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t do reverse mortgage commercials? those types are coming on to me all the time

now. (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar. >>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking? current tv is the place for true stories. with award winning documentaries that take you inside the headlines. real, gripping, current. documentaries... on current tv.

nounce take your e-mails on any topic at any time, this is the "bill press show." live on your radio and current tv. >> bill: all right, on this thursday morning july 11. look ahead here for the rest of the "full court press," in the next hour, senator jeff merkley from oregon to tell us his plans for filibuster reform and how important that is. followed by congressman mark takano from california. about efforts on the parts of many states now to catch up with the supreme court ruling and to allow same-sex marriages. marriage equality in those states. and then we'll jump up to boston with "the boston globe" reporter who was in the courtroom

yesterday where the -- dzhokhar tsarnaev appeared for the first time. then we'll talk student loans with carmel martin from the center for american progress. on tips, lee ann bellinger says no way am i going to pay $5 for a burger. i'll fix my own, thank you. i don't know where you can get a burger for $5. doing away with tips and raising prices will only drive away customers, close businesses and subsequently raise unemployment. so, there is a vote for keeping things just the way they are. my guess is we will never get rid of tipping in this country. >> i don't think so. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."

[ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> bill: good morning everybody. what do you say? it is thursday morning july 11. great to see you this morning. thanks for joining us here on the "full court press," coming to you live from our nation's capital and our studio on capitol hill. just down the street from the big capitol building where i gotta tell you yesterday if there was any doubt that washington is broken, you had to look at what happened or didn't happen on capitol hill yesterday. first of all let's start in the house. republicans rejected any attempt of comprehensive immigration reform even though former president george w. bush gave a major speech yesterday where he called on republicans to pass

immigration reform. republicans in the house say we don't care what you say president bush. meanwhile in the senate, the g.o.p. filibustered, an attempt to do something about student loans, to fix the problem. that happened when congress went away before july 4th the interest rate on student loans doubled from 3.4% to 6.8%. no action on student loans. both house and senate intelligence committees have blocked any effort to provide aid to the rebels in syria. even though they demanded that president obama do so, now that the president has done so, they're against it. it just sort of sums up what's wrong with congress. your calls and comments welcome. we'll tell you all about what's going on here on current tv.

are you encouraged by what you heard the president say the other night? is this personal or is it political? a lot of my work happens by doing the things that i am given to doing anyway. staying in tough with everything that is going on politically and putting my own nuance on it. not only does senator rubio just care about rich people but somehow he thinks raising the minimum wage is a bad idea for the middle class. but we do care about them, right? vo: the war room tonight at 6 eastern we have a big big hour and the iq will go way up. (vo) current tv gets the converstion started weekdays at 9am eastern. >> i'm a slutty bob hope. >> you are. >> the troops love me. (vo) tv and radio talk show host stephanie miller rounds out current's morning news block. >> you're welcome current tv audience for the visual candy. just be grateful current tv does not come in smellivision. the sweatshirt is nice and all but i could use a golden lasso.

alright, in 15 minutes we're going to do the young turks. i think the number one thing

that viewers like about the young turks is that we're honest. they know that i'm not bs'ing them with some hidden agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know that i'm going to be the first one to call them out. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us. >> if you believe in state's rights but still support the drug war you must be high. >> "viewpoint" digs deep into the issues of the day. >> do you think that there is any chance we'll see this president even say the words "carbon tax"? >> with an open mind... >> has the time finally come for real immigration reform? >> ...and a distinctly satirical point of view. >> but you mentioned "great leadership" so i want to talk about donald rumsfeld. >> (laughter). >> watch the show. >> only on current tv.

>> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio and on current tv, this is the mill press show. this is the "bill press show." >> bill: former president george w. bush urges republicans to pass comprehensive immigration reform. republicans have a meeting after his speech and say no, mr. president. we don't hear what you say. we're not going to do anything about comprehensive immigration reform. just shows how broken down the house of representatives is these days. good morning everybody. here we go on the "full court press" this thursday morning. july 11. so good to see you today. thank you for joining us here as we bring you up to date on the news of the day. the big events here in our nation's capital around the country and around the globe and invite your comments and your calls, your suggestions

whatever at 1-866-55-press. that's our toll free number. or you can join us on twitter. we invite your comments on twitter at bpshow and on facebook. be our friend on facebook and find us and give us your comments at facebook.com/billpressshow. our entire team here this morning. peter ogborn and dan henning. as always. >> hey hey hey. >> good morning. >> bill: alichia cruz on the phones. cyprian bowlding is off this week. monty is keeping us looking good on current tv. and we're very happy to welcome early on this thursday morning to studio, a real leader in the united states senate. he is called in the new issue of the new republic the progressives' best kept secret in washington. the senator that progressives are turning to for leadership on more and more issues. senator jeff merkley from oregon. great to see you. >> thank you. it is great to be here.

>> bill: i thought i was the progressives' best kept secret. happy to have you take the title. so particularly, senator on the filibuster, you've been leading the charge for a long time now. that this is -- the abuse of the filibuster is getting in the way of good legislation. good nominations. and it looks like we may get some action on it today. >> been very involved in it with my partner tom udall. basically, we are -- the frustration level has just grown so high. we have pa really sis on all -- paralysis on all fronts, on nominees, executive nominees. this morning, harry reid is going to go to the floor and speak to a piece of that. the executive nominations. and say this is intolerable. we had a deal in january. in which mitch mcconnell promised to return to the norms and traditions of the u.s. senate regarding nominations. that hasn't materialized.

and now we need to be much bolder in addressing this because the u.s. senate, a minority of the u.s. senate is proceeding to paralyze the presidency. it is unacceptable. >> bill: so you mention three areas so it is legislation right. executive and then judicial. >> yes. >> bill: in all three the filibuster is being used and abused. >> absolutely. >> bill: right. and my understanding was -- and we talked to you and to senator udall at the time about -- in january, a rule change was possible with just 51 votes at the beginning of the session, is that correct? >> well, yes, it is possible at any time. >> bill: oh, it is. >> the constitution allows you to organize yourself. it doesn't say specifically first day but the reason we emphasize first day is because it's kind of trying to salvage a tradition of the senate adjusting things that don't work before you begin the two-year process.

