Skip to main content

tv   News Nation  MSNBC  December 23, 2014 8:00am-9:01am PST

8:00 am
good morning everyone i'm tamron hall. this is "newsnation." we begin with developing news at this hour. new video of new york city mayor bill de blasio within the past hour placing flowers at the growing memorial in brooklyn near the site where two new york city police officers were gunned down on saturday. the mayor's visit comes a day after he called for an easing of tensions in his battle with police unions. all over what the unions perceive as the mayor's lack of support for the police department. yesterday the police commissioner and de blasio visited the families of slain officers wenjian liu and rafael ramos. it was an emotional scene last night as the widow of officer wenjian liu married just two months, fought back tears as she
8:01 am
spoke publicly about her husband's death. >> we would like to express our condolences to officer ramos' family. it's a difficult time for both of our families. we will stand together and get through this together. >> new details are emerging about the gunman who shot the two officers. 28-year-old ismaaiyl brinsley. police released this surveillance video of brinsley at a shopping mall two hours before the shootings. he's scene carrying a bag which investigators believe contained his gun. investigators say brinsley had video on a cell phone showing he was at the anti-police protest in new york on december 1st. brinsley's sister said he had a history of emotional problems and blamed the legal system for not giving him the help he needed. >> he was an emotionally
8:02 am
troubled young man, and he was suicidal. if. >> you're going in and out of jail, you know, prison and clearly something is wrong, he should have been offered help in the system. right. but he wasn't. >> msnbc adam reece joins us live in brooklyn. you are where the mayor visited only in the past hour. what did he say, if anything? >> good morning, tamron. the mayor was here within the last hour, as you said, he arrived with officer ramos' pastor and he left without saying anything. he did notify the city there will be a 2:47 p.m. moment of silence. that's exact moment when these two officers were slain. police are telling us more about the investigation. they're looking into his social media accounts. he had 119 photos on instagram,
8:03 am
many of them anti-police anti-government. they found a thousand photographs on his phone. many of those were very indicative of his believes in anti-police. there was one video of an anti-police protest on december 1st in union square. they've announced that the video and the mall they found was the last moment they saw him. that was just before noon. on saturday between noon and 2:30, two and a half hours, they lost track of him. there's no audio, no phone calls. they want to know if he met anybody. they're asking for the publics' assistance. >> let me go back to the rally where the gunman was scene. correct me if i was wrong, it was one of the protests we saw throughout new york where the majority was peaceful. it's been identified as anti-police. these were protests, and again, clarify here if this was the tone of the minority of people
8:04 am
at the rally that may have incited the man to carry out the horrible act. >> we believe it was anti-police protest. the police were very keen on pointing out that he was just an observer. he was just shooting the protest. he was not taking part in it. he was just an observer. i want to point out we learned that officer ramos will be laid to rest on saturday. >> it's devastating news for that family. thank you very much. joining me now democratic congresswoman e vef clark of new york whose district includes large part of the burrow in brooklyn. also joining us is eugene o'donnell. a year ago he served as transition team to mayor de blasio. eugene, when you see the video officer ramos' children, officer
8:05 am
liu's wife. we know there's a family right now grieving. the city is also grieving. i want to focus on the new tone in the last 24 hours in the sense. i honed in on the anti-police part of that for a reason. and there have been many people protested. many of them know police office officers, have flaends ariends police officer. a majority of these were peaceful protests. never the less, is this a moment in your opinion that might bring this conversation to an elevated level where we have protesters and police individually talking this through without the heated rhetoric. >> we need to stop thinking the police love the status quo. they're well aware the system is broken. when you see the police somewhere they're ordered to be there. i believe officer ramos family said he would have supported the themes of the protests.
8:06 am
i know, there was some reasonable level headed, decent well intentioned people there. there's man yaks there also. that's going to happen. >> absolutely. you have a man whose family said he had a violent history who chose to carry out the horrible act. we're learning more about them. the larger conversation of repair that we're trying to have today. do you see an improvement in what you're hearing from the police union and the mayor or are they just masking what will vent explode again here? >> the ultimate solution is the police and the public together and i think in 2013 the police approval rating in new york was 70%. there's a lot of room. i would have bet, you know, everything that the people of bedford would be upset about any police officer getting killed. they understand what the police do. it's not to say there aren't issues there. there's tremendous respect, i think for service and dedication among the police force. particularly in poor communities.
