now. >> i'm excited. we got a look at one of the hate witches. >> they say ignorance is blitz. right, joe? that may have applied to the mcdonald's mcrib sandwich. a photo taken by a mcdonald's employee of a mcrib. >> sweet jesus. >> is there no shame? >> mcdonald's says the patty is formed in the shape of traditional ribs. they flash freeze the meat before sending it out to the restaurants. >> that is gross. >> maybe you are gross. there is nothing of a mcrib because it appears to be made of sickly et. i have always been a firm believer that the best food raises more questions than it answers. if anything, this photo makes me want the thing even more because it only adds to the great american mystery that is the mcrib. for decades the elusive mcrib has appeared and disappeared on mcmenus with little warning like a meat brigadoon. what brings it out of hiding, full moons, a surplus of slauths house floor scrapings? >> there you go, good morning, everyone, it is wednesday, december 4th and what are we locking at? look at that, guys. it is beautiful. >> the night. tonight is the night. >> is it really, the lighting, everything? >> 7:00. >> you will be there, willie? >> i will be on my couch. i am not hosting it. i will be watching. >> you will be somewhere. >> i was going to take you to the tree lighting. >> i think you should come. why don't you join me? >> it's a lot of people. >> and joe. are you not a people person? >> a busy time around here. >> with us on site, we have the national affairs editor john heilman. >> held plo. >> i know. >> that suggests maybe not doing that again. mike barnacle is with us as well. i had the most wonderful evening last night. did we get -- no, i did not have the mcrib. i don't have photos. of course, you don't, lorrial, paris, usa. the most amazing event ever. we are going to do it next 84 on the show, a five he day rollout. it will be fantastic. i loved it. >> cool pants. >> all i had. all i had. good will and -- >> can i say something? you look a little more even today. >> that matches the sherbet pants. that is from the womens to watch event i did yesterday. it was all ability women. >> equal money for a guy. >> i love it when you are late. >> once a month. you foe. he gets a splinter and he's out for a season. >> it's going to be good for them. >> he is. >> what another mercenary on board? >> he is what they need. he is going to have several good years for them. >> do you think so? >> i think so. >> seriously. >> imagine the backfields. >> did you just say that? >> did he just say that? i was talking about two important events pertaining to women. you sit down and start blurting out sports stuff. >> it's reality. >> it will be a part of your world. >> amazing how quick the red sox are covering that. >> ridiculous. >> anybody that would go through the season that boston just went through never deserves to wear a red sox uniform. i hope he has fun, in hell. so what did you do last night? >> i was at the lorrial paris usa event. it was incredible. we are going to do it next year, we will partner up. five days, two honoree, diana keyton was there. >> that's huge. >> it was such an honor. >> they have power? empower women there? >> women were making a difference in our society. a hospice nurse. a woman who is helping with mental health issues with kids across the country. i mean the most amazing stories. they added glamour it to. they shined the light on people really making a difference. i can't wait until next 84, it's the 10th year anniversary. >> go out there. it it would be great there. >> how much will they pay him? >> 153. more if he stay stays. >> think of how stupid that sounds compared to what i'm saying, seriously. somebody who hits a ball with a bat is getting all that money. >> i know, i feel bald? you should. >>. >> so that's great. that was an amazing event? >> i want to thank jackie kelly for inviteing me. >> that's amazing. we should get her on the show. >> she is coming to visit a few times. we will get some great stuff on this show. >> so this guy was asleep. nodded off. he's in a daze? >> that is an interesting angle, too. we will start with detroit. just on that, we will talk about the train derail. . there was a shift change. the guy after working years on one shift was put on a different shift and left at a different time in the morning. it might have played a big role in this. there are so many questions and also an impact on shift workers in terms of their body clocks how important that is consider when making changes. >> another system that automatically slows it down, whether next e mechanical error or error of the person. >> some of these trains have alarms that literally put on the brake when they cannot get a reaction from the engineer. >> that is and has been available for more than a few years. mike has one of those in his car, right? >> i have one in my wife. >>let start with detroit. the motor city has officially gone bust. a judge ruled