after building that represents ukrainian authority across this region. >> bring back our girls. almost three weeks after hundreds of nigerian girls were kidnapped for school, their lament is becoming a global rallying cry. >> bring our girls back. >> we need everybody's support to just bring these girls home. we'll talk to "new york times" columnist and human rights advocate nick christoph. the president takes the bait turning partisan politics season into comedy goal at the white house correspondents dinner. >> these days the house republicans actually give john boehner a harder time than they give me, which means orange really is the new black.

good day, i'm andrea mitchell in washington. the violence in ukraine is intensifying. today ukrainian officers, four officers have been killed, 30 more wounded. according to ukraine's interior ministry this is a mob on sunday stormed a police station in odessa freeing militants. riot police stood by as the crowd gathered and chanted. hours of bloody street clashes followed in what mike mcfaul calls a major escalation in this conflict. keir take it away. tell me what the latest is from the ground. >> andrea, in slo vafrpgz, heavy

gunfire has been heard today and the news confirmed by the ukrainian ministry that a helicopter was shot down. that will be the third helicopter down we assume by pro-russia militia and hear it landed in water and people on board were not killed. they did survive. the ukrainians also claiming that pro-russia militia were using civilians as human shields and we've heard reports on the outskirts of vehicles coming out with tires shout out of people terrified but remember as well, at the same time, the ukrainian military surrounding that town and threatening to try to take it from the military forces that are inside. we were at what is essentially the town hall a little while earlier today. it is barricaded. there are russian flags flying. they declarled it -- the republic of donetsk and inside

we saw armed men in military fatigues walking around the corridors, effectively running the city from behind the barricades and that is the story across eastern ukraine despite the attempts by ukrainian military to take back control, much of eastern ukraine is clearly in the hands of people who are pro-russia and opposed to kiev. people are talking whether or not putin would move forces into ukraine. for kiev surely, the real issue is if they push harder in eastern ukraine, do they trip a civil war? at the same time if they don't push hard enough to regain control, do they leave this part of eastern ukraine to break away from the rest of the country and the problems in odessa, farther south. on sunday a mob broke into a police station and released around 60 pro-russian

campaigners who have been there at the fire, that terrible tragedy on friday when around 40 people were killed in that fire, 40 pro-russians were killed there. then last night in that same city, we saw people who are pro-ukraine marching in the streets. this is a country divided. there are many, many people here who are clearly, if you like, up for the fight. with all of the talks going on with angela merkel and president putin, it's extremely difficult to see how they get back from the brink while the west watches frankly helpless. >> bear with us, everyone, with the satellite delay, i wanted to take the advantage of having you there to ask whether you think this new trip wire that merkel and the president were discussing, which is whether or not russia doesn't help to withdraw support from the militants in time for an election to be held as scheduled on may 25th, whether that is now

irrelevant and already too out of control with american observers from the national democratic institute as well, these two congressionally mandated observer groups poised to go to ukraine and monitor these elections. >> exactly, that's the question as you know. they are asking in washington, how do you hold elections here amid all of this when you've got the former u.s. ambassador to moscow, who just left moscow, saying, this is very close to war. you have president putin saying this is on the brink of civil war. how on earth do you hold an election during that kind of state of civil unrest, if you like, if ukraine? and anyway, by the way, people here in eastern ukraine aren't talking about that election. they are talking about another election they want to hold a referendum in a week's time they want to ask whether they want to break away or be more separate from the rest of ukraine. it's difficult to see how you

can hold elections with all of this going on unless there is a significant turn. from russia's point of view it's difficult to say why they would want to intervene and ask those pro-russians who have taken control of this area to back down if you like. in a sense things are going the way that russia might want them to, whole sways of ukraine are saying, we support russia. kiev looks like it's on the back. >> keir simmons, thank you so much from reporting from the ground there in donetsk. i'm joined by senator dan coates, former u.s. ambassador to germany and met with angela merkel and others and has real understanding of the european union's posture on this and vladimir putin. i want to ask you about what many of us are perceiving as merkel not personally reluctant

