david duke was a major figure in louisiana and nationally in the immediate runup to that 2002 speech.hat in 1991 that duke nearly was elected governor of louisiana. he beat a sitting governor in a jungle run off. and then in 1999 david duke ran for congress finishing 3700 shorts of a runoff. and david duke lost by 3700 votes in that jungle primary back in 2002. so obviously this story with steve ska lease, the new headache. one we will be following in the hours and days to come. that does it for us. now it's time for the last word. filling in for lawrence is ari lambert. >>> families wait and crews are searching miles and miles of water and land for any sight of airasia 8501. efforts are focusing on reports of smoke. >> the search is about to continue for a third day. >> what went wrong? the latest on the rescue effort over the java sea. >> flight 8501 disappeared more than a day and a half ago now. the plane disappeared sunday morning. the pilot asked to change course and climb higher. >> there was a very tall thunderstorm ahead of the flight. ? they wanted to fly at 38,000 feet to a

the novelty of david duke has worn off. duke has proven that he can't get elected. that's the first and most important thing. david duke's long time political lieutenant came out just today to say that he had invited skalise to that white supreme sis e sis workshop. hoe had no idea of the group he spoke e spoke to that day had anything to do with david duke or twiet supreme sill. for now, we can say that skalise's version of events is at least plausible. maybe he had no idea. maybe he thought it was just another random speech. maybe he barically eely gave the group a second thought and moved onto his next event as soon as it was over. it certain bli seems plausible that he knew more about the group he was speaking to than he's letting on. he decided to standby skalise, no questions asked. it's also why he helped push michael grim from staten island into retirement last night, too. john boehner's hold has aumgs been very sen e tenuous. this has been a big republican party since he regained power back in the house. the tea party base, they've long viewed him with susp

and he said the novelty of david duke has worn off, duke has proven that he can't get collected. can somebody who says he's not electable good for the republican brand? >> well, look it's not that he's uncollectible for his policy, but because he was a clab klan member. >> but that's no what the steve ask a wlees said. >> i would imagine part of it is because david duke is a risist. but the real question is someone like congressman scalise. remember, i've worked for countless campaigns. these candidates walk into room they don't know who is there, they give speeches. and what their goal is try to get the people they're speaking with on their side on the issue. they're not the going there to hear pitches from the crowd to get on their side. they're trying to drive home a tax plan in this instance. so that's the question. once he gave the speech has he continued to be in cahoots with theme like this? and right now it appears the answer is no. he gave a speech. he was trying to get a tax plan passed or defeated i should say in the state of louisiana. and you now he's gone on to serv

he's saying he didn't know this group was associated with david duke.nd today there was an interesting interview that came out in "the washington post" not too long ago that said that the guy who organized it, david duke was living outside of the united states back then. the guy who organized it, kenny white, who was a political operative in louisiana and was scalise's neighbor, asked him to come to this. he spoke before the conference started. and he said he never told scalise what this was about. he just asked him to say a few words before the conference started. so there's a difference between this being a david duke event and what it ended up being. >> ana, i'm sorry you're wrong here. this is david duke's campaign manager running a white nationalist organization. this is not a mystery. this is political pandering that's now caused major national blowback as it should. >> we have to go. we'll talk more about this later on. thank you so much for watching. join me back here for "the lead" at 4:00. brianna keilar will continue our coverage now. thanks

the group was founded by former ku klux klan leader david duke. >> how do you not know who david duke is, what his associations are? >> by then he had famously tangled with tim russert. >> my people, my heritage. >> white people? >> european heritage, the people that built this country. >> reporter: duke's organization held conferences like this one from 2005. >> we are the white race. we have the ingenuity and the creativity to overcome anything that they can put up against us. >> reporter: civil rights call duke's organization a leading hate group. >> david duke was the world's most infamous white supremacist, a man especially known in louisiana. >> reporter: the question now, does the controversy set back john boehner's efforts to broaden the appeal of the gop? >> it can be particularly damaging to the party and to the party's efforts to show that it is truly more inclusive and truly reaching out. >> joining me now to talk scalise fallout and much more political correspondent at the washington post ann garen and msnbc's benji starlin. let's start with that question how could he not

