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

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

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.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

we'll look at why john mccain says carter can forget about changing anything. ♪ hi.'m new ensure active clear protein drink. >>clear huh? i'm not juice or fancy water. i've got 8 grams of protein. new ensure active clear protein. 8 grams protein. zero fat. ensure. take life in. out for a bike ride. i didn't think i'd have a heart attack. but i did. i'm mike, and i'm very much alive. now my doctor recommends a bayer aspirin regimen to help prevent another heart attack. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. with contour detect technology that flexes in 8 directions for the perfect shave at any angle. go to philips.com/new for savings on shavers and trimmers. innovation and you. philips norelco. >>> time for a quick check of the headlines. president obama is back in the white house now after seeking medical care for a sore throat. the president's official doctor releasing a statement on the commander in chief's trip to walter reed medical center just moments ago saying he is suffering from acid reflux. the medical exam comes after the presi

malcolm, you and carter, this is carter. you were carter's mentor. this competition? >> he hasn't. but that's the point. i needed carter to stay exactly the same because that's what we wanted. >> jimmy: i like that a lot. [ cheers and applause ] ali, you mentored nadir. do you think nadir has what it takes to have what it takes? >> i have no idea what you just said. but yes, yes. >> jimmy: very good. i mentored nick, aka swaggy t. i feel like you came a long way since the beginning of this competition, yes? >> yes, sir. >> jimmy: you did. from san diego, like, 100 miles away. >> yes, sir. >> jimmy: finally, chilli, you were maria's mentor, but she did not show up. were you surprised? >> you know, after mentoring her, i think she realized she had too much of it. >> jimmy: too much of it? >> yes. >> jimmy: and she withheld it from us here tonight. >> exactly. >> jimmy: all right, well, let's get to the moment we've all been waiting for. but first -- let's look at the three super finalists in their very first commercial for chevy. >> we've asked some pe

more on ashton carter. ending up in power politics. >>> president obama announced his choice to be the next nation's defense secretary. nominating ashton carter for the top job at the pentagon. carter is no stranger to the defense department. serving in several positions in the clinton and obama administrations. he was deputy secretary of defense of. >> he has been a close party with military leaders and is admired by civilian leaders because he's a mentor to so many of them. >> carter must be confirmed which the u.s. senate. likely to happen next year. his nomination is supported. let's dive into the nominee and what he may days. lawrence korve joins us, a senior fellow and former assistant secretary of defense. good to see you, larry. >> nice to be here. >> pleasure, good to see you again. is carter, as the president suggests, and you have insights on this. respected by politicians and career military at the pentagon. >> they appreciate the fact that he understands how it works. the politicians, the democ

carter eventually left for a job in the private sector. we caught up with the current superintendent of abington schools. she told us just how thrilled the community is for carter. >> some of our graduates go onto do wonderful things in this world. and ashton carter is another individual of that nature. so he is a great roll maid he will for the kids, real inspiration for abington school district. i hope he gets the appointment. >> and we're going back now to 1972, ashton carter's year book photo from abington high school. we also have the proof that he was a speaker at commencement, the school says, he was always very good student and is excellent role model. we are hearing reports that carter moved up on obama short list for the position after several contenders withdrew from consideration. >> a lack of clarity in obama's policy-making, also, it is not considered a desirable post for people with quote broader political ambitions, as obama finishes up his term in office. chris, kerry. >> we shall see. >> yes, as they say. all right, jen,

carter? >> well, the pure play, of course, is itb, but they are correlated about 95% xhb, 35 stocks here and equal weight xhb. no more stock in 3%. housing and carpets and whirpool and mattresses. aggregate looks like it's going higher and the key is it's going nowhere, up 1% on the year and over 18 months s&p up 30. >> a lot of people asking when is housing going to catch up and if the overall economy continues to gain steam in '15 that's going to be it? >> it is a place where you could see people make bullish bets. valuations on home builders themselves are actually approaching -- they are not that far off the all-time highs and names like restoration hardware, might not be the name that you think about with the home builder. really carter is making the important point, make an important point on home builders xhb is correlated to those names so it's an easy way to make the bullish bets. >> got a question and send us a tweet to @optionsaction and check out our website, optionsaction.nbc.com

