Transcripts For MSNBCW Weekends With Alex Witt 20150329

celebrate. hello, everyone. it's high noon here in the east 9:00 a.m. out west. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." new details today of the terrifying last minutes facing the passengers and crew of germanwings flight 9525 as co-pilot andreas lubitz may have deliberately flown that plane into a mountainside in the french alps. a german tabloid today published a timeline based on the contents of the cockpit voice recorder. at 10:27 a.m. the plane reaching cruising altitude of 38,000 feet. the pilot tells the co-pilot to prepare for landing. lubitz says quote, hopefully, and, we'll see. after the landing check, lubitz tells the pilot, you can go now. the pilot leaves the cockpit. at 10:29, flight radar detects the plane is losing altitude. at 10:32, air traffic controllers try to contact that plane. they receive no answer from the aircraft. the sync rate alarm then sounds noises are heard like that of someone trying to kick in the cockpit door. the captain shouts for god's sake, open the door. at 10:40, the aircraft's right wing strikes the mountainside. screams of the passengers are heard. those are are the last sounds on the voice recorder. for more on the investigation into co-pilot andreas lubitz let's bring in katy tur in germany. >> reporter: alex, if these new reports prove to be true they present a very chilling final moments inside that plane. this as we're seeing video for the first time of lubitz in a cockpit. his friends tell us he always wanted to be a pilot. and in this video, andreas lubitz is in the air in a glider, where that dream started to become a reality. six days after flight 9525 crashed into the french alps and the answers seem as scattered as the debris andreas lubitz was depressed according to documents obtained by one newspaper. he was going through a relationship crisis said a friend. planning something to make everyone remember him, according to a woman calling herself an ex-girlfriend. the latest a sight disorder per "the new york times." one that would stop lubitz from fulfilling his dream of becoming a long-haul captain for germanwings' mother airline lufthansa. officials won't yet go on the record about any of that. nbc news cannot independently confirm the claims. still, no concrete answers as to why he would allegedly intentionally commit mass murder. in the alps the why may not be known, but the search for victims is relentless. and it's hard. no bodies have been found intact. >> the first priority is identification of the bodies. the fact is 150 people died there. that's why it's hard. >> reporter: hard for recovery workers, excruciating for family trying to find comfort and grasping for closure. >> what happened on the morning of the 24th of march was the acts of a person who at the very least was ill. if there was a motive or a reason, we do not want to hear it. it's not relevant. what is relevant is this should never happen again. everyone on that plane should not be forgotten, ever. >> reporter: and lufthansa has reiterated to us once again they had no evidence of any medical problems with lubitz at any point during his employment with the airline. alex? >> nbc's katy tur. thank you for that. it's been nearly a week since flight 9525 went down. what kind of impact will this tragedy have on how airlines monitor their flight crew? gentlemen, a welcome to you both. bob, i'll begin with you. you covered crashes for many years. where does this fit in for you? how inexplicable is it to you as we look back on all we've learned this week? >> as we all know, it's a very very rare thing. but when the news came out, it finally fit the scenario that had puzzled everybody for a couple of days. i think what's going to happen now is that every airline is going to have to review its procedures for screening for any mental health problems but that's not easy. it's going to be a very difficult job to try to ferret out those sorts of details from people's private lives. pilots being quizzed ahead of time are not going to willingly want to tell anybody if they have a serious problem. probably the best thing is vetting background to look for unusual or bizarre behavior. one other point, i think these changes everyone's making to make sure that there's always somebody in the cockpit, that a flight attendant comes forward, that's good but it's not an answer. it sure doesn't ensure something like this happening because the pilot left in the cockpit could easily overcome the flight attendant and continue on what they intended to do. that's kind of a cosmetic change, i think. >> you know john even as we hear the talk of what went on between the pilot and co-pilot early in the flight one still can't draw any definitive conclusions, but i'm curious, do pilots and co-pilots often know each other well? >> well it depends. with a large airline, you can fly with somebody that you have never met before. the standardized training makes that a very easy transition. but you get to know them pretty quick over the course of several days flying together. let me make one comment about the release or alleged release of the cockpit voice recorder information. some of that information is inconsistent. so we need to be really really careful about taking the release through this german tabloid to be factual. >> what part are you concerned about, john? >> well specifically the term sync rate is not one that i would expect to hear at high altitude. that is not an alarm that is in anything other than i believe, it's right after takeoff or potentially on approach. but it is not one that you would hear at high altitude. so that tells me -- i'm a bit suspicious they may have bits and pieces or somebody's memory of it. you could hear that sync rate but very very close to the ground. you would also hear things such as terrain ahead, some things like that. so one, the europeans are very very careful about release of information from a voice recorder. this tells me this is not an official source. and i'm suspicious. >> one thing you should know there was a note about terrain ahead. that exact phrase. so you should know that john. again, we're taking what's beengathered that was there. we may offer a discrepancy just because of the translation. but to your point, well taken. nbc news has not confirmed what went on at this point. however, bob, at one point, the air traffic control obviously realizes something is wrong. i've read where it's technically possible for the ground to take control of a flight. first of all, is that true? and what are the arguments against doing that in an emergency? >> i don't believe that to be true. that's the first i've ever heard of that. and if it were something that one could do when you think of the ramifications of that somebody on the ground being able to take over control of the plane, that raises all sorts of new kinds of issues of its own. but i don't think that's possible. >> john, let me read you a little bit of what i have here. apparently in 2006 there were ways that were being worked on between european and american scientists on how to create a hijack-proof aircraft. it would allow security agencies, such as the cia even to activate an automatic flight mode that couldn't be turned off by anyone on board. this has not been put into effect. i see you're shaking your head. what do you think about this? >> first and foremost i've been in aviation safety for something over 30 years. this is a classic case of introducing more risk than you're solving. to have the capability of someone unilaterally to decide to take an airplane away from a flight crew that's probably one of the worst ideas that i can imagine. let me give you a quick example. if an airplane had to suddenly maneuver to avoid a midair collision, they're going to come off their assigned altitude, they're going to do what it takes. that would trigger an alarm. now somebody on the ground without this knowledge, is suddenly going to make an intervention. no, this is not a good idea in the least. you're introducing more risk than you're solving. >> britain civil aviation authority had problems for that exact reason, according to this article, having a plane like that navigating the country's crowded skies there. i want to talk about something we do know. the reports that lubitz had vision problems. how serious might vision problems have to get before being disqualified from flying? >> well, i think one of the things, as i read the reports of that, if the situation is getting worse, then the likelihood of that individual being able to continue as a pilot would become in question. and that could have been an additional stressor to this individual. but regardless of what occurred and whatever -- he has an obligation to report that information, by the way. and he failed to do that. the breach of trust that this individual created that professional