to support the commander-in-chief in a time of war, but as a former army captain and talking to a lot of the other vets that served it was just something that we felt we needed to talk about more about how to go -- >> more of a debate. >> if you're going to destroy them you need to destroy them. this wasn't the way to do it. >> you asked the question how the syrian rebels how did that turn from fantasy to strategy. >> i don't know. as has been said on this show

already today the experiment has been tested a little bit at this point over the last year with very poor results. so to do it at a larger scale with the president saying there's not going to be any boots on the ground in tampa the other day and elsewhere i just couldn't support it at this point. >> i would say you both don't want to see boots on the ground but representative edwards what's the hope in arming the syrian rebels. have you been given any tangible evidence or intelligence to show this could be a strategy that works. >> the reason i voted against i want is because i'm not quite convinced on the syrian end. i have confidence that the president's strategy with respect to iraq can work. syria, not so much. i mean i'm concerned that turkey doesn't seem to be quite at the table which seems to me key to holding that border to keeping the illegal oil flowing through. >> right. >> and financing isis. i'm concerned about who the free

syrian army is and the rebels are. >> has anything on that been provided that gives you any gut that this could be a potential? >> let me just say this. i do think the president is right that if there can be, you know, training and it works, training outside the other, sunni nations which they got some agreement with that maybe that could work. i am really concerned that we've gone through this. we're going away for two months. no authorization. still operating under the authorization of war from iraq. >> from 2003. >> i don't think that's acceptable. congress really does have a role to play here in making sure we authorize whatever we do in going forward. >> we have a democrat and republican skeptical of this strategy and congresswoman said something that i know people in my past district probably your district are saying too, hey we need buy in. if turkey is not bought in, if a lot of other nations across the middle east aren't bought in why should we go back over there again and fight their fight.

>> absolutely. i agree with everything donna said. i think if you get a new authorize in december when we get back to talk about syria, then we'll be able to shore up those countries to get the buy in, and, you know, but as of right now you asked about who these free syrian people are. we have in the intelligence committee tried to get know them a little bit. i can tell you i am nowhere near to be comfortable than i was a year ago. it sound like fantasy to me. we got a choice right now. it's a terrible choice between assad and isis. why don't we tell the american people the truth. there's not a neat clean way in syria right now. >> i do think the president is right to focus on resources on making sure we shore up the politics in iraq, making sure that we arm the kurds and the sunnis to fight that fight because at some point or other

the people in the region and the players in the region have to be willing to put more on the line and have more skin in the game than the united states. that's the only way -- >> thanks to you both for coming in. >> the gators are in alabama. >> obviously the fwators. >> obviously not. >> coming up at the top of the hour, nine months into the investigation of the george washington bridge shutdown, do officials finally have a case against governor christie? we have their findings next on "morning joe." plus new polling on the nfl. what do americans think of the league's handling of the domestic violence crisis. we'll bring you those numbers next. and chris matthews joins the conversation. "morning joe" will be right back. n. when the world called for speed... ♪ ...when the world called for stealth... ♪ ...intelligence... endurance...

affordability... adaptability... and when the world asked for the future. staying ahead in a constantly evolving world. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman. i know what my money is doing. that's the value of performance. i rebalanced my portfolio on my phone. you know what else i can do on my phone? place trades, get free real time quotes and teleport myself to aruba. i wish. an unprecedented program arting busithat partners businesses with universities across the state. for better access to talent, cutting edge research, and state of the art facilities. and you pay no taxes for ten years. from biotech in brooklyn, to next gen energy in binghamton, to manufacturing in buffalo... startup-ny has new businesses popping up across the state. see how startup-ny can help your business grow at startup.ny.gov

before using her new bank of america credit card, which rewards her for responsibly managing her card balance. before receiving $25 toward her balance each quarter for making more than her minimum payment on time each month. tracy got the bankamericard better balance rewards credit card, which fits nicely with everything else in life she has to balance. that's the benefit of responsibility. apply online or visit a bank of america near you. when salesman alan ames books his room at laquinta.com, he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. so he knows exactly when he can check in and power up before his big meeting. and when alan gets all powered up, ya know what happens? i think the numbers speak for themselves.

i'm sold! he's a selling machine! put it there. and there, and there, and there. la quinta inns & suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business. the ready for you alert, only a laquinta.com! la quinta!

♪ welcome back to "morning joe." we're in washington, d.c. this morning, a beautiful morning, sam stein and jeremy peters is still with us. joining us at the table the host of msnbc's "hardball," chris matthews. i love your show. >> thank you. generally but also for saying that. >> good to have you on board, chris because i know you might have something to say about all this. the senate last night authorized the president to arm and train the syrian rebels with the backing of rare bipartisanship. >> more than 40 countries including arab nations have offered assistance as part of

this coalition. here at home i'm pleased that congress, a majority of democrats and a majority of republicans in both the house and the senate of now voted to support a key element of our strategy. our plan to train and equip the opposition in syria so they can help push back these terrorists. this is in keeping with a key principle of our strategy. the american forces that have been deployed to iraq do not and will not have a combat mission, their mission is to advise and assist our partners on the ground. >> who is the president talking to? was there an audience. >> a tennis match. >> oh, stop. >> a small group of reporters. >> had to get it together quickly. the president reiterated no u.s. troops will be deployed for combat. it's cause an rift between the white house and military. this morning "the washington post" is reporting military leaders are openly questioning the effectiveness of a strategy that doesn't include the possibility of ground troops.

but yesterday during hearings on capitol hill secretary of defense chuck hagel assured congress that the white house and military were in complete agreement. he also pushed back on reports that president obama intended to micromanage the strikes himself. >> chris matthew, this isn't anything new. jfk often disagreed with his military and you got general dempsey now twice come out and basically blind side the president so much so that the president had to come out and make statements to the nation. it was pretty brutal. a couple of days ago a source inside the white house told me there's a reason why the president sometimes identifies himself as the commander-in-chief, it's to send a message to his generals that they work for him. >> you're right about the history. it goes back to truman and macarthur whether we go to war with red china. they came after us in korea and kennedy with the bay of pigs

they wanted to go all in with the air strikes. he said no i'm not sucking in with that baby. with the cuban missile crisis, kennedy got through it. but this time around, the thing that's concerning the president's reasons for not having as he calls it boots on the ground or sort of a combat ground game here is political it seems. i'm not sure it's strategic. i'm not sure there's a plan there to win this by air but simply to avoid doing it by land. and i keep thinking about this. we have certain constraints however and that's iraq doesn't want us in there again, pretty clearly. they don't want anybody in there even iraqis even if they are losing. syria we have no way to get in there. the question is can we run a ground campaign. they hate us over there. the longer you occupy a country the more they hate you. you only have a limited amount

of time to win a war. but they got us in by beheading those guys. they weren't like the japanese if we hit them on the pearl harbor they will continue seed it to us. they pulled us back in there. now when a flyer gets shot down you know what will happen, a terrible situation they will grab some of our guys, whether special ops guys work with the tribes or whatever. then what do we do? this is graduated response they called it in vietnam which is a disaster. graduated response. that means you keep reacting to the enemy and they keep matching you. >> jeremy, congress just left last night. they tucked this into a spending bill. they left. we didn't have a real debate about it. we have been complaining about stumbling into war in 2003 for a decade for you. that's exactly what we're doing 11 years later. i feel like getting peter, paul and mary in here and see where

have all the flowers have gone. chris matthews is the only other person on this set who knows that song. when will we ever learn? it's the same thing 11 years later. we're stumbling into war again and congress is not having a debate this time. >> they will. >> when will he >> remember, this was a short term shorzation. >> after the election. >> as of december 11th this goes away and congress will have to act again. now there's going to be some pressure, i think, trees the left not to vote on this because there's a real fear if congress votes on this they will not give the president fuller military authority. but, i think one of the things that we really need to remember here is how iraq still haunts every vote these members take on matters of war and peace. and so really -- >> by the way, it should. >> it should. >> generals shouldn't fight the last war, politicians in washington should be haunted. i should be haunted.

