and i just come back to jeb bush and shock and awe. he was going to dominate this race and you look at scott walker. he had a lot of super pack money but it didn't matter. hard dollars is what matters. we saw the blurring of lines this year can carly fiorina. >> that is a good one. we thought politics changed. thank you for joining us. tune in tomorrow. chu erica hill picks up our coverage next. tonight on msnbc live, breaking news around the country and we're there. >> he committed aggravated indecent assault upon her. >> near philadelphia, bill cosby charged in a sexual assault acase and reaction pouring in.

on the ground with the latest. our legal panel looks at the road ahead. breaking in st. louis, night is falling. the flood waters still rising. >> i said two years ago we weren't soon and we would see him back. >> the so-called afffluensa teen. >> donald trump ended 2015 by promising to defy his doubters in 2016, as well. >> we will make america great again, i promise. thank you. and good evening on this wednesday from new york. bill cosby has been criminally charged fran alleged sexual assault in 2004 in pennsylvania. bail set at $1 million. the charge stems from

accusations from a former temple university employee who told police cosby drugged and violated her in her home in 2004. cosby denied the accusation saying he had consensual sexual contact with the woman. >> the charge that we are proceeding on here today involves one victim, involves a victim that went to mr. cosby's home in early 2004. there is one charge that is filed, aggravated indecent assault. >> the felony charge carries a sentence of up to ten years in jail. 57 women have come forward to accuse cosby of sexual misconduct. this is the first criminal charge against him. attorney gloria allred called the charges a, quote, christmas

present. >> many women have cried out for justice for so long. in pennsylvania there is now a journey to justice. if the prosecutor decides it is relevant and admissible to call any of my clients as witnesses in the criminal case i know that many of my clients will be willing to testify. >> in a separate move cosby filed a defamation suit against seven women who accused him of sexual assault. late this afternoon cosby's attorneys released the following statement to nbc news, quote, the charge by the montgomery county district attorney's office came as no surprise, filed 12 years after the alleged incident and coming on the heels of a hotly contested election for county's d.a. make no mistake we intend to mount a vigorous defense against this unjustified charge and we expect that mr. cosby will be exonerated by a court of law.

joining me now with more from outside the courthouse is msnbc's adam reese. tell us about what happened there today. >> reporter: good evening, erica. about 2:30 this afternoon he arrived on time meeting a gauntlet of cameras as he walked through he almost tripped on the curb appearing very fragile. he entered the courtroom with the assistance of an aid who was directing him saying come to the left and the right. he made his way to his seat. the judge read the charges, set bail at $1 million. he had to hand over his passport. she said you can have no contact with this accuser. he seemed to not understand. he seemed a little dazed and confused into courtroom and not understanding what she meant so she repeated herself. you can have no contact with the accuser. with that all of ten minutes he was up and out, back through the same gauntlet of cameras to his

vehicle, a five minute drive to the police department here which is five minutes from his home here. he had finger prints taken and mug shot taken. he will be back here on january 14. >> we will be there, as well. adam reese, thank you. i want to bring in legal analyst and former prosecutor and criminal defense and civil rights attorney. good to have you with us. i know we have been talking with you about this throughout the day. one thing that has come up is how you prove a case like this. these allegations that this happened more than ten years ago now. no physical evidence. back in 2004 when this woman called they said we can't file charges based on lack of physical evidence. >> the most important thing is what you said. she called right away. she outcried right away. that is important evidence when you only have one witness to an incident. there is no witness and no

physical evidence. the law recognizes sometimes you only have one witness to prove your case. still, i think and i would love to hear what eric is going to say about this, is will the other women testify? i suspect yes. >> absolutely. the prosecution has to work hard to try to get the other women's testimony in because that shows prior bad acts where in a very narrow scope those are allowed in. if a person does something, accused of a crime, if you can show their motive in how they did something, how he went and gave someone drugs, drugged them, sexual assaulted them, that is allowed in which is a big problem for cosby going forward. >> in terms of saying that, to allow the terms in establishing a pattern of behavior? >> yes. it is motive, pattern, opportunity, lack of mistake. it bolsters in a way the victim's credibility, the victim

at trial. >> this particular victim we know when this was playing out ten years ago there were 12 or 13 women who had all said we are willing to come forward and testify. are those the same women -- it didn't happen because there was a settlement. are those the women you imagine would be brought in? >> minus the 57. now there are so many more. >> 57 other women. total of 57. this lady, she went to the police really close. that's been one of the arguments and people defending cosby why wait 10, 15 years. this lady went to the prosecutor and the prosecutor said i'm not going to charge in this case. they did mention in the press release that this is hotly contested d.a.'s race. >> and to that point i want to play a political ad that is running right now. let's take a look at that. >> for district attorney in montgomery county kevin steele,