for example, 1999 a newspaper talked about then state lawmaker steve scalise about david duke possibly running for congress. quote, state representative steve scalise said he embraces many of the same conservative views as duke but is far more viable. scalise said quote, duke has proven that he can't get elected and that's the first and most important thing. and that same year michelle scalise was one of just three louisiana lawmakers to vote against making martin luther king day a state holiday in louisiana. he voted against it again in 2004. so does scalise need to provide a fuller explanation for his past including voting against state holiday for martin luther king including he didn't attack david duke's apparent racism but that he just said i'm a more viable candidate than him, he can't win, i can win? i mean this starts to build up a little pattern here. >> i am certain that the democrats are going to come at him and want to have a little bit more explanation. i think what's going to save him is, we are talking about events that happened 12 13 14 years ago. to be honest louisiana

it is worth remembering at the time david duke was the best known white-supremacist in the world. >> >> so it got enormous attention. it is not possible it seems to me that scalise didn't know who duke and the group were. >> and so scalise wants the american public to believe he didn't know about the group and he didn't have anything to do with them and he has a small staff at the time and that's why they did research. what politician didn't know what group he's talking to. this is amazing. doctor, you've had your own experience with scalise. do you believe his story? >> absolutely not. look, this is not about racism. scalise knew. whether he is racist or not it doesn't matter he wanted votes at all cost he's a politician. this is more about a divided republican party. the ultra conservatives and the conservatives. we know they only need 30 votes to oust john boehner. and then this comes out? sounds fishy. people call it lesser of two evils i call it the evil of two lessers. i testify in congress with steve scalise sub committee on the use of fema trailers and steve scalise is an okay

. >> as you mentioned in the intro intro, david duke is now and was then by far the best known white preme sift in the united statesacist in the united states states. hard to believe he could not know who duke was when duke ran for governor and came close to winning in 1991. was always in the news there. as was his organization euro that was the organization he formed two years earlier under a slightly different name in 2000. >> euro is not so active. but the number of hate groups has risen considerably since then, hasn't it? >> that is true. the radical right in general has really exploded in size since the fall of 2008 when barack obama came onto the national political scene. went from 600 to close to 1,000 hate groups and militia groups go from 150 to close to 1200. so the growth has been exponential. >> i think, yes, from your organization there has been 56% increase since 2000 in the number of hate groups in the united states. you've also said that representative scalise should resign his leadership post. why do you think that is so important? >> well i think that you know it is

folks outside are not familiar with louisiana politics much might not understand how influential david dukea politics. his views, of course are not abhorrent. i'm not excusing him. but when he won for governor in 2001, he won 55% of the white vote. duke told republicans, quote, if -- a lot of them better be looking over their shoulders. what do you think about that? >> well you're absolutely right about duke. going back to the 1990s. this is someone who was actually elected to the state legislature as the imperial wizard of the ku klux klan and a neo-nazi. he defeated the incumbent governor of louisiana got into the runoff and amazingly re-elected edwin edwards whose slogan was, vote for the crook. it's important. then duke ran twice for the u.s. senate. he ran for the house of representatives. throughout the 1990s, he was a major figure which, by the way, makes it nearly impossible for scalise not to have known what this group was. just listen jake to the title. european-american unity and rights organization. >> right. >> i think anybody could figure out what that is and certainly scalise

david duke is a vile figure who believes vile things. he talked about the jews and israelis and the 2001 and 9/11 attacks. the guy, kenny knight who is basically his right-hand man is pulling this all together. he's neighbors with skael. skalise, in 1999 talks about huh believes some of the same principles as duke but duke's not electable. this is a problem for the republican party. >> yes, and they know that. and this's why you have to believe, first of all, that leadership had good assurances. there's not going to be assurances that makes us move passed it. but republicans know that these racial fault lines are a big issue for them. and i think in february, when we have the fight over the immigration action by president obama, that's going to be yet, another one where republicans are confronting the same issues about whether they can present an inclus is eive face and one that is not, you know, just white men from the south. so they're going to continue to be tested in this way. and their leadership knows it and they're jitter ri about

and whose president was david duke the former lead of the ku klux klan. according to a statement from his office scalise has never been affiliated with the abhorrent group. and slush funds that wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and his opposition to a proposed tax increase. in louisiana political circles scalise is known as a prolific speaker but the euro group's affiliation with david duke and its anti-minority issues are well-known in 2002. scalise's office insists he had no idea he was speaking to a david duke group and would not have gone to that speech had he known. but in a group reaching out to minorities this year that could hurt. >>> the release of an autopsy that killed by los angeles police is sparking new protests. demonstrators locked arms on a freeway monday. as john blackstone reports they're upset about the death of an unarmed man at the hands of officers in august. >> hands up don't shoot! >> reporter: more months they were demanding the release of his autopsy. the 25-year-old was shot when he tried to take an officer's gun. the autopsy