8:07 am
that's my experience as a former cop in brooklyn. >> we saw eric garner's children go to the site and give respect there. what is your hope at this point that now some of the higher emotion, some of the finger pointed died down. what do we see as the next as we prepare to lay these officers to rest. >> yeah, this is a moment of transition, i believe for all people of good will. there are a whole host of issues that need to be unpacked. one, i believe, is mental illness. every time we have a tragic killing in our nation, whether it's the children in a schoolhouse or it's officers that are sworn to protect us that we hold so dearly, there's always an aftermath, a discussion about what motivates individuals to go -- deranged individuals to go and do this type of thing. we need to address the issue of gun violence. how does one get illegal
8:08 am
handguns? and why is it that we are still dealing with these challenges in our civil society. what we have the tools for prevention. >> right. >> there's a lot to unpack here. >> including crime and punishment, which is what the family, if they're account of brinsley's background is true 19 time times. he's been suicidal. severe mental health issues, and caught in the resolving door of the prison system. their claim he wasn't getting help >>well, you know, it's about reforming these systems that we have. they're all antiquated we're in the 21st century. we're dealing with how we transform the remnants of broken systems. and i think that this is a moment where we will merge from this having understood whatnot fixing it can mean in a civil society. >> and fixing the relationship, not just with de blasio and the police department here.
8:09 am
commissioner bratton said show him a mayor who had a great relationship with the policing union. can you name one? that was his assertion during the news conference. around the country you have police unions that have their agenda to protect the officers. so you mayors and some of the lawmakers who have an agenda as well. specifically the police department, the largest in the nation, how do we repair or he, the mayor, repair his relationship with the police union if it's reparable. >> it's a week to grieve. we have to acknowledge that -- i wouldn't have chosen the language pat lynch choice. i don't know what language i would have chose. they targeted the people because of their uniforms. you can understand at least that night there will be high emotion. my ens is most people in the city, i believe the police and everybody are hurting. they don't want to have a conversation on the extremes. >> we'll see what happens. >> i agree with that, tamron. we also have to acknowledge there are other dynamics at play
8:10 am
here. you have a union in negotiations with the mayor for a new contract. you have leadership going through an interelection now. there are a whole host of emotional issues. i think us reflecting on what we've experienced and taking this time to mourn and to grieve saner heads will prevail in the end. i don't think there's a big gulf to cross between the mayor and the department that is sworn to protect us. >> i think most of the people i spoke with think that's true. the relationship building and in the end a respectful police officer and respect for the lives of those who feel they've been rejected. >> and the president got no credit. here is an example how political people can lead. they did something for the veterans on mental health. every returning veteran has a safety net for mental health. if we can extend that protection. i didn't see that get any
8:11 am
notice. that was one of the most pro law enforcement initiatives. >> we know the headlines that often carry are not the ones that are positive news. it's the ones that those who have agendas that want to politicize are heard the loudest. thank you very much. i appreciate you joining us. turning to other breaking news. tornado watches were issued for part of the south. we're watching one storm in the east, west, and snow in the middle. snow and log visibility plaguing drivers in philly. freezing rain is coming as well. the same fog is throwing things down in the midwest, too. travel everywhere could be impacted. msnbc meteorologist dominica davis joins us with more on the tornado watches. >> we're looking down in louisiana. we actually do have a tornado warning to tell you about. let's go to the radar. we'll show you this is for lafayette parish. in south central louisiana until 10:15 local time. this is included within the tornado watch now that we have
8:12 am
in effect for southeast texas, louisiana, mississippi, and southwest alabama. now this tornado watch it will be up until 6:00 local time. this isn't a system we're going to see really for the entirety of today. you can see all of those bands of showers that are moving up to the northeast. this will continue to push into the ohio valley. this is all connected with a much larger system that we're seeing from the great lakes that does go all the way down to the southern end and to the gulf states. at the northern portion of this, we have some snow and off to the east that is where we're dealing with rain showers and mild temperatures that are causing quite a bit of fog. we just saw those pictures, tamron, and you can see the visibility and a lot of places is comprised. we're down to 2.5 miles in new york city. 1.3. on average clear day visibility would be 10 miles.
