but this other side of him is going to be the bigger story because this will be a drip, drip, drip. he needs to explain -- he said he didn't know. >> yes. >> he's implying that he was lied to. >> right. >> who is this text messager -- >> no, we have a lot more to learn. >> from the documents that have been released. why was this culture created in the governor's office where something like this was acceptable? because obviously this was condoned. >> if it turns out that he lied, that's going to be a bad day for christie. >> maybe the latest example, there's going to be other ex examples to come out. joe johns has other developments coming in. >> s.e., this is a new headache for the chris christie administration. this is a letter from the emergency services coordinator in fort lee, new jersey. his name is paul savia. he ticks off in this letter four occasions when emergency medical crews were delayed from responding to calls apparently due to the change in traffic patterns in the fort lee area during the time period in question. we're talking about a vehicle accident with injuries in

drip drip and it slowly was revealed that there was no research being done on the bridge as was originally claimed there was no reason why these bridge lanes were closed it was then speculated that maybe it was political retribution coming from governor christie's office against the town the mayor here and then ultimately there's a there's a e-mails e-mails were released in all of chris christie's been saying no one in this office was responsible for choosing to close down these bridges in one august thirteenth e-mail though a deputy chief of staff for chris christie told the port of ported port authority official david wildstein that quote time for some traffic problems in fort lee which whilst i responded by saying got it other documents and text messages in fact show kelly in wild sign joking about the bridge shutdown and calling its victims the children of bono voters a reference to christie's opponent in last november's gubernatorial election so someone within christie's staff ordered a bridge to be closed down in what looks like political retribution. should christie resign the spoil

this is going to be a drip, drip, drip for christie. you will continue to have things drip out on bridge gate and a big, public report on whether or not he spent those sandy funds properly. >> a lot of people called him a media darling. he is a media magnet no matter what. your drip, drip, drip, means a lot of fodder for the press. chris fates, thank you, good to see you. >> i want to bring in my brain trust on this. danny savalos as well as lisa bloom. normally, you are sitting in los angeles and i am here. now, i am here. how did that happen? >> first and foremost, when we are talking about the kind of investigation that could happen the most critical aspect here, subpoena power. >> well, subpoena power is a tremendous power. it allows congressional bodies as well as courts to bring anybody in to testify like we've seen in so many movies. the godfather is full of those classic scenes of somebody testifying before senators. let's take a step back here. federal statutes, criminal statutes, focus on the benefit to the politician alleged

so there won't by that drip, drip-drip. going to have a rough day or two but is doing the apology tour today. he is getting it all done. gorging -- >> going to fort lee. the sort of -- the odd thing is if you're going over the george washington bridge to get to new york out of number, you're not necessarily from fort lee so some folks were affected but if you were caught in the traffic, you were affected, but it does come back to how hands-on a leader he is if he didn't know this was going on. this is familiar rap against republicans and democrats when a scandal pops up. how legitimate is that and how much concern do donors have over that? >> it's hard to say how legitimate it is. it happens. he did take care of it. he is not defending this people or moving them into a different job. he got rid of them. he is cite sized for using the work i a lot. today he used it in the right way, i am responsible, i'm the one going to solve this and take care of things, and i think that donors will look that. independent voters will like

coming up, the drip drip drip. stories that look bad for chris christie. did the governor use hurricane sandy money for political gain? did he spend it elsewhere? plus catch this lingo, commandant in chief, imperial presidency. dictates from a king are some of the incoherent bab lings about president obama's speech from the loony right. let's enjoy the folks in the clown car. that was a mild mannered speech by the president last night. i thought debonair, smoothing over differences, trying to get a few new allies and yet the enemy is riled up. wait till you hear what they had to say. you've surely seen this scene from last night in d.c. in washington. let's watch. >> why? it's a valid question. >> no. you are not man. >> that was a bit off camera. we'll get to what happened there. that's michael grimm, a republican from new york city offering to give a local reporter a very quick trip to the ground floor of the u.s. capitol. got a little tricky there. the latest developments in that contratom. and let me finish tonight with the president's -- he's calling

