garden tour. i learn "time" magazine, check it out, the interactive feature they have. >> ladies, here it is, olive garden. >> if it's way too early, joe? >> it's "morning joe." stick around. who do we have coming up next? >> kristen welker and "the daily rundown." see you tomorrow. thanks for your patience, good-bye. crimea and punishment, as diplomatic talks flounder. crimea's legislature overwhelmingly declares they want to break off from ukraine and join vladimir putin's russia. plus, there will be a ton to see this weekend as the invisible primary for 2016 get s under wa at the cpac. and total consciousness. a special senate visit this morning by the dalai lama for the opening prayer. we'll see it live this hour. and a very good morning to you from a very busy washington, d.c. it's thursday, march 6th, 2014. this is the "the daily rundown." i'm kristen welker in for chuck

todd. so let's get right to it. we begin with moscow tightening its grip on the ukrainian region of crimea, even as the obama administration takes new action to punish russian officials. they say they're undermining ukraine's sovereignty. the leader of crimea now says at least 11,000 troops -- nearly all believed to be russian -- have seized the entire peninsula, controlling access and blockading all military bases. a top official there said ukrainian forces are no longer welcomed in crimea and will be treated as occupiers. meanwhile, the crimean parliament voted unanimously this morning to leave ukraine and become part of russia. a public referendum is scheduled for ten days from now. it's likely to escalate tensions that are already high across parts of the country. in eastern ukraine there were clashes between police and pro-russian demonstrators who had taken over a government building. we also learned this morning that the "uss chuckston" a navy destroyer, is now headed to the black sea, along with two f-15 fighter jets.

u.s. officials, however, say it's not a response to the crisis in ukraine but part of planned exercises with allies in the region. on the international stage, talks in paris fell flat after secretary of state john kerry was unable to get the russian foreign minister and his ukrainian counterpart to meet face to face. kerry said afterward that he had been keeping his expectations low. take a listen. >> i don't think any of us had an anticipation that we were coming here, at this moment, in this atmosphere of heightened tension and confrontation, that we would suddenly were going to resolve that here this afternoon. >> complicating the situation further, word that a senior u.n. envoy sent to crimea was threatened at gunpoint by armed men and forced to flee the region. he described the situation on the ground as dangerous. for more now on where things stand, i'm joined by nbc's ian williams who has more from kiev.

ian? >> reporter: good morning, kristen. today's diplomacy certainly to be overshadowed by the latest news from crimea, that recently installed pro-russian leadership down there is to hold a referendum on the 16th of may with a simple question -- do they want to be part of crimea or part of the russian federation? now, that's certain to be seen in the west as yet the next step towards a formal annexation of that peninsula by moscow. that's certain to inflame passions here in kiev. whether sergey lavrov can give any room on that is far from clear, because he's already said that the troops who are in control down there, who have taken control in crimea, are not russians. he describes them as a self-defense force over which russia has no control. focus also today on the big e.u. meeting. european leaders in brussels, to see if they'll come forward with package, any threat of sanctions, which they've been reluctant to do so far but, of

course, this development in crimea could concentrate their minds somewhat. kristen? >> all right, ian williams, thank you for that report. this morning, the white house announced new measures designed to pressure russian and crimean officials. jim maceda is live in moscow with more. we're learning the white house is announcing new visa restrictions and new sanctions. how is moscow reacting this morning, jim? >> reporter: we haven't had a reaction yet, kristen, from moscow on that specifically. but just to back up a bit. this diplomatic fleurry of the last 48 hours has been about creating a united front with the united states and europe trying to make vladimir putin and other russian and pro-russian officials pay a price for what the west sees as a violation of ukraine's sovereignty. and while the e.u. talks today that ian referred to seem to already be hitting headwinds from countries like germany who believe sanctions will backfire,

today, as you say, the u.s. upped the ante somewhat against putin, first with the state department announcement -- visa bans on a number of ukraine officials -- and the executive order that president obama signed authorizing sanctions, and we assume that's freezing assets on certain individuals, punishing them if they threaten ukraines and specifically this refers to russia's military intervention in crimea. one would assume that refers specifically to vladimir putin. already, kristen, the russian parliament is preparing a tit-for-tat bill, that would seize property of u.s. companies doing business in russia. secretary kerry is in rome, trying to get his counterpart, sergey lavrov to see face to face -- be face to face in the same room with the ukrainian foreign minister. that didn't work yesterday. so far, it hasn't happened yet