8:13 am
we're dealing with visibility issues. so unfortunately, this travel weather is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. we'll continue to track the severe weather down to the south and update you as needed with the tornado warnings. >> all right. thank you very much. let's move to gabe ambigu. y >> good morning. we're tracking severe weather in parts of the south at the airport lines security lines seem to be moving along pretty well. we have seen some rain throughout the morning. that's pretty much stopped here at the airport. it is still overcast. we noticed the low hanging clouds throughout the morning. that's affecting travel up in the northeast. other airports like philadelphia low hanging clouds are affecting flights coming to philadelphia. they're being stopped at their
8:14 am
original destination as much as two hours. other airports being affected d.c. and the new york airports. few delays in chicago as well as houston. so far no wide spread cancellations, tamron. >> all right gab ambiguityigabe. we're awaiting new comments from the state department this hour after an unprecedented internet outage in north korea. did the u.s. have anything to do with the shut down as possible retaliation for the sony hacking? >> as we implement our responses, some will be seen, some may not be seen. the state department won't confirm or deny a live report next. plus new details about the bizarre story coming out of sof cuba. how the wife of a cuban spy got pregnant while he was held in a california prison. pope francis slams vatican officials in a christmas
8:15 am
message. we'll talk live with a priest who calls the pope's remarks calculated smart bomb. ♪ you don't need to think about the energy that makes our lives possible. because we do. we're exxonmobil
8:16 am
and powering the world responsibly is our job. because boiling an egg... isn't as simple as just boiling an egg. life takes energy. energy lives here. i will take beauty into my own hands where it belongs. olay regenerist instantly changes the look of skin. it regenerates surface cells new skin is revealed in only 5 days without drastic measures. stunningly youthful, award-winning skin. never settle for anything less. the regenerist collection, from the world's number 1 olay, your best beautiful which means it's timeson for the volkswagen sign-then-drive event. for practically just your signature, you could drive home for the holidays in a german-engineered volkswagen. like the sporty, advanced new jetta... and the 2015 motor trend car of the year all-new golf. if you're wishing for a new volkswagen this season...
8:17 am
just about all you need is a finely tuned... pen. get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on select new volkswagen models.
8:18 am
welcome back. north korea is partly back online this morning after a major internet outage that lasted for over nine hours yesterday. the blackout came less than a week after the fbi accused north korea of being behind the hack that forced sony pictures to cancel the movie "the interview" over the weekend. president obama wondering of a proportionate response but two u.s. officials denied any u.s. role in the outage in north korea. the state department would not confirm or deny that the u.s. was behind the blackout.
