we'll talk with steve israel, and jack crow,e. we want to run those very comments that brianna was mentioning by him this morning. >>> other stories making news. john berman has that for us this morning. >>> a snowy, icy, rainy, sloppy commute for millions of americans this morning. the storm that coated the midwest in ice yesterday is heading north and could bring snow, freezing rain, and sleet. not a lot of fun to the northeast today. flights in and out of chicago, minneapolis, and st. louis were grounded on icy runways and check this out. firefighters shippi chipping a hydrant. frozen in time. new york went seven days without temperatures cracking the freezing mark. a live look at the storm that will hit many of us today. >> not talking about bitter cold temperatures we saw last week. headed out the door, from parts of the upper midwest to the mid-atlantic, we are dealing with some freezing rain out there. just see to the west of altoona, as well, some snow. this will continue to be the feature as we go through the morning hour

joining us is new york congressman steve israel. he's the chairman of the democratic congressional campaign committee. congressman, thanks very much for coming in. >> sure, wolf, good to be with you. >> i assume you're in favor of this senate-passed language? >> oh, i'm going to vote for it. there are things in the bill that i don't like. but unlike republican, i am willing to compromise. i'm willing to inject some pragmatism and some consensus into this process rather than obstruction at every step of the way. this day has been like a new year's day television marathon of the congress of chronic chaos with roller coasters and twists and turns and fancy footwork and high drama. it's unnecessary. the american people deserve compromise and pragmatism. at the end of the day, democrats will provide the votes necessary to protect the middle class, pass this bill, move us forward. >> you agree with debber wasserman shuchultz, 150 democr will vote in favor? >> i'm interested in seeing how many votes the republicans are going to provide. th

joining us now is congressman steve israel, democrat from new york and head of the democratic congressional campaign committee. congressman, you and i got to speak a little bit earlier. you're to be head down there in just a moment. what are you hearing at the moment in terms of where this might go? >> well, i feel -- i mean, i hate to say it, because this is like deja vu all over again. and i repeatedly said i think we're close, and i think we're there, only to have house republicans pull the rug out from under us, throw a temper tantrum and walk away. but this time i think they mean it. and i can tell you that there will be enough democratic votes in the house of representatives to pass this bill, protect the middle class, get us some deficit reduction, and move us forward instead of off cliffs. so we will provide the votes. we'll provide the adult supervision that is necessary to govern, to provide for compromise, consensus and pragmatism and move us forward. >> okay. we're watching debate right now. what issues do you expect to be brought up as we listen to different members throughout

i want to bring in congressman steve israel who joins us right now. congressman, thanks for being here. >> good morning. >> let me start with this. even john boehner said now is the time to deal with immigration. but, you know the questions you were just talking about. is will some of your colleagues on the far right, tea partyiers, perhaps, support this path to citizenship for illegal immigrants? >> well, you know, jackie kucinich had it exactly right. this has the prospect of s success. it's all about whether house republicans are willing to stand up to the tea party base. you've got a bipartisan group of senators left and right advocating a path forward. you've got the president of the united states who will unveil his views on a path forward. what this comes down to now is will these house republicans who have pandered to their intolerant tea party base, who have fed into the extremism of that tea party base, are they willing to stand up to the tea party and do what's right for america? we'll see whether they're able to amass the votes to get us f

and steve israel joins us to discuss last night's fiscal cliff votes. oh, hey mike.you up to? oh, just diagramming this accident with my state farm pocket agent app. you can also get a quote and pay your premium with this thing. i thought state farm didn't have all those apps? where did you hear that? the internet. and you believed it? yeah. they can't put anything on the internet that isn't true. where did you hear that? [ both ] the internet. oh look. here comes my date. i met him on the internet. he's a french model. uh, bonjour. [ male announcer ] state farm. more mobile than ever. get to a better state. >>> welcome back, everybody. orange juice futures were bruised in 2012, plunging 30% last year. they were tracked by the crb index. american coffee was the worst performing commodity. forecasters have predicted above average temperatures for florida in the upcoming weeks and limits the risk of crops freezing, last ye year, the amount of orange we drank rose. >> we have four minutes of trading for 2013? >> we will get you orange juice. >> it hasn't cleared up in t

