dials and a card table set up. plenty of room for friends and a weird blue kitcheny storage area. 30 years of presidential aviation history could be yours. ever see a decommissioned cop car driving around and you slow down and then realize it is a regular guy driving around and now it is a regular crown vic. buying air force one would be like that but a plane. everybody would slow down. now it is time two "last word" exclusives tonight here in washington. the senator who could get background checks through congress is here. and so is the senator leading the way on exposing the military's problems with sexual assault. >> the fight over gun control legislation has been a fight for money. >> we need to pick up five more votes. >> we remain optimistic. the president does when it comes

to background checks this will happen. >> every vote that would have undermined the second amendment was voted down. >> the manchin-toomey bill wouldn't have prevented newtown. >> they're going to regret it. >> put it online and let nra members and myself vote on it. >> this is the guy they're taking on. >> families of victims taking up the pressure. >> paranoia, gun lust and questionable recall. >> i think it's because it's in the chain of command, people aren't reporting. >> 26,000 people are sexually assaulted in the last fiscal year. >> the damming new report shows the must be number of sexual cases has climbed again. >> obviously, there is a failing in the training of understanding. >> you can't train your way out of this problem. the military culture has to be changed. >> i think it's very different in the military. >> has to be scrubbed of this attitude. >> there isn't a climate by which they can receive justice in this system. >> some guy came up to me the other day, he said you look a

lot like laseruz. >> mark sanford's career has had more ups and downs than the appalachian trail. >> i'll win the general without their help. >> he becomes the skunk at the garden party. >> the victory of mark sanford. >> clear transgressions, character issues. >> we all make mistakes in life. >> we all love a senator that makes redemptions. so that's okay. last month, the bipartisan proposal to expand background checks in the united states senate failed in the way that only a proposal of the united states senate can fail with 54 senators a majority of senators voting to support the bill. democracy was denied that day, thanks to senate rules. but senator joe manchin, the democratic sponsor of the bill refuses to give up. >> i truly believe that if we have time to sell the bill and people will read the bill, and i'm willing to go anywhere in this country, debate anybody on this issue. read the bill and you tell me what you don't like.

>> at the national rifle association's annual convention this past weekend, nra executive vice president wayne lapierre, agreed with senator manchin on one point. this fight is not over. >> while the senate vote less than two weeks ago is significant, it's but one skirmish in what can only be defined as a long war against our constitutional rights. as we sit here this morning, we are in the midst of a once in a generation fight for everything that we care about. we have a chance to secure our freedom for a generation. or lose it forever. >> senator manchin, who had an "a" rating from the national rifle association until this most recent fight issued a very provocative challenge to the nra during an emotional meeting with some newtown families. >> if they would look at it and look at the facts and i would ask my friends at the nra, take

our bill, put it online, and let nra members like myself vote on it. let them vote. and see where they would be. >> on monday night, we had the opportunity to speak to one such nra member, mike wiser, a lifetime nra member, gun owner, gun dealer, who said this about background checks. >> i don't think the issue of background checks really has anything to do with whether or not people are in favor or opposed to the second amendment. i know a lot of people who aren't gun owners, and, of course, i know many gun owners. and all of us recognize that a background check is a very important tool for keeping guns out of the wrong hands. the fact that you have a tool like that doesn't say that you're opposed to the second amendment or to the rights of gun owners to own their guns. there's no connection between those two things. i'm happy to sit down with wayne lapierre or anybody and talk about what we're going to do in a reasonable and proper way to keep people from getting killed.

