ident, in the faces you don't see. in the places you don't visit in your shining city. >> and snapshot. white house photographer takes us behind the lens with the stories of his top photos of the year documenting the most powerful man in the world. >> a very good friday to you and happy new year. i'm kristin welker. we begin with the ariel search for critical pieces of the air asia jetliner deep within the java sea suspended with the bodies of 30 victims and the first was held today. the 50 did retrieve three parts that will be examined by specialists. the focus is on finding the

plane's blacks boxes. they will get more on the steps in the cockpit leading up to this tragedy. live in indonesia, what's the latest on the search? >> the air search is called off for the night, but there ships out there and they are looking at the sea floor. there ships there that are able to use sonar to search the bottom of the sea floor to look for any signs of a large part of the wreckage, that fuselage where they believe they may find the vast majority of the victims from the crash. >> they were able to brings 21 bodies recovered from the sea in very difficult conditions. violent thunderstorms that were coming in and going quickly. high winds as well as 13-foot

seas that meat it difficult to see the debris as the waves crested. they would lose sight of the bodies. it made it difficult to bring them on to the ships and again on to shore. another complication with that weather is the search for the black boxes. a specialist team is at the site. they have special equipment allowing them to listen under water for the pings from the black boxes. because of the waves, because of the 13-foot wave they were not able to use it at all. no progress there. back to the victims for a moment three more people have been identified. all three of indonesians. among them a young flight attendant working for air asia for just under two years. the founder tweeted that he had no words. he was accompanying her body back to her hometown and would be at her burial with her family. kristin? >> thank you for that reporting. we appreciate it.

we want to turn to jim tillman, a former airline pilot. captain of the army and core of engineers and weather forecaster. thanks for joining me. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> i want to start with the weather conditions that you heard kelly talking about and the mix of clear skies and the mix of thunderstorms. how do you anticipate searches will proceed over the next 48 hours. >> they need to step back and recognize the need for patience. we are all desperate for information and sometimes it comes from a reliable source and sometimes it doesn't. look at what we stick to. unless that means a major break in the weather, it may be more like 72 or more. >> when you hear kelly talk about the efforts to try to hear

the black boxes and the fact that that has been complicated, are you concerned that the black boxes could move potentially while they wait out the conditions? >> i think they can move but i don't know if that will be a major move. it depends upon how much of the tail section they are in. we are talking about a major portion, they may not move. there is weight and stability with that. if it's just the vertical and the horizontal there, it may be susceptible to some movement. i don't think that will be the major thing. once we hear the pings, we are home free and able to move nicely. >> based on where the wreckage was found and what we know so far, do you have any more insight into what may have caused the crash? perhaps it went into a stall

trying to rise above the storm that was going on during this flight? >> right now with the limited information we can rely on it's very difficult to tell whether or not the airplane was intact when it hit the water and began to break up just prior to entering the water. there a lot of questions like that. i'm telling you the boxes are precious. we just have to get to those and answer one question after another. i'm concerned about getting to them and i'm sure they can get to them before the batteries run down. >> finally given this tragedy and the missing malaysian airlines flight does there need to be a broader investigation? >> i don't see the need for it right now. i think we are looking at a combination of very bad luck and coincidence. whether or not this is something part of that world and all that sort of thing, i don't think

people should be afraid to fly in that part of the world. we have a silly combination of things that are happening. that will change. >> thank you for your insights. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> stunning news from the music world. u2 frontman said he may never be able to play guitar again after he was injuried in a bike next central park in november. he said he is unable to move around physically and writes i blanked out on impact and have no memory of how i ended up in new york press biteariian with my humorous bone sticking through my jacket. he has three metal plates and 18 screws. he is cancelling all appearances for the beginning of the year writing this was all the communication i can imagine for the first half of 2015. beyond muttering and singing to

myself. they are set to begin their 19-city tour in may. we wish him a speedy recovery. an update on harry reid, hospitalized on new year's day. he broke several ribs and bones in his face after falling while exercising in his home. he said he was using a resistance band that snapped, hitting him and causing him to fall. in a statement, the office said his doctors expect a full recovery. reid will return to washington this weekend and will number office tuesday when the senate reconvenes. >> these are the first photos of president obama in 2015. he and his daughter malia went to kai lua to get shave ice. a view of the president few have seen and only one man gets to see it every day. we will talk to the white house photographer pete souza.