but as new york congressman steve israel said today more federal and state actions are needed too. >> if those weapons can permeate new york's borders, it makes it tougher. >> john: for more, i'm now joined by a key figure in the guns debate, virginia democratic congressman bobby scott is the ranking member of the crime terrorism and homeland security subcommittee and vice chair of the gun violence prevention task force. he joins us this evening. what a pleasure to have you. >> thank you. >> john: sir you've talked about the need for a comprehensive approach to tackle gun violence. it sounds like you and the president agree. so what do you think of the proposals you've heard so far? >> the proposals haven't come out. they'll come out tomorrow. and we look forward to that. the vice president was making recommendations and we met with him yesterday and it is clear to me he wants some evidence-based comprehensive approach, recognizing that no one initiative can solve the problem that we saw in newtown connecticut. we need a comprehensive approach. obviously it will include some gun safet

joined by steve israel. marsha blackburn, jen psaki, president obama's traveling press secretary, and diane swonk and connecticut attorney irving pinsky. >>> wednesday, january 2 know, starting point begins right now. > >>> our "starting point," what on earth just happened? financial markets up, but it took one fractured vote to make it happen. let's recap. late last night, the house of representatives passed the senate's fiscal cliff bill. the final tally, 257-167, and while 151 republicans voted no, it is worth noting its speaker, john boehner, voted yes, so did paul ryan, by the way. here is the deal that took over 500 days to seal. no tax hikes for couples earning less than $ 450,000 a year. itemized deductions, and unemployment benefits extended and alternative minimum tax adjusted for inflation. >> here is the deal. what the deal doesn't address is federal spending. drastic domestic and defense cuts have been put off for more than two months. looking ahead that could get messy if this is an indication,

joining me now is new york congressman steve israel, congressman from new york who represents areas hardit by superstorm sandy. steve, thank you so much, congressman, for coming on. >> sure, chris. >> you're a partisan democrat, fair enough. let's talk about this issue as a national thing. why new york, i thought they got great media coverage, when you have a baseball star in new york, they're national figures, just huge, but yet this time i do think that the media is undercut. i'm as guilty as anybody for not seeing what's right in front of our eyes, and for some reason it hasn't gotten the pictures on tv as much as, you know, katrina did. i have learned on the ground what it's like. there's some pictures we're showing now, and it ain't going away. this is a horror for many months, point pleasant, new jersey. this is going on and on for the people in these houses. >> well, look, i do not believe that this is anti-new york, chris. i believe that you now have a group of members of congress who are fairly new who are anti-government. they fundamentally and philosophically do not believe th

. >> here's what new york congressman steve israel said about not just the debt ceiling but all three deadlines. this was a little earlier this morning. >> if we can find republicans to join with us and quit playing games with the debt ceiling and quit this roadrunner mentality of finding a cliff in every episode of congress, i think we can get this done. >> the republicans are saying the democrats have to realize they have to quit spending. it doesn't sound any different than it did before. we've got a new congress but generally the makeup isn't significantly different and we saw these negotiations weren't done by the rank and file anyway. do you have a sense at this point, can one of these get done easily, or we're going to fight over the others or is this just one nightmare after another? >> i don't know that any of these can get done easily at this point. everybody's taking a breath and they're going to try to reassess their leverage going into this new congress. when you look at kind of where the republicans are come, they feel like particularly in their negotiations with the pre

this is steve israel, congressman from new york. and the chairman of the democratic congressional campaign committee. why you've seen him a lot on cnn, in charge of electing democrats in the last cycle and this coming cycle as well. let's answer the question that deb just asked, which is, tell us what the vice president told you all. >> well, he was evangelical, converting a bunch of skeptics. i think he's persuaded our caucus that there are pieces of this deal that everybody can dislike. but going off this cliff is something that no one can accept. and while everybody would prefer improvements, nobody can get the deal that he got. and that the president got. so we're at a moment of truth. we have to get this done. and he let the caucus feeling that we need to get this done. >> reporter: now, again, you're talking about the democratic vice president talking to a group of democrats, happened to be evangelical talking to a group of skeptics. >> there were a few members who have concerns about pieces of this. as the vice president said

