>> it was interesting, tamron.really spoke about how democrats need to be the party with the vision, especially on the idea of a budget. the senate democrats not passed a budget for some years and bill clinton said, look, go out there. tell people what we're for. have a ten-year plan and obviously austerity is popular, the idea of cut, cut, cut. we need to bring down the debt and have our ideas out there. the other interesting thing that clinton said is he's the original bubba talking to the rural white americans and bring them in to the democratic fold and the democratic party going to minorities recently. president clinton said, no, try to make an outreach to those voters and not leave them behind because they talk different than us and that's an interesting point and defender of obama care, the president's health care bill and calls it proudly. said it was the best things that democrats could have done and should be open to changing it if it's more difficult to implement. so sort of sober conversation of bill cl

willie, tamron?thanks, al. >>> fresh off the wind of the screen actor guild awards for "argo," ben from his new nbc dr "deception." that is equivalent of winning best picture in those awards. you guys were sturned. >> yeah, we were. it's embarrassing how just happy -- i know i should be cool and like, awards don't mean anything to me. but i was like, yes! i have been smiling like nonstop. and it's great because once you get one of those awards, you can walk up to anybody at the party afterwards. i was going up to daniel day lewis, anybody i wanted to. because, hey, i got an award. you got an award. >> that lasts for one night, by the way. >> i tried to talk to kevin spacey -- don't know what i was thinking. >> the show "deception" huge buzz. people love it. you're teaming up with victor garmin. the hits keep coming. >> you're directing an episode coming up? >> i direct episode seven. you'll notice. it's so different. >> yeah, i am directing. >> is the show fun to make? anything about crazy, rich peop

i'm tamron hall.loping news with the sequester skyfall eight days away, who will be blamed if the automatic budget cuts are allowed to set in? just learning from the white house that today president obama called house speaker john boehner and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell to discuss the looming cuts. also, in less than 30 minutes, a group of house democrats will hold an unofficial hearing on the impact of the sequester. no republicans will be present. >> we wish that our republican colleagues would hold an official hearing to understand the terrible consequences of the sequester. unfortunately, our house republican colleagues haven't allowed us to have that kind of hearing so we're going to get this inputt and more unofficial manner. >> and in the past couple of hours, the president continued his campaign to pressure republicans. yesterday it was local tv stations. today, it was with african-american radio stations including joe madison, yolanda adams and al sharpton. >> their basic view is t

>> i wasn't surprised at the fact, tamron. but i was a little surprised at the timing but the more i think about it during the day, the fact that the pope has done this in such a way that the college of cardinals will be meeting during lent, a traditional season of reflection, self examination, examination of conscious, if you will. in the church. in order to give the church a new pope in time for easter. seems rather an appropriate bit of timing to me. >> absolutely. when you think about it in the context of the calendar and that holy week. cardinal dolan of new york, of course, had to say this morning, as well, being surprised by the news. >> my appreciation for him, which was already high, is enhanced a bit because with this sense of realism. that he has such an esteem for the office of the successor of st. peter which is what the pope is, bishop of rome, the successor of st. peter, he says i may not be up to it now and can perhaps serve jesus and the church and his people by stepping aside. >> father, does that father in l

. >>> hi, everyone, i'm tamron hall, the republicans unprecedented filibuster for chuck hagel's unprecedent nomination. . >> the filibuster is unprecedent. i repeat not a single nominee for secretary of defense ever in the history of our country has been filibustered. never, ever. >> senator reid needs five republican senators to join in tomorrow's vote or else the nomination will be in limbo. speaking from air force one, press secretary josh ernest. said, quote, these fill -- according to the senator historian's office, only two cabinet appointments have ever been filibustered. no appointment has ever been successfully filibustered. john harwood, as we understand it, john, the white house still feels confident that chuck hagel will be confirmed but they also believe this tactic may work against the republicans later on. >> well, it's an interesting test, tamron, because, you know, the white house has adopted a posture of trying to call the republican's bluff on issue after kwusissue. the white house is counting on it working in the case of chuck hagel. the white house has been calling out

