this is "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc.nd penny kept our bookstore exciting and would always come to my rescue. but as time passed, i started to notice max just wasn't himself. and i knew he'd feel better if he lost a little weight. so i switched to purina cat chow healthy weight formula. i just fed the recommended amount... and they both loved the taste. after a few months max's "special powers" returned... and i got my hero back. purina cat chow healthy weight. yeah. yeah. then how'd i get this... [ voice of dennis ] ...allstate safe driving bonus check? what is that? so weird, right? my agent, tom, said... [ voice of dennis ] ...only allstate sends you a bonus check for every six months you're accident-free... ...but i'm a woman. maybe it's a misprint. does it look like a misprint? ok. what i was trying... [ voice of dennis ] silence. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the safe driving bonus check. are you in good hands? >>> in the headlines on "andrea mitchell reports" a potential medical breakthrough. scientists are studyin

way. >> mitchell had a basketball. what he wanted for his birthday. >> reporter: because basketball is that important to him. on the last game of the regular season the coach told mitchell to suit up. what was it like to put on the uniform? >> i was very happy reporter: i imagined you were. just wearing a jersey was enough for mitchell. but what he didn't know, what no one knew at the time was that the coach planned to play him. at the efned no matter what the score. you're prepared to lose that game? >> for his moment, yes. for his moment in type, yes. >> reporter: and so with a minute-and-a-half left, the team leading but only by ten the coach put in his manager. you started hearing the crowd cheering mitchell mitchell. >> reporter: here's where the fairy tale fell apart. although his teammates did everything they could to get mitchell a basketball, each time they passed him the ball he either missed the shot or like on their last possession booted it out of bounds. turning the ball over to the other team with just s

this is "andrea mitchell reports." when did you know that grandma was the one?. oh dad, you remember my friend alex? yeah. the one that had the work done... [ male announcer ] sometimes being too transparent can be a bad thing. this looks good! [ male announcer ] but not with the oscar mayer deli fresh clear pack. it's what you see is what you get food. retty conservative. [ male announcer ] but not with the oscar mayer deli fresh clear pack. very logical thinker. (laughs) i'm telling you right now, the girl back at home would absolutely not have taken a zip line in the jungle. (screams) i'm really glad that girl stayed at home. vo: expedia helps 30 million travelers a month find what they're looking for. one traveler at a time. expedia. find yours. today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now pow

that's next right here on "andrea mitchell reports." s. da.s you feel use neosporin to help you heal. it kills germs so you heal four days faster. neosporin. use with band-aid brand bandages. only hertz gives you a carfirmation. hey, this is challenger. i'll be waiting for you in stall 5. it confirms your reservation and the location your car is in, the moment you land. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. you know it can be hard to lbreathe, and how that feels.e, copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms by keeping my airways open for 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and s

that is next on "andrea mitchell reports." don't go away.more coffee drinkers prefer the taste of gevalia house blend over the taste of starbucks house blend? not that we like tooting our own horn but... ♪ toot toot. [ male announcer ] find gevalia in the coffee aisle >>> hi, kill anyone today? >> day ain't over yet. >>> i'm losing you. we're going behind a butte. >> i've got a special treat. going it make fresh coffee. someone is spooking the cattle. >>> city folk. >> ah, the classic film "city slickers." soon to be replicated on the border today. a new gang is headed there, that's the gang of chuck schumer, michael bennett, as well as jeff flick and john mccain. chris, chuck schumer, checking out border security in arizona. that's so much to go on there. but more importantly, they are moving towards this april 8th deadline of bipartisan agreement on o immigration reform. >> let me first compliment the andrea mitchell report show and you for getting "city slickers" into the show. i'm always hesitant to predict a b bigbie bipartisan victory

this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. vers? yeah. yeah.d i get this... [ voice of dennis ] ...allstate safe driving bonus check? what is that? [ normal voice ] so weird, right? my agent, tom, said... [ voice of dennis ] ...only allstate sends you a bonus check for every six months you're accident-free... [ normal voice ] ...but i'm a woman. maybe it's a misprint. does it look like a misprint? ok. what i was trying... [ voice of dennis ] silence. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the safe driving bonus check. are you in good hands? your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. [ sneezing ] she may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec®. powerful allergy relief for adults and kids six years and older. zyrtec®. love the air. >>> here in washington, hugo chavez is being remembered for some of his more colorful outb

