welcome to "weekends with alex witt". a powerful winter snowstorm is already making a mess in the midwest is now barreling down on the northeast. this was the scene in indianapolis last night. it snarled commutes. and upstate new york, the snow fell all day friday. residents worked to dig themselves out under a thick blanket of snow, up to two feet in some areas. >> shoveling. digging out. milk, bread, that's what they're looking for when they come shopping. >> an additional foot and a half in some areas. here in new york city, up to five inches as the system passes through. so how much snow can we expect this weekend and who is going to get the worst of it? dylan dreyer is tracking the storm for us. hi, dylan. >> good morning, al ebs. alex. parts of missouri, up into illinois, ohio, up into michigan and west virginia. now moving into parts of pennsylvania. the stuff on the northeastern side, though, is pretty light right now. but it's much heavier where the storm center is across southeastern missouri. so you can see the

welcome to eekends with alex witt. today a massive weather systems is on the move. 68 million people in the path of some wild winter weather that could cause messy delays from coast to coast. it is tricky time for the millions expected to hit the roads and the air this morning ahead of the christmas holiday. >> it did take a little while to get here because of the rain. >> just like anything else in a storm. you have to get your food, water, and get your stuff sent off early. >> that is true. from snow and ice to rare december tornados in the south, you heard right. what you can expect depends on where you are. dylan dreyer has all those details. hi, dylan. >>> good morning, alex. it is going to be a rough go for everyone traveling across the country. we have snow, ice, record high temperatures and also some severe storms possible, especially down across the southeast. new orleans, 70 degrees right now. we are closer to zero through the northern plains. a huge contrast in temperatures is going to fire off these huge st

keep talking to me @alex witt. i'll read more of your tweets later on. >>> breaking down the political and economic impact of the big cut in jobless benefits today. hbo's game of loans to tloens" on our list of number ones for a good and bad reason. it's not the "juggle a bunch of rotating categories" card. it's not the "sign up for rewards each quarter" card. it's the no-games, no-messing-'round, no-earning-limit-having, do-i-look-like-i'm-joking, turbo-boosting, heavyweight-champion- of-the-world cash back card. this is the quicksilver cash back card from capital one. unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere, every single day. now tell me, what's in your wallet? wears off. [ female announcer ] stop searching and start repairing. eucerin professional repair moisturizes while actually repairing very dry skin. the end of trial and error has arrived. try a free sample at eucerinus.com. the end of trial and error has arrived. stick with innovation. stick with power. stick with technology. get the new fle

with alex witt."e half. an apology from a former pr exec who sparked outrage over a tweet about a.i.d.s. in africa. she was fired saturday for that tweet. today she's apologized and said to the crisis, which does not discriminate. she went on to say, i am ashamed. >>> an artificial heart that may give patients up to five years of extra life has been implanted in a 75-year-old fremplgmnchman. the heart is powered by batteries that can be worn externally. >>> and astronauts are gearing up for another space walk. yesterday, the two americans on the crew successfully pulled out an ammonia pump with a bad valve. >>> jpmorgan chase is now limiting the amount of money you can spend or withdrawal for those customers who used their debit cards at starting stores during the recent security breach. affected debit card customers will be temporarily limited to $300 worth of purchases and $100 in cash withdrawals per day. a source tells cnbc citibank will also impose limits. of course, all this after target says co

welcome to "weekends with alex wit witt". president obama surging congress to extend benefits for 1.3 million workers. they are set to expire just three days after christmas. >> if congress refuses to act it won't just hurt families already struggling. it will actually harm our economy. unemployment insurance is one of the most effective ways there is to boost our economy. when people have money to spend on basic necessities, that means more customers for our businesses and ultimately more jobs. >> the republicans are focusing on obama care. >> families who work hard and play by the rules deserve some basic choices, fairness and relief. that's why the house has passed legislation to delay the individual mandate for all americans and let you keep the plan you like. these proposals are among the dozens of jobs bill awaiting action in the democratic-run senate. >>> good news on the jobs front. 203,000 jobs were added in november, and the unemployment rate dropped to a five-year low of 7%. kristen welker, good saturday morning to

