appear at a news conference. today, the pathologist they hired to conduct an autopsy will testify before the grand jury that will decide whether police officer darren wilson will be charged in their son's death. we'll have that live. also right now, we're keeping an eye on the house hearing there on the strategy against isis. chuck hagel and martin dempsey will testify. wehle have more on that in a moment. good morning. nice to be with you. i'm frances rivera. jose diaz balart remains on the ground in mexico, where he continues to following the escalating protest against those 43 missing students. jose will be joining us in a little bit with the latest on that. but for now, let's get to the latest on the michael brown shooting story with a lot going on today. msnbc's triman lee is in missouri. what kind of detail can you given us about this news conference being held by the attorneys from michael brown's family. >> a few moments ago, i spoke with anthony gray, part of the

brown family's legal team. and they said they want to address the media and the community in response to a press conference that governor jay nixon held earlier this week. in that press conference, governor nixon laid out a plan, a law forcement plan, essentially, in case there is unrest, if there is a non-indictment or indictment of officer darren wilson, that residents and businesses in the community will be protected. that wasn't really received well in some parts of the community, especially protesters in support of the brown family, who say that if there's any violence at all, it will likely be from the police inflicted on the protesters. so the family says and brown's attorney says they're going to come out here and try to just respond to some of those concerns and what was in the press conference initially. >> simply put, county officials say just take a deep breath, stand back, and calm down. at the same time, dr. michael bodden, the private forensic pathologist who performed an autopsy on michael brown, is set to testify before the grand jury today. so what are we hearing about that? >> yeah, dr. bodden just went into the west justice center about 20 minutes ago.

and the family hopes that by hearing an independent voice, again, dr. bodden performed an autopsy at the behest of the family. and it was one of the first of the autopsy reports that was actually released. so he hopes he'll go in that and testify for the grand jury and give him a clear picture, from their vantage point, of what seems to have happened. >> what we're watching there, tremaine lee, thank you so much. keep it right here on msnbc. we will bring you that news conference live as soon as it begins. now to developments on capitol hill. two of the nation's top military officials set to begin testifying right now on u.s. efforts against the isis terror group. defense secretary chuck hagel and joint chiefs chairman general martin dempsey are in front of a house armed services committee. it's the first time we've heard from the men since last month. and in that time, president obama has deployed 1500 additional troops to iraq to train and advise forces there. today, conversation centers around whether congress needs to

give another okay to that fight. nbc news pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski is following it all. jim, what can we expect today? >> well, frances, officials here at the pentagon say don't expect any great revelations or bombshells from either secretary of defense hagel or general dempsey up there before the house armed services committee. they'll lay out what's happened so far, and where they intend to go, but they will emphasize that this is going to be a long-running process, that will involve the iraqi military and that the u.s. cannot win this war from the air alone. that it's got to be the iraqi military eventually, but as we've heard from president obama himself and others here in this building, that effort could take years. nevertheless, they expect to get a pretty good beating up there from many of the house members, who think that despite, you know, the $8 million a day we're now spending on air strikes, nearly $800 million, and nearly

900 air strikes, there doesn't appear to be much progress. they'll push back a little bit from here, saying, look, we've stopped isis pretty much in its tracks, but we haven't defeated them. and again, this is going to be a long-running, very expensive conflict, frances. >> and jim, there's that report that the white house is reviewing its policy when it comes to fighting within syria. saying there may be a new stage as far as their attack. what can you tell us about that? >> u.s. officials both here, over at the white house and state department are warning us that some cable reports that the president has ordered an overhaul of the isis strategy to include ultimately unseating, removing syrian president assad from power is just not the case. here, they'll tell you, look, we're always planning, we're always reviewing, and that includes the entire administration. but we're told any suggestion that the president now wants to overhaul the isis strategy to

include forcing assad from power in syria just not in the cards, at least not yet, anyway. >> a lot to watch, certainly there. jim miklaszewski at the pentagon. we thank you for your time. >> all righty, frances. we now bring in steve clemens, an editor at large for "the atlantic." thank you for being with us and angst to hear your perspective on what we're covering today. the white house is asking congress for $5 billion, actually, in this fight against isis. another $1.6 billion to train and equip iraqi forces. the administration needs the money, but do they need congress to reauthorize this fight? so which congress are we talking about? the lame duck or the new one in january? >> tim cain, a member of the president's own party has been out there saying, we're now fighting a new war in the middle east without authorization. so the president could ignore tim kaine, which then ignores a substantial portion of his own party, but i think there are enough institutionalists in the congress who will worry about it.