>> joining me now here in washington for an exclusive interview is democratic senator joe manchin of west virginia. senator, we just heard, a gun dealer agreeing with you completely on this. >> lawrence, i've been cleared through my state of west virginia and we have a very gun culture, if you will, and it's pretty natural for us to be born and raised and around guns and learning safety and the proper way to do it. >> when did you start -- when did you get your first gun? >> a bee-bee gun first. i was probably 7, 8. >> can't do too much damage with a bee bee, but i know is -- >> sing shot bolt action .22. >> how old were you? >> i'm about 12. and then a .410, a small shotgun. and i got that and then moved -- >> i'm nodding like i know what a .410 was. >> you've got the .410, .16 gauge and 12-gauge. >> you grew up with this, guns in the homes and normal thing.

and now you come to this crossroads, and this country, after newtown. what -- did newtown change your thinking? >> well, i would like to think if you're an american and you have a family, it had to change you. who would have ever thought that 20 babies would have gone -- truly babies, 5, 6 years old would have gone to school and not returned safe? so with that being said, let's sit down and put some gun sense to this. you've got nonsense, common sense, should have gun sense. i've been over the state of west virginia and people are skeptical of government, thinking we're too far. this is not. it has to go through a legislative process because of the change of the constitution. and what we're doing is saying that if you are a -- legitimate gun owner, law-abiding gun owner, you should be treated like that and have the full rights of the second amendment. we did that in this bill. what we have said also in this bill, for those of us law-abiding gun owners, we think there is responsibility with gun ownership.

and we're not going to sell a gun to somebody we don't know. we're not going to give it to a person mentally insane in our neighborhood or a family member who is not responsible. if we know that personal contact, then why shouldn't we be expected to have a background check when we go to a commercial transaction at a gun show or online when we don't have that personal contact or that knowledge. that just makes sense. and to the law-abiding gun owners in west virginia, that makes sense to us. and i can't understand why the leadership of organizations such as nra would think that we are invading anybody. if anything, this protects the second amendment, it expands it, the second amendment rights, by law-abiding gun owners. >> now, you come from a state that is more conservative than new hampshire, than kelly ayotte's state. what did you know about the politics of this issue that she did not know before she cast a vote that has hurt her in her polls back -- >> i can't speak for kelly.

we're friends. >> but what is your sense of how they're misreading the public on this? >> lawrence, i've been involved directly and indirectly all my life. but directly, since 1982. that i've been involved in the political process, running for house and delegate state senate, governor of my state on and on. i've never seen an issue in my life, never, seen anything that has 70, 80-plus percent of the people in all different spectrums whether you're democrat or republican or conservative or liberal that says this makes sense. i never had that happen before. and never had a situation to where there was this much momentum moving in the right direction, and support and didn't have the political courage to do it. i don't know. so what i did, i knew it was going to be a difficult -- and my state has got to be the most difficult. but i went back and kept talking. i've got all of my gun enthusiasts involved from day one right after the shooting. i says, you know, i think we have a responsibility as a law-abiding gun owner to do

things that make it better for us law-abiding gun owners to make decisions that keep people that shouldn't have guns. why can't we do that ourselves and take the initiative? so we started talking. and had everybody involved in this dialogue. give me your information. i gave you a copy of the bill. there was a lot of people, lawrence, involved -- 49 pages. but we went section by section by section. the first premise is, if i'm a law-abiding gun owner, i'll do the right thing. don't look at me as something wrong because you didn't grow up in a gun culture. with that being said, we have a responsibility to say now, now i'm in a commercial transaction. i don't know that person coming to the gun show. i'm on the internet where there's so much -- you know, transactions going on. that i never have any facial contact with them or personal contact. my goodness. that's a beautiful check for us law-abiding gun owner. i'm not going to sell it to somebody like that. >> now, so -- so you got this -- these people in the dialogue, in your state, before the

legislative process started. and during the legislative process. >> they were with me. >> when you go back to west virginia now, are you in town hall meetings or do you find yourself walking down the street, people coming up to you, hey, joe, what did you do? are people still fighting on this vote in west virginia? >> both sections. and we sit down and go through it. i go to town hall meetings, areas i know are high gun ownership and high gun advocacies and they're thinking, you know, joe, you've been always an nra member, you've been a lifetime member. and you're a sporting person like us. what did you do? and i said let me tell you what i did. as a second amendment rights, i've not only made sure that you have those rights, i enhance those rights. you know, we couldn't even take a gun if you're going hunting to another state and go through some states, you would be in invitation just because you had a gun. that clears this up. we clear all that up as a law-abiding gun owner. and what's happened, they listen to the rhetoric and not reading and not looking and seeing. and they're not being told the facts. and -- >> do you actually have voters