75% of americans who supported the war in iraq should be haunted by the past 11 years. i'm glad. >> right. when it comes up if it comes up, i think you'll see a lot of deep, deep reservation about getting any further involved into a messy middle east conflict. >> isn't that exactly why we're here and why the first concept sam stein is to the arm syrian rebels and try a different way in because of that haunting? >> yeah, i think that's right. i agree in part with chris that we're getting sucked in here. you can see the steps by which this becomes a slippery slope for more authorization. >> is it a slippery slope or discipline. >> that's where i disagree with chris. you talk about the decision how not to put american combat troops is political. i think there's a strategic

underpinning. i think the arab nations need to solve the problem in their own backyard. now can you compel them to fight this war? that's the bigger question. but putting in 30,000 more american troops it might solve the problem in the short term. >> the military always wants more troops. by the way, that's because they are the military. they think like colin powell if you're going to war we don't want to have a fair fight we want to throw everything at them. but there's a divide what may make the most strategic sense and what's politically possible. this president -- everybody is criticizing the president for a foreign policy where he didn't go into syria early enough, he didn't do this early enough. this president, in this area, at least reflected the will of a war weary nation. still war weary. >> there may be a coincidence of domestic policy and strategic policy. the president has put himself in a position we're going to bomb

iraq certainly and probably syria and keep bombing and killing arabs on the ground. they know that's a chicken policy because they cho we're basically retreating as we're doing it. there's a great old staying arabs are used to the westerners retreating under the cover of artillery fire. we fire at them as we retreat. we're not on the front. we're not going forward. we won't get on the ground dean it. they cho we're retreating. so we'll bomb them. kill them. eventually hit a hospital or a school and there will be a mother holding a child, all over international television and gradually that part of the world will turn against us. forget about the beheadings and hate us for what we're doing. air power will do enough damage for to us be hated. >> i agree. i talked to ben rhodes and others in the white house about this and that's why they want to have an international element to this coalition. they want arab nations involved. when they turn on us over those

images. >> the first arab to joins in the field. >> that's the problem. >> imagine what happen if there were a vote in donetsk authorize military action and it failed. what kind of a message that would send. >> if moderate sunni states don't want to join this fight, mika, when their governments are in threat of collapse, then why should we send more troops over to die? why should taxpayers spend more money saving them? >> i think that you and the president are kind of aligned here in some ways. >> i'm gas the president has finally come my way. >> okay. let's move on to news. sources tell nbc news that federal investigators have found no evidence thus far showing new jersey governor chris christie had advance knowledge of the george washington bridge shutdown in 2013. nine months into the investigation, officials say there's no sign he planned or ordered the closures though the investigation is ongoing.

yesterday during a press conference governor christie lashed out at another investigation being handled by the state legislature's democratically controlled committee telling them quote to wrap up their work. >> unfortunately he's attempting to keep his name in the newspaper. we have fully cooperated, absolutely fully cooperated with him and i'm really growing tired of him. you know, i've known all along this is a partisan pursuit. an absolutely partisan pursuit. and the leaking that's being done by the legislative committee is just further evidence of the fact that this is a partisan pursuit. >> so, chris, is it fair to say that this was a pretty simple matter. if you're an investigator you get the texts, you get the emails, you get the communications, you get everybody in separate rooms, you start talking to them. at what point do you suggest that the democratic legislature in new jersey to put up or shut up. this has been nine months.

>> they don't have the power to get kelly on the stand and threaten her with jail time. we have no evidence they got their key witnesses who are definitely in peril here for their own futures. >> how long does this last? >> i don't know. i think all these things take too long. >> why won't she talk? >> they've decide what they want to be punished with and what the governor gets punished with. did the governor ever tell them -- here's how the game works. we get mayors behind us. we'll be tough and have a lot of democratic mayors behind us. somebody put that strategy together. >> so, how long does the democratic investigation last? >> i think fishman is the guy, the u.s. prosecutor who does this for a living and is a pro and apparently not partisan to find out what happened here. it's good news for the governor. doi want to point out the whole

question most people saw in this was a pattern of behavior set from the top we'll play tough. to me it was always more impressive to me -- the testimony of the mayor of hoboken was very impressive when she said the lieutenant governor had come to her and said meet me in a parking lot. i know it shouldn't be this way but if you don't back this waterfront project the mayor is after you won't get any more government money. that has a ring of truth of it. richard nixon got in trouble not so much for the break in, but the culture of the plumbers and doing knigit takes to get our enemies -- the psychiatrist office broken into. to be fair it's good news for the governor he can campaign now. >> how is the governor doing a year late center >> he's great. his numbers are great. given all the stuff that's going

on. there's not a lot -- jeb hasn't made his move. mitt romney has the potential at least on paper of coming back but that sweet spot in the republican party which is a couple of notches to the right of center, that sweet spot where you know whoever can hold that position going into november 16th has a very good chance against secretary clinton if she's nominated. she will be a bit to the right of the democratic party on foreign policy issues so they are going battle for that first 10%, 20% and the middle that decides elections. >> imagine how crowded this republican field is right now. there's so many dynamic personalities that could end up running. >> i've never seen the percentages to so low. look at iowa, new hampshire, everybody is in single digits. can you believe that? >> you mentioned foreign policy is an issue. none of these recontenders have significant foreign policy

experience. hillary clinton does. that could be a real asset. >> it depends. >> benghazi, that's baked into the cake. >> i'm not just talking about benghazi, i'm talking about a world that's falling apart before our eyes in the last year. a lot of people will ask where was hillary clinton on russia on the reset. you can talk about benghazi. talk more about libya. >> how would you characterize her foreign policy experience? >> in terms of input and effort an a. nobody is going to say anybody worked harder at the job. while she was on the post nothing blew apart under her watch. obviously the swoorld messy place. i'll tell you what i think will happen. lot of men will deal with family situation and if you're a guy you will vote against hill lie you better have a good argument at home why. you have to be able to say why the guy you're voting for has higher credentials. you come up with some guy that has never been overseas who once went to rome with his wife and

say that guy should beat her you better have a better good argument at home. >> you know what might at home is what happened in my parents' home in 1960. my mom came home and my dad said who did you vote for. did you vote for nixon. my wife goes yes. five years later she goes i voted for kennedy. >> my mom told my brother jim, mom secretly came to me don't tell your father i vote forward kennedy. >> that's what my mom did. my mom, my dad -- >> the guy will have to be the sneaky guy. >> oh, yeah. i voted for hillary. seems like a regular guy. >> what you voted for -- great. there will be a lot of wasted gas on election day with thus band and wife to go in and vote against each other. i'm sure hillary has the strength of a middle.

a notch or two more hawkish than her rivals, certainly more than the president. if she grabs the sweet spot around the middle. >> she and bill kristol could write a book together. there's not been a war since the 1990s that hillary clinton has supported. >> somehow you're doing her a favor >> you're saying humphrey -- >> she's not scoop jackson. she's centrist democrat on foreign policy. >> the big concern in liberal circles is hillary's foreign policy. people are concerned about her propensity. >> your running for hillary? >> she's an interventionist. she wants to go to war a lot more than i want to go to war, a lot more than rand paul wants to go to war, a lot more than -- i'm not to the left of hillary on war, i'm left to hillary on wall street.

