defense secretary chuck hagel calls it an attempt to alter the status quo. barbara starr joins me now on the phone. how dangerous is this move by beijing? >> caller: good evening, martin. one measure of how dangerous it is, very unusual, rare public statements on a saturday night in washington from defense secretary chuck hagel and secretary of state, john kerry in geneva on those iran talks issuing a statement, very concerned about china's latest moves. this air exclusion is what they are talking about. basically, it's going to require the chinese any military aircraft flying through the area which is an international air space, by all accounts, to basically radio the chinese government, state their position, aircraft, what they are doing and where they are going, all of it. that is not going to work for the united states.

about the obama and because it's hanukkah about chuck hagel. >> you often do that. >> the united states responded to a unilateral chinese move to create an air defense zone over the japanese senkaku islands by sending two b-52 bombers other these islands unannounced, letting the chinese know these kind of provocative aggressive acts are not going unchecked. it strengthens our alliance with japan and shows there is substance to the pivot. good for the obama administration. >> fresh off the scandal with the irs and tea party groups, the irs and treasury are now proposing rules to curtail the activities of tax exempt political groups in campaigns. these groups somehow didn't sway the election last time for mitt romney. it's still trying to limit their right of free speech. >> all right, colin. >> paul, i have a hit to all the people who ate a little too much on thanksgiving. everyone's feeling guilty now. but as it turns out, studies

jobs of the president in febds they challenged his right but filibustering the confirmation of chuck hagel. to protect consumers by holding up his nominee for the protective bureau. for two full years. that nominee was finally confirmed in july. in october they challenged his right of blocking mel watt to head the federal housing finance committee. while it was to be the first member of congress to be denied confirmation since the civil war. and most recently, any judges between october 31st and november 18th. shot them all three of the president's nominees to d.c. court of appeals.

and now, the secretary of defense chuck hagel ordering the u.s. military pacific command to help with the search and rescue efforts there. hundreds are confirmed dead. the death toll expected to rise into the thousands. david piper following developments, streaming live from bangkok, thailand. david? >> reporter: hi, greg. yes. as was feared, the death toll is mounting in the philippines. filipino officials have said they fear that as many as 10,000 people may have died in just one area. now, typhoon haiyan struck the philippines friday. it tore through the central part of the country, leaving death and destruction in its wake. this is one of the worst storms to make landfall in recorded history. packing winds of nearly 200 miles per hour. as many as 4 million people have

>> and do you think it was the judicial appointments that broke the camel's back, not even the chuck hagel nomination, but it was actually not a personality or a policy, it was simply the

i think chuck hagel has been a close associate of president obama since their time in the senate. he served on the president's intelligence advisory board. i think there was a lot of discussion the first term about finding a place for chuck hagel in the president's cabinet. i think that discussion was naturally renewed when there was an opportunity to bring new people into the cabin in the second term. that is the president's friendship and respect for chuck hagel that drove the decision more than anything else. i'm not aware of any other factors in that. ,> if i could quickly follow-up does the posture of this administration in terms of demilitarization of foreign policy concern you at all? just to be clear on my own views, i'm not a big proponent of the militarization of u.s. foreign policy. i'm a proponent of having a strong military instrument to support our foreign-policy goals. r, becauseeriod of wa you have tens of thousands of americans in harms way on the ground, the voice of the department of defense in foreign-policy decision-making naturally becomes louder relative to

just ask secretary of defense and man who was crying just before you walked in, chuck hagel. >> when the supreme court issued its decision on the defense of marriage act this summer, the department of defense immediately began working on providing same benefits, same benefits to all eligible spouses, regardless of sexual orientation. we did it because everyone who serves our country in uniform, everyone in this country, should receive all the benefits they deserve and they've earned. >> stephen: folks, these benefits just encourage the destructive gay hook-up culture. meeting your spouse in some windowless back room to provide hot, sweaty dental coverage. thankfully, one brave state, oklahoma, is fighting to remain okla-hetero. its constitution already bans same-sex marriage. otherwise, oklahoma would be a gay mecca. think of all the things they have to offer the gays-- the musical... that's it. ( applause ) so oklahoma did the right thing and took away some rights. jim? >> the national guard has stopped processing same-sex couples benefits after getting an order from governor mary f

