hey, stick around, we've got chuck todd with gary kasparov, bobby fischer, and you won't believe this, paul lynde from "hollywood squares." >> joker, joker. ♪ checkmate, as russian leaders cheer crimea's craving to leave ukraine and join russia. vladimir putin makes public and private moves to map out the future of russia's neighbors. we're going to hear from legendary chess champion turned putin provocateur gary kasparov. also, the tdr 50 features texas titans taking their turns at the conservative party on the potomac. plus, a look at rising lone star state stars, and a chat with one who shared blunt thoughts about the reality of life in washington. and at cpac, rolls on this morning. one red-blooded reaganite says

republicans in washington look like a crime family instead of a party of ideas. yes, he's serious. yes, you can call him "surely." good morning. it's march 7, 2014. we have breaking news at the top. the jobs numbers are out after bumping along with pretty weak growth for the last few months, a little more of a solid number today. the economy added 175,000 jobs in february. it's the best number since last fall. the unemployment rate did tick up to 6.7%, meaning more people are getting back into the labor market. it follows two disappointing months and will certainly fuel hopes that perhaps we'll avoid another spring drop-off that has been -- it seemed like a cyclical thing we've been watching. in addition to the february figure, both the december and january numbers were revised up by a total of 25,000 jobs. by the way, today's number could have been even better -- 600,000 people didn't work because of the weather. now, as far as the sectors -- business and professional

services were way up, adding 79,000 jobs. food services were up 21,000. and construction was up 15,000. retail was down. losing about 4,000 jobs. the information industry was also down, losing 16,000. we're going to check back in after the markets open to see how wall street's reacting to these somewhat better-than-expected figures. now, let's get to my "first reads" of the morning. you're looking at live pictures now of cpac where texas governor rick perry has just started to speak. it's the largest annual gathering of conservative activists these days. they will plot strategy for 2014 and 2016, and hear from two wings of the republican party that are still locked in a bitter fight over the party's future. one cpac session this year is titled "can libertarians and social conservatives ever get along?" and today, one of the libertarians, kentucky senator rand paul, will be speaking, almost exactly a year after he set the right on fire with the

13-hour filibuster on the senate floor, and that helped him edge out marco rubio to win the cpac straw poll. the social conservative wing of the party will be represented a lot more today by some formers and perhaps future presidential candidate, mike huckabee and rick santorum. the last time huckabee had a national platform, the conservatives had to spend days apologizing. he keeps stoking 2016 speculation, heading to iowa next month to keynote an event. his publisher also announced this week he's coming out with a book in the winter of 2015 called "god, guns, grits, gravy." winter 2015. about three months before the caucuses. john cornyn, who actually more closely had a harder time escaping a runoff than maybe people thought he would in texas on tuesday. also speaking this hour. collective washington looked to texas where cornyn ended up getting just 59% of the vote, and said the establishment won.

but cornyn spent millions. his main challenger didn't campaign, meaning an anybody-but-john-cornyn vote got 41%. boy, that's a bigger deal than people realize. you needed a sign that the tea party is winning even if their candidates aren't, this picture, by the way, says it all. look at senate republican leader mitch mcconnell brandishing a rifle at cpac, bringing cold steel on stage. it's the latest on mcconnell himself knows he's in danger, needs conservative love. the establishment candidates are not surviving on an establishment message. they're surviving by falling over themselves to apiece the tea party and prove themselves to be true-blue conservatives. >> the president of the united states is treating our constitution worse than a placemat at denny's. >> it didn't take long for mcconnell's democratic rival, by the way, alison grimes, tweeting this, someone tell @teammitch, that's not the way to hold a gun. kentucky women do it better.

but if you thought south carolina senator lindsey graham would coast to victory in his primary, you need to think again. lindsey graham, mitch mcconnell, they look more vulnerable today than they did this time last week, when you see john cornyn against seven somewhat clown candidates, gets 59% of the vote. this week, presidential stars with presidential aspirations are celebrating with activists. it's the first cattle call for the 2016 race that's now wide open. the ballot this year includes 26 names. on thursday, new jersey governor christie argued that the party will win on electability, while texas senator ted cruz says it's ideological purity that matters. >> we've got to start talking about what we're for and not what we're against. we don't get to govern if we don't win. >> and they say if you stand for principle, you lose elections.