aviators maintain is something that i struggle to this minute to understand. it is so far beyond anything that i've heard from all the pilots that i know. we're talking about an individual that is way far out from the normal. >> john cox and bob haeger gentlemen, thank you so much for your time. i appreciate that. let's go to more developing news at this hour. the iran nuclear talks. there are less than three days left for leaders to strike a deal. in the background, the crisis in yemen leaping close today to all-out war. in his cabinet remarks this morning, benjamin netanyahu put it gravest. the iran-yemen axis is very dangerous for humanity. joining us live is andrea mitchell. a good day to you. what's your outlook at this point? >> reporter: i would say rainy to gloomy to cloudy and overcast. not just the weather. the talks, alex. this is not going that well. officials say they can still get this together. it may just take until the very last moments. we're told expect to be here through tuesday night into wednesday morning. tuesday night, midnight, of course is the unofficial deadline they'd all agreed to. the president has said in the past they didn't want to extend for a third time this deadline. they may have no choice. there are some obstacles. one sticking point we've been talking about is research on nuclear activities research and development in the future whether iran would be restricted during the talks and then during the years from the 11th year to the 15th year, rather after the agreement. so say it's a ten-year agreement. what happens after that agreement? could they engage in or would that nuclear activity be restricted because the u.s. and its allies fear it could be used for other purposes for weapons purposes. the one issue that's kind of interesting is what about past suspicious activity that international inspectors under the u.n. have identified in the past and that iran has refused to account for or acknowledge. that may be put aside. there may be a way that under this agreement, the u.n.'s agency, the weapons agency would certify that iran at various stages is complying and that would then no longer be a central problem for these negotiations. but that is all leading, as you alluded to to harsh criticism from benjamin netanyahu, who also called the leaders mitchell mcconnell and harry reid this weekend and warned them against this deal. there's a lot of democratic opposition to it as well. not just republican opposition. april 14th the senate comes back. that's when the clock starts running on threats in the senate and the house to start voting on new sanctions, and the administration has warned very strenuously those sanctions could jeopardize any agreement that's negotiated here. >> so is that the immediate impact andrea should tuesday come and go without a deal? other than obviously postponing. >> reporter: there are a couple of impacts. that's one impact. the congressional deadline which is somewhat of an embarrassment to the administration, but it also gives them a little bit of a way to use that leverage telling their allies and telling iran that, you know, we can't predict what congress might do. the other deadline is if this is not extended, then iran is open to do whatever it wants. it has complied fully, say u.s. officials, with every provision for these 18 months freezing in effect and pulling back on their nuclear advancement. so if there's no agreement and if this whole thing blows up then iran can do anything it wants. it can start refusing u.n. inspections, although it is a signatory to the nonproliferation treaty but it can start resists and foot dragging, and there will be nothing to compel it to obey. so there are a lot of reasons the administration says that this deal should be agreed to but so far they say iran is not giving in on some very important issues. >> all right. nbc's andrea mitchell. always a pleasure to have you on the broadcast. thanks. other news this hour indiana governor mike pence is standing by the controversy religious freedom bill he signed into law this week. >> we're not going to change this law. it has been tested in courts for more than two decades on the federal level. in some 30 states. and it represents a foundational protection for individuals. >> now, his comment comes just one day after saying he would consider language that would clarify the intent of the law. yesterday afternoon, thousands gathered at the state capitol building to protest the law. it's been perceived as discriminatory against gays and lesbians. officials say the driver of this car is in grave condition after it collided with a passenger train. it happened yesterday morning across the street from the campus of usc. the train operator who at one point was in serious condition, has been released from the hospital. that happened last night. at least 20 others were injured. witnesses tell police the 31-year-old driver who was a film student at usc appears to have made an improper turn then cut across the tracks, and collided with that train. a jetblue pilot who disrupted a flight and scared passengers by yelling about jesus and al qaeda is suing the airline for $16 million. the passengers restrained the pilot, and the flight made an emergency landing. the pilot claims jetblue jeopardized the flight by failing to recognize he was ill. no one was injured on that 2012 flight. much more ahead for you this hour. up next, the tuesday deadline for nuke talks with iran. we're going to break doubwn the stakes. also ahead, she stood with an sae fraternity brother as he apologized for a racist rant. i'll speak with the black community leader now being criticized for forgiving him. >> let me start by staying i'm sorry. deeply sorry. i'm so sorry for all the pain that i've caused. telling people how switching to geico could save them hundreds of dollars on car insurance. but first, my luggage. ahh, there it is. uh, excuse me sir? 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>> i don't think any agreement can be based on trust. that's something the administration says time and time again. you have to have very heavy restrictions in the deal, and then there has to be a very rigorous process of inspections and verification, not sort of any kind of trust as a foundation. that's why that issue that andrea raised is so important, the fact that iran even today resists answering questions about its past nuclear weapons related work again sort of casts a lot of doubt amongst critics in the united states amongst our allies. so whether we can really trust what we're signing going forward. >> so should there be immediate sanctions relief once a deal would be reached? >> well i think there's no doubt that in this deal if there is a deal there's going to be at least some sanctions relief for iran up front. because the iranians will want to show that they've accomplished something, that they're delivering something. i think the question is what does that sanctions relief look like? and how is it sort of phased over time? you can envision for example, cash transfers to iran that leave the basic architecture of the sanctions in place. that's not what iran wants. iran wants that very architecture sort of disassembled so the sanctions couldn't be brought back quickly in the future. i think that latter course is a very dangerous one because it makes a deal almost impossible to reverse if in fact iran cheats. >> so how do you think the crisis in yemen is affecting the talks? can you negotiate in a vacuum? >> well alex i think that -- remember, that our allies in the region, and frankly many other countries around the world, one reason they're concerned about the deal is not just the deal's terms itself but they worry the united states hasn't been active in sort of countering iran in the region in places like iraq and syria and yemen. they see iran as a very destabilizing, maligned influence within the region. so actually, i think it's important we do show that we're willing to push back on iran in the region to show that this deal isn't really about cutting and running for the united states. it's about stopping iran's nuclear program. so the support the administration has given to the arab operation in yemen is important in a sense because it shows that the administration's still willing to stand up to iran's regional activities even though maybe that's coming a little too late in this instance. >> okay. michael, good to see you. we'll have you back again. chilling new refvelations about flight 9525. plus, new air strikes in yemen. i was determined to create new york city's first self-serve frozen yogurt franchise. and now you have 42 locations. the more i put into my business the more i get out of it. like 5x your rewards when you make select business purchases with your ink plus card from chase. and with ink, i choose how to redeem my points for things like cash or travel. how's the fro-yo? 