john: with all due respect to macy's, you can take donald off the shelf, but you cannot take the donald off of us. john: sports adventures tonight, cuba diving and pope climbing. but first, a fishing expedition. how about the clinton e-mails? 3000 new messages are on display. contact with her bff, sid blumenthal. david axelrod and raum emmanuel

begging for -- rahm emanuel begging for her address. her advice to wear warm socks to bed. also today, the campaign made it known that it raised $45 million during its first quarter. when it comes to her chances of being president, which will be more significant? e-mail problems or fund-raising? al: the money is impressive but before we talk about that, i think the steady stream of e-mails will embarrass her every time sidney blumenthal is out there. it's going to be draining. i don't think that the benghazi hearings are going to be a big deal. i think trey is on a search and destroy mission. it is not going to really work. in 1983, marines were blown out of their barracks and they were not holding congressional hearings three years later.

john: we do not know what will come of the e-mail inquiry and there could be a significant problem that will arise. we see occasions in which e-mails have been asked for by the committee. they had asked for all of them to be sent over. it turned out there were some that had not been sent because they had not been turned over. there are questions that keep arising out of this e-mail thing. i think it is not a small problem for her. but in the end, being able to raise enough money to go toe to toe with jeb bush -- if you did not have that ability, the campaign would be dead. she does have that ability. she will not be dead. that matters more, i think. al: you are right. today, president obama announced that the u.s. and cuba will open embassies in the capitals, reviving diplomatic relationships for the first time since 1961. president obama: it is another demonstration that we don't have to be imprisoned by the past. time and again, america has

demonstrated that our leadership is the capacity to change, it is what inspires the world to reach for something better. one year ago, it might have seemed impossible that we would raise our flag over in embassy in havana. this is what change looks like. al: republicans like jeb walker, rubio, and cruz do not like this. can these republicans gain advantage by opposing obama on cuba? john: the answer is no, they cannot. the reason is -- president obama has a lot of foreign policy problems, a lot of places which republicans can gain ground. this is not one of them. except for a very small portion of the cuban population, immigrant population in florida, this issue does not matter much at all.

to the extent that it matters on a broad scale, i think most people look at this as progress. standing in the way of progress in foreign policy is not a place that the republican party wants to be. al: you are right. the whole point of american policy has been to topple the regime. soon, the castro boys will be gone because of old age. that will work a lot better in a policy because the system can -- cannot survive. when you look at other problems -- isis a vladimir putin -- cuba looks like a theme park. john: it was interesting that we saw a rand paul and ted cruz get into a fight, marco rubio and some others getting into a fight about the normalization of relations in cuba. rand paul arguing that the embargo had not worked. so being on the side of a policy that was failing, not the place you want to be. rand paul is a republican who grasped the truth of the situation. al: i agree.

this is yesterday's issue. john: the pope is coming, the pope is coming. on a september trip to the united states, he will visit obama at the white house and address congress and the united nations, and hold mass at madison square garden. he is planning to make pitstops in washington and a prison in philadelphia. to what extent will the pope's visit complicate the lives of republicans in 2016? in particular, the catholics among them. al: imagine some of john boehner's back benchers saying you invited this guy to address a joint session and have lunch with the homeless and go to the united nations the next day and that he is going to hang out a prison? what have you done? this is not your father's pope. this is going to be a powerful trip. that address will be a seminal moment and a lot of republicans

will squirm when he talks about helping the poor, climate change, capitalism. a few democrats may squirm when he talks about the unborn. this will be a powerful trip. john: what has been so fascinating about the pope of late, especially in the wake of climate change, you saw republicans like jeb bush saying that pope should stay out of politics. i trust the pope on religion not science. then you saw the vatican, top cardinals, slapping back at the republican party. saying the jeb bush was wrong, wading into politics that we do not see religious leaders do often. this is a vatican that knows how to get into a political scrap. the republicans -- if republicans do not play it right, they could get smacked around by the pope's people.

coming up, my trip to michigan. the newsroom and politics, after this. ♪

john: jeff daniels is an actor whose range extends from witty to the half-witted. after a career in film, tv, and stage filled with ups and down he landed behind the anchor desk in "newsroom." he won an emmy for his performance. since then, he is a hot commodity again in hollywood. he is it a new movie called "the martian" with matt damon and he is filming an action movie. i went to his house in michigan to talk about that and politics. we started about why a hollywood star still lives in the wolverine state.