he did the same for chuck hagel, a republican to head the pentagon.e voted no against john kerry for the state department. i swear -- maybe i shouldn't say i swear. i think there's a good reason to believe if caroline kennedy's nomination had came to a vote in the senate, this character would have voted it down. >> he probably would have for some -- >> because that's how he votes. >> that's how he votes and for really odd reasons. you know, when senator reid gave his floor speech talking about why he was going for the nuclear option, he talked about a lot of the things you just mentioned. how chuck hagel's nomination was held up, how john kerry's nomination was held up and how the president needs to be able to pick his government and the government needs to function. and ted cruz is sort of exhibit "a" for why the democrats and why harry reid did what they had to do. >> so the question -- so the big question looms right now -- last question to you, josh. why is he saying he wants to return to the old rule? >> i think it's just posturing. you know, he

tonight, secretary of defense chuck hagel, just moments ago, actually, a few blocks from here, he hasn a rather remarkable and confrontational speech at a dinner for the anti-defamation league here in new york, calling out nine states that are defying the defense department and defying federal law in order to keep discriminating. texas, apparently, was the first state to announce that they were going to do this, but now it is nine states altogether and the secretary says that among these nine states, there are 114 army national guard and air national guard bases that are refusing equal treatment to military same-sex couples. and here is secretary of defense, chuck hagel, speaking just moments ago. >> when the supreme court issued its decision on the defense of marriage act this summer, the department of defense immediately began working on providing same benefits to all spouses regardless of sexual orientation. we did it because everyone who serves our country in uniform, everyone in this country, should receive all the benefits they deserve and they've earned and in accordance with t

defense secretary chuck hagel has been warning it's already dangerously strapped now. >> these are too deep, too abrupt. the hammer has had to cancel final training rotations for seven brigade combat teams. that's more than 15% of the entire force. air force units lost 25% of the annual training events that keep them qualified for their assigned missions. and marine corps units not going to afghanistan are getting 30% less funding just as the service is facing more demands. >> of course that's brought some republican hawks like senators john mccain and lindsey graham to the table. but there are other conservatives not playing along, and right now more is off the table in negotiations than is on. and though democrats insist new revenues should be part of a new agreement, republicans have been saying that's a nonstarter. >> what we can't afford to do is to keep all the loop hopes that are currently in place and lower the corporate tax rate. we would then blow another hole in the deficit that would have to be filled. >> if this becomes about raising taxes we e ear not going to get anywher

know, playing or tapping code, they should get a medal that is higher than the purple heart and chuck hagel is a veteran himself. so the point is that it is a means to talk about this, which they are doing and we have to respect the people who are experiencing mass. >> you get the last word because we are right up against the time. so it must be a brief last words so we have not unilaterally disarm the weapons to kind of begin this and it will mark a milestone in this range. so at the end of the day, in the same way that we came very close to a nuclear holocaust in 1963. .. thank you for coming. [applause] >>> two unarmed b-52 bombers flu over china sea without informing beijing on tuesday defying the declaration of a new air space defense zone in the region. they well, i knew that the department of deafen has commented on that specifically, which happened, i believe just earlier today. there was also reports, which this is all related. let me speak to these about the november 23rd announcement that china has established in east china sea air deafen identification zone. action appear to be

chuck hagel will talk about how essential it is to maintain readiness in the future.he time line is 2025. as they orientate away from the middle east to the pacific. the rise of china's military and the system they target u.s. air carriers in the pacific. it could be devastating in the conflict between the united states and china and this is the implications of that described today. attack a listen. >> the chinese have a anti- ship ballistic missile that threatens america's ability to project power. we can't do it with a shrinking defense budget we have. and if we don't change our course, we'll not be the dominant country in the western pacific in 2025. >> reporter: the shrinking defense budget is a concern. the coined of bomber platform that would be developed would be costly and going as highway as $1 trillion. it would be difficult for america to do that. and the sign of terrorism and chairman of joint chiefs of staff said it is a personal nightmare for him but listen. >> we defend the military network. and that doesn't us much good because dot mill domain is tied

. >> defense secretary chuck hagel has ordered the u-s-s george washington to the philippines to help with recovery from typhoon haiyan. the aircraft carrier has five - thousand sailors and more than 80- aircraft onboard. hagel is sending additional u-s navy ships to the philippines as well. and u-s marines are already in the philippines to help distribute the aid. officials are concerned the death toll could rise sharply due to outbreaks of disease and the lack of food and water. >> southern china is now bearing the brunt of what's left of super typhoon haiyan. at least eight people have been killed. china national radio says the storm caused up to seven-hundred million dollars in damage to the agricultural, forestry, poultry and fishing industries. haiyan was downgraded to a tropical storm after it made landfall in northern vietnam yesterday. the storm killed at least six people in vietnam. more than half-a million were evacuated to higher ground ahead of the storm. lineremember stay with kron- 4 for the latest on the typhoon relief effort. if you'd like to help -- you can find out