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[ male announcer ] introducing xfinity my account. available on any device. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." we're following the new developments in the investigation of the crash of germanwings flight 9525. we have this new video. this shows the co-pilot andreas lubitz, and he's flying his glider there. very interesting to see him in his aptitude doing that. meantime, search and recovery teams are combing the french alps for victims and wreckage from the plane. nbc's claudio lavanga is live from the crash scene. what's the latest? >> reporter: alex the french police just confirmed they hope to open in the next few days a ground path that will allow land vehicles to s tos to reach that air crash location. that will speed up greatly the recovery operation because as you know in the past few days the only way since tuesday, of course, to get investigators there would be to winch them down from a helicopter into an 80-meter drop on that location. we hopefully will see that ground path open in the next few days. in the meantime investigators told us they managed to isolate 78 unique dna from the more than 600 body parts recovered since tuesday. those dna samples were then sent to paris to match them with family members. now, no i.d. no positive i.d. has been found yet. it's only a matter of hours, if not days before the first remains will be identified, alex. >> all right. nbc's claudio lavanga. thank you. meantime, today in egypt, the arab league made it official. a joint military force against the houthi rebels in yemen. in yemen, though, the fighting did not need a joint resolution. the death toll is rising. there are reports of a gun battle today in the streets of downtown aden while air strikes pounded the houthi positions across the country. joining me now, nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel. richard, with a welcome, what are the become takeaways, as you see them from this summit under way in egypt? >> reporter: well, i think there are a lot of takeaways from the summit frankly. there have been a lot of arab summits in the last several years. this one i would say is perhaps the most significant. what you saw was a great display of unity, which the arab world hasn't been known for, for a long time. and this call to create a unified standing pan-arab army of roughly 40,000 troops with the member states of the arab league contributing soldiers and equipment. this is something that egypt's president, its military leader sisi has been pushing for. it's something that the united arab emirates have been pushing for. i think we're seeing it in action more or less in yemen. but this is something that the arab states have long been talking about. they've long been dreaming about. but now that iran is spreading its influence, and that's what i think the trigger is here. both iran spreading its influence and the united states not having a clear policy vis-a-vis iran. we're seeing the arab states actually doing something. >> richard, stay right there. i want to bring in now retired four-star general barry mccaffrey, a division commander in the first gulf war and msnbc military analyst. general, the chairman of the arab league said the air strikes are going to continue until the houthis withdraw and surrender their weapons. when you look at the houthis' capabilities and the arab states, how drawn out might this be? >> clearly it's a remote possibility that saudi air strikes with some of their gcc allies are going to run this shiite group back into the northern part of yemen. i think richard engel's got it entirely right. the big thing we're hearing right now is the sunni arab nations coming together. that means primarily egypt and saudi arabia with saudi money and egyptian military power, and considering intervention. but the saudis are sort of a peaceful lot. they have a long history of not getting involved in foreign wars and using their money, their diplomacy, their intelligence service. they've got very modern military forces pretty well trained. but they're reluctant to get involved in the ground war. as richard knows better than most, the egyptians were there decades ago and had a desperate experience fighting in yemen. so i wouldn't expect much of it. yemen's a mess and will stay so. >> i'm going to get to richard and his perspective in a second. before i do do you, general, expect to see the u.s. take a role in yemen beyond just providing intelligence? >> well we're also providing some logistical support. i'd be unsurprised if we don't do air-to-air refueling, that sort of thing. but there's zero possibility of us going in on the ground except potentially with cia or special operations forces. but there's no military solution in yemen. it never was a nation. it never will be. you need a score card to just try and get the names correct. president hadi who's now escaped to saudi arabia sala the old guy, the new houthi rebels. this is a war-like chaotic situation. what we're worried about is a base of operations for isis or for that matter iran extending its influence and menacing saudi arabia, our ally. >> so richard, can you give some historical context? what would it mean if we do see saudi arabia fight a ground war outside of its borders? >> well i think it would be almost unprecedented. the last time we've seen an arab army go to war against a single adversary was 1967 the war against israel. we all know how that ended. it was a catastrophic defeat for the arab nations. and they were united at the time against israel. you're seeing them now united against iran. it's a very different dynamic. you're seeing the sunni arab states very upset, very angry, drawing together and creating their own armed forces so they can deal with conflicts, not just the conflict we're seeing in yemen, but dealing with other regional conflicts, potentially syria, certainly libya is one that egypt wants to address. so i think it is a watershed moment. >> richard, though -- >> it's easy to call an army on paper, as the general knows. creating a combined force is something else. >> what about, though the world parties coming out on stage? as far as that goes what does this crisis tell you about the new saudi king? >> well i think the saudi king is taking a much more aggressive role in foreign policy. he's trying to not only establish himself, he's trying to protect his kingdom. this march by the houthi rebels is coming right up to his border. he does not want to see iran's proxy set up a militarized camp on the border of saudi arabia especially when there are also shiites within saudi arabia who could decide that this is now an opportunity for them to rise up and create problems in the kingdom. so he's being active but he also sees this as an act of self-defense. >> and general, talk about, though this sort of split approach to iran, the fact that the u.s. works almost side by side or at least in support of iran with regard to iraq. then you've got yemen, and it's completely different. you have the nuclear talks under way at the same time. i mean it's a score card that's hard to keep straight. >> well you know it's very easy to be critical of the administration in this situation. and i have been. i'm not quite sure what the right answers are. it does seem bizarre that we've ended up being publicly critical and offensive to saudi arabia, egypt, and israel, and now we're on the side of the iranians. >> gentlemen, thank you so much. appreciate your time. protests grow over indiana's new religious freedom law. now indiana's governor says he wants to clarify its intent with another bill. also ahead, does the 2016 democratic field need a little competition? 