you might win a cheap pin. but before you do that, you have to meet your new cellmates. i hear they're very nice. >> "weekends with alex witt" starts now. historic move. the u.s. supreme court agrees to take up the question of same-sex marriage. why now and how will it rule. >> he walks like a candidate and talks like a candidate, but something is missing as mitt romney tries to drum up support for a third presidential run. pot growers in washington state are worried. and the oscar nominations. how the academies may or may not have played a role. hey there. good morning, everyone. welcome to week ends"weekends with

alex witt" witt". the issue of same-sex marriage in the united states will be settled once and for all. the justices will take up the issue in april with a final decision by the end of june. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams has the very latest. pete. >> alex hello to you. the supreme court tip-toed around this issue the last few years. now it is taking it head on seeing if same-sex marriage should be the law of the land. >> the court agreed to answer two questions, does the constitutional require states grant marriage license toss same-sex marriage and do states have to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed. >> there aren't that many unchartered territories of what's fairness and equality in the country and how much will we will rely on tradition. >> together eight years, each

has adopted two special needs children. they want to be married so both can be parents of all the children. >> we saw something that was wrong. we decided to we needed to make it right. and, you know to anybody else what i will say to you is stand up for what you believe in because that's what we're doing. >> 36 states permit gay marriage, covering 70% of the u.s. population. courts ruling the other way upheld gay bans in five other states, a split the supreme court will now resolve. groups defending the state ban say the big question is who gets to decide? >> is it a handful of federal judges that get to decide this important policy question of marriage or is it the american people at the ballot box and democratic institutions. >> the justices will hear this case in april and decide it by late june. and the obama administration says it will urge the court to rule in favor of same-sex marriage. alex? >> all right. pete williams thanks so much for that. let's get overseas where police

across europe are craiging down on terror suspects. today in belgium for the first time in 30 years, armed soldiers are patrolling the treats deployed to guard possible terrorism targets. united kingdom issued its highest ever alert. they are also stepping up patrols in jewish communities. yesterday at the white house president obama and british prime minister david cameron pledged to work together against the extremism and described it as a poisonous death cult. is there any indication how successful all these police raids have been? >> reporter: well the most successful one seems to be in belgium where the authorities said the other day they broke up a terror ring they thought would try to kill police officers attack police stations any hour there. that's one obvious sign. we are hearing in germany police stepped up security at several train station ises after getting a tip there might be an attack

there. perhaps there's some actionable intelligence they are getting as they conduct sweeps as well in germany. here in paris, it's a relatively why with et day. you can see behind me parents are out and stim coming to this monument for the "charlie hebdo" victims and others killed here last week. and to say it's a quiet day is no small matter. yesterday began with a bomb threat at a train station that was evacuated. then a hostage situation that went on for a couple of hours. it turned out to be not terrorism related. just a man with a mental issue. but it gives you the idea of the sense of tension, the accepts of how authorities are staying on top of things and responding to seem to be possible threats throughout the day always. here when we're out here you can hear sirens in the background. it's quiet now. i have never been in a place where you hear constant sirens where police ambulances are active, actively patrolling, actively out responding to calls, again, because of the

tension here. also here the authorities are stim questioning at least a dozen possible suspects in connection with the attacks last week. they are still trying to figure out how the government got their weapons, money and so forth and tracking down various leads. the question is how long can they hold the suspects. the terrorism laws are tough. how long can you detect a suspect. there's a lot of concern about stepping up survey lapse of the internet a key way that haoe hady groups recruit and spread their propaganda. as we move forward, they try to keep security tight and allow for civil liberties, the same debay waging in the united states since 9/11 happening here. a new normal. heightened security still here in france with the officials saying as many as 120,000

additional security on the streets, 120,000 is a lot of police and military. 10,000 military. that may be the case for some time to come. >> what about t the kouachi brothers as to whether either or both have been buried and where they have been buried. what do you know about that? >> i believe one of the brothers has been buried and the other has not as of yet. there was a lot of opposition to them being buried in the towns where they live and where they come from. people just want them gone. they don't want them buried. they certainly don't want any kind of mark or there. one of the brothers has been buried in an unmarked grave. the other, it seems the family is trying to put them together in the same cemetery. but that apparently is meeting a lot of resistance. at this point we don't think the other brother has been buried said, but we are still checking. >> appreciate that. in other news now, penn state

students held a rally to celebrate 112 football victories restored by the ncaa. the decision also reinstates joe paterno as the winningest coach in college football history. the families of two nypd officers will split a check from an anonymous donation from someone in hong kong. he was devoted to his family. >> he wouldn't talk about his job at home. because he wanted to keep a noble life. he doesn't want us to worry about him. >> she also said that becoming an nypd officer was a lifelong dream for her late husband. the dcdc said the flu season is reaching epidemic levels.

