i'm tamron hall. the "news nation" is following secretary of state john kerry's trip to south korea amid fears they will launch a nuclear missile at any moment. he said a launch would be a huge mistake and the u.s. is ready to respond. >> the rhetoric that we're hearing from north korea is simply unacceptable. by any standard. and i am here to make it clear today on behalf of president obama and the citizens of the united states and our bilateral security agreement that the united states will if needed defend our allies and defend ourselves. >> today's stop is the first on a four-day trip to the region. tomorrow secretary kerry will trav to china. a country he says is key to solving this latest crisis. >> no country in the world has

as close a relationship or as significant an impact on the dprk than china. china has an enormous ability to make a difference here. >> meanwhile, president obama canceled some military exercises in the region at the white house yesterday, the president said the north needs to stop the rhetoric. >> now is the time for north korea to end the kind of belligerent approach that they've been taking. to try to lower temperatures. nobody wants to see a conflict on the korean peninsula. >> also, a starting, colorado congressman revealed the defense intelligence agency thinks north korea knows how to put a nuclear warhead on its missile, though not reliably.

>> quoting from the unclassified portion which i believe has not yet been made public. they say, quote, dia assesses with moderate confidence the north currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles. however, the reliability will be low. >> the information came from a report that was mistakenly marked unclassified. nbc's jim maceda is live for us in seoul, south korea. so kerry was definitely talking tough with north korea. was this the beginning of negotiations? >> reporter: well, i thought it was fascinating, tamron. keep in mind that the threat level here is just below all-out war. so there was definitely an urgency to the trip. and everybody wondered how kerry was going to approach it. was he going to be conciliatory? was he going to be walking on egg shells? he was talking tough to north korea and to its young erratic leader, kim jong-un.

he was also laying out red lines or battle lines for future negotiations with north korea. for instance, we're still here in missile watch mode waiting for news of a launch. it could be five missiles. they've been locked and load and ready to go since wednesday. today kerry warned as you mentioned, he warned kim to not make that huge mistake. and that if he did, it would be, it could be disastrous for him. kerry was drawing on another obama administration red line or drawing a red line when he mentioned that north korea will never be recognized as a nuclear power by the united states or by the international community. but at the same time, he was offering up talks to north korea if they gave up their goal of becoming a nuclear power. so you already see a kind of carrot and stick approach. the carrot being the talks, the stick being, the giving up of your nooks.

people who watch, say the last five years u.s. diplomacy was only about the stick. there was no carrot. no engagement. one of the reasons is it is so tough to do with the north koreans. tonight already there was a response from north korea. they issued a statement completely defiant saying that north korea would never abandon its nuclear program. that it is meant to deter the united states from invading north korea. kerry will travel to beijing to see what china will do. if only to lower the temperature. it was tough stuff today. >> thank you, jim. let me bring in ben chang, the former national security council, thank you so much for joining us again. let me get your reaction to jim maceda's report. tough talk from john kerry here. >> sure. thank you very much for having me on. i appreciate what jim said. i think when you look at what

secretary kerry said, he laid out that north korea very well knows the options before it. instead of choosing the path of discussions, it has chosen to double down. this is not vegas. the odds are not in its favor but it has chosen to double down on threats, possible missile launch and at the end of the day, this administration has decided not to perpetuate the cycle but laid out the commitments north korea has subscribed to and spelled out the six parties, the countries focused on this issue and on the korean peninsula are willing to get together and talk in the six-party framework when north korea makes it clear that it will awide by its international discussion. >> the other headline, of course, are the remarks made by colorado congressman yesterday where he said that the north now has the ability perhaps to put a nuclear warhead on its missiles, though not reliably.

