manhunt under way after a pay of two nypd officers were shot last night as they responded to a robbery in the bronx. the officers were in plain clothes so they're not believed to be targeted, but the shooting at a time when tensions in the city are high. rehema ellis is joining us from the bronx. what's the latest? >> reporter: good morning, jose. the two rufrss are listed in critical but stable condition. the wounds are not life threatening. police say we have video where you can see one of the suspects is seen on a surveillance camera just moments before the t shooing. the suspects car jacked a vehicle, crashed it and escaped on foot. police say they found a gun near the scene. the mayor visited them in the hospital and praised them for their work. >> this is absolutely a case of officers going above and beyond the call to protect fellow new yorkers. thank god these officers are doing well and will recover. >> as you point out, the shooting comes at a time when there's a rift going between the mayor and police department. the tension is really running high. several officers turned their backs on the mayor as he attended a funeral over the weekend for one of two police officers who were targeted as they were sitting in uniform in their patrol car. police point out again, as you say, they do not believe this was a targeted shooting. these officers were in plain clothes responding to a robbery. and now there's a $10,000 reward being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects involved in this overnight shooting. jose? >> rehema thank you very much. we'll of course be keeping an eye on the story during the rundown this morning. back in snowy washington, d.c. we're less than three hours away from the swearing in of the new congress. they arrived for a bipartisan prayer service. for the first time in eight years, republicans will rule the roost in the senate and the house. this morning a worker replaced the sign on mitch mcconnell's office from republican leader to majority leader and just about to get under way on capitol hill, the swearing in of the members of the congressional black caucus. nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell joins us this morning. i can't believe you got there this morning. boy, it's snowing, but there's a lot of drama inside the house today today. >> reporter: i can't believe i got here either. it's a day where the weather is affecting the schedule already. one of the planned photo ops on the steps of the capital, that has been postponed do u to the poor weather. but on the serious stuff of what transpires today, there's drama as well. there's a storm of a political kind happening on the house side. john boehner is facing a conservative revolt from a small number of the most conservative members who have been vocal all along. many in some cases have not supporteded him in the past and there's about a dozen saying they will not support him as speak speaker. republicans because of their big margin have a lot of room to have enough of this sort of dissident going on without it being enough to tumble john boehner's chances. however, he can lose up the to 28 of his own members before they would have to go to a second ballot. no one is predicting that at this point but it's the dramas that was predicted and expected. it calls into question how smoothly the transition to the new congress will go. john boehner is expected to be reletted speaker. jose? >> nbc's kelly o'donnell, thank you very much. and we're going to back to capitol hill for a look at the impact of the congress in the 2016 race. now let's head to the white house where peter alexander is standing by. >> welcome to washington. sorry we couldn't make it more pleasant for your arrival. tomorrow the president will head to three states to tout the improving economy right now. there are frous tragss. and the president is diting down with him to discuss the places where they may be able to reach some common goals. some common agreement. the topics they could find agreement on the places they could work together free trade, tax overhaul infrastructure spending. but there's significant differences on the agendas in the topics of health care energy. and on top of that obviously, the the white house did a little needling to the new republican leadership specifically about the number three republican steve scalise of louisiana who is mireded in that controversy surrounding a speech he gave in 2000 to a white supremacist group. the secretary josh earnest saying who the republicans put forward and choose as their leaders says a lot about who they are and about their values. >> and let's talk about the visit by the president of mexico. he's been here a couple of times to the u.s. he's already meeting with the vice president this morning. >> yeah that's right. this is the first time will he will officially come to meet with president obama here at the white house. and several topics on the agenda for these two men. of course, they will talk about the white house and try to put pressure on cuba specifically hoping they will help in that measure. they may face some challenges as they try to put pressure on cuba in terms of issues like human rights. of course, the relation 14i7 between the u.s. and cuba has now changed. and beyond that is the topic of security. the u.s. gives $350 million annually to mexico to help fight violent organized crimes there. specifically drug cartels and others. protests have been taking place, as you're well aware of after the disappearance and suspecteded murder of 43 college students. right now the president did an interview with telemundo with you said there would be an effort to help in my way possible. we wait to hear what more the the u.s. does offer to do. human rights groups urging the president to do more to help in the effort. >> a lot of them can be tied to the human rights. so far it's not been dealt with by the american government. peter alexander, don't worry about the weather. it's pretty much the same in miami. for more reaction let's head to san francisco. the cofounder of the movement called us tired too to raise awareness for the 43 missing students. what a pleasure to see you. thank you for being with you. >> happy to be with you, jose. >> now tomorrow also with the visit of the president of mexico. what's the message behind the protests? >> the message is simple. it's a message taken to heart by more than 35 million people of mexican decent live mexican dissent living in mexico. stop funding a government that according to your reports is calling for suspension of aid to the mexican government. the same government that has seen a 600% increase in torture since 2007. the same government that the tour said needs to decrease not increase the military. and the same government that our own statement department says ha resume rights problems. even our own media in some cases. the "washington post" has shown maps of mexico a map blood red because of all the mass graves there. >> and you've been watching this program, i hope. and if you haven't, start watching it. we've been talking about this from day one. this issue won't go away. it's more than 43 college students missing and presumed dead in mexico. there have been massive violations of human rights in the country. every time they look for the kids, the students they find new and unmarked graves. it's a situation that seems to be out of control. and when i pressed the president on this last month, you'll remember, he said the best thing we can do is be better friends and allies with mexico. maybe it's time we not worry so much about the conditions and human rights in mexico. >> if we want to degenerate our moral fabric as a country, i guess we overlook the mass graves right across the border. that's our politicians' choice. but it's not the choice from the louisiana tee know community. and yes, jose we do notice the difference in your reporting from pretty much anything on english news. i, as a journalist appreciate the reporting on this issue. it's an issue that hits home for more than 35 million people of medical examiner dan dissent. >> that's right. it affects everyone who cares about human rights and allies and how they treat their own people. roberto, thank you for being with me. appreciate it. >> thank you jose. >> and we'll have much more on his visit right here to washington, d.c. throughout the rundown. p but we're just getting started on this tuesday edition of the rundown. live from snowy washington, d.c., where it's been snowing for a few hours now. the snow is also coming with bitter cold temperatures. and bill karins has the next forecast and what we can expect coming up in just minutes. plus, the start of the new congress in this d.c. today. but what implications can the new congress have on the 2016 race for the white house? they're coming. what do i do? you need to catch the 4:10 huh? the equipment tracking 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look at these live pictures from indianapolis. there are wrecks and problems throughout the roadways and much of the northeast. this is happening in indianapolis. just one place where the roads are blanketeded with snow and ice. it's all part of a system that hammered the northern plains and today it's moving east. bill karins is here. good morning. we're talking about temperatures way below zero this morning. >> the windchills are as low as minus 30 in northern new england. we have more cold air coming from canada. we are getting a snow surprise in d.c. we were thinking one to two inches. but a know row band-- narrow band of moderate to heavy know is setting up across the nation. it's a very light, fluffy type of snow, and that accumulates quickly. the good news is it's easy to shovel