. >> reporter: tom christy is a former high-ranking pentagon official. he was the senior advisor to the secretary of defense for the testing of weapons. the sham as christy calls it is a decision by the marine corps to declare its version of the f35 fighter plane ready for combat, or in military speak, ioc. >> the program has been embarrassing and they are just at the point to say we're going to take whatever we get. >> reporter: a recent assessment by the pentagons own director the office christy once occupied, has identified safety problems with the marine's f35,

. >> tom christie, from 21 to 2005 he was the senior advisor to the secretary of defense for weapons. the sham he says, is whether the marine corps should declare ready for combat or in military speak, ioc. >> the program has been embarrassing and they're just at the point to say you know we're going to take whatever we get. >> do you think that this plane is combat-ready? >> no, absolutely not. that combat capability is years away in my vote. >> reporter: the f 35 is the most expensive weapons program in american history with an estimated price tag of $1.4 trillion. it's also been one of the most problematic beset by safety reliability and performance issues ever since the first f 35 rolled off the assembly line in 2006. >> they are producing what 40, 50 airplanes a year? to me that's full scale production. that's a tragedy i think because god knows what we're going to have to do to fix all these aircraft. >> reporter: nonetheless the pentagon plans to eventually buy some 2500 f 35s with nearly 350 of them going to the marines. a recent assessment by the pentagon's own investigator o

. >> tom christy is a high ranking pentagon official. he was the senior advisor for the secretary of defense for the testing of weapons the sham is a decision by the marine core to declare its version of the fighter plain ready for combat or i.o.c. >> the programme has been embarrassing and they are at the point to say we'll take what we get. >> do you think the plane is combat ready? >> absolutely not. that is years away in my book. the f-35 is the most expensive weapons programme history, with a price tag of 1.4 troilion. it's one of most problematic, beset by safety reliabilitiy and performance, ever since the first f35 rolleded off the assembly line. they are producing what 40, 50 planes of the year. that's full-scale production, that's a tragedy. god knows what we'll do to fix the aircraft. nonetheless, the pentagon plans to bay some f 25s, 50 for the marines. >> assessment by the pentagon's own assessment the office christy identified, showed up some problems with the f-35 some so severe they could is flight critical effects. >> le

. >> reporter: tom christy is a former high-ranking pentagon official.e was the senior advisor to the secretary of defense for the testing of weapons. the sham as christy calls it is a decision by the marine corps to declare its version of the f35 fighter plane ready for combat, or in military speak, ioc. >> the program has been embarrassing and they are just at the point to say we're going to take whatever we get. >> reporter: a recent assessment by the pentagons own director the office christy once occupied, has identified safety problems with the marine's f35, some so severe they could have flight-critical effects. >> let's look at why this airplane is so dangerous. >> reporter: pierre is an engineer who once evaluated planes for the department of defense. spray was part of the team what designed the f16 fighter in the early 1970s. beyond safety issues spay says the f35 is also crippled by flaws which limit its utility in combat problems stemming from the design requirements of the marine corps. >> the truth of the matter is it could never be a fast a

and tom christie told sheila macvicar that this version of the plane is, in his words a slam. >> theprogram last been embarrassing and they're just at the point to say you know we're going to take whatever we get. >> reporter: the pentagon insists that the f 35 is back on track after years of problems. it can be traced back to one miscalculation. the decision to buy the plane while it was still being developed and built and all the bugs hadn't been worked out. that violated a basic pentagon plasmmaxim, fly before you buy. erica. >> jamie thank you. we'll have more on sheila macvicar on "america tonight" at 10:00 p.m 7:00 pacific. >>> pell grants for prisoners the new plan for prisoners to turn their lives around. plus exxon stocks plummet 50% why profits at prices at the pump are also plummeting. >> the atlanta city council has approved a resolution that could bring big changes to a monday i'm known across the south. the giant figures of confederate figures are carved into stone mountain in georgia. debate over the carving began following south carolina's decision to take down the co

. >> former new jersey governor tom kane has known christie for decade ever since the 14-year-old chriss door while his mother waited in the car after hearing kane give a political speech. >> he said sir, i heard you talk. i'd really like to get involved in politics. how do i do it. i said i'm going up to speak tonight, get in the car, come with me, see if you like it. and i've known him ever since. >> kane has watched his fellow republican become a political force navigating tough partisan terrain with a lot of back room skill. >> he's a little bit lyndon johnson. he'll almost grab you by the collar and say this is what we're going to do together. >> and with maybe too much public bravado for christie's own good. >> to keep the temperature under control torks use control, to use it not have it use him. >> you want to have the conversation later, i'm happy to have it buddy. but until that time sit down and shut up. >> if you're disrespectful you may be called out on it. >> too blunt, two aggressive. >> no those are not -- i really don't think those are faults of his. it's the hallmark o

