is a bunch of bombs. that makes me sad because i believe in a place called hope. >> he told me there was a heaven, daddy. he said it's for suckers. very busy. >> my 8-year-old daughter having existential crisis at 3:00 a.m. in the morning because of john meachem. time to go to chuck todd. this is the hour. they will be talking about it 100 years from now. take it away. >> decision day. the supreme court is just an hour away from one of the most important rulings in 80 years. judging the constitutionality of the sweeping health care law, the power of congress. it's president obama's signature achieveme achievement. full coverage of the legal, the policy, and the political

impact. plus -- what would come next? meanwhile, house republicans are poised to do something that never has been done before. hold a cabinet in contempt. our big questions, besides who will any notice politically after 10:00 a.m. and our new poll takes a look at where mitt romney stand. three swing states are only on the out skirts. we are talking michigan and north carolina among them. a very busy thursday. this is "the daily rundown." i'm chuck todd. maybe about 57 minutes away. let's get to the first reads of the morning. the supreme court will issue what may be the most important ruling on the power of congress

in 80 years. the court will deliver a verdict on the president's signature legislative achievements, something democrats have been pursuing since harry truman was in the white house. it comes years after political fighting and became a courtroom battle. crowds lined up early at the court to hear the supreme court answer the fundamental question. is the health care law constitutional? it's the defining moment for john robber it is who preparing to decide over a divided court told senators at his confirmation hearing, my job is to call the balls and strikes. the stakeholder his three months to prepare for everiy is narrow and despite a simple set of questions before the cower, it's args mazing how many scenarios everybody has come up with. the justice correspondent live at the supreme court, it's amazing.

there simple questions thatty wowe are waiting on. >> simple questions, but i wouldn't count on getting a simple decision here. one of the issues is and this court is argued at the end of march. overtime and it will take us a while to figure out where everybody landed. it will get a flurlity decision. we will begin on the mandate and up or down, but they may come at it with different reasons. we have to be prepared from that. the fundamental question is the mandate. is it constitutional and they have to answer the second question. okay, how much of the rest of the law has to fall with it and how much of the rest of the law can be saved. there is an additional question important to the states about

the future of medicate conditions. it requires the state to cover more people with generous benefits and that pushes them so far that it gives them no choice. those are the main questions we hope it get answered in an hour or so. >> justice kennedy and roberts seem to be the swing votes here. >> they may be the divicive votes and the liberals, begins berg, sotomayor and kagan have probably made up their minds as have the court's more solid conservatives. ska li a alito and thomas. that leaves the others in play to make the decisions for us. . >> i know you have to get in there. you have a lot of reading to do. the man who figured out bush v gore before anybody else. >> i don't know about that.

>> the man who has to figure it out before anybody else does. >> let it be simple. >> while the stakes couldn't be higher, that hasn't stopped the guessing game and the convoilated analysis about how a loss can be a win and how much the price paid for a win could end up costing. folks, the bottom line, a win is a win ask a loss is a loss. let's not overanalyze this, though there will be complications depending on what the court decides and the degrees for which they go. this is a defining moment as he made clear again at a fund-raiser this week. >> i believe health reform was the right thing to do. i believe it was right to make sure over three million young people can stay on their parents's health insurance and it was right to make sure everybody in this country gets decent health care and is not

bankrupt when they get sick. that's what i believe. it's up to you. >> the president will speak from the white house after the decision. if the law is fully upheld, expect to hear from him sooner. the less definitive the ruling, the longer the white house is likely to take. mitt romney will also commend in washington right around noon. yesterday for the second day in a row, it seems that romney had both reactions to the potential out comes to prepare. >> it's clear that a big decision is coming tomorrow from the supreme court. my guess is they are not sleeping real well at the white house. if the court said look, it passes the constitution, it still is bad policy and if i am elected, we will repeal and replace it. if the court strikes it down, they will do my work for me and i won't have to repeal it, but i will still replace it. >> democrats found more quotes from mitt romney when he was

governor talking about the mandate and praising his legislature at the time for putting the mandate in the health care law. does that matter? we will see. the republican party has a good deal at stake after running against health care in 2010. after the tea party rallies and the court challenges, is it possible they come up empty-handed? the house speaker was unequivocal about how republicans will respond if parts of the law are upheld. >> we're made it clear and will make it clear one more time. if the court does not strike down the entire law, the house will move to repeal what's left of it. >> some republicans in congress privately worry that if parts are overturned, if they are unprepared to talk about how they would fix it. they have a rapid response team and talking points that had leaked out from the senate conference, giving members guidance on how to respond to the where is the replace plan

