ash carter. >> that's right, in fact, wolf, as you know, though the white house and secretary hagel had agreed to say that it was a mutual decision, secretary hagel insisted the announcement come out when he wanted it to come out not when the white house did, which was going to be later after they settled on a pick. it's also true many of hagel's defenders were upset at the anonymous quotes from senior administration officials insulting secretary hagel saying he was not up to the job and besmirching his reputation. that's something a lot of hagel stalwarts were not happy about. so it's perhaps not surprising that the secretary has chosen not to attend this event in which his replacement will be announced to the public assuming, of course, he is confirmed the the senate, wolf. >> and, barbara starr, it is a little awkward also. ch chuck hagel will remain the defense secretary until ash carter is confirmed by the senate. that could take a few months, right? >> well, several weeks to say the least a

i cannot immediately move 100 million tons of ash.response that makes any sense, doesn't make common sense. as much as i'd love to tell you there's a simple solution, it's one that requires study, and it's one that requires time to complete. >> stahl: but environmentalists say "studying" is code for "stalling," because this problem isn't new. duke has been conducting tests around their ash ponds for decades. and five years ago, when state regulators demanded to see the data, they found something alarming-- the coal ash ponds in all of duke's 14 plants were either leaking toxic chemicals into rivers and streams, or contaminating the groundwater. >> good: some of the readings that we have found are for elements like iron and manganese, which are naturally occurring. >> stahl: but nine of your plants have been found to have groundwater violations for contaminants including lead, sulfate, boron, chromium, thallium, selenium, and arsenic. >> good: so we have had exceedances. and when i said iron and manganese, lesley, i was talking about t

ash carter.a record of service that has spanned more than 30 years as a public servant, advisor, scholar, ash is rightly regarded as one of our nation's foremost national security leaders. as a top member of our pentagon team, including his two years as deputy secretary, he was at the table in the situation room. he was by my side navigating complex security challenges that we were confronting. i relied on his expertise and judgment. i think it's fair to say that ash in your one-year attempt at retirement from public service, you failed miserably. [ laughter ] >> but i am deeply grateful that you are willing to go ak at it. ash brings a unique blend of strategic perspective and technical no how. as a student of history, he understands the united states is the single most provider of security in the world. and he played a key role in devising our strategy to advance that security. he is also a physicist, which means he is one of the few people who actually understands how many of our defense syste

ash carter. with a record of service that has spanned more than 30 years, public service, as an advisor, as a scholar, he is rightly regarded as one of our nation's for most national security leaders. as a top member of our pentagon team for the first five years of my presidency, including his two years as deputy secretary, he was at the table in the situation room, by my side navigating complex security challenges, i relied on his expertise and his judgment. i think it is fair to say that in your one year attempt at retirement from public service, you failed miserably. [laughter] i am deeply grateful that you are willing to go back at it. ash brings a unique blend of strategic perspective and technical know-how. as a student of history, he understands the united states. it is the single most provider of security in the world and he plays a key role in devising our defense strategy to advance that security. he is also a physicist. which means he is one of the few people that actually understands

ash carter.h a record of service that has spanned more than 30 years of public service, as an advisor, as a scholar, ash is rightly regarded as one of our nation's foremost national security leaders. as a top member of our pentagon team for the first five years of my presidency including his two years as deputy secretary he was at the table in the situation room, he was by my side navigating complex security challenges we were confronting. i relied on his expertise and i relied on his judgment. i think it is fair to say that ash, in your one year attempt at retirement from public service you failed miserably. [laughter] but i am deeply grateful that you're willing to go back at it. ash, some of you know bring as unique blend of strategic perspective and technical know how. as a student of history he understands the united states, and i'm quoting him now, as the single-most provider of security in the world and he played a key role devising our defense strategy to advance that security. he is also