the defense intelligence agency report indicated, quote, it would be inaccurate, inaccurate to suggest that the north korean regime has fully developed and tested the kinds of nuclear weapons referenced in the passage. north korea has not yet demonstrated the full range of capabilities necessary for a nuclear armed missile. nevertheless, this is now part of the conversation here. >> in conversations with the national security staff yesterday, with the statements both by george little out of the pentagon and the director of national intelligence as you just put up onscreen. we need to put this in context. i think their statements speak for themselves, that this is not correct. it is not an accurate statement in the broader context. they do not have these capabilities at this time. that said, it is very clear the administration is taking all of this very seriously. there is a reason that while the drum beat of rhetoric has escalated on the north koreans' part, the drum beat of solidifying our alliances and demonstrating our commitment in

the region, the u.s. government has demonstrated is continuing. you have secretary kerry going to china. soon to be followed by general dempsey. chairman of the joint chiefs. you have someone going out to the region next month and then the visit of president park. her visit to washington. so there is no daylight from what i can see, from what i see within the administration going forward with our allies in the region. >> we know that so much of this conversation hinges on the actions of a man we know little about. kim jong-un. i want to play a little of what senator john mccain said on fox news last night while discussing kim jong-un. >> this guy is a clown. he is a fool. so was his father and so was his grandfather. they do have nuclear weapons. they do have missiles. 20 to 30 miles from seoul is the dmz. in caves is artillery which can be fired before we can take them out. >> whatever the hot language a

senator chooses to use is part of what the american public hears. but the reality of what is happening behind the scenes away from the cameras and reporters are meetings. and we know that a key component of this is china. what do you expect with john kerry going there this weekend to beijing? >> let's take a step back and realize that conversations have been going on between our ghoft agencies, between the white house and china for some time on this issue. the visit in person by secretary kerry will be a chance as he himself has discussed to talk about china's role. stepping back for a second, it is definitely clear. i think secretary cohen referred to this a little while ago on the network that it is not in china's interests to have increased u.s. military activity in the reasoning. they seek as much as we do a stable korean peninsula and a stable region. when the north koreans, when kim jong-un increased the rhetoric and makes movements toward

missile launch, they will see more activity. to be sure we want to coordinate with the chinese and seek their influence on the north koreans. not just the leader but the whole regime. so that this young man, this young leader does not perpetuate the cycle that his father and grandfather doubled down on as they led. >> when this all starts, we were at possible launch dates. no one knows with certainty but some of the dates were april 8th which has passed. april 11th which has passed. now april 13th, april 15th, all having decisions in north korea's history. does it tell us that two of these dates have passed? is it possible again that this is all talk and rhetoric and that kim jong-un is actually not planning to fire off this missile? >> well, we would all hope that he would see the wisdom of deescalating the rhetoric and stepping back from this brink.

and deciding to take a different direction. that kerry and laid out. we know the north koreans' penchant for using symbolic dates and april 15 is coming up. i don't think it is to mark our day that taxes are due. i think it is more given the nature of the regime and the birthday that is coming up there. when i worked under john bolten, they marked events by choosing symbolically important dates, either in our calendar or theirs. let's hope they mark it in ways that don't escalate the situation. we know he has a domestic audience he is trying to play to but he needs to find a way to walk down from this. >> we just got some information just now. secretary of state john kerry will be on capitol hill to testify from the house in front of house foreign affairs committee. it will be his first

congressional testimony and some of that testimony will likely focus on the topic of north korea as well as syria. so this information just coming in. ben, thank you so much. we greatly appreciate you joining us. still ahead on news nation -- >> tore the roof off the place. it has demolished everything that the major structure will be. >> deadly spring storms. take a look. this is moving east. this storm system tornado watch remains in effect. we'll get you to updated list. the very latest. plus, keeping up the pressure. the critical next steps ahead in the battle over gun reform. we'll tell hue the key players are in the senate to watch from both sides as this debate continues. and of course, you can always join the conversation on my twitter page. @tamronhall. [ male announcer ] how do you measure happiness?