that is something that resonates for folks and it makes some sense. you have a new group of elected senators. let's take the moment. set out the rules the next two years based on the experience before. but there's been many changes in rules both changing rules but more importantly changing the application of rules in the middle of session. it has been done time and time again. so there's well-established path to have the debate. >> bill: was it a mistake not to do it in january? >> why call it a mistake. >> bill: missed opportunity? >> i was pushing very hard for us to make such changes on a comprehensive basis. but the fact is, majority leader reid really wanted to go the extra mile in fighting to restore the social contract. and he felt within modest rule changes proposed on a bipartisan basis and the promise of the republican leadership for

comity that is comity, that that would -- carry the best -- put the best foot forward if you will. bipartisanship, a social contract being restored. and it was his second effort at it. he attempted to do it in january of 2011. the silver lining in this is he has gone the extra mile twice to try to restore the functionality of the senate without actually changing the rules. >> bill: did this renege his deal? >> he certainly didn't fulfill the promise. the standards and traditions, those are timely votes up and down votes with rare exception. that is not what we have. it is not a situation of rare exception. we have continuous obstruction. if we look at the promise of 43 senators that they'll vote against anyone to be director of the consumer financial protection bureau. many senators have spoken up saying they will filibuster the

nominees for the national labor relations board. in just a few weeks from now the mlrb will become dysfunctional because it won't have a functioning quorum. essentially, an agency that for 78 years has protected the rights of workers in our nation, for that matter, the rights of employers because there's rules about what unions can do and workers can do, it will become dysfunctional, nonexistent really. any true sense in a few weeks because of this type of obstruction. >> bill: so senator reid, majority leader reid is going to make his speech on the floor this morning and then democratic senators will caucus this afternoon to decide what course of action to take. do you believe there's sufficient support -- as i recall and we've talked about this not all senators, democratic senators were on board with filibuster reform in january even. some of the more senior ones

that said we remember what it was like to be in the minority. but do you think -- today, will there be sufficient democratic votes to move forward? >> so, it is certainly not my role to be the whip or vote counter but i've always believed when a leader of a caucus steps forward and says i've tried this. i've tried that. here's the problem. here's a vision of why things aren't working. we need to come together and fulfill our responsibility as a majority to make this place work. that that message will deeply resonate. and that senators will come to support their leadership on this. >> bill: i know senator reid is a very effective leader, that he will not be taking this step if he hasn't had some conversations with some of the senators. >> i think that's a fair assumption. >> bill: what do you say senator -- senator jeff merkley from oregon here. we talked about this yesterday and got a lot of calls about the filibuster if you have a question for the good senator 1-866-55-press.

our toll free number. what do you say to a senator senior senator who might come to you and say you know, i remember what it was like to be in the minority. we leaned on and we were able to judiciously use the filibuster. we shouldn't give that opportunity away too readily. we should save it for when we're in the minority again. >> 2005. that's my answer. 2005. in 2005, bill frist was the majority leader. he said democrats if you don't stop filibustering the nominations, i'm going to change the rules. out of that, came a deal, it was called the gang of 14. the gang of 14 said democrats will quit filibustering the nominations. and they did. and so if anyone thinks that a future president perry and future majority leader mitch mcconnell aren't going to change the rules of democrats filibuster they're living in an imaginary world. it has been clearly demonstrated. we don't have to pretend about this. we know exactly what happened

then. and therefore the path of the future. so we basically are not protecting anything by preserving a supermajority on nominations. >> bill: you just threw me when you said president perry. >> sorry, such harsh words. >> too early in the morning to think about president perry. >> or whomever. >> bill: so i want to be sure the people understand what's at stake here is we've got nomination to the national labor relations board. rich cordray -- it has been a couple of years now since president obama appointed him as director of the consumer finance bureau. >> his appointment will expire later this year. >> we've got gina mccarthy for the e.p.a. and tom perez for secretary of labor. traditionally, a president gets to appoint members of his team.

>> get them in place and get up and running but if you think about that group of nominations it reflects a deliberate strategy to disable organizations that fight for working americans. fight for the values of americans. >> bill: sure. >> here, we have an organization, the cfpb that is dedicated to any predatory practices that disable and disorient families. if you want to have family values you want successful families. you don't want predatory practices. and yet here's republican party claiming it's the family of -- the party of family values. deliberately disabling an agency designed to help families succeed. and it's deeply outrageous. needs to be pointed out if you look at the set of folks being filibustered, it is an attack on working people. it is an attack on families. >> bill: an attack on middle class families across the country. so what changes might -- are we

talking about? are we talking about getting rid of the filibuster altogether? >> well, it certainly -- it will be clearer. it will be clearer after senator reid lace out his plan. >> bill: what would you suggest? >> well, in this situation really, the key is the 60 votes. the 60 votes is the on be stackel. so more or less, the answer is yes. we need to get rid of it on nominations. it is what happened in 2005 with judicial nominations under bill frist and then the deal is the democrats made. the republicans when they become became the minority did not honor that deal. we had the problem. we've tolerated it and attempt to have various agreements that it would end but it is kind of like lucy and the football. lucy's placed it out there. charlie brown said this time it will be different. and next thing you know, the football is yanked away. that's why this time, there has to be something much more

concrete to resolve this issue. >> bill: so 51 votes for executive nominations. would you say also 51 votes for judicial nominations? >> if i was waving my magic wand, i would say address judicial nominations. because you can expect a doubling down on the disabling of judicial nominees. certainly this is court packing that the republicans are engaged in. they're trying to prevent a democratic president from having his fair share of judicial appointees. but on the other hand, there is a certain logic if you focus on one piece of the puzzle at a time. allows you to address it. and the caucus would have to decide down the road if they were wanting to do anything else that would be a future discussion. >> bill: senator jeff merkley from oregon, for the long time, a voice crying in the wilderness for filibuster reform. the time has come. it could be today.

that democrats just finally frustrated enough and have had enough and they're going to say we're going to make a big change here. in your comments on how they ought to proceed. 1-866-55-press. we'll be back with the good senator from oregon. >> announcer: get social with bill press. like us at facebook.com/billpressshow. this is the "bill press show." (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. (vo) she's joy behar. >>current will let me say anything.

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this thursday morning. with senator jeff merkley from oregon. you can follow him on twitter by the way at sendjeffmerkley. we'll start to build up your twitter followers here, senator. good to have you in studio with us early. a couple of other issues i want to get into with you. peter, you had comments online. >> on the filibuster, we were talking about this on bpshow on twitter. you can weigh in there. kay says mitch mcconnell is carrying out his promise to paralyze the obama presidency. he would have changed the filibuster rules if it was a president romney. which is probably true. >> absolutely. >> bill: as you said. >> right on. >> bill: go back to 2005, you can see exactly what they would do. senator, another issue that you've been taking the lead on is the employment nondiscrimination act or so-called enda. big vote yesterday and big

victory. >> it came out of committee yesterday. a fully inclusive bill for the lgbt community. it is time we end discrimination in america and it came out on a vote that was 15-7. including the conservative senator from utah. senator hatch signed on. we had senator from alaska, murkowski. then we had my lead cosponsor mark kirk from illinois. and i think it is just an indication that folks from a variety of positions are saying that discrimination is wrong and it needs to end. >> bill: this is a high priority for the lgbt community. but for all americans i think. you're right. no reason to continue to allow employers to discriminate in the workplace. do you think that president obama ought to sign an executive order on this as well? >> i've advocated for that. i've felt any time you have the power to end discrimination, you should do it. i encourage the administration.

they have decided that they should give congress the space to act. i understand that. certainly, i would have loved to have seen them say if you're contracting with the u.s. government we will not tolerate discrimination. certainly, i think that's what's in the president's heart. but tactically, he's giving congress room to act. >> bill: the committee vote yesterday gives you some encouragement this will make it to the floor and be approved by the full senate. you had a bipartisan vote. orrin hatch is for it. that's a good sign. >> we have four republicans who have clarified or declared publicly in support of ending -- excuse me, of ending discrimination. i think there are many more who feel time has come. it is 17 years ago 17 years ago we came within one vote of passing enda on the floor of the u.s. senate. >> bill: no kidding.

