you're watching msnbc. it's 29 days until the nation could fall off the fiscal cliff are the two sides closer, to avoid the massive tax increases and budget cuts? not according to house speaker john boehner. >> right now i would say we're nowhere. period. we're nowhere. >> the only thing standing in the way of that would be a refusal by republicans to accept the rates that are going to have to go up on wealthiest americans. i don't really see them doing that. >> nbc news white house correspondent, mike viquiera joining me now. treasury secretary timothy geithner, president obama's point man in these fiscal cliff negotiations, ran the gauntlet this morning. he appeared on all five sunday talk shows, including "meet the press" of course, what else did he say? >> craig, you know if we're in the posturing stage and a lot of people think we're still in the posturing stage with, 29 or 30 days to go. we better hope that they're just posturing, because after the period of optimism, the post-election talk of comprom

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this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned.s right now. ♪ >>> for 40 years, every morning when i wake up, i look in the mirror, and it's me and my mustache, and we've gone many, many miles together. so, to be without it is going to be a profoundly weird feeling, but we raised $1 million for

this is "first look" on msnbc.ed, "way too early" is next. >>> i wasn't sure if it was for real at first, until i seen the reactions on their faces that they were serious. >> he's sitting there pointing the gun at some people, so we ran to the fitting rooms, grabbed the people, then ran out the back exit to get out of there. >> people were trampling each other trying to get out and i just kept going back i

you're watching "the ed show" on msnbc. we're right back. le like to pred could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ] it doesn't. stop pretending. only flood insurance covers floods. ♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk. >>> continuing coverage of the tragedy in newtown, connecticut. we'll have more of the president's emotional response to today's tragic events. and dan gross of the brady campaign to prevent gun violence and new york congressman jerrold nadler will weigh in with us next. stay with us. >>> as a country, we have been through this too many times. and we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics. >> president obama earlier today speaking about the school shooting in newtown, connecticut. despite the tragedies in arizona, in wisconsin, and colorado, despite the countless number of people who fall victim to gun violence each day, every day, the president has not pushed for tougher g

this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned.s right now. ♪ >>> for 40 years, every morning when i wake up, i look in the mirror, and it's me and my mustache, and we've gone many, many miles together. so, to be without it is going to be a profoundly weird feeling, but we raised $1 million for epilepsy research, and the loss that people have suffered because of epilepsy is far greater than a mustache that perhaps i can grow back some day. so, i'm more than happy to give that up in order to advance this cause. >> today's the day! >> oh, yeah, i'm excited! >> we have the

you're watching msnbc. the place for politics.his reduced sodium soup says it may help lower cholesterol, how does it work? you just have to eat it as part of your heart healthy diet. step 1. eat the soup. all those veggies and beans, that's what may help lower your cholesterol and -- well that's easy [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. >>> welcome back to msnbc's special coverage of the breaking news from washington. if you're just joining us, we can report that there will be no vote in the house tonight. there's no bill for the house to vote on. it's still another chapter in the story of the do-nothing 112th congress. over the past few years, the number of bills passed has actually gone down. 460 in the 110th, 383 in the 111th. in this current 112th congress, just 219 bills. the lowest since they've been keeping records. it is possible we could see no action in the house until john boehner has the speaker's gavel back in hand on thursday. joining me now is ryan grim, eugene robinson. eugene, of those 219 bil

this is "first look" on msnbc.tuned, "way too early" starts right now. >>> since 1994, there have been 70 -- these are just school shootings. 70 -- 70 episodes of school shootings in the united states since 1994. after the brady bill was passed. president obama was in connecticut last night speaking to a high school gymnasium as part of a memorial service. he said some things. no single law no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless ability of violence in our society, but that can't be an excuse for inaction. so right there, i feel better. it can't be an

you're watching msnbc.e announcer ] humana and walmart have teamed up to bring you a low-priced medicare prescription drug plan. with a low $18.50 monthly plan premium, select generic hypertension drugs for only a penny and in-store copays as low as one dollar on other generic drugs after deductible, saving on your medicare prescriptions is easy. so you're free to focus on the things that really matter. call humana at 1-800-808-4003. or go to walmart.com for details. >>> house speaker john boehner appointed miller after days of criticism about a lack of female leadership in the house gop. all but one republican committee chair has been filled and so far, there they are right there. 19 of the committee leaders, 19 of 20 are men. before congresswoman miller was appointed. republican representative from tennessee marsha blackburn represented some disappointment in her party. >> i would like to have thought that we could have had women chairman, but the fact that this is kind of the way it has turned out as a v