and get off your cars but it's treacherous on the roads. there's not as much snow in new york city. it's really from philadelphia to d.c. back across the pennsylvania turnpike through columbus indianapolis, all the way back to des moines who got about five inches yesterday, too so it was a quick-moving storm. the worst of the commute is now so d.c., we have two to four inches. an inch or less in new york city and this has really already fallen from chicago to columbus. minus 17 in fargo. we go tuesday and then we attack it to the great lakes on wednesday. and by the time we get to thursday all of this mess reaches the northeast. so this is three days of this. all the snow you just saw, none of it is going to melt any time soon. >> oh boy. nbc meteorologist bill karins great to see you, my friend. tough news in the the weather. miami, i miss you more than ever. it's been snowing in the the nation's capitol, as bill said. it's making for a rough morning commute around here. thankfully many lawmakers have until noon to make it to the hill. that's when the 114th congress will be sworn in. as we talk about the new congress we're also going to keep an eye towards 2016 and which members of the new congress could have an impact on the presidential race. casey hunt is joining us from capitol hill. what a pleasure to see you. >> great to see you as well. you're right, it's snowing in washington. but we managed to make it in okay. >> good. let's talk about the future. there's some democrats to watch, as well as republicans, when it comes to 2016. >> right, it's not just us. but senator mitch mcconnell the incoming leader on the senate side already said he has a goal for new congress. and that's to make sure the the american people don't think it's scary to have a republican senate and congress. now he's got his work cut out for him because he's actually got several very ambitious republicans in his own ranks who are probably going to be more concerned with their presidential bids among them senator marco rubio, senator rand paul and senator ted cruz who as we know from the past couple of years has not been afraid to use his platform in the senate. if you think about how that will he involve. he's running in iowa south carolina, a jeb bush or a chris christie he can use his position to try to push those other republicans to his right. so it's going to be up to mcconnell to try to figure out how to manage that. it's not going to be an easy task. >> and let's talk about the democrats. some may play a role in 2016 as well. >> if you remember this time two presidential cycles ago in 2007 the hill was actually full of in particular democrats running for president. you had hillary clinton. barack obama, joe biden, you had all of these figures, now you have two democrats, well one democrat and one independent. but he's already taken several early trips to iowa. and senator warren insists, of course, other and over again we hear her say she's geflt not running for president. we've also seen her use her profile to highlight the pop list issues that are her focus. we saw that late last year when she was talking about wall street reform. so you may see the two of them even if they don't get in the race in a serious way, use where they stand to push hillary clinton further to the left. >> kasie hunt what a pleasure to see you. and we'll go back to capitol hill this hour to speak with the lawmaker about the congress. and after the break, we'll get to other op stories, including more bodies recovered from airasia 8501. and the ski communities where each of them trained eded in shock. >> he was a big part of all of our lives, you know. he was that one kid out there that truly had a golden heart. didn't matter if you were first or last. he was always positive and talked about bringing good vibes. we lost a part of our heart today for sure. >> bingo! >> darn it! i was one square away from winning that game. >> it's a shame sadie isn't here today she always wins. coulda won the big prize. >> you know, that could have helped her with some of jim's funeral expenses. >> there wasn't any life insurance? >> no, there wasn't. i'd been trying to 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of the flight. officials say strong currents are moving the debris. the u.s. ski community is in shock after the the deaths of two promising ski members. bryce astle and ronnie berlack were killed in an avalanche. they were found 12 feet under the snow. four other american skiers were able to escape that avalanche. former virginia governor bob mcdonald could face more than a decade behind bars when he's sentenced on corruption charges next hour. mcdonnell was convicted of accepting loan, lavish vacations and jewelry from a businessman seeking favors. they have submitted hundreds of letters from his children and friends arguing he's recognized his mistakes and should only face community service. it's now up to the judge. we'll go live to rip monday as ha hearing begins in the next hour. on wall street stocks will try to recover from yesterday's route. mandy droourry is here with the market rundown that took a big hit yesterday. what a pleasure to see you, mandy. >> you said it. it was a rally yesterday. we're coming off the worst day in three months for the s&p and the dow. today the futures seeing a bit more of a stable open. a lot of that could depend on two readings on the economy, will come out shortly after the opening bell. and naturally we're watching the energy sector. so that fell another 4% yesterday. and some people, jose, are starting to call this crude price crash the beginning of the hung per hunger games for oil companies fighting each other to survive and therefore do look for more consolidation. but even that gas, that's moving down as well despite the cold snap that we're feeling across much of the country. i can see behind you it's a snowstorm in washington. in other corporate news watches of aol are looking to gain because we got a report late yesterday that verizon communications approached aol reportedly about a potential acquisition or joint venture. that's certainly something to watch as well. we'll be opening up in just a few minutes time as well. >> mandy droourury, thank you so much. coming up in the next half hour of the rundown. two lawmakers from each side of the aisle. we'll talk about the start of the new session and some of the key issues including u.s. relations with cuba and the president of mexico's visit today. plus, more on this first big winter snow. here's a live scene over indianapolis where a jackknifed truck has caused miles of backup. we're going to brave the elements with mike seidel next. this is the equivalent of the sugar in one regular soda. and this is one soda a day over an average adult lifetime. but there's a better choice. drink more brita water. clean, refreshing, brita. [cheering] everything okay? we're here because you're about to have a heart attack. pete's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk and we go to the new york stock exchange live. representatives from the nonprofit only make believe are ringing the opening bell. the organization performs theater for chronically ill children in hospitals. we're keeping an eye on the market following the 300-point drop in the dow yesterday and what's fuelling the continued drop in oil prices. but from the start of the day on wall street to the start of a brand new congress, it's one of the reasons i'm here in washington, d.c. members of the 114th congress will be sworn in later today. speaker john boehner will officiate on the house side including swearing in members of hitz his own party who are vying for his job. let's bring in one of the members of the 114th congress. congressman, pleasure to see you again. >> pleasure to see you, too. thank you for having me o on. >> what's the message to your colleagues who think speaker boehner should go? >> we have a very aggressive debate that goes on and it's really a conversation about what is the best strategy. and some on the right are concerned about the boehner strategy. but we all want to get to the same place of making the government work, making it accountable, spend less. i think the speaker will do a good job on the floor today. he's foebl going to be reelected. >> what is the boehner strategy? >> i think he's tried to work with the president to actually get things done. it's a philosophy that if i get 65% of what i want maybe not 100, but 65% is a win. some on the right side think that's a loss. and so he's been willing to negotiate with the president, and some don't want as much negotiation. but in a divided government what does a win look like? if you're able to get 60%, 70%, 80% and move the ball down the field, that's a win. and i think the speaker has to do a better job of getting out there. he should come on your show about what we're doing in the house and why it's the right thing to do for america. it will help grow the economy, put people back to work and reduce how much we spend. >> i can't tell you how many times i've invited him to be on here. so far nothing. there's always optimism in the air. >> i'll put it on your show. he has to get out there. >> we agree. on the subject of leadership congressman, are you worried that keeping steve scalise on the job will distract the agenda? >> i think he's done a good job for addressing whether he's done this speech or not. he's got a lot of diverse groups of people coming out and supporting him. that's a louisiana issue. and again, he's addressed that head on and i think pretty effectively. >> and finally, what's happening across town at the white house in about an hour and a half? we talk about the president's meeting. last time i spoke with you on this program, you