chuck todd at the white house setting the table for tonight's speech. chuck, thanks. >>> members of our on air team are already assembled for tonight. that would include nbc's andrea mitchell and david gregory, moderator of "meet the press." david, given that grim backdrop, what's the republicans' kind of advance response to what we're going to hear tonight? >> they fired shots across the bough. if the president wants to go around the law and try to trample us, he's going to run into a brick wall. at the same time, the speaker says that republicans have got to become more of a party of better ideas, better solutions. they're thinking a lot about their game plan. still going to be a lot of health care. they still want to make a big push on health care. this is an election year after all. >> andrea mitchell, if you assume the state of the union is a wish list, let's consider the disconnect given what politics are between the president's wish list and what he will conceivably get. >> well, just look at what happened last year. by some counts, he had 41 acts

of this, let's talk about that with our political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd. chuck, all day long i heard folks this your line of work say if he got any of this wrong, any little bit untruthful, he's done. but let's say it all holds up, what kind of shape is his political career in right now tonight? >> well, it's certainly not in very good shape, but it is a survivable scandal, if it truly is a full-blown scandal like we assume it's going to be over the next year. but that is the problem he has now. let's assume all of what he says is true, 100% true. okay, that is fine, he will deal with the drip, drip, everybody is going to look at the -- forget the endorsements, the retributions for somebody that didn't endorse. what about people that did endorse. did they get special favors? it is not just the democrats having fun with this, oh, look, the republican party, the biggest threat that the republican party has to upending the democrats' dominance in the white house would be chris christie, it's other republicans who don't want to have to face chris christie in

you said this in 2014 chuck todd replacing david gregory at meet the press. of course, nbc recently signing david gregory to a new contract, not recently, but not that long ago. are you saying you wish chuck todd will get the job or you think that he might? >> i think "meet the press" is now at a 20-year low in terms of the demo. i think it constantly trail face the nation. with all the cuts that is being talked about in terms of washington, that show may be cut altogether is what i'm hearing. joe scarbourough, maybe take the senior white house correspondent chuck todd and put him in the place of david gregory. >> no way meet the press goes away. i agree. >> jay leno, who does his last "tonight show" next month, there's fog to be a cable show? >> i think given the past relationship with mark zuckerberg, i can see jay leno going to cnn. fox is going to have a say in that, fox tv, as well. who gets jay leno's services? >> all right. the fun about these predictions are maybe they're going to come true or maybe a year from now we play the tape. >> thank you. >>>

washington, it's monday, january 6, 2013, and this is the "daily rundown," i'm luke russert in for chuck todd. and there's a lot to get to, including liz cheney's decision to drop her bid for the u.s. senate in wyoming. we begin in iraq with scenes that will give war-weary americans to flashbacks a decade ago. there is new fighting in fallujah, ramadi, where al qaeda has seized control. more than 1,300 americans died in the province during the iraq war. most notably, during bloody battles in fallujah in 2004 and ramadi two years later. secretary of state john kerry says despite those sacrifice, the u.s. military will not return to iraq. >> this is a fight that belongs to the iraqis. that is exactly what the president and the world decided sometime ago when we left iraq. so we are not obviously contemplating returning. we're not contemplating puts boots on the ground. this is their fight. >> over weekend, senators john mccain and lindsey graham lashed out at president obama calling the situation predictable. in a joint statement, they said that after the u.s. withdrew from iraq in 2011, quote,

joining me now, political news director, chuck todd and mat katz for wnyc and new jersey public radio. welcome both. first to you, matt, the developments and of course the explanations, 108 minutes, what questions were not answered to your satisfaction? >> the biggest question lingering over the briefing room, why the governor had not spoken to the people involved since he found out what happened. he said he dismissed one of his closest advisers, bill stepien, and had not had a conversation with him though when he dismissed him from his role with the state party and republican governor's association. and a lot of reporters were questioning that and asked him again and again about that. why -- he said he wanted to get to the bottom of this and why then wouldn't he ask them what happened and why they ordered this traffic jam. >> chuck todd, let's talk about bill stepien, how big a role did he play in chris christie's political life? >> i mean, he was one of the main chief advisers. it's the equivalent of if the president to put it back in the first had to fire david axelrod or david plo

