Nbc musewall street journal poll shows the lobby may have more clout. Coming up, the nations top Police Commissioner new yorks ray kelly on the frontlines in a battle against guns. We know were not going eliminate, you know, all gun violence, but it will certainly diminish the possibility of having another newtown. The nra defends its web ad, pea touring the president s daughters. President s have been off limits for decades. Theyve been understanding that we dont talk particularly about the minor children of president s. Nobody was talking about his children. Nobody was maiming his children. Money was doing this. Rescue attempt. Fastmoving developments unfolding in algeria. We are awaiting word on the fate of dozens of foreign hostages, including americans as well as al qaeda militants and a bp national gas plant. Unfortunately, the best information we have at this time, as i said, indicates that u. S. Citizens are among the hostages, but they dont have at this point more details to provide to you. Were certainly concerned about reports of loss of life and are seeking clarity from the government. Trouble for tao. The onetime heisman hopeful, is he the victim of a cruel hoax or part of the plot . Just got a message from somebody i think in hawaii saying they had heard his girlfriend didnt exist. Every single thing about this was real to me at the time. There was no suspicion that it wasnt no belief that it might not be, and so the pain was real, the grief was real, the affection was real. Good day. Im Andrea Mitchell live in washington. Our new nbc newswall street journal poll is real, and it shows that white house officials move just how difficult the fight is going to be to pass the president s new gun proposals. The president s biggest public opponent on this issue, the marshall Rifle Association carries a favorable rating nationally. The entertainment industry, not so much. Not mentioned in the president s remarks on wednesday, and it is seen negatively by nearly four in ten americans. Joining me now for our daily fix, chris alissa, msnbc contributor, and managing editor of post politics. Com, and our own nbc news senior political editor, mark murray. Mark, fir to you on the poll. Since surprising numbers on the nra, particularly, of course, among gun owners, but also marshally. Deet spite a lot of the nra the nra has a 41 favorability rating. You are right that its a lot more favorable than some people might anticipate, and its also been very stable. These numbers are almost identical to what we saw in 2011. Of course, that was two years before the newtown shootings. The nras negative numbers. The nra is in a better position heading into this fight than it was ten years ago. We talk about brands, chris alissa, the nra brand has been fairly toxic in many of the debates, the gun debates especially since newtown, but their Membership Base is broad and deep. Is that where you read from this . I would say two things to take from it. One, andrea, and mark makes this point. One is that, look, the nra i think inside the beltway and in big cities in this country is akin to a curse word. It is not in the vast majority of the country. There is a disconnect that exists here about the nra. The second thing, and you hit on it, which is right, this is a Membership Organization four million strong. They continue to add members in the wake of this. This is those four Million People equal not formally voters, but lots and lots of voters. They do spend money on politics, but i think one of the real ways in which they Impact Congress is they can say they can have how many members that live in a particular Congressional District call and say we dont want this. They have a way, a grassroots way, to activate a large base of people who believe in the ideals that they espows. Still, there is a disconnect, we are told, between what the nra says and what the membership believe in terms of some more reasonable limits on guns. Mark, i know the rest of the msnbc news poll will be unveiled last night. Chuck todd will be on nightly news on msnbc. Lets talk about the just general polling on gun limitations, on limitations on the magazines, prince. You look at all the polling thats been out there over the past month or so after the newtown shootings, and if you are someone who wants more curbs on guns, you want to limit more guns, have more gun control, the things are that look at all those individual components. The polling looks pretty good for you right now. Whether its the limiting the magazines, the cartridges and that. Also, the one thing the white house really wants and a lot of gun advocates want june versal background checks that remain very, very popular right now. In my interview with david keene yesterday and in all the interviews with gun advocates, the organized gun lobby, they are just booking no compromise at all. Theyre not willing to even talk about conceding to some of the things their own members say they would support. Its clearly an issue there. In the 1990s the numbers for the nra were not nearly as good as they are today. I would say it is uniquely possible that the next several months will be seeing a decline in the nras numbers as they come into the spotlight. We havent had an active debate over the right locally of guns and gun Rights Groups in this country. I would say the web video some of the statements by wayne la pierre run the risk of marginalizing a group that i do not think is its membership, a marge malgroup because of the belief system in this country. You are right. That is the biggest problem for urban policing. I think the universal background check could have some affect on it. It would be a lag effect. Certainly a move in the right direction. We dont see assault weapons on the streets of morning and any significant numbers. Clearly, it is consealed weapons, and thats still iffing to be a problem for us. As we know, theres 250 to 25000 million guns abroad in america, so in our cities, were still going to have a significant problem with guns. Did you want the president to go farther . I think the president has to do what is doable, so to speak. Im sure theyve done some research and studies on this, and i think they think that this is possible. You know, the Second Amendment is here to stay. No question about it. Were going to have guns in america. We want some reasonable controls on them for us. The problem is interstate trafficking. 