last year, your donations helped raise $45 million for non-profits around the world. so what will you give? tell us using #giving tuesday. and post a selfie of what you hope to give. we'll be talking a lot about that tomorrow. that does it for this hour. i'm kate snow. "mtp daily" begins right now. ♪ >> if it's monday, hillary clinton is about to get endorsed by every democratic woman in the u.s. senate except for one. is the clinton campaign trying to tell elizabeth warren it's time to get on board? this is "mtp daily" and it starts right now. and good evening from new york, i'm steve kornacki in for chuck todd. hope you had a great thanksgiving weekend. california senator barbara boxer is going to be on this show on

the crucial climate meeting in paris and what is shaping up for a big night for the clinton campaign. we'll talk to two african americans pastors who were inside that big meeting with donald trump today. and we'll hear a question that ted cruz refused to answer on the trail today. we'll also give you the first read on the latest batch of clinton e-mails that got released within the last hour. but we start with a read between the lines moment for hillary clinton's campaign. just over an hour from now, clinton will be in washington, where she will get a big endorsement from women lawmakers. 13 of the 14 female democrats in the united states senate are going to be joining forces at an event to formally back clinton's white house bid. now, there's one very important rsvp that did not come in, and that is from senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts. joining me now from washington, nbc's andrea mitchell, the host of andrea mitchell reports.

andrea, obviously the clinton campaign would like to focus on the 13 female senators who are going to be there, a big show of force. but elizabeth warren, female, male, whatever, one of the most prominent senators right now. the fact that she isn't there tonight, what can we read into that? >> she's not endorsed even bernie sanders, who is more in sync with her philosophy about wall street, about the economy and a host of other issues. that said, he's an outlier, not really a comfortable member of the democratic women's caucus and she often does not come to their events. she doesn't sort of play by the rules. she's pretty much an outsider, as a freshman senator and has not deferred to some of the more senior senators as hillary clinton notably did when she was first elected to the senate back in 2001. so she's not a clinton person. and she hasn't joined this campaign in any way. despite one meeting, she's not appeared with clinton at

campaign events. clinton was in boston, warren's home turf, with boston mayor marty walsh over the weekend, doing an event on infrastructure, which has been aimed at labor unions and at the construction trades. and that event was, of course, not attended by elizabeth warren. so there's been a lot of signals back and forth, but warren is the one member of the women's democratic caucus who is not going to be there tonight. >> do we have any sense from the clinton campaign? are they doing anything behind the scenes to try to bring her around, or are they resigned to her setting her own schedule? >> i think it's the more the latter than the former. they're being very quiet about their lack of relationship with elizabeth warren. they'd like to have her on board. she would be a key to the progressive wing of the party, the progressive wing that clinton herself has been trying to woo and it could undercut bernie sanders, but there might be a time and place where she would come on board, whatever

happens with bernie sanders' campaign, but right now is certainly not that time. >> and also on the clinton front, within the last hour, a brand-new batch of the state department e-mails coming out, including one that was brought up, i guess in the recent 11-hour testimony clinton had before that committee. what are we learning so far with these new e-mails? >> the e-mails are diverse. there are 328 that were upgraded, portions of which were upgraded to the lowest level of classification, confidential. and the redactions don't tell us as much as we'd want to know about some of those. but there are 7800 pages, this is the largest dump so far, of e-mails. this brings to 66% of the total that are to be released. so you can expect there's going to be a big bunch released at the end of next month, which would probably mean, this is what we're going to be doing on new year's eve. so that's not a great prospect. but they have to get this done

by the end of january and the court has been critical of them in the past for dragging their feet. on the benghazi thing, that was an e-mail from tyler -- well, it was forwarded to jake sullivan by hillary clinton. from tyler drumhiller, who was a former cia guy, who was, in fact, one of the people who warned against the wmd consensus of opinion during the bush years. and he was very close, working with sid blumenthal, who was the source of many of those e-mails on benghazi, from private, confidential sources. and this was an e-mail, within 24 hours of the attack, saying to hillary clinton that libyan officials believe that this -- libyan militia was responsible, that it had been in the planning for several months, but in fact the film and the fact that the film that had been the source of the problems at the cairo embassy, was one of the issues that may have sparked the actual