. >>> and let's start off with the politics with political editor chuck todd on the north lawn of the white house. chuck, so far tonight i heard james carville say that the governor should go to fort lee tomorrow morning and own this situation. i heard a congressman say that it looks like the governor put his constituents under a bus, only happening at a dicey time for him because he is about to take a post giving him more visibility. >> he is basically beginning the early stages of his presidential campaign, in days, brian as he takes over the head of the republican governor's association. but look at what has not happened tonight, is we have not heard from chris christie beyond a statement, this is not like him. this entire episode is doing two things for him, causing him major problems right now if he doesn't get out in front of this in a hurry. number one, it underlines a compelling part of his message that he is a bipartisan guy working across the aisle. well, that is not the act that happened here. they punished somebody across the aisle. secondly it enforces a negative stereoty

joining me this morning on the roundtable, chief white house correspondent chuck todd, the managing editor of the pbs news hour, judy woodruff, steve schmidt and economist donna edwards is here as well. welcome to all of you. happy new year to all. >> happy thu yenew year. >> the year of action is what president obama said it would be, so how does he take the president sit back? >> it starts with making sure obamacare works. i asked someone what their january would look like, and they ticked off a whole bunch of issues. they sort of left out health care completely, and i said, so what does health care look like? well, they said, as long as everything continues to get a little bit better, a little bit better, they think they can somehow ease things. ultimately, no matter what, they would like to be talking about anything other than health care. they prefer nsa reforms which is unpopular. >> they like this fight because they want credit for a good year, right? >> they do. the economy has gotten so much better over the course of the presidency, and the administration hasn't really been able t

our report tonight from our chief white house correspondent, chuck todd. >> reporter: legalization of marijuana in colorado and washington is sparking a national debate. >> people like me who is a regular everyday mom probably will give it a try. >> reporter: and now even the president has weighed in, telling the "new yorker" magazine, "i don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol." but the president is not exactly condoning its use, either. even though he's tried it. here's how he views it. "as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes i smoked as a young person, up through a big chunk of my adult life." but as a father, the president has his limits. "and i've told my daughters, i think it's a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy." but mr. obama's live and let live attitude is in stark contrast to past white house positions on the drug. >> what you talking about, mrs. reagan? >> reporter: in the '80s, nancy reagan appeared in a popular sitcom to boost her "just say no" campaign. >> i'm concerned about drug abuse, especially among the young. >> reporter:

chuck todd, "the daily rundown," straight ahead. have a great weekend.here are state of the state speeches. they've been happening all across the country this month. a look at what nine governors have said so far and what it tells us, actually, about the politics of 2014 and 2016. >>> also this morning, a preview of msnbc's exclusive interview with attorney general eric holder. ari melber will be here with what the top cop said about voting rights and a lot more. >>> and new developments in the ongoing federal investigation of senate foreign relations committee bob menendez. the new jersey senior senator misuse his powerful influence to help two ecuadorian brothers accused by that country of stealing millions before they fled for the united states? >>> good morning from washington.

chuck todd is freezing, right, outside?o be" is out in paperback. >> great. >> congratulations. >>> up next, the president prepares for state of the union as three republicans prepare to respond. but some brand new poll numbers are telling us ahead of the speech. keep it here. [ doctor ] and in a clinical trial versus lipitor, crestor got more high-risk patients' bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. way to go, crestor! yeah! getting to goal is a big deal, especially if you have high cholesterol plus any of these risk factors. because you could be at increased risk for plaque buildup in your arteries over time. so, when diet and exercise aren't enough to lower cholesterol, adding crestor can help. go, crestor! ♪ ♪ oh, yeah [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone, like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of app