were saying i asked about the 43 college students. i asked the president about it. do you think that's an issue that should be discussed between the leaders of the united states and mexico? >> no i don't. i think it's an internal issue in mexico. but security matters in mexico and to the united states of america. corruption matters. dealing with cartels matter. if you don't have stability and security, you're not going to see more prosperity and that's really good for america. so not only a good trading partner, but as regional producers as we sell to the rest of the world, they're a key partner in that. so their security matters to us. but again, a horrible issue in mexico, but they have to deal with that internally and i think it's wrong for us to way in on such a personal government issue. >> but it receives billions of dollars from the united states. shouldn't that aid be conditioned to human rights situation in the the country? i mean, there are literally thousands and thousands and thousands of dead. >> listen absolutely. and listen i wish the president on a broader spectrum outside of just these young kids would take a harder stand on human rights. look at cuba, jose. what -- what walkback did the castro administration do to get normalization with the united states of america? the president didn't ask for anything on the human rights front in cuba. look at china. look at the middle east. the president hasn't had human rights around the world as a top priority, and i wish he would. we have kids being beheaded and crucified in the middle east. we have the castro regime punishing and arresting dissidents in cuba and the same thing is happening in mexico. that's a larger conversation than just pinpointing one issue in mexico that i think has been a very hot topic political button within their government. >> congressman duffy, thank you for meeting with me this morning. what a pleasure. >> thanks, jose. >> and turning to the dangerous cold across the nation. cities are experiencing temperatures way below zero. take a look at this map. it's all cold in florida. all that cold brings snow. chicago already deployed 300 plows to try to keep the roads clear. the windy city will be spared more snow today. but one place they will not be spared columbus ohio. that's where we find the weather channel's mike psi del. >> good morning jose. what time did you get to work there? >> i think i got here at 6 something in the morning. didn't get to see the snow when i came in, but boy, whew. >> wait until you walk outside. d.c. is a mess. it's going to end in a couple of hours. a real log jam and even in new york city. about an inch in some spots. it's a quick hitter here. it snowed for seven or eight hours. now it's winding down. we had three to four inches in columbus. the big story is the chill coming in. windchills we have no wind but they're in pretty good shape. but everything is just going to lock up tonight. our temperatures will drop down close to zero but the wind is going to pick up from chicago to indy to columbus tonight and tomorrow. that's going to drive the windchill numbers down way below zero. we have advisories and warnings in many states if the midwest. windchill numbers 15 to 20 below zero. and by thursday here in columbus jose we drop down to 5 below zero. windchills down 25 or colder below zero. that could close schools again that are closed today. but once we get through this afternoon, the snow will not be an issue, except off the great lakes. it's all about the the chill heading to the gulf coast. if you want to escape the cold weather. west coast and south florida. back to you. >> thank you very much mike. stay warm. always a pleasure. and if there's one thing you know for sure all the snowfall will mean a flurry of snow pictures. i took this one on route to the studio today. but clearly it's not my best picture. i did a little black and white thing on it. but let this serve as your first social media reminder. we want to hear from you about snow and politics. the combination of the two things. whatever is on your mind. you can tweet us and use #jdbmnow. and of course, we have the best instagram account in the country. english, spanish, or any other language. you can find it online. coming up the cuba shift and more cubans are hitting the waters. the dangerous, treacherous waters trying to make the journey to the united states. in the first weekses since the white house announced a new cuba policy. our own mark potter has that report. and then we talk with bob menendez. christians around the world are celebrating three kings day. which rounds out the christmas season. curling up in bed with a favorite book is nice. but i think women would rather curl up with their favorite man. but here's the thing: about half of men over 40 have some degree of erectile dysfunction. well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. and remember, you only take it when you need it. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. ask your doctor about viagra. u for calling colonial penn life insurance company. i'm glad i was able to help you today. hi, my name is diane tull, and i'm a customer service representative for colonial penn life insurance company. insurance can sometimes be difficult to understand, but here at colonial penn, we make it simple. alex trebek has been representing colonial penn for over ten years and is here to tell you how we do it. thanks, diane. i'm happy to be here with these knowledgeable colonial penn representatives. i know that customer service is a priority for them. i've been representing colonial penn for over ten years talking about their guaranteed acceptance life insurance. if you're 50 to 85 write down the toll-free number on your screen and call for free information. with this insurance, there's no medical exam, no health questions either guaranteed. you cannot be turned down because of your health. and especially important in this economy, colonial penn guarantees that your rate will never go up and your benefit will never go down due to age. it costs just $9.95 a month per unit. that's less than 35 cents a day. did you know that the average cost of a funeral is over $7,300 now? 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(representatives speaking) ugh... ...heartburn. did someone say burn? try alka seltzer reliefchews. they work just as fast and taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. mmm... amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief. there has been a dramatic spike in the number of cubans trying to come to the united states in the weeks since the u.s. announced new relations with the castro regime. the u.s. coast guard reporting 117% spike for december compared to the same time plast year. just yesterday the coast guard returned 121 cubans to the island. they were intercepted at sea in several separate incidents in the past week alone. mark potter is in our miami studio with this story. good morning. >> good morning to you, jose. this is happening because there are rumors and fears flying throughout cuba even in miami, that the immigration policy the u.s. immigration policy that favors cubans who arrive in the u.s. and set foot on u.s. soil the so-called wet foot/dry foot policy is about to end. and again it's a rumor. and this is what he's going to on january 15th. people are hearing that and reacting by going to sea. we're hearing that from top officials at the u.s. coast guard in miami. >> they're looking at that and saying by the time the policy ends it will be too late. they're trying to get to this country before it happens. and that's just a rumor. >> we think they are telling people in cuba now is the time to go. if you pay me i can build you a boat or maybe people here in south florida telling people down in cuba now is the time to go. at least not now, if ever. and they are urging cubans not to take this very dangerous trip. people have died out here. a lot of people have died. >> and to give a bigger con texas to this, the cuban adjustment act exists as law to give cubans fleeing what is considered until now a dictatorial regime leaving, and when they arrive and reach the united states in a year and a day, they become legal u.s. residents. if that changes, is there really logic to having this law is what a lot of people are fearing? >> that's exactly right. that's what is behind the rumor. why do we need a cuban adjustment act? that's what is scaring people. so the coast guard is seeing this uptick. and it caught their attention. the last thing they want is another mass migration out at sea. they've had them in the past. the lives have been lost. cubans haitians, they don't want that. they're putting more ships. they're putting more planes out there. and they're putting out the message that if they're caught at sea, you're likely to go right back to cuba. you will be repatriated. they're hoping the weather will tamper down some of the activity and then they'll see what happens when the weather passes. but again they're ready for it. >> and you and i have been covering this issue for decades. a lot of people don't realize this is not a boat people are taking to get out of cuba. most of them are inner tubes tied together with canvas at the top. look at the inner tubes. that's what people leave cuba on. not boats like this in the majority of occasions. >> and the coast guard is saying the boats they're seeing currently are worse than normal. they're made very quickly to get people out. smugglers are facilitators down there. that's a special concern. they're bad enough normally. now they're not as good as they used to be. there's no safety gear. a bad sea will take one of these boats down quickly, and that's what they worry about. >> mark potter