Transcripts For MSNBCW Andrea Mitchell Reports 20130917

Gunshots. Holy cow, i dont know. They could have been way above me but i wasnt stopping to think what was going on. The response by Uniformed Police officers from metropolitan Police Department and park police was nothing short of heroic. Theres something wrong here when we have these multiple shootings, these multiple injuries, theres something wrong. Id like you to put my Trauma Center out of business. Just how did everyone miss all the warning signs . A picture of the gunman aaron alexis is emerging today into clearer focus. The 34yearold had previous arrests for gun related crimes and treated for psychological issues. He had legitimate access to the navy yard where he was working as a civilian contractor. Friends say they never expected this. No one mentioned anything about him being aggressive or being like that. Hes one of my family, too. Hes a good guy from what i know. I cant say what he did. Nothing to tell me hes going to be aggressive or no sign he was going to shoot someone. Remembering the victims. We are learning new details in the 12 People Killed in the rampage, fathers, mothers, husbands and wives ranging in age from 46 to 73. Good day. Im Andrea Mitchell in washington, a special edition of Andrea Mitchell reports reports. Digging into the background of the navy man aaron alexis trying to figure out clues about his motive, what may have triggered his rampage. Chuck todd, Pete Williams and craig melvin live at the Washington Navy yard. Lets talk first, pete, about what do we know. What is the latest how he got the weapons, how he got in, and what he did once he got there. The latest in how he got in. It appears he drove a rental car. He had come to the Washington Area within theas couple of weeks, was staying in a hotel right near the Washington Navy yard, which is near the washington baseball park. There was a hotel near there he was staying. He drove onto the naval base. Had a pass to get into the base, then a pass to get into the building. Inside the building then he appears with a shotgun. So apparently was hidden on his person when he walked in. It was not obvious he was carrying it. Thats when he began firing. It appears he took weapons, then, from Law Enforcement officers he wounded. Now yesterday we were told by many Law Enforcement people that he had three weapons at the end of the shooting that were found and recovered. The shotgun, which he bought last week in virginia at a gun store in lorton, virginia. A handgun and then were told semiautomatic assault rifle, ar15. Today Law Enforcement people are saying their assessment is he had only shotgun and two handguns he did the shooting with. So we dont know, we think what happened is an ar15 was found near his body when he was discovered to have been killed and they assumed he had had that. Perhaps some witnesses thought they say him firing that. They now say just the two handguns and shotguns. Nonetheless, plenty of firepower they used with lethal affect. In terms of background, mental problems, he received treatment from va twice we know of, once in august, past august and earlier than that in texas complaining of hearing voices, symptoms of paranoia. He was treated by the va. In terms of his runins with Law Enforcement, three of them in washington state, georgia and texas. But none of them resulted none of these would have created a court record. He was never convicted. All these things were relatively minor things even though two involved handguns, the runins with the law. None were convictions so he wouldnt have been ineligible of buying a gun in terms of that. In terms of the Mental Health things, he was merely treated, no judgment or commitment. That would have disqualified him from buying a handgun as well. Nothing disqualifying for buying a handgun, no Court Records a background check would have brought up or convictions. Which only brings to mind all the holes in the system. Craig melvin, i know youre at the scene today, returning to normal, whatever is the new normal for those working. 3,000 people working there. You know what, andrea, of course they were told only personnel should report today. We have not seen a lot of folks go inside the navy yard behind me. Every few minutes or so, a car pulls up, uniformed officers stationed at the gate. In a few cases weve seen them search the vehicle. Some get waved in. A few turned around and left. People seem to be honoring Mission Essential request today. We can also tell you speaking to the fact our city is getting back to normal, weve seen dozens of folks parade done the sidewalk behind me over the past hour or so. They are headed to Nationals Park just a block or two away from here. The nationals taking on the braves at 1 00 this afternoon. A lot of folks a lot of folks excited to, as you put it, get back to normal. I can also update on the condition of three of the people injured. I spent some time talking to Janis Orlowski this morning from over at medstar. She told me that the Police Officer who was shot, who was wounded in the legs, that Police Officer is expected to be okay. Last check he was listed in fair condition yesterday. They were concerned