, 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:

and ashton carter of his game.irst, the republicans combine their forces and unleashed a resoundingly forceful -- strongly worded letter. the truth is, there is nothing they can do. >> this is a serious breach of our constitution. it is a serious threat to our system of government. frankly, we have limited options and limited abilities to deal with it directly. >> ok, mark. huffing and puffing, but what is the actual play for republicans? >> this is a good day for john boehner and mitch mcconnell. they want to be a governing party. they don't want to shut the government down. they got a lot, which today -- accomplished today. they have to come into january with a strategy to counter the state of the union. >> here is the worst thing they could do. the worst thing they could do is shut down the government. all the crazy talk about shutting down the government and impeaching the president has passed. anything that is not that is good. the symbolic measure, if that makes the base feel better, that's all good. but they

carter's nomination. for any additional questions about the secretary's casual, i would refer you to the department of defense. >> was the president disappointed he did not come? >> i think he understood the sentiments that were made by the secretary of defense. he certainly appreciated those comments from secretary hagel about mr. carter's nomination. >> did mr. hagel give him advance notice that he would not be coming? >> that is how he knew, yes. >> so we should not see this as a snub of any kind? >> i don't think that secretary hagel intended it that way. it is evident that he is a strong supporter of the president decision to nominate mr. carter to this role. >> given it was announced that hagel would be attending ahead of time, clearly the white house wanted him to be there? >> no doubt about it. >> the change that happened late then -- was that a surprise to the president? >> i would not characterize it as a surprise, but a decision made by secretary hagel. he was very clear in his statement that h

obama made the announcement alongside carter at the white house news conference.ill needs approval from that senate. >>> investigations are underway in india after 15 patients say they were blinded after what should have been routine cataract surgery. at least 15 patients say they now cannot see at all. india's medical infrastructure is under scrutiny after 50 women died last night. >> they took us inside for the operation after midnight. i don't know what the doctor did. he is picked my eye in such a way that i knew i immediately lost any eyesight. >>> tens of thousands of people in the philippines are leaving their home for fore stable shelter ahead of a powerful typhoon that will it is the area on saturday. there are concerns it could graze the capitol manila. >>> tens of thousands of people in the philippines are being shifted away from the path of that powerful typhoon. it is forecast to hit the east and northern parts of the island nation. it has been traveling at speeds of up 230 kilometers an hour. >>> serbian and bosnian investigators have arrested 15 sus

. >> right, carter. this is a bet on higher rates, yeah? >> that's right. there's also a technical circumstance that's come and gone in the sense that the s&p 500 utility sector has well-defined tops in effect for about 15 years and the breakout is now, if you will, taken place. so fading it here as dan's talking about makes a lot of sense. >> mike? what do you think? >> you know, this is one of the situations where we've seen a lot of spaces in the equity market, where we've really seen things continue to rally, even well past their historical valuations. that's true for a lot of the components in xlu. it's kind of hard to pick a top in it. but certainly to me, with things trading at slightly above average multiples, it makes a lot of sense to sit there and say, okay, we're going to hedge or maybe make a bearish bet speculating that the prospect of higher rates could drive utilities lower. >> dan, if that is the case, how do you trade it? >> here's the thing, it's not just higher rates. when you think about it, this latest leg in the sector, also, obviousl

president obama taps ashton carter. will ask john mccain set to become the next chairman of the senate arms services committee why defense secretaries never stay very long in this administration. how high can the stock market climb? will thereabout a sell off in 2015. a pioneer in the hedge fund industry is ahead. it's happening, gasoline prices have fallen below $2 a gallon in at least one major city. what's been a boon to our wallet kos be a stop to high paying jobs. our panel takes on the pros and cons of plus meting oil prices as we look ahead on "sunday morning futures." >>> well last week just as president obama was announcing the nomination of ashton carter as his next defense secretary, i had the opportunity to speak with senator john mccain. we'll get to my exclusive interview with the senator in a moment but first who sashton carter? fox news senior correspondent joining us with us that angle. good morning to you, eric. >> good morning. forget facing vladimir putin or the iranians. the real challenge for ashto

>> 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 credentials but is wonderi