appreciate your time. after the break, more on our top story this morning, the shooting of two police officers during a robbery. officials say the cops were not targeted. but we'll talk about how this comes at a time when tensions are running high in new york city. and next hour a massive amount of rain triggered a mudslide in washington state. collapsing buildings, houses affected, and more. with the storm dumping up to nine inches 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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 ci and we're getting new video as members of the new congress arrive at the capitol. this is video of house speaker john boehner a short time ago. we also saw minority leader nancy pelosi. the the 114th congress will be sworn in soon and let me bring in senator menendez from new jersey. former chairman of the committee. good to see you, senator. >> good to see you. >> so lots of changes on capitol hill. let's talk specifically about the senate. will the democrats be able to work with republicans now that they control not only the senate but the house? >> well absolutely assuming that republicans want to work with democrats. the real question for this congress is which republican party is showing up. is it a republican party of constant opposition? which it's been for the last two years, certainly in the house of representatives and in the senate. or is it one that wants to achieve success on behalf of the american people? if that's the one that shows up well there are plenty of opportunities to achieve common ground. >> so what are the the issues that you think they can achieve common ground on? >> well for example, we have a major transportation bill incredibly important to the it's going to be the existing transportation bill lapses in may so we should be looking at a five-year renewal of major transportation bill. it's about economic vitality and opportunity. we should be looking at opportunities to do tax reforms that not only helps businesses in the country but middle class working families in the country. that is an opportunity as member of the finance committee, i'm ready to do that. and i'm sure that there are some foreign policy initiatives for which we can find common ground on as well. >> let's talk about foreign policy, senator. if you would. we finished a report about the surge in the summer ofnumber of cubans trying to make it to the united states. what is your reaction to what we're seeing in the surge of cubans? i think that's a combination of two realities. number one, that things in cuba outside of the are manhattanism that some have about castro and cuba that that reality is much harsher. life is difficult as a result of the regime's own failure and the command and control of the economy. and secondly there is a concern that based upon president obama's announcement of reestablishing relations that the cuban adjustment act, which gives a preference for cubans who come to the united states to ultimately be adjusted to permanent residency is going to be abolished. in doing so people want to get out before because they can't stand living in a dictatorship that doesn't offer them any dreams and opportunities. >> senator menendez is it time to abolish the cuban adjustment act, you think? >> i'm not a supporter of that. but it is out there as a concern that cubans have. i think the real question not whether or not we abolish the cuban adjustment act. the bad deal that the president made here that gets not one iota of greater political space or opening as exhibited on december 31st when cuban activists wanted to come together in revolution square to simply have each cuban speak for one minute about what they thought the cuba of tomorrow should be. and the regime arrested dozens of ache or its before they got to the event. two weeks after the president's announcement we see a continuing reimpressive dictatorship. it's not going to change any time soon. >> let's talk mexico. the president is meeting with the president of mexico today in the white house. 43 college students go missing in guerrero mexico and they search for something and they find more mass graves. the lack of rule of law and impunity seems to be that which is more common. should the united states have some pressure on mexico on this issue? >> well, i hope when president obama meets with the mexican president that he'll raise these issues. the reason there's social unrest inside of mexico is because of the impunity that exists in which students like these could really be massacred in which there are large parts of the country that is not under the mexican government's rule but under narco traffickers, you know, and then a judicial process that doesn't necessarily always guarantee fair ps and transparency. so it's an opportunity to engage a major neighbor for which we have many good relationships and a lot of interests but certainly the issue is an important one. i'm disappointed that the president didn't accept invitations to meet with members of the senate foreign relations committee. it would have been a good opportunity to have the discussion. >> i invited the president to come on our show. didn't get an answer either. don't feel bad. >> thank you. back to developing story we've been following of two new york city police officers shot overnight just hours after mayor bill de blasio held a press conference to not talk about the crime. the officers were not targeted they were responding to an armed robbery. it mayor de blasio criticized officers who turned their back on him during the funerals of slain officers rafael ramos and wenjian liu insisting it sent the wrong message. >> they were disrespectful to the families involved that's the bottom line. they were disrespectful to the families who had lost their loved one. and i can't understand why anyone would do such a thing in the context like that. >> michael daily is a special correspondent with the daily beast. pleasure to see you. >> i want to address the shooting last night. the police were responding to a robbery. apparently u not believed to been targeted. >> i think if you hear i remember last night someone text me and two cops shot in the bronk and bronx. the great relief the officers did not suffer fatal injuries and second of all, not targeted for assassination. the horror of what happened the one bit of good news. there's been a lot of talk about slow down and minor arrests and maybe the police won't do their job. the officers were just going off duty. they get a report. they hear a report of an armed robbery, meaning a guy with a gun. at least one guy with a gun. they go right to the scene even though they could have let someone else go. they get to the scene, the suspects have departed and they immediately start looking for the guys. they see some guys that might be them going into a chinese restaurant. they go in. they're in plains clothes. they have beiges and the next thing the two guys start shooting at them. the officers were doing everything you would want a police officer to do. >> yeah. we hope they pull through on this. we thank you for being with us. coming up as we take the turn on "the rundown" at the top of the hour former governor bob mcdonough will be sentenced on corruption charges. it's a historic day in my home state of florida where 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two ways to earn, it makes a lot of other cards seem one-sided. and developing right now the second hour of the rundown bob mcdonnell is about to be sentenced for corruption. this is a man a rising republican star a few years ago. considered a possible running mate for mitt romney. now mcdonnell's defense team is doing everything it can to keep him from pendspend the next ten years in jail. he was convicted in september on 11 counts of public corruption in taking money and gifts in exchange for official favors. it destroyed his career and marriage. the exgovernor insisted it was wife maureen that wanted the gift gifts. in an effort to keep him out of prison mcdonnell's team collected over 400 letters testifying to his good character. we have more from outside the courthouse in richmond. >> hi jose. as you can see i'm standing out the federal courthouse in a few moments former governor bob mcdonnell will be sentenced. the state's probation office said his crime could merit 10 to 12 years in prison. his defense lawyers are shooting for the moon here. they're trying to get him off without any jail time. they asked for 6,000 hours of community service. they committed 440 letters of recommendation from people like senator tim cain eric cantor. trying to do everything they can to keep him from behind bars. it's unlikely we'll see the former governor get without any jail time. the sentencing judge, judge spencer, traditionally goes with the probation officer when he's giving his sentences. we're also going to see the judge decide how and when he's going serve the sentence. is he going to start immediately later today going straight from the courthouse handing off personal possessions and say goodbye and going straight to jail or does the judge say you'll start on monday or you can stay out on bond during the lengthy appeals process. it's one of the things we'll see in the courtroom today. and really this sentencing is going set the stage for his wife maureen mcdonnell who played a central role. their marriage played a central role in this trial. and the defense and we're going see how she gets off, too. she's been convicted of eight counts of corruption. it will -- this will give us a hint of where the judges will go with her sentencing. all right. back to you, jose. >> jane thank you very much. we'll keep a close eye on this and get more legal insight from former u.s. attorney kendall