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tv   Weekends With Alex Witt  MSNBC  January 3, 2015 4:00am-5:01am PST

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tragic and remarkable. a 7-year-old girl survives a small plane crash and then walks nearly a mile from help. you will hear from the man whose door she knocked on. a critical find on what searchers may have found on the air asia plane that went down last week. and now more is on the way, and it could look like a winter wonderland in a place you would least expect. the economic outlook for 2015, and why some say there's a reason for optimism this new year. good morning, everybody. welcome to "weekends with alex
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witt." i am in for alex while she takes times off. a story from kentucky a 7-year-old girl the only survivor of a small plane crash that left four people dead her parents, her sister and cousin. state police say the girl was in emotional distress but walked through the dark woods to get help. >> she knocked on the door and she had to walk close to three quarters of a mile through woods with downed trees and everything else and she told me when she got here she said her mom and dad were dead. >> the girl was taken to the hospital for treatment of nonlife threatening injuries. anthony, a very busy past week for you and we appreciate you being with us as well. >> an unfortunate week for
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aviation. >> what do we know this far? does it seem suitable for this long of a trip? >> yes, this aircraft is a pa-34-200 turbo charged. it's approved flight for known icing conditions. it's quite a capable small corporate or family airplane and it's suitable for this kind of travel and for flying in somewhat bad weather. >> we know there was a distress call made so when the pilot of this type of plane calls for help what can be done by air traffic control? >> very little can be done other than to direct the pilot to the closest suitable airport that they can land. if there is no airport within the distance the pilot reports
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he can make the air traffic controller will try to assist him to guide him to the highway to known open fields where the pilot can put the aircraft down. >> this aircraft is suitable for travel. this plane was making a trip from key west florida, to mt. vernon, illinois. it's capable for that kind of travel but when you have an investigation like this so far, is the process a lot different for this plane than for a commercial jet? >> no the process is very very much the same. as a matter of fact i received the information this morning about this aircraft and we were able very quickly, just before the broadcast, to put together a probable scenario. we learned that the conditions at the time of the flight near where the plane went down were somewhat marginal. it was overcast. surface temperatures were 33 to 35 degrees farenheit, just above
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freezing. more importantly, the dew point was approximately 35 degrees as well. when you have dew point and temperature meeting like that, it's likely you had diminished visibility conditions and fog and mist and drizzle. we are now combining that with a northeast wind. that brings in moisture from the ocean and the mountains lift up the air, and the air cools as it goes up and at altitude it's likely this pilot may have encountered icing conditions. when the kentucky/tennessee area in the blue ridge mountain area this area can develop severe icing very rapidly, and although the aircraft is a known icing aircraft, it is designed to only spend sort periods of time in icing, and so it may be that the
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pilot encountered overwhelming icing conditions. >> really tragic overall and astounding to hear that 7-year-old survived. joining me now on the phone is the man you heard in that interview, larry wilkins. i can imagine the kind of whirlwind night you had with that little girl knocking at your door. tell us how that girl was telling you the story, what was your first reaction? >> just try to help her as much as i could. the little girl was dressed for florida weather, and she had on short pants and a real light blouse, and her shirt and she was barefoot and she had one sock on her foot. her nose was bloody and her legs were all scratched up and
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arms were all scratched up and she had walked about three quarters of a mile through terrible terrain, woods that in 2008 we had a ice storm here and knocked down a lot of trees, and it's woods that never have been cleaned up. i wouldn't want to walk through that woods after dark. >> i can't imagine not only in the dark but after a plane crash and seeing your parents and plane upside down. what did she tell you the moment you opened the door? >> she just told me her mom and dad were dead and she had been in a plane crash and the plane was upside down. i brought her in the house and elevated her feet called 911, and got a wash cloth and cleaned
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her up the best i could, and fortunately, they were here in less than ten minutes. >> i can't imagine the emotional trauma and the psychological distress she was in. how did she seem to you? did she seem like she was in shock? >> probably. i mean she is only 7 years old, and for a 7-year-old she was very, very composed. like i said to the other news agency, i am getting a lot of attention here but she should be getting the attention. >> i am sure the attention should be on her physical recovery and emotional and psychological recovery after experiencing that and seeing her family. what did you do while you waited for the authorities to arrive? >> was she talking to you at all? >> yes ma'am, she was talking, but she was very very difficult to understand because she was -- her lips were trembling and she was crying on and off a little, but not like you would
