model for the nation. it comes in a state that so recently experienced the horror of newtown that left many heavy hearts. >> so today, in making this vote, i want to be the voice for charlotte bacon and dan yan barden and olivia engle and josephine gaye and madeline shoe and kathryn hubbard and chase kowalski and jesse lewis and james and grace mcdonnell and emily parker and jack pinto and noah pause ner and careline and jessica and benjamin wheeler and allison wyatt and their siblings, moms and dads. >> meantime, in a close vote, maryland's house of delegates

passed new gun legislation that's expected to pass the senate including a measure to fingerprint gun buyers. the president made the case new gun laws are common sense for the nation. >> we are not gonna wait for the next newtown or the next aurora before we act. i genuinely believe that's what the overwhelming amount of americans, i don't care what party they belong to, they want to see progress. i want to bring in jose and neah maleeka henderson, good morning. >> good morning. >> to the president's point, jose, there's a brand-new poll out showing 91% support background checks, 88% of gun

owners support it. i know you are a gun owner. we have talked about it before. how does a lawmaker say this isn't what the american people want? >> well, polls reflect a snapshot of what people think at a certain period of time. i think that a lot of people both gun owners and those who oppose, you know, gun law or gun availability will say that, you know, if you can have an opportunity to check the background of the person who asks to get a gun, i think it's a pretty clear cut case of logic saying, you know, if i buy a gun and another guy who is a criminal wants to buy a gun, i think i'd like the government to know which of the two shouldn't have one. the problem is, when you add other things to that request, then is where i think the gray area, you know, comes in.

>> i think the gray area may be by the whole idea of the slippery slope. the president made a lot of the focus of the speech, read the bill, we aren't coming for your guns. let me play for you -- well, let me show you the quinniplac poll. 48% of the american people overall agree with that. is that the issue here? >> that is the issue on the most extreme side of the gun rights activist. this idea of there's going to be a national registry of gun owners. the government is going to come up for guns. if you look at the conversation as going on in the senate, it's really about expanded background checks versus universal background checks. the problem that a lot of folks, gun owners, some democrats have

with universal background checks is the idea, if i have a gun and i want to give it to my brother, i have to have recordkeeping for that. republicans and some democrats don't want that to happen. the focus now is, if they can get something that's expanded background checks meaning if i want to go to a gun show and buy a gun, then i have to get a background check, if i want to buy a gun online, i have to get a background check. that seems like it has a good shot of passing in the senate. harry reid is looking at about ten or 12 republican senators like john mccain who might be open to that. he's got about 50 democrats willing to back them as well. >> i want to bring in richard bloom bloomen thall. senator, good to see you this morning. to that point, what can get through, if anything that's

watered down, the key question for somebody in washington and who is in connecticut, how do you take what got done in your state early this morning and do that or even a portion of that at the federal level? >> i'm very proud and heartened by what was done in connecticut. i think it provides a model for the nation, not only in its provisions, it does provide for strong background checks that stop criminals and mentally deranged people from having guns. it also have a mental health component, a strong school of safety component, both of which i supported. it also has common sense related to high capacity magazines, a provision i'm offering as an amendment on the floor when this bill reaches that point. i'm most encouraged by the bipartisan compromise that was reached. you played earlier a very moving

clip from a state senator, a republican, who supported this bill. six out of the 18 republicans in the state senate. 20 out of 51 in the state house supported the bill. i think connecticut can provide a model of bipartisanship going forward, after the shock and horror, the unspeakable tragedy of new town, which is still so much with us and really has changed the nation fundamentally. those polls you recounted reflect this time is different and the connecticut effect is not going away. >> anyone who had the opportunity to listen to the conversation yesterday on the floor of the connecticut legislature couldn't help but with riveted by it and moved by it. let me play something by the speaker of the house in connecticut. >> hopefully that is some measure of comfort to the victims of newtown. i think we owed it to them to take it seriously.

