Skip to main content

tv   NOW With Alex Wagner  MSNBC  March 5, 2014 1:00pm-2:01pm PST

1:00 pm
this "now". >> fireworks on capitol hill. >> republicans are desperate for the 50th time. >> you heard that right, 5-0. >> we'll vote to repeal the affordable care act. >> whether it's the first vote or the 50th vote. >> republican play book oig hammering benghazi and affordable care act. >> this is the right thing for the american people. >> i expect we'll have a very strong vote on our side. p. >> i'm tired of this. >> the hearing getting very heated. >> between congressional leaders, cummings a democrat and issa, republican. >> compare man abruptly ended the hearing and cut off cummings' mike. >> may i ask my question? >> we'red a skrourned. close it down. >> you cannot have a one-sided investigation. >> disdainful episode. >> it's like a toddler throwing sand because he's not getting his way. >> you can't leave out the facts because you don't like it and include the ones that you do. >> this is absolutely unamerican.
1:01 pm
there they go again. house republicans were up to their old tricks today trotting out their favorite whipping posts. the irs and obamacare. first the irs. after lois lerner again pleaded the fifth before chairman darrell issa's oversight committee, issa tried to adjourn the hearing without letting any democratic members speak. >> may i ask my question? may i state my statements? >> you're all free to leave. # we've adjourned. but the gentleman may ask his question. >> for the past year, the central republican accusation in this investigation has been -- >> we're adjourned. close it down. thank you. [ inaudible ] >> i am a member of the congress of the united states of america. i am tired of this.
1:02 pm
we have members over there who represent 700,000 people. you cannot just have a one-sided investigation. there is absolutely something wrong with that and absolutely up american. >> afterwards, the chairman defended his decision to cut off proceedings. >> mr. cummings said he had questions to ask. instead he began making an opening statement even after the commit at the had been adjourned. therefore, the committee stands still adjourned. yes, sir. >> how much of this is a political play for republicans in the election? >> none. not a shred of it. not a smidgeon of. >> not a smidgeon? not everyone was buying that and for good reason. >> i think the chairman showed a great deal of immaturity. it's like a toddler in a sand lot throwing sand at others because he's not getting his way. >> what we're seeing in the house today is a sign of larger
1:03 pm
dysfunction and partisanship on behalf of republicans. whether it's benghazi or whether it's this trumped up investigation of the irs, republicans are desperate. and what are we doing catoday o the floor of the house? for the 509 time, we'll street to repeat obamacare. >> and, yes, house republicans did that, passing their 50th repeal vote. 50. like the hawaiian cop show. this was guised under the innocently named simple fairness act making it harder to insure americans is simple fairness? anyway, it sus sends the aca individual mandate penalties through the end of this year. >> the tax on individual mandate either by health insurance or by you pay the tax is frankly not fair. >> hard working americans are struggling under the president's
1:04 pm
health care bill. they don't need to see 1% of their salary taxed because they can't navigate a failing obamacare bureaucracy. >> whether it's the first vote or the 50th vote, this is the right thing to do. >> the irony or the weird boneheadedness of trying to repeal settled law for the 50th time was not lost on democrats. it was in its way a golden anniversary for republican in-trance gents. >> i want to wish my colleagues a happy 50th anniversary. >> but all these apity obamacare votes are no longer a calorie free chemically induced sugar high for the gop. prior to this year, voting to appeal was a freebie. a statement without real meaning but which nevertheless appeased wild eyed reactionaries on the right. now it comes with a cost. now it takes statement of intent, to annul millions of
1:05 pm
people's health care benefits. but do not expect that reality to produce a republican health care alternative anytime soon. for the moment, it will be increasingly narrow show votes about very specific parts of the aca, that way an actual alternative can remain something nebulous and to be dealt with further down the road, or, you know, never. it is a strategy that isn't exactly a secret. >> you know what they say. 50th time is the charm. maybe when you hit your 50th repeal vote, you will win a prize. we get it. we understand. we get it, you don't like it. >> joining me now is the democratic congresswoman from florida's 23rd sfrikt adistrict wasserman schultz. congress woman, thank you so much for joins us. >> great to be with you. >> so is the 50th time a charm? how much longer is the gop going to keep this up? >> well, it's funny, the
1:06 pm
president said that during his speech to the democratic national committee with their meeting last week. and he said we get it. but apparently the republicans don't get it. what they don't get is that 50 times to try to repeal what is already law, what is insuring more than 4 million people now, means that what they're trying to do is deny the young man who in my district who hasn't had health care coverage in his whole of life and now finallies that because of the affordable care act. or the senior who stood up in a town hall meeting and told me she has to have the pharmacist score her pills so she can break them in half and make the prescription last longer and doesn't have to do that anymore because obamacare closed the doughnut hole. that now is what the republicans 50 different times has tried to deny americans to make sure that if you don't have your health, you don't have anything, and that they can have the peace of