the way to do it, the smart way, the washington way, is don't stand against obamacare. don't stand against the debt ceiling. don't stand against nothin'. of course, all of us remember president dole -- [ laughter ] -- and president mccain and president romney. >> but when you're in trouble, by the way, you need your base, and conservatives have never been thrilled with christie. he was snubbed last year at cpac after publicly embracing the president during hurricane sandy. it's clear that this year, christie went to cpac to try to get his base back. he started by defending the koch brothers, and then he went on from there. >> harry reid should get back to work and stop picking on great americans who are creating great things in our country. man, that's leadership, isn't it? you're the leader of the government, you see something going off the rails, and what you decide to is stay as far away from it as possible. if that's your attitude, mr. president, what the hell are we paying for? tell me, sir, the last pro-life

democrat allowed to speak at a democratic convention. don't strain yourself, because there's never been one. they're the party of intolerance, not us. we have to stop letting the media define who we are and what we stand for. >> now, it wasn't just christie trying to get the attention of conservatives by bashing the media and the president. >> we have long thought and said this president is a smart man. it may be time to revisit that assumption. how many moms and dads have told their little children anybody can grow up and become president of the united states? unfortunately, in 2012, we learned just how true that is in this great country. >> florida's marco rubio is trying to rehabilitate his image that was battered among conservatives during the immigration debate by becoming the spokesman for american exceptionalism. and he's presenting himself as a contrast to the more isolationist voices in the party these days, like rand paul. the question is whether that tactic will work in a party that

is becoming more skeptical of foreign entanglements. even rubio gave a nod to that skepticism. >> there is only one nation on earth capable of rallying and bringing together the free people on this planet, to stand up to the spread of totalitarianism. that doesn't mean we're going to be involved in 15 washes or that american foreign policy needs to involve armed conflicts on every corner of the planet, but we cannot ignore the reality of who we are. >> by the way, we haven't heard many speakers at cpac make a case for governing. the exception was paul highian who argued infighting in the republican party is proof of a healthy battle of ideas. >> take senator marco rubio. he wants to repair our safety net. take chairman dave camp. he wants to lower tax rates for businesses and families. right now, the tax code is ten times the size of the bible and has none of the good news. consider obamacare.

the way the president talks, you'd think there's no alternative. we've got plenty. >> one more thing for a party struggling to change its demographic destiny, this picture taken by a brookings institution fellow of an almost empty ballroom at a panel on republican outreach into minority communities, should be a bit of a warning. you don't want to play into your party's stereotypes, and the cpac panels on immigration were well informed, respectful, and representative of diverse views, and also attended by just about 50 people. joining me now to talk a little cpac is craig shirley, bestselling reagan biography. good morning to you. >> thank you, chuck. >> i want to talk about the history of cpac. you and i remember the days of when cpac was small, conclave. you go back farther than me. >> doing press releases on stone tablets. >> there you go. and it was something the establishment ignored, and it truly was anti-establishment in a positive way.

i mean it -- how would you describe it? >> yeah, you're slightly right. it started in '74, a small group of conservatives, the mayflower hotel, governor ronald reagan was the star speaker. but the republican establishment not only ignored it, they attacked it. but conservativism properly understood in the context of american history has always been about revolution. it's always been about challenging the status quo, challenging the conventional thinking. that is what reagan understood, and that's what made his candidacy so exciting in 1980, because he was challenging the establishment of not only washington, but of the republican party. >> whether you look at speaker after speaker, and it's basically republican elected officials are running over each other to get onto the podium. >> yeah, the world has changed. >> yeah, well, is this a positive -- is it a positive thing for cpac and the conservative movement? or has cpac lost its way? >> i don't think it's lost its way. some people think it's become part of the establishment. as long as they resist the

temptation to allow the establishment republicans -- i heard a commentator on another cable station yesterday said that republicans saw the convention as a way to bring together the establishment and the more hard-line elements, referring to cpac as a republican event instead of what was it always was was a distinctly conservative event. as a matter of fact, didn't go out of its way to invite a lot of republican candidates. >> they didn't want to do that. >> yeah, a separate identity. and the conservative movement, even during the reagan years, still had its own separate identity. >> i want to ask you about a quote. you said the washington republican party, in an interview with breet bart, it more resembles a crime family than a movement of ideas. a rough quote. >> yeah. >> are you referring to all of the special interests groups -- [ overlapping speakers ] is this a reflection you think too many interest groups have too much power in the party? >> i think the party has split