>> that could be a problem for her, actually. >> it will be a fascinating election. a lot of cross currents. >> the problem with the democrats they raise a lot of money on wall street and they whack it. taking on the rich guys, can i have some money, please. >> exactly. >> right now i'll be whacking on tv. >> chris matthews thank you so much. >> "hardball." >> "hardball" tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. still ahead chuck todd and chairman of the foreign affairs committee ed royce will join us. plus this story behind this brazen art thief. you're watching "morning joe."

whenwork with equity experts who work with regional experts that's when expertise happens. mfs. because there is no expertise without collaboration.

all right. time now to take a look at the morning papers at 23 past the hour. we'll start with the "wall street journal." hackers have struck again, this time hitting home depot. this hurts. the company says 56 million credit cards may have been compromised by criminals who use ad custom built program to break into the system. banks including chase and capital one are now replacing the cards of customers exposed in the attack. hackers have also recently busted into target and neiman marcus. is thomas there? >> thomas. >> good morning. we want to look at the "usa today" and what they are looking at. china's richest man is overseeing the largest ipo ever. this morning the retail giant alibaba will begin trading on the new york stock exchange. it's founder is now worth a ridiculous amount of money but it wasn't too long ago where he failed the national college

entrance exams and was rejected from a job at kfc. now the company is poised to have a market value of $168 billion. market shares are going to go for about 68 bucks a pop at the ipo. >> you know what's so interesting about this thomas and mika, yesterday in detroit we were talking to michael bloomberg and michael bloomberg is one of the richest guys in the world. because he actually got fired and as he said -- he was forced to start his own business. and as mayor berg said i would not be hired by some of the better firms today on wall street because i supposedly don't have the skills and talents. what about all the college graduates that have changed the world over the past 20, 30, 40 years. they are disrupters. they don't fit neatly into this system. >> we'll have you do the detroit news. take it. >> your sfleel can i do it. was that an amazing day in

detroit yesterday? >> that was an amazing day. >> i love those people. >> a great day. >> such good news for detroit. >> it's coming back. >> the detroit news, headline says what we saw firsthand yesterday, the business community is impressed by detroit. 64 small business owners are investing back into their community after graduating from the goldman sachs backed 10,000 small business program. it's part of what's helping the city make an amazing turn around. we're behind detroit's fight for a brighter future. so we teamed up with warren buffett and goldman sachs to spread the good news. motor city is roaring back and valerie jarrett there. thank you for being a part of this. we have a question four. do you think detroit's bankruptcy strategy is a smart way to move forward? that's the thing we debated yesterday. we want you to join the debate. download the icitizen app to answer. i got the icitizen app. i downloaded it.

it's great. so download it and vote. do you think detroit's bankruptcy strategy is a great way forward? >> it's a great way to join the conversation. we want to hear what you have to say and that's a great way to gauge opinion. >> wonderful show. can we gate live band all the time? >> oh, my god the sun messengers were fantastic. >> let's take a peek at the new jersey star ledger, cory booker looking at a tax loophole that meticulous nfl to operate as a nonprofit organization. he's teaming up with senator cantwell. >> the belfast telegraph almost looks comical but the man caught on this security camera is committing a very real crime. the suspect is scene casually strolling through a gallery, looking at the art and brazenly

just removes world war i painting off the wall and tries to stuff it in his jacket. it doesn't fit. so he just simply walks out the door with the artwork one his arm. guards caught up with him but he escaped before police could arrive on the scene. what? >> he needs to buy bigger clothes if he's going steal with them. >> we were at an art gallery last night. >> coming up how does ibm plan to be cool and stay competitive with silicon valley's biggest names. we'll take a look at the woman behind that company. ibm's story is remarkable. first did the white house take too long to put together a strategy to defeat isis. we have the chairman of the foreign affairs committee, representative ed royce and chuck todd. we'll ask why congress didn't

debate this before slinking out of town. we'll be right back. (vo) get ready! fancy feast broths. they're irresistabowl... completely unbelievabowl... totally delectabowl. real silky smooth or creamy broths. everything she's been waiting for. carefully crafted with real seafood, real veggies, and never any by-products or fillers. wow! being a cat just got more enjoyabowl. fancy feast broths. wow served daily.

he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. when sales rep steve hatfield books at laquinta.com, so he knows exactly when he can prep for his presentation. and when steve is perfectly prepped, ya know what he brings? and that's how you'll increase market share. any questions? can i get an "a", steve? yes! three a's! amazing sales! he brings his a-game! la quinta inns and suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business. the ready for you alert, only at laquinta.com! la quinta!

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. ♪

welcome back to "morning joe." 32 past the hour. joining us now the chairman of the house foreign affairs committee ed royce of california and also with us nbc news political director and moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd.

happy they have you both on board. >> ed, we're wondering why congress left town before we had really big robust debate on an issue that nobody agrees on. we're stumble into something. the white house didn't want to call it war. should have congress stayed in town and debate this and got down to the bottom of what our strategy is. >> we had six hours of a debate. but the bottom line, joe, is we've seen this isil organization double in size. >> right. >> if we're a little bit worried about what's going to happen in saudi arabia, in uae, in jordan, in yemen in terms of those governments toppling there better be an international plan to take some concerted action and it better be led by those in the region, by sunnis and kurds. >> your saying it's too early for us to go all in. >> i don't see why you would want to blow back of having the united states be the force on the ground there. we got 190,000 kurdish troops. why not arm them properly.

you got other groups like the free syrian army that are fighting isil right now. why not get them, give them the wherewithal and have a broader coalition, french air strikes started this morning, have a broader coalition go in there and do the air power. >> what arab state is going to go in on the ground? >> i had meetings yesterday with the ambassadors from many of the countries from the region. and what they communicate to us is that when they are working with sunnis right now that are part of the awakening, part of the response against al qaeda in the past when they see the kurds aren't getting the equipment that they really need and we met with the foreign minister from kurdistan who says his troops need the equipment why not do that than introduce the luns into that caldron. >> what if the sunni moderates

don't do this. what if this moderate opposition whoever they are, what -- if they don't have the wherewithal. you want the home have this wherewithal. is there proof they have the wherewithal to do this. >> let's look at the kurdish contingents. you had female kurdish contingents on the ground. now you have a push back along the kurdish region with our air support. >> no offense on the kurds. take the kurds out of it. the kurds have always been there. everybody else. where are the saudis. what about the turkeys? >> the saudis writing a check. they are working right now with sunnis on the ground. >> they are writing a check and other saudis are writing dhoek isis. >> we're working on terror finance to cut that off as we work on pressure on the turn rks to close that border.

this is hard work. there's no guarantees in this. the one thing you know at the end of the day is we did engineer the sunni awakening against al qaeda. it can be ignited again. and already, already isil is overplaying its hand. >> how big of an ally is turkey? >> it's a bad ally. they are an ally because they are in nato. they don't behave like an ally. what pressure can we put on turkey to make certain it closes that border, and that it moves against those alibabas, those crooks and thieves taking $2 million a day in oil from isil. >> everything you say makes perfect sense. i have no follow up questions. i want to add in about tissue of

arming the free syrian army. is there any hope, any legitimate credibility to the concept? i mean do you think that there is some way this could work? >> well think about this. these are people that for the last two years held on. they are sort of the middle class in syria. the president said, you know, they are pharmacists, farmers, physicians. can you teach them how to fight? i don't know. for two years they held on against isil on one front, against the barrel bombs coming down from assad and without money they have held on. you got to keep that line of supply open up there to the border. and you got an opportunity to help them do that and stay part of the fight against isil. why wouldn't you want them to defend them. >> chuck, we were both around covering the hill in 200 3rks covering the white house in 2003. why does it seem that in 2014 to

stumble to syria is even more skron l convoluted. >> i'm not chalking about the chairman. i'm talking about capitol hill as a whole is so convoluted. you got the military firing at the president. you got the chairman of the joint chiefs crossing his commander-in-chief every chance he gets in front of capitol hill. you have the cia registering their concerns. you have democrats and republicans both skeptical. you that have leadership shoving this into a funding bill. >> where is the -- why aren't he focusing on redo incorporate the war authorization. right? this would for the debate. we learned nothing politically from the iraq, the lack of debate around the iraq war, the lack fof cuss and going through the different contingency plans. i think congress will regret this moment that we're sort of -- there is -- nobody has