attack. so it's going to both -- satisfy both sides of the equation, but it will not fully resolve this issue. >> andrea mitchell in washington, thank you for that. >> you bet. and as we mentioned, california senator barbara boxer is going to be here in just a few minutes to talk about joining all but one of her fellow democratic women in the senate in backing hillary clinton tonight. but for now, let's turn to paris, where president obama is among nearly 150 world leaders, all gathered to try and forge a historic global pact to tackle climate change. the 12-day task is monumental, seen as a last chance to come together to prevent the catastrophic damage around the world that's predicted if current emissions can't be reined in. with the gathering coming two weeks after the paris terror attacks, president obama said the talks themselves are an act of defiance. >> we salute the people of paris

for insisting this crucial conference go on. an act of defiance that proves nothing will deter us from building the future we want for our children. >> and if you're looking for perhaps another act of defiance, there's this dinner out. today's hard work wrapped up with president obama joining french president francois hollande and a handful of others for dinner out at an upscale paris restaurant. nbc's kelly o'donnell joins us now from paris. kelly, the backdrop for this, just two weeks after the terror attacks. the president saying the simple act of all the world leaders gathering in paris is itself an act of defiance. is that likely the headline, or is there a serious deal that could be struck here? >> well, those who are involved in the talks here, steve, do believe that they can accomplish some important things with respect to limiting carbon

emissions and trying to keep changes in global temperature from rising too quickly. so the idea that the terrorism sort of backdrop, or the way that it's overshadowed, or at least been infused into the conversations here, that's very much a part of it too. so when you refer to dinner as maybe a more subtle act of defiance, to put that in perspective, very often at these big world leaders, leaders dine, have working dinners, but at an embassy under heavy security, or at an event site with heavy security. so simply going to a posh paris restaurant and having a great meal, seems like something that also sends the signal that paris life is coming back, that the streets here are safe, and that a normal sort of exchange between two important delegatio delegations, the french and the americans, is part of saying that things are moving forward. so if you want to read some symbolism into that, between

courses, you can do that. in terms of the climate talks, there are some -- i think some issues that really will persist. there are those who believe this does not go far enough. it's not resolved yet, but the nature of the conversations which are protracted over a couple of weeks, the world leaders just here today to give it sort of the high stakes profile. and at the same time, white house officials are saying they believe that there can be a global partnership that comes from this. won't happen overnight, won't be done in one day in paris, but this could be an important signature effort for president obama. steve? >> kelly o'donnell in paris, thank you for that. again, we'll get senator barbara boxer's take on the paris summit in just a few minutes. but right now, an update from colorado where the suspect in this weekend's fatal shooting at a planned parenthood clinic appeared in court. robert dear was arraigned before a judge this afternoon via closed circuit television. told he's being held on suspicion of first-degree

murder. investigators have not released a motive in the shooting, it does come among stepped-up rhetoric against planned parenthood and it's drawing plenty of attention on the 2016 campaign trail. >> this was a despicable homicide, an individual that's deranged. and it's unfortunate to see so many folks in the press, bending over backwards to try to use this horrible crime to advance a political agenda. >> this is so typical of the left to immediately begin demonizing a messenger because they don't agree with the message. the vast majority of americans agree, what planned parenthood is doing is wrong. >> there's a tremendous group of people who think it's wrong, all of the videos that they've seen with some of these people from planned parenthood talking about it like you're selling parts to a car. >> earlier on andrea mitchell reports, planned parenthood's president cecile richards spoke about the shooting and the

rhetoric that preceded it. >> people have to understand that rhetoric and hateful words and harassment of doctors and women going to health centers have real implications. i don't think it's what america likes to see and certainly it's very disturbing when you see an individual, such as this shooter on friday, take the lives of individuals and family of folks who are simply trying to access health care in america. >> and up next on "mtp daily," one of the senators endorsing hillary clinton tonight, california senator barbara boxer, joins me to discuss the campaign and how the issue of climate change will play into the 2016 race. and later, we'll head to the campaign trail. kasie hunt has more on the question that ted cruz refused to answer today. and donald trump courted religious leaders this afternoon in new york. we'll talk to two of the pastors who were inside that private meeting. stay tuned. you have two choices; the easy way or the hard way. you could choose a card that

limits where you earn bonus cash back. or, you could make things easier on yourself. that's right, the quicksilver card from capital one. with quicksilver you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere. so, let's try this again. what's in your wallet?

back now with "mtp daily"

and donald trump refusing to back down on some of his most controversial comments. sunday on "meet the press," chuck repeatedly challenged trump on his claim that thousands of muslims in new jersey were cheering and celebrating after 9/11. take a listen. >> where did you see this? >> chuck, i saw it on television. so did many other people. and many, many people -- >> in jersey city, you saw jersey city -- >> i've heard patterson, i've heard jersey city. it was 14 years ago. but i saw it on tlefrtielevisio. >> if i said, people have said mr. trump's not worth $10 billion and people were saying, you would say that was crazy. you wouldn't make a business deal based on retweets and based on hearsay. >> this is much different. [ all speak at once ] >> you're running for president of the united states. your words matter. >> this is people -- >> truthfulness matters. fact-based stuff matters. >> make it easy, chuck.