>> 49-50, mark pryor's father, senator pryor was absent that day. we had a democratic vice president. we missed that window of opportunity and now we need to claim it today. >> good work yesterday. congratulations again. one other issue quickly. just a couple of minutes on all of the flap about nsa. and this program. articles this morning that more and more legislators are now saying we've been misled by nsa over the years with our oversight. they lied to us. they didn't tell us how far-reaching this program is. i mean do you support what nsa is doing and will there be any attempts to limit their gathering of information? >> i'm deeply, deeply disturbed. for example, if we take the patriot act provisions, it sets standards for collecting information on america. it says you have to show reasonable cause that there has to be a request that the information is relevant to an authorized investigation. so i asked the head of the nsa

in a hearing a couple of weeks ago, i held up my cell phone and said i have a verizon phone. we know the administration is collecting all of the verizon cell phone data. what authorized investigation justifies the collection of my cell phone information? that's a standard of the law. and the head of the nsa said i'll have to consult a lawyer about that. this secret court has reinterpreted the plane language of the law in ways that make the plain language unrecognizable. it has done so in a setting that there's no adversarial process or examination. >> bill: senator we're out of time but we're counting on you to keep the pressure on behalf of the american people on that issue. and many other issues. >> great to be with you. >> bill: thanks so much for coming in. influence this is the "bill press show."

to the fire. are you encouraged by what you heard the president say the other night? is this personal, or is it political? a lot of my work happens by doing the things that i'm given to doing anyway, by staying in touch with everything that is going on politically and putting my own nuance on it. in reality it's not like they actually care. this is purely about political grandstanding. i've worn lots of hats, but i've always kept this going. i've dozen years. (vo) he's been called the epic politics man. he's michael shure and his arena is the war room. >> these republicans in congress that think the world ends at the atlantic ocean border and pacific ocean border. the bloggers and the people that are sort of compiling the best of the day. i do a lot of looking at those people as well. not only does senator rubio just care about rich people, but somehow he thinks raising the minimum wage is a bad idea for the middle class. but we do care about them right?

>> announcer: on your radio and on current tv, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: hey how about it. 33 minutes after the hour. here we go. on the "full court press." this thursday morning. july 11. we're coming to you live from our nation's capital and our studio on capitol hill. and brought to you today by the international association of machinists good men and women of the machinist's union under president tom buffenbarger sharpening the edge on the global economy. you bet. for more information about their good work, you can go to their web site at goaim.org. our next guest good friend for a long time from california, now a member of congress.

from california, mark takano whom i saw last night at a reception for i guess a big retirement party for richmy hull ski, international vice president of the machinist's union. >> good to see you. >> bill: rich has been a great labor leader. >> very progressive. never forgot where he came from. always remembered who he was serving were machinists across this country. one of the people who was formative in my early political career was a local machinist. >> bill: is that right? >> yeah, we had -- it was roehr industries aerospace did a lot of contracting for boeing. and later on, ascended the ranks and so my early campaign for the congress in 1992. i had a very early association with the machinist's union. >> bill: talking to president tom buffenbarger last night who

was a frequent guest on the show as has rich ma hull ski been a guest on the show. so he is stepping down as leader of the -- international vice president of the machinist's union. good friend, strong supporter and we wish him well and i'm sure he's going to continue to be active. and congressman, before that, the last time i saw you was on national television. the day the supreme court issued its ruling on the defense of marriage act. which you were very pleased with. it was a big day wasn't it? >> it was a huge day. i can't exaggerate just how wonderful it was. and i could use all sorts of superla at thises and i kind of let out a statement -- superla at thises, i felt fabulous,

every gay word i can think of. [ laughter ] >> bill: but it makes a big difference in a lot of people's lives. >> it makes a huge difference in people's lives. immediately, the white house began to issue visas to same-sex partners of binational couples. huge, huge issue in places like san francisco and new york where so many people come from different parts of the world. people travel. they're involved in very forward-looking businesses and they have spouses, same sex spouses that are very, very educated and very, very skilled. and those relationships were always in jeopardy because of immigration status of those partners. >> bill: now technically the benefits and over 1,000 benefits as you point out that are

available under federal law would only go to same-sex couples in those states which have recognized marriage equality but do you believe that the federal government will apply the benefits to all 50 states? >> i see evidence the president is moving aggressively to apply benefits where he can. i heard -- i was just speaking to representative pocan of wisconsin. he was concerned about having to move his spouse's residency to district of columbia where same sex -- are recognized by law. he's been told he doesn't really have to do that. that the federal benefits that he has as a u.s. representative, the government would recognize in his case. so, you know, i think there's layers and layers of regulations

and statutes that i don't fully comprehend that apply from department to department. so it could apply differently. survivor benefits from social security, for example. survivor benefits for veteran status. these could all -- these are two different departments. what i understand most often, it is based on where you're domiciled and whether that state recognizes your marriage as lawful. and so there's going to be -- you know, the simplest thing for us to do would be just to repeal repeal -- you know, the supreme court has recognized that the bulk of our country you know, the majority of our country has moved in this direction. there are pockets of our country where it hasn't. this is something that we are a united people. this is something that we need to get behind. >> bill: i know many leaders of the lgbt community have said

okay so now we have it in 13 states now we have the supreme court blessing basically. that in five years we'll be in all 50 states. and i -- i wouldn't have -- believed that a few years ago but today i believe that's possible. do you? >> i do believe it's possible. i believe freedom and equality are infectious. once it grabs hold of -- i think, the people. it just has a life of its own really. some inevitability about it. >> bill: congressman mark takano here from california, our guest here on the "full court press" this morning. your comments about doma and how that's affected your life in your state 1-866-55-press. congressman, a big issue, a lot of people are asking, i want to

ask you about student loans, how could congress knowing that the rate for federal student loans would double from 3.4% to 6.8%. how could congress go away for july 4th and not do anything about it but congress didn't and is anything going to happen now? >> well, as one individual member i'm frustrated with the situation. i favor extending the 3.4 subsidized rate for another year. until we can do a more long-term fix. i don't like the idea of an uncapped floating interest rate of variable interest rate. i prefer fixed rates. it is more i think safe for the low income students who are going to take advantage of these federally subsidized loans. you know, if you were buying a home in today's market, you wouldn't want a variable rate.

