this weekend that injured nine people. so far two have been released from the hospital. doctors say the prognosis for the remaining victims remains unclear. nfl teams are on the clock. the draft beginning tonight right across the street from at 30 rock. the event is going to last three days. experts expect a few surprises as any pro-draft predictions could be misdirection. all right. that's going to wrap up a thursday edition of "way too early." "morning joe" starts right now. ♪ i really have not talked to jeb about the presidency. it's hard for people to believe. >> i don't know. i could see you forgetting you were the president. i could see that. you were the president. i'm pretty sure i've always been a painter. pretty sure. pretty sure i've always been a painter of cat and feet. >> good morning, everyone.

welcome to "morning joe." it is thursday, may 8th. with us on set we have the host of "mad money," jim cramer. it's great to see you. >> same. >> it's been awhile. >> too long. >> you still mad? >> oh, more than ever. >> good. >> we love that. >> on the other side of the emotional spectrum, he's not mad -- >> never. >> he's very passionate the host of ""ronan farrell daily," rona farrell. >> mommy gave him the support system. you were a doter. i've seen you two. >> is there a thing here? >> there's a thing. it's weird, but it's a thing. >> mother/son. wonderful boy. >> mother/son? >> so willie, i decided to change my plan. you know, we've been taking all the money we make here, right? and the coupons that phil gives us --

>> you know i'm not done introducing people. >> i know you're not. but i get little cesar coupons. by the way phil has given me a frequent flier thing. a card. any eastern airline flight on the east coast, i can use it. swipe it, go. >> he didn't have to do that. >> he didn't. but i'm investing now in tech stocks. twitter. >> wow. >> he just lurched. >> and i got this mutual fund -- this whole mutual fund. all new internet stocks. >> no, no. say it ain't so. >> with a bow on top. is that bad? >> he put every cent he has in there. >> it is may of 2000. march was the peak and april was hideous. it feels like those not making money. >> what do you remember? >> twitter. as i sink with twitter. twitter is a company that we don't realize doesn't make any money. it's just a huge amount of fun. we all talk to each other on it

like we do when we see each other except i'm not being paid to talk you. and you guys aren't paying us to watch. it's just guys talking. >> that's not the idea. >> facebook makes a ton of money. facebook's better. >> i don't need your details. >> sorry. >> what is twitter's plan to make money? presumably it started out as something fun but they had an idea how to turn profit. >> sponsored links. maybe you go there. click on something you don't want to click on, make a mistake, they get paid. >> i do that a lot. we have msnbc political analyst gene robinson. >> hi, gene. >> good morning. how you doing? i'm not mad either. >> you're never mad. gene's joyful. >> sometimes i'm mad, but today i'm not. >> we'll see if we can get you there today. >> joe manages on occasion. >> and jeremy peters.

good to have you on board. >> thank you. >> okay. republicans say their investigation into benghazi has nothing to do with politics. but they're facing tough criticism. republican congressman trey gowdy who is leading a select committee investigating the attack says it would be wrong to raise money off of benghazi. here's what he said on "morning joe" yesterday. >> i have never sought to raise a single penny on the backs of four murdered americans. there are two -- still and even in a culture of hyperpartisanship, certain things that ought to be above politics like the murder of our four fellow americans. >> well, he personally has not, i guess. can't speak for the rest of his party. 30 minutes earlier the republican congressional committee sent out this fund raising e-mail. from a website called benghazi watch dogs.com. the e-mail lets recipients link

to a page that asks for donations up to $500 and refers to them as benghazi watch dogs. >> willie, we yesterday had trey here. he was passionate. we agreed with him. i was warning democrats or republicans don't need to politicize benghazi. four americans dead. he comes out and says that and 30 minutes earlier his own party undercuts him and the credibility of his investigation by asking for $25 donations off of benghazi. give me a break. >> that's the problem right there. i thought yesterday trey gowdy was good on this show saying i'll do everything i can to get to the truth and not make this a political exercise. but all it takes a one e-mail like that to show the other side it is a political exercise. if they want to raise money off this issue. he said i'm not going to raise

one nickel over dead americans. then they did it yesterday. >> i don't know why political parties do this. political parties do it. it's the republican parties now that's been caught doing it. i mean, they have undermined the credibility of this committee. they need to promise they're not going to do it again over four dead americans with $25 donations. give me a break. >> it's disgusting. it really is hideous. if republicans expect this investigation to be taken seriously at all and not seen as the most naked of political exercises to animate the republican base in advance of the election, you know, look. there are a lot of democrats out there today saying as they were yesterday that this is all political. that this has nothing to do with a search for the truth. that it has to do with a search