our mitchell's article focused on the roles numerous media outlets played in the iraq war includingn analysis of the part that the washington post itself played in propping it up and it said quote unlike the new york times with the washington post editors three months later did not produce their own explanation but allowed chief media reporter howard kurtz to write a lengthy critique editors and reporters admitted that they had often performed poorly but offered one excuse after another that article is pulled from publication a decision that has earned the paper a lot of criticism and also speculation as to some of the nefarious reasons for nixon in the piece but the washington post's outlook at or carlos lo saga claims that the reason he held the article wasn't a result of the criticism his paper suffered in the article in a statement he wrote the huffington post he said quote the notion that we were somehow seeking to protect the post or the media at large by not running mr mitchel's piece is misinformed we were well aware of his critical perspectives on the media's role in the ir

i'm going to bring in george mitchell mitchell, former u.s. special envoy to the middle east. mr.hen you see what's going on here, what is your overview of the region in totality? it used to be a case, if you solved the israeli-palestine problem, everything would be so much easier. now there is so much tension all over the region, it's no longer just about israel and palestine, is it? >> reporter: no, it isn't. that's an important element, but there are many intersecting conflicts in the region, all of which affect each other. you mentioned several of them. sear yeah, the iranian quest for a nuclear weapon. the historic antagonism between the persian iranians and the arab countries. the historic divide within islam between sunni and shia, which began way back from the succession of the prophet -- to the prophet mohammed. so there are many conflicts. but i will say that a resolution of the israeli palestinian conflicts, while not the only problem, will help in dealing with several of the others. it will help israel to have to change from what it now does as building walls all aroun

i agree completely with senator george mitchell.t president abbas and the palestinian authority is saying is i'm not going to come to the bargaining table unless you do "a," "b" and "c." he's not in a position to make those kinds of demands. he wants land, he wants estate. he has to sit down to negotiate. i recently met with him and i made a proposal. i said, how about you sit down, begin the negotiations, and then israel will start a freeze, and then you'll negotiate borders. he seemed to agree with that. netanyahu seems to be agreeing with that. there is an opening for peace. i hope the president will try to bring them closer together. look, the palestinians had an opportunity to have a state, 2000, 2001. arafat turned it down. prime minister olmert offered them even more in 2007. no response. the ball is clearly in the palestinian court. >> okay. >> they must come to the negotiating table. >> let's go to james zogby. the ball is in the palestinian court. do you agree with that? >> no, i don't. i think that's a very serious exagge

i'm andrea mitchell live in doha in the persian gulf. this is the final leg of john kerry's 11-day maiden voyage as secretary of state. today john kerry sat down with me to answer questions about the civil war in syria, iran, and a number of other topics. the civil war, though, which led to one million refugees and 70,000 people killed and a new ultimate mate imfrom israel against iran. >> you have just come on this long trip. you've met with the syrian rebels. the saudi foreign minister standing next to you said that the assad regime is a vicious killing machine. why is the united states not joining other nations around the world in arming the rebels? >> well, andrea, we are -- the president has put in place a policy that is extremely forward-leaning, with other countries. other countries, as you know, are arming the syrians. the president has put in place sanctions. the president has led an effort to try to pull together the syrian opposition, identify it, clarify it, get it unified to speak with one voice. now the president has raised

elizabeth mitchell. >> oh, gosh, they don't show me anything. going to be the monroe republic. >> rachel -- >> i gave monroe the amplifier, he has the helicopters because of me. all of this, is because of me. if it's not up to me to stop him, then who? >> hey, it's too late. how is anybody going to win this with muskets, crossbows? >> then we get some bigger guns. >> yeah. how? >> what if i was able to get the rebels missile launchers? thermal guided, surface to air? >> rachel, fire power like that takes imaging systems, tracking chip, it takes power. >> monroe has power. get some of our own. >> jimmy: that's what i'm talking -- [ cheers and applause ] you're doing so well, i love it. aww, it's great. elizabeth mitchell. >> thank you! >> jimmy: "revolution" returns monday night, 10:00 p.m. on nbc. gary dell'abate joins us next. there he is in the bud light platinum green room. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] come alive with the refreshing taste of lipton iced tea. feel the taste. a hairline fracture to the mandible and contusi

that's right here on "andrea mitchell reports." l constipatio.nks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. love your passat! um. listen, gary. i bought the last one. nice try. says right here you can get one for $199 a month. you can't believe the lame-stream media, gary. they're all gone. maybe i'll get one. [ male announcer ] now everyone's going to want one. you can't have the same car as me, gary! i'm gettin' one. nope! [ male announcer ] volkswagen springtoberfest is here and there's no better time to get a passat. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease one of four volkswagen models for under $200 a month. visit vwdealer.com today. . >>> we can barely see the smokestack but take my word for it, it is there. we're talking about rome and waiting for the smoke. i don't think if it is white or black we'll be able to determine it. >> someone will see it. >> there at time has been confusion. they did change the chemical mix to try to make the white smoke less gray. >> it sounds like the new detergent. whiter whites. >

