another sloppy day in times square. welcome to "morning joe." >> we've been promised mika like 8,000 pounds of snow being dumped on our -- >> well, boston got it. >> we haven't gotten it. boston, i think, you know they don't get no place to put that snow. they're getting hammered, man. >> we'll get to that. >> unbelievable. so last night, pretty excited, the university of alabama had a screening of "selma." >> nice. >> just down the street from here. university of alabama grad

sponsored it. a lot of people may or may not know that. nan a giant in the publishing filed also there. but it was an extraordinary movie. >> i can't wait to see it. >> have you seen it yet? okay. so we can know briefly about this. i was stunned at the depiction of lbj as somehow this guy, you ain't going to get no voting rat. ain't going to -- lbj in many ways, of course not my kind of politician odd logically but on the issue of civil rights he dragged america from 1865 into the 20th century. he alone. saying, lbj saying this will cost democrats the south for a generation. you want to talk about profiles encouraged.

what lbj did is, let's face it what jfk didn't have the guts to do, and lbj is easy to hate. conservatives have been doing it for a long time. i was -- i was just flabbergasted. i understand the directors wanted to set this thing up so it's like oh, they don't have an ally anywhere. you know the truth of the matter was remarkable enough. what happened in selma, you know, everybody was crying in the theater. it was one of the great courageous movements of our time. and it changed the way my children live. it changed the way my children went to school. it changed the way i went to school. i started in an integrated school in meridian mississippi, in 1969 because of what they did in selma. and because of what lbj did. i was just stunned. it was an incredible movie. i didn't get that part. >> when you have the platform that movie has and you take

license with history, it's unfortunate. so many great things about it and yet to diminish the role that johnson played in civil rights when as you said he took on and changed the country. >> willie this is a footnote to an otherwise remarkable movie. please see this movie. >> i am. >> it's a great movie. it is a shame, that one bit is a shame because the rest of the depiction of that movement is so beautiful and the acting is so good. in some corners lbj gets too much credit that he was leading the civil rights movement and obviously it was martin luther king and foot soldiers on bridges and highways and lunch counters. but in this movie it's just wrong. inaccurate. >> it's unfortunate that lbj went on to be a meth dealer. >> that's a problem. >> i don't know why they put that in there, either. no lbj obviously, again, remembered for failings on nam. but on civil rights even though

he had to bring a large part of the country kicking and screaming with him, he was a man, a generation ahead of his time. and i was just mentioning the fact that i started school in 1969 the fact that this chaos was going on through the 1960s, the fact that when i went to the university of alabama in 1981 in this state, in 1981 and race relations there were as good or my roommate at alabama later said better than they were when he went to syracuse law school four years later. it's remarkable. >> and for a southerner to do it, you know -- for a southerner to take on his native region and change it forever. >> a guy from texas who had been a se segregationist himself and still condemning richard nixon for being too aggressive on civil rights in letters. incredible. i bring that up not just to talk about what an honor it was to

view it with my friends at the university of alabama but also because i wake up this morning, read the news and see that you have a state judge in alabama saying to state judges across alabama, you are not bound by a federal order. this is judge rory moore who got in big trouble sometime ago because he ignored other federal orders. and now, mika we have judges across the state of alabama, a state that i love and revere but state judges who apparently haven't read the supremacy clause. university of alabama is an extraordinary law school. i know a lot of men there, you need to call your law professors. if there's a conflict. this is tough. when you getting legal advice for me i did willie constitution allow but not so

much in this other stuff. but if there's a federal order and it trumps a state order, you got to follow the federal order. that's what the 1960s -- that's what it was all about. with that little tip, okay you, too, can be a judge but if you're in alabama and you're a judge you probably watch this show, love ya i really do i respect you. you're a great guy, great woman. let's shake hands next time we go to the university of alabama game. we'll yell roll tide. if you're a war eagle, i'm stupid i root for auburn when they play alabama because i love alabama so much. but friend do me a favor. follow the federal law. let p supreme court determine this. what you're doing, it's just -- it's against supremacy clause. here's wully geist. he's going to talk to you. >> mika i have a quote from a professor of law at the university of alabama. >> roll tide. >> here we go.

judge moore, justice moore, may sincerely believe state law takes precedence over federal law. if that's so it's unford fortunate because it's plainly wrong. >> you learn this in -- >> did you learn that at the university of alabama? >> no i learned that at the university of florida law school but the only reason i knew how to read is because i went to the university of alabama because when i showed up there i was barefooted and -- but we thought you only learned to count to number one. >> i did only learn to count to number one because we're number one, roll tide. >> i would say joe is rambling about this judicial showdown under way in alabama where several counties began issuing marriage licenses to day and lesbian couples. that makes it the 37th state to do so but not without a fight, as joe mentioned. well-known judge is lead that fight. nbc's pete williams has that story. >> reporter: day m marriage came

to the heart of the deep south. same-sex couples began getting licenses in alabama after a federal judge two weeks ago struck down a state ban on day marriage. justices scalia and thomas said the supreme court should have granted alabama's request to put that ruling on hold until the state rules on day marriage nationwide for months. thomas said it may well be seen as a signal of the courts intended resolution of that question of day marriage nationwide. roughly two-thirds of alabama counties refused to grant the marriage licenses. >> we're not handing out same-sex marriages. >> reporter: reporter roy moore, chief justice of the supreme court, urged local officials to ignore the federal court ruling. in 2003 he defied a federal court order to remove a ten commandments monument from the state supreme court building. he was removed from office but re-elected three years ago. >> so that was pete williams

reporting. pete also reports i it's unlikely the supreme court could have allowed alabama to grant these marriage lie sents only to rule against them later this year. the high court takes up the issue this spring. and will rule by june. usually you don't think the federal government should get involved in people's lives, tell people who to do. >> i always think that state legislateors and judges have a right to trump what federal court says. since 1994 it wasn't popular in my district but i've always been agnostic on the issue of day marriage the federal government. i think the federal government should stay out of day marriage just like marriage, the marriage debate on either side just like i think they should stay out of the abortion debate on either side. i think i believe federalism is that states communities, churches, 350e78 shouldchurch es es, people should decide these

things. that said, that said i remember having a call with jeb bush telling him about somebody who wanted to be supreme court justice -- a justice in the state of florida. he said can you talk to him? so i drove over to his office and i talked to him. i knew he was -- he liked me. i knew he was pro life. he was really pro life. i said i got one question for you. if the state legislature decides to do something that's against your beliefs on abortion and push pro choice, what are you going to do? he said i'm going to follow the law. i don't legislate from the bench. i follow the law. called jeb. jeb, good. you know he became -- he became a justice in the state of florida. you've got to follow the law. if you're a judge, you got to follow the law. if you don't follow the law, you need to leave. even in this case i disagree with the federal judge's ruling. if you're a judge you've got to follow the law. >> let's see if this applies to tradition in this nek story.

i understand it's not law, but president obama and israeli prime minister bejamin netanyahu were taking swipes at each other from abroad. there were reports that netanyahu is considering downplaying his address to congress on his trip next month. house speaker john boehner invited the prime minister without consulting the white house. seen as a break with protocol. do you follow protocol joe? >> it depends on whose protocol it is. >> exactly. nbc news has learned as of now he plans to go ahead with his address in front of the full chamber, first since 2011 at a campaign event yesterday netanyahu didn't hesitate to tweak the u.s. saying quote, while some are busy with protocol or politics a bad deal with iran is taking shape. president obama won't back down on his decision not to meet with netanyahu during the march trip. yesterday he said if netanyahu's political election in israel during an event with german chancellor angela merkel.

>> as hutch much as i love angela, if she was two weeks away from an election she probably would not have received an invitation to the white house. and i suspect she wouldn't have asked for one. so, you know -- so you know -- >> that was wobdnderfully awkward. >> did he complete the sentence? >> joining us now nbc news host of "andrea mitchell reports," andrea mitchell. how consistent is this rule about not inviting foreign leaders in the days before an election? >> well, it's politics and protocol. it's not a rule. >> how consistent have we followed it? how much of a break with protocol is this visit? >> it's more than just the election. i think in this case it's the fact that john boehner issued

the invitation without consulting with democrats, the fact that the israeli ambassador had met with john kerry for two hours, didn't tell give him a heads up this was coming. so they felt blind sighted at the state department, at the white house, and democrats in congress. now you've got joe biden saying he's going to be conveniently out of the country. he hasn't said where he was going. he said there was a previously scheduled trip. i talked to a number of democratic senators who are very strong supporters of israel and these are jewish-americans and they are not going. so you've got -- you've got senators, democratic senators and house members as well saying they are going to boycott it. there were some senators saying should we turn our backs on it? trying to figure out how to walk the line here. but they're basically not going to go. they view it as a political stunt. and they think it was inappropriate of the prime minister to have either accepted this invitation then there were some suggestions from jewish islam that perhaps boehner did

it without -- boehner misled the israelis into thinking the democrats were onboard. so throwing boehner under the bus. >> let me ask you a question, andrea andrea. get us into the head of netanyahu the best that you can. if my feeling is personally, just my personal belief is if netanyahu feels like he has to do this now because of worthy iranian negotiations are, i'm almost said hostage negotiations, back in 1979. because of where the negotiations are then that's one thing. if it really is just a stunt to thumb his nose at an unpopular president in israel that's quite another. based on your reporting, what is the key driver of this decision by netanyahu to risk a rupture in israel's most important relationship? >> well, i can't get i side his head but i think it is iran and the fear that there is a deal, you know that could be inked in march.

this is an exsothreat. it's a very closely fought election. he's going to have difficulty if he wins creating a coalition as it is. israel is in a very tough place politically. and this is blowing up because generally, you know appearing in congress as he did in 2011 at another very difficult time with barack obama personally did boost him quite a bit. i talked to him -- we interviewed him right after he was on the hill. and did an interview on msnbc and he was just flying high because of the applause and the standing ovations. he has, i think, in his advisers have misjudged this because they normal -- the usual supporters who would be with him, would be with him at the apac conference where he was going to speak anyway are not with him on this. and the sort of trial balloons that maybe he would come and just speak to apac he made a clear at a rally last night in israel he is determined to go. i was e-mailing back and forth with the israelis and late last

night and they said there's no give on this. if he's going to find an exit ramp he's not looking for it right now. >> you've been watching thissish recally-american relationship for a couple of years now. >> just a few. >> can you remember a time where the relationship has been this strained or at least this publicly strained? >> yeah. i mean it's difficult between the prime minister and the president but it was back in both under ray gandry again and bush 41. jim baker famously said congressional hearing if the israelis wanted to get in touch with him he knew the number 202-456-1414 giving the white house switchboard. >> james baker also had a famous quote which we cannot repeat here now about israel and the jewish people. >> please don't. we like our television network. >> you like your "morning joe." >> yes. >> how about andrea still remembering the phone number. how good is she? >> exactly.

