with alex witt."icans are e reading. $3 billion of sales in ebooks amounted to 20% of the consumer book market which was a 5% increase in just one year pf sales of paperback books continue to slide. >>> the cities most adversely affected by the meltdown of the housing market are seeing the biggest increases in home prices. the new core logic case shiller home prices report that they jumped 7.3% last year. topping the latest cities of housing gains, phoenix is first with prices soaring almost 24% from the fourth quarter of 2011 to 2012. miami and las vegas are second and third respectively with increases of about 13.5% and now to master moneymakers on the new bloomberg billionaire's index and lo and behold there is a comeback kid on that list. it's not warren buffett who is worth almost $60 billion to rank his third richet. it's not carlos slim, the mexican telecom titan's wealth has slipped to $71.2 billion. the comeback kid, yeah, bill gates. he's worth $72.7 billion and it puts him atop the bloomber

i'm alex witt. to what is happening out there as we begin with the long and anticipated start of summer. this is a gloomy times square in new york city. rainfall expected throughout the northeast, the plains, as well as parts of texas. jersey shore is back in business after hurricane sandy. snow is expected, though, in the mountains. dylan dreir is here with the forecast. first, we'll hear from michelle franzen. the tourists are returning to the boardwalk. it hasn't hurt too, too much, has it, michelle? >> reporter: well, not a whole lot. people are still determined to come out here and show support on this holiday weekend. they would like -- >> we want to see what she saw there. can we get that back? >> reporter: we're seeing these gale winds. >> it was a weather thing. >> reporter: it may be a weather thing. certainly the crowds are definitely coming back out. they are enjoying this time no matter what these winds are and that's because, you may remember seven months ago, seaside heights devastate

welcome to "weekends with alex witt."hat's happening right now out there as we have new questions today about the deadly attack in benghazi, libya, and whether the obama administration tried to de-emphasize the role terrorists played. let's go to the white house and nbc's peter alexander. with a good saturday to you, peter. this stems from the newly disclosed e-mails. what does the white house have to say about this? >> reporter: it is a good question. we'll tell you a little more about the e-mails right now. the white house, as you know, has long insisted the intelligence community drafted almost all of the talking points, referring to benghazi, but the e-mail that you refer to is suggesting a different story. insiders are is tells nbc news about what they describe as a knife fight between officials at the state department and the cia. eight months after the deadly attack in benghazi that killed ambassador chris stevens and three hours, leaked e-mails reveal the obama administration was more involved than initially state

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." developing news out of moore, oklahoma, where on this memorial day weekend residents are in cleanup mode as they prepare for president obama to tour their devastated community. right to charles hadlock who has the latest. there has to be a lot of and s anticipation. tell me what the mood is like there today. >> reporter: hi, alex. the streets have been open so traffic is flowing. i was driving around a little bit this morning and one thing i noticed is that most of the church parking lots are full this morning. this is a faith-based community and they're relying on that faith to get them through this disaster. of course president obama will be here on the ground within the next hour, and he will tour the devastated parts of the area. a lot to see here, the devastation path is 22 miles long, a mile wide at its widest point. the president will meet with some of the victims and he'll also thank the first responders who saved so many lives in the first few minutes after this disaster. ale

good morning, everyone, welcome to "weekends with alex witt," i'm maura schiavocampo in for alex. here's what's happening. we begin this morning with new news overnight developing out of the middle east. israel confirms they've launched air strikes on targets inside syria. early reports suggest the primary target was a weapons shipment headed for hezbollah and lebanon. let's get to nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel in nearby turkey. richard? >> hello, maura. u.s. officials have confirmed to nbc news that an israeli air strike did take place inside syria early on friday. an israeli official today was quoted as saying that the target was a group of sophisticated long-range, ground-to-ground missiles that were apparently bound for hezbollah. hezbollah is a militant group based inside lebanon and israel has repeatedly said that it would attack any weapons leaving syria that were chemical weapons or, quote, game changing weapons. and this is the second time that israel has carried out an attack inside lebanon, on weapons that were bound for hezbollah. the last one, mau

