Skip to main content

tv   Weekends With Alex Witt  MSNBC  April 4, 2015 9:00am-11:01am PDT

9:00 am
can keep wireless customers smiling, imagine what they can do for yours. make it matter. for a crowd this big your everyday dishes will only go so far. literally. you had to go deep into the cupboard. embarrassingly deep. can this mismatched mess be conquered... by a little bit of dish liquid? it can if it's dawn ultra. now even more concentrated... just one bottle has the grease cleaning power of two bottles of this other liquid. here's to the over extended family gathering. a drop of dawn and grease is gone. selling the deal the white house may have some big hurdles in congress over the iran nuclear agreement. there's new word today from the president and reaction from israel. an rv catches fire see how some bystanders jumped into action to save one family from tragedy.
9:01 am
the first dad of 2016. see how it depicts the only candidate so far to initially declare his intention to run for the white house. the future religion. which religions will thrive in the next few decades and where the results paint a fascinating picture. hey, there, everyone. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." we start this hour overseas with new developments out of kenya. we've learned a survivor has been found after that massacre earlier this week which killed nearly 150 people. this comes after the arrest of five people overnight tied to the attack. meantime relatives of the victims are gathering at nairobi's main sports stadium. it's been converted to a dast disaster relief center of sorts. hundreds of people still trying to figure out if their loved ones are dead and/or wounded. bill neely is in nairobi, kenya,
9:02 am
with the latest. what more do we know about this survivor? >> reporter: hello, alex from this terrible massacre this morning, a story, a remarkable story of survival. 19-year-old cynthia emerged this morning after hiding for 48 hours. she hid in a large cubboard. she covered herself with clothes when she heard the gunmen ordering her classmates out of the room she simply kept quiet and hid. she was so scared that even when the rescuers came she wouldn't emerge because she feared they were gunmen. it was only when she heard the voice of her teacher appealing to her to come out that she did in fact emerge, tired and hungry. but relieved to have survived. she says she's a christian and she simply prayed to her god for 48 hours. so one remarkable story. but unfortunately, i've spent most of the day at the mortuary.
9:03 am
it's not a story of survival. it's quite the opposite. there are terrible scenes there this morning as they identify not the bodies themselves but the photographs that have been taken of 119 bodies at the mortuary. as you can imagine, when people do identify their loved ones they're coming out in a terrible state, crying hysterical tensions have also spilled over into fights with local security personnel. so at the mortuary really terribly bad scenes. we think busloads of survivors are on their way back to nairobi. many many hundreds did survive. there's also anger, though at the government that it didn't do enough to prevent this attack. there have been protests at garissa university this morning and a lot of anger here in nairobi. the government says five people have been arrested in connection with this attack but many people say that's maybe just rounding up the usual suspects. and that's not good enough. meanwhile, the terror group that did this, al shabaab, has
9:04 am
reportedly issued another threat that no matter what the kenyan government does it will not be able to stop it attacking targets and it says kenya's cities will run red with blood. so al shabaab with another threat and kenya still dealing with the aftermath of this terrible massacre the death toll is expected to rise. but at least, alex this morning there is some story of survival from amid this terrible carnage. back to you. >> truly a miracle there. thank you, bill neely. let's go to the historic iran nuclear deal and president obama's challenge to sell it to congress. nbc's john yang is at the white house for it. how is the president going to get his critics on board, even some critics in his own party? >> reporter: that's right. it's all hands on deck sales effort at the white house. the president is making phone calls, the vice president is making phone calls and the entire senior staff is involved in this effort. it's a sign that the white house knows they're in for a steep
9:05 am
climb. on air force one, president obama began the selling job for the nuclear deal with iran reaching out to congressional leaders as he flew back to washington. it's a pitch he's taking to the public this morning in his weekly address. >> today we have a historic opportunity to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in iran and to do so peacefully. with the international community firmly behind us. >> reporter: some republicans say the agreement really just an outline the administration hopes to fill in by the end of june is a bad deal. >> i'm going to do everything i can working with my colleagues to stop these terms from going forward. >> reporter: while iran's negotiators return to a hero's welcome from a nation hopeful that devastating sanctions would soon be eased, as well as reaction from iranians on twitter. the leader of america's closest middle east ally declared his determined opposition. >> such a deal does not block iran's path to the bomb.
9:06 am
such a deal paves iran's path to the bomb. >> reporter: if it's really prime minister benjamin netanyahu who list his allies on capitol hill which includes many powerful democrats, mr. obama could have trouble fending off efforts to force a tougher stance by requiring congressional approval. but this morning the president argues the deal already has enough safeguards. >> this deal is not based on trust. it is based on unprecedented verification. >> reporter: the first big challenge comes in a couple of weeks when the senate foreign relations committee takes up legislation to require congressional approval for this agreement. now, if enough democrats join that effort to give them a veto-proof majority on the senate floor, administration officials fear that could be the death nell for this. >> coming up we'll ask former
9:07 am
ambassador bill richardson what he thinks of the deal. a string of terrorist arrests inside the u.s. this morning, a philadelphia mother of two is in custody. she is the third woman in two days taken in on terror charges. officials say she was trying to travel overseas to fight for isis. meanwhile, two american women in new york were picked up on thursday, they allegedly wanted to detonate a bomb in the big apple. one target was the herald square subway station near the famed macy's department store. from there now to the weather and the torrential rain in kentucky which caused severe flooding and a road to collapse. in louisville two people were killed in the floods. the storm forced more than 160 rescues. much of the country will be seeing more rain in the days to come. and the weather channel's dr. greg postel has the forecast for us. >> thanks, alex. stormy times ahead this week for much of the country. let's have a look at the set-up. big-time storms, i think, are on the way. we'll see a significant flow of moisture out of the gulf of mexico. that will be interacting with a couple of fronts out there
9:08 am
across the ohio valley. a warm front particularly will be active perhaps on tuesday, wednesday, a dry line out in west texas. those areas will be the focus, i think, for perhaps some severe weather on both days. we'll have a strong upper level jet stream that will bring some strong winds aloft across that region as well. that will help support some of those big thunderstorms that we expect across the region there on tuesday. wednesday much of the same situation will be in place. we'll have more storm activity farther to the south across the southern plains. but then you know what? i think things get even more active. the coverage and perhaps even the potency of the severe weather picks up on thursday as stronger low pressure stronger flow of moisture out of the gulf of mexico combine with an even stronger push of that jet stream energy coming out from the west to the central plains will lead to perhaps an outbreak of severe thunderstorms, maybe including all modes of severe weather for us on thursday in this particular sector. we have it outlined in green.
9:09 am
stay tuned for the outline of severe thunderstorms to get more refined as we go through the next couple of days alex back to you. >> glad for the heads-up. thanks for that. other news now, three people are okay after their rv caught fire on a florida highway. a fellow driver who happens to run a business called the rv doctor caught this all on video as they pulled people out of the motor home. joe riley, his friend and her daughter were heading to michigan when his front tire blew out. >> seemed like the tire was ignited and on fire almost within milliseconds. i ran out the door with a fire extinguisher trying to put the fire out. >> the rv is a total loss but everyone is okay. an alabama man is celebrating his first full day of freedom nearly 30 years on death row. anthony ray hinton walked out of the jefferson county jail in birmingham on friday. he was convicted in 1985 of a shooting spree which killed two men and wounded a third.
9:10 am
prosecutors relied on a visually impaired witness to make an id as well as what was later found to be faulty crime scene evidence. >> when you think you're high and mighty and you're above the law, you don't have to answer to nobody. but i got news for you. everybody that played a part in sending me to death row, you will answer to god. that's all i have to say about it. >> hinton's lawyers say he's going to have to adjust to 2015 society, namely learning to use the internet and send e-mails. and take a look at this video from a new york city area casino. apparently all bets were off there. at least three people were arrested. police say upwards of 400 people were in the food court area when this brawl broke out. look at this. you'll see the chairs hurled through the air, punches thrown left and right. no word on what actually started this fight. he started a website, posting nude photos of women without their consent. and he's now going to jail for years. details on a first of its kind case. taxi. vo: after years of being treated like she was invisible
9:11 am
it occurred to mindy she might actually be invisible. ♪♪ but mindy was actually not invisible. ooh, what are you doing? can you see me? she had just always been treated that way. yeah. you don't have to look at me like that. there are worst things than an attractive woman touching your body. i'll go. join the nation that sees you as a priority. ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ whether you need a warm up before the big race... or a healthy start before the big meeting there's a choice hotel that's waiting for you. this spring, choose choice twice, get a night at no price at 1,500 hotels. book now at choicehotels.com let me talk to you about retirement. a 401(k) is the most sound way to go. let's talk asset allocation. sure. you seem knowledgeable professional. i'm actually a dj. [ dance music plays ] woman: [laughs] no way! that really is you? if they're not a cfp pro you just don't know. cfp -- work with the highest standard. e plane and thought... yeah! empty seat next to me. and then i saw him slowly coming down the aisle.