this is "first look" on msnbc.tuned, "way too early" starts right now. >>> since 1994, there have been 70 -- these are just school shootings. 70 -- 70 episodes of school shootings in the united states since 1994. after the brady bill was passed. president obama was in connecticut last night speaking to a high school gymnasium as part of a memorial service. he said some things. no single law no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless ability of violence in our society, but that can't be an excuse for inaction. so right there, i feel better. it can't be an excuse for inaction. that means he's committed. he is going on the record, some kind of action. >> that, of course, david letterman monday night addressing the horrific school shooting. good morning, i'm brian shactman this is "way too early." a lot to get to this tuesday, including new developments in the fiscal cliff negotiations. of course, with the year-end deadline less than two weeks away, the country's entire attention seems

this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. too early" starts right now. >>> typical middle-class family of four will see an income tax hike of under $2,200. how many of you can afford to pay another $2,200 in taxes? not you? i didn't think so. you can't afford to lose that money.

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you are watching msnbc, the place for politics. less than three days until the so-called fiscal cliff and congress still trying to hammer out a deal. they've had 515 days to work this out. still, though, capitol hill leaders are at an impasse and starting next week, you and i could see our paychecks cut as payroll taxes go up and that could be just the beginning. the clock at the bottom right of your screen there might as well have a blaringa, large on it because come midnight monday if lawmakers have not found the fiscal cliff solution you're going to hear a whole heck of a lot of noise. let's get straight to washington. nbc's kristen welker at the white house and luke russert is tracking developments at capitol hill and nbc news senior political editor mark murray is here to break it down for us from the washington bureau. we will start with kristen. last we heard, kristen welker, the president came out to report that he is modestly optimistic. has the rhetoric changed at all today? >> reporter: it has changed a little bit. the p

. >>> i'm craig melvin, you're watching msnbc, the place for politics. thousands of protesters have been filling tahrir square for days now telling their new president to leave office after he pushed through a new and highly conservative constitution. >>> meanwhile, mexico's new president has just been sworn in and his election marks the republic return of the party that ruled south of the border for seven decades. so, what is going to change? >>> many say the latino vote that allowed our president to secure his second term. but what is behind, what is behind the big idea of this record turn out? before we get to all of that, the fiscal cliff. we start with president obama digging in his heels about raising taxes on the wealthiest. senior administration official telling "the wall street journal" there will be no new offers until republicans allow tax rates to go up on top earners. this morning, the president accusing the gop of brinksmanship while republican senator orrin hatch said democrats are asking for too much. >> it's unacceptable for some republi

also, msnbc contributor, dave weigel.n" magazine editor in chief matt welch. great to have you all with us. let's start there where i just left off with catherine. same-sex marriage activists are called this the civil rights issue of our time, but many also express uncertainty that the high court isn't evolved enough to rule on. what's your take? >> well, i think that we certainly have seen a change in the tide from the president saying that his position has evolved on this to certainly the polls. the polls have indicated clearly that the american people have changed greatly in their posturing towards not just civil unions but the right to marry. so marriage equality is front and center. not only for millennials, but people of all age groups and all walks of life. you have democrats and republicans even agreeing on this issue. at this point, people are finding a common thread. that's the right for human beings, american people that look like you and i and eothers. >> matt, there are a variety of possible outcomes. let's s

msnbc's chris jansing at sandy hook elementary school in newtown. chris, it is a comfort to us to have you on scene with your experience and capability on a story like this. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> chris jansing is going to be covering a lot of our story later tonight. she has lot of experience covering the columbine shooting, aurora, tucson. her experience on a night like this is invaluable. >>> president obama's response to the newtown shooting this afternoon was itself remarkable. that is coming up. plus, we've got some news beyond this story to share with you. please stay with us. >>> the massacre in newtown, connecticut is unfolding in a way that may seem familiar. the first calls to 911, emergency members arrive, frantic family members converge on the scene. government officials are called to account. for president obama, another instance of horrific violence requires a response, not only to the many individual tragedies of today, not only to the people of the community rocked by loss, but to the nation and to the question of what we