ultimately, i think the president has to go back and get new authority for the expanded role that he sees for the deployment of u.s. forces that's growing in footprint in the region. so it doesn't seem to me something that the white house can ignore. >> and let's talk about this report, that president obama is reconsidering revamping the u.s. strategy there in syria. you just heard our jim miklaszewski downplay that. this is ben rhodes earlier this morning that we want to factor in. listen as well. >> as we've acknowledged, the syria challenge, as difficult as iraq is, the syria challenge is going to be that much harder, given the absence of a partner on the ground, and given the very significant challenges related to the assad regime. >> let's break down some of the logistics here about how it's even possible to usher out a defiant leader here, while you're also offering a major military operation inside the country. >> it's enormously difficult. and if the president has, in fact, made that pivot, to call

for a very different strategy, that not only has u.s. forces taking on isis, another al qaeda group called korson, and taking on assad and making sure that all of these are bundled into a package together, the task has gone in order of magnitude more complicated. the challenge is that our allies in the uae, saudi arabia, and turkey are all asking for a different assad strategy than the united states has had. and the problem is, if you try and take all of that on, we also have had a lot of experience at the end of the day, even if we were to exceed with assad, looking at what will the environment in syria be. is the united states going to own syria after the fact and try to prevent a civil war among all these fights? the picture in libya has not been pretty after moammar gadhafi was toppled. so the thinking had been for a while, we would give a wink and nod to assad and say, we don't want you in place, but we're going to use political and

diplomatic measures to try to remove you. and then focus our military activities on isis. but if that is changing now, it's a really different map for the united states and the threat of a slippery slope into a much more deeper engagement. >> sure, and our involvement. let's consider this scenario. say the united states is eventually successful in getting bashar al assad to leave power. is it up to the united states to find a replacement? >> well, there are lots of different scenarios here. i'm sure that various parts of the syrian civil society will have to come together and argue about that. the problem is, can those moderates really prevail over much more ferocious and ideologically extreme elements within their society. i think that many of the realists in the region say that while assad may go, you may still want to have someone from the power structure of the alawites continue in that role, which, of course, doesn't satisfy a lot of people that would like to see a return to civil justice.

so that is a very big question mark. and the stakes involved for different players in the syrian political context are enormous about how that moves. >> and of course, you're considering how far we go, as far as the attack. the united states and its partners continue to just use air power against isis here. so how much of the fight is going to be left for the next president, if we remain with no troops on the ground and just stick with the air strikes? >> well, i've been communicating in the last couple of days with some of our senior leadership on the military side, trying to deal with isis. and one of the disconcerting comments that i've heard from them is that, weirdly, support for isis within many of these sunni societies remains very robust, very, very large. governments are not affiliated with isis by any means, but many of their citizens and leading wealthy sheiks continue to be, and turning a blind eye to the, you know, the way in which isis is shaking down communities,

kidnapping, you know, surviving off ransoms, the black marketing of oil. all of that requires an ecosystem that is essentially a act weesing to isis. wave people like david cohn in the treasury department working very hard to do that. but at the end of the day, the isis challenge can't be dealt with just by bombing. you have to have not only boots on the ground, but you also have to unplug support for isis within the region. and our own military teams are telling me that they consider that support to be really, really large. >> certainly a lot to watch there, as the house hearing on the strategy against isis continues there. defense secretary chuck hagel to speak as well. steve clemens, thank you for your perspective this morning. >> thank you, frances. turning now to record-breaking cold. in denver today, negative 14 degrees. the lowest in nearly 100 years here. it's already denver's coldest november since 1887 and the

