of north carolina chapel hill is in court right now. police say 46-year-old craig stephen hicks shot a den psychiatry student, his wife and sister in an apartment complex last night. the oldest was 23 the yungest, 19. he turned himself in and was charged with three counts of first degree murder. police say the killing may have been motivated by a personal dispute. and in a just released statement, chapel hill police say our preliminary investigation indicates that the crime was motivated by an on-going neighbor dispute over parking. but they go on to say we understand the concerns about the possibility this was a hate motivated crime, and we will exhaust every lead to determine what they need to do in this case. joining me now, jolisa jones, a correspondent for usa today.

you saw the statement regarding the preliminary investigation. they believe this may have been a personal dispute. i know that you have spoken with a number of students concerned that this could be something more here. >> hi tamron. yes. i am not here to debate the veracity of hicks' claim, i rather like to talk about cultural ethos and how it works to justify violence against certain bodies against muslims. i think the sentiment on campus resounding sentiment is this was an act of terrorism, this wasn't about an on-going parking dispute. >> what information are you hearing or getting that points to that. >> these were three muslim american students and the man accused or charged with murdering them craig hicks, he was actually a white atheist and made several anti-religious

statements on his facebook pointing out and criticizing ideology of many muslim communities. >> i know on campus twitter #muslimlivesmatter generated comments from students as well. what is the school saying beyond what authorities are saying who are investigating this. >> chancellor full released preliminary statement saying our thoughts are with the u.n. c students who passed saying they would expound more on that statement after they heard more from police. that's all we have so far. >> there was a statement from the council on american islamic relations, director releasing a statement saying based on the brutal nature of this crime, past anti-religion statements of the alleged perpetrator, religious attire of two of the victims and the rising anti-muslim rhetoric in american society, we urge state and federal law enforcement

authorities to quickly address speculation of a possible bias motive in this case. do you have any idea on when we will be provided more information? >> we don't have updates. the carolina alert system is set up to give more details as they come in. one of the concerns i want to brooch students had is this happened yesterday at 5:11:00 p.m. students weren't informed until 7:00 p.m. it speaks to we feel like there's always a delay, we feel when the victims are people of color, and we feel that says something about chapel hill police department and something that's very concerning and frustrating for students of color who feel like our lives are being devalued and our lives take the back seat when these incidents occur. >> we should point out nbc news hasn't confirmed the suspect's background and history. we are working to get more information on who the man is. there is a vigil for the victims tonight at 7:00 p.m. in chapel hill. we will keep the audience up to

date on the entire investigation as well as concerns of students on campus. thank you. to another breaking story. following opening statements got under way a short time ago in trial of the iraq war veteran accused of killing chris kyle former navy s.e.a.l. whose life was depicted in "american sniper." eddie ray routh faces capital murder charges for the death of kyle and chad littlefield two years ago. today would have been littlefield's 38th birthday. police say he shot and killed them at a gun range. routh's family says they were helping him deal with post traumatic stress disorder. the defense plans insanity plea. but prosecutor nash says he intentionally killed kyle and littlefield. >> in the end, we believe the key evidence guides you on two critical issues and that is he intentionally caused deaths of

the two men, and when he did so did he know what he was doing was wrong. those are the two ultimate issues. >> kyle's wife and littlefield's mother are expected to be the first witnesses today. nbc's charles hadlock joins me from stevenville, texas. in his opening statements, charles, we learned from the prosecutor today and his statements that the victims were shot with different guns both shot repeatedly in the back and according to the prosecutor the gun kyle appeared to have been firing at the shooting range was empty, suggesting that routh waited until kyle would not be able to defend himself before shooting. >> reporter: that's what it looks like in the opening statements. the prosecution is outlining its case. they say that kyle was shot five times in the back once in the side. and littlefield shot another four or five times with a different caliber gun.