ash carter. now, with a record of service that has spanned more than 30 years, with public service, and advisor, as a scholar, ash is known as one of our foremost execute leaders, as a top member of the pentagon team, including two gears as deputy secretary, he was at the table in the situation room. he was by my side navigating complex security challenges we were con fronting. i relied on husband expertise and his judgment. i think it's fair to say that ash in woourn-year attempt at retirement from public service, you have failed miserably. but1-year attempt at retirement from public service, you have failed miserably. but i am grateful you are willing to go back at it. ash brings a unique blend of strategic perspective and technical know-how. he understands the united states, and i am quoting him now, is the simply most provider of security in the world. he plays a key road in devising our defense strategy to advance that secure. it's a physicist which means he is one of the few people who unde

you are afraid there's goal ash in it. there are jugs of water you have to drive to get tox. >> yes. >> how about bathing your kids. >> we don't bathe the kids in the water. the paediatrician says it's not in the best interests of the children to do that. >> joanne and ron thomas live down the road. >> reporter: you and your husbands created a map that shows 22 people in the area with deadly diseases here are the coal ash. across the street cancer. >> right. >> reporter: there, cancer. . >> three brain tumor. >> reporter: braintumor. >> yes. and then across over the street had another brain timour. >> we have heard questions and concerns from residents near the plant that are hearing so much hype about the goal cash and we take seriously the concerns we are not finding evidence that coal ash is impacting groundwater. facilities that are not being addressed. the country is proactive. >> i don't call it hype it's serious. a lot of people had cancer and died. >> reporter: duke energy with the state department of vicial and na

ash carter. the biggest difference ash carter's a hand's on guy. he's worked in the pentagon. two different stints. he knows every part of that building in a way that most secretary -- maybe not since gates and before that rumsfeld. if you had somebody with the type of experience managing that building as ash carter has. that's a big deal. it could mean he's a very -- a very hands-on secretary of defense. >> and it contrasts from hagel in that big -- now, republicans versus republicans, which one is a bigger deal? >> i think it's the republicans versus the republicans. in many respects. if you notice that fight is why they really haven't been able to respond to the president beyond sort of symbolic -- that symbolic house vote yesterday. the fact of the matter is the spending bills are going to be approved. all of them are going to be approved outside of the department of homeland security. so let's see what happens. let's set up a different fight that will be more between republicans and march pe

this, ash carter is very well respected inside this white house. i talked to an administration official last week about this, as a matter of fact, and that person said ash carter has to be on any short list. he was on the short list the last time around as barbara notes when chuck hagel was picked. ash carter then left the pent gone, he signed a deal recently withstand ford to do some lecturing out there, so essentially he'll have to nix that deal and make himself comfortable over at the pentagon. he's known inside this white house as somebody who won't need a tour of the pentagon. he's well-regarded and knows that place very well >> now for the confirmation process, which should be fun. barbara starr, jim acosta thanks so much. i'll be right back. sea captain: there's a narratorstorm cominhe storm narrator: that whipped through the turbine which poured... surplus energy into the plant which generously lowered its price and tipped off the house which used all that energy to stay warm through the storm. chipmunk: there's a bad storm comin! narrator:

ash will be critical to these efforts.ob,we talked about the smart choices precisely because many are out there and we are going to have to squeeze every thing we have out of the resources we have in order to be as effective as possible, and i can't think of somebody who's more qualified to do that. his career, ash has been confirmed by the senate three times, and if it were entirely up to my dear friend carl levin, who is sitting here, i suspect it will happen really quickly. because that is the kind of guy carl is, and carl has added chance to work with ash in the past. we will get similar speed and dispatch. by the way, we will miss carl levin. i just wanted to mention that. [applause] one last piece of critical information that may tip the scales in me wanting to promote is a big motown fan. [laughter] one of his favorites is a classic by the four tops, "reach out i'll be there." toash, i am reaching out you. you have been there for our troops and our families and the nation. i also know he has been there ,or his lovel