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

must mean we're going to carter on the telestrator. carter? >> so, here we go. something that has lagged and we think that's the opportunity. let's look at charts and try to figure out it together. year to date, we know s&p and of course, a very important part of the economy. housing starts have made a part of the progress. in fact, take a look at the same chart going over the last year and a half. basically, nothing's happened. we've been stalled even as stocks have gone higher and higher. so, we think that's the opportunity. take a look at this set up. you have a well defined range here and this is key. you have lows at 28. and you have highs at 34. when you break out range, what's called a measured move, that's a $6 range. you add $6 on to the top. 6 on to 34. you get 40. well, if you break out here, you go exactly to 40, which is the '07 high for the s&p. you can draw the lines this way as a pop and handle. but either way, we think 40's a good bet based on charts, based on the break outbased on here and now and we like it here and now. >> you want to give me

joining us by telephone is former president jimmy carter. give us the reaction to the news about cuba. >> some of the best news i've had in years. long overdue. it's going to be good for the people of the united states and also for the people of cuba. i'm very proud of president obama for having made such a wise and courageous decision. is as expected, he'll have a lot of opposition from right wing committee people who won't see anything good in what he does. but these are some of the longs overdue things i've espoused. since i was in office many years ago, i tried very much to have the same thing happen and we did establish intersections in both havana and also washington, and the last time i was in cuba, i found about over 300 people there working in what would be the u.s. embassy. now and can be now the u.s. embassy. and also lifted all the restraints on travel when i was president but it was reinserted. so this is a wonderful achievement and it's the kind of exercise of presidential authority in recognizing another government over which

. >>> well, sources tell cbs news tonight that ashton carter, a former defense department, deputy is leading candidate to replace chuck hagel as defense secretary. he is a native of abington, montgomery county. our pat ciarrocchi has more on his background. >> asian pacific reballies a priority. >> reporter: ashton carter has had a presence at the pentagon as top deputy to two defense secretaries. he is a top graduate at abington senior high school. >> here's a person who was an excellent student. >> reporter: walk through front door and you can find ashton carter's name the plaque, a 1972 graduate induct in the district hall of fame in 1989. doctor amy is abington's superintendent. >> when i found the the 1927 graduation program he was one of the five class speakers which is an accomplishment. >> reporter: tight of that speech fear and society. at 60, carter has extensive experience in the national security arena, in technology, and weapons spying, and before his two year terms as deputy defense secretary, in the obama administration. accomplished but the white house is holding off

carter worked for the previous three as a high ranking deputy. and eight others as well. 11 secretaries of defense in all. so he's made friends along the way. and his confirmation does not seem to be in peril. >> ashley is also known by our allies and our friends around the world. having served both republican and democratic secretaries. he's respected and trusted on both sides of the aisle. he's been a close partner with our military leaders. and he's admired by civilian leaders across the department because he's a mentor to so many of them. gwen: is what happens next the real challenge? 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 contrac

ashton carter. d.c., how will he fit into the president's inner circle in a way chuck hagel did not? >> a great question. this would be the sixth person to fill this position in, during the president's term. so six people. but the consensus here in washington is that ashton carter would be an excellent choice for this pick. pease someone with a lot of experience. the number two at the agency, or the department, and, you know, widespread bipartisan support i'm hearing on capitol hill. really folks on both sides of the aisle coming to defend him, including senator john mccain and the republican camp. so i would expect smooth sailing for his confirmation if he is nominated officially. >> and we are a week away now from the government running out of money leading to a possible government shutdown. >> a second shutdown. >> you agree, seems to be less of a focus on this one compared to past shutdown threats. really, how close are we to that really happening? >> i think there will not be a government shutd

when jimmy carter picked him for vice president, mondale sent carter a letter or memo saying what carter needed for a vice president and what mondale could provide for him. it was a very persuasive letter and it got him the job. >> okay. so the vice president that you didn't know, which one was your favorite? >> i always liked thomas marshall because he was -- summit he put up with an awful lot of baloney. when wilson was very sure is what bill, the things he admitted in the sick room, and he wasn't even aware of how sick wilson was, but he was a very good american. he didn't declare wilson disabled and take over the presidency. so he suffered in silence, but wound up being a very, very loyal vice president. >> who do you think was the least effective? >> the what? >> the least effective vice president. >> well, i think not just the least effective of the worst vice president was obviously spiro agnew. he was convicted of bribery. it affected -- [inaudible] and even collected money from contractors, contractors he had paid them off while he was still vice president. it was a terrible sta

