washington. jack lew just wrapping up testimony where lawmakers questioned him about the consequences of default. >> the debt ceiling deniers need a dose of debt ceiling reality. >> i don't know how you could possibly choose between social security and veterans' benefits between medicare and food assistance. these are obligations we've made. >> i think the real crisis is that default, the with unthat we are screaming toward because of our refusal to engage as a country. congress and the president with regard to reforming our failed entitlement system, reforming our failed tax policy. >> the senate banking committee's hearing on the shutdown is starting in moments. and then next hour both nancy pelosi and john boehner will come to the microphones. senate democrats will meet with the president at quarter to 2:00 followed by house republican leaders going to the white

house. some realms like paul ryan are signaling they may be open to a short-term deal to open the government and raise the debt ceiling without defunding health care. ryan is among the house gop leaders headed to the white house this afternoon. i want to bring in our company, politico senior political reporter maggie haveerman. good morning. >> good morning. >> so you've got house republicans headed to the white house today. not a negotiation, but maggie, it is a conversation. are there positive signs? >> there are positive signs. what you've seen in the last two days is you have seen house republican -- some in the house, anyway, are trying to start up conversations with the senate. sort of quietly. that is the very beginning of a conversation. there is a realization that the shutdown is one thing. the debt default potential is a big, big, big deal, and it is one that would not do well for the republican brand, for any republican member of congress. nobody's going to look good regardless, but unfortunately republicans, for their own sake in trying to come back up after last year, you are seeing in

polls, they are taking a much bigger hit than democrats are right now. there is large concern about what the reality of this would mean. and so i do think that this is a positive step, even if it's short term, it's positive. >> what are you hearing, mark? what are the possibilities of some sort of at least short-term deal, and what would it look like? >> well, chris, it does look like the house republican leaders want to focus on a temporary raise of the debt ceiling. it would still keep the government closed, but some type of short-term debt ceiling, maybe we're talking about a couple of months. but there is one potential hiccup, and we're going to probably hear this when house republicans meet with president obama is what they actually are going to be demanding for this. as my colleague, luke russert, was reporting, they might want some type of entitlement cut, some type of spending cuts, some type of tax reform. and if that's the case and if the white house says, look, the only thing we're going to get for this is a temporary debt ceiling increase, it's going to be a nonstarter with us. and you might be back to square to where we are and still in the midst of this government shutdown which maggie pointed out has been taking a very, very

big toll on the republican party. >> and we talked about the debt ceiling deniers. i want to play a little bit of that. just take a listen. >> i'm not advocating we go through the debt ceiling deadline. but what i am saying is, if you go through it, you will not default. >>ity hadding the de inhitting ceiling does not equal default. >> guys like that are actually getting help from moody's. the gop has been circulating this memo. "we believe the government would continue to pay interest and principal on its debt even in the event that the debt limit is not raised, leaving its creditworthiness intact. there is no direct connection between the debt limit, actually the extension of the treasury's extraordinary measures to raise funds, and a default, but at the same time, maggie, you've got three major business groups that have come out on the other side of this. who's right? >> i believe the business groups know what they are talking about, and i think the bigger concern here -- a very related concern is the impact this would have on markets. nobody thinks this would be at all positive for markets.

so far the markets have basically reacted with a nah in terms of the shutdown. nobody thinks that would be the case if the debt limit is not raised. and so i think that is where you are seeing -- you saw president obama make the case very clearly to wall street that there should be a concern here. that is where he is sort of looking to extend pressure. and i think you're going to see a lot more of that in the coming days. but there is frustration with the business community that they are sort of unable to reach lawmakers right now. there's a lot of not listening among factions that have tended to be pretty synergistic over the years. >> you have wall street that's nervous. you have, mark, as we just said, the business community that's nervous. and by the way, polls show a record low for republicans. 28%. that is the lowest in, i think, the 21 years they've been doing this survey. another poll showed congressional overall approval at 5%. so is this about the pressure building if, indeed, john boehner is going to take some sort of compromise to his caucus? >> chris, there's been a tremendous amount of pressure from all sides.

