was a big supporter of it. >> way to go, bruce. >> it's time for "morning joe," and now time for "the daily rundown." have a great weekend. ♪ tainted love state of action. as congress and the white house throw in the towel already on some big things, we'll talk to some governors that are gathering here in washington about what they're trying to get done back in their home state. also this morning -- there may be hope on the horizon for an end to the bloodshed in ukraine. we'll get the latest on the prospects for this tentative peace deal that has not yet fully been agreed to. and a "deep dive" with the latest billionaire to pledge big dollars to make a political point. what's tom steyer's top target for 2014? good morning from washington, february 21st, 2014. this is "the daily rundown." i'm chuck todd. we have a lot going on today. we'll get you an update on ukraine in a few minutes. first, the "first reads." if you're looking for any major policy shifts, look to the

states. the white house to have any cuts to social security, it's a sign that both parties in washington have made it a decision to have a do-no-harm strategy ahead of the 2014 elections. it's clear the white house budget will be a political document, not one that is supposed to be seriously debated and implemented. and democrats are not the only ones playing this prevent defense. speaker boehner recently signaled he has no interest in a divisive policy debate in his own party, for instance on immigration. neither part has any appetite for legislative fights, let alone fights that could actually divide their own -- members of their own party on the campaign trail. if you're looking for a serious policy debate on the minimum wage or on education reform or on pension reform or tax reform or energy, then you have no choice but to look to the states. this weekend, the governors are in town, and they're bringing their policy ideas. the bipartisan national governors association's winter meeting kicks off officially tomorrow with a focus on sharing policies that are working on the

state level, from job creation and training to education reform, infrastructure improvement, health care, and energy development. as the president said last night at a dinner for democratic governor, acknowledging that washington has in effect thrown in the towel, even though it's only february, the president said this -- folks here in washington like to talk abstractions. you get into a lot of ideological debates. the problem for governors is that they actually have to do something, they just can't talk. the crowd of governors in the nation's capital this weekend also means plenty of political jockeys as both parties seek to gain an upperhand in 2014 and a slew of governors running for re-election have to defend their records. 22 of the 29 republican gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2014, including 14 open competitive seats, 9 of the republican governors are defending seats in states that the president carried in 2012. democrats have 14 seats to defend in 2014, including 10 which are deemed competitive or are open. both the rga and the dga also

meet this weekend, and last night, the president told the democratic governors that it's time for national democrats to, quote, pay attention to the states if they want to see democratic policies succeed, arguing this, the president said, we know how to win national elections but all too often it's during these midterms where we end up getting ourselves into trouble, because, i guess, we don't think it's sexy enough. well, while the washington republican brand is in tatters, the gop is counting on the party's reformers-in-chief in the states to turn that story around. republicans are casting themselves on the gubernatorial level as innovators, shepherding improving economies. democrats are trying to head off the states' success stories by drawing a contrast on economic issues. in fact, last night, the president singled out efforts by democratic governors in california, connecticut, maryland, and washington state, that are trying to raise the minimum wage in their states, saying this, quote, what binds together all of the democratic governors is a pretty simple idea, and that's the idea of opportunity. and then the president did something we haven't heard him do a lot before.

he blasted republican governors collectively saying, quote, some of them, their economies have improved in part because of the overall economy has improved, and they take credit for it instead of saying that obama had anything to do with it. i get that. there's nothing wrong with that. but they're making it harder for working families. this morning, the president and vice president biden meet with democratic governors in the state dining room. on sunday evening, the obamas will host all of the governors and their spouses at the white house, and on monday, all of the governors return for meetings with the president and vice president. one thing the white house is not doing, though, is making a concerted effort to resell health care to the republican governors who, for instance, either have refused to set up exchanges or expand medicaid in their states, or both. and another story line not to miss this weekend -- the way 2016 intrigue will play out. a handful of governors heading into town look at themselves in the mirror and see potential presidents. can new jersey governor chris christie and wisconsin governor scott walker handle the national police cal press corps?

