jon stewart, gracious enough to come on rachel maddow's show to answer whatever questions rachel has.ing to be a

so with that, let's go to rachel maddow, who is the fantastic host and i'm one of her biggest fans, nochel, great to have you with us tonight. thanks for being on "the ed show." >> ed, it's great to be here, thanks. >> do you accept this conversation about people of his -- in his position being on a different playing field? how did you take that. >> you know i think -- i think it's one of the most interesting things that we got to. because what's clear and he elaborated this a flot a lot of very interesting details is that he does not see himself as having come from the same place that we all come from. you and i both come from the radio talk world. a lot of other people in in business come from the straight news journalism world. he sees himself as coming out of the comedic tradition and his forbearers sort being people like jerry seinfeld. but even though as he sees himself coming from there and us not being -- the fact whether he does for a living does mean that people see him and us sort of along the same plain. they see his time commentary as having as much news value in some case

. >>> and on a special episode of "the rachel maddow show," rachel got serious with comedian jon stewartey talked about hot topics he turns to satire on "the daily show." she asked if he agrees that bill marr's assessment of the group in washington drew an unfair parallel between fox news and msnbc. >> we've all bought into -- that the conflict in this country is left and right. liberal/conservative, red/blue. all the news networks have bought into that. cnn sort of started it. they had this idea that the fight in washington is republicans/democrats. so why don't we isolate that, we'll stand back here, and that's democrats and republicans will go at it. red and blue staters will go at it. what it does is it amplifies a division that i actually don't think is the right fight. but if what you're asking me is do i believe that, what he's saying that's what i believe, no. but what i do believe is both sides have their way of shutting down debate, and the news networks have allowed these two sides to become the fight in the country. and i think the fight in the country is corruption versus no

>>> last night on "the rachel maddow program" she had a special hour with jon stewart.n't like cable news a lot but came to our building. the deal is he was terribly sick, stomach flu, hadn't felt well for days. he showed up, did the interview. >> here's what's the most amazing thing about this interview. i have not thrown up once while we've been doing that. that may be the longest in 24 hours. you, my friend, are the gingerroot of interviews. you have pulled things out of me i never knew were there, and still i leave not nauseous. i don't want to because i have -- there you go. >> that's a sweet moment upon and a nice charlie rose-looking set, too. jon stewart talked with rachel the rally to restore sanity, as well. >> that rally was to deflate a bubble and to do what i think satire does best which is articulate an intangible feeling that people are having, bring it into focus, say you're not alone, it's a real feeling, it's maybe even a positive feeling, a hopeful feeling. in a weird way it's idealistic, but it's impotent. >> we're getting to be more like you, you're

don't miss "the rachel maddow you show" weeknights at 9:00 p.m.astern on msnbc, the place for politics. >>> in health news this morning, government researchers report more than 45 million americans or 20% of all u.s. adults have some form of mental -- had some form of mental illness last year. young adults aged 18 to 25 had the highest amounts, while those 50 and older had the lowest. the survey hints at the record of unemployment rates which last year hit a 25-year high. for more information on this and other health stories, you can check out the health page at msnbc.com. >>> the magic can make a mockery of phoenix. an explosion on the ice. and a soccer ball gets stuck in the mud. the chicago bears were in miami last night and accomplished something no team has done before in the nfl. ♪ [ man ] i thought our family business would always be boots. until one day, my daughter showed me a designer handbag. and like that, we had a new side to our business. [ male announcer ] when businesses see an opportunity, the hartford is there. protecting their e

i've got rachel maddow next.n veterans day, the president, vice president, first lady all took time with current and former servicemen. so what's wrong with that? yeah, obama got attacked for it. >> last month, john stewart's rally to restore sanity took aim at a media culture that hypes fear and polarization, which provoked a response. >> watching some of the reaction to our rally to restore sanity, and good thing i was dressed that way. >> all of us had one major well defined problem with the rally. sticking up for the powerless is not the moral equivalent of sticking up for the powerful. >> whoa! that stung. but i don't think that we were equating the two. i mean, we don't ever -- i mean, we spend a lot of our time -- i'm sorry, rachel, you wanted to add something? >> i know everybody likes to say that's cable news, it's all the same. fox, msnbc mirror images of each other. the never true any way bull puckey lazy inflation of fox news and what the rest of us do as a living. >> a civilized extension of the dial