welcome to "weekends with alex witt."nt storm system threatening holiday plans for millions of americans all expected to take to the roads or the air this weekend. parts of the midwest are already feeling the brunt of it. well, the storm is expected to dump of heavy snow from oklahoma to wisconsin. there's even the threat of tornadoes from texas to tennessee. so the question how will it affect you? the weather channel's dr. greg postell is here with the latest forecast. hey, greg. >> thanks, alex. a big winter storm is moving across the middle part of the country with ice storm warnings and winter storm warnings all across that section of the nation. including kansas city where we expect significant snow and that will likely move northeastward from there. we can track it. that area shaded in blue that's where it's going to be snowing overnight tonight. there's the time, 8:00 9:00 snowing hard in kansas city and places in southeastern iowa and southern wisconsin. chicago, you're right on the edge. looks like the heaviest s

welcome to "weekends with alex witt". we have new reaction to to a federal judge's ruling that the nsa seeping collection of phone is in fact, legal. the new york court ruled the surveillance program is an important part of the fight against terrorism. it comes two weeks after a washington, d.c. judge came to a different conclusion, saying the surveillance likely violates the constitution. pete williams has more on where the issue heads next. pete, good morning. >> the two rulings we have on the nsa program could not be more different. a fell judge said he found no evidence that it was effective in preventing terror attacks and an invasion of privacy. this judge in new york says just the opposite. it has stopped terror attacks. he said it's the federal government's counterpunch to al qaeda's ability to exploit communications before the 9/11 attacks. only by gathering all this data can the government isolate individual streams of terrorism communications. now he says, as did the judge two weeks ago, people use their phones

i'm alex witt in work in for andrea mitchell today.s are facing a grim reality. tomorrow their unemployment benefits will run out, and a divided congress may not find a solution that can get to the president's desk. nbc white house correspondent peter alexander is join\ing us from honolulu. it's all very short term extension of these struggling americans but the president can't do this on his own. >> reporter: the president has said if the deal comes together back in congress he'll certainly sign this thing right away. he's been pushing for this. these are the emergency benefits part of a federal aid program set up during the great reio

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." breaking news overseas. an explosion rocks a busy train station in southern russia. officials say at least 14 people were killed, dozens more injured when a female suicide bomber entered a central rail station and detonated an explosive device. this is the second deadly attack in that country in three days. let's go right now to nbc's london bureau. what's the latest? >> hey, alex. the latest we're hearing is around 50 people injured during the blast. railway station was much busier than usual as russians were traveling home for the new year. you can see this dramatic security video footage. it shows the bright orange flash from the explosion as a fireball rips through the main hall. smoke then starts billowing out. russian officials say it happened just inside the main entrance to the station where a female suicide bomber detonated her explosives in front of a metal detector. this is the second deadly attack in russia in three days. on friday a car packed with explosives blew up on the street in a city in t

i'm alex witt in for chris jansing. watch my show saturdays. brian schactman up next.roberts. what do you have? >> mimosa, bloodies and brunch. want to come over? >> i'm there. >>> all right. agenda for the next hour, it's the grinch that stole christmas for 1.3 million americansen unemployment benefits due to expire tomorrow. there the will in congress to something about it? which states will be hardest hit? we covering that at the top of the hour. >>> marriage equality on the march with two big rulings in two big states. guess which high court will soon be looking at this very divisive issue yet again? >>> and christmas cruise ship trapped in ice off the antarctic coast. the chinese ice breaker rushing to get to them has run into trouble of its own. a live report on that and more in three minutes' time. >>> hi, everybody, brian schactman here for thomas robert. bye-bye benefits. just three days after christmas, hundreds of thousands of americans will lose their long-term unemployment benefits. the funds for the federal aid program, created during the recession, run o

we're going to bring in alex witt. alex also has a son attending harvard. she joins me now on the phone. alex, as i understand, you were the recipient of the parent alert this morning that went out. what did it say? >> well, i have to say harvard has been really great. they do send out alerts as needed. this one was particularly unnerving because it said -- i'll read it to you, thomas. it said reports of explosives at four sites on campus, science center, thayer, sever and emerson. please evacuate those buildings now. a couple of minutes later it said they are on the scene investigating. i was listening to rehema's report and she made a good pointing. the reason i took this seriously and thought maybe it's a prank was because of the science center being involved. i mean there are plenty of materials there that could be used for materials, a good point that she made. also sever and emerson, in addition to the science center, are places where exams are going on. so you think, all right, maybe there is something to this. i should say that thayer is a residenti