walker still hasn't answered any questions about thousands of pages of e-mails, including e-mails from a former aide who pleaded guilty in 2012 of doing political work while in office. one e-mail shows walker was asking that team to coordinate on daily conference calls. there were racially charged jokes between several of his former aides. prosecutors have said walker was never a target and he has not been accused of wrongdoing. the real test for walker is how he handles the new scrutiny and answers the questions about the investigations. so far, his office has only released a statement saying, quote, the recently released communications of a county staffer from several years ago are part of the legal process that was completed early last year. governor walker's confident that during that legal process, these communications were thoroughly reviewed by the authorities. the nobofocus of governor walke remains on moving wisconsin forward. if the schedule is much ado about nothing as the governor's office argues, walker will have

to explain why six former aides and allies were convicted. quote, governor walker needs to talk. in the fall, walker will face voters for the third time in four years. meanwhile, christie is expected to keep a low profile in washington, if that's possible. he's leading the rga meeting. yesterday, in his first town hall since the summer, he couldn't avoid questions about being mocked by his idol bruce springsteen, telling voters, i don't do drugs, i don't drink, this is it for me. i still live in hope that some day he'll wake up and go, he's a good guy, we can be friends. all right. the boss with the governor. i think they'll make up. anyway, joining me now is one of the governors that wants to bring policy ideas to washington. also former congressman, so he's done this trick back and forth. indiana republican governor mike pence. good morning to you, sir. >> good morning, chuck. >> i want to start with this issue -- in your state of the state, you seemed uncomfortable with what your legislature was doing on the issue of marriage, and you seemed to almost -- were trying to encourage the

legislature stop taking up this issue. is that where you are on this issue? i know they want to -- there was even some talk of banning civil unions in the state of indiana. where are you on this? >> well, no, people in indiana know where i stand. as i said in my speech, i support traditional marriage, and we called for a civil debate that would respect all sides in -- as the legislature considered this issue, and i urged that the matter be resolved this year. and it's been concluded now in this session of the general assembly, and will go to another session of the general assembly, but at the end of the day, i'm very proud of republicans and democrats in our state legislature for the civil and thoughtful way that they considered this measure. >> do you think the state of indiana should recognize same-sex marriages of folks of indiana residents if they go and get married, say, here in washington, d.c., where it's legal? should the state of indiana

recognize that marriage? >> in the state of indiana, marriage is recognized as between a man and a woman, and i think that's how it should remain. >> but if they get -- if somebody is legally married in another state, moves to indiana, will the state of indiana recognize that marriage? >> well, let me say, you and i have known each other a long time. >> mm-hmm. >> and i've long supported traditional marriage and will continue to, but, you know, at the end of the day, the state of indiana considered this, and we're all obviously waiting for the supreme court -- >> do you feel like -- you feel like the supreme court needs to just get rid of the ambiguity that's out there because it seems like there's a lot of federal courts that are going in different directions. >> there's a lot -- there's a lot of litigation under way right now, and at the end of the day, there will likely be additional decisions by the united states supreme court. and my hope is that the supreme court will affirm the fact that this question should be resolved by the people and by the states.

i will tell you that my steadfast position on this is on matters of such consequence in our society that the people and not unelected judges should make these decisions. >> let me turn to -- your state has been walloped -- a lot of states have been walloped by the winter weather, and it's had a huge financial impact. how are you going to make up the gap here on the extra money you've had to spend to deal with winter weather? there's also lost money that we'll never be able to fully calculate, but the money you've had to spend. where do you find that -- >> in terms of our response -- >> all of the winter weather, i think the numbers were on average, you've spent $42 million, and it's usually 30 million, 33 million. >> yeah, we're running about 40 service teams. this has been an historic winter. not since the 1970s have we seen both the volume of snow and the

cold temperatures we've seen in indiana. the fact we've been able to move through this and protect our citizens and keep our roads passable as much as possible through these difficult times has been a real tribute to an awful lot of hard-working people. the good news in indiana is, obviously, we're in great shape in our budget. we not only have a balanced budget, but we have $2 billion in reserves. we're going to have about $100 million surplus at the end of this fiscal year. we're very confident that while we're running about 40% ahead in our costs related to clearing the roads, repairing the roads, that we're going to have the resources to be able to do that without burdening taxpayers any further. >> do you look at this extreme weather we've experienced over the last few years -- and there's more, as we went through this, there were more billion-dollar events that cost $1 billion to sort of recover from in 2013 around the world than any other -- do you look at it and say, something is going on with the climate? >> well, not necessarily. i mean, i'm keeping an open mind

