i'm michael smerconish. welcome to the program. we begin with breaking news. the death toll is rising in nepal after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the region. poppy harlow is in the newsroom with the very latest? >> people who survived the initial shock, the ground shook

and rolled violently for roughly a minute knocking down buildings burying people inside. the death toll very early now stands at more than 1450 people. officials say it is the most destructive earthquake to hit nepal in more than 80 years. on the phone with me from kathmandu melody sleever. she's in nepal with an international reporting project, a group of reporters from john hopkins university. melody, thank you for being with me. i'm glad you are okay. is everyone who was traveling with you already all right? >> reporter: yes. thankfully, everyone is just fine. we really lucked out. >> i'm glad to hear that. can you tell me what you went through, what it was like. >> reporter: yeah. i was walking across the lobby of the hotel. i was actually about to get on the elevator thank goodness i didn't get on it or else i would have been struck there. the floor just began rocking very violently.

ways sort of thrown toward a pillar. my feet kind of slid across the tile floor. and i sought shelter in the doorway. this was my first earthquake. at the soonest possibility i ran out the back door toward the garden. the garden is where many people ended up not just at the hotel but in the neighborhood as well. we had hundreds of people here throughout the day. it's waiting for the latest news trying to call loved ones. we had a tattoo convention nearby so we had tattoo artists here. we have truckers. we also have locals who were eating dirnl.eat ing dinner. one local told me he was surprised that the restaurant he was on the second floor of didn't fall down in shambles. he thought the green space at the hotel. >> melody do you get the sense that the people there who are

injured -- we're seeing images of them now -- have enough help? are there enough doctors, hospital beds there? >> reporter: that's very difficult to say as i have not yet visited any of the hospitals here. we've only been here a few days. but the infrastructure in nepal has a lot of work to go and that was before the earthquake. there are a lot of the indicators that they're struggling to meet. the hospitals i've heard reports are incredibly overcrowded. one of my colleagues was able to visit one. they were treating people in the streets. people were lying on the floor. it's a health system that's taxed under normal circumstances. >> a health system that is taxed under normal circumstances. you can't imagine what they're going through now. melody schreiber thank you so much. let's talk to a team of first responders that are going to help. they're from virginia. they are called task force one. they have been activated.

they're preparing to very soon travel to nepal to help. with me on the phone the team's battalion chief chris chaff. chris thank you for being with us. what are you hearing from people on the ground that you're going to be helping? >> i understand there's widespread collapsed structures down there. so preparing just to go there and helping with the structure that's have collapsed. >> what are your team's capabilities? and what supplies will you be bringing with you that you can use to help there? >> we travel with about 40,000 pounds worth of rescue equipment. we'll be staffed with canine dogs search specialists including listening devices, cameras subject matter experts in search and recovery and rescue of people and hazard materials to ensure the safety of the people working there. >> tell me about the difficulty

to get you and your team there. i know you're still in virginia. you're going to be traveling there. how long is it going to take until you and your team can be on the ground to start helping these people? >> we move as fast as we can. obviously we're prepared to go as soon as the transportation is determined. as soon as that happen we'll move to that location and travel there. so we can worgk as soon as we hit the ground. >> what can people do to help your team if they'd like to help? >> they can just consider watching the news and watch the websites and supporting the team that's are back home filling the spots that we leave behind while we go overseas to help. that's the best thing to do. >> what do you make of the initial images that you've been seeing out of this region? i mean that is what you guys do in the group you lead, you help people in emergencies like this. the fact that this happened 50 miles from kathmandu, it could have been much more remote but

we know there are some people on the everest camp that have died because of this. what do you think of the challenge ahead of you and your team? >> there are definitely terrible images. we prepare for this so the images we're seeing we're getting our game plan together so we can effect the most good for the people that we run into or encounter while we're there and we're prepared to address the issues when we get there. we're prepared. the images are startling but we're prepared and expect to see that stuff when we deploy. >> we're lucky to have you and your team who are going to help. thank you so much for all you do. we wish you luck on your journey and while you're on the ground. chief chris shaff, thank you for being with me. >> thank you. coming up next a quick break and then bruce jenner speaking out about his new life. when we come bashgsck, michael is joined by a transgender woman who says jenner needs to truly

embrace his new identity to truly be happy.