you would want to get a fixed rate. you certainly would be very scared of entering into a loan agreement, a long-term loan agreement that would leave the variability unchecked or uncapped because we know that the economy is recovering, however slow it is and we know that interest rates are going to fill up. they're going to fill up. they're going to go up. these students are among our more vulnerable students. they don't have a track record of an income yet. america is placing a bet on them. a good bet. normally, you would have to have collateral to back up a loan or rich cosigner but we're saying to america's young people, we believe in you. our future depends on your ability to get the skills and knowledge that our country is going to need to compete. and but to place extra burdens on them, extra stumbling blocks to make them less secure in terms of going forward with you

know their education i think is a terrible thing. >> bill: you know, you mentioned the floating -- the idea there would be a floating rate depending on how the market is going with no cap. that's what is the bill -- that the senate is considering. they didn't -- they didn't get enough votes to even have a vote on it yesterday. but that could be worse than the way things are today. >> it could be worse than the way things are because right now, if we don't fix anything, it will go to a fixed rate of 6.8%. it will double. you know, i remember a time when i bought my first car back -- i hate to admit this, back in the '80s, we're trying to get an interest rate that was below 15% and i had to finance my first car, you know, i think -- i forget. it was over 10%.

so these interest rates are low according to historical standards but here's a problem. a lot of students are taking out huge principle sums. so on a $20,000 loan, 6.8% doesn't -- manageable but you get to $50,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000 worth of loan and that begins to seriously impinge on the kind of career choices our young people make, you know. look, very rarely do we have people ready for the market, job market by the end of their undergraduate education. they're going to have to go through maybe at least two years of post-graduate work, maybe even longer. >> bill: congressman mark takano here in studio. we're talking student loans and doma. a big victory on enda yesterday. in the united states senate.

1-866-55-press if you want to join the conversation here at any time. your questions and comments for the congressman welcome. >> go mobile with bill press. download podcasts at billpressshow.com and listen any time anywhere. this is the "bill press show."

>> if you believe in state's rights but still support the drug war you must be high. >> "viewpoint" digs deep into the issues of the day. >> do you think that there is any chance we'll see this president even say the words "carbon tax"? >> with an open mind... >> has the time finally come for real immigration reform? >> ...and a distinctly >> but you mentioned "great leadership" so i want to talk about donald rumsfeld. >> (laughter). >> watch the show. >> only on current tv.

(vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. (vo) she's joy behar. >>current will let me say anything. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." live on your radio and current tv. >> bill: 13 minutes before the top of the hour here on the "full court press." congressman mark takano from california in studio with us. congressman, we've talked about

doma and talked about student loans so your questions are welcome on those at 1-866-55-press. the other big issue of the day yesterday and one particularly important to us as californians on immigration reform. before congress got into the act yesterday, president -- former president george w. bush oversaw a naturalization -- participated in a naturalization ceremony at his new library down in dallas. and he spoke about this issue. here's former president. >> we can uphold our traditions of assimilating immigrants and honoring our heritage of a nation built on the rule of law. but we have a problem. the laws governing the immigration system aren't working. the system is broken. >> bill: so he has long been a champion of comprehensive

immigration reform. he tried it when he was president. yesterday, he called on his party to pass comprehensive immigration reform and the same day, house republicans caucused yesterday and said no, we don't care what he says. we're not going to do it. what's going on? >> well, i gotta tell you this is the good side of george bush. george w. bush. i long recognize that. when he was governor of texas. he had a whole different way of relating to immigrant communities. and it showed in his election. it probably helped win him the presidency. at least we got close. >> bill: we know the supreme court -- >> i think he took -- it was 40% of the latino vote which is pretty high. maybe a little bit hire. he took a much different stance than our governor wilson. you and i both lived through governor wilson and that terribly divisive proposition initiative in california which was going to restrict access to

services for immigrants. of course, that was ruled unconstitutional. but it left, i think a very sour taste in the mouths of many immigrants. there was a rush among those who had not actually completed the citizenship to do that. they registered as democrats. california has been a blue state ever since. that is what i think george w. bush understands. what many other national leaders understand. that republicans are going to be facing a demographic change in this country which is going to forever put them in minority is thous as far as the -- status as far as the presidency and in control of the senate. what's going on here, bill, is i believe the gerrymandering has really worked -- it was a victory in that it's given them these rather homogenous both in

terms of race and also ideology. these districts that are very fearful of immigration reform. those members of congress that are -- represent the districts they're political interest is about avoiding a primary. from the right or from an immigrant or intolerant opponent. most of these states are not open primaries like california. they'll face closed primaries where the election will be decided in the primary. >> bill: so, in effect, those -- there are enough republicans who don't have to worry about primary -- don't have to worry about this irv right? for getting re-elected. >> that's right. >> bill: they could be against immigration reform and survive in their district. >> well, i put it a different way that they do have to worry

about it. that's why we're seeing resistance in the house. they're worried very much about it. >> in a different way. they're extremely worried about it. they don't want to budge on it. i do have to say that i think -- i have divided opinion. i've consulted more senior members of congress on what they felt would happen if we brought the senate bill right to the floor. speaker boehner were to bring the bill -- what we have in the senate to the floor i think it would pass. >> bill: really? >> i think it would pass. i think you would see most of my caucus and most of the democratic caucus vote for it. just like with vawa and superstorm sandy aid both of those were not favored by -- >> bill: violence against women act. >> thank you. committed the sin of that acronym. >> bill: you haven't been in washington that long and you're already talking -- >> no, no, no. i want to stay close to my people.

so the point being that i believe that there are enough republicans like george w. bush in the house republican caucus. >> bill: even in the house. >> they may not be the majority. they don't have to be the majority. all we need is 17 votes. we might lose a few democrats but i think most of us will stay together. all we needed is 17, maybe 20 votes from the republican side there. the majority of the members of congress, i think want to do the right thing. but the procedures of the house and the way it works and the party in control and i don't fault the republicans completely for this because if we're democrats -- >> bill: you know what that shows is the tail is wagging the dog one more time, right? this minority that is overtaking the majority. on that comment we're out of time. >> okay. >> bill: we covered a lot of territory here this morning. thank you so much for getting up early and coming in to see us. >> always a pleasure bill. >> bill: all right. great work you're doing in the congress. keep it up. we'll see you back here soon.

i'll tell you what the president is up to today. >> announcer: follow us at bpshow and tweet using the hashtag watching bp. this is the "bill press show." >> occupy! >> we will have class warfare. (vo) true stories, current perspective. documentaries. on current tv.

this show is about analyzing criticizing, and holding policy to the fire. are you encouraged by what you heard the president say the other night? is this personal or is it political? a lot of my work happens by doing the things that i am given to doing anyway. staying in tough with everything that is going on politically and putting my own nuance on it. not only does senator rubio just care about rich people but somehow he thinks raising the minimum wage is a bad idea for the middle class. but we do care about them, right? vo: the war room tonight at 6 eastern (vo) current tv gets the converstion started next. >> i'm a slutty bob hope. >> you are. >> the troops love me. the sweatshirt is nice and all but i could use a golden lasso. (vo) only on current tv.