doctors say it is because of an aggressive flu strain and a vaccine that did not live up to expectations. in las vegas, four hospitals have been overrun with flu patients. one hospital says it is an internal disaster let's go now to the weather. say good-bye to clear skies. a developing storm along the east coast is bringing rain and snow to the northeast this weekend. reynolds wolf is here with the forecast. good morning, reynolds. >> we were talking about some of the rainfall we might see in parts of the northeast. the west coast kind of the same thing in oregon northern california and certainly washington state. along the coast is a story of rainfall. but at high elevation, the transformation going from rain drops to snowflakes. at times it could get fairly heavy. for portions "the atlantic" mountains and back over towards seattle, some locations may see several inches. anywhere from three to five inches of rainfall. another story we will follow is what's going to happen in central west.

we're talking the plains. jet stream nice ridge developing over the center of the u.s. meaning temperatures anywhere from 10 15 20 degrees above normal for this time of year. and the warm conditions will spill over into your monday. certainly better times there. in the northeast, the story will be the rain that's going to come for much of the coast. inland, a better chance of snowfall especially towards buffalo, perhaps even into syracuse eventually moving into spots like burlington. you could see up to eight inches of snowfall at high elevations of the green mountains. >> thanks for the heads-up reynolds. coming up third time's a charm. at least that's what mitt romney is hoping. a look at his chances and the one thing he might be missing if he runs for pleasant again. audibl

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white house. beautiful morning there. we're going to talk about mitt romney because he said he's giving serious consideration to the future. the 2012 presidential nominee has been at the center of the political universe after new talk he could mount a third bid for the white house. that shifted into overdrive as he gave a campaign style speech for top officials.

kristen welker is following that story for us. with a good saturday morning to you, my friend. apparently there's one thing mitt romney is missing at this point, isn't there? >> reporter: good morning, alex. that's right. he's missing the excitement from within the gop. last night mitt romney didn't say outright he plans to run. but he sounded a lot like a candidate when he spoke in california mapping out a platform. but, again, he's missing that key ingredient, alex for a third presidential bid. that is broad support from his own party. >> speaking to the party faithful in california mitt romney joked about the one thing on everyone's mind. >> let me state unequivocably i have no intention to run for senator of massachusetts. >> but he got serious fast. mapping out what sounded like a platform for another presidential run focussed on national security and opportunity for all. even taking direct aim at

possible democratic contender hillary clinton. >> and the results of the hillary clinton/barack obama foreign policy have been devastating. >> the clearer signal, his comments about wife anne. >> she believes people get better with experience. heaven knows i have experience running for president. >> but there is skepticism within his own party after romney was trounced in 2012. >> how is now going to be different from four years ago or four years before that? >> if he runs he will face off against what some consider a strong field of provide mary candidates as the party tries to appeal to a broader base. wisconsin governor scat walker chris christie kentucky senator rand paul and tea party favorite texas senator ted cruz. then there's former florida governor jeb bush, who is already getting big donors on board. >> in 2012 most of the rise

decided to stay on the sidelines. they're not on the sidelines this time around. >> when asked about the news that his former rival is considering another bid, president obama decided to stay mum. >> i have no comment. >> well last night romney talked a lot about lifting up the poor. a clear attempt to distance himself from 2012. that's when democrats of course painted him as an out of touch elitist when didn't care about the poor. by the way, the rnc announced it will hold nine debates instead of the 22 it had last cycle. the move representing an attempt to protect candidates from making potentially damaging remarks during debates. we of course alex saw a whole lot of that in 2012. >> yeah we did. i'm actually smiling thinking about some of them. >> memorable moments. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> oh, my goodness. i sound terrible. i apologize sitting across the

table from you. this speech we heard last night, test run? what do you think? >> i think the whole thing has been a test run. and i think the results of the test aren't coming in as romney might have expected. he put himself out there for a week now. said hey, i'm thinking about doing this. i think they rely a lot on hey, i think you would be great. he has done this before. people may have seen the documentary. he is sitting quietly. you can see the longing that he had to have won the presidency. i think that combined with people who he knows saying yes, you should do this thing is putting him in this position. >> there are opponents who say how would this be different? former rnc chair. how would this be different. let's listen to some of the notes he may have hit on the presidential campaign. >> under president owe bam marks the richer have gotten richer. income and equality has gotten worse. and more people are in poverty