month's not even halfway over. but the mile-high city is not the only one shivering today. the arctic blast will sneak up on the east coast tonight and maybe even bring in some snow. nbc news meteorologist -- >> a little sugar on the grass. >> it's been so nice and good for us and all of a sudden this is what we're getting hit with. >> i'm in northern jersey. i still have flowers in my backyard. somereas haven't been as froze, as we've been talking about. and the weather pattern is so upsidedown. we can thank that big storm that went up into the bering sea in alaska in the last couple of days. that's what reversed the jet stream. we are at 28 degrees in barrow, alaska. it's 28, it's 37 in nome and 33 in anchorage. let's compare that to how we're doing down here in the lower 48, where the temperature is 26. it is colder in oklahoma city right now than it is in barrow, alaska. and also, nome is at 37, warmer than dallas. so all the cold air that is typically up there in the arctic circle, up there in alaska has

spilled down. you can see the white there. that's the cold air coming southward and it settled in for montana from north texas. a little bit has bleeded to the east, but not a ton. and now it feels like january out there. we do have a little bit of snow to deal with. as we go throughout tomorrow morning, we could get an inch or two there in areas of southern new england. we have a lot of snow this morning right around lake erie and ontario, even some snowflakes this morning reported in areas like little rock and memphis. as far as the worst weather in the country today, frances, how about portland, oregon? expecting 3 to 5 inches of snow. it will be the earliest they've ever had that amount of snow. so, coast to coast with this one. >> not alaska, though. >> we're all getting our share. they've got it good. take you across the street now here at rockefeller center in new york. a live picture of our colleague, al roker. but this is not your ordinary weather forecast. al is about 12 hours into his rokerthon. he's trying to set the guinness world record for the longest uninterrupted weather forecast, all while trying to raise money

for the uso. he's only got five minutes every hour to eat and use the bathroom and tall the essentials, do whatever. let's listen. >> so here we go, again, so we've got a lot of interting features on the map today, okay? okay, we do not have an update -- you don't have an update, so they're coming right out to me. so if you could give me -- >> wow, that's not the energetic al roker we all know and love. talking about, hey, you know, i've got to cut him a break. he's gone for hours. and a little tidbit here, he does not caffeinate. al roker does not have coffee. more power to him. good luck. we're keeping an eye on a news conference where an attorney for michael brown's family is expected to appear. and jose diaz-balart now joins us from mexico, where he's been covering the outrage over 43 missing students. i know you just landed there recently, so nice to see you

here. >> good to see you, frances. just landed in the capital of mexico, but throughout the country, i've got to tell you, protesters, for example, in the capital set a government building on fire as the outrage grows over the apparent murder of 43 college students. i was there as it happened and i'll bring you that story in just minutes. don't go anywhere. we've got a lot to cover this hour.

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and some developing news at this the hour from capitol hill in washington, d.c. mitch mcconnell, the republican senator from kentucky, has been elected the new majority leader. he will officially take up that role when the new congress convenes next year. also developing now, we're waiting for michael brown's family and their attorneys to begin a news conference. this could happen any moment now

in missouri. this news conference comes as we wait for a grand jury in the case to decide soon whether police officer darren wilson will be indicted for fatally shooting the 18-year-old unarmed teen last august. and you're seeing live pictures there as we get ready for that news conference. meanwhile, joining me now is msnbc's tremaine lee in clayton, missouri, and community activist, john gaskin. thank you both for being with me. tremaine, what are we expecting to hear from the brown family today? >> reporter: so the brown family -- not the family, the family remains in geneva. they're attending the u.n. conference. but the brown family's attorney, benjamin crump and anthony cia plan on holding a press conference momentarily, where they want to address some of the comments made by governor jay nixon earlier in the week regarding plans for preparations in case there's any unrest in a decision by the grand jury. >> and john, michael brown's

parents testified at a u.n. committee in switzerland this week against torture. what's at stake with this grand jury decision? >> there's a lot at stake, especially race relations in st. louis. especially transparency and accountability of local law enforcement in st. louis. as i've said before on your show, the void of trust between law enforcement in the community is widening by the day. the community does not trust the law enforcement within that community. many people are realizing that at this juncture, we're really at the mercy of the prosecutor and the grand jury, at this point. and so, we're all praying that justice will prevail. >> and what is important is that whether that trust can grow or not, between the community and the police officials, this is outside, really, in many ways, of the police officer's realm, and it's in the judiciary.