about the science of all of t s this. >> are you convinced that climate change is manmade? >> well, look, i don't know that that is a resolved issue in science today. i do know -- >> a lot of scientists out there say if it's not resolved, it's sort of like a blowout. it's, like, 90/10. >> chuck, i know we're talking about climate change. >> i understand that. >> and a few years ago, we were talking about global warming, and we haven't seen a lot of warm lately. i remember back in the '70s when we were talking about the coming ice age. look, you know, we have -- we've had a tough winter in the midwest, we're made of hardy stock. we've seen these kinds of winters before. and we'll shoulder through them, leave the scientific debates for the future. >> are you concerned you have to do changes in infrastructure to deal with -- if this becomes the new normal? >> well, look, i'm always thinking real hard about infrastructure, because obviously, other than having the best people in america, we have

the best location in america, in indiana. and so, making sure we have the infrastructure to support a growing economy at the heart of the heartland is key. but improving our roads for the future, repairing our roads after the storms is absolutely a priority. >> can you envision indiana setting up its own exchange in the health care at some point? >> no, we made that decision shortly after i was elected. and i think it was the right decision. in fact, you've seen some states -- >> you don't think states should be managing this? you think the federal government should be doing this, or the folks of indiana and not -- it's part of a weird reversal here with some conservatives who think, no, no, states should be taking control of these -- you know, figuring out how to do these things. >> well, look, you know back in the day that i was in congress, i helped lead the opposition to obamacare. >> i understand that you don't -- right. but it is law, don't you want more say over it? >> i think there's a better way than what's contemplated in the affordable care act. and in indiana, in fact, we've

become a real center for innovation in the area of consumer-driven health care. the vast majority of our state employees have health savings accounts and about five years ago, we introduced a program on top of traditional medicaid that allows the creation of health savings accounts for a portion of that population. in fact, as we are considering health care in indiana today, i'll be meeting with secretary sebelius this afternoon -- >> i saw that on your schedule, yeah. >> -- well, we're talking about our desire not to -- i have no interest in expanding traditional medicaid. i think it -- i think it is -- it's bad outcomes, i think it's a bad system. it's broke. >> you want some flexibility, it sounds like? >> well, look, what i'd like to do is find a way that we could expand access to what we call our healthy indiana plan and allow people to participate in a consum consumer-driven model where they'll have more buy-in into their own health care choices. the outcomes in consumer-driven

health care in indiana and around the country are very encouraging. people have better health outcomes. and with more personal responsibility, you see more fiscal responsibility. >> very quickly, in 2016, is there a chance you're on the ballot in a state that's not indiana? >> you know, i haven't -- i haven't spent one second thinking about anything other than the job i was hired to do by the people -- >> so you're likely to run for re-election -- are you ruling out running for president in 2016? are you comfortable ruling that out? >> look, i am absolutely committed to doing all that i can to make sure that indiana continues to grow. we have the lowest unemployment rate in the midwest. one out of every eight jobs created in this country in the month of november was created in the hoosier state. >> so you're not ruling it out? >> test scores are up, graduation rates are up, indiana is on the move. >> you're not ruling it out? >> we'll stay focused at home. >> not resulting it out. governor mike pence from indiana. good to see you, sir. our governors bonanza

continues throughout this hour, and up next, a deep dive into how politics has become a playground for the super rich. tom steyer, seen as many as the democrats' answer to the koch brothers, will be here. first, a look at the "politics planner." the president meets with the dalai lama, so he has that going for him which is nice. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪ i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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in today's "deep dive" one of the seismic changes in the political landscape of the last five years has been the rise of powerful, individual-driven interest groups, which, in turn, has turned our political party system into a shell of its former self. billionaires have become dissatisfied with simply dona donating money to a larger political system or organization, and losing primary control of the own dollars, and instead cut out the middle man