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expect a normal 7-year-old to do, so i am assuming she was quite a bit in shock. >> i understand that you also tried to accompany her to the hospital but you were not allowed, is that correct? >> that's correct. >> what happened there? >> well she wanted me to go with her, because i guess i was the only person she recognized you know and of course the emt's scared her when they put the neck brace on her and put her on the board that they put her on and strapped her down and she was scared. and she said you go with me but like i said they wouldn't allow that. i even said well i will just go to the hospital, and they said it won't do you any good because they won't let you in. >> sir, for what you went through you sound very composed yourself, you have had time to settle in and realize what happened to you and what
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happened to her? >> no not really. i just get kind of emotional talking about it. >> naturally after seeing and experiencing what you went through and hearing her story. let me ask you this is there any indication that you might see this girl again just to kind of give her a hug if anything? i can't imagine what she is going through in the days to come knowing that the family was traveling from florida to illinois, and she is there in kentucky without any family members as of yet, and if they have to travel are you going to try and make any attempt to see her if that is possible? >> if they notified her family they will be here. she was from nashville, illinois and probably 110 miles or so so her family should be here if she has any family left. i don't have any idea. >> our hearts go out to her and her family. we so thank you for your time
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this morning sharing that astounding story of hers with us. we appreciate it. >> a brave little girl. >> and then some. absolutely. larry, thank you very much. >> yes, ma'am. i want to turn to the weather this morning and the arctic blast gripping part of the nation blinding snow in amarillo, texas, as a huge storm system moves across the country. the storm is expected to drop more than a foot of snow from kansas city to maine. ice storm warnings remain from west texas into central oklahoma. more than half an inch of ice could accumulate on roads and power lines, and drivers had a tough go of it in wichita falls, texas. it was worse in new hampshire on friday when a squall surprised drivers causing a chain reaction crash. some drivers say it was sunny one minute and then the next it was a whiteout.
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>> the squall came in and cars were just spinning out one after the other. >> you have to be super careful. i grew up in canada so watching the cars go by and they are going much faster than we are, and i am anything that's not an intelligent approach. >> police say there were a few injuries, all of them minor. in arizona, much of the talk was, look at this white on the red rocks of the grand canyon. reynolds wolf? >> reporter: i am coming from mobile, alabama. today we have got a chance of severe storms, and we also have a bowl game that is going to be here, the go daddy bowl game and that game is tomorrow and many festivities today. we have a outdoor party, a pep rally, and the israel severe weather. we will see storms roll in from
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the west and some might produce strong winds and hail and large amounts of rainfall and the chance of tornadic activity. you take a look at the national perspective over towards the central plains could see snowfall and rain move into the ohio valley and some into the great lakes, and we are going to see the chance of scattered showers. we could see widespread delays and in the deep south. sfl many headaches for a lot of americans on your saturday. so it looks like the weekend of troublesome weather. we will send it back to you. >> thank you for the update. indonesia officials say search teams have located two large objects in their search for the wreckage of the air asia jet. they are about 90 feet underwater and teams are attempting to get images of the
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objects. the air asia airbus afplt crashed and 30 bodies have been recovered so far. we will get a live report on the new developments in moments. the iraqi government released video of its forces in another area retaken from isis terrorists. isis used a factory to make bombs and suicide vest and ieds, and the iraqi military says it's forces killed more than 400 members of isis. and then monks will lead a ceremony for lieu on sunday. he was murdered in his patrol car two weeks ago. california is turning a corner in the immigration
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debate. the golden state began to let undocumented immigrants apply for driver's license on friday. >> this is a dream come true, pretty much getting my driver's license. >> i was dreaming about it three years already, since i came here, that's the time i started to dream about that. >> the new law requires the proof of identity and a state residents. what your first grade life says about the rest of it. it's about breaking the cycle of poverty. >> and then the iwatch not living up to the hype. stay with us. but i'm a bit skeptical of sure things. why's that? look what daddy's got... ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!! growth you can count on from the bank where no branches equals great rates.
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the white house is taking its first action in response to the hacking of sony with a new round of sanctions on north korea. it would affect three north korean entities including the primary intelligence organization, and officials of the north korean government. americans are prohibited from doing business with them. and then weather is hindering the search for the wreckage of air asia. teams have located two large objects in their search. no survivors have been found and 30 bodies have been recovered so far. and kelly brings us those details.