. >> so what is going to be a problem is the drip, drip, drip, as richard wolffe was talking about ift the only person who steps forward, you know, it gives greater credibility to everybody else who has ever said they have been bullied in this way. >> well, talking about the drip, drip, drip, we'll be watching and see what happens later this week when she is subpoenaed and others come forward. michelle cottle, thank you for your time this evening. >> thanks, reverend. >>> coming up, chris christie vowed cooperation in this investigation. the question is how will he cooperate. new jersey assemblywoman linda stender is coming up. brace yourselves people. because this hotel has some amazing.... footwear. and how about the 5 pound barbell at this resort? in to soap? this lodge has some! ...and this hostel has ice cubes! and this hotel has eggs! if you're into it.... we know a place that booking has it. liquid! recreational sand! electric wind! aggressive relaxation! that guy! round things.... tanning apparatus... whatever is going on in here! colorful beverage accessories... ...maximum "p

. >> there is going to be a drip, drip, drip. drip by the establishment. telling you in both parties. the clintons, the obamas, maybe even some old bush supporter who's aren't all that comfortable with this gruff guy coming in and. >> you want to be president? you are going to get dripped on, no doubt about it? >> take the establishment on to win the nomination if that's what he wants and he has the chance to do that now. he has to show everyone he can go around the media and establishment right to the people. >> all right, laura, thank you very much. outrage over who has been appointed to run the irs investigation concerning the tea party. wait until you hear this. later, marcus latrel the navy seal who wrote the book the lone survivor will be here and the latest situation in afghanistan. the [ male announcer ] this is the story of the little room over the pizza place on chestnut street the modest first floor bedroom in tallinn, estonia and the southbound bus barreli down i-95. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of t

it is going to be subpoena after subpoena and drip, drip, drip on the new cycle. doesn't that from your point of view make christie pretty much permanently toxic and not really a viable candidate for the presidency? >> you sound like bush's chief of staff telling me that was going to happen to bill clinton and white water and he was going to be toxic. i think he did well in '92 and '96. >> does the process worry you? >> no. either chris christie broke the law or he didn't. if he didn't i think it is a small bump in the road. we have voters, people get to vote and don't have to listen to the liberal media and people like us. they get to judge chris christie on stage with other impressive young republican candidates. i feel good about the republican field. >> bill mentioned the clinton's. if they proved anything it is that you can survive scandal after scandal after scandal. is that only if you are a democrat or if you have a compelling personality? >> much of your ability to survive a scandal is about who is speaking for you and who is not speaking for you. in chri

okay, that is fine, he will deal with the drip, drip, everybody is going to look at the -- forget the endorsements, the retributions for somebody that didn't endorse. what about people that did endorse. did they get special favors? it is not just the democrats having fun with this, oh, look, the republican party, the biggest threat that the republican party has to upending the democrats' dominance in the white house would be chris christie, it's other republicans who don't want to have to face chris christie in the primaries. they're feeding this. so he is going to feel it from both sides. so the shine was off. he was exposed today as just another politician. and that, in the long run, could be the worst thing that happens to him with this scandal. >> chuck todd part of our team covering this out of nowhere story that blossomed today. again, thanks. >>> on the day after the 50th anniversary of lbj's declared war on poverty, president obama announced a new initiative in that battle today. the president named five so-called promise zones around this country, areas that will receive tax

drip drip and it slowly was revealed that there was no research being done on the bridge as was originally claimed there was no reason why these bridge lanes were closed it was then speculated that maybe it was political retribution coming from governor christie's office against the town of mayor here and ultimately there.

will it be sort of a drip-drip situation? and my sense is that this story has legs. that this will be the first chapter of many. and i think we can all agree that if there is any sort of linkage with chris christie to this story, then he's pretty much done. i don't see how you can walk your way out of that one. but regardless of that, i do see this as being somewhat problematic for him longer term. one of them, because it not only reinforces the idea that he is a bully, but many people including myself that admire the governor for being sort of above the fray. he's this guy that's willing to reach across the aisle and work with democrats when he feels it necessary. and this is an example of something that is so petty and opposite of the type of guy he's trying to be. i think this also speaks to -- and josh just spoke to this, a culture and an environment that i think he has created. i think that is causing people to ask a lot of questions. >> i think it goes to what you just raised, abby. does he reach across the aisle to work with democrats, which people would say i