9:12 am
one of those guys who just can't stop talking. i was downloading a movie. i was trying to download a movie. i have verizon. i don't. i get that little spinning wheel. download didn't finish. i finished the download. headphones on. and i'm safe. i didn't finish in time. so. many. stories. vo: join us and save without settling. verizon. ♪ ♪ ♪ you're only young once. unless you have a subaru. (announcer) the subaru xv crosstrek. symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 34 mpg. love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru.
9:13 am
9:14 am
when the smoke cleared in tikrit, iraq today following its liberation from isis what was revealed was a city in ruins. the buildings still standing have been looted, charred and marked. militia flags fly where days ago isis displayed his iconic banner. yesterday, the iraqi prime minister urged the military to restore order and what remains of normalcy in that devastated city. in his weekly address today, president obama took a victory lap for the preliminary iran nuclear deal calling it an historic understanding. there was a far different reaction in israel, though. and this morning, i spoke with the chief spokesman for prime minister benjamin netanyahu who offered this advice for the negotiators -- >> hold out, don't sign a bad deal. wait. keep the pressure up on iran
9:15 am
until we get a deal that actually does the job. everyone's very excited about an agreement. but the goal isn't an agreement. the goal is to prevent iran from getting nuclear weapons. that's the goal. and we believe this -- what's on the table now does not achieve that. >> joining me now, former new mexico governor bill richardson who previously served as ambassador to the united nations, as well as a u.s. congressman. i'm asking you to put on your ambassador hat. to put it on the preferred spectrum, is this a good deal or a bad deal? >> i'm moving in the direction of saying it's a good deal. i'm not there yet. i have a lot of unanswered questions, the timing on sanctions, the technology about iran using these bombs for nuclear weapons. issues relating to the u.n. security council and russia being able to veto strong verification. but i'm moving in the direction of basically looking at the
9:16 am
alternative. if we don't do this deal now, will iran move towards a bomb and build more centrifuges? and it looks like they would without any kind of limitation that was achieved in lausanne. but the big problem is going to be can it be sold to the u.s. congress? will the supreme leader khamenei, eventually support it? it looks good in iran. some of the statements i've seen by the president there. but i think there are some external factors that might help the administration sell this to the congress. >> you heard mark regev there. he says negotiators could have held out for mar with time and tighter sanctions. do you agree? >> yes, i do think that -- but there's still time between now and june 30 when the agreement is ratified and completed. where i would like to see iran move that would help the administration sell it to congress is release that
9:17 am
american marine release that american journalist, stop messing around in syria. stop messing around in iraq. find ways that you don't threaten israel. i know this is a tall order. but rouhani, the president, a quote yesterday, he said this will open iran's window to the world. that means if they act more responsibly with this deal. but there's still a lot of unanswered questions, technical -- i'm going to be brief by the secretary of energy who was my predecessor who has a lot of credibility with me about some of the technical nuclear issues. but that's going to be a real selling job in the u.s. congress. and the u.s. congress could kill this deal. i don't think they would. but they have the upper hand right now in terms of oversight, in terms of an up-and-down vote will it be verified by congress? the president doesn't want
9:18 am
congress to have a say technically. but the congress will find a way through sanctions, appropriations votes, to be a major player here. and that's a big selling job that the president and his team have to do. >> if there is a final deal come june 30th how does that change the power dynamic in the middle east? >> well it certainly would because if iran is playing positively on nuclear issues maybe it will stop messing around in the region. you can't trust iran. so you don't know if that will happen. but i think the big answer for us is we have to buttress and improve our relationship with our two key allies, saudi arabia and israel. if there is this deal they are very suspicious of this. and for all the politics of netanyahu, et cetera israel is our anchor in the middle east. so is saudi arabia. we have to find ways to lessen their suspicion towards this deal but forge a strong
9:19 am
relationship in the region. otherwise, the middle east is going to continue to explode and we're going to be left on the defensive as we are right now. >> ambassador you spent a lot of time actually 10, 15 years working on north korea's nuclear capability. what's been north korea's relationship with iran on nuclear technology? >> well, they've cooperated. nuclear materials, north korea will export to anybody that can pay them because they have such bad balance of payment. so there's been technology transfers between the two from north korea that already has nuclear weapons, maybe seven or eight, to iran. so has pakistan. so there is cooperation. the bad guys like to talk to each other especially when they can gang up on us. >> marking regev also said this morning that iran is a much
9:20 am
greater nuclear threat than north korea. what do you think about this? and let's bring in pakistan. you mentioned pakistan as well. >> well, no, i disagree there. north korea already has six or seven nuclear weapons. they have ballistic missiles. iran has centrifuges that could build nuclear weapons. but, no, i think it's not the case. now, iran is more dangerous than north korea in the region, in east asia, north korea is dangerous. but china has some leverage over them. when north korea messes around they mess with south korea. they mess with us. they have not extended their bad reach in the whole region the way iran has in the middle east. >> so as a former diplomat a cabinet member can you put into perspective for us what this means to even get this far with a preliminary agreement? especially with a country that regularly calls america the great satan? >> well if the president gets this deal done, it's
9:21 am
transformative in the middle east. he can say, i normalized relations with cuba i got bin laden and i transformed the middle east with this agreement, only if it happens positively. so this is a big part of his legacy. this is why he's put so much political capital, so much attention on this. and i think there secretary kerry, the american negotiators deserve credit. but it's not going to happen if the u.s. congress finds a way to block it and they could. so there needs to be a major selling job with the american people, with the congress. and i'm still not there. i'm heading that way. but they're not very good at briefing people. all of a sudden this happens and i potentially could be supporting him and i probably will. i'm not trying to play hard to get. but they're not very good at explaining -- this is what worries me with the u.s. congress. they've got a major selling job. and so far in their relationship
9:22 am
with the u.s. congress and foreign policy they've not been that good. >> do you envision normalized relationships with iran? >> if this deal works out, if iran for instance releases those americans i mentioned, especially the american marine if for instance iran works with us on syria, pushes syria towards a peace treaty or some kind of reconciliation gets assad out, it would probably lead to normal relations, change of ambassadors, more regular contacts between students and businessmen and iranians. iran has a big tradition, an educated population. it's a major power in the region in terms of human resources, in terms of national security, strength. so it would be a good partnership. but we can't let israel feel
9:23 am
that we're diminishing our interest in them. we can't let the saudis where we have military bases, an oil relationship and all the gulf states in the region that are our allies -- you've got to play a balancing act. and so far, i think there's great suspicion that the deal with iran will shed our relationship with our allies. see, in politics you never have to -- you never should give up your base. always strengthen your base. our base is israel our base is saudi arabia our base is moderate arab states, jordan, many others. so right now, they're kind of saying, whose side are you on america? and we're the big player in the region. so what we do is important. >> quite a diplomatic tightrope to walk. thank you very much ambassador richardson. good to see you as always. >> thank you, alex. ahead, the top three cities for recent college grads in today's number ones. for a crowd this big your everyday dishes will only go so far. literally.
9:24 am
you had to go deep into the cupboard. embarrassingly deep. can this mismatched mess be conquered... by a little bit of dish liquid? it can if it's dawn ultra. now even more concentrated... just one bottle has the grease cleaning power of two bottles of this other liquid. here's to the over extended family gathering. a drop of dawn and grease is gone. (vo) maggie wasn't thrilled when ben and i got married. i knew it'd take some time. and her sensitive stomach didn't make things easier. it was hard to know why... the move...her food...? so we tried purina cat chow gentle... ...because it's specially formulated for easy digestion. she's loved it ever since. and as for her and ben... ...she's coming around. purina cat chow gentle. one hundred percent complete and balanced for everyday feeding of adult cats.
9:25 am
how can you just stand there? what do you mean? your grass man, it's famished. with just two springtime feedings with scotts turf builder lawn food helps strengthen and protects your lawn from future problems. thanks scott. feed your lawn. feed it! hey mom, you want to live by the lake, right? yeah. there's here. ♪ did you just share a listing with me? look at this one. it's got a great view of the lake. it's really nice mom. ♪ your dad would've loved this place.
9:26 am
you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. zillow hey! have an awesome vacation everyone! thank you so much! you're so sweet. yummy! key lime pie at 90 calories. it is so good for not giving in. ♪ hi, tom. hey, how's the college visit? you remembered. it's good. does it make the short list? you remembered that too. yea, i'm afraid so. knowing our clients personally is what we do. it's okay. this is what we've been planning for. thanks, bye. and with over 13,000 financial advisors we do it a lot. it's why edward jones is the big company that doesn't act that way.
9:27 am
the government's latest report on jobs once again shows it pays to go to college. just consider this. the unemployment rate last month, people who are at least 25 years old and have a bachelors degree or higher is only 2.5% less than half the rate for those with just a high school diploma. with that in mind our number ones begins with the best cities for new college graduates. it includes availability of jobs as well as the city's social life and affordability. thus the top city is washington even though the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom is almost 3,300$3,300 $3,300. minneapolis is second. denver rounds out the top three. and for those with a need for speed and action at the movies, "furious 7" is off to a roaring start making an estimated $68 million last night and projects to gross around $150 million for the weekend.