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today gun control advocates are readying themselves to keep pressure on lawmakers. the white house in fact is confirming that francine wheeler, the mother of 6-year-old ben, lost his life at sandy hook elementary. will deliver this weekend's weekly address normally delivered by the president and the senate efforts are already underway to, quote, water down the current bill or to bog it down with amendments proposed by the gun lobby. according to the new york times op ed, the nra has already lined up several senators to back an amendment that would require every state to honor concealed gun permits from other states. and senator lindsey graham has sponsored an amendment that would allow people who have

involuntarily been committed to own guns. this week, lobby those on the amendment. it would be the first to be voted on. perhaps as early as tuesday. and newtown families whose work in washington was the key to securing republican votes to move forward on the bill will also return to congress in the coming weeks. joining me now, democratic strategist and contributor, jimmy williams and ann corn bluth. here you have the white house within the last hour saying that the weekly address, given by the president, will be delivered by a newtown mom. jay carney was asked if anyone other than the president has delivered the address in history. and we were told, joe biden did at least once. here you have a mother, the face of the white house in some ways on this tomorrow. >> it is extremely rare and it shows you how much of a spotlight the white house wants to keep on this. obviously, the weekly address is not something that has huge

ratings. but it is symbolic and i think people will probably tune in in a way they don't necessarily every weekend. >> does it speak, ann, to there article in politico on the newtown families, victim turned lobbyist. in this article they go on to write, these smart, articulate people who do not have a scintillaa of washington about them. they virtually cannot be denied a meeting. there are not many groups of people that can get a meeting with any senator they want whenever they want. so the effectiveness, if you will, of these families, going to washington and passing out pictures of their children, despite the fact what seemed like insurmountable odds. it looked like we were on our way to a potential filibuster and that was shut down. was it because of these families? >> they obviously pack a huge emotional wallop. if you think about it, it is amazing that after such a short amount of time that they even needed to come here in person to refresh people's memories in their view.

here they are. a lot of tears on capitol hill this week as they've appeared with various members, they've told their stories again and again. i think it is far too soon to say what kind of impact they'll have. as you pointed out at the top, there is a the love effort by the nra to bring to bear things they want to see happen. some of the most basic elements of what the president wanted or not, not necessarily going to pass. very emotional to have them here. i'm sure that what the mother says tomorrow in the address will also be very emotional. the final impact, i wouldn't guess that now. >> i want to play what senator mark begich said. he voted against this amendment. voted against the expanded background checks and moving forward. i want to play his response to, i guess, the pressure many of the members of congress, especially in the house are feeling as a result of these families being there. let's play it. >> i vote what's important for alaska. it is not a conservative versus liberal.

my issue is that the bill in front of us does not show, it has a lot of issues with it. >> and i want to put this up as well. not to put these two people together. but there is a bumper sticker that is getting a lot of attention. it has been put up by the congressman from texas. he has the bumper sticker that says if babies had guns, they wouldn't be aborted. he is now saying in twitter this was a way to get the attention on abortion as well as guns. i show this to bring up the issue of whether or not compromise is a realistic word with some members of the house, especially when you have someone who has a bumper sticker like that and proudly displays it. not that either of those issues should be ignored but we obviously know that it is a part of theatrics. and maybe even a way to get people heated with this topic. i don't know. >> listen, he tweeted that earlier today. i saw it come across the line. i retweeted.

i couldn't believe it. set the senate aside for just a second. the house is another ball of wax. no matter what the senate does, let's assume the senate does get a bill out and they send it to the house. the nra has written these amendments for the senators to offer. even if they're all defeated, which chances are they will all be defeated. let's say it passes and it is not filibustered any of the way through. and then it gets to the house. do you think for a second that john boehner whose hold on the speakership is as ten with us as it is after these other things, and the new years eve deal, do you think he will pass that? no way. but let's go back to the senate for just a second. the senate is a big, big problem for the nra. and i'll tell you why. they have these amendments. they're floating them out there. they have members that will offer them. but harry reid will do something smart. he has the republicans in a box. he is saying regular order. he is saying he will let everybody offer these amendments and let them debate them and he

can make a motion to table. it only takes 50 votes and you can get rid of them very easily. they can hammer through. what reid is itching to do. he has his finger on the nuclear trigger per se and he will give them just enough rope to hang themselves on guns and then the immigration bill. if they try to filibuster these two important pieces of legislation by amendment, which is a way of killing a bill, amendment after amendment, he will pull that nuclear trigger and he is setting them up big time. and i don't know if they've realized it. >> ann, we have a list of about 16 gop senators who voted to move on the bill that are key senators to watch. we know, of course, pat toomey, lindsey graham, on that list here. these are some of the folks we really have to watch. but to jimmy's point. you have this new york time op ed. the amendment that would allow people who have a concealed gun permit to go to states that have stricter laws.