i've got rachel maddow next. on veterans day, the president, vice president, first lady all took time with current and former servicemen. so what's wrong with that? yeah, obama got attacked for it. hi. i just wanted to let you know that military personnel can preboard at the gate. we are ready to invite our first class passengers and uniformed military personnel to board at this time. to those who put our country first, we're honored to do the same for you. it's like hardwiring the market right into my desktop. launch my watchlist -- a popping stock catches my eye. pull up the price chart. see what the analysts say. as i jump back, cnbc confirms what i thought. pull the trigger -- done. i can even do most of this on my smartphone. really, it's incredible. like nothing i've ever experienced. unleash your investing and trade free for 60 days with e-trade. why go there when there's olay regenerist? [ male announcer ] microsculpting cream hydrates better than some creams costing $500. [ female announcer ] and not onl

channel can't really decide whether or not to embrace its partisan side led by keith olbermann and rachel maddow or hark back to its days as an objective news network we're going to speak with the coeditor of media bistros t.v. newser about m.s.m. bases identity crisis then in a somewhat surprising move the tea party and progressives have come together to protest the growing defense budget is the glaring hint that something has to be done about the way the government spending its money if both sides agree we're going to host a panel to discuss this rare political merger then it looks like the start treaty has come to a standstill republicans want to hold off voting on the tree making obama's top foreign policy success well unsuccessful so republicans really willing to put our national security at risk just for a political victory we're going to speak about the treaty with joe cirincione from the ploughshares fund and we all know that the u.s. has a relationship with their neighbor cuba and the recent shake up in congress doesn't really signal that we're going to be getting any cozier but does th

rachel maddow ok they are making the mistake of saying that the u.s. public has been reimbursed for the money that was used to bail out the banks in these corporations that's completely false the amount of indebtedness has been skyrocketing learn how to read a frickin brode sheet before opening your mouth or just playing the sandbox with their little toys in your little. yuck ok let's move back to our big story because we are the center of this global story you are max and that's the crash j.p. morgan by silver so this is the important story look at zero hedge ends their piece with it will be interesting to see how far this mean carries so you're mean being crashed j.p. morgan by silver so let's look and see how it went viral within hours. hi ho silver her and these are some of the posters if we start with some poster campaigns you can look at let's go kick some too big to fail. tonto and here's a nice poster as well a silver coin is a silver bullet with a bullet ridden j.p. morgan logo. but it was the video the viral video campaigns on you too which a

and still ahead, jon stewart talks politic with rachel maddow. >>> first there's a lot going on todayten days after the midterm elections plans are already under way for the first 2012 republican presidential debate. nancy reagan is inviting contenders to debate next spring at the ronald reagan library and museum. and bill clinton is a fan of "decision points", a new book by former president george bush. he calls it well-written and interesting from start to finish. "decision points" sold 225,000 copies on the first day. clinton's book sold double that on day one. h is why i'm really excited. because toyota developed this software that can simulate head injuries and helps make people safer. then they shared this technology with researchers at wake forest to help reduce head injuries on the football field. so, you know, i can feel a bit better about my son playing football. [ male announcer ] how would you use toyota technology to make a better world? learn how to share your ideas at toyota.com/ideasforgood. learn how to share your ideas if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol

meantime, our friends at "saturday night live" kicked off the show last night by highlighting our own rachel maddowtake a look at abby elliott's impression of rachel. how did she do? >> john boehner we start with you. your party claim it is wants to lower the deficit but won't extending the bush tax cuts to the top earns add $700 billion to the deficit? nancy pelosi, a woman who always looks like she is watching someone not use a coaster. joining us now, the democrat who had the toughest week, charlie rangel, welcome congressman. >> hello, young man. >> that was over the top. "snl" takes on the tsa's new screening rules a little bit later this hour. let's face it rachel's made it, she has been on "snl." it is all good. gecko: are you ready for your talk, sir? boss: just going over how geico helps people save in even more ways... ...with good driver discounts, multi-car discounts, defensive driver discounts... woman: you! oh, don't act like you don't recognize me! toledo, '03? gecko: no, it's...i... woman: it's too late stanley. gecko: actually, miss, my name's not stanley. woman: oh...oh, i am so s