who challenge you on this? change their minds while talking to you? >> certainly. >> because that's a rare thing. you know that. when they want to get in a fight with a politician, they get in that fight to win. >> i want them to. that's how i learn. and they said -- you're going to register my gun and take my gun away. and i say, oh, you think so? let me show you the section that says if anybody tries to use it for a registry, it will be a felony with 15 years of imprisonment. we made it much more difficult and challenging. and no one has ever had a registry up until now and we made it even more difficult. and much more crime from that, as far as criminal actions. so every time they say something, i said, well, let me show you this section of the bill. bill. let me take you to this section of the bill. they say, well, you can't do anything with your family. i said, wait a minute, we don't even touch personal transactions. private transactions. you can do with your family, you can sell it, give it, do what you want to. your neighbor. post on your bulletin board at school, church, or anywhere. because you know why, we look at

you as a law-abigd gun owner. but you don't have that same knowledge when you go into a commercial setting. if you go to a gun store, you go through that. if you go to a gun show, you might have one group of people who are licensed dealers. you have to do a background check. the next table over for a vendor, nothing. nothing. and that's just not a law-abiding gun owner has no problem. you know, this is not universal. this is a criminal and mental background check. and what bothers me right now, if we are in such a state of in influx, if you will, in this city of ours, washington, to where something that makes so much common sense, and the facts are here to support what we're saying, and 80% of the people support what we're trying to do, and we can't muster up the votes, something is wrong. and we've got to change. >> senator joe manchin, thank you very much for joining us tonight. and this fight needs you, and

we're very glad you're in it. >>it not over. >> thank you, senator, very much. coming up, the senator who is leading the fight against sexual assault in the military. the epidemic in the military. new york's kirsten gillibrand will join me. and in the rewrite tonight, the family most affected by the boston marathon bombings, the richard family, in their own words. le. i'm really glad that girl stayed at home. vo: expedia helps 30 million travelers a month find what they're looking for. one traveler at a time. expedia. find yours. we just didn't know that our plants did, too. then we started using miracle-gro liquafeed every two weeks. now our plants get the food they need while we water. so they're bigger, healthier, and more beautiful. guaranteed. when you feed your plants, everyone grows with miracle-gro. we're not in london, are we? no. why? apparently my debit card is.

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well-qualified lessees can lease the 2014 grand cherokee laredo 4x4 for $359 a month. there's a family in training and understanding of what sexual assault is. and how corrosive and damaging it is to good order and discipline. >> joining me now, senator kirsten gillibrand. this story has mushroomed over time. starting with both of us seeing

that amazing documentary, "the invisible war" that really opened my eyes to this issue. you're in the armed services committee, studying it, and it's come to this point where we found this week colonel jeffrey krusinski in charge of the air force's control of sexual assault cases ends up charged with it himself. hence the frustration you exited this week, greater frustration than before. >> it's a huge problem. one of the reasons why requesting "the invisible war" was so effective, real victims telling their stories ask. that's why as chairman, my first hearing on sexual assault and rape in the military and i had the victims testify first to tell their stories. and that's why we have to address the issue. we have 26,000 cases last year arguably. and of them, only 3,000 or so reported. so there's a huge gap between

how many incidents there are and how many people have the courage and ability and feel that they will be taken seriously and not be marginalized or retaliated against. and so we need to increase the reporting. and that's what we're trying to do. we're trying to write a bill that will change how men, women who are assaulted report these crimes. so they feel that justice could be done. and so we're going to -- our bill is going to remove that from the chain of command and have them report directly to a trained prosecutor who knows these issues. and knows how to investigate the cases and prosecute the crimes. >> so this will be -- a separate entity within the military system of justice. >> just within the corps. we have trained prosecutors now. >> and this is something we have out there in local governments and in county prosecutors' offices. they have sexual assault treated specially. >> it would be more parallel to the civilian system. right now, the way it is in the military, if you were raped or assaulted, you have to report to your boss or your boss's boss.