that he might not be able to walk again. At this point it looks as if thats not going to be the case. That officer is expected to be okay. Also two of the citizens i can tell you, one is also in Good Condition. The woman who was shot in the hand and also shot in the head, you remember this story from yesterday, a woman shot in the head. Amazingly that bullet did not penetrate the skull. She is also listed in Good Condition today, andrea. They did release more names of the victims of the deceased. If we could just quickly pay tribute to them, of course, they are the real victims of this. Were talking about michael arnold, sylvia frasier, kathy gaarde, Kenneth Bernard proctor, mary knight, john roger johnson, frank kohler, Vishnu Pandit martin bodrog, Richard Marshall ridgell, arthur daniels, and gerald read. Twelve victims just randomly, we think, shot at by the shotgun from the fourth floor as described to us yesterday by the eyewitness, fourth floor down into the atrium down to the footed court. I want to ask you, chuck, the white house has been significantly off point, it seems to me, the president coming out after this event with brief remarks about it, but then going into his criticisms of the republicans over the economy on the fifth anniversary of the lehman failure. It doesnt seem as though they have got their footing here, first on syria, now on this. Andrea, i can tell you, i think they wish they had yesterday back. They are not saying it but you can feel it. You know how you can tell in these situation, if they had to do it again, the way it went down yesterday isnt the way it is. Nationals, just brought it up, Washington Nationals wearing navy hats today. I saw harper tweeted out navy with the picture of navy blue. The whole red, white, blue uniform that the nationals are doing. Yes, there is this sense i think they do wish they had yesterday back. You know, its been a rough patch for them every since the syria crisis and it seems their timing is just a bit off. Obviously we heard the president over the weekend say, hey, criticize me on style point, thats okay. Thats what he expects in washington. But it will be on the subject he deserves to be judged on, whether its on syria, whether its on this. The question i have, andrea, you got a sense yesterday that the president thought about talking about the mass shooting issue, thought about bringing guns back into the conversation, then sort of pulled back a little bit on his words. Do you see that conversation try to get restarted by the political leaders, by the white house on capitol hill . You dont see the same i have to say there seems to be more tentativeness about pushing this, whether its gun control advocates trying to push this conversation back in the forefront. You dont see that same amount of effort being pushed on it that you did right after newtown. One quick question, chuck. Do you think thats because of the recall of two colorado politicians in response to the Mike Bloomberg money and mayors against guns . I dont think to be that cynical and say its that. Look at the situation here. He legally bought the gun. Theres as many Mental Health flags in this situation as there is anywhere else. We know one of his friends talked about him being a big gamer when it comes to violent video games. Some people have opinions on that and its influence and others say its nothing to do with it at all. There isnt a you cant look at what happened and say, aha, here is the legislative fix on this and thats why theres been a tentativeness with politicians on how hard to push the gun control issue. Chuck todd there for the briefing. It will be interesting to hear what the white house has to say today. Chuck, thank you so much. Pete williams, of course any breaking news from you and craig melvin, our friend at the scene. When reports of the monday shooting first broke, tony tull rushed to the scene, the first to go live discussing a fast developing and startling situation. Everybody is responding here. Every federal agency, every local agency, s. W. A. T. Teams, canine units have been on the scene here. We have air units in the air. We have seen some medevacs flying around, so were not quite sure if they are going to be medevacking some of the injured out. Ive got to tell you just from the looks on the faces of federal Law Enforcement folks responding here, this is a very serious situation. Wrc tony tull joins me in the studio. I know youve been working long hours. The station did extraordinary work and continues to. You were in boston for the marathon coverage. What you saw yesterday when you were in, quote, the hot zone before they put the perimeters out and they still thought there might be other shooters out there, you were right in the middle of it. Tell us what you saw and what you felt. You and i were talking. When i was in boston, it was semicontrolled, even though they didnt know where the second bomber was, it was semicontrol. Yesterday for the first couple of hours, there was not a sense of control. When we were there and looking at the faces of the Police Officers, all the Law Enforcement folks there that didnt know themselves what was going on, that was scary. You and i