for votes and contributions. and the party seems to be, you know, eager to give evidence that that position is right. so they better clean it up fast if they want to be taken seriously. >> john, why don't we reach out to trey gowdy's office and see if there's anything they want to say during the course of this show in response. >> i'm sure they will. he was very straightforward about where he stands. if i was him, i would be so pissed off. they really -- you know what? they really undercut his credibility. >> and with the number of hearings -- >> i'm sure they're going to hear from him. >> he has to establish this is different if he wants to sell this to the public. they've turned out 25,000 documents. there's been tens and tens of committee hearings and meetings. they've got to prove there's substance there. >> that undermines everything they're doing. >> don't you think, though, that

in a sense if you're looking at this strictly politically the republicans would be foolish not to capitalize on this. with i've been to these town meetings across the country and benghazi comes up repeatedly. you cannot overstate how much this riles up the republican base. ultimately that's what's happening here. >> yeah. >> trust me. this is -- this is an important issue for a lot of americans, but when the washington establishment seeks to exploit it for political purposes or democrats like to pretend that nothing went wrong there, then americans look at washington d.c. you know what? on either side. and if you're trying to fund raise 25 bucks off 4 dead americans, that's why americans hate the washington establishment. >> absolutely. >> on both sides. >> meanwhile, former secretary of state hillary clinton is weighing in on the new panel. she says it's time for republicans to move on. >> there are a lot of reasons

why despite all of the hearings, all of the information that's been provided some choose not to be satisfied and choose to continue to move forward. that's their choice, and i do not believe there is any reason for it to continue in this way, but they get to call the shots in the congress. >> well, of course that's what she'd say. the white house in my opinion still stone walling. they hold back on important document where the white house ask coaching susan rice on what to say on the sunday morning talk shows. that began the center of this controversy. of course hillary clinton would like them to move on. they're not moving on and they shouldn't until the white house cooperates. >> it is in her best interest to move on as well. >> of course she wants it to move on. she's at the center of all of this. she was at the center of the 3:00 a.m. call. >> yep. perhaps there is no more vocal critic of mega donors koch brothers than harry reid.

in a one-on-one interview with chuck todd, reid clarified why he's going after the businessmen and not other big republican donors. >> it is the two richest people in the world. and they are in it to make money. that's their whole goal here. is they have zeros to their billions. and i don't think that's the case -- >> you don't think that's the case with adelson? >> i know sheldon adelson. he's not in this for money. he's got -- he's not in this to make money. he's in it because he has certain certain ideological views. now, sheldon adelson views are in keeping with the democrats. so adelson, don't pick on him. he's not in it to make money. >> he's not. by the way, we were just sitting here thinking -- i know. it's so laughable, gene. i read my forbes richest people

in the world, they're not the two richest people in the world, first of all. >> they are quite rich. >> i'd like their money, don't get me wrong. but don't say they're the two richest people in the world. >> i don't think that's the problem. >> saying sheldon not in it for the money. but the headline in today's "washington post," what does it say? >> it suggests that sheldon adelson is benefitting from his donations. he has donated to candidates around the country. many are siding with him to try and outlaw online gambling. adelson is, quote, playing three levels of chess. even bringing on democratic strategists including former senator blanche lincoln of arkansas to beat back competitors pushing online gambling. you can see more of that interview with chuck when he joins us at the 7:00 hour. >> gene's still laughing. it's because he loves america

and gene's happy. >> aren't we shock snd we're shocked, shocked, that billionaires would like to make more money. >> shocked. >> and we think it's fine that they're giving lots of money to politicians so they can make more money. and advance their interest. >> harry reid says he's doing it because he loves america. >> well, you know, god bless him then. but he happens to live in the state of nevada, doesn't he? >> oh, i never really put that together. oh. hold on. hold on. i'm connecting those dots right here. okay. thank you. >> i'm always looking out for false equivalences. i think we buy into that too often. but here's a direct equivalent. it's absolutely true. >> it's just direct. >> yeah. they're trying to make more money. anyhow, don't get me started. >> jeremy, harry reid is so obsessed with the koch brothers, they're going to have to take out a restraining order pretty