and one part of the pressure is senate republicans. and a lot of them are kind of throwing their arms up in the air and say house republicans, get your act together. we've heard that from john mccain on the senate floor. and one of the interesting developments -- and it does seem that house republican leaders have kind of settled on, we want to take care of the debt ceiling. we want to be able to get that done at least for a temporary amount of time. but they have been all over the place in this debate. some want the elimination, defunding or delay of the president's health care law. others say we actually need entitlement reform, spending cuts. others still, ralph reed, the social conservative, said abortion should be part of this whole deal. and republicans, whether it's house leaders, movement conservatives, folks in the senate, they haven't said what they actually want, and that's very difficult when you go to negotiations because you need to be able to say what you're asking for. >> i want to bring in congressman charles rangel. always good to see you, congressman. good morning. >> good morning. >> i know you were with the president yesterday. obviously, you're on the hill now. what is your sense?

is it that we're moving toward a resolution of some kind? >> no question about it. and there's no hiccups, and there's not going to be anything added to raising the debt ceiling and getting a clean, continuous resolution. the things that they want, they have no clue because they have organized themselves just a small ban to destroy the president of the united states and affordable care. they -- in doing this, they're burning down the government. they're burning down the economy. and they're going to the president and ask for a breather because what they have done, they can -- what they wanted to do, they cannot accomplish. >> what do you think this is going to look like going forward? will it be a four to six-week extension, and then will there be a broader conversation that includes things like medicare, retirement for federal workers, changes to the tax code, the paul ryan plan? >> well, you're listing a whole lot of things that the people

that are responsible for holding the republican party about, this cancer of a conspiracy that started with ed meese and others that was recently reported, they don't know what they want. and the president made it clear, and he's meeting with the democratic caucus, that there's nothing off of the table after the government comes back and is reopened, and the debt ceiling which is a threat to the united states and the free world, then he would talk about it. they haven't the slightest clue as to what demands they're going to make post-restoration of the government. >> well, we also know that there have been consequences already. and i want to ask you, as the winner of a bronze star and a purple heart for serving in the korean war, there was so much outrage because the government wasn't going to pay death benefits for military families. and then a private company had to step in to pay. if the government can't take care of veterans, congressman, what does that say?

>> it is painful. the reputation of the united states is bad enough. but when our people lose confidence in their government, that's worse. we are successful because we are a hopeful government, a spirited government. we believe in taking care of our own, especially those people who put their lives on the line so that america can continue to prosper. to turn our backs on them, to close down the government and then to come back and to try that we should just pick -- cherry pick the things that we should do, it is so hypocritical. our country is not dying because of just one thing that we're not funding. it's dying because we lost the spirit that the world thought we have to move forward and try to help people whether they're sick, whether they're poor, whether they're aging, whether they're children, that's what our country stands for, and that cannot be negotiated.

>> well, let me ask you also very quickly since you were arrested on tuesday along with seven other democrats, you were obviously protesting over immigration reform, considering congress has had this much trouble keeping the government going even doing things like providing death benefits for our military, what are the chance that something as complicated as immigration reform can get accomplished? >> it may be complicated, but no one disagrees that it's good for the country. it may be complicated, but everyone knows it would reduce our deficit and increase income. it may be complicated, but this talent and this labor and what they have to bring to the country is sorely needed. and whether it's republicans or democrats, after the people that's coming in, i am sure that with the help of the spiritual community and the business community, that the republicans need something to change their image, and democrats are anxious to work with them.

there is never a better time to have immigration reform than when the congress is down to 5% and 6%, it's time for us to do something responsible, patriotic and that's in the best interests of the united states of america. this is immigration reform time. >> congressman charlie rangel, always great to have you on the program. thank you. >> thanks for having me. also joining the conversation now, "new york times" columnist nick christoph. and we were talking before, nick, about john boehner going to ask house republicans for a short-term debt ceiling increase. and all the indications are that we're hearing from reporters, from members of congress is that they seem to be moving towards some sort of deal. but should we be breathing a sigh of relief, or are we just kicking the can down the road? >> well, i think we should be feeling less suicidal today than yesterday. but maybe only modestly. clearly there are some people now who are really pushing for a face-saving way for the republican party to climb off