but being pressured so heavily as are other leaders by business interest from moving to these next sanctions, sanctions on the energy sector and finance and the other banking interests as well as arms dealers. whether you think that sanctions have been too little, too late, too incremental too late to really have a big effect on vladimir putin. >> well, clearly they've been too little too late. they should have been imposed earlier and should go right to the russia pocketbook, damage their economy, that is ultimately going to tell the tale. i think holding off until the 25th before you impose new sanctions or any new effective sanctions is a mistake. we see what's happening there, chaos is putin's friend. clearly disrupting the may 25th election and referendum is exactly what he wants to do. we're playing right into his hands by not imposing sanctions that really hit him where it

hurts and that's in the economy. >> and what about the argument from treasury and from the administration? it's already hurting russia in its stock market and ruble and the its credit rating? >> obviously it's not hurting them enough. i joined bob corker and kelly ayotte and others to put forward a much tougher package of sanctions as well as isolation and report for nato and support for ukraine that i think had that been imposed earlier or could be imposed now would make a difference. che clearly it hasn't deterred putin at all. going after the russian economy is what ultimately is going to be a game changer in this case and we haven't done that yet. >> did you say this to angela merkel? it is the europeans who have pretty much held the president back. >> i did say that to her. we had a very substantive

discussion, two hours' worth regarding all of this. they have to get the consent of all 28 states in the country -- countries in the european union. nevertheless she was very clear when asked the question about the business interest, she would not allow this to influence her decision. she is a tough lady. she can talk directly to putin but clearly just talking on the phone isn't going to do it this time. i think we need to impose sanctions and impose it now. republicans have come up with a major package and think it will have bipartisan support. i would like to see us move forward now and not wait to see what happens. this whole narrative, we have to postpone because there's too much chaos. that's allowed by russia. if putin wanted to stop the chaos, he could. >> you don't have any doubt on the intelligence committee, you can't talk specific information, that putin is behind what is happening on the ground, do you? >> look, the osce people that

they sent over there that were kidnapp kidnapped, you need to let them go. it was putin who made that call. she would not have been able to convince the pro-russian separatists if this was something they were doing on their own. clearly putin has the upper hand here and holding all the cards and sees weakness from the west and leadership here in the united states, inability to speak with united voice with europe and taking advantage of it. >> dan coats, thanks for being with us. >> good talking with you. >> we have big news out of the supreme court. there's a ruling upholding right to prayer at public meetings. pete williams has all of the details. you followed this, at the arguments. explain the importance of this ruling today? >> the question of prayer at government meetings wasn't really at stake, it was how they are done. the town of greece, new york, suburb of rochester has a monthly board meeting and since about 1999 it's opened meetings with a prayer inviting local

clergy and as a result the town -- prayers have been predominantly christian. two women sued saying that amounted to a government endorsement of the christian faith. in a 5-4 ruling, they rejected that analysis, no problem with opening a government meeting with a prayer, the same founding fathers who wrote the first amendment hired the first chaplain to lead prayers in congress. as to whether you can sensor or regulate a prayer, the supreme court said the government should never be in the business of saying what the religious message is. as long as a prayer falls short of den greating minority religions or expressing damnation or coercion, the prayers are acceptable and kennedy said it's virtually impossible to write a prayer that's not going to offend somebody given how sensitive and deeply felt these views are. so as long as as prayer is

acceptable and doesn't cross a line into coercion, it's acceptable to open a government meeting with a prayer sfwl the 5-4 split was the predictable 5-4 split or different? >> indeed it was, justices ginsburg, briar and soto may overdissented and kagan said it tends to divide americans instead of uniting them all as americans. when you come to a government meeting, religion should have nothing to do with it. she understands the history of opening government meetings with a prayer but when you start to encourage this sort of sectarianism, it become s divisive. government prayer is so deeply established in our history that it's acceptable unless it crosses a line. >> pete williams, thank you so much. a deadly wildfire continuing to rage in oklahoma engulfing

homes and killing at least one person near guthrie, oklahoma. the fire started as a controlled burn on sunday afternoon and rapidly spread out of control fueled by temperatures nearing 100 degrees. strong winds and severe drought conditions as well contributing 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. authorities said the blaze is only 75% contained. >> with the wind conditions expected to pick up throughout the morning and afternoon, we still have some concern. we have quite a few hot spots and areas we haven't been able to reach.

