a city waits. an announcement on the grand jury decision in the shooting death of michael brown is expected at anytime while ferguson, missouri, prepares. reaction from president obama in a live report. buffalo, digging out after the worse snow in decades, and today a big fear as today could take a big turn. and you might be surprised how a crowd greeted cosby at a standup act last night. we go inside the numbers on who can stay and who may still have to leave the united states. good morning, everyone. welcome to weekends with alex witt. alex is off today. i am francis rivera.

new reporting from "the new york times," president obama extended the role of u.s. troops in the region meaning they can be involved in combat missions beyond the end of this year. nbc news white house correspondent is traveling with the president in las vegas. the president announced the drawdown of forces in afghanistan earlier this year, so what led to this decision? >> according to the new york times, which as you pointed out, did break this story, this decision came about in part because of the advances of the islamic militants in iraq. u.s. so officials telling our pentagon team, as you say, u.s. forces could remain in an offensive position through this year, and that is after combat operations are supposed to end and the u.s. military was supposed to take a big step back at the start of the new year, training and advising and assisting the forces, but u.s.

forces will remain in an offensive posture after that date, and according to one official, their operations could include missions like targeting the taliban and other networks, and the official down played the news insisting u.s. forces won't carry out regular patrols, and this official telling me, quote -- >> reporter: no doubt, this is a shift again, combat operations were supposed to end on january 1st, 2015, and now it appears some u.s. troops could engage in combat there. >> certainly a shift. we will be watching. thank you. now to ferguson, missouri, where a decision is expected anytime now from the grand jury hearing evidence in the shooting death of 18-year-old, michael

brown, by police officer, darin wilson. among the charges the grand jury could decide against wilson, second-degree murder and manslaughter charges and they could decide not to charge him at all. and participants voiced hope any protests after the decision are not violent. >> there's more positive things happening in our communie versu just violence. >> just, everybody come together and like peace and not violence, because after what happened last time, you just destroyed or own city, there is no need to do it a second time. >> and zac roth is in ferguson. as the people are waking up and the tension is mounting, what kind of night was it there? >> reporter: some of the previous nights we had, sort of

minor confrontations between police and protesters, and last night only about 20 protesters much of the night, and out numbered by the news media at times, and there were at many times no police presence outside the police department where they have been, and protesters moved at one point to where i am standing now, and things remain relatively calm. >> i want to ask you about this incident here involving federal officials who arrested two men friday, and they are being held on gun charges. what else do we know about that? >> reporter: these are men that claim to have ties to the new black panther party. they have been charged with making false statements in connection with trying to buy two pistoled in hazelwood, which is nearby. federal officials say these men were trying to -- or suspected of trying to acquire explosives

to use at the ferguson protests, and those charges are pending according to federal officials, and they don't believe it was a serious threat, so they are trying to keep down any panic about this, but that's what we know right now. >> i want to ask you about your feelings and how the public will react when it comes to the announcement of the grand jury and their decision, do you get the sense regardless of what the decision will be, people will take to the streets and protest if an indictment does not happen or they will be out in the streets celebrating and may get ro rowdy in the event there is protests? >> that is certainly the outcome people are expecting here. you know, francis, there is really a mood of kind of tension and foreboding, and a number of the school districts have closed schools for next week, and people are saying we want to

know ahead of time when the announcement is coming so we can make sure our kids are not out of the house and we're not out of the house. people are predicting there will not be just protests but violence along the lines of what we saw over the summer, and some say it's likely to be worse than that. at the same time, because it's not an unexpected outcome if there is no indictment, that may work to kind of calm things down a little bit, but we will just have to wait and see. right now, definitely a city and a region on edge. >> certainly on edge. you can imagine the intensity of the anticipation there as ferguson, the country and the world waits. thank you so much. >> reporter: thank you. as we wait for word of an announcement. this is what we know about the police and protesters and what they are planning. police met five times with protest group leaders, and they agreed to 11 rules of engagement, such as communicating to de-escalate