that does it for us for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports."lleague with tamron hall has what's next on "news nation." >> awaiting the results of another round of voting for the next pope. there's now more talk than ever that we could, stress could, see the first ever american head of the catholic church. this is all interesting timing, the vote coming up. this is where pope benedict xvi was selected. >>> gop is calling for balanced budget, but does it matter? dick cheney says parties out of party always push a balanced budget because it polls well. we'll take a look at it. >>> developing news, nbc tom costello is reporting backlash towards the tsa for its decision to allow knives on board. tsa union now speaking out against the plan. we have a lot of developments to report. >>> google settled a place where it is accused of collecting private info. but the deal now allows google to police itself when it comes to privacy issues. it's our "news nation" gut check. even if she gets a stain she'll wear it for a week straight. so i use tide to get ou

notion that we were somehow seeking to protect the post or the media at large by not running mr mitchell's piece is misinformed we were well aware of his critical perspectives on the media's role in the iraq war given his book and frequent writings on the subject so if the paper was already aware of mr mitchell's perspective why did commission the op ed in the first place just for some food for thought on this monday afternoon. on to cuba now where the united states southern command is asking the government for forty nine million dollars to construct another prison building in the guantanamo bay detention facility for so-called special detainees that's on top of the money officials are already asking for for innovations to the facility bringing the overall requested budget to one hundred ninety five point seven million dollars meanwhile the guantanamo bay hunger strike is interim its seventh week with no end in sight reported one hundred thirty one inmates are refusing food until guantanamo officials agree to end the searches and seizures of the take the detainees personal belongings altho

. >>> right now on "andrea mitchell reports," face to face.ecretary of state john kerry makes an unannounced stop in kabul. saying the u.s. and afghanistan are on the same page on peace talks with the taliban. that visit comes after recent tensions between president hamid karzai and u.s. officials. fresh off his middle east trip, president obama turns his focus to immigration. hosting a naturalization ceremony for active duty members of the military today at the white house. >> after avoiding the problem for years, the time has come to fix it once and for all. the time has come for comprehensive sensible immigration reform. >>> up in arms. the nra blasts mayor michael bloomberg's plan to pressure senators in key states ahead of next month's gun control vote. >> 90% of the public wants something and their representatives vote against that. common sense says they are going to have a price to pay for that. >> he can't spend enough of his $27 billion to try to impose his will on the american public, they don't want him in their restaurants, they d

we'll ask her next on "andrea mitchell reports" live from jerusalem. the carful?about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. campbell's. but that doesn't mean i don't want to make money.stor. i love making money. i try to be smart with my investments. i also try to keep my costs down. what's your plan? ishares. low cost and tax efficient. find out why nine out of ten large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal. i worked a patrol unit for 17 years in the city of baltimore. when i first started experiencing the pain, it's hard to describe because you have a numbness but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point, i knew i had to do something. when i went

andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >>> there's word tonight we're watching closely from venezuela. hugo chavez is fighting for his life more than two months after his latest cancer surgery. it came from venezuela's vice president who is expected to provide a further update on his condition. possibly as soon as this evening. chavez has been in failing health for months, but this new announcement was particularly dire. >>> u.s. army private bradley manning pleaded guilty to 12 charges in the case of the biggest leak of classified military information in our history. he also pleaded not guilty to the serious charge of aiding the enemy, which could bring life in prison if he's convicted on that charge. at the hearing today, manning said he was trying to gain attention and start a public debate over what he saw as abuses and wrongdoing during the war in iraq. he leaked thousands of documents and videos, mainly to wikileaks. a judge accepted ten of the guilty pleas tonight. manning could face up to 20 years on those charges alone. >>> still ahead for us this evening, something we've nev

so the if the paper really is already aware of mr mitchell's perspective why then did it commission thep ed in the first place just some food for thought this monday afternoon. on to cuba now where the united states southern command is asking the government for forty nine million dollars to construct another prison building in the guantanamo bay detention facility for its so-called special detainees that's on top of the money officials are already asking for for renovations to the facility bringing the overall requested budget to one hundred ninety five point seven million dollars meanwhile the guantanamo bay hunger strike is entering its seventh week with no end in sight reported one hundred thirty one detainees are refusing food until get most of food officers agree to end all searches and seizures of their personal belongings although facility officials claim that the true number of the people that are actually participating in the hunger strike is closer to twenty six but the inmates cries for better treatment could be falling on deaf ears r t correspondent marina porter shows us ho