1:07 pm
mind to remain healthy. that is just unacceptable and we have a few more things to do like make sure we can focus on creating jobs and continuing to get the economy turned around rather than fruitlessly wasting time 50 different times just to continue to try to deny people health care. it's outrageous. >> congresswoman, i have to ask you you, the repeal vote has gone through several iterations. and this one is not a formal repeal, but a repeal of a part of the law that is a bedrock piece of the law nonetheless. but they have done this 50 times because they position it wothin them somehow. whether narrowing it somehow makes the gop seem more reasonable? >> what they're doing here is they have not gotten away with owe voterly directly trying to repeal the affordable care act, so instead what they did with this bill is they're trying to just basically eliminate the entire fiscal underpinnings of the law.
1:08 pm
getting rid of the individual mandate makes the affordable care act totally financially nonviable. and so it's exceptionalssentiale thing. what they have continued to try to do and been unsuccessful is use this as an election issue. but alex, every election including the recent gubernatorial election in virginia that has come down on a question of whether the american people want to repeal obama care or just fix it, the folks who want to fix it, not end it, have won every single time. and that's one of the reasons terry mcauliffe is governor today. people just want us to work together and pass a minimum wamg increase. 74% of the american people believe minimum wage should increase, that you shouldn't have to live in poverty while also holding down a full-time job. we need to stepped unemployment benefits for the people who are still struggling to look for work. we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
1:09 pm
the republicans continue to talk about how they really want to reach out to hispanics and they support making sure that we can have a path to legal status, yet they have now said repeatedly that we won't deal with that issue this year. so they're talking out both sides of their face. >> indeed they are. and if we're talking about election year hijinx, i want to get your thoughts on congressman darrell issa's behavior today with congressman cummings. i found it, i'll say personally, i thought it was really beyond just shocking and actually distressing to see a congressperson who is in the halls of capitol hill precisely to represent the electorate shut another one down so roundly and unapologetically, and then sort of brazenly defend himself as if he is on the path of the righteous. i'm speaking of course of darrell issa.
1:10 pm
what was your reaction to it? >> well, i was stunned. not so stunned by who did it because darrell issa -- nothing surprises me anymore with his conduct. but in the last couple of weeks in which we have been on both sid sides of the aisle, standing up for the rights of the oppressed, trying to make sure that in venezuela, that dictators there aren't shutting down the opposition, the same thing in the ukraine. at the same time, you have a chairman of the government oversight committee literally electronically cutting off the mike of the opposition to prevent him from having any say or participation in the hearing that was focused on an investigation that has been resolved. and that they are purely and obviously through the cutting off of elijah cummings' mike purely proving that what they're doing is trying to politicize
1:11 pm
the issue. it is a settled matter. president obama has cop demmnde. the director of the irs lost his job over it. lois lerner lost her job. heads rolled as they should have. but unfortunately the republicans on that committee continue to try to use politics to bludgeon the administration and silence any debate or opposition because they continue to bare hug obstructionism. >> it was a distressing day for democracy. congresswoman, thank you for your time. >> nathan, alex. joining me now, big john stan stanton. big john, let's first talk about darrell issa. does he pay any kind of price among the electorate? i cannot imagine members of the republican caucus look at that tape and say, yes, that is the
1:12 pm
guy we want leading the charge. >> first of all, it's fascinating to watch darrell issa and elijah cummings operate together because they don't like each other. and you would think darrell issa should have seen this coming, that doing this hearing was going to set off cummings and he was really going to tear into him. and it definitely was a botched handling of this. leadership is not probably going to be all that pleased, although frankly, amongst republican based voters, this may play well. house members don't have to worry about statewide issues, just their own districts. and a lot of districts frankly, republican telling a democrat he's did he ever, he's not going to talk, probably will play pretty well. so in the end, i'm not sure he does pay that much of a price. >> do you think issa has more room to keep litigating the irs nonscandal/scandal? >> yeah, sure, they can drag it out for as long as they want. white water got dragged out for a decade.