soon. but is this strategy working? he's banging this drum every day. is it working as we look at some of these races that come up in '14? >> i guess we'll know when the democrats release their next round of fund raising numbers. that's primarily what this is. it's a strategy to get democrats worked up about the involvement of these billionaires who could really with all of their money and all the spending they're doing in races on advertising could tip the balance. you know, i think this works, this strategy of going after the koch brothers works where they have business interests. that happens to be in the most contested states with senate races. alaska, north carolina, for example. where i think it gets a little bit harder for the average voter to connect the dots is in other places where the kochs are just more of a name. and that's all. you saw the latest "wall street

journal"/nbc news poll that still half of americans don't know who they are. that's consistent with a poll a few months prior to that. on the other happened, half americans know who they are. >> quickly, jim cramer, tell us. there's huge money in this. one of the funny things about what harry reid said, funny as in contemptuous, there is so much money involved in gambling, in casinos and this is as cut throat a business move. fine, let him do it, show him adelson can do. he's trying to kill online internet gambling across america. >> it's addictive. you don't need to go to the casino. >> willie, you know this. i have always been against online internet gambling. go ahead. >> the thing he has to worry about, he has to make sure that relations with china are good.

his big profit center is not in this country. it is over as the gambling mecca. and he has done incredibly well. the internet gambling, look. it's easy to kill because all you got taught is be able to say younger people get in that shouldn't. younger people can gam l. the statistics on addiction is major. >> online gambling is a horrible idea. >> horrible. >> and i've seen it first hand with a lot of people. again, just -- there's tons of money involved in this. when harry reid says that sheldon adelson is doing it because he loves america and has nothing to do with making money. >> the share will get hit if it takes off. and get hit if china cuts off the cap. >> here's the problem. when you have that kind of a wallet, you can change the law on goomabling.

if you go down the list. harry reid has that obsession with the koch brothers. we also see it as a bigger problem. it's on both sides. money's taking over politicians. it's not speech. and to the extent it is speech, it needs to be much more regulated. >> if all those people you named could only be in it for the same reasons sheldon's in it for. we'd be a better koun troy. see the flags behind me, i love america too. in case anybody didn't know. >> okay right here. one more big story before we go to break. first lady michelle obama is lending her voice to an international push to rescue nearly 300 school girls kidnapped by terrorists in nigeria. she tweeted this photo and the message it's time to bring back our girls. the islamist militant group behind the abduction is being blamed for more violence. officials say hundreds of people were killed when gunmen attacked a village near the border with cameroon. militants reportedly opened fire

at a crowded market on monday before setting fire to neighboring homes. survivors say the massacre lasted for hours. the village was apparently used by troops in their search for the missing girls. police were offering a $300,000 reward for information that helps find the young captives. the girls were kidnapped three weeks ago and the terror group is threatening to sell them into slavery. the incident has sparked outrage across the world. former secretary of state hillary clinton spoke about the kidnappings criticizing nigeria's government. >> the seizure of these young women by this radical extremist group boko haram is abominable, critical, it's an act of terrorism, and it really merits the fullest response possible first and foremost from the government of nigeria. the government of nigeria has been, in my view, somewhat

derelict in its responsibility towards protecting boys and girls, men and women in northern nigeria over the last years. >> pretty tough there on the nigerian government. there was an ap account written up yesterday that gave basically a blow by blow of what happened during the kidnapping. there was a call from the school. they had lead time. someone tipped them off by two hours these guys were coming. they called the nearby military barracks, no help came. these guys were able to flee into the vast park where they are now. what can the united states be doing beyond what we've done so far which is to send support? >> i think that technical support team will help a lot. it's the help they need. but it reveals a larger problem. african terrorism is on the rise. it is attacks by al shabab, al qaeda affiliates. i think this technical support team needs to be the kind of

support we have in place in general. >> the united states? >> absolutely. african is predicting this is the next front in the war on terror for a long time. we just haven't done enough. >> gene? >> i think it's kind of a mistake to see boko haram as a pure terror group. in fact, it's more of a criminal enterprise. what we're talking about here, i think, at base is human trafficking which has been going on in that region, in that part of nigeria for a long time. the borders are for porous. they kidnap the wrong set of girls with the wrong set of parents this time. and they happen to get this #bring back our girls to trend and catch fire and drew the world's attention. you know, this is a group -- yes, it has now the islam iic ideology, but they've been disowned by al qaeda. saying, jeez, these guys are