tense situations. and then hundreds of people evacuated the hotel because an explosion happened in the basement, and the full extent of the damage is under investigation. and the u.s. army unveiled its latest effort in the fight against ebola. a 100-bed unit is that the first center to be completed by u.s. army and engineers. the majority of cases of ebola have been in west africa. 200 students at the university of virginia marched to show the outrage of what they call the rape culture at their school. women marched across the campus and gave speeches about the allegations against the fraternity. the governor of virginia has ordered an investigation into the alleged incident. now, to the weather, residents of buffalo continue to dig themselves out after a week

of massive snow storms, and meanwhile the rest of the country is hoping to get a break from the cold. alex wallace is here with the forecast, and alex, good morning to you. >> good saturday to you, francis. tracking a warmup, and many of us have been wanting this. it's in place and coming through this weekend as the jet stream starts to lift north, it's going to take the colder air and take it up into canada, and warmer air, going across the south. we will see highs in the middle of the country near average, but above average for many in the south and in the east as well. the bad news is as we bring in the warmer air, we will bring in more moisture and a storm system that will lead to some storms that could pack a bit of a punch for our saturday, anywhere in the red, we have a risk for storms that could produce damaging wind, hail, and even a few isolated tornadoes. the threat continues as we move into tomorrow, sunday all across the deep south, we have the same

risks, and particularly across the gulf coast, we will watch those areas here. things getting more active, but less wintery. >> thank you. congressional republicans vowing to stop the president's executive action on immigration, but what can they really do and can they face blowback? and a problem that awaits people in buffalo. (receptionist) gunderman group. gunderman group is growing. getting in a groove. growth is gratifying. goal is to grow. gotta get greater growth. i just talked to ups. they got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. like smart pick ups. they'll only show up when you print a label and it's automatic. we save time and money. time? money? time and money. awesome. awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! (all) awesome! i love logistics.

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welcome back. it's 12 minutes past the hour as the sun is rising there in the nation's capital. we appreciate you joining us. new today, republicans responding to president obama's executive action on immigration,

and in a variety of not so kind ways. according to the associated press, the president continued to tout his plan. >> we are providing more resources at the border to stop illegal crossings and send those home that do cross over. we will focus on people who are threats to our security, felons not families, and we will bring more undocumented immigrants so they can play by the rules, and get right with the law. >> joining me is the political reporter. phillip, thank you for being with me here this morning. we have so many families living in the moment, reassured they may stay together, but the bill is not passed here and the next president could come and wipe it out. what should the concern be as

far as immigration activist if that happens? >> the long-standing concern is what is going to happen with the people in the country and don't have documentation. something that is being done is perceived as a good step by the activist, but no matter what happens on january of 2017, we don't know. >> boehner had sufficient words to the president. here is what he had to say. let's listen. >> we are working with our members and looking at the options that are available to us, but i will say to you, the house will, in fact, act. >> how will they act? what does that mean as far as the options they may take? >> the fact that they did not articulate a specific thing still indicates they are figuring out what they are going to do, and i think there are three things the republicans have looked at.

they looked at if there is a lawsuit, and they filed that lawsuit just this week, and they talked about if they could defund the program and cut funding so it could not go into effect, and it can't do that, and so it looks like they may have to pass something, and i think senator jeff flake of arizona has been saying let's get something done on this so we can have a response of our own. >> you laid out option, a, b and c, and it looks like the republicans are divided as to which action they will take. if it comes to a shutdown, how viable is that option there? let's talk about the risks, knowing the importance of the latino vote with 2016 coming up? >> the politics of this are difficult for the republicans, and it's easy for the president that is not facing re-election. it's tough for the republicans, because they have to balance as

being seen as being hard on the latino community who they still want to appeal to and get support from and at the same time they have a passionate base. it will be hard in 2016 for the presidency to say, hey, how can we work out this thing? >> republicans announced they filed a lawsuit on the implementation of the health care law, so you know, is that kind of foreshadowing here and is that a sign of the new congress that will convene in january? >> it's not a new tactic, necessarily. it's something when the president had recess appointments, the house filed a lawsuit and went to the supreme court and the president loss. so there's precedent for the house saying we will take legal action against you because we don't agree with what you are doing, and whether or not this focus on what he wanted to do with obamacare, it's success remains to be seen. it doesn't include anything about immigration, but it's the republicans saying hey, this is the way we will challenge you if