the ledge. and i think that is definitely a positive on the debt limit issue. on the other hand, there's still plenty of forces propelling them to stay on the ledge. you know -- >> but do we think those forces have been marginalized to some extent whether it's the ted cruzes or congressman steve king a few minutes ago called the president spiteful saying he's doing all this on purpose? >> if you look at the base of the republican party, that is who is supporting this strongly. whether they've been marginalized for the moment where there's this work towards a short-term deal, perhaps john boehner has earned himself credit, amazingly, with the people in his party and his caucus who have been most opposed to him and given him the hardest time throughout the year like the steve kings of the world. i don't think they've been marginalized. i think they may be quieter for the moment and they may be able to be put to the side for the moment. but you are going to see a repeat of this for a while, i believe. >> so maybe if this happens and we get a breather, they have time to negotiate four to six weeks, the government is up and running again, the debt ceiling is increased, then what is the

conversation look like? >> i mean, i totally agree with that. the sort of tea party jump over the ledge forces i think are still strong. and i think one of the more worrisome signs of this are two little data points, one that the republicans are most likely to vote in primaries by a 2-1 margin that republican members of congress have been too willing to compromise with the democrats rather than not willing enough. and second, it's 52% of republican voters think that going over -- missing the debt limit deadline would not be a major problem. and in that context, you know, i think would be great to kick the can down the road a little bit because it lowers the temperature, provides a face-saving way to sort of change the conversation a little bit. but it's not 100% sure we can get there. >> well, we will be watching closely because we still have some critical meetings coming up today. maggie and nick, thank you. mark, as always, good to see you, mark murray. today an ominous sign for libya's transitional government and its efforts to help the u.s. fight terrorism.

abductors briefly kidnapped libya's prime minister and then freed him. sources tell nbc news the kidnapping was retaliation for the u.s. raid in libya last weekend where a key al qaeda suspect was captured. the prime minister had met with al libi's family just hours earlier. a militant group initially claimed responsibility, though they since denied they had anything to do with it. ♪ [ male announcer ] new vicks dayquil severe. helps relieve your ugliest, nastiest, roughest, toughest cold symptoms. new dayquil severe.

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tomorrow malala yousafzai could become a nobel peace prize winner. the 16-year-old from pakistan tops several short lists. it was just one year ago when the taliban tried to kill malala by shooting her in the head because she advocated for girls' education. she's since inspired millions

including jon stewart on "the daily show." >> education is very important. and education is the power for women. >> i know your father is backstage, and he's very proud of you, but would he be mad if i adopted you? because you sure are swell. >> one organization working to further malala's cause is plan international with its campaign called "because i am a girl." and joining me now is because i am a girl global ambassador freida pinto and richard lui. it's great to have both of you here. >> thank you. >> freida, you're an actress who's been an academy award-winning movie. why was this so important to you? why get involved? >> for me, i watched malala's interview, and she said something so poignant. she said we're human beings, and when we don't have that one thing that we want to have, we want to fight for it more.

i think my case was kind of the opposite. i had it all. i had the education i wanted. i had the school books, the stationery, you know, whatever a little child wants, i had all of it. and i had the comfort of going to a good school where i felt safe. however, there was so many girls around me growing up in bombay that i felt did not have that opportunity and did not have -- they had the dream and the drive, but no one really pushed them in that direction, for various reasons, whether it was poverty, whether it was traditional reasons, which is a girl has to marry at age 18, and she's, you know, so what's the point in continuing education? what's the point in actually empowering her? so that kind of really didn't settle well with me. and my mom's schoolteacher, i asked her all the time, why is it when you say that the universal declaration for human rights says education for children should be free-for-all children, irrespective of race, color, creed, no discrimination. so why is that girl begging on the streets? >> but the statistics are

shocking. >> right. >> worldwide only 30% of all girls are enrolled in secondary schools. the average sub-saharan african girl from a rural home gets less than two years of schooling, never learns to read, write, add or subtract. in a lot of countries less than one-third of university students are women. and you talked about this, the high rate of child marriages in many countries means a lot of girls will in ever go to school or drop out of school. so how does because i am a girl help combat these challenges? >> to be really honest, the problems are not as simple where you can go a, b, c, d and the problem is solved. you know, they always are kind of a web of issues. so even if you are dealing with something like this 12-year-old girl is not in school. why? okay. child marriage. so now we've got to go and convince the parents that she needs to continue school till she reaches an age where she can make her own decision what she wants to do with life. now, that's not easy because this is really entrenched in

