help them see more value in being a full part of american society. that does it for "the cycle." it's time for martin bashir. >> thank you so much. good afternoon. it's friday, august 2nd. and at 2:57, the least productive employees in america left washington for five weeks holiday. nice work if you can get it. ♪ >> the stakes couldn't be higher. >> there's a gone campaigning side outside the oval office. >> if i had poll numbers as low as his. >> how about a grand bargain for middle class jobs. >> no jobs bill, no budget bill. the threat of shutting down government. >> the one threatening to shut down the government is the president. >> majority leader. >> sit down and shut up, okay? >> 40 meaningless votes to repeal obama care. >> finally defund obama care. >> you're delivering no

meaningful information. >> you're going to go back to your districts and explain. >> it's an aimless congress falling into chaos. >> it's pathetic. >> we're just slightly ahead of genghis kahn apartment communist party in popularity. >> i'm not the least bit concerned about what some might wand to describe as perception. >> i've run my last campaign. i don't need to spin. >> i'm sure the august recess will have our members in a better mood when they come back. ♪ ♪ holiday road, oh ah, yes, it is that time of year when friendship bracelets are exchanged bffs wipe away tears and promise to keep in touch. yes, it is the last day of congress before a long hot five-week recess. the triumphant gavel sounded just over an hour ago, leaving plenty of time for your representative to get to the airport.

>> 113th congress the house stands adjourned till 2:00 p.m. on monday, september 9th, 2013. >> but wait. not before one last effort by republicans to throw the affordable care act into the congressional bonfire. yes, ladies and gentlemen, today was the big 4-0, the 40th vote to repeal or defund the president's health care law. this time, to prohibit the irs from enforcing the law's individual mandate. it passed right at midday 232-185. give the house majority a standing ovation. and with that, they were out of there. bound for sweet home. their congressional districts. a nice long respite after all their apparent hard work. but not surprisingly, democrats had a few choice parting words. >> have a great break because you're going to go back to your

districts and explain for 38 days why you will not provide health care coverage for the people of america. >> this is a do nothing congress. it is absolutely pathetic. >> polls show us 25 points behind cockroaches in popularity. we're just slightly ahead of genghis kahn and the communist party. >> no, don't despair and at least democrats in congress have almost one-third support of the american public, better than congressional republicans backed by a bare bones 19%. that would be congressional spous and their dry cleaners but republicans clearly feel this contempt is misplaced. what about the irs and its role in implementing the affordable care act? >> the irs is already out of control. abusing its power to tax and audit the activities of honest,

hard-working americans. >> taxing and auditing, how dare they? now, i'm sure that irs bashing will be a favorite topic at town hall meetings during the congressional recess. the conservative heritage foundation has scheduled town halls in nine states later this month starring superstar guest, senator ted cruz. republican members of congress are holding at least nine more. let's face it, we all know how much fun those are, don't we? >> what i need from you is to know what you can do, you and your fellow noncommunist colleagues in the lower house, what you can do to stop these communist tyrannical executive orders laid down by this foreign-born american-hating communist despot. what can you do for me? >> ha, ha. it's the dog days can of summer all right. let's get to our panel. with us from washington is contributor maria teresa kumar, the president of voter latino

and in tallahassee, florida, msnbc contributor professor james peterson. maria, town hall season has begun and birth of a nation is ranting about the foreign born american hating communist despot in the white house. >> and you've got it all in one sentence. >> i tried. what's happened? >> well, i think they're trying to wipe out the playbook of 2009 where they were going to town halls and trying to scare everyone with granny death panels when it came to obama care. so what's happening now is that you see a lot the prerogative move. saying you, you know what, we have an agenda we need to pass. we need congress back to work. one of the last pieces of legislation you did that was bipartisan was put a cap on student loans which was incredible. i applaud congress for passing that. the progressive movement is saying we need to make sure we don't cut head start and get over the fiscal cliff and we