it is unable to pay it's 18 billion if debt. there is a march 1st deadline for the city's reorganization plan to be filed. the mortgages manager is expected to have a first draft next month. outgoing mayor dave bing says it's a chance to put the city on new course. >> we now have to fight. if we have a future as far as our children and grandchildren are concerned, we have to fix the problem now. we can't continue to kick that can down the road and not make tough decisions. >> those tough decisions, the judge ruled billions in pensions can be cut even though michigan's constitution prohibits cuts to pensionings. the city's largest employee union fwoild an appeal. the ruling could have implications across the country for retirees already struggling to make ends meet. >> we have an american dream that if you work long and you did the right thing, that you would end up being able to live comfort annual. what he's done now, i don't even know how i'm going to do this after january. it's already the fat guy has to sit around and make up my mind whether to take my medicine or eat. what do they want me to do now? >> detroit is now the largest public bankruptcy in u.s. history. >> can we just point out to people there is something tragically sad and obscene about that ruling where jefferson racings of incompetent political people have driven that city into bankruptcy and the people paying the ultimate price are public employees who legitimately signed and agreed to pension deals that can now be taken away from them. >> we are not talking a lot of money individually, an average of 1,800 to $2,000 in pensions. they will have that reduced, awful. >> it's a big ruling by this federal judge. pensions are protected under the state constitution in michigan. this judge said they're not protected under bankruptcies. so that could serve as some precedent in other places. as mike said, if you become a cop, a fire fighter or a sanitation worker, you enter no a deal with an often dangerous job with the understanding you will be taken care of on the back end. there were big problems. they had to do something in detroit. but those people aren't the ones that should be hurt by it. >> speaking of pensions, lawmakers narrowly passed sweeping reforms, which include raising retirement ages and changes to cost of living increases. supporters say the move will eliminate a $100 billion pension shortfall over the next 30 years. democratic governor pat quinn says he will sign the measure. labor unions and other opponents are vowing to fight the overhaul. they say any changes violate the state's constitution, which prohibits reducing benefits. >> detroit can go back 15, 20 years and do the things with their pensions that chris christie did in new jersey, scott walker did in wisconsin. you know, what's happening, pat queen will seen the bill in illinois people go out scream and yelp. i understand they want to get the best deal they get. they should goeshlt for the absolute best deal they should get but you ask where it came from, unions that push politicians to overpromise benefits they couldn't pay for in exchange for votes and money and there are some people now and jerry brown i think in california from what i understand is being responsible. governors of both parties are making choices that politicians did not make over the past 20 years. >> there is no doubt the system continues to be enher rently flawed and corrupt. elected politicians receiving company contribution, sitting across the table negotiating for higher pension benefits. that's just an inherent conflict that ought to be avoided. it hasn't been for generations in every state. >> the league is making promises they can't keep. >> we are negotiating with ourselves. the job with the union is to get as much. the george bush on the other side as a politician is to do the best in the city. >> the new york commuter line where four people were killed in a train wreck over the weekend should be getting back to normal. union representatives, the train's eng 94, william rockefeller says he nodded off while driving. when he came to, he shut down the throttle and tried an emergency braking tech neevenlth the drowsy feeling we sometimes get staring at divider lines when driving. nbc's tom costello has more. >> a train wreck, five cars on its side. >> reporter: as they released recordings of the transmission, engineer william rockefeller was described by his union as distraught. after years of working on the evening shifts, we started with a new start time at 5:00 a.m. moments after the accident, he told police he zoned out. a friend and co-worker says rockefeller has always been dedicated to safety. >> i don't know how he's coping with the fact that he may have been spinl for the death of four people and 63 people i i can't imagine that. knowing the personality he is. >> that will weigh on him for the rest of his life. >> reporter: engineer rockefeller was in a second day of then hours. the