firm believer in choice, and you--again, you will know--you know, john king does it this way, rachel maddow does it that way, somebody on fox--maybe it's hannity--does it that way, and you might say--i hope over time if you watch you would say, "left, right, middle." that's my mission. if i fail that mission, you will let me know. >> and, steve, you know what's interesting here is we get all carried away about whether the nightly newscasts are gonna die and how huge--with all due respect--youtube is. the 3 network newscasts, though they are way, way down from where they were 10 years ago, still are getting more than 20 million viewers a night on average. >> but what is the average of that newscast? i think it's around 60 or 65, right? so you have a whole new audience-- >> you got something against 60- or 65-year-olds? >> i don't at all. >> stand up and say that in the newseum. >> i just saying the 20 million you're referring to are the 20 million that still are into the pattern of consuming news in that way, right, and i think that the pattern of consuming news now online does speak to diff

>> rachel maddow?l maddow. >> it was a dream come true, al. thank you very much. up next, a soaring performance by susan boyle but first this is today on nbc. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] we know you've got a lot on your plate at thanksgiving. which is why safeway has everything you need to get it all done. right now get a safeway frozen turkey for just 47 cents a pound. that's our promise. that's ingredients for life. safeway. t♪[ male announcer ]... ife. with new breakfast melts. try the sunrise subway melt®, or the melt-tastic breakfast b.m.t. on flatbread. they're melted goodness made irresistibly delicious, get yours starting at 7am. subway. build your better breakfast. >>> kathie lee and hoda, thanksgiving animals and i'm going to be talking with kathie lee and hoda about the midnight show murder. >> and legendary singer glen snipe will stop by. >> and susan boyle has bun more great classic for us, oh, holy night, have a great day. ♪ oh, holy night ♪ the stars are brightly shining ♪ ♪ it is the night

now, to chris hayes, filling in for rachel maddow, because it is a rachel maddow vacation day. chris, good evening. >>> good evening, chris. thank you so much for the toss. than thank you for staying with us. >>> we begin with republicans sitting behind the wheel, their foot firmly tied to the gas pedal. actually, you know what, i'm on the tv. so instead of telling you how it works. why don't i just show you. in the great movie "rebel without a cause" with james dean, there is this iconic scene where dean's character plays chicken with his nemesis in town. check this out. >> she signals. we head for the edge and the first man who jumps is a chicken. all right? >> darn let they are jacket. as a general rule, you have to be sort of crazy to play chicken. typically, it is the crazier person shall the one who cares less about their own safety and security that wins, no matter the dire consequences of winning. at its core, chicken is a game of principle and commitment and not backing down no matter what peril lies ahead. that's how you win a game of chicken. there is also apparently

. >>> hello and welcome to "the rachel maddow show." [

. >>> hello and welcome to "the rachel maddow show." [ cheers and applause ] i

. >>> put our own rachel maddow in a room with comedy central's jon stewart and interesting conversationsre sure to happen. take waterboarding and george w. bush. >> i think that the criticism of george bush on waterboarding is a precise criticism. i don't think it's this guy is an evil monster. i think it is, that was wrong for the country and he shouldn't be defending it. >> i don't get the sense that the argument is as passive as that but, okay, that's a fair point. i think that it's somewhere in between. i think that the argument generally has not been, this is wrong for the country and it has overstepped a certain line. i think it was a little more -- >> it's impassioned certainty. this is wrong for the country! i'll scream it if that makes it less -- >> i would suggest it wasn't necessarily just this is wrong for the country but that you're a bad man. >> i don't think that -- i don't -- i think that you are -- i think that you are glossing over the gray areas in a way that isn't fair. >> maybe. >> you can watch rachel maddow week nights at 9:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc. >>> let the law