scalise's office says he had no idea he was speaking to a david duke group and wouldn't have gone if he had known. for a republican party reaching out to minorities this year, this could hurt. >> o'donnell: thank you. today the lapd released a photo of a black man shot in a confrontation with police. the man said to be mentally ill and the shooting sparked outrage in the community john blackstone has the latest. (chanting) >> reporter: for months demonstrators in los angeles have been demanding the release of the autopsy. according to police, the 25-year-old was shot when he tried to take the officer's gun. the autopsy shows ford was hit see times at close range. two fatal shots in the right side and back, a third in the arm. los angeles belief charlie beck. >> the officer's account is of a violent struggle where one officer ended up on his back with mr. ford on top of him with mr. ford in control of his pistol his uniform pistol. the officer drew his backup gun and reached over mr. ford's back and shot mr. ford in very close proximity. >> reporter: ford was described by the family a

for those of us who covered david duke back in the day, it's hard to believe anyone did not know who was. >> that's right. that's the big question that he still has to deal with and answer. we are certainly not anywhere close to having a resolution on this. there is more investigation that will be done. there will be reporters looking at his record on this and other issues. i think it's a question for the leadership of what they are prepared to do or ask him to do. >> to those who say it's 12 years and there should be a statute of limitations on that. to say yes, i was part of this back then, but i changed my views or -- object to what they stood for. >> his story seems to keep changing. he didn't know if he had been there and confirm heed had been there and now said he didn't remember being there and he must have been there. in an interview he gave to a local newspaper last night, he seemed to be comparing this to a respectable liberal group, the league of women voters that is apples and oranges. we haven't heard from leadership yet because they are waiting to see what comes out and

of the same conservative views but i'm more viable politically than david duke. he was one of few people to not condemn david duke and what he had been doing at the time. that's what is raising questions, and maybe knew more about this group that he spoke to than he's letting on to. >> he has more explaining to do. >> and his job may not be score. maybe for now but we'll have to see how it plays out. >> david shuster and power politics. thank you. >>> president george george h. w. bush is now out of the hospital. he spent nearly two months in the hospital two years ago from bronchitis. >>> new york city's player bill de blasio was trying to clear the air with the police unions. he met with the head of the police unions. it came after the unions turned their backs on the mayor. the head of the largest police union says there is more to do. >> there was no resolve. and our thoughts here today is that actions speak louder than words, and time will tell. >> union leaders say de blasio has fostered an anti police atmosphere in the wake of the deaths of eric garner and

you didn't need google to know who david duke was in louisiana in 2002. to answer your question is it that big a deal? >> well it's that big a deal for a republican party trying to change its brand. it's that big a deal when a member of the leadership has in the past spoken to a group that was formed based on race. it's not the best time for republicans to be out there trying to whip of support from european americans. that's not where they want to be. >> what is your take is john boehner handling this the right way, especially with the republican brand at take. >> he's not handling it the right way. the majority whip in the house is fainted because of his association with the david duke group. what has he doing there. he said he spokes to a lot of groups. this is a white soup rem sift group, talking about financial issues of concern to them. he was giving them advice or support. he has to explain what he was doing. >> he said - david duke says there has been no relationship between the two, no friendship, no donations back and forth. maybe he didn't know

after that jenkins who ran in 1996 paid $83,000 for a computerized phone list of david duke supporters it seems that people in this state, politicians in this state have founded to their benefit to deal with duke or his supporters in some way or another. so i don't know if it's.to say is steve scalise a racist or not or does he have a black friend or not have a politician and can a politician stiffer arm these people who can be successful politically. i don't know if one can if he's trying to win the conservative vote. >> that's the point. it's about what are you willing to do to appeal to people who are racist and i don't want to cass as persians on white voters in louisiana, but david duke ran for governor in 1991. he lost but he won the white vote 55% of the white -- >> yes. 55% of the white vote and that was 23 years ago and you can imagine many of those people are still around and many of those people are still voting and if they were particularly around in 2002. r yeah what do you do if you're running in the same geographical area that duke was just a few years after he enjoyed p