tradition, the whole concept of child marriage. so it has to be dealt with delicately. and then there are situations where there's poverty and the family can't really afford. then you need government subsidies in order for the children to actually be able to go to schools. which is what i think is so beautiful about the because i am a girl campaign is because they work so closely with these communities. they form youth empowerment programs and little group projects within the group so that children can find the solutions within themselves as well. i mean, if you educate a girl, you literally and without a doubt, you educate her community because she invests back, and then the society and finally the country. and that's how your gdp increases. it sounds so simple in words, but actually it's really simple in practice as well. we just have to change mindsets, and that's what the because i am a girl campaign helps us to do. >> you just got back from a trip for the organization. >> right. >> tell us where you went, what you saw, what you learned. >> i went to el salvador for plan international in el

salvador. the idea there for me going is to discuss with young boys that this is not a male versus female issue. this is about young girls that don't have access to education. they don't have access to health care. they don't have access to an environment free of violence. we take that for granted here. they're treated like second, third, fourth-class citizens. >> at best in some cases. >> tell them number one, it's wrong. number two, if they can come on board this program, chris, all they're saying to the young girls, hey, look. it's not all that bad. in fact, we'll help pull you up. so young boys are very important in this program as well. yeah, because i'm a girl, you wouldn't think that they would select a person like myself, but that message is so important. >> tell us quickly, what's the website if people want more information or want to contribute? >> you can go to planinternational.org. >> richard lui, freida pinto, wouldn't it be wonderful if malala won the nobel peace prize? >> our entire community is hoping for that.

>> she's going to continue no matter what, and that's what's beautiful about her. more on ypower to her. >> thanks for coming in. we're all hearing an emotional story from hanna anderson kidnapped by a family friend who killed her mother and brother. she met the horseback riders who helped rescue her, and through hugs and tears she thanked them. her reescuers told her she was their hero. savannah guthrie sat down with them. >> the next night they came in and told me that they died and that jim was dead, too. it kind of just didn't seem real. and i just thought about it for a second, and then i just broke down. >> i see that you post pictures of them on instagram. it's obvious that they're in your heart every day. how are you doing? >> i miss them so much.

sometimes it's like i wait for them to get home, and then they're not there. >> hannah said at one point during the kidnapping she thought she could hear her brother yelling from upstairs, but she couldn't do anything to help him. every year american students earn degrees in math and science. but only three in ten of them are women. to have enough graduates to fill 21st century jobs... ...we'll have to solve this gender divide. let's inspire more young women to pursue math and science. let's light the way for a new generation. join exxonmobil in advancing math and science education. let's solve this. [ male announcer ] let's go places. but let's be ready. ♪ let's do our homework. ♪

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to politics where congresswoman michele bachmann says she's not going to take up twerking. she was a good sport, though, after miley cyrus spoofed her in an "snl" skit. bachmann said actually she got a lot of calls from people who thought it was her in the skit. she said, quote, and i will tell you a 57-year-old woman, it's been a long time since i've been confused for a 20-year-old. "south park's" eric cartman learned a lesson last night about the stand your ground laws. >> you can't shoot somebody that threatens you just out on the street unless you're in a state

that has a stand your ground law. >> stand my ground? >> the episode was called "world war zimmerman" and followed his reactions after the the zimmerman trial. there was a throwdown last night in new jersey where steve lonegan really went after cory booker in a debate for new jersey senate. the audience even got into it during an exchange over same-sex marriage. >> so are you saying same-sex couples should not be allowed to have children? >> that would be a biological fe fell phenomenon. >> there is adoption. >> i have a question about how healthy that will be in the long run for those children, and i have mixed feelings about that. >> this is the problem. he says liberty, but you can't be free to marry who you want. >> and if you read only one thing this morning, read this. while washington continues to fight, here's something we can all agree on. stephen hawking is wicked smart. not just a stellar physicist, one of his books has sold 10 million copies.

