>> music industry, rolling stones sold out the garden. people go for quality. >> brian. >> people prefer me with limited oxygen to my brain than look like this. that's all i have to say. >> it's way too early. what time is it? >> it's time for "morning joe" but right now it's time for chuck todd with the daily rundown. have a great day. >> thank you, guys. maybe we should call it the 2 g-80s. it's chilly between president obama and vladimir putin. the body language said much if not more than the actual words spoken. u.s. sending aid, russia objecting to arming the rebels. we'll talk about the next step with senate foreign relations chairman bob menendez.

democrats aren't taking ed's bid to the senate for granted with one left until the massachusetts special election are republican leaders taking gabriel gomez's bid any more seriously? >> good morning. from ireland just south of the northern ireland border here where the president is wrapping up g-8 summit. this is the "the daily rundown." my man peter alexander holding down the fort in d.c. let me get to my first reads of the morning. it starts with syria. may be smiles across the aisle and signature stage craft of the summits, affectionately known as family photo. deep dividings remain between two most important players on the issue dominating this g-8, the syrian civil war with the western allies led by u.s. trying to convince russia it's in their best interest to stop backing assad while russians

haven't come around to the president's point of view, simply dialing back the rhetoric was seen by some as a small sign of progress. president obama used a taped television interview before he left for the summit to clarify intervening in syria as new polls confirm assad's use of chemical weapons hasn't moved the public at all when it comes to getting involved. >> you haven't been in the situation room pouring through intelligence and meeting directly with our military folks. unless you've been involved in those conversations, then it's kind of hard for you to understand the complexity of the situation and how we have to not rush into one more war in the middle east. >> any push back on the notion from hawks that the president waited too long to intervene.

>> this argument that somehow we had gone in earlier or heavier in some fashion, that the tragedy and chaos taking place in syria wouldn't be taking place i think is wrong. one of the challenges we have is that some of the most effective fighters within the opposition have been those who frankly are not particularly friendly towards the united states of america. and arming them willy-nilly is not a good recipe for meeting american interests over the long-term. >> but in that anticipated meeting between the president and vladimir putin both men took pains to make it look like they get along, even joking, stiffly, of course. the president's main objective with putin, convince him that the u.s. wasn't trying to overthrow the entire syrian government, only assad. >> we compared notes on president putin's expertise in

judo and my declining skills in basketball. >> the president wants to relax me with his statement that -- >> with respect to syria, we do have differing perspectives on the problem but we share an interest in reducing the violence, securing chemical weapons. >> of course our opinions do not come insi coincide but all have intention to stop violence in syria. >> both agreed to agageneva. the president. >> announcer:ed additional money for humanitarian efforts in syria and other countries dealing with refugees. brings the total in humanitarian aid to a billion dollars. that's the u.s. precondition that assad has to go before any negotiations begin. late last night the russian government clarified their stance. no preconditions for any potential geneva summit. we're still waiting for the actual g-8 communique on the issue.

looks like the russians blocked any mention of assad having to go. and they haven't been able to agree on when any geneva conference would again. i think we're looking at august. still, even on the world stable, the president had not been able to avoid questions about nsa spying controversy. during the interview with charlie rose, he vigorously defended the nsa programs. >> should this be transparent in some way? >> it is transparent. that's why we set up the quote. well, obama was this raving liberal before, now he's dick cheney. dick cheney sometimes say, yeah, he took it all lock, stock, and barrel. my concern has always been not that we shouldn't do intelligence gathering to prevent terrorism, but rather are we setting up a system of checks and balances. >> check out his nonanswer to charlie's question about the court and the fact the court has never rejected a government request on getting surveillance.