they claim eddie routh reloaded that navy s.e.a.l. issued gun belonging to kyle and left the shooting range, and went to his sister's house where he confessed to the murders, then wanted to escape to oklahoma. his sister called police instead. a police chase ensued routh later crashed the car and was arrested by police. when he was interviewed by texas rangers, he admitted to the crime saying he knew what he did was wrong. that's going to be key in this case because the defense is trying to put up a case of insanity. in texas you can be insane. if you know what you're doing is wrong, you cannot be not guilty by reason of insanity. that's going to be a key issue in this case. the defense attorney right now, tim moore, is in the courtroom addressing the jury. he just told the jury that his client is in the grips of a psychosis. >> as i mentioned, charles, chris kyle's wife taya will be

one of the first witnesses on the stand. certainly that will be an emotional moment for jurors to witness. she has made the rounds while the film was being promoted as well as when the book was first released, telling her story, and their relationship. tell us a little more of what they're expecting her to say on the witness stand. >> reporter: she will talk about his life what he was doing, trying to help people like ray routh. in fact the foundation that kyle started issued a statement today saying a part of the american way of life includes our justice system which is not perfect, but is the best in the world. the family has the utmost confidence that a fair and just verdict will result from the upcoming murder trial. >> charles hadlock live for us thank you, charles. developing now as expected president obama has now sent a letter to congress asking for

authority to use military force against isis. the white house says the president will speak at 3:30 eastern time. we will bring you the president's remarks on msnbc. the president's request says isis quote, poses a grave threat. nbc news has learned it prohibits use of quote, enduring offensive ground forces. a request from the president about isis so-called american boots on the ground includes time limit of three years. so far the president relied on congressional authority given to president bush after 9/11 to conduct the u.s. led air strikes against isis that started last august. now, the president's request comes a day after confirmation of the death of the american aid worker kayla mueller who was being held hostage by isis. joining me now, jeanne shaheen from new hampshire, a member of the senate foreign relations and armed services committee. thank you so much, senator, for your time. >> nice to be with you. >> as i mentioned in the

president's request, he refers to isis as posing a grave threat. i know you and many others have been concerned about how far or how deep the president would like to go in combatting isis which does not according to this letter include boots on the ground, a major concern for you and others. >> well i think it is important for us to have this debate in congress. i have been calling for us to do this since last september, and in fact foreign relations committee produced in last session of congress its own aumf. so i think it is very important for the president to come forward to congress to ask us to take action. it is important to america as we are putting more resources back into the middle east, to the men and women fighting the battle against terrorism for us to have this debate to make sure that they know we support what they're doing. >> you said in the past you favor a ban on using american

boots on the ground except in limited defined circumstances. can you elaborate on that for me? >> what i said is i oppose sending tens of thousands of american troops back into the middle east. now, the president has obviously been willing or they touted the fact they have been willing to limit the president's authority in this aumf so i look forward to hearing the debate about that. there's a real question about the language and to what extent that opens america up to any president, this president or the next president about putting many more ground troops back into the middle east. >> the committee chair, your colleague in the senate is critical of the fight against isis. here is what he said about the latest development here. >> this is a chance for us to have an impact on how we move

ahead in iraq and in syria, where all of us understand at present there is no ground game there is no pathway. today we are speaking of strategy of containment. what we can hope to do is to shape this in a different way, so the thing that happened to kayla and happened to so many other people does not happen again. >> do you believe there's no real ground game coming from the administration senator? >> well we have. i supported the train and equip mission for opposition syrian fighters. we are waiting to see what the outcome of that will be but the important thing is that an aumf gives us the opportunity to stand united against these terrorists who killed kayla mueller, who killed james foley, who is from new hampshire, who killed other americans in such a horrible way, and we need to show the world that we are united against them. >> senator jeanne shaheen, thank

you so much. greatly appreciate your time. again, we will be hearing from the president about his request for authorization to use military force against isis. he speaks from the roosevelt room of the white house at 3:30 eastern time. watch those remarks live on msnbc. this morning her family her hometown and the entire nation mourning the death of 26-year-old aid worker kayla mueller. it is still unclear how or when she died and while isis claims she was killed in a building demolished in a jordanian air strike last week the white house and jordan say that's unfounded. "the new york times" reports they sent her family at least three photographs of her body. grief stricken family members paid tribute to her yesterday in her hometown of prescott arizona. >> at a young age kayla knew her passion, she knew her calling. a lot of people never have the opportunity to say that.