first assistant d.a. with 98% conviction rate or bruce caster, a former d.a. who refused to prosecute bill cosby. he said we don't charge people for making a mistake or doing something foolish. >> the optics of this, how does this impact the case? >> it can have a major impact. if people say was his intent to go after bill cosby? he ran on i'm going to prosecute bill cosby. >> that's not ad missable at a trial. >> that is why i was talking about change of venue. they know this. >> they are not going to -- >> even if they did get a change of venue, one thing siconsisten especially in this past year, kate snow sat down with 27 women in august, 27 accusers.

this is not a new story and something that people likely know a lot about. how does that impact even if there is a change of venue. >> i don't think there is going to be a change of venue. they are going to have to question jurors if this goes to trial which i think it very well may. you say do you know bill cosby? key words, can you be fair and impartial? there is an old expression that most perjury happens during jury selection. >> people are not going to tell the truth. >> you want to be on the trial. >> no, i don't. i do always go to jury duty, i do my civic duty. juriestyp typically do their jo they take it very seriously. >> this is going to be one of the largest jury pools in american history. everyone knows bill cosby and

has heard about the allegations. in order to find an impartial jury is going to be so tough. i would imagine most people in america have given -- have thought about whether they think bill cosby is guilty or not. which can the defense and prosecution live with to listen to the case? >> for so long he was this true moral compass, america's dad. you think this will go to trial. does that mean we could see bill cosby on the stand? >> i think so. what do you think? as a prosecutor and a defense attorney i have represented thousands of sexual predators. and the most severe of them have a very hard time with coming to the reality i did this. they can't get there. they are separated from their act. he appears to be that way with this. that he will never admit. he can never take a plea -- >> do you want him on the stand?

>> you don't control that. >> he said some things that could be incriminating. and if bill cosby takes the stand that would open up to a plethora of other cross examination questions. >> is there a scenario? >> his choice. if he is facing 30 accusers innein essence he has explain this. >> if he was your client would you advise him to take the stand? >> i may. >> i doubt it. i doubt it, because the prosecution as the burden of proof. it depends on what statements they allow in. he may have to refute the statements. they don't have physical evidence or other corroborating evidence that we know. he is presumed innocent. >> not anymore.

>> he is. >> he is. that is what everybody gets in this country. appreciate you both being here tonight. turning now to politics. in his final campaign rally of 2015 donald trump working the crowd with familiar lines, bashed hillary clinton, talked about building a great wall, called jeb bush low energy and offered new insight in a rather untump like moment talking about what it might be like to lose this election. >> you don't understand. if i don't win i will consider this and i mean this, a total and complete waste of time. >> nbc's hallie jackson is live in hilton head island, south carolina where trump spoke to thousands of supporters. that is a pretty tough statement. complete waste of time. >> reporter: and a telling moment from donald trump in what was overall one of his more energetic and fired up speeches.

donald trump presumably on his way back home for the new year and back out on the trail next week. donald trump we saw him today just like we have seen him at other points. stream of consciousness. riffing, attacking his rivals and attacking the clintons. want you to take a listen to what he had to say. >> by the way, i love the concept. i love, love, love having a woman president. can't be her. she is horrible. she is horrible. i'll tell you who doesn't like hillary are women. women don't like hillary. i hit her back and talked about the husband and the abuse of women. you look at it it is tremendous abuse. >> reporter: hillary clinton so far has not taken the bait on this, if you will, to use that kind of phrasing. her campaign issued a statement saying clinton won't be bullied

or distracted on attacks on her or her husband. we'll see what happens when both are out on the campaign trail next week in new hampshire. >> thank you. still to come on msnbc live, affluenza teen fighting deportation back to texas. the leading gop contenders fighting to raise campaign contributions. which is making a serious late push to take down trump. and the hoverboard craze k.o.'s iron mike. you named it brad. you loved brad. and then you totaled him. you two had been through everything together. two boyfriends, three jobs... you're like nothing can replace brad. then liberty mutual calls, and you break into your happy dance.