>> have any of those been turned down? all the the requests to the court, have they been turned down at all? >> let me finish, charlie. this debate has gotten cloudy very quickly. >> so the president never did fully answer that question, peter. i found that fascinating on that front. he did say he's asked director of national intelligence james clapper to figure out what they can declassify. in fact, perhaps as early as later this week we're told he's going to meet with civil liberties groups trying to reexplain what he's doing and assure there is some oversight and there is some checks and balances. >> vladimir putin said i feel like you're trying to relax me with your statements but not going to let you pull me off my game. give us a sense of the white house how they rate their success in this effort.

they tried to put a good face forward with vladimir putin. any anticipation of anything that comes out this to help change russia's view towards putin? >> i think when it comes to the issue of syria, it's hard -- exactly. i think when it comes to the issue of syria and goals for g-8 it's hard to call it a raging success. when you think about it when they came into this g-8, they were hoping to get a large endorsement from the big contingent of european countries about this idea of regional trade agreement between european union and united states. while those negotiations are going to begin in july, france is a big holdout and there's grumbling among the european public. do you want to get into a deal with the u.s. the momentum that seemed to be there for this trade agreement just three or four months ago appears to have stalled a bit. then you look at syria. the whole goal was to see if they could move russia at all. peter, they didn't. you can't look at the g-8 summit and say this was a success for the white house. at best, status quo.

>> chuck, thank you very much. see you back in a few minutes on more on the president's big speech tomorrow in berlin. also, which major member of the president's team he's talking about replacing. that may have been the biggest headline out of the charlie rose interview. the president sounded almost wistful over the weekend about the things he has not been able to accomplish in office. take a listen. >> one of the things you learn as president is what have you done for me lately. if you don't get it done, then it's your problem. i accept that. that's my job. >> today five months after proposing sweeping new legislation on guns, along with the president, vice president biden will deliver a progress report of sorts on gun violence. with gun legislation going nowhere in congress, and after the administration's defeat on the senate vote to extend background checks, biden's focus today will be on executive action. announce the administration has completed or at least made significant progress in 21 of 23

executive actions first announced in january. they include writing emergency management plans for schools and churches and training police to respond to active shooters. meanwhile on the topic of immigration, senate democrats told republicans on monday that it's time to pick up the pace. >> the time is right. we either do it now or we're never going to do it. >> my colleague should be aware, unless we begin voting on amendments soon we'll work through the weekend to finish this bill before july 4th. >> senior editor here for more, good to it visit with you. the public statements we're hearing from joe biden several months after their call for sweeping overhaul of gun legislation, now they are making an announcement acknowledging a whole lot less has been accomplished. what does this signify? >> for all intents and purpose, gun violence went down when the

background measure defeated and filibuster in senate. they are going more piecemeal to show what they have been able to accomplish by executive action. when i look at president biden talking about gun control or president obama a future event, this is more about long-term, the next time democrats have control over the united states house of representatives, a filibuster-proof majority in the senate next time they control the white house. this might be something looking at more down the road, six, ten, 15 years now. it has become a big core in the democratic party particularly after the violence and massacre in newtown, connecticut. >> some challenges, talking about g-8 summit there, within the gang of eight at home it's obvious marco rubio causing concern among his colleagues. where does immigration go now given the fact the goal we heard weeks ago was get it done in the senate with a massive margin by july 4th. >> the speed in the united states senate is always a bit

slow. you are trying to seek pressure democrats putting on, need to move for these amendments faster, now, overall the prospects of passage in the senate still look very good. after all, the big debate is whether john boehner is going to bring any legislation to the house floor, not the senate floor, which makes senate action look like a fait accompli. the gang together, bipartisan support. the question is how big is the bipartisan support. overall prospects look pretty good, just going to see what the final vote is. >> taking place in the house, a lot of people flipping channels from november of last year to june of this year, will be surprised there's going to be a vote house republicans are pushing for when it comes to the issue of abortion. it would prohibit abortion for those after i think 20 to 22 weeks is the exact period of time. give us a sense about what is at stake here given a moderate republican in pennsylvania, charlie dent said in the "new york times," you and i spoke about this, i think it's a stupid idea to bring this up.