itself, and everybody's discussed that. the question is whether or not it's ever going to bring itself back together. i'm dubious, because both sides have sufficient resources to continue to stay separate and apart. the establishment republicans have media power and corporate money to stay -- to continue forever. and the tea party-reaganite have their own resource, because they have their own media resources, and own resources of money. also a government philosophy. and you have two competing philosophies. they're about freedom, and the establishment is about security. and those are two different competing philosophies now that are probably going -- we'll see for a long time inside the republican party. >> let me ask you this. i look at this week, i look at cpac, watch mitch mcconnell, john cornyn, is the establishment winning or is the tea party movement winning? >> i would say the tea party populous in terms of advancing ideas and returning the party back to its organizing -- freedom as an organizing

principle, but it's a fight that will go on for a long, long time, because the establishment still has -- you know, people don't normally quit until they run out of resources, and the establishment has resources to continue the fight. >> you could argue, are they being successful at co-opting the tea party movement? they're not actually making their case for the governing and security wing of the party. >> you talking about the establishment. >> yeah. >> they are making their case. you still see the neo-con publications and establishment publications make the form for passionate conservativism or big-government conservativism, but big-government republicanism. so they are still advancing the arguments that were advanced during the bush administration. >> you feel like they're losing right now? >> yes. >> the man who knows his conservative movement from when it was just -- when it was just a small festival, now woodstock for conservatives. >> when my children were running around cpac. >> all right, thank you very much. up next, someone i've been wanting to get on the show for weeks, it hasn't been easy, but we found the time to make this

work. he's a chess champion but incredibly vocal critic of putin, and his name is gary kasparov. governor christie and president obama are both heading south, but the attention is on rand paul's cpac speech. how does he present himself as a potential presidential candidate? save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.ould yep, everybody knows that.

well, did you know the ancient pyramids were actually a mistake? uh-oh. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. 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. guaranteeing professional level results. ♪ make every day, her day with a full menu of appetizers and entrées

crafted with care and designed to delight. fancy feast. love served daily.

think of the situation in ukraine as a stone rolling down hill, gaining speed despite u.s. efforts to slow it down. and with each passing day, vladimir putin is moving closer to his goal of redrawing the map of eastern europe. in moscow, members of the

parliament stood and applauded for the crimean delegation, saying it wants to secede from ukraine and join russia. a public vote is set a week from sunday. it's a chance for russian to restore crimea 60 years after khrushchev gave it to ukraine. president obama said he's not going to let that happen. >> the proposed referendum on the future of crimea would violate the ukrainian constitution and violate international law. any discussion about the future of ukraine must include the legitimate government of ukraine. in 2014, we are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders. >> there was no red line in the president's statement there. president, though, also outlined punishments for russia, and it includes travel restrictions and plans to sanction individual businesses and individuals.

it's unclear if putin himself will be on that list. it's a question white house ducked. congress got the ball rolling, condemning russia's actions and advancing a bill to give ukraine $1 billion in u.s. aid. overseas, john kerry met with his russian counterpart for the second time in two days and there were no breakthroughs. kerry said, though, this time, time is running out. >> we agreed that over the course of the next hours, next days there is an imperative to try to move quickly in order to prevent a mistake or misinterpretation or any other measures that might preclude our opportunity to be able to find the political solution that we believe is the best way to proceed. >> meanwhile, president obama worked the phones, rallying more support from the japanese prime minister and spending an hour talking to president putin, laying out his plan to replace troops with international monitors. no word on how putin took it,