dan mitchell come on in this. want the economic pie to grow for everybody but, dan, i don't see how attacking the wealthy people, the successful investors and business owners possibly creates jobs for the middle class. that's the part i don't know. that's the part that mr. obama has had wrong now for four is going on to five years. >> with due respect -- >> you are a dear friend, you have no idea about history for the first three decades after the second world war, our marginal tax on higher incomes was much higher and we grew faster. there's no correlation between high income tax on the rich and economic growth. >> dan, i'll give the last word. >> you find it. >> first, look at hong kong and singapore compared to france and italy if you don't think marginal tax rates matter. but on bob's point that's a keynesian point. the whole purpose of pro growth policy is to generate more income. you don't impose more tax rates on productive behavior. or diverting resources from the productive sources of the economy. >> you'

recently cbn middle east bureau chief chris mitchell spoke with lila about persecution about christians in syria and the middle east. >> what is your situation in syria right now, specifically for christians? >> it is very hard to tell right now. the problem is that the rebels are saying that the assad government is killing the christians, and vice versa, and nobody really can tell. they're fleeing, and they're very much caught in the cross-fire. churches have been destroyed, and there are terrible reports coming out, but it is hard to sift through them at this time. >> syria is sort of the latest example of what is happening in the arab spring. what impact has the arab spring had on christians in the middle east? >> what it has done is it has overthrown strong men, like mubarak, and soon probably assad, who kept a tight reign against islamist terrorism. but what is happening now is that in egypt, the islamists are now in charge.

andrea mitchell's alter ego. >> my best guy. first, this is the president trying to turn the conversation to private sector investment in miami. he is at the port of miami after a very busy week. he's talked about guns and immigration. his polling slightly down. is he getting the conversation where he wants it to be? >> well, look. this is your classic sort of bully pulpit. when the president goes anywhere and says anything, he will get more coverage than any other politician in the country. i'm not sure infrastructure will bump up into the guns conversation. he is going to denver next week to talk about guns. that will override. he talked about infrastructure and the state of union. andrea, he has all these balls up in the air. there's only so much he can catch. he has acknowledged he only has until the 2014 mid terms to get done what he wants to get done.

good morning, i'm john cillizza, andrea mitchell is traveling today. nbc's justice correspondent, pete williams joins us from in front of the supreme court. pete, i can't think of anyone i would rather hear from. i know you were in the room talking about this. listening to the arguments, analyzing the arguments, tell us what we need to know out of what you heard today. >> right, you know there was a lot of talk before the case about whether this would be the roev wade of gay rights, with all the positives and negatives of that. it's quite clear now that it's not going to be. that the supreme court, there's very little interest among any of the justices for the kind of sweeping ruling that the two couple who is brought this case were asking for. to declare marriage such a fundamental right in a no state could deny it. so the court's not going to go there. the fall-back position is articulated by the obama justice department. maybe not that, but any state that grants all the privileges of marriage, domestic partnerships, civil unions but denies same-sex

allies here's our nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell. andrea? >> thomas, experts say that the real danger here is you have a young leader, he's got his finger on nuclear weapons, and he needs to prove himself or he wants to prove himself to some of the military. since he's only in his late 20s, he was made a four-star general and president virtually

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today he told andrea mitchell he apologized if people were offended.ow, i mean, is that good enough for you? >> oh, i mean, i'm sure he didn't mean to offend. what was remarkable to me, i used the word rancid. he was trying to throw out red meat to the lions. in this day and age, however, only the hyenas are left and the meat's too rotten for them. it's really old school. it's from a long time ago. this type of reference. this is an attempt to scare people, to shock people. you know, it reminds me of kinds of the ken starr attempt to make people disgusted. attempt to produce disgust. i think it's great at hopkins and much of the rest of the country that discussion has moved on. people are trying to focus on individual rights, questions of how we can adopt the times, how our society, which makes laws -- we don't have to do it like they did in the roman times or some other time. we can do it how we need to do it today. learning lessons from the past. unfortunately, his history is wrong, too. on multiple levels. so it's too bad, but he has every right to

i'm andrea mitchell back in washington. bob corker was at that dinner with the president last night, and he joins me now from the hill. thank you very much. well, senator, i'm not going to ask you about the mooem meal. i know it was good. tell me about the conversation. any progress on resolving the gridlock on almost every issue in washington? >> well, you know, andrea, there is movement already taking place within the house and stat. it looks like that we may make it through this c.r. process in a pretty good manner, and budgets will happen. last night was really to set the foundation for talks over the next four or five months. i don't think anybody came away from there expecting that we're going to come up with some grand bargain over the next month or six weeks, but i do think it was helpful, and i think it's the way this country ought to operate, and that is executive branch, sitting down with legislators, talking through issues. it was a very sincere discussion. i really think it was helpful. i think people left ther