i'm tamron hall.he "news nation" is following the cloud over the conclave. in a major development today, the pope amended roman catholic church law allowing cardinals to move up the date to start selecting a new pope. the move comes as news broke that britain's highest ranking leader is stepping down. cardinal keith patrick o'brien resigned after "the observer" reported several priests filed complaints accusing him of unwanted behavior and inappropriate contact. more than 10,000 people have also signed a petition asking that los angeles former archbishop mahoney recuse himself from conclave. the demands after thousands of documents released last month reveal that he was directly involved in covering up priests who abused children. all of this comes after last week's bombshell report by the italian newspaper that says an internal 300-page report uncovered an underground gay network at the vatican. claudio lavagna is live for us in rome. so far the vatican attempted to dismiss much of what's developing

. >> well, it's an interesting test, tamron, because, you know, the white house has adopted a posture of trying to call the republican's bluff on issue after kwusissue. the white house is counting on it working in the case of chuck hagel. the white house has been calling out republicans on this filibuster and you just hadden john mcsay a few minutes ago that we're going to get to a 51-vote sequester. the white house has had success so far -- but the signs are positive that hagel ultimately will be concerned, the question is how long and is there any possibility that hagel in the meechbt decides to step out and take himself out of the consideration, at least that's not what the white house wants. >> big picture here, though, john, our first read team says this is a reminder for all future legislative fights and nomination battles. we'll see over the next four years, let's stop pretending this will change any time soon. meaning this particular strategy is something we will see perhaps in fights over universal's background checks for guns. even the prek for all children as all legislatio

tamron? you have the belief or a sense at the vatican releasing the details of the pope to get the attention off of what you call the dark cloud? >> reporter: well, maybe. i mean, there were very colorful details if you may. we have learned today that the pope benedict xvi addressed when he retires inside vatican walls as pope emeritus his holiness benedict xvi and wearing white but not a cape and not the famous red shoes that are typical of all popes. what it looks like, this has raised a few eyebrows because when he comes back here, two people addressed at holiness and you have to look down and watch out for the red shoes. tamron? >> thank you very much. greatly appreciate it. >>> and digging out from a record setting blizzard tops the look at news around the "news nation" today. at least three people killed in snow-related accidents. hurricane force winds in texas and snow drifts up to seven feet high. the snowfall broke the 100-year-old record in wichita, kansas. more than 100,000 custome

i'm tamron hall. following oscar pistorius out of jail.e detailed the evidence in the case and pointed out missteps by the police, a south african magistrate made the dramatic announcement offering pistorius release on bail. >> i come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be released on bail. >> yes! >> you heard the reaction from someone in the audience there. pistorius's bail set at more than $112,000. conditions of the bail include not returning to his home where the murder happened, surrendering his passport, handing over all of his weapons, reporting to a police station twice a week and no alcohol. nbc was in the courtroom today. he joins us now. what's been the reaction now that the news settled in that oscar pistorius is out of jail for now? >> reporter: well, the reaction from his family has been a great deal of relief. they sat through this almost two-hour summary of the evidence before which the magistrate here in the courthouse delivered the verdict that bail had been granted to oscar pistorius. there was a screa

tamron? >> the vatican will not confirm or deny.iven it's supposed to be a series with more details in the near future? >> reporter: well, the vatican spokesperson yesterday said there was no comment on that. well, you will expect that. the vatican is a very secretive institution and won't rule on something that's not proved. the paper didn't put out the actual document. he said that he read the document or somebody told them about the content of the document and they promised for more but certainly you may expect the vatican is going to deny it even more. >> claudio, thank you so much for the live report of rome. >>> and the future of florida stand your ground law tops the look at stories around the "news nation" today. the shooting death of 17-year-old trayvon mart of george zimmerman sparked a review of the controversial law. a state task force released a 44-page report saying that the statute is a good law and should not be overturned. but the report recommends legislators review standards for neighborhood watch groups. >>> a ma