>> i thought that phrase, i thought we owed it to them struck me. it seemed clear lawmakers felt they had a lot of responsibility to victims and families. is that something that is missing in the senate? in the u.s. senate? what do you think is driving the opposition. >> chris, you were in newtown, literally a couple days after this horrific tragedy, the night the president was there and did a great job that evening in covering it. i think that what's missing here is a sense of connection, perhaps to newtown, but i have been able to bring down to washington some of the families meeting privately. it has a very powerful effect for senators who may have no immediate connection to newtown or aurora or virginia tech geographically or personally to meet with these families, see their courage and strength and

sense their grief and loss for someone who has not been through it. i was there within hours of the sandy hook shooting, to recount or sort of convey the shock and horror of those moments and the 6-year-olds and very brave teachers and see the connection between high capacity magazines that enabled this killer to fire 154 rounds in. >> congress has been on a two-week recess. what will be the priority? is it going to be gun legislation? immigration? something else? >> both are necessary. i'm trusting that the majority leader, harry reid will show the judgment and leadership he has again and again. the last two years i have been in the united states senate, he

indicated he's permitted to get votes on the floor. the president said the families deserve them, not only newtown, but aurora and tucson. i believe we'll have a bill that bans illegal trafficking and strengthens school security, provide background checks to all firearms purchases and have votes as well on the assault weapons ban. >> you think there will be votes on assault weapons ban? >> i'm certainly counting on it. the majority leader indicated there will be. senator feinstein will offer that amendment. i will spearhead the one on high capacity magazines. senator, thank you so much for coming on. we'll be watching that closely. >> thank you, chris. let's talk about immigration which as he pointed out, the senator pointed out is another big thing that is going to be on the plate of congress.

this morning, the new poll asked, should illegal immigrants be allowed to stay in the united states and become citizens? 59% agree, stay. 11% stay but no path. 25% disagree. when you look at the numbers, jose, does it say to you it's just a number of time before it gets done and how long? >> that's a good question, chris. if you look back at the last successful immigration reform bill signed into law in 1986, it was presented in 1985. more than a year later, the president signed that bill into law after more than six years of negotiations, of town hall meetings, public meetings throughout the country to talk about this issue. the problem is that right now, you have to strike when the iron is hot politically speaking.

the fact is, immigration reform, if there has an opportunity to pass must occur before the end of this year. so, the question is, our legislatures, both in the senate and in the house ready to present something which all sides can agree is a good blueprint to begin this process. right now, there are small stumbling blocks, small yet large enough they could poison this situation. they are yet to be resolved in the senate and the house. >> one of the things we hear over and over again, rick perry was talking about the murdered texas d.a. and his wife. he alluded to that being a problem because of the border. let me play that. >> i will suggest to you, it's really at the heart of this issue. you secure the border, it makes it harder for these individuals to have access into this country. >> look at the numbers. 2004 to 2006 more than 1 million

people crossed the border illegally. in 2012, 364,0 o 0. for republicans what constitutes a secure border? >> in terms of border security and how you monitor it, a lot of republicans want, essentially a vote in congress to see if the border is actually secure. that would be a trigger mechanism in terms of the flow of immigrants. rick perry inserting that into the crime seems a little bit premature given we don't know what happened down there with that crime. again, i think that's going to be a sticking pounlt. you have a movement on the house side. there seems to be some disagreements there about a pathway to citizenship. they want dreamers to have a pathway to citizenship. they have other levels where there wouldn't be a pathway to citizenship but a pathway to legal status. things are far from done as jose

said. but, i think a pro-immigration should be heartened by the fact that a, there are electoral consequences and electoral push to have this done. and also folks are still talking about it and that gang of eight is still together. a lot of times you have gangs break up and people peel off. arubio a key to this is still on board, so far. things still need to be worked out. nia-malika henderson and jose, great to see you. >> thank you. governor will sign a bill requiring abortion clinics to use doctors who have the approval to admit patients to hospitals in the same city. opponents say the net effect will be that it will put abortion clinics out of business because of regulation. the governor says the bill will make it safer for women to have an aborgs. personally, he is opposed to them. [ jackie ] it's just so frustrating...