exactly. >> well. >> i take it you're going to be talking about this a great deal today on your show? >> yes. and you know we talked to nick burns, former high ranking diplomat from harvard. this is not good for israel it's not good for the united states. the iran agreement pros and cons of it are going to be controversial enough. a lot of people are arguing it is a bad deal it does give iran nuclear equipment that can be converted. for all the talk about verification verification, you know, they've cheated before. either this is a breakthrough and a legacy agreement that barack obama really wants or it's a bad deal. >> it needs to be canceled. >> the fact that he's coming to lobby against the president's policy is what pushes it over the top and almost unprecedented to give him that platform to lobby about the president's position on more sanctions. >> anyone here truly think it's only about iran because i don't and you don't. >> i think it's -- i think it's about iran in a way that as

andrea said most israelis believe is a threat. i think the speech could also be given the day after his election. i don't think a mush roll cloud is is going to rise over tel aviv over the next two weeks. >> so it's not about iran. >> well, as i said i think it is about iran. i think the timing though is a bit rough. >> all right. we're going to move on. there was a lot of action yesterday surrounding hillary clinton still unannounced presidential campaign. first there was a word a top operative from a super pac backing clinton resigned from the board. david brock was reportedly upset over tactics used against other pacs. brock resigned from priorities usa action and politico. >> remarkable hair by the way. >> yes, he does. politico obtained a letter -- >> i'm jealous. >> he blamed what he called a, quote, orchestrated political hit job on other pro-clinton groups which he supports.

last week "the new york times" pulled back the curtain on those groups practices among the findings that fund-raiser mary pat bonner received a commission as much as 12 1/2% of the money she brought in. brock implied priorities usa supplied the information for the piece but now brock has written another letter saying this one saying he's open to returning to priorities usa and that there's been an effort to smooth things over. it brings back echos of 2008 when the clinton machine was expected to be a cash juggernaut but infighting among clicks sometimes got in the way. >> let's bring in political writer for the "new york times," nick, so david brock is pretty major political character through the years with the clintons. >> right. >> can't forget whether he hates them or loves them. he's been loving them for a while here. but talk about a bit of a messy launch to some of these pacs. >> i mean, you know this puts amazing here. we now have campaign infighting

without the campaign. this is where we are in the super pac era where candidates, precandidates outsource a lot of the grass roots stuff and fund-raising and research to the outside groups which are not controlled by them. so you have these different camps of people who are jockeying for influence and prestige and for a place in her future campaign world but they're also jockeying over money. and what this comes down to is who is going to raise the most money and which of these groups will get the most money in the days ahead. >> so that 12 1/2% figure is that -- was that supposed to be shock that somebody received 12 1/2% for the money they brought into the pac? >> it's a very high commission joe. but also it's unusual to earn commission if n. fund-raising in general. some consider it to be unethical. fund-raising retainers where you're paid a certain amount each month is more common. 12 1/2% on every dollar a group brings in is a lot of money and

donors are angry about it. donors say wait a second i'm giving you a check. why is this private consultant earning a dollar out of every eight which i give to you. >> stay with us. we have much more to talk about. speaking about noncomekomnoncampaigns. jeb's campaign also you were talking about the tech guy was like tweeting stuff. >> terrible stuff. >> deleting old tweets. >> stop this with the old tweets. >> what do you mean? >> how old is t twitter? >> two years. >> he didn't -- not contemporaneous. >> started last week. >> not ancient tweets just not contemporaneous. >> people put in category of oat tweets. it was in the past four years. >> he just didn't tweet them yesterday. he deleted them yesterday. >> if you look at these tweets do you think it matters that it was four years ago, two years ago, three years ago, or yesterday? it just doesn't matter. >> what were the tweets like? >> people need to rewrite the story. >> juvenile and mean and i would say it goes beyond that.

>> if you're going to hire young hip people from the tech world they're going to be young. >> and stupid. >> and sometimes stupid. >> and totally -- totally not in tune with the fact that when you write something online it stay there's forever no matter what. still ahead on "morning joe" -- >> it does? >> yes. you might want to -- >> they're archived. two of the countries most prom nabt legal minds, ted olson and jonathan turley join us for their take on the same-sex marriage showdown in alabama. and then andrew cuomo's administration is reportedly rattled by the federal corruption probe into government officials? albany. we have a first look at the exclusive interview with u.s. attorney. plus why ex-smokers are making a run on pharmacies around the u.s.

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let's take a look at the morning papers. get it together. >> what did you do last night? there was like a mom thing, wasn't it? >> a total mom thing. i had to go to the drugstore a few things. my daughter has a cold. >> wow. >> fascinating. >> that is a great evening. no seriously. >> i hung out with her and lisa. >> ask her what she did, it's always like, oh, i took my daughter to go get ice cream. >> she made me a sandwich karly did. >> she made you a sandwich? >> it was turkey grilled. it was really good. >> really? >> grilled? >> she's a really good cook. i don't know. it was like a really funky organic -- >> let's pick her up a couple of instagram followers. if food one. >> coast to coast foods. >> coast to coast food on instagram. please. >> beautiful pictures of food. all right. are we done?

>> let's go to the washington -- >> sorry my life is so boring. >> a major shakeup at the secret service. deputy director steps down from his position. mika, once again, "the washington post," i tell you what, leading the way on this story. >> alvin smith, the agency's second ranking official is being reassigned following a string of embarrassing security lapses. smith was set to testify before the house this week had been under increasing pressure from congress if 29-year veteran of the service is expected to take a new post at the department of homeland security. from the "wall street journal" new ceo at deloitte and it is breaking barriers in the business world. the accounting and consulting giant put kathy engelbert has been with deloitte for nearly two decades. recent data shows women make up just 1.4% of ceos at finance and insurance a companies in the s&p 500. >> we're doing this thing, women who run things she's going to

be on. we're having coffee with her. >> fantastic. >> you were laughing at the end of the last story. is that because the guy -- >> i don't get -- >> the guy protect the white house gets moved over to homeland security. >> a small mention. it's like the twitter story, old tweets. no, no. we'll get to that. >> okay. >> but this this guy stepped down. he was about to testify. clearly there's a problem with him and he's going to homeland security. i'm not feeling better. okay. "the washington post," ex-smokers are making a run on pharmacies after noticing it harder to find nicorette lozenges these days. glak glaks cosmith cline quitic mag p 21 million people try to quit smoking and many say the july and generic lozenges are not as effective. >> what were you saying before we went to break, smoking, what

helps your sickcirculation? >> no. not funny. >> helps digestion. >> my doctor who lives in 1954 told me all three of those things were true. >> all right. >> that was actual science in the '50s. helps digestion. >> you have this really cool poster of your grand dad. >> yeah. >> who is a hockey player. >> my great grandfather played for the red wings in the '30s and a spokesman for camel cigarettes and in one of the print ads she's smoking a cigarette in his uniform on the ice. >> which i still do by the way. >> the other ad he's holding a cheeseburger in one hand cigarette in the other and it says, her by lewis says camels help mehdi jest a good meal. 1935. >> i'm sorry. it was a different time. >> great granddad. >> he's in the hall of fame. >> exactly. >> it's all me. >> do you want to be in the hall of fame. sad news out of the world of

sports broadcaster. nfl films founder ed sabol passed away in his home at scottsdale arizona, yesterday. sarks sabol was inducted in the pro football hall of fame in 2011. innovating many of the techniques used today in sports broadcasting. nfl films was granted 52 emmys while he was with the organization. >> talk about how great the nfl is doing financially. that guy and nfl films did more to spread the great word about the nfl than anybody else. i mean i don't know about you but every time you know we were playing football you know know -- ♪ m slow motion. >> the frozen tundra of new york scarborough goes back. >> it's high drama, what they did is remarkable. >> they turned it into drama.

just great filmmaking. forget the sports part of it but the tight shots of the breath coming out of the faces at lambeau and all that and sabol and his son and grandson are carrying it on. >> by the third quarter, alex had had enough. coming up -- >> like breathe. >> amazing stuff. >> coming up makes a clear ruling on alabama's same-sex marriages but not everyone in that state is onboard. ted olson who argued against prop 8 in california is our guest, but first, the economy seems to be recovering but why is it taking so long? steve ratner he's got his charts. he's going to break it down. >> blame him. >> why not. >> good. >> let's do it. >> yeah. [ male announcer ] we know they're out there. you can't always see

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all right. welcome back to "morning joe." 35 past the hour. joining us now, former treasury official and "morning joe" economist, steve ratner. >> this weekend i tweeted out a couple of headlines because it's good news. i'm crazy. it doesn't matter where republicans are in the white house or democrats are in the

white house, if there's good economic news in america i cheer it on. i tweet these -- just take a picture of the times and "wall street journal" saying wages are expected to go up. the job market is getting better. 2015 is going to be a great year. people want people to suffer in the work class? i don't know. but i was thrilled about it. but you're here to tell me just relax, it may not be that great. why? >> yeah look we had a great jobs number on friday. we had great revisions to jobs numbers for the couple of previous months. you tweeted what you tweeted, which i think was great. but i just want to put in the perspective and remind people how slow this recovery has been and how far we still have left to go. if you look at gdp, the sort of classic measure of the overall size of the economy, this compares recoveries from six prior recessions going back to 1970 you can see that at 13% overall growth in gdp we're behind all of these other -- all these other recoveries going back to 1970.