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and is heading to new hampshire on tuesday. let's take a listen to what he had to say about electing the next president. >> our country always benefits from new leadership and new perspective. let's be honest here. the presidency of the united states is not some crown to be passed between two families. it is an awesome and sacred trust to be earned and exercised on behalf of the american people. >> those two families bush and clinton? >> right now george, you know, any two families. >> joining me now, michael steele, an msnbc political analyst and former rnc chairman. also, howard dean former dnc chairman and vermont governor. good to see you both. chairman dean, i'm going to begin with you hear. is martin o'malley a real threat to hillary clinton? >> not right now on paper, but if he chooses to run. he has a terrific record. i thought he did very well. i thought this was his first major interview, and i thought he did pretty well. >> chairman steele let's remind people, you are from maryland. you were lieutenant governor as well. could marty o'malley challenge hillary clinton in a serious way? he's also talking about the bush dynasty. is he right? >> could he challenge? sure, he could. the is whether or not he wants to put together and can put together what's going to be required on the financial as well as political organizational side to do that. you know, i think he's reflecting at least within democrat circles, and maybe republican circles, the concern over another clinton/bush campaign. so i think he's playing to that card. and his record in maryland was so great as governor that they elected a republican to clean it up. so you know i think that that's going to be part of the challenge that we face here that he's going to face certainly as he goes out and engages hillary. i'm sure he'll be ready for that. >> howard how much do you think the bush dynasty issue factors into things? how legit of a worry is that for people? >> it's more of a worry in the republican primary. you know the populous wing of the republican party generally does not nominate people. republicans actually do usually nominate the more moderate person running. and this year could be an exception. i think jeb bush is the favorite for a lot of reasons. in my view i prefer a bush/clinton race because they would be harder to beat jeb bush but i think it would be safer for the country. this year is the year i think the usual routine could be upended. there's a lot of ferment among conservatives in the republican party. if they unify behind a candidate, they could take out jeb bush. >> all right. let's get to the controversy surrounding indiana's religious freedom law because yesterday, as you know governor mike pence said he would consider language that would clarify the intent of the law, which has come to be perceived as discriminatory against gays and lesbians. let's take a listen to how he responded when asked yes or no if the bill discriminates against gays or lesbians. >> hoosiers don't believe in discrimination. this is not about discrimination. this is about protecting the religious liberty of every hoosier, of every faith. >> i mean at this point, it doesn't matter what the intent is because it's now about perception, right? i mean, chairman steele, do you think this is going to become an issue for republicans in 2016 like women's rights back in 2012? >> i don't know if it'll rise to that level, but yeah i think candidates are going to be asked to speak on it. i think you will find that an overwhelming number of republican candidates for presidency would probably be inclined to support language like that. now, the question is how do you -- you know if the people interpret it as discriminatory, as we've seen with voting rights, for example, in bills that were passed by republican legislatures and signed into laws by republican governors, the citizens have taken those measures to be anti-voting and prohibitive of access to the ballot box. you have to listen to people and how they feel the weight of the law you've passed. i think the governor knows that now as he's begun to sort of back away from that and is now talking about language to fix that perception. >> is it true that candidates don't necessarily win on social issues but you can lose on them because people turn you off? >> yeah, here's the problem that pence has. unlike illinois which is pro-same-sex marriage and has a state-wide law that prohibits discrimination against gays not only does indiana not have those things and fought against same-sex marriage, but the leaders of the movement to do this in the right wing of evangelicals, who have a long track record of disliking anything to do with gay rights. pence says it doesn't discriminate. the truth is it does. what it's likely to do is give people who run businesses on religious grounds the ability to discriminate against gay people. and these were the very same arguments some people used during the civil rights movement about why you should not have interracial marriage and why you should maintain segregation. it was said to be religious. so when people in -- the people of indiana are fine people. i dare say a great many of them don't agree with their right-wing legislature or right-wing governor on this issue. the problem is if you have a bad record of discrimination and you pass something like this you're not going to get the benefit of the doubt. >> okay michael, you were jumping in. >> real quick. one of the clear distingctionsdistinctions, and i know a lot of people like to harken back to the civil rights example of a black man and a white woman or a white man and a black woman marrying. there's a difference between overt discrimination where a couple comes in that you can see this black and white couple coming in and you have a problem with it. there's a very -- as opposed to someone who comes in and you don't know if they're gay or not. unless they say i want a wedding cake with two men on it, you don't know. those are some of the finer points of this that we're beginning to discover now in laws like this that need to be addressed and how you deal with that. you want to give access to commerce to everyone but what are the rights of shop owners to decide who they want to sell to. that's where these laws are coming into play now. >> in general in civil rights the courts have held if you're a shop owner you don't have the right to discriminate based on whatever personal convictions you have about your potential customers. if you want to do business with the public the price of doing business with the public is not kicking out people you don't like or disagree with based on how they're born. let me say one thing about good that's coming out of this. for a long time not since the civil rights movement has corporate america led on social issues. in the civil rights movement corporate america was good about anti-discrimination. they also led in some of the environmental movements. then they took a pass for a long time and it was all about making money. today you're seeing the american business community put pressure on these right-wing governors, like the governor of arkansas who just passed an awful bill negating a local anti-discrimination law, like putting pressure on mike pence, like putting pressure on arizona, forcing jan brewer to veto a similar law down there. the business community is now stepping up to the plate and standing up against the far right. >> well, chairmen i appreciate both of your time. thanks guys. up next the black community leaders who met with and forgave an sae brother. i'm going to speak with a state senator who faced criticism for accepting his apology. there's nothing stopping you and a lot helping you. technology that's with you always. this is our promise. it's never been better to wander because wherever you go, you'll find us doing everything we can, so you can. this is the equivalent of the sugar in 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news conference. they're calling the apology insincere. joining me now, oklahoma state senator anastasia pittman, the chair of oklahoma's legislative black caucus and organized wednesday's new conference. with a welcome to you, ma'am. i understand you've been getting a lot of pushback on all this, and it's been getting worse in recent days. >> absolutely. i've received contact about how can you accept an apology on behalf of black america, and that's not what the reality is all about. i govern district 48 in oklahoma city, and personally i can accept an apology from whoever i want. and i believe the leading factor in this case is people don't believe that he was sincere. but they weren't in the meeting. they were not in the meeting with me and his parents and my pastor. they were not in the meeting with other local officials, pastors, some of the civil rights activists and even one of the original sit-inners from oklahoma city maryland looper hildred. she was there to share her testimony. we were there to educate him on some of the rich history of african-americans and their contributions. so i've accepted his apology, and whether they want to believe it's sincere or not, that's up to them and between them and god. >> can you share a little bit more about that meeting? it sounds incredibly powerful. and levi's contribution and his reaction to all of it. >> absolutely. we had students from the university of oklahoma students from different organizations like the black student government and other organizations. we had pastors. we had citizens and community leaders, other elected officials present. and one of the things we got an opportunity to do was listen to his story, listen to some of the things he was exposed to or not exposed to. quite frankly, people know when they're wrong, but levi pettit was just one gentleman on the bus. the bus was filled with a group of student, but only one came forward to apologize to the african-american community. and we don't take that lightly. it takes courage to do that. and it took courage for us