were talking, thats the first time ive been in a very serious situation. You didnt know what was going on. You heard the police chief say potentially there were two other shooters out there. Eventually it began to calm down a little bit. This really was a random shooting. You saw people streaming out. How did you begin to get your arms around the evolving story . You know, you try to stay away from cliche saying but it was so chaotic, theres no controlling the chaos, so you just try to bring the viewer what you see. So many people want to know whats going on. They have loved ones that work at the navy yard, coworkers that work at the naval yard. How do you bring the best story, vetted story, so they know they are getting the best information. Funneling all the sources coming out of the navy yard. What were they saying to you . A lot of people were on the floor as the gunman they were running out. A lot of people still trying to make sense this was actually happening to them. So many people were like this isnt happening to me. When they were coming out, i never thought this would happen to me. Not only scared and shaken but coming to grips what happened in the navy yard. Weve had horrific shootings in schools. Movie theaters, auroaurora, new. This was a navy base, brings to mind what happened with the military shooting in texas. At the same time this is a mile from the capital. Look at the map. Youre right at nats park. This is a very familiar neighborhood to all of us. We drive it all the time. You think of the Law Enforcement in such a concentrated area, who would be that person to actually test the limits. We found out he did. Mpd was there on the scene in seven minutes. Municipal Police Department here. They were on the scene in seven minutes but the damage was already done. People wondering how did either onto a military base, how was it that easy. It wasnt that easy. If someone is dedicated to doing something they eventually are going to do damage. Naval secretary has tweeted out they are going to review all the security at these bases. Certainly seems bag checks Pete Williams was reporting he had the id, he certainly was a contractor, subcontractor. The fact its he walked in with the shotgun, before he got to the guard, he had a shotgun. Not that easy to hide an assembled shotgun. You would think folks it was at rush hour. People going to work. 3,000 people in the yard. You would think somebody would have seen something. Nobody saw this coming. He got in. He got in the front door. D. C. Police officer, he was the first one shot. Thats what we were reporting. Theres an aura when you hear an officer is down, you can see Law Enforcement responds differently. The motorcade got in front of the ambulance and we knew that officer was getting ready to be taken away. You can tell when the scene is evolving and the seriousness of whats going on. And the really good news just to repeat what craig melvin reported from talking to dr. Orlowski, his legs are going to be all right. Hes going to be able to walk. That was the critical concern yesterday beyond life. Thank you so much, tone. Thanks for having me. Thanks for all your great work on this and your whole team at wrc. From what he calls a simple act of friendship captured in this photo, omar grant heralded as a hero today. Just look at it. This is the image of the navy yard employee leading his blind colleague to safety after yesterdays shooting. The picture has gone viral in the last 48 hours. This morning grant spoke to the today show describing what happened after he first heard shots fired near the cafeteria. As soon as we got outside the cafeteria doors into the hallway, we saw people panicked, running for the exits. They were shouting. I could not make out exactly what they were shouting but i knew it was something serious. I told my colleague there that we were going to get out of the building and i was going to help him. Normally hes got somebody with him there. This morning he was all by himself. That moment you enjoy it at home. Stouffers. Made with care for you or your family. You raise her spirits. We tackled your shoulder pain. You make him rookie of the year. We took care of your cold symptoms. You take him on an adventure. Tylenol® has been the number 1 doctor recommended brand of pain reliever for over 20 years. But for everything we do, we know you do so much more. Tylenol®. What are you guys doing . Having some fiber with new phillips fiber good gummies. Theyre fruity delicious just two gummies have 4 grams of fiber to help support regularity i want some. [ woman ] hop on over [ marge ] fiber the fun way, from phillips. But you had to leave rightce to now, would you go . World, [ woman ] hop on over man oh i cant go tonight woman i cant. hero thats what expedia asked me. Host book the flight but you have to go right now. Hero laughs and i just go . This is for real right . This is for real . I always said one day id go to china, just never thought itd be today. Anncr were giving away a trip every day. Download the expedia app and your next trip could be on us. Expedia, find yours. Welcome back, president obama is catching flack from comments on the economy in the speech