republican dean helder and democrat jack reid have a short-term fix they hope can pass the shame ber and gop-controlled house. president obama spoke with both over the weekend and the white house supports their extension, but the fact from proposal to law could be filled with legislative obstacles. happy holidays to you and thanks for joining me. >> thank you. >> before we talk about unemployment insurance benefits, i want to get your reengz to the terrorist attacks in russia. what does it mean for the sochi olympics. should americans feel service about heading over there. >> as your reporter pointed out, the security is elaborate and extensi extensive. they are taking every precaution. that opens up to terrorist attacks. inspired or directed by or trying to disrupt the security and sense of security in russia. it is related to the olympics and anyone going to russia has to be mindful and it will be intense. the attempts could be made to try to do something in sochi or anywhere else in russia. i want to get to benefits and i know you working on a bipartisan deal. are you confident th

when john mccain had his senate hearing on affairs and jack abramoff there, ralph reid former head of the christian coalition was involved in a secret plot received in money making millions of dollars to act like he wanted to close a casino. jack was to open it. which i said to me that jack is a good guy. when john mccain had his hearing he didn't drag jack reid there, he only dragged jack abramoff there. the only thing he mentioned was me. when he said, even bob would have been found guilty if it wasn't for london. that is not an admission of reality. >> you said earlier, they went by the roll call on capitol hill. >> i made a mistake. >> he did wanted to buy that and you talked about john and then you say jack knew that once i went away, his friend and others will be spared. the justice department totally dropped it. >> i can't answer that because i'm not alberto gonzalez and i'm not jack abramoff. i will tell you this, if i was indicted for going -- if i pled because i went on a trip to scotland and tom went on a trip to scotland. jack did tom's daughter's paid for the bridal showe

we understand that the president made two calls, one to democratic senator jack reid and another to dean heller, the president calling both to show support. the president said he is pleased they are working in a bipartisan fashion. the president said it could harm the economy. it will hurt the economic growth and job creation. we are talking about $1.3 billion. today, california, new york, illinois are expected to be among those hit the hardest. before the president left for his vacation and hawaii, during his final presidential press conference, he said ending jobless benefits is not the right thing to do. >> we are a better country than that. unemployment insurance only goes to folks who are actively looking for work. a mum that needs help feeding the kids while she sends out a resume. a dad working part time and earning skills for the new job. >> the president said that when congress returns to work in washington, he says reaching in an agreement, extending the jobless benefits for $1.3 million americans should be the first order of business. >> the world's newest country teems to be

the president made two calls, one to democratic senator jack reid and the second to republican senator dean haller and the president called the two senators to show support for their proposal to extend jobless benefits for another three months. the president went on to say he is pleased that they are working in a bipartisan fashion to address the manner, which the president said could be damaging to the u.s. economy. the president said it could hurt the economic growth of the united states and hurt job creation, because we are talking about 1.3 million americans who today are seeing the federal jobless benefits cut. states like california, illinois, new york, could be among those that are hit the hardest. before the president did come out to hawaii to start his presidential vacation, he held his last presidential press conference of the year, and said ending the jobless benefits is not the right thing to do. >> i think we are a better country than that. we don't abandon each other when times are tough. keep in mind unemployment insurance only goes folks actively looking for work. a mum

we know that the president made two phone calls, one to democratic senator jack reid and another to republican senator dean haller. the president called them to show support for a proposal they put forward to extend the jobless benefits for three months, but we are in a holding pattern until congress is back in session. >> since you are in hawaii, how will that state be impacted by all this? >> hawaii actually has one of the lower unemployment rates compared to the rest of the country. numbers released in december for unemployment rates shows a rate of 4.4%, among the lower as it compares to the mainland. i had a chance to speak to a representative from hawaii's department of labour, and he said they have 2200 throughout the state receiving federal unemployment assistance. they are among 1.3 million americans cut off today. 2200 people does not sound like a lot. it's 2200 too many in the state of hawaii. finding the much-needed benefits cut off. >> jennifer london live for us in honolulu with the president. >> antarctica's harsh weather. a stalled rescue of a cruise sh ship. it has been stuck

democratic senator jack reid, dean hiller proposing a bill that would extend benefits for three monthsen congress returns next month, is this top of the list? there this gain traction what the two are proposing? >> this is high on the top of the list. you heard, during budget negotiations, house speaker boehner said, if there's a way to find cost offsets for the programs he would be open to some extension. the legislative calendar's stacked already. think go all of the things congress didn't do in 2013, for example, comprehensive immigration reform. it's a test to see whether this issue will rise to the top of congress' list or whether it will fall by the way side as it tries to tackle some other things that got left behind. >> what is the difference between meeting the deadline or not meeting it this time to extend the benefits and a couple weeks later, over a holiday period? didn't they exhaust every opportunity to find financial funding for this? >> they did. this new proposal is certainly shining light. it's important to note that these benefits being cut out account for $300 for t