coughy later this hour. a little over two hours north of richmond lawmakers have been battling the elements as they get ready to be sworn in as part of the 114th congress. this tape of mitch mcconnell leaving his house. republicans will take full control of the house and senate for first time in eight years with the senate swearing in at noon eastern. john boehner arrived. he's facing a challenge of sorts from conservatives as he seeks another term as house speaker. there's a ceremonial swearing in. the largest in cbc history. nancy pelosi speaking now. joining me from capitol hill. as we await the swearing in of congress. there's drama behind the scenes. >> that's right. jane boehner will eventually be elected again to serve as speaker but what you're seeing is a handful of conservatives trying to stir that disengs on the right. people have not been happy with boehner's comprising of the year. but boehner team and his allies worked very aggressively behind the scenes to prevent the 29 that will prevent him from becoming speaker on that ballot. right now it appears he probably is going to lose anywhere between 12 and 20 votes. just enough to hang on to the speakers' gavel but enough for the boehner folks to realize there is that contingent on the far right of their conference that is going to be very aggressive and trying to hold the feet to the fire of their leadership team. >> yeah and, you know, it's interesting because some of the most -- well the loudest voices on the right are gone. there are still some that remain. clearly they don't want boehner to continue. >> that's right. when you talk to the people in the leadership team they actually feel more comfortable in their political position. in this coming congress versus the past one. but reason why, jose larger republican majority. that will give boehner a lot more room to lose some of those folks on the right who may not be happy with the road he's going down. he has that more comfortable sizable majority. but what we have seen of course in the last several years is it's difficult to run the house. it's difficult for boehner to keep his guys in line. this is a conference that is not very governable. so boehner will still have challenges going forward. they think it will be a little bit easier rope to tow. >> let's go to the senate with the media looking on this morning. we saw a worker change the sign on mitch mcdonnell's office from republican leader to majority leader. if it's going to be more cosmetic change. >> mcconnell is vowing to open up the process. allow lots of votes from happening. empowering his committee chairman. these are lofty promises but things will run to reality pretty soon. the senate is a very difficult place to govern as well. any one senator can upset that process very quickly. what mcconnell wants to move forward with initially is building the keystone pipeline. it probably has enough votes to advance in the senate. there will be a lot of amendments. we'll see if democrats can score any legislative victoryies there. after that even if they get the votes on keystone what they can advance in a republican agenda will be difficult. not just keeping their conference united but getting the six democrats that they will need, at least six democrats to break a filibuster. and as well as getting the white house to sign it and getting the conservative house to agree as well. this is not going to be an easy road forward for mitch mcconnell. >> pleasure. thank you for being with me. and turning now to the weather and this massive winter system causing headaches for many morning commuters. aids say the bad weather caused first casualty. the national photofor the democratic women will be cancelled today. a semi struck and car collided this morning. we're told at least one person has been taken to a local hospital. all that snow and cold is on the move today hitting big cities in the east. windchills dipping far below store row. making it dangerous to be outside. mike bettis is in chicago this morning. >> good morning, jose. i absolutely feels as cold as it looks in chicago. it's been so cold lately we have frozen over the lake now. there's a thin sheen on it now. we're looking at windchills double digits below zero. windchill warnings in effect here across chicagoland and upper midwest. there's the quick burst of snow overnight that caught a lot of people off guard from wisconsin to ayeiowa. causing a lot of fender benders and a lot of slow downs around the interstates. the mid story in the coming days is how cold it gets as the snow tampers off. we're talking about temperatures that will likely be 15 to 25 degrees below zero. for chicago up toward the canadian border. not to mention the windchills that can approach 50 degrees below zero. those kind of instances frostbite can set in less than two minutes. keeping your limited exposure is key. make sure you keep care of your pets. they're opening warming centers for senior citizens. the city being proactive. getting the roads cleared first and taking care of everyone's heating needs. >> it will be 15 to 20 zero is dangerous conditions. >> yeah. you better believe it. trust me. i'm here with two sets of gloves. there's no chance i'm taking them off. so you to take the weather seriously. if you don't have to be outside, don't do it. it's not worth it in these conditions. the coldest most arctic air we've felt all season long. >> thank you. a pleasure to see you. lots ahead on another jam packed hour of the rundown starting with the white house visit coming at the critical time for mexican president. details on that meeting getting underway minutes from now. plus former commerce secretary on whether the white house should strengthen ties with mexico. and the himselfic policy shift with cuba. was that the right move? we bring you the big news out of virginia where ex-governor bob mcdonnell is about to be sentenced for corruption. sunday dinners at my house... it's a full day for me, and i love it. but when i started having back pain my sister had to come help. i don't like asking for help. i took tylenol but i had to take six pills to get through the day. so my daughter brought over some aleve. it's just two pills, all day! and now, i'm back! aleve. two pills. all day strong, all day long. and now introducing aleve pm for a better am. >> i'm alex trebek. if you're age 50 to 85 please listen carefully. the lock i want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. it's a rate lock for your life insurance that guarantees your rate 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( ♪ ) grown in america. picked and packed at the peak of ripeness. it is back to work for everyone including myself here in washington, d.c., today. at the top of the president's agenda is a meeting with the mexican president enrique pen yet tow. up to 43 students disappeared in mexico. on that subject, a group human rights watch is asking president obama to press the president for answers on those missing students. for more on the bilateral meeting i'm joined by telemundo correspondent. >> good morning, jose. happy new year. good have you back. >> thank you so much. an the subject of the missing students. it's something i asked the president about last year last month. do we expect president obama to press president pena nieto on the topic? >> it was posed yesterday to a senior administration official who basically said the issue would come up but what a lot of analysts have said they don't think that the majority of the meeting or a large part of the meeting is going to be dedicated to that of the human rights violations in mexico. they're sure that the president will, again, express concern and also press pen yet tow on the you additional changes that people have been calling for for years. >> what are the issues they'll discuss? it's a short but official visit. >> it is a short visit. she's he's coming with six members of his cabinet. they're talking about economy, security on the border. things they can collaborate on. including cuba. what can mexico do to try to bring cuba into what people say is the democratic, you know, make democratic changes. so those are some of the things they will be discussing. education, energy policy changes and so forth. however, i think what is outstanding about this jose i don't think it's the kind of visit that pen yet tow wanted to do. i think he would have wanted to do something a little bit larger. maybe meetings on the hill. that's not going to happen. a lot of people believe it has to do with the situation in mexico. his government is facing a lot of criticism. there's a lot of discontent within the mexican society about what is happening there and how the government hasn't responded. >> lori i'll see you this afternoon. thank you. and for more on the visit and our relationship with mexico we bring in former commerce secretary carlos gutierrez. you lived in mexico for nearly 20 years. tell me about the visit today. what are the issues that should be brought up and what are the ones that will be. >> i think it's important for the president of mexico to meet with the president of the u.s. with often as possible. we're neighbors. it's a strategic relationship. mexico changed tremendously over the years. they'll talk about the pressures of president pen. nafta is over a trillion dollars in size. the mexican economy has stabilized so incredibly different as it was, you know, 30 years ago when i can remember it. so this is a good time for mexico. it should be a good time. it's unfortunate there's a cloud hanging over us. >> you talk about the big changes and there's no doubt on the economic front there have been big changes in mexico. but then there's the issue of how things stayed the same. in october of 1967 