sought out a ruling on coal ash, the by-product. power plan executives say the new rules hit too hard leaving too many questions about the guidelines ahead. environmental activists say they do not go far enough. at the north carolina river where a spill raised the nation's concerns, we found a community with forwards for its future. >> reporter: this gushing water is tox irk. what you see triggered outrage, lawsuits and questions of corruption. 39,000 tonnes of coal ash. >> arsenic, chromium, led in a lot of cases. >> deadly chemicals seeping into north carolina's water supply, remnants of decades of coal-powered forge for homes, cascading from a pipe in the danube river. >> this cannot fail. we take this seriously. we feel we failed with dan river. it was a break that should not have happened. >> duke energy, the largest utility company in the u.s. is under-federal investigation as a criminal grand jury is conducting a look into the activities and the regulatory agencies. the senior a journey at the law center say that's the dan ri

ash carter. now, with a record of service that has spanned more than 30 years -- as a public servant, as an advisor, as a scholar -- ash is rightly regarded as one of our nation's foremost national security leaders. as a top member of our pentagon team for the first five years of my presidency, including his two years as deputy secretary, he was at the table in the situation room; he was by my side navigating complex security challenges that we were confronting. i relied on his expertise, and i relied on his judgment. i think it's fair to say that, ash, in your one-year attempt at retirement from public service, you've failed miserably. (laughter) but i am deeply grateful that you're willing to go back at it. ash, as some of you know, brings a unique blend of strategic perspective and technical know-how. as a student of history, he understands the united states -- and i'm quoting him now -- is "the single most provider of security in the world," and he played a key role in devising our defense st

they cite cases across the country where coal ash waste contaminate waters.rea where people live near ash pits and believe that it causes cancer. >> tons of waste from power plants. >> arsenic, chromium, lead in a lot of cases. >> poured out of a cracked drainage pipe into a major river in north carolina last february. >> duke energy cannot fail. we take this responsibility very seriously. we do feel like we failed a bit. >> duke energy is the largest electric company in the u.s. after the spill a federal grand jury began looking into duke's relationship with north kore north carolina regulators. miles away from the dan river spill a shuttered coal plan overlooks the river bay inas toxic ash seems into the grounded water. residents call this area dukeville. >> you're not drinking your water because you are afraid there is coal ash in it. now there are jugs of water that you have to drive to get to? >> yes. >> what about bathing your little kids? >> we don't bathe the children in the water. the pediatrician believes it is not in the best interest of the childr

they failed to identify coal ash as hazard ous waste. one area so tons of coal ash spill in the river after a storage belonging to duke energy rupture there had. >> tons of waste from coal-fired power plants. >> arsenic, chromium, lead in a lot of cases. >> poured out of a cracked drainage pipe into a major river in north carolina last february. >> duke energy cannot fail. we take this responsibility very seriously. we feel that we failed a bit with dan river. >> after the spill a federal grand jury began to look into duke's relationship with north carolina regulators. miles away from the dan river spill a shuttered coal plant overlooks a water basin as toxic ash seems into the area. >> you guys are not drinking your water because you're afraid there is coal ash in it. there are jugs of water that you have to drive to get to? >> yes. >> what about baying your kids? >> the pediatrician feels it's not in the best interest of the children to do that right now. >> joann and ron live down the road. >> you and your husband created this map. it

it's ash seems into the ground water. residents call this area dukeville. >> you guys are not drinking your water because you're evade there is coal ash in it. you have these jugs of water. how about bathing your kids. >> we don't bathe the children in the water. the pediatrician feels like it's not in the best interest of the children to do that right now. you joanne lives right down the road. >> this shows 72 people in your area who have had some deadly disease here in the coal ash ponds. right across the street cancer? >> yes. >> right over there? >> right. cancer. >> three brain tumors. >> brain tumor. >> brain tumor. >> and then across over the street another brain tumor. >> we have heard questions and concerns from residents near the plant who are hearing so much about coal ash, and we take seriously their concerns. we're not finding any evidence that coal ash has impacted ground water near our facilities that has not already been addressed. the company has been very protive. >> i don't call that hype. i call that v