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forget what just about all the other polls say. senator ted cruz is telling fellow republicans his own poll shows republicans are winning the government shutdown debate. "the washington examiner" reports at a closed-door session with republicans yesterday, cruz argued his poll shows the gop is in a much better position than they were during the '95 government shutdown. but usually reliable republican allies including big business aren't buying it. and some of the biggest republican donors including billionaire koch brothers seem to be distancing themtse ininei. let me bring in margie romero and republican strategist and former huckabee campaign manager

chip saltsman. ted cruz says his own poll claims 67% say obama care was the major reason for the government shutdown. even if that's true, does it mean republicans are going to escape blame? >> it certainly doesn't. in fact, there was another question in cruz's own poll, and it showed that more people blame republicans than blame democrats. i haven't seen a single poll out there where more people are blaming the president or blaming democrats in congress than blaming republicans for this. and we don't have to look just at the blame question. we can also look at the historic lows you now see for approval of the republican party. people are overwhelmingly say they oppose the shutdown. even now the business community oppose -- it's clear that this is a complete disaster politically for the republican party. they have lost support across the board. >> chip, we were talking about the new gallup poll earlier. only 28% have a favorable view

of the republicans. that's the worst rating in the poll's 21-year history. but i'm wondering if any of these polls or even the business community matters given gerrymandering and a fact that a lot of them are more worried about whether they would be opposed in a primary from the right than they are about what the polls say or what even the american people think is reasonable. >> well, when you look at those districts, surely that's part of it, chris. some of the members are up there worried more about primaries than general election. i'm not a pollster nor do i play one on tv like marjorie, but i know for a fact that everybody in washington is getting beat up on this. yes, republican, but it's not like the democrats are that much further ahead. the president's taken a beating on this. i saw one poll where only 21% approve of the job he's doing. i think the on winners out of this will be the politicians outside of washington that i will with be running against washington in the next election and i think those are the only winners from this right now. >> we know that several ceos and

business groups have been contacting lawmakers and warning them about the dangers of defaulting on the debt, and that includes morgan stanley, marriott, price waterhouse coopers, the national retail federation, chamber of commerce. could that eventually get republicans to listen? we've been talking today, margie, about at least a short-term deal here. is that what's going on in your view? >> well, i certainly hope that there's some now republicans who are going to push their party to compromise because a majority of republicans say they want -- a poll showed last week, a majority of republicans say they want to see republicans compromise. 60% of republicans say they want to see republicans compromise. so there is a lot of will there for people to compromise. it's a very narrow band of folks who want to charge off the cliff with a small group of republican legislators. that's really a small portion of the american people. and if you have the business community saying we don't want this, this is a bad idea, then what exactly is the -- what is

driving this? if the business community say this isn't going to be helpful for the economy, then why is there a republican strategy to go this route? and that's what the american people are responding to, that it just doesn't seem to make economic sense or political sense. >> well, if it doesn't make economic or political sense, i guess one of the key questions here, chip, is going to be how long is the memory of the american people look? nobody wants to turn on their tv and see a grieving widow who's not getting death benefits or now having to get them from a charitable organization. i mean, it's not a good situation for sure. but will it matter in the long run? will it even matter in 2014? and how as a strategist do you play that? >> well, i think it matters a little bit a year from now or whenever the primary may be, and certainly in the general election. but i think what you're going to see happen is what you've seen today is a little bit of thawing on both sides where republicans are probably going to separate the conversation into obama care and the debt ceiling.

i think if they get a short-term deal and they can negotiate something on the debt ceiling, it kind of fixes the problem, i think even as loud as all this has been over the last ten days, i think by the time that we get to the general election last year, some of this will be put in tv spots, but i don't think it will be driving the story. >> chip saltsman, margie o'meara, good to see both of you. when it comes to the shutdown, check out tv.msnbc.com where you can read compelling stories about broken promises to the veterans and what the shutdown is doing to them. checking the news feed this morning, a san francisco hospital now says the body of a woman found dead in a stairwell does belong to a patient reported missing for 17 days. family members say the hospital waited ten days before putting out an alert about lynn spalding's disappearance. she had been hospitalized for a relatively minor illness. investigators believe she was disoriented from medication when she left her room. a tearful cry for help from the father of the 9-year-old boy who managed to elude airport