1:13 pm
and again because with base voters, the irs issue still plays very well. even though like the congresswoman said, it's largely been resolved, the people behind a lot of this stuff has been fired or resigned or the rules are sort of not being changed anymore, it doesn't really matter. it still plays very well with conservatives. so so long as it's a good winning issue for primary voters, i suspect republicans will stick with it. >> let me ask you about another thing that happened on capitol hill today to the dismay of many who like civil rights and democracy. the president's nominee to head the department of justice civil rights division, his nomination failed in the senate 57-52. and this seemed like a deeply political vote. as basically everything on capitol hill is. a lot of republicans don't like president obama's nominees because they don't like president obama. and they also took issue with the fact that he had put out a
1:14 pm
statement in support or on behalf of him in defense. but there were also seven democrats who voted against this, including bob casey, mark pryor, joe manchin, john walsh. a lot of those names are familiar because they're democrats facing uphill re-election fights. tell me about the tension between the the white house nominating this person at this moment before the midterm elections. >> it's fascinating. no one really paid much attention to this nomination until the last couple of days. and republicans mounted a very strong rhetorical push against him. democrats have voted against him, a lot found themselves stuck in a difficult spot because he was doing his job and he was representing his client and that is sort of what he's supposed to do. >> that's what lawyers do. >> right. and regardless of what you think of him, he's allowed to have
1:15 pm
counsel and counsel. this is a bit of democrats sort of getting bit in the butt with what they did with the filibuster rules. up until then, when they had nominees they were uncomfortable with, they could blame republicans, say it was all their fault. but there one they have to own this now because seven democrats broke with their leadership and killed the nomination. >> well, that is a chapter that is not finished being written. john stanton, thank you as always. coming up, more on the senate's vote to block president obama's top civil rights nominee, but first we have breaking news on the affordable care agent. the white house is announcing a new delay. we will discuss the details on that with dr. zeke emanuel coming up next. [ garner ] there's a lot of beautiful makeup out there,
1:16 pm
but one is so clever that your skin looks better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% saw improved skin. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics. they don't know it yet, but they're gonna fall in love, get married, have a couple of kids, [ children laughing ] move to the country, and live a long, happy life together where they almost never fight about money. [ dog barks ] because right after they get married, they'll find some financial folks who will talk to them about preparing early for retirement
1:17 pm
and be able to focus on other things, like each other, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. anybody have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three types of good bacteria. i should probably take this. live the regular life. phillips'. so our business can be on at&t's network for $175 a month? yup. all 5 of you for $175. our clients need a lot of attention. there's unlimited talk and text. we're working deals all day. you get 10 gigabytes of data to share. what about expansion potential? add a line, anytime, for $15 a month. low dues, great terms. let's close! new at&t mobile share value plans our best value plans ever for business.