and you can imagine a victim saying i don't want to do that. because my boss may know the person who assaulted or raped me. he may think that i'm the troublemaker. he may retaliate against me because it's going to reflect badly on him. too many issues at stake. it should be somebody independent, outside of the chain of command who is specifically trained to understand these issues. let them do the investigation, let them make the judgment of whether this should go to trial. i think in that instance, more men and women will feel comfortable reporting. you'll have a better reporting rate. and justice will be done in more cases. >> especially as you have heard in many -- well, many. some number of cases. the person who has done the assault is the commanding officer. the person you're supposed to report to. so how can that possibly work? >> one of the things we did in the last armed services authorization bill is move it up one more level so it would be less likely the perpetrator would be your commanding officer. but still, what the victims tell us, and what was revealed in the invisible war and what came

through in the hearings, was that the fear of retail asation is so real, the last report the public of defense published, it says 62% of those who had experienced unwanted sexual contact believed that if they reported, they would be retaliated against. >> isn't there also just a big kind of institutional bureaucratic, i don't want this on my watch. if i'm the commanding officer, do i want the to be the commanding officer? with the largest number of sexual assaults reported? don't i have some kind of incentive to keep that number down to suppress this, to talk people out of filing those complaints? >> that's the concern. and so if you have -- if you have been assaulted or raped, you may have that fear you will be perceived as a troublemaker. in fact, when we had the hearing and one of the victims testified, she said i reported immediately. she said, but then i was so marginalized, i was shunned, i was treated poorly by my commanding officer, by other

people in my unit. she said my career was over. so when i reported, that was the beginning of the he said of my career, because i couldn't serve anymore under those circumstances. so we hear time and time again from victims that they are marginalized or retaliated against or they feel that their future in the military is at risk by reporting. so we believe, and many senators are working on this bill now, that if we allow them to report outside the chain of command, allow that decision-making to be made by a prosecutor, not the commanding officer, you will see justin done more often and you will see more confidence within the system that justice is possible for them. >> and it seems like nothing less than the future of a volunteer military is at stake. these numbers are wild, out of control epidemic proportions. and in "the invisible war" you see a father of a daughter who gets assaulted in the military, and you can see that these people are not going to continue

to send their daughters and their sons who are also abused into this military. >> and lawrence, just so our viewers know, more than half of the assaults and rapes are against men. more than half. >> yes. >> and you can imagine a male soldier never wanting to report that happens to them. and you can imagine all of the reasons why. so we have to do better by the men and women serving. and assure them that they will be serving and not be attacked by their colleagues, and not be subject to this kind of treatment. we have the best and the brightest serving in our military. we have the greatest military in the world. and we ask everything of them, to even die for their country. we should not be asking them to be subject to sexual assault and rape. >> it has been fascinating to watch this subject mushroom over time, get bigger and bigger. it felt at certain moments like, okay, that's maybe the end of it. but -- and by the way, i certainly have the feeling that -- tell me if this is true. that without women like you on the armed services committee,

this would not be the issue it is now in the united states senate. >> well, i agree with you. a number of the men and women on the armed services committee, claire mccaskill, dick blumenthal, everyone is focused very intently on this issue now. and as the chairman of the committee, i held the first hearing in ten years on this issue. that's too long. this is nothing new. this has been going on for a very long time. but i think the advocacy brought to bear through the "invisible war" really matters because they put a face on the victims and told their stories. we're hoping other victims will feel more comfortable to tell their stories, whether they report it or not and why they didn't report if they didn't. another disturbing thing. when we had the hearings a couple days ago and the secretary of the air force testified along with the chief of staff, i was very disturbed that the chief of staff said that part of the reason why you have such a high incident rate is a holdover from the hook-up culture of high school. this has nothing to do with a