how the hell does somebody show up at a david duke organized event in 2002 and claim ignorance.tt was driven from the field in 2001 for something less than this. joining me now is robert costa of "the washington post." robert, the big question is steve scalese seems to have john boehner's support as of now. but is there any chance that could change? >> congress is out of town, but once the house republicans return next week there's going to be a lot of press scrutiny. the house leadership is already preparing for this story to remain a story. >> and how does it remain a story? would it require more nings to come out about any other interactions he might have had with david duke? >> right. >> thigh ear hoping it's a one-off. there are other associations that could raise eyebrows bier the press is digging into this. >> i suppose if he has ever said he agrees with david duke on certain things if there's anything specific like that, that would change the story. >> that's right. >> that's right. he did have a relationship of sorts with a man named kenny knight who is a long-time poli

this was a group founded by david duke.is, can he really say, i didn't know who this group was? does that defense work here? >> well first of all, politicians speak to a wide range of groups. that's true. however, and this could have been a staff mix-up, however. steve scalise had been in politics since 1996 in this game for six years, he should very well know better. and so to go ahead and do this really is very little if not no excuse for this. also this group's organization, their confab had been in the news for a long time. a baseball team had voiced concern about the minority players staying in the hotel where this group was located. this was in the newspapers locally. he should've known about this and someone on his staff or he himself should have called it out earlier. >> and now this report "the washington post," forced to report david duke saying that scalise was invited by his aide with whom scalise was acquainted with. so presumably you would expect that scalise knows who this guy works for. what do you make of t

knowing it was founded by david duke, another tip-off.gressman is either guilty of speaking before a group of racists, and it's different -- we all do speak as hogan said before groups that we don't agree with. i went on fox news regularly when i was governor. but we don't go and speak to groups that think that we should have a separate country for whites only. so that's number one. number two he's got to go. and he's got to go when you think of what trent lot did, making a joke about the country being better off with thurman. and he appropriately resigned from leadership for that. that's nothing compared to what representative scalise did. and he should do the right thing and resign or speaker boehner should get rid of him. >> i want to go back to that point in a moment. but first let's take a look at scalise's explanation and the impact that it's having that he didn't know what the group was all about, and the criticism that it's drawn from the right and the left. conservative blogger eric eric sohn wrote today, by 2002 everybody knew d

the group was founded by cormer kkk grand wizard and louisiana politician david duke. in an interview with the new orleans times scalise said he spoke to all kinds of groups to oppose a tax plan. i detest any kind of hate group. for anyone to suggest i was involved with a group like that is insulting and ludicrous. he never saw duke at an event adding he was a state representative before me. everyone knew who he was and i would not go to any group he was a part of. but in the early morning hours, robert costa of the washington post reported this. david duke told the paper his long time political adviser that kenny night had a relationship with scalise himself. that is why he was invited. and why he would come. kenny knew scalise and scalise new kenny they were friendly. he was elected majority whip but some democrats are calling into question whether scalise should remain in leadership. other colleagues are offering their support including bobby jindal. >>> michael grimm is calling it quits. the republican lawmaker resigning after pleading guilty to felony invasion. it

i have to tell you, as a native of louisiana david duke is a well-known figure. he had run for governor in louisiana. hard to imagine that a local legislator would talk to a group run by duke and have no idea who he's talking about. so there are going to be more questions. not just for congressman clark. >> and also to say he didn't remember speaking. he couldn't really remember it. really? >> yeah. he said he thinks he was there and knows the hotel and i can say we'll have to gather more facts. let's find the agenda for the meeting. maybe there's video or tape recording of that meeting. there were reporters all over nauseous new orleans scrambling down trying to pin down the factual details of this. it's dicey. >> both sides are coming out to support him saying he's not a racist. it shouldn't be an issue. what is it going to do his leadership abilities? >> i don't know. he currently has support. i don't think there's any suggestion that steve is some kind of white supremacist or something. but, you know, it's an uncomfortable position that the house leadership is

scalise told the paper he embraced many of the, quote, conservative views as white supremacist david dukeey are trying to expand to minorities in hopes of the nashlg stage in 2016. there are a lot of folks with questions of how he could not have known about duke's affiliation. david duke said his long-time political adviser was friendly with scal ice in 2002 and that is the reason he agreed to speak. scalise scalise's office has not responded. brianna. >> i want to bring in mark lamont hill and kevin madden to talk about this. you heard his statement today, mark. he said this was a mistake and regrets speaking to the group. is this enough? >> well certainly i don't doubt that he thinks it is a mistake now? is it enough? yeah. ultimately we have to see whether or not this is a distraction and whether he can continue to do his job. i think there are more question marks. i don't buy the story i think there is more to this. but i don't think there is more we can do. >> kevin you think it is possible that scalise's camp is saying he didn't know what the group was amount and you look back on th