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south korea's defense chief said that north korea moved a missile with considerable range and is ready to strike american military forces. the pentagon is deploying a defense missile system to guam to protect against a possible attack. chuck hagel says washington is taking the threat seriously. >> they have ratcheted up their dangerous rhetoric. some of the actions they have taken the last few weeks present a real and clear danger and threat to the interests certainly of our allies. >> joining me now, former u.s. ambassador to morocco and middle east adviser, mark ginsburg.

good to see you. >> a dangerous amateur hour in pyongyang. how dangerous do you assess this to be? >> it's very dangerous. in all the confrontations that occurred with the kim dynasty in north korea, i don't believe we have ever seen this coming out of north korea on the verge of an effect of provoking a confrontation with south korea and the united states. as i wrote in the article, i was in china the last two weeks. they reached a point where they, themselves are distancing themselves from north korea. i take this seriously. i think the biggest danger here, chris, is that kim jong un backed himself into a dangerous corner. >> let's get more insight into

this. like his father kim jong-il and his grandfather, a regime under stress and duress is the oxygen he needs for the control at the top. that is the lesson handed down from grandfather to grandson. how does this situation get diffu diffused? >> there's one of three ways. a lot of the roads lead through beijing. the reason i believe kim jong un is operating the way he is, he is angry at the chinese for a resolution and imposing more economic sanctions after the last missile test. it sent shock waves through north korea's military establishment. i think he's trying to get the chinese to back down. two, i think it's important to continue to reach out to the regime and try to talk him back off the perch that he's on and number three, he has to understand that as an untested

leader, the united states is not going to consider all of this rhetoric as mere rhetoric. the united states and south korea will act against the regime. he has to learn that lesson earlier rather than later because of the threat of his missile technology could pose to us as well as our allies. >> how fine a line is the u.s. walking in in we may need to dial back the rhetoric a little bit. how do you respond to what could be a real threat without escalating the situation? >> well, i recommended we stop taking the verbal bait and that both south korea and the united states essentially just take actions with respect to what we are already doing, moving our missile defenses closer toward north korea et cetera without responding to every taunt coming out of kim jong un and his regime. two, frankly, we have run out of

diplomatic options and been in this six party talk, providing fuel to nuclear reactors to appease the regime. the only way we are going to basically denuclearize north korea is regime change from within. it's what we are going to are to do. in the meantime, the chinese have to dial him back. it's where secretary kerry is headed. >> great to have you on the program. thank you. >> thank you, chris. 45 years ago today, dr. martin luther king jr. was assassinated standing on a balcony in tennessee. new video tapes have been released that "dateline" nbc helped restore. james earl ray, the man who killed king. they up collude him being read his rights on a plane after going on the run.

>> rights, one, you have the right to remain silent. anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. three, you have the right to a lawyer. talk to your lawyer. any questions you have during question i questioning. time for "your business" entrepreneurs of the week. the founders of tongel imagined how commercials could be made. they could crowd source ideas and get input. today, ford, mcdonalds and nasa are using it. for more, watch "your business" on sunday mornings on msnbc. so if you have a flat tire, dead battery, need a tow or lock your keys in the car, geico's emergency roadside assistance is there 24/7. oh dear, i got a flat tire.

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the judge admitted he was not a fan of the president, but also says he is not a racist. 2016 alert. senator rand paul will deliver a keynote speech at the liberty dinner may 20th. he'll be in two key early states, iowa and new hampshire already this year. here is first lady michelle obama's answer about her husband being a sex symbol. >> he's got a little swag. that's okay. i'm proud of him. no, he's a stylish, i think, man who is healthy and he's smart and he's passionate and he's inspiring. >> if you read only one thing this morning, we mentioned 45 years ago today, martin luther king jr. was shot and killed in memphis. my must read is a moving, amazing column. it's titled "my dinner with martin luther king jr.."

