. >>> "weekends with alex witt" starts right now. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." here's what's happening, a big day out on the campaign trail. top two gop rivals will be battling it out again today as new conflict escalates among republicans. >>> four democrats just one more day before a critical debate. a live report on how the clinton/sanders race is getting more heated. >>> and the stock market is making history. will wall street rebound in the coming week? some answers ahead. >>> going public for first time today. a new member of the national zoo family. we'll have his coming out party. and we begin with breaking news out of west africa. 126 hostages have been freed after al qaeda linked terrorists seized a hotel in burkina faso. 33 people were wounded and the victims were from 18 different nationalities. the country's president says for extremists who were killed that includes two women. an official at the pentagon says one u.s. military member is embedded with french forces right there at the scene of the attack. officia

with alex witt.ere's what's happening, countdown to iowa. a final weekend flurry of candidates criss-crossing the hawk istate making a final appeal to voters and lash out at rivals. between now and monday night, think hard, because the stakes are high. >> you judge a great nation not by the number of millionaires and billionaires it has. you judge a great nation by how it treats the weakest and most vulnerable people in the society. >> ted cruz may not be a u.s. citizen, but -- but he's an anchor baby, no, he's an anchor baby. >> i like donald an he's welcome to say whatever he likes. i like him. >> we will win iowa and the general election an turn america around. >> republicans at every turn in iowa today with democrats on their heels from des moines to debuque to ames to council bluff and late to the unfolding era, the few batch of secretary clinton's e-mails release friday that now loom over the weekend. plus why iowa? the story of jimmy carter's unexpected victory there and how it changed america

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." i'm todd piro. alex is off today. historic flooding and the aftermath. a live report on what's next and what's left behind as waters recede in the nation's midsection. >>> on the loose, a gunman who opened fire at a bar in israel remains on the run. was this an act of terror? the latest from israel live. >>> gun control in his sights. president obama plans to take new steps that might make it tougher to purchase a firearm. we'll tell you what to expect. >>> and going for broke. new numbers on how much americans spent this season. it could come down to one key factor. >>> at this hour, in illinois, the national guard is in place and hundreds of residents have been told to evacuate as deadly floodwaters batter that state. at least 24 people have died in illinois and missouri. two remain missing today. nbc's charles hadlock is there this morning. what are you seeing on the ground there? >> reporter: hi, todd. there's still water from the flooded meramec river here. the food news is that interstate 44 from st. louis all t

i'm alex witt here in new york city. we have a big development overnight including a new and dramatic rise in some snow totals. let's bring you the very latest right here now. in new york city a dramatic change in the forecast. the city could see up to 2 1/2 feet of snow, and that may come as a surprise to some of you just waking up here. the storm could paralyze the entire i-95 corridor from washington to new york. well into monday. tens of millions of people from northern georgia to new york are being affected by this storm. the nation's capital right now virtually paralyzed. heavy snow expected into the afternoon. wind gusts could reach 40 miles per hour. casing some whiteouts to be concerned about. the storm is blamed for at least ten deaths in four states. some in traffic accidents along these icy roads. in kentucky, thousands of motorists are stranded along forships of interstate -- portions of interstate 45. some have been trapped since friday and you're about to see video that just came in. you can see a line of

fixodent and forget it. >>> welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." m francis in for alex. >>> and a policeman expected of a shooting in a restaurant at tel aviv has an allout manhunt under way. >>> 14 hours after the attack began, at least four gunmen were killed along with two indian soldiers. >>> and a 30-year-old man in australia is in serious condition as he was attacked by a shark while he was spearfishing. he was able to fight off the shark, but his attack is following 22 such attacks in australia alone. >>> bill cosby is respondsing for the first time since being charged with aggravated sexual assault. he thanked his friends and fans in a tweet, but he did not mention the sexual assault charges. and his attorney says that he is the victim of politicalt football, and his team is not going to be considering a plea deal. cosby and his attorneys have long denied any kind of sex uua misconduct, and now, joining us is thomas mesereau who defended michael jackson in his sexual assault case. and thomas, you don't believe that the charges will stick, an