steve israel, thank you. we'll have the latest on when they house will vote on the fiscal cliff tonight here on msnbc. we'll be right back with "hardball." stick around. [ man ] visa prepaid opened a new world for me. ♪ i have direct deposit on my visa prepaid. my paycheck is loaded right on my card. automatic. i am not going downtown standing in line to cash it. i know where my money is, because it is in my pocket. i got more time with my daughter, we got places to go. [ freeman ] go open a new world, with visa prepaid. more people go with visa. but they have to use special care in keeping the denture clean. dentures are very different to real teeth. they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. polident is designed to clean dentures daily. its unique micro-clean formula kills 99.9% of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains, cleaning in a better way than brushing with toothpaste. that's why i recommend using polident. [ male announcer ] polident. cleaner, fres

steve israel was on your network earlier today. he said as much, it is nice to give it as a concession, but i frankly wanted it to be a higher level. diane feinstein said the same thing, chuck schumer, there is a huge amount of democrats that don't want taxes to kind of rise on this upper middle class that makes between 200 and $400,000, this is the circle they run with. this is not a cave, a kind of fake cave in that sense. >> okay, well, "huffington post" chief, ryan grim, thank you. >> thank you. >> we'll be back on the apparent deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. you are watching "msnbc" the place for politicings milissa e . >>> welcome back to "msnbc" coverage of the plan on the fiscal cliff. the nation is scheduled to go off the cliff at midnight, eastern time. the senate bill is being worked on right now. and lawmakers may try to vote on it sometime tonight. the house, meanwhile, is scheduled to remain adjourned until noon tomorrow. house minority leader nancy pelosi released a statement just minutes ago saying in part "when a f

. >> new york congressman steve israel joins me now. congressman, thanks very much. welcome. let me ask you, first of all, about guns and what your state is about to do. led by mayor cuomo, and overwhelmingly voted in the senate. the assembly is expected to pass it as well. what will this accomplish given the fact that we have such -- every state is unto itself. will this make a difference in terms of law enforcement and safety for people in new york? >> well, that's just the issue. new york state now has embarked on one of the most sensible and comprehensive gun safety measures in the country, but if it's piecemeal, it doesn't entirely solve the problem. if you don't have background checks in other states, if you don't have access to mental health screenings and programs, if you don't have a regulation of assault magazines, and if those weapons can permanentate new york's borders, it makes it tougher. i hope that what governor cuomo did becomes a national model. not only to pass commonsense gun safety laws, but he did it in a bipartisan way. it was a reasonable set of initia

take a listen to what congressman steve israel had to say earlier on this. >> i'm not interested in finger points and i'm not interested in the old debates and the old sound bites. we need a solution that is fair and balanced. that secures our borders, that has tough verifiable enforcement, but also provides a path to citizenship for those who are here and part of our economy. when you've got republicans senators who are willing to support this, it's time for house republicans to support it as well. >> fair and balanced. so has the immigration 8 done the work of the president? there's no need for that big policy speech tomorrow. >> i think we need both. remember, we need, you know, the support of the white house as well as the work in congress are going to be critical to making sure that the end result is legislation that remains fair and balanced. because as we know in the legislative process, all sorts of things can get changed and amendments and what have you. so i do think it's important that the president -- remember as the president talked about last year, it's important that outside

we talked to steve israel a democrat from new york, he represents a district on long island. it's an affluent district compared to other districts. we asked him, do you agree with the $250,000 threshold and he said no he said i like more like $400,000 he got a lot of what he wanted pause the threshold was different that that because he said it's different. $250,000 in long island versus $250,000 in louisiana. there was no talk about changing it based on regional differences. host: randy in missouri, democratic caller. hi, randy. caller: i want to make three points. i'm looking good for to the filibuster activity in the new congress. plus two other points, secly, you guys in the media, you report on this debt ceiling hostage taking as though it's some kind of political game. this will affect all of america. i mean in such drastic ways. my last point is this here, any member of members of congress that adds to the public debt should be charged under the law. and any media person supporting that should be charged with insurrection you need to start re-- stop reporting on this as