question. how americans get their health care folks. parts are in effect including provisions that allow kids to be on their parents's policies until age 26. the individual mandate with the law still in effect in 2014. no adult will be able to deny for preexisting continues and there will be no dollar limit on the amount of coverage a person may receive. a big question a lot of people have, what happens with insurance rates? do they skyrocket if insurance companies don't have them to bring down the costs? a new round of the polls to debut and chew on while we wait for the verdict.

our poll shows romney has a race in north caroline. the president is up within the poll's margin of error. in michigan, a state in which democrats are confident, what we have seen and while the president is ahead, it's a narrow lead. just four points. 47-43. obama campaign has not spent any money in michigan. new hampshire looked like a big home and recently he fixed his problems there. romney spent a lot of time kicking off and fears that might have been paying off. we have the two dead tied. 45-45. a bump in support with hispanics. we have more of the numbers from telepunto and the oversample of

hispanics. the president's job approval rating is at 65%. look at that. it's a huge jump from a month ago. it's a whopping 40-point lead over romney among hispanic registered voters. 68% of all americans say they favor the executive order deportation of young illegal immigrants brought as children, among hispanics, it's almost 9 in 10 who favor the new policy. another story likely to get buried at about 10:17 this morning, but still big here in washington barring lack of negotiations, the house will vote on a citation against eric holder. during the rules committee hearing, the committee is charmed with setting up how the vote happens. did the accusations fly. >> this administration trampled on the constitution and on the first amendment and religious

rights. if you don't think that this fast and furious and things like it are the beginning of an attack on the second amendment, you haven't evaluated this president. >> you said as recently that you didn't have a scintilla of evidence that this administration either holder or the president had done anything wrong. >> some of that was darrell issa at a separate interview where he lumped issues together. joining me is kelly o'donnell. you are outside of the supreme court and you tell me. it doesn't feel like it was a mere coincidence that house republicans may be nervous about how much this gets beyond their base today. make sure this was scheduled after the supreme court. >> when are they are talking about trying to make it known, today is not a day to do that given the attention that the supreme court case will get. for the republican base and conservatives around the country, this has been an issue they followed closely for the

last year and a half. i sat through a lot of hearings and there has been a lot of confusion about what is this vote about? there is on the one side the ongoing investigation about the operation known as fast and furious. the committee chairman has no reason to believe that the white house or eric holder had direct knowledge about that. why contempt? democrats are upset because it goes too far. what issa is focused on is a narrow date and set of do you means from february 4th to december of 2011. the focus is why did congress get bad information from the department of justice. false information that they later constructed about what the program related to gun trafficking was all about. who knew what when and who talked to whom and what was going on to tell congress that they had given false information. it's not about the fast and curious operation, but is the

attorney general doing what he me ins to to provide congress with information? they are exerting executive privilege. this is a hard to follow you need a flow chart to follow it, but it's so important. no cabinet officer has been held in contempt. >> the nra is scoring the vote and that meant that democrats will end up supporting this. you have seen publicly they expect as many as 30. thank you very much. we are counting down to the big health care ruling. a democratic senator, richard bloomenthal not only argued before the court is the attorney general for connecticut, but was a clerk for the court as a young man. getting romney where it hurts. where the negative ratings on the rise, going again and trying to capitalize on what they think is a bain pain.

the president's schedule officially, he will be going to bethesda to mead with wounded warriors there. we expect to hear from him at some point responding to the decision. you are watching the daily run only on msnbc. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

just two aleve can keep pain away all day. what happens when classroom teachers get the training... ...and support they need? schools flourish and students blossom.

that's why programs like... ...the mickelson exxonmobil teachers academy... ...and astronaut sally ride's science academy are helping our educators improve student success in math and science. let's shoot for the stars. let's invest in our teachers and inspire our students. let's solve this.