so someone in florida, for example, that has quote/unquote lax laws to take it to colorado, or connecticut. >> i mean, that's a very important point. it is something the nra wants. it is something to watch and see. in the name of compromise, i think everyone has said there will be some thing the nra wants that it might get and some things gun control advocates might want that they can get. >> what is the nra saying that it wants specifically? we know this concealed weapons idea probably will not go anywhere. the only other idea that it seems they've stuck behind would be arming individuals in schools. >> i think we're going to have to see what all the amendments are. the point i was going to make was that long list you cited at the top of the republicans who voted to move ahead. for one thing, it is moving ahead to debate, not to pass the

bill. my colleagues have a very important story in the "washington post" about the demographics. some states that were more rural and have become more suburban have put more pressure on they will. that's one reason you see pat toomey wanted to be seen as being constructive rather than obstructionist. >> that is an interesting point to make. thank you so much. still ahead, days after the death of his son, pastor rick warren now says the gun used in his son's suicide was bought online and pastor warren says it was not registered. we'll tell you what else he is saying. plus, we're keeping an eye on the strong storms in the midwest. the storms are still out there. we'll get the very latest. what do you think? that's great. it won't take long, will it? no. okay. this, won't take long will it? no, not at all.

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tens of thousands of people are picking up the pieces. one person was killed when a twister hit the eastern part of mississippi yesterday. that state's governor will be touring that damage today. alabama and georgia also got hit with vicious storms. gabe gutierrez is in huntsville, alabama. >> reporter: crews worked through the night to clean up debris. home and businesses were damaged here in alabama but most of the power has been restored. this after a strong line of storms tore through the south. there twister caught on capra in mississippi, in kemper county near the alabama border. one person died after a strong wind toppled the building. at least five people were hurt. here in alabama, it left people without power. as the system moved east, it created problems outside atlanta, dumping hail and damaging homes. >> the roof of the building wrapped around trees like it is nothing, like it's paper. >> i'm lucky.

i'm sure there are folks who cannot go back to their home. >> reporter: the severe weather threat continued to parts of the east coast including the carolinas and northern florida. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, huntsville, alabama. >> joining me now with more weather channel kelly cass. i see a lot happening behind you. where are you keeping your eye? >> thank goodness the severe weather threat is greatly diminished. we can't rule out more pop-up showers and storms. especially watching the sunshine state. we've got that blossoming of clouds over tampa and orlando. for places like georgia, alabama and mississippi, hit so hard yesterday, lots of lightning strikes as well. here is a look at the forecast if you're heading out to the masters tournament. storms very close to this location yesterday. a beautiful weekend shaping up. sunday, a bit more cloudiness. temperatures in the mid 70s. elsewhere we will be watching another disturbance come in across the northwest. that is going to spread rain showers and even some mountain

snow. i know it is april but it is not unusual to see that happen. and then eventually we'll see that snow breaking out across north and south dakota. even northern minnesota. they cannot seem to catch a break. they are still in that really cold air. minneapolis at a mix of rain and snow. chicago looks mainly wet as we go sunday into monday. something else we'll have to keep an eye on. by the middle of next week, we could do it all over again. perhaps another severe weather outbreak. cold air across the plains. meeting up with very warm moist air to the south. that's something we'll be watching in the wednesday, thursday time frame. in the meantime we have the pesky clouds in the northeast. therefore, lots of airport delays. definitely check ahead if you're doing any traveling. >> thank you very much. still ahead on "news nation" -- >> i've learned the best way to get out the tension that you want to get out in this world is to tweet and delete. >> well, an odd online moment for congressman steve cohen after tweets, pop star cyndi