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checking the news food this morning. colorado police investigating the shooting death of the state corrections chief are now looking for two men connected to a white supremacist group. the members of the 211 crew may have played a role in the murder. they have believed to have spoken to the main suspect days before ebel was shot. oscar pistorius was found back on the track for the first time since the murder of his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. he's struggled to leave the house. the governing body of the paralympic sport is cleared to compete in july. after undergoing emergency surgery, kevin ware traveled with his team to atlanta for the

final 4. the sophomore got emotional with espn when talking about what his teammates winning the game meant to him. >> they went out there and did that for me, you know. i just -- it's -- words can't explain, you know. i love those guys to death. i wouldn't trade them for the world. they are the brothers i never had. >> ware says he will never watch the video of his injury. he will start rehabbing his leg in eight to 12 weeks. enron ceo jeffrey skilling could get out of prison early under an agreement between his attorneys and the justice department. he was charged of conspiracy fraud and insider trading. in 2009 they ruled his sentence was too harsh.

a resentencing has been delayed due to appeals and negotiations. it's not clear how much his sentence could be reduced. carnival cruise lines can't catch a break. "triumph" is secure in a terminal. yesterday, it broke away from a dock in alabama. it had been there for repairs after breaking down at sea in february stranding passengers in horrible sewage filled conditions. wind gusts near hurricane strength caused the ship to get loose. jay leno will hand off "the tonight show" to jimmy fallon. >> jimmy hasn't taken over yet and the rumors are starting. nbc says in five years they plan to replace him with justin bieber. today, i accepted a new position. i am going to be head coach of rutgers university. thank you very much. >> i am going to take over for the "tonight show" next

february. don't worry, until february, our focus is right here on whatever this show is called. >> fallon later humbly tweeted, today was one of the most exciting days of my life. i read every tweet and post and i thank you. state lawmakers will hold hearings to see if more heads should roll after mike rice was fired over the video showing him physically and verbally abusing his players. the assembly speaker wants to know what role people played in keeping the video quiet. the president of the state senate says officials should consider firing the athletic director, too. the homophobic slurs are asking them to renew their antibullying law named after tyler clemente after he took his life. 13 faculty members are demanding

the resignation of the president accusing him of a cover up. i want to bring in steve former deputy campaign manager for john kerry and rick. good to see both of you. thank you. >> good to be here. >> the parents of tyler clemente applaud the decision to fire coach rice. all students require safe environments to learn and reach their full po tension and coach rice's conduct has no place on a calm pus that is devoted to learning and fostering a sense of xhunlt. they will not tolerate this behavior. the shoving and yelling and anti-gay slurs. what do you think, steve, should they have acted sooner? >> they sent a signal this behavior is not appropriate and fired him. i don't know that you need

investigations from the state senate and house to figure it out. when did the athletic director see the tape? if he waited three months to fire him, why? if he waited he should be fired, too. it shouldn't take a hearing to determine. >> is this call for the president to step down? let me read part of the letter. it was signed by 13 faculty members so far. he's suggesting otherwise, he knew about coach rice's homophobic and abusive behavior. he covered up the coach's actions by failing to tell faculty and students about them. was there a big misstep here? >> i agree with steve in the sense you may not need a huge legislative investigation, but it is an opportunity for learning. while i wouldn't say we need

legislative moments here, it's a moment for the legislature to step up and have an educational moment. this is a cultural shift. this has probably been going on for as long as there's been sports teams at colleges and universities public and private. the best coaches would never do something like this. you would never see john woodson from ucla, a great coach treat players like this or talk like this. >> he won like 10 championships. you have a history of coaches who have done this and lost their jobs in the past. when we talk about a learning moment, what are we learning here? zero tolerance? >> yeah there should be zero tolerance for this aggressive behavior. the athletic director should have acted immediately. it's shocking he didn't.