explained to me how we don't end up with some combat troops on the ground at some point or another because there's no -- if we're trying to arm the syrian opposition and it fails, are we going walk away? >> the times have an article today for better or worse we are putting combat troops on the ground. if one of these special forces is fired upon they have the right to fire back. that's a form of combat. i think your previous point actually was a valid one and directed to the congressman which is the lack of a vote on an authorization could cause serious long term damage to the institution of congress itself. you're sedding to the president to declare war. >> it doesn't mention syria. it doesn't mention al qaeda. we're justifying it on that little damage. what kind of damage are you worried about to running home to

tend to elections than voting on a war authorization. >> a lot of this is a statement by members that they are not going to give the president authorization or any president authorization to put u.s. combat troops into that theater of operation. i mean that's a reality is that there's a feeling that what the president is asking for right now is to aid, aid a group that from a humanitarian standpoint is being attacked by isil. that's a different issue than starting down that road for authorization of use of force which then could lead to the slippery slope that you all are -- >> congress would not authorize -- >> congress would not send in the 82nd airborne and that's the point. they are transmitting that message. second that's not bad for the arab world to see either because this isn't our fight it's their fight. >> congressman ed royce thank you very much. chucked to what do you have? >> mike mullen will be there,

former chairman of the joint chiefs. we have him. a democratic senator that voted no, a republican senator that voted yes. >> good luck with that. chuck we'll look forward to that. up next the united kingdom remains intact. everybody can calm down. we'll break down the historic vote next. plus fortune's list of 50 most powerful women. lee gallagher and "the washington post" joining us. all that and more when "morning joe" returns. machines will be sprayed to be made. and making something stronger...

will mean making it lighter. one day, factories will work with the cloud. one day... is today.

no question about that. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use

and a free 30-tablet trial. take and... exhale.in... aflac! and a gentle wavelike motion... aahhh- ahhhhhh. liberate your spine, ahhh-ahhhhhh aflac! and reach, toes blossoming... not that great at yoga. yeah, but when i slipped a disk he paid my claim in just four days. ahh! four days? yep. find out how fast aflac can pay you, at aflac.com.

♪ welcome back to "morning joe," 44 past the hour. joining us now senior writer for "the washington post" frances sellers. also with us fortune's magazine assistant editor, leigh gallagher. leigh is here with the 50 most powerful women issue. first we want to talk scotland. what happened? >> a no vote which was down to the line and really down to the line. what really just happened cameron game out and said we need to devolve not just to scotland but also to england, tole wales and northern ireland how to rethink britain. britain has been rethinking itself in the last few years and that's the very interesting question. how do you create a modern

multicultural -- >> isn't that a conservative argument giving more power, taking power away from centralized authority and dispersing it. >> i think that. if you go back it's only about ten years ago britain began to rethink itself and think about citizenship. in the post-9/11 world and it was only then they introduced citizenship test, naturalization test, like a multicultural front to be british that didn't run on ethnic identities. this referendum were asking people to look at ethnic identities. >> i have no idea what to talk about -- >> my goodness if yes prevailed. >> stamering like an idiot this morning. >> have you seen the flag? it's a black flag with a white cross on it. >> amazing. >> the only thing i understand

about this is that cameron called this referendum two years ago. first of all, it obviously would have blown up in his face if it prevailed but how much political damage has he sustained? >> i think he's very damaged. now he has to rally people together and that's why he's talking about not only scotland but england, wales and northern ireland. how far this goes fascinating. >> so close. it was to the wire. it was a bit of a surprise this morning even though many people as katty said it's not a surprise. >> it surprised me. >> before we get to the most powerful women list which i watch every year. ellison stepping down. >> big news but at the same time not so big news. first of all, larry ellison if you're a business journalist he's one of the great.

one of the huge forefathers of the tech industry but so colorful, so flamboyant, so much fun to cover. but the truth is he's got two very, very senior lieutenants, co-presidents now, co-ceos and he has been -- i mean they have been running the day-to-day for a few years. he's still going to be the chief tech officer. >> let's get to most powerful women list. you guys do this every year. "fortune" magazine. let's go through the top five. i think it's fascinating. jenni remitti. >> this year there are more ceos on this list than ever before. 24 of our 50 are ceos. there's so much talk there's not enough women in business. that's true. we're making such strides. in 2002 on the fortune 500 there were two ceos who were women and

now there are 24. in 2010 there were six. >> talk about ginni. i want to get to mary barra and number three. >> they are in the mid. crises or turning their companies around. ginni rometti is here. people say she's wicked smart. >> mary barra is number two on the list. general motors. sort of thing that women say they mutter it, it's always the women that have to come in and clean everything up. is that true? >> she inherited this problem. it did not happen under her watch. >> or the baton isn't passed to a woman until it's falling apart, i've heard that muttered too. >> this is a gender divided panel. >> you want to stay four feet away? >> somebody put us here.

>> it's not fair to say that. however, women are really good in a crisis feign look at the way mary barra dealt with the g barra dealt with the crisis, she came out, she apologized. she named new vice presidents. she really came out, attacked it. it continued to get worse after that, but, you know, she's an incredible leader. and what is lost in the gm story is the incredible turnaround she is trying to do with the culture. gm's culture, it is famously internal. there are committees for everything. ross perot once said when eds was doing business with gm, at gm, if there's a problem with snakes, at eds, you would kill the stakes. at gm, you start a committee about snakes, you talk about it for a year. >> i want to get to the ceo of pepsico, number three on the

list. she's fascinating in terms of some of her comments on working motherhood. she also released i think one of the most extensive statements on the nfl and domestic violence. >> she did, just this week, yes. another example of where these women are coming right out ahead and leading. pepsi's also a company in the middle of this tremendous innovation or transformation in terms of addressing its menu of food products and trying to stay with the times with concerns about health. >> her comments on working motherhood and also mary barra. they were fascinating. she doesn't think it's necessarily possible to be able to -- >> all of these women wrestle with what anyone in business wrestles with but just, you know, exponentially so. one of the things that's interesting. we have our most powerful women summit every year. last year, we asked on stage, who here has a husband who stays home. and everyone was shocked at the number of women who raised their

hands. these are the women who have the means to do that. but that was surprising. >> oh, man. >> you're jealous. >> i'd love to stay home. >> it's so good to have you back. i'm glad you guys are way over there. the new issue of "fortune" magazine. why are they all the way over there? >> i don't know, we are not bad people. >> i go where i'm told. >> some day, we'll have a most powerful men's list because they will be in the minority -- >> well, yes, how do we put it together? all right, legal ge gallagher, francis, thank you. still ahead, now that he's got the support of congress, what's next for president obama's attack on isis? white house press secretary josh earnest will be our guest. also ahead, legendary performer, cher, sued by her own backup dancers? we'll explain that. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back.

coming up at the top of the hour, are military officials already breaking from president obama's isis plan? we'll ask the press secretary about the apparent rift. >> it's pretty extraordinary. >> yes, incredible. plus, new troubling details

about nfl running back jonathan dwyer's domestic violence charges, and how the public is responding to the nfl scandal as a whole. >> it may not be what you think. >> the mayor of baltimore will be our guest. all that and more when "morning joe" returns. before the names "theodore," "eleanor,"

and "franklin" were indelibly etched into the american consciousness. and the course of human history was forever changed by their individual endeavors. a prominent family made a point of teaching the value of altruism, the power of perseverance, and the virtue of helping out one's fellow man. we've always been on the forefront of innovation. when the world called for speed... ♪ ...when the world called for stealth... ♪ ...intelligence... endurance... affordability... adaptability... and when the world asked for the future. staying ahead in a constantly evolving world. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman. that's the value of performance.

whenwork with equity experts who work with regional experts that's when expertise happens. mfs. because there is no expertise without collaboration. when salesman alan ames books his room at laquinta.com, he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. so he knows exactly when he can check in and power up before his big meeting. and when alan gets all powered up, ya know what happens? i think the numbers speak for themselves. i'm sold! he's a selling machine! put it there. and there, and there, and there. la quinta inns & suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business. the ready for you alert, only a laquinta.com! la quinta! you pay your auto insurance premium every month on the dot.