you are going to act outside the legislative process, we are as well. >> and you have impeachable offenses, maybe? >> there's a lot of passionate members of the republican cau s caucus, and they want to use the strongest tools they have in the arsenal, and i don't know that is going to happen. >> thank you so much for your perspective. as always, good to see you here. and now other concerns in buffalo. how to get rid of all the snow and what to do when it begins to melt. rehema ellis is in new york with more. how is buffalo responding to the aftermath of this storm? >> reporter: well, they are bracing. it's a hardy group of people in pweuf low, but this week's epic storm, as you point out, has dumped a record 70 inches of

snow in the region, and this is a lot to handle. people are finally emerging after a record storm of 7 feet of snow. the work ahead is enormous. >> i probably fielded between myself and my brother, 350 calls in two days. >> reporter: dozens of roofs like this has collapsed under the heavyweight of several feet of snow, and officials worry other buildings with flat roofs are at risk. homeowners are clearing the roofs. not taking advances. were you feeling nervous about the potential for structural damage? >> yeah, we heard creeking a couple days ago so i want to stay on top and ahead and keep it cleaned off. >> reporter: with rising temperatures in the forecast, a new potential threat. >> the warming will bring

warmer, and warm will bring melting and that will bring floods. >> reporter: the view from the air shows it's just the beginning. on one street, a team of neighbors is hard at work helping each other dig out. >> you have been helping a lot of your neighbors out? >> yeah, today is the first day we are able to see each other and we are making sure everybody can get out okay. >> reporter: this is called the city of the good neighbors, the buffalo area is, and people have been helping each other, but as we pointed out, the potential for flooding is very real as the temperatures are going to rise and the stuff starts to melt, and even before that you can see houses with roofs like this with the snow beautiful, as it cascades over the top of the home, but if you get more water, and melting, there's the potential that this could cause a roof to collapse, but look at all of the snow out here, and it has to go somewhere at some point. the concern is that it might go

someplace very quickly, and it would end up collecting in a flood-like situation, so they are bringing in heavy equipment and pumps to deal with what they think is the real next threat to this area. alex? >> well, it's francis here, rehema. the house behind you is swallowed under the snow, and when i read that seven feet of snow on the roof is the equivalent weight of three pickup trucks, so when you put it in that perspective, it's scary to think of three pickup trucks on the roof behind you and you have a threat of collapses like we have already seen there, too. >> reporter: i understand in this region, people's homes have to be built to a certain code to withstand the fact that this is a snow-prone region, so like you have homes built to a certain code in flood zone regions, they have codes to withstand a

certain amount of snow, but we are talking over 70-plus inches of snow in just one week. folks around here, they say that's the amount of snow they get in a whole season or year, and now you are dumping it at one time and it's something they have to get and be careful about. >> hopefully mother nature will cut them a break for the rest of the season. thank you for your perspective this morning. >> reporter: sure. and thanksgiving around the corner. we have one more reason to be thankful this year, it's one of three big money headlines, and it's up next. [ male announcer ] some come here to build something smarter. ♪ some come here to build something stronger. others come to build something faster... something safer... something greener. something the whole world can share. people come to boeing to do many different things.

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it's always fun when you can say, gobble, gobble, it's that time of year. >> yeah, with stocks, a record-breaking week on wall street. it was interesting. i will tell you, francis. it was not that intuitive, it was fueled by china and the european bank using stimulus to stimulate the economy. now, is that going to translate into gobble, gobble, shop, shop for the holidays? i think it's a tough correlat n correlation. i will say, on amacro level to look at your portfolio over the weekend, when it's a retirement or 401(k), and not to see red, and look at this, people clapping versus the full sweat trader on the floor looking like he is about to jump out the window, that doesn't make you run to the mall. the back drop is positive. >> when you first here that, you

hear soaring stocks and you think that is good and it equals consumer confidence. and what about this. >> best buy, target, walmart, positive momentum and go into the holiday shopping season, but i will tell you, francis, you don't want to be testing in q 3. i was outside with my brother-in-law the night before black friday overnight, they have a very fine-tuned model. gas prices being down, that gets you an extra gadget, if you are saving 20 extra bucks a week, and 80 bucks a month, and suddenly that tablet is in the cards, and maybe you are going to stand outside overnight for it. >> yeah, that means more presents under the tree, too. >> let's talk about gobble, gobble, and why americans have one more reason to be thankful