drip drip over the last weeks and months. >> it is. the "new york times" editorial page, others have come forward and said perhaps the united states government should consider some form of clemency. the deputy at the national security agency said the same thing. the white house firmly says that edward snowden is a fugitive. but this is an issue that cuts across partisan lines, john, there's no question about it. john mccain on this very program last night, speaking with you, appeared on capitol hill today with an idea. >> call for a select committee, which can look at the whole issue and spectrum of nsa issues, ranging from cyber security, to surveillance, to all of the other aspects of this issue, which has been raised and accentuated by mr. snowden. >> i think the issue has been study sod much by the president's commission and by members of congress that might not fly either. obviously the controversy, john, is going to continue beyond tomorrow. >> as much as the white house wants it to go away, clearly it is not at least for now. mi

. >> you are very family with the drip, drip, drip of scandal. with the other investigation now into those stronger than the storm ads, how bad is this getting for new jersey's governor? >> he drew such a firm line in the sand when he had that two-hour press availability. he could not have been anymore emphatic when he said i had no knowledge of these events. whatever the word choice was he used. if there's any evidence that come forward, one e-mail, one contradiction from an aide, he's put himself in a position where that would be the end. i said to you last week and i'll underscore again today, "the wall street journal" has reported that a month ago governor christie called governor cuomo and said your representatives on that bridge commission, on that port authority, are pushing too hard for an investigation. that begins to sound a little bit like what george will is making reference to. so that's the question i most want to know. what was the sum and substance of that phone call and what was governor christie asking and why. >> before i let y

by drip, and that's why the president is trying to be proactive by saying some changes need to change. >> by the way any of those rules announced by the president today aren't also going to effect the data collected by private firms. jacob ward saying some tech firms watch the behavior and communication of americans more than the nsa ever did. >> reporter: google, apple, facebook, and the thousands of silicon valley startups that seek to join their ranks are in the business to track everything about your. your movements, your connections with other people. your behavior in every room of the house. edward snowden's leaks continue to reveal the scope of the surveillance state, but what is truly enormous is the open market for data. data that users give up every day by checking in on four square. >> google just bought a company that makes an internet connected device that can tell when you are home. it uses the information to turn the heat on and off, and the company says it will only use the information to improve its services. this woman says tech companies are what make the nsa survei

christie's challenge is to try not to have this as a drip, drip, drip rolling scandal that goes on thekeep the brand going should he run in 2016. his brand being someone that can bring people together and get things done. >> christie has to make sure this doesn't become bridgegazi. some part of that is going to be determined by how his own party reacts. mums the word on that one. he's supposed to be in florida this weekend with rick scott. what's the sense you get about conservatives and republicans reaction to all this? each day brings a new level of intrigue. >> let us not forget that chris christie is an enormously popular figure in the northeast and in the rest of red america, not so much. i've seen scandals come up along the pike. i think what this will be if christie finds himself in 2016, it will be a rand paul commercial. the problem for republicans is less than the problem democrats face. the press conferences get ahead of the investigations. i think democrats and republicans would be well served by shutting up and letting the investigative process play itself out. my sense is

this is going to be a drip, drip for the next two, three years. it's going to be hanging over him. >> well, i could tell you if hillary can stand whitewater, travelgate, benghazi, then chris christie can get through a traffic jam on the george washington bridge. >> you think it will stop at a traffic jam? >> yeah. i don't know what's there, but what i've seen in the last few days since all this broke and he had his two-hour press conference is his political enemies are going for the throat. now, i don't know -- i've never met chris christie, but my impression of him is he's one tough ombre. >> that's you wearing your new jersey hat? >> yeah, what the democrats don't understand is this could potentially make him even stronger, a stronger figure on the national stage as well as new jersey. >> let's say he gets through the investigation. >> they better run. >> do you think he gets through the republican party. he's been on both sides of the abortion issue. he's got very similar problems. >> but if you guys aren't careful about the next few weeks and