but we got an interesting statement from putin's spokesman this morning. in it, the spokesman says despite trying to explain russia's position, quote, we have hit a wall of no understanding. the spokesman added, it is rather sad and what is worse is that it is very bad from the point of view of possible repercussions. nbc's jim maceda has more on what this spokesman was trying to say from moscow. >> reporter: hi, chuck. well, kremlin watchers tell us putin is genuinely frustrated by the apparent gulf between his position on ukraine and obama's. putin wouldn't understand why after so much talking obama still sees the crisis uniquely as a russian military intervention, or why a pro-western, pro-nato nationalist government in kiev is such an existential threat to russia's interests. meanwhile, putin's actions in crimea clearly resonate inside russia. his latest approval rating is a whopping 70%. i mean, that's the highest since he began his third term some two

years ago. putin's tough stand on crimea with seemingly little care about world reaction really does appeal directly to the large majority of russians who believe that crimea was, is, and will always be russian. back to you. >> thanks, jim. i'm joined by a man you may recognize, born in the soviet union, garry kasparov was a chess grand master at 17. world champion at 22, the top player in the world for two decades. he famously split two matches against ibm's super computer in the '90s, but after retiring, he put his efforts into politics. he even ran for president himself. he's been arrested multiple times for protesting the russian government. in 2005, garry kasparov founded the united civil front to preserve democracy in russia. mr. kasparov joins me now. good morning, sir. >> good morning. >> i want to start with your reaction to this report i just got from my colleague, jim

maceda in moscow, that public support for putin is now up in the last week essentially since this crisis that he created with the west. what explains that to you? >> no, i think it's just history repeats itself. 24-7 propaganda, keeps talking about restoring great russia, and it reminds me what was happening in germany in the late '30s. if we had the measure ratings in 1938, hitler would be 90 plus. people are paralyzed by the magic of putin's attack on crimea where he can restore what many believe are russian territorial integrity, wrongly believe, without a single shot. >> you've been very critical of president obama, in particular, believing he has not stood up against putin enough in various ways, and that this is the result of that.

set that criticism aside. what do you want him to do now? he did not draw a red line yesterday. there was not -- he said that this -- it was no -- okay, if russia continues to force this situation in crimea and somehow annexes it, there was no "you can't do this," it's a violation of international law, he said, but no red line. should he have drawn one? >> he already drew one red line and he failed. i don't think words are going to work. in putin's eyes, words are cheap. when you're dealing with dictatorship, you should remember that every time you postpone a decision, you have to pay a high price, because now obama needs to act and send the right step. i think it was the right decision, but announcement is not enough. you have to name names, and you have to hit where it hurts, and naturally it's not about 140 million russians who are now poisoned by these brainwashing propaganda, but 140 russian

oligarchs who keep their money not in iran, not in venezuela, not china, but in europe and america. >> and you were -- it's interesting, you were saying these sanctions are not going to work if europe is not on board, and that in many ways you wrote in this op-ed yesterday, in many ways because of russia's -- you didn't say it this way, but i've seen others say it this way -- russia has essentially bought off europe right now. do you think europe can be rallied to the side of the u.s. on these sanctions? >> someone has to take a lead. and it was always the united states of america to take the lead opposing the dictators. and this time, obama has to rally support in europe. i think the european public opinion is slowly changing its position. i think people recognize that what we're seeing in crimea, it's not a referendum. it's not democracy, because can you not do a referendum in ten days at gunpoint. and it's naked aggression, and it's a forced change in the

borders, on the country borders, since world war ii in europe. and that's why everybody has to act, because putin will not stop in crimea. next target will be east ukraine, next kiev, next baltics, because it's a logical dictatorship. he needs to add to his portfolio of successes. if people are poisoned by this nationalistic propaganda, it will require more and more blood and more and more territorial concessions at the expense of russian neighbors. >> all right. every russian scholar i've talked to believes that both bush and obama just don't understand putin. obviously, you've been somebody that's been saying this at a time when others weren't, now a lot of people sort of share your view on putin. what does move him? is it money? is it transactional? if you go after these billionaire -- the oligarchs of russia -- do they have influence over him? >> probably yes. it might be late, but still it's the best chance, because putin already has burnt all the bridges.

