tonight. joining us now, there were other gop candidates will be campaigning as well. jacob? >> reporter: it would seem that donald trump knows that this will work for him. he points in his comments to 2008 when hillary clinton brought in her husband and he points out that she lost then. he seems to believe that now, bringing in' bill clinton is not a winning strategy for hillary. he's saying it's fair game and he thinks this will work for him. we believe and we have said many times that attacking bill clinton may be helpful in the short term but in a general election, it's yet to be seen if donald trump becomes the nominee, if this will work for him. we do know it's crunch time in iowa. this is the time after the holidays -- the trump campaign has said they are aiming for 48,000 caucus goers. that is an enormous number. trump is speaking tonight at an event. [ inaudible ] of course we are waiting on those events today. >> certainly a lot to watch there with trump versus clinton. we have rubio versus bush and on the side as well, chris christie. jacob, thanks so much. want to bring in a former clinton white house advisor and writer for "the new yorker." appreciate you being with us. talking about trump's hits on bill clinton. i want to read to you on the other side what a lot of people may agree with. columnist ruth marcus writes in the "washington post" saying clinton's past is indeed fair game. trump has smeared women because of their looks. clinton has preyed on them in a workplace setting where he was by far the superior. that is uncomfortable for clinton supporters but it is unavoidably true. does she have a fair point when it comes to that comparison? >> well, i don't think so. i think that people realize that hillary clinton is on the ballot, she has a record. she is her own person. she has a lot of accomplishments and a lot she wants to do for this country. >> but we will see him at campaign events in new hampshire, solo, on his own starting next week. >> i think she is bringing her husband much like barack obama brought in bill clinton because he has a reputation and a record for being first of all one of the most respected figures in the country, if not the world, but more importantly, one of the best campaigners ever. i think people pretty much acknowledge that he single-handedly rescued the obama campaign with his convention speech in 2012 and perhaps is probably the person most responsible for barack obama's re-election. so he is a good person to bring in to campaign for you but i think people realize that they are not voting for bill clinton. they will decide whether or not they support hillary. >> they want to know what he has to say and if he will go on the attack against donald trump as well. but you bring up how he saved barack obama 2012. let's go four years earlier, bill clinton did a stump for hillary. do you think president clinton can be a better proxy this time around? if you think back in 2008 and some may say that kind of backfired when he was helping her there and aligning with the obama campaign. when you think of it back four years, some may say this may actually hurt them, actually. >> i think that campaigns are full of surprises. a lot was going on in 2008. bill clinton is pretty much acknowledged as the best campaigner there is. i think clearly what mr. trump is trying to do here is trying to inject in the republican primary race with his kind of right wing fringe supporters an element that may be attractive to them but in a general election, bill clinton is very popular, hillary clinton is very popular and these kind of tactics won't work in the general election. they may work in a republican primary. i think also that mr. trump is becoming a little unhinged, quite frankly. i think you saw some of this in his debate with jeb bush. >> the polls don't reflect that. we see him still in the polls, still popular as we have seen him. >> the republicans generally who for eight years now have stood for -- have been the party of no, have been the party of running against women, some of this may be attractive and some of this may be what the republican party has wanted and what all these republicans have done. none of them are really pro -- are advocating pro-women policies, policies that would help the middle class. hillary clinton is the only one who is really advancing a sound group of policies like this. but i think these tactics will not work. i think that they will not be a distraction in the general election and while they may help mr. trump's poll numbers in the short term, with republicans on the right, they will not work. >> we appreciate the perspective and continue to watch, especially as we will see bill clinton there on the trail in the following week. as always, thank you for the perspective and being with us. nbc news political editor kerri dann joins us. you heard it's not going to work, and as far as bill clinton stepping up it will definitely be effective. how can he do that and dodge the issues at stake when we are hearing from ruth's article saying you know what, fair game? it's a point. >> reporter: i don't think that it's surprising that donald trump is taking this tack. if you look inside his poll numbers he has a big problem with women, particularly independent and moderate women. there's a big gap in general election matchups between him and hillary clinton. he's saying things about hillary clinton that have been widely interpreted as sexist. the clinton campaign is probably more than happy to counter those or to highlight those comments, trying to gain the sympathy of those moderate women. donald trump by saying this is trying to bring up the battle of the sexual allegations against bill clinton to remind voters who might be on the fence about the clinton administration of those battle times in the '90s but as it keeps being said over and over again, bill clinton is very popular with the general electorate, one of the most popular possible surrogates on either side of the aisle right now. 65% of the general public in a march poll gave bill clinton a thumbs up, only 26% gave him a thumbs down. in a general electorate he remains a very very effective surrogate. the clinton campaign will be more than happy to have him out there for them. >> we will see how the race will change with clinton out there. also with more money out there when it comes to donald trump and what he's sinking in, especially saying he is under budget when it comes to $35 million and fox news quoting unnamed sources as far as saying that they will soon be spending at least $2 million per week on advertising. today