need immigration. what we're going to see, you better belief belief you're going to have sciu, the chamber of commerce and evangelical groups going to the same town halls and saying immigration is a top priority. >> we should note the congresswoman at that town hall, alabama's martha roby didn't respond to the questioner but her office did issue a statement, "she wasn't there to endorse anyone's views but rather to listen. this is a group that was targeted for their political beliefs by the irs only to have the president call it a phony scandal. you bet they are frustrated about this administration." but professor, is it really necessary to describe the president as an american-hating despot? >> yeah, exactly. or to say he's foreign born. that's where the representative missed her opportunity to distinguish herself as a leader. because if you're a follower, then you'll just follow the folk off a cliff.

if you're a leader you stand tall and say we know this president was born in this nation. that's been asked and answered and unfortunately and unnecessarily vetted over and over again. we've got to move beyond those attacks to address thei ivssuest hand. >> professor, this nation is thriving in many ways. 7 million jobs created in the last 40 months, the stock market at record highs. housing market increasingly robust. but there are still 4 million long-term unemployed. social mobility has ground to a halt and people on a minimum wage are still in poverty. isn't it a gross dereliction of duty that congress leaves today having done absolutely nothing about any of those critical issues affecting vast numbers, millions in this nation? >> listen, it's downright scary to me. i'm a professor. maybe i shouldn't be

criticizing. this is like the equivalent of like leaving without submitting your final grades. these guys have not -- these men and women have not done their job. i hope that this recess is less of a vacation and more of a wake-up call from constituents around this nation who should be sitting in, going to protests, going to these town hall meetings and speaking directly to their representatives and letting them know that when the midterm elections come, this kind of do nothing attitude, this status quo of congress can no longer be tolerated by the american people. >> i agree. i hope they're thrashed from pillar to post. nancy pelosi summed it up today. take a listen to what she said. >> we still have no jobs bill. we will have no budget bill. and we have the threat of the shutting down government and not raising the debt ceiling. and why.? because an aimless, chaotic make matters worse congress cannot get its act together.

>> maria teresa, she doesn't mention comprehensive immigration reform, an issue so passionate that many activists were actually arrested on capitol hill yesterday, and by the way, the house has only nine working days in all of september. so should we expect any kind of progress on this issue that affects millions of people in this country? >> well, immigration reform we're hearing the latest from paul ryan beak saying they're going to signal it's going to be picked up in october with a whole bunch of smaller bills. the idea is if you get it through october, you can actually come in and conference something in the senate. let's be realistic. when we say it's a do nothing congress, that's exactly what the tea party members of congress came to do, do nothing. they want congress to stand still. they don't want congress to function. it's up to the opportunity for us when we go back into our districts to talk to these members and say you're

personally hurting my bottom line and hurting my livelihood. until the message gets across they're succeeding what they came to washington to do, it's a matter of getting republican establishment and democrats together and huddle and figuring out, how do you move forward. not having government that doesn't work is basically not necessary fulfilling our duty as a democracy. >> absolutely. maria and professor, thank you both for joining us. coming up, with senior skip day under way and congress heading into the undeserved break, we'll get a progress report from a member of the freshmen class when we come back. hmm...fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. yep, everybody knows that. well, did you know some owls aren't that wise?

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mr. speaker, the 112th kopg res was historically unproductive and a lot of people -- >> that's just total nonsense. i reject the premise to the question. >> that was speaker john boehner two weeks ago bristling at the notion that the last congress which passed the fewest bills in its history was the least productive ever. and he may be right because the current congress may soon claim that distinction. the "washington post" reports by this point last year, congress had sent the president a mere 26 bills for his signature. and already, this year's congress is well behind that pace having passed six fewer bills. so in essence, congress's biggest accomplishment this year may be its lack of them. joining us now is a man who is not only a house freshman but newly minted as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the

