as president, my top priority is to do everything i can to reignite what i consider to be the true engine of the american economy, the rising, thriving middle class. that's what i think about every day, that's the driving force behind every decision that i make. over the past three years, our businesses have created nearly 6.5 million new jobs, be we know we can help them create more. corporate profits are at an all-time high. but we have to get wages and incomes rising as well. our deficits are falling, at the fastest pace in years, but we can do more to bring them down in a balanced and responsible way. the point is our economy is poised for progress as long as washington doesn't get in the way. frankly the american people deserve better than what we have been seeing, a shortsighted

crisis driven decision making like the reckless across the board spending cuts that are hurting a lot of communities out there, cuts that will cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs during the course of this year. if we want to keep rebuilding our economy on a stronger found day, we have got to change your-a fiscally responsible blueprint for middle class jobs and growth. for years, the debate in this town has raged between reducing our deficits at all costs and making the investments necessary to grow our economy. this budget answers that argument because we can do both. we can grow our economy and shrink our deficits, in fact as we saw in the 1990s, nothing shrinks deficits faster than a

growing economy. that's been my goal since i took office. and that should be our goal going forward. at a time when too many americans are still looking for work, my budget begins by making targeted investments in areas that will create jobs right now. prime our economy to keep generating good jobs down the road. as i said in my state of the union address, we should ask ourselves three questions every day, how do we make america a magnet for new jobs, how do we give our workers the skills to do those jobs and how do we ensure that hard work leads to a deebtd living. to make america a magnet for good jobs, this budget invests in new manufacturing hubs in the global centers of high-tech jobs, we'll spark new american innovation and industry with cutting edge research, like

mapping the human brain. we'll address energy independence, and our new american partnership will put construction workers back on the job, rebuilding our roads, our bridges and our schools, in turn attracting even more new business to communities across the country. to help workers earn the skills they need to fill those jobs, we'll work with states to make high quality preschool available to every child in america. we're going to pay for it by raising taxes on tobacco products that harm our young people. it's the right thing to do. we'll reform our high schools and job training programs to equip more americans with the skills they need to compete in the 21st century economy and we'll help more middle class families afford the rising cost of college. to make sure hard work is rewarded, we'll build new ladders of opportunity into the

middle class for anybody who's willing to work hard to climb them. so we'll partner with 20 of our communities hit hardest by the recession to help them improve housing and education and business investment and we should make the minimum wage a wage you can live on because no one who works full-time should have to raise his or her family in poverty. my budget also replaces the foolish across the board spending cuts that are already hurting our economy. and i have to point out, that many of the same members of congress who supported deep cuts are now the ones complaining about them the loudest as they hit their own communities. of course the people i feel for are the people who are directly feeling the pain of these cuts. the people who can least afford it. they're hurting military communities that have already sacrificed enough, they're

hurting middle class families, there are children who have had to enter a lottery to determine which of them get to stay in their head start program with their friends, there are seniors who depend on programs like meals on wheels so that they can live independently but are seeing their programs cut. that's what the so-called sequester means, it may not have impacted a lot of folks, but some are being -- eliminating actual waste and programs we don't need anymore. so building new roads and bridges, educating our children from the youngest age, helping more families afford college. making sure that hard work pays. these are things that should not be partisan, they should not be controversial, we need to make team that happen, my budget makes these investments to grow

our economy and create jobs and it does so without adding a dime to our deficits. now, on the topic of deficits, despite all the noise in washington, here's a clear and unassailable fact. our deficits are already falling. over the past two years, i have signed legislation that will reduce our deficit by 2.5 trillion, more than 2/3 of it through spending cuts and the rest through asking the weal wealthest americans to pay their fair share. that doesn't mean we don't have more work to do, but here's how we finish the job. my budget will reduce our deficits by nearly another $2 trillion so that all told, we will have surpassed the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that independent economists believe we need to stabilize our finances. but it does so in a balanced and

responsible way, a way that most americans prefer. both parties for example agree that the rising cost of caring for an aging generation is the single biggest driver of our long-term deficits. and the truth is, for those like me who deeply believe in our social insurance programs think it's one of the core things that our government needs to do if we want to keep medicare working as well as it has, and we want to preserve the ironclad guarantee that medicare represents. then we're going to have to make some changes. but they don't have to be drastic ones. and instead of making drastic ones later, what we should be doing is making some manageable ones now. the reforms i'm proposing will strengthen medicare for future generations without under mining