just play cool. >> and coming up, two of the pastors who were inside that private meeting with trump today. plus, how his republican rivals are responding to his red hot rhetoric. and before she heads to a hillary clinton event featuring every democratic female senator except one, senator barbara boxer will join us live. that's next.

it's a big night for the former junior senator from new york. hillary clinton will be getting the backing of 13 female senators at a washington fund-raiser. in fact, every democratic woman in the senate is going to be there with the exception of one. elizabeth warren. i'm joined now by one of tonight's featured guests, senator barbara boxer of california. she joins us from washington. senator, thanks for taking a few minutes. again, i know the headline here from the clinton campaign standpoint is a big show of

force from the women democratic senators. but elizabeth warren such a force, what do you make of her not being there tonight? >> if i could list every woman senator, you'll see where each of us have a prominent voice from east to west and north to south. elizabeth, i think in her course of time, she's going to come out for hillary. you have to talk to her about it. but we are so excited. it's very rare to get this kind of support, this kind of unity in a challenged primary where we ha have bernie and martin o'malley. >> one of the issues and i guess we're trying to figure out what her hesitancy might be, but she was reasonable speaking about this issue of glass-steagall, the repeal that took place in the late 1990s that a lot of people said led to the wall street meltdown. hillary clinton said she doesn't favor a reimposing glass-steagall, she said it wouldn't necessarily prevent

another meltdown. elizabeth warren recently said that is the wrong answer, that's the wrong question. do you think that is part of her reluctance here, and does elizabeth warren have a point there, that health care millary be on the wrong side of that issue? >> no, she doesn't. there were a few of us that voted against changing glass-steagall, i was one of them, but it is many years later. and we are in the fight of our life for the heart and soul of this country, and we have an enormous turn-out of women senators. some of us are liberal. some of us are mainstream centrists, some of us are conservative. that's the story. you can talk all you want about one senator that didn't show up. it's fine. she asked hillary to run. hillary is running. when this first started, i thought this woman has the gravitas, she understands soft power in the world, she understands hard power in the world. she's been an advocate for children, the environment. she wants to do something about

climate change. she's calling for a big rebuild of america, our 60,000 bridges that are falling down. 50% of our roads that are not in good shape. she is the candidate we need. but then, when you compare her to what we've got on the other side, frankly, i think we need hillary to save this nation. because some of these quotes that you're putting out here from our esteemed republican friends on the other side, who are running for president, they're very frightening. when you say that a certain religious minority has to carry a card, when you say that immigrants, some of them are rabid dogs, when you hear carly fiorina say, oh, there's nothing wrong with, you know, harping on planned parenthood day after day and blaming the liberals for the fact that we speak the truth when we say the witch-hunt has to stop. planned parenthood is serving three million people.

they're health care, preventing cancers and the rest. now we need hillary, not only that she's the best qualified with the most gravitas, i think he's mainstream, she's what we need. but we have to save the country from some radical voices on the other side. >> you mentioned planned parenthood, what you call a witch-hunt. >> yes. >> i want to ask you about that, because in the wake of that shooting, you've called on paul ryan, the new speaker of the house, to disband the committee looking into planned parenthood. i'm just wondering, do you see a direct relationship? do you think there's a direct relationship between the rhetoric of some of the republicans who oppose funding for planned parenthood and that tragic shooting in colorado? are you saying that one directly led to the other? >> well, it's a lot more than just saying that they don't want to fund. they're bringing up the issue of fetal tissue research, and they are making up stories about the videos, that they never even saw. that's what carly fiorina did. and it's very emotional.

