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Programming notes

*** Thursday’s “The Daily Rundown” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on JFK’s legacy since his assassination fifty years ago today; Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) on the Senate’s decision to change filibuster rules on presidential nominations; NBC’s Michael Isikoff on tensions regarding the U.S. drone program; and our gaggle for this Friday, the AP’s Liz Sidoti, ATR’s Mattie Duppler and American Bridge’s Rodell Mollineau wrap-up this big news week.

*** Thursday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: Guests include Phyllis Hall, former nurse, Parkland Memorial Hospital; Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico; Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times; Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-VT; Holly Millea, Author, “Seven Seconds: Memories of the JFK Assassination, the Tragedy that Changed America”; Daniella Gibbs Leger, Democratic Strategist;; Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker; Robert Traynham, MSNBC Contributor; Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-VT

*** Thursday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviews Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) on the senate going nuclear and what it means for President Obama’s 2nd term agenda.  JFK Witness Tina Towner-Pender joins to discuss what she say the day President Kennedy was assassinated.  JFK Author Larry Sabato and Presidential historian Michael Beschloss will join to discuss how the nation has changed since the day Kennedy died.  Actor Gary Sinise will talk about what he’s doing to help our nation’s veterans.  And Today’s Agenda Panel includes:  Salon.com’s Joan Walsh, Roll Calls Shira Center, and The Root’s Corey Dade.

*** Thursday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith, Huffington Post’s Ryan Grim, NBC’s Tom Brokaw, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, and author Jon Meacham.

*** Thursday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: The show will be carrying the JFK Anniversary ceremony from Dallas.  Andrea will be joined by NBC’s Tom Brokaw, NBC Presidential historian Michael Beschloss, Presidential Biographer Robert Caro, Fmr. Sen. Tom Daschle and Author Bob Huffaker.

*** Thursday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, Politico’s Reid Epstein, and Conrad Tao who composed a symphony in memory of JFK for The Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

*** Saturday’s“UP w/ Steve Kornacki” line-up:  November 23rd, 1963. It was President Johnson’s first full day in office – we’ll examine how a nearly defeated vice president led his party to multiple political victories within his first year in office. And forget trying to win an election, how 2014 is now about fighting not to lose. Steve’s panel includes Lynn Sweet with the Chicago Sun-Times, former Republican WH aide Joe Watkins, The Daily Beast’s Jamelle Bouie and msnbc’s Karen Finney. Gossip…undercover videos… veepstakes…that’s how some analysts broke down what happened in the 2102 election. But did any of it matter? Is politics a science or an art? We’ll talk with political scientists John Sides and Sasha Issenberg about whether statistical analysis can explain how the race was won. And why is America obsessed with Toronto Mayor Rob Ford? We’ll ask a Canadian. Plus, a special edition of America's fastest-growing, abbreviated, made-for-basic-cable politics and/or current events quiz show, Up Against the Clock! It’s the Battle of the Network Stars! The Stars of “Disrupt w Karen Finney”, “Weekends w Alex Witt” and 25% of the star power of “The Cycle” will battle it out!

*** Saturday’s “MSNBC Live Weekends” line-up at 2pmET: Betty Nguyen fills in for Craig Melvin and her guests include The Atlantic’s Molly Ball, The Washington Post’s Reid Wilson, the Lexington Herald-Leader’s Sam Youngman, Fmr. WFAA radio reporter Pierce Allman, Fmr. KRLD police reporter Bob Huffraker, former Dallas Deputy Sheriff Eugene Boone, Washington Post’s Dana Milbank, Republican strategist Mercedes Schlapp, Prof. Larry Sabato of the UVA Center for Politics, syndicated columnist Bob Franken, the American Military Partner Association’s Chris Rowzee, and Harvard undergraduates Nikhil Mehandru and Alydaar Rangwala

*** Sunday’s “UP w/ Steve Kornacki” line-up: What if going nuclear isn’t enough? Is our political system ready for this kind of change? msnbc’s Steve Kornacki and his panel will talk with Senator Richard Blumenthal about what this filibuster change means.  Every once in a while a politician will catch his or her party’s attention by communicating a message no one else can. Steve sits down with former democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana about the way he governed and what’s next for him.  And speaking of governors….do they really make better leaders? We’ll examine if this is true. Sunday’s case study? California Governor Jerry Brown. It was bad enough stores were opening at the crack of dawn on “Black Friday.”’ But now we learn Steve, if he’s going to get the best deal, is going to have to get up after his turkey and stuffing coma to buy his staff presents on Thursday? We’re talking about it all with Salon’s Joan Walsh, John Stanton of Buzzfeed.com, TalkingPointsMemo.com’s Sahil Kapur, April Ryan with American Urban Radio Networks and Congressman John Yarmuth from Kentucky.

*** Sunday’s “MSNBC Live Weekends” line-up at 2pmET (change of hours for this weekend):  Craig Melvin’s guests include Politico’s Jonathan Allen, Reuters’ David Rohde, The Grio’s Perry Bacon, bioethics professor Mark Rothstein, Obesity Action Coalition’s Ted Kyle, Marquette University Law School Prof. J. Gordon Hylton, GiveDirectly’s Michael Faye, and Abraham Bolden, the first African-American on the White House Secret Service detail.