that ironclad guarantee that medicare represents. not by shifting the cost to seniors or the for or families with disabilities. they are reforms that keep the promise we made to our seniors, basic security that is rock solid and dependable and there for you when you need it. that's what my budget represents. my budget does also contain the compromise i offered speaker boehner at the end of last year, including reforms championed by republican leaders in congress. i don't believe that all these ideas are optimal, but i'm willing to accept them as part of a compromise. if and only if they contain protections for the most vulnerable americans. but if we're serious about deficit reduction, then these reforms have to go hand in hand with reforming our tax code to make its more simple and more

fair so that the wealthiest individuals and biggest corporations cannot keep tanging advantage of loophole deductions that most americans do not get. that's the bottom line. if you're serious about deficit reducti reduction, then there's no excuse to keep these loopholes open. they don't serve an economic purpose, they don't grow our economy, they don't put people back to work, all they do is to allow folks who are already well off and well connected gain the system. if anyone thinks i'll finish the job of deficit reduction on the backs of middle class families or spending cuts alone that actually hurt our economy, they should think again. i have already met republicans more than halfway so in the coming days and weeks i hope that republicans will come forward and demonstrate that they're really as serious about the deficits and debt as they

claim to be. so growing our economy, creating jobs, shrinking our deficits, keeping our promise to the generation that made us great, but also investing in the next generation, the next generation will make us even greater. these are not conflicting goals. we can do them in concert. that's what my budget does, that's why i'm so grateful for the great work that this team has done in shaping the budget. the numbers work, there's not a lot of smoke and mirrors in here, and if we can come together and have a serious, reasoned debate, not driven by politics and come together around common sense and compromise, i'm confident we'll move this country forward and leave behind something better for our children. that's our task. thank you, god bless you, god bless the united states of america.

>> listening to the president this morning talk about his budget plan coming out of the white house there, talking to members of the media saying most importantly, that what he has learned so far, that this budget he's put forward, not full of smoke and mirrors, willing to compromise but not willing to sacrifice the most vulnerable of americans in getting the job done. of the three big questions he pointed out, being that he wants to grow the economic economy of the united states, being a magnet for job creation, also claiming skilled american workers but also making sure that american workers are taking home a debate wage for the jobs that they're providing. >> kristen, let's just go over the specifics so that everybody understands the nuts and bolts of what we just learned. >> good afternoon, thomgs, what is different about this budget

from your typical budget is that this is not the president's wish list, this represents compromise and concessions on all sides. so the president calling for $1.8 trillion in deficit reduction over ten years, congressmen will like the investments in infrastructure, what they don't like is that the president is calling for reforms in social, changing the way social security payments are calculated. republicans say the president needs to actually do more in terms of reforming entitlements, what they don't like in this budget is that there are new revenues, the president calling to close some tax ex -- and also putting the budget tax back on the table, remember the buffett rule, that calls for increase in taxes on those making a million dollars or more, taxing them by 30%. the president wants to see that become law, he says this budget

will shut off the sequester which is of course causing a lot of pain across the country, thomas? >> kristen, thanks so much. as i said the president's phrase, not a lot of smoke and mirrors in here, so we have to look for the smoke and mirrors first of all to figure out exactly where they could b as chris was just mentioning there, kind of building off the last revenue that we got. $580 billion in additional revenue, related to the end of the year tax reform. that is closing the loopholes on the wealthiest americans. and the other thing is saving $230 billion by adjusting the way that social security is calculated. is that the smoke and mirrors part? >> i'm hard pressed to find smoke and mirrors here, it's a much more detailed budget than you have gotten from any other bodies. naturally the president has to write things out line by line.

as far as the tax increases you mentioned, $580 billion. remember, there's also $930 billion in that field in spending cuts. so we continue to be in this world that the cults that the democrats, the president's are offering, is by lowering the tax ratio by two to one. the key thing in this whole speech to me is the word compromise, if you think this is going to fly with republicans, you remember that clip of mitch mcconnell you played, that doesn't sound either correct or at all like he's in a compromise control. . >> the president said a good compromise always means that no one walks away with the most optimal deal. everybody has to leave something at the table. kristen, as jared points out the comments that are coming from the right, there's also criticism received from the left about this, but more specifically, this morning on