that's a wrap of weekends with alex witt.♪ the billions of gallons of fuel that get us to work. ♪ we'd see all the electricity flowing through the devices that connect us and teach us. ♪ we'd see that almost 100% of medical plastics are made from oil and natural gas. ♪ and an industry that supports almost 10 million american jobs. life takes energy. and no one applies more technology to produce american energy and refine it more efficiently than exxonmobil. because using energy responsibly has never been more important. energy lives here. ♪ the deep sweep power brush by oral-b for the first time. wow. it's "wow," you know? wow. wow. that feels wow! [ male announcer ] oral-b deep sweep, featuring three cleaning zones with dynamic power bristles that reach deep between teeth to remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual brush. it seems like it gets more to areas of your mouth that you can't reach with a regular toothbrush. [ male announcer ] guaranteed "wow" with deep sweep from oral-b. #1 dentist-recommended toothbrus

. >>> welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." time for headlines at the half.port is accused of planning a bombing. authorities have been tracking terry lee looun for months. the feds say no one was ever in any danger. tens of thousands have gathered in kiev today in a show of support for ukraine's ruling party to counter three weeks of street demonstrations by the opposition. the protests began after the president refused to sign a deal to boost company coo ration with the european union. in paris, the sky is lit up with colors of the south african's nelson mandela. >>> a few hours going mandela's body will be buried in the village of qunu. desmond tutu may not have been invited to the funeral tomorrow. chief foreign correspondent richard engel is there in cqunu. what are you hearing about this, archbishop tutu not attending? >> there has been controversy about this. although archbishop tutu is still very much loved in this country he has become a critic of the ruling party, the anc and he didn't get a formal invitation according to his office. tutu has spoken

welcome back to "weekends with alex witt."us calling for a higher minimum wage. in a speech this week in one of the poorest neighborhoods in washington, d.c., the president railed against income inequality and said a higher wage would benefit the greater economy. >> we know there are airport workers and fast food workers and nurse assistants and retail sales people who work their tails off. and are still living at or barely above poverty. and that's why it's well past the time to raise a minimum wage that in real term right now is below where it was when harry truman was in office. >> joining me jim mcdermott, senior member of both the ways and means committee and the budget committee. thanks for joining me. >> good morning, alex. how are you? >> i'm well, thanks. the president, as you know, throwing support behind the senate bill that would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. do you think that bill has any shot in the house? >> absolutely. i think the country woke up the day after election this year. and one little town

we welcome you to "weekends with alex witt." we begin with the deadly winter storm gripping much of the nation. a second arctic blast is making its way across the country. snow it already falling in the nation's capital. we have a picture there of the white house. certainly beautiful, but it can be a mess. along with the snow and freezing rain, millions are bracing for more power outages and more dangerous driving conditions. >> i've only seen it worse once than this in my life. i've been driving for 37 years. >> you try to change lanes and you're going sideways. >> well, hundreds of storm-related accidents have been reported since friday. some people are making the best of the situation. look at this woman. she's from indiana. fun aside, though, this storm remains very serious. so where is it going to be at its worst? let's go to the weather channel's dr. greg postel. >> thanks, alex. we're dealing with a wide variety of winter weather across the northeast today. it's going to be transitioning from snow to sleet to freezing rai

. >>> i'm alex witt in for chris jansing. >>> the future of

"weekends with alex witt" starts now. >>> bringing you pictures from space at this hour.r a complex operation at the international space station. what are they fixing? >>> back on earth, a huge travel weekend. in large parts of the country, a trek to your holiday destination could be a tough one. >>> moving target. the retailers decides to take dramatic action after revealing millions of its customers's credit card numbers were stolen >> assessing 2013. the president reacts to some tough questions in his year-end news conference. how did he respond and what's he saying about 2014?

we welcome you to "weekends with alex witt."nd arctic blast is making its way across the country. snow it already falling in the nation's capital. we have a picture there of the white house. certainly beautiful, but it can be a mess. along with the snow and freezing rain, millions are bracing for more power outages and more dangerous

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." we have breaking news in new york city.