and decided to form their own organizations. for a handful of billionaires, politics is a new playground of sorts. some of the folks are becoming household name. on the right, charles and david koch, the industrial tycoons that founded americans for prosperity. they've spent more than $27 million just since august on attack ads. for years, one of the leading funders on the left has been hedge fund heavyweight george soros. he's provided the seed money for the tides foundation, democracy alliance, just to name a few. just the last year, he has reportedly donated at least $500,000 to various democratic organizations and to the ready for hillary super pac in 2012. the nation's 11th richest man spent close to $150 million trying to defeat president obama in 2012, and now the casino magnet is concentrating on a new campaign to stop online gaming. former new york city mayor and media mogul michael bloomberg dumped $2.5 million in the democratic super pac for the democrats. last month, spent six figures on

a 2013 super bowl ad on the gun issue, and millions more in the super pac that got involved in a slew of races, including virginia and illinois. last year, he ran ads against democrats who were against his position on guns. >> you know, over 600 million agree on common sense reforms that would save lives. >> big money is also impacting traditionally smaller races. ceo of microsoft steve ballmer spent $116,000. bill gates spent almost $500,000. the four walton the spent $6.8 million in state campaigns favoring republicans. in fact, more than half of the 400 richest americans contributed either to president obama's or mitt romney's campaigns. and as the president of the watchdog group public campaign puts it, you're going to end up having politics be ebay for millionaires and billionaires. and these are the potential winners of those political ebay

bids. five of the top super pac donors last year were individuals, not corporations or unions. the number-one donor? thomas steyer, who reportedly donated more than $11 million last year. in fact, tom steyer is with me now. he's focused on much more than a candidate. he's on a cause, climate change. he's committed $100 million for an ad campaign this year, and he's not afraid to go after fellow democrats to get his point across. joining me is tom steyer, president of next gen climate action. good morning to you. >> mr. todd, good morning to you. >> welcome back to "the daily rundown." i want to get to climate change in a moment. as a citizen, do you sit here at all and have second thoughts -- and i know you believe what you're doing with your money on the climate issue is one thing. but do you -- are you at all concerned that so many sort of wealthy people are suddenly taking control of the political process in a way that has weakened the two political parties? >> well, let me say this. i think there are two points here.

one is we absolutely believe in the democratic process. and that is the process which we believe america and americans use for major social changes. the second thing is there have been legal decisions, some court decisions which i absolutely disagree with, like citizens united, which have led to this explosion of money, which -- >> you believe you should not be allowed doing this? you pledged 150 million of your own. do you believe you should not be legally be able to do this? >> i believe there should be a different system. and i think that when that happens, then that will be the system that we follow. but right now, what we're doing is accepting american democracy rules. and parts of it we disagree with, but the fact of the matter is, that's the system we have. that's the system we believe in. it's imperfect. >> mm mm. >> but overall, it's the one that's worked for us for over 200 years. we can complaint about it, lament about it, or do something to try to work within it.

>> let's move to what you want to do with climate. you want to spend $150 million of your own seed money. how do you believe -- what is it that exactly -- the message you're trying to get out there with the climate message, that you're trying to convince voters that it is an issue, or convince voters that these folks need to do something about it? >> i think it's much more the latter, but let me give you a slightly different context. >> okay. >> basically when it comes to energy and climate change, americans pretty much agree with what we think. i was looking at a poll that's probably a week or two old, and basically two-thirds of americans understand that the climate is changing and understand that human activity is affecting it. and they pretty much agree with the policy prescriptions that have been used to make polluters pay in the past so that we can cut down on pollution. i don't think those things are really something that we need to convince the bulk of americans about. >> right. >> the issue is this.