date that has gone badly. what we are worried about are predators. predators within the military who are often visits who will not only target but stalk their victims and wait until they have easy access or can control the situation. we have stories from victims saying that after they are raped, they were then blackmailed and said if you reveal this happened to you, i will kill you. i mean, that is the nature of these crimes. they are violent crimes committed by perpetrators who should not be serving in our military. >> senator gillibrand, the military is lucky to have you fighting for their safety on their own bases, which is the ignored subject up until now, thanks to you. senator gillibrand, thanks for joining us. >> thank you, lawrence. coming up, the art of the comeback and why scandal might not matter anymore in politics. i love to golf. ♪

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i am one imperfect man saved by god's grace, the one who has a conviction on the importance of doing something about spending in washington, d.c. >> in the spotlight tonight, scandal versus policy. that was mark sanford after voters in south carolina's first district made him the latest candidate to complete a political comeback after scandal. >> i've been unfaithful to my wife. i developed a relationship with a -- started as a dear, dear friend from argentina. >> the original comeback kid the name he got from this, was, of course, bill clinton. >> who is jennifer flowers?

you know her. >> oh, yes. >> how do you know her? how would you describe your relationship? >> very limited. >> had he is a legend and is described in some detail in the supermarket tabloid, which she calls a 12-year affair with you. >> that allegation is false. >> if the american people get a chance, and if they're trusted to exercise their vote right, because people talk to them about real issues, this country will be okay. that's what we're betting on and we're just going to roll the dice and see what happens. >> the clintons won that bet, big-time. bill clinton and mark sanford's victories just might be serving as inspiration to another aspiring comeback kid. >> today i am announcing my resignation from congress. >> pervert! >> so my colleagues can get back to work, my neighbors can choose a new representative. and most importantly, that my wife and i can continue to heal

from the damage i have caused. >> joining me now, msnbc's crystal ball and eugene robinson. crystal, i think one of the good things about this election in south carolina is that it turned out it was about the issues. the voters didn't see the issues the way i see the issues. but they obviously voted on policy instead of on scandal. >> i would say they voted on partisanship instead of scan tal. i think the underlying point is right. the american people are actually incredibly forgiving. they want to forgive. and sanford seemed like he was contrite, lots of people have affairs, lots of people have divorces. at the end of the day, they decided that wasn't enough to totally get rid of this guy for good. >> gene robinson, the history of political scandal is interesting. gary hart's presidential campaign collapsed over something that i think we now know modern presidential

campaign most clinton, anyway, could survive. allegations of a brief affair were enough to ruin gary hart in 1988. four years later, bill clinton survives a much worse level of scan tal. we've seen david vitter in louisiana survive touches of scandal. what is this election of mark sanford telling us about voters' attachment to scandal when it comes to the ballot box? >> you know, lawrence, i think that was -- you were right to do that sort of historical review. because i think historians may look back and say there was pre-clinton and post clinton. and that the comeback kid was the sort of water shed moment for -- a change in acceptance of adultery, basically. i mean, it's not that americans now love adultery. it's just that i think there's more of an understanding that this happens in families, this

happens to people, and they can kind of look past it. >> yeah, crystal, part of what you're seeing in these stories are reflections of what everyone has seen in their neighbors' lives, in their friends' lives, their families' lives, somewhere. there's some story that's a little bit like what this politician just got caught doing. >> yeah, lots of people can relate to it. and there's also this sort of desperation to see our politicians as normal, authentic, frail human beings. you would almost prefer someone who had some sort of a failure, came back from it, was able to really apologize sincerely. and i think with sanford, and obviously hurt him. i don't know that he could run for governor at this moment and be able to be successful. but he took a couple steps back politically. ran for a seat that made sense for him. in it a district where the wind was at his back. but he was able to do so successfully, because he seemed