chris mitchell has our report from rome >> reporter: ceremony was simple and brief when pope francis met the thousands gathered in st. peter's square and the rest of the world. most of the people have left st. peter's square. for the many who rushed here after seeing the white smoke coming from the sistine chapel, it was unforgetable. >> it was fantastic. people flocked to the piazza. it was amazing. >> i was absolutely thrilled, excited. jumping for joy. at the end of the day, for me, i am here for the moment. to live in the moment. there were people from all over the world. something i couldn't miss. >> reporter: it was the choice of the name francis that struck many catholics. ashley mcguire with the catholic association. >> it couldn't send a more clear signal, france is known for reforming the church and a simple man of humility. two immediate clear signals about what kind of papacy pope francis wants to have >> reporter: he has established a simple life. >> when he was elevated to cardinal opted not to live in cardinal's palace, but a humble apartment. cooks his own meals. ther

mitchell. he was appointed by president obama in 2009 as special envoy for the middle east peace. thanks for joining us, mr. mitchell. good to see you. >> thanks for having me. >> first off, how significant was this trip overall? >> i think both significant and successful. the president had several objectives. he wanted to visit israel itself, an important step. connect and make his case directly with the people of israel, which i think he did very well. second, to try to make the case publically and privately to both israeli and palestinian leaders that it is in their self-interest to sit down and negotiate a peace agreement between them. it's not a gift from one side to the other. it's in the self-interest of both israel to get security for its people. the palestinians to finally get a state of their own. he also reaffirmed the strong friendship and support with jordan's king and he sent a clear message to iran during his visit to the region that the united states will not accept a nuclear we

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is that mitchell marcus was going to play in that last game no matter what the score. trusted our players to make sure they were going to do the right thing, not only try to get a victory, but also, also share the ball to give mitchell his final moment in life, his dream come true of scoring a basket in a basketball game. >> mitch shell goes in and the crowd begins chanting mitchell, mitchell, but the fairy tale falls flat and each time he throws it he misses. 13 seconds left the other team has the ball and the dream appears over or is it? watch now, megyn, what the other team does, play this. . >> come on, mitchell. >> owe the opposing team, he misses once. he misses twice. and they stand down, stay back, the other team. three, four, and to steal a phrase. the crowd goes wild! and listen now to the kid who threw the ball. >> i was-- how you want to be treated, and give that other person, a chance of an opportunity that he deserves. >> reporter: got to go, but a great story. >> megyn: that was beautiful. trace, thank you so much. we'll be right back. why let constipati

good day, i'm chris cilizza in for andrea mitchell. waved the white flag in washington with millions of dollars in budget cuts set to become a reality and the country, yes, has another reason to doubt the ability of their elected leaders to solve economic or, let's be honest, any problems. joining me now for our daily fix, ruth marcus and nbc white house correspondent kristen welker. kristen, i want to start with you. president obama 36 minutes of talking after his meeting with the congressional leaders, including taking four questions, contrast to john boehner's 56 seconds of talking after that meeting. what's the tone in the room? the president struck me as pretty confident in where he stands. tell us what it was like. >> well, i think the president knows that he has the public on his side when it comes to this sequester battle. he has a built-in bully pullet and he's using it. that's why he answered so many questions today. what struck me, chris, he really sort of used familiar talking points. a lot of what we have heard him say whe

. >>> right now on "andrea mitchell reports," gun fight. assault weapons ban heads to a showdown on the senate floor out of committee now. but not before it got personal between freshman republican ted cruz and the bill's veteran sponsor, democrat dianne feinstein. >> the question that i would pose to the senior senator from california is would she deem it consistent with the bill of rights, for congress to engage in the same endeavor that we are contemplating doing with the second amendment in the context of the first or fourth. >> it's fine you want to lecture me on the constitution, i appreciate it. just know, i've been here for a long time, i've passed on a number of bills, i've studied the constitution myself. i am reasonably well educated. and i thank you for the lecture. incidentally, this does not prohibit you use the word prohibit. it exempts 2,271 weapons. isn't that enough for the people in the united states? do they need a bazooka? do they need other high-powered weapons that military people use to kill in close combat? i don't