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. former new york governor cuomo is being remember as a liberal lion and whose personality earned him praise far beyond the borders of the empire state. he passed away thursday at the age of 82. he flirted with the idea of running for president and his gifts took him all the way to the democratic national convention where he gave a speech. he challenged then president reagan and many said he even overshadowed walter mondale. >> there is despair, mr. president, in the faces that you don't see. in the places that you don't

visit in your shining city. mr. period you ought to know this nation is more a tale of two cities than just a shining city on a hill. >> that speech catapulted him into the spotlight and sparked calls for had him to run for president. he twice turned it down saying the state needed him more. that earned him the name hamlet on the hudson. he lobbied bill clinton for a seat and pulled back just as the offer was about to be made. the governor ran through most of the 80s and early 90s, a tough time in the state's history hours before his father passed away newly reelected governor andrew cuomo honored his dad. >> he couldn't be here physical physically physically, but my father is in

this room in the heart and mind of every person who is here. he is here and here and here. and his inspiration and legacy and experience is what has brought this state to this point. >> joining me now, two men who knew the late governor. analyst and former pennsylvania democratic governor ed rentdell. thank you for being here. i appreciate it. i will start with you. my condolences to both of you for the loss of your friend. what was your reaction when you heard the news? >> i don't think i was totally surprised the fact that he didn't show up for his son's inaugural. there were a lot of stories he was under the weather and had serious health problems. my other reaction was incredible memory of the 1984 speech.

it was a powerful speech of democratic ideals. no one who heard it could forget it. i remember watching tim russert who was off to the side mouthing every sentence as the governor went through the speech. i thought about 1987 when he asked me to come to new york. to talk to him about running for president in 1988. we went over a variety of questions and then he said to me how many days to i have to spend in iowa? i said most guys have to spend 100 or 80 days. you get away with 60 or 40. a few days later, he a uns noed he was not running and he call and said sorry, i hope you don't mind. i'm blaming you as one of the people who persuaded me not to run. i would have to spend too much time in new york. he loved that back and forth and he loved to debate small points. he used to say to me for example, you and i have a difference on this because you were trained by the jesuits and

i'm an august steinian. he was one-of-a-kind. >> so many great points that bob brought up. your reaction when you heard the news and what was your reaction when you first heard that speech that he gave to the dnc? did you know at the time it was going to be so pivotal and monumental? >> you did when you heard it. i was a delegate to the pennsylvania delegation and it was an incredible speech. i was the district attorney at the time. it was a great statement of democratic ideals and the progressive ideals of our party. the governor not only spoke about those ideal, but governed with them and showed that progressive politics could be successful. could work. he was a great governor of new york. he had the courage of his convictions. he was against the death penalty 25 years ago when it was

considered political suits to be against the death penalty, but people knew he was the genuine article. when i heard about his passing, i thought television missed opportunities. not so much missed opportunities in the fact that he didn't become period because 92 would have been his best shot and we got a very good president in bill clinton, but it could have been mario cuomo. we got a very good president. he would have been one of the great supreme court justices in this country's history up there with cardoza and earl warren. >> i want to get you both to weigh in. why do you think he never ran for president and he pulled his name out for a potential seat? >> i think what he said is true. i know in politics we never believed anybody's explanation, but when you are governor of a state and i was governor for eight years, you feel an

obligation to deal with the challenges and problems facing the people of your state. i think when he told bob he was going to be out of new york too much to run and i think he meant it. >> bob, do you agree with that and did you believe him or think there was another reason? >> i have never known. i think he didn't want to run and it could have been new york or he didn't want to be president. he would have won the nomination and probably won the election and he would have won the nomination in 1992 given the problems of bill clinton in new hampshire. he just didn't want to do it. the planes sat on the runway in albany on the day when huh to file and he didn't go get on the plane. one of the folks said he was getting ready and working on the statement. about 3:30 i said where is he now? they said he is still in his office working on his statement.

i said he's not going to run. there was something in him that didn't want to run. he would have been a fabulous supreme court justice and much better off doing that than running for a fourth term as governor in 1994. >> it is remarkable to so many people that he passed away hours after his son was sworn in for a second term. what do you think the governor's legacy is for new york and the nation? >> his legacy will be that he was the best spokesman for progressive politics. the best practitioner. that's something. a lot of people say progressives are great, but they can't govern well. there exceptions to that fact and mario you cancuomo proved it was a myth. >> does his progressivism still exist?