and yet you say that there's mistrust on that aspect as well. >> there is, absolutely. many people, as we have watched this story unfold from the beginning, going all the way back to when we were asking elected officials and community leaders to ask for prosecuting attorney bob mccullough to recuse himself, our local congressman, lacy clay, asked for that along with a number of other leaders. and he said that he wanted to stay on the case. the governor did not ask him to step down either. and so, you know, from the beginning, the way he has handled this, from the very beginning, where the video of michael brown inside of the convenience store, being released the same morning that officer darren wilson's name was released. we saw that as a character assassination. everything that has unfolded over the course of events has shown us that this grand jury

process has not been unbiased, has not, transparent. and unfortunately, many don't believe that it is fair. >> and tremaine, today, dr. michael bodden will testify before that grand jury. he conducted the autopsy on michael brown. on behalf of the brown family, the grand jury has been meeting since august 20th. why is the doctor being called to testify so late in the proceedings? >> reporter: that's a great question. i was a to the airport yesterday morning and ran into dr. bodden and asked him the exact same thing. he doesn't want to be quoted in the media because he doesn't want to add to speculation or rumor, but he said about two weeks ago, the family and the family's attorneys were just contacted. but again, the family hopes that dr. bodness will paint what he's gleaned from the autopsy report to counter some of what's been leaked in the media. in the recent weeks, there's been a number of leaks, including the official autopsy result, to a local newspaper, in which it seems to corroborate the narrative given by officer darren wilson.

so the family hopes that dr. bodness's testimony will shed light on what they see is the truth, that their son was gunned down and murdered in the streets. we'll see. >> trymaine lee, thanks for being with me. appreciate both of your time this morning. . coming up, some other stories making news today, including a major scare in the air for bono's u2. we're also keeping an eye on a hearing on the house. defense secretary chuck hagel and joint chiefs martin dempsey testifying about the strategy against isis. a whole lot more in just minutes. and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list, now it is. we've made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. buy their services directly at angieslist.com no more calling around. no more hassles. start shopping from a list of top-rated providers today. angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. visit angieslist.com today.

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with the news conference of the michael brown family attorneys. >> -- a call for justice for mike brown. the other day, missouri governor jay nixon held a press conference in which for the most part, was directed at demonstrators. the family wants to associate themselves with the governor's statements and reiterate his deannouncement of violence, looting, and rioting in the name of michael brown. we feel as the governor and other law enforcement officials that such acts cannot be tolerated. we want to make it very clear that on behalf of the brown family, we do not condone any acts of rioting, looting, or violence, and that we want to encourage all of those that support the justice for mike brown to remain vigilant, yet

peaceful, calm, and dignified as we await and after we receive the announcement of the grand jury decision. we also feel that it is equally important to implore law enforcement to exercise reasonable restraints when dealing with demonstrators. there have been too many reports of excessive behavior and agitation by police officers, which have resulted in the outbursts of the kind that the governor described by otherwise peaceful demonstrators. history is clear. prior to many uncivilized reactions by demonstrators, they were simply exercising their first amendment rights, during which time they became victims of assault rifles being pointed in their face, being manhandled, being tear gassed, hit by rubber bullets, falsely arrested, including members of the media, some of which had their

equipment damaged. these acts of violence impacted innocent men, women, and children simply exercising their rights. law enforcement should have been equally condemned by the governor for this conduct at the same time he was admonishing the demonstrators. a strong message of zero tolerance should have been conveyed to all. again, we are hopeful that law enforcement and demonstrators can assemble in the same area, if it comes to that, without incident. that is our solemn hope. we realize that some people are anxious, angry, and want instant answers. however, violence, looting, and rioting is not a responsible way to have expressing those feelings. it severely diminishes the opportunity for healing and positive dialogue going forward. in sum, the brown family sends a passionate plea this morning to law enforcement and to those that support justice for mike

