himself sometimes seems like he's built of concrete and steel. that was him speaking today in shanksville, pennsylvania on the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. "weekends with alex witt" starts now. developing now, a possible break in the phoenix highway shootings, but it may not answer some of the biggest questions. a live report ahead. somebody had to be first. rick perry is number one in the republican field but it's not exactly what he'd hoped for. >> never seen anything like it. but as far as -- i feel terrible about it. >> we'll tell you what happened when presidential contender donald trump joined jimmy fallon in a skit spoofing the billionaire. it's hard to believe a stunning loss in the u.s. open for tennis superstar venus williams.

good morning. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." here's what's happening, then there were 16, rick perry suspended his campaign, the first republican candidate to drop out of the crowded field. perry struggled to gain foothold in the latest polls and last month the campaign ran out of money to pay some staffers. in his statement perry alluded to donald trump with a parting swipe. >> the conservative movement has always been about principles, not about personalities. our nominee should embody those principles. he or she must make the case for the cause of conservatism more than the cause of their own celebrity. >> well, the new msnbc mayor ris poll finds hillary clinton.

jeb bush the closest, bernie sanders has shown he can draw the biggest crowds in democratic strongholds but last night in georgia, he proved he can play in the south as well. more than 1200 supporters came out with roaring applause for a fund-raiser in atlanta. and donald trump appeared with jimmy fallon where he argued for an interesting election reform. >> you're in the lead right now. right? >> yeah, by a lot. you know, in some countries you can demand that the election be the following week. i'm demanding right now that the election be this week. no. it's a long way. it's such a long way to go. >> i'm joined by phillip bub reporter for the "washington post." we're both smiling watching that. but let's begin with rick perry, the first to go. i know you wrote about this in the post. what was he lacking? >> he was lacking novellety.

voters looked at him in 2012. they fell out of love. we've seen this cycle that it's people who have never been in politics before. the donald trumps, the ben carsons now doing the best in the field that's not rick perry, he saw his support which was already low dwindle over the course of his fairly short campaign and it wasn't enough. >> is who do you think drops out next? >> that's a good question. perry had a combination of two things. if irs, that he actually declined in the polls substantially and he was running spending money. there are people like jim gilmore who is not really running so no reason to drop out. it's going to be hard to say. maybe a lindsey graham who is spending and isn't getting traction who makes that decision next. >> when these fringe candidates start dropping out, who is likely to benefit the most? is there a clear answer to that? >> not really. i think it depends on the candidate. like rick perry all of his supporters went somewhere else. they went to donald trump or wherever they went to. so i think it depends on who. i think when you get to a rand paul, if rand paul who has his

own base of support were to drop out of the race, it would be interesting to see. but i think it's hard to predict. >> let's take a listen to a bit more from donald trump with jimmy fallon last night. >> going to create jobs in this country. >> i'm just going to do it. >> right. right. but how? >> by doing it. it just happens. by doing it. >> so rather inexplicable still. is there any sense of erosion anywhere or do you think there's a shot he's going to be the last republican standing? >> it's interesting. the donald trump was always sort of like the san andreas fault of the party. something's going to happen. a massive earthquake and drop the party in the sea. now a couple of little earthquakes and people are

starting to feel comfortable settling down on him. polling since the first debate shows he is strengthening in the polls and fewer people saying, a, they des like him and would never vote for him. seems he could make it all the way. i think it's a risky move. >> okay. i say go figure. let's go to the democratic side because we saw the new polls that now show bernie sanders ahead of hillary clinton in iowa, also new hampshire. we're still nearly six months from the votes. but is hillary clinton still the favorite in these states? >> no. i mean you can't call it a favorite when she's trailing in the polls. but you know she still is definitely the favorite overall. we saw a poll this queek that showed her declining further but bernie sanders was fairly flat and joe biden who shares a lot of hillary clinton's base that had risen. so yeah, she's still the national favorite. not in the early states but that alone is making her campaign i'm sure nervous. >> of course. thank you so much. good to see you. >> developing now, a potential break in the investigation in