i'm tamron hall. following the president's last chance to go big. according to our first read team. >> mr. president, how's the speech? >> we'll find out tonight. >> that was the president a short time ago walking outside the oval office telling reporters they'll have to wait to get specifics on tonight's state of the union but we are learning more about the speech, especially when it comes to the economy. white house aides tell nbc news all the president's initiatives will try to answer three different questions. one, how can the united states create more jobs at home? two, how does the country get its citizens the skills they need for these jobs? three, how does the nation help those working hard to make a decent living? all themes the president outlined in the re-election campaign. >> goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security and the deficit. real achievable plans that will lead to new jobs. >> top republicans including senator mcconnell already critical of the speech. >> i strongly suspect the white house will subject us to ye

i'm tamron hall. "the news nation" is following the hillary clinton farewell to the state department. these are live pictures of state department employees waiting for the arrival of secretary clinton. she left the white house just a short time ago after her final day of meetings and will publicly say good-bye to her colleagues at 2:30 eastern time. we'll bring you, of course, her remarks as soon as she starts up. >>> and another developing story. the latest jobs report and the reaction on wall street this made the dow hit the highest point in more than five years. the dow traded above the 14,000 mark for the first time since october, 2007. and this morning, of course, it was a big day and right now the dow is up 151 points. the new january jobs data shows unemployment has ticked up slightly to 7.9%. analysts say it signals more people are confident enough to rejoin the job market. 157,000 jobs were added in january. critical industries like retail and construction, they saw the biggest gains. joining

. >> great to be with you, tamron. >> first, what are the expectations for the president tonight? >> well, i think as you said the president's going to lay out his plan for xik growth, for job creation but focusing on the fact it is not good enough just to have economic growth for the folks already at the very top. that we need broad based economic growth where wages and middle class americans go up, where their incomes go up so that we can all participate in growing the economy and we've made progress. we've had 35 straight months of job growth over 6 million jobs created but i think the president would be the first to say that's good but not good enough and going to talk about how we really lay the foundations far long term job growth and strengthening the middle class. >> you heard the remarks of senator mcconnell saying he can write the remarks and saying that the president will say the hands are tied by republicans and agreeing to the sequester and that looms over all of our heads. >> well, tamron, it was disappointing to hear the republican senate leader. mitch mcconnell who

>> reporter: that's right, tamron.' lead attorney read out an affidavit by pistorius that said they were deeply in love. he in no intentions of killing reeva steenkamp and that it was a pure accident. his version of events said that he woke up, was alarmed that there was possibly an intruder in the home. went without putting on his prosthetic legs with his .9 millimeter handgun by his bed. yelled for the intruder to identify himself. shot four bullets through the door of the bathroom killing reeva steenkamp. hitting her with three shots. he yelled out for her to please call the police. and realized she wasn't coming back and realized it was her in the bathroom. he used a cricket bat which has been in the stories recently to beat down the door and try to revive her. this is contradictory to what the prosecution claims. they say it was premeditated murder. he got out of bed, put on his artificial legs and went to the bathroom door to shoot her. they say if you put on your legs, walk to the bathroom door and go to shoot,

tamron? >> all right, thank you. let me bring in four-time olympic medallist otto boldin, also an nbc track and field analyst. you know oscar very well, you see him breaking down in court. but the headlines today, "the new york post," rage catches up to oscar pistorius. there's an ex-girl friend, samantha taylor, who dated him for 18 months, she told the newspaper oscar certainly is not what people think he is. there are all these drips about this alleged past that may have included some acts of rage. what do you know? >> i feel like in the last 24 hours the tide has sort of turned in terms of public sentiment as regards oscar pistorius because it seems like at the beginning everybody wanted to believe, hey, this might have been, you know, as she said a valentine's day surprise gone horribly wrong. but when you have somebody who has, we assume, intimate knowledge of oscar pistorius telling all of south africa that, you know, this is not -- he's not as -- the guy that you think you know because you see him in ads and

this is a heated issue, tamron. there's a period of public discussion through april 8th. tamron? >> thank you very much. >>> joining me now, women's right advocate sandra fluke. she testified that they should have a mandate to cover contraceptive. thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> i'm sure you heard our reporter say there's a mixed bag. planned parenthood said it's quote optimistic about the new regulations or change here. you also have narol, today's regulation affirmed the commitment to fulfilling the full promise of the historic policy thanks to the commitment, most american women will get birth control coverage without extra expense. what is your reaction? >> this is really just another step in the administration's process of clarifying how women will have access to the important health care service and makes clear that houses of worship will not be covered if they have a religious objection and that religiously affiliated organizations like universities and non-profits potentially will have coverage offered to the female employees and students via the insurance compa