1:18 pm
1:19 pm
we are getting breaking news right now. the obama administration is announcing another delay in implementing the affordable care act. the department of health and human services will now allow individuals with substandard health insurance to stay on those plans for two more years. in november, the administration announced that individuals whose plans had been canceled could stay on them for one year. today's announcement steppeds that delay one year further up october 1st of 2016. the department of health and human services is also extending the open enrollment period in 2015 and is giving states more time to submit plans for state based marketplaces. joining me now is one of the architects of the affordable care act and author of the new book reinventing american health
1:20 pm
care, gr zeke emanuel. there is no better person to talk to than you. is this white house announcement in terms of extending the grandfather plan, is this a good move policy-wise? >> policy-wise, it's probably a toss-up. i actually think what the white house is doing is to say, look, there is a lot of up rest about it unrest it, it's distract. about half a million people won't go into the exchange, premiums will go up about 1%res it unrest it, it's distract. about half a million people won't go into the exchange, premiums will go up about 1% as a result, but it's not that big a deal. those are estimates by the independent think tank rand. and they think for the political game, it's worth to do that. and it certainly isn't a big deal. i keep saying, you know, they seem to be very strategic at the white house, do some of these things that are good politically but really don't affect the ynd lyii underlying policy, but defend
1:21 pm
the underlying policy saying no chance will we roll back the original mandate. >> i guess i have to play devil's advocate for a second. because to be honest, it does seem sort of transparently political that they would do this ahead of the midterm elections when we know the white house is very concerned about democrats holding on to their senate seats. and one must ask, you're a doctor, there are americans who are going to suffer either because their premiums go up or they stay in a substandard plan, they get hurt, they have high medical bills and they're not covered with the protections that are in the affordable care act. what do you say to those americans, whether it's a half a million or -- >> i agree. i don't like the sub standard plans. i've been a very big critic of them. i was a critic of the initial delay. i'm not advocating this delay. i think it's understandable and i also think it doesn't go to the heart of the affordable care act in making sure really it impacts the american health care system. but i agree someone who has one of these substandard plans gets
1:22 pm
a serious illness, and i'll give you a couple examples, i had a friend in colorado that is in the book had an unexpected colon cancer operation. $70,000. these sub standard plans won't cover that. my research assistant had an appendecto appendectomy. $50,000. these plans won't cover that. you have a bike accident, and you're blowing through the substandard plans. on the other hand, are they a major part of the overall health care system, the answer has to be that not that big a deal from the overall standpoint. and i agree with you, from any individual, i think they're kind of like false proceedings. they give you a sense that you have insurance but they really won't cover you if anything serious happens. and that is the big problem. >> so, zeke, if we're going to talk about the politics here and how this is beneficial, the flip side is today just a few minutes ago, we talked about house republicans passing their 50th effort to repeal or replace
1:23 pm
parts of the affordable care act. and one has to wonder, does this not give them more fuel -- does it not add fuel to the fire? the gop in general can say it's so broken that the white house is delaying parts of it. >> well, that has been a repeated comment. but i would say last night i happened to be on bill o'reilly's show, and just before we got ones when the cameras weren't rolling, he said i don't want to talk about obamacare. it's here to say. i want to talk about how physicians are going to interact with it because i think they're not happy about it. so i do think that there is somewhat of this recognition that we can have a campaign, we could have all the heated rhetoric about it, but the fact is the affordable care act is here to stay and we can have lots of show boats, but it's being implemented. i actually think it's having a positive effect on the health care system certainly in terms of more people being enrolled, costs coming under control,
1:24 pm
quality going up. so on the big metric, it's certainly doing the good things. there is a narrative that you put off the employer mandate, you do this, maybe the affordable care act isn't working. i just don't buy that because that is not the heart and soul of the bill in terms of transforming the health care system. >> do you think -- those are co competing narratives. one is we're delaying it, and the other is on the ground reality of people accessing health care the way they haven't before, millions getting treatment when they couldn't afford before. and i guess i ask you if we're looking through the end of this year because this is going to be sort of the petri dish period, this which will win out? it is now march. we have about six months until the elections in november. eight months. my math is bad.
1:25 pm
my question to you is, what more needs to be done to ensure that the reality of the positive gains of the aca trumps the narrative that it's broken? >> well, first of all, i think it really is interesting that the sort of opposition and support for the aca really hasn't budgeded despite all the heated rhetoric. i do think that there is a very positive story to be told about the affordable care act that hasn't gotten out. what it's done in terms of access. but more importantly what it's done in terms of quality and cost rolcontrol. and i think that is the big challenge for those of us who are supporters is to get the narrative out about the positive things that's happened. hospital acquired infections. we started a partnership for patients in 2010 that was going to bring down hospital acquired infections. it's been remarkable. central line infections down 50%. hardly ever spoken of.