the bill to extend unemployment insurance has a republican and democratic sponsor, democrat jack reid of rhode island. republican, dean heller from nevada to. day, senator shumer gave this warning. awe off the e >> of the extension of unemployment benefits will be the next test in the fight between the hard right and mainstre mainstre mainstream conservatives in the republican party. the tectonic plates of our politics are changing. because the declean of mine in has overtaken the deficit as nument we number one facing our political economy today. issues like job creation, minimum wage, and unemployment insurance are going to weigh on the mind of voters far more than obamacare. by the time the 2014 elections roll around. >> joining me now, eugene robinson, of "the washington post," david corn of mother jones. most contributors. >> gene, this is fascinating. procedural moves on the senate floor. it used to be a place of of routine. never did a leader ask for unanimous consent on anything and not get it. because the it was prewired. they had figured it out. and the senate, did most of i

jack reid from rhode island, the democrat, dean heller from nevada proposing a three-month extension on this. it would give more time to work out a deal. it would also be retroactive back to this weekend. to give you a sense, these individuals make on average $300 a week in this unemployment benefit. >> you've got to wonder what is going to change, though, between trying to get this passed prior to the congressional recess. and that they say they're taking up first thing in january. is there anything that tells you this will be different? >> reporter: well, democrats, as it's been described by nancy pelosi and others, hope to turn this into a, quote, political hammer. obviously at the end of the day there's politics behind all of these things and the question is whether or not the democrats can convince enough republicans that there's some value in doing this, that they stand to lose by doing something like this. obviously it's very tough politics and that's why it didn't get done in that deal between patty murray and paul ryan, the budget deal, before they left town. will it happen?

. >> now, with another 1.9 million expected to lose benefits by the middle of the year, senator jack reida democrat from rhode island, announced yesterday that he's co sponsoring a bill, along with republican senator, dean heller of nevada that would extend federal unemployment insurance for three months. its legislation they're hoping to receive a procedural vote when congress returns in january. here's the thing. tomorrow's expiration of unemployment benefits is not the only deadline affecting millions of americans this holiday season. the official deadline to receive health insurance coverage on january 1st, through the affordable care act, was midnight on christmas eve. now, with a few case by case exceptions for those who attempted to enroll but couldn't, the flawed but vastly improved healthcare.gov website saw 2 million visitors monday, alone. and the call center received an additional 250,000 calls. the real test begins in january 1st, when the newly insured will begin to put those policies to use. something tells me, though, if there are any problems, we are going to hear all abo

the most important thing is that i get done so right now senator jack reid has legislation and the president strongly supports to actually get it done in the senate is going to have it both on that. we have had 12 votes. the unemployment insurance has passed 12 times since extended benefits started in june 2008. in june 2008, the unemployment rate was 5.6%. the average number of weeks of unemployment was 17 weeks. now the unemployment rate is 7% and the average weeks is 36 weeks. president bush did extended employment insurance in 2008 surely there's more reason for us to be doing it today. the drumbeat in the pressure is just going to grow on the nation. >> my formulation looks like this. republicans believe economic growth is sufficient. if the economy is growing people can solve their own problems and the democrats believe it's necessary but not sufficient. we still need a safe he met. is there any kind of safety net that the white house can pursue on its own unemployment compensation requires congress. health care is a safety net program but will require congress. what can the white hous

so those two senators, jack reid, dean heller, who's a republican from nevada, he's making the case that this would be good for the economy, good for these workers. democrats putting on a full-court press. you have nancy pelosi who is saying that it would be immoral not to extend these benefits. but republicans -- i've been talking to them -- say they want this to be offset. it would cost about $26 billion. they say, give us a plan to offset the cost and we'll consider it. right now, politically it looks difficult to get this passed if there aren't offsets, craig. >> what are the broader economic implications here? >> well, economists have looked at this and have said, there will be a ripple effect. they think it could decrease job growth by about 300,000, could also decrease economic growth by about .4%. but, again, it would add to the deficit. so there is a plus and minus to this. i've been talking to some of these workers, though, who are losing their benefits today. they're terrified. they say that they feel like they're looking over a cliff. they don't know how they're going to make