congress, democrat betto o'rourke. may i congratulate you on your latest accolade. >> it's a dubious distinction but you appreciate that. >> prior to your career, you were a successful musician, started your own successful tech business. was it not more fun to enjoy the adulation of groupies than to be part of a group that is less favorable now than gonorrhea? >> well put. but let me say this. i really appreciate the chance to be here, and it is is terribly frustrating that we can't fix some of these big issues. i have 22,000 folks in my district who are government employees. so sequestration and the furloughs that they and their families are going through are very real to them. i feel somewhat impotent going back to them and saying i voted for replacement to the sequester, i voted for a budget that replaces the sequester,cy signed the discharge petition so

we could deal with the sequester. yet none of that has worked. i do wish we had more success to report back to our constituency. but having said that, i think we have some small successes. we filed a bill that was made into law this year that restored tuition assistance for active duty military. we're working on many different bills right now to help our veterans with faster filing for their claims and making sure they're taken care of. we have some small successes. >> i fully accept there have been some tiny successes. but frankly, it has been a debacle. you are one of about 675 freshman in the 113th congress. did you walk in thinking, well, surely it couldn't be less productive than last year. i mean, presumably you must have come in with enthusiasm and believing you could do something for the nation. only to find that you're now part of what will be historically the least productive. >> well, i tell you what, from

watching previous congresses, my expectations were set pretty low. and when you get here as a freshman in the minority party, your expectations are set even lower. beak you're told to keep your head down, try to get re-elected and wait till your party's in the majority. that's the way i approach life and not the way i would approach a challenge. i want to get something done. >> it's great to hear you say that. now you represent el paso, a city i imagine that has a lot vested in passing meaningful immigration reform. but given what you have you experienced in your first moment in the house, do you anticipate that when you come back in september, anything will happen? >> i do. and i want to be part of that on behalf of the constituency that i represent. el paso for decades has served as the ellis island for mexico and much of latin america.

we have such a positive story to tell the rest of the country. not just about immigration but what the border has to offer in terms of the millions of jobs that are connected to cross border trade with mexico to the fact that el paso is the safest city in america three years in a row and that the border compared to the rest of the country is far safer. so we hope that we can provide a role in changing the conversation away from securing the border, walling it up, military ta rising it, doubling the size of the border patrol to one where we celebrate those successes that the border contributes to, and one of those is the very positive picture of immigration in this country. and so i think our district and san diego, brownsville, others that can represent this positive dynamic of the border have a lot to offer to this conversation. i've spoken with republicans and democrats alike who want to make this happen. so i believe there's still a chance to get it done. >> congressman beto o'rourke, thank you and good luck in

september. >> thank you. i appreciate it. coming up, tone weiner goes one-on-one. with a reporter that is. >> you've said you had relationships with six to ten women, three after you resigned. do you stand by those numbers? do you think they're relevant? >> no. >> why not? >> i did the thing. the behave that people know about, i did. okay, a? b? b. a? that's a great choice. let me show you some faucets to go along with that. with the latest styles and guaranteed low prices, you can turn the bath you have into the bath you want. good choice. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot.

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tough questions including several reports that bill and hillary clinton are none too pleased with his behavior. >> a lot of people wouldn't want to annoy their wife's boss. but your wife's boss is hillary clinton. does that add something extra to the equation, and have you heard directly from either hillary or bill? >> no, not recently. and i don't -- i have no reason to believe she's annoyed. >> yes, mr. weiner, whatever would annoy the former first lady turned presumptive democratic nominee for president. in any case, what is clear is is he may just be defiant enough to stick this thing out. what is unclear is whether he will be able to find a job helping hillary clinton when the circus finally comes to an end very soon. stay with us. the day's top lines" are coming up. isn't that right, mr. powell? >> we need white people, we need brown people, we need black people, people with ponytails, people with tattoos, people without toots.

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♪ "first day of my life" by bright eyes ♪ you' not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. from a stab in the back to trouble at home, here are today's "top lines." be nice. >> we are extremely disappointed that the russian government would take this step. >> russia has stabbed us in the back. >> to have in snowden expelled to the united states. >> we see this as an unfortunate development >> he looks forward to getting a job. he's not interested in any kind of i.t. job. >> oh, my. >> sit down and shut up. okay? it's unfair. it's just not polite. >> i like how harry reid was saying it's not polite, meanwhile he's telling people to sit down and shut up. with my kids, that's not polite.