9:28 am
and now to number one salutes. first, these folks in hong kong having a good old-fashioned pillow fight. it gives them all a chance to let off some steam. and credit this fan who took a spill going for a foul ball. he missed it by five feet but managed to preserve a few ounces of his beer. he wound up getting the ball tossed to him. those are your number ones. ou by the free design ♪ ♪ attendant: welcome back. man: thank you. it's not home. but with every well considered detail . . . it becomes one step closer. no wonder more people. . . choose delta than any other airline. in small business you have to work hard, know your numbers, and stay focused.
9:29 am
i was determined to create new york city's first self-serve frozen yogurt franchise. and now you have 42 locations. the more i put into my business the more i get out of it. like 5x your rewards when you make select business purchases with your ink plus card from chase. and with ink, i choose how to redeem my points for things like cash or travel. how's the fro-yo? just peachy...literally. ink from chase. so you can.
9:30 am
sunday dinners at my house... it's a full day for me, and i love it.
9:31 am
but when i started having back pain my sister had to come help. i don't like asking for help. i took tylenol but i had to take six pills to get through the day. so my daughter brought over some aleve. it's just two pills, all day! and now, i'm back! aleve. two pills. all day strong, all day long. and for a good night's rest, try aleve pm for a better am. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." a california man was sentenced to 18 years behind bars on friday after being convicted under that state's new revenge porn law. the man ran a website where people could upload nude photos of others without their consent. he would then charge victims hundreds of dollars to get their photos removed. the scheme affected more than two dozen people. >> i ended up in mental hospitals because of this and recently just had another break,
9:32 am
didn't end up in the hospital but i'm medicated and everything, which has been helping. but it's just been so traumatizing. and i just want my life to get back to the way it was. >> this case prompted other sites like twitter and reddit to announce new rules on the subject. the man will have to pay $10,000 in restitution to the vicks. critics of the preliminary iran nuclear deal warn it could have a dangerous impact on a middle east already in crisis. this morning. i spoke with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu's spokesman who said it could trigger a new arms race. >> we are concerned it will encourage iran's arab neighbors and other neighbors of iran in the region the sunni states encourage them to move up their own nuclear program. so it could be massive
9:33 am
multilateral proliferation in the most dangerous region of the world. that's not good for anyone. >> joining me from istanbul is nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel. with a welcome to you richard, what has been the reaction not only from the leaders in the region but also from citizens? >> reporter: well if you talk to the governments, the israeli government really has been the most outspoken against this deal. you just heard mark regev talking about it being a bad deal, it encouraging an arms race. officially saudi arabia has said it welcomes diplomacy and doesn't have an issue with it. what really is at stake here isn't just the deal. it is about a reproachment with iran. iran's economy has been cut off from the world. it has been under some form of sanction. it has been a renegade state not a part of what world leaders
9:34 am
like to call the community of nations. if this deal changes that that is something that the arab states and israel are very uncomfortable with. it means more money will flow to iran. it means iran will become a more powerful nation. nuclear armed or not nuclear armed. and it becoming more powerful has triggered these deep-rooted hostilities between arabs and persians and the israelis and the iranians. >> richard, have the sanctions had a significant impact on the usual recipients of iran's -- hezbollah, assad government and now the houthis? and what could that mean if there is some sort of relief there? >> reporter: well you put your finger right on the sensitive issue here. iran's been amazing effective even with the sanctions in place at supporting groups like hezbollah, supporting the houthis who are now taking over
9:35 am
yemen, supporting other militias in iraq primarily. and the concern that the arab neighbors have is if iran's been this effective at using its proxies now, how powerful will it become once it is freed of these sanctions? now, that is not a direct argument against the deal. it is an argument or a concern about what a deal could mean for the balance of power in the region. >> what about the potential for normalizing relations with the united states? it's been since 1979. do you see that as a possibility? >> reporter: more normalized, yes. fully normal i think it will take a lot of time for those wounds to heal. the hostage crisis was a traumatic event. there have been many other traumatic and difficult episodes between the two countries since then. so i don't think that we're going to have a thaw
9:36 am
immediately. but the kinds of terms we are talking about just in the president's weekly radio address, he talked again as this is a historic deal. they were celebrating in tehran. people taking to the streets. there is a hope that this can improve people's lives, that it can allow iranians to not live in such a pariah status. i've been to iran before. when you buy things there, you can't use a credit card or you had great difficulty using a credit card. if you buy something, generally what they would do is say, okay take possession of the item whatever it is and then here's a friend of mine who has a bank account in switzerland or jordan or dubai or another country and pay him later at a time that's convenient. that's not a normal way of doing business where you take possession of your goods, leave the shop and then have to pay
9:37 am
the owner of the shop in a foreign country because you can't do banking transactions. the iranians don't want to live like that anymore. and if there is a way to have a more normal relationship with the united states i think many of them would welcome that. >> richard engel, always good to see you. thank you so much. want to share a bit of breaking news out of los angeles. a pair of earthquakes struck this morning in the grenada hills area, a suburb north of los angeles. first one registering 2.8 on the richter scale. second one a 3.1 magnitude. no reports of damage at this time. having lived through many southern california earthquakes, i can say it's likely most of you out there in the southern california area did not feel this. but duly noted. let's go to politics now and the federal case against senator robert menendez of new jersey. he was indicted thursday on 14 criminal counts including eight for bribery. he maintains his innocence and has since stepped down from his post as ranking member of the foreign affairs committee. let's bring in jimmy williams
9:38 am
msnbc contributor and joe watkins, republican strategist. these two could be an earthquake in themselves when you put them together. just saying. jimmy, i'll begin with you. let's take a listen to what senator menendez said on the eve of his indictment. here it is. >> i'm angry because prosecutors at the justice department don't know the difference between friendship and corruption and have chosen to twist my duties as a senator and my friendship into something that is improper. they are dead wrong and i am confident that they will be proven so. >> so jimmy, you worked in the senate. you know how it operates. can you separate yourself from the party and answer this -- does he have a legitimate argument? >> well that's for the justice department to decide and obviously the united states senate to decide. look, he stepped down as the ranking member of the foreign relations committee. if i were personally working for the senator, i would suggest
9:39 am
that he resign his seat be exonerated and then run for the seat again because otherwise, it's a distraction for the caucus. it's not necessary. now, on the other hand, you have someone sitting in the united states senate today, senator vitter, who paid hookers and broke law that way and he's still sitting there today as we speak on that floor voting every week. he's also running to be the next governor of the state of louisiana. so it's not like this is the first time a sitting united states senator has been mired in controversy or scandal, per se. but, again, for the sake of the party, for the sake of the caucus, it's a distraction that's simply not needed right now. if he's innocent, that will come out. if he's not, so be it. >> new hampshire senator jeanne shaheen has this going on. the new jersey democratic party
9:40 am
is standing behind the social media campaign. joe, is support by democrats going to hold? >> i think a lot of democrats who have known him for a long time will continue to support him and wish him well. but i think this is not a case that will played out so much in the media as much as in the courts. we believe, of course people are innocent until proven guilty. i think senator menendez ought to have his day in court. but it ought not be a media circus. i think he ought to allow his defense counsel to do their job to defend him and to have the facts presented and then to let's see where the chips fall. i think everybody has a right to defend themselves. i don't think that he does himself a service by having a public press conference akin to a little bit of a circus. i think he ought to fight this one in court and see what happens. >> should he step down? jimmy suggests that.
9:41 am
what do you think? >> i agree with jimmy that the -- >> you have plenty of coverage joe. >> would be to step aside and then run for reelection. that would be the thing to do -- i'm not sure that senator menendez would want to do that. >> let's talk about senator ted cruz. he's rolling out the first campaign ad airing this easter weekend in some key primary states during the broadcast of "a.d. the bible continues." here's a snippet. >> were it not for the transformative love of jesus christ i would have been raised by a single mom without my father in the house. god's blessing has been on america from the very beginning of this nation. >> joe, how do you assess this message? do you think it feels like one that's framed for gop primaries, not necessarily for a general election and that of course would be his immediate goal? and we should tell people, you're also a reverend. so just saying. >> i am.
9:42 am
>> take a crack at this. >> you're right. putting my political hat on and taking off my ministry hat, this is clearly geared for the early primaries in iowa and new hampshire, south carolina, the earliest three or four primaries. he's competing against some big names in the christian world, certainly governor huckabee would be someone who did very well in the 2008 cycle, had a lock on christian voters in iowa and new hampshire. and so this is an effort by ted cruz to get an early start on that. >> against the backdrop of the religious freedom measures in indiana and arkansas this week that had to be revised to the response of the public outcry there, how do you assess the first spot of 2016? >> ted cruz -- first of all, ted cruz should be a minister, not a united states senator. if he feels that strongly about religion and faith, he could very easily go to yale divinity school.