ash carter. with a record of service that has spanned more than 30 years, public service, as an advisor, as a scholar, he is rightly regarded as one of our nation's for most national security leaders. as a top member of our pentagon team for the first five years of my presidency including his two , years as deputy secretary, he was at the table in the room, by my side navigating complex security challenges, i relied on his expertise and his judgment. i think it is fair to say that in your when your attempt at retirement from public service, you failed miserably. [laughter] i am deeply grateful that you are willing to go back at it. ash brings a unique blend of strategic perspective and technical know-how. as a student of history and -- he understands the united states. it is the single most provider of security in the world and he plays a key role in devising our defense strategy to advance that security. he is also a physicist. he is one of the few people that actually understands some any of ou

these ashes are the person i love the most.is is what's left. >> actup continues to perform acts of civil disobedience for the next few years, but in the mid 1990s, the group splits apart due to internal disagreements. in the end, the coalition is considered groundbreaking for the attention it brings to aids. >> we got the drug company and the federal government to develop treatments that were extending lives and stopping the immediate carnage. >> by 1996, a drug cocktail is introduced that brings -- >> those of us who had under 100 "t" cells and were really sick, our health started to rebound. >> eric sawyer is one of the longest terms survivors of hiv. >> i think actup was defiant because it empowered people to speak truth to power. it empowered people how were viewed as pariahs, lepers, because of their hiv virus to stand up and say, i'm not a leper. i have a virus. i deserve to live just as much as you do. >> actup's success at not only defying authority, but creating revolutionary results, was the fact that we didn't simpl

they had pushed for coal ash to be classified as a hazardous material.t would give regulatory authority of the substance to the e.p.a. but in announcing new standards for coal ash storage and disposal today, e.p.a. head gina mccarthy said that power would remain with the states. >> there are numerous cases of this rule sets a commonsense consistent baseline for industries and states to follow and communities can rely on to prevent health risks as well as costly clean ups. >> brown: industry groups said they were pleased the e.p.a. did not classify coal ash as hazardous waste, but they said the new rules were still too tough. we learn more now about the new rules and the reaction to them from dina capiello, national environmental reporter for the a.p. the key question here was whether coal ash qualifies as a hazardous waste. what did the e.p.a. say? >> it's a non-hazardous waste. they related it today like household garbage. so they decided to make it not hazardous and treat it under the same classification as household trash. >> brown: what's the reasoni

also ahead, change of command at the pentagon, president obama taps ash carter to be the next secretary of defense. >> woodruff: it's friday, mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. plus, "rolling stone" magazine apologizes for errors in its reporting on sexual assault at the university of virginia. >> woodruff: those are some of the stories we're covering on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> lincoln financial-- committed to helping you take charge of your life and become you're own chief life officer. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: it's the biggest burst of hiring in the u.s. in nearly three years. the labor department reported numbers today that had economists sitting up and taking notice. a monthly survey found u.s. employers added a net of 321,000 new positio

we are not finding evidence that comb ash has affected ground water. the company has been very proactive. >> i don't call that hype. i call that very serious. there are a lot of people nearby that have had cancer and died, lots of brain tumors. >> duke energy with the department of natural resources sampled the water. residents say they watch duke take samples in areas that would not show high levels of toxicity. >> how are the test results so different between the river keepers and duke on the water way? >> it's really about the collection method. one of the things that we're finding is sometimes these groups are taking very turbid samples that has settlement in them. >> that allows the levels to read at higher levels according to duke. >> we don't filter out the very contaminants we are supposed to test for. duke is doing what makes the samples look better for them. >> duke spends millions of dollars on political contributions. the state's governor worked for the company for 29 years. this year, his budget cut funding for workers who inspect coal ash