right now, we have got one little drip in the bucket. that's it. and, of course, with windy conditions expected the next two days, we have red flag warnings, high fire danger from santa barbara to los angeles, down to san diego. can you believe that? red flag warnings. >> in january. >> the middle of january, the rainy it is hard to keep the beat in the drum and say the same things over and over again. but warm and dry and -- >> the northwest, though, getting a good winter so far. >> warmer. >> warmer. >> they're getting their rain. >> getting some spritzle there. >>> the latest on the controversy dogging new jersey governor chris christie who had some lawmakers talking about the word impeachment. >>> and who needs a corkscrew to op open? and such. works for me. turn to the camera. ah, actually i think my eyes might ha... next! digital insurance id cards. just a tap away on the geico app. could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know that when a tree falls in the forest and no one's around, it doe

if you have old i'ms, leave the water dripping a little -- pipes, leave the water dripping a little bit>> that would be me. >> anything that's not well insulated because we definitely could have freezing especially because temperatures are so warm now and cooling down so rapidly. >> we've been warned. thanks a lot. >>> when we come back, are the burgundy and [ technical difficulties ] >> plus a wildcard weekend has come to an end. we got some great games this weekend, the coldest of which which tonight in green bay, but a sleeveless colin kaepernick led the 49ers to victory. >> it was amazing. our team fought. we played hard. >> we'll talk more about those games coming up in game on overtime. >>> the washington wizards went toe to toe with the golden state warriors the first half of tonight's game but appears they forgot to come back out of the locker room for the second half, a recap of that game as well, plus the lady terps began their final run of the acc and made a statement tonight against north carolina. we've got highlights with a look at the rest of the day in sports. we're goin

. >> the other problem is a drip, drip, drip of sorts. the port authority executive david wildstein at the center of the scandal pled the fifth and was charged with contempt. today, six residents have filed a class action lawsuit. the u.s. attorney announced that they are reviewing the scandal to see if there is violation of federal law. it's a sound of silence as conservatives upset by christie's embrace of pop and other enemies that christie made along the way to try to score points for himself. as media strategists said, you will see conservatives returning the favor. no love lot of between chris christie and conservatives. i don't expect them to be in love with him. if you want to win a primary, you better find a way to get them. they have not been coy about criticizing him overall. >> no one. who e-mails who. i know how angry i am in traffic. i wonder who did this to me. >> did you learn something about his leadership style you didn't know? >> republicans are thinking about their own futures have not jumped on the christie bandwagon.

. >> drip, drip, drip for his entire staff. now it has tainted his brand and also his administration. right now it looks like things are falling apart, because every day is a new story, new revelation. >> i will point out that the mayor of hoboken did tie it to him directly. now whether it's true or not is just a whole other conversation, whole other investigation, but she said lieutenant governor said to me, i was with the governor last night and this is a message from him. get behind this project or your sandy funds are in jeopardy. still not clear to me if sandy funds were really jeopardized. she believes they were. you know what it's like after one of these disasters. nobody gets enough money. >> she felt like she was short changed. look, one thing we do know, democratic party was fractured. many felt pressured to support chris christie. chris christie people were looking for crossover appeal, looking for things that they could talk about for 2016. >> just the headlines themselves, it almost -- in some ways you could say, n

international the drip drip of secret information fed into the media by edward snowden seems to a force the hand of u.s. president barack obama this week he said he wants to rein in the activities of the far reaching n.s.a. obama announced there will be no more spying on foreign leaders friendly to the u.s. and limits will be placed on how troves of collected data are used or thought he will also need a court order if they want to run a check on a phone number using the n.s.a.'s extensive data critics however say the measures to be introduced will change very little everything's been punted into the long grass he said i'm going to set up a committee to do this i've asked this department to look at this everything's in the future we just don't know what he's really promised and so i was very disappointed there was probably nothing concrete in there for example as far as the metadata collection is concerned he announced grandly well we're going to stop doing this but i have not actually decided how we're going to stop doing that so obviously the details matter there similarly in terms of