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man: the charcoal went out already? ... forget it. vo: there's more barbeque time in every bag of kingsford original charcoal. kingsford. slow down and grill. time for the "news nation" political post script. it was an emotional week with the families from newtown making their voices heard. meeting face to face with every senator. ultimately securing what they hope would be the first victory of many. a vote to bring gun control legislation to the senate floor. the president also traveled to connecticut on monday and made a public appeal for an up or down vote. here's a look at the week that was. >> if you believe that the families of newtown and aurora and tucson and virginia tech and the thousands of americans who have been gunned down in the last four months deserve a vote, we all have to stand up. >> i think it is also a tactical mistake. i think mccain is right. allow a vote.

the most that will happen will be a really unimportant change in one of the laws on back ground checks. >> i have to tell you candidly, i don't consider criminal background checks, i think it is common sense. >> grace mcdonald. age 7. december 14th, 2012. newtown, connecticut. >> what i realized was her family was just like my family. that was me. and i was her. >> today let us decide as the world watches, there will be no more newtowns. >> on this vote, the yeas are 68. the nays are 31. 3/5 of the senators having voted in the affirmative. the motion is agreed to. >> joining me live now, nbc

deputy editor domenico mont narrow. so will it be remembered as a week where the voice of the people matter? chris matthews was giving out the number at one point in time of lawmakers saying no matter where you stand on an issue, you should be able to reach out to your lawmaker and let your voice be heard. >> well, we'll have an answer to that very soon. on tuesday, the senate will have a procedural vote on whether or not the background check amendment offered by toomey and manchin, whether or not that will be allowed to proceed. we'll find out very, very soon if all that, everything we just heard matters to whether or not the background check winds up passing. >> and immigration where you see people taking to capitol hill this week. a large contingency of people rallied for their cause. and we're looking at moving forward here. i know that you and your first

read team say it might be more likely we see a major legislation and immigration. oim grags as opposed to gun debate. >> absolutely. everybody wants something done on immigration as opposed to guns, when you go inside our polling, we talk about how people want stricter gun rights for firearms sales. 55% said so in our poll. but 82% of those were democrats. 82% of democrats rather said they were for that. just 27% of republicans said that they wanted that to be the case. the bridge is much closer on immigration. so you have almost two-thirds of people saying they would be in favor of a pathway to citizenship on comprehensive immigration reform which was unthinkable, really, six years ago. but because of this election, 71% going to president obama. you have marco rubio doing a media blitz this weekend, trying to sell comprehensive reform will be a real delicate dance for him as he tries to sew up

those conservative bonafides for a primary if he wants to run in 2016 keeping latinos on board to believe what he is doing actually is legitimate. in their eyes. >> all right. thank you so much, domenico, greatly appreciate your time. have a great weekend. >> same to you. we may be closer to finding out who is behind a secret recording of mitch mcconnell and his campaign team strategizing about how best to undermine actress ashley judd if she decided to run. kentucky democratic party official jacob conway said when he heard the leaked secret recording on the mother jones website, he immediately influence who was behind it. >> i knew what was in the tape. when i heard the mother jones article, i said i knew who that is. i don't think they were trying to make money off it or trying to get famous oyster. i don't think they were planning on using it. >> he said part of a group called progress kentucky bragged

to him back in february about what they had captured hours after recording it at mcconnell's kentucky headquarters. one of the men conway identified through an attorney. he denies it but admits to being a witness. as for the other activists, neither he nor his attorney have yet returned calls to nbc. nbc's like russert is live on capitol hill. after the story broke there was a bit of fundraising done by mitch mcconnell. they put out the word that his office had been bugged in hope of picking him up in the polls in his own state. >> reporter: well, it is quite fascinating. it is something that has really galvanized a lot of the right wing. he is not particularly popular in the state of kentucky. there were some right wing activists calling for a more conservative candidate to run against him because there is some displeasure over the negotiations he put forward over the fiscal cliff deal. mitch mcconnell has been very much trying to get the word out there that his campaign was attacked by a left wing activist