today. the russians, of course, say that that government in kiev was put in place by an unconstitutional coup, so when lavrov met paris, he was met by a reporter who asked him if he had seen his ukrainian counterpart, and he apparently replied, "who's that?" that's how bad things are, kristen. >> okay, jim me s maceda. you're looking at live pictures of texas senator ted cruz about to speak at cpac where conservative activists are kicking off an annual gathering that's part pep rally, part group therapy session, and a launching pad for republican stars with presidential aspirations. over the next three days, 11,000 conservatives will test potential 2016 hopefuls from senators rand paul and marco rubio, to governors chris christie and rick perry, to congressman paul ryan. it's the first cattle call of the 2016 presidential cycle in a

race that right now is wide open. this year, the cpac straw poll ballot includes 26 names. last year, christie was very publicly snubbed by cpac, you might recall, which historically prizes electability. >> i didn't know i hadn't been invited to cpac, until two days ago when i saw it in the news. [ laughter ] they don't want to invite me, that's their call. >> this morning, in the wake of bridgegate, christie will deliver the most anticipated speech of the conference and, according to a new "washington post"/abc news poll, he has a lot of work to do to persuade his party he should be their next standard bearer. 30% of republicans say they would not consider voting for christie. 36% of self-identified very conservative republicans who traditionally make up cpac's audience say they'd rule out christie. attempts by establishment republicans to win over this audience have not always gone so

well. take a look. >> i fought against long odds in a deep blue state, but i was a severely conservative republican governor. >> the three-day conference is also likely to put divisions in the party on display between the tea party and establishment republicans, libertarians and social conservatives, isolationists and hawks, and we know there will be red meat over the next three days. the question is, how raw will it be? last year, rob portman surprised conservatives by announcing his support for same-sex marriage ahead of the conference after learning that his own son was gay. will there be a social conservative backlash against arizona governor jan brewer's veto of the state's anti-gay bill? or will the gathering be led by a younger generation of conservative activists who want to move past the marriage debate and widen the gop tent? and what will we hear on immigration? well, here to break it all down for us, nbc news political

editor mark murray, here with this morning's "first reads." let's start with the highly anticipated speech by christie. he was snubbed last year and back this year, and he has more of the conservative base on his side after he's gotten, he would say, attacked by the media to some extent. >> he does, kristen. one thing that's interesting, he'll be returning to the talking points he had before the scandals hit him. a christie source is telling us that he'll talk about his record as a republican governor, achieving things and getting results done in a blue state like new jersey. he's going to talk about it's important for conservatives to say what they're for and not necessarily what they're again. and he's also going to say that republicans just can't always engage in needless ideological debates. they actually need to be able to win to put their ideas into practice. of course, you know, it's important to note what's transpired in the past year for chris christie. a year ago, he wasn't invited to speak at cpac, but he was riding high in the polls on his way to re-election, considered a 2016 front-runner, and now after the twin scandals rocking his add in

instra -- administration, the poll numbers have declined. now he is speaking at cpac, and one of the reasons is he needs the conservative base to back him up right now. >> let's dip into cpac for a few moments. senator ted cruz speaking right now. tea party favorite. let's take a quick listen. >> -- fire everybody. number one. defend the constitution. all of it. defend the first amendment, the right to free speech, the right to a free press, for all of our friends in the media, free press means not having government monitors sitting in your newsroom! the right to freedom of religion, and that means, among other things, not having the irs ask citizens, "tell me the content of your prayers."

we need to stand for the second amendment right to keep and bear arms. [ cheers and applause ] we need to stand for -- >> mark, your quick reaction. lotting of red meat there, going after the media, the irs, second amendment rights. is this basically what we're going to hear from him, a stump speech? >> absolutely. you'll hear this kind of rhetoric from republican speak after republican speaker here, and in a lot of ways, ted cruz -- and he isn't necessarily seen as the rock star in the republican party he was a few months ago, but he does embody the ethos of the conservative movement, and he's saying thins that a lot in the audience will agree with. we were talking about christie. he has expanded medicaid in new jersey. he embraced president obama right after hurricane sandy and right before the 2012 presidential election. in a lot of ways, he's different than many of the speakers you'll be hearing over the next three days. >> let's talk about the next speaker we're going to hear in this hour. we're going to hear paul ryan,