carter brings to the table? >> krystal, officials here are looking forward to having ashton carter come back here to the pentagon. the president said today that he expects ashton carter will hit the ground running. by the time that he's confirmed by the senate, and that's pretty much an understatement. after all, he left the defense department as deputy secretary of defense only a year ago. there's not much catching up. he has -- he knows pretty much everything about how this place runs, about the budget process, about the military he runs because that was his job. he was pretty much general manager of the pentagon and the military. so, there won't be a steep learning curve. as president obama said, he'll hit the ground running. i take a little exception with the idea there was a contentious relationship between hagel and president obama. it wasn't that, necessarily. it was that the white house simply lost confidence in hagel to not only grap but articulate the kind of policies that the obama administration, par

republicans will control the senate that considers carter's nomination.ay, they generally praised his qualifications, but arizona senator john mccain warned he, too, may have limited sway at the white house. >> woodruff: we explore all this now with, retired brigadier general david mcginnis, he was a senior defense department official during president obama's first term. and, david rothkopf, c.e.o. and editor of "foreign policy." he has a new book, "national insecurity: american leadership in an age of fear." we welcome you both to the program. >> thank you. >> woodruff: david rothkopf, let me start with you, what do you make of ash carter to be the secretary of defense? >> he's a smart guy, he's very decisive, he will be candid with the president. he has a lot of experience. he's brilliant. but he's just one man. leon panetta, bob gates were excellent choices also for secretary of defense and as you noted in the piece at the beginning, they've had real problems in the white house. there haven't been changes in the white house so i'm not sure why we expec

carter graduated from abington high school in 1972.f confirmed he'll lead the pentagon for the final two years of the obama administration. reporter mark albert has details. >> reporter: president obama says ashton carter is the right man at the right time to take charge of the pentagon. >> he knows the department of defense inside and out. which all of can which means that on day one he's going to hit the ground running. >> reporter: carter served as the deputy defense secretary from 2011 until 2013 he says that experience has prepared him for this new challenge. >> if confirmed in this job, i pledge to you my most candid strategic advice. >> reporter: secretary chuck hagel resigned just before thanksgiving after a face to face meet wind gust president obama. thursday he denied allegations he was forced out. >> just two of us in the room during these discussions. we both came to the conclusion that i think the country was best served with new leadship. >> reporter: ashton carter was not the only person considered to replace hagel. sev

carter is a former deputy defense secretary.day president obama hailed carter as a national security leader who knows the pentagon inside and out. carter promised the president he would tell it like it is while keeping his faith in the men and women in uniform. >> i pledge to you my most candid, strategic advice. i pledge also that you will receive equally candid military advice. >> carter will face new threats like the war against isis and he'll do so under pressure to reduce and reform pentagon spending. here's a closer look at ashton carter's resume. he's from philadelphia, an abington high school alum. he has degrees from yale and oxford universities. he served as deputy defense secretary from 2011 to last year. before that, carter was the pentagon weapon and technology undersecretary. >>> now your nbc 10 first alert weather with chief meteorologist glenn "hurricane" schwartz. >> by tomorrow we'll have rain four out of five days. yesterday was the only day that was dry. we have a rainy night and rainy day ahead forb of the t

in 2007, carter wrote about the challenges working there. public service at senior levels in washington is a little bit like being a christian in the coliseum. you never know when they are going to release the lions and have you torn apart for the amusement of onlookers. what do you think about ashton carter being nominated for this position? >> he's well respected both sides of the aisle. you have comments from democrats and republicans. senator mccain praising ashton carter's work and also saying he hopes he understands this white house has a tight circle and control on the pentagon. you look at the books of leon panetta and robert gates, they've all complained about this really heavy hand of the white house inner circle on pentagon policy. ashton carter, listen, i covered the pentagon for six years. he knows how that place works. he knows the 19 1/2 miles of corridor, he knows how to get things done inside that building. that's a big deal and probably a plus for this administration. >> having served under 11 defense secretaries, hopefully