security in minneapolis and board that flight to las vegas. the child has been in protective custody in vegas but could return home by tomorrow. the father hid his face at a news conference and reiterated a cry for help. >> what can i do? i've been asking for help, and no one's helping me. i'm what you call in double jeopardy. if i whoop my son, i get locked up. if i let my son keep on doing what he's doing, i get in trouble. somebody please help me, please. >> the fatheraid before this incident his son had had never even been to an airport or on a flight. edward snowden's father is in russia this morning hoping to meet with his son. the accused nsa leaker facing espionage charges in the u.s. lon snowden says he does not believe his son will ever return to the u.s. but thinks he deserves the nobel peace prize. he also said he's thankful for the way the russian government has treated his son during his temporary asylum. five weeks after swimming

from cuba to florida, another victory for 64-year-old diana nyad. she just completed a marathon 48-hour swim at a pool in a new york city intersection raising money for hurricane sandy victims. some of those who swam along for a few laps were richard simmons and 11-time olympic medalist ry ryan lochte. in texas, a freight train slamming right into an 18-wheeler and smashing it to pieces. the train carried the flatbed about half a mile down the tracks. the driver says he stopped to yield to other cars, then couldn't move the rig quickly enough, so he ran for cover. believe it or not, no one was hurt. stocks are up sharply in the first hour of trading with wall street growing more hopeful about a deal in washington. cnbc's mandy drury is here with what's moving your money. so i guess maybe they're looking at wash and saying they just might get this done. >> yeah, absolutely. and on those hopes, actually, chris, we saw some really sharp gains in stocks immediately in

the first minutes of trade. we saw the dow pushing up above -- well above triple digits, and it's currently up about 170 points at last count. i'm just looking at the numbers there. obviously the hopes are here that the signs that we might get this budget impasse in washington breaking soon. the president meeting with the house republicans today. so the market reaction really suggests here that -- there we go. okay, realtime, we're up by 200 points right now. so it's looking great. >> yeah, back over 15,000. >> absolutely, back over 15,000. so the market reaction here, chris, really does suggest that even a short-term debt limit increase to prevent this nation's first-ever default would be welcomed by investors at this stage. there are a lot of doomsday scenarios being put out there as to what would happen, cascading through the economy if there was a default. obviously, we just don't know. but the market just doesn't want to try and find out. >> let's ask you quickly about something i think's very cool. we might be using twitter as a remote control. >> yeah, twitter and comcast

have announced a deal that will allow customers of comcast's xfinity tv service to tune into programs simply by clicking a see it button in a tweet. it would also allow comcast customers to set dvrs, to watch shows online or on your mobile device as well as purchase movie tickets through fandango. and apparently comcast plans to launch this feature next month. pretty cool thing. obviously bringing tv and social media and everything else all converging in one really cool place. >> and we should mention comcast is the parent company of msnbc and cnbc. >> we should mention that. >> thank you so much, mandy. good to see you. >> thank you. if there's one list members of congress should see, "the washington post's" chris cilizza says it is this. close to default in 2011. only hurricane katrina had a bigger impact. the debt ceiling debate of 2011 ranked second. the 1990 iraqi invasion in

kuwait was third. lehman brothers' collapse in 2008 is fourth. the iranian hostage crisis from '79 to '81 was fifth. and 9/11 was sixth. yes, the near default in 2011 had a bigger impact on consumers than the september 11th attacks. t is what makes us different. we take the time to get to know you and your unique health needs. then we help create a personalized healthcare experience that works for you. and you. and you. with 50 years of know-how, and a dedicated network of doctors, health coaches, and wellness experts, we're a partner you can rely on -- today, and tomorrow. we're going beyond insurance to become your partner in health. humana. ♪ to become your partner in health. (announcer) answer the call of the grill with new friskies grillers, full of meaty tenders and crunchy bites.