than ever before under this president. his policies have not worked. their liberal policies are good every four years for a campaign but they don't get the job done. >> is this a direct candidate 47% comment from the 2012 campaign? >> yeah. mitt romney is known for defining himself for the moment in which he is running for office. this is him trying to redefine himself for this moment. we went back and looked and he was actually wrong about his predictions about what was going to happen with the economy. he was right in that the economy has been bad and people are suffering and the ones at the top are getting all the gains. but everyone remembers he's one of the people at the top. it's hard for him to say this is the thing i'm going to be on. >> is he the guy who sthaob taking on that message as a candidate? >> i think that's the key question that voters will have. i think it's a question the republicans who are the people who are going to be deciding -- you know, who the candidates will be in 2016 i think they are had he starting to think,

maybe, uh this isn't the way to do that. >> switch to supreme court. they are going to consider in april a ruling on same-sex marriage. put it in perspective. >> it's huge. the supreme court, within of two things. same-sex marriage is now law of the land. all are overturned. or they could do what is sort of unthinkable and say states have the right to ban marriage. what voters decide is going to be the case. that would be a huge shock to the system. i think people think they will do the former. >> let's talk about president obama who reiterated his stance that would enact more sabgszs on iran. he got into some sort of disagreement on thursday with the subject with bob mennen dez,

democratic senator there, during a q&a at the democratic retreat. so what happens with this on both sides of the aisle? lawmakers who want sanctions. >> mennen dez is the sponsor on the democratic side of the sanctions bill. >> right. >> the president is working with his diplomacy deal which he sees as part of his legacy. resolving the tensions between the united states and iran. however, it is politically popular to be hard on iran. so is a lot of people on the hill are saying we need now sanctions. there is strength of iran in the middle east. the president said yesterday you need to stop doing this because it is going to derail negotiations i have going on. i don't think that's resonating very much on capitol hill. where they want to be able to have a strong hand. it's tough. it's tough to know what's happening in the room as the diplomats from the states are talking to different ones from everywhere else. target is shutting 100

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it's a subaru. in today's three big money headlines, off target, no option, pot surplus. foreman expert nicole lapin, the author of a new book with a fun title i won't say on tv. there it is. good morning to you. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> all right. so this off target situation. why is the discount retailer closing all of its stores in canada. i know it seems they have gone bust so quickly. >> they did. all kidding aside, not a lot went right here. when target busted into canada in 2013 canadians were so excited that there was going to be another discount retailer in the space. because it was long dominated by walmart. but then they came into the country and cooperate get the same products they could in the united states. prices were much higher than

they were in the states. so people really stayed away. the straw that broke the chain's back was really a terrible holiday shopping period. the company lost so much money to the tune of $5.4 billion in the fourth quarter because a lot of these canadian issues. they said enough is enough already. they really took this drastic move. so it is good news for a lot of investors who want the company to focus on the united states stores especially after the 2013 security breach. it could she good news for walmart investors as well. they are likely to snap up a lot of that space. it is terrible terrible news for the 17,600 employees. >> i do appreciate the silver lining at least on that angle. how about the no option at wendy's. >> let's be serious. soft blinks are the biggest seller a at a lot of fast food chains. this is a big marketing push alex. this is not going to change sales.

wendy's is the last to do it. mcdonald's did it in 2013. you can still order soft drinks on the menu just not the kids's menu. the last chain holding out is burger king who is saying they will consider the soda option. but all the chains don't have it on the kids's men mu. the thing is you can still order it. the responsibility is really with the parent. they can obviously order whatever they want. >> it's just not prominently placed. what about the pot surplus in washington state. how come so much marijuana there? >> there was a huge harvest in the fall. so there is a surplus of marijuana there. but it might not be the money maker the state was hoping it would be. it is experiencing a lot of growing pains. farmers are struggling to sell the huge harvest. few stores opened as well. the ones that wanted to open are dealing where a lot of red tape. only a fifth of the harvest actually sold. you would think there's so much

and the cost would be low. but it's around $23 to $25 a gram twice the amount of medical dispense ears. so marijuana users are going to the black market unregulated dispense ears instead, which is obviously not the intention of legalization in washington state. farmers need to calm down a little bit and they can't get it back so quickly. but it is still a budding industry. >> you went there. travel and trailed restrictions on cuba are quickly coming down. is the tourism industry ready for a human invasion. i've been called a control freak... i like to think of myself as more of a control... enthusiast.

