0 >> brian cranston is an absolutely rockable forunbreaka "breaking bad." >> i lot of times these academies go after for a few years the contrarian award when the best thing to do is give it to the guy. michael jordan was the mvp for so many years, let's give it to carl malone. >> beatles didn't win a grammy. john lennon didn't get one after he died. that tells you about these award shows. >> is that true? >> you got shut out of the this morning the hostage standoff there is winding down. kenya's military announced late last night that most of the hostages have been rescued but in ten exchanges are still taking place with the terrorists. the latest death toll is 68 people dead. and 175 injured. nbc news's ron allen is in nairobi. >> reporter: several explosions were heard at the mall. government troops could be seen to be moving into aggressive positions. al shabab is taking responsibility for the attack. militants say they are attacking for kenya sending troops into somalia where the fighters are from. and the u.s. is looking into whether americans are involved in carrying out the attack. earlier kenya's president visited harry potters filled with the wounded where there's an urgent appeal for blood. and shared the grief of the nation revealing his nephew and fiancee died in the bloodshed. >> these are young people i love. >> reporter: president obama called the president to offer his condolences and support. secretary of state john kerry represented this. >> it represents the seriousness and breadth of the challenge we face in ruthless and completely reckless terrorists. >> reporter: new video showing the terrifying attack in the mall was released. capturing the moment when gunmen burst into the crowded mall around noon saturday. the video shows shoppers fleeing for their lives during a hail of gun shots lasting a period of several minutes. an american attorney who moved to kenya in july from north carolina says she hid from the gunman for four hours. >> you could hear while we were back there methodically going from store to store, talking to people, asking yes, sir, shooting, screams and then it would stop for a while and then go to another story. >> reporter: tyler hicks a "new york times" photographer who covers war zones and lives nearby raced to the mall when he saw the crowd trying the escape the mayhem. >> every where you looked there was another body. terrified people were crying, screaming. >> reporter: hopeful relatives and friends converged on a community center while they try to figure out what happened to the many still unaccounted for. >> peter king says the u.s. must find out if americans were involved in the terror attack and make sure al shabab does not strike in the u.s. next. >> it's extremely deadly organization. very well trained. and it's one of the only al qaeda affiliates which actually has actively recruited here in the united states. there's at least 40 to 50 somalia-americans have gone from the united states to somalia to be trained. a number of them have been killed. others are still alive. i assume the fbi and local law enforcement are looking into those somalia-american communities today for any leads or indicators using all their sources and resources to make sure there's no followup attempt here in the united states. >> let's bring in michael ider. let me ask you, is this about an al qaeda affiliate interested in international terrorism or is this just a battle between kenya and somalia that spilled out in the most horrific of ways? >> joe, i think it is more of the latter, but there's no doubt there's always a danger of it becoming the former. what we've seen from al shabab it's driven by two distinct elements. one focused on somalia and another interested in transnational attacks and often westerners, americans who are part of the group are the ones driving that agenda. we saw them attack in uganda in 2010 after the world cup and this one is more in line in their regional agenda punishing those countries associated with somalia. i wouldn't go so far as peter king we have to worry about attacks here. but if there are americans involved in this attack this does bring this back to the forefront of people's agenda here in washington for counterterrorism. >> it was a very coordinated attack as well. talk about the detail of the could to hit republicans for obstructing a possible compromise on the debt all because of obama care. >> i call them legislative arsonists. they are there to burn down what we should be building up in terms of investments and education and scientific research and all that it is that make our country great. >> these guys have been running around the country, demonstra d. >> i don't think in america we should throw tantrums when we lose elections and refuse to pay the bills and shut down the government. >> not really. democrats lost elections in the house. >> the law passed. >> i know. i know. but, you know, we're not great britain. we don't have a prime minister and one party doesn't win and the other party doesn't lose. republicans won the house races. they won the house. they got the speaker's gavel. >> do you think this is a waste of their time? do you think this is a good use of their time trying to defeat obama care? >> of course i do. here's the thing. identify not been saying ted cruz is an idiot because he's on the wrong side of the issue. i've been saying he's acting like an idiot because of the tactics he's using. listen, there's not a republican that doesn't care that obama care is an absolutely horrible piece of legislation that is not good for this country. yes it passed and yes it's the law of the land. americans don't like it. it's not been implemented yet. let's stop showing ted cruz, okay. can we just stop showing this guy. i'm serious. >> visceral reaction. >> we're building this guy up so much. he's desperate not to look like the biggest fool in washington, d.c. he's scrambling. let's talk about something much bigger, obama care. listen. if republicans just don't get in their way if we don't be the stupid party as we've talked about for the past couple of years, we're actually on the side of the american people on this issue, and it's not -- all these people over the weekend, nancy pelosi, they are arsonists, all these people saying obama care it's the law of the land and everybody loves it and they -- no they didn't sweep barack obama into office because of obama care. he won because mitt romney ran one of the worst campaigns i ever seen in my life. americans don't like obama care. we're on the right side of this as republicans. we need to stay out of way, do we not? we shouldn't shut down the government. >> i