listen, i've been around a long time. i think what we say matters. what we say matters. i was once on the floor in a debate with rick santorum and he had, you know, i can't even go into it. he kept using the term killing babies, killing babies. yes, it has an impact. now, if the republicans want to repeal row versus wade, which was passed by the court in 1973. let them take it on. they have committees that can look into it. if they don't like contraception, something that's been legal in this country for decades, take it up. if they don't want to do fetal research, which frankly, was determined to be very important to health care of our people and to science. when reagan was president and an anti-choice judge headed up the panel and said this is life-saving. if they don't like these things, steve, they can hold their

regular order, bring the bills to the floor. they'll never go anywhere. the people will revolt against them. but instead, they use this painful rhetoric. yes, i think there is a connection between when you say somebody is killing a baby, and you go into all of that, and harvesting parts from babies, this rhetoric is hurtful to the doctors, to the nurses, to the patients. >> do you believe that the republican rhetoric on planned parenthood is partly responsible for what happened? >> i would say this. i don't know whether it is true that this killer, who had a lot of other issues, said something about selling body parts. so i'll withhold on that. but i will say, we have seen deaths of doctors. we've seen harassment. i think rachel maddow goes into it in great detail. she's the one person that really takes a look at this. and, yes, i think there's a connection between these horrible hate crimes and what

people say. people in leadership, who have a lot of credibility, who say things that were on videotapes, that weren't on videotapes, i think it makes a difference, and it creates a terrible atmosphere. and i would call on paul ryan and i did, soon as this happened, to disband this committee. it's costing millions of dollars, or hundreds of thousands anyway. and we don't need another committee. and we don't need another witch-hunt. cecile richards stayed, i think it was four or five hours, and got harangued by all these questions and there was nothing even remotely illegal or in any way against what the law says. so, yeah, they ought to stop it. they really ought to stop it. >> all right, barbara boxer, thank you for the time. >> sure. up next, the who, the what, the where, the when, and the why in today's headlines, including why jim webb could still make an impact on the 2016 race.

and donald trump stands by his controversial 9/11 comments, but it could be causing republicans to stray from their front-runner. you're watching "mtp daily." w, almost 75,000 veterans experienced homelessness. we have reduced those numbers by almost half, but despite the great progress that we have achieved, there are still too many veterans who still need a place to live. this project is a comprehensive rehabilitation of the center's facility here in downtown boston to create permanent supportive housing, transitional housing and service spaces, a facility that really delivers on society's commitment to people who have served in the military. citi® was the financial partner because they were able to come with the resources, both the capital resources and also the human resources, the experts in their fields, and without citi's partnership we probably would not be in construction right now. the goal for us in this project is to be more effective in the services that we provide so that veterans who have committed to put their lives at risk

to protect this country have a home in this country. they come into this iworld ugly and messy. ideas are frightening because they threaten what is known. they are the natural born enemy of the way things are.

yes, ideas are scary, and messy and fragile. but under the proper care, they become something beautiful. again for the 15th year in a us in customrow.atisfaction but we have a plan. (exec 2) when our customers are on hold, let's up their satisfaction with some new hold music. ♪ (exec 2) that's glenn from the mailroom. he djs on the weekends. (exec 3) sorry, who is it? (exec 2) it's glenn, from the mailroom. he dj'ed bill's wedding. (exec 3) he what? (exec 2) he goes by dj glenn, he works way downstairs.

(exec 3) what'd he say? (exec 2) glenn, from the mailroom! (vo) get rid of cable. and upgrade to directv. call 1-800-directv. all right, it's time for the ws. starting with the who. it's congressman darrell issa. he's backing marco rubio for president, calling rubio a, quote, exciting candidate. this despite their disagreement over government metadata collection. issa becomes the 18th member of congress to endorse rupio, second most on the republican side behind jeb bush and the 29 endorsements he's received. now to the what. it's senator james langford, he's out with, quote, federal fumbles. this is his list of government waste. he is carrying on a tradition from his oklahoma predecessor, tom coburn. his list includes a $40 million tax credit for donald trump's

new washington hotel. now the where. it's at u.s. airports. the white house is revamping screening requirements for people who enter the u.s. under a visa waiver, something the president pledged to do after the paris attacks. the system allows passengers from 38 countries to enter the u.s. without advance approval. at the same time, house majority leader kevin mccarthy said the house may move to overhaul the visa waiver program by the end of the year. and turning to the when. save this date. it's tuesday, january 12th, 2016. speaker ryan, formally invited president obama to deliver what will be his final state of the union address on that date, just 20 days before the iowa caucu s caucuses. this will be the first time we get to see speaker paul ryan sitting behind president obama during the state of the union speech. it will also be the first time ryan is side by side with his 2012 vp debate opponent, joe biden. and finally, the why.