>> bill: in the next hour, we're going to be talking the boston marathon bomber trial with milton valencia from "the boston globe" and then carmel martin from the center for american progress will be joining us to talk more about student loans. president obama receives the daily briefing at 9:30. important meeting at 10:15. the president and the vice president both will be meeting with senator john mccain and senator chuck schumer two members of the gang of eight about immigration reform. this afternoon the president

welcomes a 1963 loyola university of chicago ramblers championship basketball team to the white house. and then he and the vice president meet with the vice president of china. this evening the president has a fund-raising event for the democratic national committee at the jefferson hotel. and jay carney holds his daily briefing with us white house reporters at 12:45. i'm back and up to boston.

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>> bill: good morning friends and neighbors. welcome to the "full court press" on this thursday, july 11. great to see you today. and thank you for joining us here on the "full court press" as we bring you the news of the day. and then open up the phones and open up the internet to get your comments. you can tell us what you think about what's going on. on the phone at 1-866-55-press. on twitter at bpshow. and on facebook at facebook.com/billpressshow. total breakdown. total breakdown in the congress yesterday if you don't think this congress is broken, take a look at what happened yesterday. first of all in the house of representatives, george w. bush -- well, in the house, the same day that president george w. bush gave his speech, calling on the republican party to pass comprehensive immigration reform because it is important for this

country, house republicans met in caucus and decided not to do anything about immigration reform. they don't think we need it and they certainly don't support it. in the senate, republicans filibustered yesterday an attempt to fix the student loan problem and prevent student loans from remaining double what they were just a few weeks ago. getting back to a 3.4% interest. there weren't enough with the filibuster, not enough votes to bring that to a vote. finally, house and senate intelligence committee chairs have opposed any aid to the rebels in syria. that and more on current tv. young turks! i think the number 1 thing than viewers like about the young turks is that were honest. they know that i'm not bsing them for some hidden agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know i'm going to be the first one to call them out. cenk on air>> what's unacceptable is how

washington continues to screw the middle class over. cenk off air i don't want the middle class taking the brunt of the spending cuts and all the different programs that wind up hurting the middle class. cenk on air you got to go to the local level, the state level and we have to fight hard to make sure they can't buy our politics anymore. cenk off air and they can question if i'm right about that. but i think the audience gets that, i actually mean it. cenk on air 3 trillion dollars in spending cuts! narrator uniquely progressive and always topical the worlds largest online news show is on current tv. cenk off air and i think the audience gets, "this guys to best of his abilities is trying to look out for us." only on current tv!

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about donald rumsfeld. >> (laughter) >> cutting throught the clutter of today's top stories. >> this is the savior of the republican party? i mean really? >> ... with a unique perspective. >> teddy rosevelt was a weak asmatic kid who never played sports until he was a grown up. >> (laughter) >> ... and lots of fancy buzz words. >> family values, speding, liberty, economic freedom, hard-working moms, crushing debt, cute little puppies. if wayne lapierre can make up stuff that sounds logical while making no sense... hey, so can i. once again friends, this is live tv and sometimes these things happen. >> watch the show. >> only on current tv. >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio and on current tv, this is the

"bill press show." >> bill: former president george w. bush calls on republicans to pass comprehensive immigration reform and republicans in the house say get outta here! we don't care what you have to say, mr. president. and they vote no action on immigration reform. good morning everybody. it's thursday. thursday july 11. great to see you today. welcome, welcome, welcome to the "full court press" right here on current tv. right here on your local progressive talk radio station. right here on capitol hill in washington, d.c. that's where you'll find us. we're right down the street from the capitol itself. where things came to a screeching halt yesterday on student loans, on aid to the syrian rebels and on immigration reform. we'll tell you all about it here. good to have you with us this

morning. 1-866-55-press. our toll free number. 1-866-55-press. twitter at bpshow and on facebook at facebook.com/billpressshow. we have the entire team in place this morning. as always. peter ogborn and dan henning. hi guys. >> good morning. >> bill: alichia cruz is standing by to take your phone calls. with cyprian bowlding still on vacation. a couple more days. monty is here keeping us look good on current tv. >> i got a panicked phone call from cyprian last night wondering if i had any money for him for bail. >> bill: oh, no, is that right? >> it sounds like his vacation has taken a turn for the worse. >> bill: maybe he won't be back? >> monty, what is your schedule

like next week? [ laughter ] >> bill: president obama -- i'm not sure what dan is up to in there. i can't figure this out. >> he's a producer. he's producing. >> i'm here. >> bill: all right. because i want to talk about president obama yesterday handing out the awards for national arts and humanities down at the white house. it was an interesting group herb albert -- george lucas film maker. playwright and then renee fleming, leading soprano. very creative and talented americans that the president honored yesterday. and he said in giving out the awards that they were all in many ways, teachers. teaching us important lessons. here's president obama. i think. >> obama: for all their differences, today's honorees have one thing in common and

that is they are teachers. whether they realize it or not. they've taught us about ourselves and about our world. >> bill: and he particularly singled out george lucas again neighbor of mine in marin county lives on lucas valley road which was lucas valley road before he moved there. skywalker ranch. >> that he made. >> bill: aptly named. that's his headquarters. in marin county outside of nevada. he credited george lucas for revolutionizing what we think about when we think about special effects in movies. >> obama: there is a whole generation that think special effects always look like they do today. >> bill: it was pretty bad. used to be.

ever since the first "star wars." >> if you go back -- seriously if you go back and look at the first "star wars" movie and you look at other sci-fi movies or movies that relied on special effects at the time, they are so bad compared to what "star wars" did. really and truly. >> bill: absolutely. revolutionary. we're going to start off the top of this hour, talk being to "boston globe" reporter milton valencia about two big trials up in boston. when we come back, then, rather, from the center for american progress carmel martin here to talk about student loans. but first -- >> announcer: this is the "full court press." >> quick check of other headlines making news on this thursday. dennis rodman has gone from self-proclaimed diplomat and nobel peace prize candidate on to his next project the former nba star is now releasing his own line of vodka. head to california later this month to pick up your first bottle of bad boy vodka. dennis rodman says bad boy

characterizes a tough and edgy taste yet smooth and classic at the same time. he says it is a perfect representation of who i am and what i'm all about. >> bill: good lord! >> drink up. nasa engineers are worrying about the little things. the really little things. scientists have embarked on a project to figure out how to keep bugs from sticking to airplane wings. cbs news reporting the bug residue has proven to be a massive fuel waster on commercial airline flights so the government is trying to do something about it. they're using a drone in california to do tests on different coatings on the wings. they've already done over 100 test flights and they've narrowed things down to eight possibilities that they now want to test on actual airplanes to keep the bugs off. >> bill: it used to be, i was talking to my dad yesterday you put these bug deflectors on the hood of your car. right? and so supposedly that would