that's next. >>> tomorrow, jon stewart will be joining rachel maddow live for an exclusive interviewre that can simulate head injuries and helps make people safer. then they shared this technology with researchers at wake forest to help reduce head injuries on the football field. so, you know, i can feel a bit better about my son playing football. [ male announcer ] how would you use toyota technology to make a better world? learn how to share your ideas at toyota.com/ideasforgood. learn how to share your ideas on your next business trip, pack your marriott rewards visa card. get triple points every time you use your card at marriott. apply now and earn 22,500 bonus points when you use your card and enjoy a free night stay. so, before you know it, work time becomes well-deserved downtime. apply now at marriott.com/freenightstay. you've got staying power. >>> the waterfalls of the september 11th memorial at ground zero have finally begun flowing. engineers began testing one of the twin waterfalls on tuesday. the cascades are the largest man-made waterfalls in north america. they will

msnbc wept with the all liberal -- we heard rachel maddow say keith is out of the closet as liberal.tend to criticize democrats but continue obama from the left. >> and fox criticizes from the right, which makes the new income bentd congress interesting. the difference when they have a big news night, they should probably have more news anchors than -- >> or give up the news anchors and just have an opinion. >> yeah. >> i am dying to know who said that to mark mckinnon, but i was not able to beat out of him. >> off camera, howie. >> mark mccakinnon, lynn suite, thanks. >>> up next, conan's comeback. bill carter on whether he can make it on basic cable. ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ ♪ where'd you learn to do that so well. ♪ the new cadillac srx. the cadillac of crossovers. cadillac. the new standard of the world. down the hill? man: all right. we were actually thinking, maybe... we're going to hike up here, so we'll catch up with you guys. [ indistinct talking and laughter ] whew! i think it's worth it. working with a partner you can trust is always a good decision. massmu

it's make texas mad at us tonight on the "the rachel maddow show." please stay with us.uty in iraq. when i was transitioning from active duty, i went to a military officer hiring conference. it was kind of like speed dating. there were 12 companies that i was pre-matched with, but walmart turned out to be the best for me. sam walton was in the military, and he understood the importance of developing your people. it's an honor to be in a position of leadership at walmart. i'm captain tracey lloyd, and i work at walmart. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] every day thousands of people are switching from tylenol® to advil. to learn more and get your special offer, go to takeadvil.com. take action. take advil®. on our car insurance. >>> since we did the show in alaska a couple of weeks ago, our executive producer bill wolf has not shaved. which you might have noticed if you follow his vid tweets online. last time we talked about it on the show we were calling it bill's road beard. but, in fact, as an homage to our bizarre joe miller interview bill has declared that he's not going to

. >>> and tonight the rachel maddow show. rachel talks to this guy.hel's interview tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. don't forget mrs. collier. i won't. ♪ [ female announcer ] clear some snow. ♪ or spread a little warmth. maxwell house gives you a rich full flavored cup of coffee so you can be good to the last drop. to bring you a low-price medicare prescription drug plan that has the lowest national premium in the country of only $14.80 per month. so you can focus on the things that really matter. go to walmart.com for details. >>> join the "news nation." tweet me at twitter.com or go on facebook and it is time for the "news nation" gut check. today we are taking the phrase gut check literally. a restaurant in arizona is offering free meals to anyone weighing more than 350 pounds. if you're tipping the scales at nearly a quarter of a ton, they will help you with a double bypass burger or flat line fries on the house for free. they have a medical theme with waitresses dressed in skimpy nurse uniforms. customers are called patients and

has had very little to do with that he did not bring people into the network government brought rachel maddow in and got her show so basically bill griffin's big score is joe scarborough and that morning show that conservative morning show he's the guy that me there who basically have given pat buchanan's a nazi apologist literally i'm not exaggerating you literally apologizes for hitler settles and so bad. gives him a kind of the green room was constantly on and also the senior political analyst who's name of play going on right now. mark halperin is also a conservative. sort of right wing type of figure. was made the senior political analyst at emerson b.c. so phil griffin has tried very hard to push back against the notion that m a c b c is liberal even though it makes people all of its money from its liver. primetime lineup now you definitely could say that the ad the polarization is what makes them successful and makes them not c.n.n. and these days now i want to switch gears and of course go into obama right now everyone is reeling from the after effects of the midterm elections that's