. >>> "weekends with alex witt" starts right now. >> welcome to "weekends with alex witt." alex is off. i'm todd piro. here's what happening. what lies ahead for the drug lord known as el chapo? >>> and ambushed. surveillance video released of a gunman opening fire on a police officer. the suspect pledged allegiance to isis. >>> the voters have a way of administering a spanking. >> tough talk from ted cruz while donald trump kicks more protesters out of a rally, this while we talk about one of the biggest problems in america today. >>> 800 million and growing. a look at your real odds of winning the mother of all powerball jackpots. >>> our top story, police say a gunman told them he shot a philadelphia police officer for isis. the officer shot thursday night, surveillance video shows the suspect firing at a squad car, then fleeing. the wounded officer pursued the suspect, shooting and wounding him. other officers took the suspect into custody. police officials said the suspect claimed he acted out of allegiance to isis. >> the suspect in question is a 30-year-old male from

it is high noon in the east, and 9:00 in the west, and welcome to "weekends with alex witt." i'm richard lui in for alex. and in mexico and on the run, but now caught and could face extradition. >>> and could trump's strategy to neutralize a former president backfire in a big way? >> h it just got bigger. what are your odds of winning the massive $800 million ja jackpot? >>> first off, developing news. msnbc news can confirm that mexico is aiming to fulfill a request by the united states to extra tra indict el chapo the united states. his real name joaquin guzman was captured in a predawn raid six months after he escaped from a maximum security prison, but what brought him down is not what you would expect. here is mexico's attorney general. [ speaking foreign language ] >>> and fou to msnbc's gabe gutierrez in mexico city with more for us. >> reporter: overnight, the most wanted druglord in the world, and once among the most richest and powerful men on earth was paraded in front of cameras in handcu handcuffs. joaquin guzman captured in a e predawn raid. the mexico attorney g

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>>> coming up on "weekends with alex witt." middle east and a little past 12:00 in the all-important state of iowa. any moment now hillary clinton will hold an event on gun control in ames, iowa. joining her will be former congresswoman gabby giffords and her husband mark kelly. bernie sanders wrapped up an event in iowa, and he had this message for caucus goers. >> the only way we transform america is by having the courage to take on wall street. >> here's what a couple of candidates told their supporters earlier. >> i don't mind people being entertained. i invite you to be entertained. that's a good thing to be entertained, but we are not electing the entertainer in chief. >> you're not going to win by insulting the disabled. you're not going to win by insulting women. you're not going to win by saying p.o.w.'s were losers because they got caught. shame on donald trump. >> the only way we can keep hillary clinton or bernie sanders out of the white house is if we can unite this party and this conservative movement. when i'm ou

with alex witt.s what's happening, countdown to iowa. a final weekend flurry of candidates criss-crossing the hawk istate making a final appeal to voters and lash out at rivals. between now and monday night, think hard, because the stakes are high. >> you judge a great nation not by the number of millionaires and billionaires it has. you judge a great nation by how it treats the weakest and most vulnerable people in the

i'm alex witt live in new york at msnbc world headquarters. big developments, include'ing a new and dramatic rise in some snow totals. new york is getting back to normal. travel bans in and around the city have been lifted. most mass transsit expected to resume later today. millions of people across the northeast are digging out. in central park, 26.8 inches of snow fell. that's just 0.1 shy of the previous record. the storm hit coastal new england before heading out to sea. snow totals in connecticut hit 16 inches. boston, which was clobbered by snow has just six inches of snow as of midnight. that storm left at least 20 people dead. and the nation's capital remains paralyzed. more than two feet of snow fell there. mayor muriel blowzer said schools will be closed tomorrow. the metro remains closed today. a decision on monday's service will be made later this afternoon. >>> the snow may have stopped falling but that's not the end of the water problems for engine. icy waters have flooded coastal towns forcing residents out of their homes and sp

. >>> "weekends with alex witt" starts right now. >> good morning, everyone.day out on the campaign trail. top two gop rivals will be battling it out again today as new conflict escalates among republicans. >>> four democrats just one more day before a critical debate. a live report on how the clinton/sanders race is getting more heated. >>> and the stock market is making history. will wall street rebound in the coming week? some answers ahead. >>> going public for first time today. a new member of the national zoo family. we'll have his coming out party.