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people dead or missing. the pontiff celebrated mass by 150,000 people before he cut it short because of an approaching tropical storm. the kobe earthquake anniversary. the catholic archdiocese filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. the church says victims of sexual abuse will be fairly compensated. it is the 12th to seek bankruptcy protection. the first openly gay player tweet aid thank you to his new fiancee for saying yes. at the box office, "american sniper" is on pace to break a record. it will earn $75 million. that makes it the biggest january opening ever and most successful debut for a modern day war movie.

those are your fast five headlines the obama administration's new rules relaxing trade are now in effect. while you're not completely free to tour as a tourist just yet, won't be too difficult to get there. but the question remains, is cuba ready for an influx of americans? >> well that is the question of the day. i can tell you where the new rules there is widespread hope here in havana that a lot more americans will soon travel to cuba. but experts say given the conditions and the infrastructure here it could actually be sometime before that actually occurs. >> on the day of the new u.s. travel rules weren't into effect hundreds of americans were already visiting cuba. they and those arriving today a raininged their trips before the rule changes. joining expensive tour groups controlled by the u.s. and cuban governments.

>> we're learning about history a great dealment we're learning about the city. we have a lot of contact with the people. it's just a total pleasure to be here. it's a privilege. >> many wonder what it will look like when thousands of americans begin to arrive here under the new more relaxed travel rules. at the havana airport friday american seniors and a bird watching group arrived for their cuban tour. but travel here next time will involve much less red tape. >> certainly the red tape is going to lessen at least on our end, the u.s. end. >> but a question being raised here and especially in the united states is whether cuba with its stagnant economy and shortage of resources will actually be ready to embrace a flood of americans. experts say cuba already has a sizable tourist economy, serving visitors from around the world. but it's maxed out and will need time to prepare for a lot more americans. travel etd tore chris mcginn

else thinks it will take several years. >> add taxicabs build hotels. >> the use of american credit and debit cards here. u.s. tourists could only carry cash. landing rights for usair carriers will also have to be secure. but on the streets, many cubans say they are ready now for all those changes to start taking place. >> u.s. officials say they hope that this will lead to more opportunities for the cuban people and less reliance on the state economy here as they pressure cuba to approve its political and human rights record. alex? >> okay. mark potter in havana where a lot of people want to go. thank you so much. a knighted front against terror. that's what president obama and british prime minister cameron pledged during yesterday's news conference. the two leaders announced an effort which prime minister called a poisonous death cult.

>> this phenomenon of violent extremist, the ideology the networks the capacity to recruit young people this has metastasized and it is widespread. and it has penetrated communities around the world. i do not consider it an existential threat. as david said this is one we will solve. >> christopher dickey, foreign editor for "the daily beast." how do you solve terrorism? >> well what we haven't heard from president obama or prime minister cameron or president hollande from france is saying this has to be nipped in the

bud. what is the message going to be? what are you going to tell young men who don't have much of a future, who are seduced by that ideology. what will you use to counter that argument. just lie back relax and things will be okay? no, i don't think so. what the jihadist ideology tell them is they are going to be knights in shining arm our they will save persecuted muslims throughout the world. that's very she deductive for teenage boys and young men who really dover anything else to do and who may feel they are being persecuted themselves or discriminated against pause they are muslims or arabs. >> earlier this week richard engel spoke with the president of the world jewish council in france. let's listen to this remarkable exchange. >> survive this wave of

anti-semitism anti-semitism. >> many people are very attached to french culture. on the other hand, you think about the german jews the optimists who went to auschwitz and the pessimists who went to new york. >> is it that dire there, christopher? >> well i think there's something to understand about the question of anti-semitism here. you basically have two communities, north african communities who are very insecure in this society. one is the arab muslims. but the other is the jews. most of the jews in france which i think has the third largest jewish population in the world after israel and the united states, most immigrated after world war ii. they actually were not victims of the holocaust. but they like the north african

arabs, are clinging by their fingernails in french society. they don't feel wholly accepted or completely secure here. so once they come under attack whether by air rack anti-semites they wonder if they should go move someplace else. whether it is israel or miami, where many go or some other location is another question. but they do feel insecure. they do feel threatened. and i don't plame them at all for that. >> in terms of security christopher, a big debate is going on about civil liberties. france has been cracking down on what previously may have been considered free speech. are we in the first stages of the equivalent of what we have here like a french patriot act? >> oh, i think so. i think it's been going on for a long time. the french are -- there are a