i just completed a press conference this morning with elizabeth warren and jack reid and barbara boxer is joining us in this effort for the unfair treatment and families across america and the economic burden it creates for them and the drag that it creates on the economy. when we return next year we need to make working families our highest priority. >> well, there is no doubt this has been a tough year in washington. everything we have seen shows it, but the budget agreement that passed the house and the senate offers a ring of hope. with the passage of the budget and the speaker's recent and refreshing review of the hard right there are signs democrats and republicans could come together to solve the problems facing the middle class. we have a lot more work to do. for the millions of americans the stand to lose them in the coming year. the economy is making the games but over 4 million people are long-term unemployed in this country. look at the numbers over there and you can see them on that chart. we have a lot more work to do. the extension of unemployment benefits will be the ne

the floor today to express my thanks to my colleagues, especially majority leader reid, senator max baucus, and senator jack reed, for working with me to ensure that north carolina's needs will be addressed as we work to extend unemployment insurance benefits into 2014. i would also urge my colleagues not to leave their constituents to the same fate as the citizens of my state and to swiftly pass the emergency unemployment compensation extension act. this bipartisan legislation introduced by senators reed and heller would extend federal uninsurance benefits and it would restore north carls eligibility to participate in the program. we must continue to work on bipartisan policies that will boost job creation and get americans back into our workforce. we need educational institutions, local employers, and job-training centers to join forces to ensure that unemployed workers are being trained for the job opportunities that are available right now. i have a bill called the america works act that would do just that. it would close the skills gap that has been plaguing our country, and it would take the guessing

senator harry reid said a three-month extension will be a top their agenda the first week. >> the president called the two senators behind that democratic jackand republican dean heller. he said let's get this going, this quarter long, 13-week extension here. but what are the chances it's going to be extended? bass what i keep trying to figure out is what is different between what was happening in the lead-up to congress's break for the holiday and when they come back? what's different in two, three weeks? >> here's what i think will be different, two things. there has to be on the policy side some pay for how these billions -- i don't remember the right number for what this costs. and i think the democrats need to be a little bit more aggressive in making the case in how they will pay for this. on the other side, the republicans may be hearing from their constituents. it crosses ideological and party lines. there might be an uproar in places that will get through to people. >> i want to switch gears and quickly ask you about this new york times story. it is titled" stories add up as bully image trails christie." who is adding this stuff up

reid, majority leader harry reid today tweeted, saying, republicans are holding unemployment insurance hostage. and then later said, pleased that senators deen heller and jack reed insured a three-month extension of unemployment insurance. it should be passed. so do you think, there hope that you'll see the caucus come around, the republican caucus, you know, not be uniform in this and actually maybe take this up, maybe retroactively pass it when you get back? >> i do have hope that that will happen. when people go back for the holidays and see in their communities the reaction to what congress has just done, i mean, three days after christmas, taking people and throwing them out in the cold. when you lose your unemployment, it's basically, you may not be able to make your house payment. now your house is in foreclosure, you may lose your home. so this program is good for the overall economy, but it's certainly critical to those families, and it's certainly fairly calibrated for areas of lower and higher unemployment. >> we are smashing people's lives to bits for no reason. senator jeff merkley, thank you very much. >> you're welcome. >>> coming up, an unim

promoting that, that's democrat jack reed and republican dean heller, be he's offering his support for this proposal extending jobless benefits for three months. harry reid says he's going to take this up when congress returns in january. is there anything more tangible the president can do to push this forward? >> i think the reason the white house likes this, not only does it give a three-month buffer before they have to figure something else out but this has bipartisan momentum. two senators working on it, harry reid has pledged to take this up right away. it the white house could talk about areas where they could find other savings that would convince more republicans to go on board. i think this exwould be about $6 million to go forward with this. for just three months and you know, the republicans are saying they may be willing to do it but want to see cuts elsewhere maybe doing that in the farm bill, subsidies. some republicans are saying let's find another place. if the white house came forward with some ideas, they pledged to have new relations with congress, maybe they can work on the details, they might find places where republicans are willin

reid said there wouldn't be unemployment benefits until the conservative year. both chambers are insisting any proposal paid for with offsets from the budget. democrat jack reed and republican dean held rer the chief sponsors of the bill in the senate that would extend jobless benefits for three months. rhode island and nevada is at 9%, the highest in the country. their legislation does not have those offsets conservatives are calling for. i want to bring in david freelander, the senior correspondent with the "daily beast." jackie kucinich is still here. from sanford, florida, msnbc contributor jared bernstein, senior fellow for budget policy priority, one-time economic adviser to the vice president. welcome jared down there and everybody here. susie, if you can give us the bottom line on the capitol hill congressional politics of where it stands? harry reed in the senate set a vote on january 6th of some kind of extension. does it have any chance of clearing this republican-controlled house? >> so the extension as you mentioned would not be offset by any other proms that republicans have been asking for. it would be three months. the idea is the folks s