know some people like it. >> 33% like it. >> i know some young people who signed up for it. >> they get to stay on their parents. >> that's great. >> the frustrating piece of this is that -- >> by the way after you're 37 barack obama is having you roll over immediately into guaranteed food stamp assistance until you're 73. food stamps, middle class entitlement. >> what's frustrating this issue nights all republicans. our opposition to this law, we think there's something less intrusive into people's lives and this big overreach and independents happen to agree with us. the problem we're having as a party is this skirmish over tactics. whenever the policy is lost in process it turns into a big political -- >> what's so offensive to me, you're a rhino if you don't believe we should shut down the government on an issue we'll lose. i'm all for shutting down the government. sometimes you actually get something good out of it. we balance the budget out of it back in 1995. but this is all about tactics. this is all about being stupid and not knowing how to win in washington, d.c. and so this weekend we're having this battle and now they are talking about shutting down the government, defaulting on the debt. they could be a little smarter especially when the public is on our side when it comes to obama care. >> it's unclear from the beginning what ted cruz was doing strategically. how he thought going out and threatening a shut down that was never going to happen to get the money out, never pass in the senate, what he thought that was going to achieve to what end. my question to both of you is, if not this way, how do you get rid of the affordable care act? if you're a republican -- >> ted cruz admitted it the other day we need a couple of elections. okay, thanks teddy. you said what we were all saying months ago and you raised a lot of money and you got a lot of names for your mailing list but you hurt the republican party brand. >> he helped himself. >> they ran those commercials. are you against the obama care? send us your money. mike levi the other day goes oh, yeah obama care it's not worth shutting the government down for. calling us surrender monkeys. >> today is the day and week republicans have to figure out what their message is for this fight. the fight is coming in the next couple of days and the white house and democrats know what their message is. the republicans message is we don't like shutdowns, we don't like obama care, we don't like the debt but we have to put something on the table. they have to put something on the table that says here's the outcome we want. there's lots of things they can pick from where they do have support of the american people. >> on obama care american people right now are on the side of the republicans. >> on the policy. >> on the policy. you can't find a poll that doesn't show americans agree with republicans when it comes to being against obama care. so guess what? frame it. strategically for a while. frame it in a way that you get something very significant out of it. >> you're talking to the republicans at this point? because the white house -- >> house republicans are passing this. i'm talking to the surrender monkeys in the senate who were being self-righteous three or four days ago. i'm asking those surrender monkeys to get their heads together. all that money they raised pushing a strategy that was assinine. >> the messaging -- >> they are surrender monkeys. >> the republicans found a way to botch that. here's chris wallace talking about the response he got just from booking senator cruz on his sunday show. >> this has been one of the strangest weeks i've ever had in washington. as soon as we listed senator cruz as my guest i got unsoli t unsolicited research and questions not from democrats but top republicans to hammer cruz. >> that's because he's a surrender monkey and he's caved in and betrayed the house republicans who were good conservatives who voted to defund obama care 43 times and as soon as they pass a cr he cuts them off at their knees. >> he's got support from former republican vice presidential candidate sarah palin. >> okay. there you go. >> in an op-ed -- >> look at nicole. >> she and ted have lots of friends in common. they are really vocal. >> that's great. >> wow. should i read this? she writes in part quote, following the will of the people apparently is a novel idea in d.c. these days just ask cruz and his liberty-loving posse on capitol hill who have led the charge to defund obama's train wreck. the capitol hill cowards are rushing to anonymously -- >> can we end this. she could have been a good contender in 2008. i want to get to jeremy peters. blank the teleprompter. there's some serious republicans that want to win elections and not pose and be facebook-like. let's talk about republican strategy. we know what the democrats will do. they will insult republicans. call them arsonist, terrorists. all of this over the top language. is there a group of republicans on capitol hill that is smart enough to take the bruise that's blowing behind their back and get something good out of it for conservatives? >> well, i mean you're certainly hearing a lot of republicans including ones you wouldn't ordinarily loosen up the reins. it's come down to elements of the republican party that you ordinarily would not see fighting with one another kind of dragging it out here. and i think this points to in addition to the tactical fight that nicole pointed to is a generational and cultural shift in congress where you have these younger lawmakers who were elected in the tea party wave of 2010 saying we were elected precisely because we promised not surrender not to compromise. that's exactly what they are doing. they go back to their districts, talk to voters and voters say don't give in, repeal obama care. we don't like this law. you better carry out what we elected to you do. on the other side of that you have an older generation of lawmakers who, i had a long conversation with bob bennett the former senate from utah and he said, i think he summed up their frustrations very well when he said these people, this newer generation, they live in a world of their own experience and it's very limited and very hard to reason with them. >> jeremy, briefly what happens in the end, about eight days from now the house bill goes to the senate. harry reid will strip out the defunding language and it goes back to the house. what is the house left with. with a couple of days or hours left attempt to shut down the government? >> that's the big question you just don't know what john boehner will decide to do. does he put a bill on the floor that the majority