they have only spent $217,000 on radio ads. you give the amount that jeb bush has spent, the $40 million plus there and marco rubio, how is that going to change the dynamic of this race with this money being sunk in by donald trump? >> reporter: this is donald trump acting for a change like kind of a traditional republican candidate if he is to spend this kind of money. it is worth noting, though, that $2 million a week sounds loik a lot of money but it's really putting him on parity with what the rival campaigns are spending, jeb bush and his affiliated super pac, marco rubio and his super pac are spending more than $2 million a week. so donald trump is sort of just getting up to parity if he is to spend money. really what is noteworthy about these numbers with donald trump is that yeah, he has spent less than $220,000 just on radio ads and yet has remained at the very, very top of the polls over and over. this is going to be a change of tune if he actually follows through and spends money on the air waves. >> it will be interesting to watch to see what the ads are going to be like. as always, thank you very much. >> we are staying on this topic when it comes to the pulse question. it focuses on donald trump and the new wave of controversial comments against former president bill clinton. we are asking you at home to weigh in. is bill clinton's past fair game in the 2016 campaign? the pulse is live so log on to pulse.msnbc.com. let us know what you think within the next couple hours. we will share responses. we are following breaking news out of texas, where the tarrant county d.a. sheriff just addressed the future of the affluenza teen, ethan couch. couch and his mother were caught in puerto vallarta, mexico after several days on the run. couch got probation for a drunk driving incident that killed four people and after extradition from mexico, the d.a. wants the case moved to adult court. >> it is an anomaly of texas law that if we reduce his juvenile sentence, he would stay in a juvenile facility until his 19th birthday which is april 11th of next year. our request of the court is going to be to transfer his probation to the adult court and deal with him in the adult system. >> nbc's gabe gutierrez is covering this story for us from ft. worth, texas. what more do we know about the circumstances leading up to the arrest? >> reporter: good afternoon. yes, as you mention, authorities here in texas describe that ethan couch and his mother are now in mexican custody. there are reports circulating citing mexican officials that he could be brought back very soon. authorities here in texas did not want to get into the exact details of how they tracked him down, but here's what we know. he went missing about two weeks or so and the fbi and u.s. marshal's service were brought in to find him. mexican authorities say they began their investigation over the last several days, actually on saturday, and that couch and his mother were picked up at 6:00 p.m. on monday in the resort town of puerto vallarta, and that they failed to prove their legal status. now, again, that exact timetable for when he might be extradited or deported, we are still trying to find out more details on that. now, this case drew worldwide attention back in 2013. couch was convicted of killing four people following or during a drunk driving crash near ft. worth. his blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit and he only got ten years probation. that's what a judge gave him following that conviction, and that prompted widespread outrage, especially on social media. now, couch -- authorities today said that couch's mother could also face additional charges for hindering apprehension and again, we are waiting to see when he and his -- couch and his mother are returned here to the united states. back to you. >> nbc's gabe gutierrez, thank you very much. want to bring in msnbc senior legal correspondent ari melber who joins me in this case. so many fascinating twists and turns, number one he got off, he was lenient because he was a kid who was too spoiled to know right from wrong. that in itself. he takes off, we find him in mexico. how does that come into play? >> he's got a violation of probation, you don't need to be a lawyer to know fleeing to mexico when you are on probation, not allowed. potentially extra charges related to fleeing. then his mom, this first on msnbc, his mom also going to be facing these charges for helping him flee. that can carry up to one to ten years in jail under texas law. a lot to chew on. people think sometimes between christmas and new year's is a slow news day. this is a case we have been following for over a year and it splo exploded today. >> break down the factor of his age. we have the d.a. asking in the press conference saying we are going to request that the judge move him up into adult court. how does that factor in? >> that's a big deal. gabe gutierrez has been reporting on this from us. we just heard from him. basically you have a situation because it was originally a minor, this is separate from how lenient they were which a lot of people criticized. it's not unusual to take a minor and keep them in the juvie court system. basically he was under probation in juvenile court. in texas, that means under most crimes for a juvenile, they would be out roughly at the age of 19 no matter what. that would mean the d.a. was frustrated by this, if they left things as they were, even with this new probation violation, even with them catching him at today's press conference he might get out after just serving a few months. >> four months, i think. >> four people died in this accident and he fled to mexico. they are saying no way do we let that stand. they want to find a way to transfer him into adult court which a judge can do. i spoke to a former lubbock, texas prosecutor on this story today who said yeah, a judge can move him into adult court where he can face ten years. >> just even the side tidbits that they found him in that video, his hair was what appeared to be dyed and the video of the beer pong right before, that good-bye party. a lot to factor in as we follow this case. june 19th is the next court -- >> that's right. the next thing i will say in fairness, with regard to the new charges, innocent until proven guilty. with regard to the old charges, the serious manslaughter, he pled guilty to that. so we know that he said he did that. the question is now will he finally go to jail. he's avoided that for a long time in a way that upset a lot of people. >> we will see when they get back to the united states and the court hearing happens later in january. thank you. ari melber, thank you. breaking news out of missouri. 13 flood-related deaths have now been confirmed. a record crest is expected along the mississippi river thursday. flood waters have started spilling over a levee protecting a missouri town of west alton. the mayor is ordering anyone who hasn't evacuated to get out. about 520 people live in the town 20 miles north of st. louis where the mississippi and missouri rivers converge. of course, we will stay on top of this and update you as it warrants here on msnbc. sure, tv has evolved over the years. it's gotten squarer. brighter. bigger. it's gotten thinner. even curvier. but what's next? for all binge watchers. movie geeks. sports freaks. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. want to go back to that breaking news we are following out of missouri. a call for evacuations in west alton north of st. louis, where about 520 people live in that town about 20 miles north of st. louis. that's the area where the mississippi and missouri rivers converge. the governor of missouri will be holding a news conference in a few hours to update the situation here, especially given the weather that they have been having there. we understand there have now been 13 flood-related deaths out of missouri that have been confirmed. you are looking at images of what they are dealing with here as much of the midwest and the southwest dealing with these weather issues and even the northeast. specifically in this area. i want to bring in st. charles county executive steve ellman who is on the phone. i appreciate your being with us. i know you are having to attend to a lot. we are looking at these images here. tell us the situation with the crest that's expected along the mississippi river this week and the evacuations that are happening as a result. >> well, people have been leaving west alton for several days now. for those who don't know, west alton is right at the confluence of the missouri and mississippi rivers so it's usually in a position to get flooding from both rivers. right now, the main problem is the mississippi. people, while people have been evacuating, the farmers have been trying to move their grain. in fact, i just got off the phone a few minutes ago with the highway department to make sure that even when the roads close for automobiles that grain trucks are able to still get through, because obviously, you've got a year of work in those grain elevators down there and now people are forced to get their grain out of there and get it to market or lose everything. >> absolutely. that is their livelihood, you mentioned a year's work, everything leading up to that and getting in those vehicles, those grain trucks. but the priority is to keep people safe. it's astounding, the video we are watching with the businesses, the homes, all submerged, all under water here. what is the concern right now and how are you fanning out to make sure that number one, the evacuations are taking place but number two, the people who cannot get out, the elderly, those who are sick, are being attended to and helped? >> well, our police department is on the scene. it's a lot better now than it used to be in the past when people now have cell phones and ways to communicate in an emergency but i'm sure we will be sending boats out and rescuing people who didn't quite get away. the thing, the important thing here is really the good thing is unfortunately, these people, this is not their first rodeo. it's not their first flood. unfortunately, they have to go through this i would say in the last 30 years, they have been through this six times. so they know the drill. and generally, everything goes well but if it doesn't, we have emergency people available to assist them and we pray they won't be needed. >> hopefully that's the case. very quickly, are there nearby counties helping out to house people who have nowhere to go? >> we have evacuation plans. we are working with the red cross and other agencies to find places for people to stay. a lot of them are simply going to higher ground and staying with friends and relatives. >> all right. st. charles, missouri county executive, hopefully this is the worst it will get and you guys have a smooth evacuation as far as these things go and helping everybody get out and keeping everybody safe. appreciate your time. thank you. >> okay. still to come, breaking news in the fight against isis. the pentagon reveals a key isis leader with a direct link to the paris terror attack was killed in a christmas eve air strike. >> al mouadan was actively planning additional attacks against the west. >> also, chicago officer jason van dyke arraigned in the shooting death of laquan mcdonald. how did he plead? we will update you when we come back. ...new technology for capturing co2 emissions... ...and cars twice as efficient as the average car today. ideas exxonmobil scientists are working on to make energy go further... ...no matter how many tries it takes. energy lives here. in the culture that we're living in, just over the weekend, a chicago police officer just killed a young man and an innocent lady. shot the lady through the door. you have to have some sense of comfortability within yourself to believe that you can do this without any kind of recourse from your actions. >> that was the uncle of 17-year-old laquan mcdonald earlier today in chicago. the police officer charged in his death pleaded not guilty today to first degree murder. jason van dyke has been free on $1.5 million bond since november 30th. he is shown on dash cam video shooting mcdonald 16 times in october 2014. his attorney has said van dyke feared for his life and that the video doesn't tell the whole story. msnbc's sarah dallof is in chicago with more on what happened in court today and what's next in the case. >> reporter: good afternoon. it was a quick arraignment. a judge was assigned and another hearing set for january 29th after officer van dyke pleaded not guilty to six counts of first degree murder and one count of official misconduct. afterwards, he was rushed into a waiting car flanked by his supporters. his attorney, however, hung back to talk about the possibility of requesting a change of venue. >> this is a case that we're certainly going to explore every possibility that we have which gives my client the best opportunity for a fair trial and if we make the decision that a change of venue is something needed in order for my client to get a fair trial, then we will absolutely explore that option. >> reporter: previously, van dyke's attorney had cited comments b