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the latest on the dangerous weather in the midwest. we are live in missouri next.

we continue our coverage of breaking news, what forecasters are calling a slow motion disaster. the death toll from flooding in the midwest has climbed to 22. tonight the waters still rising. many rivers including the mississippi are not expected to crest for another 24 hours. missouri governor urging residents to remain vigilant. >> we can say anything over and over it would be don't drive in the water. of fatalities everyone except one has been somebody drove into

water. >> the temperature is hovering around freezing. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. freezing is right. as you can see i'm standing here in knee deep waters in the heart of eureka, missouri where there is a state of emergency. you heard from governor nixon and president obama called him to not only offer his condolences but offer federal assistance. meanwhile governor nixon urging people to stay off the roads especially roads that are beginning to look like this. i'm standing here in the heart of eureka, missouri. when i spoke to the mayor earlier today he said this is the town's entertainment center. this is the heart of this town. this is where they have free carriage rides in the winter and summer concert series. look at it now. you can see debris floating by in the water. you can see sand bags piled five and six feet high. that is just to protect these local businesses to keep the water from entering the crevices

around the windows and doors. we have seen entire cars submerged here as they try to cross this water and that is why governor nixon is saying that the 22 deaths that have so far been reported, many of which he said were preventable, 13 of the 14 people who died here in missouri died in their cars. the national weather service says 50% of flood fatalities are vehicle related. another problem, he is saying they are not sure whether or not they will have to turn off power for fear that they could become shocked or electrocuted. there is still some christmas lights here around the businesses and that is why they are worried about electricity remaining on. he is saying people could freeze. their pipes could freeze and even if this water recedes after its supposed to crest tomorrow they are saying they are not sure what damage will be left. erica, lots more unanswered questions as they are waiting for the water to continue to

rise. >> understandable concern on all fronts. you pointed to businesses. have you seen anybody in the time you have been there trying to get closer just to check on those businesses or are they just heeding all of the warnings and staying far away? >> reporter: a lot of people have come up just to see the damage. right here we have seen a few of the business owners here at a local hair salon and they have been coming to check on their property and watch the water rise. i have been here about 12 hours now and when we started this water was up to my ankles. i have never seen water rise this quickly. that is what they are concerned about. as you can see there is no rain and the issue is that the water keeps rising and that has a lot to do with these levees. the levees many of which were increased after the big '93 floods. they contradictstricted the riv

here. this is a lot of new territory for these residents who have come out to see what is happening. >> thank you. still to come, the affluenza teen scores a victory as we learn he and his mother will be staying in mexico. donald trump grabbing plenty of headlines. how will history define the 2016 race? that's still ahead. ♪

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u.s. officials tonight are doubtful the so-called affluenza teen will return to the u.s. from mexico anytime soon on the same day the pair was expected to be brought back to texas after weeks on the run. we are joined from fort worth with the latest. they are expected to be brought back at some point, correct? >> reporter: that's right. u.s. officials say they expect

both ethan couch and his mother to be deported back to the united states at some point. the big question right now is when. multiple law enforcement agencies expected the pair to be brought back to the u.s. today and ethan couch would return here to this juvenile detention center. they retained new attorneys in mexico. they filed a new motion which is like a writ of habeas corpus here in the united states taking the decision of deportation away from immigration agents and kicking it up to a higher authority, in this case a judge. reportedly that judge has up to 72 hours to consider this motion essentially halting deportation for now. u.s. officials say this process can last from two weeks to two months. here is what the u.s. marshal service had to say. >> now it is up to immigration court to decide if the decision

was correct and has merit and we anticipate deportation continuing. at this time we do not have a timeframe. we do not know if the mexicans have highest priority on this case like we do here in america. it's on their time schedule. >> this has been a very strange case that keeps getting stranger. the so-called affluenza teen was expected to be brought back here. saying next month there was a hearing to decide whether his case would move from juvenile courts to adult courts. because of his probation violation he could only spend several months in jail. he could get out in april on his 19th birthday. the judge can only sentence him to 120 days in jail for probation violation. his mother will face a felony charge once she is brought back here. hendering an arrest. she could face anywhere from two to ten years in prison if she is convicted. right now the big question is

when the pair will return back here in texas. >> thanks. donald trump says he would welcome a woman as president just not the one who is currently leading the democratic field. just ahead we take a look at the year in politics and how donald trump and others seem to be changing the game. and the heated debate about the holiday season's hottest gift. ♪ (cell phone rings) where are you? well the squirrels are back in the attic. mom? your dad won't call an exterminator... can i call you back, mom? he says it's personal this time... if you're a mom, you call at the worst time. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. where are you? it's very loud there. are you taking a zumba class?