good to have you with us here on aussie international today the drip drip of secret information fed into the media by whistleblower edward snowden seems to a force the hand of u.s. president barack obama just this week he said he wants to rein in the activities of the far reaching n.s.a. a bomber that was being no more spying on foreign leaders friendly to the u.s. and limits will be placed on how troves of collected data are used both already as we also need a court order if they want to run a check on a phone number using the n.s.a. as extensive data critics however say the measures to be introduced will end up changing very little i wouldn't call it a reform i would call it the ongoing normalization of the outrageous policy of violating the fourth amendment on an enormous scale we're learning more as every week goes by about what they're collecting in terms of text messages and e-mails and. data and it's it's voluminous and the president is is not can it mean that anything is been done wrong is not proposing to stop doing it is not suggesting we restore the fourth amendment to the con

fiber for the meantime here on the program the drip drip of secret information fed into the media by whistleblower edward snowden certainly seems to have forced the hand of u.s. president barack obama just this week he said he wants to rein in the activities of the far reaching n.s.a. a bomber announced there would be no more spying on foreign leaders friendly to the u.s. and limits will be placed on how troves of collected data are used authorities will also need a court order they want to run a check on a phone number using the n.s.a. as extensive data critics however say little is said to change despite the big announcement. i wouldn't call it a reform i would call it the ongoing normalisation of the outrageous policy of violating the fourth amendment on an enormous scale we're learning more as every week goes by about what they're collecting in terms of text messages and e-mails and emitted data and it's it's voluminous and the president is is not can it meaning that anything has been done wrong is not proposing to stop doing it is not suggesting we restore the fourth amendment t

international the drip drip of secret information fed into the media by whistleblower edward snowden seems to force the hand of the u.s. president barack obama this week he said he wants to rein in the activities of the far reaching n.s.a. obama announced there would be no more spying on foreign leaders friendly to america and limits will be placed on hold tros of collected data or used or already is will also need a court order if they want to run a check on a phone number using the n.s.a. as extensive data critics however say the measures to be introduced will end up changing very little well i think the speech was a few baby steps in the right direction but it was a lot of i dissembled lean and certainly it was a reassurance to the n.s.a. and its employees that they have been doing the right thing he talked really focus was on the two fifteen telephone metadata program that is just one of dozens of massive our collections nothing in obama's speech put any rain rain the end this collected all approach and yesterday that there was a big revelation of our called this fire program tha

international now the drip drip of secret information fed into the media by whistleblower edward snowden seems to force the hand of u.s. president barack obama this week he said he wants to rein in the activities of the far reaching n.s.a. obama announced that there would be no more spying on foreign leaders friendly to the u.s. and limits would be placed on how troves of collected data are used for storage is would also need a court order if they want to run a check on a phone number using the n.s.a. as extensive data critics however say the announcement is heavy on ideals but rather light on detail everything's been punted into the long grass he said i'm going to set up a committee to do this i've asked this department to look at this everything's in the future we just don't know what is really promised and so i was very disappointed there was probably nothing concrete in there for example as far as the metadata collection is concerned he announced grandly well we're going to stop doing this that i haven't actually decided how we're going to stop doing this so obviously the details mat

drip, drip, drip for months, that's a major problem for christie. >> and the issue of a cover-up if one is involved. we know nothing of that. there have been no hints of that but it moves up the foot chain in that others were calling the shots to those tying up the -- that changes things. doesn't it? >> yeah, it does. based upon his long press conference, which generally went very well last week, and his address today, he seems like -- it doesn't seem like he knew. or he's a very good actor, but if it's closer to his core, and obviously, deputy chief of staff he dismissed. that's a close adviser. that's a problem. i do think that christie's going to have to continue to weather this storm, bumt this is what leadership is about. if he had nothing to do with this, it's your leadership during the difficult times that defines you as a politician. so far his damage control has been pretty good. >> all right. we'll watch closely, bob. thank you, as always, my friend. >>> for now, as i said, chris christie's poll numbers appear to be holding up. his approval rating in new jersey, taking a sligh

, drip, drip of information that's clearly going to keep going? >> that's exactly it. it's a great, powerful performance that could be career saving, even career enhancing performance if it's true. the wheels are in motion on multiple tracks right now, where you've got the state assembly, there was an issue up until earlier this week about whether the subpoena authority of the state assembly would be extended past next tuesday. not an issue anymore. that's going to happen. you have the u.s. attorney from new jersey talking about potentially opening up an investigation, looking into this, as well, so you have those three fronts. you also have every reporter, you know, reporter in new jersey, maybe in the country, now looking into this, so it's a question of does anything else come out, and i've got to say, the one thing i was struck listening to christie yesterday sitting there sitting saying this aide lied, putting it on bridget kelly. how many times did he call her a liar? >> but he didn't talk to her. he didn't talk to her. >> that was the stran