to accept that apology. >> it does certainly. but you can understand there are those, because of the hateful nature of what he said and ignorant as well that it's difficult for them to accept an apology, any apology. >> well when you can relate to a young person if you've ever been young and in college, we've all this youthful indiscretions. one of the things i like about this young man is his character. he reached out to me. he came forward. my job as a policymaker is to find common ground. he's just the catalyst for change, not only in oklahoma but in america. we've got to talk about race relations, and you can't change people's perception until you change the policies that support these particular points of view. now we have an opportunity to do that. >> so the sae house was immediately shutdown. levi as well as another member were immediately expelled. other members were ordered to undergo sensitivity training. was their punishment justified? >> i believe so. we immediately issued a press release from the black caucus as individual members supporting the president's swift actions. we also had a concern about public education. you know how we fund state funds support those institutions. we're looking for zero-tolerance policies. we're looking for sensitivity training. this is an opportunity for us to require and request more things like minority teacher recruitment and more diversity on a variety of campuses. but not one african-american constituent has come forth and asked me to propose a resolution to ban the chant. so if they're going to criticize me for accepting an apology, let's move forward and require some action in our local communities, in our state. >> well i thank you very much. oklahoma state senator anna stay that pittman. we have much more ahead in our next hour. bowe bergdahl charged with desertion. i'll get reaction from a man who served alongside that army sergeant. 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(vo) the longest-lasting midsize sedan in its class. the twenty-fifteen subaru legacy. it's not just a sedan. it's a subaru. germanwings air crash. a new timeline emerges today on what the moments that led to the catastrophe were like. but are we any closer to know what motivated that pilot? a series of live reports coming up. we are determined to make it clear that what indiana has done here is strengthen the foundation of the constitutional first amendment rights of religious liberty of our people. >> indiana's governor reacts to the uproar over his state's new religious freedom law, but what's he doing to calm fears? it's an epidemic of hiv. an entire town caught in the grips of a crisis. and into the night. a 4-year-old girl's odyssey to satisfy a sweet tooth evolves into a night to remember. hello, everyone. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." here's what's happening right now. there are some new details today of the terrifying last minutes facing the passengers and crew of germanwings flight 9525 as co-pilot andreas lubitz may have deliberately flown that plane into a mountainside. a german tabloid today publish timeline based on the evidence on the cockpit voice recorder though nbc has not verified this. at 10:27 a.m. the plane creatures cruising altitude of 38,000 feet. the pilot says to prepare the plane for landing. lubitz says quote, hopefully. he tells the pilot, you can now go. the pilot leaves the cockpit. at 10:29, flight radar detects the plane is losing altitude. at 10:32, air traffic controllers try to contact that plane. they receive no answer from the aircraft. the sync rate alarm then sounds. noises are heard like that of someone trying to kick in the cockpit door. the captain shouts, for god's sake open the door. at 10:40, the aircraft's right wing strikes the mountainside. screams of passengers are heard. those are the last sounds on the voice recorder. for more on these new details of the last moments of the flight let's bring in nbc's katy tur in germany. what else have you learned? >> reporter: for the first time we're getting new details about what it could have been like inside that plane. a german newspaper is reporting when the plane took off the captain mentioned to co-pilot ann andreas lubitz that he didn't get a chance to go to the bathroom. initially, the pilot doesn't respond to lubitz. once they reach altitude, you hear him get up and leave, saying, you take over. that's when you hear the door click shut behind him. the next thing you hear is the captain banging on the door saying, open the damn door. nbc news has not been able to verify any of this. "the new york times" is also reporting on eye troubles with the co-pilot andreas lubitz that could have meant he was going to lose his pilot's license. german newspapers reporting widely had some sort of mental instability or depression. so far investigators have not confirmed any of that to nbc news, but they're going to get a big picture of what was going on with him at the time of this crash to try and figure out as much as they can and how they can stop something like this from happening in the future. alex? >> all right. katy, thank you so much from germany. let's bring in alan deal a former aviation investigator with the air force, ntsb as well as faa. a welcome to you. that timeline as reported by the german paper, what do you make of that? >> well of course this is all reported right now and not confirmed by the official investigators, but it suggests that this young man's spiral into mental depravity was coming to a head and he knew that he would have a chance to be alone in a cockpit without the captain. earlier, the official investigator said his voice changed from cordial to laconic when they started talking about the landing. so it seems to me it sounds to me as a former faa psychologist that this may be the point in time where he decided he was going to do it. once the captain left the cockpit, he locked the door and then he did in his demented state he had to do. >> as a former psychologist what kind of access do you have to pilots, and what are the warning signs? and is it understandable that lufthansa says they had no knowledge of any medical problems with the co-pilot? >> well you know that's their statement. as this investigation goes forward, we may learn some more things about that. if a person is that demented if they're borderline psychopathic they're very good. one thing i know about the lufthansa training, and germanwings was a part of that i actually went and observed that training in phoenix, arizona. very rigorous. they're very highly screened and they do go through initial psychological tests in germany. i think it's like in this country, they're not periodically tested psychologically. now, they go back and take medical exams annually in his case and these medical doctors are trained to ask probative questions. again, if somebody is very intelligent and very deceptive and very disturbed, they can sometimes deceive the medical doctors. >> did you in your role as an faa psychologist ever have to tell someone, you can't fly? >> well i should point out, i'm a research psychologist not a clinician, first of all. so i didn't actually counsel these people. but i did see examples where pilots had been grounded. of course, we know first of all, we've got to keep in mind pilots generally are very healthy and only rarely does this happen. it happens every several years worldwide with, you know millions of flights and millions of pilots. our viewers should keep in mind they've got more chance of dying from an infected bee sting than a demented airline pilot. but having said all that we need to think about improving the system. the faa may have to revisit this and set up if you will another safety net to try to catch the occasional pilot. the last time this happened in the u.s. was 1994 when a demented federal express pilot who had been fired attacked his three comrades tried to kill them with a hammer but they were able to overpower him, and they were able to land the aircraft. he had just been fired. he'd taken out a $2.5 million insurance policy. he wanted to make it look like a plane crash, clearly. he was thank god, unsuccessful. but normally these people are detected. in fact, he was being fired. unfortunately, they led him back aboard a fedex airplane after he was told he was fired. >> we should say, you talk about incidents throughout the world and globally where this has happened. we have to also say, there's no definitive picture on the state of mind of andreas lubitz. there's certainly indications there were problems, but in terms of a thorough investigation at this point, a conclusive one, that has yet to be determined. but how thorough a picture will investigators be able to draw of what took place ultimately on that flight? >> well i think we know pretty much what happened. you know if these reports hold up about his mental state, i