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kelly? >> reporter: they are still struggling with the high waves in terms of getting a camera below the sea surface underwater to get a view of the two very large objects they spotted by sonar, one of them 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. >> search crews bring more bodies to shore, ships at the wreckage site see the most promising clue yet, two large objects. the head of the search said i can confirm that this is part of the air asia aircraft we have been looking for. investigators believe air asia 8501 may have stalled mid flight in bad weather and fallen out of the sky. the pilot may have landed the plane on the water and passengers were unable to get out before it sank. >> i find it very unlikely that
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this crew was intentionally trying to put the plane down on the water from a high altitude especially if it's going to be a loss of control, it's going to be high speed or high energy impact. >> and the family buried the flight attendant, and the airline now under more scrutiny. some flights are grounded because air asia did not have the right permit. at this home they are planning more funerals. this man lost his brother, sister-in-law and mother and 9-year-old niece. he told me he is optimistic they will find the bodies but it's in god's hands. his sister-in-law was the first plane crash victim to be identified and that happened on thursday, and she was laid to rest later that day. francis? >> thank you very much for that report.
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the cdc declares the flu outbreak an epidemic so how bad will it get, and what your holiday tweets revealed about the shopping season. curl up with their favorite man. but here's the thing: about half of men over 40 have some degree of erectile dysfunction. well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. and remember, you only take it when you need it. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. ask your doctor about viagra.
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why more people find their perfect car at carmax. carmax. start here. welcome back. in today's three big money headlines, a rosy outlook, and christmas tweets and watch out. breaking it down with me is regina lewis. let's begin this morning with a rosy out look for 2015. what is the reason for the optimism. >> market watch put together some predictions. they are expecting the overall economy to grow 3% phaurbed by lower unemployment, which is a great thing because we are even noticing people quitting their jobs. this is the extra good part and that means that wages may increase for the first time in a long time. that coupled with no inflation is the spending power. only 14% of americans own
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individual stocks and 50% through mutual funds and things like that but this will help everybody across the board. >> what does social media tell us about how holiday shopping went? >> s.a.p. did a analysis and they measured two things did people shop and what did they say about it? if you bought electronics, didn't always have the best experience. maybe they were sold out and complained about the price. if you bought other categories toys, you would say, i love diamonds. they also noticed people bought for their significant others 21% of the tweets they analyzed and they looked at 28 million of them before thanksgiving so maybe you move up your advertising accordingly. by friday people are burnt out on christmas and the tweets tended to be more negative interesting stuff. >> yeah we will see christmas
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tweets this year after halloween. >> right now, early 2015 and that probably means february. they are not taking preorders, and i think it will be a big hit. what are you going to do with your other watch? and then the venture capitalist said quote, might not be a home run and that create add big swirl, but as was discussed extensively on cnbc if you look at it it's all relative. some people say it will sell 10 million or 30 million, and in the first quarter they only sold 10 million ipads, and the sequence, as they launch these, some will get whatever the price they want to be and then they lower the price and go after the mainstream audience and so would you bet against apple? i certainly wouldn't.
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>> i wait for my techie friends to get it and then i try to frigid with it and decide whether i need one of those. two wrists two watches. >> we will double fist it. >> thank you very much. with the flu becoming a dangerous and deadly epidemic how could the current vaccine not be able to protect you from the most commune strain of the flu? how will news scandals affect congress to get something done? we'll take a look. ♪ fifty omaha set hut ♪ ♪ losing feeling in my toes ♪ ♪ nothing beats that new car smell ♪ ♪ chicken parm you taste so good ♪ ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ ♪ mmm mmm mmm mm mmm mm mmmmmm ♪ thanks. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] fedex® has solutions
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the schelp then the spill.
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now the scrub and the second guess. finally, the rewash. or you can make it easy and do the pop with tide pods. the first 3 in 1 laundry pack. it cleans, brightens, and removes stains in one step. tide pods one step to an amazing clean. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." here is your fast five headlines. australia, wind-whipped wild fliers chase people from their homes. six homes have been destroyed with hundreds more in jeopardy. and then the body of a missing
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american hiker has been found. authorities say it appears he fell off of a cliff. and in cleveland, the investigation into the fatal police shooting to the 12-year-old boy has been shifted to the county sheriff. the transfer was made to insure impartiality. and then little jimmy dickens passed away yesterday at the age of 94. he stood just 4'11" and performed almost continuously since 1948. a rider on a zip line in las vegas has a story to tell got stuck 80 feet above the street and he dangled for almost an hour before the fire department got there. those are your fast five headlines this morning. now back to the developing story out of kentucky where a
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7-year-old girl is the only survivor of a plane crash that left her parents and sister and a cousin dead as she walked through nearly a mile of dark woods to get help. >> reporter: the small plane crashed in the heavily wooded area in kentucky friday night. state police identified the victims as a couple from nashville, illinois. their 9-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old cousin also died in the crash. their 7-year-old daughter survived. friday night a man heard a knock on his door and was stunned to find the little girl outside with blood on her legs and face. >> she had to walk close to three quarters of a mile through woods with downed trees and briers. >> the family was flying from key west florida, in mt. vernon.