vice presidential candidate in 2012. not clear that he has presidential aspirations, but certainly not ruling them out. what's his strategy going to be? >> i think his strategy is to talk about ideas. you know, he has been someone who has been noted -- he just recently put out a paper about the -- a lot of the social welfare programs that are working, that aren't working. you'll continue to hear him. i think all of us are awaiting the paul ryan budget that republicans are going to be probably be voting on again. and he is someone who is certainly still a very notable person of the party. one of the big questions is, does he remain in the house, or does he really try to run for president in 2016? >> all right. i know you will continue to watch all of it, mark murray, thank you so much. >> thanks, kristen. >> appreciate it. coming up next, pressuring putin. former secretary of state hillary clinton's new comments on russia's president, as she tries to clarify her remarks comparing putin's moves to hitler and the nazis before world war ii. but first, a look at today's politics planner. check it out. it is a busy day here in

washington, d.c. and we will, of course, hear from white house press secretary jay carney on the situation in ukraine a little later on this afternoon. you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. more enjoyable way to get your fiber. more enjoyable try phillips fiber good gummies. they're delicious, and a good source of fiber to help support regularity. wife: mmmm husband: these are good! marge: the tasty side of fiber. from phillips.

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♪ the further you go, the more interesting it gets. this is the pursuit of perfection. u.s. lawmakers are trying to show a united front when it comes to russia, vowing to move forward with aid to ukraine's new government and exploring options to increase pressure on moscow. this morning, the house foreign affairs committee is holding a hearing on possible sanctions. on wednesday, the focus was on whether the u.s. intelligence community should have seen this crisis coming. >> the fact is, mr. secretary, it was not predicted by our intelligence, and it's already been well known, which is another massive failure because

of our misreading -- total misreading of the intentions of vladimir putin. >> we don't accept anything that president putin said as fact about why they had to protect the so-called ethnic minority in crimea. and the other reasons that the russians have laid out as to why they took the action they did. >> a spokesman for the director of national intelligence weighed in last night to say any suggestion the u.s. was caught off-guard is highly inaccurate. the cia went even further, calling it flat wrong. joining me now, former u.s. ambassador to russia and nbc news analyst michael mcfall, and also with me "time's" international editor bobby goesh. thank you for joining me. i'll get your reaction to the intelligence debate, but first i want to get your thoughts on the latest developments. you have the ukrainian parliament voting for a referendum to essentially unanimously join russia.

that's something they'll vote on later this month. first, ambassador mcfall, what's your reaction to that? >> that's a very bad development, obviously. it's very rapid. it's in the moment of a very intense crisis right now. obviously, the vote will go the way that the russians want it to go, because there won't be a election monitors there. and that's then going to create a pretext. vladimir putin will say, look, i'm just trying to abide by the will of the people in crimea, and that makes it very difficult to roll that back. >> and i just want to clarify, it was the crimean parliament who voted unanimously to join russia, just to correct myself there. bobby, let me get your thoughts on this. how devastating could this be to de-escalating the situation? >> well, i agree with ambassador mcfaul. this is bad news, because it gives putin yet another excuse. but there is another way of looking at it, and this is different sides are staking out

positions, and this is not uncommon in situations like this where sides stake out their most extreme possible positions before negotiations begin. and so, the russian -- pro-russian faction in the crimea could simply be setting up -- setting themselves up for a negotiation where now it is up to the westerners, it's up to the ukrainians to mollify them and get away with as much autonomy as they can get. >> and there's this debate about whether the united states should have known before. senator mccain says it's an intelligence failure. what is your take, ambassador? should the u.s. have known more? >> i was just in the u.s. government a week ago. and believe me, as senior administration officials -- i don't want to speak for the intelligence analysts that allegedly brief the congress, i don't know what they said -- but i participated in very senior

government officials on this issue. we were very well aware that there would be reaction and action from vladimir putin. nobody was caught off-guard that i know of. at the top levels of the u.s. government. the decision makers in the u.s. government. >> bobby, what's your tame? >> i think the ambassador is right. nobody was under any illusions about what putin could do. this is a little bit of show -- of drama in the capitol. but the issue is what could we have done, knowing what putin was going to do, there was not a whole lot that was -- options that were available to the united states, to president obama, especially since there's so much division in europe, who are at the pointy end of that particular spear. if they are not able to unite and come up with a proper plan of action, what exactly could the united states thousands of miles away have done? >> and i just want to get you to