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mid-terms, folks are saying that with my sagging poll numbers my fellow democrats don't really want me campaigning with them. and i don't think that's true, although i did notice the other day that sasha needed a speaker at career day and she invited bill clinton. >> ouch, that gets personal. president obama poking fun at himself at the white house correspondents dinner. as if on cue, a new pugh research poll spells out more trouble for the president. joining me now, susan page, washington bureau chief of "usa today" and julie. welcome, susan and the significance of the poll and record breaking bad numbers in terms of party identification. >> we asked who would you vote for today. by four percentage points they

said they would vote for the republican. that doesn't sound like much but it is the biggest margin they've held in a mid-term election year in at least 20 years, it's bigger than election years where they won big in 1994 and 2010. six months to go to election, a long time to go in politics but the landscape is tilted to help the republicans. >> there's also, julie, a real trend away from the president in the same pugh poll asking among voters what kind of policies they want in 2016 and by 65/30, americans say they want a president elected in 2016 to pursue different policies than this president. >> that's a really troubling number for the white house. it leaves them in a position where they have two and a half years to go and they are already seeing the country wants to move in a different direction. how do you move forward there? there had been some thinking with the president's personal poll numbers after he got

through last year and health care law had a recovery and signed more people up that maybe he would start to see his numbers move in a more positive direction. that hasn't happened and the question will be whether where he is now is where he stays through the presidency or whether he can get a bump at any point. >> at the same time, there was a lot of focus on 2016 and on candidates going forward. the president really seemed to put his finger on the scale in favor of hillary clinton over joe biden according to what any fair interpretation of his speech, first of all here's the president talking about hillary clinton and the recent incident in vegas where someone threw a shoe at her. >> it's a long time between now and 2016 and anything can happen. you may have heard the other day hillary had to dodge a flying shoe at the press conference.

[ laughter ] i love that picture. >> julie pace, that was only one of the instances where the president seemed to be referring to hillary clinton as this presumptive nominee. what are the biden folks saying about this. >> any time hillary was mentioned it was presumptive nominee and biden was the person chasing after clinton. he participated in this in the great photo you showed and pretty funny video with julia louise dry fuss. vongs his name is in the mix, that's the best he can hope for until hillary clinton makes a decision. he wants to be a name mentioned in the same breath, even in it's as sort of the second choice. >> also, another mchale joke, not the president joking about hillary clinton. take a look at this.

>> hillary clinton has a lot going for her as a candidate, experience, a natural leader and as our first female president, we could pay her 30% less. >> so, susan page, that would be a great savings. >> great selling point perhaps for the first lady. >> another big headline political headline looking towards 2016 on the republican side is rand paul, look who he took to the kentucky derby and new york times today, rupert murdoch is weighing in. a lot of people said murdoch owning "wall street journal" and fox news and other conservative media outlets will have a lot to say about the republican primaries going forward and rand paul is picking up a big -- at least a big date for the kentucky derby. >> sure, and what's interesting about this is that rand paul has taken some hits from media

outlets that rupert murdoch oversees, this is an attempt to court some of murdoch's support. we've seen paul out there trying to go after people who maybe are less of a typical republican primary voting base and now he's kind of going straight to the core of that voting base. and it also is a lot of speculation at this point still, but again, makes you realize that behind the scenes and sometimes out in public, the maneuvering for 2016 is well under way. >> and rand paul has really broadened his base. >> yes, in the new york times story refer to him as the most interesting republican in american politics today. i think that's true. he's exceeded expectations and when he's elected not just his father's son. he has a much broader appeal than ron paul ever had and really emerged as a figure in senate politics generally to be considered very seriously. >> he's proved he can work with his colleagues, republican

colleagues like mitch mcconnell and not been as much as a bomb thrower as his father was within congress. >> or as ted cruz has been. >> certainly not as ted cruz has been. susan page, thank you very much. julie pace, great to see you on the lawn there. we're now learning more about this terrible accident, what caused the terrifying circus accident that left nine performers with serious injuries. the video is graphic and could be upsetting to a lot of people. rigging holding performers for a stunt called the human chandelier collapsed plunging the women 35 feet to the ground. providence public safety commissioner confirms to nbc news that a clamp broke. the broken clamp and other equipment have been sent to a lap for testing to determine the cause of the failure. they have canceled both of today's performances. [ male announcer ] whether it takes 200,000 parts,