and he has only one item on his agenda -- to stay in power. he's already in power a years and planning to stay in power the rest of his life. that's why we cannot expect him to soften his stand, because he cannot back off. but there are many people surrounding him who do not believe they burnt all the bridges, and i think they have considerable influence. and if they're threatened, the fortunes abroad are threatened, i think there is a fair chance that we'll see certain changes in russia. >> all right, garry kasparov, a longtime putin critic, of course, former chess champion. you're now a citizen of croatia, but you still do activist work in russia. do you -- >> i'm going to keep -- yeah, i have dual citizenship. i keep my russian passport. but i'm not coming back, because i don't think that right now it will be -- it will be wise. >> all right. garry kasparov, thanks for coming on the show. good talking to you. >> thank you very much.

there's one statistic right now that i'm obsessed with, and it's an election year money milestone that will blow your mind, and it's coming up after the break. first, here's today's trivia question -- who has headlined both cpac and a show on the las vegas strip? first person to tweet the correct answer to @chucktodd will get the on-air shoutout. hungry for the best? it's eb. want to give your family the very best in taste, freshness, and nutrition? it's eb. want to give them more vitamins, omega 3s, and less saturated fat? it's eb. eggland's best eggs. eb's. the only eggs that make better taste and better nutrition... easy. eggland's best eggs. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. it's eb.

we still run into problems.

that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement, standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual at... today. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

no two people have the same financial goals. pnc investments works with you to understand yours and helps plan for your retirement. talk to a pnc investments financial advisor today. ♪ 20 seconds into the opening bell, so let's take a quick look at wall street reacting to the february jobs report. the assumption is, since it was better than expected, that somehow wall street will react in that same way. so we'll see. it's up a little bit, up at the start, and we expect more as the day goes on. meanwhile, the senate is now set to vote monday on a bill that's aimed at curbing sexual assault in the military. the heated debate over which bill to use, how to handle what

some are calling an epidemic within america's armed forces, divided the senate for the better part of the year. senate gillibrand campaigned for assault cases to be resolved by prosecutors outside of the military command. gillibrand's efforts was opposed by the pentagon and others who insist it would undermine senators. they chose senator mccaskill's less stringent measure. take a listen. >> we know the deck is stacked against victims of sexual assaults in the military today, and today, sadly, we saw the same in the halls of congress. >> the argument was posed, it's victims versus commander, whose side are you on? and it's not that simple. and if you take the time to really get into the complexities of the military justice system and how these cases are handled, i'm confident that the choices the senate made today is the right one. united states united states means advanced technology. we learned that technology allows us to be craft oriented.

no one's losing their job. there's no beer robot that has suddenly chased them out. the technology is actually creating new jobs. siemens designed and built the right tools and resources to get the job done. and a hotel is the perfect place to talk to you about hotels. all-you-can-eat is a hotel policy that allows you to eat all that you can. the hotel gym is short for gymnasium. the hotel pool is usually filled with water. and the best dot com for booking hotels, is hotels.com. it's on the internet, but you probably knew that. or maybe not, i don't really know you. bellman: welcome back, captain obvious. captain obvious: yes i am. all those words are spelled correctly.

all right. before you assume this is another crying wolf story about money and politics, you have to understand a statistic that i'm going to give to you that has turned a number of heads this week. campaign spending has just crossed a threshold that never seemed possible. house and senate campaigns have already spent more than $333 million. that includes outside groups, through january of this year. the outside spending on these campaigns, we're talking about the koch brothers, other billionaire bank rollers, left and right, that's already topped $41 million. add it all up, and we get a grand total of $374 million so far. so here's some perspective. compare that mountain of money so far to the overall total spent by george w. bush and al gore and everyone else who ran for president in 2000, just 14 years ago, they collectively spent $343.1 million, for their entire presidential campaign. 14 years later, look where we're at. get this, 2014 outside spending has eclipsed the outside

spending for any midterm in u.s. history. why are the big campaign bucks getting so much bigger? how will it change the next election? i'm joined by msnbc news' political editor, domenico mo h montenaro. >> i know people say, oh, whatever, every year it breaks a record, but this is beyond anything that was imaginable. >> thouno, this is beyond anyth we could have thought of. think about this, from 1990 to 2010, over 20 years -- just $25 million spent by outside groups. >> $25 million total. >> total. over 20 years. we have now -- outside groups have now eclipsed that combined by 16 million. that was before anybody even cast a vote. because this is through january, even before the texas primary started. >> so all of this, it's interesting, we have all of these different, amazing statistics you've come up with the various ways, but we've gone back, and you sit there and people say, well, money in