steve israel. marsha blackburn. jen psaki. and what about the money hinted this? diane swonk, we'll talk with her as well and after a national outcry, an attorney has stopped a lawsuit over the shooting at newtown elementary school. why he filed the suit in the first place and where it stands now. >>> amazing video. a rescue attempt goes awry. a sledder fell into an icy lake this is ma helm. one man able to use a rope, get everyone out. amazing video. we'll talk about the whole thing and that man helped get the man out of the water, he'll be here live. >> great. >> i was watching that. i thought it was a joke at first. run weave the other after the other. >>> in los angeles, a photographer killed last night trying to get a shot of justin bieber. the man snapped pictures of a sports car he thought the popstar was in and then struck and killed while crossing a freeway to get back to his own car. in a statement, justin bieber said he wasn't in the car. >>> city officials in montreal, canada, said half of the city streets are clear. record snowfall made for a pictures

. >> so peter king and steve israel both working together on this. it's too bad the congress didn't do it, speaking about the sandy relief. >> right. >> but finally, got up to close to what the president was asking as well as governor cuomo and governor christy were asking for. right? >> at the end of the day the number is pretty close and i think now the question really is using it wisely the rebuilding always takes longer than people want you to think it might. he specially with some of these tough infrastructure projects. the funds are there. the capitol is there. >> i don't know whether you saw last week's new yorker magazine had an article about climate change and what cities have to do around the world to protect themselves against future flooding and rising of the sea level and everything. there have been proposals, long-range proposals, extremely expensive proceed proceedsals to protect lower manhattan. is there any serious talk about that? >> there actually is. it isn't as though people are putting pen to paper but concept annually, again, t

. >> joining me now is congressman steve israel of new york, chairman of the democratic congressional morning, carol. >> is menendez right? >> yes, he is right. and, look, we now have two of the three elms necessary to pass immigration reform. you've got a bipartisan group of senators, on the left and the right, who support immigration reform and will unveil their plan. you've got the president of the united states who will unveil his plan in las vegas tomorrow. now all we need are house republicans to come to the table and agree and compromise. the question is this. will those house republicans who have always pandered to their tea party base to tea party extremism and intolerance. once and for all stand up to the tea party and join republicans and democrats and the president in a solution to an immigration process that is broken and is dysfunctional. >> well, you know, we're asking that question of our viewers today. you know, when you mention the tea party and how much power it actually does still have in the house of representatives. in your mind, does it have power, because we do

we spoke with steve israel, a democrat from new york who represents a district on long island, it is an affluent mr. perry asked him if he agrees with the threshold obama supports, he said no, he would like more than $400,000. he said if you make $250,000 in long island compared with the same in louisiana, it's different. there was no talk of changing it based on regional differences. maybe there will be something discussed in 2013. host: in missouri, democratic caller, randy. caller: hi. i am looking forward to the filibuster activity that will take place under the new congress in the senate. second, you guys in the media, you report on the debt ceiling hostage-taking as if it's a political game. as will affect all of america in drastic ways. last, any member or members of congress that [indiscernible] of the public that, they should be impeached under the 14th amendment of the constitution. any media organization that promotes such reckless actions should be charged with insurrection. people reporting on this as though it is some political game. this is devastating to the country.

signed sincerely, steve israel, member of congress. the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, i will be taking a leave of absence from the house appropriations committee for the remainder of the 113th congress. as you are aware, i was elected by the full democratic caucus to serve as the ranking member on the house permanent select committee on intelligence this congress. i intend to return to the appropriations committee in the future. thank you for your help with this matter. i look forward to working with you in the coming year. signed sincerely, dutch ruppersburger, member of congress. the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, in order to join the committee on appropriations, i hereby take a leave of absence from my seat on the committee on the judiciary effective today. signed sincerely, mike quigley, member of congress. the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, in order to join the committee on appropriations, i hereby resign my seat on the committee on oversight and government refo

steve just dismissed it. these love letters or disagreement over some love letters to israel. real national security issues at stake. senator hagel was opposed to sanctions against syria. one of a handful of sanctions -- >> i want to get steve to respond to you on that. i want to throw in this issue. what is a bigger issue for chuck hagel among democrats? some of these issues involving israel on iran. he brought up ben carden, we know that there's some question frank lautenberg, chuck schumer, democrats like that. but there's also been what he said about james hormelback in 1998. i know you have done am some extensive conversations with chuck hagel about anti-gay thing. barney frank was very offended by this. just this week said i cannot think of any other minority group in the u.s. today where such a negative statement would not be an obstacle to a major presidential. >> he has apologized for the statement and hormel in a very large statement, a gracious statement accepted it and said, this is really important learning moment. and i stand by that. i think people in the human r