sincere and genuine. that he was, you know, a frail human being, but ultimately a decent person. >> and gene, there seems to be a possible positive reflection here about what opposition research might mean in campaigns in the future as voters get less attached to scandal and more interested in how much do you want to cut spending or how much do you want to cut taxes or how much do you want to raise taxes. if those issues are clearly stronger than anything you can say about something some candidate did ten years ago or five years ago that you've managed to dig out of his trash, it seems to me we're in a better place in our campaigns. >> you know, i think we are, lawrence. and look, i think there are things that still matter. you know, if someone stole money, for example, in the past. or had criminal convictions or that sort of thing. people are going to look at that differently from the way they now look at an affair, a divorce.

remember the day when the big question, can a divorced candidate be able to win. and now we know, obviously, yes. >> and i think there's a limit too. i don't think john edwards could make a comeback, for example. >> yeah. there's -- >> that's true of the. >> there's a level of horror, i guess. >> there are lines. yes. >> it's why i'm kind of carefully using the word "scandal" because as gene points out, i don't mean the word crime. i don't think crime is survivable. but, yeah, crystal, you're showing there is a level of scandal that is just too hard to even look at. and that would be the john edwards version. >> that would be the john edwards version. and there was -- i mean, there were just so many circumstances there. the wife that was, you know, his wife dying of cancer and the family and what he forced his best friend to do. and that all of this is happening while running for president. and it sort of fits in with what people kind of suspected about him anyway, which doesn't help. so there is a line of going too

far. and i think it's important how you handle the scandal and the initial days i think being really honest, brutally honest, really bearing yourself and your soul to the press and answering every question you possibly can. which was the big mistake that anthony weiner made in his early days. he was too -- he tried to hide it for too long. and that ended up becoming more of an issue than actually what he did. >> well, anthony weiner -- go ahead, gene. >> no, i was going to say, that -- the weiner case raises an interesting question, though. because it is sort of an information age transgression. and one wonders how voters in new york are going to deal with sexting as the sin rather than more conventional sins. >> actually six. >> actual sex, correct. >> it's interesting, gene, because it may be the least classically sinful of all of these so-called scandals, but it may also be the weirdest one. there is a weirdness level you can't get over.

>> it's harder to relate to sending pictures of your junk to some random woman across the country than it is -- everybody knows someone who has had an affair or divorce. >> crystal, you're the only one among us who could have said that. >> exactly. and we're glad you did. >> that's definitely the last word in this segment. crystal ball and eugene robinson, thank you both very much for joining me tonight. >> thanks, lawrence. >> thank you. coming up, the family who suffered the most in the boston marathon bombing tells their story in their own words. that's in tonight's rewrite. abo. [ designer ] enough of just covering up my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer through 6 months. [ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections.

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his sister's loss in the congressional election in south carolina to the scandal plagued former governor mark sanford. stephen colbert was more than a little bummed about his home state. >> the voters of south carolina have spoken. mark sanford beat my sister. and i believe that means mark sanford is now my sister. and on behalf of my entire family, i want to say we're deeply sorry about him. i feel so betrayed by south carolina.

well, if they're going to turn their backs on my family, i'm turning my back on them. no, i am. from now on, and i never thought i would ever say this, i am from north carolina. no, i have to. i have to! i'm a tar heel now. what the [ expletive ] that means. >> whatever that means. the rewrite is next. e rule num. a great cup of coffee should be easy as one, two... well, just one. new single serve cafe collections from maxwell house now available for use in the keurig k-cup brewer. always good to the last drop. thto fight chronic. osteoarthritis pain. now available for use in the keurig k-cup brewer. to fight chronic low back pain. to take action. to take the next step. today, you will know you did something for your pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a pain reliever