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welcome back. bruce jenner has broken his silence. in an interview with diane sawyer, the former olympic hero confirmed what everyone has been talking about. he's transitioning to a woman. >> i'm me. i'm a person, and this is who i am. i'm not stuck in anybody's body. it is who i am as a human being. my brain is much more female than it is male. it's hard for people to understand that, but that is what my soul is.

i look at it this way, bruce always telling a lie. he's lived a lie his whole life about who he is. and i can't do that any longer. so can i take my ponytail out? why not. we're talking about all this stuff. let's take the damn ponytail out. >> my next guest has something in common with jenner. zoey is the first national transgender tv news reporter and you certainly have seen her work. the infamous o.j. simpson white ford bronco chase was caught on camera by a news chopper flown by zoey, then locally known as chopper bob. she's wript a piece for "the washington post" called transpeople need an icon but bruce jenner is the worst possible choice. zoey is here with me now. in "the post" yesterday you worried that the positive trajectory of the transgender movement was going to be derailed by bruce jenner.

was it? >> no, not completely. i think bruce jenner did a very good job initially and was very sympathetic. in fact, i was moved to tears really with the opening response, opening remarks between jenner and diane sawyer. however, clearly what i thought would happen wound up happening and this turned out to be one long tease for the big reveal that will happen in a reality show possibly keeping up with the kardashians. so, you know, jenner answered one question and then refused was evading the rest of the question. so it became just something to tease another show. we really didn't learn very much. >> what surprised you from the two-hour interview last night? >> diane sawyer throwing marshmallows for questions.

she's a very tough reporter and i think that, you know, jenner just wasn't very forthcoming. i thought this was going to be a come clean moment. i remember sitting in that seat and coming out to 28 million people in my interview. and my life changed radically and i totally -- look, i surrendered. i told the truth. and i answered every question. jenner would not talk about sexuality, also sexual reassignment surgery. or any other question. and also didn't want to be labeled as gay or lesbian. and said, i'm straight. i'm straight. and i didn't really understand that. >> i'm glad you're bringing that up. i want to run that clip. this of course, is from the abc news exclusive interview with diane sawyer. i want to roll that for zoe tur and talk about it. >> but you understand that people are baffled, confounded,

i mean, apart from the people that are just -- >> oh, my god, is he gay? >> yes. are you gay? >> no, i'm not gay. i am as far as i know heterosexual. >> you don't know? what do you mean as far as you know? >> i've never been with a guy. i've always been married, raising kids. >> you can desire a woman every bit as much. >> yeah. yeah. >> help me understand that because i was as perplexed watching it as diane sawyer was in participating in the exchange. >> right. and, okay, so, you're straight, but you're attracted to woman and you're a woman. according to my math, it makes you a lesbian, right? i mean, this whole issue with gender identity and sexuality is very confusing. i've gone through it, and my sexuality flipped. i'm a straight female now. i'm attracted to guys. you can't be straight and be

attracted to women if you're female, i think. >> you think that he was being evasive on that issue? do you think that he was being dishonest on that issue? maybe he thought it would be too much for america if he revealed what he revealed and also said, and now i'm attracted to guys. >> no. this is somebody that's not surrendering to the process and is still trying to cling on to that maleness, that macho behavior and also the past accomplishments. somebody is desperately trying to hang on to male privilege. but that's not what happens when you transition. you give up everything. you start a new life. you know, you start on hormones. it's a spiritual awakening and then when you come out is your spiritual rebirth. and you're born into a new world and everything changes. but not for jenner. jenner wants to continue being this macho, ultra macho, straight character. and it's inconsistent with