brown jr., to allow cooler heads to prevail in times of adversity. right now, i want to turn the microphone over to attorney benjamin crump, who wants to speak to this issue, as well as the visit of dr. michael bodden today before the grand jury. doc? >> thank you, attorney gray. regardless of the decision of the grand jury, this will be a defining moment in the history of the state of missouri. in response to governor nixon's remarks that seem to be addressed only, as attorney gray said, to the supporters of michael brown jr., the dead, unarmed teenager, we come here

on behalf of his family to address not only those supporters, but the entire st. louis metropolitan community, as well as the assembled law enforcement. first, to the supporters of michael brown jr., we would like to thank you all for exercising your constitutional first amendment rights to freedom of speech. secondly, to the st. louis community, we would like to thank you for your continued support for every citizen's right to due process. thirdly, to governor nixon, who is missouri's chief law enforcement officer, whose responsibility is to make sure that the laws are enforced equally for all missouri

citizens, including those communities like ferguson, who have had interactions with law enforcement that have led to questionable outcomes that have resulted in a burning desire for civility, transparency, and equal protection. la lastly, we would like to thank you in advance for not having a repeat of the horrific encounters that took place in august. we thank you in advance for treating the citizens exercising their first amendment rights,

many of whom would be young people with bold opinions, but there will be some older people who will have more measured opinions. there will be some black people. there will be some white people, there will be some hispanic people, there will be college-educated people, and there will be lay people. but they all will be american citizens. and we thank you in advance, police officers, for treating them as citizens. and now a word to dr. michael bodden's visit. and we have lewis head, who's here with us as well.

dr. bodden's testimony will be limited to the purview of the grand jury, and we won't get into the substance of his testimony. we do not feel that is appropriate. the only thing that dr. bodden had wished to express to michael brown's parents is that in his preliminary autopsy, he had not been able to determine the shots to the chest, whether they were re-entry wounds or entry wounds. he was able to confirm, along with a review of some of the materials from the medical examiner's office, that there was an additional entry wound into his chest. it was not a reentry wound. and to that end, that would be

the only thing that we get into, into the substance of his testimony, because that is going to be for the grand jury's consideration and he thought it appropriate as well as attorney grey, that that goes to them and them alone. and i'm sure, subsequently, after the decision is made, you will hear about all of the substance of his opinion. again, good morning. i would like to thank everyone for showing up, along with attorney grey and attorney parks and i, on behalf of michael brown's family, we are grateful for your presence here this morning. the journey for justice for michael brown junior has been long, stressful, and difficult to endure. the family sincerely desires to thank those that have supported their cause for justice for michael brown.

as far as dr. bodden's visits today, the family, attorney grey and myself are very grateful and appreciative that he took the opportunity to fly to st. louis at a moment's notice and provide forensic testimony to the grand jury. apparently, members of the grand jury desired to hear his forensic perspective. we are also appreciative of the fact that the prosecutor's office opened the invitation for dr. bodden's testimony. we do not know what extent his testimony will be necessary or what subject matters will be covered. we are simply hopeful that whatever it is, it would offer some insightful analysis and independent analysis for the grand jury that they can use in

reaching their decision. as most of you well know, dr. baden is a world-renowned forensic pathologist. his frnks talents are unquestionable. therefore, we have every reason to believe that his testimony will be very helpful to this grand jury. i thank you -- we'll take a few questions and then we'll move on. >> does dr. baden's analysis and your investigation of the evidence, what is there that suggests that michael brown was surrendering when he was killed? >> well, he's talked about that before and, as i said, ron, he will prefer that the substance of his testimony not be discussed. and he would talk about that himself and we would defer to him to talk about that. respectfully out of his request. >> is it your contention still, regardless of dr. baden's

testimony, that there is evidence that shows -- >> there is evidence that shows michael brown had his hands up, yes. >> no doubt about that? >> no doubt about that, and that is not in regards to his testimony. that is regards to what we know, based on our review of all of the opinions, his and others. >> and forensic evidence as well? >> yes, absolutely. forensic evidence. and dr. baden is basing his testimony on science, and nothing more. >> does dr. baden have everything that he needed to -- was there anything that he wanted to look over that he didn't have or is there anything that he -- >> well, jonathan, he's going to respond to that. he asked for a list of things, and whether those things were supplied to him or not, we're going to defer to dr. michael baden to comment on that as well. on everything and anything, regarding the substance of his testimony, out of his request. >> can you talk to us, in