"morning joe," congressman paul ryan said the devil is in the details, so what do you think it's going to be like that this thing is going to travel at a wider ripple through washington to get to both sides. >> reporter: there have already been protests outside of the white house, we saw a number of people gathering here yesterday, protesting the changed cpi, the fact that the president is putting that on the table. so it's going to be tough for him to get his base on board with some of the pthe -- what else will he be able to give as the negotiations actually get start. we can tell you that the president is going to be having dinner tonight with some of the -- it's going to be tough for him to get both members of his own base and of course republicans on board with this, it's tough to see that the entire thing makes its way through congress, i think it's more the president mapping out

his principals especially as they head into this summer and another debt ceiling fight. >> thanks so much for being here, i really appreciate it. let's talk more about the president's budget, it's likely to be a big topic of conversation at the dinner he's holding tonight, a dinner date, a chat and chew with republicans at the white house. tonight's guest list, it has not been fully released. but so far we have georgia's senator johnny isaacson who made the guest list at the request of the president. the master list maker, it's greats to have you here, can you reveal the attendees, the confirmations that you already

have. >> told senators that i would let them release their own plans. >> have you got any regrets? >> i don't think you have any turn downs to have dinner at the white house. >> the fact that he's looking for a compromise when it comes to a budget deal, what they're coming to the table with is basically a 3$3.7 trillion deficit cuts. >> budgets are eye of the beholder documents, if you want to find something to hate, you can find it, if you want to find something to like you can find it. the one part of his proposal is that he put changed cpi of social security and medicare. we have got to find where we can find common ground and that's one place where i think we can. >> one thing common ground revenue has certainly been a hot

button topic and in this proposal, there would be $500 billion in additional revenue on the coat tails on the last up tick in taxes that we last saw, but this would specifically be the close of the tax loopholes for the wealthiest americans. mostly increases in revenue, americans save 35% mostly cut government spending by 17%, and do both. 42% say we should do both on that. what do you think when you hear about the fact that the president wants to go after revenue and close loopholes for wealthier americans? >> the secret on revenues is corporate tax reform. we need to go to a territorial tax code. the largest increase came after ronald reagan not only cleaned

up the tax loopholes, you can grow prosperity and you can grow revenues. >> how do you think the reinterpretations of the buffet rule play out. >> it will get a lot of conversation, but in the end we need comprehensive reform of the tax code, not just taking singular pot shots. >> as we have been talking about, when it comes to a lot of movement in process in washington, d.c., with the president talking about his budget, we have senators toomey and manchin, we also expect and anticipate something on immigration reform this week, what do you think is going to be the hot button topic of dinner conversation tonight when you're at the white house. >> i think it's going to be the debt and deficit, it's going to be spending, reform of social security and medicare, that is the big issue that we have got to face. this is the year where we can face it politically, because

it's an offyear politically, we have got some time to concentrate on it. the answers are there if we're willing to seek them out and find them. >> there's talk that the white house is kind of seen as kind of being aloof when dealing with the right. we know that this is the second dinner that the president has said with elected leaders, the second being out on the town and going to the white house itself. do you think this helps repair the reception versus reality that there can be good debate, intelligent debate between the left and the right? >> i think this is a sincere effort by the president, we'll find out as time goes on, but i think he's committed to try and open dialogue and i hope he addresses the rest of congress to get the rest of the input from all our members. we have got to start seeking common ground on our debt, our deficit and spending.

>>. all right a programming note for you, tomorrow i'm going to be join bid vermont senator bernie sand ders who's driving social security cuts in the president's budget. now connecticut's governor rallied to her cause and this whole story has blown up in a big way. there you see senators toomey and pat manchin revealing their bipartisan deal in background checks and we'll hear how they were able to come together in a compromised deal between the left and the right. anthony weiner is describing his new political plans, it's a story that everybody is buzzing about today. the details straight ahead. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics...