8:19 am
>> as the president said, we're considering a range of options in response. we aren't going to discuss publicly operational details about the possible response options or repocomment on the reports. as we implement our responses some will be seen. some may not be seen. >> halle jackson has the latest on the story. we're waiting for an update from the state department. from perspective when we say blackout in north korea, we're talking about a tiny number of people population size. we have this nasa photograph of the electric grid in space. essentially most don't have power there. >> right. internet in north korea is nothing like what we think of in the united states when we talk about connectivity. let me give you the perspective. we spoke with experts, including o . the u.s. has 150,000 routes for
8:20 am
internet. south korea has 17,000. north korea has four. again, we're talking about an elite, a tiny group of people who this affects, but some say this is potentially symbolic if in fact it is a cyber attack. as you alluded to, that's still a question. it could be something like a routine glitch. a badly timed router meltdown. or as we're talking about it may be something where north korea came under duress from cyber attackers. if that were the case, again, still can't speculate who might be behind the attack. >> can't speculate, obviously. but, you know, when you some people say there's no such thing as coincidence. we see the impact of it. what have we heard from north korea as it relates to the outage. any response from kim jong-un? >> not much yet. state website got up and running. we're monitoring that and keeping an eye. in the wake of news that the u.s. freed cuban spies and began
8:21 am
talks with the regime. we learned the u.s. quietly helped one of the spies months ago with an intimate request. one u.s. senator particular went out of his way to help hernandez imprisoned in california impregnate his wife in cuba. now hernandez has been released and she's due in two weeks. the story is raising eye brows. kate snow has more. >> reporter: hernandez was beaming after reuniting with his wife add began that. his hand on her very pregnant belly. yes, pregnant with hernandez's child and the help of the u.s. and cuban governments. how it came about has the makings of a cold war spy thriller. hernandez was the ring leader of the cuban five, a group of cuban undercover agents convicted in 2009 of running a spy ring in south florida. it included helping shoot down
8:22 am
two cessna airplanes that killed four cuban-american governments working against the castro regime. he spoke to nbc news in an exclusive jailhouse interview. his wife defended him to nbc as well. >> translator: he is an extremely noble person. he's sincere. he's honest. >> last year when senator patrick leahy visited cuba to help check on alan gross, perez tracked the senator and his wife down with an urgent and unusual plea. >> she didn't know if she would see her husband out of prison. she loved him very much. she wanted to have his child. she's now her 40s and she's afraid it may never happen. >> leahy interviewed arranging the delivery of hernandez's sperm to cuba where the captor regime funded the art official insemination procedures.
8:23 am
>> it was a human thing. it had nothing to do with the politics of the two countries. it was just a family value. a human thing. >> there is some outrage about the conception. the senior of one of the cub cuban-americans killed in one of the planes called the entire effort absurd. here we are going way overboard so the guy has a child? it doesn't make any sense she told nbc news. >> it's tragic the people were shot down. let's not take it out on a child. years later a child that can be born into a loving family. >> that was nbc kate snow reporting in cuba. hernandez and the cuban five are considered national heros. her hernandez looked for forgiveness. a couple of years ago his only regret was getting caught. the focus of today's gut check. there's controversy over the u.s. decision to help the jailed cuban spy impregnate his life.
8:24 am
he was sentenced to life for murder conspiracy. at least one of the victims family members, as you heard, slamming the decision. what does your gut tell you? do you think the u.s. government should have helped the cuban spy's wife get pregnant? go to "newsnation" online. coming up a delta baggage handler under arrest for allegedly smuggling firearms. some were loaded on to planes bound for new york. plus -- >> she just hit our car! >> frightening video. an alleged road rage incident caught on tape. police say a woman in her vehicle tried to run another car off the highway several times. what investigators are saying now. ♪ it's not about how many miles you can get out of the c-max hybrid.
8:25 am
it's about how much life you can fit into it. ♪ the ford c-max hybrid. with an epa-estimated range of 540 miles on a tank of gas. and all the room you need to enjoy the trip. go stretch out. go further. if you have type 2 diabetes, you know it can be a struggle to keep your a1c down. so imagine ... what if there was a new class of medicine that works differently to lower blood sugar? imagine loving your numbers. introducing once-daily invokana®. it's the first of a new kind of prescription medicine that's used along with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. invokana® is a once-daily pill that works around the clock to help lower a1c. here's how: the kidneys allow sugar to be absorbed back into the body. invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in ... and sends some sugar out through the process of urination.