flesh out something that was in "time." you say putin has taken an enormous gamble, arguably the biggest of his career. ukraine is now his problem, and a very large problem it is, with its internal strife and ruined finances, russia's already struggling economy can scarcery fail to support another propped-up state. is this a move on the part of putin that's not well thought out from the perspective of russia? >> well, it's a big gamble. it's not popular in russia. there's been polling in russia as recently as february where people said by a very, very large margin -- 3-to-1 even -- they're not interested in annexing ukraine, and that russia shouldn't get over-involved there. russia -- and this is not something well known, people think of russia being this great economic power because of the prices of oil and gas are so high, but the fact is the russian economy only grew 1.5% last year, despite oil being -- oil and gas being at sort of peak prices.

that tells you that there's something fundamentally wrong with the management of the economy. this year, the expectation is it will barely grow 1%, and that's before taking on the problems of ukraine, taking on the cost of moving troops and material into just the crimea. so this is not necessarily the most popular thing he's doing with his own people. >> ambassador mcfaul, there's been a lot of talk about sanctions. the white house announcing some changes today, but without the support of its international allies, how much teeth do these sanctions really have, and do they need that foreign support? >> well, obviously, to have a unity with our european allies and the rest of the international community is better than not. but i actually think we have a lot of other tools in our arsenal if we choose to use them. today was just the first step about individuals and their assets. a much bolder step down the road, if the administration should choose it, would be sanctions against russian banks.

and when you do that, it makes it difficult for russian banks to operate with banks in the west that use dollars. that would be a truly devastating sanction, and we don't necessarily need our european allies to go along with us for that. we're not there yet. i want to be clear about that. but i do think there are many other steps to take. and i draw upon my experience in the government, what we did with iran over the last several years. those sanctions ended up working. >> i want to get both of your reactions to something that former secretary of state hillary clinton said. she said a few days ago she basically likened what russia is doing to nazi germany, to the run-up of world war ii. then she clarified those statements a little bit yesterday. take a listen to what she had to say, and i want to get your reactions on the other side. >> what i said yesterday is that the claims by president putin and other russians that they had to go into crimea and maybe

further into eastern ukraine, because they had to protect the russian minorities. and that is reminiscent of claims that were made back in the 1930s. >> ambassador mcfaul, first to you, is that potentially hurtful language in the context of dealing with this diplomatic situation for the u.s.? >> well, the specific analogy is correct. i don't think secretary clinton was comparing hitler to putin. she didn't say that. but what she did say is that when governments, countries make claims that they need to go protect ethnicities that are beyond their borders, it's illegal and has negative consequences. and i would also point out the kind of unintended consequences of these moves. so i do think -- you know, to compare hitler to putin, of course not. and i'm sure that's not what secretary clinton wanted to do. but to say that we cannot allow

these kinds of annexations or interventions to stand, i think that's a very valid point. >> and, bobby, quickly, your reaction. >> well, this is a game that both sides are playing. it's interesting. the russians are using world war ii analogies, too. they're pointing out that the ukrainians, western ukrainians supported the nazis against the ussr, at least initially. so people constantly invoke these old monsters. but what we're left with is a question of what the options are. what, for instance, would president hillary clinton do if she were faced with the situation? i would really like to hear that. >> all right. ambassador mcfaul and bobby goesh, great discussion, thank you. up next, irs ire. you saw it live. the political fireworks that exploded on the hill between darrell issa and elijah cummi s cummings. next, we'll talk to a congressman who was in the room when the war of words broke out. first, today's trivia question. how many women have represented

texas in the u.s. house of representatives? the first person to tweet the correct answer to @chucktodd and @dailyrundown will get the on-air shoutout. that's next on "the daily rundown." stay with us. if i can impart one lesson to a new business owner, it would be one thing i've learned is my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions. if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner. we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone.