. >>> breaking right now on "andrea mitchell reports" the cardinals set a date. they will begin voting on a new pope next tuesday, and they'll keep voting until they agree on a successor to benedict xvi. >>> and this just in. chuck hagel arrives in kabul for his first official trip as defense secretary. >>> and back to work. unemployment drops to a four-year low as employers add 236,000 new jobs last month. we'll get behind the numbers with greg with "the economist" and cnbc. >>> plus, after the president's big outreach to republicans, is it time to revisit that grand bargain? we'll talk to alan simpson. >>> terror on trial in new york. osama bin laden's son-in-law appears in a manhattan courtroom as republicans argue he should be in gitmo instead. >> we're putting the administration on notice. we think that sneaking this guy into the country clearly going around the intent of congress when it comes to enemy combatants will be challenged. >> in venezuela, a state funeral today for hugo chavez as thousands pay tribute. >>> ditching doma. the president who signed t

chris mitchell, cbn news. >> coming up, china stands up against forced abortions. how the power of prayer is starting to change hearts and minds. >> wendy: welcome back. this month the chinese health agency released a staggering figure. since 1971, the chinese government has performed 336 million abortions. researchers say that breaks down to 13 million abortions per year, or about 1500 every hour. the high number is largely due to china's policy allowing only one child per family. that policy is often enforced through involuntary abortion. now that policy may be changing. brian lee is executive director of "all girls allowed," a christian ministry aimed at ending china's one-child policy. he told george thomas that the prayers of china's christians are making a difference. >> reporter: is there any chance you think that the government is trying to grapple with this issueling proolz israeli arissue and perhaps even change this policy. >> this is something as christians, we need to seek the lord and cry out to him, and ask the government to move to action. right now

allies here's our nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell. andrea? >> thomas, experts say that the real danger here is you have a young leader, he's got his finger on nuclear weapons, and he needs to prove himself or he wants to prove himself to some of the military. since he's only in his late 20s, he was made a four-star general and president virtually overnight. he doesn't know very much about how the world works. he's running a hermetically sealed country. and we see him in recent days meeting with his generals in front of a map showing u.s. cities with the word target written on them in korean. this is clearly for domestic consumption. it is very unlikely that he has nuclear-tipped missiles that could even reach the u.s. mainland. no one thinks he does. but north korea does keep conducting missile and underground nuclear tests. and certainly he could attack okinawa. he could reach guam, even hawaii. and, of course, he could target our south korean and japanese allies. and that's the real danger. he has 800,000 troops poised only 40 miles from se

and i'm very blunt with him about my views on issues and we get stuff done. >> good day i'm andrea mitchellhington, while conservatives are firing up the base at cpac, the president concluded a week of outreach to republicans on capitol hill. and first trip to israel and the west bank, he's in illinois on energy policy. white house press secretary jay carney joins me. what a week this has been. the president going back and forth to capitol hill. and working his charm with democrats as well as republicans. because he's got some base cleaning up to do as well. what is your take-away after this week? there's a lot of reporting that he has not moved the needle at all as far as the republican opposition on the budget. >> we feel very good about the how the week has turned out in terms of the president's meetings on capitol hill with house republicans, senate republicans and house and senate democrats. this is part of a process of engagement. that you know he's embarked on. where he's trying to find willing members of the caucus of common sense. he wants, andrea, as you know, to have conversation

>>> right now on "andrea mitchell reports" death in afghanistan. two americans are killed in an apparent insider attack. as defense secretary chuck hagel fires back as president karzai's charge that the u.s. is somehow conspiring with the taliban to keep the war going. >> the united states was unilaterally working with the taliban in trying to negotiate anything, the fact is any prospect for peace or political settlements, that has to be led by the afghans. >> will the war of words change the white house timetable to wind down the war? tough new gun legislation heads toward a senate vote. what are its chances? we'll talk to the bill's co-sponsors, senator patrick leahy. countdown to the conclave, last-minute preparations under way in rome. how long will it take to see the white smoke? >>> plus, this isn't your typical political fight. new york congressman peter king gets in the ring literally with a champion kick boxer. >>> and justin timberlake joins an exclusive club on "snl." >> candace bergen? the first female member of the five-timers club. >>

andrea mitchell, nbc news, kabul. >>> there are 80 recipients of the medal of honor alive today. to a man they consider themselves ordinary americans. a few years back they decided to honor ordinary americans who, when challenged, did something extraordinary, exhibiting the qualities of courage, selflessness and sacrifice. so the medal of honor recipients came up with the service before self medal for citizens. this year's awards were handed out today. marcus ugarte was thanked for saving a young boy from a house fire in oregon. monsignor joe carroll for his 30 years of work for the homeless and the poor in san diego. and father and son jesse schafer, iii and iv for their heroism during hurricane isaac in braithwaite, louisiana, rescuing 120 people with their own boat as the waters rose. the medal of honor recipients will treat the heroes of newtown, connecticut in a separate category this year. >>> when "nightly news" continues in a moment, the road to retirement. baby boomers finding new ways to earn a living. even start a new career by catering to older americans. >>> later, g