good so far hope it works out everybody you know of anything i think you know keith olbermann and rachel maddow probably secretly in a bunker somewhere going the sharon angle plume he's at will give us two years to the next presidential election please when you know and besides if the if the democrats do in i don't want to kill himself i would like him and going back to maybe tongue kiss while wearing muslim garb i think i'd like to see that. you know you arizona i think i'd like to see this thing a little what do you think glenn back right away to. you can be some of the one of them or at least predictable of them all what do you think he's going to say tomorrow or even tonight. well you know with going back it's lucky because no matter what happens the world is coming to an end and we're doomed if we don't turn to him and have him point us to a higher power so luckily for going back no matter what happens if you know if jesus comes back and rains down forgiveness and hands. which is to everyone and says peace is overcome he's going to be like this is the worst thing that could have ever happe

previous rhodes scholars include bill clinton, cable news host rachel maddow. >>> next month congress is expected to take action against the earmarks. make up 1% of the federal budget. when viewed in a different light, they add up to billions of dollars. >> this is like the change in the couch. >> reporter: they're only 1% of the federal budget. look at it this way: $16 billion equals the median federal income tax of 6 million americans. you'd have to fill the rose bowl 75 times with the capacity crowd just to pay for what they call pocket change. >> they protect the members. if you've got an earmark and you're safe back home, that's different than just spending. it corrupts the process in a fundamental way. >> reporter: earmarks are overspending. >> they are the gateway to overspending. once the earmark is in the bill, you're obligated to vote for that. >> reporter: restore voter's confidence in congress. >> tax mayors are offended when they find out that their tax dollars are going for tattoo removal clinics, grateful dead archives. they're not going to trust congress on medicaid, a

and now to discuss why john kyl wants to stop the start vote, ladies and gentlemen, here is rachel maddow. good evening, rachel. >>> thank you. and thanks to you at home for staying with us for the next hour. we begin tonight with ronald reagan, with ronald reagan being subjected to a totally unexpected smackdown today in washington. >> the importance of this treaty transcends numbers. we have listened to the wisdom, though my pronunciation may give you difficulty, the maxum is trust, but verify. >> translator: you repeat that at every meeting. >> i like it. >> trust, but verify. trust, but verify was not only ronald reagan's best-known phrase in russian and his approach to negotiating nuclear arms control with the soviet union, it also became one of his signature ideas. when people -- when particularly republicans want to pay homage to ronald reagan, and oh, boy do they want to pay. >> i remember his phrase, trust, but verify. >> i agree with ronald reagan, trust but verify. >> we ought to go back to trust, but verify. >> republicans love the trust, but verify thing. they love it. but to

tomorrow night on rachel maddow, jon stewart joins rachel.t here on msnbc. >>> the humanities are taking a hit and members of universities a are scrambling to revive these departments. students wanting to take up majors like art history and literature are making the jump to more specialized fields like business and economics. and it is getting worse. look at this. in 2007, just 8% of bachelor s degrees were given to disciplines in the humanities. i'm joined by harvard university's president. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. it's a pleasure to be with you. >> well, you know, a lot of people have made the argument, and you've done so as well, that this is really about the economy. when you think about how much students pay for college and the expense of just life once you get out of school, you want a job that you can hit the ground with making money and perhaps an occupation as an art historian won't pay the bills. >> well, i think that the issue of jobs is sometimes misunderstood by students. we have many harvard graduates who did majo