who are using the tactics. even to go as far as to say they were using guess tapo tactics. some very forceful words. almost this idea that mcconnell is putting out there, look, the enemy of your enemy is your friend in this sense. so come with me even if you don't like everything that i've done, they're coming after me because they know how powerful i am. it is certainly something that is probably ending up helping mitch mcconnell toward the end of the week. sort of really doubling down on his conservative base in the state of kentucky. probably not what those folks wanted to do when they did that leak to mother jones. >> all right. luke russert. thank you. >> get a little relaxation. you earn it. do you a lot of double duty, my friend. >> thanks for the advice. still ahead, feeling the impact of the sequester. >> my kids were in a school where i felt like they were saying, they were trusted and

protected. >> sequester cuts forcing children all across the nation out of head start programs. we'll share one family story. plus, the fight to protect the vital programs for low-income families. but first, there's a lot going on today. here are some things we thought you should know. president obama's new advocacy group collected nearly 4.8 million during the first quarter. more than 109,000 supporters donated to organizing for america. the average donation, $44. it was form to advance his second term agenda. immigration reform advocates are getting another high profile supporter. they are bank rolling a new documentary to promote the effort called the dream is now. directed by academy award winning director gaifd guggenheim. you can catch it this sunday. 4:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc. and new york city's annual fleet week may be another victim of the sequester. the navy says it is following defense department guidance and

cutting back on community events that come with any additional cost. that means the number of ships participating will be limited. the "wall street journal" reports it cost the navy $7 to $10 million. throws the things we thought you should know. with the spark miles card from capital one, bjorn earns unlimited rewards for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards.

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including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones, and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. and our great taste is guaranteed or your money back. learn more at boost.com [ dietitian ] now, nothing keeps mom from doing what she loves... being my mom. the tennessee congressman made headlines when a twitter controversy forced him to admit he had a long lost daughter. he is back in the news for the tweet he sent to cindyi lauper. great night. couldn't believe how hot you were. see you again next tuesday. try a little tenderness. he send it after seeing her perform tuesday at the concert at the white house. a short time ago, he told our own luke russert that it was all a stun as a payback to the media and to draw attention to the memphis music scene. >> i knew by something out as a

tweet that i deleted, that the press would see it and they could read something into what was an innocent tweet about how hot cyndi lauper was as a performer that it would get the press's performer and it did in a monster way. >> amanned, a it is always fun to talk to you. great pleasure. what is going on here? >> i don't know. this is confusing. i mean, it is not april fools' day. we're beyond that. i guess he fooled the media by pretending to be serious about a tweet. but he really meant to delete it all along. i don't really know what he was doing. i think everyone is confused and honestly, it is confusing and now he will be known for pulling a really weird stunt. >> so he sent out a couple tweets. one of them i just read about her being hot. and then he deleted them. and then he call a press conference today at 1:00. might he have anything else

going on? i'm just wondering, you know? >> well, so when he tweeted at cyndi lauper and he joked about how hot she was, i think no one really thought they were having an affair. people thought it was funny that he was doing it. now that he held a whole press conference on it, i don't think people clamoring for him to sort of explain everything and come out in this public way. and i don't really think it helped bring any more attention to memphis soul either. so it was a little confusing. i think maybe he is having a laugh but i don't know if anyone is having a laugh with him. >> so if his goal was to get the attention of the media. he did that. this is on the blocks. here we are talking about it. so i guess the check in the box of success there. we're mentioning memphis soul again. check there. he got us there. but again going back to the motivation. i mean, i am really perplexed when he was at this press conference, did people press him on, again, don't you have

anything else going on? >> i think that is a good question. and i think as he little bit sore at the media still because of the last instant with his tweets where peel wonder, was he flirting with this young woman. it ends up it was list daughter that he hadn't talked about publicly. he was a little upset at the press for covering that and implying that there was something untoward going on there. something anthony weiner like. so this was part of hip getting revenge on the media. >> it is an interesting story. i guess the best way he is he to get attention is to tweet something and then delete it. so i'll be sure not to do that. thank you very much. one of those things that make you go, hmm. thanks a lot. moving on. pastor rick warren said his son matthew killed himself with an unregistered gun he bought on the internet. and that top our look at stories around the "news nation" today. writing on his twitter account, rick warren said he forgives the person that sold his son the gun, matthew warren took his own

life last friday after his family said battling mental illness. defacing a gun's serial number is a federal crime. investigators are following the leads on who sent an explosive device to sheriff joe arpaio. it was intercepted by the police who found the package suspicious. a bomb squad was called in to neutralize the explosives before it detonated. still ahead, our "news nation" gut check on whether undocumented immigrants who arrive in the united states after 2011 should be excluded from earning a path to citizenship. that's part of the conversation out there. we'll learn more about the legislation next week. we have a gut check for you. oh, he's a fighter alright.