. >> former new jersey governor tom cane has known christie for decades.chris knocked on his door while his mother waited in the car after hearing kane give a political speech. >> he said sir, i heard you talk i'd really like to get involved in politics, how do i do it? i thought for a minute i said i'm going up to speak in bergen county tonight. get in the car, come with me see if you like it. and i've known him ever since. >> christie is now 52 and kane who's had his own ups and downs with christie has watched his fellow republican become a political force, navigating tough partisan terrain with a lot of back room skill. >> he's a little bit linden johnson. you know he'll almost grab you by the collar and say this is what we're going to do together. persuasive persuasive in very much a strong way. >> and with maybe too much public bravado for christie's own good. >> i can go back and forth with you as much as you want. >> has he learned over time a little better self-control to keep the temper under control, to use it? not have it use him. >> so listen y

we saw jim webb on the democratic side and if governor christie was expecting a welcome from the new jersey press core not so much. tommoran trumps the announcement with a column titled "after 14 years of watching christie, a warning! he lies." tom joins me in new york. so this column got ble thinking a lot about what it's like to be a reporter on ground level following someone for years, seeing them run for president. what should we know about christie the rest of the country doesn't know? >> we thought the other big nominee was to write about how many serious problems new jersey has that aren't being addressed? that hasn't come up in the national coverage of christie either. we decided in the end we want to help them filter what christie says basically, our message, what be on guard, because he tells real whoppers quite constantly. >> it's pretty unusual to hear journal altists say this candidate lies. >> yeah. >> who would rarely call it out so explicitly? why do you feel comfortable doing that? >> the statement has to be false. he has no know it's false and has to serve a political purpose. so when it includes thi

. >> reporter: former new jersey governor tom cain has known christie for decades ever since the 14-year-oldhis door while his mother waited in the car after hearing cain give a political speech. >> sir, i heard you talk and would really like to get involved in politics, how do i do it and i said i'm going up to speak in bergen county tonight. get in the car, come with me and see if you like it and i've known him ever since. >> reporter: christie is now 52 and kean who has had his own ups and downs with christie has watched his fellow republican become a political force, navigating tough partisan terrain with a lot of back room skill. >> a little bit lyndon johnson, you know. he'll almost grab you by the collar and say this is what we're going to do together, you know, and he's persuasive in very much of a strong way. >> reporter: and with maybe too much public bravado for christie's own good. >> i can go back and forth with you as much as you want. >> reporter: has he learned over time? a little bit better self-control keep the temper under control, to use it not have it use him. >> so list

hometown press in new jersey, though, has been less than welcoming to governor christie's presidential ambitions. joining us now is tom a columnist and editorial page editor for the "star ledger" in newark, new jersey. thanks for being here. >> thanks for inviting me. >> on the eve of this presidential announcement from governor chris christie, you wrote an blistering editorial column about the governor saying what the country needs to know about him is that he lies. what compelled you to do that? >> well, we sat around and said, okay, we know this guy well, the country does, what's the most important thing we can say? the other big candidate was to explain to people what a mess new jersey is and how he hasn't solved any of the big problems. but people will find that out, if he gets traction in the polls, his opponents will point that out. the thing that we need to express to america now is to don't trust what he says. he's constantly telling these lies that are just over the top, hair-raising type of lies. like completely contradictory -- >> and you feel like he's good at it. you feel like if you weren't warned, you

tom: so if we have mr. bush or mr. christie or mr.they push for congress to make for a better housing economy? >> certainly the house republicans would like to see fannie and freddie text and some of them would like to do away with them anti-early. the senate would be the issue and whether we can get a consensus in the senate to move fannie and freddie out of the government is going to be the key. carl: is doing away with fannie and freddie fixing the problem? >> it is not fixing the problem. i think that is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. what we need to do is get private capital back to the market and it is hard to get private capital in. we own two mortgage originators. contrary to a lot of reports we are seeing a lot of purchase money activity and first time homebuyers are coming in. tom: did you use your private e-mail in public service? are there 3000 pages of lockhart e-mails? >> i didn't even know you were allowed to do that. within the new republican regime , if we were to see that, there is the idea of two america'

christie's speech is expected to happen at the roberto clemente north camden community center before noon today and we will cover that. in camden matt delucia, nbc10. >>> new this morning, the governor tom wolf has been issuing reprieves to death row inmates and he says he will continue to do so until he gets a legislative study on the death penalty. the state supreme court is reviewing the governor's policy. another barrier in the way of executions in pennsylvania now. pharmaceutical companies in the united states have stopped making drugs due to the death penalty. >>> a former boarding school teacher faces arraignment. prosecutors say scavito sexually assaulted a student after they became friends. he taught at the phelps school. administrators followed him when the allegations surfaced. >>> people in west mt. area in philadelphia are on the lookout. this is a burglary that happened on tuesday night. the homeowner opened his door as a guy ran up on the porch and pulled out a gun. the owner shut the door as the second man came up the steps with a shotgun. the men left without breaking in but that doesn't put neighbors at ease. >> yeah, it's very unsettling. yeah we have our family here.