marking the fifth year of the financial crisis. Are they so beholden to their party they are willing to tank the entire economy just because they cant get their way on this issue . Are they really wanting to hurt people just to score political points . This, of course, as the president is already facing quieter pushback from his own democratic left. Already successfully blocking syria an his hopes to appoint Larry Summers to the fed. Joining us kelly odonnell, Mark Halperin and Chris Cillizza. Thanks to all. Kelly, first of all to you on the hill. It just seems like things are heating up and the president is losing ground with his own base as hes facing budget wars of october. Exactly, andrea, he has faced setbacks you described among liberals. It is not showing signs of easing up just yet. That could easily reset when the debate over the budget and things like extending the funding for the government, which is coming up quickly, the debt ceiling. That could reset the argument quickly. Republicans are already setting the stage for some of the fights of the fall that will be critical. Of course there are ideas being floated around where they could extend Government Spending to avoid a shutdown, kick that into december to get us into the next fiscal year, thats being talked about. Also republicans in the house who want to see changes made to make that possible like not funding the president S Health Care law. There will be real severe arguments to be had. Some will of course be about politics, many on substance. These will be difficult arguments where john boehner is going to try to get help from democrats in terms of votes to keep the government operating. It will be a lot to play out over the next several weeks. Deadlines and real world consequences are looming. Andrea. Chris cillizza, do you see any Gun Legislation despite the pressure . Well be talking to one of the newtown moms coming up. Any push for Gun Legislation . You know, andrea, look, let me say first politics is unpredictable. Let me add after newtown and the huge push from the white house on down, the families lobbying congress and it not even coming to a final vote in the senate much less the house, i just think that when it comes to change gun control legislation its not going to happen. Its easy to criticize. This isnt about the right or the wrong of it, this is simply about the politics of this issue. Whether its geography, 2014 election, i think we saw after newtown, theres just not a coalition to pass gun control legislation in this current congress. I think a way president obama acknowledged that by speaking about the shootings at the navy yard yesterday but not but then pivoting to the economy where he knows the fight is going to be joined this fall. This is what senator dick durbin had to say. Hes not afraid to go there. This is what he said on the senate floor today. What happened yesterday brings into question some important values in america. If we value our right for ourselves and our families and children to be safe, if we value this constitution, if we value the right of every american to enjoy their liberties with reasonable limitations, then we need to return to issues that are of importance. We could say its been a long time since the senate or house dealt with issues of importance Mark Halperin. Andrea, if i could quote two of our leading political observers in this country, Haley Barbour said in politics good gets better and bad gets worse. Politically, leaving aside tragic events in syria, budget issues, just a matter of pure partisan politics, the president needs some victories. Right now the conventional wisdom in washington and in political circles around the country is the president is on a bad losing streak of bad decisions and bad judgment about where to pick his battles. In the case of Larry Summers caving, the perception is he wanted something he didnt get. The other thing, he must win something. Football coach al davis, just win. The reason hes not, i dont believe, confronting gun control right now, as chris said, theres no chance the events of yesterday will in the shortterm lead to a political victory. His presidency hinges on the debt and deficit and decisions coming up. There will be other factors. This is not the beginning of the end of his presidency. The next big fight, he must go into that fight as strong and focused as possible. Picking a fight on gun control, Larry Summers, letting syria dominate the news, those are losing issues to the president right now. He cant afford that. Let me say a posit here. He did not have to pick a fight on syria, it was his unilateral decision, thats what leaders do, went against security advisers deciding to go to congress. The leadership did not want that vote and he picked that fight. So theres one. On the Larry Summers deal, he did not have to answer charlie roses question when charlie asked him the question about what he would do with the fed. President s for time immemorial have said i dont discuss upcoming appointments. He picked that fight. That set off the leaks that he wanted summers, set off weeks and weeks of political infighting that arguably politicized the fed and forced the situation where