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. we're getting this off the associated press file. the post office has ended saturday morning delivery. time for today's producers pick, we told you about it, and once again our team is united on this point. the "new york times" presenting a juicy sunday morning piece--he says, quote it's now or maybe never for me. even wiener's wife huma aberdeen takes part in it. you can read all about it by clicking on my facebook page. [ grunts ] yowza! that's why i eat belvita at breakfast. it's made with delicious ingredients and carefully baked to release steady energy that lasts... we are golfing now, buddy! [ grunts ]

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conscience could sit by and not try to prevent a day that has happened a newtown from ever happening again. >> i don't consider criminal background checks to be gun control, i just think it's common sense. >> joe manchin and pat toomey releasing an announcement on background checks. this appears to be the best news yet on getting any action on gun control following the newtown massacre. what are these two senator putting forth? >> these are really the last-best hope for any meaningful gun reform happening in the last 20 years in the senate what. you saw in this compromise between democrat joe manchin of west virginia and pat toomey,

federal licensed dealers would have to be gone to and folks buying guns would have to have a background check. same thing with internet sales. the idea of personal transfers, person to person sales, for example if i wanted to sell a shotgun to my neighbor, would i have to go -- would i have to try and get a government background check moving. they in this compromise did not move forward on that, so that was really the sticking point and essentially the democrats backed off on that in exchange for getting the ability to close to the gun show loophole and to put more background checks on internet sales. this is going to be a fascinating how this moves forward thomas because i spoke to senator toomey for a second right outside when he was leaving this press conference. he said he had mentioned this compromise to a few democrats, but pat toomey being such a

conservative member from pennsylvania, it does, we think now give room for republican senators to month forward and perhaps get some bipartisan support in the united states senate. will there be enough support to get it through the house? joe manchin said there's no idea whether you can see the floor. >> the worst reality is this, if we don't do something right now, it's going to happen again. but really, mr. president, it's happening every day. and this country who's just gotten so callously used to gun violence, that it's just rain drops, it's just background noise. >> that was connecticut senator chris murphy in the last hour making an emotional plea to his colleagues to act on gun control and he showed fellow senators pictures of the children lost at sandy hook elementary.

newtown families are in washington right now, they're turning up the heat on lawmakers, they're reminding congress that it's not just about politics and they have been meeting with senators urging them not to block -- the daughter of the sandy hook principal. tweeting things, like this, i'll never see my mom again because she was gunned down in sandy hook, don't i deserve to be heard? erica laugherity is here. ted cruz of texas is very pro gun, but you spent about 20 minutes on the phone. what did he say? >> it was really just me asking

him why he wasn't doing his job. you know, the point of congress is to debate and to vote and he's choosing to not do that. i asked him what would have happened if my mom chose not to do her job on december 14th, because things would have turned out a lot different than they did. his response was, pretty much that, yom, the legislation that was proposed isn't going to prevent things like sandy hook from happening and we need to focus more on penalizing criminals and felons and kind of on the aftermath and i don't understand why it wouldn't be common sense really to prevent things from happening again instead of just picking up the pieces after, because that's what i'm dealing with right now. >> you asked him specifically about filibuster, it looks like some of the bluster after that has 2k50id down. >> well, of course it's

disappointing when you want to stop a piece of legislation but can't, but no one really expected that we wouldn't get to a vote on this. there's going to be a debate on this which is a good things and eventually a vote and we'll see how this legislation shakes out. >> we have been watching this hour with senators too manyie and manchin releasing the deal they have brokered on background checks. we'll see what's in there, closing the so-called gun loopholes background checks on all retail sales, but person to person, in all honesty that would have done nothing to save your mom or the kids at sandy hook elementary. are you disgusted by how politically treacherous this it is and how upsetting it is that

our politicians and our leaders aren't willing to be more intellectual about the debate that needs to be had. >> i don't know what they're scared of. my mom wasn't the scared in the halls of sandy hook. there's ton of pieces to this puzzle and the background checks is the first piece, obviously, but to tell me if connecticut had more lacks lax laws on invoy institutions and things like that, it's not going to solve it. it's about teaching people to be good people and raising your kids and taking care of your kids and doing the right thing. >> peter mauricy is a columnist and an economist and he sent around a piece today talking about what gun control could really be. unless the federal government

can find a constitutional way to make most guns illegal, and that's not going to happen, really nothing is going to change. what is the goal of you and the other newtown families, is it just basically on the small part of the assault weapons ban, the control on magazine clips, or is it something larger, hitting at the heart of what the second amendment means in this country? >> right now definitely magazine capacity is something that needs to be addressed, assault rivals definitely. i could move to a new piece tomorrow and sell him an assault rifle and i don't know him at all. it definitely is a piece of the puzzle to know what you're doing before you do it. >> erica, thank you for being here, your mom was one of those