what is at stake for the republicans in this effort? it's really a state's issue now in many cases more than national. >> two pressures the one hand, recognition after 2012 republican party did help itself by talking about issues. the other pressure this is what the base wants. when republicans had control of one branch of government controlled the house of representatives they want to have votes on this. that's what matters to constituents and base. they are caught in this interesting two cross currents and cross pressure. we're seeing a vote on that today because of that. >> not that anybody is keeping track but roughly 1239 days until decision 2016. >> claire mccaskill announces she supports hillary clinton. she's on board. this didn't take long. hillary clinton has barely been out of her position, secretary of state for five months. already we're talking about the run with real support within some women within the senate. >> a quick caveat, group not tied directly to former secretary of state and made up

of a lot of low level campaign folks from 2008. but this is the first person sitting member of congress who has backed this organization. also mccaskill is a big obama supporter in 2008. >> drip drip drip of hillary talk from cgi to this. mark, thanks very much. appreciate it. the president just announced $300 million in humanitarian aid for syria. what about providing weapons for the rebels? we're going to talk to democratic senator robert menendez, chairman of the foreign relations committee about that. also what's going on behind the scenes in the push for immigration reform. but first a look ahead at today's politics planner. can you see what's on tap today. the president again attending those meetings as we speak at the g-8 as he wraps things up. he will arrive in berlin shy of 2:30 eastern time today. you're watching the "the daily rundown" on msnbc. is like hammering.

riding against the wind. uphill. every day. we make money on saddles and tubes.

but not on bikes. my margins are thinner than these tires. anything that gives me some breathing room makes a difference. membership helps make the most of your cashflow. i'm nelson gutierrez of strictly bicycles and my money works as hard as i do. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] for dad's first job as dad. nissan tests hundreds of child seats to give you a better fit and a safer trip. snug kids, only from nissan. ♪

we have a legitimate need to be engaged and to be involved. but for us to do it in a careful, calibrated way sometimes is unsatisfying. what people really typically want is a clean solution, a silver bullet, here is what we're going to do and we just move forward. >> that's president obama arguing for a go slow approach when it comes to helping syrian rebels even when we recognize short of demands from capitol hill. the rebels themselves for significant aid. senator menendez on the foreign relations committee joining us from capitol hill. senator menendez, thank you for your time. are you satisfied with the president's handling of the crisis in syria? >> look, i think the president is right in terms of who are those opposition forces that

would largely share our values in terms of what we would like to see in syria. it took time to figure this out. now from every account we have a good idea of a universe of opposition forces who would be aligned with us. then it seems to me that it is time to move vigorously forward. we obviously need to tip the scales in order to acheese a political solution. we can't do it under circumstances and our violation national security interests are at stake. >> the move vigorously forward, you yourself said six weeks ago that the president -- the red line had been crossed. you offered a bill at that time to begin arguing syrian rebels. i guess the question is now has the president waited too long to act? is it too late to turn the tide in syria? >> i don't think it's too late to affect an outcome, particularly when we talk about getting us to a point in which assad, who is doing very well on

the ground now unfortunately, sees a recalibration. his patroncy. then we can receive a political solution. to do that, have you to stop assad from having a monopoly on air power and artillery. that means leading with our allies both in the gulf region as well as in europe to be able to pursue a course of action that helps rebels fight for themselves and achieve the opportunity, be able to realize the political solution we want to see. >> let me ask briefly about intelligence leaks, the leaker edward snowden says, in his language, more truth is coming. how concerned about you about whatever classified information snowden may be planning to reveal next? >> look, i think it's harmful to the national security of the united states. i've always said i believe the terrorist only have to get lucky

once. we have to get it right as a country 100% of the time. those are tough odds. we need to be able to have every asset in order to defend the american people but with the appropriate checks and balances to ensure their privacy is not invade. if you're not speaking to a terrorist abroad, i don't think you should have concern from everything i know about this program. if this individual keeps leaking vital national security information from the united states, he puts our people abroad at risk and puts people at home here at risk. >> speaking of here at home, i want to talk about the issue of immigration. what is your confidence level immigration reform can get a senate vote by july 4st? then the question would be, what if it doesn't? >> i believe we will pass comprehensive immigration reform. i think we'll do it by the fourth of july recess. as we continue to meet with the gang of eight and others who are interested, i can see where we get to those votes and i can see