>> the garden state equality is calling for an investigation. you wonder if there's anything more here or is everything on the table now, rick? >> well, perhaps everything is out there. maybe it is, maybe it isn't. it's worth continues work. >> the big question people are asking, you know how this works, these programs made a lot of money for these schools, i mean a lot of money. even a school that is not one of the final four schools. we are talking not just the money, but the reputation and what it means to alumni. do we need to take a better look at that? >> yes. the amount of money and potential for corruption. it's not just this incident, there's so much money being made by sports team that is are generating revenue for colleges and universities is something that requires a look. by the way, with this situation, what i think is very interesting is the fact if chris christie

the governor didn't speak out, if it wasn't viral and became public, would he still be there? >> of course he would be. it took it becoming public for something to happen. we'll see whether or not it gives anything on the federal level to the anti-bullying bill. >> it should. it's a great bill. sports in general is one of the last places in society where homophobia has been acceptable. it needs to be sent throughout professional and college sports. winning is not an excuse for homophobic behavior or racist or sexist behavior. >> this bill would apply to coaches, faculty as well as students and require schools to set up anti-bullying policies. is there a reason not to do that? >> the schools can do it without the law. >> but they're not. >> well, i think this moment is really kind of a teaching moment. people can step up.

we don't need a law for every bad situation, every abusive conduct. there are laws, actually, in place. the issue here, to me, is cultural sensitivity. shifting as a nation so we have more respect for each other despite differences we have individually. we need to have tolerance for people and respect for people that are different than us. that's the teaching moment. no law is going to fix that. >> rim, steve, good to see both of you here in studio. thanks for coming in. get ready for the facebook phone. jackie is here. big announcement a couple hours away. what do we know? >> despite mark zuckerberg saying they didn't have plans for the phone, it is a phone that is expected to be announced later today. this comes as the social networking giant continues to dip its toes into the mobile market. they are expecting an android

smartphone. the devices have been tweaked. the first thing you are going to see when you turn it on is your facebook page. facebook could reap nearly $1 billion in ad revenue this year. it's been the issue everyone has been watching when it comes to facebook stock. >> wow, a billion. the cell phone has come a long way. it was introduced 40 years ago this week. check out this vintage clip from 1988. >> cellar phones are becoming less expensive and becoming smaller. one piece, handheld, not car phones, street phones. foreign producer of nbc "nightly news" walks his kids to school in has been hat tan every morning. then strolls up sixth avenue, talking to producers and correspondents all over the world. >> we move nelson and company over to haiti and feed from

which ever place you can feed from. >> that is hilarious. there are 6 billion cell phones in the world today? >> right. it's remarkable. since the inventor, martin cooper made the first ever mobile phone 40 years ago this week. it was ten inches long, weighed 2.5 pounds. today, they are more like six ounces. it reminds me of the 1980s phone we saw. >> we have come a long way. jackie, thanks. another internet sensation hit a milestone on the web. the harlem shake topped 1 billion views. it's the fastest viral video to reach that mark ever. the "today" show crew did their own version of that. i'm not sure that we needed to see that. number four, by the way, on this list, adele's "rolling in the deep" 1.22 billion views.

"cal me maybe" 1.p l billion views and a lot of imitators. justin bieber's hit, "baby." the number one viral video of all time, psy's "gangnam style." 3.66 billion views. you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed: the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪

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sudden urges and accidents, for 24 hours. if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma, or can not empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz. get emergency medical help right away if your face, lips, throat or tongue swells. toviaz can cause blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and decreased sweating. do not drive, operate machinery or do unsafe tasks until you know how toviaz affects you. the most common side effects are dry mouth and constipation. talk to your doctor about toviaz. president reagan supporting same-sex marriage? in a late interview, the late president's daughter says she thinks her father would have supported marriage equality. >> i don't think he would stand in the way of two people wanting to make a commitment to one another. he believed and told me when i

was very young that, you know, some people love -- some men love other men. some women love other women. like i said, it was around, it was in our house, it was on television. >> joining me the chairman of reputation.com. he conducted the interview with patty davis. i thought everything about that interview was interesting. give us the background of that comment. the way she described it, it was such a matter of fact conversation. we are talking about a long time ago. >> okay, well let's start. i have a talk show on youtube called gwishues. it's a gay themed show. a lesbian love story. patty and i are friendly. i said why don't you come on and