jimy williams is a democratic strategist and msnbc contributor. alice stewart is a republican strategist who served as press secretary for rick santorum. here is what ray la pierre said on sunday. >> if it's crazy to calling for putting police and armed security in schools to protect our children, call me crazy. i -- i think the american people think it's crazy not to do it. it's the one thing that would keep safe. the nrs is going to try to do that. >> there's already conversations about arming teachers or officers at school. so the question, jimmy, is it a political ploy to change the topic or one of those outside the box ideas that the federal government should take seriously here? >> first of all, i don't know -- i would like to know, first of all how many schools there are in america. high schools, middle schools, preschools, private christian academies? the point is this is unfeasible. i'm not sure it's the right way to go to put an armed guard in every single school in america. who will pick up the taxpayer dla are on that? the counties, it

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i'm mara schiavocampo and this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early" starts right now. ♪

good sunday afternoon to you, you are watching msnbc, the place for politics. there are no signs right now of a break in the deadlocked talks to avert the so-called fiscal cliff, the devastating combinations of tax increase and spending cuts that kick in january 1st. both sides seem to dig in this morning on the sunday talk shows. >> the only thing standing in the way of that would be a refusal by republicans that the rates would have to go up on the wealthiest americans, and i don't really see them doing it. >> right now, i would say we're nowhere, period, we're nowhere. >> that somber assessment today from house speaker john boehner, as geithner, the point man, went on all five sunday talk shows, cnbc, washington correspondent aman javers joining me live now. did geithner offer anything new today? >> he really didn't. he thinks the republicans are bluffing here and they are not prepared to go all the way to the mat here on behalf of tax cuts for the rich. they think at the white house they've got their republicans backed into a political corner here, and they

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you're watching "the ed show" on msnbc. we're right back. talk about the options on the... table and what they mean for you and your family. ancr: aarp is cutting through all the political spin. because for our 37 million members, only one word counts. get the facts at earnedasay.org. let's keep medicare... and social security strong for generations to come. >>> continuing coverage of the tragedy in newtown, connecticut. we'll have more of the president's emotional response to today's tragic events. and dan gross of the brady campaign to prevent gun violence and new york congressman jerrold nadler will weigh in with us next. stay with us. ♪ don't know what i'd do ♪ i'd have nothing to prove ♪ i'd have nothing to lose [ male announcer ] zales is the diamond store. take up to an extra 15 percent off storewide, now through sunday. >>> as a country, we have been through this too many times. and we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics. >> pre

tonight as we continue msnbc's coverage of the elementary school shooting, heartbreaking new information as officials late today release the names and ages of 26 victims inside sandy hook elementary. 20 of those victims, as you probably know by now, were children. 12 girls, 8 boys, all six adults were women. here are their names in alphabet cal order. charlotte bacon, 6 years old. daniel barden, 7. rachel davino, 29. olivia engel, 6. josephine gay, 7. ana marquez-green, 6. so was dylan hockley. dawn hochsprung, 47. she was the school principal. madeline hsu, 6 years old. so was catherine hubbard and chase kowalski. jesse lewis was 6, too. as was james mattioli. grace mcdonnell, 7. anne marie murphy, 52. emilie parker, 6. jack pinto and noah pozner, 6. caroline previdi, 6. jessica rekos, 6. avielle richman, 6. lauren russ sue, 30. marry sherlach, 56. victoria soto, 27. benjamin wheeler and allison wyatt were also just years old. medical examiner wayne carver said all the victims were shot multiple times with a high-power rifle. >> i've been at this for a third of a century. and it's my se

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you're watching "first look" on msnbc. begin. tomato, obviously. haha. there's more than that though, there's a kick to it. wahlalalalallala! smooth, but crisp. it's kind of like drinking a food that's a drink, or a drink that's a food, woooooh! [ male announcer ] taste it and describe the indescribable. could've had a v8. share "not even close." share "you owe me..." share "just right." the share everything plan. shareable data across 10 devices with unlimited talk and text. hurry in for a droid razr m by motorola for $49.99. >>> president obama has spoken at memorial shootings in tucson, aurora and ft. hood, but his comments at sandy hook. >> this is the fourth time that we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by mass shootings. fourth time we have hugged survivors. the fourth time we have consoled the families of victims. and in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings across the country almost daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small town and big cities all across america. victims whose