90 of the guns that we confiscate in new york state are coming from out of state, and the president does address that in his proposals with making a gun trafficking a crime. Its not specifically a federal crime today. So thats also moving in the right direction, but its certainly not a pamecea. This is a complex problem. There is no silver bullet. Its going to take a lot of action and its going take cooperation on the part of congress. And similarly, youve got this very tough new new york state antigun or gun control law that andrew cuomo pushed through and signed. Is that going to be more of a solution to your problems in new york city and in urban areas, or does that still not go far enough because of the secondary markets and the fact that the guns are coming right across the border from neighboring states . I think its going to be a help, but, again, as i say, 90 of our guns come from out of state. Thats why we need a national approach. We need a federal plan. Otherwise, were still going to be playing with guns coming from all over. They come over the iron pipeline. 95, highway 95, coming up from southern states. These are guns that are landing on our doorstep, and theyre killing new yorkers. Now, last year as you showed me your graphic, we had the lowest mof mrdz we had in new york in at least 50 years, and were proud of that, but theres still far too many of them. And, of course, your fellow cities, i mean, chicago has been plagued with homicides. Homicides involving children, young people. This is an urban problem, which i know you as commissioner, see nationally as well. You and mayor bloomberg have been leaders on all of this. Let me play for you the nra web video, which has been pretty controversial. We asked david keene of the nra about it yesterday. This is the nra video that mentions the president s children. Are the president s kids more important than yours . Then why is he skeptical about putting Armed Security in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school . Whats your Immediate Reaction to that . Well, i know its questionable as to why the president s children were mentioned, but in new york city we do have some Armed Police Officers in certain schools. I dont think its a universal need by any means. Those Police Officers are dressing for the most part maintaining order many schools. We have 1. 2 Million Students in our system, but i dont believe we need it nationally. Sadly what i think is miss issing actually what would happen, and thats what 85 of the American People support is having an armed teacher or principal to be able to stop a school shooting. Pratt says there should be a teacher or principal if theres no police officer. What is your view on that . You know, these people who have entered the schools and shot students, they are on a suicide mission. They assume that theyre going to be killed, and probably the first person that they would shoot, the first person to kill, they would seek out that armed individual. This is by no means a panacea. It would be very expensive, and in new york city we have 5,500 School Safety agents in our schools. They do a terrific job. Crime is down in our school system, and we had some armed officers many certain schools to maintain order inside, but i dont think you can stop someone bent on suicide just because theres an armed person there. How can we change the National Conversation on guns and persuading people that newtown is just the latest but the most horrific example of what the guns are doing, the assault weapons. How can we change peoples at tudz towards the assault weapons and towards these magazines . Well, i think the power of the office is tremendous. The fact that the president is now speak about it, actively getting behind this legislation will mean an awful lot. As he said yesterday, that we need the public support, we need the citizens to get behind this. This is just commonsense. These sht new proposals. Mayor bloomberg has put these proposals forward for quite a while. He think this is very, very important, and it could well be a turning point. Commissioner kelly, the latest poll today i think shows that your own popularity is just off the charts. Have you ruled out . Are you still considering considering Political Office after mayor bloomberg leaves office. Have i no plans to run for elected office. None . Thats a flat no. Thats it. I have no plans. Absolutely. Okay. Well, thank you very much. Thanks for joining us today. Well follow, of course, your crusade, your campaign with mayor bloomberg on the issue of guns. Okay. Thank you, andrea. Thank you for having me. At least 40 hostages, including americans, are believed to have been taken hostage on a raid on an algerian gas plant. There are wlikting reports about