8:26 am
and while it's not for weight loss, it may help you lose some weight. invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause some people to have loss of body water and salt. this may also cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak especially when you stand up. other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections, urinary tract infections, changes in urination, high potassium in the blood, or increases in cholesterol. do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis or if allergic to invokana® or its ingredients. symptoms of allergic reaction may include rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing. if you experience any of these symptoms, stop taking invokana® and call your doctor right away or go to the nearest hospital. tell your doctor about any medical conditions, medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin
8:27 am
may increase risk of low blood sugar. it's time. lower your blood sugar with invokana®. imagine loving your numbers. ask your doctor about invokana®. try new always discreet, a revolution in bladder leak protection from always, the experts in feminine protection. new always discreet, for sensitive bladders. up to 40% thinner, for superior comfort. absorbs 2x more than you may need, for dance-all-you want protection. no wonder more women already prefer new always discreet pads over poise. new always discreet. now bladder leaks can feel like no big deal. because, hey, pee happens. welcome back. a baggage handler for delta airlines was arrested and
8:28 am
charged with helping a smuggler move guns across the country. pete williams has been following the story for us. pete, how did it, according to investigators, play out? >> this is all according to an arrest warrant for a 31 year-old baggage handler for delta united in atlanta named eugene. he helped a former employee sneak guns to new york to sell on the street. that man has been arrested. according to investigators, two weeks ago harvey used his airport security badge to enter the airport terminal and later go into a concourse bathroom. they say the former employee came into the same bathroom and walked out a minute later with 18 guns in his carry-on. that apparent handoff allowed the small luggler to get the gu after going through tsa screening and take them on to
8:29 am
flights. the two did something similar at least four ore times this year. the court documents know that because they have surveillance video inside the airport. police say the smuggled guns were bought by undercover officers in new york. >> how many times according to the information did the transactions take place? >> starting? january of last year they say they happened at least five times. the point here is that airport employees, once they get their secure ids wi s witthey have toa background check. they are not searched. it's basically by design. no airport in country has an arrangement. most do what is done in atlanta. airport employees are not screened whenever they enter the terminal building. an airport security fishes say as odd adds it might seem, it would be prohibitively expensive
8:30 am
to secure search, and screen airport employees. >> that's an interesting reaction to that. pete, thank you so much. appreciate it. back now to developing story we're following. this is a live look at i-95 in philadelphia right now you can see the conditions are not great. fog and rain, major headaches as a record-breaking number of people begin traveling for the holiday. two storms are on track to make a real mess of things. flight delays are already starting. we'll have an update on the latest conditions. and in today's first read congressman michael grimm is expected to plead guilty to tax fraud today. will he be forced to resign? ♪ remembering joe cocker. the british rock singer who launched his u.s. careered a wood stock passed away yesterday. his music, as they say, will live forever.
8:31 am
8:32 am
when you run a business, you can't settle for slow. that's why i always choose the fastest intern. the fastest printer. the fastest lunch. turkey club. the fastest pencil sharpener. the fastest elevator. the fastest speed dial. the fastest office plant. so why wouldn't i choose the fastest wifi? i would. switch to comcast business and get the fastest wifi with the most coverage. comcast business. built for business.
8:33 am
it's more than the car.er. for lotus f1 team, the competitive edge is the cloud. powered by microsoft dynamics, azure, and office 365, the team can gain real time insights and instantly share information around the globe. when every millisecond counts, staying competitive begins with the cloud. this is the microsoft cloud.
8:34 am
developing now the dow soaring to record high hitting 1 18,000 this morning for the first time ever. the dow is up 85 points today. s a, today's rally fuelled by news that the economy grew in the third quarter at the fastest rate in more than a decade. developing news we're following regarding the weather. tornado watches were just issued for parts of the south and severe thunderstorms are firing up as millions of people get ready to travel. already thick fog and rain slowing things down in the northeast. there's another storm corming in the west. in the midwest, up to 5 inches of snow, well, it's forecast for tomorrow. jennifer is along the highway outside of chicago where it is, of course, always windy! they don't always get a white christmas. perhaps we'll see one coming up, jennifer. >> yeah, you know, tamron, it's been actually blue skies over
8:35 am
head for the first time in weeks here in chicago. that will all change tomorrow. that's kind of the problem. if you're a last-minute traveler because you know chicago is a hub and you know about the domino effect how it affects flights all over the country when one major airport that is a hub gets jammed up. we're looking ahead to that. as for today we have a quite a few delays along the eastern sea board. right now airports on the east coast are rain and low ceiling, poor visibility causing delays. we have an hour and a half at jfk and la guardia. two hours delay in philadelphia. tomorrow christmas eve snow will move in to chicago. this time tomorrow it should be snowing. 2 to 5 inches expected. the last minute christmas eve travelers can be affected by that. one in three americans traveling for the holidays. that's prime time really for the not so frequent fliers.