president barack obama has nominated ashton carter as his next secretary of defense.is never served in the military and is widely viewed as a technocat. >> his record has spanned more than 30 years as a public servant and regarded as one of our foremost national leaders. he was at the table in the situation room, and by my side navigating complex security challenges that we were confronting. i relied on his expertise and judgment. >>> if he is approved he will be obama's fourth defense secretary. patty culhane takes a closer look at his background now. >> reporter: the outgoing secretary of defense was basically fired. the white house didn't really try to hide it, despite this awkward hug. the prior advertise for the position have changed, they say. the islamic state of iraq and the levant is now the focus. >> as we consider the next remaining two years of the president's term in office, another secretary might be better suited to meet those challenges. so they are replacing hagel with ashton carter, a man who never served in the military. hagel down played his remova

nominating ashton carter to be the next secretary of defense. welcome to the second hour of "happening now". i am jon scott. >> and i am heather in for jennalily. president obama said the now defense chief has to hit the ground running. he has to manage the war against isis in iraq and syria and turmoil in ukraine and all of the provocative moves by russian president putin. and newly aggressive china flexing its muscle in the pacific and here at home a bureaucracy that is facing man dated budget cuts. ed henry is live in the briefing room. where does he start in his predecessor has been frustrated by the white house. they are trying to run defense policy. and the question the folks are asking is it going to be different? >> reporter: you are right, heather, predecessor chuck hagel was frozen out with the one-on-one meeting with president obama. he felt like susan rice and others he was clashing with over policy and style and interesting that chuck hagel did not show up for this. we are told that chuck hagel made sure ashton carter was in the spo

judge carter

carter? >> go to starbucks, buy a latte and stocks. >> delicious. dan?> ge dogs of the dow, long calls. >> look at override like what dan recommended. >> our time expired. see you here next week at 5:30. in the meantime, "mad money" starts right now. >> announcer: the following is a paid presentation for the nutribullet brought to you by nutribullet llc. special tv offer. stay tuned to find out how you can get the nutribullet superfood nutrition extractor free! that's right. get the complete nutribullet system free! details just ahead. >> my muscle aches, my back aches really started to decrease significantly in one week. >> first night that i actually used the nutribullet, i actually slept really well. that was exciting. that was phenomenal. >> the bad cholesterol, which was 290, went down to 190.

carter, let's go to you. technically, it seems sort of insane to think we're down so sharply and then erased all the month's losses. >> almost a perpetual motion machine. but first, just something that you were talking about earlier. how hard it's been to outperform the market for active managers. these are the statistics that are the reasons why. here are two of the broadest indices in the world. the nasdaq composite, the russell 3000, all the s&p. the difference is what's so telling. the nasdaq composite at 14%. the average stock in that index up only 1.3%. that's very hard for an active manager to keep up with the bench when the portfolio to choose from individually is not keeping up. it's a function of super names. same thing business the russell. almost 11% versus average stock of this. that really has provided the backdrop for the problem of active management this year. in terms of the perpetual motion machine. soer so here it is. it's uninterrupted and again, a dip in a day-to-day what to expect is thi

ashton carter is a physicist. previously served in high-ranking pentagon postings under 11 defense secretaries. carter was born in philadelphia and graduated from abington high school. the president says now he knows the pentagon inside and out and will hit the ground running on his first day. >> if confirmed in this job, i pledge to you my most candid strategic advice. and i pledge also that you will receive equally candid military advice. >> carter's confirmation hearings won't likely begin until the new republican controlled senate takes over in january. >>> let's bring in chuck todd, moderator of "meet the press" now for his insight. he joins us live. good to see you as always, check. a good place to start here. what do you think about the president's pick? >> well, look, it's certainly a change in direction from chuck hagel. ash carter is frankly, somebody i think a lot of people were hoping the president would tap him when he didn't tap him and instead tapped chuck hagel. he has bipartisan support. he knows