urgency. it isn't something that's high on the list of most americans. if you ask them to list the issues that they care the most about, this is not the one that pops out of any poll. >> so you're hoping on october 15th, when -- in the states that you're playing in, if we go in with a poll, what do you think the three most important issues are in this campaign, with climate, if it's not in the top three in a state you're playing in, you're participating in, you haven't done your job? >> well, let me say this, we believe americans are smart. and we think our job is to help people around the country talk to each other and understand how this issue affects them. they're smart. they can figure this out. they live in the real world. this is something where there's an education process going on, but the fact of the matter is, we trust americans to make good decisions and understand things, and that's why the democratic process is the one that's worked for us for the past 200 years. >> one of the issues you've dabbled in has been the issue of keystone. >> the verb "to dabble." [ laughter ] >> yeah, and among the most --

so here, you are, i assume, a little torn here. -- for who are up in 2014. do you plan on campaigning against them on this issue during 2014 or not? >> the way that we're thinking about where to choose places to campaign is places predominantly -- you know, overwhelming, where there is a big delta, a big difference between the two candidates. so what we're really trying to do is to show that candidates who are strong on energy and climate can win, and they can win talking about it and they can make it salient for their voters, and people that deny basic science -- >> so basically, you're not playing in louisiana, is what you're saying, because you don't think that merits landrieu -- >> it doesn't fit the prescription i just gave you. >> i gotcha. this is one way -- you were quoted as saying, you won't tea

party democrats. what do you mean by that? >> well, i think in the past, there have been times -- and this is me observing this as, you know, not participating, where it seems that in states, in republican primaries -- >> yeah. >> -- tea party activists have gone after moderate republicans, defeated them in the primary and then lost to the democrat in the general. i don't know if that's smart or dumb -- >> right. >> -- i have really no wisdom, maybe in some sense that's smart in a really long term. in the short term, it doesn't seem that smart. so, you know -- >> so you're not going to go out and be -- [ overlapping speakers ] >> we think there's a strategy of that -- when there's a big difference between the candid e candidates, highlighting that difference, pointing out why that's really important for the voters in that state -- >> i gotcha. >> -- trying to make it salient, bring it home to them, what matters to them and their families, and let them make the decision. >> i'll leave it there. tom steyer, climate activist, billionaire activist.

very interesting conversation. thanks for coming on. >> nice to see you. >> all right. we're following developing news out of ukraine this morning. after days of deadly violence, moments ago a deal has been signed now and gives new hope for a peaceful end to this crisis. we'll have more on that right after the break. first, today's trivia question. how many states have one republican and one democratic senator? not many left. first person to tweet the correct answer to @chucktodd and @dailyrundown will get the on-air shoutout. if i can impart one lesson to a new business owner, it would be one thing i've learned is

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nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel has more from kiev. >> reporter: chuck, after so much bloodshed yesterday, according to the latest count, about 70 protesters gunned down in this square by riot police, efforts are now under way to try to find a peaceful, negotiated settlement. it's also exposing, analysts say, the weakness of ukraine's president viktor yanukovych. he tried to offer several truces in the past. they didn't hold. and now he's offering considerable concessions. this protest has the potential to spread to other parts of this country. on that, we saw one quite symbolic and potentially significant development earlier today. around 40 police officers from another part of the country drove across -- throughout the night in their police uniforms, and once they got here, they joined the protesters. if that kind of thing continues, yanukovych has a major problem. chuck? >> thank you, richard. one thing these negotiations did not do is force yanukovych to

resign, and that had been a key demand of the opposition. the opposition leaders signed the agreement anyway. it remains to see whether the thousands of protesters that are camped out at kiev's square will go along. we've got a lot more. a couple of more governors on the other side of the half hour. so we'll be right back. ameriprise asked people a simple question: can you keep your lifestyle in retirement? i don't want to think about the alternative. i don't even know how to answer that. i mean, no one knows how long their money is going to last. i try not to worry, but you worry. what happens when your paychecks stop? because everyone has retirement questions. ameriprise created the exclusive confident retirement approach. to get the real answers you need. start building your confident retirement today.