ash carter. a record of service that spanned more than 30 years, for public servant, scholar, ash is recogarded as one of our foremost security leaders. with our pentagon team for the first five years of my presidency, he was at the table in "the situation room," is by my side navigating complex security challenges, i relied on his expertise and i relied on his judgment. i think it's fair to say that ash in your one year attempt at retirement from public service you failed miserably. but i am deeply grateful that you are willing to go back at it. ash, some of you know brings a unique blend of perspective and know-how. as a student of history he understands the united states and i'm quoting him t single most provider of security in the world, and he play add key role in devising our defense strategy to advance that security. he's also a physicist, which means that he is one of the few people who actually understand how many of our defense systems work. and that is also allowed him to serve with ex

all that was left was ash. as police search for this arsonist, the community here rose up. if you live in a town named of the mythical phoenix, rising from the ashes is just part of who you are. >> exactly, just like the phoenix. >> reporter: because here in phoenixville, that story of rebirth is so deeply ingrained that each year they have a fire bird ceremony, making a bonfire out of a large wooden statue. >> we get together and we make it work. >> reporter: that spirit, especially evident today after vandals set fire to the original statue a few hours early. the arsonists got the party started at 3:00 in the morning and all that was left was quite fittingly black ash. >> the rebirth. >> reporter: no sweat, the city's mayor says, because neighbors from all over brought pallets of wood and built a new statue within just hours. >> this is what our community is all about. >> reporter: and by sundown with thousands surrounding the new phoenix of phoenixville, organizers lit the match. >> it was a community effort that sprung up out of nowhere. >> reporter: the phoenix was set

but ash carter. ashton carter is looking like he will be the nomination from president obama as secretary of defense. >>> you're with "bbc world news." thanks for watching. do stay with us if you can. coming up in a moment, australia approves temporary protection visas for refugees, allowing thousands to leave detention centers. but going back to school is hard. because you work. now capella university offers a revolutionary new way to get your degree. it's called flexpath, and it's the most direct path, leveraging what you've learned on the job and focusing on what you need to know. so you can get a degree at your pace and graduate at the speed of you. flexpath from capella university. learn about all of our programs at capella.edu. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i'i like to think of myself as more of a control... enthusiast. mmm, a perfect 177-degrees. and that's why this road warrior rents from national. i can bypass the counter and go straight to my car. and i don't have to talk to any humans, unless i want to. and i d

. >> ash cart it get any assurances from the president about his personal access to the president? >> secretary carter, mr. carter -- has not been confirmed yet -- is somebody who will be afforded the privilege that previous defense sects have which is a weekly meeting with the president of the neutz the oval office. that's extentsive access and then the secretaries of defense have needed to communicate with the president outside of that weekly meeting, the president has been very responsive. >> now, people close to secretary hagel told me he, beyond that weekly meeting, because of nature of battling isis, the situation in afghanistan, other crises round the world, we seek other meetings with the president and was sometimes blocked from getting in to see the commander in chief. >> lots of opportunity here for the president has detractors to point out all the problems around the world and they're not getting better. >> right. what it also interesting is the detractors, say, republican lindsey graham, is saying he thinks ash carter will get confirmed because he thinks he has strong c

tell us a little bit about ash carter. >> well, he was trained as a scientist, as a physicist actually. he studied at oxford, got his doctorate and a rhodes scholar and started on the path writing articles about particles and what not. and evolved into a defense expert. and has been in the pentagon for decades. he's known as a -- an acquisition guy and his focus has been on the budget and one of the biggest accomplishments he's had is really streamlining contracting at a time when it got out of control during the wars in iraq and afghanistan. gwen: but he does not have any military experience unlike -- that's what was heavily touted for chuck hakal, his predecessor because he was a vietnam war veteran. >> we saw with chuck hagel that doesn't necessarily guarantee that you have a successful long career as defense secretary. what he does have is a long, long career. he's considered a real thinker and an intellectual. and an expert on budget matters. and when you look at some of his writings that he has a real keen interest and been quite prescient on key policy issues like terrorism. >>