former senator jim webb dropped out of the race without making much of an impact, but a new survey showed he could make a mark if he runs as an independent, at least as it comes to one pivotal state. a survey has webb taking 16% of the vote as a third-party candidate in virginia in a hypothetical match-up between hillary clinton and donald trump. in a clinton/carson match-up, webb gets 13% of the vote, with carson edging out clinton by three points. as for the why, webb doesn't have the support to win virginia or any state, but 16% could certainly swing a state-wide contest. and if webb gets on the ballot, he could cause trouble for both sides. of course webb represented virginia in the senate for one term. up next, the how. how chris christie could capitalize on a big endorsement in new hampshire. but first, hampton pearson has the cnbc market wrap. >> hi, steve. we had stocks ending lower today, but really closing out

november with two straight months of gains. the dow sliding by 78 points. the s&p off by 9, the nasdaq falling by 18 points. investors looking at black friday and cyber monday to get a sense of how consumers will be spending their money this season. experts were predicting a 12% rise in cyber monday sales, but digital sales were up 20% on thanksgiving and black friday with in-store sales falling by 5%. that's it from cnbc, first in business worldwide.

this holiday, i can count on my going off list.again, and knowing right when my packages arrive. so that's two things. introducing real time delivery notifications. sign up at myusps.com when a moment turns romantic why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis and a $200 savings card.

it begins from the the second we're born.er. because, healthier doesn't happen all by itself. it needs to be earned every day. using wellness to keep away illness. and believing a single life can be made better by millions of others. as a health services and innovation company optum powers modern healthcare by connecting every part of it. so while the world keeps searching for healthier we're here to make healthier happen. tand that's what we're doings to chat xfinity.rself, we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

and back with more "mtp daily." i'm steve kornacki in for chuck todd. a lot of action tonight on the 2016 trail. right now, ted cruz is in iowa for a town hall and for an

update on some other big names on the trail, katy tur is following the trump campaign here in new york. hallie jackson is with the christie campaign in new hampshire. and kasie hunt is in iowa where ted cruz and jeb bush are both holding town halls. here in new york, donald trump is sticking to his story on 9/11. he still insists that thousands were cheering in new jersey when the twin towers fell. told our own chuck todd that he expects the footage to emerge, despite local officials, police, and journalists, debunking his account. >> we're looking for clips and i wouldn't be surprised if we found them, chuck, but for some reason, they're not that easy to come by. i saw it, so many people saw it, chuck. and so why would i take it back? i'm not going to take it back. >> donald trump isn't winning favor within the republican party. jeb bush and john kasich both had trouble saying that they would support trump should he become the nominee. outside of the ring of candidates, trump is having just

as much endorsement trouble, he had to cancel an event where he planned to unveil the endorsement of a hundred black pastors. support fell short of that leader. religious leaders still met with the candidate at trump tower today. one said that trump's controversies were not on his mind. >> no one's talking about his ability. that's what needs to be the focus right now, not whether or not some tweet was fact-checked. >> katy tur was covering the whole event. she joins us now. katy, which was interesting. when it was first announced, the trump campaign said he's going to have this meeting with a hundred black pastors and they're going to come out and endorse him. then it didn't happen. what's the deal? >> it was supposed to refute the allegations of racism he's been facing, especially towards the african american community. they touted it. they said we'll get this announcement and you'll have a press conference with it on monday afternoon. sunday, they abruptly canceled after a number of those pastors said they didn't say they would

endorse him, especially after an open letter that called his campaign fiery and divisive and just not what the black community needs. so they canceled the press conference. today they still had the meeting and then there was another press conference that was held in the hallway or the lobby, if you will, of trump tower, where a handful of those leaders said they do support donald trump. but the majority of them left that meeting without giving an endorsement. >> do we have any indication how that meeting went and what was going on inside of it? >> it was pretty tense and fiery within the meeting, i was told. there were a number of times where people got up and loudly expressed their concerns over that tweet that we heard mentioned, the tweet that claimed most people were killed by black people. also, the treatment of a black lives matter protester at a trump rally in alabama. >> all right, katy, thanks for that. we'll be talking to two pastors at that meeting in just a few minutes. in new hampshire, chris christie wants to be known as

the comeback kid. in the latest poll out of the granite state, he does not make the top tier. he's polling at 4%, sits in 8th place up there, but he may have just got a life line. the new hampshire union leader, the big newspaper up there, gave christie a huge endorsement over the weekend. that paper's publisher joined "meet the press" on sunday. >> i think we were really looking just at the governors. i think after the experience of the past eight years, freshmen senators without a lot of experience are not good. christie is the guy who can take the fight to trump, hillary, isis. >> and christie is up in new hampshire today, telling voters there that he's counting on them. >> it's game time now, everybody. we're, you know, 68 days away from the new hampshire primary. vet this field and winnow this field for the american people in a way that's responsible. >> joining me live from concord,