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i have no expectation that ms. lerner will cooperate with this committee -- >> mr. chairman. mr. chairman, i have a statement. i have a procedural question, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, you cannot run a committee like this. you just cannot do this. this is -- we're better than that as a country. we're better than that as a committee. >> a question -- if you will sit down and allow me to ask a question, i am a member of a congress of the united states of america! i am tired of this! >> and that was democratic congressman elijah cummings after an oversight committee chairman darrell issa cut off the microphones yesterday. he said he still hasn't spoken

to chairman issa about the incident at a hearing where former irs official lois lerner pleaded the fifth again. congressman gary connelly of virginia was there. thank you so much for joining me, congressman. what was your -- >> thank you, kristen. >> thank you. what was your reaction to that, and does that type of exchange make it harder to conduct business in washington? >> you know, this may seem like inside baseball to a lot of people, and just more petty squabbling, but this is about minority rights. and there was a profound disrespect on the part of darrell issa with respect to one of the most distinguished members of our caucus, the ranking member, elijah cummings, who's a real statesman. he's not somebody who plays petty politics, is not comfortable with partisan squabbling, but is asserting his right as the ranking member to be heard. to have a chairman of a committee cut off another member's microphone, because he doesn't want him to be able to speak, while considering

contempt against a woman who's invoked her constitutional protected privilege, the fifth amendment, is, you know, a mountainous irony. and a shameful episode. >> as you know, house speaker john boehner has said that lois lerner should be held in contempt. darrell issa says he's looking into that possibility. should she be held in contempt? >> no, of course not. she's invoked her constitutionally privileged -- protection, the fifth amendment. the fifth amendment was one of the most important amendments enshrined in the bill of rights. a lot of the founders wouldn't support it without the bill of rights and some cited the fifth amendment among the most important, because they had lived through star chambers under the british, saw people entrapped, and they wanted to protect against it. it's a very important privilege. it does not imply criminality or illegal behavior of any kind, and they want to strip her unilaterally of her fifth amendment protection. i believe the court cases going

all the way back to the mccarthy era are very clear that she's entitled to that protection. now, elijah cummings and the democrats wanted to be heard on the subject yesterday. and instead, the republicans were so afraid of a dissenting point of view that they took away our first amendment while stripping her of the fifth. if i were a tea party republican in this country, i would be really concerned about the actions of darrell issa and company. >> and what are you anticipating will happen next, because these hearings seem to be stalemated. can you get any more information at this point? >> well, i'm not sure we lack any information. it is quite clear that darrell issa and the republican majority and apparently speaker boehner are engaged in a star chamber exercise that all along intended to cite ms. lerner for contempt, even though she's invoked her fifth amendment privilege. and i think it's a shameful

episode of the united states congress, and has echoes of mccarthyism. and every american ought to be concerned, because they are eroding rights that are enshrined in the constitution of the united states. >> all right, congressman connolly, thank you for your time. >> my pleasure. >> we appreciate your perspective. >> thank you for having me. now, we want to take a live look at the senate floor. an incredible sight as you see his holiness, the dalai lama, as he gives the opening prayer. this is the first time the spiritual leader of tibet has done this for the senate. the chaplain of the senate, barry black, often invites other religious leaders to give the opening prayer when he's out. the dalai lama meeting with president obama last month drew protests from the government in beijing. let's take a quick listen. >> pray to buddha and all other god gods.

[ speaking foreign language ] the first sentence i read now my broken english. >> a little bit of humor there from the dalai lama who is offering the morning prayer for the very first time in the u.s. senate. up next, we're shining our tdr 50 spotlight on the woman who wants to be texas' next lieutenant governor. she's wendy davis' running mate, on what could be a history-making teicket. you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. [ male announcer ] the lexus command performance sales event

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today in our tdr 50, it's

been called the most powerful job in state politics. the governor of texas may live in the mansion, but it's the lieutenant governor who wields the most influence as president of the state senate. this year, expect a fierce race to be texas' number two. over the next 12 weeks, vulnerable incumbent lieutenant governor david dewhurst and tea party challenger dan patrick will fight it out in what promises to be a right-on-right runoff campaign. meanwhile, texas democrats are hosting the strongest lieutenant governor ticket they've had in decades can make political history and become the first female duo to run a state. >> i'll let the republicans kind of fight it out and continue to beat each other up and say hurtful and harmful things, but just know i'll be ready for whoever emerges from that runoff. >> well, chuck sat down with the democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, leticia van de putte and asked if they can

break the state's stranglehold on politics. >> things are changing in texas. yes, my name is leticia san miguel, but i'm a sixth generation tejana, sixth generation texan. it's not just latinos. we see people all over the state have a lot of enthusiasm and energy, and it's because republicans are focusing on the issues so divisive, and they're using the politics of fear, particularly when it comes to immigration. and that's insulting to latinos. it's insulting to people who are hard working and live on the texas border. >> tell me this, it seems to be one of the challenges for democrats in texas, as republicans have successfully done in the last 20 years is turn texas democrats into national democrats and culturally that hasn't really worked with swing voters. swing voters at the end of the day, they end up saying, you know what, some of the social issues or on guns or whatever it is that they've used as a wedge, what will you say that makes you stand out as a texas democrat