you are watching msnbc. [ laughter ] smoke? nah, i'm good. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicoderm cq, the patch with time release smart control technology that acts fast and helps control cravings all day long. ♪ quit one day at a time with nicoderm cq. >>> three days to go before the nation goes off the fiscal cliff and congressional leaders behind closed doors, both chambers could vote on before then, but who blinks first in these negotiations may have something to do with poll numbers. the latest survey conducted by reute reuters ipso shows the latest negotiations and 27% of americans fault the republicans. 16% blame president obama. just 6% are blaming democrats. according to the same poll 23% blame republicans in congress for the national unemployment number. 16% blame the president. 7% blame democrats and the national unemployment rate right now as of november stands at 7.7%. still to come, what does the failure of speaker boehner come to get his plan b passed to go

msnbc's chris jansing at sandy hook elementary school in newtown., it is a comfort to us to have you on scene with your experience and capability on a story like this. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> chris jansing is going to be covering a lot of our story later tonight. she has lot of experience covering the columbine shooting, aurora, tucson. her experience on a night like this is invaluable. >>> president obama's response to the newtown shooting this afternoon was itself remarkable. that is coming up. plus, we've got some news beyond this story to share with you. please stay with us. machine and cut! very good. people are always asking me how we make these geico adverts. so we're taking you behind the scenes. this coffee cup, for example, is computer animated.it wo? you just have to eat it as part of your heart healthy diet. step 1. eat the soup. all those veggies and beans, that's what may help lower your cholesterol and -- well that's easy [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. >>> the massacre in newtown, connecticut is unf

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you're watching msnbc, the place for politics. 31 days until we reach the fiscal cliff. we'll get the latest on who is talking to whom and whether they're going to take us to the edge. also, who is lindsey graham calling, quote, crazy bastards on the senate floor? here is a hint. it all has to do with guantanamo bay and with the resignation of jesse jackson jr. from the halls of congress, what will become of the legacy of his famous father? we'll talk about that as well. we start here. the republican thrashing of the president's potential pick for secretary of state continued this week. ambassador susan rice did not seem to do herself any favors. meetings with top republicans on the hill, with several says their discussions left them more troubled. president obama and this cabinet stood by her. >> mrs. rice is extraordinary. i couldn't be prouder of the job that she has done. [ applause ] >> and joining me now from the white house, nbc news correspondent viqueira. vic, will the gop continue its pile-on of the ambassador? will it have the opposite effect of hardening the

our gaggle from msnbc, chris salizza and political editor, perry bacon. madden, was a senior advisor for governor romney's campaign. we asked all of you, first of all, hello. happy new year. we asked all of you to pick. i throw my dozen and all of you, i asked you to pick two that you're going to keep. we're not going to do the 2016 confers now, but we'll do it in a few minutes. >> so i'm a littler in day and focused on the downed ballot. so i did pick michael bennett, the colorado senator. he's tasked with, trying to, again, keep a democratic senate majority difficulty of 20 democratic seats. and they asked him two years ago, he said no. >> why pence up there? >> i think he's a guy who spernt time in congress and is now the governor of indiana. he's a guy we under rate. we've seen how particularly republican governors can have a fiscal conservativism. pence is going to force a political agenda. >> jerry brown, really important. california is a super majority so jerry brown and the democrats do whatever they want. and i'm curious, what does that mean? how

at msnbc, our continued coverage. we'll continue now and into the night. >>> weekends with alex witt" starts now. >> a quiet corner of america shattered. >> caller indicating she thinks someone is shooting in the building. >> chilling words in the midst of an attack on the least among us. the unimaginable deaths of small children at the hands of a young gunman. an elementary classroom, the killing field. what's left this morning? a small city of grief. a state in mourning. a country with new questions about the price of freedom. good morning, everyone. and welcome to "weekends with alex witt." we're calling it a tragedy, but that particular word nor any other could describe what happened on a cold, bright winter morning in newtown, connecticut. i'm afraid the answers we try to provide in the next hour to the most pressing questions will feel inat adequate to all of us, but we'll try with an admitedly heavy heart. here is what we know. there are new details to report among the 28 people dead are 20 schoolchildren, ages