a pathway forward. then the question will be, does speaker boehner and the house actually want to see comprehensive immigration reform as poll after poll of the american people says they do. >> obviously there's challenges on the senate side. senator rubio, a member of the gang of eight, said border security needs to be addressed. you've expressed concern that could be an excuse to block the whole bill. the committee has been frustrated with senator rubio at times. are you afraid that issue could derail this whole thing? >> i do not. i believe we have the toughest border security provisions in this legislation, $6.5 billion largely devised by senators from the border states who experience this challenge every day. i believe we are open to legitimate efforts to improve that, to have greater specificity in legislation. but what we are not open to is having a trigger that ultimately undermines the pathway to

citizenship because that's a vital part of reform. >> just to reiterate, before july 4th, right, senator? >> i certainly believe so. i think we can get there. i think it's important to do so. >> all right. senator menendez, we appreciate your time today. thank you. >> all right. >> coming up next, two major military milestones as u.s.-led forces in afghanistan hand over control to local troops there. also a dramatic policy shift developing for women in combat. still to come on the "the daily rundown," one week to go before decision day in massachusetts. we'll have the latest on the gomez race. first today's trivia question, recent governor to serve in the u.s. house or u.s. senate? the first person to tweet the correct answer to@"the daily rundown" will get an on air shout. more coming up here on the "the daily rundown." every parent wants the safest and healthiest products for their family.

that's why i created the honest company. i was just a concerned mom, with a crazy dream. a wish that there was a company that i could rely on, that did all of the hard work for me. i'm jessica alba, and the honest company was my dream. [ male announcer ] legalzoom has helped a million businesses successfully get started, including jessica's. launch your dream at legalzoom today. call us. we're here to help. launch your dream at legalzoom today. uh-oguess what day it is!is?? huh...anybody? julie! hey...guess what day it is?? ah come on, i know you can hear me. mike mike mike mike mike... what day is it mike? ha ha ha ha ha ha! leslie, guess what today is? it's hump day. whoot whoot! ronny, how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico? i'd say happier than a camel on wednesday. hump day!!! yay!! get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. so wof the house?hink it's got a great kitchen, but did you see the school rating?

oh, you're right. hey babe, i got to go. bye daddy! ...but what about when my parents visit? ok. i just love this one... and it's next to a park i love it i love it too. here's our new house... daddy! you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. zillow ♪ there you go. come on, let's play! [ male announcer ] there's an easier way to protect your dog from dangerous parasites. good boy. fetch! trifexis is the monthly, beef-flavored tablet that prevents heartworm disease, kills fleas and prevents infestations, and treats hook-, round-, and whipworm infections. treatment with fewer than 3 monthly doses after exposure to mosquitoes may not provide complete heartworm prevention. the most common adverse reactions were vomiting, itching and lethargy.

serious adverse reactions have been reported following concomitant extra-label use of ivermectin with spinosad alone, one of the components of trifexis. prior to administration, dogs should be tested for existing heartworm infection. to learn more about trifexis, talk to your veterinarian, call 888-545-5973 or visit trifexis.com. you don't have to go to extremes to protect your dog from parasites. you need trifexis. visit our website to save up to $25. available by prescription from your veterinarian.

rundown." on our radar authorizing, affair began military forces taking control of that entire country for the first time since the war began there 12 years ago. afghan president hamad karzai made the announcement this morning calling it an historic moment. up until this point u.s. and nato forces held the lead in securing about a quarter of all afghan provinces. the transition opens the door for international forces to fully withdraw by the end of next year. now to brazil where anti-government demonstrations turned violent overnight as protesters threw stones, flares at police. elsewhere protests were much more peaceful but no less defiant. about 100,000 people took to the streets to express their frustration over taxes and poor

government services. protests continue in turkey's anti-government square. they adopted a new tactic, standing still and silent. images of nonviolent created a buzz on social media before police broke things up. elsewhere turkish police conducted raids to contain those believed to be involved in recent violent demonstrations. later this afternoon the ppgz will make an announcement involving women's roles in the military. the current focus on opening positions for women in combat support roles. they say no final decisions have been made as to women's eligibility for ground combat roles in the infantry or u.s. special operations. chuck todd will join us live from the g-8 where the president plans to head off to germany where things have changed a lot since his last week at the br d brandenburg gate.