you're like the poster child for paying on time. and then one day you tap the bumper of a station wagon. no big deal... until your insurance company jacks up your rates. you freak out. what good is having insurance if you get punished for using it? hey insurance companies, news flash. nobody's perfect. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

the point is, different troops wear different boots. which raises the question, which footwear are we willing to put on the ground? i mean, obama said he wouldn't put boots on the ground, all right. but apparently, that was a total croc, okay. because now he's flip-flopping, all right. which makes the american people say, ugh. and [ muted ] me. i've always said, i've always said, it's no surprise, i've always said that obama is a loafer, but with his constant golfing, now he just looks like some kind of clown. because he knows that boots on the ground are a slippery slope. and the last thing he needs is another wedge issue. he needs to stop conversing with our allies and just do it.

cowboy. otherwise, otherwise, and i hate to say it, otherwise, the whole country is going to be taking it in the booty. >> all right. sam stein is still with us. >> gosh, he won't go away. he's like velcro. >> you cannot take me away from the set. >> he kept trying to take over the segment about 50 most powerful women. >> that's such a lie. >> sam, you're such a misogyni t misogynist, you have to learn to be a gentle spirit. >> white house press secretary josh earnest. >> good morning. >> we're going to be talking about the it's on us campaign. it's fantastic. we we'll get to that in just a moment. >> we're going to start with the

headlines. "washington post." i know you've seen it. military skepticism of obama's plan. we've also had the chairman of the joint chiefs. getting out way ahead of where the commander in chief is. you're saying no, and -- >> no, he didn't, joe. >> i love you, man, but i just -- i don't think you believe that. >> no, joe, i don't. dempsey was clear about his support for the strategy. after all, this is the strategy that chairman dempsey has advised the president on so it shouldn't be a surprise that chairman dempsey and the president are in the same place on this. >> has the president followed it is chairman's advice? because a lot of people in the military say he hasn't. >> the president listens carefully to the advice he gets from his military commanders. in fact, the president of the united states fueled up air force one and flew to central

command headquarters in tampa where he could get an in person briefing from his advisers on the strategy for broadening our campaign in iraq and syria. the president appreciates the very solid advice he's received from his military commanders -- >> "the washington post" headline, when it says, in the military, there's skepticism of the president's plan? >> i think the headline's wrong. all they do is misinterpret chairman dempsey's testimony and the rest of the time they essentially quote people who are either frequent critics of the president or people who supported the previous iraq conflict. so the more accurate headline would be supporters of the war in iraq criticized president obama's strategy -- >> josh, are you disappointed a lot of congressmen and women and senators have been criticizing the president's military approach in this crisis, ran out of town last night without having a full, fair open debate

on what we should do on syria and iraq? >> i actually think the united states congress over the last 36 hours or so has sent a very clear signal to the country, to our allies around the globe and our enemies that united states congress and the president are all in the same place in terms of our strategy for degrading and ultimately destroying isil. we saw a majority of republicans and democrats in the house. a majority of republicans and majority of democrats in the senate all joining together to support the president's strategy to ramp up the assistance we're providing to the syrian rebels -- >> josh, have you talked about our allies? do we still consider turkey to be an ally? >> turkey is a nato ally, that's correct, yes, they are. >> well, in words only. but they haven't been act like an alley over the last several months, have they? >> we have differences where they're allies on a range of issues. this happens in every administration. and it sort of reflects the depth and robust nature of our

relationship, that we can have differences of opinion with them on some issues but still preserve a strong alliance. >> is the president disappointed with the way turkey's behaved over the past several months? >> well, joe, we have been engaged robustly with allies around the globe, including turkey. the secretary of defense was just there about ten days ago to talk to them about what we can do to work together to confront this threat that's posed by isil. the nation turkey has a significant interest in assuring that the international community comes together to confront the threat. after all, they're to mofomentil this violence right on turkey's doorstep. it's in the interest of turkey's leaders to join with the international community to beat back and ultimately destroy this threat. >> i'm just not so taken or concerned about the haggling over strategies and words of war in washington on the brink of war. i think that's what happens. the bigger issue is how we're

not going to fall into going it alone. i wonder, josh, what leverage are we going to use, what leverage do we have to ensure we're not going it alone here? >> what the president has indicated is a determination to ensure that what we're going to do is build a broader international coalition. it is in the clear interest of the international community. it is in the clear interest of these muslim majority sunni-led governments in the region to work together to combat this. the president said candidly when he did the interview with chuck todd it's his view these sunni-led governments who previously assumed shia-led governments were the greatest threat to their countries. the fact is, it's the president's view these extremist sunni muslims fomenting all this instability are actually the greatest threat to these countries. that's why we're confident we can built an international coalition. >> how much confidence do you have in this syrian army? a lot of people are concerned they're not going to be able to do it and we're not going to be

able to trust them. >> well, there's no doubt we have a lot of work to be done. that's why it's important for congress to take the bipartisan action they did. to give the administration title 10 authority, to ramp up the assistance we're providing. the fact is, the -- if we're going to be successful in degrading and destroying isil and ensuring they don't have a safe haven, there need to be boots on the ground that are taking the fight to them on the ground in syria. the president's determined those are not going to be combat boots on the ground in syria, so we need to make sure -- we have syrians fighting for their own country. we'll back their efforts with american military air power. that will help too. but there's no doubt that they need to improve their performance on the battlefield. >> josh, you're doing a great job there answering these questions on the set of the upcoming movie "bob the builder." we've got field workers, we've got like zamboni machines going on behind you. seriously, it is a major, like,

shop class going on there. >> but he is earnest. >> we have sam stein, who actually has a hall pass from his prep school to ask you a question. >> excellent. hi, sam. >> i don't know. all right. with respect to boots on the ground, "the new york times" has an interesting article saying for better or worse the troops we're sending in for the sort of reconnaissance missions, they're combat troops. if they're fired upon, they will fire back. just wanted you to react to this quote from the retired army general. quote, you may not be in direct combat but it's a combat mission. is he wrong? >> well, i think the real question, sam, is what sort of mission has the commander in chief and are the commanders on the ground giving these soldiers. the role and the mission that these troops will be given when they're operating on the ground there will be be an advise and assist role. it's their responsibility. if they're in a position where they're forward deployed. so far, there have not been any. if they're in a position where they're forward deployed working alongside iraqi security forces,

what they will be doing is not directly or personally engaging the enemy in combat. they'll be there to offer tactical advice to those iraqi security forces. in some situations, you can imagine, they might be responsible for calling in air strikes. and the president was candid in the remarks he delivered to troops at macdill air force base that every mission involves risk. there certainly would be risk associated with these forward deployed soldiers. the question is about what sort of mission would they be given by their commanders and what sort of mission would they be given by their commander in chief. it would not be a combat mission. it would be an advise and assist mission. >> thomas roberts in new york. >> i wanted to ask you about arming the syrian rebels. i was e-mailing with jen sochi at state before he got back to testify. with the questions about specifically whether or not there are conversations that will ever take place with bashar al assad. is it the white house's position that's an option on the table,

that's something that might happen, or that's something that will never happen? >> well, thomas, we've been really clear about the fact that president assad has lost the legitimacy to lead his people. that's the will of the people that assad should go and there should be a government put in place that more accurately refler reflects the will of the syrian people. we've been very clear about that to assad. it's assad's failed leadership that has led to the circumstances on the ground in syria that have allowed isil and other extremist organizations to try to establish a safe haven there. there are a variety of reasons why president assad's leadership is inconsistent with america's national security priorities. so we're going to do what we need to do to built an international coalition to take the fight to isil, degrade and ultimately destroy them. >> i want to swing now to the white house getting involved again with really trying to spark social change on a number of levels. this is about campus communities

preventing sexual assault. >> this has been an important priority for a long time. they're both fathers. they both believe that it should be a top priority for us to combat sexual violence and sexual assault on college campuses and, more broadly, in our society. and the goal of this campaign is to make clear that not only are we going to make sure that we have the law enforcement and disciplinary structures in place to hold accountable those who perpetrate these acts. not only do we want to or support to those who are survivors of this kind of violence, we also want to make sure it's clear to people all across the country, on campuses in particular, that it's on all of us to take responsibility for combating and eliminating sexual violence on college campuses. from teachers and coaches, students and fraternity brothers and sorority sisters. it's on us to speak up and take responsibility for ensuring we're going to prevent sexual violence from occurring. this is an effort to try to

build some social awareness to this. we're working with media campaigns and others to raise awareness and get people to take the pledge at its on us.org. >> it's a good campaign. white house press secretary josh earnest, thank you very much. >> and the website again is itsonus.org. new domestic violence charges facing running back jonathan dwyer. police say dwyer head-butted his wife in july after she refused to have sex with him. the head-butt allegedly left his wife with a broken nose. dwyer is also accused of punching her the following it a and throwing a shoe at his 17-month-old son. the cardinals head coach says domestic violence is a major problem across the company and dwyer will not be a part of the team unless he is exonerated. >> finally people are becoming aware of it and doing something about it. it's uncalled for.