so we've come back but we've got come back as fast. >> why not. >> it has a lot to do with the depth of the recession, the financial crisis, the wreckage out there. and it has to do with the fact that congress hasn't done very 34u67. we passed a stimulus bill in 2009 but not much since then. i think washington has a roll to help. >> why is wall street breaking records day in and day out? this was a financial crisis on wall street. why is it the wall street is not only caught up but doing better than ever but main street is being left behind? >> it has a lot to do with globalization and the ability -- the fact that companies are extraordinarily profitable. corporate profits are at record highs, and so that's flowed to shareholders and that in turn makes stock prices go up. the average worker has been left behind. >> let's go to chart two. >> chart two on jobs. this is a piece of the puzzle is that companies haven't been hiring as fast as they have been during previous recoveries.

total job count is up 7.6% since the end of the recession. we're going better than we did in 2001. again, weighay behind all the other recoveries because companies are trying to remain lean and mean keep profits high and have that flow down to the bottom line. let me just show you the most dramatic chart which gets to your question as to why the recovery -- how the recovery affects the average american. in the prior recessions, these are incomes after inflation, incomes all went up by something. in some cases 6% 8% a little bit less. but the last two, these last two recoveries particularly this one, waging for the average american have continued to go down. >> wow. >> that's tough. >> you have wages go down in a recovery and you combine that with rising income inequality which means the top 1% have gotten virtually all the income increases which means everybody else, the average american typical american is doing a lot worse than those numbers. >> accelerator mark. the rich are getting richer by

the second and the poor are getting poorer. and the middle class is getting squeezed. >> the stats don't lie. faster growth and more even distribution of income what sectors of the economy could lead that? >> people want, quote, good jobs. i think that's -- that's -- a lot of those good jobs are in areas like education, health things like information technology where we are leaders. a lot of people put their hopes on manufacturing. manufacturing is a tough slog for the u.s. the last point i maken't this is this is going to factor into the next election because you've got -- you've got republicans who are going to argue, things aren't so good and the democrats are going to have to try to explain why they are. coming up, taking on fraud and corruption in the capital of new york. we've got the first look at msnbc's interview with the man behind the investigations, preet bharara. and ted olson on the major ruling on alabama same-sex marriage. that story is straight ahead.

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about the way your wealth is managed? wealth management at charles schwab m. alabama is now the 37th state to allow same-sex marriage after the u.s. supreme court declined to block a federal court order from january requiring the state to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. a legal showdown is complicating things for many parts of the state. here are the staff from washington former u.s. solicitor general for president george w. bush, ted olson, who fought for gay marriage before the supreme court in their case with prop 8 and with us cohost of "the cycle," ari. >> thank you for being with us this morning.

let's, first of all, talk about what's happening in the state of alabama with judge roy moore telling, i think the exact quote is, that in his order you're not bound to follow the federal order. help me out here. i'm just a poor country lawyer but i seem to remember something called the supremacy clause in the first or second day of law school. >> well, that's right. this is the chief justice of the alabama supreme court telling probate judges not to allow gay people to get married, not to issue licenses despite the federal court, the federal district court, saying that alabama's law prohibiting marriages between persons of the same members issex unconstitutional and the united states supreme court refuse to stop the effectiveness of that order. so they -- alabama's chief justice is defying the orders of a federal court and telling

other judges -- >> how remarkable is that? do we have to go back to the '60s and the civil rights showdowns to think of -- to find an example of judge as high profile as this telling judges across his or her state to defy a federal order? >> well, it does bring up images of selma, alabama, and george wallace denying rights to african-american citizens to go to school or cross a bridge and enter a parade. but this individual chief justice moore, defied a supreme court order a few years ago when he was told to remove the ten commandments from a stone in his -- in the court building. and he was ultimately removed from office because of that defying the supreme court. and then he was subsequently elected back. now he's doing the same thing. >> ari, let me bring you in here and ask you, do you agree with

justice thomas? this will be one of the few times you're probably going to answer yes when a question begins that way, but do you agree with justice thomas that yesterday's stay in effect means that gay marriage in america recognized by the federal government is a fade acompli once they start hearing it. >> i don't agree with his logic but the conservatives on the court have been correct in saying legally and politically it's difficult to recognize the sort of rights or sanctity of some aspects of gay relationships in a federal complex, naumly sex, gay sex, without the right to have legal protection. that's what scalia pointed out earlier and seems to be where the court is heading. i wonder what mr. olson would say, i don't agree with the argument there from the conservatives this week though that the supreme court has to

jump to federalize or nationalize anything it does. indeed i believe it's somewhat the opposite. usually they deal with the cases and controversies presented. they break circuit ties with lower courts. they don't necessarily seek to make national rules unless they feel legally it's incumbent upon them. >> the issue has been before the supreme court already. the supreme court just recently struck down the federal defensive marriage act which prohibited a recognition of gay marriages in the states. and the supreme court does have this case before it that will be argued in april and probably decided and certainly decided by the end of june. this has been decided over and over again by at least four federal circuit courts that gay and lesbian citizens have a right under the 14th amendment just like the rest of us to exercise their fundamental right to get married. >> thomas? >> ted you talk about the 14th amendment with the equal

protection clause. do you think that we're basically going to be able to compare what we're seeing now, what the supreme court is doing to what we witnessed in 1967 as a kuncountry with loving versus virginia and we reached that point where we're going to have this case this cases before the bench now, that will unlock the country and make it coast to coast federal safety zone for gay and lesbian couples? me being married in new york, if i travel to a state that doesn't recognize it i will finally be able to say i'm still married in that state. >> yes you're absolutely right. in 1967 and loving versus virginia the supreme court struck down the laws in virginia and 16 other states that prohibited persons to get married to a person of another race. that made it you -- that was a unanimous decision and that recognized a fundamental right under the united states constitution for persons to get married. that was among 14 decisions that the supreme court has made over the years, recognizing a

fundamental right to get married and our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters simply want to exercise the same liberty and the same freedom the rest of us have. many of these people have been wait for 20 or 30 years for the opportunity to get married. >> ted olson, thank you very much for being on the show this morning. >> thank you. it's my pleasure. up next a first look at ari's exclusive interview with u.s. attorney preet bharara. the man looking to break the back of albany one corruption case at a time. >> the word is the governor's office is very concerned about what he's looking at and where this investigation is going. >> i can see why. >> yesterday a new york magazine article that really paints a hot light on all of this.

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back at the table, cohost of "the cycle" ari melber he spoke to preet whatbharara. he's been making waves for a long time. >> that's part of what we talked about. i sat down with preet bharara, top federal prosecutor in new york. his first interview since he indicted new york speaker shelly silver on corruption charges. we talked about money and politics, prosecuting terrorists, insider trading and push for prison reform. i asked him about his review of

the anticorruption commissioner governor cuomo disbanded and he took issue with part of the governor's statements. >> the commission was debanded within only nine months when it was expected to be empowered to investigate corruption and bring corruption cases for a much longer period of time. that's just but way of background. when anything happens with respect to corruption and a commission is shut down or a commission is established for a particular reasons or staffed in a particular way, it's natural for people to ask questions about it. so there's nothing wrong with asking questions about it. >> asking questions many people have been asking governor cuomo's office questions about it. he said he cannot comment on the topic because you said a public dialogue is not helpful to the investigation. is that correct or do any rules prevent him from comment to think corruption investigation? >> people are able to exercise

their public role in the way that they see fit. they're allowed to exercise their first amendment rights. i think it is a different thing to say that people shouldn't be talking to potential witnesses in a case when prosecutors and fbi agents and other in ininvestigators are looking into something. i don't think i or anyone said that he shouldn't be talking about how they made decisions publicly publicly. >> as i believe the u.s. attorney, you, has made it clear that ongoing public dialogue is not helpful to his investigation, we will have no additional comment on the matter. >> well, first of all, i don't think that's true because i've heard comments that have been attributed to the governor so how he wants to interpret what he can and cannot say is up to him and you can direct those questions elsewhere. >> more broadly, you have said the problem in new york's political culture and something people relate to around the country is three men in a room making decisions for everybody

else. when you're done here who is going to be left in that room? >> i don't know. the membership of the room seems to be changing. it changed last week when the speaker was put into power. i was speaking a little bit out of frustration as a citizen and i think a lot of people have expressed the same frustration. when you have all the decisions so important to the people of a state being made almost by fiat just three people in a room that makes you wonder what kinds of decisions are being made. just imagine if the same level of decisions were being made by just the president and john boehner and now mitch mcconnell i think people wouldn't tolerate it for very long. one wopders why it's tolerated so much in new york state. >> that is absolutely fascinating. ari, stay with us. we're going to get you to the top of the hour. a lot to talk about from the state of alabama to isis to -- a question we're going the ask you is, is governor cuomo in

trouble? it looks like things are heating up. also president obama and bejamin netanyahu are now taking jabs at each other publicly. that's not really good for the american/israel relationship. >> yeah. as controversy surrounding the israeli prime minister's upcoming very controversial congressional address takes on new heights. plus the era of the social politician. congressman sean duffy explains why politicians are turning to snapchat. >> don't do that. >> okay. >> we're not going to actually ask him about that. >> yes, we are. >> we're going to ask him about isis instead. >> we're going to ask him about snapchat. >> don't do it. >> it's going to be fun. in the 8:00 hour, eugene levy and catherine o'hara has a look at the new sitcom which has a name we cannot say on television. we'll be right back. you can't predict the market. but

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>> oh, lord. >> the super bowl, willie? >> tweeting? >> can you confirm that's in the super bowl? if it is one of the coolest moments ever. >> make sure they're appropriate because four years from now -- all right. welcome back to "morning joe." >> hold on. we're getting verification. what did you find out, willie? talking about smoking. >> yes, len dawson we were talking about my great grandfather smoking cigarettes in the nhl. we got a tweet from a viewer of

len dawson on the bench smoking a cigarette at halftime of super bowl i. >> nice. adding that to the elements of our show. >> it is tweeted. halftime smoking a cigarette. >> that's a photo shot. >> i used to loath that perry switzer would be taking a drag. >> we have ari melber. we have a lot to get to. >> we have tons to get to. >> where do you want to start? >> we need an extra hour. >> we start in alabama because judicial -- judicial class under way there. >> it is. several counties began issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couple 'that makes it 37th state to do so. but it wasn't without a fight, involving a well-known judge. nbc's pete williams has the story. >> reporter: gay marriage came to the heart of the deep south. >> two beautiful souls. >> reporter: same-sex couples began getting licenses in alabama after a federal judge two weeks ago struck down a

state ban on gay marriage there. justices said the supreme court should have granted alabama's request to put that ruling on hold out of respect for the state until the court rules on gay marriage nationwide in a faw months. the failure to grant alabama's request, thomas said may well be seen as a signal of the court's intended resolution of that question of gay marriage nationwide. two-thirds of alabama's counties refused to grant the marriage licenses. after roy moore, chief justice of the bam obama supreme court, urged local officials to ignore the federal court ruling. in 2003 h defied a federal court order to remove a ten commandments monument from the straight supreme court building. removed from office but re-elected three years ago. >> that was nbc's pete williams reporting. pete also reports it's unlikely the supreme court would have allowed alabama to grant these marriage licenses only to rule against them later this year.

