john: i'm john heilemann. mark: and i'm mark halperin. "with all due respect" to fifa's sepp blatter, you can count on our support for the right price. ♪ mark: on the show tonight, the music man -- bernie sanders faces the music and the ed gillespie musical. first, the latest news from the indicted former house speaker, dennis hastert of illinois. several news organizations reporting he allegedly paid a younger male hush money to conceal sexual misconduct that occurred during his time as a high school wrestler coach and teacher in illinois. not much new being reported today.

lots of unanswered questions. john, where is this story going next? john: i think it is rapidly going towards the place where we are going to know everything that actually occurred. we know something about the timing from the indictment. it is important to note that what he is accused of -- he was not engaging in the hush money activities during speaker of the house. the activity goes back years before that and we will find out what we wanted to know and didn't want to know about this. mark: a lot of people are talking about the human tragedy involving hastert and this other person. it is what did people know and when did they know it will get a lot of attention regarding his time in the speakership. john: there is no doubt about it. certainly, we will get another look back at the clinton impeachment drama and the personal scandals that enveloped newt gingrich, bob livingston and dennis hastert who the republicans turned to to be

speaker because they thought he was clean. it turns out he was not so clean. history through a revised lens. we've will see that -- we will see that history through a revised lens. mark: when there is an indictment like this, people say they are shocked in politics. your hearing a lot of that today. we will see once more facts become known. john: the presidential candidates should probably form a band. mike huckabee on the bass and martin o'malley on the acoustic guitar. we will add more later. the ex-maryland governor is announcing tomorrow morning in baltimore. this is how he let everyone know -- ♪ john: i give that performance a "b" for style and an "a" for substance. does martin o'malley have a chance of supplanting bernie sanders as the predominant

clinton alternative? mark: i think he does. he is still not very well known. the problem he has is that sanders has outflanked him. sanders has turned out to be the hip and cool candidate and the one most aggressively going after hillary clinton. and he has turned out to be the liberal inheriting the elizabeth warren mantle. o'malley has his work cut out for him. john: we will have our joint scouting report coming out tomorrow. on martin o'malley. we both agree on this. he is a guy that has positioned himself a little to the left of hillary clinton, but not far enough to the left to capture the heart of the far left of the party. he needs an economic platform this is more distinct from hillary clinton and as distinctive as bernie sanders' platform or else he will not have enough of a chance to pick up insurgent votes on the far left. mark: here's the thing about martin o'malley -- he is super talented. there have been almost no days this year where he has shown how talented he is.

there is a reason why bill clinton singled him out years ago as somebody that can be president someday. he has to show that on a regular basis to overtake sanders. john: we have heard a little anecdotal evidence of people being excited in iowa. if it's going to happen for him, it will happen there. he is probably a better fit for iowa than bernie sanders. if he can catch fire there, he could have a chance. mark: speaking of bernie sanders, when he was 30 years old, he wrote an essay called "man and woman" which opened with graphic references to male and female sexual fantasies, including rape and sexual assault. if you want the details, google it. john, many people on the right and some on the left are not really happy with his essay or explanations about what he wrote. are his words are problem and should they be? john: i have read the essay four or five times and i have a tough time making heads or tails of it. it's not clear. his office says it is satire, it is possible it is, but that does not mean it is not a real story. there is no statute of

limitations on presidential politics. i think it is a legitimate story. he should talk about it -- bernie sanders, not his office -- not in a statement or a delayed the dismissal -- or a glib dismissal -- he needs to express this and explain what he was thinking when he wrote this. mark: this is something that if he is going to play in the big leagues he will have to deal with. i suspect if he shows strength there will be stories from rival campaigns on stuff of his past. this essay has generated a lot of conversation in our office today. in politics sometimes you have to just answer questions. he needs to address this himself and say what he was thinking and what he thinks about the things he wrote in the essay. john: i know we both agree about this which is if a republican, any republican candidate wrote an essay like this whether they were 16 years old and high on

dope or whether it was two weeks ago, it would be a huge scandal. so i think we need to hold bernie sanders to the same standard. people need to ask him tough questions. he needs to address it. it is a confusing essay -- there might be some plausible explanation for what he was trying to do being satire, but he has to make that argument himself. mark: what if bill clinton had written that essay? segue to the next topic. john: the great gray lady reports the clinton foundation sent an invoice for $500,000 to a charity that had given bill clinton a lifetime achievement award at a fundraiser. today, the big dog is playing defense and wrote his supporters saying "as you all know, it is the political season in america so the purpose and the impact of the efforts of your support makes possible has been largely ignored in the recent coverage of the foundation." and then laid out the amazing work the foundation has done. which prominent democrat will stand up for the clintons?