1:26 pm
the total number of hospital acquired conditions, infections, fall, bad surgery, down 9%. hardly ever spoken of. that makes going to the hospital safer for everyone whether you have insurance or you're just getting insurance through the affordable care act. those are the kinds of stories i think that need to be put out there. another one, because of cost control, the premiums in medicare part a, part b and part d have remained essentially flat for several years now. saving seniors a lot of money. again, not widely known, but i think it is part of what the affordable care act has done for the american health care system. and i think we're going to have to fashion these messages to come out much more consistently those of us who are advocates. will it change the poll numbers? i'm not the public pollster. but i do think people need to understand the benefits of the law. >> let's me ask you you one policy related question that is fairly timely before i let you go.
1:27 pm
arkansas -- >> i do have to teach, yeah. >> arkansas sort of has their own version of the medicaid expansion. it's basically using federal funds to buy private health insurance for poor and low income. in some ways people are saying this will be a model for red state legislatures in a don s t want to expand medicaid. is this a good thing or bad thing? >> i'm support tough of it because we need to see which policies are better. is putting poor people in the private insurance market going to increase their health or are they better protected in medicaid. we don't know the answer so it's a good experiment. that was the whole idea behind these kind of doing different things in different states and seeing which ones work and propagating them. >> it is a living law.
1:28 pm
dr. sooezeke emanuel, thank you your time. coming up, the tea in texas may have cooled, but that doesn't mean the kettle won't be piping hot again in november. but first, the senate blocks president obama's pick to head the nation's top civil rights post. and while some democrats voted no, it has republican finger prints all over it. that is coming up next. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function
1:29 pm
so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions, or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion.
1:30 pm
1:31 pm
as john kerry meets with his russian counterpart, new reports of a threat to a key u.s. envoy in crimea. the latest on take crisis is next. before larry instantly transferred money from his bank of america savings account to his merrill edge retirement account. before he opened his first hot chocolate stand calling winter an "underserved season". and before he quit his friend's leaf-raking business
1:32 pm
for "not offering a 401k." larry knew the importance of preparing for retirement. 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. crest 3d white whitestrips vs. a whitening pen. i feel like my lips are going to, like, wash it off. these fit nicely. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white whitestrips keep the whitening ingredient in place, guaranteeing professional level results. crest whitestrips. the way to whiten. anybody have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three types of good bacteria. i should probably take this. live the regular life. phillips'.
1:33 pm
to nbcuniversal's coveragens of the biggest loser olympic winter games ever, with the most coverage of the most events on every device. and the most hours of streaming video on the nbc sports live extra app, including the x1 platform from xfinity. comcast was honored to bring every minute of every medal of nbcuniversal's coverage to every screen. so what's next? rio 2016. welcome to what's next. comcast nbcuniversal. the south by southwest
1:34 pm
festival. a breeding ground for investors and mobile pie nears. we'll get a behind the scenes look on a special edition of your business oig. for retirement. but when we start worrying about tomorrow, we miss out on what matters today. ♪ at axa, we offer advice and help you break down your retirement goals into small, manageable steps. because when you plan for tomorrow, it helps you live for today. can we help you take a small step? for advice, retirement, and life insurance, connect with axa. you ukranian parliament has
1:35 pm
elected a new government to fill the vacuum. as for president putin, i know we are dealing with a tough guy with a thin skin. >> that was former secretary of state hillary clinton speaking this afternoon about the situation in ukraine. earlier today, apenvoy to the united nations was threatened by a group of 10 to 15 armed militants in crimea. the region of the country where russian forces have taken control. the envoy was reportedly leaving the ukraine yap naval base when the car was surrounded by unidentified armed men who told him to go to the airport and leave crimea. he's safe, but the tensions did not he said there. in the eastern city of the hometown of ousted president viktor yanukovych, hundreds of activists recaptured a government building that was being held by opposition forces. meanwhile 35 international observers are currently on their way to ukraine in response to a request from the interim government in kiev.