there was a massacre of students in mexico that remained unpunished and we saw last september in guerrero the same kind of thing happened and nothing seems to change on that front. >> i was in mexico city in 1968 when it happened. the big difference today is we're talking about it. you know, and the president has pressure and there are people on the streets and he knows that the press is writing about it. that's very different. >> some press. >> it's very different than 20 or 30 years ago. the fact they're more open today is a reflection what is going on. and no question it's a tragedy and i think the president knows it. i don't think he has to be reminded he has huge domestic issues. >> we have news i want to go. casey hunt on capitol hill hill. kasie hunt good morning. >> good morning, jose. we're getting word that jeb bush, the former governor of florida launch the leadership pac. it's called the right to rise pac. he told us in december when he was going actively explore running for president. this is the formal vehicle that will allow him to raise money to help other candidates. he did it in an informal video posted to facebook. he said it will allow all americans to rise up and will include people who have conservative principles and want to using them to principles to allow this. it's common theme we're hearing from potential republican presidential hopefuls the idea that turning back to the american dream and encompassing all americans. we should know that bush released this announcement in both english and spanish. possibly a preview for how his campaign might proceed. >> thank you. i want to bring in former secretary gutierrez, your reaction. >> i think it's good news for the country and good news for the gop. >> why? >> because president bush is a different type of leader -- >> future president bush. >> let's get it here -- you worked under george w. bush and foreigner florida governor jeb bush. >> governor bush. he's a leader. he's has executive experience. he has delivered results. >> the big shot your party has? >> i think the american people are looking at competence and looking at can people get the job done. it's a massive executive job. the biggest executive job in the world. you would want to know someone has executive credentials and jeb bush has them. >> quickly, i want to talk about the cuba situation just last month president announced mystic changes relationship with cuban regime and they're hoping the white house hoping it will get the cuban people a better deal in life. >> that's the problem. first of all, the changes, if you think about what happens to the average cuban, nothing has happened. the big news in cuba is the three heros one who is serving a, you know, two life sentences have been returned. >> these are the cuban spies. >> held in the u.s. that's been the big victory. this is not massive change. >> the president said the 53 political prisoners long standing long jail sentences will be released. >> right. released and probably picked up a week later or replaced by another 53. they were having a demonstration that was planned a week ago. people go up and have one minute in the microphone. well, the folks were organizing that were put in jail. >> isn't it time to change policies that don't work after 54 years? >> that's my question. i don't think that's a question for washington. >> it is. >> isn't it time we realize marxism doesn't work? >> right. it's a bigger issue. >> but the united states has to deal with the own financial policy. >> that's the issue. that's the only issue. they have a system that doesn't work. >> so what about the united states? should they not change the policy to have it work? >> look the policy has worked in the sense it has given an enemy of the u.s., a declared enemy of the u.s. they have not given access to resources. when he's had resources he puts them in the military, the security apparatus. never to favor the cuban leader. >> always a pleasure. thank you. and we're going to continue of course, covering this story. but we're going take a short break ourhere on "the rundown." more on the breaking news of jeb brush setting up the right to rise pac and historic day in the sunshine state. marking end of florida's ban on same-sex marriage. later plunging oil prices leading to a big relief at the gas pumps. what is behind the massive move to lower the prices? we'll discuss. want to know how hard it can be... ...to breathe with copd? it can feel like this. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva is a once-daily inhaled... ...copd maintenance treatment... ...that helps open my airways for a full 24 hours. you know, spiriva helps me breathe easier. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace 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flight ail 01. a 30-year-old new york city man behind bars charged with the murder of his wealthy father. law enforcement officials say thomas gilbert, jr. shot his father in the head on sundayafter an argument over money. he no recent work history was in doubt. he founded a. rains caused massive flooding and landslides in western washington state. a land laid in gray's harbor county knocked several homes off foundation and forced the evacuation of a nursing home. flood water crossed major state highways forcing the closure of most estate highways. the heavy rainfall expected to ease off today. police are investigating an arson at the home featured in mrs. doubt fire. the incident occurred monday night when the suspect lit a door mat on fire. the house is owned bay doctor who has been a pioneer in facial surgeries and police officials have no immediate suspects have been identified. it doesn't appear to be a hate crime. up next more on the breaking news from jeb bush setting up the right to rise pac. first, live look in manhattan midtown the funeral for former new york governor mario cuomo starts a the top of the hour. you pay your auto insurance premium every month on the dot. you're like the poster child for paying on time. and then one day you tap the bumper of a station wagon. no big deal... until your insurance company jacks up your rates. you freak out. what good is having insurance if you get punished for using it? hey insurance companies, news flash. nobody's perfect. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. marge: you know, there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. try phillips fiber good gummies. they're delicious, and a good source of fiber to help support regularity. wife: mmmm these ally bank ira cds really do sound like a sure thing but i'm a bit skeptical of sure things. why's that? look what daddy's got... ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!! growth you can count on from the bank where no branches equals great rates. ring ring!... progresso! it's ok that your soup tastes like my homemade. it's our slow simmered vegetables and tender white meat chicken. apology accepted. i'm watching you soup people. make it progresso or make it yourself everybody today we're setting up the right to rise pac, which is a pac to support candidates that believe in conservative principles to allow all americans to rise up. if you're interested go to rightto risepac.org. back to breaking news. that was announcement a little while ago that appeared on jeb bush's facebook page that an announcement, by the way, he posted in spanish. msnbc political correspondent kasie hunt joins us from capitol hill. mar murray is here with me. mark, i want to start with you. it is another important step jeb bush is taking which clearly seems to be his intention to run. >> you take up the signs he's given whether it was releasing the intent to release the e-mails from his days as florida governor setting up the leadership pac, taking all the steps he's done. everything points to a presidential run. now it's important note he could back out. every single we've seen from him suggested somebody eyeing the presidency will be making a presidential bid this year. >> so, mark if he runs clearly he would be not only the frontrunner but a substantial candidate for the republicans. >> there's no doubt he would be a substantial candidate and a favorite of the establishment assuming that no other big establishment figures end up running like chris christie the governor of new jersey. but, you know, i think it's a little too early to call him the definitive republican frontrunner. he might be the establishment frontrunner. one thing he's doing he's dictating the pace of this race. he is gotten out in front. he is rounding out making sure he's going to be the big financial tie tan in this field. it's going to force other republicans to have to respond. >> kasie hunt let's talk about other republicans that may or may not respond. there are a lot of people on capitol hill that are thinking about the possibility of running in the republican party. >> absolutely jose. i think, you know, marco rubio is somebody particularly feeling the pressure. jeb bush was a mentor of his. they come from the state of florida where there is a substantial donor base. rubio will have trouble competing for that with bush in the same race. if you read into how jeb bush launched the pac. what he said the priorities will be he notes, quote, we will not creed an inch of territory. no issue, no democratic group, that's no voters. that's something we've been hearing from the republican party over the last course of the four six, eight years since president obama swept into office. it's not necessarily something we've, hearing as much from the congressional wing from the party or the conservatives on the right.alluded to -- and the potential conservative alternatives. people like ted cruz maybe like rand paul and mike huckabee. as the race