polit politic, people whining about this, and what makes this one different, it is totally outside the two political parties. they have no control -- campaigns running and even the political parties have no control over what the billionaires are doing. >> everything is also being pushed back. everything is starting earlier, earlier. we've seen it with the presidentials, starting, you know, next year, we'll really start to see people lay the groundwork in iowa and new hampshire. not only lay the groundwork, they're already starting to campaign in a way in some of those places. and when you look at even the outside spending now, that stuff has already, you know, eclipsed every presidential for outside spending except 2012, and we're halfway to that number. >> i expect a lot of this to be covered by another network where you're headed, our friends at pbs in "the newshour," heading up the political coverage over there. i hate to see you go. it's an incredible opportunity. you know everybody here at nbc and msnbc is proud of you. today is your last day here. >> thank you. everyone should tune into pbs.

>> we're not escorting you out. get security. everybody. security, stat. >> it comes on after "nightly news." >> there you go. >> and you have a dvr. congratulations. tdr 50, lone star rising stars are next. tdr 50 texas soup of the day -- serving up chicken tortilla in san antonio. it's a popular place. you may recognize these guys who had lunch there just last week. yeah, that's right. that's bill clinton, san antonio juan castro, and former hud secretary henry cisneros, and, of course, gregg popovich, the spurs coach. this is kevin. 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. and you'll see just how much it has to offer, especially if you're thinking of moving an old 401(k) to a fidelity ira. it gives you a wide range of investment options... and the free help you need to make sure your investments fit your goals -- and what you're really investing for. tap into the full power of your fidelity green line. call today and we'll make it easy to move that old 401(k) to a fidelity rollover ira.

when jake and i first set out on 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.

humans. even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. namely, other humans. which is why, at liberty mutual insurance, auto policies come with new car replacement and accident forgiveness if you qualify. see what else comes standard at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? get outta the health care business! get outta the education business! stop hammering industry! let the sleeping giant of american enterprise create prosperity again! my fellow conservatives the

future of this nation is upon you! it belongs to you! >> when a career state department official dared to speak the truth about that terrible night in benghazi, a night when four americans lost their lives, go we get accountability? [ audience shouts ] >> no! >> and then obamacare. where do we even begin? here's a simple fact about conservatives. we're pretty good at holding people accountable. >> well, a couple of texas titans kicking off the morning at cpac, and that brings us to our "deep dive." the tdr 50 rolls along. next generation politicians like wendy davis and george p. bush are already some of the stars we've focused on. but who haven't you seen? and who will shape the politics

in the second-biggest state in the nation? these are the names you have to know right now. we'll start with three up-and-comers on the republican side. first up, dan patrick, the houston radio host who overtook david dewhurst to finish first for lieutenant governor tuesday. patrick is a tough conservative, tapping into gop frustration with the status quo. he's the favorite. by the way, if he's the next lieutenant governor, he will be dictating republican politics in that state for quite sometime. next up, scott turner. he's a tea party freshman in the texas statehouse, but his charisma could take him far. one colleague said turner is one of the few people who gets an ovation after delivering a prayer. by the way, he played nine seasons in the nfl. a third rising star to keep an eye on is state representative sarah davis. she was the only republican to oppose the controversial abortion bill last year. anti-abortion groups targeted her in the primary, but she got more than 70% of the vote. so different wings of the party represented on the republican side. on the democratic side, the rising starts agree with the woman "mother jones" called the

future of her party, and that's leticia van de putte. you saw her on "the daily rundown." she'll face either dewhurst or conservative dan patrick. next up on our rising star democratic list is state representative rafael anccia. he ran uncontested in this week's primary, and is the son of mexican and spanish immigrants. finally, lily adams. she's the deputy communications director for the dnc. she's also the granddaughter of the late governor ann richards, and she comes off as a seasoned politician even though she's only in her 20s. keep an eye on her. here to weigh in on the list is wayne slater, the senior political reporter and writer for "the dallas morning news." all right, wayne, take it away. republican side of that list, what do you make of it? and who's the one you think will be the one you're going to be covering a lot more of in 2016,