, drip, drip.in rule of crisis management is don't come out and read a lawyered statement. it was interesting that he came out and used honest thumping words, sad, embarrassed, humiliated, heartbroken, stupidity, and then third item on the agenda, you act, and he acted by firing someone quite important to him. the remaining question, and assuming that we've heard all the truth here, the remaining question will be is there something in the atmosphere of the governor's office that encouraged rogue behavior on the part of these people? that was the problem in the nixon white house where the -- where they in so many words used mat sheenry of government to punish enemies. >> the culture. >> yes. >> we've spent a lot of time talking in this panel about the culture in the obama administration in a number of different cases that may have led to a number of different things that we've been covering. >> richard nixon's sense of embattled paranoia clearly contributed to watergate, contributed. we don't quite

, drip, drip is almost more painful than that two-hour press conference and looking forward he has 2014 to really prove himself at the rga. he's got to keep his focus on there, keep the state running and nothing else can come out about this. getting caught up along the line and i don't think he will. he's a former prosecutor. i don't think this is going to -- he is going to get caught up in anything else at this point. >> we mentioned the state of the state coming up this week. do you think he'll address it there? >> he will have to. he has an aggressive agenda with tax cutting proposals but he will be remiss if he doesn't address it at the top and move on and then keep it on the focus of the state going forward. >> perry, you wrote and i want to read it out loud. at first glance this controversy has broader implications for the gop. a few potential republican presidential candidates had proven they could win swing voters, women or minorities even in a state race the way that christie has. perhaps the party's strongest candidate now has attached himself to a controversy that will be eas

if you have investigations and also at the senate, this is going to be a drip, drip, drip and make it harder for him to do the two things he needs to do. one, to be the governor of new jersey and carry on with that business, but two, to be getting out in the country and meeting with donors as chris said but traveling around to states and talking to voters as head of the rga. >> and while we've got you there on pt white house lawn, julie, what are you hearing about the president's big speech at 11:00 tomorrow morning, responding to all of the controversy post edward snowden and how he is going to either reign in the nsa, change surveillance or bring in privacy advocates or additional layers or not? >> well, what it actually sounds like the president will be more focused on is building pub hick trust and confidence in the surveillance programs and less of actually reigning in or curbing these programs. so you're going to hear him talk about things like putting a public advocate on the fisa court which would give the judges another opinion to hear before making their decision. increasing

, drip, drip that brings down an administration? >> again, i want the process to continue as far as the investigations are concerned. but, i know the lieutenant governor quite well. and i find her to be a person of tremendous integrity. and i just -- i would let the process go forward and let the investigation -- >> pay process that you now are also questioning. >> i have questioned the process we have but we have a lot of investigations taking place. >> five investigations right now. >> right, two in the nj legislature alone. some are wondering why they need two separate -- >> we questioned that on the floor. for whatever reason the politics of trenton is dictating that we're going to have two separate investigations. >> that's a good spot to leave it, representing wayne, new jersey, thanks for coming by. >>> let's turn to democratic strategy and msnbc contributor susan del percio. we need to make clear that nobody confirmed mayor zimmer's allegations, but does the u.s. attorney general's involvement, does it diminish the idea that

let's look at this drip, drip, drip issue for him. there's investigations now everywhere. it's become a little bit like drinking from a fire hose. there are so many investigations and inquiries that are formally being launched it's it tough to keep them straight. we'll do our best for you. launching two probes with subpoena power and beginning thursday, lawmakers plan to subpoena christie's former top advisers, chief of staff. >> our concern is that there was an attempt at abuse of power. >> leading the state senate. they, too, will have subpoena power. then there's the u.s. attorney for new jersey. they are reviewing whether any federal laws might have been broken. it's an inquiry now. democrats also want the prosecutor to investigate any lane closures. then there's the federal audit. democrats urged the hud inspector general to look into christie's use of hurricane sandy recovery money to pay for tourism marketing that starred both christie and his family. >> i don't think there's any question that, you know, this was an effort to promote him. but the problem is, it was