david sanger, ginsburg, chuck todd, thank you all. >> sure. >>> we have some breaking news.received a statement from chris christie on those new allegations today and road closures. here is the statement, quote, what i've seen today for the first time is unacceptable. i'm outraged and deeply saddened to learn not only was i misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. this type of behavior is unacceptable. he says i will not tolerate because the people of new jersey deserve better. this is not representative of me or my administration in any way and people will be held responsible for their actions. again, that's a new statement out just now. we will be right back with more. [ dennis ] it's always the same dilemma -- who gets the allstate safe driving bonus check. rock beats scissors! [ chuckles ] wife beats rock. and with two checks a year, everyone wins. [ female announcer ] switch today and get two safe driving bonus checks a year for driving safely. only from allstate. call 866-906-8500 now. [ d

our report tonight from our chief white house correspondent, chuck todd. >> reporter: legalization of marijuana in colorado and washington is sparking a national debate. >> people like me who is a regular everyday mom probably will give it a try. >> reporter: and now even the president has weighed in, it telling the "new yorker" magazine, i don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol. but the president is not exactly condoning its use, either. even though he's tried it. here's how he views it. as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes i smoked as a young person, up through a big chunk of my adult life. but as a father, the president has his limits. and i've told my daughters, i think it's a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy. but mr. obama's live and let live attitude is in stark contrast to past white house positions on the drug. >> what you talking about, mrs. reagan? >> reporter: in the '80s, nancy reagan appeared in a popular sitcom to boost her "just say no" campaign. >> i'm concerned about drug abuse, especially among the young. >> reporter: la

charlie cook and chuck todd are weighing in. >>> sochi surprise as olympic torch arrived in the city of volgograd. a chilling video and warning of a new threat at the olympics next month. we'll have the latest from richard engel in moscow. >> russian security forces are searching for one woman in particular who's gone missing whom they worry could be involved in an attack on the games. >> no nukes and what officials are calling a major breakthrough, iran today lived up to its pledge halting the enrichment of high grade uran m uranium. we'll have a live report where the moves had an immediate impact with sanction relief. >>> the dream lives on. on this dr. dr. martin luther king day, 50 years after his i have a dream speech, i'll talk to congressman john lewis and alma powell on the new fight on voting rights and education. >> our opponents know, they know the single most dangerous thing to give us is the right to vote. they know what that is. >> good day, i'm andrea mitchell in washington. 17 days before the opening ceremonies, sochi is already in a security lockdown. u.s. and russia

do you agree with chuck todd, that assessment there? >> absolutely. i think a lot of people don't know who this guy is yet, even in republican circles. i have long said the very thing that could catapult in guy to the nomination is the very thing to sink his campaign, it's his personality. and as you know, craig, from living in south carolina, camden new jersey is not camden south carolina. to run that gauntlet early on he'll have to temper his comments. he's calling out the democrats and president and the media, we all rally to him and love it. but every once in a while, all too often, i would say, he focuses on republicans. when you're calling out rand paul by name already and megan mccain by name, that's going to be a problem. he's going to have to understand, let a few pitches go by and that's someone who worked for rick santorum. this guy needs to let a few bounce in the dirt before he makes a comment. >> that was a nice metaphor. christie's favorables in the garden state are still quite high. do you agree with one assessment that christie is doi

i'm in for chuck todd. we will bring you a new year's resolution for the passengers stranded in the antarctic and former first lady barbara bush who is hospitalized in texas. the winter storm that is expected to bring snow and bitter temperatures from iowa through new england. it started falling in chicago and the 600 flights were canceled with millions plunging into a deep freeze. bill joins us now with the storm forecast. what is the latest? >> new information from the models and everything looks on track. the snowfall totals and the biggest question marks remain in the philadelphia and new york city areas, but we will get hit in the area as we go into tomorrow. let me take you through the morning. all right about two to four inches from binghamton. look how cold and snowy. it's rare to get a snowstorm with 1 degree temperatures. it's happening today. boston about 20 and an inch on the ground. as far as the totals will go, a lot of this as fallen. missouri, illinois and indiana. pittsburgh's snow is comin