kayla's calling was to help those that were suffering, whether in the hometown of prescott or on the other side of the world. she has done more in her incredible 26 years than any could imagine doing in their lifetime. >> i am not yet sure how to live in a world without kayla. but i do know that we are all living in a better world because of her. >> nbc's joe fryer joins us live from kayla's hometown of prescott arizona. joe, do we know more about plans to pay tribute and remember what sounds like a remarkable young woman? >> reporter: truly remarkable. from friends and relatives, how deep an impact she had. we are waiting for more details, plans are under way to find different ways to honor her, includes at her college, at her alma-mater, northern arizona university an hour and a half from here a lot of people are talking about that letter that she wrote. it has touched so many hearts. in that letter which she

apparently wrote last spring while in captivity, said she was in safe location healthy, and treated with respect. and one quote that stands out, she was talking to her parents. she said the thought of your pain is the source of my own, simultaneously, the hope of our reunion is the source of my strength. we are hearing from local politicians, including congressmen from kayla's hometown senator john mccain, about efforts taking place the last year and a half to find a way to secure her release. we know they have been talking with contacts overseas. we know there was unsuccessful special operations mission last july. u.s. government believes they just missed getting kayla by a day or two. there's talks of a prisoner swap and ransom being paid but the u.s. is sticking by its policy of not paying ransom to terrorists. tamron? >> thank you very much. developing now, nypd officer indicted for killing an update

unarmed black man in brooklyn new york is turning himself in today. the latest on that case. and jon stewart's bombshell announcement, the comedian calling it quits from "the daily show." >> this show doesn't deserve an even slightly restless host. in my heart i know it is time for someone else to have that opportunity. >> much more of his emotional statement and what will he do next. plus jeb bush's bumpy week his effort at transparency goes wrong as his tech officer resigned after controversial tweets emerge. it is in the first read today. join the conversation online. find my team @newsnation. find me on twitter, facebook, and instagram.

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nbc news anchor brian williams was suspended for six months. the decision announced in a statement by the nbc news president. the suspension follows two weeks of scrutiny and uncertainty in the wake of comments williams made about his experience in the early days of the iraq war in 2003. here is nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: brian williams has been suspended without pay for six months as anchor and managing editor of nbc's nightly news. a role he had since 2004. the nbc president announced it tuesday, saying williams misrepresented events regarding an incident that occurred in his coverage of the iraq war in 2003. she called that wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in brian's position. in this report in 2003 williams did not say the helicopter he was in took fire. >> on the ground. we learned the chinook ahead of

us was almost blown out of the sky. >> reporter: but he told david letterman he was on a chopper hit. >> two of four helicopters were hit by ground fire including the one i was in. >> reporter: a week and a half ago on nightly news he paid tribute to major tim tur pack who helped him after they landed. >> when the helicopter we were in was forced down after being hit by rpg. >> reporter: soldiers on the helicopters in 2003 questioned that account, leading to the on air apology a week ago. >> i want to apologize. i said i was traveling in an aircraft that was hit by rpg fire. i was instead in a following aircraft. >> reporter: in addition to the suspension, nbc news says internal review is on-going. stating in addition we have concerns about comments outside nbc news while he talked about experiences in the field. it is widely reported questions were raised about comments williams made regarding coverage

of hurricane katrina, claims he saw a body floating outside his hotel in new orleans' french quarter. >> he is an outstanding journalist, a great anchor man, all those things i have great respect for him, but i do think this was an instance where you can't find an excuse for it that's why nbc had to act. >> steve burke, ceo of nbc universal, parent company of nbc news said by his actions brian jeopardized the trust millions place in nbc news. his actions inexcusable and suspension severe and appropriate. brian's life's work is delivering the news. i know brian loves his country, nbc news, and his dregcolleagues deserves a second chance and are rooting for him. brian shared his deep remorse with me and is committed to winning back everyone's trust. >> that was peter alexander reporting. and lester holt will continue to substitute anchor the "nbc nightly news." now to reaction to jon