think we even know why. the big question is if or when anyone at germanwings had an idea this man was demented and should be grounded. as you probably have read -- and again these are all press reports. they're not verified by the investigators. he didn't go directly from training -- you know his training was interrupted. after he finished his initial training with lufthansa, he wasn't hired right away. why? normally they go right into the cockpit. he reportedly became a flight attendant for a while before he was hired in 2013. was there somebody in the company that knew something? or maybe they just weren't hiring during that time frame. we're going to have to wait for some more answers, but there may have been warning signs that somebody missed. i stress the word may. we just don't know yet, alex. >> absolutely. you're talking about a lot of entry i can sis of this investigation. alan diehl, thank you so much. so to recap what we do know a new timeline has been pushilied by a german tabloid. it describes the excruciating details of the last moments of flight 9525. there are also some new reports on the medical condition of co-pilot andreas lubitz. and lufthansa airlines is telling nbc it knew of no medical problems for lubitz. recovery efforts and search for the flight data recorder continue. to air canada now. a flight skidded off the runway early this morning as it attempted to land in heavy snow at the international airport in nova scotia. that plane was carrying 133 passengers and 5 crew members. here's how one passenger described what happened. >> we were coming into land. there was a big flash. there was guys on that side of the airplane who said we cut off a power pole. that's what took all the power out in the airport. when that happened the plane just came down and went bang. >> at least 25 people were taken to local hospitals. only one of them remains hospitalized at this hour. in other developing news less than three days left for the negotiators in switzerland to accomplish what has vexed the international community for more than a decade a nuclear deal with iran. joining me now from the talks in switzerland is nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. with a welcome, what's the outlook? >> reporter: alex, the six nations here, u.s. and the allies trying to reach agreements trying to forge compromises with iran. there are different positions among some of the allies russia and and china have different points of view. basically, they're pretty much in accord that certain things have to be in this agreement. while it does boil down to the u.s. versus iran this is really a global agreement. iran has yet to agree to certain restrictions on its research and development, not only during the ten years that is contemplated under this accord but in the five years following any accord. to restrict its research on nuclear activities, which it says it wants for peaceful purposes, but the allies fear could be used for nuclear weapons. iran as also not agreed to what the u.s. is proposing on phasing out sanctions. so there's probably going to be a rewriting of the u.n. sanctions. that is going to have to be agreed to by every member of the security council and everyone here at this table. this is very complicated stuff. it's not clear that they can do it in time, but in any case they think it's going to take every bit of the two days until the midnight deadline on tuesday night. alex, back to you. >> all right, andrea. thank you so much for that. a new law about religious freedom in indiana sparking outrage across the country. critics say it legalizes discrimination and new legislation may be coming this week to clarify the law's meaning. indiana's governor pence welcomes it. >> we're not going to change the law, okay. but if the general assembly in indiana sends me a bill that adds a section that reiterates and amplifies and clarifies what the law really is and what it has been for the last 20 years, then i'm open to that. >> nbc's gabe gutierrez has more on how this new law is raising concerns. >> reporter: this morning the controversy over indiana's new religious freedom restoration act is growing. >> it allows people to use their religious belief to discriminate against other people. and that's wrong. >> reporter: in a new interview with "the indianapolis star," governor mike pence says he would support new legislation this week to clarify the intent of the bill he signed on thursday allowing businesses to deny service based on their religious beliefs. >> this is not about legalizing discrimination. it's about restricting the government's ability to intrude on the religious liberty of our citizens. >> reporter: indiana is now one of 20 states with similar laws. but opponents argue it would legalize discrimination after the state's ban on same-sex marriage was overturned last year. with basketball on the mind of many fans ahead of next weekend's final four in indianapolis, the ncaa says we are especially concerned about how this legislation could effect our student athletes and employees. former nba stars charles barkley and reggie miller are slamming the law, and backlash is spreading across social media. apple's ceo tweeting we are deeply disappointed in indiana's new law. this weekend, indiana-based website angie's list announced it was putting expansion plans on hold. >> i will say categorically, we don't favor the legislation at all. >> reporter: still, others feel the concerns are overblown. lisa owns a flower shop. >> i have thought a lot about this. i'm a strong christian. >> reporter: she opposed same-sex marriage. >> if someone walked in my store, i think i would serve them. >> reporter: a battle over religious freedom and gay rights spreading far beyond indiana. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. the charges against bowe bergdahl, should he be court-martialed? 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[bell rings] you're not mr. craig. yeah, i'm confused where's mr. craig? well, i'm sorta mr. craig. we're both between 35 and 45 years old. we both like to save money on car insurance. and we're both really good at teaching people a lesson. um, let's go. cool. sit down! alright. sorta you, isn't you. only esurance has coveragemyway. it helps make sure you only pay for what's right for you not someone sorta like you. i think i blacked out from fear... did we ask him where mr. craig was? we did. esurance. backed by allstate. click or call. officials say the driver of the car involved in this accident is in grave condition after it collided with a passenger train. that happened yesterday morning across the campus from usc. the train operator who was at one point in serious condition, was released from the hospital last night. at least 20 others were injured. witnesses tell police the 31-year-old driver who's a film student at usc, appears to have made an improper turn cutting across the tracks, and colliding with the train. there are new details emerges about the health of co-pilot andreas lubitz involved in the crash of germanwings flight 9525. the managing editor and executive editor for "the herald tribune" joins me now. with a welcome to you, what have you learned about andreas lubitz? >> well, i'm actually working as "the new york times" berlin bureau chief now. our colleagues have found out that andreas lubitz apparently had problems with vision. it's not clear if it was psychoseematic or an actual physical problem. prosecutors, as we know have said they've discovered sick notes that he didn't use, sick leave notes. one of them was torn up in his home. and there are some kind of psychological problems that seem to be clear. but i stress as you have stressed earlier in the program, there's a lot of speculation. i'm telling you now what we have confirmed through our sources. >> what kind of answers do you expect the investigation to reveal? do you think there will ever be definitive answers? >> i think it's going to be very difficult ever to answer finally the question why because everybody on board that plane died. and it would appear that andreas lubitz was alone in the cockpit. nobody knows what was going on in his head. obviously, police, investigator i'm sure they're all combing for answers, just as journalists are, and everybody who's ever flown in a plane is asking themselves questions. but it's going to be difficult at best to get final answers. >> you know you've covered stories from around the world. i'm curious, as you look at this and what we know how unsettling is this in terms of its uniqueness? >> well, i mean i think as when you have horrible cases, for instance, of school shootings or children being shot in a kindergarten, against somebody who is mentally unstable or disturbed in some way and they have a weapon you are ultimately powerless. i think lufthansa's chief made that quite clear on thursday after the french state prosecutor had said andreas lubitz acted in this way that this was really a one off. and nobody knows exactly what was going on in his mind. >> and will we ever? i guess that remains the big question. allison, thank you so much. >> thank you. in just a moment, the first reaction to amanda knox's acquittal from the mother of meredith kercher. and she wanted a treat in the middle of the night. a 4-year-old girl's misadventure, next. ess you have to work hard, know your numbers, and stay focused. i was determined to create new york city's first self-serve frozen yogurt franchise. and now you have 42 locations. the more i put into my business the more i get out of it. like 5x your rewards when you make select business purchases with your ink plus card from chase. and with ink, i choose how to redeem my points for things like cash or travel. how's the fro-yo? 