>> lindsey graham has another challenger to deal with. >> a new poll out of kentucky shows big trouble for mcconnell. >> nancy mace is the first female graduate of the citadel. >> they don't scare me. >> the allison grimes has a one-point lead over the senate minority leader. >> she has warned mcconnell she is not going to be bullied. >> until it's time to not be nice. >> calling him the guardian of gridlock. >> he's out of touch. >> rand paul had nine heads. what are you talking about? >> we're hoping for a new president soon. >> we've seen lindsey graham is preparing for this. >> one of the reasons he was made himself the chief prosecutor on benghazi. >> what's your gut tell you, congressman issa? >> he's tried to push other issues just as mitch mcconnell has done to try and get some love with consecutives. >> i'm sorry. something was going on behind me. >> yes, it was a prankster mooned that guy.

>> if anyone drops their pants when you're talking, it's always distracting >> let's get right to our panel. joining us is julia yoffey of the new republic magazine and contributor jimmy williams. jimmy, the tea party in your native state of south carolina have the knifes out for lindsey graham. tell us who the citadel graduate is who is announcing her candidacy i believe tomorrow. is that right? >> she is at the berkeley county gop luncheon. her name is nancy mace. she is a fellow citadel graduate, the first female graduate from the citadel i'm proud to say. she is a businesswoman, a mom. she is -- she's an author. she's a spit fire. and there are a lot of people that are really still ticked off at lindsey graham for going after rand paul's filibuster on drones. that really disendeared him with a lot of the liberty movement and the tea party movement.

and conservatives in south carolina didn't like that he did it. and so you have richard cash, a lawyer who is running, nancy mace will announce tomorrow. state senator lee bright will probably announce at some point. this is a man that has said that god has told him he should run for the senate. that should make for a very interesting fourway come next year. >> interesting. dy screen right of senate as opposed to divine right of kings. >> julia, mitch mcconnell is also facing a tea party challenger but it's his likely democratic foe that's slightly ahead in a couple of polls. a victory for her would be huge, of course. nate cohen, your colleague says and i'm quoting nate, democrats are starting to believe they have a good chance in kentucky. they shouldn't get their hopes up. certainly not yet. do you agree with nate cohen? >>, of course, i agree with my colleague. >> why? >> well, i mean, first of all, her margin is so slim in both polls it's within the margin of

error. and let's be honest. mitch mcconnell is a terrifying machine in kentucky. he is still the incumbent. still has the resources behind him. it's still a very red state. if he wins the primary and he probably will, i think rund gren grimes might give him a good run for his money but i doubt she'll win. >> speaking of kentucky, senator rand paul attended a forum this week for young conservatives who greeted him with chants of president paul, president paul. he had some very sharp comments about his party and who is actually leading it. take a listen to this, jim. >> they're presiding over a dying party. they're presiding over an all-white dying everybody's in a tie, everybody belongs to the chamber of commerce. i love business but the thing is, i tell people we need white people, we need brown people, we need black people. we need people with ponytails,

people with tattoos, people without tattoos. >> it's wonderful, isn't it, that he has such an interest in public appearance of individuals. but can rand paul change the party and if so, can he lead it back to the white house? >> well, listen, i agree with rand paul. i concur with him 1,000% his party, my former party, cannot continue to just be an all-white all-male party. the problem is, and this goes to answer your question of whether or not he can contend. he votes against he's saying. he votes every single time against african-americans, against voting rights, against gay people, against young people, against college loans tuition. et cetera, et cetera. so while i appreciate that his grand vision for the united states and for his party should be one thing, he votes exactly the opposite of that when he's on the senate floor. and if i can figure that out, i can guarantee you there are campaign people that can figure that out. i find his chances for running for president pretty slim because of his past record and