and don't miss jon stewart on rachel maddow tonight at 9:00. - i was drafted. - i enlisted. - i was nervous. - and there i was in asia. - europe. - the gulf. - and i saw things. - incredible things. - and people you never forget. - i did my job. - for my country. - my buddies. - for total strangers. - and i was proud. - so grateful. - for my family. - my freedom. for all who served and all who serve, we can never thank them enough. the smartest thing you could do is cut the fuel supply, unlock the doors, and turn on the hazards. or get a car that does it for you. ♪ don't want to deal with a lot of flibbity-flab or mumbo-jumbo. sounds like you need to name your price. no gobbledy-gook? never. do i still get all the dagnabbit coverage i need? sure. we give you a quote and you can adjust your price up and down to find something that works for you. ♪ this thing is okey-mcsmokey skiddly-doo. great! i think. diggity. oh! still not sure. the "name your price" tool. only from progressive. call or click today. >>> one final note today on health care. we

speaking celebrity moments i had a brief but nice chat with rachel maddow but about maybe when i mety i loved you on 30 rock." was not to create anything for youtube. i thought that i made it until the producer named chris pendy told me that he cut some tape of me exhibiting a few of my ideosyncracies during commercial breaks. >> [ humming ] ♪ do, do, do, do, do, do, do ♪ ♪ bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah ♪ >> i'm going home now. but not before i stroll past the 75-year-old norway spruce that's in a stand out front next to the ice

my dear friend rachel maddow. >> good evening, keith. thank you. and thanks to you at home for joining us tonight. >>> behold the newest republican members of the united states senate. >> this is a little larger meeting than this day two years ago and four years ago. after the '06 election, we had one republican freshman senator. obviously i'm pretty excited to be sitting here with 13 this year. and it's going to be a huge improvement to the united states senate from our point of view. >> that was the top republican in the senate, mitch mcconnell, welcoming to town the newest republican senators who will officially take their seats when the new congress is sworn in january. republicans will still be in the minority in the senate in january, but there are more of them than there were before the elections. and top senate republican mitch mcconnell is therefore about to take on a much more highly visible and politically important role in washington, d.c. that's really important. here's why. as the lame duck congress gets to work, there's lots of repor

and you probably didn't see this, tonight you got a shout out from john stewart on msnbc's "rachel maddowf my favorite things, anderson cooper, he does a nice job, he's fun to watch. and you as well, and i like on an individual basis a lot of this stuff. again, i watch way too much of it. i really do. and that is in itself corrupting. but he's got a bit on his show called "keeping them honest." >> yeah. >> which is just so funny to me, which is, isn't that the subtext of -- it'd be like me introducing, i've got a new segment called, "telling jokes to an audience." >> true, you would think, yes, it is basically the subtext for what we're all supposed to be doing, although frankly we don't do enough of. >> we're doing it right here. >> nice he said that.

our two contestants this evening are rachel maddow show producer, vanessa. hello. also return for another appearance on "pin the debt on the donkey" the one and only kent jones. fingers on your buzzers, everywhere. ready? first question. of the last five u.s. presidents who during his time in office increased the national debt by the largest percentage? vanessa? >> bill clinton. >> uh -- >> jimmy carter. >> no, although i have to say we've greatly improved the wah-wah since the first episode of the show. for that we thank our friends in the union. the correct answer is neither vanessa's guess of bill clinton nor kent's guess of jimmy the correct answer is ronald reagan. during ronald reagan's eight years in office president reagan grew the national debt by 186%. we have no points to award on that first question. next question. of the last five u.s. presidents, who increased the national debt by the smallest percentage? kent? >> george bush sr. >> no, no. sorry. vanessa? >> george bush jr. >> no, no. very sorry to both of you. very much enjoying the wah-wah. the cor

little bird parents push the gm bird out of the nest and see it soar, ladies and gentlemen, here is rachel maddow. >> i love the idea of general motors as a tiny baby bird. >> like woodstock off the top of snoopy -- i lost the analogy. take it from here. >> thanks to you at home for joining us. we have breaking news for you on the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. an alaska television station, ktva, scoring a scoop. a declaration in an interview to be aired in alaska tonight from the senator who looks to be possibly the deciding vote for repealing don't ask, don't tell. the ban on gay people serving openly has been in place since 1993. the white house contends that the way the statute was written and passed precludes the option of president obama unilaterally stopping the policy by executive order. the white house has advocated that congress street repeal the ban. the house did just that in may, voting to allow the military to repeal the study if a pentagon study said it is feasible. that study is dual in less than two weeks. early leaks suggest repeal is feasible. in the senate, an effort