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twice. huh. maybe that's why nobody else showed up. how does one get out of a death cage? vo: hurry in and lease the 2014 passat for $189 a month. visit vwdealer.com today. both colorado and washington voted to legalize recreational use of marijuana in 2012, but so far, only one state is reaping the tax revenue. colorado's governor john hickenlooper now projects the state will get millions of dollars in booming sales. it's $28 million more than the state had originally projected. obviously, pretty popular out there. but washington state's law has a more complicated system of regulations. growers and sellers are licensed separately. actual sales don't start until june, and this week, regulators reduced the number of licensed pot farms. a handful of cities, in fact,

have enacted their own bans on recreational use of the drug. governor insly, good morning to you, sir. >> it is a good morning. >> it is. we have pleasant weather here. thanks for bringing it, i guess, we should -- obviously, you're here with a bunch of governors. but i do want to start with the marijuana issue. are you -- it feels as if -- and i'm watching the way colorado implemented the law and the way you guys are implementing the law -- it seems as if you guys -- the lawmakers in washington state are a little hesitant to be implementing this law in the first place. are you hesitant to be doing this? >> well, no, we're going to follow the law. the voters spoke. they adopted this initiative, and we are moving forward with appropriately deliberative speed. it is going to move forward. we are going to have a very well-regulated market. we've made some decisions to make sure it is well regulated, and i think this is moving forward in both states well. in part, frankly, because the obama administration has taken what i think is a responsible position on this to allow us to

move forward, to demonstrate the ability to have a responsible market so there's not leakage outside of our borders. they've made a decision to help on the banking situation, so that we don't have to have these businesses with big bags of cash in the back room. >> right. >> so i think this is being done in a responsible way, and other states are going to watch this and see how this -- this unfolds. but so far, actually, it's going, i think, actually fairly well in my state, and i believe in colorado, as well. >> okay. it seems that colorado was able to get this off a ground. it took them a year to implement. you guys are running up into 18 months. >> we're just fine -- we're moving -- >> you have a different system that you guys -- it is, you're adding more regulation than colorado is. >> right. >> you're regulating it more like alcohol. do you think that that's the better call here? >> oh, i think each state is doing something, according to their own voters wills. our initiatives set up the

protocols for establishing that. there's no negative experience you can draw from washington, and i have to remind colorado who won the super bowl, of course, as well. i wouldn't be doing my duty. i think things are going well in the state of washington. >> let me ask you about your decision this week to halt -- i believe last week -- to halt the use of the death penalty in your state. but there seems to be a dividing line. it's basically right now just your administration. are you going to pursue codifying this into state law and banning the death penalty altogether? >> well, i certainly would support that. i made a decision this week to impose a moratorium on the death penalty in our state. did a very extensive review of this and concluded that the death penalty was much, much more expensive, in the millions of dollars, than life in prison without parole, that it really does not serve as a deterrent. and really creates huge uncertainty and inequality, i found, very, very significant inequality in its imposition across my state. so the right then to do to impose a moratorium, and i will

support legislation to change the statute in that regard. it's the right conversation. it's the right decision for our state. >> so what happens here? there's still cases where the death penalty is being pursued, and yet there's a moratorium under your -- so what happens to these people? they're treated, how? do they get a different type of -- they just sit on their own isolated death row? or how do you plan on dealing with these folks that are sentenced to the death penalty, but you're saying you're not going to execute them? what happens to them? >> their incarceration situation remains the same. when and if the legislature changes the statute, that they would be essentially commuted to a life in prison without parole, that has not happened yet. we started a conversation in our state about this, and we'll follow it out. but i felt strongly that this is the right decision. when you have a penalty that costs taxpayers millions of dollars, does not provide a deterrent, exposes families to decades of these, you know, very

traumatic appeals -- >> right. >> -- and essentially is not giving you what you want, which is equal justice, this was not the right thing of our fair state. i made that decision. >> one of the great challenges i always feel like you and other washington governors have is in many ways how little control you have over your budgets thanks to the referendum process. you know, we just talked about the marijuana. you know, you've got -- you've got some anti-tax activists that for years have put constraints on what you can and can't do with the budget. have you ever thought about pursuing some sort of referendum, sort of slowing down that process, how much control the referendum process should have over a state budget? because it does seem to tie the hands of lawmakers in ways in washington state and in california, in ways, that it doesn't in other states? >> no, i don't think that's the right way to go. the way to go is to find a way to finance the educational system. i have to tell you right now, we have a real challenge in my