the state of the hostage crisis. Joining me now nbc news chief pentagon correspondent jim miklacevski. What is the pentagon telling you and leon panetta was travel and has been talking to reporters along the way, but do we know more about exactly what happened in this shootout . U. S. Officials all along have said the details are murky, and heres what we know and what we dont know. About seven hours almost 24 hours after the hostages were taken by those armed militants, Al Qaedalinked militants at that bp malgas plant there in algeria, the algerian military launched what was supposed to be a hostage rescue operation. As we understand it, it was very violent. The algerians are reporting that 25 hostages, either were freed or escaped, and as many as six hostages were killed. Now, both british and u. S. Officials say they were not informed in advance that the algerian military was going to launch this hostage rescue attempt, and, in fact, some officials are somewhat upset over that fact, but they understand and some officials have acknowledged that the algerians are, you know, in a situation in a pretty bad mained that any sign of weakness or any sign of loss of control could prove fatal to a Central Government in that region and that the algerians apparently felt that sdisive action had to be taken. Theres no indication that the hostages were under a immediate threat. As we said, british and american officials were unaware that this operation was going to take place. Now, what is interesting is that the u. S. Had been providing from the very beginning of that operation electronic surveillance, satellite surveillance, both visual and electronic intercepts. We are told that the algerian military rejected that offer. That they wanted to take care of this themselves, and as u. S. Officials have told us, look, this is an issue of sovereignty for them. It is their country, and so while they may have some argument about how the operation went down, theres no denying that the algerians had a right to do it, and at this point we dont even know if the operation is still ongoing. I wanted to ask you about mucka al mactar that is the leader of this group, of the laid in the magra. Its affiliated with al qaeda central, but its a splinter group. Yet, theyre described as pirates, as smugglers. Tell us what you know about them because this really did have its roots in a reaction against what the french did in mali. I had joibd a lot of the militant groups that fought during that countrys civil war. A point thaw touched upon that was so important about the criminalality of that part of the world and for several years many in the lawless and borderless area of western africa, that is the borders of algeria, mali, libya, many of these countries where nomadic tribes roam and militant groups like this have flourished have been able to thrive in the absence of states, in the absence of actual governments that can control and police them, and hoef their activities have been criminal activities. Muggling weapons, drugs into europe, and sometimes even human trafficking. Now what were seeing is a convergence of a political ideology that is a much more potent atmosphere with that knowhow, with that criminal knowhow of the terrain and the land, and thats why were seeing the flourishing of al qaeda. Now, when we reference al qaeda, its important to keep in mind that they may draw on the ideology of al qaeda. Dwoept know just yet how much of an operational link there is between al qaeda that weve seen traditionally in afghanistan, pakistan, and in iraq. Certainly they have become a very potent force, and as weave seen with the mali crisis, it can easily spread into the region, into geopolitical interests of the u. S. And western countries. It is an issue that has to be dealt with immediately. Thank you very much. Coming up, how a red state democrat sells the president s gun control plan, and freshman texas star congressman juaqin cast castro. The unbelievable hopes involving star linebacker. This is Andrea Mitchell reports only on msnbc. Weve all had those moments. When you lost the thing you cant believe you lost. When what you just bought, just broke. Or when you have a little trouble a long way from home. As an American Express cardmember you can expect some help. But what you might not expect, is you can get all this with a prepaid card. Spends like cash. Feels like membership. Ive got two tickets to paradise l set . Pack your bags, well leave tonight. Uhh, its next month, actually. Eddie continues singing to tickets to. Paradiiiiiise no four. Remember . Whoooa whooaa whooo you know ronny, folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. And how happy are they jimmy . Happier than eddie money running a travel agency. Get happy. Get geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. The more changes we can make depend on congressional action. They need to bring these proposals up for a vote, and the American People need to make sure that they do. Ask them whats more important. Doing whatever it takes to get an a grade from the fund lobby that funds his campaigns or giving parents peace of mind when they drop their child off for first grade . President obama took straight aim at the gun lobby in announcing his proposals to stem the tide of gun violence. First of all, gun control, its got to be a tough issue for you in texas. Where do you stand on this, and how do you think the president is iffing to fair even with the Democratic Caucus in the house . Texas is a state that very much respects its Second Amendment. I support consealed carry in