i'm going to spend a lot of money because i don't want to take chances. >> donald trump there saying he is ready to spend big as we are in the last busy campaign day of 2015. we are seeing events all over two key early voting states, iowa and new hampshire, south carolina, as well. any minute now jeb bush meet and greet will get underway at a

barbecue joint in south carolina. tomorrow does not just mark the end of a year but marks a major fundraising benchmark. with that we are seeing big changes in how campaigns not only collect money but how they are spending it. we heard donald trump say he is getting ready to start spending to promote himself and unload a little bit with tv ads. what could donald trump have to say about his opponent, you ask. >> jeb bush is a low energy person. for him to get things done is hard. i have never seen a young person sweat like rubio. he is like a machine. he was like a little child. people in new jersey want to throw him out of office. why is he running new jersey? we are a disaster state. i never attacked him on his look and believe me, there is plenty of subject matter right there. that i can tell you. >> joining me now, so i will say

last night during this q&a that donald trump did as he was saying he planned to spend up to $2 million a week, it's interesting. he is saying that he doesn't want to take chances. at the same time still trying to promote the fact that he doesn't think he needs to spend money. is this admitting that he is vulnerable? >> i think so far he hasn't spent money because he hasn't needed to spend money. i have been struck a lot of stories about how donald trump isn't doing various things you need to do in a campaign, hasn't been spending enough on get out the vote. a lot of those are those who sell the services to campaigns. not all the services they sell are useless. so far donald trump has had great success getting his mess mg out, relying on free media and cable news.

jeb bush spent all this money on ads to no apparent effect. i think it is a recognition that he is nervous in iowa and some extent in new hampshire and thinks if he spenz the extra money it will increase his odds of winning. >> jeb bush, meantime, announcing he is canceling a tv ad buy in iowa to focus money back on ground game. i didn't realize that you could cancel an ad buy once it was made. what is the subtext here? is it officially for jeb bush all about new hampshire? >> absolutely. i think this was inevitable for jeb bush. iowa was never a good fit for him even when things were going really well back in the summer. his numbers in iowa were always lower than his national average. basically things are desperate now. he is going to write off iowa.

move most staff to new hampshire, plow most resources into new hampshire and hope for a second or third place finish. i don't know what jeb bush's pathway is out of new hampshire if he is not in the top three and not a strong top three at the least. >> so this new e-mail from ted cruz asking supporters to make a sacrificial gift to mirror the sacrifice he is making to run for office. do you know of a candidate who has taken this angle before i am sacrificing everything for you i need you to sacrifice for me. it is strong language. >> it is and it is helping cruz surge. he makes a really big point about religious liberty, a key argument that he will defend that as president. this is big for him and it is doing well for him. his fundraising is up 66% from last quarter. raised 20 million in the fourth quarter.

>> which is impressive. back to the points you made at the start of the segment talking about how we all know this campaign season defied everything that went before in terms of the way money is used and how candidates are campaigning. they still need to bring in cash. so how do you expect that to be used differently going forward. >> they need to bring in cash but how much cash they need to bring in varys greatly. we saw jeb bush and scott walker built these campaigns that were extremely expensive to run. walker had to pull out because he ran out of cash. then you had had the trump model where he does the big rallies and then otherwise goes on television spending time running campaign from trump tower, the 21st century version of a front porch campaign. when you have the nimble smaller apparatuses you don't need as much money. i am interested to see how the

voting comes out. a lot of people are saying trump doesn't have the ground organization that he really should. i think it is an open question. can the enthusiasm built through the media, will that drive people to get to the polls. i think it will call into question the ideas about how much money you need to spend to run a campaign. >> it's a great point, the one thing we are waiting to see whether or not this translate to people coming out to vote for a primary. we will squeeze in a quick break and talk about the biggest political story of 2015 which may not necessarily be donald trump. 7 conquer the weather. don't let it conquer you. with the capability and adaptability of lexus all-weather drive. this is the pursuit of perfection. was going to clean if an better than a manual? he said sure. but don't get just any one.

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lease the 2016 es350 for $349 a month for 36 months and we'll make your first month's payment. see your lexus dealer. . it was a political year and campaign season no one saw coming. turning politics on its head in 2015. >> you are going to be if i'm elected president so proud of your country again. do i know how to build. nabisco is closing a factory in chicago and moving to mexico. no more oreos. i don't like oreos anymore. i think i'm going to win. i'm an optimist.