joining me now for our daily fix, chris cillizza, and chuck todd, nbc news chief white house correspondent and political director and host of "the daily run rundown." the president and his team clearly responding to the outrage, to the bad public relations and diplomatic outrage. how much have they really done today in this speech? >> i think if this is an important issue to you, you're not satisfied, perhaps if you're in the intelligence community side you are satisfied. he didn't get to his reforms. it took about halfway through the speech, spent 25 minutes defending these practices, 9/11, some of the left didn't like that when president bush used to do it. it was remarkable how much time he spent defending practices that were done. then the reforms today -- the most important reform that was done that is tangible is the fisa court reform, the fact there will be a public advocate in there. >> which the fisa judge said he does not like. >> that's a good thing. you should look at it -- you're supposed to be a little disruptive sometimes and it's supposed to be -- that operate looked like i

chuck todd is going to be down here along with mark halperin. much more on the investigations in new jersey coming up in this program. how far will all of this go as christie told big republican money men this weekend even he doesn't know when his troubles will end. that is probably the truest statement he has made. >>> plus, president obama says marijuana isn't any more dangerous than alcohol, or you could say it's as bad as alcohol. with more states moving to legalize it, we'll talk to two members of the kennedy family who know all about addiction. >>> and let me start with this, how this story out of hoboken promises to ignite a far wider investigation into the current politics of new jersey. and that is "hardball," the place for politics. >>> with just 18 days to go now until the winter olympics in sochi, russian police say they're on the lookout for as many as four black widows. they're female suspects that may be sent to the games to carry out terrorist attacks. police say one of the suspects may already be in the sochi area. police say sh

. >> i think success is having an ongoing, strong market, and i want to disagree with chuck todd. i am anxious to talk, and we are anxious to talk about what health care means. you know, for all the criticism, how about some focus on 6 million americans who now have coverage, 3 million young people who are on their parents' coverage because of obamacare, and today is the first week ever where women cannot be discriminated against on their health care just because they're women. it's the first time 129 million americans can't be discriminated against because of preexisting conditions. i'm proud of it and it's worth it for the people. >> gene sperling, thank you very much. jim cramer, continued success for the book. thank you all for being here. >>> up next, who is right about it? >> this is going to destroy the best health care system in the world. >> millions of americans, despite problems with the website, are not poised to be covered by quality health insurance. >> the insight of obamacare. i'll get insight from the mayo clinic and the cleveland clinic. >>> plus, the marijuana d

chuck todd, what a difference a year makes. awful incident in columbia. a year ago at the state of the union it was all about gun control. different story this year. >> it is. the key words the white house is trying to put out there is opportunity, a word borrowed from the clinton years. used to be an obsession particularly in the second term of bill clinton. but it's interesting. if "new york times" previewed the state of the union this morning and said this is a modest. they see it as their last state of the union that can have an impact. when you look at the next two, right, 2015 and 2016, we're going to be in the middle of a presidential campaign, everybody will be looking aid head ahea i. they believe this is the last state of the union to get something done. it is modest as far as what they'll ask congress to do, but they know this is maybe their last opportunity to have an impact. >> what do we think? how much persuasive power does he have left? >> i agree with chuck. this is the shot clock. this ithe last one. i think there's been a lot of quiet t

chuck todd is here. carolyn ryan is here.chael powell former head of the fcc, mike murphy and congress woman loretta sanchez. michael powell, a lot there with rand paul making it very clear that bill clinton is an issue in in hillary clinton's campaign should it happen. >> this is the week of talking about spouses, right? >> yeah. >> who knows what the specific issue is, but i do think spouses can play a role politically if you look at governor mcdonnell. these issues shouldn't matter. the country needs answers to critical problems including the economy and you know, the clintons certainly are an intergalactic force of fair and have a powerful people surrounding them. i don't think we should treat that machinery as invincible. in 2008, people were sure that was an unassailable machinery and it failed and i think it's important for her to not have an air of entitlement around her potential candidacy. >>> this is the cover story "the new york times." michael powell set it up. it's planet hillary. we'll put it up on the screen t

chuck todd, what a difference a year makes. this awful incident in columbia. a year ago at the state of the union it was all about gun control. it's going to be a different story this year, right? >> it is. the keyword the white house is trying to put out there is opportunity, a word borrowed from the clinton years. it used to be an obsession, particularly in the second term of bill clinton. it's interesting "the new york times" this morning previews the state of the union and says it's going to be a modest state of the union which is exactly what the white house fears people will view the state of the union as, this is a modest moment. they see it actually as their last state of the union that can have an impact. when you look at the next two, 2015 and 2016, we're going to be in the middle of a presidential campaign. everybody's going to be looking ahead. they know -- they believe that this state of the union is sort of their last one to get something done. it is modest as far as what they're going to ask congress to do, but they know this is maybe their last