accelerates. bush is pushing both the groups to move faster than before. >> and he's speaking out about issues, for example, same-sex marriage that was just authorized yesterday in the state of florida. >> he is. and, you know, the language he used on same-sex marriage was remarkable for sort of being accepting. and i think this is another area where many national republicans have said they need to sort of make sure their rhetoric lines up or comes across in a way that doesn't put voters off. bush himself said he believes in marriage should be a union between one man and one woman but in the way he's talking about it is markedly different from the way he himself talked about it several decades ago. >> kasie hunt and mark murray thank you very much. i want to analyze this with republican strategies who worked with george bush. hermercedes shlepp. >> what we have seen in the case you described, you know, he has put out the e-mails. he resigned from various boards including his own education foundation and he's come up with the leadership pac right to rise, which is supposed to be for conservatives to support candidates with conservative prince principles. these are important steps to running to becoming president. and clearly he seems focussed. i think we're going to see it announced sooner rather than later. >> you have conservative folks on the senate within for example, marco rubio, ted cruz from texas. do you think they'll -- i'm sure they won't appreciate conservatives being taken up by bush. >> everyone wanted the conservatives. some of the conservative movement have said well governor jeb bush is not conservative enough. when you look at his record he was a very conservative governor in florida. so, again, when it domcomes to the issue of common core and education. you can see the ones from the tea party movement have not been in agreement with where governor jeb bush has been. you're going see a senator ted cruz and others coming out saying jeb is not conservative enough. at the end i think that governor jeb bush will be focussed and he's going to, you know, going out as a frontrunner now and going out early is critical and key. >> you can probably say this about democrats if hillary clinton runs. i'll ask this about republicans since you are one. bush is this the best the party can find? going back to the past? >> i would like to say that governor jeb bush is an incredibly good candidate. >> is there nobody else? >> i think we have a talented field. i think probably more so than what the democrats have right now. they're putting all their eggs in one basket with senator hillary clinton. at the same time they're hoping and praying that elizabeth warren gets if. especially the liberal base. on the republican side we have jeb bush. he has a strong political machinery. >> my question is this -- focus on the question. is this the best to go back in time to get the reigning families of politics. >> i think we have a talented field. you can look at bobby jindal governor mike pence. a lot of these governors and senators out there marco rubio they're talented people if they decide to get in the race. can they raise the money. >> let's talk about the house speaker boehner may have a little bit of an issue getting the votes necessary. there are a lot of people on the right unhappy. >> i think this time around it's going to be easier than the last election. >> why? >> last time you had 12 members house republicans that voted against him. this time the number is more like ten. he comes from a big victory win in november. i think they're saying let's give speaker boehner another chance. >> if he gets the other chance what are things you think that the republicans can accomplish other than no. >>well, he's laid out an agenda. three things they're working on. hire the heros act, and keystone pipeline. the house passed other 300 bills. when harry reid was in power they did not get through any of the bills through the senate. so again we're going to be seeing a republican majority in the house and senate. i think it's going to be able to push through more legislation. the key will be the president. which i will foresee a president will veto. >> let's ask something the president would not veto the immigration reform there are some in the house that republicans and democrats that worked on it. speak speaker boehner said no deal. >> i think that's a mistake for republicans. i think republicans need to put forward an immigration plan. we need to -- if will they do it? >> let me get my crystal ball out. i hope they'll do it. i think they're going to keep pushing through the piecemeal legislation. the key will be will the president veto it. >> her saymercedes, thank you. coming up a historic day in the sunshine day. the first couple to marry in florida after the decision joins us next. a live look at capitol hill on the opening day for the 114 congress. it's still snowing. you can't see it clearly. there you see the flakes. >> bingo! >> darn it! i was one square away from winning that game. >> it's a shame sadie isn't here today she always wins. coulda won the big prize. >> you know, that could have helped her with some of jim's funeral expenses. >> there wasn't any life insurance? >> no, there wasn't. i'd been trying to convince her to call about the colonial penn program to make sure they had coverage but she was worried they wouldn't be accepted because of their health. >> i have life insurance with them, too. i had concerns but i didn't have to take a physical or even answer any health questions. my acceptance was guaranteed. >> well, i should get some life insurance for myself. i'm kind of on a fixed budget though. i don't know if i can afford it. >> i thought the same thing. it works out to be about 35 cents a day that's just $9.95 a month per unit of coverage. >> i think i can afford that. i'm gonna give them a call. >> and now you can help protect your loved ones from the burden of your final expenses with a guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance policy through the colonial penn program. in today's world, uncertainty seems to be the new norm. with life insurance through the colonial penn program, there is no uncertainty. if you're age 50 to 85 your acceptance is guaranteed. you don't have to answer any health questions or take a medical exam. you cannot be turned down because of your health. for $9.95 a month per unit of coverage you can take an important step toward protecting your loved ones. you can have affordable quality insurance at a rate which is guaranteed to never go up. call about the colonial penn program now, and let a representative help you get started. >> g47! >> bingo! >> you didn't! ♪ [ female announcer ] a 3d white smile has the power to captivate. that's why shakira uses... crest 3d white with whitelock technology, removing up to ninety percent of surface stains and locking out future stains. so your smile always steals the show. crest 3d white. overnight florida joined the growing list of states where same-sex couples can legally marry. in miami-dade county same-sex marriages began just about 24 hours ago. other tarts of the state began weddings at midnight. others will process applications this morning. take a look at the front page of the miami harrold proclaiming a historic day according tour estimate more than 70% of americans live in a state or jurisdiction where same-sex marriage is legal. kra think and karla were the first couple to take advantage of the new marriage laws in florida. they join me now from my studios in miami. >> good morning, jose. >> tell me about waking up this morning after your long battle with the headline saying historic day? >> we just couldn't believe it. to the day i look at her and say you're my wife! it's strange after 15 years to be finally officially recognized in our state as a family and as a couple. and it's -- how can i say it's a lot of the same but everything is new. something shifted and it was tremendous. >> and tell me about how things are different for you now. and talk to me about the practical aspects of the differences. >> there's a lot of aspects. everyday life, applying for health insurance currently we have a son and he's covered under my policy. now we can apply as a family as a potentially reduced rate. to be considered a family or even a gym membership we're considered a family. we no longer have er haveer have to go to the doctor and check single. there's never been a box before for us. >> that's interesting. and 62% of florida voters approve the ban in 2008. critics say it's an issue that belongs on the ballot not on the courtroom. what are your thoughts on that? >> we thankfully live in a country where we have a just m system that protects the minority and gives everyone equal freedom and protections. civil rights should not be voted on. unfortunately it's a slippery slope if we discriminate against people we don't agree with it. if we are the subject of this topic of topic topic discrimination who is going to be next? >> the supreme court will decide friday to decide whether it can take up the issue. how comfortable are you with the high court taking up same-sex marriage issue now? >> we would be hopeful once and for all have a uniform law that would protect the families like ours and basically level the playing field. there are many more states fighting for equality. it's time. and i'm hopeful that the u.s. supreme court will decide that once and for all for all of us. >> where is the honeymoon? >> i'm not sure those exist when you're already, you know, a family with a 2-year-old active little boy. we're going to have to solicit grandparents for time off. >> thank you very much for joining me this morning. we're keeping a close eye on wall street where