that is where he was born in 1986. jeff: after 10 years in new york, i had a few movies. i had done "purple rose of cairo" with woody. the career was kind of doing this. we had a two-year-old boy at the time. we said, we don't how to raise our kids in a one-bedroom apartment. why don't we just go back to michigan? i would use the airport to go around. the career was not going to last, they never do -- i was a fatalist. i figured i got 3, 4, 5, 6 movies out of it. and then, somebody calls one day and says, by the way, you are over. that has happened. and so i figured when it was over, i would be home, despite what thomas wolfe warned us against. you can go home again. john: as long as you go home young enough.

we can spend all day talking about your films, but i'm interested in this. woody allen, jim brooks, you are working with some heavy directors. if you think back over the career about those guys, some of the greatest ought towards of our age -- auteurs of our age. compare and contrast who is most memorable and brilliant. talk about that panoply of directors. jeff: every single director, they all wanted to see what you thought it was. they didn't come in and hover. the mediocre ones come in and get their hands on you. you are constantly walking onto the set and they are going, go ahead. altman said it was 90% casting.

there is a freedom in that. clint is the same way. i remember calling clint eastwood because there was a brown bomber jacket and a black bomber jacket, plus i just wanted to call clint so i called clint and go, i am wondering if it should be the brown or the black jacket. he goes, you are the actor. maybe the brown one. sounds like the brown one. all right, good, terrific. they leave it up to you. there is a freedom in that. you cannot bitch about -- did you see? they are going, give us the performance you think it should be. the good ones do that. they all did that. all of them did that. i remember doing "newsroom."

i was now in the land of television. with the tv series, you get a different director every episode. some of them you know, some of them are brought in from outside. i just kind of let it be known five words or less. if you direct me, it is five words or less. you are a writer and director, pick the right words. but don't come in if it is six or more. stay in the chair. that just forces them to come in and go, maybe with more anger? ok, all right. john: movies, preference? are you drawn back to the stage? jeff: i go back to the stage because it is the ultimate testing ground. remember on "terms of endearment," i was the last one onto set to meet jack nicholson.

debra winger took me over and i met him. he goes, how are you doing, kid? i am fine. he goes, what have you done? i say, i have done some broadway. he says, this isn't broadway this is the pro game. you walk away offended, and then you go, no. because of 430 in the morning with the sun coming up, when the close-up is on you and it's the big speech and you have one take, how much money is rolling? with the trucks in the camera and the personnel, you have to hit it. because the critics one year from now are not going to care if it was 4:30 in the morning, they care if you hit it. it is the same thing with that northwestern speech. that sorkin wrote in "newsroom." >> there is no evidence to support the statement that we are the greatest in the world. seventh and literacy, seventh in math, 20th in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, number four in exports, we lead the world and

only three categories, number of incarcerated citizens, number of people who believe angels are real and defense spending. we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies -- none of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student but you are without a doubt a member of the worst period generation period every period. so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, i don't know what the bleep you are talking about. jeff: that was a huge day. day three of the shoot of a pilot, we don't have a series, just a pilot. three actors came just to see the speech, they were not even in the scene. we had people from hbo there. aaron is going like this. do we have a will mcavoy? day three, and the pro-game, you have to hit it. it is 10 seconds left, hit the ball. you have to hit the shot. and that is what jack meant.

john: we had various consultants from our business on the show. did you talk to former or current news anchors? jeff: i met with none of you. john: thanks very much. jeff: i was also -- i wasn't told to go meet people. i had been on enough news shows promoting movies to see what happens with the ear piece and the whole deal and you go, ok, i know enough to fake it. but then, that's the fun of it. acting for me is not about, here is my hundred pages of research. in that case, it was, let's make up as much as we can. you have guys like aaron doing all the research for you. it is already in the script. all you have to play is the guy with the ego and insecurity. that is what you are playing. you are not playing what an

anchorman does on television. you learn how to do the mechanics and it is harder than it looks, by the way, reading a teleprompter. as you well know. i remember "newsnight" reading the teleprompter, good evening -- i am sorry, cut it. i blew my name and it's on teleprompter. john: we will have more jeff daniels after this. ♪

john: we are back with more jeff daniels, talking about why "newsroom" was such a polarizing show. we also talk about presidential politics. what is it about the show that made it so polarizing? i don't want to use the word controversial but it elicited extreme reaction. from people in our business and outside. jeff: i found it interesting that some critics in their reaction especially that first