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globe" this morning, quote, there is no indication there was a huge systemic issue. today the body of tamerlan tsarnaev was finally buried at an undisclosed location. and today we have news from the richard family of dorchester, the family who suffered more than any other in the bombing and its aftermath. 8-year-old martin richard was killed instantly in the bombing, his 7-year-old sister, jane, lost her leg. his mother and father, bill and denise, both injured and hospitalized. while some republicans were busy today trying to rewrite the story of the marathon bombing without any new evidence to support oh such a rewrite into a failure of president obama's fbi and president obama's homeland security department, bill and denise richard issued a statement today, telling us their story of the bombing, and its aftermath. it is a story of crushing tragedy, anguish, unspeakable

pain, and it is a story of courage and love and their most profound forms. it is a story that deserves at least as much public attention as the investigation and the suspects are getting. this is the richard family statement in full. last evening, just 23 days after the bombing attack on boston, our 7-year-old daughter, jane, underwent her 11th surgery. while she has more trips to the o.r. ahead of her, last night's operation marked an important milestone, as doctors were finally able to close the wound created when the bomb took her left leg below the knee. part of procedure involved preparing jane's injured leg to eventually be fitted for a prosthesis. by closing the wound, the incredible medical team at boston's children's hospital laid the ground work for jane to take an important step forward on the long and it felt road ahead of her. one of the things we have learned through all of this is

to not get too high or too low. we take today's development as positive news and look ahead with guarded optimism. if things go well, jane could be ready to transition to the rehabilitation stage of her recovery in the next few weeks. getting to this point has not been easy for jane. in addition to all of the surgeries, she has also had to fight off infections and other complications. after not being able to communicate with jane for the first two weeks, she woke up with difficult questions that needed to be answered. there are not words to describe how hard sharing this heartbreaking news was on all of us. as for the rest of the family, bill and denise were 'tis charged from beth israeli deacon's medical center a week after they were admitted. while no sight has returned to denise's injured eye, doctors are pleased with how she is healing from her surgeries. bill is healing from the shrapnel wounds and burns to his legs and is we are hopeful there will be improvement over time

from the hearing loss he suffered. it will be several months before we know what if any improvement denise or bill will experience. henry is back at school, which gives him a needed sense of routine and normalcy. we will continue to stay together in the long ward medical area until jane is discharged. our focus as a family remains on healing from our injuries, both physical and emotional. we would like to take this time to also acknowledge the strength we draw from the community, the outpouring of support from friends, family and total strangers has been incredible. and it is uplifting to our family in this most painful and difficult time. well-wishers reach us, and they help more than anyone can know. from the moment of the attack, all of us have been in the hands of well-trained people who are incredibly good at what they do. we thank the courageous first responders and samaritans who stabilized and comforted us on the scene, as well as the

medical staff at the hospitals for quick action and life-saving care. we particularly want to thank the people who quickly got to jane and addressed her injury in the street, because they saved her life. we also salute those who stood guard over martin's body. so he was not alone. those officers will never know how comfortable that that was in our very darkest hour. the doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, tech anythings, orderlies, volunteers and administrators at both boston's children's hospital and beth israel deaconess medical center have been incredible. we will recover, because of these dedicated and talented people. people near and far have made loving gestures, and poignant remembrances. we are aware of tributes and vigils across the area, and around the world. martin was a big sports fan, and what has taken place across the sports world from our local

teams to our arch rival, by teams and by individual players reminds us why. martin was boston-strong, and now we must all be for him and for all of the victims of this senseless attack, as well as their loved ones who are going through a hell we wish we never had to know. many of you feel an incredible need to do more. which is understandable and gracious. we will need help as we cannot get through this tragedy on our own. we know how difficult it is to stand idle when something terrible happens. so we thank you for respecting our privacy and giving us space to not only recuperate and rest, but also to ensure the one thing the attack does not break is our bond as a family. as hard as it is for us to do so, we ask for your continued patience as we work through something for which there is no road map. there are no instructions.

we look forward to sharing another update when jane leaves children's hospital for rehab in the coming weeks. girl vo: i'm pretty conservative. very logical thinker. (laughs) i'm telling you right now, the girl back at home would absolutely not have taken a zip line in the jungle. (screams) i'm really glad that girl stayed at home. vo: expedia helps 30 million travelers a month find what they're looking for. one traveler at a time. expedia. find yours. for sein a whole new way. for seeing what cash is coming in and going out... so you can understand every angle of your cash flow- last week, this month, and even next year.