lot of legal restraints on phone taps and monitoring of conversations, e-mails and so on in france. but it still gets done very extensively. the french are very very serious about security. and they have almost panicked. the intelligence and police agencies in this country were absolutely stunned by the events of a few days ago. because they thought they had it basically all wrapped up. particularly on the domestic terror front. they felt they penetrated on the groups that could carry this off. they worry about a lone wolf here and there that was totally outside the system. the people who carried out the attacks on the kosher grower and "charlie hebdo" were very well known to the system yet somehow the system let them get by. there is a sense of real urgency and consternation. of course that translates into more police on the streets. more surveillance.

more of a crackdown across the community wide. >> but interestingly in terms of the average citizen, certainly here in the united states, when 9/11 hit us terrorism wasn't on the tphaoeupbdz of most americans there. do you think french citizens europeans in general will look at this more clear eyed, or is every attack a first attack? >> well that's an interesting way to put it, alex. but there have been so many attacks in france over the years. many more than the americans ever experienced. you can go back to the 70s, the 80s. every decade had its wave of terrorist attacks. nothing as severe as this. i won't say the french got used to it. they got used to the idea it got controlled. they could live with it. now i feel they don't feel they can live with it anymore. they don't know where to turn.

this is why you see arrests all over europe right now. the efforts to roundup all the suspects usual and unusual, because there is a fear that there is a fear more people will carry out attacks like this. >> our discussions are always appreciated. thank you so much oversights or oversnubs? what happened to diversity in this year's oscar nominations. that's next. there's nothing stopping you and a lot helping you. technology that's with you always. this is our promise. it's never been better to wander because wherever you go, you'll find us doing everything we can, so you can. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you wouldn't ignore signs of damage in your home. are you sure you're not ignoring them in your body? even if you're treating your crohn's

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they found 94% of voters are white. 76% are men. average age 63 years old. so is this all driven by perspective? is it not intentional. because as you and i were discussing at the commercial, look who won last year. "12 years a slave." some of the biggest awards. >> it did really well last year. the academy dropped the ball on "selma," the drama about the 1965 civil rights movement. this is the fitter time since 1998 that all 12 of the actor nominees are white. people were very upset on twitter. they were calling it the white oscars. the problem is hollywood has a bigger problem with diversity. people were using this as an example of that. >> but is there a way to look at this objectively. because art is subjective. it is up to interpretive.

>> right. >> the most deserved in the terms of voters -- >> it's a campaign. just like a political campaign. they are influenced by a number of p factors. one of the factors that hurt" selma" was paramount, didn't send out screeners. so it didn't pick up some of the early precursor awards. >> that is a basic i problem right there. >> it is a big problem. it makes the academy look bad that all aren't diverse. people think that at hollywood. coming at the heels of the sony hack i don't think this was the best year for them to do that. >> in terms of the perceived snubs, let's look at "selma." it was nominated for best picture. >> and best song. people thought it would get more nominations. it got the biggest nomination you can get. >> but when you talk about -- you said paramount and publicists going to commercial. was there a botch?

how does that play a role? >> it plays a huge role. a lot of the guild members weren't seen screeners. >> you bring up ava devergne. people who got best picture and not best director you would think they have to go hand in hand. >> the academy now nominates up to 10. there's only five slots for best director. so they don't always correlate now. angelina jolie was also snubbed. >> grand budapest and "birdman" got nominated. >> it took 12 years to make this movie, the drama that came out over the center. it is certainly the front-runner.

>> kind of like the artist a couple of years ago. it was so unique. >> and jennifer aniston was snubbed for "cake." people thought she would get her first oscar nomination and didn't get it they are young and on the run. a so-called modern day bonnie and clyde. why police say they may be dangerous giving 16-year-olds the right to vote. the second in the nature to give sufferage to minors. are they really deserving, though? you listen. you laugh. you worry. you do whatever it takes to take care of your family. and when it's time to plan for your family's future we're here for you. we're legalzoom, and for over 10 years we've helped families just like yours with wills, living trusts and more. visit us today for legal help you can count on. legalzoom. legal help is here. why do i cook? because i make the best chicken noodle soup. because i make the best chicken noodle soup.