new hampshire, nbc's hallie jackson. so hallie, christie betting the farm on new hampshire. the poll numbers haven't moved yet. gets this big endorsement. sometimes the union leader helps you. john mccain can tell you that. sometimes it's a dud. endorsed pete dupont. what does christie expect this is going to get for him? >> newt gingrich too last cycle. i think christie hopes this will give him momentum moving forward, but i asked him basically this question. just a couple minutes ago at an event here in concord where he was announcing a coalition of new hampshire law enforcement officers who were backing him. i said, governor, you are in the low single digits in the polls. yeah, you have this endorsement from the union leader, picking up some support from leaders in new hampshire, but how do you translate into that a victory come mid february. his response was basically that new hampshire voters start making their decision much closer to the day that voting happens. so he believes that at this point, yes, the political press, you know, the media, people who are into politics, are paying

attention to the race, but regular folks just aren't, and they won't until probably after christmas, after new year's. the other point i want to make, you played the sound bite of the union leader talking about how christie can take the fight to trump. they've been in a war of words over the claim that new jersey muslims cheered 9/11. trump retorted saying christie has to watch what he says. i asked the governor about that and he said that's fascinating. he said donald trump is somebody who needs to watch his words. he's got his facts wrong, and governor christie says, trump knows it. >> interesting to see that heating up. hallie jackson, thank you for that. turning now to iowa where both ted cruz and jeb bush are campaigning today. but only one of those candidates is enjoying a surge in support among caucus goers. it's ted cruz. he's now just behind donald trump in iowa. as cruz rises in the polls, he's

facing more scrutiny on his immigration stance. kasie hunt tried to nail him down on that today. >> how do you define amnesty? >> well, listen ur right. we've seen an awful lot of the republican candidates for president who want to obscure the record on immigration. >> how do you define amnesty? >> in particular, we've seen marco rubio's campaign trying very much to blur the record. >> how do you define amnesty? >> i consider it to be forgiving the law-breaking of those who come here illegally and having no consequences and in particular, a path to legalization. >> is that also amnesty, sir, a path to legalization, sir? >> he wants to separate himself from marco rubio, his answer still isn't cut and dry. kasie hunt joins us live. kasie, if you will, decode this one for us. this battle breaking out between cruz and rubio. cruz wants everyone to think rubio is soft on immigration. why didn't he want to go down that road with you with all

those questions today? >> well, steve, i think what you're starting to see play out here is this tussle for conservative voters, the conservative base, the conservative media, between senator rubio and senator cruz. it's bubbling to the forefront as cruz rises in the polls and becomes the up and coming potential iowa front-runner just behind donald trump. so there's a lot of focus from each camp on the other one, with rubio going after cruz for his vote against that usa freedom act, of course a national security issue. and with cruz's campaign going very aggressively against rubio on immigration. rubio's team knows it's a potential weakness for him. he's backed away pretty aggressively from this gang of eight bill that he was pushing so hard for. but the reality is that cruz, as you saw there, hasn't come out and said that he believes a path to legalization would constitute amnesty. and for the conservative base, that's in many ways part of this amnesty immigration litmus deft,

that becomes so important in a place like iowa, for example. >> kasie hunt, thanks for that. and still ahead, we're going to go inside that meeting today between donald trump and black church leaders, with two of the pastors who were there for it. we will get their take on how it went. that's straight ahead. severe rheumatoid arthritis like me, and you're talking to your rheumatologist about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. this is humira giving me new perspective. doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. humira works for many adults. it targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal

infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. talk to your doctor and visit humira.com this is humira at work even during the holidays, you think it smells jolly,dors [inhales] grunts but your guests disagree... music starts febreze air effects doesn't just mask, it eliminates odors you've gone noseblind to [inhales] mmm break out the febreze, [inhale + exhale mnemonic] and breathe happy. if it's the end of the month, it means it's a new batch of hillary clinton e-mails. the state department released almost 8,000 pages of them just

over an hour ago. the nbc news political unit is still going through this new trove of emails, but here are a few highlights that have emerged so far. the memo the former secretary of state sent to her daughter, that was brought up at the house benghazi committee, was in this batch. clinton wrote to her daughter chelsea, using the pseudonym diane reynolds. quote, two of our officers were killed in benghazi by an al qaeda like group. chelsea tells her mom she's so sorry about the state department officer killed. she also calls it anam that to us as americans. as we've seen in past e-mail dumps, with the subject line, stupid question, clinton asked her aide finding the channel of showtime because i want to watch "homeland." >> he said if you have comcast,

channel 349. one is hd and one is not. clinton responds, i'm not sure. still many more e-mails to come. you can see the full write-up of this batch on nbc news.com. back after this. ono off-days, or downtime.ason. opportunity is everything you make of it. showtime because i want to watch this winter, take advantage of our season's best offers on the latest generation of cadillacs. the 2016 cadillac ats. get this low-mileage lease from around $269 per month, or purchase with 0% apr financing.