season were so volatile, so personal, particularly at aaron. john: the show had politics and that is part of why it is polarizing. a number of people don't identify with sorkin's politics. did you identify with this character? or were you essentially just an actor? jeff: i read that northwestern speech and said, what is in it that isn't true? maybe there is some sarcasm, maybe there is a flowery way. we lead the world in adults who believe in angels and things like that. i can see how that would piss some people off. but we do. it all looked true to me. but you can also see the other side of mcavoy. by about a third or fourth

episode of season one they said, by the way, he is a republican which they knew, and i didn't. then here comes some of that he believes in free markets and a strong military and defense and all of that, but mcavoy is not into the social through, he is not into telling women what to do with their bodies. that is where i think aaron -- and mark buchanan was a -- mark mckinnon was a consultant who was very helpful. there are a lot of moderate republicans out there that are going -- everybody wants to get the money right and let's not spend what we don't have however, stay out of that, stay out of that, and that has all changed. aaron is -- i don't know exactly his politics but certainly it is left of center. and he made mcavoy a right of center which is kind of where we all are. all we hear from are the people left of left and right of right. i think he was trying to make a representation for moderates certainly in mcavoy's case.

jeff: what are you looking for in your next president? john: i am looking for someone who will take care of the middle class. right now, the democrats are making that noise. hillary is making that noise. i don't know enough about any of these people. it is not just republicans, it is the lobbyists, the special interests, you feel like they are governing are getting -- or getting elected to serve them. and that is on both sides of the aisle. i would give anything to have special interests and lobbyists out of washington. england has a political system where it is six weeks long. i have said, let's put whoever it ends up being on two tree stumps in union square in new york city and let's film it. and let them do it.

let them go at each other. but there is way too much money, the almighty dollar, there is way too much money in a two-year presidential campaign. the fact that these people will raise $1 billion to run for president, people don't give you money and not want something in return. if you are just out here sitting in michigan going, i wonder if i am truly represented? i didn't give so and so 100 grand. i am not on the list, i don't sleep in the lincoln bedroom, i wonder if i am being represented? probably not, that is what pisses off a lot of us. that is what is behind the speech. that was behind the character and what aaron was writing about. john: you were presumably an obama supporter. jeff: yeah, i still love them, absolutely. what you say on the campaign trail and you are going to change and the fact that i was alive when this country made

history by making him president, i love it, absolutely love it, i want smart in the white house. i want smart dealing with the middle east. i want smart sitting across from putin. i don't want dumb. congress needs to take a huge accountability for whatever has not gone right in the last eight years because they have done nothing but say no. he has had to deal with that. he has had to meet in the middle like every president. reagan had to meet in the middle. i don't know enough about where he failed miserably, but i am glad he was president. i am glad i was alive to see it. john: do you think the same way when you consider the prospect of hillary clinton? also a potentially-historical candidate? jeff: i love the historical nature of it, yeah. you want change?

let's put a woman in there. i know she is tied in politically and they are the clintons, i don't know anything about that. all i know is that she is smart. she is smart as hell. john: you don't put yourself among democrats who look at the clinton thing and say -- you are confused about it, you are not -- you are enthusiastic about it, you are not going to be a democrat who says well, you know, i guess she is the best we can do? jeff: i think it is the best this system is allowing us to do, because we branded a clinton, we branded a bush and if it is not jeb and hillary come election time, i would be very surprised. that is what the brands are. maybe it will not be jeb. i wish it were someone new, but you get an obama eight years ago, and he is sitting down with vladimir putin for the first time.

you have inexperience there, you have to catch up.she has got all of that but she has that world experience. i love that she was secretary of state and has met all of these people. and as a world figure, instead of a fresh face from the democratic republican party that now has to go introduce himself to leaders around the world. i don't mind the experience and that she's smart, i like that combination. it would be nice if it was somebody new, but that means inexperience. john: we will be right back. ♪

john: tomorrow, we quiz mike mcclintock from "veep" on quotes and we will talk about a new poll that says democrats and republicans love the grateful dead.

although, republicans love them more. what is your favorite dead song? al: you ask such tough questions. "dark star." john: sayonara.

>> jack is back. a new day at twitter as they enter the post dick costolo era. i am corey johnson in for emily chang and this is "bloomberg west. the cloud tax coming your way. also, robots and the most dangerous places on earth as a look at the economy continues.