state. we are under a supreme court order to contribute about $5 billion in addition to our kindergarten through 12th-grade system, and this is a challenge for us. i don't think changes in the referendum are going to help solve that problem. we need legislators on a bipartisan basis in my state to step up to the line and finance education. it is our paramount duty in the state. >> how are you going to pay for it? >> well, we're going to have to close tax loopholes, frankly, and some of the corporate giveaways that have been given to corporations over the decades that really are not creating jobs in our state. they are a much lesser priority than the education of kindergartners. >> so who would get hit? they're arguably one of the biggest corporate tax loopholes in the country is the one you guys gave to boeing. would boeing be -- >> that would make sense. look, there's some tax exemptions that generate jobs, and there are some that do not. the one with boeing generates -- is going to generate tens of thousands of jobs in about $2

and $3 in tax revenue for every dollar we lose. that's a winner for the state. there are others -- for instance, we have a tax exemption that was originally dedicated to the wood products industry, but now the well-paid lawyers of the oil industry have figured out how to use this loophole. they're depriving our students of about $65 million of education. that's the kind of thing we need to close, some of the archaic loopholes. and i think this is an example of how legislators, governors need to change the law to come in to tune with the current economic conditions. the minimum wage is one of those examples where, you know, the minimum wage has lost 20%, 25% of its purchasing power, and we need to bring these codes up to snuff with the current economic conditions. >> all right, governor jay insley, i have to leave it there. from washington state. you have a lot going on out there. >> it's a great state. good to be in washington. >> another washington. thank you, governor. coming up next, illinois

governor pat quinn joins me. and a reminder, msnbc has a new lineup starting on monday. jansing & company will continue to follow "the daily rundown," but "newsnation" moves to 11:00 a.m., and andrea mitchell will now be the lunchtime partner at noon. ronan farrow daily premiers at 1:00 p.m., and "the reid report" debuts at 2:00 p.m. before we go to break, white house soup of the day -- this is mike. his long race day starts with back pain...

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that's why when the time came he counted on merrill edge to streamline his investing and help him plan for the road ahead. that's the power of streamlined connections. that's merrill edge and bank of america. my dad has aor afib.brillation, he has the most common kind... ...it's not caused by a heart valve problem. dad, it says your afib puts you at 5 times greater risk of a stroke. that's why i take my warfarin every day. but it looks like maybe we should ask your doctor about pradaxa. in a clinical trial, pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)... ...was proven superior to warfarin at reducing the risk of stroke. and unlike warfarin, with no regular blood tests or dietary restrictions. hey thanks for calling my doctor. sure. pradaxa is not for people with artificial heart valves. don't stop taking pradaxa without talking to your doctor. stopping increases your risk of stroke. ask your doctor if you need to stop pradaxa before surgery or a medical or dental procedure. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding or have had a heart valve replaced. seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding,

like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition or stomach ulcer, take aspirin, nsaids, or blood thinners... ...or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines. tell your doctors about all medicines you take. pradaxa side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you or someone you love has afib not caused by a heart valve problem... ...ask your doctor about reducing the risk of stroke with pradaxa. well, you'd think that the governor, president obama's solid blue home state, would be relatively safe, but illinois's pat quinn is one of the more surprisingly incumbents running this fall in the state of the state, quinn touted illinois as a state in the midst of an economic comeback. but with an unemployment rate higher than all but two other states, quinn's republican opponents say the governor is part of the problem in illinois, not part of the solution.

>> career politicians are running our state into the ground, and pat quinn, he's at the top of the heap. if we don't fundamentally change direction, we're toast. >> i know a lot of businesses that aren't sure that we've turned the corner, and there are a lot of families who are still looking for a be jo. the governor also failed to realize he's built up a mountain of debt, over $6 billion in the state. the fact of the matter is, we need a governor who can turn the corner, really turn the corner. >> well, that was bruce ronner and bill brady, two of the four republicans who are battling it out ahead of the gop primary march 18th. but roener seems to be the man to beat, raised some $4 million in the fourth quarter of last year. five times more than the rest of the republican field combined. and may explain why democratic-leaning groups, like illinois freedom, a group funded by the democratic governors association, are running ads before the republican primary like this one --