we'll show you that. they are hoping lightning doesn't strike twice in massachusetts. the latest on the special there. don't forget to check out facebook page. you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. it's 100% real milk that's easy to digest so you can fully enjoy the dairy you love. lactaid®. for 25 years, easy to digest. easy to love. since his last week at the ?ñ?h [ male announcer ] we've been conditioned

to accept less and less in the name of style and sophistication. but to us, less isn't more. more is more. abundant space, available leading-edge technology, impeccable design, and more than you've come to expect

from a luxury vehicle. the lexus es350 and epa-estimated 40 mpg es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. what a difference five years makes. after g-8 wraps up the president travels to germany where he meet will germany chancellor angela merkel and give a significant speech. it's a reminder of how things have changed since 2008. a week before the president visited berlin five weeks ago the german weekly der spiegel announced this. we had to dig in the archives. germany meets the superstar. a much younger barack obama then. last week the magazine featured a picture of obama in jfk's shadow with the tag line, "the

lost friend." a breakdown of ties between the two nations, angst ridden how the trip was expected to be. check with us from sligo island before heading off to berlin today. this should be a more comfortable conversation with angela merkel than vladimir putin but certainly not the 200,000 plus this joined the president five years ago, chuck. >> well, but then again i wouldn't be surprised if you still see some enthusiasm there. it's a momentous occasion in the history of germany. the jfk speech was a big deal at that point in time, an important moment during the cold war. so the idea of marking that anniversary and having u.s. president do it certainly should motivate some to get out there. but the more important part of the der spiegel piece and you talk to various european leaders out here, you get that sense of just simply we talked about

yesterday, disappointment in the president, whether it's disappointment in the surveillance. this is a very privacy conscious continent when it comes to nsa surveillance stories. so that bothers him. the issue of gitmo bothers some european liberals. the idea this president has not made an effort to focus on climate change as much as they had hoped for. so you see those differences. a few subnotes here on the merkel/obama relationship. when you look around at the slate of world leaders, peter, there aren't many that have been there for the entire obama presidency of the bigger allies and most important allies. there's harper in canada and basically there's merkel in germany. and the relationship and the boond i'm told the president and merkel have developed is quite interesting. of all the world leaders the president deals with, he gets most animated and has deepest

respect for the intellect more than merkel's intellect, her ability to stick to her guns, keep a promise, her ability to deliver when she has to. remember, there was a lot of interaction between these two in the summer of '10 and '11 during the greek debt crisis and whether the european union, essentially, quote, germany, was going to bail out the rest of the european union. so they have a very tight relationship. it's pretty important to the president on one hand. but this overall feeling of europe, there is fair or unfair. how the brandenburg speech goes, how it's received by the european government, the message the president intends to send in that speech will go a long way in how this trip is judged in the next couple weeks when he gets back home. >> chuck, another topic you discussed in first read. i want to get your take on it. maybe the biggest headline, least covered headline to come out of the interview with

charlie rose, fed chairman ben bernanke, referring to him in the past tense as if to say he will not be extending his tenure as chairman there. give us a sense of what more you know about that. >> we've been -- there's been a lot of sort of chatter and various sources i've talked to that indicated whether it's bernanke saying he doesn't want another term, whatever the decision that was made, was it bernanke's, was it the president, was there an agreed upon decision there was no third term for bernanke, his term expires in january. this the most the president has talked about it. now the administration has walked the president's statement back to simply say he admires bernanke's time at the fed. he thinks it's an been incredibly tough period for him. he was able to see things through tough times and he has nothing but praise and respect for him. it's clear from all the folks you talked to behind the scenes

there's an expectation the president has to name a new fed chair. the question is timing, peter. when you think about january is when bernanke's term expires, it was in august when he reappointed hip, august of 2009. so it's going to be probably a july/august announcement, because they are going to want to get confirmation hearings out of the way before the debt showdown that takes place in november. >> one more backdrop for debt ceiling that will renew this summer and fall. chuck todd in ireland, safe travels. we'll visit with you tomorrow at grmds. >> see you at the brandenburg gate, my friend. >> we bring things back closer to home, third and final debate in the massachusetts race tonight, before ed markey and republican nominee, former navy s.e.a.l. gabriel gomez face off. the following, markey widening his lead to 13 points ahead of