how about nancy pelosi? nancy pelosi: the clintons will have to answer for the foundation. but i would imagine president clinton's participation in that event increased the take and the money spent at the foundation is for a very good cause as well. everyone benefited from it. no question, it raises questions that they will have to answer. john: ouch. with friends like that who needs enemies? mark, which of these three developments are the most ominous for hillary and bill clinton? mark: in 2008, nancy pelosi was often not the most supportive of democrats for hillary clinton. i think it is a tie. the new york times and the nancy pelosi thing, because in both cases, you have people speaking out and being critical of the clintons and not helping them in a way that is ominous because if people are not afraid to say what they think and what they know about the clintons' past practices, they will have a tough time emerging as a general election campaign in a strong position.

john: i think it is unequivocally the third story. no doubt. everybody looks at the clinton foundation -- the thing with the charity is sort of shocking. the fact of nancy pelosi not being more would -- being more robust in her defense of the clintons -- she is a canary in the coal mine. if other democrats do not defend them, they have a real problem. mark: their foundations and supporters said more. all right, coming up this weekend, tomorrow night at 6 p.m., our new iowa poll. you will see who is leading the leaderboard on the republican side and who has the biggest potent challenge to hillary clinton in the hawkeye state. again, 6 p.m. tomorrow night. check it out on bloombergpolitics.com. coming up, ed gillespie's triumphant return to the big old electronic public square right

after this. ♪

♪ mark: our guest tonight once upon a time was chairman the -- chairman of the republican national committee and a longtime advisor to many leading republicans, including george bush, mitt romney and john kasich. last year, he was a candidate for the united states senate from virginia. ed gillespie joins us now from our washington bureau. america is used to seeing a lot of you on television. where have you been? ed gillespie: i have been making up for a little bit of lost time with kathy and our children. i have been trying to get a business up and running. i've actually been working on a book. that is why i have been a little scarce and frankly did not have a lot to say. i have been laying low. mark: we will give you a chance to say a bunch of stuff, including about the very large -- unprecedentedly large --

republican presidential field. what is good about having a big field as far as you are concerned with winning back the white house? ed: it reflects the fact it is a nomination worth having. the republican nominee will have a very good chance of becoming the next president. obviously, i believe that is important. it is good to have fresh faces new voices in the party. there is a good back-and-forth over ideas and policies. as far as i'm concerned, the more the merrier. mark: we know you are mr. positive so we will as he does say some positive things about the member of this big field starting with marco rubio. tell is one thing he has done in the last four months that has been positive in his chances of being the next president and what he should do to improve his chances. ed: i think he had a very, very strong announcement and rollout. i hate that term but that is the term that is mostly used. it reflects the fact that marco rubio is somebody who is an incredible messenger in our party, has a great story to tell

and has a grasp on the essence of america. i'm first-generation american like marco is. i think he intuitively grasps the notion of upward mobility and opportunity has a very strong appeal to younger voters. mark: what is something he could do in the next four months to improve his position even more? edit: continue to flesh out policy positions. mark: governor bush? ed: i think his speech at liberty was really thoughtful, very good. other speeches as well. i think he has been giving substantive addresses. he has been setting the pace. mark: what is something he could do going forward to improve more? ed: i think he is someone that people need to get to know him a little better. john: i will ask you about two guys that have hot hands. one is scott walker by some

measures, the republican front-runner. what has he done that is smart to get where he is and what can he do next to put himself in an even better positioned? ed: i think he has done a very good job of adding to his executive credentials and his state record is representing a grasp of policies. he has to continue to build organization and build out on the ground in iowa, new hampshire, south carolina, but -- new hampshire, and south carolina. john: the next guy on the list would be ben carson. what has he done right and what can he do next? ed: he has an ability to tap into a lot of the concerns that so many americans have about the direction of our country. he comes at it from a very different perspective, from someone who has been a governor or senator and has run for office before. i think that is appealing. going forward, he will have to lay out policies, specific

policies. mark: governor huckabee. ed: to me, he is someone that the elites and experts underestimate, always have. i think for governor huckabee, it is important for him to make clear he is an all-around candidate. social issues, economic issues and national security. mark: rand paul, what has he done and what can he do? ed: i think he has done a great job of pushing the party to thing fresh on a number of issues. he has made a strong stand on national security. he is a little crosswise with many in the party. but i think he will do well to also layout his positive agenda which i know he has when it -- john: ted cruz from texas. what has he done right and what will he do next? ed: he has incredible grassroots support. he demonstrated his intellect

and his understanding of the issues. i think that the more people know about ted the person the better that will be for him. john: let's go way outside the senate to carly fiorina. the only woman in the field. what has she done right so far and what does she have to do next? ed: she really has a lot of buzz and generates a lot of enthusiasm. she has a very strong message on the corrosiveness of big government. i think she suffers a bit from the size of the field because she has to make sure that more people understand she is a viable candidate which i believe she is. mark: your friend, the governor of ohio, john kasich. added: he has a great track record obviously. he does have experience to bring to bear here.