we think they're going to begin to realize it. >> duke says it will have all 32 coal ash ponds in the state cleaned up by 2029. a cost of between two and $8 billion. for the residents living near the ponds daily life is a struggle as many will still not use the water supply and worry about their future. robert ray, al jazeera, charlotte, north carolina. >> coming up next: our picture of the day. plus the man behind the dazzling empire state building holiday light show. g >> where is the worst weather going to be in the united states? tomorrow? it looks like the west coast is going to wind, as the storm comes in overnight, we've got wind, we've got rain, a lot of rain too, but snow first in the washington cascades and oregon as well then that snow as the air mass moves in is going to turn to rain. and our next concern is flooding. a atmospheric river, very intense flow of air, lot of moisture traveling from the east to the west. but these little tiny areas of moisture come in, and travel from west to east, and when they start going up to california and the pacific northwest, we get a l

earlier while i was traveling i asked the senator about the president's choosing ash carter. >> also hope that ash carter, unfortunately, like his three predecessors in this six year period understands that he has no influence on the overall strategic decisions or tactical decisions that generally the secretary of defense is made part of. former secretary panetta and former secretary of gates and now you'll see now secretary hagel have been very, very strident in their dissatisfaction of being excluded from the decision-making process. it's in the hands of three or four people in the white house and the result has been disastrous, in my opinion. >> well, senator, i mean you make really the right point. this will be the fourth defense secretary in six years. we know there were others who this job who actually said no, i don't want the job. why has it been so difficult for this administration to have a defense secretary in place for a sustained period? >> look, when you have the job of secretary of defense and managing the armed forces of the united states of america and being at the t

today the epa announced the first central stands for coal ash.t whether the standards will insure incidents like these never happen again, well, that's up for debate. for years, environmentalists have been pushing the epa to designate the coal ash as hazardous waste, a move that would leave federal regulators in charge of oversight. but the epa designated coal ash as solid instead of hazardous waste. it will be up to the states to see how the ash is handled and disposed up. a victory for the $10 billion coal ash industry. >>> coming up, they did not disinvited him from the state of the union address. so does this mean that president obama is in better with congressional republicans than we thought? more on that just ahead. ring ring! ...progresso! you soup people have my kids loving vegetables. well vegetables... shh! taste better in our savory broth. vegetables!? no...soup! oh! soup! loaded with vegetables. packed with taste. he found it cleans everything... whefrom stove tops...d writing a book about his magic eraser ...to scuffed shoes, and mo

dad, i think i know why you haven't spread grandpappy's ashes.assing it is to be descended from a man that would make such an insane request, and you're worried about how that reflects on you, and that maybe that says something negative about who you are as a man-- damn it, travis, i'm afraid of roller coasters! why do you keep torturing me? (sighs) didn't see that coming. okay, i got $43 in cash money and an assload of change. oh, it's like a weapon. uhh! i could take out a bear! mm! wow. great haul. i couldn't sell anything. what were you selling? oh, the usual-- cds, dead wife's shoes, used scalpels, forceps, surgical masks. oh, come on, tom. sometimes you just don't think. you might've boned the sale, but at least you didn't jank your karma by lying to everyone. there's no such thing as karma, because if there was, i wouldn't be celebrating with this bottle of bubbly. (corks pops) (laurie screams) (horror movie theme playing) (slo-mo voice) tippi, no! i'm not even gonna say anything. okay, you know what? i am. that was karma! how their holida

next stage is ash on the outside. isn't that cool?seven days of -- >> at least. a minimum of seven days. >> this is terrible. >> so you want to label them? voila. >> so it basically comes out the other end good to go, wrapped, au fromage. >> this is french. what if we were to take some of this to go ourselves. >> sit under a redwood tree and eat some cheese. >> what if you and i were to do that very thing with -- >> beer? >> right, beer. i think that's the ticket. >> let's eat cheese and drink beer in the redwoods somewhere. >> perfecto. >> one, two, three, cheese! >> like that's never been done before. very fun pep. >> okay. >>> the woodses are lovely. dark and deep. but i have cheeses now to eat. not to mention beers to drink. after a long day of goat farming and cheese making with our accidental entrepreneur mary keehn. >> how many beers do you need? >> how deep is the ocean? doug, this has to be hard for you, man. this has to be very difficult for doug. >> does he like beer? >> well, doug, as you may know is an alcoholic. >> oh. >