joe mitchell had a whopper of his own. listen to this.his is a response to an e-mail opposing gun control. mitchell haorbwho is black, off this description of the white e-mailers, he called them slave-holding baby raping snagle toothed inbred folks. >> do they think before they talk? >> and he knows as a public official these have been read and have been read by other members of the body. >> and the fellow democrats condemned the rant, and legislature decided against any anything, but it's freedom of speech. >> every week they could put their foot in their mouths. the republicans laty, and democrats are guilty, too. i know they want to make a comeback. and stop being stupid, you have to start now if you want to make a comeback. >> and one commentator had to apologize on same-sex marriage. a prominent neuro surgeon speaking on fox news. th he said they have no right to try to redefine marriage. and carson offered this apologize. >> as a christian, we have a duty to love everyone, and love them as ourselves, and i love gay people and straig

>> andrea mitchell in d.c. tonight. andrea, thanks. >>> a twin engine private plane crashed into a parking lot in ft. lauderdale this afternoon leaving a mass of burned cars along with the wreckage. piper navajo was taking off from ft. lauderdale executive airport when witnesses heard the engine stall. all three aboard the plane reported killed. no injuries on the ground. >>> more trouble to report tonight for the popular carnival cruise lines. three of its shipsave had serious problems this week alone. this comes, of course, weeks after the nightmare trip on the vessel "triumph." our report tonight from nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: thousands of carnival passengers on the move. >> it's not the best way to end a vacation. where else to be stranded but a tropical island? >> reporter: the cruise line chartering 50 flights for more than 4,300 guests stranded on the carnival "dream" since wednesday because of a broken backup generator. >> i will never cruise carnival ever again. it's been a really bad experience. >> re

our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell, is traveling with secretary of state john kerry. tonight, they are in doha, where andrea is with us live. and, andrea, what about the u.s. piece of this and what's been the early reaction? >> reporter: well, first of all, we are talking about a $50 billion, billion with a b, two-way trade with the united states, most of it oil. venezuela is the fourth largest exporter to the u.s. of oil and it is the largest exporter of oil in the hemisphere. so, this is a very big deal. we've had no relationship to speak of, as you just said. for two years, we haven't even had an ambassador there. the white house has scrambled and has issued a statement tonight saying, "at this challenging time of president hugo chavez's passing, the united states reaffirms its support for the venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the venezuelan government. as venezuela begins a new chapter in its history," the white house said, "the united states remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule

andrea mitchell in our d.c. newsroom. andrea, thanks. >>> back in this country, a major health scare for thousands of dental patients in oklahoma. 64-year-old scott harrington has been an oral and facial surgeon in tulsa for decades, but tonight, many of his current and former patients are living in fear of what they may have been exposed to, hepatitis, perhaps even hiv, in an office that investigators say made them physically sick to visit. our report tonight from nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: oklahoma health officials are calling this dental clinic a perfect storm for infection. it's where joyce baylor says she had a tooth pulled a year and a half ago. >> it's frightening. it's scary. you don't know if there's anything wrong, and i've been wondering. >> reporter: today the state health department sent letters to about 7,000 patients who had visited the clinic over the past six years. urging them to get tested for hepatitis and hiv. >> it's certainly unnerving to know that a dental office was practicing in this way.

our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell, monitoring developments from our d.c. newsroom. andrea, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. tonight the white house says the united states can defend itself against the north korean missile attack, even as pyongyang ratchets up its threats against the u.s. it was north korea's toughest threat yet, announced on state tv. >> translator: since the united states is about to ignite a nuclear war, we will be exercising our right to preemptive nuclear attack. >> reporter: a recent government video shows a north korean missile blowing up manhattan. pyongyang defied the world with a nuclear test last month and a missile test in december, but experts say the regime has not proved it can put a nuclear warhead on a missile that could reach the u.s. and all this may be backfiring. today china, north korea's closest ally, voted with the u.s. for the toughest economic sanctions yet, hitting kim jong-un and his generals where it hurts. luxury products like yachts, racing cars and jewelry. >> one of the important provisions of

lots to worry about. >> andrea mitchell, part of our team covering the middle east this week. andrea, thanks. >>> the national weather service has told the folks along the red river in fargo, north dakota, to prepare for perhaps one of the top five floods in the city's history. they're worried about the rapid thaw beneath spring rains. flood stage on the red river is 18 feet. they're worried upwards of 36 feet of water. and on the opposite side of the spectrum, there is no relief in sight this spring for much of the country suffering through a devastating and lasting drought. weather channel meteorologist chris warren is with us tonight for a look at all of it. chris, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, too, brian. in some areas not only is it bad right now but expected to get worse. as far as the drought is concerned, let's take a look at noaa's forecast released today showing the growing drought areas expected to remain dry. this is the spring forecast, april, may, and june. much of the west staying dry. with that expecting to see ongoing and possibly intensifyin