1:36 pm
over in europe, pressure continued to mount on russia to change its hawk, calculus. john kerry met with his european counter parts and held a separate meeting with foreign minister lavrov. lavrov also met with foreign ministers from the uk, germany and france. in the last hour, secretary kerry issued another statement putting pressure on russia and encouraging diplomacy. >> russia can now choose to deescalate this situation and we are committed to working with russia. together with our friends and allies, in an effort to provide a way for this entire situation to find the road to deescalation. the united states is ready to work with all parties to make that happen. and to make it happen as soon as poll. >> earlier today, the european upoffered a $15 billion aid package to ukraine and in
1:37 pm
washington, the house of representatives released a bill in support of sanctions targeting senior russian officials, state owned banks and other state agencies. but whether this pressure will be enough to sway russia is unclear. especially given the fact that russia continues to deny it even has troops in ukraine. earlier today, despite numerous photographs, video footage and other concrete evidence of the thousands of russian troops in ukraine, russia's defense minister and its foreign minister both deny that the kremlin had sent in troops in to describe me a. coming up being russian roulette brought to yyou by vic. that is just ahead. mine was earned in korea in 1953. afghanistan, in 2009. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection.
1:38 pm
and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ 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.
1:39 pm
1:40 pm
time and again in the history of the united states, people have stood up understanding the constitution
1:41 pm
and the responsibility of the bar to represent unpopular defendants. john adams set the standard when he made the unpopular decision to represent british soldiers on the eve of the revolutionary war. >> this afternoon, the senate florida sounded like u.s. history 101. that was senator dick durbin explaining that the u.s. constitution affords everyone the right to a lawyer no matter what crime that person may or may not have committed. what prompted the lesson? the vote to confirm debo adegbile, his nominee to head the civil rights division. adegbile's nomination by blocked by every single republican and seven democrats. not because of his qualifications but because of the man he once gepd defended. he joined an appeal for a abu-jamal, a convicted criminal sentenced to death for killing a philadelphia police officer. apparently some believe his
1:42 pm
legal duty, that issagage bile' legal duty -- they describe him as a yiktsed cop killer ardent defender. joe manchin one of the democrats who opposed his nomination invoked the murder of the slain police officer saying i made a conscientious decision after talking to the wife of the victim. this is the first of president obama's nominees to be rejected under the new post nuclear option senate rules which require just simple majority for confirmation. the president released a statement calling the rejection a travesty based on wildly unfair character attacks against a good and qualified public servant. adegbile was punished for doing his job as a lawyer. as eric holder said, it's a dangerous press departmeartmenc.
1:43 pm
and indeed it is. from the ukraine to burma after the break. a lot of folks on wall street waiting to see what will happen on friday when we get the jobs report for the month of february. the other thing folks are watching for is how the weather may have impacted those numbers. the federal reserve says severe winter weather took its toll on shopping and consumer spending in a number of areas like new york and philadelphia. all those winter storms had a positive effect in areas like richmond, chicago and minneapolis. you all know why. you've had to buy a lot more equipment. so it's kind of a mixed bag. we'll wait and see what the government reports on friday.
1:44 pm
alex will be right back. we're at cnbc, first in business worldwide. [ male announcer ] this is joe woods' first day of work. and his new boss told him two things -- cook what you love, and save your money. joe doesn't know it yet, but he'll work his way up from busser to waiter to chef before opening a restaurant specializing in fish and game from the great northwest. he'll start investing early, he'll find some good people to help guide him, and he'll set money aside from his first day of work to his last, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. it's just common sense. at afraud could meanuld blower credit scores. and higher mortgage rates. it's a problem waiting to happen. check your credit score, check your credit report at experian.com.
1:45 pm
...of america's number-one puppy food brand... ...with dha and essential nutrients also found in mother's milk. purina puppy chow.