that makes you different from, say, an obama democrat? >> well, the comments that i'm getting on our letic leticiavandeputte.com website is the remarks of a small business owner, folks that are republican, and what they have said is republicans have crossed the line. and so, now, luis bayos is crossing the line, supporting leticia and democratic candidates. they know i'm pro-business, have always been. you know, what i want to focus on is education -- >> you think president obama is pro-business? >> i think given what the president faced when he first took office and where we are now is an incredible positive story. it could have gone the other way. so what a great job of turning this around. and texas weathered the recession better than most. >> and i was just going to ask you that. and rick perry will say texas weathered the recession because there are fewer regulations in

texas and that texas has -- is just friendlier to business than other states, because of that less regulation. is he right? >> texas has always been a state that has been blessed with natural resources, and generation after generation, we have made the best of oil and gas. >> mm-hmm. >> yes, it's partly that atmosphere that is so texan about hard work and entrepreneurship and you pull yourself up from your own bootstraps mentality. but it's also understanding when neighbor needs to help neighbor. let's face it, that almost $14 billion the economists will say will be in our rainy day fund, that's from oil and gas. >> you're saying it wouldn't have mattered -- >> i'm going to tell you that it is building upon. but right now, what the republican leaders are doing, come to texas because it's a cheap place to do labor. do we want to be the place where you have low-paying jobs in that doesn't bode well. >> should texas raise the minimum wage to $10.10? >> i think it needs to be

reflective of a life of dignity. i mean, when we know that the wages meet the needs of families so that big stores, big companies don't have to have -- >> what does that mean? different numbers in dallas than it is -- >> well, you know, texas, we're at the $7.25. >> right. would you like to see it lifted to what? >> i would like to see it lifted. i think that what we're seeing -- >> what number? >> well, the president has said $10. >> right. >> i don't know what the real number should be in our state. but certainly, we know that that's going to happen for our contractors with the federal government. when you raise the wages to a living wage to give people the opportunity, they'll buy more goods and services. i think it's a positive effect for the texas businesses. >> let me ask you a couple of questions. texas lieutenant governorship in many ways is more powerful than the governorship, and yet the governor's race is going to get allot more attention than your race. that's just a fact.

do you think you can win without wendy davis winning? >> i think that wendy and i are running strong campaigns. we're both female. we're both in the senate together. and we're dear friends. >> you feel attached at the hip, though, in this, like a ticket in the way -- >> we are on the democratic ticket. >> right. >> it has happened before where a democrat has fallen short on one position and won on the other. so that could happen. but i'm going to tell you that we're running really strong campaigns, and what we're seeing across is that people are investing back in texas. it's the place to watch. if you looked at the demographics, somebody would have said, it won't happen until 2018. i'm going to tell you, it will happen. >> every four years, oh, this is the year, this is the year, this is the year. why hasn't it been the year before? i mean, think of the 2002 ticket, the dream ticket that was, you know, brown, white, african-american. you know, it didn't work. this demographic play has always come up short. what do you say to that? >> it is the work that's been done in the last two years.

the texas democratic party is so strong. they've got 38 people in different parts of the state. i mean, we're a big state. you have battleground texas. you have a group similar to emily's list called annie's list. we've got community groups and people who are on the ground, that we hadn't had in a long time. and we've got great candidates. and let's face it, the republicans have really made it a point to alienate -- alienate people, like women, who want to be respected for their own decisions. small business owners with a franchise tax that's extremely discriminatory in texas, to small business owners. and then, the decision not to expand medicaid by governor perry left 68,000 veterans without the only affordable health care that they could have for their families. those are the types of things that all in together are moving us toward a victory. >> i go back -- considering that, you know, your fate may be

tied to wendy davis' campaign -- no campaign has another campaign be more in charge of their destiny than their own. are you satisfied with how the davis campaign is being run right now? >> wendy is an incredible woman, and on any great person's candidacy, their campaign and any campaign, they're going to have a few stumbles. let's face it, a couple weeks ago, her campaign had a tough time. i think wendy has answered those questions, and what i know about the magic of wendy davis is meet her daughters. they're incredible women. so if there are any attacks on wendy, it's about her personal story. and i think it's quite showing how men and women are treated differently in politics. >> yeah, it's pretty obvious when you say that. leticia van de putte, thanks for coming in. >> thank you very much. >> interesting conversation there. first, it was florida, this week it's texas. so where will tdr 50 take us next? that is up to you. so head to our website to vote on which state you want us to

tackle next and tweet us using the #tdr50. we'll be right back. first, today's tdr 50 texas soup -- at the breadwinner's cafe in dallas, they're serving up chicken and sausage gumbo today. sounds good from a chilly washington, d.c., that's for sure. we'll be right back.