9:43 am
if he thinks he'll become president of the united states by doubling down on what's a discriminatory bill, he should take that stance and hold onto it. my gut tells me ted cruz will back away from it. jeb bush most certainly has, as has others running for the gop nod. the american people get very uncomfortable when politicians talk about not their own faith, but what other people should have as their faith. and that's where this whole intersection, if you will -- it's a legitimate debate to have. christians or muslims or anyone else, should they or should they not be able to have their religious beliefs? should senators -- should the american people have those religious beliefs? the answer is yes, absolutely but never should you be able to discriminate. and ted cruz is doubling down on the discrimination. that will not bode well for him. >> do you think this might be a one-off? it will air on easter sunday for christians, one of the most revered days on the calendar for them, we may not see this again
9:44 am
because it's airing on easter sunday, joe? >> well of course he's capitalizing on the fact that this is easter sunday. so of course people who are christians -- this is a very important weekend for them. >> yeah. >> he's taking full advantage of the fact that -- timingwise that christians will have their ears perked up for this. he's smart to do that in terms of trying to get a foothold. >> jimmy and joe, good to see you both. it was the first journey of its kind. an automated car wrapped up a coast-to-coast drip from california to new york. will we see more of this? ♪ ♪ ♪ you're only young once. unless you have a subaru. (announcer) the subaru xv crosstrek. symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 34 mpg.
9:45 am
love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru. e plane and thought... yeah! empty seat next to me. and then i saw him slowly coming down the aisle. one of those guys who just can't stop talking. i was downloading a movie. i was trying to download a movie. i have verizon. i don't. i get that little spinning wheel. download didn't finish. i finished the download. headphones on. and i'm safe. i didn't finish in time. so. many. stories. vo: join us and save without settling. verizon. anyone have occasional constipation diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these occasional digestive issues... with 3 types of good bacteria. live the regular life. phillips'
9:46 am
9:47 am
why are you deleting these photos? because my teeth are yellow. why don't you use a whitening toothpaste? i'm afraid it's bad for my teeth. try crest 3d white. crest 3d white diamond strong toothpaste and rinse... ...gently whiten... ...and fortify weak spots. use together for 2 times stronger enamel. crest 3d white. you've been part of the family for as long as i can remember. and you just mean so much to all of us. the holidays wouldn't be the same without your crescent rolls. we got you a little something. we got you jeans. it's about time. pipin' hot pillsbury crescent rolls. make easter pop! it took nine days but the very first coast-to-coast trip by a driverless car wrapped up this week. delphi automotive's audi suv completed a cross-country drive from san francisco to new york. similar cars are in the works from google and mercedes. joining me now is christina
9:48 am
warren, southeastern tech analyst for mashable. give me an assessment how did the trip go and was it automated for the entire journey? >> it was automated they say for 99% of the journey. the way this works is that you can't actually send a fully automated vehicle without a driver behind the wheel going this many miles and going the speed they were going without at least having a driver in the driver's seat just in case something goes wrong. but delphi says 99% of the journey which was over 3,400 miles was completely automated and it went through some interesting traffic conditions. there were some traffic circles, some roadwork and it looks like it handled it like a champ. >> what are engineers hoping to find out from this trip? >> they captured more than three terabytes of data, based on things like location, speed. they had cameras and lasers attached to the car. they hope to take the information and build it into the technologies around the future of self-driving cars so that they can start designing
9:49 am
these types of automobiles to better account for things that might come up different types of terrain, different types of debris that might be in the road and the behavior obviously of other cars on the road. >> so self-driving cars is this directly in our future or is this something that's far off in the distance for the general public? >> you know it depends on who you talk to. i think some sort of automated driving is certainly only a few years away. the idea that we are all just going to sit back and relax and read magazines or watch tv while the car drives us to the store and parks itself and then picks us up again, that's a ways off. but the idea there might be some ways where the car can take over in certain situations or even do things like automate certain tasks like parking are definitely things companies are already doing now. you mentioned mercedes. also tesla are announcing cars on the road now doing some of this automated driving already. >> every day hundreds thousands of humans make mistakes. but computers can make mistakes
9:50 am
too. so this is not accident-proofer right? >> no, it's not. that's a great point. most experts say they predict for self-driving cars to really take off, they're going to need to be ten times safer than human drivers just for the public to feel comfortable. i think the public feeling comfortable is one of the biggest hurdles that self-driving cars will need to face. in all actuality, they probably are safer than the actual drivers on the road who are distracted by so many things. but for us to feel comfortable giving over the notion of letting something drive us rather than us controlling a two-ton piece of metal will take some time. >> we might be able to text and drive at some point -- >> hey text and drive, work and drive and let the car handle it all. i like it. >> christina, thanks so much. from the future of driving to the future of religion. a new study that says the world will likely get a spiritual shake-up over the next 40 years.
9:51 am
your kids get used to sweaty odors in their room. they think it smells fine, but you smell this... eliminate all the odors you've gone noseblind to with febreze fabric refresher. mmmm... so you and your guests can breathe happy. okay, listen up! i'm re-workin' the menu. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals antioxidants and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition in charge™.
9:52 am
do you have something for pain? i have bayer aspirin. i'm not having a heart attack, it's my back. i mean bayer back & body. it works great for pain. bayer back & body provides effective relief for your tough pain. better? yeah...thanks for the tip! 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 businesses move on all the possibilities of today. and stay ready for everything that is still to come.
9:53 am
9:54 am
as this very holiest of works comes to a close, a study at the pew research center found that christianity will continue to be the world's largest religion and islam will be the fastest-growing major religion. let's bring in conrad haggette, with a welcome to you, i understand your report found over the next four decades, christians will continue to make up 31% of the world's population while muslims are going to jump from 23% in 2010 to nearly 30% by 2050. to what do you attribute the rapid growth of the islamic population? >> the biggest factor for muslims and many other groups start growth is fertility. how many children the average woman has. and the muslims have about 3.1 children per women which is more than any other major religious group. >> okay. there's that. how about in the united states over the next four decades? the number of christians will
9:55 am
decline, from 78% to 66%. judaism will no longer be the largest non-christian religion in the nation. muslims will jump. what's affecting that in this country? >> two important additional factors in the u.s. one is people changing from the religion they grew up in to something else as adults. in the u.s. a lot of people who grew up as christians are no longer identifying as such as adults. in fact, they're identifying as having no religion in particular. and furthermore, the u.s. is the largest recipient of immigrants from around the world. many of the immigrants who come to the u.s. are christian from latin america but many come from india and bring your hindu faith or come from africa and bring their muslim faith. >> that's why nonbelievers in the united states is on the rise. but declining in the rest of the
9:56 am
world? >> yes, exactly. some countries like the uk france and australia are expected to lose their christian majority as more people become unaffiliated in those countries. but globally six out of ten people who say they don't identify with a religion are in china. and in china that population is expected to shrink if anything. and furthermore, the unaffiliated globally have fewer than two children per woman versus much higher for other groups like christians and muslims. >> this was an incredible project, first of its kind. how did you get all of your information? it must be taken -- just a huge task. >> we've been working on this for about six years. we gathered data from thousands of sources to measure first how people are identifying in our 2010 baseline and then that information about their fertility patterns their age structure, migration. and we've had a smart team working on this and we're very proud and excited to share this
9:57 am
with the world. the report's available at pewresearch.org for anyone who wants to read it in full. >> it's a fascinating read. conrad, thank you so much. >> thank you, my pleasure. movie buffs and political junkies take note there's a different kind of final four happening that's made just for you. that's coming up. ♪ ♪ yoplait. with a smooth and creamy taste your whole family loves. don't miss yoplait's exciting new flavors -- creamy caramel and cookies 'n cream.