1:46 pm
stamps to nbcuniversal's coveragens of the biggest loser olympic winter games ever, with the most coverage of the most events on every device. and the most hours of streaming video on the nbc sports live extra app, including the x1 platform from xfinity. comcast was honored to bring every minute of every medal of nbcuniversal's coverage to every screen. so what's next? rio 2016. welcome to what's next. comcast nbcuniversal.
1:47 pm
yesterday vice news was launched, a new website that will feature hundreds of hows of news programming about goings on across the globe. it includes but is not limited to long form and short form documentaries, vines, live streaming and this is my favorite part, drone journalism. the site launched with dispatches from the front line of the russian occupied crimean peninsula in the ukraine as well as coverage of the ongoing protests in venezuela. >> so we're just driving up to ukrainian naval command, we're trying to get into the base to meet with the ukranian naval officials. but some pro russian people have
1:48 pm
encircled the base. so now we're considering climbing over the walls. we just came over the wall of the ukrainian naval base. >> yesterday the protesters shut down the city by driving a condition vow all around the streets. today they have done the same. thousands and thousands of people. and it may be true this is a protest largely made you have up by middle class people, but when there are this many people in the streets, there is no way you can ignore it. >> joining me now is ceo and co-founder of vice media, mr. sunshine, shane smith. that is my own nickname for you. so i am incredibly -- well, there has been a lot written about the corporate involvement, blah, blah, blah. we'll get to that. but fundamentally, in the day and age when everybody is shutting down international bureaus and cutting back on foreign reporting, it is awesome to me that you guys are doubling down on coverage of planet earth. tell us how and why you made the decision and sold that.
1:49 pm
sgl >> well, the decision was made for us by our audience. what do i mean by that. our youtube channel was an experiment with the largest and most democratic video sharing platform in the world. and when we started it, we were told don't do anything long form, don't do anything political, don't do anything international. so of course because we do everything we're told, we did long form, international, political documentary, but the reward for that was we had highest time on youtube at 28 minutes place, the best engagement numbers, best video completion number, best likes versus dislikes ratio. so our audience was saying we want more of this. and then the hbo show came along. and again we were nominated for an emmy our first season. >> no big deal. humble brag. >> but we said, okay, we like doing this, but our audience was
1:50 pm
saying this is what we want, we want more of this. and so we said okay. we were doing more. we have 34 offices around the world. so we said okay, let's do it 24 hours. and in fact we're not even supposed to have launched yet. but because we were on the ground in the ukraine and thailand and venezuela, we're like, okay, we're shooting all this stuff, let's go. and now everybody is saying can we have rights to your footage because we're there now. >> and the ukraine footage that your reporter, simon, has been putting out is incredibly compelling. and frequently in the coverage of foreign and international affairs gets in to this person made a statement, this person made a statement. and here he is embedded with the ukranian forces as they're trying to agree not to shoot the detente with the russian troops. what is the directive when you talk about the journalistic integrity? what do you tell your reporters? >> what i love about simon, i
1:51 pm
spent a lot of time with him in siberia, we did a story -- >> don't brag. i'm kidding. >> i'm getting it right and left. >> most people don't want to go to sigh peberisiberia. >> i did a story with him on north korean slave labor camps. and i hand to spend a lot of time with him because everything in siberia is very far away. he's an amazing journalist, but he's also the most cantankerous that you can imagine. that's why he's great for vice. he goes up to the wall and the russians say you can't go ove e the wall. so he just jumped over while guns are pointsed at him. and think that is the perfect sort of vice correspondent who is just like i'm here, nobody else is here, i'm going to get your story, i'm going to get their story, i'm going to do it you can all go to hell. >> there is also like that
1:52 pm
attitude which is basically like we're going to do what we're going to do, we'll fly in the face of convention. i want to talk about north korea. vice headline said north coreko has a friend in rod dwman. there are a litany of human rights abuses. if you had to play that chapter over again, would you write it differently in. >> if anyone knows our history, i've done three documentaries on north korea, all which are been harsh. i'm banned from the country. we came up with a way to get a team in in a fashion that nobody else had ever done before. while we were there, rodman came for two days. we were there two week. they were watching everything we did. if we said north korea is guilty