the high court takes up the issue this spring and will rule by june. >> i don't think there's -- mark halperin halperin, it's really extraordinary. one of the things i was talking about selma is how quickly things changed from 1965 to 1969, 1970 when i was in an integrated school in meridian mississippi. outside meridian mississippi, the change was remarkable. it happened quickly. the change on gay marriage has happened extraordinarily fast too. 2004, karl rove actually was using gay marriage initiatives to help drive republican voters out. and here we are 11 years later and i think even the most hardened conservative who is against this law, or would be against this ruling knows it's going to happen. it's . >> you're right. although i would say on a human

level, not talking about defying a supreme court order, probably a couple million plus in alabama who find this not just an encroachment by washington but an affront to their most closely held religious beliefs. you know in alabama today there are prayer in public schools nape defy the supreme court on that issue. the thing that's going to happen next is you're going to see some of the judges as martyrs going to prison for civil contempt and then we'll see how people react to it. you cannot defy supreme court order except they do in alabama and other southern states on some issues. i think they will on this. again, on a personal level, human level, this is defying their most closely strongly held religious beliefs as a dictate from washington. >> all right. well, let's move on to -- what we were talking about at the end of the last hour about governor cuomo and -- >> ari is still with us. we discussed some of the issues around new york state politics with andrew cuomo disclaims any pons responsibility with former

new york assembly speaker sheldon silver's possible misdeeds saying, if anthony weiner shows his private parts, do you blame obama? these are criminal acts of individual legislators. what would you have me do? ari? can you help? >> i don't know how you got his private parts to this issue, or obama. but talk about your feeling from after your interview, could this investigation lead all of the way to governor's office? is governor cuomo in trouble? >> yeah, well, joe, you need more than one lawyer to parse everything in the statement you just read. i will leave that to cooler heads. i think though as for the interview i did with u.s. attorney preet bharara, what arises there and what is listed in the publicly filed complaint against shelly silver is the history with the anticorruption commission that governor cuomo set you and disbanded prematurely. some of the evidence mr.

bharara told me used against silver in this big criminal indictment of the most powerful person in new york legislature came from that commission and the complaint also says that the commission was disbanded in a deal that silver and cuomo were involved with with the legislature. those raise big questions. >> is the u.s. attorney suspicious? >> i think that, look they didn't tell me anything new about the status of that investigation because it is open. and they were careful to say -- preet bharara was careful to say it wasn't automatically wrong to say there was a deal. let's look at the facts. the larger question that you pose that hangs over the governor's office is did the dismanned banding of the moreland commission and legislative deal, did anything else untoward happen there? those investigations apparently continue. >> willie, at the very least it just looks terrible the governor of new york sets up an ethics

commission and then shuts it down in the middle of an investigation that ends up taking down the most powerful guy in the legislature. >> that leads me to my question for ari, remind me, what was the justification for that? you set it up as something you thought was important to monitor and be a watchdog of government in the state of new york and then quickly shut it down. how did he explain that? >> great question. governor cuomo's explanations shifted. he said at one point it was his commission to set up or take down. quote, it's my commission. later he said in a long back and forth with "the new york times" that part of the goal of the commission was not actually to root out corruption itself but to bring attention to the issue and get legislative reforms, some of which he says they got. ultimately though those aren't necessarily answers that will satisfy investigators who want to make sure again, it's an open investigation, but who want to make sure that there weren't any deals to actually stop, tamper with, or obstruct open investigations into any illicit conduct. there's a lot of mop any

sloshing around albany by both parties that raise a lot of questions. >> steve? >> i think there's two issues recording the governor. one of which ari alluded to which is what did he do anything improper in the context of getting that commission shut down? did he try to interfere with the commission's work by shutting it down? and the second is that according to your "times" anyway, some of the governor's people did try to get the commission to quarter s&pubpoenas to certain campaigns. it's separate from shelly silver about how he conducted his campaign. >> certainly from a distance does not look great. >> i think preet bharara is going to put governor cuomo under oath and ask him to testify about the stuff he's referring to and it's going to be a very difficult session for him if it happens. >> ari, thank you. your full interview is today on "the cycle." first, i've got a question for you. what happened eight years ago today, eight years ago today

that made reporters weep -- >> i can tell you without you saying something snarky. >> that made reporters weep with joy and made them lose control. a lot of drooling and a lot of -- a lot of rapid fire talking and they were just -- sort of first love. you know journalists had like rashes on their neck like they were so nervous. >> i'm not going to respond. >> on this very day eight years ago today, that made reporters weep with joy. >> i believe eight years ago today i said, wow, this is really interesting. this is going to happen. and everyone laughed at me. >> did senator barack obama declare his candidacy? >> he did. >> and i will tell you -- >> and you laughed at me. >> a generation of journalists have never been the same again. they fell in love in a way i've never seen reporters fall in love. it was very -- very moving love

story. >> they may get another chance if mika's favorite candidate -- >> exactly. do you want me to be right again? go to eight years ago today what i was right about. >> you never forget your first love. >> to this next story which i'm turning out to be right again. now to the tense relationship between israeli prime minister bejamin netanyahu and obama white house has msnbc political correspondent kasie hunt explains the prime minister's invite from speaker john boehner to address congress is setting off political fights both here and in israel. >> mr. vice president do you remember the time that we were the new kids in town? >> what a difference four years can make. israeli prime minister bejamin netanyahu is coming back to address congress. but this time the vice president doesn't even plan to show up. house speaker john boehner didn't ask the white house before he extended the invitation. a break in protocol.

plus netanyahu is fighting for re-election. president obama made light of it with the german chancellor yesterday. >> as much as i love angela if she was two weeks away from an election, she probably would not have received an invitation to the white house and i suspect she wouldn't have asked for one. um so it -- you know -- >> reporter: back home netanyahu is also play for laughs. >> want a baby sitter? you got a baby sitter. >> reporter: that campaign ad makes light of real political trouble. the leader of the labor party is gaining ground in polls. he was hired former clinton strategist paul begala to help. in israel news to the speech to congress backfired coming across as political ploy. >> mr. president, israel is acting to defend -- rr bejamin netanyahu defended himself in a new ad saying it's a scandal, on par with dripping popsicles on a couch. the prime minister is not backing down telling supporters yesterday he will still give the speech. but the move could have lasting

consequences. netanyahu is expected to use the address to criticize the president's negotiations with iran and some democrats are planning to boycott. even some of israel's staunchest allies are raising questions about whether the speech should go on. >> my free advice to prime minister netanyahu is to find his own personal reason to delay his visit until after the election when he will bring with him a new unity government. i think that would go down really well. >> and kasie joins us from washington. was netanyahu misled to believe his invitation to speak before congress was a bipartisan one? is there any possibility there? >> hey, mika. well, the letter that house speaker john boehner wrote to netanyahu with this formal invitation said it was, quote, on behalf of the bipartisan leadership of the house. it really hasn't turned out that way. instead, this is in many ways driven a wedge into the democratic caucus.

there are some democrats, as we pointed out that are boycotting the speech. others like senator chuck schumer are in a tough spot because they plan to attend the speech, want to show support for israel but are in this place where that means sort of pushing back against their own democratic president. >> yeah. so this is an out for him if he were smart, joe. it's an out for him. he should cancel it. delay it. >> he does not have the luxury of vacationing in the south of france every other weekend like you. >> do you think she should -- >> he's in a position where he has to worry about -- >> you don't want me to ask you that question. >> -- iran getting nuclear weapons and he's doing what he thinks is in the best interest of israel. you can ask me the question. it's very easy for us and i always thought it was very easy for american politicians to tell israel who constantly is facing threat since their formation in 1948 about what is best for israel. it's very easy for.

barack obama to mock israel's elected leader from germany. i think he might feel a little different if he actually lived in jerusalem or tel aviv. i think you would, too. >> he wasn't mocking the lerktelected leader from germany and this has nothing to do with the big picture. this has to do with the very very base of this is a bunch of men getting in the way of world affairs because they are standing up to each other. i'm sorry. let's get some women involved. >> what do you mean by that? >> i'm serious. this is stupid. do the speech after the election. that's protocol. let's not make this a partisan thing. it's getting messy. it's making people look bad. including john boehner. and you know -- >> i actually think -- >> you've changed your mind? >> we talked about this yesterday. you can say that if it makes you feel better. >> why do you think it should happen? why is it so important? >> i explained yesterday and i'll explain it again today, is it a perfect scenario?

no, it's not a perfect scenario. do i like how it went down? no, i don't like how it went down. i'm not willing to engage in name calling though with a prime minister of a country that has another country that is trying to build a nuclear weapon whose leaders have said they were going to use that nuclear weapon to annihilate israel and drive it off the face of the earth. and everybody else around saying they're going to drive them into the sea. so i guess i'm just not as comfortable mocking anybody in that position. >> i'm not comfortable with iran and israel and the very serious issues brewing in both of those countries being used adds part of a little political fight between a bunch of men. i'm serious. it's not -- >> i think you would find a lot of women in israel also concerned about their young children being inlated.

>> do you think the speech should happen? >> i think it's up to theish recally people. i don't know -- listen. i will just say what people have said for a long time about tv. if it offends you so much to have the leader of israel speak to congress turn off the tv set. don't watch it. >> that's not the issue. >> seriously. why do you want to silence the leader of israel at a time that the people of israel think it's critical. if he were so out of line with what were best for israel he would not be re-elected. they would drive him out of power. if they think this is such a colossal mistake and think he is just posturing in the world and that iran really doesn't pose a threat to israel, then he will be punished at the polls. what do you think, mika? >> i think that you don't want to give your opinion, which is interesting. >> well, that's all i've been doing is giving my opinion. mika i gave my opinion.