'18, and '20? >> well, i think for 2016, 2018, dan patrick may be the guy. as you said, a radio conservative, radio talk show host, state senator, very strong tea party candidate, very likely will be the next lieutenant governor. he's a take-no-prisoners tea party conservative. so i think we may see him. sarah davis is a fascinating figure, as i -- she would hate to be called a moderate, but in texas, in the republican party, she is what a moderate. very interesting. but scott turner. that's the guy that you can put your money on for the future of the republican party. he is exciting. he is extraordinary. he's only a freshman, and he's already causing big waves in the republican party about its future. >> all right. let's turn to the democratic side of the story. and again, the democratic party, it's only been potential future stars, and i left wendy davis and the castro brothers out, because they're already sort of

achieved that status. what do you make of these three? >> very good. you know, you look at the democratic party, and it's difficult to say you got anybody there in the farm team, after 20 years of in the wilderness of. the republican party -- the democratic party has had a rough party. rafael and accia, very bright, and everybody for frankly the last ten years has been looking at anchia is looked at as someone to be the house speaker and possibly the governor down the road. but lily adams, this is the one that's going to cause waves today. lily adams, the daughter of cecile richards, i've known her since she was a toddler. i saw her speak at ann richards memorial, the service, after the governor. she is extraordinary. she is bright. she ain't gonna run for anything in the near future, but if i had

a dollar, i would say lily adams, if she comes back to texas and runs, will be the governor of texas in 15 years. >> how about that? and very quickly, let me ask you this. the base of the democratic party feels as if it's in san antonio. do you have to be from dallas or houston to do that these days and same question on the republican side, where is the best place to have your base to run statewide? >> people think that the south texas area with its hispanic-rich vote field is where the democratic party is going to make head roads. it's really going to be in the cities -- houston and dallas, and a growing constituency in san antonio. you mentioned leticia van de putte, as the person running in a part of the future of the party, running for lieutenant governor. >> right. >> she's bright. she's extraordinary.

from are other state legislators from san antonio area, so it could be there. that's who the future will be for the republican party. >> wayne slater, thank you, sir. the dean these days of the texas political reporters. now to more familiar names on the list of democratic rising stars, texas congressman joaquin castro and julian castro introduced to the nation at 2012's democratic convention. for congressman castro, the reality of being in congress has been full of frustrations. as castro writes in a story for "texas monthly," fascinating and worth reading the entire thing. congress is a place with more heart than courage, more good souls in washington than brave ones. i learned that whole is not always the sum of its parts, and that what you put in doesn't

always match what you get out. that's because gridlock isn't just the result of a bunch of people who can't agree on anything. it's the result of the customs and traditions that enable those people to cause dysfunction. it was tough words, but fascinating one. congressman castro joins me now. good morning to you, sir. >> good morning, chuck. >> you know, it's funny, when you wrote this piece, the quote that everybody took away from it was your encounter with john boehner and you talked about the whole -- >> sure. >> -- cantaloupes comment that steve caking made, and you wentp to boehner, and he used an expletive to describe king, and it certainly made you feel better about boehner as a person. what does the incident tell you? on one hand, the republican speaker of the house had a bonding moment with you. and yet it's not as if we're getting anywhere, particularly, say, on the issue of immigration. >> for me, it was an indication of how privately republicans are sympathetic on the immigration issue in that example. but then, publicly, take a very

different position. and in that moment, you know, john boehner showed some humanity in understanding that steve king had been very harsh to a group of innocent kids who of innocent kids who came to this country by no fault of their own. >> you know, tell me this, compare the texas legislature and being a member of the minority party there with being a member of the minority in congress, what's worse? >> well, you know, i've been in public service now for going on 12 years and i've never been in the majority. i was in the minority in texas for five terms and the minority in the house of representatives. the biggest difference is in texas we still pass legislation, you know, we still pass over 1,000 bills each session. in congress, i think we only passed about 58 bills last year and it was the least productive year on record since we've been keeping record of production in congress, and so that's probably the biggest difference. >> do you feel as if, though, a