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>> she told me when she got here, she said her mom and dad were dead. >> reporter: that little girl the sole survivor now recovering at a kentucky hospital. john yang nbc news. >> such a remarkable and tragic story. new concerns today about the severity of the flu season. the cdc says many states in the united states have reached epidemic levels and this year's vaccine is not a direct match for the strain spreading right now. our medical contributor joins me now. good morning and happy new year. i got my flu shot and is this reason for alarm here we are talking about january and february considered peak for flu season, so with the increased flu activity it's the strain and should i be worried the vaccine may not work? >> yes, we are predicting a much
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more severe season this time. the n3n 2 strain it's a virus, and the vaccine is not a perfect match for this particular strain and this is not atypical. we know viruses can mutate and it happened last spring too late because we are already manufacturing the flu vaccine, but roughly 50% will be susceptible to the vaccine, and even if it's not a perfect match, you are going to get partial protection. we are still advocating to get your vaccine. >> i definitely feel better about that. a lot of people may not realize the strain of the flu vaccination is chosen months ahead of time and for doctors it's an educated guess. is it correct to say they got it wrong this time this year tphao no, well -- okay so did they
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get it correct in that we were having an h3n2? they got that correct. but nobody can predict it will start to drift. and it needs to begin that early they can't make adjustments that late in the game you know to satisfy the strain that is now circulating, unfortunately. this happens year after year in a sense we only ever predict 55 to 60% coverage on a regular basis. >> so it's not too late for some of these people to get that. let's say you were vaccinated and still get the flu, and that still happens, what is out there, antiviral drugs that can help you when it comes to actually getting it, especially when it comes to children and the elderly, right? >> yeah and we want to stress the vulnerable or susceptible population are young people, and elderly and pregnant people and people with chronic illnesses or
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compromised immune systems. there's a number of anti-vie rulz available, and there was's a one-shot iv therapy, which would be used in the emergency room sample and it's a easy flu test and you will have an answer within minutes and you can start the anti-viral therapy, which is not a cure, but it can lesson the duration and symptoms. >> and i have grown to just not be offended when people don't shake your hands this time of year? >> yeah, and carry the alcohol-based sanitizers, and avoid touching your eyes nose and mouth, that's the portal entry for the virus. the stunning free fall at the gas pumps continues, and the average price is up to 53 cents. >> reporter: if you are looking
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for the cheapest gas in the country, 97% of the stations in missouri are selling regular for under $2 a gallon. nationwide gas prices down $1.08 from today. >> remember just a month ago we were at $2.76. really staggering. >> reporter: how staggering? in 38 states motorist can find stations selling gas for less than $2 a gallon and it's uncharted territory. >> the suspect that we never witnessed before is gas prices plunging even as the economy is still chugging. >> what stunned the global market is saudi arabia's decision to keep pumping oil to drive down prices and drive out competitors, like iran russia and even the u.s. >> this seems to be the beginning of the end for opec. and venezuela and nigeria and
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libya, they want saudi arabia and kauuwait to turn off the spigot. >> reporter: pennsylvania raised the gas prices at 10 cents a gallon, and up a penny in north carolina and nearly 3 cents in maryland, and up 5 cents in virginia. >> i don't like it. i think i pay virginia enough taxes. >> if it helps it's okay it's fine. >> i don't think it's a big deal for me at least. i think the lower gas prices overall have been great. >> if we were paying $4 for gas right now, and there's a 5 cents increase, but if you are paying 2 and change it's a big difference. >> reporter: economists say the big drop in pump prices should mean big savings for families in 2015 $500 to $700 per vehicle. in three days lawmakers will head back to d.c. to start the
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114th congress where there will be a different makeup. both chambers controlled by republicans. skau lease came under fire for attending a meeting held by a white supremacist group in 2002 when he was a legislature. in a statement he said it was a mace particular i regret and i am oppose the divisive retial and religious views groups like these hold. and joining me now is our congressional reporter for the "washington post." happy new year. >> thank you. >> this is the worst fallout for these for the republicans. >> unless something new surfaces regarding the associations with the white supremacist in louisiana he should pretty much be scott free. i think you will see democrats at different times try to remind voters about this but, you
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know he seems to have admitted that this was a one-time thing, and it's an anomaly, and top republicans and aides stand with him and agree with him, and they acknowledge if something else were to surface and provide more evidence of his associations with these people then he might be in trouble and might have to relinquish that leadership post. he got out ahead of it, and boehner as well the speaker supported him, and said there was nothing more to see and we will see what happens. >> why just not relinquish it right then and there, you know? >> because they said you know beyond just attending this event, there is no sense that he actually agreed with the group. if you go back 12 years, this group of people was still a very influential and sought after voting bloc in what became his congressional district and just because he attended it i think he made clear that he didn't agree with them. and the fact that he also had