the random shootings rattling the phoenix area. a person of interest taken into custody last night in connection to the dozen or so shootings, most of which have taken place along a freeway. scott cohen is in phoenix following this story. an early good morning to you. what are police saying about this person of interest? >> reporter: well, very little, alex. the more time goes on we're talking now two weeks today since the first shooting, the more complicated this gets. they did take this man, 19-year-old oscar munoz into custody a person of interest in the investigation. later booked him on an unrelated marijuana charge. it's unclear if he is still being questioned in this rash of shootings. the police are also saying there are distinct different patterns which might suggest there are more than one shooter, maybe as many as three different patterns here where you're talking about

shootings with bullets, with pellet guns or bb guns and potential road rage incidents which may or may not be related. so, they are trying to get a handle on this. meanwhile, there is considerable police presence around interstate 10. you see police officers, you see in cars, in the air. there are also undercover officers trying to nail this down. so far the city remaining on edge. >> scott, how about the freeway cameras? there are a couple hundred that they can scan. are they providing clues? >> well, not that police are saying yet. but clearly, as you can imagine, they are looking at all of that. they are looking at the cameras, there are as you said, quite a number of them. they also have aerial reconnaissance they put out in addition to that. so, absolutely every little bit -- every image they can get their hands on they are looking at. but these shootings are so random, the timing so random, they happen so quickly, it's

obviously hard to get a handle on. >> obviously. scott, thank you so much there in phoenix. other news now. a state of emergency has been declared in northern california due to the explosive growth of a wildfire there. hundreds forced to evacuate. six homes have been destroyed with thousands threatened. the fire has gone from one square mile on thursday to 101 square miles. 2500 firefighters are on the line and containment is only at about 5%. overnight the annual tribute in light lit up the skies of new york in honor of those who lost their lives on september 11th. those blue beams are illuminated each year from sunset on september 11 to sunrise on september 12. the two beacons shine as symbol of the twin towers reaching nearly four miles into the sky and they are visible within about a 60-mile radius. it is beautiful. serena williams' quest for the grand slam is over. italian beat her in the u.s.

open semifinals on friday. williams was going for the elusive pritz after winning. it would have been the first since steffi graf in 1988. in four previous matches against williams vinci had not even won a set. the underdog understood the significant kanls of her win. >> the american people, for serena, for the grand slam, but today is my day. sorry guys. >> i thought she played the best tennis in her career, you know. she's 33 and you know, she's going for it at a late age so that's good for her to keep going for it and playing so well and actually i guess is inspiring. >> williams' bid was the most hotly anticipated event in tennis in years, but ticket prices in the secondary market for the finals have now dropped by 83% after williams lost. she will play the 26th seed

later today. for the first time we're seeing the moment an undercover cop mistakenly took down tennis star james blake. the nypd released the video of the takedown a day after the commissioner apologized to blake. >> reporter: tennis star james blake is outside a hotel texting when suddenly a plane clothes officer approaches and tackles him to the ground. the hotel surveillance video released by the nypd shows blake is arrested and handcuffed. >> it shouldn't have happened. >> reporter: blake says police used excessive force. police say this was a case of mistaken identity but the commissioner is investigating. >> was the force used appropriate, and the initial review we believe that it may not have been. >> reporter: police and the mayor have apologized to blake, blake responded saying, extending courtesy to a public figure mistreated by police is

not enough. i am determined to use my voice to turn this unfortunate incident into a catalyst for change. james, the undercover officer, has had two previous excessive force lawsuits filed against him. he is on modified duty. now t 59 seconds of video for everyone to see a critical element in this case. >> wow. that was rehema ellils. let's go to the weather. clear skies in the northeast. that's not going to last. the sizzle out west is sticking around. kate parker is here with the headlines. good morning. >> hey, alex, okay so look at this. the east coast where we have football games going on, all kinds of weekend plans, we have thunderstorms in the forecast, some could be damaging. we're talking about the possibility of hail, some damaging winds from d.c. all the way down south to tampa. but it's all part of a much bigger system. we've got this niles cold front plowing on through the eastern half of the country, look at