tamron?> courtney, thanks so much. >>> and a final farewell to one of our favorite shows here at nbc. "30 rock" finale aired last night, ending the show's seven-year run. there were tears, laughs and even some familiar faces. >> get in your purple bentley and be home with your sharks before the tri-state area gets slammed before what's being called snowicane, white lady name or something. >> over the last seven years. wow! it is now 7:08. savannah, matt, you heard tracy morgan say they didn't get the ratings but still got paid. >> they got the last laugh. >> you dissed savannah. >> thank you. >> she was in the final episode as well. >> no, no, no, i was building up to it. >> can you re-enact like beyonce showed it was the real deal? will you do exactly your scene from "30 rock" live because i believe it was staged. >> tamron, you can talk and talk and talk. the moment is over. you dised me. and it's going in your file. >> payback for your cooking. payback. >> i thought you were fabulous. >> t

>> reporter: hi, tamron. that news conference just wrapped up a short time ago and for the first time local sheriff seemed to acknowledge that jimmy lee dykes did have a demand of sort. he wanted the complex story told and the sheriff did not explain on how he wants it told and all he would say is police and hostage negotiators trying to create a civil environment for him to do so. sheriff jones said they're engaged with him around the clock and most communications in the day. this standoff dragged on for about 140 hours now and started last week, last tuesday when he allegedly boarded the stopped school bus and demanded two kids police say. and when the bus driver, charles poland, objected, he allegedly shot the bus driver and then made off with 5-year-old ethan who has a mild form of autism and in this underground bunker since last tuesday. about 40 hours and the mood here has somewhat changed and seemed to be tense at beginning. now it seems to be a slow method call approach that police are taking trying t

i'm al roker, along with willie geist, natalie morales and tamron hall. >> how are you doing, tamron?e said take this one, tamron. >> getting the bulk of the jet fumes here. >> you think? >> okay, welcome back to mt. whiner here on the plaza. >> good times. >> to get you excited for the skiing competition at the 2014 winter games in sochi, exactly one year from today. >> all right. but a little bit closer, right around the corner, actually, valentine's day is next week. >> yes. >> coming up, we've got some great out-of-the-box ideas for gifts for your loved ones. >>> starting off with today, we've got a lot of heavy rain down in the gulf coast. we've got a clipper coming across the plains. you put the two of those together and we're going to be talking about a big storm friday afternoon along the east coast, wet weather in the pacific northwest. tomorrow you can see all of that moisture making its way to the east all the way to the north. wet weather in the pacific >> good morning. we're starting out with some cloud cover. the clouds should break up this afternoon. >>> and that's your

>> well, tamron, that's exactly right.e the gun industry a form of immunity that no other industry has where it can act negligently and get away with it. a gun dealer turning a blind eye to the straw purchasers knowing that the people are not the ultimate users of the gun, it's very hard to go after them in court. most gun dealers in the course of a year, 85% or more don't sell a single gun used in a crime but a small number do sell huge numbers of weapons used in crime and the bill that i have introduced would repeal that immunity, would make that industry liable for bad practices and negligence and they ought to be held to the same standard as the car industry, the tobacco industry, every other industry in america. >> let me bring in you. let me tell you we're absolutely sad for your family and loss of noah and hearing other proposals, bipartisan proposals. you heard congressman schiff there. what gives you hope? you testified at hearings in connecticut last week calling for an assault weapons ban. what gives you hope wh