his current voting record. >> julia, you've written extensively. i've read many of your excellent articles. do you think he's as hypocritical as jimmy described? >> i was surprised to see him vote against comprehensive immigration reform. when i followed him in kentucky and iowa, he spoke constantly about having to reform the system but having to deal with the fact that there are millions and millions of people in this country who got here illegally but we have to deal with them because all of them have voting relatives, voting friends, voting spouses. and that we, you know, something has to be done and then you know, he talks a great game but ended up trying to scuttle the bill. >> sounds like an excellent choice for leader of the go. thank you both so much. coming up, drastic measures. the threat of terror prompts the closure of u.s. embassies across the middle east. we'll have a live report about

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and because usaa's commitment to serve military members, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. department issued a global travel alert urging u.s. residents it 0 take extra precautions when traveling abroad through the month of august. the alert comes a day after we learned that several u.s. embassies across the middle east and north africa will be closing this sunday due an al qaeda-related terror threat. the u.s. embassy in cairo has already closed its doors for the weekend. nbc's ayman mohyeldin is with us from cairo. the uprisings in several islamic countries have encouraged democracy. as you know, it's been extremely

challenging to american diplomatic personnel. what's the feeling on the ground where you are? >> reporter: well, near the u.s. embassy, i can tell you that security is definitely on a much more heightened state of alert. we went out a short while ago to film a little bit and beyond what we've seen in the past, it was very difficult as soon as we came, we were approached by both plain clothes officers as well as the army and the police. it gives you a sense of the anxiety. you're right. over the course of the last two years, prior to the revolutions in the arab springs, the american embassy was heavily fortified. after the arab spring, people demanded the streets be opened up, that they shouldn't have the kind of protection these were afforded. we saw these protests became closer and closer to the embassy walls. that became dangerous all the way back to september 11th when chris stevens was killed in benghazi. the u.s. embassy here in egypt had a very scary situation with

protesters getting on the walls. since then they've put up blast walls. security has been deployed and it is a very much bunkered down mentality and very much secured area around au of the embassies, the british, canadian, australians and self other european ones. >> the u.s. embassy in cairo is already heavily guarded after the violent protests that breached the walls on the industry of the 9/11 attacks last year. one could hardly suggest is the situation is any more stable. what are the main security concerns there right now? >> reporter: well, there are definitely twofold. one for the u.s. embassy, it's always the street protest that can become violent that can confront -- become confrontational with the police and military outside the walls. in addition, they have now the growing presence of terrorist threats. what i mean by terrorists, those politically motivated attacks we're seeing in places like northern sinai, the militants that carry out the type of

violent attacks, not just a the protest but much more armed. now these are becoming more frequent in northern sinai. there's the growing concern it could come to cairo. in doing so, it could target facilities like the u.s. embassy or other interests of western government across the city, including egyptian government installations, as well. >> ayman mohyeldin, thank you. i want to bring in michael o'hanlon senior fellow at the brookings institution. the u.s. diplomatic missions that will be closed on sunday as you know, stretch from abu dhabi to tripoli. does this lead you to conclude that there is a regional terrorist threat or one that is just much more general? >> it's a great question because you would have to infer that it's regional if it doesn't include south asia where there are obviously a number of similar potential problems at various points over the years or

even in some of the country further north near russia that have jihadist organizations of one type or another. it's fairly hard to take this kind of a general warning which has vagueness and figure out just where you've got to preemptively shut down operations. it's i'm sure a tough judgment call for whoever had to make it. >> your colleague paul pillar has written, and i'm quoting him that will terrorist attacks rarely grow out of popular demonstrations but popular anger has a great deal to do with stimulating terrorism. so mike, do you think the closure of u.s. embassies may be a response, for example,ing to drone strikes that have been taking place in yemen? >> it's possible. although i think that clearly, most of the anger is country by country specific. and you're right, there is obviously a broader discussion globally about things that are happen in yemen or pag or