this season. >> yeah, and i hope it's helpful to americans that are price sensitive. turkey prices down 13% year over year, and that's the biggest ticket item in the thanksgiving basket, if you will. and overall costs still up, a little over $49 this year, and the reason it's up, even though the turkey costs is down has to do with butter and sweet potatoes and eggs, and that's $5 a person, and that's pretty affordable. not to say one flower arrangement and one bottle of wine and you will exceed that, but it's nice to know it's relatively doable, at least i hope so. >> can't use the excuse, can't afford it, this time. thank you so much. bill cosby got what you might not have expected in a comedy performance. how he is handling or not handling the growing number of allegations against him.

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welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." today alex is off. the jury investigating the shooting of michael brown could decide anytime now whether to charge the officer with the teen's killing. it has been mostly peaceful rallies since early on after the august 9th shooting. president obama expressed the importance of nonviolent protests. >> i think first and foremost, keep protests peaceful. this is a country that allows everybody to express their views, allows them to peacefully assemble, to protest actions that they think are unjust, but using any of that as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law and who we are.

>> and ron, how did the president's words resonate there? >> a lot of people here are looking to the federal government as something of a guardian because they don't trust the local authorities or the justice system here, and as you know, the department of justice has two separate investigations, one into the shooting between wilson and brown and a second investigation of the ferguson police department overall, hiring practices and policing practices and so forth. people are listening to the president, and he is still a long way from here, and we will see what happens on the streets when in fact this decision comes down. if, in fact, people take to the streets, which there is ever expectation that will happen. >> we heard three hours in the week, or 20 hours for schools over the weekend and some schools are cancelled for the week, and is there a sense of timing for when the jury action in complete? >> it's a strong possibility that it could happen this

weekend, when schools are closed and kids are home and parents are home from work, and there are fewer people potentially out on the streets trying to get back and forth, if there is a decision at 2:00 in the afternoon, we're not sure when the grand jury is meeting and it's a secretive process and the governor declared a staeuft emergency, and some schools have closed, they say they will close on monday and tuesday ahead of a possible announcement, so a lot of indications it could come today or tomorrow, perhaps. >> and an fbi with a presence there in ferguson. there's many there that appear to have lost faith in the justice system. what do you hear from the people you have talked with? >> i think it's the bottom line in the entire situation, people lost faith in the justice system. we to a 20-year-old and he was appointed to the ferguson commission, the panel room set up to help solve the community's

problems. >> a lot of people think enough is enough, and the justice system prevails, no? >> no, because that's the way we have been going, and the justice system never prevails on the side of the community. we are tired of seeing the same old stuff of police brutality and justice not being served. >> again, to some extent that is really what this is all about, to some extent. yes, it's about the death of michael brown and the shooting by officer wilson, but it's about basic fairness and human duck tphau t dignity, and people feel like their rights are not protected. again, we will see what happens. possible grand jury decision today, tomorrow, any day now, and this community very much on edge. >> francis? >> we will see and hear more

from you in the days to come there if ferguson, missouri. thank you. back to immigration now with president obama is facing a firestorm from republicans on his decision to act alone. nbc's kristin welker has the latest from las vegas. good morning. >> reporter: francis, good morning. republicans are infuriated that president obama is taking action on immigration reform acting without them, so they are vowing some type of retaliation, but for his part, president obama showing no signs of backing down. as the public debate swirls over president obama's executive action that could spare 5 million people from deportation. >> he is pandering to the hispanic community. >> a firestorm brewing in washington with republicans who just won control of the congress accused the president of overstepping his authority. >> the president has taken actions that he himself said

those are of a king or emperor, and not those of an american president. >> congressional leaders are warning, a shutdown could back fire. >> at the same time, the fury from the right is so big and building that there is going to be a lot of pressure to respond with hard-line tactics against the president. >> still, political analysts say with the 2016 presidential election looming, the republicans can't go too far. with the key hispanic vote that helped president obama win the white house. >> republicans will have to tread carefully. they are coming off of sweeping gains at the mid-term elections, but ahead of the 2016 presidential cycle, they want to still appeal to the hispanic voters. >> on friday, he rallied support for his action at a las vegas high school, and in his weekly address today, he remains

defiant. >> there are members of congress who question my authority to make the immigration system work better. well, i have an answer for that. pass a bill. >> president obama will continue to crisscross the country trying to get the public on board with his executive action. he will inbound chicago next week, but this weekend he will have down time here in the las vegas area where he will be playing golf. back to you. >> thank you. despite accusations by multiple women of rape and sexual assault, median bill cosby took the stage in melbourne last night for a sold out show. what kind of reception did cosby receive? >> good morning. cosby got two standing ovations, one as he took the stage and another one as he left. the sold-out crowd sticking by him despite the growing scandal.