hormone replacement therapy and it's inconsistent with sexual reassignment surgery, which she says she's going for. she danced around it, but she said she had two letters and that means -- the two letters means that she's seeing psychiatrists and they've written the sexual reassignment letters required to get the surgery. she has had psychiatric clearance to transition to female. so there you go. she's going all the way. she said it. so i don't know how you can have sexual reassignment surgery and you know, your sexuality flips a third of the time. >> so you've had that surgery. you and i have previously spoken about your sexual reassignment surgery. what advice would you give to bruce jenner about the surgery and that process? >> put the seat down in the middle of the night. my advice? my advice is really simple. everything changes.

you start on hormones and things do change. but sexual reassignment surgery is like coming to the new world and like cortez in 1519 from the shoreline of this new world watching the ship burn down to the water line. you can't go back. this is your life. you're female. and with that, there comes major changes to the way you think, the way you behave. the hormones take effect. your body's not fighting. estrogen is not fighting testosterone because now you have normal levels of testosterone for a female and you take hormone replacement therapy for the estrogen. so you start fem nooizing more and more. you have to give into the process. so we're watching somebody that is very uncomfortable being transgender, being transsexual. >> you know what's funny to me zoe? what's funny to me is i'm sitting here as a heterosexual guy more sympathetic to what i

watched last night in that abc interview than zoe tur who you would think would be a kindred spirit with jenner. wherein lies the disconnect between the two of us? >> i am sympathetic. no, i am sympathetic. i just have gone through it and what i'm trying -- if i were talking to jenner right now, i'd say, surrender, give in. stop stop doing this. because you'll be much happier. and she wants to be happy and she deserves a chance at happiness. but you have to cut ties with the kardashians and you have to be your own person and you have be comfortable in your own skin. and the other thing is, give up the hype. you know, stop hyping another show. come clean. we need you. >> zoe, thank you so much. zoe tur. coming up, it's only week two of her presidential run, but hillary clinton is already beating back a media barrage. she's facing questions over

foreign donations made to the clinton foundation. could it hurt her presidential campaign? we'll talk about it.

welcome back. there was a major development in the 2016 campaign this week. hillary clinton has just announced her candidacy, but already it's embroiled in controversy. this week the "new york times" reported clinton's state of uranium mines who donated $2.5 million to the clinton foundation. that's a contribution which was not disclosed by the clintons despite an agreement reached between hillary clinton and the obama white house. the transaction allowed russia to control one-fifth of uranium production here in the u.s., which at the time raised alarm bells with one member of the united states senate with whom i've just spoken, senator john

barrasso of wyoming. senator, i have your december 21, 2010, letter to the president where you're expressing concerns about the sale of american uranium reserves to the russian government. why were you so troubled by this transaction? >> well, i was concerned about american energy security and national security. we know that the russians had been providing uranium to people across the world who are not necessarily our friends, including iran. and people in wyoming, which is an area where significant amounts of this uranium were coming from, was concerned. i was hearing from them that they wanted to make sure that this uranium did not go overseas. after all, we continue to import a lot of the uranium we use for nuclear power in the united states. >> did you get a reply? >> well, it took about three months, and i heard from the chairman of the nuclear regulatory commission and he said oh, yeah, we're all making sure -- we will make sure that no uranium leaves the country.

no uranium, u.s. uranium, goes overseas because we want to make sure we get reporting, if any of that -- if any of that happens. well now we're finding out four and a half years later that that uranium is now controlled by the russians and is going overseas leaving our country. >> my understanding is that this transaction gave the russians control of one-fifth of the uranium production in the united states. are you surprised in retrospect that the administration was not more concerned about the deal that was taking place? >> well, i would have expected more concern by the administration. we didn't get it. when you consider the fact that almost 80% of the uranium we use in the united states is imported and now we see that the russians are controlling about 20% of our u.s. uranium supplies, i think it continues to be even more worrisome today than it was back in 2010 when i wrote the letter to president obama. >> when you wrote the letter, you were expressing concerns given the approval of the