who we lost in the sandy hook tragedy. tens of thousands of people are gathering already in the nation's capital right now for a massive rally this afternoon. and the senator committee -- most critical of all this, the bipartisan gang of 8, the senators working on a bill that could release their findings tomorrow. bob menendez told our own chuck todd today that they have got a good deal. >> all of the major issues on a pathway to legalization, on border security, on future flow of workers, on ag jobs, on dream act, all of those have largely been agreed to. >> joining me now is republican congressman mario diaz is part of the group in the house negotiating immigration reform. we have just learned that the senate judiciary committee and

patrick leija announcing on april 17 that a hearing will take place. how hopeful are you that something will get done, something that is widespread reform? >> they're doing good work, the by partisan group is very serious about finding solutions. we in the house as you just stated have been working for probably a longer time than they have in the senate to try to come one a bipartisan arrangement that we hope will pass the house and therefore be able to have a conference meeting and send something to the president. we're still a ways off, but i think good news is taking place in the house and the senate. >> you're on the house side of things, a political reporter recently considered to agree on a visa for low skilled workers, but now you're backing off on that. can you explain why and what was

the sticking point there? >> there's been a lot of rumors about this house group. what's true is the house has not had leaks so most of the things you hear are rumors. i can tell you that we have agreement on most of the major issues. there are some very technical issues that are still out there, i would be a little cautious about believing everything you read on this house group, because purposely we wanted to make sure that we put everything on the table to discuss things privately and not really throw things out there until we're ready. there are some very technical issues that still have to be resolved. but i'm optimistic that we will find a bipart an agreement and we'll be able to get the magic 218 votes in the house to make it reality. >> were you not struck by the deal that was offered by the u.s. congress on visas for low skilled workers? >> it's interesting that outside groups are working. but congress is not just going to cut and paste what some outside interest groups put together. i think it's helpful, i think

they're good recommendations, but let's remember who they are, they're outside interest groups. i think we need to make sure we do what's right for the country, what's right for the folks we're trying to help. i think outside groups are helpful, but i would be very reluctant to take what interest groups out there who may have a different agenda. it's helpful, but i don't think we can just cult and paste what they did. >> i want to get you on the record about some pop culture that now gone political, the beyonce and jay-z trip to cuba that might have been illegal. you're not satisfied with the response? >> we haven't gotten a response. we have asked them very specific questions. it's unfortunate, these are two entertainments who have now gone to viz dictator ships and talk

about the wonders of those dictator ships. in the case of these two individuals, we don't know if they have gotten a license and under what terms they have gotten a license. the law is very clear a and this administration has always stated they do not support tourism to the island, because this administration -- >> are you saying that the treasury and the white house and you're not getting solid answers that they're lying to you about this and that this trip is illegal? >> i'm not saying they're lying, i'm saying that they haven't answered back. they wrote a letter describing what the law was, we know what the law was, my brother wrote it. the question is did they follow it? we did not get an answer, we are hoping to get an answer. i think it's the wrong thing to do to go visit dictators who rob an maim their citizens. nobody, i don't care if you're famous or not, is above the law,

we want to make sure that the law was followed, we have not gotten a straight answer from the white house. stay with msnbc for more on our special series immigration nation as we focus on a path to citizenship in the united states. here's a big question for you, what senator minority leader mitch mcconnell campaign office bugged or do they have a mole on their team? lots of finger pointing over those secret strategy tapes making fun of actress ashley judd if she were to throw her hat in the ring and rub against her. should ashley judd reconsider running now that mitch mcconnell's opposition playbook has been revealed? to meeting patient needs... ♪ wireless is limitless.