i think anyone who touches a woman or a child in my opinion needs to go to jail for a long time. if this bad scar on the nfl as you want to say right now makes the rest of the world aware of what's going on, it's damn good. >> i like what he said. >> if you know the coach, there may be no question in your mind that he would have done that no matter what. i do think across the country in other cases if that had happened, the guy would be playing. this is what's changed. let's bring in the mayor of baltimore, stephanie raulings blake. really good to have you back on the show. first of all, overall, what do you make of the nfl's mad scramble to sort of get it right on this? >> i don't think that they are getting it right. they're certainly scrambling but not getting it right. it seems that they're kind of throwing things at the wall and seeing where public opinion is and then they're going to make a decision about what's right or wrong. i think it's important to remember that while all of these things are happening, there are

families that are suffering from domestic abuse. and we should be focused on education. we should be focused on getting healing for those who are impacted. and better education for the men in our community. i think there's been too much gray area on ways acceptable and what's not. we need to make it clear that it's never acceptable for a man to put his hands on a woman. we need to give those men other tools. and better coping skills. so we can have healed families. >> okay. and what are they not getting right at this point? because what we are seeing as opposed to two or three months ago is swift action when a case comes up. they've hired i believe more women to -- >> exactly, and this also started in your hometown of baltimore where you had the ravens, first, along with the nfl, not seeming to get it. but then the ownership moving fairly quickly. once they saw the information.

saw light of day. >> i think the nfl and the ravens have gotten it right. i think everyone understands, especially ray rice, what he did is wrong, and he is focused on what i think is most important which is healing and repairing his family. i think that the challenge is even with the case of ray rice, it is multiple actions, which leads to confusion. there needs to be very clear, very clear penalties. and with ray rice, he's gotten two separate -- two or three separate penalties. it seems like they're doing the same thing in other cases. we need to be clear and we need to be consistent so there can be understanding across the board. >> mayor raulings blake, i want to know what that is that needs to be done as it pertains to the nfl or the baltimore team. i know across the board we need to see more change in terms of understanding domestic violence and helping people. but what actually do you want to see the nfl still do? >> i think they got it right by

bringing in domestic violence experts. i think instead of trying to guess at what the right policy is and guess at what the right education, the right re forms, they're bringing in experts to help them develop that strategy. i think that work is yet to be seen. they have to actually now -- now that they have the right people on board, do that work. and i'm hopeful because they invested in bringing experts, they're going to be on the right track. >> all right. we have a son of baltimore, thomas roberts has a question for you. >> mayor, i wanted to ask you, because my sister is an owner of seats there from the ravens and she got a letter asking for forgiveness earlier in september after everything was vetted. they dated everything back to february when the initial accident came out with the rice couple. but they talked about what they knew, when they knew it. but the thing that caught my attention in this letter, and i just want to read it to everybody and see what your reaction is is that they vetted everything, they tried to get as much information as they could. but then once the charges

changed it said in in march, the prosecutor elevated the charge from simple assault to aggravated assault. we decided to defer action until completion of the court proceedings. we stopped seeking to view or obtain a copy of the video. we halted our fact finding. that was a mistake on our part. so once the charges got higher against ray rice, the ravens organization said we don't want to know anymore. so as the mayor of baltimore, what do you specifically want to know from your hometown team? because the letter doesn't say why they stopped. what do you want to specifically know from him, from coach harbaugh, about why they just decided to not seek more information? >> i think it's clear that coach harbaugh, the official, they didn't understand how to make this right. they never want to harm the team in a way they've believe they've

done by letting us down. i hope they take a look at everything they did and get back to the team, get to the answers of why. they haven't answered those questions yet. i know there are many people in baltimore that are looking forward to understanding. >> all right. mayor stephanie raulings blake, always good to have you on the show. thank you very much. still ahead on "morning joe," the vice chairman of the senate intelligence committee, senator saxby chambliss, addresses the vote on isis. why congress jetted out of town with big questions still hanging over america's military strategy. but first, on a much lighter note. yeah. a grumpy cat prepares to make the jump from the internet to the tv with the help of one of the stars of "parks and rec." that's a good tease. >> what is that? >> plus, making it cool. more from the newest spokesmodel

for -- >> kitty cats and chain saws? seriously. >> ahead on "morning joe." we're going to have my mom's very candid remarks. are we? about my study habits? >> this is a wonderful daughter. she was impossible growing up. [ laughter ] she just didn't do anything right. but somehow she managed to get into college. and get out of college in spite of the fact that she had the lowest s.a.t. scores.

don't wait for awesome... totino's pizza rolls... ...gets you there in just 60 seconds. how much money do you think you'll need when you retire? then we gave each person a ribbon to show how many years that amount might last. i was trying to, like, pull it a little further. [ woman ] got me to 70 years old. i'm going to have to rethink this thing. it's hard to imagine how much we'll need for a retirement that could last 30 years or more. so maybe we need to approach things differently, if we want to be ready for a longer retirement. ♪ here we go, here we go, here we go. ♪ fifty omaha set hut

♪ losing feeling in my toes ♪ ♪ nothing beats that new car smell ♪ ♪ chicken parm you taste so good ♪ ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ mmm mmm mmm mm mmm mm mmmmmm into one you'll never forget. earn triple points when you book with the expedia app. expedia plus rewards.

we're not going to have sam read anything. >> oh, no, sam can do it. >> i have to learn how to read. >> exactly. >> by the way, your mother was awfully rough on you last night. >> we'll have more on that. an accused cop killer now on the fbi's ten most wanted list. authorities say he gunned down a police officer friday and is now on the run in northeastern pennsylvania. schools in the area are closed down. amid the massive man front. frein is also accused of shooting another officer who is listed in critical condition. >> from "the washington post," apparently taking over the internet simply isn't enough for

grumpy cat. a report about a lifetime movie starring the famous kitty whose real name is tarter sauce. he's made appearances on "american idol" and "mtv movie awards." >> a spokesperson for cher is pushing back against allegations of racial discrimination involving the singer. two backup dancers say they were fired based on their race. a third says she was let go because of her age. the lawsuit claims cher hired a white performer over another qualified candidate after complaining there were too many darked skin dancers on her tour. >> not a really good move. "the daily mail." a 2-year-old girl isn't messing around when it comes to her rendition of a song from the movie "frozen." putting on a show at her home in northern ireland when her mom begins to laugh. that's a really big mistake. the little performer lets mommy have it. ♪