keep the bugs from hitting your windshield. maybe they should do that. put a bug deflector on the airplane. >> probably didn't work so well or else we would still be using them. >> another day another celebrity on capitol hill. yesterday, it was ray allen star player of the nba champion miami heat. he was testifying at a senate hearing about juvenile diabetes. his 6-year-old son walker, who has type i diabetes was sitting next to him during testimony. before the hearing, they met with vice president joe biden. interesting to note allen's son was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 1 years old while his dad was playing in the nba finals with the boston celtics. >> bill: whoa. saw a picture of him in the paper this morning. >> i want to know why nobody arrested him for stealing the nba championship away from the san antonio spurs. [ laughter ] >> bill: yeah, because they won it fair and square. that's why. yes, indeed. i gotta tell if you you're a

court reporter up in boston it is from heaven. very exciting. got the whitey bulger trial going on and then yesterday, the boston marathon bomber suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev -- that's close enough -- in court for the first time. milton valencia from "the boston globe" was there and joins us on our news line this morning. milton good to have you with us. >> thanks for having me. >> bill: so, i want to know how could this young man first of all, plead not guilty when he confessed to everything on -- at least we were told, scribbled a confession on the side of that boat when he was captured. >> what's interesting is his lawyer indicated that they had had -- he pleaded not guilty at this time. the judge made him say it verbally but the keyword was at

this time. this is a legal proceeding. first appearance to bring him to the court. to answer to the charges. this will be a long process. and what we have to look at is the actual penalty here. i think, you know, he's pleading not guilty for now because it is avoiding the death penalty. that will be a strategy, a lot of legal observers think that will be a strategy in the long run as a plea deal. that's really the issue here. >> i got it. >> bill: what did he look like? did he look like a terrorist? i've seen so many different photographs of this kid. >> he looks like a young kid. prison garb is big on him. he had that shaggy hair, consistent with the photos we've seen. not even that. the prison garb he had, it was unbuttoned with a black t-shirt underneath. he looked like a young kid in a balloon orange prison garb. he looks disoriented.

he looked uninterested, indifferent. he seemed aloof. he did answer not guilty. he did engage. other times, he would be scratching his head looking off to the side. his lawyer had to pat him on the shoulder a few times. so did he -- what did he look like? he looked like a teenager who was -- he knew what was happening but again he seemed aloof. >> bill: were any -- first of all, so some of the survivors were there, correct? yesterday? this is the first time -- well, knowingly, at least, saw this guy face-to-face. >> right. >> bill: did you talk to any of them? >> yeah, a few of them. there were 30 there. the judge invited them under the victims' rights act. they had the opportunity to be heard at that hearing. they did not. i'm thinking because there was no issue of bail that was being contested so no one that spoke out. but they had the opportunity.

they were there. some were in the boston marathon gear. they were telling us afterwards they just wanted to be here. in the long run he's just a terrorist and they really -- they have to move on with their lives. part of that meant just seeing him in person and kind of, you know bringing some type of closure to this. seeing him brought to justice. >> bill: were there any family members of tsarnaev brother? >> there were. there was a woman and a young child who we believe may be related to his older brother. the older brother who was killed in this, they did not talk obviously outside the courthouse. he blew a kiss to them after the proceedings. >> its say there were people there supporting him and there was a guy wearing a t-shirt saying free the lion. there were some actual tsarnaev supporters there which is kind of crazy. >> no one that knew him. even the people who knew him said i want to see dzhokhar in court and kind of see it for myself. they didn't speak to his

innocence or guilt. they said i needed to see him in court myself because i couldn't imagine it would be him but you're right. there were some conspiracy theorists out there. many who never saw him. they want to cite twitter feeds. i'm not sure what they were citing. but they were out there again they did not know him until after his arrest, after the bombings and they're not from this area either. most of them aren't actually. actually flew in from different areas. so yeah, there were some conspiracy theorists out there. some people who didn't know -- were concerned with the nature of the charges saying that's not the dzhokhar they knew. but those people wanted to be there. >> bill: milton valencia is reporter for "the boston globe." i hate to mention the competition but front page "new york times" story this morning that boston police now suspect that dzhokhar's brother might have been involved in a triple slaying back in 2001.

i'm sure the globe was reporting on this as well. and that if he had been apprehended in that case, the boston marathon bombing might never have happened. >> right. we spoke to the investigators. we had that story out first a long time ago. >> bill: i'm sure did you. >> we talked to investigators in that case. a lot of people are coming forward now based on their suspicions of the tammer lynn they knew. so the case is building and they're taking a closer look at him. there's no kind of -- sure shot, this was him. but they're taking a good look at him because of his involvement and because of what they know -- close friends. one of the people was killed. he claimed to be best friends with him. did not go to the funeral. there was suspicion at that time. but not enough to amount to an arrest. given what we know now investigators are taking another look. >> bill: now talking about -- from one guy it seems that

there is an absolute tight case against him. no way he's going to get off. to another one. whitey bulger, it is all over for him isn't it? >> i think so. i think the evidence is overwhelming. i think he realized that, too. there's two trials going on in the whitey bulger case. one about the biggest racketeering, biggest combiningster trial america probably has seen or will see you know, in near time. it is huge. fbi scandal corruption. i think the trial is on pace and i think the evidence is overwhelming. whitey bulger, you know, always demanding things. he's looking at another trial. he's trying to maintain he was not an informant. so that's -- really a separate -- in the trial that's going on here. he's trying to get that across. that seems to be the focus of his lawyers oddly enough. >> bill: it looks like he's trying to save his reputation and his image right yeah?

murderer but i was an honest murderer. >> gangster who had principles. >> gangster with a heart of gold. i love it. >> wouldn't it have been a great movie if somehow someone had said to bulger, hey you know, that terrorist is across the hall. maybe if we let you go for a couple of minutes maybe we kill two birds with one stone here. >> there you go. >> bill: too much. well i gotta tell you, what a big day. what a big day. and thanks for your good work, milton. thanks for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> bill: milton valencia, reporter for "the boston globe." they just had -- there it is a great newspaper. it really is. >> they drove that point home during this coverage of the manhunt. >> bill: "the new york times" is the best paper in the country. it is like our national paper. best local paper for any city is "the boston globe." it's gotta be. milton valencia, reporter, "boston globe."com.

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>> announcer: like politics? then like the "bill press show" on facebook. this is the "bill press show." >> bill: hey here we are. 25 minutes after the hour now here thursday morning july 11. carmel martin from the center for american progress joins us in the next segment to talk student loans. >> breaking news. as you just said, it is july 11. 7-eleven. it is 7-eleven day which means if you walk into a 7-eleven store today you get a free

slurpee! >> bill: no! >> you get a free slurpee and not only that, in previous years, they used to give out a 7 ounce slurpee. this year for the first time ever unprecedented move, a 12 ounce slurpee. that's change you can believe in. almost double the size. >> bill: i'm on my way to a 7-eleven. >> thank you, barack obama! there's one right across the street. right down the street. >> bill: right down 8th street. >> right there! get your free slurpee today. >> bill: okay. here is a question. do i go to the 7-eleven before the gym or after the gym? >> i would probably say aver. i would say after. you don't want the sugar high to bomb out halfway through your workout. >> bill: i don't know. i might need it to get through the workout. how about that. i remember when ben & jerry's used to be next door. there was one day a year when they gave away free ice cream cones. >> get your free slurpee.