his comments about israel and about iran and hamas, one of hagel's supporters we quoted on friday, steven our show today, quote, there seems to be an effort by israel and supporters over and over to continue to run resolutions to say, how much do you love me america? do you love me today, do you love me tomorrow and do you love me again. i am supportive of israel but i'm not going to zero game between israel and neighbors, but also have vital national security relationships with the united states let's bring in our panel. steve hayes, juan williams and charles krauthammer. steve? >> i think the quote you read is offensive. its clownish view of what people have been arguing both with respect to protecting national security but the threat that iranian poses to the united states of america. i think one of the areas in which hagel has shown himself to be president obama's left, and he has in a variety of different places, is the question of iran. hagel ruled out a military strike would be unreasonable, it would be foolish to do that. something that the obama administration despite fact i thi

steve. we'll be watching it through this stormy night. >>> and now, we turn to another developing story tonight. word of a bold strike by america's biggest ally in the middle east, israel. an air attack across the syrian border. everyone waiting for what happens next. abc's steve global affairs correspondent martha raddatz tracking it for us tonight. martha? >> reporter: diane, this is a very significant move and clearly a red line for israel. this is what we know. officials say truckloads of dangerous weapons were being loaded from a facility in syria and then were headed for lebanon. officials say inside those trucks were fa-17s. those are very capable, mobile radar-guided surface to air missiles. israel little war planes were launched to destroy the trucks and stop them from entering lebanon before the militant group hezbollah could get their hands on them. the building where the trucks were loading and departing was also hit. hezbollah is a swosh enemy of israel. if hezbollah had gotten those missiles, it would have significantly increased their capability in any future conflict with israel. so, this was not israel getting involved in the conflict in syria, per se,

them in the region to actually counter iran for a while and try to lead the way with peace with israel. >> steve at least part of that aid plan that includes all the weaponry should be scrapped. will it be? probable lea not. >> brian: the way they give it. we're not giving it to them technically. we say here is $2 billion in aid. with that aid, i'd like to recommend that you buy f-16s and tanks. so technically, senator mccain was right yesterday and says they're buying them from us. yeah, they're buying it with our own money we're giving to them. >> steve: our federal government is giving lockheed martin the building dollars for the airplanes. >> gretchen: there is a third party involved, but it's the same thing. i did not get the memo on this next topic. fill me in what happened to this tourist who ended up in jail because he didn't have his wallet at a restaurant in new york city. >> steve: okay. you jumped to the end. there is the guy who is an italian tourist, a lawyer in names and a couple of days a he was at smith and wilenski. at the end of the meal -- there they are right there -- the bi

i do think it would be wrong to tar israel with these statements that our government leaders have not made. guest: steve is absolutely right. i would say that the clip that you ran it back to a theme that is quite problematic in hagel's career -- making is really- palestinian issues central to u.s. policy. -- making is really-palestinian issue central to u.s. policy. -- make israeli-palestinian issue central to u.s. policy. their friendship with us has more to do with the strategic interests than with or not israel and palestine can work out their differences. also, it is not just that. if you go back and with a statement of senate hagel, two of, and, particularly during the terrorism after the clinton administration, there was a peace agreement on the table that some hagel walked away from. there were two times where secateurs hagel made comments between israel and the palestinians that disturbs people, rightfully so. -- he said that will be determined by the rockies. he went on to say this -- "we have been funding the swart dishonestly -- this war dishonestly. congress has abdicated its responsibility

steve used the word tribe. by talking about i am not the senator from israel. the problem with that kind of language is that it suggests that those who have a very strong strategic view about the u.s.-israeli relationship somehow are in the pocket of israelis. i think that is wrong. there are strategic reasons for the relationship. on afghanistan, i would say senator chuck hagel's held different positions. when the iraq war was going poorly and the search was suggested, senator chuck hagel said, we have taken our eye off the ball. the greatest threat the united states faces is between the mountains of pakistan and afghanistan. today, or previously, he opposed the president's surge in afghanistan. these are issues that need to be addressed. where does he think afghanistan is going to go? why did he think that afghanistan was such a vital, strategic interest and then when the president himself tries to address the issue, he does not support that position? so senator chuck hagel -- i keep putting him in o ffice -- has meant a lot of statements over the years about