8:36 am
people who travel maybe once a year. traveling with their children. so those long lines that you see at the security check points and check in at the counter with baggage and luggage and gifts with, those are longer than they seem because people tend to take a little bit longer than the business travelers who do it all the time. so maybe the road trippers are on to something this year. gas prices as low as they are. in 27 states gas is under $2 a gallon now. that's good news. the weather is expected to snarl automotic travel as well. aaa tells us they expect over the holiday period to be rescuing 1.1 million stranded drivers on the sides of roads. we'll see dead batteries, flat tires, things like that. >> all right. we hope everyone is able to have a safe trip and they won't need aaa. it's good to know they're out there if you need them. in a few hours michael grimm is expected to step into a federal court and plead gmt to a
8:37 am
felony charge of tax invasion. a 20-count indictment in april alleged that the new york congressman hid more than $1 million in seattales and wages the restaurant he co-owned before serving in congress. despite the indictment the former marine and fbi agent was elected by a wide margin in november. but now house minority leader nancy pelosi is calling on the congressman to resign. if grimm pleads guilty he could be sentenced to three years up to three years in prison. joining me live mark murray. so we've heard what pelosi thinks about this. what are republicans saying about grimm and whether or not he's going to be forced to resign, mark. >> tamron, that's right. democrats are trying to seize on this. we've heard from the house minority leader nancy pelosi as well the democratic campaign committee. what matters is house speaker john boehner and the republicans. we've seen john boehner urging republican members who are
8:38 am
caught in the ethical or legal cloud to be able to resign. they don't want the headache that comes with all the pr hit and the black eyes associated with it. so whatever statement we end up hearing from house speaker john boehner is going to be key here. i think if the past is any type of indicator, we would end up seeing some type of effort by house speaker john boehner to get grimm to resign. that would trigger a special election next year. >> absolutely. you look at grimm's background, his career as a politician and in the marines. he's a pretty defiant guy here. do you have -- does one have a leg to stand on when you're pleading guilty to pretty serious charges despite being re-elected by the constituents in his district? >> tamron, i'm glad you bring up the defiance part. he was indicted. won re-election in 2014. very decisively on the republican wave. he might end up feeling like, hey, there is nothing that can hurt me. i can go on. but again who that really kind of comes down to is house
8:39 am
speaker john boehner. you know if grim ends up staying in the new york delegation and with republicans, democrats are going to end up criticizing republicans for having a felon in their midst. having a culture of corruption. we see the culture of corruption brand around whether it's democrats or republicans there. it's bipartisan. sometimes people getting in legal and ethical issues. you'll see democrats play the card and john boehner might want to avoid that. >> absolutely. it goes back to the leadership of speaker boehner. some people criticizing him for not being a strong leader. the leader of the speaker of the house. with that said if he can't john decretely get grimm to resign, what does that say about speaker boehner? >> that's one of the calculation that john boehner has to make. if she's going to push him he has to make sure that grimm follows the order or it could backfire on john boehner.
8:40 am
when it comes to issues like these john boehner's track record more than than not if he needs to shove somebody out of the way he gets his way. >> thank you very much. i don't think we'll see you until the new year. i love your mom more than i love you. >> thank you. happy holidays. >> she's adorable. thank you, mark. good to see you. it's being called unprecedented. a fiery christmas message from pope francis to officials who run the vatican. accusing the cardinals and bishops of forming cliques he called cancerous and told them they need to repent for leading hypocritical lives. plus, an alleged road rage incident caught on cell phone. a woman under arrest after police say she tried to run another car off the california highway. not once but several times! it's just ordinary fleece
8:41 am
but the comfort it provides is immeasurable. the america red cross brings hope and help to people in need every 8 minutes, every day. so this season give something that means something. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you.