wherever. but what i'm struck by, even though we are in this interconnected age, each country has its own specific set of problems, grievances and causes of conflict. yes, there is some inspiration from a broader al qaeda diaspora. even that movement as you know has gotten broken up into individual country cells in the last few years. i would actually still worry the most about places where al qaeda is on the comeback, namely iraq and syria. these are plays where if anything, you might expect in their proximity to have the greater problems. not necessarily in syria since there aren't too many americans there right now but close by. bottom line, i think you're right. there is a general sense of aker. i think a lot of these problems manifest themselves in a very country specific way. >> right. i guess this is an indication that the administration is mindful of what happened tragically in benghazi and wants to be as cautious as possible with regard to diplomatic personnel throughout the world?

>> i think that's right. although of course, that iz ras the question, are they going to shut downytime they have the least bit of warning or concern. they obviously can't do that. there is something about these particular indicators that's particularly concerning at this moment. i don't know what it is. you know, exactly how much specificity there was, maybe there was a lot more chatter, just a lot higher volume of discussion, maybe they saw some particular hints of actual plots being prepared. you would have to think it was more than just a general concern because a general concern could shut us down every day of the year all around the globe. >> michael o'hanlon, thank you, sir. >> thank you. coming up, the doctor is in. it's blue states versus red states. as the affordable care act becomes a reality. so... [ gasps ]

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despite the politically motivated misinformation campaign, the states that have committed themselves to making this law work are finding that competition and choice are actually pushing costs down. >> so said the president one week ago in galesburg, illinois, about the affordable care act. and the evidence of that fact keeps popping up much to the dismay of republicans. already, officials in states including new york, oregon, montana, california, maryland, and louisiana are reporting lower than expected premiums in advance of the act's october 1st delivery date. in new york, officials say they expect average rates to decline at least 50%. and joining us now is democratic governor jack markell of delaware who comes to us from wisconsin and the national governors association meeting of which he's the outgoing chair. so thank you, sir, for joining

us. i hope your chairmanship has been a successful one. >> thanks for having me. and we've gotten a lot done this last year. it's been very exciting. thank you. >> i imagine that the health care act is a big discussion point among your fellow governors. what are you hearing from governors there about the affordable care act? >> in fact, health care has been a major topic of conversation but it's been less about the affordable be care act and more about all the innovations in states across the country as we transform our systems of health care both the way we deliver it and pay for it, moving away from fee for service and toward a model where quality is rewarded as is the ability to keep costs low. and that is really more the focus than the affordable care act. >> but overall, you know there's been a raging fight over this law itself. are governors not describing some of that will context, as well to you? >> much less than you would think. in fact, i mean, i agree with

you. there's been this raging fight, but people who are really focused on and say that the most exciting work going on in health care these days has a lot less to do with the affordable care act and more to do with these efforts under way in states, democratic and republican states across the country. and that's what's been most exciting. we spent about an hour and a half today in the governor's only edge session largely focused on this. we had dr. brenner from camden, new jersey talking about. while we're all getting ready for the implementation of the act, the real work is much bigger than that. >> i understand that officials in your state worked with the government to the develop a kind of hybridized health insurance exchange to better fit your state's needs. but sir, haent ca be true because i've heard republicans say the federal government is essentially goose-stepping over state demands. so please tell the truth. isn't the health care reform ruining the state of delaware? >> well, we've found a good

partner in the department of health and human services in washington. we do, in fact, as you mentioned, have one of these state/federal partnerships. even today, there were some republican governors who said they found the department of health and human services to be a good partner. there are certain things that all the states are always looking for in terms of flexibility. particularingly around medicaid. different states are taking different approaches. there's a lot of work still to go. but we're excited about the progress and we're specially excited about the progress we're going to make moving away from this fee for service model. >> absolutely. now, the least productive congress has just left town. they adjourned at 2:57 today. you probably weren't paying attention. what is the opinion of your fellow governors about this congress from their perspective? >> well, i think our focus is recognizing that not a whole lot has been getting done in washington and so we've got a