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veterans are calling for a thorough investigation into a veterans hospital in phoenix. 40 vets died waiting for care on a secret list. eric shinseki called for an investigation and placed three hospital officials on leave. at the hearing last week the head of the veterans affairs committee said no evidence of the allegation have been found in an initial review. joining me now, tom tear ran teen know, great to see you and thank you for being on this. let's backtrack a little bit. it took the va days to even confirm and disclose what was going on. what is this secret waiting list? >> well, there's multiple troubling things happening. if this is true, this has implications all the way through

the system. what -- people are supposed to be seen within 14 days of an appointment, whether it's mental health or physical health appointment. what it turns out is that veterans may have been waiting weeks if not months for their appointment. when the medical center reported up the waiting times to the national va, everything looked fine. the v.a. had gotten in trouble for doing this with mental health appointments in 2011. this isn't a number f new problem but if this type of shell game has bled over into the medical health system, this is going -- this has huge implications for veterans care across the country. >> we haven't independently confirmed this but it would seem -- do we think it's limited to this hospital in phoenix or is this a standard way that they cover up the huge waiting list? >> well, we know from the 2011 investigation in mental health this happened across the country. we're now finding whistle blowers are coming out of fort

carson, colorado, that clinic there had a similar type of waiting list shell game. really what this ties down to, veterans are not getting the care we need. we know that seeking care, especially for mental health care is one of the most effective things to help you on the road to recovery to prevent you from being one of the 22 who died by suicide a day. when they are out there needing care and see the va doing this type of stuff and playing game with people's medical care, it discourages them from seeking care and it's very dangerous. >> now, the veteran affairs secretary, general shinseki issued a statement saying we take these allegations seriously and as important to allow an objective view to proceed. these allegations if true are unacceptable. if the inspector general's investigations substantiates these claims, swift and appropriate action will be taken. that enough? >> we'll have to see what happens with the investigation. what we think is happening and this is based on a lot of

reports, is that what's happening at local medical centers is not being told up to national va. it's entirely likely the secretary even undersecretary didn't know this was happening. and all across the country, we might have medical centers that are playing these gameses with their waiting list so that their reporting 14 day and under wait times. we don't know. this isn't a new issue. this type of thing has been going on for quite a while. >> should there be a triage where 14 days would be the standard for something more serious but something less serious and more chronic, you could permit mem them to take longer if they are that backlogged. >> this isn't rocket science, delivery of basic medical care. >> decide who's an emergency. >> exactly. >> thanks for bringing it to everybody's attention. a major reversal from the

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sell the abducted girls and in ethiopia over the weekend, secretary kerry made a passionate statement about the crime. >> let me be clear. the kidnapping of hundreds of children by boka haram is an unconscionable crime and we would do everything possible to return these young women to their homes and hold the perpetrators to justice. >> nicholas christoph joins me now. thanks so much for being with us. explain to our audience, we've been covering this last week as well, the horror of this, which is finally becoming noticed around the world thanks to you and others the horror of the fact that so many girls were taken from the school by a group that is dedicated to shutting down girls education and that they have been potentially sold and now today the leader of the group says that allah is saying sell these girls, this is the

mission. >> it's a horror at so many levels, for these families who -- these girls are the brightest lights in their communities and in an area where female literacy is less than 50%, these are the girls who are triumphing in high school and on a road to become nurses and doctors and teachers and now they are being sold for $12 each to become the essentially sex slaves of militants. it's a horror in another level and the nigerian government has seemed uninterested in trying to recover them. it's been almost three weeks now. the parents went after the kidnappers with bows and arrows but the nigerian army has seemed uninterested in doing very much. it's a horror at the broader national level. if we can try to figure out how northern nigeria can make real progress, the solution will have to involve educating more young people and especially educating