1:53 pm
of crimes against humanity, our crew is in danger. so we announced things about rodthe mro rodman so our crew could continue to shoot. and two months later,tended to to get a documentary. i didn't endanger anybody. look, the story was crazy. it's an absurd country. dennis rodman is an absurd guy. we do some absurd stuff. guilty. but can it we get one of the best documentaries ever made? yes. >> this is the riprice of reporting basically. >> we found a way to get into a country that sim possibis impos get into. >> well, it is compelling stuff. congratulations on the success. >> i love being on your show. >> it's mutual admiration
1:54 pm
society here. thank you as always. for more, check out vice news.com and you can catch the second season of the hbo series on friday, march 14th, 11 p.m.. coming up, something really big happened deep in the heart of texas last night. tea parties struck out. but that does that mean they won't keep swinging. when jake and i first set out on our own, we ate anything. but in time you realize the better you eat, the better you feel. these days we both eat smarter. and i give jake purina cat chow naturals. made with real chicken and salmon, it's high in protein like a cat's natural diet. and no added artificial flavors. we've come a long way. and whatever's ahead, we'll be there for each other. naturally. purina cat chow naturals. with the quicksilver cash back card from capital one, it means unlimited 1.5% cash back
1:55 pm
on everything you purchase, every day. it doesn't mean, "everything... as long as you buy it at the gas station." it doesn't mean, "everything... until you hit your cash back limit." it means earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every place, every occasion, all over creation. that's what everything should mean. so consider... what's in your wallet?
1:56 pm
as a police officer, i've helped many people in the last 23 years, but i needed help in quitting smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix varenicline is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced the urge for me to smoke. it actually caught me by surprise. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking, or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental-health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these,
1:57 pm
stop chantix and see your doctor right away, as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood-vessel problems or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping, and unusual dreams. i did not know what it was like to be a nonsmoker, but i do now. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. and we're off. the 2014 election season officially kicked off yesterday. and all the tea in texas couldn't drown out the establishment candidates in the lone star state's primaries last night. in the road house brawl that was the texas battle for the right, incumbents largely held their ground. in the marquee fight, senator john cornyn, number two republican in the senate, saled to victory facing down seven gop
1:58 pm
challengers. cornyn also handily beat out steve stockman, he of the $10 obama barf bags. stockman enthusiasts take note, whoever you are, and rest assured steve stockman is still in the u.s. house of representatives, which brings us to the tea party challenge to stockman's house colleague, pete sessions got 6 #% of his vote in his primary. besting katrina pierso in than. and in the race to replace rick perry who is stepping down so he can extend more time with his glasses, in speet of cite of cag with ted nugent, greg abbott won his primary sounding every bit
1:59 pm
the ghost of rick perry past. >> we must never forget that the rights that we have, they don't come from government. instead, those rights come from god. >> greg abbott will go on to face the dwmic winner wendy davis in a closely watched contest in the fall. and as long as we're looking forward, a look in to the crystal ball shows a future for texas that bear as striking resemblance to its past. with the state poised to elect its third george bush. george p. bush cruised to victory in the gop race for land commissioner. the son of jeb and nephew of g.w., george p. did not have to go far to get political pointers from big time texans. >> did you get any advice from your dad? >> well, at the beginning of the effort, he gave the best advice and that is just outhust huhuso
2:00 pm
competition. >> unheard of $3.5 million in fundraising. perhaps by the time george p. bush is ready to begin his campaign for higher office, the texas tea party will be decaffeinated. that is all for now. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. eastern. the ed show is up next. good evening, americans. welcome to the ed show live from new york. let's get to work. >> what president obama could do to get putin's attention is to start to build the keystone pipe line. >> start pumping out natural gas. >> if the u.s. doesn't produce it, they will. >> the keystone pipeline must be approved. russian is blackmailing europe over energy. >> customers continue to say they need the pipeline. >> fossil fin