. >>> "weekends with alex witt" starts right now. >> welcome to "weekends with alex witt."at lies ahead for the drug lord known as el chapo? >>> and ambushed. surveillance video released of a gunman opening fire on a police officer. the suspect pledged allegiance to isis. >>> the voters have a way of administering a spanking. >> tough talk from ted cruz while donald trump kicks more protesters out of a rally, this while we talk about one of the biggest problems in america

with alex witt. ayman mohyeldin. >>> republicans in their weekly address striking a familiar theme. >> as congress returns next week in one of our first acts of the new year, the house will vote on a bill that would eliminate key parts of obamacare. if this bill becomes law, patients will bea able to choos a health insurance plan that works for them. our bill eliminates the core of obamacare. it repeals the individual mandate. if this bill becomes law you won't have to buy insurance or face a law. it will be your choice. >> joining me is matt lewis, author of the upcoming book kwd too dumb to fail." >> this will be the 6 2nd time the house has voted to repeal the affordable care act. would you choose this route if you were advising the house gop? >> i don't know if it's smart politics or not but it's not going to happen. sometimes politicians have to do things for symbolic reasons or to keep their base happy. we know that's premiums for a lot of americans will go up 7.5%. and, you know, that's going

i'm alex witt here in new york city.luding a new and dramatic rise in some snow totals. let's bring you the very latest right here now. in new york city a dramatic change in the forecast. the city could see up to 2 1/2 feet of snow, and that may come as a surprise to some of you just waking up

. >>> welcome back to "weekends with alex witt."having donald trump would mean for the diversity in the republican party? >> a lot are alarmed by having donald trump as a nominee. i'm one who says we need a bigger, bolder, better party. that means a more diverse party. i think donald trump will make us sort of the lily white party, which is not going to win any elections, frankly. and i worry about him scaring people away based on ethnic general tis, which i don't think are good for our party or good for the country. >> let's bring in my colleague, melissa harris-perry from des moines right now. what do you think of rand paul's remarks? >> well, so, i think that mr. paul is doing two things. one, i think he's identifying a challenge, a concern that's been articulated by many people about the troubling discourse that has emerged from the trump campaign. and that is -- it's actually now several weeks old. i mean, really most, you know, kind of -- in terms of when it was most salient was around the language about building a wall, aroun

welcome to our headquarters and "weekends with alex witt."snow totals could reach two feet. the governor of new york announced a traffic ban. the ban will take effect at 2:30 p.m. new york mayor bill de blasio just reiterated that nonessential travel on new york city roads is banned after 2:00 p.m., and all of the commuter trains will begin to shutdown at 4:00 p.m., and above-ground subways will also shutdown at h: 4:00 p.m., and bus service is already shutdown. and along the coast, the tide is bringing in flooding. new jersey governor chris christie has declared a state of emergency, and urged residents to stay put. the nation's capital is also at a standstill with heavy snow expected. wind gus at near 40 miles per hour, and are reducing visibility is to zero. the storm has been blamed for at least 10 deaths. air traffic has ground to a h t halt. more than 7,800 flights have been canceled today alone, and all flights canceled in washington, baltimore and philadelphia. we have reports are from luke russert in washington, and adam reece in new

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." i'm todd piro. alex is off today. the aftermath. a live report on what's next and what's left behind as waters recede in the nation's midsection. >>> on the loose, a gunman who opened fire at a bar in israel remains on the run. was this an act of terror? the latest from israel live. >>> gun control in his sights. president obama plans to take new steps that might make it tougher to purchase a firearm. we'll tell you what to expect. >>> and going for broke. new numbers on how much americans spent this season. it could come down to one key factor.

up next, "weekends with alex witt" with live reports from the eastern united states as towns and cities snow. >>> with eight days until the iowa caucuses, alex will also speak with represent tfs from the campaigns of donald cruz, ted cruz and bernie sanders. stay with us, folks. s way into , s way into , i hear you. to everyone with this pain that makes ordinary tasks extraordinarily painful, i hear you. make sure your doctor hears you too! i hear you because i was there when my dad suffered with diabetic nerve pain. if you have diabetes and burning, shooting pain in your feet or hands, don't suffer in silence! step on up and ask your doctor about diabetic nerve pain. tell 'em cedric sent you. ...to cook healthy meals... yet up to 90% fall short in getting key nutrients from food alone. let's do more... ...add one a day men's 50+. complete with key nutrients we may need. plus it helps support healthy blood pressure with vitamin d and magnesium. i built my business with passion. but i keep it growing by making every dollar count. that's why i have the spark cash card from capital one. i