>> bill: aic big vote yesterday in the washington is city council. they voted 8-5 in favor of what they call the living wage bill directed right at walmart. walmart is coming into the district of columbia. they're building three new stores. and then maybe three more. the city council said if you're located in the district, you're going to have to pay your employees a minimum $12.50 an hour. walmart said if you do that, we are going to cancel our plans to locate in the district of columbia. city council said yesterday we will not be blackmailed. the minimum wage here, by the way is like $8.25 an hour. but walmart they said -- the city council said if you have a store -- if you're a big box store basically, you have to pay $12.50 an hour and that passed yesterday. this is going to have reverberations all across the

country. more and more cities, i'll bet you are going to be doing the same thing. and walmart immediately announced after the city council vote they were, in fact, going to pull up their stakes and not go forward. >> plans for three stores in d.c. they scrapped all of them. >> bill: walmart the big bully in more and more cities, more and more fights over walmart. and we stand for the workers. they deserve $12.50 an hour. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." to the fire. are you encouraged by what you heard the president say the other night? is this personal, or is it political? a lot of my work happens by doing the things that i'm given to doing anyway, by staying in touch with everything that is going on politically and putting my own nuance on it. in reality it's not like they actually care. this is purely

about political grandstanding. i've worn lots of hats, but i've always kept this going. i've been doing politics now for a dozen years. (vo) he's been called the epic politics man. he's michael shure and his arena is the war room. >> these republicans in congress that think the world ends at the atlantic ocean border and pacific ocean border. the bloggers and the people that are sort of compiling the best of the day. i do a lot of looking at those people as well. not only does senator rubio just care about rich people, but somehow he thinks raising the minimum wage is a bad idea for the middle class. but we do care about them right?

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>> bill: hey how about it. 33 minutes after the hour. here we are on the "full court press." this thursday morning. july 11. great to see you today. and it was -- you know, it just proves how broken congress is yesterday on several fronts. as we've been talking earlier the house republicans caucused and decided they weren't going to do anything about comprehensive immigration reform even though former republican president george w. bush gave a major speech in dallas yesterday calling on the republican party to act. in the senate and the house. the intelligence committees of -- the head of the intelligence committees both banded together and said we're not going to do anything to allow aid to the rebels in syria even though a month ago, they were pressuring president obama

to provide aid to the rebels in syria. the president made a decision to do so but now that the president is for it, they said yesterday -- we don't want that to happen because we don't like what the administration is doing. and then number three the senate takes up a bill to do something to provide some relief to america's students who saw the interest rates on the federal loans jump double from 3.4% to 6.8% on july 1. and republicans filibustered that and so there was no action taken on that in the senate yesterday. it is particularly that latter issue, student loans that we turn to carmel martin who is the executive vice president for policy at the great center for american progress. joining us in studio this morning. carmel, nice to see you. >> good morning. >> bill: we love the work that the center for american progress is doing. so thank you for being part of

it and coming in here. how serious is this issue for student loans? how many people does it impact and you know, kind of what is the burden that they've got if congress doesn't act to fix it? >> bill: let's start there. >> so the recent doubling of rates will impact seven million borrowers and it has huge impacts for students and families. i think everybody would agree this is one of the most important issues that families face is how they're going to be able to afford to send their children to college. it is also critically important for our economy that we're able to produce more graduates to help jump start the economy. so it's really, really important issue. >> bill: and for the students who are getting out of college to have this burden that they carry with them, right and having to pay that much more if it doubled the interest rate. >> yeah. for the average student the cost of this change is about

$1,000 per year of school. so a student going for a four-year degree, we're talking about over $4,000 over the life of their loan. we're seeing more and more that students, graduates are being affected by the debt levels that they're carrying. we should be doing more, not less to alleviate the debt levels and help them to manage the cost of college so that's why it is unconscionable that the federal government, at a time where interest rates are at historically low rates, it is unconscionable we would be doubling the rates on students right now. >> bill: various proposals out there, right? one easy proposal, it seems easy way to resolve this is to extend it the way congress did last year. keep it at 3.4%. for another year or two years while we work out a solution. is that the best answer? >> we don't think that's the best answer. if that's the best they can do, then at a minimum, that's what congress -- >> bill: it is better than nothing. >> we absolutely cannot let the

rates continue to be double. they need to reverse it and make students whole starting july 1. we think we can't keep operating this way. it is just not a way to run a government. they should be able to come up with a long-term solution that pegs the rate to the market so it is a fair rate for students. at the same time, we think we need to protect students from unexpected spikes in the market so there should be a cap in any long-term solution. and the most important thing is there absolutely should be no attempts to use this program to pay down the debt which is something that republicans have proposed. they've been very up-front about their proposals to charge students more in order to pay down the deficit. we think it is outrageous -- in a time where somehow it is not acceptable to tax billionaires to deal with the deficit but we're supposed to tax struggling students who are trying to make ends might who are just trying to get a college degree so they can be productive members of society.

>> bill: even at 3.4 or 6.8%, isn't that what we're doing? in effect? we're taxing students to help pay down the debt or elsewhere does that money go? >> well, there are proposals that would peg the rate to the market with a small markup to be able to pay the cost of the program. costs for administering the program. there's costs to cover defaults on the loans. so it is possible to peg the rate to the market in a way that is not really making money off of students. and we think that's what this program should be about. it should be how can we get the maximum number of students, the support they need to go to college in a way that's fair to them covers the cost of the program but isn't seeking to garner more money to pay for other things. >> bill: so from the center for american progress's perspective, the best plan would be -- i think this is what the president has proposed, isn't it? tie it to the market. with a cap.