while david duke depends scalise speaker john boehner and leader mccarthy are refusing to condemn his talk about improving their terrible standing with nonwhite voters but it's clear their -- so tom tough words there from the dccc. >> it happened in 2002. it's sure i'm local media press there was. there has to be something was he there? let's get something specific. something tangible so we can guide ourselves through this. >> i think this did happen awhile ago. i think, you know, you have to remember david duke was a well known figure in louisiana politics at the time. the congressman scalise is not saying he didn't know david duke but rather he wasn't aware of exactly what the group was. i think at this point, the question is going to be does it hold up in the long run or more evidence going to come out he knew what he was getting into. >> that's the tough part. he said i'm invited to speak to groups all the time. the argument can be said, when you're speaking with somebody you find out who you're speaking to. >> there are reports there were some other groups that were potentially p

if you don't know who david duke is or what he stands for, that seems pretty remarkable. what's your take on it. >> in i agree with you, and that's one of the reasons why despite the leadership of this american congress goes away. yesterday scalese did anwe didn't have google back then, i was short staffed, it wasn't clear to me what was happening. we're getting the 134r57b nation today, the change today is this was a mistake. and you see in john boehner's statement, he called it an error in judgment. if you didn't know who you wered a depressing, that's bad advance work and that's not bad judgment. i think the fact that the story has shifted the way it has today means that republicans are going to have to continue to answer questions about this, even if there's a pretty clear media double standard here i mean you know president obama was listening to reverend wright for years, he spoke at an event and was involved with some pretty seedy characters. >> lots to chew on there, let me get to scalese's comments that you referred to. i am very disappointed that anyone would tr

one of the organizers kenny knight, david duke associate, now says scalise never spoke at the event, a civic association event earlier in the day. this comes by the fact that scalise himself as admitted speaking to at this event. people are trying to figure out exactly what happened. mr. knight coming to scalise's defense, what's your association with this guy, with someone who is a known david duke associate? a lot of questions for scalise to answer here. >> not a good way to start the new year for the republicans. is congressman richmonds coming out and supporting likely to quell the critics in the ranks against congressman scalise? >> it's not bad to have a democrat on your side and especially an african-american democrat in the state. most calls have fallen short of saying -- calls to resign. you have to answer questions. have you to address this maybe they'll get political pot shots in. everyone is waiting for more facts to emerge. >> msnbc's bengy sarlin thank you so much for that. >> thank you. >>> another barrier on the road to peace in the middle east. united nations securit

biggest winners of 2014 and the biggest losers. 12 years ago, a white tiger funded by david duke. he is making more calls than an npr telethon to set the record straight. john boehner and kevin mccarthy are standing by there with. -- whip. >> he better hope that no taper video emerges -- tape or video emerges of the speech he gave. >> there is blood in the water right now. everyone is chasing the story. you have people like sean hannity who do not like this leadership slate. they are using this as an excuse. they are seizing on this and trying to use it as an excuse to get rid of the whole house leadership. >> it is going to be -- this could be very difficult for steve scalise. this is our last show of the year and what a year it has been. we want to unveil our list of the winningest winners. i will give three in the winning category. my first win is mitch mcconnell. 30 years ago houston and to -- his senate career began. even more impressive this is a race he could have easily lost. his approval ratings were in the tank. a lot of people thought -- he ran a flawless campaign. he s

euro was founded by former kkk leader david duke and is considered a hate group. >>> skalise's possiblehe group first surfaced after an entry was uncovered known as storm front which reports to be an account of skalise's 2002 speech. it reads in part the short circumstances pervasive, many important under-funded needs of the community have the expensive graft within the housing and urban development fund and an aparent give away. back to storm front a couple years later&wrote this. it was just announced that steve skalise are tenner the race in the first congressional district. i suppose if duke does not make the election for whatever reason, this gent eleman would be a good alternative. >>> at first, staffers said they weren't sure if they spoke at the conferences. and doesn't remember speaking to this group and we don't have any record of his agenda from '02. but robert costa reports that he has confirmed through an advisor that he did speak at the gathering. skalise has never been affiliated be e with the ab abhorrent group projection and practices the father and husband and a devote