crazy. they don't want anything to do with this. this is also just criminality that the nigerian government, frankly, if not complicit has been at least willing to ignore what's been going on. and former secretary clinton is right. they should be held to account for that. >> gene, thank you. still ahead on "morning joe," congressman elijah cummings who says congress holding lois lerner in contempt is a throwback to the mccarthy era. he joins us on the 7:00 hour. plus tonight is the start of the nfl draft. it's our chance to bring in former nfl coach jon gruden. >> you know what? us doing that, i'm sorry -- >> what? >> that's a throwback to the mccarthy era. next you're going to tell me we have donny osmond. >> oh, we have donny osmond. >> seriously? >> he's a little bit country. >> so he wasn't talking about

the '68 election? >> no. >> we're going joe. >> up next, michele bachmann takes a strong stance against women's history. her reason in our morning papers. >> mike allen's here. he's got the politico playbook. but first here's bill kairns and a throwback to mccarthyism checking our forecast. bill, this rain -- this rain, sir, is un-american. sir. sir. >> it is. maybe we'll have congressional panels on that shortly. the rain going on in new york also back through areas of pennsylvania. it's all kind of associated with what happened yesterday in the central plains. five tornadoes were reported and a lot of large hail. that was the big predominant thing that happened. we saw numerous reports of golf ball sized hail from minnesota to texas. this video comes from oklahoma. some of this stuff was enough to put some dents in your cars. we're going to do it all over again during the day today. as far as the new york city area

goes, all morning long into probably the early afternoon, periods of light rain. it's a narrow band. so if you're down from philadelphia southwards, you should be just fine. look how warm it's going to get. into the 80s today from pittsburgh all the way back to the washington, d.c., much cooler in boston. the big story will be the middle of the country again. it is may. this is our severe weather season. unlike last week, this isn't going to be a huge tornado outbreak. but if we're going to focus on one area, it's that area in red that poses a moderate risk of severe weather. it's going to be widespread in this little area from just south of minneapolis, southern minnesota, all the way down through central iowa including the ames and des moines area. we'll see one or two strong tornadoes. along with those, large hail is likely. that's where all the storm chasers will be later this afternoon. if we have any of those storms, we'll bring them to you and give you the details. the rest of the country looking just fine in the southeast. we leave you with a shot of a fairly rainy new york city on

this thursday morning. more "morning joe" when we come right back. ♪ unlimited cash back.

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i'll keep asking. what's in your wallet? ♪ time now to take a look at the morning papers. nbc universal will pay $7.75 billion for exclusive broadcast rights for the "lockuolympic ga through 2032. they will carry nine games over the next 18 years. it marks the longest u.s. olympic agreement in history. >> it's unbelievable. ask jen. she went to the olympics a couple months ago. how was that? fabulous. great weather.

the chicago tribune. high school seniors fail to show progress on reading and math exams. in addition, 3/4 failed to show math comprehension. it's only a slight change from 2009 when the national exam was last administered to 12th grade students. the news gets worse. >> "the washington post." the national history museum bill passed yet despite pushback from some including congresswoman michele bachmann. she said the proposed museum in d.c. may put too much emphasis on the feminist movement. >> -- in opposition to this bill because i believe ultimately this museum that will be built on the national mall on federal land will enshrine the radical feminist movement that stands against the pro-life movement, the pro-family movement, and the pro-traditional marriage movement.

>> the potential museum would be funded by private donations. and a new report from "usa today" says despite invested more than $26 million, the national guard failed to sign up any new recruits. e in 2012 the guard saw nearly 25,000 potential recruits associated with nascar-related programs. only 20 met the qualifications and not one of them joined the service. >> "the washington times" fears about the impact of the sequestration cuts were exaggerated. only one federal employee lost a job. one. >> washington, d.c. oh, sequestration. oh, locusts are going to descend from the heavens and chew the flesh off the bones of 200,000 federal employees. one person lost their job? seriously? seriously? >> one. >> liberals were jumping out the

window saying it's over. sir, it's over. sir. give me a break. >> the report also found virtually every federal agency reduced bonuses, travel time, and overtime. >> and the charlotte observer, pop star clay aiken. >> i love him. >> he should have beaten ruben. >> he so should have. how do you know that? that's true, you know? >> i know. he sang "bridge over troubled waters." >> i know. it was amazing. >> he was great. so they're fighting through this democratic congressional seat. reports say aiken is holding onto a slight lead. but crisco with perhaps the most unfortunate name in this year's political campaign still says the race is too close to call. crisco says he's not going to concede despite trailing by 369 votes. >> he should -- come on. he should sing a song.