question for the ntsb, was he asleep or sleep deprived. >> there is every indication he had time to get full recovery of sleep ro. it shows 18 minutes the train had picked up tremendous speed. by the time it was supposed to slow from 70 down to 30 miles per hour to make a dramatic left turn, the train was moving at 82 miles per hour. at that point the engine power suddenly dropped to idle and the engineer slammed on the brakes. but it was all too late. the train came to rest just inches from the water. david wrangle who teaches train engineering says there is no steering the commuter train t. sole engineer on board controls speed and brakes and the mon monotony can pose a risk. >> bus of the going over that route you sometimes become complacent, anesthetized to what you are seeing there. sometimes you could possibly zone out. >> but there is no unwells in the cab to help an engineer in trouble or asleep. >> nbc's tom costello with that report. the new york times reports some metro north planes have what are called alerters. they basically set off an alarm if they don't detect activity from the engineer. when they go off, the eng fear has 15 seconds to respond. if he doesn't respond if time the brakes come on automatically. the train that derailed did not have that technology. >> so this daily news shot, what is the from a camera inside? >> that's him on the stretcher afterwards. they caught up with him in a blink or something. >> that's sad. >> my god. to the post. >> that's america at its worst. >> that's america at its worse. thegys on the brock lynn bridge is about to kill himself. she takes a selfie to send her friend, hey, look at the dude up under the brock lynn bridge. i'm going to instagram this. the cops actually saved the guy up there from what i understand. >> by the nypd and the fire department? >> it's better than a selfie. >> we think she knew what was happening up there. >> let's see. see if there is an article. >> there is one inside. >> what you got, willie? >> more enfor the first. >> we have some horrifying selfies. close that up. >> yeah. >> is there more we need to know about. >> he's better than what we got. >> i want to do obama care, alex, why don't you want to do it? >> do it. here, you got good news on obama care. we got 70 years before the next story comes. >> it's next. the rebought of obama care comes as the president will talk about the benefit of this health care law. yesterday, president obama defended the affordable care act and suggested if republicans have better ideas they should bring them to the stable. >> the bottom line is this law is working and will get started with the exchanges, with the marketplaces, so we're not going to walk away from it. if i've got to fight another three years to make sure this law works, then that's what i will do. i have always said, i will work with anybody to implement and improve this law effectively you got good ideas, bring them to me. let's go. but we're not repealing it as long as i'm president. i want to make that clear. >> you know, if what the president said is introduce. then that's a marked change since the first time the health care law went through. the republicans had scores of amendments that harry reid killed. never let him discuss it on the floor. never got a vote on the floor, so if the president now wants to work with republicans as well as democratsed on on this health care bill, who knows, maybe we can move forward and develop a comprehensive plan that works for all americans. >> so hhs officials announced a surge of web traffic to healthcare.gov saying more than a million people visited the site on monday and former president bill clinton also spoke about the law yesterday saying its legacy will not be impacted as long as its flaws are fixed. >> if the computer problems are all fixed and it's up and running and healthy in the next several weeks, i this i that the damage will be minimal. when problem passed a bill to provide drug cover annual to senior citizens under the medicare program, it was more unpopular when it was passed and there were lots of problems in the beginning with the computers. >> so the effects would be a men mum? >> if it's fixed, that would be right. if it's worked through, i think in four or five months, people will be talking about it entirely differently and no one will want to repeal this law. they want it to work. >> you remember in 2004 when medicare part d passed, we had this same coverage and all because it was just so bad and they had the same problem, george bush had press conferences and they were -- oh, wait, that didn't happen. that's right, democrats are making that up. >> okay. >> the only thing involved in medicare part d is who was going to pay for it. >> the only thing is that the republicans that passed a $7 trillion drug benefit plan without a single, paying for a single dime along with the democrats, they held the vote up three weeks that's all i remember. they don't