to stir up the holidays, before earning 1% cash back everywhere, every time and 2% back at the grocery store, even before they got 3% back on gas,

all with no hoops to jump through, daniel, vandi, and sarah decided to use their bank americard cash rewards credit card to sweeten the holiday season. that's the spirit of rewarding connections. apply online or at "homeland." nk oica near you. ♪ can't afford to let heartburn get in the way? oica near you. try nexium 24hr, now the #1 selling brand for frequent heartburn. get complete protection with the new leader in frequent heartburn. that's nexium level protection. >> we have many endorsements that kapelg out of the meeting. i don't think we have backlash. i see love in that room. i see love everywhere i go. >> that was donald trump today after a meeting with african american religious leaders that ran for two hours. i'm joined by two men who were in that room. the presiding pastor at nitds

nations international church fll ship. and bishop cousins, let me start with you. you were in the room. >> i was in the room. >> what was the mood like, what were the topics that came up, how would you characterize the meeting? >> overall the mood was very positive. i think most people came into the room that had not necessarily made up their mind. some went knowing what they were going to do. those, like myself, who had, you know, no intention perhaps on endorsing mr. trump. we tried to be open-minded, i think, for the most part. we spent a lot of time discussing the overall general tone of mr. trump's campaign, particularly his most recent comments directed toward a black lives matter person and then after that, we moved into -- >> this was the protester at his speech who he said deserved to be roughed up. >> right. >> what did he say when you brought that up? >> he said he did not know that the young man was african american until after he had made the comment or statement. so he said that by him making

that statement it was not targeted at him for necessarily being african american. >> and what did you make of the meeting? >> i made it that trump was trying to relate to us the best that we could. but the fact of the matter is, if donald trump is not willing to apologize about the black lives matter incident and imitating the handicap guy, he's going to lose a lot of the minority votes. so i'm really hoping that he would change the whole tone of how he's been conducting himself on camera because he's turned a lot of people in the minority community off. one thing minorities don't want is to be looked down upon. and that's what we expressed to mr. trump. in order to win people in our congregations, or even black christians, christians or minorities, you're going to have to change the little bit much rhetoric and tone down things that you say that seem demeaning to people.

>> it's interesting, you say, in public. so we all see the public donald trump who is brash, who is in your face, who says things that shock people. is the same guy behind the scenes or did you see somebody different? >> i saw somebody different behind the scenes. >> i did, as well. >> what is he like? >> he didn't speak much for himself behind the scenes. i was disappointed in that. he had several people on his staff there. >> he had people talking for him? >> i was very disappointed with the fact he did not represent and articulate himself. when we pressed him and told him, you say you're christian, you need to apologize, not just for what you said concerning the black lives matter gentleman, but the guy you mocked, the thing you said about mexicans being rapists and the things you said about muslims. you must apologize if you want us to take your campaign seriously. someone jumped in and said he's built a playground over here, a library here, this, that and the

other. that's fine and well. earlier he stated he wanted to be a unifier. we try to express you are not going to unite people using devisiveness. >> how much direct communication from trump on your concern, how much did he directly address the issues that were raised in this meeting? >> one of the issues i raised was about the handicap reporter. i told him i had a brother that's been disabled since the '90s. disabled people got offensive to that. he immediately said that's not what he was trying to do. he never met the guy. i just don't know. the pictures look too alike. it looked like donald trump did a good job at making that picture of the same guy. whether he is telling the truth is up to donald. one thing he was trying to get to is he has a godly and religious background. >> very quickly, could you see him getting, he was promising 100 endorsements. he didn't get that today.

could you see him getting any endorsements out of this meeting? >> he did get some. it was announced after. i wasn't one of the ones that endorsed him. i don't know i will become one of the ones that endorse him. there is a certain decorum the president of the united states has to example guy. i appreciate his business acumen, but he's short on decorum. >> thank you very much for your insight on that meeting. will big endorsements clear the way for chris christie in new hampshire or bridgegate, will that come back to haunt him? has a number. but not every insurance company understands the life behind it. for those who've served and the families who've supported them, we offer our best service in return. ♪ usaa. we know what it means to serve. get an insurance quote and see why