nuclear regulatory commission. were you aware of the fact that the state department was also signing off on this deal? >> i wasn't aware of any of that component of it. i wanted to go right to the president with my concerns, and the response i got was from the nuclear regulatory commission three months after i wrote to the president. now we hear all of these other issues and what contributions may have been made to both former president clinton as well as the clinton foundation, which is now raising so much additional interest and concern. and on those issues we're still trying to connect the dots. >> given your knowledge of the way that government functions, do you believe that this sort of approval, if necessary from the state department, is the kind of thing that would have gotten to the desk of secretary clinton? >> well, i would have expected that the secretary of state would have approved such an arrangement where we can see that russia would control 20% of the uranium in the united states, a product that we have to import significantly when 20%

of all of our electricity and our energy comes from nuclear power. so, yeah, i would have thought that this would have risen to that level. but my concern was for national security and energy security for our country, especially when we see the way russia uses energy as an instrument, a weapon, a power in international activities. so i was very concerned about russia getting u.s. uranium, especially knowing that they do send that product to people who are not our friends and especially iran. >> what came to light this week by virtue of coverage in the "new york times" is the fact that the uranium one chair made a $2.35 million contribution to the clinton foundation which apparently was not publicly disclosed by the clintons. your reaction to that is what? >> well, secretary clinton had promised the white house that she would disclose contributions

that came into the foundation, like this one, and now we know that those were not disclosed. so the secretary has not been forthright and forthcoming in things she promised the white house. so i think we're still connecting the dots, but it's a great concern and specifically with russia where secretary clinton early on in her term pressed the reset button with russia to say we'd have a new arrangement, a new day with russia. well now we see what's happened with russia and with putin and taking over crimea and incursions into ukraine, selling weaponry recently to iran, and now we know that vladimir putin controls 20% of the uranium in the united states and has a relationship with iran at a time that we're trying to do -- the president is trying to do an arrangement with iran with regard to nuclear weapons. >> "the times" coverage also put on the front page the fact that former president bill clinton

close in time to the transaction that you were objecting to received a $500,000 speaking fee for going to moscow and speaking at the behest of an investment bank that had ties to this deal. your reaction to that is what? >> well when you take a look at that that is much higher than the speaking fees that president clinton was getting up until that point. so it was a quantum leap in the amount of money that former president clinton was receiving for giving a speech. pfr i know that you cleasely read that story that broke thursday on the "new york times" website. it was a lengthy piece based in part on some original reporting by a formingthcoming book and then a lot of independent reporting by the "times". what was your big takeaway? >> my concern of this whole thing was rules that apply for the rest of the country don't seem to apply to the clintons. they don't play by the rules the rest of the country plays in and the democrats put all their eggs

into the clinton basket it seems with and from a republican standpoint, a conservative standpoint. we have an incredible number of qualified candidates ready to lead this country, ready to be the top of the ticket for 2016. and it's time to change direction in this country from what we've had under hillary clinton as secretary of state and under barack obama as president. >> thank you, senator barrasso, appreciate your time. >> thanks, michael. >> let's get another perspective on all of this. vermont senator bernie sanders is already positioning himself to be a progressive challenger in the 2016 presidential race, and he joins me now. senateor john barrasso was just here and he said with regard to 2016 he thinks the democrats put all their eggs in one basket and by now virtue of these reports of the clinton foundation and that basket has a hole in it. which seemingly would benefit you. what's your reaction? >> well, my reaction is that the middle class of this country is