the group in question was founded by former grand wizard of the kkk david duke.t's called the european american unity. we'll talk about that with car kari dan. democrat representatives like e vet clark is calling on speaker boehner to conduct an investigation. how big of a problem could this present for congressman scalise? >> well, i think not just for congressman ski lease, but for house republican leaders. at least in the short run it will be a big headache. republicans wanted to go in with a clean slate. this is going to take up a lot of oxygen. as you mentioned, scalise said he didn't know the nature of this organization. he just spoke to them because he was invited. he spoke to everybody who invited him. that's something a lot of those who are critical of scalise say could that really be the case. including the dnc and the dccc who democratic organizations who said it needs to be investigated. until the exact facts of the invitation and scalise's appearances are known, i think his post at the top of republican leadership is going to be in question. >> let's

it was 12 years ago, and every member knows what david duke stands for. organization that was affiliated at that time with david duke is obviously the ku klux klan. we know what the ku clux clan stands for the hate of killing of jews african-americans, catholics. i'm enormously disappointed and i believe it is important for further statements to come from the whip. he's the majority whip. he's the whip of all the nation even as he's leadership of the united states congress. why doesn't he take the leadership of reauthorizing the voting rights act working in a bipartisan manner of moving forward on criminal justice reform, or even working to pass immigration reform? i think it's got to be more than words. it's got to be action. and i think the republican leadership, the republicans in the house and the senate have a huge mountain to climb because it was not in the dark ages he made the speech. it was a few years ago when everybody has known and lived through the damaging actions of the ku klux klan. >> congresswoman sheila jackson lee, thank you very much

where he praises david duke. >> you can kidding me. >> has the same conservative views but is more viablea political candidate, you can appreciate all the criticism that boehner is getting now. the democratic leader, she pointed out that actions speak louder than words and if they want to make this right they should support things like voting rights legislation, and all the things related to civil rights that remain bottling up. >> wow. all right now that's a return for david shoulder in power politicals good to see you my friend, thank you. >> former president george hw bush is out of the hospital. he was admitted after having trouble breathing he remained there for a week, a family spokesman says he is now resting at home. and other health issues the auto industry bail out is other. and the federal government says it lost money, a lot of money the treasury department reported that the u.s. lost more than $9 billions the government loaned nearly $80 billion to general motors, chrysler, ally financial, and chrysler financial, it says it recovered just over $70 billion of that, and a down

. >>> and the:o.ebuáu)árp'a representistic spoke at the/>kçx representative spoke with david duke.nvolved. the controversy comes days before the gop takes over congress.u9j/ >>> the older president bush is hospitalized after of breath. he was held at hospital as a precaution. he spent two months with an bronchitis-type cough. hepwy&lln >>> the current flu vaccine does not protect against all cases of the most predominate strain. as always hand-wash som!mjng key in prevention. >>> it looks like the warm weather is coming to an end for a short time. >>> we have two days that the temperatures are stuck in the 30s. it's a high at least. we are showing that we have conditions tonight. a few sprinkles offshore of cape may. a stalled front is bringing clouds across the region. the action cam is looking up. glory flying in a gentle breeze. 8 miles-an-hour. theyt7dvç are picking up as we head to the new year. that pulls down cooler air. 37 in philadelphia. down from 48. it's 7 above normal. sea isle city allentown and reading dropped down to 38 degrees. the temperatures are dropping faster

that group was formed by former kkk leader david duke. new york representative michael grimm is expected to resign from congress this week. frimm pleaded guilty to a felony tax charge last week, for failing to report nearly a million dollars in revenue. grimm made headlines last year after threatening to throw a reporter over the balcony after the state of the union address. he later apologized. >> the district has spent nearly $3 million on police staffing in response to local protest. they began nearly a month ago following the protests in ferguson after the michael brown case. chief cathy lanier said the protests are a strain on the department. according to "washington times" they may seek reimbursement from the federal government. >> you have probably seen posts from friends showing their year in review. the maker of the app is apologizing after his post had a cover photo of his six-year -old daughter. facebook said they will work to improve the app. >> president obama has apologized to a couple after his golf game in hawaii forced th