it's trivia time now. six women have represented texas in the u.s. house of representatives. three of whom are currently serving. so now you know. and we want to congratulation today's winner, ben goodman. great job, ben. send your suggestions to "the daily rundown." we'll be right back with more from cpac. you can't always see them. but it's our job to find them. the answers. the solutions. the innovations. all waiting to help us build something better. something more amazing. a safer, cleaner, brighter future.

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back now with more from cpac where potential 2016 presidential contenders have spent the last hour selling their visions to conservative activists. you're looking live at pictures of south carolina senator tim

scott, who is speaking right now. this hour we've heard from texas senator ted cruz, who attacked washington consultants he said are telling conservatives not to rock the vote. >> they say if you stand for principle you lose elections, the smart way, the washington way is don't stand against ob a obamacare, don't stand again the debt ceiling. of course all of us remember president dole and president mccain and president romney. >> just a few minutes ago congressman paul ryan argued that infighting in the republican party is an asset, urging the gop to celebrate the messy and noisy debate. >> the way the left tells it, the republican party is in a massive civil war. there's infighting, conflict, back-biting, discord. look, i'm irish. that's my idea of a family

reunion. i don't see this great divide in our party. what i see is a vibrant debate. joining me now from cpac, terry bacon jr., political editor for thegrio.com. they're sort of mapping out the stump speeches to some extent? >> totally. we're in a conservative pep rally of sorts. ted cruz is not very popular in the senate. here very popular. when you talk about the government shutdown, there's a lot of applause about his role in this. he laze out his ten ideas. there is probably going to be ten candidates here who may run in 2016. you've already heard two. chris christie in the asp. you're generally hearing a preview of the candidates and laying out some themes in front

of a big conservative audience, and that's why they want to come here. >> perry, you're there in the room. what's the vibe like? i know there are a lot of young activist who is turned out this year. what are you seeing and hearing? >>. >> i was hear last year. a lot of nervousness and frustration about 2012, versus now, the people i talked to here feel like the republican party has momentum, they feel the failures of obamacare are helping the republicans. thee enthusiastic about wins this year's elections. people didn't like mitt romney that much. >> well, lots of red meat and we heard lots of cheers there. thanks, terry bacon. we appreciate it. >> thank you. we will of course have more on cpac and governor christie's speech later today throughout the day. that is it for this edition of "the daily rundown."

don't forget to vote for the next state in our tdr50. up next, chris jansing & company. have a great day, everyone. i'm meteorologist bill karins. another chilly cold start in areas of new england. during the afternoon we'll get some sunshine, but temperatures still struggling from the great lakes through the northeast. in the southeast watch out in florida. it's warm, humid and you will have thunderstorms, even a few strong thunderstorms from tampa to orlando all the way down to miami. in the middle of the country, the warm-up is heading your way.

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and unusual dreams. i had to quit smoking to keep up with this guy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. last hour ted cruz kicking off the cpac. >> yes, we can. you know, along with hope and change, that's pretty good. thousands of conservatives are looking for the next it candidate. is this event just a showcase for the gop identity crisis. >> we're adjourned. close it down. >> i am a member of the congress of the united states. i am tired of this! >> 24 hours after the mikes were cut and fireworks ignited, this feud smolders on. congressman elijah cummings will

hold a news conference in just 30 minutes. with democrats and republicans waging political war like that, it might be time to turn to a leader like this. his holyness, the dalai lama on capitol hill. good morning i'm chris jansing. this has been a morning of fast-moving developments. the white house already today made a move beyond diplomacy, stepping up the pressure on vladimir putin, announcing economic sanctions and directing the state department to impose visa restrictions on those supporting the -- the vote on the aid package. right now ukraine is on the agenda in two separate house hearings and there's a senate hearing scheduled to begin in an hour. the response is part of a growing and emotional debate, with some republicans blaming the intelligence community for not warning aboutth