stewart's announcement he is leaving "the daily show." he said that after almost 17 years, it was time to go. >> in my heart i know it is time for someone else to have that opportunity. no. i love the people here they're the best. they're creative collaborative, kind, and that's i will lit rative but it is cheating but you understand what i am saying. i love and respect them so much. >> we love you, jon. >> no! >> what is this fluid? what are these feelings? oh. >> this morning jon stewart and "the daily show" are among the top trends on twitter. there have been more than 300,000 tweets about both since the news was announced. with me to talk more about it

senior editor of hollywood eric garner. were you stunned by the news? >> very surprised. i mean in some ways it makes sense because i think that he came back from his break after taking some time off to direct rose water, as he says a little restless, he saw a bit of life outside the studio and maybe got a taste of things. he has been doing this 16 years. that's a long time. i can quite understand it from his position, but certainly it is a shock to go into next year's election without a voice like jon stewart. >> absolutely. that doesn't mean his voice won't come out in some way, maybe not in the form of the show we've grown to love "the daily show," but for example senator elizabeth warren tweeted out washington is rigged for the big guys no person has more consistently called them out for it than jon stewart. i read into that knowing jon stewart, who could imagine he would sit on the sideline with

such an important election coming up. >> absolutely. there's a lot of important things to say. he brought a great voice, one with graph i tas, comedic sense, perspective. whoever fills his seat is going to do well but it will be on the shoulders of jon stewart paved. >> it is not like for example, when late night with david letterman or tonight show loses a host that show is an iconic brand. it seems that "the daily show" became jon stewart. we are more curious the day after what he will do next as opposed to who will fill his seat. >> yeah. it might be some time before we know what jon stewart is going to do. he calls it kind of retirement. and i can see him getting involved in a bunch of projects but i don't necessarily see him taking another big role on television. i think he could do some production work. and it is going to be also interesting to see who fills the

comedy central "the daily show" slot. >> let me play more on what he said about plans for what he may do next. let's play that. >> i don't have any specific plans, got a lot of ideas, i got a lot of things in my head. i'm going to have dinner on a school night with my family who i have heard from multiple sources are lovely people. >> of course using humor to soften. when you hear him say i have a lot of ideas in my head after 17 years, someone so creative someone so forward thinking to your point, that he would stick around that long is a surprise because you have to know that he is chomping at the bit to do something beyond directing, which he did a great job with. >> he could do whatever he wants really, the world is his oyster. if he wanted to run for

congress, that would get support. he has written books, has done standup, film certainly whatever he wants to do. that's what he is going to pursue. he is going to pursue his passion rather than just ambition, money, fame. he has all those things now. >> thank you for joining me. greatly appreciate it. have a good one. up next chicago's jackie robinson west the little league team that captured so many hearts. the team has been stripped of the u.s. championship title. one of the stories we are following around the "newsnation." and here is what's happening today, wednesday, february 11th. this hour at the white house, president obama will meet with supporters of the u.s. response to the ebola outbreak. in the afternoon, the president will discuss progress and next steps in the effort to fight that virus. in florida, spacex and the air force make a new attempt at launching a rocket carrying a satellite that will research space, weather, and climate. and tonight is the drawing for the huge powerball jackpot

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developing now in new york city, police officers expected to be arraigned in just a few hours in the shooting death of an unarmed black man inside a brooklyn housing project. that shooting happened last november. a grand jury voted yesterday to indict officer peter lange in the shooting death of a 28-year-old. according to authorities, the officer and partner were doing a floor by floor sweep of the building november 20th. they say the officer had the gun drawn when he and his girlfriend entered the stairwell, one floor below the officer, opened fire, hitting the victim in the chest. the shooting came at a volatile time with tension brewing nationwide over deaths of unarmed black men involving