welcome to weekends with alex witt. let's get to what's happening. >>> first in front page politics, a new fallout just a day after the irs commissioner faced fierce questioning from a house panel. steve miller was force the to resign his post as acting director this week. on friday he faced republicans and democrats who demanded answers about why the irs targeted tea party groups seeking tax exempt status. >> as acting commissioner, i want to apologize on behalf of the internal revenue service for the mistakes that we made and the poor service we provided. i think that what happened here was that foolish mistakes were made by people trying to be more efficient in their workload. the listing, as described in the report, while intolerable, was a mistake and not an act of partisanship. good morning. thanks for joining me. bombshells. did you hear any at this hearing? and i'm also curious about the impact on president obama. when they say it was a mistake, steve miller say it was a mistake and not an act of partisanship, a

"weekends with alex witt" starts now. >>> open for business. the first test of the jersey shore since hurricane sandy. but the memorial weekend weather may not cooperate. in fact there is snow in the forecast. >>> moment of impact. new video from that bridge collapse, and it shows when a fully loaded semi truck hit a support beam. >>> closing gitmo. a realistic assessment today of whether the u.s. could shut down the prison for alleged terrorists. where would they go? >>> and life or death? after an agonizingly long trial, another twist in the case that may make it drag on for a few more weeks. but should it? a legal panel weighs in. good morning to all of you. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." now here's what's happening out there. a dreary start to the memorial day weekend. look outside for those of you here on the east coast and you'll see it for yourself. getting rain-soaked here. some in the northeast might actually see snow today. it is a pivotal weekend for the jersey shore. business owners plunged into the water in ocean city friday

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." now, here is what is happening today. first, to front page politics. the white house says republicans are playing politics as new details surface in the benghazi attacks. at issue, the disclosure of e-mails related to the attacks on the u.s. compound in libya that killed four americans, including ambassador chris stevens. nbc news has confirmed that the white house, with input from state department officials, had edited talking points about the benghazi attacks 12 times in the hours following the incident. white house spokesman jay carney disputes claims the e-mails suggest the white house was more involved in the crafting of talking points about the attacks than about what actually happened. >> republicans have chosen, in the latest iteration of their efforts to politicize this. to provide, you know, leak this information to reporters, information that we provided months ago, to republican lawmakers from the relevant committees, and republican leadership, as well as democratic. >> all right. meanwhile republicans are ask

. >>> welcome back to weekends with alex witt. i'm mara schiavocampo in nor alex.t's time for headlines at the half. forecasts say a weekend of higher humidity so help crews fighting a wildfire in southern california. more than 4,000 homes are threatened chshg. >>> a state of emergency in northern italy after a powerful tornado tore through a town. it happened near bologna. 11 people were injured and several homes were damaged. >>> israel has confirmed they launched air strikes on targets inside syria. early reports claim the primary target was a weapons shipment headed for hezbollah in lebanon. syria has been a gateway for shipping iranian weapons to hezbollah. >>> those air strikes on syria come as the u.s. seriously considers its own military options with its allies. the president says putting u.s. boots on the ground is not really a solution but what are the alternatives? joining me for today's strategy talk is jill zuckman, a managing director at skd knickerbocker, and former spokeswoman at the department of transportation. also chip saltsman, a republican str

welcome to weekends with alex witt. let's get to what's happening. >>> first in front page

. >>> good day to all of you, welcome to "weekends with alex witt."pening out west. accusations of a cover-up are flying today as the fallout continues over the benghazi attacks. politicians are whether they edited talking points. republican congressman darrell issa defended the investigation on "meet the press." >> you're saying that administration officials are these political advisers to the president, nonpolitical appointees, bullied the cia into saying what the political advisers in the white house wanted them to say? >> david, we're not making charges. >> you just said the cia had to back down and david petraeus said what the white house wanted to say. those are very serious. >> those are not the starting talking points, the ending talking point. we are not reaching every conclusion. the fact is we want the facts, we're entitled to the facts, the american people were effectively lied to, for a period of about a month. that's important to get right. >> joining me from the white house is nbc peter alexander. with a good saturday to you, my friend.