onsta onstage, no mention of the sexual assault allegations. >> i don't know of any proof of anything. >> more accusers are coming forward. one actress told the new york "dailey news" that cosby sexually assaulted her in 1992. >> he is pretenting as if it didn't happen. it did happen. >> she is one of eight women that accuse that had cosby of inappropriate behavior, and cosby has never been charged with a crime. his attorney said the brand-new claims are becoming increasingly ridiculous, and it's completely illogical that so many people would have said nothing, done nothing, and made no reports to law enforcement. but a former ""national enquirer" reporter says she investigated allegations made in the '80s, and in exchange for

not running the story, the enquirer was allowed to interview cosby instead for a fluff piece. >> i was frustrated and concerned for beth and other women who were silenced by somebody who has more money than they have. >> the enquirer won't say why the story did not run. >> we are not commenting on the process and stories that we did not publish in the ""national enquirer." >> he is well respected, and innocent until proven guilty, right. >> an oddance yelled "we love you, bill cosby." he held up one fist as the crowd cheered. >> reporter: he did speak to the local tphaop here and he is quoted as saying, i know people are tired of me not saying

anything, but a guy doesn't have to answer to inyao been doze. light rain is expected in buffalo as temperatures continue to climb in the 40s. if you missed it this week, this is a look at what some saw and heard on this historic week. >> back in the country, the weather is making news tonight. there is more snow on the ground across our country than we usually see by christmastime. >> in some areas, there's snow mounds that are over 5 feet tall. >> this is the worst i ever seen it. >> this is a once in a lifetime thing. this is something people will tell their grandkids and great grandkids about. >> i love my state and my people, especially at a time like this. new yorkers are tough and resilient, and new yorkers are kind and they come together, and the number of stories of

neighbor helping neighbor has been inspirational. >> just neighbors helping neighbors. >> this is where buffalo is at its finest and everybody is here to help each other out. >> you did not think twice about coming out to help your neighbors? >> no. >> and others see the opportunity to get out and play. >> i turned down new contracts that came in because we can't handle it. >> this is going to break a record. >> the highest total i found, 85 inches in whales center, about 20 miles south of buffalo. >> now there, is this. for the region, warmer temperatures are krcreating a n threat, the prospect of flooding. if you heard everything you need to hear about a possible government shutdown, think again? you outlive your money?

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in this week's office politics, alex sits down with normal ornstein, a scholar. he teaches alex a thing or two about a possible government shutdown. but they begin with the election. >> it was a larger wave than i or others anticipated, and for some that like to see government function well. there was disappointment. it reinforced for me the reality of this election and what we face ahead. there are two points. the first is what republicans have learned is that if nothing works and it looks vitriolic and like everybody is wrestling in the mud, everybody will suffer, but it's the president's party that suffers more.

there's every incentive to have vicious politics and gridlock, and the sense of falling back on your tribe has taken over, and that is a disturbing reality, a very disturbing reality, which does not bode well for policy making or politics ahead. >> it's disturbing and depressing. >> yeah. not necessarily in that order, but, yes. mid-term elections reflect a different electorate. in some ways, you could say there are three or more because when you do primary elections you get a narrower slice, and what we know is that it's older, it's whiter and maler than the electorate as a whole. >> what about your take on the threat of a government shutdown?

>> i think the odds of one or more shutdowns is very high. >> really? did nobody learn anything from the last time? >> oh, come on, alex. if they did, what we know is the leaders of the republican party in congress and even people outside, know that shutdowns are likely to blow back against them and are not a good thing to do politically. can they stop it? when you have a party that i believe has as its dominant force the more radical tea party side and you are headed into a presidential contest where several influential figures out of the senate and governorships are running and they are going to be catering to that narrow idealogical base.