>>steve: quick monday morning headlines. israel is building a fence along the border with syria.inister benjamin netanyahu says it's necessary to protect israel. violence continues to escalate in syria and there is growing concern about chemical weapons in that region. >> meanwhile, seaside height, new jersey, residents will be able to spend the night in their house against for the first time since super storm sandy hit. over 100 certificates deeming the home safe to live in were handed out and residents were told they don't have to follow a 10 p.m. curfew anymore. good news for those folks. >>gretchen: by now we've seen that map posted by a new york newspaper pinpointing local gun homeowner addresses. guards and families information appears ton that map. a rockland county sherrif appears about all of that. we were expressing in the commercial break i don't think people understood the domino effect. now inmates are threatening guards. in what way? >> they are saying we know where you live. we know where your family lives. we can retaliate if in fact we choose to. it's a threat th

steve clemons. democrats line. caller: i do not understand what all of our leaders have to be vetted by israel. so i disagree with your statement. anytime anybody says something about israel, the first thing they are labeled is anti- semitic. host: ok, thank you for your call. looking back, we are going to hear first from the secretary of state's. i think it is a broad overview, and then questioning from senator chuck hagel,, this before the committee. >> i have just come back, and the secretary is out there now. i came back with the following set of impressions from it. first of all, that they are very concerned about what is going on in iraq. they understand about the problem of weapons of mass destruction and that they do threatened them, but it is less visible i think that's a cross border threat. second, they are fully convinced that this crisis has been created. they are concerned about the iraqi people, as are we, which is why we support this oil for food plant that we wrote initially with resolution 986, it is supposed to be expanded by kofi annan, and they also prefer a diplomatic rout

israel. that is a concern, particularly as it relates to iran. >> steve: also i understand you have a concerne mr. hagel was apparently opposed to an openly gay ambassador nominee back in the year and you just want to make sure what? >> he's used language, which i think is very unfortunate. not just once, but at least on two occasions. his comments about this appointment is very troublesome. for me, it's what is his position going to be in regards to the president's policies of gays in the military? how does he feel about that? what type of advice would he give the president? these are questions that he needs to answer. >> steve: sure. one of the president's other nominees is john brennan for c.i.a. chief. it's interesting, the president didn't nominate him four years ago because he was probably a little too controversial. what's different now? >> john brennan has a very distinguished career, but i do think he, being part of president bush's administration in regards to the enhanced terrogation techniques, these are issues that during the confirmation process there will be questions that will

steve, you are a guy who speaks bluntly as well. do you feel like that, the source of the criticism against him on issues of the middle east and israel like that he has sort of refused to be politically correct in his language in the sort of gesture politics that you're supposed to make on that issue, or do you think that it is about his substantive policy beliefs and what he might be like as defense secretary? >> chuck hagel more than any other senator i have known is not someone to jump on media bandwagons. i had a talk tonight with the former chief of naval operations in israel who became the head of the friends in israel of the uso. chuck hagel used to be head of the uso. and he had a long relationship with hagel over the years. and he approached hagel and said i hear that you're not signing on to a press statement that other senators have signed on about getting jews out of russia. and hagel sent him a letter that he had privately sent to president clinton, as well as president clinton's response, and he said the much more effective way to push my government and to push my president is to handle it this way. i have no interest i

steve, you are a guy who speaks bluntly as well. do you feel like that, the source of the criticism against him on issues of the middle east and israel, do you feel like that he has sort of refused to be politically correct in his language in the sort of gesture politics that you're supposed to make on that issue, or do you think that it is about his substantive policy beliefs and what he might be like as defense secretary? >> chuck hagel more than any other senator i have known is not someone to jump on media bandwagons. i had a talk tonight with the former chief of naval operations in israel who became the head of the friends in israel of the uso. chuck hagel used to be head of the uso. and he had a long relationship with hagel over the years. and he approached hagel and said i hear that you're not signing on to a press statement that other senators have signed on about getting jews out of russia. and hagel sent him a letter that he had privately sent to president clinton, as well as president clinton's response, and he said the much more effective way to push my government and to push my president is to handle it this way. i have