good morning, everyone, welcome to "weekends with alex witt," i'm maura schiavocampo in for alex.what's happening. we begin this morning with new news overnight developing out of the middle east. israel

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." the town of chaffee and brought down the overpass that the trains were traveling underneath. several people were injured. the other five wounded were traveling in cars on that overpass. of course, a week ago, two commuter trains collided in connecticut right at the height of rush hour. we'll keep you up to date on the developments there. in the meantime, the soggy start. a live look at a gloomy times square here in new york.

i'm alex witt. we have some big developing news out on the weather front. mid section. they are slowly moving east. forecasters have been telling people from iowa to oklahoma, you better hunker down and brace yourself for what seems like the worse of everything, baseball sized hail, tornadoes aplenty. the storms are also causing flash washouts in the south. at least 20 people had to be rescued from rising floodwaters in alabama. we have team coverage with meteorologist kelly cass who is tracking the weather in atlanta. but first let's go to oklahoma city where storms have left quite the ugly mark. janet, good day to you. >> hi, alex. for now this has become a wind event, as is obvious. but it's the proverbial calm before the next storm. last night we had something like 22 tornadoes, 19 in kansas, 3 in nebraska. a slight lull here. but what we're hearing is this a warmup for the next round of storms that's going to threaten some 30,000 people across a wide swath in texas, into kansas, missouri into nebraska. i'm in oklahoma city where we have a lot of power

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." now, here is what is happening today.

"weekends with alex witt" starts now. >>> open for business.of the jersey shore since hurricane sandy. but the memorial weekend weather may not cooperate. in fact there is snow in the forecast. >>> moment of impact. new video from that bridge collapse, and it shows when a fully loaded semi truck hit a support beam. >>> closing gitmo. a realistic assessment today of whether the u.s. could shut down the prison for alleged terrorists. where would they go? >>> and life or death? after an agonizingly long trial, another twist in the case that may make it drag on for a few more weeks. but should it? a legal panel weighs in. good morning to all of you. welcome towe

. >>> hoog i'm alex witt. here's what's happening.illed in florida killed three people in massachusetts. the florida man confessed to the murders. he was killed after threatening the fbi agent. >> officials say the kiblling o a british soldier was ideologically motivated. back to "hardball." >>> welcome back to "hardball." we learned today president obama will visit the oklahoma city area on sunday to tour the devastation from monday's deadly tornado. and see firsthand the response effort under way. today we also learned that the cost of the tornado is being estimated at $2 billion. that's an early damage tally by the oklahoma insurance department. we also know that the medical examiner's office has identified positively 23 of the 24 people who died in the tornado. that's 24 deaths. ten of them children, including two infants. joining me now for more is msnbc's craig melvin. craig? >> reporter: hey there, chris matthews. some good news here. officials say at this point they do not expect that death toll to rise. at this point they're

up next, "weekends with alex witt." flying is old hat for business travelers. a three-hundred-ton rocket doesn't raise as much as an eyebrow for these veterans of the sky. however, seeing this little beauty over international waters is enough to bring a traveler to tears. witt." we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. the new american is arriving. ♪ the middle of this special moment witt." hroom. ♪ i'm fed up with always having to put my bladder's needs witt." ahead of my daughter. ♪ so today, i'm finally talking to my doctor about overactive bladder symptoms. [ female announcer ] know that gotta go feeling? ask your doctor about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents, for 24 hours. if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma, or can not empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz. get emergency medical help right away if your face, lips, throat or tongue swells. toviaz can cause blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and decreased sweating. do not drive, operate machin