general terms, because as i understand it, from the first autopsy that we saw in august, i got the impression from reading the autopsy and from talking to you guys that the biggest point that he made was that there was some distance, that it wasn't up close. and that seems to be the biggest difference between what the county is saying and what your forensic, your medical examiner is saying. do i have that right? >> well, we understand, again, that these are all very good questions, but dr. baden, the substance of his testimony is going to be discussed by him, after the grand jury. he believes, as attorney gray and i, also agree that the substance of his testimony should be left to the purview of the grand jury. so in respecting the process, we won't be able to comment on that this morning. dr. baden may be able to talk to you all about that after the decision. >> are you getting a better sense on the timing of this

today? have you guys got a better sense on -- >> do you want to speak to that? >> i believe that it appears, by dr. baden's appearance today, that we're probably getting to the end of the witness list. we don't know for sure, however, but it just -- we gain a sense that we're probably reaching the end of the road as it relates to witnesses. >> can i ask you both about the secrecy of this grand jury. is there any worry on your part that's telling people that he's going to be testifying today, let some of that secrecy out and let people know maybe what's going on inside of the grand jury? >> well, sarah, i've been on record. i've always believed, as michael brown's family has believed, that we should not have this grand jury, that the police officer should have been charged. there was enough probable cause to charge officer darren wilson with killing an unarmed michael

brown. and that with such mistrust in the ferguson community, that it being transparent, based on the constitution of the united states of america, that we have a right to trial by jury, that michael brown's due process warranted that officer to be charged, and that was not to violate the police officer's due process. nobody's saying he's guilty until proven innocent, but we thought it would be better for everybody here, that they saw all the evidence, all the witnesses, and that there was cross-examination of all of the evidence and all of the witnesses, so whatever decision that was handed down, people would accept. there's a great concern that because of this secret proceeding, that people will not be so accepting of whatever decision the grand jury makes. and we need to, as i said in my earlier comments, after you have questionable outcomes with law

enforcement, we need transparency. so people can believe that the system works equally for everybody. even in communities like ferguson. >> what's your thoughts on, mccullough has said, if there's no indictment, that he's going to release the evidence, and that is rare, he says. what's your thoughts on that? >> well, my thought about that is this. we may get the benefit of hearing and seeing all of the evidence that was presented to the grand jury, but what we're missing would be how that information was presented. what emphasis was placed on what piece of evidence? what were the inflections in their voices? and those kind of things that we will not have the benefit of actually seeing once all the information is out. especially if it's in transcript form. you're only going to get the words and not how those words were conveyed. which in terms of presenting evidence is very key in having

persuasive power. >> is dr. baden saying that he is not -- that he disagrees with the autopsy that was done by the county? >> i'm sorry. let me get here first. >> we don't know that -- >> saying that he disagrees. >> again, sara, respectfully, we have to refer to him, to the substance of his testimony. i think he's commented on your question before already, in a number of newspaper articles, about that. so -- >> can you just tell us -- >> no, no, i can't, because i don't want to violate -- >> but is he still sticking with -- >> his testimony that he answered that question a week ago, as well as i think the other pathologist, who said she was misquoted. and so forth. so we will leave that to the doctors to comment on that. >> can you confirm whether it was something that dr. baden found that prompted him to want to revisit this, or whether the grand jury had a question or

specifically requested him because of something they weren't sure about? how did this all come together? >> well, apparently the members of the grand jury wanted to hear from him and we're thankful that the prosecutor's office extended the invitation to satisfy that request. okay. is that everything? >> -- asked to testify this late in the process? he offered to testify weeks ago? >> again, we have no control over the process. you know, the family is at the mercy of this office. you know, the prosecutor's office, they are praying that they will give michael brown jr. due process of the law as every american citizen and that they can get justice that it works equally for them too. >> at this point, it sounds like your -- this process has no credibility in your eyes. >> well, we've questioned, ron, as you know, from the beginning, this whole process.