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guns and immigration have gotten most of the attention across washington but across the nation many people are thinking about the sequester and the effect of the cuts, starting to

take hold and having an impact on low-income families. nbc white house correspondent kristen welker joins us now. we've heard a lot about programs, head start programs particularly where people have been hit hard and seeing the impact. >> reporter: absolutely. when the sequester first took effect in march, there was a lot of debate about what the actual impact of the sequester would be. while not everyone has been affected, a lot of families say it has made life more difficult. tiffany jones, a single mother of three, says her 4 and 5-year-olds were excited about returning to school this spring. >> we loved it. it was good teaching for the kids. they've held potty training, abcs, colors, everything. >> reporter: they were students at this columbus, indiana head start. a program that helps low-income families afford preschool. >> my kids were in a school where i felt like they were teachers that i trusted.

it was community people you knew from your community. >> reporter: two week ago, a may know blow when jones learned her kids like dozens of others in columbus would be staying home. all because of the sequester. those deep across the board spending cuts that forced federal programs like head start to cut back. in columbus, that meant holding a lottery to see which students would stay or go. their name didn't get picked. >> she is reading off this name and you're waiting, waiting, and praying for her to read your name. like she hasn't said my name yet. then you get down to the end of the name and they tell you that's it. it is a shock. it is a shock. >> reporter: administrators are also reeling. >> not been a fun couple weeks for us. >> what the cuts represent is taking away from babies and toddlers. >> reporter: matthew mehlman is the executive director of zero to three. a washington based group aimed at improving early childhood

develop many. he and other youth advocates have been your honoring congress and president obama to find a way to protect vital programs for low-income families. >> they'll be facing a lack of childcare. they'll be facing cuts to nutrition programs. they'll be facing cuts to positive early learning experiences of all of that in the short run undermines their long term development. >> reporter: in addition to head start, as the cuts take if he can, the white house said they could mean 4 million fewer meals for seniors who depend on the meals on wheels program. as many as 600,000 women and children could be dropped from the nutrition assistance program, women, infants and children. and more than 100,000 could be removed from shelters, including military veterans. and while some have accused the administration of exaggerating the numbers, many economists agree, the overall if he can of the sequester could eventually be a serious drag on the economy. >> if we have fewer jobs available, if we have a higher unemployment rate, it is going

to have a disproportionate impact on lower income americans. >> reporter: still with critical programs like the columbus head start already feeling the sting, these parents are hoping washington will do something. >> write congress, senators, any representative you can. >> these are our children. these are the people that are going to carry us into our future. these are the people that needed indication. we're supposed to nurture them when they're younger and make them, have them grow. >> reporter: now, tamron, education officials say it is hard to figure out exactly how many kids have been kick off head start programs so far because each program has absorbed these cuts in a different way. the president and lawmakers could sit down and figure out a way out of these cuts by achieving a similar type of deficit reduction in a different way. in fact, the president has a plan in his budget. but my sources say it is very unlikely that that will happen

in the near future. >> a very powerful piece. i hope many people get to see it. we're going to try to put it up online as well. time for "news nation" gut check. we mentioned earlier, the senate's bipartisan immigration reform plan reportedly contains a cut-off date for path to legalization. the proposal would reportedly exclude immigrants who arrived in the u.s. after december 31st, 2011 from applying for legal status. and potentially, citizenship. the bill is expected to be unveiled on tuesday. we'll be covering it. what does your gut tell you? do you think people who arrived in the u.s. after 2011 should be barred from applying for legal status? go to facebook.com/newsnation to cast that vote. thank you for joining us all week long. have a great weekend. see you on monday. "the cycle" is up next.

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