9:58 am
now? can i at least put my shoes on? if your bladder is calling the shots ... you may have a medical condition called overactive bladder ... ...or oab you've got to be kidding me. i've had enough! it's time to talk to the doctor. ask your doctor how myrbetriq may help treat... ...oab symptoms of urgency frequency, and leakage. which may mean fewer trips to the bathroom. myrbetriq (mirabegron) may increase your blood pressure. myrbetriq may increase your chances... ...of not being able to empty your bladder. tell your doctor right away if you have... ...trouble emptying your bladder or have a weak urine stream. myrbetriq may affect... ...or be affected by other medications... ...so tell your doctor about all the medicines you take. before taking myrbetriq,
9:59 am
tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems. common side effects include increased blood pressure, common cold symptoms, urinary tract infection, and headache. take charge by talking to your doctor about your oab symptoms and myrbetriq. find out if you can get your first prescription at no cost by visiting myrbetriq.com do you have something for pain? i have bayer aspirin. i'm not having a heart attack, it's my back. i mean bayer back & body. it works great for pain. bayer back & body provides effective relief for your tough pain. better? yeah...thanks for the tip! how much protein does your dog food have? 18 percent? 20? purina one true instinct has 30. active dogs crave nutrient-dense food. so we made purina one true instinct. learn more at purinaone.com audible safety beeping audible safety beeping
10:00 am
audible safety beeping the nissan rogue with safety shield technologies. the only thing left to fear is you imagination. nissan. innovation that excites. found alive, a survivor of that horrific attack in kenya emerges days later from the school while the murderous militants threaten more attacks. this isn't important enough to me. you're not important enough. don't ever do that again. >> the tirade and the fallout. a new york city police officer speaking softly and contritely after his road rage. how does he explain what happened? what's the point? a new video game that lets you build your own prison, including an execution chamber. and making history, how this
10:01 am
woman is going to change the nfl. good day to all of you. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." we have new developments to report in that attack at the university in kenya. officials say they found a survivor hiding in a cupboard two days after the attack. many families are still waiting for word on their loved ones. overnight, five people were arrested in connection to the massacre that killed nearly 150 joining me on the phone, bill neely who joins us from the kenyan capital. bill, with a welcome to you, what do we know? any more about this survivor? >> reporter: yes alex i'll tell you about that remarkable story. cynthia, a 19-year-old, hid in a closet for two days and survived that massacre. i'll tell you about her in a moment. but to bring you up to speed,
10:02 am
three buses are at least 150 survivors have just arrived in kenya's capital nairobi. they got off those buses in a rainstorm. some of their relatives were waiting in the bleachers of the national stadium to be reunited with them. but there was no sense of joy in this occasion. they got off the bus looking for what my colleague said completely empty. some clearly traumatized. one girl being carried off by salvation army personnel and red cross personnel. i talked to some of the survivors and they had terrible stories. one man said he was absolutely haunted by what had happened. he said he lost more than 15 friends. 15 of his friends shot dead and he said he couldn't stop thinking about them. another man said it was just gunfire -- continuous gunfire for what seemed like -- he didn't use the word eternity but
10:03 am
i think that's what he was trying to say. another man said -- i say man, these are people in their late teens and early 20s. he said, a friend of mine, we used to pray together he was killed going to pray. other of my friends were killed while they were praying. and perhaps the most poignant testimony of all was from a man who had two gunshots to one of his legs. he said, i witnessed a lot, i saw everything. i saw my colleagues day. i knew all of them because i'm their president, he said. the gunmen i saw them too. i thank god because god loves me, he really loves me. quite a few times during that interview he simply put his head in his hands, close to breaking down. they were very dignified for the most part, silent waiting to be reunited with their relatives. some terrible stories. and that's just from the survivors. they have seen more than young people should ever see. but as you say, there was one story of a remarkable survivor
10:04 am
cynthia, who spent 48 hours in that closet. even drank body lotion because she was hungry and thirsty. she refused to come out even when rescuers were calling to her to come out because she thought they might be gunmen and she knew some of her classmates had already gone and obeyed the orders of the government. but of course -- once again, she is a christian. she said i was just praying to god for those 48 hours. alex some remarkable stories emerging in nairobi. these should be happy reunions tonight. but i don't think i saw one of those students smile. this is simply not a time for smiling. it's a time still for grief and many of them are clearly traumatized. >> a grief which many of us feel. i'm fipgting back tears listening to your report. thank you, bill neely. president obama today told the american people just how
10:05 am
important it was to reach a tentative nuclear deal with iran. >> this week together with our allies and partners we reached a historic understanding with iran which if fully implemented will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weened and make our country, our allies and our world safer. >> but the framework agreed to in switzerland thursday has many obstacles to overcome before a final deal is signed. there are political realities to contend with both here at home as well as in iran. let's bring in ali arouzi from iran. what's been the public reaction to this agreement? >> reporter: when the news broke here people were jubilant. they were driving around tehran honking horns, flashing victory signs, boys and girls dancing in the streets, which is prohibited here. but nobody was there to stop them. in past scenes when we've seen zarif and people come back
10:06 am
there have been hardline members of the paramilitary force to stop people from celebrating. there was no sign of that. the celebrations even carried on last night. people were taking photographs of themselves with the image of president obama on television in the background selfies of themselves and posting it on social media. if you had done that during ahmadinejad's time with a picture of president bush in the background, it would have probably landed you in jail. but the mood here is very jubilant. so people have very high expectations that this deal should come through and the country will see some economic revival. many things can happen between now and june 30. but they've made a big step in that direction. >> president rouhani has vowed to honor the agreement. but do you expect anyone to potentially trip this up?
10:07 am
>> reporter: well, for this deal to have happened for this deal to have gotten to this stage, this very advanced stage in the deal, it needed the supreme leader's blessing. it would never have happened without him. so obviously he is on board with this. and that's why throughout the course of this negotiation, we've seen a muted response from hardliners. but still, when all the details of this deal come out, there might be some sort of frenzy amongst hardliners having said that a few hardliners here have spoken up. a hardline editor of the daily newspaper here who also happens to be an adviser to the supreme leader said that this was a bad deal for iran but a good deal for the west. he made the comparison that iran gave a saddled-up fully ready to race horse in exchange for a broken bridle. another young member of the paramilitary force here who organizes demonstrations against the nuclear deal, when he heard about the fact that iran was
10:08 am
only going to have 5,000 centrifuges immediately went on social media and said they've left us with enough centrifuges to make carrot juice. so these voices may get a little louder over the court of time. but that just might be politics. but i think they're going to face a lot less resistance here from hardliners than president obama's going to face from congress. >> we just dropped you out there, ali arouzi. but we got the gist of what you were saying from tehran. thank you for that. a lit later on in this hour will the deal make the world a safer place? what it could mean for the middle east and the rest of the world. new video from tikrit, iraq reveals a city liberated from isis but left the ruins. the buildings still standing have been looted and charred. yesterday the iraqi prime minister urged the military to restore order and what remains of normalcy to that devastated city. the nypd detective caught on
10:09 am
cell phone video berating an uber driver is breaking his silence and offering an apology. he sat down with jonathan dienst from our new york station, wnbc. >> stop it with your mouth. >> okay. >> stop it with your for what sir? stop it with that bull [ bleep ]. >> reporter: this is nypd detective patrick cherry in a video posted online watched more than 3 million times. now he's speaking out for the first time. >> i apologize, sincerely apologize. >> reporter: what do you want him to know? >> that -- excuse me that i'm not mad at him. i was angry, at that moment for that exchange. >> i don't know what [ bleep ] planet you think you're on right now. >> reporter: cherry is seen yelling at an uber driver. the exchange caught on cell phone by a passenger in the backseat. >> my emotions get the better of me. >> reporter: cherry says not everything was caught on camera. he says he was trying to park
10:10 am
his car which was unmarked when he says the uber driver honked and got angry with him. he then pulled him over. >> i asked him for his license. he turned away from me and turned back with a smirk and told me he wasn't going to give me anything. i got mad. >> reporter: and the passenger started recording. later he asks this question -- >> how long have you been in this country? >> reporter: it was not race-based? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: he says it was a question simply about the driver's experience in new york city. the city's police commissioner said no good cop could watch that without a wince. >> disgusted with myself. >> reporter: he said there was no intention to harm the driver. cherry says he hopes to be back working the streets soon. >> for more on that exclusive interview, let's go to jonathan dienst who joins me. jonathan, thanks so much. we checked out your facebook page and a lot of the visitors there are saying that democratic cherry's apology didn't seem sin veer.
10:11 am
how about you? what was your impression? >> he said over and over again how sorry he was not only to that driver to the passengers for causing them inconvenience. he was offering his apology to the police commissioner and his fellow police officers. he said it over and over again. he said i as a police officer, should have known better. i lost my temper i shouldn't have. i apologize. and he's trying to ask this driver to meet him for a bite to eat so he can apologize in person. we have not heard back yet whether that offer will be accepted. >> interest figure that dinner does happen. i'm curious if he has accepted the apology. he did offer the apology to the uber driver. do you know anything about that? >> reporter: through the company, the company's not gotten back to us. we haven't been able to reach the driver for a response. one of the passengers seemed skeptical of the story and called on the civilian complaint review board to continue its investigation. they seem to be taking -- that passenger taking issue with the
10:12 am
preamble, what led up to this the officer telling us the driver was honking and waving his arms and yelling at him. and when he pulled him over that the driver was disrespectful and at first wouldn't turn over the license. seems the passengers in that car are taking some issue with that version of events. the ccrb is -- civilian complaint review board is interviewing all parties involved. for now, the officer remains on desk duty hoping to get back to his job where he had been working with the fbi joint terrorism task force. >> what do we know about the detective's past? anything like this that he's been known to do before? >> reporter: there's been some reporting about past complaints. we asked him about that during the interview. he said look i've been a police officer for 15 years. it's not the easiest job. of course there are times in this job where there are heated moments and confrontations. so he's not going to deny he's
10:13 am
never lost his cool before on the job. but in the interview, he told us there's never been a road rage incident like this before. never been involved in something like this before and again he offers hz is apology. >> jonathan dienst, thanks very much. florida police are calling a brutal attack captured on cell phone video a hate crime. police in orlando said the victim was attacked by a mob of teens on march 26th. two people have been charged. slurs yelled at the victim led police to classify the assault as a hate crime. one neighbor says she's not worried about her safety. >> i'll shoot people. i'm not scared. they're not going to come after me. i've never had a problem. >> police are hoping that others involved in this beating can be identified from the video. he looks good for someone who survived 66 days lost at sea. but how did his rescuers save him? we'll meet them. and it's a windfall for the owners of a pizzeria caught up in the uproar of that religious
10:14 am
freedom law. how much supporters have donated to them. i love my mileageplus® explorer card. we're saving our united miles... ...for a trip to hawaii. we love free checked bags. i've saved $75 in checked bag fees. no foreign transaction fees means real savings. we can go to any country and spend money the way we would in the u.s. one of the best things about priority boarding is you can just get on the plane and relax. i put everything on the explorer card. i really want my united miles.