do this interview. during the course we talked about her father's legacy. in 1978 there was something contentious. it was an initiative that would have stopped openly gay and lesbian teachers from teaching in public schools in california. much to everyone's surprise, ronald reagan opposed it and wrote an op-ed. he said being gaye is not contagious or going to affect your children. there's a big dichotomy with ronald reagan, myself, a lot of gay people were not happy with him. he was late to the party with the aids issue, costs tens of thousands of lives. but, as she said in the interview, it's not that simple. >> the conversation apparently she had with her dad came out of the fact rock hudson, she saw him with a woman, kissing a

woman. she thought it looked weird. it's how her dad explained it. >> he said it is weird. he would rather be kissing a man. he said, you know, some men love men, some women love women. she also told the great story about when her parents went out of town, they had a lesbian couple, which she called aunt so and so and aunt so and so. she knew they were a couple. her parents would go out of town and they would baby sit and sleep in their parent's king-sized bed. >> there's a point she made. i want to play a little more of the clip from your interview with her. >> i also think because she wanted government out of people's lives, that he would not understand the intrusion of government banning such a thing.

this is not what he would have thought government should be doing. >> she said she didn't want to start a family feud. nevertheless, her brother michael was on television and here is ha he said about this. >> i have friend that is have been together 40 years. 40 years they have been together. great republicans. great friends of my dad. my god, i have been with these people for 40 years, love them to death. the reality is, i don't believe in gay marriage as many people don't believe in gay marriage. >> what's the reaction been since you did this interview? it's just started to come out. >> it's stirring a lot of discussion, which is the best part about it. people who remember a different republican party, one who didn't use social issues to drive us apart. remember republican party which was as she described that liked to stay out of people's lives and out of people's bedrooms.

republican parties at an interesting cross roads. the american people are way ahead of the republican party on the issue of gay marriage. support is 55% to 60% positive for gay marriage and growing quickly, a couple points a year. i think there's lessons to be learned for that party and say, you know, maybe we can go back to the party we once were and stay out of these social issues. they are really hurting them at the ballot box. they can look at ted olson fighting prop l in court. >> howard, it's great to have you in studio. the tweet of the day comes from the wife of bubba watson. angie posted this picture sweeting one of the sweetest things i experienced as a mom. went straight for the tv when he heard daddy's voice. he was watching dad on msnbcs

"morning joe." they adopted him a year ago. he says that's better than winning any tournament. ♪ you know my heart burns for you... ♪

i'm up next, but now i'm singing the heartburn blues. hold on, prilosec isn't for fast relief. cue up alka-seltzer. it stops heartburn fast.

president obama is giving himself a pay cut. he's returning 5% of his salary to the treasury in a show of solidarity with hundreds of thousands of federal worker who is will lose money when they are furloughed. richard lui is here. will it make a difference? >> we looked at the numbers. for the defense department alone, 800,000 employees will face pay cuts because of the sequester. the 5% obama is giving could help spare furloughs. here is how. the president's salary is $400,000 the average employee $70,00 o. the president is giving back 5%. a furlough is a 20% pay cut. the money the president gives back could save 1.5 fed

employees a job. the move is getting symbolic. it's getting followers. a democrat senator is taking a pay cut and forcing furloughs of his own staff though he's not required to do so. claire mccaskill is going to do some of the same. some critics want all of congress to take a cut. if they were to do that, we ask how many furloughs does it save? >> standard pay for congress members is $174,000. if they cut their pay 20%. that would save 1300 employees from having to take a furlough, a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands hit by the sequester. if they give a 20% of their net worth? on average, members are millionaires. their combined net worth half a billion dollars.

still, paling in compareson to the $800,00 workers. >> that wraps up this hour of "jansing & co." thomas roberts is up next. is north korea on a suicide mission against the south and the u.s.? the response to the war rhetoric. the u.s. moving a defense ship into the area. states like connecticut and maryland are not waiting for washington. why have 14 states loosened laws post newtown? we'll go all in with chris hayes on the controversial keystone oil pipeline. is the president leaning toward the option to let it be built? chris joins us to talk about that. much more coming your way in minutes. to master the quiet sne.

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