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democrats in louisiana saying look, the guy doesn't have a racist bone in his body and i have been working him for years, and that provided him the political cover needed to hold on. >> let's talk about the 114th congress here. priorities given this is behind them what priorities do these republican leaders have in mind for the first day of charge here? >> in the senate, bipartisanship bipartisanship, and doing whatever they can to help improve the republican brand among independent voters and maybe democrats ahead of the election. in the house it's try to get as many things done and pass that were passed in the last two years and get them over to a now republican-controlled senate so they can be sent on to president obama. how many times over the course of the campaign did we hear republicans say, bills are piling up on harry reid's desk? now they will sit on mcconnells' desk. >> and then we are talking about
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296 bills signed into law in the 113th. 283 were signed in the 112th. both of them had split party control. is there any way to age in the 114th congress they will be more productive than the last two? >> i think you will probably see more passed by congress but whether or not they get signed by the president is the big question, and that will be part of the hang-up, to what extent are they willing to work with the president and how will something the white house willing to work with congress? lots of things have passed in the last weeks, and i suspect you will see republicans, especially trying to highlight the accomplishments in the new year as they send them on to the president for his potential signature. >> while people sit at home and watch, and you i sit and watch to see what they can get done.
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how does the lack of productivity affect all of us here as we watch? >> you know it depends on who you ask. a lot of republicans will say just because we are in congress doesn't mean we have to be passing new laws and maybe we should be repealing laws and that also requires passing something. >> right. right. >> and democrats on the flip side turn around and say we still have big issues with income inequality and women's rights and trying to raise the minimum wage, and this is what phased republican opposition and they will try to get those done in the next two years, but they will face a lot of resistance. it depends on who you ask and to what extent congress is doing or trying not to do. >> thank you very much. >> take care. achieving the american dream. what chance to children born in poverty have? d you know that playing cards with kenny rogers gets old pretty fast? ♪ you got to know when to hold'em. ♪ ♪ know when to fold 'em. ♪
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does a freshly printed presentation fill you with optimism? then you might be gearcentric. get a $15 gift card when you buy $75 in hp ink or any hp toner multipack. office depot & officemax. gear up for great. questions? anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! live the regular life. phillips'. growing up poor in america. the economic divide that many in this country face can have a
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multigenerational impact so if you are born poor you may be likely to remain poor throughout your life. johns hopkins followed a group of kids for decades, and this is what the university study found. thank you for being with us emily. >> thank you for having me. >> how many people did the study follow and for how long? >> these researchers were looking at a group of first grade kids that started in the baltimore public system in 1982 and initially they were 790 of them, and what was so remarkable about the study is the researchers were able to keep track of all of them over the life of the entire study which wound up spanning 25 years until these people were almost 30 and today they are almost 40 years old. >> you wrote a mere 4% of first graders classified as the urban disadvantaged had by the end of the study completed the college degree that has become more valuable than ever in the modern
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economy. are there any signs those numbers could improve? >> i think overall the findings of the study are a little bit sort of discouraging especially if you would like to think that children go into the school system and receive an education and have an opportunity, if you work hard you can do better than your parents did, and so many of the children wound up in life in very much the same position they had been born into and the same position their parents had been born into. we saw a lot of children who had been born of single mothers and themselves wound up to be single mothers, and children had no high school degree after their parents had no high school degrees. it was poverty perpetuating itself repeating from one generation to the next is a discouraging way. >> yeah i want to bring numbers that speaks to that. 33 of 314 in the study left the low income socioeconomic status and that's probably the american dream, usually people have kids
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that say i just want you to have a better life than i had, so where does that put that dream for these parents who were hoping for that? >> i mean i think that we like to think that if children just work hard and we give them opportunity and if they have good teachers, the school system in particular can create that opportunity for them, and one of the study tells, disadvantage surrounds children in so many different ways and you have disadvantage in your family, and if they did not go to college they are less likely to talk to you about going to college, and they had disadvantage in the neighborhood they grew up in and i think part of what this suggests as far as policy solutions is that we need to think about all of the different ways the disadvantage is baked into the environment of children growing up in these circumstances. >> it's tough, the study began in 1982 and hopefully the
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outlook for kids born now in 2015 will be a little bit better. we thank you for that perspective. >> thank you for having me. the alleged mastermind one of the worst terrorist attacks in america is dead. the latest on what happened in a moment. and the threat of isis to american troops in iraq. it could be growing even more dangerous.