democrat who sponsors a bill and a member of the minority party in texas has a better chance of getting that piece of legislation passed than a democrat who sponsors the bill in the minority in congress? >> absolutely. as a texas democrat, you were never going to really accomplish the big things you were going to accomplish, but you were still able to pass local bills and even some medium-range important bills. in congress, that becomes very difficult. you have people, even senior ranking republicans, who aren't passing any legislation. >> is 2014 the year that texas democrats finally elect someone, some member of their party to a statewide office? >> i believe so. i think we've got a good shot, you know, wendy's got a fighting chance. la tiesha vanderpute has a chance. i think, chuck, the republicans are going to meet democrats half way because they've become so extreme, particularly dan patrick, who's spoken of diseases immigrants are

bringing, it is reminiscent of what happened in california with pete wilson in the 1990s. >> you think that accelerates the democrat party's opportunity to cycle if he's the republican nominee? >> oh, absolutely. >> all right. joaquin castro, member of congress, brother of san antonio's mayor. incredible ride-up, first-person account of mr. castro goes to washington. i encourage you to read the entire article. thank you, sir. >> thank you. trivia time, ronald reagan has headlined both cpac and a show on the las vegas strip. congratulations to today's winner. we'll be right back.

my sinuses are acting up and i've got this runny nose. i better take something. truth is, sudafed pe pressure and pain won't treat all of your symptoms. really? alka seltzer plus severe sinus fights your tough sinus symptoms plus your runny nose. oh what a relief it is [ male announcer ] nothing says, "you're my #1 copilot," like a milk-bone biscuit. ♪ say it with milk-bone.

♪ honestly? i wanted a smartphone that shoots great video. so i got the new nokia lumia icon. it's got 1080p video, three times zoom, and a twenty-megapixel sensor. it's got the brightest display, so i can see what i'm shooting -- even outdoors, and 4 mics that capture incredible sound. plus, it has apps like vine -- and free cloud storage. my new lumia icon is so great, even our wipeouts look amazing. ♪ honestly, i want to see you be brave ♪ ♪ time for today's take away. we are wrapping up our second week of our tdr 50. we're looking at the political landscape in every state of the

union for the rest of the year. this week, of course, we focused on texas. the nation's very first primaries of the year were held this week, and not only did you get a look at the lone star state's rising stars, we tried to demonstrate how the story lines in texas aren't confined to texas, the changing face of the conservative movement, all taking place all around the country and in the state of texas. which state is next? after listening to you viewers, here's what we said, colorado. we decided to head west. great state of colorado, take a look at the politics of the sen ten yal state. one of the big reasons why colorado matters if the republican party can figure out colorado, maybe they can figure out their problems for 2016. that's it for this edition of "the daily rundown." coming up next, chris jansing. it is social skefsh i have day at cpac. interesting to hear those speeches. catch all of it here on msnbc.

[ coughs, sneezes ] i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] centennial your eyes depend on a unique set of nutrients. [ male announcer ] that's why there's ocuvite. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite has a unique formula that's just not found in any leading multivitamin. help protect your eye health with ocuvite.

help protect your eye health save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.ould yep, everybody knows that. well, did you know the ancient pyramids were actually a mistake? uh-oh. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. other things, you don't. [ female announcer ] charmin ultra soft is so soft you can actually see the softness with our comfort cushions. plus you can use up to four times less. enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft. but with less energy, moodiness, and a low sex drive, i had to do something. i saw my doctor. a blood test showed it was low testosterone, not age. we talked about axiron the only underarm low t treatment that can restore t levels to normal in about two weeks in most men.

axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer, worsening prostate symptoms, decreased sperm count, ankle, feet or body swelling, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing while sleeping and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. ask your doctor about axiron. thoughtful combinations, artfully prepared. fancy feast elegant medleys. inspired dishes like primavera, florentine and tuscany. fancy feast. a medley of love, served daily.

putin on the line. the president, his russian counterpart, vladimir putin, and an hour-long telephone conversation. this morning, competing versions of how that conversation played out. the president heads south one hour from now to miami, but first he'll deliver a speech on expanding the middle class at a florida high school. then, well, a warm weather weekend for the first family. and on top of the ukraine question, the president will also pass on air force one, a jobs report that's rosier than expected. already the markets are reacting. take a look, the dow up at this point 36 points. good morning, i'm chris jansing. we'll get to all that, but we begin today with day two at cpac, which got under way about an hour ago, day two featuring a trio of guys who wanted to be