these temperatures. 69 degrees today in st. louis, how about that, 63 in pittsburgh today. roanoke, 74 degrees, chicago a chilly 63 for your high. so it feels more like fall but with that dip in the jet stream and the cooler temperatures out east, this is what we get out west. just sizzling forecasts. 104 in las vegas today, eureka, 5 degrees above, seattle you're several above as well at 81. that ridge is not helping fire fighting efforts so we're hoping for any kind of breeze going on there. it's not quite in the forecast and a couple places to watch in the tropics but no tropical cyclones at this time. >> thank you for that. in europe tens of thousands of migrants are making their way to safety but they may soon face a major obstacle. details in a live report. plus, blind sided. the attorney for the texas referee rammed by two football players talks to us about the case and the new accusations aimed at the referee.

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developing news this morning on the huge migrant crisis. saudi arabia for the first time made official statement on the situation saying it has taken in 2.5 million syrians. today tens of thousands of migrants are making their way toward western europe. hunga hungary's prime minister is asking for aide to stem the flow at the source. hungary warned of arrests. a good morning to you. why such a hard line by hungary against the migrants? >> reporter: well, alex, since the beginning of this crisis the prime minister of hungary said all he wants to do is protect

the borders of the european union from what he said was invasion of millions of muslim migrants. his treatment of migrants and refugees has been widely criticized. instead of easing up his policies he's going to strengthen it to make it stricter. as you said he said he is going to make it a criminal offense to cross illegally into hungary and will arrest everyone who will try to do so. >> what does that mean by arrest? do they get put in some sort of temporary shelter, get september back? is that defined? >> reporter: well, right now what happens is that they put them into a refugee center which is a main refugee center at the border with serbia. that's more like it looks more like a detention center because they are forcibly being kept inside there. and yesterday we saw disturbing video from inside that center where you see there are tens and hundreds trying to catch some of

the food that is being thrown into the crowd by a handful of police men. so certainly, those are not conditions that you would want refugees to be kept in. you cannot claim that that means offering them refuge. >> the tide of people that are seeking asylum, is it only increasing? >> it is only increasing. there are record breaking numbers coming in now, despite the threats by the hungarian prime minister, despite the fact even though there is in budapest it's raining, turning all the fields that need to cross, they need to cross to get to hungary, turn into mud. as you can see behind me there are -- this is a main train station here. still filling up with refugees, all they want to do is catch one of the trains to take them to western europe. as a matter of fact, the international organization of migration said that the total number of refugees has gotten

into europe since the beginning of the year is more than 430,000. that means that by the end of the year we'll probably break the half million mark. >> last question, i understand that hungary is building some sort of a fence or a wall along its border with serbia, they say that's supposed to be completed next month s. that realistic? >> reporter: yes. well, they already have built a three layers razor wire fence all across the 110-mile border with serbia and on top of it they are building a wall. it's a 13-foot wall that will be completed probably by next month. >> all right, thank you so much from budapest. back stateside with reverberations around the world an upset in tennis. serena williams nearing the first grand slam in more than a quarter century when the italian took that away from her yesterday.

kristen dahlgren is at the scene in queens where it happened. so she was so close. i wonder if the it's easier for her to have lost in the semis than the finals. i don't know. >> i don't think any of it would have been easy. wasn't easy for fans. i can't describe how speechless and slap jawed they were after watching that match. all of the experts that i had been talking to, there was no scenario serena would have lost that match. people with roberta vinci said she didn't think she stood a chance and stunned everybody including herself. >> she's got it! extraordinary upset. >> serena williams, the end of a year-long quest. >> is italy's roberta vinci ends the run. >> i don't want to talk about how disappointing it is for me. >> reporter: two matches from the rare calendar grand slam,

winning four majors in the same year, what seemed inevitable to the world number one until a little known italian roberta vinci, rachged just 43 in the world. >> i'm happy. i don't know. it's tough to explain my emotion right now. >> i thought she played the best tennis in her career. she played literally out of her mind. >> reporter: williams wasn't the only one shocked to see the unseeded player put an end to her 33-match winning streak. >> this is one of the hugest upsets in tennis history. roberta had not beaten serena in four tries. >> reporter: for williams it was an exhausting week, battled her sister on tuesday and after that admitted to being tired. >> wake up early to practice. >> reporter: williams has been a fan favorite. a cinderella story out of the rough streets of compton, california. she's won the so-called serena slam, four majors in a row, just not in a calendar year, something she pointed out to