>> this surprised me about chuck todd because, chuck, you're known as the guy who knows the inside rules. for you not to know the rules on how the golden globes decides what a comedy is absolutely shocking. >> wait, wait, wait. the wealth of wall street is a comedy? or is it a musical because you look at -- because when you say the "f" word 500 plus times it sounds like a musical? >> and people have a lot of, you know, actual -- yeah. i hear it's like porn. i haven't seen it. >> it allows them to nominate more films for best picture. >> the oscar already has 35 best picture nominees now, right? didn't they expand the category? >> the globes are not known for the flawless integrity of the process. >> are you say that the foreign media, lawrence -- >> i'm saying pia won one year for best actress. >> is all you're saying? >> it is kind of worse than new jersey politics. >> oh, wow! >> there you go. >> they are considered pretty straight now. they can tell they don't -- that it's not completely -- >> there were some legitimate wins last night. "breaking bad" come on. >> jacqueline bessette w

. >>> coming up on "morning joe," we will be talking to nbc political director chuck todd and later,versation with legendary music producer herb ashle albert. we had a great talk with him. up next top stories in the political playbook. >> north florida could get snow and they are freaking out down there. you have winter weather heading your way. first let me get you out the door. the areas of snow this morning be careful out towards buffalo and syracuse. snow squalls rolling through and also near pittsburgh. the brutal cold is back in the northern plains. a dangerous day. they cancelled school in a lot of areas. minus 37 in minneapolis and minus 19 chicago. and indianapolis just dropped to minus 18. a brutal day in the midwest heading for the great lakes but here is the big story. snow, sleet and freezing rain possible, houston, new orleans, mobile, montgomery, and look out in the carolinas into areas of georgia. you could get enough snow you're going to need the plows! how much snow are we talking about? looks like in this area about 1 to 3 inches but in areas of eastern north carol

ack to "hardball" that was chuck todd the chief white house correspondent and political director nbc news, chuck, i got a look at the book, i saw that paragraph, it never -- first of all, i put in there that hillary believed in the surge, but didn't support it because of political reasons, she's up against obama who was opposing the whole iraq war, it never says obama conceded that i was operating on the basis of politics, said, he vaguely conceded that opposition to the surge was political. well, i have no idea what those weasel words mean, those are weasel words. opposition, whose opposition. vaguely in what does that mean? vaguely conceded the opposition, never said anything about him, you're reading. >> well, if i've been doing a lot of, sort of background reporting and back and forth, and there's a couple things that have -- that come to light to me, just talking to some folks today, some folks close to gates, for instance, who have described the initial reporting. the initial accounts, specifically, bob woodward's account as sensationalized, that people close to gates are saying

i'm chris for chuck todd. we will get to the political news and house republicans's plan to start the votes on health care. we will talk to the labor secretary for american who is lot of unemployment benefits. we start with the brutal weather that dumped more than a foot of snow and plunged the northern half of the country into a deep freeze. authorities are telling people to stay inside, we have reporters braving the weather across the eastern seaboard. we will get the latest from boston and long island, new york. first, craig melvin starts us off from new york's central park. craig? >> good morning. greetings from central park. the adjective you used was brutal. that would be apt. the wind continues to howl here in central park. somewhere between 15 and 20. that is before the wind starts to blow. the temperatures are expected to stay low and get lower. this evening and into tonight. you mentioned the plows as well in new york city. the first area that gets plowed as not seen that many on the right end of the