tom jode and the rising. it was the year 2000 and bruce springsteen was doing a string of shows at madison square garden and on one of those nights, chris christieut. sage green pole low shirt, singing along, having an excellent time. and i have one thing to say about that. thank you. thank you for sending that to me. last month we set up, send it to rachel.com asking for your newsworthy stuff, stuff that happens in your town, stuff that gets mailed to you, stuff that you come across in your daily events. stuff that you think might be news but you're not seeing it in the news. particularly, we're interested in the campaign for president but even if it's not and you think it might be news, please, send it to rachel.com. for example, we've been following this issue in tennessee of this ghoulish statue of a ku klux klan leader which sits on private property surrounded by more than a dozen confederate flags. it's clearly visible from interstate 65, just outside nashville. lawmakers have been trying to find a way to hide it from the interstate. today, we received a picture from one of you guys showing what that statue looks like today. what looks lik

christie and give out his cell phone number. i would not put it past him. brendan: stay home in new jersey and pretend to work. tomeed to look at other things like apple. here are top headlines with vonnie quinn. vonnie: apple just posted its best third-quarter profit ever, and investors are pounding the stock this morning. shares are taking a dive premarket by as much as 6%. the sales forecast missed estimates. so did iphone sales. they rose 35%. tim cook defended the company's performance. tim cook: the 35% growth with iphone is almost three times the market. if you look at it at a narrow the -- at a narrower regional level. four times market in japan growth, five times market. we doubled in korea versus a market that was shrinking. vonnie: bloomberg estimates apple released -- sold close to 2 million of them, apple watches. the head of the firm's commodities research says gold will be over $1000 an ounce falling to its lowest level in five years. the positive outlook on the dollar means there will be less demand for gold. john kasich has outlined a plan for economic growth. the ohio governor has become the 16th

christie. and he's got high name recognition. and that is good. but not for the republican party. that is important for the party and primary. and tomyour analysis. >> thanks leland. >> she was undefeated in the war of 1812 and crews are trying to make sure the ship stays afloat for another 200 years and a notorious prison in america. we'll show you the changes. canned cheer ♪ whoa what are you doing? putting on a movie. i'm trying to watch the game here. look i need this right now ok? come on i don't want to watch that. too bad this is happening. fine, what if i just put up the x1 sports app right here. ah jeez it's so close. he just loves her so much. do it. come on. do it. come on! yes! awww, yes! that is what i'm talking about. baby. call and upgrade to get x1 today. ♪ >>> right now, visitors to famed alcatraz prison in california can see a newly restored area of the prison that's been hidden away for nearly 100 years. officials have unveiled the renovated section now. it includes a military guard house and an entryway built before the civil war. the renovation cost $3 million and was funded mostly by ticket sales to the island.

christie and perry. looks like a crowded field but six won't qualify for the main event in that's true and lots and lots to say. thank you, tomturning to that urgent search for those two missing teens lost at sea, the coast guard expanding its hunt while families hold out hope they may have grabbed something to stay afloat when their boat capsized. kendis gibson is in jupiter, florida, with all the latest. good morning, kendis. >> reporter: good morning, lara. this is this spot where those teenagers made a critical decision left the safety of the inlet for the atlantic ocean right over there. now, family and friends hoping they make an important decision and 0 clinging on to a cooler like this or another floating device. this morning the coast guard expanding its mh for 14-year-old austin stefanos and perry cohen. aircrafts and boats now patrolling 27,000 square nautical miles of ocean. >> somebody's on board. >> reporter: newly released video showing this capsizing 67 miles from the shore. is that a good or bad thing? >> it's a good thing because it validated our search efforts that we were looking in the right area. >> repo

christie was re-elected as you know in 2013. >> and no signs of an agreement yet in harrisburg when it comes to the budget. we're now starting a second week. democratic governor tom wolf rejected republican's budget plan last tuesday, since then, law makers have met a few times, but no concessions on either side. wolf says the gop budget doesn't provide enough money for schools and other priority issues. republicans say they won't support attacks increase of any kind. >> 7:12, manna cured of killing a woman and children in north philly drag races accident has waived his right to a jury trial. >> in exchange, prosecutors agreed not to press foreman did a torrey life sentence. so there he is. accused of driving the car that struck 27 year old samara banks and her three young children, as they walked across roosevelt boulevard. this was in july 2 years ago. prosecutors say he and another man were racing, yes, drag racing. they will be charged with 3-degree murder cases, three charges of third degree murder, and other related offenses. the second driver in the case pleaded guilty on monday to four count of vehicular homicide. he was in the other car. >> 7:13. >> thir