10:15 am
(son) oh no... can you fix it, dad? yeah, i can fix that. (dad) i wanted a car that could handle anything. i fixed it! (dad) that's why i got a subaru legacy. (vo) symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 36 mpg. i gotta break more toys. (vo) the twenty-fifteen subaru legacy. it's not just a sedan. it's a subaru. e plane and thought... yeah! empty seat next to me. and then i saw him slowly coming down the aisle. one of those guys who just can't stop talking. i was downloading a movie. i was trying to download a movie. i have verizon. i don't. i get that little spinning wheel. download didn't finish. i finished the download. headphones on. and i'm safe. i didn't finish in time. so. many. stories. vo: join us and save without settling.
10:16 am
verizon.
10:17 am
supporters of an indiana pizza shop that became embroiled over that religious freedom law have raised over $842,000 in just a few days. the funding drive has ended but it started wednesday after the shop caught heat for stating it would not cater to gay weddings. the money was raised to help the pizzeria owners who have closed the shop temporarily because of all the attention it's received. inside the deal there were celebrations in tehran and outrage from prime minister netanyahu in israel. the white house says the preliminary iran nuclear deal will make the world a safer place. but can it pass and will it work? joining me now is author of
10:18 am
"nuclear nightmare" and suzanne dimaggio. with a welcome to you both. joe, when we spoke last weekend, you were hopeful a deal would be reached. you've seen the parameters. what's your assessment? >> this is a stunning achievement. it caught almost all of us by surprise. it looked like on wednesday that the whole thing was going to go down the tubes. then they emerged with this sweeping comprehensive detailed analysis that slashes iran's program. if they get this inked, if they get this signed by the end of june or early july this is going to make sure that iran does not get a nuclear bomb at least for 15 years and maybe sooner. and it could open the door to a new u.s./iranian relationship. i can't think of a national security breakthrough that's been this important in the last two decades. >> is there something that sticks out in your mind joe, that is just sort of the ultimate thing that was reached
10:19 am
here? >> the slashing of the iranian uranium enrichment capability. the stockpiled uranium gas, the feed stock, cut by 97%. the centrifuges, cut by two-thirds, all confined into one facility. the other deep underground facility we have been worried about, it will not be used for uranium enrichment at least for 15 years. i can't think of an arms control agreement that has lasted this long that has been this sweeping since the days of ronald reagan. >> suzanne, do you agree with joe's assessment there and ultimately do you think iran is going to agree to this? >> well there are still many details to be worked out. but i think joe's assessment is quite right. i think what's so strong about this agreement is that it squarely puts the onus on iran to verify every step of the way that its program is peaceful. that is absolutely the case here. also we need to look at this in the bigger picture.
10:20 am
what it will do if it succeeds is ensure that we do not have a nuclear armed iran in an already volatile middle east region. and when we look around the region we see now four active military conflicts. this agreement will ensure that iran doesn't become a nuclear factor within that mess. it essentially gives us some reassurance that as we look ahead in the region and see more uncertainty, more turmoil, iran will not have a nuclear bomb. >> joe, the white house says that under this deal iran's breakout time that's the time we take to get materials to make a weapon would be extended from the current two to three months to a year. but to a layman that does not sound like a long time at all. is that a significant change? >> you remember we talked about this during one of the occasions. you were surprised that right now in as little as two months iran might be able to make
10:21 am
enough material for a bomb. if you stretch that out to a year -- and remember, that's just making the stuff for the bomb, takes another six months to a year to actually make the bomb. but you have then a year of warning time. that is more than enough time for the u.s. to act. what i was actually looking for was something like six months. that would give the u.s. time. but now we have doubled that. so this deal has exceeded expectations. it's no wonder that many people who were skeptical or critical of the negotiations have now come out in support, such as richard hass jeffrey goldberg and bill o'reilly most surprisingly. >> one of the biggest issues still up in the air is sanctions. secretary kerry said they'll be phased out over months. but as someone who's visited tehran four times, can you put in perspective the sanction' impact on that country, on iran and what role they played in getting to the table? >> there's no question that
10:22 am
sanctions have played a major role in getting the iranians to come to the table and negotiate. and we end up with this sort of result. it's been that impactful. we also should keep in mind that in addition to the sanctions, the reason the iranians came to the table was that the united states said to iran early on that if you meet certain requirements, you will be able to maintain a limited enrichment capacity on your own soil. i think the combination of those two things made it possible for iran to move forward in this way. now, on the sanctions side of this there are still many details to be worked out. but the basic gist of the agreement so far is that iran will have to comply with certain measures as sanctions are aleaved. this is a good approach assuring that iran will live up to its end of the agreement while it gets the sanctions relief that it so desperately wants. all in all the way it's been
10:23 am
designed, iran can say, we have emerged as a winner we got sanctions relief but also the u.s. and our p5+1 partners can say, we've essentially not only frozen iran's program but rolled it back to the point where it cannot weaponize. it's a win-win narrative. >> you mentioned potentially normalized relations with iran. how realistic is that and in what kind of a time frame? >> well that's the next door we have to go through, assuming we get through this deal and we solidify it. these other options now open up. there's nothing certain about this. we're never going to be bffs with iran. we have major differences with a lot of their activities. but this deal takes care of the most dangerous activity. it stops them from getting a nuclear weapon. can we then cooperate to defeat isis to stabilize iraq, to stabilize afghanistan and other issues? this deal makes it possible. without this deal none of it would be possible. >> joe and suzanne, thank you both so much.
10:24 am
she's breaking into the nfl's old boys club and making history, next. audible safety beeping audible safety beeping audible safety beeping the nissan rogue with safety shield technologies. the only thing left to fear is you imagination. nissan. innovation that excites. before i had the shooting, burning, pins-and-needles of diabetic nerve pain, these feet grew up in a family of boys... married my high school sweetheart... and pursued a degree in education. but i couldn't bear my diabetic nerve pain any longer. so i talked to my doctor and she prescribed lyrica. nerve damage from diabetes causes diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is fda-approved to treat this pain. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you
10:25 am
have these, new, or worsening depression or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. now i have less diabetic nerve pain. and i love helping first graders put their best foot forward. ask your doctor about lyrica.
10:26 am
♪ turn around ♪ ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good around ♪ ♪ turn around, barry ♪ ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one. know your financial plan won't keep you up at night. know you have insights from professional investment strategists to help set your mind at ease. know that planning for retirement can be the least of your worries. with the guidance of a pnc investments financial advisor,
10:27 am
know you can get help staying on track for the future you've always wanted. brand-new pictures out of cuba show fidel castro making his first public appearance in over a year. the pictures were taken monday and show castro shaking hands with a delegation from venezuela. unclear why this is just now being reported. this was also castro's first public appearance since the u.s. began it has begun normalizing relations with cuba back in december. now to a woman about to make history in the nfl. the league has been an all boys club since its founding in 1920. but this fall, it looks like things are about to change. here's nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: football ref sarah thomas is the most accomplished woman in her field. and often the only one on the field. the nfl's roster of referees won't be released until next week. but the baltimore sun reports thomas is on the starter's list
10:28 am
which would make her the first permanent female nfl official. you love this sport, don't you. >> i do. >> reporter: we caught up with her at the new orleans saint training camp two years ago. at the time, her youngest was 7 months old. what does it demand from you during a game? >> just complete focus. you've got to be in shape. look at these athletes. >> reporter: you have to run up and down the field? >> absolutely. i have to be able to move with them. >> reporter: thomas worked her way up the ranks through peewee, high school and the ncaa. being a woman hasn't made a difference, she says. what counts is being in the game. >> there's a drive in me that says, i want to nail it. i want to work the perfect game. >> reporter: the news comes after a difficult year. the nfl was criticized widely for how it handled domestic violence allegations involving players. >> i'm sure some people will look at this and say this is the nfl further advancing its agenda to show sensitivity to gender issues. i hope the truth is that sarah thomas was the best candidate.
10:29 am
>> reporter: there will be some pressure when she takes the field in the fall. but for now, thomas gets to dance in the end zone. stephanie gosk nbc news, new york. imagine being stranded 66 days at sea. a u.s. sailor is recovering from such an ordeal right now. we'll meet some of his lifesavers in just a moment. sleep aid... plus the 12 hour pain relieving strength of aleve. be a morning person again, with aleve pm. heroes charge! ♪ ♪ (lightning strike) ♪ (kiss) ♪ lead your heroes in the hit mobile game download heroes charge now!