and you probably didn't see this, tonight you got a shout out from john stewart on msnbc's "rachel maddowngs, anderson cooper, he does a nice job, he's fun to watch. and you as well, and i like on an individual basis a lot of this stuff. again, i watch way too much of it. i really do. and that is in itself corrupting. but he's got a bit on his show called "keeping them honest." >> yeah. >> which is just so funny to me, which is, isn't that the subtext of -- it'd be like me introducing, i've got a new segment called, "telling jokes to an audience." >> true, you would think, yes, it is basically the subtext for what we're all supposed to be doing, although frankly we don't do enough of. >> we're doing it right here. >> nice he said that. >>> good friday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us on american morning. it is the 12th of november, i'm john roberts. >> and i'm kiran chetry. a look at the top stories now. is the big election defeat here at home hurting president obama's standing on the world stage? the president will arrive in japan fresh off the economic summit in seoul which

rachel maddow came out and showed support for him. >> a lot of lebron james over the summer, and thef targeting his recent commercial by nike. it's pretty funny. let's watch. >> traitors don't leave legacies. >> when things get difficult, you run. that's your legacy. >> should i have my tattoo removed? >> yeah. >> what should you do? >> throw it in our faces on national television. >> ha-ha. thanks. >> what should we do, lebron? >> what should we do? >> seriously, what should i do? >> what should you do? >> could have told us before the last week of free agency you were leaving. >> backstabber, lebron. >> should i be writing this down? >> uh-huh. >> if you haven't seen lebron james' new ad from nike promoting his new shoe. it sort of has the, what should i have done? not gone after what i wanted? asking all these questions. cleveland is mocking it. pretty funny. >> wedding bells ringing, two big announcements in terms of engagements, karina smirnoff, to brad penny. and the second. you can see right there, the couple. believe he is a pitcher. and nick lachey and vanessa manillo. datin

i had a nice but brief chat with rachel maddow.i met brian williams, i should not have led with "hey, i love you on 30 rock." i thought i had made it until a producer named chris pendi told me he cut some tape of me exhibiting a few of my idiosyncrasies during commercial breaks. ♪ ♪ >> i'm going home now. but not before i stroll past the 75-year-old norway spruce that's in a stand out front next to the ice rink. some look to the white house. but for me the nation's christmas tree has always been the one right here

bahadi at one point suggested that rachel maddow and i were a couple, to give you a sense of a deep understanding of what is up against. [laughter] minister of ethics who said homosexuality is genocide against africa. there may be as many as 100 in uganda at this moment. they don't see that. what could happen and i think with the fear is is here's a country that has been held together by the strongman. did altogether as a country they could face civil war to certain point. is kind of a patch together country with a lot of different ethnic rivals and what has happened already is charging someone with homosexuality has become an effective weapon, doesn't matter what they are. call them and you can take them out. when that explodes in an ethnic group that is when you get genocide echo i don't think that will happen, but here we

. >> a clip of jon stewart on rachel maddow with your message, the message you put forward when you created this show three years ago. >>> i'm going to get to news now. hoping to tamp down anxiety on the issue of a possible deal on the bush tax cuts, president barack obama says he continues to believe that keeping tax cuts for the wealthy would be a mistake. >> my number one priority is making sure that we make the middle class tax cuts permanent. i continue to believe that extending permanently the upper income tax cuts would be a mistake and that we can't afford it. and my hope is that somewhere in between there we can find some sort of solution. >> the president's comments come as the white house sharply denies a report in the "huffinigton post" that said senior adviser david axelrod indicated a willingness to accept a temporary extension of the cuts for the nation's highest earners to earn a renewal of tax breaks for the middle class. in the interview axelrod cited the political reality of having to negotiate with republicans saying, quote, somewhere to deal with the world as we find it