gomez. joining me now is matt from the boston globe, a former romney rambler as we were traveling the nation not too long ago. a lot of romney helping him. a big push behind him, president, first lady, joe biden, al gore at a fundraiser supporting markey. are democrats that concerned this could be a repeat of scott brown? >> i think they are trying to prevent that, pulling out all the stops trying to prevent any lethargic aspects that riddled the martha coakley campaign in 2010. you're seeing everybody out there early trying to raise money. it seems to have given markey a comfortable lead. gomez has to do something tonight to shake this up. >> i want to give a sense of if you think he can do that. a lot of gomez own team has been frustrated. as strategists say democrats are scared to lose, republicans are scared to win. coke brothers on the sidelines,

karl rove on the sidelines. this guy seems like in this new era post romney, 2012 campaign, that he would be the ideal candidate. >> harvard educated, second generation columbian immigrant. >> i think maybe what some of the outside groups are seeing are the poll numbers. they don't view this as a competitive race yet. >> it was not long ago. >> there was a time when that money could have helped to go up on air and do some bigger ads in the date. so yeah, there hasn't been a lot of republican action nationally, which scott brown actually discouraged during his race. he did not want to be seen as tied to any of these outside groups and big washington republicans. that helped him. in this case it seems gomez could benefit from outside help. >> give us an idea of anything he could do to change the race at this point. >> remember in 2010 the last debate was when scott brown had the line, it's the people's seat, not ted kennedy's seat.

that was a moment for scott brown he was able to capitalize on and that pushed him through to the end of the race. gomez needs a big moment, hasn't had a moment. he's been confident but hasn't had a big moment. he needs something that ignites the campaign for the final week. >> we should talk about another election that will come up in that state, former senator for medicaid services announcing he will run for governor as well. has he a universal health care program in that state obviously. does his campaign reinsert health care back into the race. is that a good thing or bad thing? >> i think in massachusetts his health care role will be a good thing. the challenge for berwick, he's not been in politics before. he's an outsider. elizabeth warren did that to great effect. it's sort of yet to be seen for berwick in terms of how he connects on the campaign trail. >> from the boston globe, big debate tonight. >> big debate. >> thanks, bud. good to visit with you. for more on the state of the

race and why republicans are not helping in to help gomez check out our website after the show that's @thedailyrundown. >> before the fed kicks off a two-day meeting, housing up in may but short of expectations. consumer prices up 1%. overshadowing all this is the fed meaning where ben bernanke may give investors a whether the bond buying program will continue or come to an end. we'll be back with our gaggle after this. first white house soup of the day, min minestrone sausage. right. but the most important feature of all is... the capital one purchase eraser. i can redeem the double miles i earned with my venture card to erase recent travel purchases. and with a few clicks, this mission never happened.

uh, what's this button do? [ electricity zaps ] ♪ you requested backup? yes. yes i did. what's in your wallet? yes i did. every day we're working to and to keep our commitments. and we've made a big commitment to america. bp supports nearly 250,000 jobs here. through all of our energy operations, we invest more in the u.s. than any other place in the world. in fact, we've invested over $55 billion here in the last five years - making bp america's largest energy investor. our commitment has never been stronger. if you have high cholesterol, here's some information that may be worth looking into. in a clinical trial versus lipitor, crestor got more high-risk patients' bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. getting to goal is important,

especially if you have high cholesterol plus any of these risk factors because you could be at increased risk for plaque buildup in your arteries over time. and that's why when diet and exercise alone aren't enough to lower cholesterol i prescribe crestor. [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone. like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. is your cholesterol at goal? ask your doctor about crestor. [ female announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. [ female announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, still doesn't feel real. our time together was... so short. well, since you had progressive's total loss coverage, we were able to replace your totaled bike with a brand-new one. the tank, the exhaust... well, she looks just like roxy!