>> that seems to be paying off. trump stunning the political world and taking the gop field by storm. he is in either first or second place in the polls. we have seen twists and turns on the democratic side as well. >> i am running for president of the united states. >> i have gone the extra step and gone through all of the e-mails. i am sorry that this has been confusing to people. >> the american people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails. >> me, too. in case you haven't noticed there are a lot of people here. >> we each run our own campaigns and i understand it is competitive. >> in the white house president obama moves into his final year in office significant moves on climate change and relations with cuba. back with me, i want to get from all of you your sense of what the biggest political story of

2015 was. ladies first. >> you know, when i started this campaign i got assigned carly fiorina, ben carson, donald trump. i thought i would be digging for staring but it turned out to be how angry people are at politics. you don't have to be an established politician to get into the race. >> sort of upending of the establishment. >> this is not running ads until almost january is unheard of. this is something we have never seen. we have never seen money do so little. i think for me what has been most move sg what we saw in paris and san bernardino and where the race has turned to playing to people's fears. muslim ban from trump is the number one story in my book this year. that is playing into people's fears in a dark way. >> we spent a significant amount

of time talking about it. what would you say is the headline? >> in order to avoid donald trump i thought i would look outside the united states. there is a reason time put angela merkel as person of the year. in greece we have excommunists having won two elections. spain had an election with new parties that nobody is able to form a government there. you have neofascist almost winning. angela merkel is sort of the one establishment in europe standing against these trends trying to keep the forces that kept europe peaceful and prosperous for decades on that track. people are upset with the establishment for a lot of the same reasons as the u.s. so i think if you want to look for a preview of what could

happen in the u.s. if elites continue to lose the respect of the public for good reason you can look to europe where politics is even more of a mess. we'll see whether merkel and her cod ray of establishment politicians is able to reverse that trend. >> interesting to see how the l relationships between u.s. and these countries continues. >> the biggest story is trump. the second biggest story is the emergence of ted cruz as a top tier co front running candidate going in a month away from the primaries. if you asked people a year ago and i did if ted cruz would be a plausible nominee most people in washington and a lot of people outside of it scoffed and laughed. they thought he angered too many people in the establishment. they didn't think he would be a very good campaigner. i think he put together the best campaign on both sides of the

aisles to position for early state wins. it's not only money as referenced before, he has county chairs in every county of each of the four first nominating states. that is really hard to do but he has been slow and steady and it looks like he is peaking at the right time. now he is a real threat to be the insurgent choice and possibly the republican nominee in 2016. >> it's interesting that the 2015 political headlines seem to have been dominated by republicans. that said, there has been plenty happening on the democratic side. when it comes to those e-mails that we all talked about, is that over or does that come back to haunt hillary clinton and how so if it does on the trail? >> i don't think the story was ever a big political factor. the clintons have been mired in scandal longer than i have been alive going back to the cattle

futures thing in 1978. this is basically priced in. either you decided the clintons are too shady or not. a large enough landed on the not side that bill clinton won two elections in the '90s. so i think people are predisposed to like hillary clinton will say this is much ado about nothing. people predisposed to dislike her say this is evidence to hide things. i think it does -- >> we have about 30 seconds left. let's do lightning round cht give me one word to describe the 2016 race so far. >> unpredictable. >> outsiders. >> josh? >> mess. >> unpredictable, outsiders, mess. do you think those same words will continue to define it in the new year? >> yes. >> i sure hope so. >> we have been wrong before.

>> we have all been wrong multiple times it seems like in the last few months. appreciate it. happy new year to all of you. thanks for being with us. >> thank you. we will look at the year in pop culture. did your favorite moment make the list? company says they'll only pay three quarters of what it takes to replace it. what are you supposed to do? drive three quarters of a car? now if you had liberty mutual new car replacement, you'd get your whole car back. i guess they don't want you driving around on three wheels. smart. with liberty mutual new car replacement, we'll replace the full value of your car. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

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have enough time walking down the street. >> new york city's top cop making his position quite clear when it comes to the gift of the season. that is the hoverboard. you can't ride them in public new york city. a number of airlines and airports banned hoverboards. a new california law mandates riders be at least 16 years old, wear a helmet and stick to roads that are 35 or less. fans have shown us not many are actual riders yet. >> go!