stocks are trying to bounce back after getting clobbered by worries about falling oil prices. take a look at the numbers that are happening right now on wall street. it's up almost 12 points. you see the other numbers. only the nasdaq is down. we'll keep an eye on that. that's why we've had many more than 100 straight days of declines in the price of gasoline. that's something that is really keeping wall street investors concerned. in fact, there are eight states where the average price of gasoline is under $2 a gallon. let me bring in cnbc chief international correspondent. what a pleasure to see you. why is this falling gas prices worrying people on wall street? >> yeah. it's pretty counter intuitive. historically when the price of oil has gone down within it's been good for stocks. when the price of oil goes down the price of gasoline goes down. every time the price of gasoline goes down by a penny rule of thumb is american consumers have a billion dollars more to spend in the economy. a decline of 60 cents is $60 billion. big numbers. what is different this time around for the first time in decades is the u.s. is now a huge producer of oil as well. so when the price of oil falls, we the trade-off we get hurt tracking which is controversial. but bottom line it's made us one of the biggest oil producers in the world competing with russia and saudi arabia. that's been great for parts of the country where they are producing lots of oil. when the price goes down then those areas of the country get hurt. >> talk about the strength of the dollar. it's stronger now than it has been in years. there's a upside and downside. >> the dollar is getting stronger and stronger. it appears we're one of the stronger economies in the would. we're not seemly strong but compared to the rest of the world we look good. if you're an exporter, if you're a company, and we have a lot that sell products overseas the overseas buyers have a tougher time buying u.s. made products because it's more and more expensive. we kind of understand the intuitively when we travel overseas. if you go to france and the euro is getting weaker and weaker you can buy more stuff with your dollar. it works just in the reverse. if you live in a foreign country and trying to buy u.s. product in this case get more expensive. >> i want to pick your brain on theuation with greece. as you know there are some in greece who said the new government takes over they may go back that would affect the europen economy. >> yes. that's one of the key issues we're watching. in two weeks left side ss there's going to be an election in greece. the radical left. believes in socialism, communism communism. he doesn't believe in the basic tenants we believe in capitalism and western europe and the united states. he wants things to be very different. the thing is greece doesn't have enough money to pay all of their bills response it looks like there's going to be a show down between that country and the rest of the european union about what they're going to do. >> michelle a pleasure to see you. thank you for being with me. waiting on big news out of the richmond virginia courthouse. the details straight ahead. we're keeping a very close watch on the congressional black conduct cause ceremonial swear in. the largest cbc seen in the history of congress with 46 members taking the oath. we learned the first female african-american of congress decided to join the democratic member cbc. a live look at midtown manhattan. the funeral for former new york governor mario cuomo starts minutes from now. 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(sigh) if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. ok... former virginia governor is in a richmond courtroom as we speak waiting to be sentenced for public corruption. could get a decade or more behind bars or avoid jail time all together. the results from similar cases in the past have been all over the place. former alabama governor got just six and a half for soliciting contributions in exchange for a political apointment. john roll land got one in prison. prosecutors wanted three. what does it mean for bob mcdonnell? kendall kendall kofi. >> the defense wants three years of community service and no jail time. the prosecution wants up to 12 years. will there be something in the middle? >> somewhere in the middle but mostly on the prosecution's side. there is no way i think he's going to get community service or the kind of nonjail alternatives he's asking for. as you described it the range, most of the time is a number of years in federal prison. the guidelines range according to the calculations seem to be 10 to 12 years. if this defendant gets five years anything that range it's a home run for the defense. >> when you look at the sentences for public corruption they seem to be all over the place. is there too much discretion when it comes to sentencing? >> there's some discretion the sentencing guidelines just guidelines. most of the time they go through a formal calculating different things and coming up with a sentence. in here, jose one of the things that will count against mcdonnell he took the stand in his own defense. now most people that might sound like thing the defendant ought to do. the way it works in the federal system if a defendant takes the stand to deny guilt and the jury finds guilt, the guilt denial becomes a false denial adding to prison time as an attempted obstruction of justjustice. >> explain that again. if you speak and they find you guilty -- >> you must have testified falsely because the jury found you guilty in an attempt to save yourself. therefore, you're trying to obstruct justice. thapd here. he can expect extra consequences because his attempt to deny guilt, blame the wife on everything backfired. >> kendall, a pleasure to see you. thank you for being with me from miami this morning. today is the first day of school for a new crop of lawmakers. as they arrive we thought we would give them a sense of the company they'll be keeping. in five things the 114th congress. number one the house. the freshman class of' 48 giving republicans their biggest house majority since the great depression. number two the senate side. where the admission is a little bit more competitive. just 13 new senators. just one new democrat giving mitch mcconnell a 54-vote majority this year. number three there might be a new glassclass but there's a gender gap. both the house and the senate 80% male. when it comes to race diversity not the congress's strong suit. between 79 and 94% white. number four talk about christian mingle when it talks about faith. close to 92 percent of the new congress are christian. number five let's not forget some firsts in the new congress. mia love from utah. the first black female republican in congress. joni ernst the first female veteran in the senate -- i'll let her do the talking. >> thanks to all of you, we are heading to washington! and we are going to make them squeal! >> joni ernst will be joined by 103 women. another first for women on the hill. making them squeal in the snow today apparently. that's a live shot. it's snowing behind me. the white house and pretty much the whole capitol of the united states of america. that wraps up "the rundown" on msnbc. "newsnation" is up next. i'll see you from washington tomorrow. it's time for the "your business" entrepreneur of the week. anna joyce of portland oregon opened her hand crafted clothing line on etsy five years ago. she used the power to expand and become a finalist in martha stewart stewart's american made awards. watch more on sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc new business owner, it would be one thing i've learned is my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions. if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner. we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone. there's not one way to do something. no details too small. american express open forum. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. americans drink 48 billion bottles of water every year. that's enough plastic bottles to stretch around the earth 230 times. each brita filter can replace 300 of those. clean. clear. brita water. nothing is better. ♪searching with devotion♪ ♪for a snack that isn't lame♪ ♪but this...♪ ♪takes my breath away♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ you're only young once. unless you have a subaru. (announcer) the subaru xv crosstrek. symmetrical all-wheel drive plus 34 mpg. love. it's what makes a subaru a subaru. . good tuesday morning. i'm craig melvin in for tom ranamron hall. jeb bush announced he's launching has leadership pac. a big step that moves him closer to a run for the gop nomination for the pvt. bush making the announcement made in english and spanish on his facebook page. >> today we're setting up the right to rise pac which is a pac to support candidates that believe in conservative principles to allow all americans to rise up. if you're interested go to rightto righttorisepac.org. i'm joined by mark murray and kasie hunt. mark what does this mean? >> we knew this was coming. he said he was actively thinking about run,ing for the presidency. today was the official announce announcement of the leadership pac and that is the significance. it is worth noting what a leadership pac does and doesn't regarding a presidential bid. it allows someone to raise a lot of money to distribute it to politicians across the country. sometimes curry favor with them. it helps pay for travel expenses. what the leadership pac doesn't allow bush to do is use the funds to run for the presidency to transfer them over to a presidential campaign. that would be the next step is looking for when bush sets up an