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>> reporter: well the french police just told us that they have been using heavy machinery to build a road that will eventually allow land vehicles and emergency workers to reach that crash site. once that is open that will speed up the recovery operation dramatically because, as you know, in the past few days since the crash, since tuesday, the only way to get investigators there and recovery workers was by lowering them by winching them down on a rope from a helicopter 80 meters down to the crash site. of course that's been a very difficult operation, especially considering the strong winds that we've experienced here in the french alps in the past couple of days. in the meantime, investigators told nbc news that they have identified 78 unique dna from the more than 600 body parts that were recovered from that crash site. now they've been flown to paris so they will be matched with the dna that was left with family members. there's no positive i.d. yet, but they hope within the next hours or days they'll find the identities of the first remains. >> and what have we learned about the last shared moments of the pilot and co-pilot? the flight? >> reporter: a tabloid published in germany has published more details, a transcript of the audio recovered from the black box. what they say is that they hear the pilots confessing to telling the co-pilot he didn't manage to go to the toilet once in barcelona. so he said the co-pilot encouraged him to go to the toilet. he did eventually go saying you're in control. as soon as -- well after he came back from the toilet you can start hearing a strong banging on the door. the pilot screaming, open the door, or damn open that door. we have not confirmed, independently confirmed those specific details of that transcript, but it certainly opens up a little more gruesome details about the last minutes on that germanwings flight alex. >> yeah, really hard to hear. okay okay. claudio, thank you so much. meantime, police in panama city florida, are still trying to determine the motive for a spree. a 22-year-old burst into a spring break house party early yesterday morning. he's charged with seven counts of attempted murder. all of the victims are in their 20s, including a woman who was shot several times and later wrote on her facebook page she knew she was going to die. nearly one year after sergeant bowe bergdahl was released from taliban captivity in a controversial exchange he could once again be facing imprisonment charged with deserting his fellow soldiers. to some of them that's welcome news. they say they were wounded and saw their comrades killed while look for him. a former army sergeant who took part in those search and rescue missions joins me now. sergeant, with a welcome to you, sir. are you satisfied that bowe bergdahl is facing charges that could possibly result with life in prison? >> yes, i am. from the time that he was returned to the united states i've been saying that he's a deserter and trying very hard to make sure that the facts about him leaving us comes out. so i'm glad this is the result. >> you were on the base the day he left. talk about what happened that day as word spread of his disappearance. >> i mean, right away they said somebody was missing, and i don't know why, but the first thing that went through my mind was that it was bergdahl because of the way he'd been acting. it just seemed kind of like he was the only one who was in the character to be able to do that. >> so you don't know why specifically, but how was he behaving prior to his disappearance? >> he was reclusive. he was spending a lot of time with our afghan counterparts to the point of where it was distracting him from his duties. he was showing up late to guard shifts because he was spending too much time with the local police and things like that versus spending time with us. >> and had you and your fellow soldiers talked about that? >> i mean one time specifically he was late to guard shift, i had to go find him. it took me about 15 20 minutes. we had a conversation about that after it about how maybe it wasn't appropriate for all of us to be going and talking to afghans as much as, you know, he was or any of us could. >> what did he say to you when you approached him and said look, this shouldn't happen? >> he didn't even say anything except for okay when i said you're late for your guard shift. he just said okay and immediately put down his stuff, took a minute to say good-bye to everybody before he even got up. i just had to walk away because it was making me a little angry he was taking his duty so lightly. >> have you spoken with fellow soldiers as to the current situation there with bowe bergdahl, that he faces desertion charges? if so how do they feel about it? >> i'm in contact with a lot of people from my old unit and they all say the exact same thing. i mean that's the thing from the beginning. nobody from our unit has said a different story about the events except for bergdahl. >> when you think about what happened in the searches for him, they're your colleagues who died as a result of looking for him. >> yes. it's a very very bad situation for anyone to be in and for him to have put us in that situation is kind of why i harbor the feelings that i do. >> look i know that when you are charged with doing something, carrying out orders you have to go into it with full focus, but underneath it all, were you thinking about this guy whom you already, by your own admission here were sort of suspect of? i mean that you were going and looking for him. was there anything within you that said it's not right or that set up alarms? >> i mean we were in the army. we followed the orders we were supposed to and that we were given. we were told to go look for bergdahl. at one point, i was even told i had to do a radio broadcast asking bergdahl to, you know, return to us and that we were supporting him and things like that. and i had to read it because i was ordered to do it. i didn't believe in it but that's what happens sometimes in the military unfortunately. >> so when you went out on your patrols, describe them to me. how dangerous were they? what were the conditions like? >> well because we weren't doing the proper procedures we didn't have the clearance packages in front of us there were a lot more ieds than normal. i believe the whole bergdahl situation, our platoon hit about seven ieds. we destroyed one of our trucks and several had mine rollers that went in front of our vehicles. it was bad for men, equipment, and everything else. >> is that how your fellow soldiers were killed through ieds? >> predominantly, yes. there were other things like small arms fire and rpgs as well. the enemy just took advantage of our vulnerabilities when we were just searching for him. >> so when you heard about the exchange for bowe bergdahl what went through your mind? >> i was very angry, especially with the fact that they were calling him a hero and that his family was in the rose garden. like you said there was a lot of my friends who died and i don't see their families in the rose garden. i don't see, you know, any of them being recognized like he is even now. i really feel bad talking about bergdahl. i really wish we could talk about them instead. >> unfortunately, i do have a couple more questions about him though. one being for bowe's part he says he tried to escape the taliban a dozen times or so. he also said he had very little food, regular beatings. is there any argument in your mind that he should receive leniency for any time served? >> no to the question. however, i do believe that his statement is false. there are several videos online where he basically says the exact opposite of what's in his statement. he says he's not getting treated badly. he says he's got plenty of food. you know he says he's basically making friends and making headway there. >> do you think at all, sir, that could be that he was coerced to say those things he was told he had to say those