for him, it is a matter of -- is he in or not? mark: if he does get in, what does he need to do? ed: at that point, you need to have a big announcement. he needs to have his rationale for candidacy which i think i know what it will be. he has one chance to make a first impression. it is a first impression for a lot of the country and republicans. he needs to get that right. john: back in 2012 and before that, you have been a big advocate for the notion of the republican party broadening its appeal -- hispanics and others -- the party itself seemed to grasp that at the end of 2012. i'm curious whether you think the party has done enough or if it is done anything at all to improve its image with those kind of groups over the course of the year since governor romney lost. ed: parties do not really do that. they can have ideas and theories and have data. candidates do it.

i do see candidates doing that all across -- we have elections in the commonwealth of virginia this year and across the country. i see republican candidates who look more like america today and more closely reflect our growing diversity in our society. more women candidates running which is a good thing for us. and i see candidates taking our message to places that too often republicans have ignored and democrats have taken for granted. mark: the man we call mr. chairman. welcome back. glad to see you back in public. ed: thanks for having me on. mark: when we come back, john heilemann goes all rock 'n roll at the hall of fame. >> hello, cleveland! ♪

john: martin o'malley released a video today where he picked out a familiar tune on the guitar. it is charming, but van halen he is not. on the other hand, we took a trip to cleveland, home of the rock 'n roll hall of fame, and watched as they put together their annual induction ceremony which debuts tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. on hbo. lots of incredible artists on that stage and some of the musical artifacts that makes the hall of fame a temple of wonder. ♪

>> ♪ satellite of love ♪ john: everybody in the business wants to get into the hall. when you think about what qualifies to be in the hall, there is no objective, right? john legend: you have to make great music and you need to make an impact. you cannot be great to a small number of fans. it has to impact the world in some way. ♪ john: we have them watching these rehearsals for the past few days and it has been amazing. most of the rehearsals is just the band on stage. stevie wonder exited the stage after doing an incredible version of bill withers' song "ain't no sunshine when she's gone." ♪ ain't no sunshine when she's gone ♪ fabulous. this moment unfolding behind me

is a different kind of moment. the stage is filled with people. two beatles -- paul mccartney and ringo starr getting ready to do their rehearsal. the whole atmosphere around the musicians and crew has been electric. the presence of two beatles on this stage and they had not even played a note yet. ♪ >> rock 'n roll is the art form of our generation. we support the museum here in cleveland. we produce the ceremony. we run the whole nomination process. we raise money and help in everything they do. john: the archival work they have done -- the scale of it is titanic and it is amazing the stuff that is there. ♪ john: what is amazing about this place -- it is a little overwhelming. i feel like i can spend three days here and see only about a third. green day, the youngest band of this set of inductees.

billy joe armstrong, the voice of a generation -- political. >> ♪ everybody do the propaganda and sing along to the age of paranoia ♪ john: "american idiot" is a full frontal assault of the bush administration. as explicitly a political record as came out in that era. and later became a broadway show. that is what happens in american capitalism. music turns into mass commerce for a broadway audience. joan jett and the blackhearts -- thank god that woman is in. she has been iconic for a long time. the notion a woman that can play as mean an axe and bring it like any hard rock macho male dude was something that was not fully appreciated until she came along. she showed she could hang with any guy.

the highlight for this year's show for me, lou reed finally being inducted. listening to his music, both in the velvet underground and as a solo artist, opened people's minds. on most -- i am most obsessed with this outfit. i had no idea this would be here. it hard to believe anyone would ever put this on. ringo starr wore it and looked like a million bucks. we are here on the red carpet. it is finally showtime. it is about to start in a few minutes. green day is passing behind me. finally, it is time for the show. ♪

♪ you know it don't come easy open up your heart ♪ ♪ we all need somebody to lean on ♪ john: you can catch the entire incredible thing tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. eastern on hbo. tune in for the whole 2015 rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony. thank you to everybody at hbo that helped us put together that preview. we will be right back. ♪

mark: a lot of milestones politically this weekend. bob schieffer's final episode of "face the nation." we had fun with bob on the show and off the air. he has been an incredible legend

and colleague. tomorrow, at 10 a.m. eastern, you can head to bloombergpolitics.com for the big martin o'malley annou

narrator: it's a 21st century phenomenon, a global industry in its own life. "brilliant ideas" looks at the heart of this, artists with its unique potential to thrill provoke, shock, push boundaries, ask new questions, and see the world afresh. artists like cornelia parker.