girls and bringing those educated women into the economy out of the margins. and if girls are being kidnapped, no parent is going to send their daughter to school again. >> in fact, all of the schools have been shut down for boys and girls in that region. they have accomplished its horrific purpose. i was talking to a young student, nigerian student here, college senior who helped organize rallies in washington and elsewhere. she said this is our future, they are stealing our future. some of these girls were there, extra girls not just that class there because i'm told it was a physics exam, graduating exam in physics for crying out loud. this is what these kids were studying. >> that's right. what strikes me is of course, in this country, we take education for granted. these girls knew the risk they were taking and knew that their schools were at risk of being attacked and other schools were

shut down and they wanted to take their final exams and they undertook that peril and at the school, at this government boarding school for girls to take their final exams and that's when boko haram struck. they were willing to brave that risk in hopes of getting an education. and unless the government and nigerian military go after the kidnappers and recover these girls, then it's just a huge blow not just to these young women but the entire future of nig nigeria. >> i want to read the translation from this video of what he said the leader of boko haram. he said western education should end. western education should end. girls, you should go and get married. he then goes on to say, i will sell them in the market by allah. there is a market for selling humans. he demancommands me to sell wom.

i sell women which brings us back to the human trafficking yet the united states has spent $20 million in this past year, past budget cycle trying to help nigeria combat terrorism and i'm told by the deputy secretary in charge nigerians were reluctant to ask for help. we have drones and satellites. how can you not find 300 girls in the bush? >> i think the nigerian government has seen this as an embarrassment. and the latest reports are that the the wife of the president has ordered two protest leaders arrested because they were advocating on behalf of these kidnapped girls. when you have a government that instead of going after the kidnappers to try to recover these girls, trying to excelch the city by detaining protest

leaders, it's just a reflection of everything that is going wropg and why these girls are no closer to getting home after more than two and a half weeks. >> yet we could spend god knows how much to find a missing airplane and these are children who have been sold to ethiopia and chad and militant groups there and no one has put any military assets into this up until this time. in the wealthiest country in afterry ka we should point out. this is a frontier style region but nigeria is oil rich and is going to be hosting the world economic forum, the davos group this very week. >> that's right. i do think we can -- there is some role for naming and shaming. as you say, with the mh 370, there was really an international effort there and kept up by the media, shining a light on this.

here in nigeria it seems there are even more girls missing than tlerp passengers on that plane and there hasn't been any kind of international effort to help. in the absence of nigeria which has to show some leadership, the international community can ask questions and hold president t accountable and what he's doing to get them back and to keep other girls safe while they study in the area. >> join me, on twitter i'll be tweeting on this and the hashtag is bring back our girls. the uncertain fate of threethree al jazeera journalists. only on msnbc. tigers, both of you. tigers? don't be modest. i see how you've been investing.

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what can you tell us about the independence of the media and jailing of these al jazeera journalists. >> after they were arrested the government issued a statement to assure foreign journalists they'll have free access and right to work throughout egypt and security and safety. our present president sent a letter to families of the journalists assuring them there would be a free fair trial and could not intervene in the process but follow it with the legal system. >> egypt's foreign minister on the show last week defending his government's jailing of al jazeera journalists since last fall. the latest hearing took place on saturday. a rare appeal was made to the judge defending their jobs as journalists, but the judge denied a request from bail. the next hearing is scheduled for may 15th.

i'm joined by sue terten here in the states on a visit to i assume other things get world attention on this. this is incredible. >> get more attention, get the administration here and congress senators here to keep up the pressure. some people might think how much is diplomatic pressure making any difference, but even prison conditions, we know the day the white house made a statement a couple of months ago saying it coincided with the same day the cairo press corps came out and said you're keeping two journalists in a maximum security, what they call the worst possible prison you can keep people in. keeping them in 24 hours a day they are in solitaire confinement and that meant they were taking out of confinement and put in slightly better conditions and three of them now show a cell, they are together and try to keep more ral up together. >> mohammed fami was given an

award and you're also under indictment or threat of arrest for your work in cairo? >> they basically pointed the finger at five of us working in the cairo. i was in the country when they sent security forces into our hotel room and they have charged me with aiding and abetting a terrorist organization. i have to say we've had seven sessions in court so far and three guys have been in a cage in the prison and not provided a shred of evidence that we did anything like that. our behavior was just like international journalists last year including nbc's, we try to tell a story. they are now basically calling journalists terrorists in cairo. >> you're covering the conflict between the muslim brotherhood, president morsi and the success regime which the united states government deliberately doesn't