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this morning, a manhunt across several states is targeting a teenage version of bonnie and clyde. dalton hayes and his 13-year-old girlfriend, may have been spotted in florida. they are considered armed and dangerous. kristen dahlgren is here with more. how did this begin? >> authorities are on high alert this morning. now across the sunshine state. they left from kentucky about two weeks ago. police say this may have started as some kids joyriding for fun. but it has gone well beyond that

now. 13-year-old cheyenne phillips and her 18-year-old boyfriend, dalton hayes, may be somewhere in florida this morning, on the run with a stolen truck like this one, and loaded guns according to police. a situation they say is growing more dire by the hour. >> the longer they are gone. the more they try to flee from the police the more dangerous the situation becomes. >> the teens started their odyssey two weeks ago, in their small town in western kentucky. hayes was already facing possible indictment on burglary and theft charges, when he changed his facebook status to engaged. and the two disappeared. dalton's mom said she had no idea phillips was just 13 or the two would run off. >> i just wonder, you know, what is going on? if they're safe if they're warm, if they're eating. >> police say the pair stole at least three trucks along the way. they were spotted in a south carolina walmart, accused of

using stolen checks to get $40 in cash. the truck they allegedly stole in georgia had two loaded guns inside. >> law enforcement doesn't look at this as two kids on the run anymore. these are two potentially dangerous people to themselves to the public and to law enforcement. >> in florida, witnesses tell police the teens may be panhandling for money and staying in homeless camps or shelters. some who know hayes worry he won't come in willingly. >> he's fled from police before. we know that he's making bad choices. and i know dalton personally. and i know he's a hard-headed kid. >> reporter: but his mother hopes he hears her plea. >> it's a feeling i wouldn't wish on anyone else. >> reporter: in addition to the stolen cars and guns hayes is wanted on charges of custodial interference, luring a minor away from her guardians. authorities would like this to

end before any harm comes to anyone. and the sheriff tells me alex he will pick them up personally. and just give them a call. >> might be waiting for a while for that call. thanks so much kristen dahlgren. they can't buy cigarettes or enlist in the military. but in one maryland city 16-year-olds can vote. it's the second municipality to expand voting rights of teenagers. the spearhead of this measure joins us now. a welcome to you, sir. let's talk about why you want to see the voting age lowered. let's see. patrick, you able to hear me? we're going to hope to get that information from him and get this information continued. economic optimism tops power politics and paychecks. the new consumer sentiment survey has hit an 11-year high. and the index sees its biggest drop in six years.

not surprising is a new gallup poll. this shows that 47% say their finances are better than a year ago. only 35% said that last year. fuelling the good spirits, the falling gas prices. and that decline continues today. the national average is just about 2:07 a gallon. that's 43 cents less than a month ago. a sobering education report shows that just over half of the country's schoolchildren now live in poverty. sadly, that is the first time in the nation's history that number has been so deplorable. let's check out the weather now. everyone has to say good-bye to the clear skies. there's a developing storm on the east coast. and it's bringing rain and snow for the weekend. reynolds wolf is here with the forecast. >> we were talking about the rainfall we might see in parts of the northeast. the west coast, the same thing. oregon california and washington state. along the coast, a story of

rainfall. but high elevation, we're going to see the change from rain to snow. in terms of the rainfall for the olympic mountains and towards seattle, some locations may see several inches. anywhere from three to five inches of rainfall. what's going to happen in the center of the west the plains warmer conditions moving through. blame it on the jet stream. nice ridge over the center of the u.s. temperatures from 10 to 15 to 20 degrees above normal for this time of year. and the warm conditions are going to spill into your monday. better times there. in the northeast, the story's going to be the rain that's going to come from much of the coast. inland, you can expect better snowfall towards buffalo, syracuse, moving into spots like burlington, where you could see eight inches of snowfall at higher elevations of the green mountains. >> reynolds wolf. apologies to patrick from --

a little audio problems. we hope to get that interview back up and running perhaps in the next edition of the show. that's a wrap of this hour of "weekends with alex witt." join me for a two-hour broadcast starting at noon eastern today. straight ahead, more smart political talk with "up with steve kornacki." then, "melissa harris-perry." stay with us here. on msnbc. with secret outlast clear gel, you're ready no matter how long your day gets. stay still, like a statue. alright sweetie. just like a statue.

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win over the white house. we'll be delving into more of that this morning. we want to begin with this. after a week of speculation of mitt romney told a group of donors behind closed doors he is considering another run for the white house, he has now made his very first public remarks on the subject. it came last night, late last night, at the rnc meeting in san diego. the meeting was