officers michael brown eric garner. the decision not to indict came weeks after gurl ee's death. trymaine lee we expect a news conference and more details on what exactly the officer was charged with. >> right. right now we don't know what the officer will be charged with. you can expect brooklyn district attorney ken thompson to offer that he will conduct a full investigation. when he ran, he ran on equitable prosecutions. as early as february 3rd another officer was indicted for a beating and kicking of a drug suspect. i think ken thompson will say they're going to investigate thoroughly prostitute authorizeecute it thoroughly. >> the family attorney says this is the first step in a fight for justice. the mayor issued a statement saying no matter the specific charges, the case is an unspeakable tragedy for the

gurley family. we urge everyone to respect the judicial process as it unfolds. and many other reactions as well. >> that's right. some were concerned this case was by all accounts a tragic accident, but other cases, the garner case captured on video, man being choked to death, no indictment. in this case which again, coninfluence of circumstances, he was in the stairway because the elevator wasn't working, dark because the light is burned out. folks are feeling good about it it is a step in the right direction in terms of justice. what about other cases, what about many that happened already. >> some questions you pointed out, this case including position of individuals, where they were this officer was a rookie and that right after the incident had taken place, according to "new york daily news," the officer notified the union representatives of the shooting before supervisors. >> according to reports, supervisors couldn't get a hold

of officer lange or his partner for six and a half minutes. meanwhile, they're reportedly texting union reps. so much of these cases, something doesn't smell right to the community. while there is a step there's so much about a pattern of practice in the new york police department and officers particularly interacting with poor communities and black communities, we end up with situations like this. >> thank you very much for joining us. we will hear more again a little later today on charges and more details there. today, jeb bush is hosting a $100,000 a ticket event in new york city. this as he is forced to get rid of a new staffer. nbc senior political editor mark murray is up next. plus washington state is dealing with a pot surplus. the surprising reason why is one of the stories we are following around the "newsnation." ♪

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in new york today for a $100,000 a ticket fund-raiser, according to politico the high price surprised wall street veterans used to big money fund-raisers. the event comes in what has been a tough week for the potential presidential candidate. the chief technology officer for his political action committee resigned days after being hired. this after a number of racially insensitive comments made by the aide surfaced online. the aide deleted tweets making offensive jokes about women and gays. joining me senior political editor mark murray. let's talk about the chief technology officer and swift move to get him out of there. >> tamron campaigns andy merging ones like the jeb bush ones make mistakes human beings make mistakes presidential campaigns make them in the rough and tumble world of american politics. to me the question is what do you do to limit damage. you saw a swift resignation

after these tweets as well as blog posts became public. the other thing that happened with the jeb bush team is they end up having an e-mail dump from his days as florida governor. turned out some e-mails contained people's social security numbers and phone numbers, addresses, and bush people after this became a big story, the bush people ended up saying we are going to redact that. trying to clean them up as quickly as possible. >> another issue that followed mr. bush this week this e-mail dump released i'm sorry, you mentioned that as well but the technology officer and his comments, these inflammatory remarks. many people you talk about campaigns and damage control, how they handle is this clear with bush and his team that they're trying to tidy up problems as quickly as possible where we have seen others throw out a hillary clinton, criticized for slow walking when they've had controversy early on. >> tamron i was impressed with

the speed from the bush operation on how quickly they were able to try to limit damage. one thing that was clearly a problem was vetting for the chief technology officer, not anyone being able to look at his past tweets. one danger for jeb bush is he billed himself as the digital candidate to somebody hip with instagram and twitter accounts but when you end up having problems like this where the chief technology officer had very problematic tweets when you try to be transparent with e-mails, are too transparent, the danger is one more mistake on the digital, technological front makes him seem like somebody that's hip and together in the technological front during the days of dial up modems as opposed to today's technical times. >> appreciate you joining us. we want to remind viewers, president obama is speaking at 3:30 eastern time about his request to congress for authorization to use military force against isis. we will bring that to you live. up next the captain of

costa concordia makes a plea during his manslaughter trial as he awaits a verdict. one of the stories we are following around the "newsnation.." and this. >> my yearning to give back has always been there. >> she's on top of the tennis world, helping others. former tennis pro katrina adams, talk about her work to expand the sport to minorities. that's up next. it's a fact. kind of like shopping hungry equals overshopping. push your enterprise and you can move the world. ♪ ♪ but to get from the old way to the new you'll need the right it infrastructure. from a partner who knows how to make your enterprise more agile, borderless and secure. hp helps business move