things to avoid potentially being killed right there on the spot? >> well, the problem i have with that is that his father makes several videos from idaho, and he says a lot of the same things that bergdahl is saying. so for his father to have those opinions about, you know, the united states and about what we were doing in afghanistan it just seemed very odd. it's like looking into a mirror. bergdahl's words and his father's words. i don't think it was coercion. >> there also is the possibility, and i'm just throwing it out there, that his father didn't want to do or say anything that might impede the ability to bring his son home safely. but my last question to you is if you could talk with bowe bergdahl face to face what would you say to him? >> biggest thing i'd want to do is see the look on his face and his explanation of why he left. i don't know if he would be honest. i really doubt he would, but i would like to ask that question. >> former sergeant josh quarter, thank you very much for your time. i appreciate your insights and honesty. >> thank you. it is a small town in big trouble. a sudden epidemic of hiv. what's being done to stop it from spreading. we're going it take you there next. over 20 million kids everyday in our country lack access to healthy food. for the first time american kids are slated to live a shorter life span than their parents. it's a problem that we can turn around and change. revolution foods is a company we started to provide access to healthy affordable, kid-inspired chef-crafted food. we looked at what are the aspects of food that will help set up kids for success? 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>> the stigma and the persona people think they'll get by sitting somewhere that patient had sat. that's not how it is. people have called and said they're not going to come here any longer because they don't want to get a.i.d.s. they don't want to get hiv. we've had people call and threaten us. we've had someone tell us that they'll make sure we're all taken care of here. we're going to burn in hell. very very frustrating and sad. >> it's a small staff, but we're very close, very committed. >> my whole family is here. >> and have you seen it get worse? >> oh yeah. yeah, i used to -- my grandmother used to live down this street. i used to be able to walk down the street ride my bike. you could just go anywhere, and you knew everybody. now you're scared to walk anymore anywhere, be outside after dark even. there's a lot of good people but they're getting scared off by all the drug activity. >> every single person that has tested positive to hiv so far have been exposed directly through some sort of dirty needle. the needle exchange program is one part of a comprehensive approach to get this epidemic under control. we need to get the dirty needles off the street. >> we talk about the needle exchange program. it could save one life it would be worth it because that life could be your niece, your nephew, your son, or daughter. this is where i grew up and it's so hard. can we talk about something else for a second? >> we're going to fix this. we're going to address this. my hope is that if we can get this done here and now in austin, why couldn't we do that somewhere else? >> and joining us now here in studio msnbc's anthony terrell. with a welcome to you. 4300 people live in this town. you have that one doctor that you interviewed dealing with all this. officials are going to do what about this? >> well on tuesday, the town's first hiv clinic is set to open. two infectious disease doctors are going to be commuting there every tuesday to treat these patients. i'm told these are the only first ones they've heard of in the first three months. this disease can travel because of the iv drug use going on across the town. when they gave me that tour around which you saw a little bit of there are signs of poverty everywhere. run down houses closed businesses. two of those nurses grew up there. >> heartbreaking. >> heartbreaking. they're so sad to see what's happening to their town, but there's signs of hope with this hiv clinic opening up. the short-term needle exchange program going on, to at least get some of the dirty needles off the streets. >> i know the indiana health state commissioner, you spoke with him. he's concerned because it can spread pretty easily. >> that's right. they're on the i-65 corridor right off the interstate. so a lot of truckers come in and out of there, prostitution is a big problem as well as the iv drug use. so i was told that this is a canary in a coal mine that this can spread across southern indiana and further. but the good news is they're signing people up for the healthy indiana plan which is to help the low-income folks afford health insurance to pay for this treatment. as you saw in the piece, there's a little bit of a stigma in the town of even going into get hiv treatment because as you saw, they think if they think if you sit in the same chair as somebody you can get hiv. they have the hiv facts and what if i'm positive to try to educate those who come in although they create the spraet interest to give privacy. others come to this clinic to get other treatment. >> it's definitely an interesting story. i hope you keep us up to date. thank you so much. the main sticking points to a nuclear deal with iran next. know your numbers, and stay focused. i was determined to create new york city's first self-serve frozen yogurt franchise. and now you have 42 locations. the more i put into my business the more i get out of it. like 5x your rewards when you make select business purchases with your ink plus card from chase. and with ink, i choose how to redeem my points for things like cash or travel. how's the fro-yo? 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>> it seems like it is coming down to two critical issues where there needs to be agreement reached. the first is the extent to which iran will be allowed to conduct research and development on advanced centrifuges beyond ten years. the second, the one that concerns me the most is whether or not they will be able to reach agreement on the pace and sequencing of sanctions relief particularly u.n. sanctions. there has been key progress and what i'm hearing is iran will agree to reduce its current number of centrifuges which stands at 20,000 down to six and also agree to ship out or dilute any enriched stock pile. these are two key critical steps to preventing iran from going with the weapon. >> with all of your research is there definitive agreement on how long it would take iran to build a nuclear weapon? if so what is that timeframe? >> i think for the past decade or more we have been hearing varying accounts that iran is three months to five years to a bomb. i think the general consensus is that right now it's more in the area of six to eight or nine months give or take a few months. keep in mind alex making a bomb goes beyond having the material accumulated. it means you have to test it and find a way to miniaturize it. you have to have the device to deliver it. and that takes even longer. so for the sake of these negotiations what it's coming down to is it looks like they're honing in on an agreement that will give us at least one year breakout time which is a considerable increase and keep in mind that the chief of the iaea just the other day said that with this agreement if iran decided to cheat we would know about it in a matter of days to a week. >> i only have about 26 to answer this. you are saying six to nine months for iran to reach an ability to make a bomb. how much longer can we come back to the table? is this just piece by piece we put this together year by year at best? >> i think all sides have said they don't want another extension. i think they are going to go down to the wire to get this deal done. keep in mind this is a deal that will provide us with the assurances that iran will not weaponize in a region that is in turmoil. >> absolutely. thanks for making it short. we are out of town. we will see you guys next weekend. eeth are yellow. oh yeah, they are a little yellow. hey! why don't you use a whitening toothpaste? i'm afraid it's bad for my teeth. try crest 3d white, it's actually good for your teeth. introducing the new crest 3d white diamond strong collection. the toothpaste and rinse... ...gently whiten... ...and fortify weak spots. use together for 2 times stronger enamel... ...so you can whiten without the worry. your smile looks great! oh, thanks! crest 3d white. life opens up with a whiter smile. if you're running a business legalzoom has your back. over the last 10 years we've helped one million business owners get started. visit legalzoom today for the legal help you need to start and run your business. legalzoom. legal help is here. ugh... ...heartburn. did someone say burn? 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