again, we've been on the record. we think there's enough probable cause that exists to charge the police officer with killing an unarmed teenager. and we've been consistent on that. and in that way, everybody will get their due process, the constitutional rights will be extended, both to the police officer, but also to michael brown jr.. >> so why don't you believe the grand jury will also come to that conclusion? >> well, here's the problem. when you have a grand jury, they only have one voice in there, and that is, historically, they're going to do whatever the prosecutor wants them to do. as attorney gray so eloquently said, if he presents the evidence in a certain way, there will be an indictment. if he presents the evidence in another way, there will be no indictment. it is all about what evidence he presents and how he presents it. that has always been the history

of grand jury proceedings. we think that this process is one that warrants transparency, not a secret proceeding. and so, we're on record as saying that there's enough probable cause to arrest them and have the constitution amendments play out, as they have been meant to play out for every citizen, if you were charged with a crime, you would come before a jury of your peers. and the evidence would be vetted and everybody has a right to cross-examine it. and i don't want to sound like a broken record, because we keep saying that we want michael brown jr. to get his due process. >> is that a seventh wound or sixth wound to his body? >> the conference you just saw live right there in missouri, in clayton, as the attorneys for michael brown's family, talk about what seems to be very clearly the final moments in the grand jury testimony, that is

being held as we speak. dr. baden is one of the last people to be giving testimony to that grand jury. and michael brown's family attorneys saying that they need transparency and that they wish michael brown to have his rights, his due process respected as well. we're going to be, of course, keeping a close watch on that for you. but we're also keeping an eye on a very busy draw on capitol hill, where lawmakers are taking care of unfinished business and looking ahead to this new conference, which will be controlled by republicans. we're continuing to watch three house hearings. there you see them, two on isis and one on the v.a. we're also waiting to hear from senate republicans who have been voting on their leaders for the new majority. just a short time ago, we learned that mitch mcconnell was, indeed, elected the new majority leader. and this afternoon, the house will begin voting on the long-stalled keystone oil pipeline, with the senate following suit next tuesday. but the white house is threatening to veto.

and then, of course, there's immigration reform. despite a new warning from republicans for president obama not to go it alone, the congressional hispanic caucus is calling on the president to follow up with his promised executive order. >> the president should act in a bold manner and a generous manner and he should act quickly and swiftly. the blessings of thanksgiving should be bountiful this year. for millions of immigrants that have been waiting for the congress to act. >> i think president obama has the duty to help build the trust we all need to move forward together. not to double down on old ways of doing business. moving forward with the unilateral action on immigration he's planned would be a big mistake. >> and let's bring in congressman henny coyyard, what a pleasure to see you, sir. thank you for being with me. i want to start with immigration. you heard that warning from mitch mcconnell. all this talk about cooperation

in the new congress, he says, will go out the window if the president signs an executive order on immigration. how do you see it? >> first of all, i do want to see bipartisan immigration. there's people that want to work together to do a bipartisan, but apparently it hasn't worked yet. i hope we can do it. we've got to keep in mind, the president does have an executive order of authority, just like any other president in the past, democrat or republican. i want to see immigration reform done in congress, but if the president does an executive order, and i understand they're almost ready with it, maybe next week or a few days after that, if he does it within the law and the authority, so it can be sustained, because i'm sure there'll be a court filing pretty soon after that. >> congressman, you were one of the small reduced group in the house that worked in a bipartisan manner to try to get something done on immigration reform. our unsuccessful. do you have any, i don't know, thoughts that anything in the

future could change, as far as the -- what is clearly a blocked decision by the house republicans to not deal with immigration reform? do you think there's any possibility of any change? >> you know, it's interesting. you know, i've been talking about bipartisanship for a long time, but i notice that right after the election, both democrats and republicans talked about being bipartisan. let's hope that their words, and i'm talking about the leadership in both the house and the senate, democrat and republican, that when they talk about bipartisanship and doing things on a consensus basis, let's see if those words translate into action. this is what the american public wants. they're tire of, you know, people are just fighting. if we're talking about doing bipartisanship, let's translate that into real action. let's communicate and talk to each other. >> congressman, the ap is reporting the u.s. government is now patrolling nearly half of the mexican border with drones. that's a pretty big change from