>> president clinton with your son. what is that? >> donna was my tennis buddy for eight years when he was secretary of hhs, and a political scientist like me, and we were old friends. when my oldest son got bar mitzvah'd in 1993, donna said i want to give him a special gift, and she picked him up and drove to the white house and had lunch in the white house, and it was the day before thanksgiving. so bill clinton dressed down was going off to a soup kitchen and he happened to see donna with the little kid and waved and motioned them down, and they chatted for a minute and then i got a picture of the president with my son. fast-forward six weeks later, eight weeks later, the president walks into this ballroom with 1,500 people, and everybody crowds around him, and my son was not real big, snakes his way through and is standing by the president who looks down, and he says, matthew, great to see you again. second time he ever seen him in his life with a long stretch in

between. nobody in the world could do what bill clinton could do, and still can. >> good day formats. > sharing the one person he thinks is the most interesting figure in american politics today. in a moment, exactly who can stay in the u.s. and who might have to go after the president's new immigration plan takes effect. another look at a home there in new york, just outside of buffalo there, an amazing winter landscape. here is the fact of the day for you here. in one part of the state, seven feet and one inches of snow fell. gotta get greater growth. i just talked to ups. they got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. like smart pick ups. they'll only show up when you print a label and it's automatic. we save time and money.

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deportation is now focused on new arrivals, criminals and national security threats. it will create more resources at the u.s. mexico border in hopes of sending back more individuals. joining me now from the national immigration law center. thank you for being with us on a saturday morning for your perspective. thank you. take us through the process, and talk about what the about what action means for parents. >> it's a courageous first step to fixing our broken immigration system. what essentially the president's actions do is instead of deporting parents, instead of

deporting them away from their children, we're going to give them a chance to come forward to register with the government, to pay an application fee, to undergo a background check. if that application process checks out, then they get a chance to work legally so they can contribute more both in taxes and in other ways to their communities. >> let's talk abstractly here. as far as what you need to provide to prove that you've been here for five years, what do you need? >> all sorts of documents. so this, this application process is going to have to be heavily papered. you're going to have to show you've been here at least five years. show evidence that you have, you know, a qualifying child, a u.s. citizen, a lawful child. showing bank statements, showing utility bills, and other ways to prove in other ways that you've been in the united states. >> we are in a working newsroom

here so that's what you're hearing behind us. let's talk about the minors here, he especially those broug to the united states illegally as children. how about them? >> well, another part of the program is to allow individuals who have come in before the age of 16 to a ppply for the same protection parents are getting. in 2012 the president announced a subset of this program for children who have come in before 2007. now this process has been expanded to children who have come in before 2010. so that includes approximately 300,000 individuals. >> and what gets left out of all of this as far as who is included and who is not and who are the people who say i think this pertains to me but it actually may not. who are those people? >> as excited as we are about this announcement, it's always sobering to hear stories of individuals who have deep ties

here who still aren't going to qualify. one big category are single individuals, workers who have been here for decades but who don't have a u.s. citizen or lawful permanent resident child. to me that says that this is only part of the solution. it's a step towards a solution. obviously the complete fix has to come from congress, and we hope that happens in the next couple of years. >> very quickly i want to ask you about the possibility for undocumented immigrants now in the united states who go back to their country of their birth, advivisit families and then com back to the united states. >> well, one benefit of the program is the ability to travel, which is really important for people who are here in an undocumented status who are essentially fence standing. in addition to the ability to work legally, this ability to travel is really quite important. >> and how about the action as far as immigration courts and lawyers? will that tie things up a little

bit more quickly? >> well, there are a the lot of positive elements in the president's actions. the 4 million individuals, undocumented, who will get work permits is a big part of it. there are a lot of other key pieces that we hope streamline the immigration system. >> all right, thank you so much, kamal essaheb. that wraps up this weekend of weekends with alex witt. to build something smarter. ♪ some come here to build something stronger. others come to build something faster... something safer... something greener. something the whole world can share. people come to boeing to do many different things. but it's always about the very thing we do best. ♪ but it's always about the very thing we do best. ring ring! ...progresso! you soup people have my kids loving vegetables.

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