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msnbc's chris jansing at sandy hook elementary school in newtown.it is a comfort to us to have you onscene with your experience and capability on a story like this. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> chris jansing is going to be covering a lot of our story later tonight. she has lot of experience covering the columbine shooting, aurora, tucson. her experience on a night like this is invaluable. >>> president obama's response to the newtown shooting this afternoon was itself remarkable. that is coming up. plus, we've got some news beyond this story to share with you. please stay with us. he news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. hi, i'm ensure clear... clear, huh? i'm not juice or fancy water. i've got nine grams of protein. that's three times more than me! [ female announcer ] ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. >>> the massacre in newtown, connecticut is un

msnbc's chris jansing at sandy hook elementary school in newtown. is a comfort to us to have you on scene with your experience and capability on a story like this. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> chris jansing is going to be covering a lot of our story later tonight. she has lot of experience covering the columbine shooting, aurora, tucson. she has been there and seen it. her experience on a night like this is invaluable. >>> president obama's response to the newtown shooting this afternoon was itself remarkable. that is coming up. plus, we've got some news beyond this story to share with you. please stay with us. starbucks almost every weekend. darrell hasn't been able to visit his mom back east in a long time. [ mom ] things are sometimes a little tight. i wasn't able to go to the wedding. [ emily jo ] since darrell couldn't get home, we decided to bring home to him and then just gave him a little bit of help finding his way. ♪ [ laughs ] [ applause ] i love you. i love you. [ male announcer ] get together at the rekindle share event. buy one ho

congressman mack joins us from our msnbc exit interview.th you. thanks for having me on. >> go ahead. you were about to say? >> i'm not sure i like the "exit interview," but i guess it is what it is, right? >> it is. turn in your card cue before you leave. you represent a portion of florida. your wife represents a portion of california. the common ground for both of you, washington, d.c. many former lawmakers, of course you know this, they head straight to k street. are you likely to stay in d.c., becoming a lobbyist, something that might be under consideration? >> you know, we're still trying to figure that out. i mean, obviously, i decided to leave my congressional seat to run for the senate in hopes that we would win. that didn't happen. and so we're trying to figure out what we do next and where we go. we haven't ruled anything out. but we also haven't made any firm decisions, and that's about as slippery as a politician can get for an answer. >> you may be leaving the house of representatives, but you still have the ability to sidestep

hour, here, eastern time on msnbc. coming up, more on the president's comments on the fiscal cliff negotiations and politics over people. republicans bring the country to the brink again. and millions of unemployed americans are nervously waiting. and what a year it's been. the votes are in. we have the "politics nation" picture of the year coming up. you're watching "politics nation" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] it's that time of year again. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind. prego?! but i've bought ragu for years. [ thinking ] wonder what other questionable choices i've made? i choose date nu

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you are watching "first look" on msnbc. >>> happy holidays. welcome back to "first look." some stories making news this morning and some sad news to report to you. charles durning who was often called the king of character actors has died in new york at the age of 89. durning was nominated for an oscar for his over the top performance as a corrupt governor in the 1982 it's the best little whorl house in texas." a year later he got a nomination for "to be or not to be." jack klugman died monday afternoon in los angeles at the age of 90. clug man starred as a medical examiner in the tv series quincy," but he is perhaps best known for his role as felix unger's sloppy roommate oscar madison in the tv version of the who had couple". at the vatican, the pope led his midnight mass at 10:00 p.m. to allow himself more rest before his big christmas day speech. the pontiff told worshipers that he's worried there is no room left for god in our hectic and technology-driven lives. >> in the afghan capital of kabul, u.s. and other mate toe soldiers celebrated christmas eve away from thei

this is "first look" on msnbc.rts right now. >>> it took us three months to establish trust. these guys don't trust each other. they don't even trust each other in their own party. we have leaders who are people behind them with a shift hoping they can get their job the next go around. durbin has someone looking over their back. every time they deal and over on

after a quarter century, gabby douglas made the cut, and a special shout-out to blogger, columnist and msnbc contributor, ezra klein. >>> well, the nra is feeling the heat after the aftermath of sund sandy hook. t. the giants don't have a mascot! ohhh! eat up! new jammin jerk chicken soup has tasty pieces of chicken with rice and beans. hmmm. for giant hunger! thanks mom! see ya! whoaa...oops! mom? i'm ok. grandma? hi sweetie! she operates the head. [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right.