the legislature when the Castle Doctrine came up, i supported that. I think that most texans also believe that we can make reforms that will make us all safer out in society. Soy support the pressess plan to reform gun safety and gun control policy. We know that its iffing to be a very heavy lift in congress, but i think that much of what he has proposed, perhaps not all of it, but much of it can get done. What about the assault weapons ban. I think the background checks, most americans support that, its clear. Also a limit on high capacity magazines, and also the assault weapons. I have said many times before that we dont begrudge anybody that wants to have a handgun many their home to protect themselves and their family members. There is no reason to have guns out on the street that can literally kill ten people in two seconds. Thats just too much, and i think most americans agree with that. Now, the president has taken on the gun control issue head on. What about immigration . What would you like to see happen . Marco rubio on the republican side has already laid out his plan. Whats your reaction to what rubio is propose and what you want to see come out of the white house . He loud a path to citizenship for dreamers, and i think thats essential. Andrea, i think the main debate will be about legalization and specifically how do you legalize folks. You can have everything from guest and residenty, and that will be the debate in congress in the coming year. Coming up, are you also going to be faced almost immediately with the whole crisis over the debt ceiling. Not house has been holding really firm. What do you think about coming into this partisan divide coming up here in congress . Well, i mean, i hope to be part of a freshman class and a group of folks in congress who can take care of the finances and systems without creating more selfinflicted wounds. We know that last time we went through this it hurt the stock market nationally. It hurt our bond ratings. We have to create something that doesnt create this selfinflicted wound every couple of years. Half of the time, the great castro brothers from texas. Thank you very much. We look forward to seeing you when you are here in washington. Welcome to congress. Thank you. Thank you. And up next, second term challenges. How can president obama work with republicans . Mary madeline joining us, and still ahead, the heisman hopeful, and the madeup girl friend. Was he a victim or an accomplice . What are you doing . Nothing. Are you stealing our Daughters School supplies and taking them to work . No, i was just looking for my stapler and my. This thing. I save money by using fedex ground and buy my own supplies. Thats a great idea. Im going to go. We got clients in today. [ male announcer ] save on ground shipping at fedex office. Shh [ coughs ] shh [ breathes deeply, wind blows ] this feels cool. [ male announcer ] halls. Let the cool in. In the looming debt ceiling headline and reshuffling the cabinet president obamas second term is front loaded with potential standoffs with the divided congress. Mary madeline serveed in three republican administrations reagan, george h. W. Bush and george w. Bush, and also a counselor to former Vice President dick cheney. Good to see you. Mary, happy new year. Happy new year to you. Thanks for having me. Well, you have been through this before, and you have seen the risks, the perils of second terms. Looking at it from afar, from outside the beltway, what are the big challenges that you think president obama has to be concerned about . Every term it has been exacerbating a lot of the president s weaknesses. If he wants to get along, if he wants to make some progress with republicans, he has to get be less selfrighteous. That could be played earlier. He keeps presenting these false choices that its either getting youre either political, you want an a from the nra or you want safe school, safe children. If you have an opposite view, an opposing view, you cant get to the table if the president is going to set you up as the demon in every case. He immediate to be less selfrefr he shall. He needs to take more responsibility. One thing thats happened here is the statute of limitations has run out on blaine bush, and he has to get more to the realities. When he told Speaker Boehner that we dont have a spending problem, we most certainly have a spending problem. The debt has increased exponentially under this president. He started off on the wrong foot, i think, not just with republicans, but the democrats that are iffing to be up in the midterms. Let me just make the counter argument that republicans might have started off on the wrong foot with him. There was a frontline documentary the other night which showed that on the night of his inauguration, they were all meeting downtown and having a Planning Session organized by frank luntz, and it was all of the main players Newt Gingrich and others were all there. Just deciding how they were going to stop the President Point by point. You can argue thats just political strategy, but he didnt have pashz on the other side of the aisle. Im not familiar with the event that youre speaking of, but im pretty sure Newt Gingrich isnt in congress, nor is frank luntz then or now. Fair enough. What i do remember specifically is eric cantor and the Republican Leadership going down to the white house, as they were asked to do, with their ideas. This president said he wanted to be post partisan, and the president said to eric cantor, i won. Were going to do it my way. Those were the leaders in congress at the time, and