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welcome back. encouraging signs in the condition of bobbi kristina brown tops our look at stories around the "newsnation." in an interview with a local station in atlanta, her aunt lee olga a says doctors say her condition is improving and she has briefly opened her eyes though she remains on life support. yesterday afternoon, authorities confirmed they're treating this case as a criminal investigation. today marking the third

anniversary of her mother whitney houston's death, her family slamming false reports that they plan to take her off the ventilator today. the captain of the cruise ship is asking for leniency. the captain is accused of causing the 2012 shipwreck off the italian coast that left 32 dead and abandoning ship before all passengers were able to evacuate. and the suspect wanted in connection with the shooting of a san diego sports anchor is in custody. he was shot as he pulled out of his driveway yesterday. police identified the suspect as a 54-year-old, mike montana. surrounded his home hours after the shooting. the motive is unclear. the chicago little league team jackie robinson west whose run in the little league world series last summer has been stripped of the championship title. little legal officials determined chicago area squad

used a falsified boundary map and used ineligible players that live outside the geographic area the team represents. the team manager has been suspended from little league activity. the u.s. championship has now been awarded to mountain ridge little league from las vegas. well this summer marks the 40th anniversary of the arthur ashe historic win at wimbledon. fans and players will of course reflect on the rise of stars like venus and serena williams. the anniversary coincides with ascension of another trail blazer in the sport. last month, katrina adams became the first african-american to lead the united states tennis association as a usta chairman president and ceo. adams is the first former tennis pro to hold the spot and youngest. among her many goals, hopes in her tenure to expand the sport to more minority communities through grass roots programs

where opportunities to play tennis are scarce. it is my honor to have you joining me. good to see you. chicago woman, all these ties. tennis is your home. >> absolutely that's what i am passionate about fortunate to move through the sport, learn a sport that's not common to areas where i grew up on the west side of chicago and the inner-city. to be able to take it to the highest level of professional ranks and sit where i sit today. >> tell me about your position how it will allow you to open doors that are still not fully open for minority children. >> well we believe it is fully open for children of all ages and all color and ethnicity. we provide a lot of programming throughout the country, several programs where kids get tennis for free learn to play the sport. we shortened the courts the rackets, made bigger balls, made it easier for kids to play. therefore it allows opportunity for the kids to learn the game

at an easier level than when i learned it. >> when you say you want to expand the sport to more minorities, i read that as it is not completely open. yes, there's a spirit of inclusion, but there's a reason you're hoping to expand it. >> i think when our kids really look at the sport, look at sports overall, they see basketball, football baseball, as an opportunity to become a professional athlete, and really tennis provides an opportunity to build character and opportunity to earn college scholarship, and so as we go into communities, one of my goals as leader is to really expand it into the hispanic kmuntd that we are looking players in the sport and need to get them engaged. >> you were at the australian open and saw venus and serena williams play in a different capacity in your new position. now you have serena saying she's returning to a court that shut her out, that made her doubt

herself, both as tennis player and most importantly doubt herself as a black american. when you hear that triumphant return potentially, what does that make you think about the sport and what needs to be done next? >> i think it says a lot, especially for someone like serena that really had a negative experience in indian wells. i played at indian wells as well. i never experienced that, but what she and her sister and father experienced when she was maybe 19 years of age really can scar you, and for her decision not to go back, she and venus not to play since that time i believe it was 16 years ago and now return means she has matured a lot, she understands the value of herself as an individual, and loves to play tennis. >> and the audience has matured, don't have a narrow view of what a tennis champion looks like or someone who can pursue whether you end up serena venus or not, what the sport is supposed to

look like which is all of us. >> serena is undoubtedly the best player, greatest player of all time. when you have those fans that are out there, they want to see the best. and understanding and welcoming serena venus, madison, taylor townsend so many players of color, sloane stephens who is also out there, that are out there at the top, making their mark in the sport, everyone wants to embrace them and to cheer them on. >> congratulations on your new position and all of the things you will bring to the sport. it is a tremendous opportunity to meet you. i am thankful you made time for us. >> thank you very much. >> catch more of katrina's major career and work in a video feature our team put together that's how hyped up we are about her. msnbc.com, go check it out. up next israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu denying reports he may can sell his controversial speech before congress, but should he cancel?