>> it's vibrant in the democratic party. in 2016 in the primaries and the campaign hillary clinton is going to wage it will be a progressive campaign. i reflect back and remember having dinner with him in 2002. he was there on law firm business and we ran into him and he was focused like a laser beam on his son's then disastrous 2002 campaign. he was certain there would be another chance and he said this time it will be done right. he was determined to do it. he was part of getting it done in 2006 and 2010. it's poignant that he passed on the day of the second inauguration as governor. >> i will let that be the last word. thanks for your remembrances. we appreciate it. as mentioned, tim russert was a top aide before coming to nbc where he interviewed the

governor in many memorable exchanges on "meet the press" and there was this interview on the tim russert show in 2004. take a look. >> do you wish you had run for president? >> i don't think i was good enough to be president. i remember -- i won't share his name -- but he was at the times. he said i don't think you have the fire in the belly. who wants fire in the belly. that's ego. i never felt that way about the presidency as you probably know. to say to yourself that you are better than all the other people available to lead this country and therefore much of the world, that takes a little more self-confident than i ever had. and the legion of super fans. wow! [ narrator ] on a mission to get richard to his campbell's chunky soup. it's new chunky beer-n-cheese with beef and bacon soup. i love it. and mama loves you. ♪ ♪

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lens. the official photographer for president obama and he has captured all of the history of this white house for the past six years with the click of his camera. every year he releases the best of his collection and 2014's picks give us a look back at a year filled with new challenges at home and abroad. he is in honolulu where the president is vacationing. thanks for joining me this afternoon. >> thanks for having me. >> it was hard to choose amongst your pictures because there so many great ones. we want to start with one you captured in august that shows president obama on the beach in newport, rhode island. you placed a bet with the staffers that president obama was going to get off of air force one and go directly over to the beach and do exactly this. stare out into the ocean. how did you know that and how much is knowing the man, understanding who president obama is an integral part of

doing your job? >> it's a big part of doing my job. he got off the helicopter and the motorcade was set up on the road and here's this beautiful scene in newport and the sun is going down. i could tell that this was something he would do. walk across the road and go down to the water's edge. >> another that we thought was incredible that got a lot of attention was captured when he met with young civil rights leaders in the oval office. the 54 trade of former president abraham lincoln and the bust of martin luther king. how much did you prepare for this photo? what's the back story? >> the back story is this was a meeting that he had with these young civil rights leaders and many protested in ferguson. throughout the meeting that lasted more than an hour i was trying to incorporate the bust

of mlk into the background and it wasn't working because of where they were seated on the sofas. as the meeting broke up they paused for a moment off to the side as you can see. it was at that point that i went down low and framed the bust in the foreground. >> you presumably had taken a number of pictures already. this is what you were going for, right? >> i didn't know this would actually happen where they would cause before walking out the door. i was cognizant of the mlk bust as i am with all the historical artifacts in the white house trying to incorporate them into my pictures. >> one theme certainly from this year but every year. the president is meeting with kids. one of the favorites was the president meeting with a girl scout troop from oklahoma.

it's a posed photo, but you included it. this is unique because president obama placed this tiara on his head. why did you decide to include this photo? >> i thought it showed a very human side of him. he has a lot of fun with babies and young kids and i think he just got caught up in the moment that if they are wearing their tiaras he is going to wear one too. i asked him to do it and he went along. >> was there a lot of urging? can you take us behind the scenes? >> not much urging at all. i think he said something like this picture is just for us. now it's being shared with everyone. >> one of the president's most important meetings this year most memorable historic meetings was with pope francis in march, you captured that from the

vatican. talk to us about how you blend in that are huge historically and you managed to capture them. you use a no flash silent camera. talk about that. >> i think it's important not to disrupt what he's doing. so the camera is on quiet mode. i don't use flash and it's helpful that after six years, people are used to me being around. i try to blend in as much as i can. >> is that moment daunting or are you used to it? you also took pictures for former president ronald reagan. >> i think i am cognizant always of the historic nature of the meetings that i'm covering including pope francis.

so i think i'm always aware of the historical nature of what i'm doing. >> you also captured this great shot of president obama in the oval office trying to swat a fly. his aides are around him. breaking up laughing. these candid moment you talked about humanizing him with the kids, but this is part of it. how do you prepare for these candid moments. do you ever miss them? >> the ones that i miss i won't talk about because i didn't capture them. this was just before a meeting and there was this fly buzzing around that was bothering him. the other day there was a spider in the oval office and one of the aides wanted to swat it with a magazine. he said that spiter is not invading my space. a fly invades my space so it's

okay to swat it. >> there is another photo you took on a saturday of president obama more casual in the oval office and preparing for a phone call with russian president putin. it strikes me pete. a lot of people don't know the president is never off the clock, but you are really never off the clock earth. talk about what you do? >> i take very seriously what i do in terms of documenting his presidency. that does mean working weekends and here i am on his vacation. there is aspects to cover in hawaii. >> pete just what has been the

most extraordinary part for you. i always tell people that the most important moment is the moment i capture tomorrow. that's what keeps me going. you never know what's going to happen. i am always ready hopefully to capture the moment. hopefully maybe today or tomorrow there will be a key moment to capture. >> all right pete joining us from honolulu. thank you very much for getting up early to share some of your great pictures with everyone. we appreciate it. >> we had a hard time choosing which photos to choose. as we go to break, we will show you more of what made pete souza as the top photos of 2014. stay with us. blap