journalists. >> three grand slams this year and four in a row so it's pretty good. >> reporter: on the men's side the semifinals few surprises. novak djokovic in a final against roger federer. looking for his record 18th major. >> so, still a lot of amazing tennis to come here. we've got the women's final later on today. roberta vinci taking on flavia paneti. both have been giant killers taking down the 1 and 2 seeds. the reality of serena not being in the finals for ticket sales, people selling those for 1400 now getting less than half of that. >> i think it's even going down further. but thank you very much, kristen dahlgren. your next road trip isn't going to break the bank. coming up, why we are seeing low prices at the gas pump and how

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the right-sized nissan rogue. ♪ all pumped up, looking for workers, big beef. joining me to break it down is regina lewis. good morning to you. we're going to begin with all pumped up and the boost for american motorists. what's that about? >> goldman sachs had a report this week saying how low can it go in terms of oil prices calling for $20 a barrel which could put gas prices around $2 per gallon by december. all of this is fueled by literally supply because as we've been talking about for months the opec nations, saudi arabia, here comes iran as sanctions are lifted there, and often overlooked we've got to store all of this oil and so what the report looked at is guess what, all of the storage facilities are full. and that is really devastating

the fracking industry here where we've seen job cuts. you can't compete with the price saudi arabia and iran can produce fuel. >> how about looking for workers. the unemployment rate is above 5 but still employers who can't find people to work? >> yeah. absolutely. there is 5.8 million job openings, a record number, the highest since the government started tracking this data. but only 5 million hires, so the story to your point is the gap. why can't we fill these positions? as some folks are saying well, the standards are too high. there's a technology gap, there is a skills gap. hard skills win. so unfortunately, there is a lot of people with 4 year degrees that aren't able to find employment because the people doing the hiring are saying you know what, i want hard skills, get apprenticeship. watch for resurgence in vocational schools, a welder, electrician, that's where the hiring is and where the money is. there are welders if you are

willing to do it under water which is specialized and sometimes dangerous you can make more than six figures out of high school. so very interesting to see a little bit of a pivot there. i think that's going to play out over the next decade. >> a lot of parents listening to say go into welding. what's with big beef? >> beef prices are up 10% year over year. because of the drought. so, this time last year we were talking about the fact that it was very hard to feed the cattle. and often overlooked, that is a commodity that you can't just snap your fingers and have full grown cattle. so people are trying to refurbish the supply but that means there is a delay. so beef prices could be back down next year but in the meantime everyone is trying to replace the cattle that they lost. >> okay. thank you so much. donald trump stops by "the tonight show." watch the presidential candidate and jimmy fallon do their own

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welcome back to weekends with alex witt. donald trump stopped by "the tonight show" last night and what resulted was part trump being trump. katy tur has the story. >> reporter: trumping fal lon. >> starring jimmy fallon. >> with jimmy a double dose of the donald. >> how am i going to get mexico to build the wall? easy. i'll challenge them to the biggest game of xanga ever. i'll make them set up the board and when they finish i'll say i don't want to play anymore. >> reporter: trump trading his muscle for his comedic tongue but still campaigning. >> who would be the person at the debate you are targeting? who is your biggest threat? >> in terms of targeting any

voter but i want them to vote, i want them to love trump and them to know i'll do a great job. as far as candidates, you know, to me they are all the same. >> reporter: the republican leader pulling his punches on stage and off friday even tweeting a gracious for him farewell to rick perry. after the former texas governor announced he was suspending his campaign writing@govern perry is a terrific guy and i wish him well. i know he will have a great future. a sharp turn in tone from the lashing he gave carly fiorina in "rolling stone" on thursday criticizing her face. harsh words that insiders say could come back to haunt him wednesday from fiorina herself as she takes the main stage. >> can she knock him down? >> if fiorina versus trump is the match, in the center ring i want a front row ticket. >> reporter: despite too many insults to count trump is out front leading by double digits