>> you weren't a ruben guy? i thought he deserved to win. >> really? >> we can argue about this. >> clay's skills were better. >> he's a great singer. >> let's hope he edges out crisco. wait, why are you laughing? >> it's just in politics it feels like that's a tough name. >> crisco is like oily? >> yeah. >> crisco party. stuff like that. >> he just might win though. let's see. with us now in new york again the chief white house correspondent for politico mr. mike allen. good morning. >> good morning. happy draft day. >> happy draft day to you. right across the street. we'll talk about that in a minute. let's talk about keystone not whether or not it's going to get through or whether or not the president will approve it, but it's huge in washington. you've got lobbyists on this, oil companies, there's a lot of money already being poured into this operation. >> turns out that keystone is definitely good for the economy. the d.c. economy.

politico added it up. tens of millions of dollars is being spent on it. the irony here is when both sides really drove down, if you will, it's not a game changer either for the economy or the environment. but it has become such a symbol, you can compare it to years ago, acid rain. which was a decades-long fight. and so both sides are using this as a proxy for climate fights to come. and so not only do you have tons of advertising in d.c., you've noticed at the metro stations especially around capitol hill, around the state department, all over those particular stations, there's signs about keystone. tons of ads on our tv. and all these fake groups, you know, vets for energy and americans for jobs. you can trace it back and figure out it's either for labor or for the oil bobry or one of the

interested groups. >> putting the business fortunes aside, is the keystone pipeline a good thing for the united states of america in terms of jobs and energy? >> i think it's undeniably good for jobs. it takes a huge number of people to build a pipeline. and the kind of skilled jobs you like. >> that's why laborers are for it. >> yes. if they don't build it, they will have to take it by train. or it's going to go to china. and china is not going to refine it as well as we do. what happens in china four days later goes to los angeles. i think the climate change people are very u.s.-centric and don't understand the global politics of it which is canada wanted to send it here, it's a little cheaper and better. but they will send it away. it's not going to come out -- stay in the ground if there is no pipeline. i agree with you in terms of this thing has become much larger than it really should be. because there's lots of ways to get oil to refineries in texas and louisiana. this is just one of them. but it is the fastest and it is

the quickest. >> what's your hunch, mike? does this get approved down the road? >> a long-time belief was the president would improve it. after the delay, people were not so sure anymore. >> yeah. 2016. >> but it's a part of the odd coalition. you have obama consultants on both sides of this fight. >> right. mike allen, it's a fascinating look at washington if nothing else at the moment. >> have a great day. coming up, the obsession with disney's "frozen" keeps growing. moms love it, kids love it, marines love it. it's politicians' turns. we have the parody ad. but first how will the nfl owners react if an owner went on a racist tirade like donald sterling. richard sherman will weigh in. we'll have that next. ♪

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♪ all right. time for some sports. cramer and i were talking before the show about kevin durant's speech. >> watch it. you will feel great about this country. watch this speech. >> the part to his mom was beautiful. but if you watch the full

11-minute speech, he goes down the line. every teammate and talks about each about why he loves them and what they mean to him. and this is at his mvp conference. >> no notes. this is a speech that must be watched. everybody feels that athletes are selfish, just out for the money. you watch this and you will say the finest isn't. >> you will cry. you've got to watch the whole thing. last night on the court in the playoffs, the thunder -- >> don't we have someone on today? >> his mother's coming on. >> isn't that cool? >> thunder and the clippers during the semis. durant playing like the newly crowned mvp. he had 32 points. thunder win 112-101 to even up the series one game a piece. in indianapolis, pacer had to have this one after losing the first game at home. and roy hibbert who'd been criticized for disappearing all playoffs long had a huge game