disappearing and we have more wealth and income inequality than any time since the great depression. and my sense is that what we need is a strong, mass, grassroots movement in this country to stand up to the billionaire class to create the millions of jobs we need to demand the corporate america and the wealthy start paying their fair share of taxes that the republicans finally recognize that climate change is real and that we have to address it and that we create a government that works for all of the people and not just a handful of billionaires. >> but respectfully the story of the week is the "new york times" coverage about the clinton foundation, secretary clinton, uranium, the russians, and the fact that the russian government now controls one-fifth of the american uranium supply. surely you have a reaction of that. >> sure. it is of real concern. i think the fact that the clintons have raised all kinds of money from people all over the world is something worth

looking at. but, you know, michael, to me, it is not the story of the week or what the story of next week will be. the story of the last 40 years is a transfer of trillions of dollars from the middle class to the top one-tenth of 1%. and as a result of citizens united, a political system now where billionaires are able to buy elections and we're seeing the results of that as a result in terms of the republican budget, which is a total disaster for working people. >> i hear you. but i think it fits the bernie sanders playbook to talk about someone who was perhaps able to obtain influence by making a $2.35 million contribution to a private foundation at the same time the state department was approving a transaction allowing him and his entity to control so much of the american uranium supply. >> well, if i decide to run for president, and i will make that decision shortly, that certainly will be one of the issues that i

will be talking about. >> all right, i promise you i'll move on after this question. you have to help me understand senator bernie sanders mindset. i read all the clips where you hammered senator clinton vis-a-vis her transition on the trade deal. you are making a conscious decision you don't want to address this. i don't understand why. it seems to me like it's legitimate fodder. >> i will address any and every issue if i run for president. >> are you leaning toward getting in or staying out? >> we're going to make a decision shortly, and the major impediment to me is trying to determine whether or not we can raise the kinds of money that we need in this day and age when billionaires are prepared to buy elections and it is likely that major candidates will be spending maybe as much as $2 billion. can a candidate trying to represent working families mount a serious and winning effort in that kind of climate where these candidates will have unlimited sums of money?

>> does that include taking on the idea of a former president getting paid $500,000 by an investment bank to come to moscow and give a speech while that investment bank is seeking to control the uranium supply in the united states? >> it will cover all issues. trust me. it will. >> david letterman is seeking to boost the bernie sanders campaign. let me show you, senator sanders, what he aired on his program. >> nobody knows anything about bernie sanders. so here is a new segment we like to call meet bernie sanders. >> bernie sanders is a political independent serving his second term as the junior senator from vermont. >> it is called al agashgrr ki and that is the system we are rapidly moving toward. >> he also stars on "curb your enthusiasm" as larry david. >> i'm not going to say anything, okay? i'm going to keep my mouth shut

and let you die. >> thanks for watching "meet bernie sanders." >> i know you're a serious guy, but did you like the letterman piece? >> i liked larry david very much. he's a very funny guy. >> have you been told that your voices -- i want to see the two of you in the same room before you throw your hat into this ring. >> well, that would be fun. i am a great admirer of him. but his stuff is hysterical. i do like him. >> agree with you on that. senator sanders, thank you so much. >> thank you, michael. coming up, 1.5 million african-american men are missing in america. where they have gone and the implications will be explained by a noted american economist.

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deaths of african-american men at the hands of police. each is missing a large portion of their black men. ferguson is at the top of the list. for every 100 women, as many as 40 black men are missing. these men are either in prison or have died at a young age. an analysis of u.s. census data by the "new york times" shows that about 1.5 million black men are missing from everyday life. joining me now is justin wolfers, he co wrote the "times" piece. he's also a professor of economics and public policy at the university of michigan. professor, african-american males and females, they begin on a same level, a same playing surface, and then they diverge when? when do these statistics start to take on meaning? >> well, actually, slightly more african-american boys, baby boys born by time of the teens there are about as many african-american young men as there are young women. then through the late teens and