thats how the relationship started. Knee gone downhill. Im not saying they cant be fixed. This president is not starting the second term where he has to lead. The republicans control one chamber. The democrats control the senate and the white house, and all the cabinet and theyre not theyre all against demonizing republicans. That might have worked for the first term or to get reelected. It doesnt go well for progress in the second term. I should have pointed out that ken mccarty and eric cantor were all there as well. I dont think that the Speaker John Boehner was there. People like Joe Scarborough have written and spoken out strongly on how the Republican Party after the defeat of mitt romney has to rebuild itself, has to reach out to hispanics, to other minorities, to women. What is your take on how the Republican Party immediate to be more inclusive, if you think it does . I think we need to do a much better job connecting and the policy that is flow from liberty and freedom and selfresponsibility and entrepreneurship and enterprise and connect that to the opportunity that is available for all americans. I dont distinguish between women and minorities. I think everybody should have the same access and the same opportunities, which are diminished across the board. Everybody goes down when the government takes more and makes more decisions for people. We do have to go into communities and explain how getting free contraception, take a womans issue, is not our duty to post airport. Our duty to post airport is to insure the next generation, whether there are kids or not, the whole next generation is going to be as well off as we were allowed to be, because of the previous generation. So i think we have to make keep making that case. This was not a wipeout by any stretch of the imagination, and you just get up and you live to fight another day, and we will. And coming up, you have the super bowl, and you and james are the cochairs. What is that role involve . I hope you can come, andrea. I hope everybody can come. We have morals is the greatest place to visit. We just got number one in travel and leisure. We are a great place to work and live. Were the number one entrepreneurial city. We just learned this week that we have made greater education leaps than any city, not just in the state, but in the nation, and were a great place to have a colossal event. Preproceeding the super bowl well have carnival e, and also following. Were the Silicon Valley south. We have all kinds of code makers. We had a hackathon that developed in 48 hours. Innumerable applications that extend beyond the super bowl and for education and so come fill the business here. Weve got lots of talent and a lot of fun. If you cant have fun here, you got off the wrong plane. Thats for sure. Thank you so much, mary madeline. Thanks. Best to james. Coming up next veteran democrat bob shrumm weighing in on the gunfight and potential second term hurdles and the truth for notre dames monty te o. The quiet sneeze. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] you may be an allergy muddler. Try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. And zyrtec® is different than claritin® because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. Zyrtec®. Love the air. [ sneezes ] we create easy to use, powerful Trading Tools for all. Look at these streaming charts theyre totally customizable and they let you visualize what might happen next. Thats genius strategies, chains, positions. We put em all on one screen could we make placing a trade any easier . Mmmm. Could we . Open an account today and get a free 13month e ibd™ subscription when you call 18882800157 now. Optionsxpress by charles schwab. President obama and joe biden responded in lightning speed to the newtown massacre despite warnings that congress and state legislatures are against the gun michigantives. Is this a new bold from ans the white house as the president prepares to launch his second term . Bob shrumm veteran democratic strategist and also a columnist for the daily beast joins me. Happy new year. Havent seen you in a long time. I have been out in kind of cool los angeles where weve been having unseasonably cal weather. Welcome back to new york then, i guess. The question is what does the president do Going Forward . He has taken on gun control. I would argue this is a different barack obama rather than the cautious approach to studying and sending and outlining health care to congress in the first term. This is a president who responds e responded to an event in a visceral way, and within a month and two days came out with a list of real proposals. Well, i defend him a little bit on health care because, after all, he got it done, and its something people try to do for 100 years. I think youre absolutely right. Reelected to a second term. He has a sure sense of what he wants to do get done, and he has a sure sense of the congress and it seems to me how to deal with the congress. If you watch what happened on the fiscal cliff, if you watch the way he is handling the debt ceiling, i think he understands that he has a lot of high cards he is going to play those, and the republicans are in some disarray here. Tom cole in the house leadership say half the republicans voted against the fiscal cliff deal secretly hoped it passed. Weve entered a new kind of framework. Guns are a different story. Its going to be tough, maybe impossible to pass all the different stuff the president proposed, and some like the background checks, 90 of americans are for them. Nra numbers are for them. One really