summers had to withdraw. The way washington works that the president did he tests and i have a lot of intellectual sympathy for things he doesnt like, those matter. I agree, the history is on both those issues. He brought the trouble to his own front door. Having done that, though, he suffered losses. By the way, washington scores things, style points, the president doesnt like it. The reality is he cant afford anymore. I agree with you. On the history of both things he brought the trouble to himself. Has he to cut losses. He needs victories and a strong hand in the budget fight. Thanks so much, Mark Halperin, Chris Cillizza and kelly odonnell. Coming up, the latest on the disastrous floods in colorado. Officials launched search and rescue efforts since hurricane katrina. Miguel almaguer surveyed the destruction from the air. Wow, wow. So many of these smaller communities are completely surrounded by water, no way in or out by foot or by car. Weve come along groups of people like this throughout our time up in the air. The National Guard has made it very clear they want everyone out of this area but some just refuse to leave. The more we fly, the more land we cover, the more heartbreak we see. Building animatronics is all about getting things to Work Together. The timing, the actions, the reactions. Everything has to synch up. My expenses are no different. Receiptmatch on the business gold rewards card synchronizes your business expenses. Just shoot your Business Card receipts and theyre automatically matched up with the charges on your online statement. Im john kaplan, and im a member of a synchronized world. This is what membership is. This is what membership does. [ dog ] on a walk, walk, walk. Yeah, we found that wonderful thing. And you smiled. And threw it. And i decided i would never, ever leave it anywhere. Because that wonderful, bouncy, rollaround thing. Had made you play. And that. Had made you smile. [ announcer ] beneful. Play. Its good for you. Beneful is awarding a 500,000 dog park makeover. In the 2013 dream dog park contest. Enter now. Some kind of. This is. An alien species. Reality check a lot of 4g lte coverage maps dont really look like much at all. I see the aleutian islands. Looks like a duck. It looks like. America. Ish. Thats a map. Thats a map of the United States. Check the map. Verizons 4g lte is the most reliable, and in more places than any other 4g network. Trade in your old device and trade up to americas most reliable network. Ive got the good one i got verizon thats powerful. Verizon. In colorado the weather has finally cleared. Thats exposing incredible destruction left behind by historic rainfall. Many evacuees have begun to return to destroyed homes and communities and people are trying to reconnect after being cut off for days. Nbcs kate snow filed this record of one extraordinary rescue. Reporter at boulders command center they are reaching some people using ham radio trying to make contact with the missing one person at a time. Mike horn thought his wife of 38 years florence was missing. Water rushed through and rolled their house into the river. They were separated. A rescuer found him hanging from a tree. He said, where is your wife . I said, i think shes lost. Reporter but she survived, rescued by a good samaritan. The most brave man in the whole world to jump in that water. Emotions are still very raw in colorado. Joining me now from boulder is nbcs leanne gregg. So many stories. One good thing, the death toll is now at eight, the number of missing are now dropping because people are beginning to reconnect. How is that going . Andrea, today the focus on getting to stranded people who dont have any electricity, they dont have phones. They dont have ways of communicating with loved ones in lawrimore county. The search and rescue going well according to officials. They are happy with the amount of people they are finding and the condition they are in. They seem to be in good spirits. Yesterday more than 200 people were airlifted out. About 1,000 were originally thought to be stranded. When the day started 600 people were still unaccounted for. By the end of the day Officials Say that number should drop by hundreds as people are able to communicate with their friends and family members. You mentioned the death toll now at eight, but that number is expected to go higher when people can get back into the flooded areas. When the water recedes, an extensive certainly once again will take place. Officials say it will take weeks, possibly even months. The good news, the weather. The sun is out. For most of the flood regions, its expected to be nice the rest of the week, not the case for everywhere in colorado but at least some of the major flood areas good weather until the end of the week. Andrea. Leanne gregg, thanks so much for that somewhat hopeful update. We appreciate it. After 20 months partially sub mernled on its side off the italian island of giglio, took 19 hours to set the Costa Concordia set upright. Can you see the jackson, cables, platforms that righted the 114,000 ton ship. The Severe Damage is now visible from one the cruise liner maneuvered too close to the island and hit a rock. The