10:30 am
these new nature valley nut crisp bars are packed with nuts, seeds and sweetness. stick to simple, like nature valley nut crisp bars. nuts. seeds. sweetness. boom. delicious.
10:31 am
10:32 am
welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." it was an amazing rescue at sea. the coast guard plucking a 37-year-old man, louis jordan from the atlantic city nearly 250 miles off the carolina coast. even more amazing, jordan says he was stranded at sea for 66 days before being picked up by a german cargo ship. jordan said he became lost after setting out on a solo fishing trip in late january. a storm causing his boat to capsize on three separate occasions. >> boom out of nowhere, a huge cannonball wave just pounds right next to your head.
10:33 am
i was worried i was going to die. >> you look remarkably good. you don't have a bad sunburn. you're not blistered. you look okay. >> i tried to conserve as much energy as i could. tried not to do any work because all work equals food and water. and i was trying to ration all that. >> we're joined by two of the men responsible for that dramatic rescue jack shadwick and kyle mccollum. with a welcome to you both, i'm so glad to talk with you. petty officer, what went through your mind as you were lowered to that container ship to bring louis jordan aboard and how dangerous is that? >> to be honest with you, it's something we do a lot. we tend to do a lot of medevacs like this off cruise ships and other vessels like that. this was more of the norm for us. the flight mechanic, the person lowering me down that was his
10:34 am
first operational hoist. so that was a key factor. but he performed it amazingly. getting down there easily with no problem at all. >> that's a tribute to your training. you're hundreds of miles out to sea, bobbing over a shop ship. for you as a pilot, how difficult is it to maneuver that? >> it's fairly difficult. we were lucky with the weather conditions at the time. weather was pretty benign, clear skies. about two to three-foot waves. and we're very well-train. training at night is much more difficult. and luckily we had a bigger vessel to work with to drop the rescue swimmer. still pretty challenging. that's probably the most challenging part of the hoist itself was dropping him in that area of the bridge wing of the vessel. >> petty officer, i'm curious, what did mr. jordan say to you when you first reached him and brought him aboard that chopper? >> well as soon as i got down to the deck he actually walked
10:35 am
up to me. and at first, i was thinking, this can't be the guy. we were extremely pleased to see him in that condition but we definitely were expecting much worse condition out of him. he walked up to me and said thank you. and i told him to step back i needed to clear the hoisting area and we'll get you up in the helicopter. >> how long had he been on that cargo ship? >> i do not know exactly how long he was on that cargo ship, no. >> lieutenant is this a typical mission for you? 66 days to rescue someone at sea, not that part. but what you did, just the mechanics of it? >> the actual mechanics of it the hoisting pretty standard in terms of a medevac-type case. the only nonstandard part was the pure distance offshore. just over 200 miles is where we picked him. a lot of long-range planning going into that. but other than that the medevac and the hoisting aspect of it was pretty routine for the coast guard. >> how many missions have you
10:36 am
flown like this? have you been called to rescue someone lost at sea, if not for more than two months? >> absolutely. over two months, not at all. that's the first -- >> gentlemen, you're absolute heroes in our book for what you do every day. thank you so much. i think we lost you. but now you're back. can you hear me now? >> i can hear you. >> i was just saying what rock stars you are, basically. we appreciate what you both do not only in this instance but also what you do for us every day. thank you so much. gentlemen, thanks. >> thank you. torrential rain in kentucky has caused severe flooding and a road to collapse. in louisville two people were killed in the floods. the storm forced more than 160 rescues. much of the country will be seeing more rain in the days to come. let's go to what's called the blood moon the result of this morning's lunar eclipse which made the moon take on the color of amber or an intense orange.
10:37 am
it passed through the ertsarth's shadow. people in the west were treated to a five-minute full eclipse. it is the shortest one this century. to some late bloomers. the cherry blossoms in washington, those blossoms are late arriving to the party. the long-awaited peak blooms expected to occur by next weekend. let's go from there to politics. revelations by prominent columnist john rolston who claims that in 2012 the editor of "the las vegas sun" pulled his column about harry reid's repeated questioning of mitt romney's taxes. rolston quit on the spot but just this week published the column on his own. joining me in sparks nevada, is john ralston. with a hello to you, you said reid knows exactly what he is doing on the romney tax returns trying to create so much pressure that the candidate has to release more of his tax records, he doesn't care about
10:38 am
being criticized for using the same tactics that joe mccarthy used. first up why did you decide to publish this article now after the fact? >> i considered doing it before, alex. i'd already told people a long time ago shortly after i left "the las vegas sun" that i had written a column critical of reid that had been pulled. i thought of publishing it a couple of times on my own site. but then when i saw harry reid's interview in which he was completely unrepentant about having lied about mitt romney's taxes and said well romney lost, didn't he i said you know, this is the appropriate time. i guess it was just years of pent-up frustration. >> did this frustration include other columns critical of harry reid? >> no. as a matter of fact, this is the first time that brian greenspun who runs "the las vegas sun" killed any of my columns. he's very close to harry reid. he's talked about protecting harry reid inside that newspaper. i have to tell you, during the 2010 reid reelection race
10:39 am
against sharon angle, when i put a headline on my column that said "angle defeated reid in the debate," he actually called up the newspaper, had that headline changed to a much more neutral namby-pamby headline. but he'd never killed a column before that. i told him when i came to work for him in early 2000 if he ever killed a column because he had a reputation in the las vegas media for killing columns that were unfavorable to his friends, that i would quit. that's what i did. >> john i want to be real clear to our viewers that we actually asked you to join us on the broadcast before you made these allegations and the revelations. we were going to get your thoughts on reid's impending retirement. i just wanted to offer that as background here. what has been the editor's response to your allegation? >> i haven't heard a thing. he may write a column about it. he may not. i don't know what he can say, alex. i had a very contentious phone call with him.
10:40 am
it's clear that this had nothing to do with my column. i'd written very strongly worded columns about people before. he never had any problem with it. so i don't know what he could say. but to the best of my knowledge, he hasn't said anything. >> speaking in more broad terms, how would you define senator reid's legacy in this his final term? >> i have to tell you, there's probably never been a politician as influential and powerful in the history of nevada as harry reid has been. he's brought untold millions maybe even millions of projects to a little state that never would have been able to have that before. and he's prevented projects from coming here. of course the celebrated nuclear waste dump that bill was passed in 1987 nuclear waste was supposed to be here in 1998. it has not happened. i think going forward reid will do more of that in his final 21 months. what's really interesting about reid -- this has to do -- this goes back to the whole romney story.
10:41 am
unlike most politicians who reach that level, alex the guy has very little self-ed debting mechanism. so he's likely to say almost anything in the next 21 months. but i do think he will continue to use his power to try to help nevada and to prevent the nuclear waste dump from coming. and i also think that he will consider one of his legacies taking the senate back for the democrats and retaining his seat. now there's going to be a very very interesting race out here for his seat in democratic hands. >> i'm curious, though given the duration of his tenure there -- and that description that you gave us that he's someone who doesn't self-edit. what was his key to lasting so long? >> it's a good question. he's not a very dynamic guy. he's not charismatic. he didn't go on the sunday shows very often at all. but he is so skillful at one-on-one politics at backroom politics, that he's able to cultivate relationships, people are loyal to him. his caucus i think, has been
10:42 am
extraordinarily loyal to him because he has been willing to do things for them and because he's willing to say the things publicly that they would only say privately about republicans, about the koch brothers, about mitt romney. so i just think that is a remarkable skill set that is not evident by his public presence. >> john ralston, interesting conversation. thanks so much. >> thank you. a new video game affords you the opportunity to build a prison execution chamber and all that. but what is the purpose? one of the game's creators joins us next. (son) oh no... can you fix it, dad? yeah, i can fix that. (dad) i wanted a car that could handle anything. i fixed it! (dad) that's why i got a subaru legacy. (vo) symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 36 mpg. i gotta break more toys. (vo) the twenty-fifteen subaru legacy. it's not just a sedan. it's a subaru. e plane and thought... yeah! empty
10:43 am
seat next to me. and then i saw him slowly coming down the aisle. one of those guys who just can't stop talking. i was downloading a movie. i was trying to download a movie. i have verizon. i don't. i get that little spinning wheel. download didn't finish. i finished the download. headphones on. and i'm safe. i didn't finish in time. so. many. stories. vo: join us and save without settling. verizon. [eerie music] i am the ghost of cookies' past...residue. oh...so gross. well, you didn't use pam. so it looks like you're stuck with me! bargain brand cooking spray leaves annoying residue. that's why there's pam. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
10:44 am
yoplait. with a smooth and creamy taste your whole family loves. don't miss yoplait's exciting new flavors -- creamy caramel and cookies 'n cream. why do i take metamucil everyday? because it helps me skip the bad stuff. i'm good. that's what i like to call the meta effect. 4-in-1 multi-health metamucil is clinically proven to help you feel less hungry between meals. experience the meta effect with our multi-health wellness line. ♪ at mfs, we believe in the power of active management. every day, our teams collaborate around the world to actively uncover, discuss and debate investment opportunities. which leads to better decisions for our clients. it's a uniquely collaborative approach you won't find anywhere else. put our global active management expertise to work for you. mfs. there is no expertise without collaboration. ♪ ♪ we love our smartphones.