have to make stories up. i know some of them like to do that. oh, medicare part d was just as bad. >> you sound like bill clinton. >> it wasn't. it said, stop insulting us. >> look at how smart this is. the president will be doing a town hall with chris matthews live i believe at marine university. tomorrow. they're trying. the setting is interesting. because, obviously, the president is appealing to those young people who they want signed up four. >> they need them. >> i think that's a great idea for the president. chris matthews. >> we will be watching. for all of his viewers. i wonder if they moved that show. they used to have it at 2:45. >> watted down. now. >> it was like regis. >> it's on fire. >> the millionaire. they did it every night. >> vint annual matthews. we get it -- vintage matthews. we get it every night. coming up on "morning joe," house whip tom cole joins us and zeke emanuel. maybe zeke will ask his brother to call me one day. he only calls when you call. you know what i mean? a phone call and some shoeles. we'll talk to the co-founder of aol steve case and from columbia, juan manuel santos. first here's bill kierans. oh. >> hey. >> ho. >> is that real? >> that is the comcast. >> isn't that a screen behind him. are you lying? >> good morning. what did you say? >>. >> are you really in front of the tree? >> no, it's a beautiful tree. >> can you walk up and touch it? >> good god. this will go on forever. >> you guys set this up to me on a tee, i want to show you what the trees looked leak going back to 1934 and in 1937 during the depression. look at that tree. this tree evolved into a huge spectacle here. tonight at 8:00 the tree lighting will gen, the ceremony and the performers will be here the forecast could not be better. 50 degrees. cloudy, warm. no problems with the wind. congratulations on that forecast for the big event tonight. in the mid-west, a different story tonight. we got travel trouble all over the place. heavy snow is developing. the morning rush hour in minneapolis should be having heavy snow, cold temperatures. the snow is moving closer to the denver area. we are expecting a snowstorm as we go through the afternoon hours. possibility of 6 to 12 inches of snow. so the forecast. this is a little snowstorm and then a huge arctic plunge right behind it. watch the temperatures. tomorrow's high in denver is 7. dallas, you will be in the 60s, drop into the 40s. by the time we get to friday, dallas will be 32. you will be scraping ice in the morning. chicago, st. louis, kansas city, all those areas in between will be dealing with the next arctic blast. we are talking record cold temperatures in the areas of the northern plains. the folks are hardy. montana, through the rockies. eventually, this mess does make it to the east coast. mostly as rain. friday will be difficult in the ohio valley with travel. rain will move to the eastern seabird by the time we get to friday and saturday, we will exit for cold weekend. >> that arctic blast moves coast to coast. tonight the tree lighting at 30 rock. you are watching "morning joe.". . >> it's time now to take a look at the morning papers. the "wall street journal." vice president joe biden is in chosen this morning trying to smooth over growing tensions in the region. ability an hour ago, he held a meeting with chosen's president, who was supposed to focus on trade. >> that has been overshadowed sense china expanded its airspace into territory disputed by japan. >> this is a san francisco chronicle. they are on pace for its best sales year sense 2007. great news. experts seized 15 million vehicles in october. chrysler is leading the pack. their sales are up 16%. >> new york teams. news week announced it will return to print early next year after ending publication last year. the magazine is struggling to address to the digital age and was the kwon verted to an online publication by its prior owner the daily boast. ibt media purchased newswoke in august to pay for the move. it hopes to expand circulation to 100,000 readers during its first year back on shelves. >> and the usa today sales for sony's play station 4 topped 2 million world wide andrew scarborough. after three weeks on the market in north america the gaming console is now selling in 32 other countries and it's going to hit the shelves in japan early next 84. in its first day alone, sony sold more than 1 million units making it the company's fastest selling console every. >> new york post, billy joel and madison square garden have announced that the music icon will play a series of monthly concerts at the historic venue for as much as there is demand. the vegas style residency which kicks off january 27ing will be the first in history for both the garden and joel. the first four shows are already sold out. joel has played at the garden a total of 46 times. >> wow. >> dating back to 1978. >> i'm getting a lot of credit here for how good i'm supposed to be, but i think a good