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we have developing news out of new hampshire with two massive pile ups along interstate 93 involving dozens of cars. police report multiple injuries but the severity is not clear at this time. we will keep following this and bring you more information throughout the day as we get it. >> overseas the head winds are fierce in russia where a mix of international sanctions and oil prices have the rubble reeling. vladimir putin is not feeling political pain. what life is like right now for people inside moscow.

>> we are having technical difficulties and try to come back to that piece from jim, but we want a broader discussion about russia and vladimir putin and joined by michael mcfall who is the former ambassador to russia and contributor who joins us live. thank you so much for joining me. >> sure. thanks for having me. the russian economy is crumbleing and starting to work but putin still doesn't seem to be listening. what is it going to take to get him to change course in ukraine? >> you have to bear in mind that in putin's system there is no feedback. there is no opposition party and no parliament that is saying

hey, this situation is getting worse. we need to change course. there is no independent media and institutions that allow for that affect. i get the sense looking at what elites are saying that people are worried about the economy and putin has to begin to reconsider what he is doing in terms of foreign policy in 2015. we are going to go to it now and get your reaction on the other side. >> he works in a state owned company and voted for vladimir putin. middle class and comfortable until the rubble lot of half of the value to the doctor. then his partner lot of her job

and they are feeling 89 pinch. we are living from hand to mouth, he said. >> we live on credit. we have a car loan and lots of debt. we can't pay any of them off. they are working in crisis. so this, another-buying up anything of value before prices soar even higher. people are panicking, she said we have no idea what will happen next said this woman. instead of revolting, we are adapting. and the russians must fly, they are taking the new russian jet blue. tickets just $20 inside russia. we used to take vacations a lot like to spain, but it's too

costly now. some have taken to the streets. even on the brink of recession, he is popular among 80% of russians. this man is among them. i blame america for the situation, he said. they want to conquer the world and be number one. in control of virtually all of russian media including this new news agency called sputnik, putin damaged any. >> the white house wants regime change and he is defending russia against the enemies. flexing muscles with war games and russian fighter jets.

>> the soviet leaders were at the end of the cold war. >> he asked russians for two more years to resolve the current crisis as analysts warned the economy and ukraine policies are a ticking bomb. >> if crisis will deepen which most likely it will do and it will be prolonged. then of course sooner or later it will have an impact on popularity. >> vladimir putin knows the base calling if are a price freeze on vodka, a russian staple. a quick fix to please the people but for how long? nbc news london. >> we are joined by michael mcfall, the ambassador to russia. thank you for your patience. we appreciate it. let's pick up on the point that you made. the piece that putin is making the argument that this is the

west's fault. you have that and also have protesters out in the streets. they were protesting about a kremlin critic. how do you ganl theuge the popularity? >> i don't think it's 80% and i don't know where that comes from. remember it's at 80% where he controls all means of different voices. barack obama could be closer to 80% if msnbc worked for him and the congress all worked for him. that said, what i get the sense of is nervousness about the future. then the regime is yefrs. there were verdicts against the leader and his brother who went to jail. it was a handful of people and

they felt compel and that suggests not a confident regime that believes it is at 80% approval r5e9ing. >> president obama let's talk about what his strategy and he said let's give cameron a chance. are sanctions enough and putin doesn't seem to be giving an inch. by the administration and they can strengthen nato and shore up the economy and you have to do all three. as to when it will work the piece was right. as he ended, time will tell and nobody really knows. the fact is over years, there

will be economic recession in russia, that will have an impact. it's hard to bhsh that impact becomes a moment that challenges his foreign policy. >> the fighting continues in ukraine. thousands of lives have been lost. do you have hope or optimism for a ceasefire in the coming months. it has been a horrible tragedy. nobody has been a winner as a result of this intervention. i have hope and i use signals that putin is trying to figure out. # there might be a permanent ceasefire in the coming year. >> all right, ambassador we

appreciate your insights. an update on the flight 8501. thes of 30 victims have been recovered and the first burial was held today. search teams did retreat three parts that will be examined by specialists and hope to resume the ariel operation on daybreak. they hope to find the black boxes and to get more information on the steps taken leading up to this tragedy. we will be back after a quick break.