by the 30s you see a very very large gap in many communities with african-american women substantially outnumbering african-american men. that sticks through the rest of the life cycle. >> homicide is the leading cause of death for african-american men, but also heart disease, respiratory disease and accidents also play a role. >> yes. in fact, for the group today who are, you know, aged 25 to 55 and another important issue is the aids crisis. hiv had a very large impact on the african-american community and dose decimated large communities in fact. had a concentrated impact particularly on black men. >> the data can be expressed in many different ways. but here's a way you express td that i found stunning. more than one in every six black men who today should be in the prime of their life 25 to 54 have disappeared from daily life. >> yeah. it's a statistic that's both staggering and heartbreaking. we found it, of course, first in a spreadsheet cell, but there's

so much more and so many more stories behind that. >> okay. so that's what the data shows. most importantly now, what are the implications? >> well, think about what this does to families in many of these communities. the precise family of dad's in jail or if dad died, obviously, dad is not around to be a part of things. but think about the people who are left behind. you have communities where african-american women vastly outnumber african-american men. so the likelihood of finding a good partner and settling down are enormously low, and i think this could be a major force behind the adaptation and the changes in the african-american family. we see a lot more single parenthood and we see women setting up households by themselves and supporting themselves. and on the flip side you see, you know, for the men left behind if you're one of 60 women for every woman that leads you to invest a little less in a

particular relationship. i think it changes the contours of everyday family life. >> in other words, the men don't have to work so hard to compete for companionship because of this disproportionate number of females to males. >> yeah. as an economist we think about the market as a discipline, and in some sense there's not so much market discipline in these communities for african-american men. there's no scarcity and, so, you know the traditional markers of success that you are to achieve in order to be able to find yourself a spouse are no longer so important. >> and with so many men then missing from these particular communities -- and baltimore is on that list. i mean, today a focus of protest in baltimore. but it places additional burdens on the women who are left behind to pick up the slack. >> absolutely. so they're not just missing the men who are in jail. they often involve father whoz are not in jail as well. a generation of kids also growing up without male role models in the household. and it's important to understand where a lot of this is coming from.

it's coming from incarceration and people who are dying early and fairly large-scale systematic problems. >> professor justin wolfers, thank you so much for being here. >> my pleasure to talk about this, michael. coming up hillary has a solid lead, but it appears jeb's slipping away. is his campaign worried? a close adviser to jeb bush joins me next and i'll ask him whether the presidential debate stage should make room for a third candidate. in other words, do we need another ross perot? making a fist something we do to show resolve. to defend ourselves. to declare victory. so cvs health provides expert support and vital medicines. make a fist for me. at our infusion centers or in patients homes. we help them fight the good fight. cvs health, because health is everything. guys, it's just the two of you. the setting is just right. but here's the thing,

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[♪] and in the restless depths of human hearts... [♪] the voice of the wild within. [♪] . >>. welcome back. there's a new front-runner emerging on the pack of potential 2016 gop presidential candidates. marco rubio gaining traction, he's currently leading jub bush in the platest polls. and of course, hillary is still the favorite among democrats. whether it's marco or hillary to punch their party's ticket the final two will have a face-off during the presidential debates. what if there were one more

voice added to that debate stage? someone other than a democrat or republican? it could happen. there's a new push to reform the presidential debate system to include third-party candidates. let's bring in someone who's pushing for the change. vin weber is a former republican congressman from minnesota and also an adviser to jebbish bush. in 12 years in the congress, you established a relationship as a stalwart republican. you're advising jeb bush. why do you want a third person or a fourth person on that debate stage? >> it's a good question and an important question. i am a republican. i do expect to support governor bush as our nominee and most likely anybody who might defeat him as a nominee because i'm a republican. but what should matter more to all of us is the health of our political system. it's not very good right now. the gallup poll says the largest number of people, 43% in the history of gallup, identify as independents. the question puts from 60% to