now, duke's problem is what to do with 100 million tons of old coal ash stored at sites all over northina. >> imagine reclassifying cancer. >> gupta: and what's it going to mean? >> well, it's going to mean that you have a better shot at having a better outcome and having a quality of life and actually turn the cce

ash i'll let you cool down. we get to number four, please. >> all right.t foodie bock kell between two very hasn't agree ladies and the hulk. >> what's up? you're watching socially auction war. >> we all know the feeling. sometimes you just need a mcdonald's breakfast but you wake up it's 10:5 the closest mcdonald's one or two minutes away. will you make it for breakfast? the answer is no! >> this is a socially awkward moment you see only in philly. >> check out what happens when these ladies don't make it for breakfast. >> these girls go absolutely crazy. watch this. chair number one. blocked. chair number two. caught with his hasn't. how about a broomstick to the head. >> he doesn't even fringe. if i'm picking a fight it's not going to be the hulk much this guy is huge. >>> there's no need to get this heated they're just some hot cakes. >> yeah! (laughter). >> now i'm just hungry. i'm going to grab some food, refill my eggnog, keep it right here on fox 29 because we're about to bust into the top three. >> not to mention all the awesome videos we still ne

that is what ash carter has. in he crack the inner circle terms of determining national security policy. i would not count past carter out. he knows the president better than a lot of people think. he's going to want to be part of that conversation. >> nobody wanted this job. why what ash carter say yes? >> p wanted this job two years ago when it went to chuck hagel. has served his country in the past. he do not always turn down things when the president asks. i think he thinks he can do a good job. this is someone who knows the inner workings of this building. he knows the military leadership. everybody in this building has a first name relationship with ash carter. he can hit the ground running, unlike a lot of other people. >> if the republicans object, on what grounds with a object? because they object to the president's national security policy. there is no reason in terms of background that ash carter confirmed.be he has served in almost every other job in this building. i see it being a platform for john m

are you confident that ash carter can buy more time to negotiate the deal?hat seems to be a good question mark. >> i don't think he'll have a problem getting confirmed and i'm not sure he'll be a point person and the deck right now is probably stacked against the administration and it will depend on how that deal rolls out. most of the senate is willing to give the president and the white house some leeway to work towards a deal. if things start to get sloppy, though or start to break down or if the final deal are one that people can object to, ash carter will be the key point person and that's the president's thing to handle, i think. >> dave, you started talking about the cerebral nature or the cerebral skills of ash carter. >> i was just going to say, alex. he's got his big boy pants on. he's a heavy weight and a steady hand and he knows his way around the pentagon. he's been a major player for national security in this town for more than 30 years. he's not an easy guy to push around and i wouldn't be surprised if the pentagon is able to give a little pus

coal ash is the residue from power plants that use coal to produce electricity. it contains poisons and heavy metals. a federal judge said today the deadline for the epa to issue the regulation zbloos happening today, president obama will hold his end of the year news conference answering questions from the reporters at the white house. and then tonight the president and the first family will head to hawaii for the holidays continuing a seven-year tradition. >>> security experts believe north korea likely had help carrying out that cyber attack. u.s. officials tell nbc news they believe the attack was launched inside north korea. the white house has not publicly said who it thinks is behind the attack but there's evidence it was carried out by a sophisticated actor with malicious intent. >>> the white house needs for police officers and secret service agents and a taller fence. the report suggests that the white house fence needs to be raised four to five feet immediately and eventually the entire barrier should be replaced. the review was reached of several secu