spoke to the european immunity rights organization, which was founded by a former kkk grand wizard david duke. this happened when he was a candidate. he says at that point he was willing to speak to anybody who would listen, but he did not know at time that it was a hate group adding had he known that he would not have given that speech. >>> the university of maryland football fans have a late night ahead of them, the turps take on the cardinals tonight. kickoff at 10:00 p.m. maryland last won a bowl game four years ago against east carolina in the military bowl. it was right here in dc. >>> well when we come back experts say that the hack at sony may not have been the work of north korea afterall. >>> plus, allison is back to look ahead at the new year's eve forecast. stay >>> it shows that police shot and killed a mentally ill black man at close range happening during the confrontation back in august as they would say they shot that man when he would try to take the officer's gun. police sealed the autopsy report initially because they said they were searching for more witnesses in the case

the question is how could he not know about david duke's long history of white supremacy?athena jones, thank you. >>> mayor bill de blasio will meet with union leaders with an effort to ease tensions between city hall and the nypd. de blasio was booed and heckled addressing recruits at a police graduation ceremony. police blame him for the volatile climate following weeks of protest in the eric garner case and assassination of two nypd officers in brooklyn. >> the first person diagnosed with ebola in the u can, is now in a london isolation unit. the woman had been working with save the children in sierra leone and flew back to scotland second woman who was in west africa is being tested. the risk of transmission from the first patient is extremely low because she was diagnosed early. she was a nurse working there as a volunteer. >> all right, christine thanks for the headlines. more of our corrage of the flight downed in the java sea, when we come back. these ally bank ira cds really do sound like a sure thing but i'm a bit skeptical of sure things. why's that? look what d

representative scalesse says he does not remember speaking before this group founded by david duke backaking to any groups that would have him to talk about his opposition to a tax increase that would affect middle-class families and some other issues. so in an interview with the new orleans "times-picayune" he says he doesn't remember speaking there but if he did it was a mistake, he would haven't done so if he had known that this group, the name of which was european american unity and rights organization or euro for short. he says if he had known this was a hate group, a group with white supremacist ties he would not have spoken before them. carol? >> athena jones reporting live from washington. thanks so much. >>> still to come in the newsroom president obama apologizing for what turned out to be a very unfortunate round of golf. it wasn't the score but the scheduling. narrator: these are the tennis shoes skater kid: whoa narrator: that got torture tested by teenagers and cried out for help. from the surprised designers. who came to the rescue with a brilliant fix male designer: i l

he didn't know the group was an anti-semitic organization formed by david duke. >> i just detest hate groups of any kind. >> john boehner called the appearance an error in judgment but scalise has his full confidence. >>> the cdc says this season's flu has become an epidemic. 15 children across the country have died. the cdc earlier warned this year's flu season could be a severe one. the dominant strain of the virus is associated with hard-hitting flu seasons. >>> well much of the country will need to bundle up as it rings in the new year. wisconsin and parts of the upper midwest are in the grip of a brutal cold. >>> in southern california snow surprised families traveling over the grapevine and bands warming up for the rose parade will face record lows tomorrow. meteorologist eric fisher of our boston station wbz has the chilly holiday forecast. >> well, winter disappeared for a little while, but it's back with a vengeance. denver setting a record low last night and we're looking at more of the chill. looking at the values out the door. subzero from the intermountains west. many of

house minority whip has admitted he attended the 2002 event organized by former kkk grand wizard david duke while he was a state legislator. other republicans are backing him up. house speaker john boehner said in a statement that scalise is a man of high integrity and character, but that he made a, quote, error in judgment. >>> a former senator and 2008 presidential candidate is now the ceo of a marijuana company. alaska democrat mike gruvel will lead kush which produces recreational and medicinal weed products. >>> the president's popularity is creeping back up. a new gallup poll reveals as many people approve of the job he's doing as disapprove, 48%. the last time that happened, september 2013. >>> the president is well into his second week of vacation in hawaii and golf appears to be occupying most of his time. the president hit this approach chip shot before tapping in a gimme par putt. he revealed he shot an 84 in a previous outing that forced a wedding of two army captains to be moved. >>> from the washington post, gao to federal workers, no taxpayers can't pay for your plastic forks

the group was founded by former klan leader david duke. he spoke to lots of groups, and be detests hate groups but louisiana democrats say he needs to answer questions about how he ended up at that conference. >> susan saulny thank you as always. >>> turn now to the weather in the midwest. bitter cold today. below zero in north dakota. and during the day, going down to minus 13. today's high won't break zero. it's not keeping north dakotans from enjoying a wagon ride and other outdoor activity. >> let's get the with weather from accuweather's justin povick. >> thank you. the northeast, a couple of snow showers off the great lakes. a cold quiet day. and a couple of snow shower the in the appalachians. southwest, gearing up for a snowstorm tuesday through thursday. significant along interstate 40 twarz flagstaff. back to you. >> thank you so much. >>> the chief of the los angeles police department says an investigation into the shooting death of an unarmed black man is far from over. ford was shot three times in august. once in the back afte