it's a gambling i.v., and there's a drip, drip, drip. >> doctors robert breen and henry lesieur are gamblingode island hospital. they've treated 1,300 slot addicts who, when they try to stop, look like heroin addicts in withdrawal. >> and they're coming in, and, quite literally, they have shakes. >> really? >> the cravings are-- they're physically having these responses. and you tell yourself, "they got to be on something." and it turns out that they're withdrawing from the gambling. >> slots in particular. and yet state after state is turning to slots as an easy way to raise revenue and increase jobs. and no state has been more aggressive in luring gaming in the last few years than pennsylvania, where the opening of the sugarhouse in september 2010 made philadelphia the largest u.s. city to house a casino. former governor ed rendell has championed the casinos. >> look, gambling is not anything we should say, "oh, thank the lord. we have gambling." but it is a decent way to raise revenue where the upsides that's produced is significantly better than any downside that comes from it. >> you sa

what is most damning is the drip, drip, drip of information. if chris christie doesn't around platout every single question and make sure that people feel very confident in his answers, because everybody will triple check and do the background research, you will see more people stepping back and waiting to see whether or not they want to get on board this ship. that's the challenge, will he become a liability at a time when he's supposed to be out there helping the party and raising money. >> let me get this one text image up. it's full screen number two, guys, in the text after the fact that the bridge closure had happened. it was on september 10th. from an unknown person, his name was not included, is it wrong that i'm smiling? david wildstein said no. steve kornacki, i know one of your first jobs was working for wildstein. what's your thought about what type of player he is politically? he was the arm of chris christie's administration and port authority. >> he was part of it. bill beroni was the guy that christie appointed, and bill beroni

. >> the obvious problem for him, kendall is what we've been calling this, drip, drip, drip of new storiesand the announcement this morning for example that the assembly and senate will form this super committee. this is going to have to be very brief because they are going to introduce the governor. you know how these kinds of investigations work, could this go on for months, if not even beyond? >> you've got state jurisdiction for criminal investigations now apparently based on the mayor of hoboken, federal criminal investigations. the stuff doesn't get resolved quickly -- >> i'm sorry, i'm going to have to interrupt you because we are going to do the swearing in right now and then we will have his inaugural address. let's listen. >> i chris christie. >> i chris christie. >> elected governor of the state of new jersey. >> elected governor of the state of new jersey. >> do solemnly promise and swear. >> that i will support the constitution of the united states. >> that i will support the constitution of the united states. >> and the constitution of the state of new jersey. >> and the cons

. >> this sort of drip, drip, drip of information. >> and not one single link to chris christie has been found. >> but it gets to a culture in his office that is problematic. >> former deputy chief of staff bridget kelly. >> deputy chief of staff bridget kelly gave the order. >> let's call it an ill-advised decision. >> pof these lanes closed. >> we also don't really know why it happened. >> why did she order these lanes closed? >> the biggest unanswered question is how much christie knew. >> the assembly has the ability to do articles of wim paecht. >> john wisniewski's mentioned the i word there. >> we're way ahead of that. >> not one single link to chris christie has been found. >> but it gets to a culture in his office. >> if there is a culture -- >> that is problematic. >> in terms of what the republican leaders are doing. >> we have these two competing narratives. >> strategies ranging from silence -- >> we should reserve judgment. >> -- to overt criticism. zplt people you hire are the policies that are implemented. >> ouch. >> personnel is policy. >> people are now doubting his re

drip, drip story for chris christie. national immediate y5 has decided this is a significant way to understand his administration. >> well, it's not just literally about the bridge story. i mean, one of the stories that's getting a lot of attention right now is the decision to fire a prosecutor out in hunterton county out in western new jersey. this is a story that supposedly to quash an investigation that was making republicans uncomfortable in that part of the state. this was reported on page a-1 back in the fall and nobody noticed it at autopl. it's now being -- in this new atmosphere where i think people after watching that performance that chris christie gave at his press conference a couple of weeks ago, it was a first time on a mas scale that people looked at chris christie and said, you know, i don't think this guy is leveling with us. he's increased people's appetite and made people more receptive to stories about chris christie that plooefously they thought they knew him. they thought they knew what kind of lea