all provided by the tamron all inclusive and jetblue. >> what kind of snacks? i want to know what kind of snacks. that's awesome. that's awesome. >> should we do our favorite things? >> let's do it. let's do it. the other day we were out in santa monica. i saw this lovely mom and her two beautiful daughters, and i needed some exercise workout stuff, so i got this stuff, and it's called strut this. right, cynthia? strut this. i'm telling you, feel the fabric on that. >> oh, my god. >> here's the craziest. this is what's going to blow your mind. i said, that's for my daughter. that size fits cassidy. she says, this is the miracle of this stuff, it fits anybody! >> one-size-fits-all? >> anybody! and it does. it really, really does. it's extraordinary stuff. what are the price points? >> pants are $60 and top is $45. >> it's worth it. softest, really nice bra underneath it and i love it. and they are here in the audience, cynthia and one of her daughters, love this stuff. >> here's my favorite things. >> to go along with this. >> i have the worst knees in the histo

i'm tamron hall. following major news out of the supreme court that could be on the verge of making significant changes to the landmark voting rights act of 1965. conservative judges on the court signalling that parts of the law have outlived its usefulness and will be struck down. justice scalia said the law represented a perpetuation of racial entitlement and justice kennedy said the marshall plan was very good too. but times change. at issue is a provision in the law that gives the federal government control over changes in voting laws and states with a history of discrimination, predominantly in the south. this provision known as section 5 has been used to block voter id laws in south carolina and texas and cut backs to early voting in florida. the act has been reauthorized four times, most recently in 2006 with an overwhelming majority of votes. it is now in serious trouble. these developments come on the same day as the president unveils a statue of civil rights icon rosa parks at the capital ac

my colleague tamron hall as a look at what's next. >> andrea, i thought you were going to say tamronou are on a roll. have a great weekend. >> be safe. >> be safe, as well. >>> up next, speaking of staying safe, the latest on the massive storm that's slamming the northeast and it is going to get worse. already causing major problems, including a 19-car pile-up. states of emergencies have been declared in three different states. 4,000 flights canceled so far. we'll get you up dated on this. >>> just learning details about a plea deal involving congressman jesse jackson jr. after he was accused of using campaign money to decorate his home. a violation of campaign finance laws. we'll have the latest on his plea deal. >>> and the state of the union is tuesday. we're taking a look at president obama's approval rating and how his popularity compared to congress and the republican leadership. and you'll dump your old duster. but don't worry, he'll find someone else. ♪ who's that lady? ♪ who's that lady? ♪ sexy lady, who's that lady? [ female announcer ] swiffer 360 dusters extender cleans h

. >> and my colleague tamron hall has a look at what's next on "news nation." tamron?president will be live in the hour for the first time president obama taking his message on gun control out of washington making live remarks in minnesota. about 30 minutes from now. bringing it to you live comes as "the wall street journal" reports senate democrats are working on a ban. we'll carry the president's comments. plus, details on a "the new york times" that says karl rove is taking on the tea party. an we're getting new information about the investigation in to the blackout during the super bowl. what happened? and what they're looking at this hour. come on. nowadays, lots of people go by themselves. no they don't. yeah... hey son. have fun tonight. ♪ prom! [ laughs ] ♪ ♪ ain't nothin to me ♪ back against the wall ♪ ain't nothin to me ♪ keep you down and make you crawl ♪ ♪ ain't nothin to me ♪ cut you down when you feel tall ♪ ♪ ain't nothin to me ♪ ain't nothin to me ♪ ain't nothin to me [ crowd murmurs ] [ cheering ] hey! ♪ ain't nothin to me ♪ ain't nothin to me ♪ [ howl

i'm tamron hall. drones set to take center stage at john brennan's con fir hags hearing starting up in about 30 minutes from now. this, in fact, a live picture from inside the hearing room on capitol hill. our first read team says, quote, we are likely to learn more about america's drone war and public setting than we ever have before. and just a short time ago, the administration briefed lawmakers on the classified memo providing the rationale for drone strikes targeting americans linked to al qaeda and pressure of both parties including democratic senator widen who vowed to, quote, pull out all the stops to get the answers he wants. >> every american has the right to know when their government believes it's allowed to kill them. i don't think that's too much to ask as one person said and this idea that security and liberty are mutually exclusive, that you can have only one or the other is something i reject. >> brennan also expected to face tough questions on the role in bush administration's use of