>> hardened political reporter like chuck todd, who has seen everything, still scared by devil baby. m, anyway. benghazi versus the bridge. a new report fuels critics on the right with a talking point to try to tackle hillary clinton, but the perception problem for clinton is different than what's fin

i'm joined by chuck todd, nbc news political director and chief white house correspondent and host ofnbc's "daily rundown" and chuck, first of all to you, this poll, we've been talking about how negative it is and job rating is bad. there's really an overwhelming wrong direction feel, that wrong direction is what's driving a whole sense that this country is not improving. >> well, it is, there's a big picture here. we sit here and look at every poll. this is a decade, ten straight years where the right direction has not even creeped over 40% in this country. and over the last decade, there's been various reasons why the country has felt down on where we're headed as a country, whether it was the iraq war or recession, health care, political polarization, people can pick their reasons why but collectively, it's led to this decade long of melees, whatever you want to call it. it is now with the back drop for tonight for the president, it's a cynicism that is the hardest thing for him to overcome, where you get the sense reading this poll that the public is about ready to give up on wash

>> hardened political reporter like chuck todd, who has seen everything, still scared by devil baby. scared. >> mike barnicle, way too early. what time is it? >> normally time for chuck, and now a new one with chuck todd. >> my back. >> take it away. >> demon baby was in the green room, anyway. benghazi versus the bridge. a new report fuels critics on the right with a talking point to try to tackle hillary clinton, but the perception problem for clinton is different than what's facing chris christie. the new poll numbers will explain. >>> also, as president obama talks college costs with university leader, we'll hear from the education secretary himself, apartment tartie dunca they're making progress on the high price tags for college. >>> good morning. this is "daily rundown," and oscar nominee day. it's a punny day here, with the gravity of every political situation is taken very seriously. but we begin our first read with a look at her. so let's get right to my first reads of the morning. for conservatives focused on 2016, benghazi is more than a city in libya. it's more than a rem

." >> now time for chuck todd. >> and cokie's book. awesome. on amazon. >> whatever. >>> six-year pitch now just 12 hours before president obama delivers his state of the union for 2014. his team is making it clear, they expect little to no help at all from congress. so, this hour we'll hear from a lot of members of congress about that, including house democratic leader nancy pelosi as well as house republican who has been tapped to give the party's spanish language response tonight. then there's hillary clinton. she opens up with some new thoughts about 2016, but also some thoughts benghazi and the attack of 2012. we'll also get some insight from senator bob corker. this is a special edition of "the daiy lily rundown." president obama will lay out his 2014 agenda tonight before a nation that's increasingly pessimistic about the country's future, worried about the president's abilities and certain that the economy is not working for them, including the middle class. only presidents harry truman and george w. bush have begun the sixth year in th

i'm chuck todd. let's get to the first reads of the morning. president obama's state of the union is about 36 hours away, and what will almost certainly be his last best chance to set the political agenda in washington as president. the fact is, his next two state of the union addresses will undoubtedly be overshadowed by presidential politics and that means tomorrow night is the last time they'll have the political playing field all to himself. >> i think all of us in washington, the president included, need to do what we can to restore trust in our people. that's where the president will begin on tuesday night. what he's going to do is lay out a series of concrete, real, practical proposals on how we restore opportunity for all americans. >> we know the major themes for tomorrow night, income inequality and the economic recovery the two big ones. the trick is drawing the line between playing small ball and adopting a realistic set of goals. the white house insists they want an achievable set of goals more than anything else. and what the admi

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bl and chuck todd. pulitzer prize winning editor and msnbc political analyst, eugene robinson.hall we dive right? >> let's go. >>> as democrats try to retain the senate, apparently many are not relying on the president for support as reuters points out, centrist democrats in tight race aren't clamoring to be seen account commander in chief. west virginia natalie tenant who is trying to keep democrats in control for retiring senator jay rockefeller's seat. an interesting dynamic playing out in louisiana. new orleans mayor mitch landrieu is but his sister is not. >> the same year he ran for his first election for the presidency he lost alaska by 22 points. i still won my election. if he wants to come up, i'm not really interested in campaigning. what i'd like him to do is see why his polls are wrong. if he wants to challenge alaska, i'll drag him around and show him whatever he wants to see but i want to convince him and show him some of his -- not the right direction. >> wait a second. i don't follow alaska politics that much. chuck, he is a republican or a democrat? you're a po