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the clinton family expressed their sadness over the deathings of mario cuomo. he said he was the embodiment of the u.s. dream when he placed my name at the democratic convention, he said government had the solemn obligation to create the opportunity for all of our people. it was mario cuomo's great gift

and our good fortune that he was a passionate public servant. his life was a blessing. joining me now is "huffington post" correspondent and "the washington post" and thanks to both of you for joining me. let me start with you. some people are drawing parallels between governor cuomo and elizabeth warren? is that accurate? he had a strong relationship with the clintons. >> it's accurate in that both were seen as progressive liberalism and populism and party roots in both for their times. mario you cancuomo was a durable figure and on the public stage for 30 years or more. elizabeth warren has not become that but has a lot of the same earthy roots and talks about in very unapologetic terms what the

democratic party should stand for. that's the appeal that she has got on the party's most aggressive elements. >> the parallels accurate young? are they fair? >> i don't know. like ann said. she is new to the political scene. mario was a three-term governor. to the fact that they are unapologetic mario cuomo put his name up for nomination and i'm not sure what that's going to be. she put it forward and said she wanted to run for president. it's to be determined. to the extend that they both are the symbol of the progressive wing of the democratic party. >> could we see a liberal revolt in 2016 and would that be bad for the democrats or would it be a strength. >> some people see it now that

she is the favorite and the most potent challenge to her appears to be from the left. either in elizabeth warren herself and she has taken herself sort of out of -- more or less she has taken herself out of running against hillary clinton. there was a hunger and a longing for hillary clinton's left. that is a dynamic that is sure to continue through clinton's expected announcement early this year that she will run. >> let's shift to the republicans now. i'm going to toss it out to you. jeb bush has been dominating the headlines and we learned that she stepped down from all boards. does it seem like a run from jeb bush's now all but inevitable? >> he wouldn't step down for the

hell of it. it seems like a run is inevitable. >> give us news over the holidays. >> thank you. it does seem like he is making moves that would suggest the presidential run. he has dominated the headlines and his name brings with it a lot of tension, good and bad. it's part of the reason why. they were talking about him, but the republican field will be fascinating. you will have about 15 or so candidates who are all going to have a bit of a percentage probability of winning. i am curious to know what that debate stage is going to be like. how long will you have to have the stage to a k078idate these figures? it will be fascinating where you have hillary clinton and a bunch of lesser tier candidates and someone waiting for someone to challenge her. that challenger hasn't yet emerged. >> fascinating discussion and thanks to both of you for being

here. college football's first ever playoff championship game is set and it's the buckeyes versus the bucks in the matchups. ohio state stunned top-ranged alabama at the orange bowl. jones making just his second career start. the buckeyes rolled back the crimson tide in a victory and while the ducks trounced florida state in the rose bowl 59-20, it was painful to watch. led by the quarterback and national title game takes place monday january 12th in arlington, texas. stay with us.

>> developing from new hampshire of a massive pile up on interstate 93. 35 vehicles were caught in two crashes. there have been some injuries reported, but none life-threatening. one of the crashes involved a

vehicle sliding under a tractor-trailer. that car ended up catching fire. sections of the northbound lanes surrounding the crash remain closed. we will continue to update you on that story. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." andrea returns on monday. california me and ronan farrowdaly is next. check it out and have a great day, everyone. blap protect your family, and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.

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[ snow intensifies ] [ sleighbells ring in the distance ] aleve. all day pain relief with just 2 pills. get back to being you. >> it's 1:00 on the east coast and 10:00 on the west. here's what you need to know right now. the latest on flight 8501. the search for pieces of wreckage from the airplane continued to be discovered today. 30 bodies have been recovered so far. two of them were found strapped into their plane seats. during a news conference officials displayed pieces of that plane that have been

recovered. the hunt for the black box flight recorders has been hampered by bad weather and rough seas. kelly has more from surabaya indonesia. >> there is now a team of experts from france on site on this wreckage site. they have specialist equipment that allows them to listen for the black box pings under water. they were not able to use it on friday because the waves were too high for them to drop these very sensitive microphones into the water. they will try again tomorrow, but the forecast is not much better. they need calm seas to use this equipment. there is other equipment being used at the same time. ships are out scanning for irregularities and metal detection technology for any sign of metal on the scene. the