ship capsized killing 32 people. The ship will remain in place for months before it will be towed away and broken up for scrap. It starts with little things. Tiny changes in the brain. Little things anyone can do. It steals your memories. Your independence. Ensures support, a breakthrough. And sooner than youd like. Sooner than youd think. You die from alzheimers disease. We cure alzheimers disease. Every little click, call or donation adds up to something big. Do the same for your dog. You like to keep your family healthy and fit. Introducing purina dog chow light healthy. Its a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend. With 20 fewer calories than dog chow. New purina dog chow light healthy. [ male announcer ] some things are designed to draw crowds. Others are designed to leave them behind. The allnew 2014 lexus is. Its your move. I just spoke from the heart. I am sick of this. I know we always point to washington and say, you know, they have to do something or something has to be done. You know what, we have to do something. We need to do something to stop this senseless violence. Orlowski speaking to matt lauer echoing the sentiment as the mass shooting renewed the gun debate. Yesterdays shooting comes nine months after sandy hook. Of course that took 26 lives including nicoles 6yearold son dillon. Nicole has since become an advocate for gun laws and joins me from burbank. Nicole, thank you very much. Thanks for your activism and thanks for what youre doing since sandy hook. I cant imagine the Emotional Energy and strength it takes to do what youre doing. How did you feel yesterday seeing another senseless gunman on the loose . I had a lot of feelings yesterday. It was a traumatizing moment for so many people, everyone in the building that day as well as everyone waiting to hear about their loved ones. I can sioux absolutely empathize with the experience they had yesterday waiting to find out if their family and friends are okay and obviously for those that did not have their loved ones come home. I can understand how they are feeling today and how they will feel going forward. Its very painful and heartache and my deepest sympathies go out to him. Some newtown colleagues on the hill. There was to be a hearing. Thats to be postponed because of what happened. How frustrating for all that joe biden, we saw senator durbin trying to reignite the push for gun laws. Nothing seems to be getting accomplished. I think right now we need to take a moment and pause and just grieve for those families, those adults that were lost yesterday. But after that moment is passed, its really time to stop and set the reset button, go back to the starting point and come together for a serious dial okay about these issues. These issues are not going away. Were continuing to see gun deaths. Over 30,000 families per year, nearly 8,000 families just since 12 14, more families impacted yesterday. Time to come to the table, stop the political fighting and posturing and say what can we do to make a change so this doesnt happen, so more families dont have to continue to have the heartache that i and other families have every day. Its time to make a change. There are some pushing back and saying proposed gun laws would not have prevented this, because the incident in seattle with a gun was a misdemeanor not a felony. There were convictions. The Mental Health issues, private issues, medical issues. How do we get to the stage where theres not only proposed gun laws but gun laws that would prevent someone like this man from buying a shotgun in lorton, virginia and walking into the navy yard. There is no one solution to the problem. Thats why we need to stop thinking small about specific legislation but take a step back and look at the Bigger Picture here. I dont want us to keep arguing about whether background checks would have stopped sandy hook or aurora or what happened at the Washington Navy yard. We know thats one step that will save other lives. We know its a step the vast majority of americans support and its a step forward. We need to make that. We need to continue to have dialogue with the stakeholders, military, Law Enforcement victims, nra, people across the country come together at the table and say we have got a problem so what are we going to do to provide solutions. Stop arguing about the fine points. Lets think about the Bigger Picture here. Are you discouraged at all or disappointed from what youre getting at the white house, where they seem to have moved on to other issues. I dont think they have moved on to other issues. This conversation is alive and ongoing. Certainly for people like me and other family members across america. This has not moved on at all since 12 14 and yesterday is a good example. People may have died, children and adults have died, this issue has not died and this conversation needs to be renewed. Do you have any advice or comfort you can share to grieving families today . They need to take their time and grieve for those that they lost and hug those that remain and come together with their family and friends and community. They have a long road ahead of them. I know that. It doesnt get any easier with time. I