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there was a connection that started it all and made the future the wonderful thing it turned out to be... at bank of america, we know we're not the center of your life, but we'll do our best to help you connect to what is. if you want a sense of how far women have come, consider janet yellen poised to become the new fed chief and the most powerful woman in the world. she and her husband, both economists, went to the london school of business as a package deal back in the 1970s. a colleague of theirs said yellen was quite undervalued. quote, we only thought of her as someone's wife. president obama thinks very differently. >> she is a proven leader, and she's tough. not just because she's from brooklyn. >> too many americans still can't find a job and worry how they'll pay their bills and provide for their families.

the federal reserve can help if it does its job effectively. we can help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to work hard and build a better life. >> it's time for "the reputation report," our weekly look at who's hot and who's not according to social media. howard bragman, vice chairman of reputation.com and chairman of 15 minutes public relations. he's here with an exclusive analysis for "jansing & company." a lot of people didn't know who janet yellen was a week ago. now she's on fire. >> it started tuesday when the leak came and yesterday when the president made the announcement, it exploded. and very, very, very positive, which is surprising for such a controversial position. 88% positive. >> wow! >> so good sign for him. good pick for the president. she will sail through her confirmation hearings. >>speaking of choices, scarlett

johansson for the second time was named "the sexiest woman alive" by "esquire." guess how she's trending? >> she's going through the roof, as you can see. she's like, you know, she's extraordinarily positive numbers, but what was really interesting is one of the guys from new direction sent a tweet out about her thinking how hot she was. and that was just like a rocket booster to an already crazy social media moment for scarlett. >> that's probably a little younger demographic. >> i would think 16-year-old boys would still find her pretty hot. >> yeah. and 60-year-old boys, as a matter of fact. and then there is miley cyrus. who i guess has been on a roller-coaster ride since her infamous twerking on the mtv video music awards. but then she came on the "today" show and made news again. take a look. >> i heard when you turn 40 things start to go a little less sexual. >> don't say that. >> probably around 40, around

that time, i heard that's when people don't have sex anymore. so i guess maybe around then? >> do you know how old i am? >> i'm going to guess 40. >> i love you again. 55. >> 55. oh, well, then you're really definitely not sexual. >> and good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm matt lauer and i'm too old to have sex. >> well, the former hannah montana, how's she doing? >> actually, she -- you know, hannah's been positive for weeks since her vmas, but within that positive range, she's going up and down. and we're calling her on the move this week. sinead o'connor had a little -- >> back-and-forth. >> twitter tiff with her, and they went back and forth. but most people liked her "saturday night live." you know, the important thing for miley, they're still talking about her. >> everywhere. >> that's what makes her happy. >> she is an international sensation. >> i have to say, her pr campaign has been nothing short of brilliant going from the vmas

to releasing "wrecking ball" to "saturday night live." i can't wait to see what's next. >> howard bragman, always great to have you here. thank you. >> thanks, chris. today's tweet of the day comes from the onion. quote, psychiatrists deeply concerned for 5% of americans who approve of congress. and a . tell me fiona, who's having a big tire event? your ford dealer. who has 11 major brands to choose from? your ford dealer. who's offering a rebate? your ford dealer. who has the low price tire guarantee, affording peace of mind to anyone who might be in the market for a new set of tires? your ford dealer. i'm beginning to sense a pattern. get up to $140 in mail-in rebates when you buy four select tires with the ford service credit card. where'd you get that sweater vest? your ford dealer. great. this is the last thing i need.) seriously? the last thing you need is some guy giving you a new catalytic converter when all you got is a loose gas cap. what? it is that simple sometimes. thanks.

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one of the few museums still open in washington, d.c., is the national geographic museum. and today a new exhibit opens celebrating women in photography. it's called "women of vision." among the powerful images, veiled rebellion of a mother and daughter in afghanistan. and this one called baghdad after the storm. joining me now is national geographic photographer lindsay adario, the woman behind those two pictures. good morning. >> good morning. >> i know this exhibit goes through march. it profiles the work of 11 women, 99 different images. is there something about this exhibit, do you think, that tells us about the way women view the world?