. >> jon: trey radel was partying with chuck hagel and elena kagan. were there any signs?> the congressman admitted his favorite vacation spot was cartagena, colombia. [ laughter ] >> jon: were there any signs? anything? anything that could have tipped us off that he was a cocaine user? anything you found? anything? >> radel who calls himself a hip-hop conservative. [ laughter ] >> jon: a hip-hop conservative -- that can't go together. they can't -- i'm a hip-hop conservative -- you can't be. i'm a smooth jazz anarchist. i'm a disco nazi. you can't -- it doesn't -- how are you a hip-hop conservative. >> he breaks down what he says is the conservative message behind public enemies fight the power. >> if you really get down to it in my ways reflects the conservative message of having a heavy handed federal government. >> jon: it has nothing to do with that. i guess flava flav is wear age debt clock. is that what that is? and too live crew is an ode to traditional marriage. i guess we can get his new book "i do not understand rap music. we're all human, we make mistakes the p

the secretary of state chuck hagel says the armed forces will adjust to tighter budget and reduced presenceoverseas. hagel envisions a more high-tech defense system and the u.s. will move away from a perpetual war footing. after months of trying to drum up support for new syrian peace talks be a impasse. the two size failed to agree to bringing a date to the negotiating table. meantime in syria the humanitarian situation is getting worse. al jazeera erica wood has more. >> more than 40% of syria's population relies on outside help to survive. the refugees inside of their own country, or seeking shelter elsewhere and the situation is getting worse. the union estimates that that figure will rise to half the population in need of aid by years' end. >> it's not one single event that has caused this. it's a gradual increase because the conflict continues to deteriorate day after day. hour-by-hour. >> the two and ha half years of civil war have left many sirrians without proper san takes facilities, sufficient food or water or access to medical help. of those that have fled to neighboring lebanon

i am also honored to be here with my successor at the pentagon, secretary of defense chuck hagel. he is a good friend and somebody who i think really has greatly served this country. [applause] chuck, one thing i have always been proud of is having a good sense of timing when to get the hell out of washington. [laughter] i have never in 50 years of public service seen so many people dedicated to screwing things up. [laughter] [applause] every time i look at what is happening there, i keep inking of a story -- i keep thinking of the story that a good friend once told. we were doing a summit. one of the first budget summits during the reagan administration, democrats and republicans sitting in a room. it was tough. all of the issues were on the table, entitlements, discretionary spending. it was not easy, but we stayed there. we had to stay in the room and not leave until we got a deal. every time we were close to a deal, someone would get out and walk out. i am sick and tired of this. this reminds me of a story of the three missionaries, the british, the french, and the italian miss

. >> secretary of defense chuck hagel came to new york late last month and he called out nine statesying orders from the u.s. department of defense. he called out those states where national guard facilities were refusing equal treatment to some married couples in the u.s. military and demanded those states get their "bleep" together, to some discriminating against service service members. he gave them a deadline, december 10th. with ten days until the deadline there are still some states holding out. the texas national guard for example appears to be flat out defying the direct order from the pentagon. texas is deliberately refusing to process any benefits or any housing allowances or any i.d. cards for service members who are in same-sex marriages. service members in those marriages are being told by texas that if they want the sort of housing allowance that other married couples get and that they're legally entitled to, they have to do it at a federal installation because a state installation will not help them. they are not welcome in texas state facilities. wow. and the lone sta

has been in contact with their japanese counterparts, chuck hagel in particular. it calls the chinese move destabilizing, and dell, it's important to recognize what is at steak here. with the united states and japan, dating back to world war ii, the united states have always depended on the japanese to demend the islands. the japanese call their own forces the self-defense forces. there is some 20, 25,000 troops based in japan. >> mike viqueira thank you very much. >>> that iranian nuclear deal is bringing new attention to some high profile prisoners in north korea. levinson who was 65 was detained during a business trip. a former marine has been held for more than a year. he is accused of being a cia spy. and an 85-year-old korean war vet was detained last month. authorities picked him up as he was about to leave that country on board a plane. and kenneth bae has been held since 2012. >>> protesters in bangkok say they want thailand's prime minister to step down. protests in thailands capitol now running for four straight days. veronica has more from bangkok. >>