these incredibly important stories by going to in-plainsight.msnbc.com right now it's a preview with alex wittmore heat to practices during the 2012 election targeting certain groups. >>> reaction from sandy hook on what's being done with the elementary school there. in today's office politics, luke russert talks about the legacy left by his father. >>> and today is mother's day. i'm talking to the today show producers and author of today's mom, it is mother's day, just ahead. don't go anywhere. i'll be right back. this is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers. since aflac is helping with his expenses while he can't work, he can focus on his recovery. he doesn't have to worry so much about his mortgage, groceries, or even gas bills. kick! kick... feel it! feel it! feel it! nice work! ♪ you got it! you got it! yes! aflac's gonna help take care of his

up next is weekends with alex witt. meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid. has a nice little trait, you see, c-max helps you load your freight, with its foot-activated lift gate. but that's not all you'll see, cause c-max also beats prius v, with better mpg. say hi to the 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid. and those people are what i like to call...wrong. metamucil has psyllium, which helps lower cholesterol, promotes digestive health, and helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels. metamucil. 3 amazing benefits, 1 super fiber. metai had[ designer ]eelingts, enough of just covering up my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer through 6 months. [ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events, including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancer

stake with women, their health and their bodies and right now it's a preview for "weekends with alex wittr foot soldiers. it's an awesome segment, i love it. >> let's get your reaction to the irs commissioner's congressional testimony as an influential conservative calls on top-ranking republicans to keep the heat on the administration. a new move to stop sex assault in the military. i'm talking to a survivor who made her case in front of congress. >>> asbury park hard hit by hurricane sandy and it officially opens today. will it draw the tourists it needs? i'm talking with the mayor. richard engel tells me what world leaders are telling him about u.s. foreign policy. don't go anywhere. i'll be right back. [ female announcer ] doctors trust calcium plus vitamin d to support strong bones. and the brand most recommended by... my doctor. my gynecologist. my pharmacist. citracal. citracal. [ female announcer ] you trust your doctor. doctors trust citracal. >>> two commuter trains going opposite directions just outside of new york city collide at rush hour. we are live at the scene. >>> more f

welcome to "weekends with alex witt."end residents are in cleanup mode as they prepare for president obama to tour their devastated community. right to charles hadlock who has the latest. there has to be a lot of and s anticipation. tell me what the mood is like there today. >> reporter: hi, alex. the streets have been open so traffic is flowing. i was driving around a little bit this morning and one thing i noticed is that most of the church parking lots are full this morning. this is a faith-based community and they're relying on that faith to get them through this disaster. of course president obama will be here on the ground within the next hour, and he will tour the devastated parts of the area. a lot to see here, the devastation path is 22 miles long, a mile wide at its widest point. the president will meet with some of the victims and he'll also thank the first responders who saved so many lives in the first few minutes afterhi

. >> that wraps up this sunday's edition of "weekends with alex witt," "meet the press" is ahead.usiness travelers. the act of soaring across an ocean in a three-hundred-ton rocket doesn't raise as much as an eyebrow for these veterans of the sky. however, seeing this little beauty over international waters is enough to bring a traveler to tears. we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. the new american is arriving. meet the 5-passenger ford c-mc-max one. c-max two. that's a super fuel- efficient hybrid for me. and a long range plug-in hybrid for you. now, let's review. introducing the ford c-max hybrid and the ford c-max energi plug-in hybrid. say hi to the c-max hybrids. the next day, we sprayed febreze air effects and led in real people. i'd say it was very pleasant. flowers everywhere. oh! [ chuckles ] febreze did a really great job. impressive. febreze air effects eliminates tough odors for good. and try febreze stick & refresh. designed to stick to eliminate odors anywhere. simply click, peel off the strip and attach to surfaces in your house.

coming up, "weekend" with alex witt. ] advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lungmost copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. [ male announcer ] advair diskus fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder. get your first prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. i did? when visa signature asked everybody what upgraded experiences really mattered... you suggested luxury car service instead of "strength training with patrick willis." come on todd! flap them chicken wings. [ grunts ] well, i travel a lot and umm... [ male ann