>> someone else should decide. >> i didn't say that. >> what joe is basically saying is if netanyahu thinks it's in his political interest -- >> it's in his political interest absolutely. >> then he should do it. >> right? >> what i am also saying mika is i haven't walked a mile in the shoes of an israeli father or mother. i don't know why you think this is so fup any. >> because that's not what this is about. >> if you think this is a joke that the israelis every day live under the specter of being -- of being blown off the face of the earth or having their children blown up by missiles that are fired in -- >> like i said yesterday, you're very good at what you do. you're very good at what you do but you're skimming this. >> i don't know why you deval what i'mdevalue what up saying here when i don't have an opinion that lines up perfectly with yours. >> i'm saying that i think you're backing off on an opinion you had because it's not comfortable anymore. >> no i said a couple of days

ago -- >> do you think the speech should happen? do you think boehner and netanyahu should go through with this? should they have done it? >> i think i would prefer -- >> yes or no. >> i would have preferred for it to be done in a better way than it was done. that said at this point, what i'm interested in is what is in the best interest i think of in this case israel and do they feel a need at this critical time in negotiations with iran here, by the way, has been the epicenter of terrorism since 1989, is it in their best interest or not? i don't think sitting here in this manhattan studio right, in midtown manhattan wearing orange pants, i'm really the guy to tell israeli mom and dads how they best protect their children. >> joe, come on. >> i don't think anybody here is in a position where we can judge what's best -- i don't know why

you think and presidents think, republican and democratic presidents alike through the years, think they know what's better for israel than israel. this arrogance, this a ternallistic arrogance that they think will lead to a nobel peace prize has been an irritant of mine for 30 years. it's not about this visit. it's about if they think it's best to keep israel safe, let them to do it. i would say the same thing about pakistan. i would say the same thing about the palestinian authority. people need to do what they think is in their best interest. >> what about the best interest of the united states? how does that play in? >> well, that's what i'm interested in mainly. the best interest of the united states. how does this -- how does this hurt the united states? >> well, the speaker of the house said it was a bipartisan invitation. >> it's not. >> you have a foreign leader two weeks before an election --

setting the precedent the speaker can invite someone without the president. i think there's oh we there's potential harm to the united states. >> we have a separation of powers. the speaker of the house has a right to invite who he wants to to speak in the house of representatives. i don't know how that hurts america. we have a messy democracy. we have a messy republic. we have these fights back and forth. >> you would agree that boehner should have handled this better. >> if i were john boehner -- >> you would not -- >> i would have picked up the phone. as i said, i i don't like how this went down. i would have picked up the phone and said, mr. president, i'm i need to come down to the white house together and you won't like it. fifteen you disagree with me i need to pay you respect as commander in chief and then i'm going to offer an invitation to prime minister netanyahu. now, you can be with me you can be against me but i deserve to give you the respect that we

stand shoulder to shoulder here. >> why does it have to be before the election? >> yeah. >> well, they can have that conversation. like i said this is not a cut and dry issue. but the fact that it is two weeks before an election i think actually clarifies how important this is to the people of israel. do you think netanyahu would do this if the israeli people didn't think it was necessary to protect their country? and if they didn't think that why would you do that two weeks before an election? >> protect their country or get him re-elected. >> it's the same thing. >> right. >> i understand that. >> if the people of israel voting in two weeks didn't think this -- >> then they're going to vote him out. >> he would just be hurting himself by doing this. >> quickly before we go couldn't he achieve the same goals from the closed door session of congress to meet with john boehner and mitch mcconnell and have these discussions so it didn't become a political spec techle? >> it's ego and politics. sorry. all min at the table, but that's -- i'm sorry, this is --

>> women have egos, too, mika. >> we're not stupid when our egos take charge. this is stupid. sorry. >> you don't have to be sorry for calling me stupid. >> i take that back because i preach don't apologize. i don't apologize. i think you're wrong. i think you're also speaking out of both sides -- i think it's interesting. you just -- you have a lot of talents. political and media. and they're conflating. all right. kyra simmons live from jordan next. we'll be right back.

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comcast business. built for business. oh, boy. >> i'm not going to go by jordan yet unless keir. so you really do -- you are upset with what's happening in alabama? >> no. i'm sympathetic to the people there. there's a complicated legal and human issue. again, there's millions of people in alabama who think people in washington shouldn't tell them that they have to

violate their religious principles. that doesn't mean they're legally entitled to do it and it doesn't mean i don't understand the flow of history. i'm just saying you have to understand why some of these junls are defying the supreme court and why i think some of them are going to go to jail to defend their way of life. >> that's a difference between you and me. i'm from alabama. i'm from northwest florida. i understand that. i'm an evangelical. i grew up in an evangelical church. i'm keenly aware of the emotions and beliefs and values that people feel are being trampled right now. as a lawyer though i can tell you there's the law. the law is there because regardless of emotions and feelings, we are nation of laws. >> right. but i don't want to be misunderstood what my global view in this. with the people of alabama let's say the supreme court said churches are illegal in alabama. it's a violation of the first amendment. >> violation. first, we want to get to the fight against isis. nbc news just confirmed that uae fighter jets attacked isis

targets from a base in jordan this morning. meantime president obama could authorize new military force against isis as early as today. nbc's keir simmons joins us now from the jordanian capital of amman. we hear bashir al-assad is speaking out. what is he saying? >> reporter: that's right. just to go to your earlier point first. the king of jordan has been putting together a growing alliance of nations, making a televised address to leaders and calling on them to help them fight terrorism. as you mentioned, the united arab emirates announcing now this morning that they have bombed isis targets with f-16s and they say all of those fighter jets are back safely. and then amid all that amid that if you like growing alliance growing push against isis you have this interview with president assad of syria with the bbc. one crucial remark that we made that is getting a lot of attention is about whether or

not the syrian regime is in contact with the alliance. and let me just read you what he says because it's pretty important. he said in this interview, there is no direct cooperation through a third party more than one party, iraq and other countries, sometimes they convey messages general message, but there's nothing tactical. so effectively, rather carefully, confirming that there is some kind of communication between assad's syrian government that have been so brutal over the last few years and has a lot of responsibility in what's happened in the region. they are communicating with the alliance of countries fighting isis, if not -- even so intermittently, he seems to be saying keir simmons, thank you so much. >> remarkable what's going on over there. remarkable what's happening with the king of jordan. the uae now again, this

morning, attacking isis targets again. >> we'll be following that. we want to get back to the other big story of the morning. same-sex marriage showdown in alabama. the u.s. supreme court declined to block block a federal court order in january requiring the state to issue marriage licenses to gay couples but the chief justice of alabama supreme court is arguing that county probate judges can not quote, issue or recognize a marriage license that is inconsistent with state law. and here with us now from washington, law school professor at george washington university jonathan turley. >> jonathan thank you for being with us. i don't even want to argue right now off the top the merits of this, whether -- we've been debating whether this is a good ruling or whether it's not a good ruling. but just for lay men out there, can you please just lay it out. does this state supreme court judge have any constitutional right to tell probate judges to

ignore federal orders? >> no. the federal orders are binding on those judges. chief justice morris had this problem in the past. at some point he's going to have to get over this obvious barrier that he has over the concept of federal jurisdiction when it trumps state jurisdiction. it truchs strumps it here. >> how settled is this? the supremacy clause? has there ever been a challenge of the state that the supreme court has recognized in a situation like this that would prevail over federal law? >> well, i think that frachkly this is embarrassing for the alabama bar. there's many very very good lawyers in the alabama bar. it's a terrific bar. i think what chief justice moore is doing is bringing back all of the painful memory from 1963 with governor wallace standing in front of the university of alabama defying federal jurisdiction. that chapter is closed. there's not any real question

here. this is an order. we can debate to what extent federal case law. binds state courts. but this is an order issued that is binding upon the states. now, having said that, my whole life -- my professional career i've been in support of same-sex marriage. but i don't want to belittle the arguments on the other side. there are legitimate arguments coming from alabama and these other states that marriage should be a matter of state law. and that's really not what's involved here. what's really involved is a question of jurisdiction. it's a question of supremacy. it's a question of the rule of law. >> and that's -- i want to underline right here, steve, that since 1994 when it was not popular in my home district i have always said i'm against a federal ban of gay marriage. i think it should be left up to the states. that was still my position when barack obama supported a federal ban of gay marriage even up

through 2011. for me it's about the law. and jonathan and i on substance disagree but on procedure, there's just no question. the law is the law and the federal law is supreme over the state law. >> i don't disagree with that. but professor, isn't it -- aren't there a couple of unusual things going on here? somewhat unusual for the supreme court to allow a federal court decision to go into effect rather than staying it pending a supreme court decision? isn't even more unusual to allow a district court decision to go into effect without it even going through the beginnings of the federal appeals court system? >> yeah that i think is a legitimate gripe coming from people in alabama. people are criticizing justice thomas for the opinion he wrote when they refused to intervene in this matter. but justice thomas has a legitimate point. he is saying that we have a case that is scheduled that's likely to be argued at the end of april that will resolve this question.

why not leave this decision where it is effectively suspended and allow us to answer this question? that raises a point that i think many people feel was really the supreme court overstepping itself. essentially answering the question for april. but having said that this is not unheard of. the court has done this before. and indeed you've got to realize that 37 states today approve same-sex marriage that's up from 19 in 4 months. the court is not suspended those in the past. >> thomas, do you have a question? >> jonathan, as we look at this from a context ral standpoint. alabama was the last in the union the desegregate. they had a ban up until 2000 on interracial marriage. do we finally get to see from the supreme court, because it was in the late '60s that the supreme court thought we could have a colorblind. america. do you think that the supreme court believes that we're ready

for a sexuality blind america? >> i think this is the moment we've all been talking about. the supreme court has steadfastly avoided the question of same-sex marriage. even in the lawrence decision even in the windsor decision. they are really avoided this. this has been a third rail of these decisions they've jumped over. now they're ready. they've accepted four cases to be argued in april. and i don't think they will be able to avoid it. i don't think they want to. i think they want to answer it. but you also have to remember there is a case on the books, you know baker versus nelson where the courts sum merrillarirly dismissed it. the loving indicates, the supreme court got rid of the criminalization of interracial marriage. five years after loving the court addressed same-sex marriage and rejected it. so they will have to deal with that issue. >> all right. jonathan turley thank you so much. coming up this week president obama may finally ask for congress' authority for air strikes against isis.