including those he'll see later today, rand paul, marco rubio and scott walker, at the super bowl of iowa football, iowa versus iowa state. katy tur, des moines, iowa. >> the latest polls show donald trump highly favored among eastbound evil voters. this week he declined to speak at the values voter summit. jeb bush also has declined to attend this month's event. >> opponents of the iran nuclear deal may not have stopped it but they have their vote on record. yesterday the house voted with bipartisan support to oppose the deal and to block president obama from lifting sanctions on iran. joining me now is democratic congressman seth molten, a member of the armed services committee, a decorated iraq war veteran. welcome, it's good to have you. >> good morning. >> so i know that you have supported this deal since just after it was inked but 25 as you know of your fellow democrats

voted against it yesterday. many who did support it did not do so easily. what is the message this sends at home and even perhaps more importantly abroad? >> well, look. this was a tough decision and a tough debate. i didn't come to my conclusion until i had been through a lot of briefings including many classified briefings. but i firmly believe that it's critical we prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. and at the end of the day i believe this is the best option we have on the table to do so. now, there is some dissension in the house, that's for sure. but i think that it's clear that we all share the same goals. we all want to see iran not have a nuclear weapon, we all share the concerns of our ally israel that the stability that iran causes in the middle east is a threat to world peace and now what we need to do is move forward, reaffirm our commitment to holding iran to task and doing the other things we need to keep pressure on them for all of the other problems they bring to the world, not just the nuclear problem but sponsorship

of international terrorism, the american hostages they hold and the way they create stability in this tinder box and the world which is the middle east. >> in terms of moving forward, though, general hayden, former director of the cia and the nsa was on morning joe yesterday. he made an interesting point. here it is. >> an aircraft carrier in the region because the defense budget is where it is. and so one of the things i suggest is if you're going to go do this one of the unavoidable costs of doing this is make the dod budget right and healthy again so we have the military power to push back against the iranians. >> you think that's a valid argument? should the u.s. always be in a position to launch a strike on iran? >> we have to be. and not only do we have to be in a position to do so if the iran violates this agreement, but everybody in the world most importantly iran itself needs to know that we're willing to take action. and one of the virtues of this agreement is that if we need to

take military action, it's actually easier to do so under the agreement. let me tell you i certainly hope it never comes to that. the hope is that diplomacy will work here. if we do need to take military action against iran, we're in a stronger position to do so with the agreement. because we'll have much better intelligence on where their facilities are, and we'll have the i want national and domestic credibility to take that action including taking a difficult vote in congress to do so. so, we're in a strong position with this agreement. but absolutely we have to be ready to hold iran to task. >> but one thing the deal does not do is anything about the use of conventional weapons and iran's support of foreign fighters and you noey about this balls you fought against the iranian backed militias in iraq. we've seen recent protests against the deal by veterans groups. i'm curious how it plays into your decision making on the nuclear deal. >> well, it's very personal for me. because i fought in southern iraq, i've seen american colleagues killed and wounded by the weapons and influence of the

iranian regime so i have seen first-hand the threat that iran poses to america and to our allies. but i think it would have been a mistake to include conventional weapons in this agreement because it necessarily would have watered down the nuclear provisions. the nuclear threat is absolutely paramount. i wouldn't want to see shorter timelines or fewer restrictions on the nuclear program in exchange for more restrictions on their conventional weapons. so i think the administration made the right decision to keep this agreement about the nuclear program, but this is all the more reason why we have to keep the pressure on iran for their other violations of international norms and other threats to world peace and to our allies. we can do so under the agreement. the agreement takes away the nuclear sanctions only when they meet our demands. but it doesn't do anything about the sanctions that are against iran for their sponsorship of international terrorism. >> okay. i want to switch gears, ask you about a shocking report from "the daily beast" in which more