you know, i'll bet she's in a better place now. i'm sure she is. [ ethereal music plays ] [ motorcycle revving ] getting you back on a brand-new bike. now, that's progressive. we go for main engine start. we have main engine start. and ignition and lift off.

lift off of sgs 7 and america's first women's astronaut. >> daily flashback to this day 30 years again when sally ride blasted through the ultimate glass ceiling becoming the first american woman in space. since that date dozens of female astronauts followed her into space. just yesterday they announced a class of eight astronaut candidates, four of the eight are female, the highest ever selected by nasa. despite a two-hour meeting president obama and russian counterpart vladimir putin failed to reach an agreement on russia. he said our opinions don't coincide. sounded more russian than that. the pair did have a deal on reducing nuclear threats. former republican governor from maryland bob ehrlich, senator for american progress, senator editor david hawke inside.

thanks for joining us on this day. i want to get a sense, first of all, if you had a chance to watch the conversation between these two men. there were probably no other directions they could look. they found every other place to converse at the end. they joked at the end -- >> don't loosen me up. >> what is at stake as we look at the politics of personality? >> well, russia is the number one -- the number one country other than us, aren't they? >> was romney right, was this the number one political faux of the u.s.? >> depends whether putin gives the ring back. >> primary challenge. i'd like to see the reset, famous reset produce tangible results. in syria certainly don't see it at least to date. >> what changes going forward when you have this stalemate. obviously russians aren't going to push assad out. >> just the opposite. assisting. things going from bad to worse.

leading from behind again, sort of the obama administration's mantra here. it's too late. a dime too late with regard to military assistance, humanitarian assistance. nobody said this was going to be easy. i think it's far too late certainly for tens of thousands of innocent victims already murdered over the past couple of months. >> tens of thousands, the death toll up to 100,000. i think there's a really big picture here. i know it's fun to talk about the personalities but we have a million and a half refugees moving ow of the country into turkey. >> humanitarian crisis. >> a humanitarian crisis. >> is the governor right, is the obama administration leading from behind on this. did they wait too long? 93,000 people killed. the red line crossed from 100 to 150. >> i think it's disingenuous to suggest the obama administration has been doing nothing and sitting on its hand. this is a change in tactic. they have been supporting with regard to intelligence, communication support, providing supplies, helping refugees and doing a lot to help deal with

the humanitarian crisis that's been happening. i wouldn't say we've been doing nothing and sitting around and now it's too late to go in. >> when you draw a red line and the red line is clearly crossed and you wait another month to do it, it signals weakness to the world and in regard to the innocent victims. >> we should say the country is really weary of these engagements. the president has much less political capital to spend than he did a week ago. >> it's important with regard to refugees, a serious humanitarian crisis in a sensitive part of the world, destabilize syria, you see the spillover already. >> i want to move on to what the president is going to do. we acknowledge the challenges he faces right now over syria. he heads off to another part of europe today, goes to germany, when he spoke there five years ago there were nearly a quarter million people who gathered to see him. the expectations dramatically less high this go-round. has the president accomplished, do you think, for the world what

he said he would? a lot of people with nsa leaks in that region say, hey, they have privacy rules in germany. they are more frustrated by this than anybody. >> those are such baited question as if in foufr years, five years the president was going to solve every single problem and crisis around the world. >> europe thought so. >> they hoped so. the reality is this, the wormed appreciates president obama relative to other presidents in recent tiles. there's a lot to be done. i think his tone and diplomatic approach to dealing with people we don't necessarily agree with, whether it be china, russia, is something that's been welcomed. >> the world apology tour is what you're referring to, promising the u.s. will be less cowboy like has evolved into the bush administration redux. that's what's so ironic about this trip and one of the reason he's far less popular than five years ago. >> we're out of iraq, leaving

afghanistan. >> i understand what the governor is saying. i do think to the extent the the world, those people who gathered at the brandenburg gate five years ago who thought that he was the savior, they don't believe he's the cowboy. >> he wasn't george bush. >> he's not george bush. he doesn't come across with that same vibe. to that extent the united states is better off how it's held around the world. >> objective judgment. >> music played we take a breather quick. we're not done with you. trivia time, we ask who is the most recent massachusetts governor to serve in the u.s. house or u.s. senate. the answer, the state's 60th governor, served in the house in the late '40s, early '50s before becoming governor in 1957. david, we were counting on you for that. looking at today's winner, matt, i can't pronounce your last night. i think it's zafranski. if you have a question, e-mail us@msnbc.com.