>> are you going to choke yourself now? you're going to choke yourself now? >> i'm so sorry. >> you're choking yourself now. i am warning you. you are being a very bold girl. so i am going to bust you in a minute. >> your mother said you were a very difficult girl. i always go around and we have these speeches and we're talking to college campuses and rotary clubs and all these other things. and i always imitate your mother. >> yes. >> and i always joke around about how she'll go, mika, the

s.a.t.s. it ends up that your mother's actual performance was more over the top than my imitation of her. >> oh, much more over the top. she was on fire last night. she had an event at the museum in washington, d.c. showing some incredible sku incredible sculptures she's been working on the last few years and also to celebrate her book "the war of the forest" which is out right now. here's a look at what went down last night. >> there she is. >> how you doing? >> this is amazing. >> that's fantastic. >> i got to see firsthand what she has done over the past 30, 35 years. i was amazed by the talent inside of her and it really is

remarkable. >> this is a wonderful daughter. what did i get out of this show here and the book? a sense of identity of who i am. >> as you can see, my mother's the real star of the brzezinski family. >> yes. >> my mother's work represents dedication, discipline and drive. and that's the way she loved all of us. let's raise our glass, let's toast the newest spokesmodel for steel chain saws, the love of my father's life, my mom, emily brzezinski. >> that is my favorite sculpture she's ever done. that's called lament. beautiful. thanks, guys. >> you were so sweet to your mother.

she didn't return the favor, did she? you all are tough on each other. it was a moving, moving night. they did such a remarkable job putting this together. >> it was the perfect setting actually because her work is so big in scale that it's hard to find exactly the right setting. this one's perfect. >> turnout was remarkable. she has so many fans. and of course she is -- as a lot of people were talking about last night. the international acclaim that her artwork has begun to receive is really -- it's awe inspiring. your father was well behaved last night. >> he was good. >> he didn't make it about him. >> he's good. it was a wonderful night and they had a great time. coming up, wall street is getting ready for the launch of the largest u.s. ipo ever. but first, is the united states making the same mistakes in iraq as it did in vietnam? david ignatius thinks so. we'll read from his strong op-ed. and we'll also get reaction from

senator saxby chambliss, dr. denise natoli and kacie hunt. "morning joe" will be right back. (vo) get ready! fancy feast broths. they're irresistabowl... completely unbelievabowl... totally delectabowl. real silky smooth or creamy broths. everything she's been waiting for.

carefully crafted with real seafood, real veggies, and never any by-products or fillers. wow! being a cat just got more enjoyabowl. fancy feast broths. wow served daily. he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. when sales rep steve hatfield books at laquinta.com, so he knows exactly when he can prep for his presentation. and when steve is perfectly prepped, ya know what he brings? and that's how you'll increase market share. any questions? can i get an "a", steve? yes! three a's! amazing sales! he brings his a-game! la quinta inns and suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business. the ready for you alert, only at laquinta.com! la quinta!

that's really nice. >> yeah, that's a great track. >> with us now, the vice chairman of the select committee on intelligence, saxby chambliss of georgia. >> also with us, dr. denise natali and msnbc political correspondent kacie hunt. we'll get to some fun stuff in the world of politics. >> saxby, the question of the hour seems to be about the syrian rebel. it's gone from a fantasy to a strategy to arm the syrian rebels. you get the questions. is it the smart thing to do? >> well, you know, the problem we've got is because we are where we are, our options are really very, very limited. >> is this our best option for now? >> it's the only option very honestly. and i was a supporter of it, but i'll have to say, i'm a very cautiously optimistic supporter of it. i don't know whether it will

work or not. here's what i do know. it won't work unless we have the entire arab world buying in. >> we don't have that yet, do we? >> we don't have that. >> and turkey goes down as one of the worst allies since de gaulle was running france in the '60s. they're a terrible ally. >> you know, turkey frankly has got more to lose than any other arab country there. simply because of the transiting through turkey to other places in europe, so they need to be totally on board. the saudis, you know, they stick their toe in the water but they're not all in yet. thank goodness we have folks like the uae and the jordanians who have been our friends. they continue to be our friends. they're willing to step up. >> the uae has been a champion from the beginning. it's great. >> i want to read from david ignatius who writes this. repeating our mistakes. the united states has made the

same mistake in evaluating fighters from the islamic state that it did in vietnam. according to the director of national intelligence what we didn't do is predict the will to fight. in this case, we underestimated isil and overestimated the fighting capability of the iraqi army. dr. nat tally, what are the elements you think are being missed here? >> these are my own views and not the u.s. government. >> yes. >> one of the important things i think we're missing is how deeply embedded this is in the local population as well. and that the fact that the arena in syria is different than the arena in iraq. although there are foreign fighters as well. two-thirds of the foreign fighters, for example, are in syria. the iraqi situation is largely one also of grievances. there's a deep sunni arab local population tacit support for the islamic state as well. and there's oil revenues. a lot of this has been going on since the 1990s.

unless we have this multiprong approach of choking off the revenue sources, desunnifiing, a lot of funding of the foreign fighters may have muted effects. >> one of the questions i've not received a compelling answer to. what assurances do we have the arms and training we give to the syrian rebels won't be used to go after assad? we're banking on them taking the fight to isis on our behalf. how do we know any of these rebel groups won't just say thank you for the guns, thank you for the training, now we'll go after assad? >> we have no guarantee. there's no way you can be 100% certain that's going to happen. i would guess you're going to have to assume that some of those folks that we train will ultimately be flipped to another group. maybe isis or maybe somebody else. >> so we just send them money anyway? >> well, that's -- >> $500 million there, $500 million here? >> well, that's what i said

earlier. our options are just so limited because of where we are. >> it also depends on who we're sending the weapons too. you have the free syrian army. there's been some fuzzy moving around between nusri, perhaps isil. then you have these kurdish rebel forces which are sensitive to turkey and they have been fighting isil for the past two years. do you want weapons in the hands of those in syria who are at the same time fighting isil? a sensitive political question. >> this is breaking down -- talk about political questions at home this is breaking down not along party lines. democrats and republicans very skeptical. what's happen on the campaign trail? >> one interesting no vote was senator gillibrand who looks as though she may be trying to avoid making the mistake hillary clinton made years ago in the iraq war, a mistake she's still paying for. i think you're seeing a lot of discontent. it's a very odd alliance to have senator cruz and rand paul on the same side as many of these other democrats.

i think you're seeing a split as well -- >> why the no on ted cruz? >> in that case, i'm interested to know whether it's setting himself up for the republican presidential primary down the road. if this is going to be something that, particularly the libertarian wing of the republican party is going to argue over. does he not want to be on a different side. i think also if you look at some of the democrats that are involved in tight races. alaska you saw mark begich on the floor yesterday. he has a republican opponent who is saying we should be backing up the president. in new hampshire, scott brown hitting gene shaheen for not being tough enough. this something that scrambles the situation. >> saxby, i'm disappointed that congress didn't talk about this more, that there weren't more discussions, more hearings. that there wasn't a straight up and down vote. that it wasn't attached to one of these bigger spending bills

that kept the government open. what did the white house want? did they want congress to just vote on this as part of the bigger package and then slip out of town? what did you hear? >> the white house has been surprisingly quiet on whether they wanted a separate vote on this. they wanted some rumblings because i think there was a lot of talk about it, that they thought it would be a good idea. then when it came right down to it, all the white house had to say was, guys, we need a new -- or we need a specific vote on the arming of syrian rebels. exactly what they wanted got done. >> that would have pretexted the democrats, right, by not having the up and down -- >> exactly, that's exactly why -- >> do you think -- sorry, go ahead. >> go ahead. >> senator, there have been some reports that americans in syrian hands have been treated worse because of some of what happened

at guantanamo bay, other issues with americans and how we've dealt with detainees. you're preparing your committee is working on with the white house redactions of this report on torture. how do you think releasing that report, senator fine says she wants to do it this month, will impact what's going on now in our fight against isis? >> it's not a report on torture. it's a report on the program that was put in place after the attack of 9/11. there are some allegations that there were torturous acts committed but that's going to be in the mind of the beholder when folks have a chance to read it. i was opposed to the reporting done. i frankly don't think it serves any purpose, particularly now, when, as you've said, i think there's a real chance that the terrorist community will be a little more aggressive, react to it -- >> why's it being releasinged right now? this is -- is this not one of