than 50 intelligence analysts from the pentagon allege that senior officials altered their reports to portray isis as weaker than it actually is, and to indicate the u.s. is actually winning the war. the inspector general is reportedly opened an investigation. if this is true, what should be the recourse? do you trust the briefings and intelligence you received? >> you have to go in and ask the tough questions and make sure that what you're hearing is correct. and i think that my background in the military enables me to really get to the heart of the issue and ask those tough questions. i haven't seep these particular reports but i'll tell you i've been talking for a long time about how we need a much more serious and comprehensive strategy to defeat isis. and it's not just about putting troops into iraq again. if p you look at what happened when isis had this dramatic expansion from syria into western and then northern iraq, they didn't just defeat the iraqi army. the iraqi army put their weapons down and went home because they lost faith in the iraqi

government. that tells us that the fundamental problem in iraq today that has enabled so much of isis expansion is a political problem. not a military problem. at a basic level you don't fix iraqi politics by training iraqi troops. so we've got to have a much more comprehensive long term diplomatic and political strategy to defeat isis. we've got to be talking about how to defeat isis on social media, not just in the hideouts in iraq and syria. so we have a lot of work to do. if this revelation is a call to attention here, that we need a serious strategy against isis and we haven't had one to date, then it's a good thing it's coming to light. >> well, i'll look forward to continuing this conversation. thank you so much. >> thanks. a state of emergency in northern california this morning, hundreds evacuated in the rule communities of san andreas as the so called butte wild fire has exploded in

size. in plymouth, california, i understand more people are urged to leave their homes. >> reporter: yes, alex, earlier the entire town of san andreas was put on evacuation notice, fortunately that has been scaled back but even still those who have decided to stay behind are on edge as the fire continues to grow. unrelenting, unconstrained. >> so that fire has to go a good couple hundred feet in the air. >> reporter: firefighters reduced to small silhouettes against another wild fire heaving its destructive power through the night. >> steep terrain, high temperatures, 101, 107 degrees. >> reporter: it's been a nonstop fight for three days, firefighters losing ground ov overwhelmed by explosive growth. in these conditions with homes on the line -- >> water. >> reporter: every drop of water

counts. that's only a few hundred gallons left, not enough for a full defense. >> we've got to save some water. >> reporter: the chief forced to prioritize until reinforcements arrive. this home safe for now. up the rode escape plans are drawn, everyone ready to evacuate. >> i watched my friends home burn yesterday let alone getting him out, it's not good. >> reporter: the loss has been tremendous and 6,000 more structures are being threatened. >> i thought i woke up on mars. he goes it's down the street. we got to go. and the room, the house just glowed red. >> reporter: they hope that home is still standing. >> i'm scared to death. this is worse than an earthquake because this is continuing. >> everybody just worried about their house. >> reporter: at times like this some firefighters offer comfort. >> you are in our thoughts and prayers. >> thank you.

>> take care of yourself. >> reporter: others continue to risk their lives protecting what so many had to leave behind. since yesterday the fire has doubled in size from 30,000 acres now to over 60,000 acres while containment has slipped down to about 5%. there is no word on how many homes have been lost. alex. >> heartbreaking on so many levels. thank you so much. one week after the blind siding of a referee that texas high school football returns to action without the two offending players, that team i should say. could they soon face criminal charges? a lawyer for the referee is joining me next. ♪ ♪ ♪ another tie.

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football players from san antonio's john j. high school took to the field last night for the first time in a week. the game was played as investigation continues into this incident, that happened last friday's game. it appears that referee robert watts may have been deliberately

tackled by players. two students have been suspended. the latest from janet shamlian. >> reporter: high school football night in texas one game unlike any other under the friday night lights. with a heavy police presence, and the stadium filled with media, it's the first game for san antonio yos mustangs since the team made headlines for a video that shocked the nation. a blindside vicious and seemingly intentional hit at last week's game as a player charges the referee. and then another player does the same a few seconds later. the video now watched on line more than 10 million times. >> we could win the state championship 20 years from today and people will always remember oh, that school where the referee got hit from behind. >> reporter: the players have been suspended from the team and the school. they could face criminal charges. and assistant coach matt breed is on leave after some players say he suggested the ref be