92% of our members plan to stay for life. ♪ diis critical for brain health?n brain food, hmmm. ensure has b vitamins that help support brain health - now that's smart nutrition. ensure's complete balanced nutrition has 26 vitamins and minerals and 9 grams of protein. ensure. take life in. we heard you got a job as a developer!!!!! its official, i work for ge!! what? wow... yeah! okay... guys, i'll be writing a new language for machines so planes, trains, even hospitals can work better. oh! sorry, i was trying to put it away... got it on the cake. so you're going to work on a train? not on a train...on "trains"! you're not gonna develop stuff anymore? no i am... do you know what ge is?

like limiting where you earn bonus cash back.hings. why put up with that? but the quicksilver card from capital one likes to keep it simple. real simple. i'm talking easy like-a- walk-in-the-park, nothing-to-worry-about, man-that-feels-good simple. quicksilver earns you unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere. it's a simple question. what's in your wallet? ho, ho, hello... can you help santa with a new data plan? sure thing... uh right now you can get 15 gigs of data for the price of 10. that's five extra gigs for the same price. looks like someone just made it to the top of the nice list. in that case, i want a new bicycle, a bike helmet, a basketball, a stuffed animal that talks when you squeeze it. and... yes, yes. i got your letter. we're good. oh. okay i was just making sure. get 15 gigs for the price of 10 now at at&t.

tand that's what we're doings to chat xfinity.rself, we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible.

because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. bridge gate, i was astonished i asked him what, if anything, he learned from this he said he learned not to be so trusting. i said you're a u.s. attorney, you trust people? i think it shows that it's a big state and he's weathered that. >> that was the publisher of the new hampshire union leader sunday on "meet the press" talking about his paper's endorsement of chris christie. joining me is nicholas compasorie. every four years, the big ritual. this is probably the most conservative newspaper this america. on the one hand, they helped vault john mccain back into contention eight years ago. on the other hand, their

endorsement got pierre dupont in fifth place in 1988. what does this for christie? >> it gives him another chance. he desperately needed attention, some momentum. this gives him a little bit. it's by no means a guarantee of anything. it's one and done for chris christie. if he doesn't make it in new hampshire, he's done. this is helpful to him. >> it validates him as somebody worth at least a second look for republicans up there. the other part of that, we are playing that clip. the publisher is satisfied this bridge gate thing is over. we haven't heard a lot about it in a while, but there are trials still to come, documents the defense lawyers are trying to bring out about unindicted co-conspirators, the possibility of more indictments with this united airlines thing. this issue is not dead yet. >> it's been a while since any major news happened in that case. there is a temptation to pretend

it's gone away, but it hasn't. there are plenty of shoes left to drop for chris christie. he remains a high reward/high risk candidate. >> say he gets hot in new hampshire, and that's a big if. for all this talk of momentum, the numbers haven't moved. if christie moves up and wins new hampshire. where else does he win? where else on this map looks favorable to christie? >> we've got him now in seventh place in the real clear policy average. that was before he got this endorsement. he doesn't have an infrastructure to move on. he is not going to be popular in the south. it would have to be an enormous wave of momentum. that did not happen for john mccain. in 2000 he did very well in new hampshire. he crashed soon as he left the state. it's hard to keep going. >> the strategy is something like you become the consensus pick of the party leadership that is terrified of ted cruz or donald trump and you win if

you're christie. nick, you made an interesting point off the air. about this being a test. what christie is trying to do in new hampshire, a real test of what's left of retail politics. >> there is a mutual self-interest at work in new hampshire. the state needs to reward the candidate that moves there, that spends the most time there. chris christie practically enrolled his schools in kids there. the political establishment suffers and is hurt if somebody who flies in, flies out wins. this is part of a move by the voters and papers to show their voice matters. it has to be earned. chris christie is trying to earn it. >> i remember chris dodd moving to iowa. moving in doesn't always win the locals over. >> john kasich tried to do the same thing in new hampshire. >> right. chris christie taking a step ahead of him if nothing else.

we'll be back tomorrow with more "mtp" and erica hill picks up our coverage next. >>. >> right now on msnbc, the suspected planned parenthood shooter appears in court facing a judge for the first time as we learn more about the victims. president obama at a historic summit in paris with more than 150 world leaders meeting about climate change. the united states of america not only recognizes our role in creating this problem, we embrace our responsibility to do something about it. and in the fight for 2016, donald trump meets with a group of black pastors. how many will support his bid for the white house? >> i met some fantastic people. some of whom i had known. good evening, i'm erica hill. we begin in colorado where robert dear, the