80% the number of people who think our political system is dysfunctional and broken. we're on the wrong track according to about 60% of the american people. there's no one answer to this, michael. but all of us whether republican or democrat or independent ought to think about what's wrong with our political system. and there's a whole list of things. but one is, the presidential campaign system seems to most people to be rigged in favor of the two parties in which they have diminishing confidence. >> well i'm one of those 43% so i'm all ears on this idea. but why is the inclusion of a third person on that stage necessarily a boost for the independent movement? what will it force the other two to do? >> it will force the other two to think about swing votes. increasingly, the democrats and the republicans as the parties have become more polarized, have aimed their appeals more at hardcore bases of both parties. and that's the strategy that both parties have been pursuing in the two elections. it didn't used to be that way.

when i was involved in politics running for office, helping people like my friend jack kemp run for president in 1988, a big part of our strategy was how do you get to independent voters, swing voters people in the middle. now it's how do you turn out more and more of your base, which increasingly is further to the left for the democratic party and further to the right for the republican party. you need to make clear that there's a big bloc of voters somewhere else, partially because they might succeed but mainly, through my standpoint, so the republicans and democrats will have an interest in competing for them. >> the last time this took place, 1992. there was a bush on that stage. it was papa bush george herbert walker bush. ross perot was the third-party candidate. many in your party said perot cost by his presence george herbert walker bush that election. >> couple of things. i know a lot of people in my party have told me that. >> is jeb upset with you for pushing this? >> he's never said anything to me and i don't think he would be

upset. we want to resolve this before we get so far into the process that the candidates weigh is this good for me or bad for me. right now they're not thinking about that. second of all, social science done since 1992 kind of disputes the notion that perot cost bush the election. so i think you'd just have to say that's not necessarily the case. >> in the introduction, i mentioned that marco rubio now leading jeb bush in the polls. does that mean jeb bush better hurry and get into this thing or he's going to be eclipsed? >> i'm not worried about that. everybody who has announced, ted cruz hillary clinton on the democratic side, and now marco rubio have gotten a boost when they first announce. and i think marco rubio is a serious, viable candidate good guy. but i think that governor bush whenever he announces he'll get that boost, too. think he has some strengths that are greater than the rest of the pack and i think he's going to win. >> governor bush once said before getting into this race a couple of years ago, is that he thinks his father, he thinks ronald reagan would have difficulties capturing the nomination process in the

current configuration of the republican party. of course the temptation for him now is to tether too far to the right to curry favor with the base and then alienate voters he's going to need in the general election. how does he dance that dance? >> well one of the reasons -- we're changing subjects. why am i for him as a republican? because i think he is the best candidate to bridge that gap. he was a conservative governor of florida on issues like educational choice and taxes and spending. he was a very conservative governor of the state of florida. he has not tacked far to the right on every issue to come down the pike, as unfortunately most of our candidates did the last time around. and i think that he's going to emerge as the most likely candidate to beat hillary clinton from the republican side. and i know most of my democrat friends tell me that. >> if jeb bush watches this interview and calls vin weber and says, vin, you're killing me with this campaign to put somebody else on the debate stage. it could be someone who draws votes from me. you'll say to him what?

>> that's not really the way to think about this issue. i think that the way to think about this issue is the health of the political system. you want to be president of a country that has a vibrant political system in which most people have confidence. you know i hope that's not what we find out down the road but that's not the issue. the issue is restoring some vitality to the american political system, which is in a serious dangerous tipping point almost. >> i would just point out that the debate that was held that included ross perot far exceeded in ratings that which took place in the 2012 cycle. i think there's a real audience for this. and i agree, i think it would be healthy for the country. >> and we have a much larger population now and still smaller numbers of people are watching than watched the debate in 1992. we need to get people back into the political process, believing in the american political process, which has been the most successful democracy in the world. this is not the only problem. this is not the ultimate solution. but this is a piece of the solution and we ought to pursue it. >> congressman vin weber thank you so much for being here.

>> thanks. great to be here. >> i'll be right back. all these networks keep making different claims. it gets confusing. fastest, strongest the most in-your-face-est. it sounds like some weird multiple choice test. yea, but do i pick a, b, or c. i pick like the best of everything. verizon. i didn't. i picked a. and how'd that work out for you? not so well.

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