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hey matt, what's up? i'm just looking over the company bills. is that what we pay for internet? yup. dsl is about 90 bucks a month. that's funny, for that price with comcast business, i think you get like 50 megabits. wow, that's fast. personally, i prefer a slow internet. there is something about the sweet meditative glow of a loading website. don't listen to the naysayer. switch to comcast business today and get 50 megabits per second for $89.95. comcast business. built for business.

row -- >> hundreds of them. >> stop use that picture. put that picture back up for a second. who doesn't like mika? it looks like she's at a funeral. untimely death. for three days you've been saying don't use that picture anymore. we've got 8,000 pictures. take that down. >> it's thoughtful. >> take that down. >> but, see, that's not -- come on. >> she looks like eric in a good way. >> okay. in a good way. >> i think eric might object. with us now republican congressman from wisconsin, member of the foreign affairs, sean duffy, and columnist and associate editor of "the washington post," eugene robinson. so, let me start with you, congressman congressman. >> i think mika looks great in that picture. >> thank you. he's so -- he's good at what he does. politician. >> good at getting in the way of

talking about real issues. >> not a word he's saying. >> so let's talk quickly about isis what's happening, you've got jordan actually stepping to the forefront. when are we going to have more countries step forward and do the fighting so we don't have to? >> the question is when are we going to step forward? >> did we step forward? >> we haven't yet. i think we have to call this what it is. it's a real threat. i do think you need to have the middle east engaged but at one point the president has to put out a strategy that's going to -- >> what is your strategy? >> i think at one point to say, you know, we're going to take all of our troops out of iraq. i think that was a mistake. >> lu been, so democrats can say it's bush's fault for putting us there. republicans say it's obama's fault for taking them out too quickly. we are where we are now. what do we do? >> if you're going to drop a few bombs and think you're going the defeat isis it's not going to happen. you do need some troop on the ground or special forces group need to engage. >> u.s. troops. >> yes.

because if you don't, i think what's going to come whether it's two years, three years, four years you're going to have a much larger engamement, tens of thousands of young americans are going to go to the madele east. hundreds of billions of dollars will spent. address it more easily today if you actually engage -- >> snuff it out. >> we've been talking about this for some time, you and me since 2008 2009, talking about getting out of afghanistan. but, you know the congressman is making an argument that a lot of people like john mccain were making about syria, say, three years ago. we can step in now before it gets too costly. we waited too long. i wouldn't have supported an invasion of syria. but at the same time, we have to sit back now and look and say, you know what syria could have been taken care of earlier but then it got too ugly. do we make the same argument about isis now or just stay away? >> well, the question is what do you need? if you're going to talk about some sort of modified limited

enganlgement with ground troops what are you really talking about? i frankly doubt that just putting a few spotters in and a few more trainers in wearing actual boots that are actually on the ground is going to make this huge difference. i mean yes, if we wanted to you know clear out syria, we could do it with tens of thousands of troops. but what are we going to do with 1,000 or 2,000 except put american lives at risk and, frankly, in my view not change the balance of power. >> congressman, there are probably people listening at home hear you say put in a few troops who heard the same thing before afghanistan, who heard the same thing before iraq. that was a decade and a half ago. go wipe out al qaeda, wipe out the taliban, be out. history taught us there's no such thing as small, quick, clean war. people are tired of this and they know you're not just going to go in with 1,000 troops and end this. >> i do town halls all the time.

i know in my own district and around america people are tired of war. they're tired of the middle east. but i also think this strategy isn't working. as you see, this administration i think giving isis time to expand their territory, to bring in more money and recruit more jihadists, they only strengthen. you are going to deal with it many america one day. and so do we deal with it today which is a tough political decision. it takes leadership and you've got to sell the american people on it. do you do it today or do it tomorrow when it's far more expensive? i am concerned about sending young men in but i'm a realist as well what happens down the road. >> on another topic quickly. >> there is -- there is -- there is the outlines of a de facto strategy here that we've seen emerge. the president really hasn't enuns eighted it this way but the strategy seems to be actually try to roll back isis in iraq and let what happens happen in syria and what happens

basically is that assad remains in power and rolls up the moderate syrian rebels and he fights isis he takes back his country and that seems to be the strategy. >> the point we're having a conversation about what seems to be the strategy is just the point that president doesn't have a strategy. i think a lot of people are concerned about the language that he uses me won't say radical extremeism, muslim extremism. he goes to the prayer breck tastakfast and makes comments that and people. there are a lot of democrat christians. they might be liberal on social issues, might want bigger government but they are truly offended by what he said in regard to the crusades and trying to compare to isis with their beheadings burning of people krus ficrucifying little children. >> do you really use snapchat? >> i do. all the time.

>> stay away from that. >> great way to communicate. >> really? willie and i will have to look into it. we're going to be reading your provocative new column, gene, in today's "washington post." thank you for being with us. we love having you here. rick santorum, mika coming up. >> he spoke often about his daughter bella while run for president in 2012 and now he and his wife have written a book about his daughter's impact on their lives. they join us ahead with her story. meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could soon become number one in oil. because hydraulic fracturing technology is safely recovering lots more oil and natural gas. supporting millions of new jobs. billions in tax revenue... and a new century of american energy security.

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doctors to speak candidly with their patients about. here with us now is renowned writer for the new yorker and boston surgeon dr. medicine and what matters in the end. and it's actually looking at death and dieing is one of the areas where in medicine it feels like there are so many open ended controversies and different ways of dealing with it. what do you look at in the book that addresses this? >> i puzzle over why so often we have in my own practice even we were bringing people to the end of their life. we knew it was coming, and yet we'd be surprised at the end. we would end uptaking people in intensive care thinking there's got to be one more thing that we can do. and end up actually harming people along the way. even shortening their lives in the course of bad decisions.

>> what's the percentage of health care costs that are spent on the last year of life in the united states of america? >> so a quarter of medicare costs are in the last year of life, the majority of it in the last few months. the week you're most likely to have surgery in your life is the last week of your life. that's a week when it's only causing you harm. it's not causing any benefit. and the course of writing the book and putting it on film was understanding how that happens and how it happens is that we don't recognize it. people have priorities besides just living longer. there are things that matter to them they don't want. to sacrifice. and we don't ask. one of the cases i get on film, we managed to talk to a woman as she goes through her illness and realize we haven't asked what matters to her. we finally do and she says well i want to take my grandchildren to disney. if my time is short, that's what i want to do. and the horrifying thing is it's

too late. she's too weak. we haven't even attempted to do it. >> doctor it seems like this is a great reveal about priorities for a patient and also for their doctors, but talk about what the patient needs to understand. for all of us watching about our own medical care about being our best advocates and having a plan we present to you. you say hope is not a plan. >> that's exactly right. the most important thing to understand is it's a conversation you need to have with your family and your doctor that starts with the simplest questions. what's your understanding of where you are with your illness or with your health and what matters to you most if time is short. what are you willing to sacrifice? what are you not willing to sacrifice? it's about being willing to talk about your hopes. it changes, it changes what decisions you come to. just having that discussion.

>> doctor thank you very much. "being mortal" airs tonight on most pbs stations. check your local listings. >> at the top of the hour, we have so much to talk about. the battle in isis breaking news just coming over the wires that there are jets stationed in jordan. more strikes against isis.

you have the middle east rising up against the islamic extremists over there. also the state of alabama and the battle going on. those close to them are accusing them of being bigted. still ahead, we need to figure out who is saying that about you. >> we'll be. right back. thinking about what you want to do with your money? daughter: looking at options. what do you guys pay in fees? dad: i don't know exactly. daughter: if you're not happy do they have to pay you back? dad: it doesn't really work that way. daughter: you sure? vo: are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is managed? wealth management at charles schwab. if you don't think top of my game when you think aarp, you don't know "aarp." aarp's staying sharp keeps your brain healthy with online exercises by the top minds in brain science.

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up next when old tweets come back to haunt political campaign campaigns. why jeb bush may be rethinking one of his new hires this morning. . .

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♪ ♪ welcome back to "morning joe." we have a lot going on today. bobby jindal is coming in in a few minutes. and we also have breaking news that we're going to be getting to. we have been talking this morning about a couple things. one obviously is real in the

speech of ben min netanyahu. talking about the event i went to last night, the "selma" screening. the president of the university it was great being back there but you get out and you actually see something unwind a law being ignored by the supreme court justice in alabama and unfortunately brings back too many memories from a different time. >> yeah, and things are changing quickly. i think alabama needs to catch up. >> they are changing quickly, and most of the people of alabama understand this but you know this is governance 101. when benjamin franklin walked

out he asked are we going to have a republic or monarchy and he responded a republic if you can keep it. we have kept that republic through a lot of it tough times, through slavery, a civil war, 18 depressions and recessions, through jim crow laws, the internment of hundreds of thousands of americans it's continued. but we have always stumbled forward as a nation but we have done it toward a more perfect union and we have done that not because we're exceptionally blameless. we have done that because we're exceptionally exceptionally aspirational. america has remained for over two centuries of trying a nation of laws. we are first a nation of laws. no matter how much you and i hate flag burning, no matter how much you and i are repulsed by

nazi marches, no matter how much you and i disagree with spraem court rulings, and you may not disagree with the ruling in question, i know as do you, as do all of us here that we have survived over two centuries because the law of the land still rules us all. and bluntly, if we don't like how federal judges are making laws there's a way to get around that and it's not be defying the federal government. it's by winning elections and appointing judges that actually share your view of what america should be, what our society should be and what the constitution of the united states should be and how it should be interpreted. much going on in alabama is an embarrassment to a a state that

i love and adore, and the university of alabama is one of the few places i go back to and i still tear up when i go on campus. it is a really really special place. some of the judges there that are ignoring the constitution of the united states, even though i understand your concern with the ruling and i had some of the same concerns that gives you no right to ignore the law of the land. it gives you no right to ignore everything you were taught in law school. and it gives you no right to cast a shadow over the state of alabama. i really quickly want to ask mark halperin you received a couple e-mails simply because you were stating two journalists in new york and washington and l.a. don't say and that's an understanding of why the people of alabama could be upset by what they are now being forced to do. >> there's upset there, but it's

not just listening to what the supreme court says and understand ing understanding the role the court plays, but it's the additional role to expand individual liberty. i think the good news for those who see the march of freedom and equal opportunity and protection is what happened yesterday suggests not just five votes for the supreme court to make same-sex marriage legal, i think six votes. you'll have the four liberal justices and people cannot stand in the way not just of a ruling but individual liberties getsing expanded by the court, that matters a lot. that's the direction the country has always gone in. gay and lesbians have been last to receive the protections that other americans have. this is an important moment even as we can understand and respect some people are not dealing with this morally the way others in the country are.