feel so much for what they are going to go through today and every day after this. And they need to ensure when they are ready as well that they have they grieve for their lost loved ones and decide how they want to move forward and find a way to reinvest in their lives as well. Nicole hockley, thank you for your courage, what youre doing. Thank you for speaking with us today. Thank you. Well be right back. No two people have the same financial goals. Pnc investments works with you to understand yours and helps plan for your retirement. Talk to a pnc investments Financial Advisor today. Its been that way since the day you met. But your erectile dysfunction it 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 4 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. More is better. Thats why we designed the allnew nissan versa note, with more technology, to get you into, and out of, tight spots. And more space so that you always have your favorite stuff. And just for good measure, an incredibly efficient 40 mpg highway. So that when youre doing more, youre spending less. The allnew nissan versa note. Your door to more. Humans. Even when we cross our ts and dot our is, we still run into problems. Namely, other humans. Which is why at Liberty Mutual insurance, auto policies come with new car replacement and accident forgiveness if you qualify. See what else comes standard at libertymutual. Com. Liberty mutual insurance. Responsibility. Whats your policy . A writer and a performer. Ther, im also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers. I even wrote a play about that. My symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. If you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. Ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. Symptoms are not the same for everyone. I got sick. And then i got better. U. N. Secretarygeneral said today use of chemical weapons in syria was the tip of the iceberg after they reported strong evidence of the worst chemical attack in 25 years august 21st using must not igs only available to the regime, not the rebels. Will that bolster u. S. Efforts to bolster agreement with russia to find and destroy assads chemical weapons. Joining me senator sam nun, cosponsor of nun lugar act responsible for dismantling of Nuclear Warheads over the decades and ceo of nuclear initiative. Good to see you. Thank you for joining us from london. Thank you, andrea. Good to be with you. Weve seen what you and senator lugar can accomplish, finding and destroying nuclear weapons, nuclear fuel, Nuclear Warheads. What do you think the prospect are u. S. And russia can accomplish the same with syria given the fact russia is already backing off enforcement that was agreed to last week . This is an uphill climb. Its going to be a tough job. It could be a game changer if it happens. Under the Nunn Lugar Program United States destroyed huge portions of chemical stockpiles, we helped with russian to destruction to the tune of a billion dollars. Weve worked together before. Weve worked together 20 years on chemicals as well as nuclear. About 20 countries have worked with us. The International Community has already worked on this problem. United states has destroyed 90 of the chemical weapons stockpile and russians have destroyed about 75 . We can Work Together in syria. Its going to be tough. Its always tough but particularly in a wartime situation. The first thing that has to happen is a declaration by the Syrian Government where the International Community is informed as to the size of the stockpile, the type of chemicals, the status they are in. Are they weaponized, binary meaning not lethal until mixed together. All that important in terms of inspectors and, of course, security is important. Then we have to decide how we go about destroying those very dangerous weapons. The world thought they had outlawed the use of chemical weapons way back in 1923 then we had a 1993 Chemical Weapon Convention that barred the production or maintain of the stockpiles. So the International Community has spoken on this subject. This is one area where the United States and russia and the world should be able to Work Together. And do you think the timetable is too ambitious, or do you think this is something achievable by mid 2014 to be able to have the inspectors in there and find the sites and destroy the weapons . It all depends whether they can provide security for the inspectors and destruction mechanisms and type of chemicals they have. If they are weaponized, transporting them would be very dangerous. If they are not binary, already together in some form, it could be very difficult. You may have to destroy them on site. That provides would require ty if possible, they could be shipped out to safer territory for destruction depending on their condition. I dont think anyone knows right now but get through destroying our chemical stockpile until 2023. Russians are several years away too. It takes a long time. So far the United States andrea, spent 22 billion on destroying our own chemical stockpile, a huge arsenal of weapons. Do you think we should be trusting Vladimir Putin on this . I think its in president putins interest now