couple choices. we could bemoan that fact or get right back to work in our states and recognizing that a lot of our destiny is within our own hands. so when it comes to creating a nurturing economic environment, when it comes to creating better schools, when it comes to health care issues we just talked about, there's so much we can do regardless of what's happening in washington. that being said, there is no question we would like to see more progress across a range of issues in washington, as well. >> because there are many issues you yourself capital address like the issue of immigration, for example. i mean, i'm sure you'd love them to resolve that, wouldn't you? >> i would. and i'd like that for a number of reasons. and one of the most important ones being around jobs. so much of the debate has been misplaced. there are those who think one job for an immigrant is one less job for an american. recognizing that the energy and the hard working that so many folks from outside bring to our

country actually creates jobs in our country and we have to be more and more keked. we will be more and more connected with the global economy for sure. >> the republican governors you speak with can't be happy with their representation in congress though, can they? >> i think there's a general frustration. >> you're being extremely polite, sir. you're being extremely polite. you don't need to be. tell us what you really think of these people. these are the least productive workers in america. >> we don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. the honest truth is, we don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. i realize there are plenty of people inside washington who think that the world revolves around washington. it doesn't. there's a lot of good work being done in states across the country. and i think one of the advantages of being a governor is we get to focus on the issues that really matter most to people. we're not measured based on the quality of the speech we give or rhetoric. we're measured based on six things like are we putting people to work, improving schools, are we being good stewards of the taxpayers'

money. that's where we tend to focus regardless of what is happening in washington. >> you're not judged on how many times you can vote to defund the affordable care act. governor jack markell, thank you sir. >> we'll be right back to clear the air. "i'm part of an american success story," "that starts with one of the world's most advanced distribution systems," "and one of the most efficient trucking networks," "with safe, experienced drivers." "we work directly with manufacturers," "eliminating costly markups," "and buy directly from local farmers in every region of the country." "when you see our low prices, remember the wheels turning behind the scenes,

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and that particular composition was nominated for an academy award in 1959 for best original score after the release of "the big country," starring gregory peck, jean simmons and charlton heston. yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of the composer, jerome marass. he didn't just produce the iconic movie sound track. he also helped to define other essential components of this nation's musical history from the classic al to musical theater to jazz, including the song "lazy afternoon. >> trisha: delivered with such beguiling motion by the wonderful sarah vaughn. ♪ if you hold my hand and sit real still ♪ you can hear the grass as it grow

grows ♪ ♪ it's a hazy afternoon >> it's worth noting that this composer whose work has been so important to the development of american music was actually the son of immigrants. his parents were russian jews who settled here in new york in the early 1900s. the son of immigrants. and given the anniversary of jerome marass's birth, listen once again to the views of congressman steve king on the subject of immigrants. >> for everyone who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there that they weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. >> the contrary to mr. king, the vast majority of immigrants to this country do not traffic in drugs. instead, they want to join the

chorus of the great american choir. just like jerome maroass. as for mr. king, there is a scene from "the big country" that seems perfect little appropriate. >> i admire a real gentleman when he they will see one and they recognize a high toned skunk when they smell one. >> i think we all know who the high toned skunk is, and it's not jerome maross. thank you so much for watching this afternoon. we leave you with two final bits of business before the weekend begins. first an early birthday wish for the president of the united states who turns 52 on sunday. and second, a very, very special thank you this afternoon to the members of the 113th congress as they head home to their districts and attempt to answer a most simple question, do you really deserve a five-week break? go on, answer it.

"hardball" and chris matthews is next. cruisen for a bruisen. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start tonight with this. remember what president obama said about the republicans about how their endless symbolic votes to kill obama care are now part of american law, by the way, don't constitute an economic plan? well, they didn't get the word. before the congress left for a five-week vacation today, they had one last piece of business to attend to. it wasn't creating jobs. it was another vote to kill