." >> chuck todd is that guy, right? >> yeah, chuck todd is that guy. yeah. ♪ >>> can you hear me now? can they listen in now? in just two hours, president obama will try to reassure the country about what the nsa is doing and how he wants to change it. the big speech about spying and security just happens to fall on the anniversary of ike's famous military industrial complex farewell. >>> plus, up in smoke. a deep dive into how decades of activism and popular culture changed the country's attitude about marijuana, and the reality now for states where it's legal, frankly where that legality is headed next. >>> here she goes again, the bush family may tree atriarch, chasing the white house isn't about just perhaps her own son. good morning from washington. friday, january 17, 2014. let's get to my first reads of the morning. 11:00 a.m. this morning, the president will try yet again to put the debate over nsa survey license behind him. he'll try to strike a middle ground between security and privacy, announcing enough reforms to preserve the intelligence

i'm here with chuck todd. mark halperin who wrote about the '28 campaign and "double down" and christie. democratic mayor of baltimore, stephanie rollins-blake, secretary of the democratic national committee, as well. and kim strassle from "the wall street journal." so here's the latest on what we know. this sunday morning about the bridge scandal. there's been no smoking gun found yet. no e-mails or correspondence that link governor christie directly to the scandal. the documents show knowledge of the closures by closest aides. the motive is a bit unclear. investigations continue at the federal and the state levels. let me bring you everybody. chuck todd, the questions still on sunday morning, how much did chris christie know? >> why didn't he know more? right? there isn't a good answer for him either way because the defense right now is i'm a hands off manager. i did a lot of delegation. well, then that raises the question of culture and then actually becomes the bigger impact on him as a potential president

. >> let me also bring in chuck todd, host of "the daily rundown" on msnbc. people? how much of it, for example, will be aimed at a foreign audience, given the problems this caused for foreign leaders? >> this has been a political problem for the president, not just a domestic political problem, but frankly, more so in an international political problem, in particular in europe with western allies. i think that is a big part of this audience. europe is a big part of this audience for this speech. some of it also, though, is sort of the civil libertarian wing of the democratic party, you know, candidate obama was very aggressive in what he didn't want to see, an expansion of the security state, surveillance state, things like that. and he doesn't want to be known or seen as the guy that essentially codified the bush national security state. so that's always been a little bit of this, legacy building or legacy rebuilding, if you will. but i think that's, you know, that's been the struggle here and the white house when you look at sort of how aggressive they've

chuck todd, the questions still on sunday morning. >> right. >> how much did chris christie know? >> well, or why didn't he know more? right? there is sort of like -- there really isn't a good answer for him either way because his defense right now is i'm a hands-off manager. i did a lot of delegation. well, then that raises the question of the culture. that actually becomes the bigger impact on him as a potential presidential leader, as you're testing him as a presidential candidate. >> right. >> so far you read all these e-mails. there clearly is not a direct connection to the governor. so in the near term this is a survivalable, quote, unquote, scandal as far as his governance of the state of new jersey is concerned. but everything that this raises, it does make you question what his -- whether he has the judgment, whether he's got the culture that he can bring in, leadership ability to be president of the united states. >> let's remind everybody, key e-mail, lot of players, lot of e-mails, this is the key one and it comes from his deputy chief of staff, governor christie's dep

chuck todd is our political reporter. happy new year to you. >> happy new year. >> it's fair to say republicans and democrats are happy to see this year in their rear-view mirror. let's talk about the president. in your last poll he had the highest disapproval rating ever. what does he have to do to turn it around and salvage a second term? >> everything with him is through the prism of this. how he has to fix it. it has to work. what's interesting is there's every chance the economy is going to get better and that it should help him. but what's interesting is even as people are feeling better about the economy, they're not attaching it to the president and it's all because right now health care dominates everything. he's not going to be able to get anything else done if he doesn't show the public that he's got his arms around this, it's working and they feel better about it. until that happens, nothing changes. >> let's talk about the republicans. they were widely blamed for the government shutdown. i think they were, in