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the census bureau released a report showing 66% of black voters went to the polls, compared to 64% of white voters. the overall turnout rate was just under 62%. up next, what first lady michelle obama had to say about chris christie. announcer ] you are a business pro. governor of getting it done. you know how to dance... with a deadline. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. this is awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is, business pro. yes, it is. go national. go like a pro.

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in a new nbc news poll in jersey, governor chris christie is leading by more than 30 points in the new jersey governor's race. 60% of registered new jersey voters support chris christie. 28% support his democratic opponent, barbara bueno. christie's overall approval rating remains high at 69%. and after announcing tuesday that he underwent lap band surgery to control his weight, christie received some words of support from one very high-level democrat.

>> i think that that's a very personal matter, something between the governor and his family, and i try not to to comment on people's personal choices. i think governor christie is terrific, and, you know, his family is wonderful. and i, you know, wish them the best. >> joining me now, msnbc's ari melbourne. there is the first lady saying i think chris christie is terrific. i think it's kind of a rough moment for barbara bueno in running against him to hear those words coming from washington. >> it's not what you need if you're a testimony in new jersey. on the other hand, this is, as you know, lawrence, one of those statements that normally historically would be considered standard diplomacy, standard kindness from a first lady, the least political role, you know -- the representative of the first family. not an extraordinary embrace of a republican. but nowadays, it is more rare to see anything across the aisle. so people will obviously notice it.

>> and there's this video that's been released that governor christie made for fun for one of those dinners they have which they had this week. and in new jersey. they showed it. and it's all on him losing the fleece that he was wearing out there, responding to hurricane sandy that everyone saw in all of the news conferences. let's take a quick peek at that. >> sir, we have a problem. >> what now? >> the fleece, sir? it's missing. >> so what? so what? what's the big deal? i mean, you worry too much. stop worrying. >> i don't think you fully understand the implications that this is going to have on your brand. >> listen, the fleece was so last year. think about it. i'm back in the "time" 100 most influential people in the world. bruce is my new best friend. i'm friends with bon jovi and now back on "morning joe." that's going to be a love fest. >> john, john, it's chris. john, john, it's chris! >> hey, there's that guy again. he ain't nothing without his fleece.

>> i don't know. maybe there is something to this fleece. >> ari melber, all about the humanizing of the candidate. >> the video is fun fee knee. he's got a love the videos that are a big hit. two thoughts. thought number one, he's tapping into a rich tradition of american politics, which is anti politics. that's what john mccain originally ran on, barack obama. this idea that you're above politics. he's adding a little more meta to it, which is frankly a very now kind of thing. an ironic distancing from the idea that everything he is doing is about national attention and running for office. the other point i'll make is more on policy. you will also see the slight of hand that is so common to christie in president is anymore than the basic obligation he had.

and so while people feel strongly about it, he's done a lot of victory laps for what i would call basic job duties. >> and ari, there are limits to new jersey support for christie. 55% of new jersey voters do not want him to run for president and if he ran for president against hillary clinton, new jersey would vote against him. 52% of new jersey voters would vote for hillary, 41 for chris christie. not even close. >> right. and look, there is some political undertow here, he has been able to excel partly because he's a blue state republican that can reach out to obama.

that flips if he runs, because new jersey is not going to support any national republican. >> ari melber, our closer, once again, gets tonight's last word. thanks, ari.melber, our closer gets the last word. chris hayes is up next. horror in cleveland. let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start tonight with this. the horrors of cleveland are growing. one of those captive women was forced to deliver her child in a plastic swimming pool so it would be easy to clean up afterwards. when her baby got sick and stopped breathing, her captor said, if the baby dies, you die. and other times when she got pregnant, the man holding her captive starved her and beat her in the stomach to force a miscarriage. as aal