>> i think what's unique about this exhibit is that we've just collected 11 women with many different genres of photography. one of the photographers has been working for "national geographic" for over two decades. another photographer is only 25 years old. and it's a real range of work from all around the world. >> well, yours are amazing. and one that is one of my favorites of the entire exhibit is called "veiled rebellion." tell us about that. >> so i was photographing -- i had been photographing in afghanistan for 13 years. so well over a decade. and in 2009, i was asked to put together a collection of work of women in afghanistan. and it was really the culmination of so many years of working there. and one of the issues i wanted to cover was maternal mortality because afghanistan has one of the highest rates of women dying in childbirth in the world. and so i went and spent two weeks driving through these remote provinces of afghanistan. and on my way back through, i

saw these two women standing on the side of the mountain. and i said, you know, that's strange because usually women have a man accompanying them. and so i thought there was something wrong. and so we stopped the car. and my translator and i ran up the side of the mountain, and we stopped the women. it turned out the woman on the right was in labor and her water had just broken. i said get in the car. we'll drive to you the hospital. they said we can't, we need the permission of my husband. and her husband's first wife had had died in childbirth. so it was especially important that they get to the hospital. and so i sent my translator back down the one road that wove through to find her husband. she found him, and the whole family piled in the car and we took them to the hospital. and she delivered safely. >> extraordinary story. we also have bhutan's enlightened experiment which i think is also just a riveting photograph. tell us a little bit it. >> so bhutan was my first

assignment for "national geographic." it was in 2007. and it was very interesting because for years i had been covering war. i was in afghanistan and iraq, and i had worked extensively in darfur and congo. and "national geographic" came to me and said we want you to photograph bhutan. and their experiment with democracy. and it's a country that instead of gross national product, they have gross national happiness. and for me, it was sort of like how on earth do i photograph happiness? i've been photographing war for so many years. >> and in fact, you were held for six days captive in libya, right, in 2011? >> i was. >> war is no stranger to you. >> no. i've been in several dangerous situations. but to photograph in a place like bhutan where nothing was happening and happiness was something very new to me, it was a very challenging assignment. >> well, people can see the exhibit again through early march at the "national geographic" museum.

lynsey, thank you so much for coming on the program. >> thank you so much for having me. and breaking news we are just learning that the u.s. house of representatives will be in session next week. they were scheduled to be on recess during the week of columbus day. but with the debt ceiling deal not in place and of course the government still shut down, they have decided to be in session. we'll have much more on that coming up. but that's going to wrap up this hour of "jansing & co." thomas roberts is up next. >> good morning. what incredible images. >> amazing, right? >> absolutely gorgeous. great interview. the agenda next hour, republicans looking for an exit plan from the debt ceiling debacle and fast reports that house republicans, they're hatching a six-week no-strings-attached extension of the debt ceiling as they prep for a big face-to-face with the president today. we'll talk with congresswoman jackie speier about what she's hearing on the hill. plus a real garden state smackdown. this time chris christie was nowhere around for it. is cory booker's snoot bill in real trouble? we'll talk with steve kornacki. and food emergency.

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to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for her, she's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with her all day to see how it goes. [ claira ] after the deliveries, i was okay. now the ciabatta is done and the pain is starting again. more pills? seriously? seriously. [ groans ] all these stops to take more pills can be a pain. can i get my aleve back? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. for my pain, i want my aleve. rep. rokita: obamacare hurts this country much more than any government shutdown. vo: reckless. rep. blackburn: people are probably going to realize... they can live with a lot less government. vo: destructive. rep. bachmann: this is about the happiest i've seen members in a long time. vo: the government shutdown is hurting veterans, seniors, and our kids. now tea party republicans are threatening... an economic shutdown. refusing to pay our nation's bills. endangering american jobs.

tell them to stand up to the tea party. enough already! throwback thursday. grade school math. ready to count with me? day ten of the shutdown. seven days to go before we hit our heads on the debt ceiling, and right now the president offering zero carrots to congress. hi, everybody, i'm thomas roberts. great to have you with me. we have just learned the house of representatives will be in session next week. are republicans looking for an escape hatch? they were supposed to be on a columbus day vacation. politico reporting that mitch mcconnell searching for any way out. from the huffington post, boehner itching to escape. with pressure building in washington and republicans getting shredded in the polls, this hour we will see dueling news conferences from dueling parties on capitol hill. house minority leader nancy pelosi gearing up for one news conference while house speaker john boehner was scheduled another one for the very same time. and a half hour from now, a house panel will hold a hearing on military death benefits. then later this