. >>> hi, everyone, it is noon in the east, and 9:00 in the west, and ready for "weekends with alex wittff, and i'm francis rivera. >>> a gunman at a a bar who opened fire is on the run. was this an act of terrorism? we will have the latest from overseas. >>> and now the aftermath of the flooding, and what is left behind in the water thes of the nation's midsection. >>> it is a reality that an al qaeda recruitment video showing presidential candidate donald trump and a statement

don't go anywhere because "weekends with alex witt" is up now. wa, what campaigns can do to keep them from being just noise and other breaking news, so stay tuned. ♪ listen up! i'm here to get the lady of the house back on her feet. and give her the strength and energy to stay healthy. who's with me?! yay! the complete balanced nutrition of great tasting ensure. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. ensure. take life in! on the floor! everybody down! hey, do something!e floor! oh, i'm not a security guard. i'm a security monitor. i only notify people if there's a robbery. there's a robbery! why monitor a problem if you don't fix it? that's why lifelock does more than free credit monitoring to protect you from identity theft. we not only use proprietary technology to detect and alert you to a range of identity threats, if you have a problem, we have a u.s. based team of specialists who'll work to fix it. we'll even spend up to a million dollars on lawyers and experts to set things right. considering how often you use public wi-fi, s

time for a preview of "weekends with alex witt." ahead. >>> tired of ever -- three weeks to go before iowa, new numbers on the race between bernie sanders and hillary clinton. >>> historic cold. the soul-crushing temperatures in store for the wild card game between the seahawks and vikings. don't go anywhere. we'll be right back. ♪ don't just eat. mangia! bertolli. choose, choose, choose. but at bedtime? ...why settle for this? enter sleep number, and the lowest prices of the season. sleepiq technology tells you how well you slept and what adjustments you can make. you like the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow! only at a sleep number store... find the lowest prices of the season, going on now. save $600 on the #1 rated i8 bed. know better sleep with sleep number. could protect you from diabetes? what if one sit-up could prevent heart disease? one. wishful thinking, right? but there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease. pneumococcal pneumonia. if you are 50 or older

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." breaking news on the iran deal.oners released from iran. president obama just a few moments ago detailing the advances made in the implementation of the iran nuclear deal and the release of the u.s. citizens held in iran. >> this is a good day because once again we're seeing what's possible with strong american diplomacy. for decades, our differences

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." here's what's happening.

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." breaking news on the iran deal. the fate of those american prisoners released from iran. president obama just a few moments ago detailing the advances made in the implementation of the iran nuclear deal and the release of the u.s. citizens held in iran. >> this is a good day because once again we're seeing what's possible with strong american diplomacy. for decades, our differences with iran met our governments almost never spoke to each other. ultimately, that did not advance america's interests. over the years, iran moved closer and closer to having the ability to build a nuclear weapon. the united states has never been afraid to pursue diplomacy with our adversaries. as president i decided a strong, confident america could advance our national security by engaging directly with the iranian government. today i can report progress on a number of fronts. first, yesterday marked a milestone in preventing iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. iran has fulfilled key commitments under the new clear deal. this brings me

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now it is time for a preview for "weekends with alex witt" and richard lui is standing in. >>> yes, wes while gunning down a police officer in philadelphia. >>> and we will talk about lead in water in flint. we will talk to congressman dan kill di. >>> and what fueled the obsession with this appliance at the chicago consumer electronics show. we will be right back. ♪ why fit in when you were born to stand out. the 2016 nissan altima has arrived. ♪ (vo) what'scorn? dog food's first ingredient? wheat? in purina one true instinct grain free, real chicken is always #1. no corn, wheat or soy. support your active dog's whole body health with purina one. >>> and ad

in the west, and welcome to "weekends with alex wit witt."aking news from iran, and u.s. officials are reporting that four dual nationality prisoners have been released in a prisoner swap. the u.s. is going to pardon or drop charges against seven iranians, and iran is releasing a fifth detained american though un unrelated to the prisoner swap. one of those reportedly freed is washington post report jason rezaian who has been held since july 2014 and convicted of espionage just last october. this news is coming as iran's foreign minister concluded a meeting in vienna with john kerry and other european officials. and it is expected to be announced that some sanctions against iran will be lifted as the nuclear deal is implemented. and now, we will go to the ron allen at the white house, and richard engel who is joining us by phone in vienna and also ali rouni who is in iran. what can you tell us? >> well, the reporters are testing out the lights and the microphones, which is why i am speaking in a hushed voice than i spoke to you before. we are