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

one of the things president carter told us -- is that at the very end of the carter administration, carterffered astro -- castro a deal. the immigration crisis and in his second term, the carter administration sat down and there was no-- second term. carter said to us, one of the most poignant statements in the book, if he had to do it all over again, he would've normalize relationships and not the guest he would have a second term to do it. and now postponed it. >> reagan was very opposed? >> he was a different element when it came to u.s.-cuban relations. >> even though reagan began his administration are ready to invade cuba and had the support of his and visors, he ended up negotiating a series of agreements with the cuban government. to agreements on migration and negotiated around central even though the did not reach a positive conclusion. an end to the conflict in southern africa and it took eight years of negotiations, the cubans were finally brought and to the negotiations by the reagan administration, assistant secretary of africa, cubans proved to be constructive. , all ofng at

you see carter say wait a minute. carter is pulling a fast one on it. he hands carter a gift. he says it again. the same thing. and carter comes back from the line that he says i would like for you to see the polish americans in buffalo that the soviet union are not in there. and virtually every polish vote goes with inflation now, ford wanted to try something with the nra, the blue eagle. this is the literature that surrounds this. the memos that he was getting. do something that people feel they're participating because mr. president, the economy stinks and we don't know how to fix it. so let everybody believe we were happy. it was ill conceived. the big moment is when george harrison of the beatles goes to the white house. jack ford and poses with ford and billy preston who was like the fifth beatle and they're wearing buttons and ford is standing there going, i got to get away from that picture. both of those votes are foolish. you're right to bring them on. >> a couple of points that were raised. curious. one was in the newspaper page that you showed from i guess septembe

it's a bullish bet. >> 70 as well, carter? >> the bottom of the range. this is not about support by my work, but a fallow asset likely to come to life. >> a fallow asset. good way to put it. interesting because today we had a note as well, montgomery said by 2025, starbucks exceeds mcdonald's market catch. that's a big move. >> i put it in a long for life. >> buy it, set it, and forget it? >> don't chase it here, but if you're smart enough to buy at 70 because you didn't care what was going to happen in the next few weeks and thinking in years, this is a way to do it. >> choices between a name like st starbucks and mcdonalds, go with starbucks. >> you're skeptical of the fundamental thesis. if you go with what carter said, do you like it? >> the call spread makes sense. to define a range over a period of time that you think it gets to, that makes a lot of sense. >> got a question? tweet us @optionsaction, for everything else, check out our website at optionsactio optionsaction .cnbc.com. we have cutting edge tutorials, state of the art videos breaking do

ashton carter has a tough job.e has a white house claiming they are in the chain of command with undefined policies, reducing false narratives. they too come to grips with what the real challenges are. >> that is what i mean -- how will it be different with ashton carter? >> if you look at the time the chuck hagel was there, he certainly had opinions that were different than the white house. he was not as aggressive as i or others would want them to be. ashton carter has a known record on these issues. hopefully he will push the white house forward and work on the national security issues that are a real threat to us today. >> do you think he will have any problem being confirmed by the senate? >> i did not think so. he has had a stellar career. he has really had a number of people on important issues. of makingreat record the pentagon work. having been a number two, he will know how all of the people underneath him need to do their jobs and execute the to do list they are facing. >> it is a long to do list. i want

announced defense secretary chuck hagel will skip the ceremony announcing his predecessor ashton carter. president obama, of course, expected to announce that within minutes at the white house. i have to tell you, hagel was expected to attend. all reporters were given information late last night that he would be there. now the word is he will skip it. the official word is that hagel wants the day to all be about ash carter celebrating him, his nomination, his family but, look, there is no way around it. this is a last minute change in plan. secretary hagel several days ago pushed out of the job by the white house, a lot of controversy about he was with leaving. on both sides, did he push? did he jump? was the job too much for him? why did he move on?

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

but take the man you're about to meet named carter gates. it's not his height that's remarkable, it's his age. he's only 9 years old. already though he's fulfilling his college hoop dreams. his story tonight from nbc's harry smith. >> reporter: 9-year-old carter gates is one of those kids who always seems to have a smile on his face. and the guys who played basketball at colorado college will tell you he's got a lot of spunk. they know because he's on their team. >> the colorado college tigers select carter gates. [ applause ] >> reporter: team impact selects college teams from all over the country with children in their community who have life threatening or chronic diseases. once the connection was made, what happens is amazing. you get to sit on the bench? >> yeah. like out -- yeah. >> reporter: during the games? >> yeah. >> reporter: with the team? >> yeah. >> reporter: who gets to do that? >> me. >> reporter: the tigers have completely embraced carter. he's about halfway through a grueling three-year treatment regimen for leukemia. is i