the worst times to release this report? >> it seems to me like it is. >> is there ever a good time though? i mean, we have to learn from our nation's history and take the lessons and build off of that? >> what do you mean is there ever a good time? >> everyone can use this report for propaganda purposes -- >> the same now as like two or three years -- >> this is a bad time, sam. >> it's much more problematic now, but i also think you have to learn from your own history in order to not repeat the same mistakes. >> the biggest problem with this report is it's an ideologically driven report by a democratic committee. it's not down the middle. and we're not getting the other side of the report. the other side of the report that actually shows -- well, i'm going to say some things that saxby can't say because -- >> no, no -- >> the fact is, republicans

should put out a report, i think, saxby, that talks about all the things that actually have come out of the interrogations post-9/11. >> we do have a minority report that, you know, when it comes out, obviously, i encourage everybody to read. plus, you're going to have every director of the cia during this period of time under which ever president say that there was significant substantive facts that came out of the interrogation process. >> right. >> that led to the disruption, interruption of terrorist plots. that's the theaterry, the underlying theory on the other side, that no meaningful information was gleaned. that's simply wrong. >> that's not true. >> senator, we have to leave it there. doctor, thank you so much for coming in. kacie hunt, stay with us. she's clearly got more questions. >> yes. >> a jetblue flight makes an ener emergency landing after an engine blows, filling the cabin

with smoke. that is not a good day. up next on "morning joe," how much is alibaba really worth? we're about to find out. the company makes its public debut today. business before the bell is next. [ hoof beats ]

i wish... please, please, please, please, please. [ male announcer ] the wish we wish above all...is health. so we quit selling cigarettes in our cvs pharmacies. expanded minuteclinic, for walk-in medical care. and created programs that encourage people to take their medications regularly. introducing cvs health. a new purpose. a new promise... to help all those wishes come true. cvs health. because health is everything. we know in the cyber world, threats are always evolving. at first, we were protecting networks. then, we were protecting the transfer of data. and today it's evolved to infrastructure... ♪ ...finance... and military missions. we're constantly innovating to advance the front line in the cyber battle, wherever it takes us. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman.

it's time for business before the bell now with cnbc's sara eisen. all eyes focused on one company today. >> it's alibaba. today is actually one for the history books here on the floor of the new york stock exchange. it's already exciting. there are more people i've seen here. i've been here a little less than a year and i've never seen it this busy for the debut, the public debut, of alibaba. why? because it is set to become the largest ipo in u.s. history, debuting here on the floor of the new york stock exchange.

they're set to raise $22 billion. it's the largest. the last big one like that was visa back in 2008. >> sara, can you explain to people that haven't been following this story what is alibaba, why are they so massive? >> they're so massive because they are a play on the chinese economic boom. the miracle that is china. the best way to describe it, sort of an amazon and an ebay and a pay pal and a google a little bit all in one. has a number of sites, online marketplaces, virtual shopping, sort of like ebay, but the fact is, it's bigger. just to give you some figure, here. 279 million active users. >> dear lord. >> that buy 300 billion a year in sales. that's 80% of chinese retail sales. so just ponder that. it's ginormous. you can't even -- >> that's unbelievable. that's almost as many people as go to the "morning joe" site

every morning. it's just really staggering. just a few million shy. >> or like your twitter following. >> sara eisen, thank you. up next, a nightmare for passengers on a jetblue flight yesterday after an emergency landing. nbc's tom costello joins us next with that. so what we're looking for is a way to "plus" our accounting firm's mobile plan. and "minus" our expenses. perfect timing. we're offering our best-ever pricing on mobile plans for business. run the numbers on that. well, unlimited talk and text, and ten gigs of data for the five of you would be... one-seventy-five a month. good calculating kyle. good job kyle. you just made partner. our best-ever pricing on mobile share value plans for business. now with a $100 bill credit for every business line you add. before the names "theodore," "eleanor," and "franklin" were indelibly etched into the american consciousness.

and the course of human history was forever changed by their individual endeavors. a prominent family made a point of teaching the value of altruism, the power of perseverance, and the virtue of helping out one's fellow man. if energy could come from anything?. or if power could go anywhere? or if light could seek out the dark? what would happen if that happens?

anything. everyone is looking for ways while to cut expenses.s unique, and that's where pg&e's online business energy checkup tool can really help.

you can use it to track your actual energy use. find rebates that make equipment upgrades more affordable. even develop a customized energy plan for your company. think of it as a way to take more control over your operating costs. and yet another energy saving opportunity from pg&e. find new ways to save energy and money with pg&e's business energy check-up.

passengers from a flight are shaking off an incredibly unnerving experience after their flight from texas turned back to southern california yesterday after the plane's cabin filled with smoke. >> not good. >> not a good thing. it happened to us on a flight once. not good, not fun. nbc's tom costello has the story. tom. >> yeah, good morning, joe. this happened very quickly. just as the jetblue air bus with 147 people on board was on its initial climbout on takeoff, this dramatic and terrifying midair emergency. it doesn't get much scarier than this. smoke filling an aircraft and terrified passengers grabbing for oxygen maxes. jetblue flight 1416 had just taken off from long beach, california, headed to austin, when suddenly passengers reported hearing an explosion. the number two engine on the right side was on fire. soon smoke began bleeding into the aircraft.

the pilot quickly telling controllers he was making an emergency landing. >> inflight crew, prepare to land. we'll be on the ground momentarily. >> with smoke filling the cabin and babies screaming, many passengers feared the worst. >> you can't see the person next to you and you're inhaling smoke and the oxygen masks are not deploying, you know, we all thought there was a major problem. >> but moments later, a smooth landing. >> 1416's on the ground. >> never had anything happen -- >> once on the ground with fire crews standing by, passengers used the emergency evacuation chutes and jumped to safety. this actor posted these photos. our right engine exploded and our cabin filled with smoke. the oxygen masks did not deploy but the brave stewardesses came around and manually deployed them. >> i cried for ten minutes. i wanted to talk to my kids. >> i'm not going back on a plane. i just can't. >> yeah, you can't blame her.

three people suffered minor injureie injuries. one person taken to the hospital for shortness of breath. guys, it actually happened to me. i was on a plane when an engine exploded after ingesting a turkey vulture. we landed safely in tampa. it underscores, these planes can fly on one engine, if they have to. >> nbc's tom costello, thank you. >> i'm glad it worked out. what, if anything, did we learn today? she inspires you.

no question about that. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial.

when salesman alan ames books his room at laquinta.com, he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. so he knows exactly when he can check in and power up before his big meeting. and when alan gets all powered up, ya know what happens? i think the numbers speak for themselves. i'm sold! he's a selling machine! put it there. and there, and there, and there. la quinta inns & suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business. the ready for you alert, only a laquinta.com! la quinta!

welcome back. it's time to talk about what we learned today. a very sad day for those of us in the "morning joe" community. >> we're saying good-bye to conner who has been part of our team for the last three months. we're going to miss you, buddy. you get back into the page program, you get thrown back into the pond? >> i'm still looking to do something else in news. we'll see. >> we're going to miss conner. let's hear it for conner, everybody. yes. >> he's a little bossy but he was good. >> he was bossy. >> he pushed you around a lot. >> made me sad. but, you know, everybody does, i mean -- >> he got right in your face. >> what did you learn? >> i learned the lure of the forest makes me so proud to be my mother's daughter. >> i was going to say, i learned that your mother is possibly the most talented member in the

brzezinski family. >> sam, what did you learn today? you snide, snug millennial, you. >> yeah, really. >> i learned this is a hostile set and people should stay away from it and there's mental abuse happening and someone needs to help me. >> so now you're a victim. >> i was going to say, another thing, she brandishes chain saws. >> my mom, yeah. >> just crazy. >> thank you, sam. why don't you go home, play video games, smoke pot, with your millennial -- >> if it's way too early -- >> i say that -- >> kristen welker next. >> have a great weekend, everybody. great to see you guys in person. the president praises congress. something you don't hear much lately is bipartisan backing for arming syrian rebels clears congress, but one worry is whether those rebels will actually attack isis before