okay. so it would be floating with a cap. now, what the senate yesterday -- i understand, proposed. senator joe manchin some others was tie it to the market but no cap. correct? >> exactly. there's been several proposals that would tie it to the market. with no cap. so we have consistently said you need to have a cap because we need to protect students from unexpectedly high interest rates. and we also have pushed hard for -- once the loan is taken out, that is the rate that the loan would be at. so you set the rate at the time. you're taking up a loan. the house republicans put forth a proposal that did have a cap but the rate could fluctuate year to year based on markets. we don't think that makes sense. >> bill: okay, now elizabeth warren senator from massachusetts, says none of these plans -- paraphrasing her. as i understand it, none of the

plans are the way we ought to go. best plan is to give students the same rate that the big banks get from the fed when they borrow money which is like .7%. why should we be making money at all on these students? makes a lot of sense to me. and she's obviously picked up a lot of support in the academic community. for her proposal. >> i think she's right. we absolutely should not be making money off of students. so we think the rate should be pegged to what the market is charging. whether the discount window rate is a rate that's workable from an administrative perspective unclear. but she's absolutely right. we need to be setting the market so that -- setting the rate so that it is about getting the lowest rate possible to students while being able to pay for the program. it would be great if we could give students grants, not loans and not charge them anything. in an ideal world, that would be something we would be looking at. but that's tough to figure out

how we would pay for that in the short term. so i think in the short term, what we need to do is to give students loans that are fair to them, allow them to manage their debt. the other thing the president proposed that we strongly support at the center for american progress is his pay as you earn program. so not only do we need to keep the cost of the loans low but we also have to help students once they graduate to be able to pay back their loans and under his plan, no student will have to pay more than 10% of their discretionary income toward student debt. we think that makes a lot of sense. if people graduate and they're making a lot of money, it is okay they're having to pay higher amounts but we need to help them to manage their debt. >> bill: we're talking with carmel martin for the center for american progress about this impasse on student loans. 1-866-55-press our toll free number. your comments and your questions for carmel martin are welcome. here's what i don't get. i don't get the politics of this. it seems to me, it is so clear.

as you pointed out, so unfair and unjust to allow this rate to just double because of congress doing nothing and yet congress did go home, did nothing. now they've only been back a few days but still seems to be no rush to correct it. why? why? particularly with the republican leadership in the house. and in the senate. they don't care about students or they think students just are all democrats anyway? most of them so they don't want to help them out? i mean these are people, young people, who we need in the work force. and we need them to go out and start their families and everything. who would be against this? i don't get it. >> it is baffling. the good news is it does seem to be -- that we have bipartisan agreement that the rate's going from 3.4% to 6.8% fixed is not the right thing to do. there are some signs of progress

this morning. there are reports there is a bipartisan deal that would fix -- and undo the doubling of rates. we haven't seen the details yet. it does sound promising. >> bill: is this in the senate or the house? >> in the senate. apparently a group of bipartisan senators that reach at least tentative agreement toward moving toward a rate that's tied to the market with a cap. again, i haven't seen the details but i'm hopeful they are getting the message. we've been doing a lot to really send a message that this is absolutely unconscionable that they would be acting in this way. so we're hoping that they will be able to reach agreement and undo the doubling of rates which is just completely -- >> bill: to me this is not rocket science. this is pretty basic. the solution is right there. and i guess what is lacking so far is the will to act. maybe they're not getting enough pressure. your comments on this battle

over student loans. one of the big ones facing the congress right now right up there with immigration reform. 1-866-55-press. again, the toll free number to join the conversation. your questions welcome for center for american progress vice president carmel martin. >> announcer: go mobile with bill press. download podcasts at billpressshow.com and listen any time anywhere. this is the "bill press show."

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gridlock right now on the issue of student loans in the united states congress. we're talking about that with carmel martin from the center for american progress. lots of calls and comments from you which we'll get to in just a minute here. but first, a little reminder about identity theft and how important it is to protect yourself against it. story i saw here from news for jacks where even on in the social media online, thieves are able to -- identity thieves go online now. they look for tidbits of information online to figure out what your confidential password might be. play around with some possibilities. get your password and actually then with that password, able to access your information social security number, address whatever. and bingo, you're the next victim of identity theft. unless you're protected against

it, like i am with lifelock ultimate. the most comprehensive i.d. theft protection available. but of course, lifelock services can't protect you or your bank account if you're not a member. visit lifelock.com or give them a call and mention press 10 and you'll get 10% off your lifelock ultimate membership. number to call, 1-800-356-5967 for lifelock ultimate. >> take comments on social media on twitter at bpshow at bpshow. pat says we make a mistake when we try to analyze this g.o.p. as if they were rational. they just don't even pay attention to what might make sense. they do whatever they want to do. and l crowns asks an interesting question. does anyone else think it's nut for students to have to pay for college at all? you can join the conversation at bpshow on twitter. >> bill: that's an interesting

question and before we go to calls, carming, i wanted to play a quick clip from senator rubio when they were voting on whether or not to proceed to vote on this solution to the student loan problem. senator rubio says we're focusing on the wrong issue. here he is. >> the fund. al problem isn't the loans. it is the fewish rates that continue to climb across this country. why don't we do something about colleges raising tuition rates rather than about the interest rate on student loans. >> well, he's absolutely right. we need to tackle the cost of college in a robust way but in the meantime, the tuition rates are what they are and the idea we'll double rates on students is the wrong way to go. we can't be making it more expensive. it is our job to make it less expensive. this is a great investment for individuals. somebody who gets a four year degree is likely to make about a million dollars more over their lifetime but it is a great deal

for us as a country because we need more educated workers. there's research out of georgetown university that shows by 2020, we'll be about five million people short in terms of people who have post-secondary credentials that our economy needs. so we should be doing more to bring down the cost of college. we need to demand that states and institutions step up and bring down their costs and the federal government needs to do more to provide the resources students need to get to college. >> bill: i think senator rubio's being a little bit too clever here and is trying to change the subject. college tuition is too high and colleges are raising -- we ought to do something about that. meanwhile, we shouldn't be bleeding students, right, with doubling the interest rate on their student loans. senator, nice try. you're not kidding anybody. rosanna from west palm beach florida. what's your take here? good morning.

>> caller: good morning, bill. i'm a first-time -- i'm not a listener but getting on to your show. >> bill: what do you think? >> caller: i have a student loan myself. and what i'm thinking the problem is this, i went to culinary school. my friends have gone. we've gone to a lot -- because we go to school is to have a career to make more money more than the minimum wage. >> bill: right. >> caller: what we're finding out now is you go to these schools and get this money and you have no possible way of paying it back. because you go -- i've met people from c.i.a. and other culinary schools and whatever, they get a loan for $50,000 $60,000, $70,000 $80,000 $90,000 and this job starts at $10. >> bill: rosanna, in the interest of time, have to get a quick response from carmel.

that underscores the importance of low interest rate, doesn't it? >> low interest rates but also the importance of having a repayment plans like i described before which the president has been a leader on creating this pay as you earn plan so that if your income is low the amount you have to pay back is capped based on your income so we think those are critically important things to make sure all borrowers have access to. >> bill: well, you know, i don't know whether we're going get anything on immigration reform but i think we can still get something on student loans as long as you and others keep up the pressure. you at the center for american progress. carmel martin, you're right in the lead on this. thanks for coming in this morning. >> thanks for having me. >> bill: i'll be back with a quick parting shot. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." (vo) from the underworld, to the world of privilege. >> everyone in michael jackson's life was out to use him. (vo) no one brings you more documentaries that are real, gripping, current.

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>> good morning, current tv fans. well stephanie had a bit of a gastrointestinal distress, so she had to zoom out of the room to the restroom, but jacki is here. i'm chris lavoie. >> a little lonely, chris? >> jim's not here. i'm here. and later on we're going to talk