i'll tee it up and let this is guys talk. we'll be right back. hey kevin...still eating chalk for heartburn?

yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief! good thing she's got the citi simplicity card. it doesn't charge late fees or a penalty rate, ever. because she's got other things to stress about. ♪ go to citi.com/simplicity to apply.

want to bring back our gaggel very quickly. i want it talk about the topic of immigration right now which ultimately is the biggest topic, at least here in washington. we talked to senator menendez. they talked about marco rubio among others has been an issue as they reignite theish you've border security. >> this gets done, but marco rubio, including his political future, the gang of wieight, hes the leader. >> there is a lot of support from the right, by the way. depends on which side you're talking to. i do believe, forget the

politics for a second. even in washington. we have to get a bill done for the country. >> we do. but there is also politics that underscores this. i think that lindsay graham said it best. he said the gop is in a demographic death spiral. they know this. they know they will lose. they know there won't be a future without the latino vote. so that will push them to get something done as well. >> requiring proof of citizenship is illegal, does that change this debate in any way? >> it does quite tangibleably. we think today there will be an amendment offered that will turn or trump, ted cruz will present an amendment to allow states, suchb such as arizona, and three or four others, to add this to the voter registration rules. to me it will be a good sign of how strong the coalition is to fight off the so-called gang of

eight poison pill amendments. i think it'll be close. >> it does not overturn photo id cht supreme court upheld. which is common sense. >> does john boehner let everybody vote or the rule there -- >> i don't think it will pass under any circumstances with a majority of votes in the house. i think any way it will come in the house is if it relaxes under the rule. only a third of the republican senators will vote for this. >> shameless plugs before we can before we say good-bye. david, lead off. >> eight months after hurricane sandy, give a shameless plug to everybody who got my father's house rebuilt on the jersey shore. >> happy to hear that. >> congress has a report out on immigration reform showing over the next 36 years as baby boomers are retiring, this is great for social security. over $600 billion will be raised through immigration reform just

by having more citizens. >> this is personal, sorry. >> you're entitled. >> new book done. publisher almost there. announcement soon. >> one month from today, first child. last night learned how to baby swaddle. to my wife, alison, patient, baby. we're almost there. chuck todd live from germany. speech live from the brandenburg gate. up next, chris jansing and company. have a good day. i'm meteorologist bill karens. well watch numerous areas with thunderstorms. only lasting about a half hour in your area, but a good chunk of the country today, all of the east enseaboard with a chance of storms. deep south, southeast, we have beautiful areas too.

nice cooler gorgeous air mass in place. great lakes, northern plains, enjoy. [ man ] on december 17, 1903,

the wright brothers became the first in flight. [ goodall ] i think the most amazing thing is how like us these chimpanzees are. [ laughing ] [ woman ] can you hear me? and you hear your voice? oh, it's exciting! [ man ] touchdown confirmed. we're safe on mars. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ hi. [ baby fussing ] ♪ good morning. any minute he will be live in front of congress answering questions about two government surveillance programs. one collect records from every american, the other tracks e-mail an internet usage. in his first one on one interview since the existence of the programs going public,

president obama defended them saying checks and balances are in place to weigh both privacy and security. he was adamant the government cannot and is not listening to your phone calls or targeting your e-mails. some people say, well, obama was this braving liberal before and now he is dick cheney and dick cheney said, yeah, he took it all lock, stock and barrel. my concern has always been not that we shouldn't do intelligence gathering to prevent terrorism, but rather are we setting up a system of checks and balances. >> president obama did not say if the u.s. is going to prosecute edward snowden. he is leaving that up to the justice department for now. meantime, snowden did not interview of his own. a web chat on the guardian website. he said being called a traitor by dick cheney is a high honor. most americans think he should