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the alleged plotter of one of the worst terrorist attacks against the u.s. is dead this morning, abus al libi was accused masterminding the 1988 bombingsment u.s. embassies in tanzania. he reportedly died of sudden complications from chronic liver diseases. he was captured in a daring raid in libya in 2013. 12 americans and more than 10 americans were killed in the embassy bombings. joining me with more is --
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>> he was accused by the united states of being the mastermind and a master plotter behind major bombings of u.s. facilities in tanzania and kenya. he spent time in sudan with osama bin laden and was seen as a number of other plotters that were -- throughout africa trying to basically bomb u.s. ships, military installations and in his case two embassies. >> wow. just a huge development there knowing that he died while in custody from health problems there. want to ask you while we have you here switching gears especially when it comes to the foyt fight against isis. yesterday saw an uptick in u.s. led air strikes against isis 23 in iraq and syria and the rumors of the failed rescue attempt in the stronghold of isis. the pentagon has denied it but there are some thoughts it could have been a jordanian mission to get their kidnapped pilot back.
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what are you hearing in that sense? >> i'm hearing there was an action and the united states was involved attempting to rescue the jordanian pilot taken by isis. there was a combined attack by u.s. forces in the region and then some that had been reporting inside including some important networks inside rocka who are anti-isis spreading information back about what happened. and you so you had both that attack and then you had over in mosul a very important u.s. attack of a meeting of 15 senior isis leaders who were reportedly killed there so there's a very very big push boy the u.s. forces and its allies in both places. >> thamt coming amid reports that isis fighters are getting closer and closer to u.s. troops in iraq both the bbc and the "washington post" have recently recorded on the situation at the al assad air base. if we can pull up this map. it's been repeatedly attacked and 300 u.s. troops are posted
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here. just how close are these so-called advisers getting to the actual combat and how much is this reason for alarm? >> well i think there's huge reason for alarm. we're getting reports that the front may be as close as ten kilometers or just about six miles from this important base. it's the largest military base a former u.s. military base that we used during the iraq war in anbar region i think what's important to remember geographically is that isis in october already took three other military bases. smaller ones but important ones between baghdad and this base and so this base can't be reached in any other way than by air. and so it is very isolated. it's important. and there are 300 u.s. military advisers there right now, not in combat roles, but one has to assume we're not just going to let those people sit there if isis continues to encroach on this base and potentially attack it. some thinking is that isis is trying to take other parts of anbar and leave this till later
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but it's a very dire situation and i think that the u.s. military and its allies are going to have to look at what to do with this base. >> thank you for that insight. steve clemens, we appreciate your time. >> that wraps up this hour of "weekend with alex witt." thanks so much for being with us. straight ahead, "up" with steve kornacki. i have a cold with terrible chest congestion. i better take something. theraflu severe cold doesn't treat chest congestion. really? new alka-seltzer plus day powder rushes relief to your worst cold symptoms plus chest congestion. [breath of relief] oh, what a relief it is.
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will he survive the scandal? all right. good morning, thanks for getting up with this on this the first saturday of the year 2015. people waking up this morning to some tragic news but also in a way an incredible story out of kentucky. a 7-year-old girl not only surviving a plane crash last night she actually walked away from it. she showed up on the doorstep of a resident in the local woods nearby asking for help. the local police sergeant reporting, quote, this girl cam