big thing is happening. The old line that this is about conphysician cat iing peoples guns taking guns away from hunters has been opposed because this has been too vivid a tragedy, and the president has been so swift and so clear. And anybody who goes back and looks at the heller case, the d. C. Gun case, knows that the Supreme Court has made it very clear this is want about confiscating your guns, but some restrictions on military weapons are quite legal and constitutional. They have to be. Looking in the 1930s we had a big problem with machine guns. We outlawed machine guns. You can outlaw guns under the heller decision. You can have universal background checks. You can certainly limit the size of ammunition clips. You know, david keene from the nra said this morning, well, limiting the size of those ammunition clips wouldnt matter because it only takes a few seconds to reload them. Then why do they care if theyre outlawed . I mean, we have to do something in this country, and andrew cuomo has done it here in new york to make life safer for people going to school, for folks going to a movie, and thats why i think weve seen a sea change in Public Attitude on this question. Looking forward to the inaugural. Youve written a few famous speeches in your day. What kind of speech would you expect from barack obama . What message do you think he should be trying to project . I think he wants to renew hope in this country and ratify the renewal of hope that he believes came with the election. I think it will be a speech of inspiration. It will not be a detailed legislative agenda. I think it can be one of those speeches. He has this capability that can inspire people. From him, actually, in the 2008 campaign especially, and i think we may see that again on inaugural day. Would this be the time to take off the debt ceiling and lay out some of his hard lines, or wait for the state of the union for that . I think he can lay out his principles. I dont think he should turn this into a partisan speech. He helps himself when he holds the high ground. Can i see him saying something like, look, we disagree on a lot of issues, but were opponents, not enemies. Lets find a way to Work Together for the good of the country. Heres what i think we should do. I mean, sounding that kind of grace note i think is important in an inaugural address. And when you look back at the inaugurals that you think are the most successful and meaningful and memorable . In the modern era, since the invehicles of communication, you know, of mass communication, f. D. R. Is first, j. F. K. s inaugural address that inspired a whole generation that lives on today, and i think also of gerald ford who didnt give a formal inaugural address. It wasnt an inauguration. He was sworn in and gave a speech, and it was formal, by the way. I was wrong about that. Had he a line that said our National Nightmare is over. It was an incredible healing moment. A rare moment of eloquence for him. And a moment of healing, as you point out. Bob, its great to see you. Thank you very much. Nice to see you, andrea. Up next, does anyone know the real story behind the football star and the fake girlfriend . Were live in south bend next on Andrea Mitchell reports. Humans. Even when we cross our ts and dot our is, we still run into problems. Namely, other humans. At Liberty Mutual insurance, we understand. Thats why our auto policies come with accident forgiveness if you qualify, where your rates wont go up due to your first accident, and new car replacement, where, if you total your new car, we give you the money for a new one. Call. To talk to an Insurance Expert about Everything Else that comes standard with our base auto policy. And if you get into an accident and use one of our certified repair shops, your repairs are guaranteed for life. Call. To switch, and you could save hundreds. Born to make mistakes Liberty Mutual insurance. Responsibility. Whats your policy . Its part of what you slove about her. Essing. But your erectile dysfunction you know, that could be a question of blood flow. Cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be Ready Anytime the moments right. You can be more confident in your ability to be ready. And the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. Do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. Side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. To avoid longterm injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. If you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. Ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30tablet free trial. Wv sad news to report. Colleen phillips, known as dear abby, has died. In 1956 she contacted the editor of the San Francisco chronicle suggesting she could write a better advice column than the one that was in the paper at the time. Her pen name abigail van buren. The column was a huge hit. She was syndicated within two months. It would become the most widely syndicated column in the world. Phillips sister was a well known columnist ann landers. Her advice was beloved for its wit, humor, and practical kalt. Her daughter Gene Phillips started sharing the dear abby byeline and took over the column fully when the family announced that phillips had been diagnosed with alzheimers. Gene phillips said today i have lost my mother, my mentor, my best friend. My mother leaves very big high heels to fill. Colleen phillips, dear abby, was 94 years old. And manti teo. A rare defensive player to become a heisman finalist known for his heartwarming triumph over tragedy after playing through the