that he stepped up to the plate, hes a player here and has responsibility. Its in russias interest and his interest to make sure this is carried out. I think its healthy for russia to be involved in leadership in a responsibility direction. For too long we and the russians have thought in terms of zero sum game. This is a winwin if we can get it done. I think its in their interest to move forward on this. Thank you so much. We appreciate it very much. Good to see you. Well be right back. [ male announcer ] now, taking care of things at home is just a tap away. Introducing at t digital life. Personalized Home Security and automation. [ lock clicks ]. That lets you be closer to home. Thats so cool. [ male announcer ] get 100 in instant savings when you order digital life smart security. Limited availability in select markets. How old is the oldest person youve known . We gave people a sticker and had them show us. We learned a lot of us have known someone whos lived well into their 90s. And thats a great thing. But even though were living longer, one thing that hasnt changed much is the official retirement age. The question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. Which political story will be making headlines in the next 24 hours. Chris, theres a lot developing, theres going to be an fbi press conference very shortly. Were also hearing the president is going to be meeting with his National Security team, Jose Diaz Ballard of telemundo will be interviewing the president and that will be on tonight. Also the nats park, there was a moment of silence and they are wearing navy blue, that all of the nats are wearing the uniform to pay tribute to the navy as they play the braves. Chris . A wild week in washington, andrea. We expected a wild week talking about the budget and debt ceiling. I dont think any of us hoped or thousand or contemplated the thought we would be dealing with another mass shooting. The fights in washington about the budget are one thing. This is entirely another. Its a tough day and tough week. Real life and real death. We wanted to share with you the pictures of cathy gaard, 62 years old, the family left eye note on the front door saying she was caring for her daughter, fantastic mother and wife and best friend and kenneth proctor, loved his boys dearly, a great tragedy for the family. With a tribute to those two of the 12 victims, thank you, chris. That does it for this sad edition of Andrea Mitchell reports. Tamron hall, my colleague has a look at whats next on news nation. In our next hour, breaking news. An fbi News Conference expected in five minutes on the Navy Yard Shooting amid reports the gunman did not use an ar15 but there are new questions regarding his security clearance. Plus, the investigation into his Mental Health situation. Family members claim he suffered from ptsd after responding to 9 11 attacks. That appears to be inaccurate. Also in this hour, a North Carolina Police Officer charged with shooting and killing an unarmed former Football Player was apparently seeking help after an accident. Civil rights leaders are asking if race had anything to do with this. Plus, hundreds of people still unaccounted for out of the deadly flooding in colorado. All coming up next on news nation. An early spring break thanks to her double miles from the capital one venture card. Now what was mrs. Davis teaching . Spelling. Thats not a subject, right . I mean, spell check. Thats a program. Algebra. Okay. Persons a and b are flying to the bahamas. How fast will they get there . Dont you need distance, rate and. No, all it takes is double miles. [ all ] whoa. Yeah. [ male announcer ] get away fast with unlimited double miles from the capital one venture card. Youre the worlds best teacher. This is so unexpected. Whats in your wallet . This is so unexpected. Dont tell mom. Dont tell mom. Dont tell mom dont tell mom. Okay. Dont tell mom. Dont tell mom. Dont tell mom . Yeah. The best stories youll ever tell start with, dont tell. Dont tell dad. Start yours in the new santa fe. From hyundai. You raise her spirits. We tackled your shoulder pain. You make him rookie of the year. We took care of your cold symptoms. You take him on an adventure. Tylenol® has been the number 1 doctor recommended brand of pain reliever for over 20 years. But for everything we do, we know you do so much more. Tylenol®. Im tamron hall. Were following developing news where were awaiting an fbi briefing on the Navy Yard Shooting to begin in just a few minutes. Were also learning that president obama will being briefed on the shootings this afternoon by the fbi director and attorney general eric holder. A source today is telling the Associated Press that aaron alexis had received treatment for a serious mental illness, including reports that he said he was hearing voices in his head. Obviously this raises serious questions about how alexis was granted security access as a naval contractor. Authorities also say there is no evidence that alexis ever participated in rescue efforts after 9 11, disputing claims by his family that he was a responder suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. We have more details about his previous g