a decades-old approach of boots on the ground. what's the significance of this, do you think, sir? >> well, you know, again, any country, just like the u.s., we have the right, the sovereignty to protect our borders. but how we do it has to be in a smart, logical way. instead of just reacting to myths and things about the border. i live on the border. i understand the border. but at the same time, we've got to make sure also that we don't do this only on a one dimension. we've got to -- i understand you're in mexico city. i just got back from mexico city, talking about the 43 missing students. we've got to work with our friends to the south, got to work with central america, and with canada, also, to make assure it's not one-dimensional, but multi-dimensional, working with our international partners to secure our borders. >> and congressman, before i let you go, let's talk about the keystone pipeline, a project you, by the way, support. is this one area where we will see some cooperation? what do you say to the critics who say this pipeline is harmful

to the environment? >> well, you know, i support the keystone. i want to do it in an environmentally safe way. and keep in mind that keystone is not the only only pipeline. if you remember years ago, the pipeline going up to alaska, there was the same type of debate. you look at the pipelines we have now, i think we can do it in a safe, environmental way. think i we delayed it enough. we need to move it. we need to think about energy independence. there will be some democrats that support it in the house and senate, but, you know, this is unfortunate. the way it is done by both leaderships, they put a bill and say be bipartisan. i wish we go back and say what amendments and what input to make it truly bipartisan? >> henry, thank you for being with me this morning. appreciate your time. >> thank you so much. after the break, more on this huge story i have been covering all week long in

mexico, growing outrage and protests against the government over the apparent murder of 43 college students. stay with us. i'll have that when we come back. well, did you know certain cartoon characters should never have an energy drink? action! blah-becht-blah- blublublub-blah!!! geico®. introducing the birds of america collection. fifty stunning, hand-painted plates, commemorating the state birds of our proud nation. blah-becht-blah- blublublub-blah!!! geico®. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. alright, so this tylenol arthritis lasts 8 hours, but aleve can last 12 hours... and aleve is proven to work better on pain than tylenol arthritis. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? aleve, proven better on pain. wouldn't it be great if hiring plumbers, shopping online is as easy as it gets. carpenters and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list, now it is.

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now to a story we have been covering from the beginning. the reason why i am here in mexico. this country's crisis. another day of fire and fury in mexico, the capital, where 43 college students remain missing since disappearing the last month, september 26th. and violence and protests are now officially effecting the mexican economy. acapulco occupancy rates down by 65% going into a major holiday weekend here in mexico. as you can see, i made my way this morning to the nation's capital in mexico city where i filed this report yesterday.

another day of violence in the capital of this state. there seems to be a pattern of sorts starting here. in the morning, nothing. as the afternoon progresses, more and more violence. this is the congress of the state, they torched a building, and left every car in the parking lot blazed. government workers that were in the building during the attack were terrified. she says we have no warning, they just came in. we were so, so scared. what happens here in the state capital is planned and executed where the students that disappeared september 26th studied. i was barred from entering the building. a student organizer says they have one and only mission. we are going to pressure the government. not going to stop until we get answers. we want them to return the kids they took from us and we want

those kids alive. what all of this boils down to is pain, the pain of mothers and fathers who saw their children go off to school and never return, more than 47 days ago. and the pain of a community that is fed up with living in a country where many times impunity is the norm. if this happens to those kids one day, it could happen to any of us in the future, he says. that's our reality. that wraps up this hour on msnbc. thank you for the privilege of your time. see you back from miami tomorrow. next on news nation with tamron hall, the number two ranking democrat in the house, steny hoyer. see you tomorrow. revolutionizing an industry can be a tough act to follow,

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unfold on capitol hill in the next hour as senate democrats choose their party leaders for the next session of congress. politico and huffington post report that harry reid has been holding talks with senator elizabeth warren about joining the leadership in a specially created role. senator warren is the chamber's most high profile progressive, seen as potential 2016 democratic candidate, although she insists she won't run. add this into the mix. at least five democratic senators are refusing to commit to voting for harry reid as minority leader for congress. a lot to talk about. capitol hill correspondent luke russert joins us. a lot of people woke up to news regarding senator warren. turning down this special position in leadership just for her. what are you hearing? >> tamron, all indications are that elizabeth