and this. >> my sense is the supreme court is about to make a shift. >> president obama speaks about same-sex marriage and possible change in in the high court. it's one of the stories we thought you should know. and be sure to like the "news nation" at facebook. startup-ny. it's working for new york state. already 55 companies are investing over $98 million dollars and creating over 2100 jobs. from long island to all across upstate new york, more businesses are coming to new york. they are paying no property taxes no corporate taxes no sales taxes. and with over 300 locations, and 3.7 million square feet available, there's a place that's right for your business. see if startup-ny can work for you. go to startup.ny.gov. think the tree we carved our names in is still here? probably dead... how much fun is this? what? what a beautiful sunset... if you like sunsets. whether you're sweet or salty... you'll love nature valley sweet and salty bars.

there's a lot going on this morning, and here are some things we thought you should know. as the u.s. supreme court prepares to hear cases on same-sex marriage, president obama's predicting the justices will grant a constitutional right nationwide. >> my sense is that the supreme court is about to make a shift, one that i welcome, which is to recognize that having hit a critical mass of states that have recognized same-sex marriage, that it doesn't make sense for us to now have this patchwork system and that it's

time to recognize that under the equal protection clause of the united states, same-sex couples should have the same rights as anybody else. >> and washington state has a new marijuana problem. there is a glut in the state where sales of pot for recreational use started last july. the price has dropped to about half of what it started at. most of the blame is put on too many growers being licensed to sell pot with too few stores to sell it. those are the stories we just thought you should know today. time now for the "news nation" gut check. it involves israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu's speech before congress in march. the prime minister's office is denying a reuters report that he is considering cancelling the speech or possibly moving it to another location. the invitation to speak was made by house speaker john boehner without informing the white house. the president has called the timing of the speech inappropriate, coming just weeks before an election in israel and has said he will not meet with the prime minister during his visit.

and now a growing number of democrats say they will boycott netanyahu's appearance because it is being used for political purposes. and that includes senator patrick patrick leahy of vermont, who said, house leaders have orchestrated a tawdry and high-handed stunt. netanyahu's planned speech has also been criticized in israel where opponents say the prime minister is damaging ties with the u.s. in order to boost his electoral prospects. but the prime minister says the speech is not about politics but about the obama administration's possible nuclear deal with iran, which he opposed. what does your gut tell you? should the israeli prime minister move his speech? go to newsnation.msnbc.com to cast that vote. that does it for this edition of "news nation." i'm tramamron hall. today, msnbc will have live coverage of the president's address on authorizing military force against isis. that's this afternoon at 3:30 eastern time.

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right now an "andrea mitchell reports," turning point. as the president vows to find kayla mueller's captors, he's asking congress today to authorize the war against isis as kayla's family mourns her death. >> the world wants to be more like kayla, and if that is her legacy and the footprint that she leaves on the world, then that is a wonderful thing. >> i'm not yet sure how to live in a world without kayla, but i do know that we're all living in a better world because of her. madam secretary. our exclusive guest, former secretary of state madeline albright. and the gay evolution. with a landmark supreme court ruling on gay marriage just around the corner president obama discusses his changing stance on same-sex marriage. >> my sense is that the supreme court is about to make a shift,

one that i welcome, which is to recognize that having hit a critical mass of states that have recognized same-sex marriage that it doesn't make sense for us to now have this patchwork system. >> more on the buzzfeed interview coming up. and also david axelrod, the president's closest adviser with his new book. and coming home "the american sniper" stripe gets under way as the family of another soldier is hoping new legislation in his name will heal other wounds. >> our government is taking a very important step in honoring its promise to our veterans. it is too late for clay but we can help. we can save the other vets who need care.