10:45 am
and now telcos using hp big data solutions are feeling the love, too. by offering things like on-the-spot data upgrades an idea that reduced overcharge complaints by 98%. no matter how fast your business needs to adapt if hp big data solutions can keep wireless customers smiling, imagine what they can do for yours. make it matter. now 45 minutes past the hour. time for your fast five headlines. first, blue bell ice cream has suspended operations at its plant in broken arrow, oklahoma, linked to a listeria outbreak that killed three people. the company says it's inspecting that plant to look for problems that may have caused the contamination. in san francisco, the police chief is recommending eight police officers who exchanged racist and homophobic text messages be fired.
10:46 am
those offensive messages came to light in a federal corruption probe. here in new york a huge brawl inside a casino food court last night resulted in the arrests of three people and left several people injured. none seriously. police are trying to figure out what touched off that melee. the man convicted of conducting a revenge porn website has been facted to 18 years in prison. the 28-year-old was found guilty of extortion and identity theft. france passed a new law against ultra-thin fashion models. there's jail time for up to six months for agents that violate the probation. the measure is much like one israel passed two years ago. the world of reality video games is becoming more real each day. one game that's getting a lot of attention is "prison architect." it allows players to build their
10:47 am
own prisons however they want with simulated inmates inside. some say it's going to give people a better understanding of the justice system. opponents say it teaches people to exploit others. with me now is mark morris the managing director of the video game. mark, with a welcome to you, how did you come up with this idea? >> alex, thanks for having me on the show. i'm pleased to be here. the game idea came from a holiday that our creative director went on to alcatraz in the beautiful city of san francisco. and basically as he was walking around and looking at some of the mechanisms that opened the cell doors and some of the other kind of systems that were evolved in that place, he started connecting the dots and thinking, we could build a simulation. it had never been touched on before, not well in the video games medium. but so many books and films and tv shows have been based on
10:48 am
prisons that we thought, maybe we could have a look at this issue through our medium, which is gaming. >> yeah. for people who don't really quite get the idea, you go from the ground up. literally you have people who are able to decide if they want to put tile floors down, wood flanks on the floor, whether they want it lighted with certain types of lights whether you want single cells, communal bathrooms, single bathroom tssbathrooms. it's an interesting architectural designs. but some call it tasteless. what do you think about that? >> i don't think it's tasteless at all. everybody in the world has an opinion on prison. some believe they're not strict enough. and others think we're not doing enough to rehabilitate the prisoners in there. we tried to create a game where you can explore those themes genuinely. you touched on it by talking about different floor types. it's maybe a small thing but if you put down a really nice wooden floor, that will have an
10:49 am
impact on your prisoners. they're less likely to riot or cause you trouble. but the downside of that within the game is that will cost you a little bit more money. if you can't afford to put that particular floor type down or if you put it down you might need to sacrifice on education wing or perhaps you might not be able to have a sniffer dogs so your drug use goes up in the prison. i reject the allegation that it's tasteless. we've treated this subject very sensitively. >> what kind of stats are you getting on the number of people playing the game and who's playing it? >> we've done phenomenally well. we're a very small company. there's only about ten people that work for us. four directors full time. we started the firm back in 2000 at university. and this is by far and away the ever made. we've not even finished it yet, it's still in area access. we've sold over a million users now. so we've got over i think it's about 1.1 million people that play to date which is just outstanding. >> how long's it been out?
10:50 am
>> we started in september, 2012. but like i said it's not finished every month we produce a small content update where we add a new system or tweak something. so we've been working on it slowly over the years, and we're going to be launching later on this year but as i say, not a long period and over a million players is just amazing. >> all right, well mark morris congratulations, good luck thanks so much. >> thank you very much. alex, i appreciate it. well college basketball's final four tips off later today. another final four is in washington. it is the search for the best washington movie ever. could a few good men be it? know your numbers, and stay focused. i was determined to create new york city's first self-serve frozen yogurt franchise. and now you have 42 locations. the more i put into my business the more i get out of it. like 5x your rewards when you make select business purchases with your ink plus card from chase. and with ink, i choose how to redeem my points for things like cash or travel. how's the fro-yo? just peachy...literally.
10:51 am
ink from chase. so you can. ugh... ...heartburn. did someone say burn? try alka seltzer reliefchews. they work just as fast and taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. mmm... amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. whether you need a warm up before the big race... or a healthy start before the big meeting there's a choice hotel that's waiting for you. this spring, choose choice twice, get a night at no price at 1,500 hotels. book now at choicehotels.com congratulations. you're down with crestor. yes! when diet and exercise aren't enough, adding crestor lowers bad cholesterol up to 55%. crestor is not for people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. tell your doctor all medicines you take. call your doctor if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of serious side effects.
10:52 am
i'm down with crestor! make your move. ask your doctor about crestor.
10:53 am
the much anticipated final four gets under way tonight, if you're not a basketball lover, different kind of tournament has already played out. effort to the pick the best washington movie ever. readers looked at dozens of films to pick which most accurately portraying life in
10:54 am
the nation's capitol, and today there is a winner. >> joining me now is benjamin frooed. with a welcome to you, i want to start with the breakdown here you put out four categories. how did you decide what to do? >> well march madness is coming up, we decided to put a fun bracket game for the readers on our website and we got what's a good, what's a good thing that everybody has an opinion on? we figured, you know, movies, there are a lot of there are a lot of movies set in washington but not much of them actually really get what get what we're talking about or get what life in washington is really like. so, that's the prompt that we gave readers. don't vote for your favorite political movie, which is what i think a lot of elicit washington movies are, but vote for the movie that most gets your city. >> it's interesting because i'll tell people in the commercial break, i was channel surfing,
10:55 am
and i had forgotten how they're cruising through georgetown, it's really a look at that part of washington but let's look at the final four that readers picked. what are they and how surprised were you? >> the final four it was all the president's men, and lincoln, thank you for smoking, and breach which was kind of a big, a big cinderella for a while. pulled off a lot of upsets in this. >> okay. readers finally chose a winner. we have a clip let's roll it. >> coming in from the cold. supposedly he's got a lawyer with $25,000 and a brown paper bag. >> i love money. >> what do you mean? >> i can't tell you that. >> but you could tell me. >> no i have to do this my way. you tell me what you know and i'll confirm. i'll keep you in the right direction if i can. but that's all.
10:56 am
just follow the money. >> okay. it's all the president's men coming out on top. what do you think benjamin made that the most washington movie ever? >> you know i'm not really sure in, you know, along the lines that we said you know how it came out of the winner but it's a very tough movie, people like it and it is a good movie. that follow the money scene is entirely fictional though. that line was never said but it's, you know, it's good advice, but credited to goldman and not the actual that. >> the screen writer. there was someone who tweeted and said that should have made it. there were oldies on there as well. >> yeah i think that's where we got a lot of people saying you know, they just wanted to list political movies. and mr. smith goes to washington, yeah it's a classic, but it's not really a
10:57 am
movie about the city of washington. if it was up to me i think, i think my final would have been d.c. cab -- >> i read that! you were like d.c. cab didn't make it. i'm glad you made it thanks so much, have a good one, we'll see you guys back here tomorrow. in reality they're not. if a denture were to be put under a microscope we can see all the bacteria that still exists on the denture and that bacteria multiplies very rapidly. that's why dentists recommend cleaning with polident everyday. polident's unique micro clean formula works in just 3 minutes, killing 99.99% of odor causing bacteria. for a cleaner, fresher brighter denture every day. ford is taking the ecoboost challenge all across america. here we go! check out escape and find out why ford is the brand more people buy and buy again. wow! that's a four-cylinder? i thought it was a six. i definitely feel the ecoboost in the ford escape. that's like a sports car. i just opened my trunk with my foot. i prefer, without a doubt, the escape over the cr-v. take the ecoboost challenge at your
10:58 am
ford dealer. for a limited-time get an escape with up to two-thousand total cash back plus seven-fifty conquest cash with a qualifying competitive vehicle in your house.
10:59 am
i've just arrived in atlanta and i can't wait to start telling people how switching to geico could save them hundreds of dollars on car insurance. but first, my luggage. ahh, there it is. uh, excuse me sir? i think you've got the wrong bag. >>sorry, they all look alike, you know? no worries.
11:00 am
well, car's here, i can't save people money chatting at the baggage claim all day. geico®. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. it's the place where lies unravel and alibis crumble. >> our job as homicide detectives are to speak for the dead. >> the interrogation room. or as police call it, the box. >> okay. let's sure. let's see the body. >> in the college town of austin, texas, government major is grilled about mutilating a romantic rival. >> jealous girl friend. jealous girlfriends make criminals. >> i've never seen one act