the ink was barely dry on the healing care reform law when 13 state attorney generals filed suit to challenge it that would include more than half the states in the country and it led to today's supreme court ruling. connecticut and democratic

senator richard bloomenthal certifies that his general was a law clerk to justice blackman and argued four cases before the supreme court. thanks for coming and i couldn't think about a better person to talk to than before this started. put on your attorney general hat and explain why the attorney general and all of them was a partisan thing on at front. what gave them the constitutional grounds to challenge this. >> it had to do in their view with the state's rights and powers that would be implicate and impeded in their view by this law. i disagree with that and i don't think that the rights or powers of any state are degraded or diminished in any way by this law. they also raise the same issues as the other plaintiffs about

the commerce clause and the excessive regulation of individu individual, but i'm a strong believer in state rights. the fundamental reforms enabling young people to stay on their parents's policy and stopping discrimination because they have preexisting continues or billing them into bankruptcy because of the lifetime and limits. those are core reforms that in no way implicate powers or rights. i declined to join that down the line. >> was there ever or when you look at this, do you feel like any part of a law goes to the line? in your view of challenging state rights where -- was it a close call for you? >> for me, no. never a close call. the challenge if we can be blunt

was more political than legal in the driving force. i think we have seen that because the core questions for the court have more to do with the commerce clause and imposing some limiting principal on the individual mandate. i think that's the issue most in contention. can the government require people to buy a product? going into the legal issues there, but the state's challenge was more political than legal. >> two other questions i think like you have a unique errs perties on, the state of connecticut, a big state with a lot of insurance companies head quartered in the state, if the mandate is struck down, is there any other response than raising rates to extraordinary levels for the insurance companies in order to keep the other parts of the law if they are forced to deal with the preexisting condition issue and these other

aspects of the law that do that? is there any other responses than raising rates? >> there other responses. i can commit to seeking those responses, but the insurance companies to their credit have indicated they will keep many of these core reforms. my hope is without raising rates. preventive care is in the long-term and economic interest. health care delivery costs have to be brought down. i will be fighting against any effort to impose higher premiums when our business can least afford them and they have been doing quite well and should be held to those reforms like not discriminating against people or dropping them when they get sick. other kinds of reforms include

keeping the 23,000 young people who are now their parents's policies and millions can stay on until age 26. those benefits for people are in the insurer's interests and the enlightened ones are adopting them. >> put the former clerk hat on. how does the most important ruling with huge political policy ramifications and perhaps a century not leak out? what is it that happens with you clerks that keep you from leaking any of this stuff? >> fear. clear fear. the sense of more seriously, the sense of an ethos and kind of unwritten rule that there would be anything for disclosure. that sense of integrity pervades the court from the clerks to the

secretaryial staff and clerical staff. as much as they disagree and there strong disagreements and some quite emotional, the integrity of the court and credibility is at stake in the avoidance of premature disclosure and also in the decision itself. the credibility and value of the court is very much in play. >> one of the more remarkable side bars and the branch of government we know doesn't leak. democrat from connecticut, thanks for coming on. >> thank you. >> up next, the brand-new poll numbers we told you about in three swing states that some people wonder, are they a part of the battle ground or not? the play in the northeast and the industrial midwest. we are following the big developing news waiting for word from the supreme court on the

health care decision. today's trivia question, what's the nickname for the basketball court inside the supreme court building? tweet me the answer on daily run down. the answer and more coming up on "the daily rundown." we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare? that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses.

the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. call today to request a free decision guide to help you better understand what medicare is all about. and which aarp medicare supplement plan works best for you. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients... plus, there are no networks, and you'll never need a referral to see a specialist. there's a range of plans to choose from, too. and they all travel with you. anywhere in the country. join the millions who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations...

and provided by unitedhealthcare insurance company, which has over 30 years of experience behind it. call today. remember, medicare supplement insurance helps cover some of what medicare doesn't pay -- expenses that could really add up. these kinds of plans could save you up to thousands in out-of-pocket costs... you'll be able choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. and you never need referrals. so don't wait. with all the good years ahead, look for the experience and commitment to go the distance with you. call now to request your free decision guide. this easy-to-understand guide will answer some of your questions, and help you find the aarp medicare supplement plan that's right for you. hey. hey eddie. i brought your stuff. you don't have to do this. yes i do.

i want you to keep this. it'd be weird. take care. you too. [ sighs ] so how did it go? he's upset. [ male announcer ] spend less time at gas stations. with best in class fuel economy. it's our most innovative altima ever. ♪

it's our most innovative altima ever. it's time to live wider awake. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system... from beautyrest. it's you, fully charged.