tamron? >> thank you very much for the latest from there. last week president obama said he expects that nancy pelosi would soon be speaker once again. was the president trying to tee up pelosi for 2014 in his state of the union? >> his political calculation clearly last night is i will never get the republicans to work with me, let's start running nancy pelosi as speaker tonight. >> i will get the first read on this. first, the senate is expected to take a vinyl vote tomorrow on former republican senator chuck hagel's nomination to be the next secretary of defense. confirmation is expected after the armed services committee approved late yesterday by a vote of 14-11. no republicans voted for hagel. . she was a picky eater. well now i'm her dietitian and last year, she wasn't eating so well. so i recommended boost complete nutritional drink to help her get the nutrition she was missing. and now she drinks it every day. well, it tastes great! [ male announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to s

. >>> i'm thomas roberts for tamron hall. following the white house's latest sequester strategy, one the politico calls shame. in automatic budget cuts, they kick in and president obama is doing local tv interviews in markets with significant defense presence including boston, charleston, wichita, oklahoma city and san francisco and honolulu. this comes a day after the president surrounded himself with first responders he said could lose their job fist a meat cleaver of cuts take effect. the blame game rages on. >> republicans thus far have refused to do this. they refused to go on with the american public on the simple notion that balances the right approach to dealing with the problem. it's important to understand that if they hold that position and sequester those into effect and those americans will lose their jobs because republicans made a choice for that to happen. >> from the republican side today after defense secretary planned to impose furloughs, 800,000 civilian employees if the sequester hits, john boehner respon

my colleague tamron hall has a look at what's next. hi, tamron. >> hi, andrea. great to see you.following developing news. >> your economy right now is headed in the right direction. and it will stay that way as long as there aren't anymore self inflicted wounds out of washington. >> it is time for the president to offer his ideas about how to replace the sequester. >> the back and forth over those automatic spending cut that is are just three weeks away. nbc's first read team says the gop just wants to talk about the budget but the president does not want to get bogged down on one issue. >>> latest on justice department memo obtained by nbc news that makes the case for legal drone strikes against americans. >>> an i'll talk with democratic congressman adam schiff about the new proposal to make it easier to sue gun makers and gun dealers. wow, that's a lot of shrimp. [ male announcer ] it's red lobster's 30 shrimp! for $11.99 pair any two shrimp selections on one plate! like mango jalapeÑo shrimp and parmesan crunch shrimp. just $11.99. offer ends soon! i'm ryon stewart, and i se

i'm tamron hall. "the news nation" is following the hillary clinton farewell to the state department. these are live pictures of state department employees waiting for the arrival of secretary clinton. she left the white house just a short time ago after her final day of meetings and will publicly say good-bye to her colleagues at 2:30 eastern time. we'll bring you, of course, her remarks as soon as she starts up. >>> and

i'm craig melvin in for tamron hall on this thursday.tch "news nation" every weekday 2:00 p.m. herein on msnbc. .. there's no subtext... just tacos. yeah, it's our job to make you want it. but honestly... it's not that hard. old el paso. when you gotta have mexican. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of hea

i'm tamron hall.er stage at john brennan's con fir hags hearing starting up in about 30 minutes from now. this, in fact, a live picture from inside the hearing room on capitol hill. our first read team says, quote, we are

i'm tamron hall. developing news this hour.ent obama bringing his call to action on gun control to chicago where hundreds of people have been killed by gun violence in the past year. the president is expected to arrive in his hometown any minute. chicago's gun crime rate has been on the rise, 42 deaths in january, the most reported for that month in a decade.

my colleague tamron hall has a look at what's next. hello, tamron. >> hi. great to see you.mocrats meet on capitol hill in about 30 minutes. set your clock. they're going to discuss what would happen or could happen if the sequester takes effect as president obama continues to pressure republicans to support his plan to replace the cuts. plus, the latest on what the white house is saying about mitch mcconnell and speaker john boehner and have you heard about this? walmart e-mail s leaked and shos they're nervous about february sales saying where are the customers? is walmart the new barometer on our economy? and new insight in to the oscar pistorius murder case. a professor estimates less than 10% of murder cases in south africa end in conviction. this looeding professor will join us to discuss the latest developments, including the incredible turn of events that went down this morning. five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor befor