if there's a drip drip drip, that's going to be a problem. >> it's going to be a while before we know that for sure, eam eamon. >> in the meantime, let's get back to headquarter, scott wapner and "the halftime." >> dow is down 46 points. a number of big calls on the street today. trading all of it. we'll talk to some of the analysts as well. nike unveiling the new super bull uniforms in this hour. we'll talk to eagle star he sean mccoy. all that coming up. [ bagpipes play ] make it happen with fidelity active trader pro. it's one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. call or click to open your fidelity account today. i'm here to get the lady of the house back on her feet. [ all gasp ] oj, veggies -- you're cool. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! 'cause i'm re-workin' the menu, keeping her healthy and you on your toes. [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. i see you, cupcake! uh-oh! [ bottle ] the number one doctor recommended brand. ensure®. nutr

. >> that's part of the deal with him, this sort of drip, drip, drip of information. there are so many different investigations going on on so many fronts, in addition to which, there are people who are looking like they could have some real serious legal problems and maybe they will turn evidence, right? >> they certainly have an incentive to do so. of course, the biggest unanswered question is how much christie knew, is he telling the truth that he didn't authorize this? we also don't know why it happened. there are conflicting questions about who was the target. each of the theories doesn't offer a complete picture of why this happened. >> in fact, in some cases don't add up at all. >> i don't think the only big question is whether christie knew. remember, nixon probably didn't know about the break-in at watergate in advance, the coverup is always worse than the crime, and i think some of the big questions chris christie has to answer is, why wasn't he more curious between september and january about what was going on inside his own government? and why does it seem

, drip, drip, something is probably likely going to be found, whether it's the bridge or something else. so that's why he is backing off. you're right. he doesn't want to be on that limb. >> you are reading the papers every morning and "the new york times" is killing this story. the hoboken -- i'm sorry, "the bergen record" is killing it. all the papers up there are going to town. they're putting more coverage into this than they're putting into the times in afghanistan or the middle or anything else. they're going to get something. and they must believe there is something to get. >> david is right about the u.s. attorney history. but also rudy has a big history with media in new york. you think washington is a ferocious city in terms of media? it's nothing, it's nothing compared to new york. and rudy has experience in this. he once stood up for the integrity of bernard kerik. >> how did that go? >> it went south. he went away. and i think what rudy stands for to me politically is what there is of the establishment of the republican party that is based in new york, the big money people

the drip, drip, drip continues as you say now some democratic politicians in new jersey now questioningthey have been subjected to a pattern of retribution by the governor as well, and also now we have an audit that's being done by officials here in washington at hud as to just how the state of new jersey under christie's leadership spent money on a television ad after hurricane sandy designed to spur tourism. go back to the jersey shore. but the television ad featured chris christie prominently, also members of his family. now there are some questions about whether the state appropriately spent money on that. all of this very tough politically for chris christie, but when you look at the poll numbers at least so far, he seems to be holding up. take a look at this latest poll number from pew. a view of chris christie has become less favorable, 16% say less favorable. 6% say more favorable. 60%, that's the key there, say unchanged and only 18% here say that they don't know whether their opinion of christie has changed or not. if he can hold on to that 60% unchanged figure, that will do h

. >> nevertheless, i think it does show that there is already a drip, drip, drip of allegations and there could be more, even opportunistic allegations that the administration will have to deal with. erin mcpike, thanks so much for being with us in trenton this morning. >>> all right, as the olympic torch draws closer to sochi, anticipation for winter games is building along with concern the city could be a prime target for terrorists. russian authorities are searching for a so-called black widow terrorist who could be intent on doing harm during the olympics. meantime, the u.s. military is making contingency plans for evacuating americans from sochi, if necessary. cnn's phil black is following the developments for us live in volgograd, russia. and we just showed the picture of the so-called black widow. authorities in russia searching franticly for her. tell us more on that. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, christine. they've distributed that photo and some information about this woman to hotels across the region, saying that they are very intent on finding her. her name is ruzanna ibrag