it's about time we made our homes work for us. so let's make our dryers do the ironing. have our fridges cater our parties. and tell our ranges to whip up dinner. let's plug in to summer savings before they're gone... ...without wasting an ounce of energy with smart machines that turn housework into house play. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now, save $600 on this maytag french door refrigerator, just $1,598. that sounds like a celebrate tori soup.

that sounds like a celebrate welcome to hotels.com. summer road trip, huh? that sounds like a celebrate tori soup. as the hotel experts, finding you the perfect place is all we do. this summer, save up to 30%, plus get up to $100 on us. welcome to hotels.com. ♪ spread a little love my way ♪ ♪ spread a little something to remember ♪ ♪

♪ spread a little joy... [ female announcer ] fresh milk and real cream. that's what makes philadelphia. ♪ so spread a little... [ female announcer ] and that's what makes the moment we enjoy it, a little richer. ♪ real belgian chocolate whipped with philadelphia cream cheese. new indulgence. the moment just got a little sweeter.

. .ç [ male announcer ] wouldn't it be cool if we took the nissan altima and reimagined nearly everything in it? gave it greater horsepower and best in class 38 mpg highway... ...advanced headlights... ...and zero gravity seats? yeah, that would be cool. ♪ introducing the completely reimagined nissan altima. it's our most innovative altima ever. nissan. innovation that excites.

♪

well, we are just minutes away from the supreme court's ruling on health care. actually, we think it is going to be about 10:17. there's some other decisions up first. but it is the biggest decision out of the supreme court since bush v gore. let's bring back the panel.

pete, win/win, loss is a loss. someone a win, loss is a loss for both sides here? >> i think it is a loss for the president either way. >> why? >> because we have been talking about this for two, three weeks now, parsing everything that may or may not happen on the cable shows and the law is unpopular. if it is found constitutional or unconstitutional that doesn't change the fact that it is unpopular across the country in my home state and a lot of other states. >> public opinion what we found on our polls, you got ask these questions carefully, you give people a lot -- two or threeç choices, you see that there isn't -- there seems to be some fungibility with people. they wait to understand it. >> this is the biggest scaling of the obama administration on this law is that they failed to explain it. and they let the other side define it for them. and if they pull this -- >> just talking about that with mitt romney. >> and if they pull this out,

one of their high priorities should be messaging on it to explain. i mean, the only thing i think the public really knows about that is people up to 26 can be on it and you can't exclude on the basis of pre-existing conditions. but they did not go do a good job selling this thing. >> explaining, for instance urkt mandate, what is it, 16% max that would be affected by the mandate? it is a very small -- it's very small number. but is this a case where uphold is the only win here? anything else and when you're explaining, it is a politically rough day for the white house? >> it will be a tough day if they don't get, you know, the whole thing held up. but good campaigns figure out how to make chicken salad out of bad chicken. so they have got to figure out how to -- >> you got to cook it a lot. anything like that, salmonella. cook that sucker. >> the health care law is ten years from now, all the ben mates in kicked in, the problem with the law, benefits didn't kick in, ten years from now,

people look back, we like it. >> shameless plugs, pete. you are the outsider, go. >> chairman eric who will come of the indiana republican party has a book out, leading the revolution, theç lessons peopl can learn from mitch daniels' tenure as governor. >> purdue boilermaker. >> fun piece on politico.com on all the different players in this and how they are going to be impacted by the ruling today. >> next 21 minutes, you can read that? >> it will sometime be interesting from obama to jeff to been t is entertaining. >> from obama to jeff to been. >> i work at a place called the rain group, robin raven, do the math, who wrote a piece in "huffington post" about the entire gun walking eric holder episode, very good piece, politics and legality around it, former justice department official. >> that's t stick around. wither not going anywhere. that is it "the daily rundown" portion of t tomorrow on the show, we will have all the analysis following today's supreme court decision. i have to stay in my chair, chris jansing takes it away. she, of course will have

coverage. we will all be right here to break it all down for you. bye bye. throughout our entire lives. ♪ one a day men's 50+ is a complete multi-vitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. ♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day men's 50+ healthy advantage.

an accident doesn't have to slow you down... with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer... with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance, responsibility -- what's your policy?