8:42 am
call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. so don't wait. call now and request this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare... and which aarp medicare supplement plan might be best for you. there's a wide range to choose from. we love to travel -- and there's so much more to see. so we found a plan that can travel with us. anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people
8:43 am
who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. welcome back. pope francis had somewhat of
8:44 am
surprise christmas gift for the cardinals, bishops and priests that run the vatican. he unleashed a withering criticism. the pope spoke about 15 spiritual diseases he's seen among the leadership there. among them, quote, spiritual al timizers made some forget their true purpose. he announced power seeking gossip and cancerous cliques within the catholic church. at times the room looked stunned. one writer from the religious news service categorized the pope's message this way. merry christmas you power hungry hypocrites. join thank you for joining us. >> thank you. merry christmas. >> merry christmas. not the rest of it. you power hungry hypocrites.
8:45 am
how do you from what you heard from the pope. >> i think it was a blitzkrieg. they came in for christmas greetings and collect candy canes. instead the pope gave them a caning. >> why now at the particular time? >> it's sort of a smart barn he cleverlily put together based on the package last year that pope benedict xvi had given him to the evidence. you see the patience of the pope who has assembled his coalition. he has the support of the people of the church. the lower clergy and he has to bring along the bishops themselves. he dropped this and you see all the scandals. financial scandals, scandals involving bishops and diocese incapable of running diocese committing crimes, the sexual abuse crisis. it seems to be one thing after another. he decided -- he knows the first disease he mentioned immortality he's going to die. he has a limited amount of time.
8:46 am
>> the 15 intellectual diseases he pointed out. francis christmas greeting was roughly the equivalent of a ceo sending the top executives off to christmas vacation with a cleverly worded list of everything they do wrong at the company. so he laid out the law of what is being done wrong. how then do you write this massive schimas ship. >> and he is listed these 15 things but in each category he gives the remedy for the disease. as he himself said in the talk, he said if you want to cure a disease you have to know the symptoms. you have to know what it is you are infected with. he's telling this is the infectious and this is the way to cure it. >> what do you make of such tough words from this pope? i've read a couple of articles that said no one can recall in recent memory such fiery rhetoric coming from a pope in
8:47 am
such directed language at the cardinals, bishops, and priests. >> probably the last time we can recall it when the pope john paul ii went to south america and wagged his finger. now south american is waiving his fingers. the reverse in the tables now. it's an exciting time in the church because he's shaking things up. he speaks to the freedom of the spirit. he wants the freedom. he himself is very free in the way he speaks. he's not a politician. he wants -- he wants them to get on the bus. to get off the bus, or hit by the bus. they have to make the choice. >> speaking of choices we made. interesting year across the board. we've seen a lot of violence as of late, a lot of pain, a lot of loss. i know, that you'll busy for the next 48 hours or so. what is the overall message that speaks to your heart as we approach christmas here? >> the overall message i got from the pope is the tremendous sense of hope. i had dinner last night with
8:48 am
some folks who work with poverty initiatives including two african priests. we were excited. and the lay people said we're behind him. we believe what he's saying. we agree with him! we have to accomplish it. there's a great sense of vitality. there's a great sense of hopefulness. a great sense of future opening up. the movement of the holy spirit. ur herbing in a new age. he's revealing to us the future. the little glimpses of the future for us. including for these men if they don't come along then they'll have to go away. >> thank you so much. we appreciate it. merry christmas. >> thank you. turning now to another story making headlines. a coloraalifornia woman is unde arrest after police say she tried to run a car off a highway several times over the weekend. it started when 50-year-old began tailgating two women. as she passed them the passengers, quote, made a rude
8:49 am
hand gesture. things spiralled out of control. betty winn has the story. >> oh, my god! >> go! go! >> reporter: in the dramatic video posted on youtube she's seen accelerating brake checking passengers in a white mazda multiple times. the two women called for police. >> we have a vehicle that has been following us telling us she's a cop and keeps trying to tell us to pull over. we're in the white mazda. >> the women speed up to get away from her. >> she's swerving off the road. she keeps trying to hit us off the road. >> not fast enough. >> she just hit our car! she's pushing us off the road. yes, she's pushing us off the road. she's coming for us. >> according to a california highway newsreel she got out of her car and flashed an unknown ieflgs card claiming to be a
8:50 am
sheriff telling the women they were going to jail. she's knocking on our window saying she's a cop. >> the woman sped away to a officer nearby flagging down an officer to help. >> make sure flagging down an or nearby. >> make sure he helps us. >> they arrested her. >> she faces several charges including reckless driving and assault with a deadly weapon. the two women were not seriously injuried in all of that. pretty scary. the life and legacy of singer joe cocker. i'm angela,
8:51 am
and i quit smoking with chantix. people who know me, they say 'i never thought you would quit.' but chantix helped me do it. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it gave me the power to overcome the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix or history of seizures. don' take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea,
8:52 am
trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. i'm a non-smoker, that feels amazing. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. that's why i always choose the fastest intern.r slow. the fastest printer. the fastest lunch. turkey club. the fastest pencil sharpener. the fastest elevator. the fastest speed dial. the fastest office plant. so why wouldn't i choose the fastest wifi?