>> -- company was accused of training money from nursing homes, leaving seniors to suffer from dehydration and malnutrition. victims died from abuse and neglect. trust bruce rauner to be governor? his nursing homes made over $1 billion while seniors paid the ultimate price. >> joining me now is illinois' democratic governor, pat quinn. governor quinn, it is clearly campaign season. given what the democratic governors are doing against bruce rahner, i take it that's not the candidate you want to face in the general election? >> i'm ready to face anybody. i think our state is making a comeback. we led the midwest since last may in job creation. when i became governor, we had an ethical crisis with one governor -- former governor in jail and another one going to jail. we had two in jail at the same time. we've restored ethics in illinois, and we've been able to reform our pension system, which was one of the biggest reforms ever accomplished in illinois. >> why do you think the

unemployment rate in illinois has been so difficult for you to bring down? >> i think when you inherit the crises that i inherited, especially from two corrupt governors, there's going to be a recovery period, and we're making that recovery. at one time, there was 11.3% unemployment. we've driven that way down. it's the lowest point since i've been governor. we have more work to do, plenty of more work to do. i do believe in things like the minimum wage, raising the minimum wage. it's a good way to help our economy. that's why i'm here today in washington, to see the president. he's from our state. we're all united in making sure everyday people get a fair shake. >> now, you were going to release your budget -- i think you were scheduled to do it this week, and you made the decision to delay it after the primary. after the voting day, march 18th, and it looks -- a cynic would say you're waiting to see who you face before you unveil your budget. >> well, we're going to do a five-year budget plan. i think that's important given the crises that illinois has had

over the last time before i became governor. and we're going to lay out a specific concrete plan that helps create jobs, helps our education, makes sure that everybody's in and nobody's lef everybody is in and nobody is left out. we belief in an inclusive society and well coming people, and that is why we passed marriage equality and important reform that we passed in the last year. >> you are talking about minimum wage on the national level and how about illinois? >> well, we want to raise the minimum wage to $10 in our state. i have led petition drives in the past, and our state wage of $8.25 is higher than the national minimum wage, and we have work to do. there is a principle as old as the bible, if you work hard and you work 40 hours a week, you should not have to live in poverty. >> you say you want oit and the ballot, but can you not do it through the legislative process? >> well, whatever is necessary to get the job done. i have organized the petition drives and referendums in my lifetime and i will do whatever

it takes to make sure we pass it by the end of the session. we need to get the legislature moving, and if you are an organizer, you do what is necessary to get a good outcome. there are 1 million people in illinois who would generate for a more generous many minimum wage and help everyday people. >> but it sounds like you would prefer, and you brought up the ballot twice, but you prefer it on the ballot, because you believe it would help you in the november election. >> it is important for everyday people to have a say in the government. there is nothing more important than paying a e decent wage. there are folks who do very hard jobs in the soeshgts and it is important they are paid minimum wa wage. consumer demand is 70% of the economy, and when we raise it, we are helping the consumer demand and creating jobs for everybody. >> all right. governor pat quinn, i will leave it there. the democrat from the president's home state and i know that you are about to go in

there and spend the weekend with governors from both sides of the aisle, thank you. >> thank you. >> and there it is the governor palooza here. three in less than an hour. and here is the question, how many states have one republican and one democratic senator? we will put the entire numb beon the website. and no sh, we don't count maine. the winner is eric at waldowinner. send your trivia suggestions to dailyr dailyrundown@msnbc.com. but even more impressive is how he puts it to work for his clients. ♪ morning. morning. thanks for meeting so early. oh, it's not a big deal at all. come on in. [ male announcer ] it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. ♪ if you have a business idea,

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spanned some 40 years. >> reporting from vietnam, he was one of the first foreign correspondents. and in europe. in the u.s., he covered national politics. >> the convention poured into miami beach. >> reporter: and served as a member of "meet the press" and he even showed up for the anniversary show. he was a linguist and opera buff, and he spoke english and german and spanish, and before retiring he worked for nbc and cnn, and garrick utley was 74 years old. >> a very tall man and i got to

meet him once and a honor and still not long ago and still up to date with everything going on in the world. for all of the entire news folks here in washington we will mourn with the utley family and remember him fondly. and that is it or the this edition of the "daily rundown" with chris jansing. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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