>> a lot of people not only in alabama but across the country disagree with the supreme court's been saying. i ha been quite surprised myself that it's moved as quickly. that being said, the law of the land is the law of the land 37. we need to turn to the break breaking news. nbc news confirmed that the uea successfully launched airstrikes against isis from a base in jordan this morning. it's the arab country's first attacks since they were halted in december. kyra simmons joins us with more. what are you hearing about the air strikes so far? >> reporter: the uae is saying those f-16s took off from a base in jordan that we were attiest. and it successfully cared out this mission to attack isis targets and then those planes returned safely to base.

it is part of an effort that is being made by the king of jordan to build a grow inging alliance against isis. i think here officials are very pleased that they have managed to get. the uae to get on board and send their very advanced f-16s here and take part in this campaign. meanwhile just to let you know another developing story, we are hearing from the jordanen government sources that thousands of military have been sent to the border of jordan and iran. they are there to defend that border, to protect that border but another development in this fast-moving series of events in the fight against isis. >> keir, how remarkable is it that he stepped up?

a man not expected to survive and. suggested about a year ago he might not survive the year is leading the fight not only in the the middle east but apparently across the world against isis? >> reporter: that's right, it's a truism. in politics it's all about events and that's true in diplomacy as well. here what has happened, what has really shifted things as we have talked about before, is that this killing of the jordanen pilot and the way he was killed has brought about a real shift in sensement in this region at least for now it appears. and the king is to bring about this coalition and a great determination to tackle isis. that's something that they are doing unitedly.

the queen made a televised appeal to leaders to unite in the fight against terrorism overnight. so they do seem to be using this opportunity, if you like to really say, come on let's pull together and deal with this very difficult situation on our border. >> thank you so much we appreciate you being on this morning as always. louisiana governor bobby jindal is joining us. let me start with a very subtle question. are you going to run for president? >> look i'm thinking about it. i will tell you anybody that's thinking about running needs to be thinking about the serious challenges. for example, i unveiled a plan on education. how do we restore equal opportunity for all students with getting the federal government out of the local classrooms. we have done plans on energy independence --

>> let's stick with education first. then we'll keep going. you talked about education. jeb bush getting hammered by activists because he supported common core. you also supported. what changed? >> we were told this was going to be a voluntary state-led effort. i'm all for high standards and voluntary. that's not what common core became. instead it became a top down one size fits all approach.

>> how did that happen? >> you look at the way the standards were developed. they didn't have public input. there was no chance you have copyrighted standards. there was no chance for input from a higher educational officials or parents or teachers. then you have the federal government come in and say if you want race to the top funding, if you want no child left behind you have to adopt common core. >> they were supposed to be voluntary. >> 85% of the standards you're not allowed to change. so it stopped being voluntary,

but you look at the content of the standards and any of us with young school children my boy brought home the math homework but. the way common core makes you show your work is counterintuitive. a lot of math professors say why are we frustrating kids. >> so jeb bush supports common core. he's going to make this a key issue. is that a mistake and what does

that say about him? >> voters get to decide. those who want to make the argument that the federal government should be more involved in education whether it's curriculum or standards, they should make that case. the voters should get to hear that debate. i think when the congress is talking about reauthorizing no child left behind, why not block grant the dollars. they don't have any business makeing curriculum. >> is jeb bush a big government republican? >> those that want the federal government more involved in education, go make that case. i also disagree with no child left behind.

the good news is you and i won't get to decide this. the voters will get to decide this. if they want a republican candidate that's against common core i'm sure there will be more than one. >> you were called a broken record. louisiana's have been problematic because they are caused by bobby jindal's tax cuts which blew such a hole in the budget that even spending

cuts haven't made up the gap. articles in "the new york times" and politico have detailed the fiscal tremendous vails including a possible 40% operating budget cut and increase in tuition of 90% during your time in office. jindal has raided funds and resorted to the gimmicks that he once criticized. is that true? >> no, it's great. that i'm being criticized, that will only help me back home. >> isn't it interesting this a appears to be the time for everybody to jump on you. you also had your own senator david vitter a guy you have worked with in the past who is also coming out criticizing you. >> let's look at what the truth is. i campaigned on the promise we were going to it will come out february 27th. they have a continuation budget. folks like to say if you're not growing fast enough you're cutting. they actually look at the reductions of the budget. it's going to be based on the oil revenue. there will be other tax increases. but we have thot raised taxes. we're going to do it again. the important thing is to continue to grow the economy.

>> we're running out of time. gene robinson, i know bobby, i like bobby, he's a politician just like i have been a politician. you come on with your talking points, but he's said something that really struck me. we have been talking about how chris christie had eight credit down ratings in new jersey. bobby has just said eight upgrades. talk is cheap, talking points are talking points but you stack louisiana up to new jersey, that's pretty strong in a republican debate. >> that's very strong in a republican debate. you have a better credit rateing, so what does it get you in the end for the voters? and so if the governor would answer that one question is lsu going to have a big budget cut? that would be one question we could get the answer to right

now. are they going to have a big budget cut and end up having a 90% tuition increase under your administration? >> i will add one thing too. if you guys do have a big budget cut, if you could limit it to your football program, i would greatly appreciate it. roll tide. i'm going to get tough. gene asks a good question. are you going to cut fund inging for lsu and is it going to cost more to go to lsu? >> i didn't see the 90% number. we have the one of the lowest tuition rates in the country. >> what is it? >> it's certainly well under $10,000 when you look at fees and housing. it's cheaper than other schools in the south. it's second lowest in the south, one of the lowest in the country. we're proposing our budget on february 27th. we're going to tell the legislation not to focus

reductions in higher education. that has to do more with they protect so many pots of money. here's the bigger point. we have our economy is growing. people are voting with their feet. they are earning a higher income than ever before. more people living there than ever before. we have transformed our health care system. these are the big changes we were elected to do. "the new york times" wants you to grow the government. that's not the answer. >> i hate to ask that question about tuition costs. you hate those questions. mark halperin -- >> there's tops for most students we end up paying their tuition. >> get rid of the football program and you'll save a lot of money.

>> who has been the best american president since ronald reagan and why? >> obviously, i think ronald reagan has been the best president. you're asking me since reagan we have had two republicans and two democrats. there are pros and cons. george w. bush did an admirable job protecting our country after 9/11. i disagree with some of the spending decisions. i think when you look -- i disagree with no child left behind. i have never been a fan of that bill. i think with part d it would have been good to put premium support in medicare. but ultimately president bush's presidency was redefined because o of what happened on 9/11. his primary responsibility was to keep us safe. he did that. there were a lot of criticisms of his administration but you have to give him credit. he responded to the biggest challenge of our day.

president obama has been the most liberal and extreme president growing the size of government. president bush sr. is an honorable man who led a great international coalition in iraq but if i had to pick between those presidents, president bush because of the biggest challenge. >> we have to go but i have to ask you very quickly and give us a a quick response. isis, we know what republicans think the president has done wrong with isis. . you're commander-in-chief today, the generals don't come in to ask what president obama did wrong. they ask what do we do to stop the threat? >> we could be working more closely with the kurds. we need to do more to arm them and coordinateing with them. it was an effective combination of air strikes and kurdish fighters on the ground. we're doing more to work with

our turkish allies. the battle against isis, they don't know if we're committed for the long run. they feel that they are willing to go after isis if they have the understanding that america will not cut. not only to beating isis, but seeing a regime change which the president says he's for but hasn't committed to. >> thank you so much. still ahead, rick and karen santorum join us with their story of love and family. plus you can't say that on television. actors eugene levy and katherine o'hara is here with their new project.

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political action committee is facing some criticism this morning for a series of offensive tweets made several years ago. the co-founder of hipster.com was hired as the chief technology officer for the right rise pac. he deleted about two dozen tweets from 2009 to 2011 that included insults about women and gays. one tweet said quote, new study confirms old belief art majors are -- but uglier. another said most people don't know that halloween is german for night that girls with low

self-esteem dress like --. another deleted tweet said when i burp in the gym i feel like it's my way of saying sorry guys, but i'm not gay. he tweeted an apology saying i deleted old jokes i made years ago that i no longer find funny or appropriate #learning #learning #maturing. >> a spokesman says governor bush believes these comments were inappropriate and have been deleted at our request. we're excited to have him on the board. i think if it was a company and this happened, he'd be gone. i think those were really offensive tweets and really cruel and really beyond base and childish, but also just wrong.

and they are not old tweets. how old is twitter. ? >> it's not like this guy was 14 and he's 38 now. really offensive. >> mean to women. >> it raises questions about judgment. we're going to have lots of candidates in this race who are going to hire people and i think the condemnation needs to be stronger than it was. >> i don't think inappropriate really matches. i'm the last guy -- i'm just not easily easily offended by many things. >> his sense of women and their value is basically on their appearance, their sexual appearance. that's the way that guy thinks. he did a lot in those few tweets. >> i don't get it. >> it's beyond inappropriate.

the condemnation of it needs to be stronger. >> needs to be stronger from the organization and certainly from jeb bush. when we come back, we're going to be going live to pakistan. obviously, country with extraordinary political ramifications and geopolitical ramifications. kim katas, she's so polite kim is on the other side of the break. >> we'll be right back. my advice for healthy looking radiant skin. a good night's sleep... and aveeno®. [ female announcer ] only aveeno® positively radiant has an active naturals® total soy formula. it helps reduce the look of brown spots in just four weeks. aveeno®. naturally beautiful results™. i make a lot of purchases for my business. and i get a lot in return