8:53 am
i would. switch to comcast business and get the fastest wifi with the most coverage. comcast business. built for business. coming up on developing news. dangerous weather patterns on a day when millions of preparing to travel with tornado watches issued this past hour. this is across a large portion
8:54 am
of the south. look at the red box. thunderstorms have been firing up all morning. in louisiana, mississippi and parts of texas and alabama, there is a risk of tornados until this evening. we will keep you up to date. music fans are mourning the loss of joe cocker, one of the greatest rock 'n' roll singers to great the stage. he is known for iconic performances the beatles song with a little help from my friends. he had a long battle with lung cancer. we take a look back at the legendary life of joe cocker. >> you are so beautiful ♪ >> there is no mistaking that distinct raspy voice. the 70-year-old british-born singer died in his home monday from lung cancer. ♪ what would you do if i sang out of tune ♪ >> he first gained attention at woodstock with the classic take
8:55 am
on the beatles with a little help from my friends. >> paul mccartney said he was a lovely guy and said totally turned the song into a soul anthem and i was forever grateful for him for doing that. >> you look at the songs 40 years later and realize he had something unique. >> with the air and on stage gyrations. they spent decades and fell off the charts in the 70s when heavy drug and alcohol abuse nearly ended his career. in 1982 he made a come back. ♪ love lift us up where we belong ♪ . >> it featured an officer and a gentlemen and won him a grammy and oscar for best original song. >> what do i do when my love is
8:56 am
away ♪ . >> billy joel paid tribute to cocker and expressed sentiments felt by many fans. >> i think he should be in the rock 'n' roll hall of fame and i'm throwing in my vote for joe cocker. >> that does it for this edition of "news nation." up next, luke russert hosts "andrea mitchell reports." ature, you could drive home for the holidays in a german-engineered volkswagen. like the sporty, advanced new jetta... and the 2015 motor trend car of the year all-new golf. if you're wishing for a new volkswagen this season... just about all you need is a finely tuned... pen. get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first month's payment on select new volkswagen models.
8:57 am
8:58 am
8:59 am
did you get chips for the party? nope. (ding) cheese plate? cheese plate. no, i made something better. you used the oven? boom. pillsbury crescents. make the holidays pop. >> they pause for protest. push back after new york's mayor calls for an end to demonstrations until two murdered police officers are laid to rest. as we see new images of the gunmen, new comments from his family. >> he was emotionally troubled young man. he was suicidal. clearly something's wrong.
9:00 am
he should have been offered help in the system, all right? but he wasn't. >> the holiday rush. millions hit the road and pack the airports. will mother nature cooperate? and packing heat. an atlanta airport worker does an end to sneak guns on board planes. pyongyang off line. north korea's internet is back up today, sort of. was it an issue on their end or attack from the west. remember proportional response. >> we aren't going to discuss publicly operational details about the possible response options or comments on those reports in any way. except to say that as we implement our responses, some will be seen, some may not be seen.

132 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on