death of his girlfriend, or so we thought. Now we learned it was all a hoax, but who was the victim here . What did notre dame know and when did the school know it about teo. John yang is trying to unravel this mystery. John, what have you learned . Well, its one thing we have learned within the past hour, actually, is that weve learned that manti teo is not here in south bend. Is he in florida in bradenton, florida, at an nfl combine camp. This is where nfl prospects are being schooled in life in the nfl. Ironically, including media relations. Something he is going to get a real test in now. This whole story has really exploded on the internet yesterday when dead spin reported that they had looked for traces of his girlfriend, of this famous story that really define him and define the Notre Dame Team this year in their undefeated season about his ill fated relationship with this young woman who had a car accident last year, who was diagnosed soon after with leukemia, and then died many september, we were told, the same day that his grandmother died. But now, it turns out that that isnt true. That this young woman never existed. And te0 say that he was a victim of a krux hocruel hoax. Theres questions that only he can answer. Notre dame said that this is teos story and they wont go further and Everything Else has to come from him and we dont know when that will be. Theres talk to hear from him today but, of course, today is getting its getting late in the day and so far no plans for a statement, Public Statement from him. John, there have been so questions but, quickly, his father talked about having, you know, talked and met with this girl. He talked about being on the phone with her and helping her get through each crisis and her responding to his voice coming out of a coma or continued to live. I mean, the craziness of this, and the fact that notre dame did an independent investigation and did nothing in advance of the big championship game against alabama. Reporter thats right. They got the report on january 4th, three days before the championship game on the 7th. And that said this was all a hoax, they were able to trace this womans social media accounts and said that she had done the same sort of thing with two other men shorter relationships before but they said nothing. Andrea . John yang on the case, thank you very much from notre dame. Well be right back. From food particles and bacteria. Try fixodent. It helps create a food seal defense for a clean mouth and kills bacteria for fresh breath. Fixodent, and forget it. Thor gets great rewards for his Small Business your boa [ garth ] thors Small Business earns double miles on every purchase, every day ahh, the new fabrics. Put it on my spark card. Ow. [ garth ] why settle for less . The spiked heels are working. Wait [ garth ] great businesses deserve great rewards. [ male announcer ] the spark Business Card from capital one. Choose unlimited rewards with double miles or 2 cash back on every purchase, every day whats in your wallet . [ cheers and applause ] whats in your wallet . Morning, boys. So, im working on a cistern intake valve, and the guy hands me a locknut wrench. No way im like, what is this, a drainpipe slipknot . Wherever your business takes you, nobody keeps you on the road like progressive commercial auto. [ flo speaking japanese ] [ shouting in japanese ] we work wherever you work. Now, thats progressive. Call or click today. Im up next, but now im singing the heartburn blues. Hold on, prilosec isnt for fast relief. Cue up alkaseltzer. It stops heartburn fast. Oh what a relief it is Chris Cillizza is back with us. What do you know of manti teo . I went to georgetown and wont say im a huge lover of notre dame but a strange story to be honest seems as though its going to stranger before its less strange. The twitter account of the fake deceased girlfriend now active and saying an announcement or more will be revealed. If you read that deadspin story, i almost i had to read it twice to wrap my mind around the different permutations of this story. For it to happen to a high profile person, a remarkable piece of journalism by deadspin. Jay carney says the president has nothing to say about that right now. Best to stay away from that one. Thank you very much, my friend. Thank you. See you tomorrow. That does it for us. My colleague tamron hall has a look at whens next. Hi, tamron. Great to see you. Coming up in the hour, why critics of the nra ad referring the president s daughters say its not only vile but its also misrepresenting the facts. They say its untrue. Well point out what critics are saying. Manti teo is at football camp in florida while the firestorm surrounding what he claims was a cruel hoax involving the death of a girlfriend that never existed. So the big question, why is this guy focused on football and not getting the truth out . Answering some questions. Plus, were following the developments out of algeria where at least three americans have been taken hostage. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton will be speaking within our hour. Well listen in. Well bring you the very latest on what secretary clinton is saying regarding this ongoing situation. Need a tow or lock your keys in the car, geicos emergency roadside assistance is there 24 7. Oh dear, i got a flat tire. Hmmm. Uh. Yeah, can you find a take where its a bit more dramatic on that last line, yeah . Yeah i got it right here. Someone help me i have a flat tire well its good. Good for me. What do you think . Geico. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance