Who we want to be over the next 15 years and for decades to come. Will we accept an economy will only a few of us do spectacularly well . Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who marks the effort . The list of economic proposals alone was long. Everything from tax reform to new tax cred ises to help for klemp. He also added calls for new trade deals and new medical initiatives to help cure diseases like cancer and diabetes and greater Internet Access for everyone. One place where he did not signal much change was in the fight with americas enemies. We will continue to hunt down terrorists and dismantle their networks and we reserve the right to act unilaterally as we have done relentlessly since i took office to take off terrorists who pose a threat to us and our allies. Another big part of the president s address was calling for new cooperation with the republicancontrolled congress, but he also warned the gop that he would not back down from a fight. We cant put the security of families at risk by taking away their Health Insurance, or unraveling the up in rules on wall street. Or refighting past battles on immigration when weve got to fix a broken system. And if a bill comes to my desk that tries to do any of these things, i will veto it. It will have earned my veto. Chuck todd is nbcs political director and moderator of meet the press. He joins me now. As a matter of fact im in your set of meet the press. Always a pleasure to see you. Thats good. What were your takeaways from last night . Look i go back to the most surprising part of the state of the union he gave. A kpanstyle outlining an agenda rather than sort of the postelection feel that you get in a postelection yeartype state of the union. This is normally the odd number state of the unions this is where you can get legislation passed, even ones set up the campaign fight. This one felt that way and the other part of it the president almost seemed to embrace the fact this is the last one that he has to own the stage. Yes, hell have another state of the union he deliver, but that in the midst of a president ial campaign. This one, all right, im going to use this moment to take to take credit and validate some parts of my presidency but also sort of leave a marker here for the Democratic Party to carry forward. So it had that feel as well. Some of the folks i was talking to a lot of people in telemundo last night, for example, he didnt emphasize immigration. He said essentially i took action. If you want to take the ball do so but im not backing down. The white house would sap the reason they that he acted on immigration. This is something that is a little bit of a red flag to some republicans, though no use taunting them if youre trying to work with them on other issues. So i get what he chose to sort of leave it more out than he did in. It certainly was a very small part. Yeah. I think he mentioned immigrants once. Yes. No, and well again, they would argue. Right. He acted. Talk about the things you think can be done can be accomplished with a republicancontrolled capital . Well, i would say this. Its all the smauter thing ersmaller thing. Trade, republicans clapped there and sometimes trade deals break up geographically more so than politically, where folks from the coasts end up being more free traders, whether democrats or republicans. I think of all the little proposals to help working families, i think the one for child care tax credit is one that seemed to already have bipartisan support and a new war authorization i think youll get there. The most surprising response i have to say from republicans ive heard this morning that makes me think maybe tax reform is possible was from paul ryan on morning joe. Much more conciliatory than any other partisan leader. Not a lot of republicans agree, but also like you can tell paul ryan who is probably the single most important republican, if youre the president , to deal with, because taxes go through paul ryan and trade deals go through paul ryan and if hes going to do any big things in 2015, paul ryans going to have to be by his side as that signing ceremony. The fact that paul ryan acknowledges that and was reaching back thats not an insignificant development this morning. Dont be surprised if paul rye ryan has something to do with immigration . Listening to him you can almost see the burden of not being a president ial candidate totally off his shoulders. Saying all right, i want to do things in tax reform. We wont raise taxes on the wealthy but doesnt mean we cant work something out. His line. Sounded like a guy who wants to cut deals, and without the burden of worrying about Party Politics you can do that. And the president had pretty were punchy lines last night. Heres what may have been the best one. I have no more campaigns to run. My only agenda i know, because i won both of them. How do you think, chuck that played . One of those that not scripted by the way. Obviously unscripted. One he was responding to somebody in the audience. By the way, i mean and this is this is society as a whole. It is a amazing how we dont sit still anymore anywhere as a country collectively. Even members of congress cant sit still and be quiet during a onehour speech but he was obviously responding to something. You wonder if on tv to people that were opponents of the president , they probably thought, oh hes being cocky or Something Like thats one of those lines that may not play as well on television and it may have played in the room. Supporters loved it. Exactly. Like, give it to them. They want to see that. Do you want to see that at a state of the union . But talk about the larger message, right . That was a big chunk of the speech debt kade to the polarization and gridlock, which is, the president sort of taking some ownership is not the right word but acknowledging that many thought hed be the guy to break this and acknowledging it isnt broken. He has yet to break the sort of gridlock in here. He didnt take the blame but wanted washington to change its ways. Good rhetoric. The question is what actions does he back it up with in order to change this. Chuck todd. Thanks for let us borrow your set. I love it. Its only on a lease for me too, anyway. Right . Were all on leases. Right . Thats right. Turning to a Foreign Policy issue and a developing situation in yemen, home to some of the most dangerous terrorists in the worlds where things are going from bad to worse. Shiite rebels have taken control of a military base and a stockpile of Ballistic Missiles following the news theyve surrounded the home and office of the president of yemen tightening their grip on that nation. Im joined by middle east policy adviser, ambassador good to see you. What the heck happens this week there . Well, ill tell you, if you want to get confused, just put yemen on the map. The situation there is more complicated largely because not only is the president ial palace been surrounded by shiite rebels, but you layer over it jose another sunni shiite conflict with proxy saudi arabia the sunni power sashgs porting the sunni insurgency against the houth i rebels. Its based in yemen and from aqap that almost all of the successful inspired attacks against the homeland in the United States have occurred. And the minute that yemen descends out of control, it provides that Fertile Ground again for aqap to be resurgent throughout that country. And lets talk a little more about thats this is not a new situation. The United States has played a part in trying to keep the government in place, and its been very fragile for many years now. Indeed. After the overthrow of president saleh, a dictator sanctioned by the United Nations for supporting the Houthi Rebels for gaining power. The president hadi under house arrest by the Houthi Rebels on the basis to attack aqap and mount a largely successful antiterrorist campaign against al qaeda in yemen. Ambassador, always a pleasure. Thanks for being with me this morning. And developing now on the rundown, terror on the streets of tel aviv. A palestinian man accused of stabbing at least 11 people on a bus including the driver. Four seriously hurt the other minor. Officials saw the suspect running from the bus and shot him in the leg before taking him into custody. The 23yearold man entered israel illegally a few days ago. Time to turn to weather. And a clipper system thats bringing a blast of winter to the midwest and northeast. Heres a live look outside right here in washington, d. C. Where were expecting a rainsnow mix today. The system is already dropping light snow in minneapolis and cleveland and could be Good Practice for a larger front coming over the weekend. Nbc news bill karins is here with all the details. Bill, good morning. What can you tell us . Good morning to you, jose. Looks like winter is back. An active period over the next ten days starting with a clipper system today. A bad morning commute. Pittsburgh and cleveland especially. The real big storm is going to come, looks like on saturday. Get into the maps. Show you the pittsburgh area at 31 with snow. Moderately to heavys in cleveland. A quick two inches there. Later heads towards the delmarva and chesapeake. I dont expect a lot in of d. C. Area especially the beltway. Too warm. Baltimore and philly snow accumulating even on roads. Probably two inks in baltimore. Three around dover it city. Hardly anything in new york city a coating. Talk about the next storm, right now in new motion coe. Heavy snow. The mots of new mexico and icy stuff in north texas the next two days. That storm by saturday developing and rapidly strengthening right off the North Carolina coastline and a classic noreaster looks like. The question, how far will the rain snow be pushed inland . The further inland obviously the higher the amounts will be. Still question marks but a possibility for six to ten inches for someone especially in areas of new england and another storm after that jose on tuesday. A mostly snowstorm. Ohio valley to the northeast and then after that brutally colds in the east. Looks like we had a january thaw across the country. Thats over. Now were get toing right back into the grips of winter the next two weeks. Bill thank you. Always a pleasure to see you. Just Getting Started on this wednesday edition of the rundown. After the break, the president s firm stance on cuba. He laid it out last night. Talking to both sides on the issue and a historic trip to havana. President obama took the opportunity to welcome former cuban prisoner alan gross. And after years in prison we are overjoyed that alan gross is back where he belongs. Welcome home alan. Were glad youre here. Me, and i love it. But when i started having back pain my sister had to come help. I dont like asking for help. I took tylenol but i had to take six pills to get through the day. So my daughter brought over some aleve. Its just two pills, all day and now, im back aleve. Two pills. All day strong, all day long. And now introducing aleve pm for a better am. Ah, push it. Push it. P. Push it real good ow oooh baby baby. Baby baby. If youre saltnpepa, you tell people to push it. Push it real good. Its what you do. Ah. Push it. If you want to save fifteen percent or more on Car Insurance you switch to geico. Its what you do. Ah. Push it. Im pushing. Im pushing it real good on cuba we are ending a policy that was long past its explanation date. Xrags expiration date. When what youre doing more than 50 years doesnt work, its time to try something new. And calling on congress to end the regime. After five years held captive by that regime alan gross. On the ground in havana cubans keeping a close eye on the president s address. Gabe gutierrez smoke to onepoke to one couple after they watched. We are realistic. We know this will take time. Its a long history of mistrust. We need to overcome all that and not mistrust baufr because its mistrust its base and real facts. We need to overcome that. We need to try to be good neighbors. Joining me now from havanas gabe gutierrez. Good morning. Reporter jose, good morning. You spent time with this couple, by the way, its unusual that the island watched an american president give a state of the Union Address on national governmentcontrolled tv . Reporter right. Well, the cuban people watched that on a ven venezuelan laced network. They saw it as a possible sign. Of course that view is not universally shared. While they were happy to see alan gross getting a standing ovation from much of the xham chamber, people like senator rubio did flot stand up and Speaker Boehner, they brought their own guests to the state of the union and were prominent opponents of the castro regime. The dissident john boehner brought, the shift is inn policy will no nothing but prop up the castro government. However, the people weve spoke to near havana the word were hearing, hopeful the solicit in u. S. cuban relations might help the countries and bring more prosperity after decades of just a very difficult relationship filled with mistrust jose. Yeah. Gabe gutierrez from havana. Thank you. See you in the next half hour. In this program, actually speaking to that former political prisoner that was in capitol hill yesterday listening to the president s state of the union. He spent 17 years in a cuban prison. Let me bring in executive director of cuban democracy advocacy with me this morning. Good morning. Good morning, jose. Youre the eder of it the blog capitol hill cubans. The reaction to the address in the form of the headline the state of cuba the deal is not strong. What did you mean . The president missed a historic opportunity. Right there he had two important guests. A 25yearold, daughter of murdered prodemocracy leader and the political prisoner you mentioned, spent years in prison. Think of these as cubas nelson mandelas. Instead of pitching congress to embrace a dictatorship what the president is doing, should have embraced this young, flu gen new generation of democracy leaders. The president s speech given was translated into cuba. Could have had historic opportunity to call for the freedom and human rights of the cuban people yet he chose not to in his paragraph speech about cuba. Thats a huge missed opportunity. Moreover wait. Hold on. Let me interrupt you, if i could. One of the things the president did and quoted the pope saying in diplomacy, small steps eventually make something good happen, and he referred to the embargo, which he asked for congress to essentially rescind last night. He said after 54 years when something doesnt work its time to try something new. Two clear, distinct proposals the president talked about last night. Yes. The fact is the result after 50 years of sanctions, the result after the demise of the soviet union and now venezuelas imminent economic collapse cuba is a bankrupt dictatorship. A good thing. If we want to see it become one of the ploeft lucrative dictatorships in Human History like chinas or vietnams right here in our western hemisphere i think the spread on the wrong side of history. In regards to small steps takes two to tangle. Were seeing on the eve of this historic negotiation with cuba the first thing thats happened unannounced a russian intelligence ship has just been docked in the port of havana. In a sign of lack of good faith on the part of the castro dictatorship. Throughout this entire negotiation the release of political prizsoners on the list of 53 negotiated some have already been rearrested. Seen any political prisoners. Were seeing a cuban regime laughing at us. The Administration Says even if three are rearrested that makes 48 free today that werent before december or the 18 months that they spent in negotiating this deal in secret. In other words small steps, if something just to repeat the question, if something doesnt work after 54 years, isnt it time to try something new . Yes. The huge step is throughout the negotiations 13,000 cubans were arrested. There was 13,000. Forke is oncus on the question, if you would. I am focusing on the question. Okay. Go ahead, sorry. I am focusing on the question and the point is as i repeated later, what you have today in cuba a little socially bankrupt dictatorship. A good thing. We want to see a change to the markets in cuba. By the United States substituting what is the income of what was the former soviet union now venezuela and helping create a wealthy dictatorship weve soon and successful quote unquote policies in china and vietnam not brought the market in human rights thats a great mystique in our western hemisphere. That is a huge historic blunder i think history will show for the president. Thank you for being with me. Appreciate your time. Thank you, jose. And were going to be joined in the next hour by Speaker Boehners guest last night. Two major voices on the issue of cuba. Coming up zooming through some of todays other top stories including terror charges in paris. Plus traffic is finally flowing after a major collapse in cincinnati. Details, next. Edward jones. With nearly 7 million investors oh hey, neill, how are you . Youd expect us to have a highly skilled call center. Kevin, neill holleys on line one. Ok, great. And we do. Its how edward jones makes sense of investing. 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