this is "first look" on msnbc.rts right now. >>> it took us three months to establish trust. these guys don't trust each other. they don't even trust each other in their own party. we have leaders who are people behind them with a shift hoping they can get their job the next go around. durbin has someone looking over their back. every time they deal and over on the republicans, boehner has to go to work and come back and now there's 70 of them left, the tea party guys. these are guys that went to congress not to limit government but to stop it. so what are you going to do? we have five

you're watching "first look" on msnbc. cdw has solution experts for everything. they optimized our data center and got us on the cloud. they even sent tour champion, paula creamer, to help with charles' swing. maybe don't do that. that's not good. no! his job isn't to look good. it's to make the clients look good. oh my goodness! i can't help you. that's what i thought. >>> hi. my name is maria sparza. i'm stationed at osan air force base. i want to wish my husband and my two boys merry christmas. i love you guys. mommy misses you. >>> hi. i'm major mark palini. i'm here in southwest asia. i want to wish a great christmas to my wife and my two daughters. i'll be home soon. i hope you have a great christmas and happy new year. >>> happy holidays to you as well. >>> some stories now making news this morning. activists in syria say government war planes attacked a bakery in a rebel held town killing more than 60 people, some of them children. it appears to be one of the deadliest aerial attacks in that country's nearly two-year long civil war. >>> u.s. senator micha

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and jared bernstein is also an msnbc contributor. and former chief e cconomist fo vice president joe biden. >> e.j., we just heard from the president. what's your take? >> well, my take is that the republican party in the house in particular does not seem to be interested in governing or at least about 30-60 members of that caucus aren't. whoen you look at what happened here, president obama moved very far toward the republicans in his proposal. there's a lot of stuff in that proposal that his own supporters don't like very much. there was very little distance, really, between the president's proposal and where boehner said he was. but the republicans just are not interested in compromising. and i think the only way out of this is going to be a deal if boehner would allow it, where you're going to need a lot of democratic votes united to those republicans who know we've got to solve this problem. i think it's a real crisis in the government if we keep going like this. >> now, when you look at this, jared, the president said something

democratic pollster on the msnbc contributor.tional reviews, robert costa who is a contributor for msnbc and the kudlow report. welcome all. you are in the jump seat and i will give you the first chance at this. you did this interview with tom price. it's about this idea that some conservatives may try to make baper's life so uncomfortable they could challenge him for the speakership. it's clear he doesn't have the votes for any of this, but how series is boehner taking it and how much of it is impacting the negotiations? >> it's a great question. the tension within the house republican conference is very real. tom price's comments about his concerns and about a potential deal that includes tax increases reflects where a lot of conservatives are. they are wary about what speaker boehner is doing. no one is really sure about the contours of the potential deal. >> you see here there seems to be all this evidence that republicans are publicly splintering. they are not behind one position. even mitch mcconnell said he can get his tax

eugene is also an msnbc political analyst.r thank you for joining me because you're on the front line every time there's a death, a homicide in philadelphia. you know all the facts and figures and you certainly know about the school district. let's just look at this as if it came from pluto this idea and didn't come from the nra. what value does it have to have an armed police officer, say a 50-year-old guy with police 2r5i7bing, maybe an ex police officer, retired police officer standing somewhere near the lobby or the main door of a high school in philly? would it have the any value? >> here is the deal, chris. in many instances as we saw in newtown certainly, the person doesn't always come in the front door, and while in very specific situations in certain schools, whether it's officers patrolling nearby or as a part of their regular duties coming into schools, this is really not a serious idea. the issue is less guns, and certainly less semiautomatic weapons, rifles of this type. the issue is about the type of weapons that

joining us on the phone, msnbc analyst and former fbi profiler clint van zandt. clint, give us your read, your assessment, on this situation? >> well, we know that the shooter is dead. we don't know whether that is by law enforcement action when the first responding officers went in and confronted him or whether, as we saw in the portland, oregon, mall shooting this past week, whether the shooter actually shot himself committing suicide. we know that at least two handguns were found. you know, that takes us back to april 2007 when the shooter at virginia tech, in that case, who killed 32 and wounded 15, also had two handguns. what it does suggest, though, is that this individual went in there with carrying two handguns and perhaps other ammunition. he went in there apparently to confront someone. we're told that confrontation took place in the office of the school and may have spilled out from there. we're still trying to understand the number of victims and the level of injury. >> clint, you know, when we talk about these shootings, first off, they are mentionin