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this is my home, this is my kids' home and we're walking towards citizenship. >> we're going to rally, we are

going to protest. we're going to get arrested for civil disobedience, we are not going to give up until we have comprehensive immigration reform. >> tens of thousands expected for a huge rally on immigration reform gathering on capitol hill. joining me now democratic congressman joaquin castro from texas. we had senator menendez on our air today, he's part of that group, what do you think the chances are of a bill being voted on by the end of the summer. because the timetable is very important to the president here. >> it's going to happen, i have said all along since the beginning of the year that i believe we'll get immigration reform in 2013 and that i believe it's coming to fruition and it's going to happen. >> the house has it's own group

of 8, politico is reporting that there are several unresolved issues and the house may vote on individual pieces, so slicing it up individual pieces of that legislation instead of the larger reform package. do you think that's going to be a better way to get something done. >> i think that the leadership would have to make the best calculation about what helps get this through. there may be a few issues here and there that you can break off and vote on alone, but most of it has got to stay together. >> the house foundation is expected to release a report about how much immigration reform will actually cost and former senator jim demint who actually heads the foundation says the costs are far larger than anyone imagines and would be inkreeszed substantially under amnesty. in a time of trillion dollar

debt, every action should be considered. what do you think when people throw around the world amnesty. >> we know where the house is on this issue, which is against any kind of path to citizenship, so the studies they're putting out are prohibitive on the issue. immigration is a net positive, that it will boost the economy and you see more and more members, both republican and democrats coming to that conclusion themselves. >> how's being a freshman congressman going for you? >> it's going well, you know, every day is pretty busy here in washington. i think we're finally getting to work on the big issues, immigration reform, on gun reform. hopefully we'll do better on the debt issues, i think congress you start to see is finally working. >> congressman joaquin castro, thank you for coming on with me. >> and how mitch mcconnell

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a secret tape scandal is now in the hands of the fbi. the feds investigating claims by mitch mcconnell that someone maid a covert reporting of the private strategy, then leaked it to the press, captured on that tape brutally personal remark being his possible senate opponent, the actress ashley judd. casey hunt is live at the russell rotunda with the latest. this was a big dust-up yesterday morning. what more do we know about this? >> hey, thomas. what we do know is the fbi, as we speak is investigating further on this. mcconnell's campaign is working with them on this, saying the fbi would be combing through the office today looking to find out if someone did in fact bug the office as mcconnell has claimed. critics have raised questions about whether it's appropriate

for a campaign to question their opponent's sp mental health. let's listen to this. >> i think he is really one of the slyest, and i don't mean that in a negative way, politicians in the washington, d.c. he as obviously trying to use this to his advantage. he has tremendous troubles in kentucky with conservatives. it could help him get out of this very difficult situation. >> reporter: of course, this is pretty par for the course in politics as we know it. if you remember, back in 200, when john mccain was running for president, there were people in his own party whispering about whether or not he was a loose cannon or would fly off the handle unnecessarily, and whether that made him fit to be president. >> we've heard that mcconnell is trying to play the victim card.

let's remind everybody what he had to say to it. >> unbeknownst to us, they were bugging or headquarters, quite a nixonian move, this is what you get from the political left. >> what are the odds this could have been an aide in the room that ran the iphone to record this strategy session and somebody more interior to his own trusted circle? >> this is a pretty shrewd spin campaign at the very least from mcconnell's folks. obviously we don't know the answers to that question, but so far folks haven't been able to assure me it wasn't a mole. there were about ten people in that strategy meeting, so it could have been any one of those ten people who did in fact report it and distribute it. a wild one. we'll wait to see what kind of details emerge. kasie, great to see you. >> thanks for having me. should ashley judd reconsider running now that

mitch mcconnell's opposition playbook has been revealed? ben serb that's one of the biggest problems in this country, people running for public office are only concerned with whether they can win an not concerned about what they have to offer. from john decrease mcconned has made it evident the willingness to win at any cost. keep the conversation going on. that's going to wrap thing up for me today. see you back here tomorrow at 11:00. some great deaths, bernie sanders on the president's budget, senator jeff flake on the possible immigration deal and congressman mike thompson. "now with alex wagner" comes your way next. the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

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and this is "now." in the past 60 minutes, senators joe manchin and pat toomey announced they had reached a deal on background checks, significantly moving the ball forward in a gun safety debate that has already seen dramatic movement in the last 24 hours. >> we have an agreement on an amendment to prevent criminals and mentally ill and insane from getting firearms. >> i don't consider criminal background checks to be gun control. i think it's just common sense. >> dramatically reviving a provision that was on life support just yesterday, the two senators thanked several colleagues, particularly mark kirk and chuck schumer for their help. the manchin/toomey deal would expand background checks online and eliminate the gun show