punished. the referee is recovering from the attorney call as heinous crime. >> i think criminal charges are a starting point. i think an appropriate response would be very stern measures with respect to the school district that allowed this type of climate to exist. >> reporter: even the most devoted of the team's fans say there can be no tolerance for what happened. >> it won't happen again. that's not our character. it was just a mistake that happens. >> reporter: school officials say despite a tough week, they are proud of the team. >> i think they sent a message of perseverance. >> reporter: the they lost friday's game, its second defeat in as many weeks in what's turning out to be a mean season. >> let's bring in the attorney for the referee. allen goldberger joins me, the author of sports officiating a legal guide. makes sense why you are the attorney then. welcome you to the broadcast.

has your position changed? do you see criminal charges as being in the future in a strong recourse against the school? >> we witnessed along with everybody else in the western world not one but two crimes being committed in the middle of a football field. in plain view of maybe 1,000 spectators or so. relatively unusual in a climate where in the officiating industry we are accustomed to assaults, most of them occur in the context of face-to-face contact as you might imagine. a spectator accosting an official after a game or sometimes during a game. sometimes people lose their temper, take a swing or emulate what they see on television. shove somebody or do something of the sort. this was a little different. and i think qualitatively different and the videotape tells the tale. >> what about the injuries

sustained by your client? >> the injuries are still undetermined. he is under medical treatment and diagnosis yet to come. obviously our concern that he get better. >> obviously there's going to be an argument here from both sides. let's get to some of the things that are alleged. one is that your client used. for the crimes that were committed. focus here is the fact that we have a gentleman who has been officiating high school and college football for 14 years. is a business executive. he is officiated approximately 500 games. business executive. he has officiated approximately 500 games for the texas association of sports officials

alone. he did not get where he is today by making inappropriate remarks. his job and the job of all of us in officiating is to penalize any commentary made by anybody directed toward another person that tends to embarrass, ridicule or demean another person, and specifically, all rules codes pay attention and give very, very serious weight to any comments that reflect upon a person's race, gender, national origin or anything of the sorts. we're in the business of making the game safe, fair and fun. as such, mr. watts is the reason why -- and his partners, is the reason why any game is safe, fair and fun. part of that is taking appropriate action against anyone who would make remarks like that. so those charges are untrue. >> but let me ask you, let's say that there was some back-and-forth at some point, then the allegations of the assistant coach has said go

after him or maybe have led the boy to suggestions of what they could do. is that uncommon, that you have a coach coming after a referee? again, this is all hypothetical. >> it's not uncommon. there are all kinds of comments made during a game because coaches feel the need to win, and they feel the need to win sometimes to the extent that they lose some perspective. so we are accustomed to hearing inappropriate remarks, myself as an official. i've been near the scorer's table, for example, at basketball games, i've been working where i hear, guys, we're playing seven men tonight. what are the implications of that? we're accustomed to that. what we'll never get accustomed to is being the recipient of a battering ram or being blind-sided by kids who are old enough to know better. >> that goes without saying, being blind-sided.

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this morning saudi officials are blaming high winds for toppling a massive crane that killed more than 100 people at mock ka's grand mosque. nbc's jacob rascon is in london. jacob, did officials know a storm was coming? >> they did know. strong storms are not uncommon there and the construction project had been going on for many months. they, of course, didn't expect anything like this to happen. more than 100 people killed and more than 200 injured. muslim's holiest site left littered with bodies and wreckage. at least a dozen cranes tower over the area. part of an expansion project to accommodate the millions who travel to the grand mosque every

september, a pilgrimage saudi officials say will go on despite the tragedy. >> it is an extraordinary story. thank you jake rascon. that wraps up this hour of "weekends with alex witt." join me for that show at noon today. up next, ari melber is in for steve on "up."

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and then there were only 16. good morning to you. i'm ari melber many for steve kornacki. the list of candidates for the republican nomination has been growing for months. but now it's starting to shrink. texas governor dropping out slamming trump on his way out the door. we have a lot an how that news impacts the field. also joe biden's emotional interview and what it suggests about hillary clinton'