. >>> new this morning and for the first time defense secretary chuck hagel is speaking publicly about something he says causes a division in the ranks. nine states are refusing to issue military i.d. cards to same-sex spouses of service members. that goes against a june supreme court ruling and pentagon policy. now secretary hagel says he's taking action to remedy the situation. >> everyone who serves our country in uniform, everyone in this country should receive all the benefits they deserve and they've earned, and in accordance with the law. everyone's rights must be protected. >> a senior defense official tells nbc news there are 114 national guard sites not complying with the policy. >>> the skies might soon be just a little bit friendlier after a decision from the faa affecting the millions of us that fly each year. passengers will now be able to use smart phones, tablets, and ereaders on board. that includes during takeoff and landing as long as everything is in airplane mode, but you still won't be able to use your phone to make calls or send text messages during flight. the f

democratic leader nancy pelosi, other distinct members of the congress, secretary chuck hagel, vice chairmanur defense leadership, colleagues, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. 237 years ago, the leaders of this great nation penned the magnificent words that would become in time both vision and conscious for a fledgling democracy. you have all heard them. we hold these truths self- evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. in the centuries since these often quoted words became the bedrock of our society, each generation has done its part to pass a strong and free america to the next generation. last month president obama awarded the medal of honor for gallantry above and beyond the call of duty. during six hours of intense combat, the captain did everything expected of leaders, and then more. keeping his ambushed unit fighting effectively, directing all available fire as he evacuated the wounded, and repeatedly risking his personal safety to retri

secretary of chuck hagel he said the following, u.s. must make a far better effort to see how the world sees us and we must listen more, we must listen more. when you hear the secretary of defense say that in the obama administration, suppose we listen to the government and the people of pakistan, what would they be saying about us? >> well, charlie, the narrative about the united states in pakistan is very contrived, in my book i show that the first time american demonstration was not after the first drone strike, it was in may 1948, the people of pakistan have never been told about america's support for pakistan they would not know that america has -- >> rose: well, i understand that because the united states, unless they didn't want to tell because they thought it was politically disadvantages you, i mean, you had a whole series of strong leaders who had a good relationship with the united states, i mean a bhutto, musharraf. >> zhia but none could convince the people of pakistan, public opinion is very anti-american. >> rose: you can

he named chuck hagel as the poster child, really, for cabinet nominees being blocked after all the first defense secretary to be filibusters and after all he was a republican. it bears in mind, -- at various times depending on if you are the minority side or the majority side, mitch mcconnell and harry reid, the minority and majority leaders have switched positions whether depending on whether they are controlling the senate or not, and as a matter of fact, president obama went he was in the senate and when he was in the minority, opposed filibuster rules. now, granted it has accelerated. granted he is at the other end of pennsylvania avenue. but certainly this is nothing new. what we are talking about today. 95 years ago, it is at least being sharply curtailed. >> mike, toss the ball to you to explain to the public what is the nuclear option? what brought us to this point? democrats have been frustrated because his nominees for judicial vacancies have been held up. they needed to get 60 votes in order to move them forward. not enough republicans joining them with the democrats, so harry

chuck hagel complained about project cuts to the defense budget at $1 trillion over the next decade. he said because of that commanders will need to rely more heavily on u.s. allies. hagel forecasted how the military will be restructured at a speech at the think tank in washington. he said americans have to accept the reality that not every unit will be at a maximum of readiness. >> this carries the risk that the president of the united states would have fewer options to fulfill our national security objectives. >> hagel said no other nation has the will, the power or the network to lead the international community. but he said sustaining that leadership will depend not only on the extent of its power but on an appreciation of its limits. he said americans need to adapt by building the capacity of their allies. >>> japanese automaker toyota is said to revise its operating profit. the new figure will bring it closer to the record high set before the global economic crisis. the automaker will revise its operating profit for the current fiscal year upward to $22.3 billion. it will be th

in february, they challenged his right to defend the country by blocking chuck hagel to head the pentagon. it was the first ever filibuster of a pentagon chief. they stopped his nominee for the consumer bureau for two years. that was confirmed in july. in october, they challenge his right to an economic agenda by blocking the nomination of mel watt. watt was the first sitting member of congress to be denied confirmation to any office since the civil war, and most recently, they challenged the president to appoint any judges. they shot down all three of the president's nominees to the d.c. court of appeals. the president and democrats are on the attack today. they invoked the nuclear option. but the bigger message behind the move is clear. democrats and this president have gone to war with their enemies finally. let's listen to the president. >> today's pattern of obstruction, it just isn't normal. it's not what our founders envisioned. a deliberate and determined effort to obstruct everything, no matter what the merits, just to refight the results of an election is not normal. and for the