call a coup because there would be all kinds of sanctions if that were the case and the u.s. administration is still grateful that egypt is supporting the treaty with israel and not ab lig gating others. >> he stopped aid to egypt because they were worried about how egypt was treating not just journalists but any opposition, including muslim brotherhood. it hasn't been replaced so far and the conversation i've been having here is that the aid won't be replaced and won't be given back to egypt until they show that they will release the journalists there and they recognize that they are on the road to a democracy as they have promised they want to be. >> and the secretary general met with the foreign minister i believe or thrs or friday and issued a statement, which included this criticism, saying that he conveyed his strong concerns over the imposition of political mass death sentences

and large number of arrests and sentencing under the recent law regulating protest reports about prison conditions as well as the continued detention of journalists. if journalists cannot cover these kinds of conflicts, political conflicts, then there is no exposure to the world of what is happening inside egypt. >> i would call the freedom of the press, freedom of free speech a pillar of democracy. i happily say it lays in ruins in egypt not because of the way they are treating foreign journalists but a huge crackdown on local journalists all of the tv channels and press carry the line of the military backed government. even when we saw a referendum for new constitution earlier this year, that was supposed to be a free vote, anybody that went out and tried to put a no poeflter up was arrested or beaten up. if egypt is going to demonstrate to the world it's going to have free and fair presidential elections later this month, i

think it has to demonstrate it's willing to steel a free press and speech and really treat people with proper human rights and dignity. >> thank you so much. sue turton, our solid dart with your clolleagues in cairo. three young women one year ago escaped from the horrific cleveland home after more than a decade. today in an exclusive interview with savannah guthrie on "today," michelle knight offered remarkable words of forgiveness for the man who inflicted years of abuse, torture really. she now goes by a little name, lillian rose lee. and sharing survived vifal story in a new book "finding me." what she enjoys most about finally being free. >> being able to wake up in the morning and make a cup of coffee

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in return for a handful of sanctions and really nothing more, look at what putin has gained. he is winning and it is really one of the more disgraceful and shameful chapters in american history. >> that's of course, senator john mccain talking to casey hunt calling on the white house to toughen sanctions against rush kbsia and provide weapons ukraine. senator mccain will join me here tomorrow. it's primary day across the country and susan page is back with us, the first of the 2014 big republican primaries, tomorrow north carolina. >> that's sort of a proxy fight between establishment candidate, and rand paul has a favorite,

libertarian candidate as well and mike huckabee -- >> a minister, yes. >> all of the big factions in the gop and in perhaps the most crucial senate race we're going to see against kay hagen in north carolina, the legislative leader has to get 40% to avoid a runoff. you never know what's going to happen in a runoff when it's one on one. >> the rand paul candidate is greg banen, libertarian and mike huk abee endorsed harris, a social conservative. a pretty good three-way split. >> maybe we'll see which of the 2016 hopefuls has the most sway with voters in a state that is becoming increasingly a swing state in presidential politics. >> always love tuesdays, primary day somewhere. great to have you here today. that does it for us. tomorrow on the show senators

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lots of big news, good luck jonathan is joining the course of bring back our girls. luck is on the side of republicans this midterm and the dems are pressing their luck with a benghazi boycott. will it grow into a mancott? >> new wave of violence in a country divided. >> ukraine is a country where the rule of law being replaced by a mentality. >> both sides now talking about this as a war. >> you're saying that you think that the democrats should not appoint anybody to the special committee? >> that's what i would recommend. >> there's a very loud delusional minority driving our politics. >> i do not know why any democrat would want to participate in this.

>> red herring and waste of taxpayer resources. >> the kidnapping of hundreds of children is unconscionable crime. >> officially claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of more than 200 nigerian school girls they oppose western education, especially for women. >> a horrifying accident at the circus in rhode island. 15 to 25 people were injured when the platform gave way. >> that was absolutely horrific. oh, my gosh. >> i'm feeling sorry, believe it or not for the speaker of the house as well. these days the house republicans actually give john boehner a harder time than they give me, which means orange really is the new black. >> first up, benghazi, benghazi, benghazi, even after 13 congressional hearings and independent review, is the an