. >>> that's a wrap of this hour of "weekends with alex witt." with patrick murphy. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsai

i'm alex witt in work in for andrea mitchell today. over 1 million americans are facing a grim reality. tomorrow their unemployment benefits will run out, and a divided congress may not find a solution that can get to the president's desk. nbc white house correspondent peter alexander is join\ing us from honolulu. it's all very short term extension of these struggling americans but the president can't do this on his own. >> reporter: the president has said if the deal comes together back in congress he'll certainly sign this thing right away. he's been pushing for this. these are the emergency benefits part of a federal aid program set up during the great recession to try to help the long-term unemployed, those people after their 26 weeks of unemployment insurance from the state had run out right now. supporters of this say if you take it away, among them the president, it actually hurts the economy. and a new report that came out from the white house just recently said not only does it hurt the economy but actually adds a number of un

now a preview of "weekends with alex witt." >> there is such enthusiasm. target fallout, why some 2 million debit card holders will be limited to only taking out $200 at some atms. >>> we'll also talk to the author of a new and provocative article about whether they'll let their employees go hungry. >>> the very latest twist in the flap over chris christie and the george washington bridge. >>> and the holiday break is upon us. so what films are we seeing? we have your holiday movie guide, including why the film "her" is getting so much buzz. >>> and the msnbc gang shares the best and worst gifts they've ever received. really good ones here. they're kind of funny. don't go anywhere. life with crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis is a daily game of "what if's". what if my abdominal pain and cramps come back? what if the plane gets delayed? what if i can't hide my symptoms? what if? but what if the most important question is the one you're not asking? what if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation? for help getting the answers you nee

it's time for a preview of "weekends with alex witt." >> i'm supposed to follow that? come on.here's been a setback in trying to free that ship trapped by ice and in antarctica. how did it end up there and how much longer can the dozens on board last? the striking and personal video released by the daughter of new york city mayor bill de blasio. what she said and how it might help others. >>> if the cold in new jersey doesn't keep you away from the super bowl in february, another aspect of the game probably will. americans and their attitudes towards 2014. how does the public feel about the coming year? will it be better or worse? don't go anywhere. the day buildt begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪ [ coughs ] ♪ [ male announcer ] you can't let a cold keep you up tonight. vicks nyquil -- powerful nighttime 6-symptom cold & flu relief. ♪ >>> behind the numbers, how will the ending of jobless benefits for more than a million people affect the economy? the answer m

now time for a preview of "weekends with alex witt." >> mice perk of the job. thank you so much.s ask for 20 years, but the judge gave him probation. schooling for the defense says he suffered from affluenza. some are calling ta defense a get out of jail free card for the wealthy. take a look at a live picture of central park bob the high-rises. >>> today nbc news has new and intriguing information about the ex-fbi agent who vanished in iran. also the reporter who first uncovered that whole story but was told he had to hold it. >>> hollywood takes on washington, d.c. again in a film inspired by a huge 1970s scandal. one of the lead lines in this mean, some of this actually happened. we'll revisit what actually happened and while that film is getting some rave reviews, we'll take a look at it for you. don't go anywhere. [ female announcer ] stop searching and start repairing. eucerin professional repair moisturizes while actually repairing very dry skin. the end of trial and error has arrived. try a free sample at eucerinus.com. so i deserve a small business credit card with amazi

now it's time for a preview of weekends with alex witt. >> i would join the pink posse a couple decadesrgument against raising the minimum wage is that it is a job killer. but now a new article raises new questions about whether it in fact creates jobs. i'm talking to its author. as the white house considers reforming the nsa is, new reports the agency targeted the israeli prime minister. what is the fallout from one of our closest allies? christmas is only four days away and our award winning today show moms with advice on that hard to buy person in your life. here's a hint it, a ferrari for 99 bucks. yep. and look at all these people in their festive santa hats. we'll reveal our favorite holiday tv shows and they might be yours, as well. ♪ [ male announcer ] if we could see energy... what would we see? ♪ the billions of gallons of fuel that get us to work. ♪ we'd see all the electricity flowing through the devices that connect us and teach us. ♪ we'd see that almost 100% of medical plastics are made from oil and natural gas. ♪ and an industry that supports almost 10 million american j