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no shortage of pop consider moments from bill cosby's alleged inappropriate behavior to caitlyn jenner's debut as a woman. most followed woman in twitter in record time. the most talked about dress ever. was it black and blue, white and gold? rounding out the year, "star wars." >> nothing will stand in our way. i will finish what you started. >> the promise. joining us now to discuss these and other biggest moments in 2015 daily beast columnist dean obidala and founder and chairman of 15 minutes public relations. good to have all of you with us.

we talk about pop consider or meaningful transformational moments. the bill cosby moment is a tough one. howard, i wonder, if you were advising him, a man who has the image of being the father figure of this country, how do you handle this? >> i would like to think that i probably wouldn't have taken bill cosby on as a client. this is not something that is a shock to anybody who has been following the story for a long time. i think my conscious wouldn't let me follow him. the reality is he has to come to the understanding that he is painted into a corner and he is probably going to have to plea guilty at thisint po. i think in pennsylvania they really want -- they have the taste of blood and people want him in jail. if he wants to avoid going to jail for ten years he will probably have to plea to a felony and go to jail. this is where court of law

trumps court of public opinion. >> caitlyn jenner on a much different note. so much attention, a new reality show. let's take a quick listen to sound that we have. >> people don't understand looking into the mirror and nothing seems right, putting on clothes that you just really don't identify with. this is about getting to be who you really are. >> this truly prompted a national conversation. i don't know about you but one thing that struck me was the sensitivity that everyone seemed to take with this and the true care. >> absolutely. because we grew up with bruce jenner. this is america's olympic hero. then we got to know bruce on the kardashians. different generations were invested in the story. when bruce became caitlyn you saw a person behind that, a teachable moment. >> how important was that for the country and lgbt community?

>> i just saw caitlyn a couple of weeks ago. a person living their truth and let us in with cameras and let us know what is going on i think is hugely important. >> you are shaking your head in agreement. >> i think it was inspirational one for caitlyn jenner being true to herself and just muted criticism. on twitter you have the crazies out there. in reality most people were supportive or quiet about it. i think it was a beautiful moment, a profile on courage. to me america can be so embracing. >> there was also the pope. any pope can draw crowds. pope francis he kind of defied expectations when he came in september. is there -- how would you define the pope's visit to the u.s. this year? >> i think it was a victory lap. i think we were so used to religious leaders being so dogmatic.

we had one that had a grasp of reality and what a normal person might be going through in this world and we were shocked by that. because of that a lot of people showed their love and respect for this pope like that even many, many people who aren't catholic have a lot of respect for him. he is willing to talk about issues and soften the edges on some of the policies of the church. i think we need a lot more religious leaders like him and a lot less that are purely dogmatic. >> there was also talk about completely shifting gears here. there dress which we brought in. we had one on the "today" show and in person i know what it looked like. i want you to tell me what was it? >> in person it is blue and black. to me that looks white and gold. >> it's white and gold. >> howard? >> i always think it depends on how your computer color is adjusted. it's like your tv. >> don't dodge the question here. >> it looks blue and gold to me.

>> how about that? >> i can see here it is white and gold. >> does that look white and gold? >> this looks black and blue. >> has there been this much controversy since anything. it was dividing people. >> nev this much controversy over an item of clothing, maybe j. loat the grammys. this is white and gold. >> done. white and gold. >> you have all decided. i'm in the other camp. "star wars." i think there was a huge sigh of relief when the movie was released and it was actually really good. >> it was the only thing bigger than donald trump this year. it was amazing made over a billion dollars so far. it made more money than certain gdps of small countries. friends going home to their parents attic to find toys from their youth. it was amazing and fun.

>> this is the biggest box office we have had. $11.1 billion this year. >> this is really a movie -- my kids are 5 and 9 and my husband and i we were enjoying it right there along with them. >> that's what makes a movie work so well, a movie that different generations can enjoy. that is why this is on track to be one of the biggest if not the biggest movie of all time. it is pretty extraordinary what it is doing. right through the holiday it is eating up the box office. this is just kind of the aggressive on a huge year in box office for film makers. 11 billion plus dollars. >> howard, your biggest moment of 2015? >> i have to give it to caitlyn. it was a wonderful transformational moment. i am really proud of her courage. >> being here with you, erica. >> god love you.

come back every day in 2016. >> i have to go caitlyn jenner, then. >> a pleasure to have all of you with us. thank you all and happy new year. >> happy new year. >> thanks to all of you for watching msnbc live. i'm erica hill. "hardball" starts right now. bill cosby charged. this is "hardball." good evening i'm joy reid in for chris matthews. an incredible scene unfolded where television legend bill cosby was charged with aggravated indecent assault against a woman. the charges stem from an incident that allegedly happened 12 years ago. unsteady at times cosby wke