andrea mitchell, nbc news, amman. >>> and it was the kind of meeting not witnessed in modern times. a get-together in italy today between two men who have worn the title pope. pope francis paid a visit to his predecessor benedict xvi at castel gandolfo the papal retreat where benedict has retired. francis -- pope francis told benedict, we are brothers. the two men prayed together with the vatican spokesman calling it a moment of great communion in the church. >>> a well-known russian tycoon who amassed great wealth after the fall of the soviet union was found dead today in england. boris berezovsky was a close ally of former president boris yeltsin. in return for backing yeltsin he was able to buy former state assets at bargain prices. he also helped vladimir putin rise to power but later had a falling-out with putin and moved to england. the circumstances of his death were unclear. berezovsky was 67 years old. >>> back in this country the evidence appears to be mounting that a colorado prison parolee killed in a shoot-out this week in texas may have been involved in the brazen murd

andrea mitchell, nbc news, traveling with the secretary of state in baghdad. >>> imagine for a moment that the u.s. government closed all the banks for more than a week, tried to impose a huge tax on large deposits and restricted how much cash you could withdraw from an atm. that's exactly what's going on tonight in cyprus. a member of the eurozone as it tries to raise enough money to qualify for a big bail-out from european lenders. cnbc's michelle caruso-cabrera has the latest tonight from cyprus. >> reporter: lester, all the banks on cyprus closed for nine days now. only the atms are working and just today they announced withdrawals would be limited to only 100 euros. but many of the machines don't have any money anyway. long lines all week at the atms of cyprus' weakest bank. customers desperate to get as much cash as possible in case the bank collapses. at supermarkets, families stocking up. fearing shelves will soon be empty with all the banks closed, businesses can't pay for supplies and restock. buying so much, olga brought her two teenage sons to help. >> well, we are concern

and afghanistan. >> that was nbc's andrea mitchell reporting. >>> staying overseas, a rescue package has kept the banks in cyprus from collapse bug the implications with the european unit rocking the global markets. on wall street all three major indexes ended the day in negative territory. let's go to cnbc's karen cho who is live in london. who are the winners and losers in cyprus with this package? >> those with deposits under 100,000 you'reos are still the winners here. those with over 100,000 are taking the hit. as to what's playing out on the ground, two major banks there still remain shut and are likely to be closed the next couple of days, the two banks that have been involved in this risky package. this is to avoid that run on deposits. in terms of the free flow of captain this will be constrained for a lot longer. capital controls are likely to last for a matter of weeks. we saw sentiment on wall street affected yesterday across europe yesterday but also today as well. and this is on the back of comments by the eurogroup chief who was saying that cyprus was going to be a tem

we did that when we started paul mitchell. p.o. box, beverly hills universal city. wow? business, it looked like. ♪ >> you could knock on 100 door, say no, slam them in your face, but you continue on, eventually you know we're not going to be in the ordering business, in the reorder business. what we have is so good, let me just let you try it, no matter what. ♪ in business you don't know when you're going to grow. always order 10% more than you think you're going to need, if you can afford it. you're eventually going to sell it anyways, and when the orders come in, you're more that in a, you don't get surprised and have a cushion when reordering. we were so fortunate, patron have really good people. the story i tell, clint eastwood. what a guy. in business a few years with patron, calls one day and says, j.p., go down with your wife to this new movie i'm coming out with called "in the line of fire." wept down there and what do you know but what he drank and what he carried in the whole movie was patron tequila. find someone to localize it and say, i want you to have thi

some of them you don't want to be giving weapons to. >> that was nbc's andrea mitchell reporting. john kerry is scheduled to travel to continue the dialogue on syria. >>> the white house is taking its most significant stand on gay marriage yet. last night the obama administration filed a brief urging the supreme court to declare california's law limiting marriage to only a man and a woman unconstitutional. this law is known as prop 8. the administration argues states violate the constitution if they offer civil unions to gay couples but deny them right to marry. the court's decision could be applied to at least seven other states that allow civil unions but not same-sex marriage. president obama's stance on the issue has evolved. as early as 2004, senator obama cited his christian beliefs saying he was not in favor of gay marriage. in 2010, he said he was evolving on the issue, which paved the way for a landmark interview in 2012 when he said he supports gay marriage but would leave it to states to decide. well, flash forward to this year's state of the union in his declaration th