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welcome back to "morning joe." 33 past the hour, nbc news confirmed this morning that uae fighter jets attacked isis from a base in jordan. president obama could authorize new military force against isis as early as today. joining us now from pakistan is bbc correspondent kim katas. want to talk to you about turning points and whether we might see one with the u.s. and what yao doing in pakistan. are you getting the sense that the murder of the jordanian pilot was a significant turning

point in the fight against isis? >> reporter: in many ways yes, because we saw in the days following the murder of the pilot how jordan reacted, first with the execution of the two men and women who were on death row and the 56 that they conducted over the last couple days. reports of them moving troops closer to iraq there was a real rallying and outpouring of anger. what what're seeing now is the show of force and defiance. i'm not sure beyond the government awakening whether there's a national awakening against what isis represents. i think it's still too soon to tell.

jordan is in a precares position. beyond the fight against isis, what countries like jordan and the uae are going to have to address at some point is what beyond isis and what about the war that continues in syria, which is a real rallying call for the people who run this so-called islamic state. >> i want to hear what you're reporting on in pakistan. there's the fight against militants in pakistan. was the mass murder of the school children two months ago a turning point for that country? >> reporter: you know, turning points are a very interesting thing just like we were talking about jordan. i think in many cases it's often the idea of action relation of disasters that bring a country to a turning point. that's what i think we are seeing in pakistan at this time. i was here last year. i have been here for a week now.

you see bits here and there. more and more people talking about the need to reclaim their country frommilitants, reclaim mosques from people. i'm not sure it amounts to a long-lasting trend, but certainly i'm seeing positive signs that there is a national awakening to some extent. if pakistan doesn't really get its act together this time after the attack then it's just not going to happen. i spent the day yesterday with the first recruit to the elite force of the police command in a very conservative providence here. these recruits were women. it goes to show that if even in a region where people feel that women should perhaps mostly stay at home, you have husbands and fathers who support these women getting involved in such work in such police work i think

that does tell you something about the very slowly changing mind set in pakistan. we have to see whether it's a long-lasting trend. >> kim, thank you so much, we appreciate it. we'll see you soon. we turn now to former senator rick santorum and his wife karen santorum. they are co-authors of the new book "bella's gift." it's good to see you both. under very different circumstances. i have followed you around on the campaign trail chasing you all over iowa. but we got to know each other and obviously know your story. we know bella's story. for our viewers and for the sake of this book. give us a sense. born seven years ago with a form of downs sin drom. >> it's a genetic syndrome where they have an extra chromosome. >> i want to hear about why you put this into words. first, i couldn't get over what

your daughter wrote about love and learning to love through bella. >> every chapter of the book begins with the word love because bella, it's 18 chapters and it's all about how she impacted our family. it was a difficult struggle but sometimes that's what it takes to sacrifice to love. >> before anyone thinks this is a political thing, you have to read the book because it's not pretty what you all went through and there were a lot of very painful things that you share about learning to love learning about love and also perhaps learning to deal with what was an incredible challenge in different ways as a married couple. who wants to take that? >> husbands and wives, moms and dads go through some really tough struggles. it's so important to know that you forgive, you work things

out, you heal and you're in this together. that's how it was. it was really hard. >> but it was different how you all dealt with accepting. >> we started out writing this book -- we write it separately together. she writes 11 chapters, i wrote 7 chapters because we felt writing a blended version was not real talking about the struggles struggles. we didn't write this as a marriage book but it's really a marriage book. temperatures how we dealt with coming from very different places. >> the challenges in accepting each other's different reactions to this, can either of you put it into words. >> this is very typical for parents. i think just because you grieve differently, you recognize the differences and know the intentions are all good and just stick together through it all. >> we don't sugar coat it

because we thought it was important for people to see. you see rick and karen santorum and everything is all great and wonderful, perfect family. we had a lot of tiff times. i was dealing with it in a way that really hurt karen. it really hurt her to the core that she felt like i wasn't connecting the way i needed to. she was ultimately right, surprise, surprise. that's the process. >> i was really moved by something you wrote about when bella arrived. you didn't get the same kind of reaction from people. it broke my heart. >> for anyone out there, everyone is struggling. >> when a baby comes, you get flowers and letters and everybody is so excite edd. >> it's important for people to recognize. >> what happened when bella came? >> it was just silence. that hurt more than anything.

there were family and friends who were there in a big way, but there was so much silence as if they didn't even recognize her life u. some people didn't even until months later. it was like she had to prove herself to be alive. >> here she was 3 pounds. >> people don't know what to do. that's the other reason we felt we had to write this. here's what we went through and the pain that we felt. read this understand that sometimes just saying anything just being there to affirm that the value of that life is just so important to a family who is struggling with that at that point in time. >> there are different strategies of handling having a baby with special needs. i think this book can really help people see the struggle. >> absolutely. we were so helped and fortified by other people's stories. so we thought we would write the

book. i tried writing if for years. i kept a diary and every time i would try to write it i would sit there crying and i couldn't do it. it's a very transparent book to help people. >> it's not a political book that's for sure. >> i was riveted actually. i think you guys are a tremendous family. i know it hasn't been easy. thank you for writing the book. the book is "bella's gift: how one little girl transformed our family and inspired a nation." thank you so much. great to see you. >> see you on the campaign trail? >> we'll see. still ahead, a tv show with a name wi can't even say. we can't. it happens though. they join us next. [ male announcer ] we know they're out there. you can't always see them. but it's our job to find

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innovation? >> there are people here from the government. >> it's crazy. people are just like taking our stuff. >> a very small amount set aside for you and one asset the government has allowed you to retain. >> the children are dependents. >> you bought a small town in 19 91. >> i bought that for my son. >> you can live there until you get. back on your feet. >> that town is the name of the brand new sit come debuting tomorrow night on pop. it rhymes with its creek. i just did.

joining us the stars of the new show catherine o'hara and eugene levy. >> here's the thing. the name of the show it is actually a legitimate family sir name. we just discovered that there is an actual little town in ireland that is actually called that. >> good. so it doesn't end there, though with the catchy title that you can't say. let's talk about the show. you all lose a lot of money, gain a lot of money. >> lose everything. it's a very wealthy family that loses everything.

a business manager who left them holding the bag for years of unpaid taxes, the government comes in and takes everything except this little depressing little town that they once purchased as a joke because the name of the town is that. and the only place they can afford to live is in this town. >> while it is a joke for a 16-year-old son, they didn't even go look at this town. just the name. >> hilarious. sometimes when you hit rock bottom, you're up the creek. are you all married in the program? >> yes. >> how does that go when you lose everything? >> not particularly well for your character. >> but i have handled it pretty well not making your life hell. life is already hell for all of

us. i'm not doing well in the town at all. >> her character is also a former soap opera actress -- >> and capable of so many other things. >> but she deals with everything in a dramatic actressy kind of way. it really makes it kind of fun. i'm just trying to keep an even keel. >> is a lot of it ad libbing? you have worked together. good chemistry, i guess. but it's not known. >> it's not an improvised show. it's a scripted show. >> came up with you and your son? >> that's right. came up with it with my son daniel who came maybe about three years ago came up and said, you want to work on a show together.

i kind of just near died. that was great. and i was excited. he plays my son. >> he's good. he's really good. >> so you favorite of all the things you've done together what's your favorite movie? >> there really is a couple. "best in show" was fun. >> i love that my character was every man i had been with i had the best sex of my life. and eugene's character would have to stand there. >> and i had a chance to react to it all. listening to every detail which is what i love to do which is react. "a mighty wind" was a great film for us too. it was just music there and had had a nice emotional

underpinning, which you don't usually find a lot in my work in particular. >> and lovely to have with an old friend where you play characters with a long history to be able to bring whatever is in there. >> as the mom in "home alone" you are watched every christmas and will be for decades and decades. >> i love that. i love being a part of that. >> you were just talking about how filming that scene at 30 rock where the christmas tree was up. >> you look like you're still in awe of it all. >> on the way here we were talking about shooting a movie. i don't know how many i had done at that point. but shooting outside at night. >> the show premiers wednesday night on pop. thank you so much. eugene levy and catherine

o'hara, it was nice to see you. >> fun to be here. >> back in a moment. before larry instantly transferred money from his bank of america savings account to his merrill edge retirement account. before he opened his first hot chocolate stand calling winter an "underserved season". and before he quit his friend's leaf-raking business for "not offering a 401k." larry knew the importance of preparing for retirement. that's why when the time came he counted on merrill edge to streamline his investing and help him plan for the road ahead. that's the power of streamlined connections. that's merrill edge and bank of america. we're in seattle to see which 100 calorie black cherry greek yogurt tastes best. definitely that one. that one's delicious. it's yoplait!

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so tomorrow on "morning joe," we have david axelrod. also david, you interviewed him

before. >> america fe ra ra is on tomorrow too. >> i'm going to wear a different color pair of pants. >> i like the peach pants. >> these are not peach. they are gator orange. we'll be right back with what we learned. it's unbelievable. another monster snowstorm for the boston area. officially 23 inches. this is two storms in two weeks that make it into the top ten all-time. their records go back 120 years. today today's forecast, look at the middle of the country. still enjoying a warm winter. apology accepted. i'm watching you soup people. make it progresso or make it yourself

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[ female announcer ] we help make secure financial tomorrows a reality for over 19 million people. [ susan ] my promotion allowed me to start investing for my retirement. transamerica made it easy. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica. transform tomorrow. welcome back to "morning joe." i learned that bobby jindal

should not be underestimated. he's one of the smartest politicians i think we have interviewed. i asked him a question about isis. most governors will stumble around. the guy knows his issues. >> underestimate at your peril. he's really smart. >> a lot of politicians off the air really underestimating him. >> wrap it up. >> you're eating those chooer owes like you're in a unicef program. >> you get to eat your breakfast on the air. >> if it's "way too early" it's "morning joe." "the rundown" is next. it will change your life. good morning, i'm jose diaz-balart. first on "the rundown," we may be on the verge of a major escalation in the fight with isis terroristist. nbc news. confirming this morning that jordan has sent thousands of ground