of his conference does not like and will not vote for or do they try to add in more provisions of their own and continue to drag this fight out to the point where we edge closer to a government shutdown. there's one thing i learned in covering this institution is that you never want to try to predict what these 535 men and women are going to do because they've proven themselves to be highly unpredictable bunch. >> it sounds like you have republicans that are coalescing together, that a couple of these surrender monkeys in the senate that made a lot of money and got a lot of mailing list names have actually succeeded in bringing together the republican party. the overwhelming majority back people like tom coburn, paul ryan, scott walker, charles krauthammer, conservative icons who are smart enough to know this is not how you actually win elections. >> and to point out there's more than nothing that republicans can do. there's been 21 laws passed and signed by the president that have changed obama care as it was originally passed. there's work we can do to passaic this law that's so unpopular and we believe is a bad policy better. >> mika it sounds like we have a developing news story. >> ron allen is crouching behind a car near the mall in nairobi. there was a hostage situation. ron what's the latest at this point? >> reporter: well, we heard several loud explosions, the biggest we've heard in the two days we've been here. there's a huge cloud of dark smoke rising above this maul. the government is launching a final assault. there's been a concern that the hostage takers may have explosives. everybody is laying flat down hiding taking cover because there's also sporadic gunfire in the neighborhood. unclear exactly why that's happening. we think the military is trying to disperse some of the crowds the people watching and trying to keep tabs on what's going on here. it's a very intense situation. has been since yesterday evening when helicopters arrived flying low and slow over the mall. we've seen reinforcement troops running. the government is running out of patience. they tried to proceed as cautiously as possible because the best estimate is that there are perhaps 15 hostage, 10 to 15 still inside and about the same number of heavily armed gunmen. again, another explosion. i can't hear it over the phone. but there's every indication this is coming to a conclusion and hope and pray the people inside are safe. >> visually as well too, ron. as you talk on the phone behind the car laying flat on the ground what we're seeing in the video that you're bringing us live is security forces descending upon the mall heavily armed and we see the billowing smoke above. they are moving in for sure at this point, ron. >> reporter: they have said that they have the gunmen cornered in a certain part of the mall. this is a huge sprawling complex, four stories, dozens of shops and restaurants. an upscale place. 1,000 or more in the mall on saturday at noon when this began. the gunmen burst in wearing masks, heavily armed, throwing grenades. there was also on the roof of the mall a children's event going on with dozens of children involved in an entertainment, a cooking competition of some sort. family hour at the mall here on a saturday afternoon. so, a very, very dire situation. at this point it appears that the military is moving in trying to end this. >> so, ron, what was the latest that we heard as we're watching this unfold about hostages inside? >> latest we heard government claims they rescued about 1,000 people from the mall over the past couple of days and there may be -- yesterday we were hearing 30 inside, this morning we've been hearing perhaps 10 to 15. it's hard to get hard numbers because they are kept so far away. there's concern that the gunmen, the militants, al shabab linked to al qaeda that's based in somalia has access to the internet or cell phones and they were aware of what was going on in the world of social media. there was a warning and an advisory in the media and everybody in the community to be careful what you tweet. the government here thought the militants were being tipped what was going on in terms of the security operation. so interesting 2013 development in the world we live in. nonetheless we don't know who the hostages are. there are perhaps 20 or more people who are missing and unaccounted for. there's a place here a community center where the red cross is trying to match relatives, loved one whose are arriving there to try to find people who they obviously have not seen, they think may have been in the mall saturday afternoon when all this erupted. >> ron it's willie. what would security at the mall have been like on saturday when this broke out. is this a worry they have inside nairobi, inside kenya? obviously they have been at odds with somalia on a number of issues and specifically with this group of terrorists. is it a heavily fortified mall? >> reporter: as i understand it, will willie, no metal detectors. security does walk around. there's been warning from al shabab attacking this particular facility. people were aware of that. there's a cop coming down telling us to lie down. sorry. anyway. there have been warnings. this came as no huge surprise. but there's no military security. fairly comfortable environment. also across this country there's been a number of small scale attacks by al shabab, grenades thrown into restaurants that sort of thing but nothing approaching the scale of this. there's always been a fear here that the death toll, the number of casualties injureded and wounded could rise significantly above where it is now at 69 and some 200 respectively. we've been trying to keep tabs on the american community. there are five americans involved in the attack wounded. in the attack according to the state department. no american fatalities. some other nationalities, people of other nationalities that were killed because nairobi, as you know, is a very cosmopolitan city in some ways. the u.n. has its largest headquarters in east africa here in this town. been traveling here for a long, long time. there are u.n. personnel, nongovernmental organizations represented here, world food program. it's a real hub in this part of the world. that's why the u.s. and others have been very concerned about the apparent emerging influence of groups like al shabab and others linked to al qaeda in this part of the world. that's one reason that they are very concerned. >> we'll be keeping our eye on this, obviously developing situation. ron allen, we'll be back with you. coming up on "morning joe," chuck kod will be here and pat toomey as well. we'll be right back.