steve brown live in west virginia. martha: there are rising tensions in the middle east today, israel striking inside syria.ascus says its allies in iran are now threatening to retaliate, very tense situation. a live report from the middle east coming up. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. i'll big special day around here today. martha: really? i hadn't noticed. bill: just noticed. martha: wonder what it could

steve, you are a guy who speaks bluntly as well. do you feel like that, the source of the criticism against him on issues of the middle east and israel feel like that he has sort of refused to be politically correct in his language in the sort of gesture politics that you're supposed to make on that issue, or do you think that it is about his substantive policy beliefs and what he might be like as defense secretary? >> chuck hagel more than any other senator i have known is not someone to jump on media bandwagons. i had a talk tonight with the former chief of naval operations in israel who became the head of the friends in israel of the uso. chuck hagel used to be head of the uso. and he had a long relationship with hagel over the years. and he approached hagel and said i hear that you're not signing on to a press statement that other senators have signed on about getting jews out of russia. and hagel sent him a letter that he had privately sent to president clinton, as well as president clinton's response, and he said the much more effective way to push my government and to push my president is to handle it this way. i have no inter

>> steve: iran has just launched a monkey into space, lauding it is an advance in missile and space program that alarmed the west and israelpendent confirmation and there has been no announcements by western powers. >> gretchen: how did they launch a monkey into space? >> steve: they've got rockets. >> brian: maybe a sling shot? we don't know. maybe an orangutan threw the monkey as high as he could? >> steve: anyway, iran launched a monkey in space. >> brian: steve, follow that story, would you? >> gretchen: i'm a little more kenned about nuclear war heads in that region. >> steve: apes of wrath. >> gretchen: let's get to your headlines. the trial of khalid sheikh mohammed and his willing aged co-conspirators begins today. a key issue in this trial, we should say it begins again, again because this was once upon a tiff five years ago. the key thing is whether the u.s. tortured their men. the attorney also ask that the prisons they were taken to be preserved. >>> last night police shot and killed a guy in a bar. a man shot his ex-girlfriend multiple times and the bouncer once before he tried escaping. the bounce service in

steve on this for this reason. i don't think if chuck schumer had no other political consideration to make, i don't think he would vote for chuck hagel. honestly. i think hagel's statements on israel and the jewish lobby don't do not sit well with chuck schumer. he is not the only one, but they don't sit well with chuck schumer. he understands the role and influence he has within the senate democratic caucus, and sort of what him saying no would mean. of course, politics doesn't exist in a vacuum. we all know that. i think chuck schumer's desire to not blemish the pick of the president of his party on defense -- this is not a small bore cabinet position. this is a big one. this is a biggy. i think ultimately unless chuck hagel in his meeting, his one-on-one meeting with schumer, something in the confirmation hearing, something disqualified comes out. i think this will be a kind of hold your nose and vote for it because ultimately his loyalty to president obama is higher than his desire. >> it will be an anguished swroet. >> he elizabeth be thrilled to do it, and he will probably not talk a lot about it. he will say hi. >> you don't get a pass on this one if you are a democratic se

israel. >> brian: i assume they're not going to be used for tourism. >> steve: the sword using them on theirn: this is one where you side with the military. we've had great relations with the military. they understand western values and i think the military is pulling back from the government, which could be a good sign for the egyptian people. >> steve: it is a mess over there. it is now 7:12 here in new york city. straight ahead, the pledge of allegiance being recited in arabic at one high school. a lot of people are fired back up it. we'll tell but it. >> gretchen: the president's cabinet getting an extreme makeover. shear everyone that could be out or is out, former democratic congressman dennis kucinich says those faces can tell us a whole lot. he's up next. [ male announcer ] how do you make america's favorite recipes? just begin with america's favorite soups. bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. or best-ever meatloaf. go to campbellskitchen.com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. when someone in my family gets the flu. fact: advil not only re