republican can congressman steve scalese admits he spoke at a workshop hosted by david duke.izards with the klu klux klan. he says he didn't know that the kkk was involved. he's the third ranking house republican. the new congressional session begins january 3rd. >> the winter break is now a final closure for one set of students, that as parents in north philadelphia are scrambling. tomorrow will be walter palmer charter's last day. an abrupt shut down of the k through eight classrooms was announced this weekend two months after the high school closed. the school is $13 million in debt. leaders claim they were undermined by the school district. >> wouldn't say necessarily sabotage. what i'm saying is that they want those kids back. that will fill their holes those gaps, those deficits that they have. >> the district though says the charter was operating illegally. 600 students now need a new school. the philadelphia school district says it will immediately accept transfer students even those who do not have transcripts. parents were enroll in their neighborhood school come mo

european american unity and rights organization was formed by former ku klux klan grand wizard david dukes. scalise, who denied the speech but he says he doesn't remember speaking at the event. scalise says that at the time he was making many appearances to oppose a local tax plan. quote, when people asked me to speak, i went and spoke to any group that called. i didn't know who all of these groups were and i detest any kind of hate group. for anyone to suggest that i was involved with a group like this is insulting and ludicrous. some politicians are sticking by scalise including bobby jindal and congressman cedric richmond. democrats are demanding more answers. >>> well it is 44 seconds of pure fear. new video of a tornado that shredded mississippi last week. the video was shot on a phone by will bozeman who was working at an auto parts store, but seconds in a frightening moment the video goes black and then this. the sky appears as the ef 3 twister hit. the howling winds sends debris flying, a half dozen tornadoes struck that day. five people were killed as homes were just leveled. >>>

affiliate wwl by phone he did not know they were an anti-semitic organization led by former klan leader david duke. >> i'm not familiar with what that group was but, you know from what i've seen, i just detest hate groups of any kind. >> reporter: scalise'sn explanation was enough to keep his job as house majority whip. speaker john boehner and majority leader kevin mccarthy both expressed support, with boehner calling the speech an error in judgment but praising scalise as a man of high integrity. scalise was also helped by a democrat, congressman cedric richmond, a new orleans political rival. >> i don't view steve as having racial challenges at all. >> reporter: but other democrats were not as forgiving. minority leader nancy pelosi called the speech deeply troubling for a top republican leader. and many are questioning scalise's claim he knew nothing about euro. mark potok is with the southern poverty law center. >> it was not an obscure group in the least. its leader was internationally famous. so i just think the idea that he walked into this event with no idea what was going on is very very

the group was founded by former klan leader david duke. scalise spoke only to rally support for his conservative fiscal policies and the statement goes on to call the group abhorrent with views in stark contradiction to the views that scalise holds himself. >>> d.c. mayor gray says the city is better off after his four years in office. >> in one of his final interviews as mayor with our bruce johnson, mayor gray confirms he turned down a plea offer from the u.s. district attorney who is investigating corruption from mayor gray's campaign in 2010. >> reporter: what are you most proud of? >> i'm proud of where the city is. we've created 44,000 jobs since i've been in office. the condition of this city today in my opinion is markedly better than four years ago. >> reporter: you put money back in the bank that had been taken out? >> that's right. we have the best fund balance now, highest fund balance in the city of the city. >> reporter: early childhood education, what percentage of kids are in that? >> 80% of our 3-year-olds now go to school

calling it a mistake to appear before a group founded by david duke, a former grand wizard of the knights of the ku klux klan. he says he wasn't aware of the group's views. in a statement, he added, "i emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold." speaker john boehner called it an error in judgement, but said scalise "has my full confidence." it wasn't the only political fire republicans were scrambling to extinguish. new york congressman michael grimm finally agreed to step down, a week after pleading guilty to felony tax evasion. he repeatedly insisted he would stay in office. >> as long as i'm able to serve, i'm going to serve. sn't accepting possibility mean resigning? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: but party leaders tell abc news they grew tired of the congressman landing in one scrape after another. like this infamous confrontation with a reporter. >> let me be clear. i'll throw you off this balcony. >> reporter: his bluster came to an end after a heated call with speaker boehner who is eager to clean house before congress opens in january. no