last night. season high 28 points. the big man wakes up. the pacers beat the wizards. that series now tied. playoffs continue tonight with the nets in miami and the spurs hosting the blazers for another pair of game two conference semifinal matchups. that first game wasn't close. >> they will win one back in brooklyn. >> none of that matter nous. >> they have turned brooklyn around. 2 million people, never knew it was a city until the nets came. >> they had a good team this year too. richard sherman is cashing in. he became the highest paid cornerback in the league after signing a four-year contract extension worth $40 million in guaranteed cash. that makes him the highest paid corner in the nfl. but it wouldn't be a sherman story without controversy. he was talking about donald sterling's ban from the nba. he told "time" magazine he

doesn't believe roger goodell would have dolled out the same punishment. quote, we have an nfl team called the redskins. i don't think the nfl really is as concerned as they show. the nfl is more of a bottom line league. if it doesn't affect the bottom line, they're not concerned. his contract extension goes right in. >> richard sherman said i had the best imitation of him. >> can we see it? >> i'm off my game. >> you can't say that. >> dwooel it at the break and we'll decide. >> real quick, we've grot jon gruden coming in coming in in a little while. he'll be hosting the draft. what do your eagles need? >> our general manager has said we need a cornerback, need a safety. kelvin benjamin, i still think it goes that way. >> okay. we will talk to jon gruden in the 7:00 a.m. hour. and al 8:00 -- >> and ahead --

>> you made us believe. you kept us off the street. you put clothes on our backs, food on the table. you sacrificed for us. you the real mvp. >> wow. that beautiful woman right there wanda pratt, that's kevin durant's mother, she will join us here live with her reaction to that moving speech a couple days ago. . but first, "time" magazine tells us what vladimir putin really wants. don't go away. "morning joe." ♪

when folks think about what they get from alaska, they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him

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if you take xarelto with aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto if you have abnormal bleeding. xarelto can cause bleeding, which can be serious and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto is not for patients with artificial heart valves. jim changed his routine. ask your doctor about xarelto. once-a-day xarelto means no regular blood monitoring -- no known dietary restrictions. for more information and savings options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. ♪ this morning rain shower reports that russia is engaging

in planned military exercises of the country's nuclear forces. it's a mixed signal following putin's announcement he's pulling his troops back from the border with ukraine. joining us now on set, editing manager of "time" magazine. she's here to talk about the latest issue with pooutin on th cover. what does he want? >> i think the first thing he wants is to erase the memory of the 1990s where russia was being humiliated by the west. but i don't think he wants open war. i think what we saw last night is he was losing control of what was happening in senior ukraine. >> one amazing photo, by the way. show the photo. >> you should know our correspondent in reporting the story was dragged out of his car, pistol whipped by pro-russian separatists, taken captive. it is a very dangerous story to be covering.

i think that putin among other things realizes it is not possible to control some of the passions that are being unleashed. and so i think part of what we saw last night, has not pulled the troops back from the border yet. but by lowering the tensions, i think some of that is this was getting outside of even his control. >> is anybody in russia that can challenge vladimir putin on any front? or is he a de facto czar? >> in the course of these last weeks where his approval rating is back in the 80s, he's cracked down on bloggers, social media, so he's making it much harder. >> been killing journalists for years. it's just -- >> nancy, why is he so popular inside russia? >> well, i think it does go back to a proud country that did feel

humiliat humiliated. the line between nationalism and patriotism and dangerous global threat is a continuous one. and i think there's been a lot of public support for it. but i also think no one wants to be saddled with a failed state or a long slogging bloody war which is what would happen if he had to send troops into ukraine. >> gene robinson, inside the magazine in the package about russia, there's a piece from our buddy john meacham. meacham says the president's critics say he's weak and whiney but he's doing what most presidents do, muddling through. a couple months into this thing bb how can we assess the president's moves? >> okay, i guess. i don't see what else the president could have done. he has european allies who have to come along who are reluctant to apply tougher sanctions.

it's not clear that tougher sanctions would deter what russia has been doing in any of that. i think nancy is absolutely light about what putin wants. i think he wants to be remembered with the great after his name. he wants to be putin the great like peter the great in the transition of the czars. and that's how he thinks of himself. and i think ukraine is kind of very special to him and to russia. i think president obama kind of understands this dynamic and has done what can be done to try to contain it with the understanding that there's not that much we can do. we're not going to send troops, but we're going to reinforce nato and send a signal that, you know, you can't go but so far. >> couple other pieces. you have it's time to let teenagers drink again. the age 21 rule pushes kids

towards pills and other anti-social behaviors. >> this is camille arguing a libertarian argument that the drinking age of 21 makes no sense. and part of her argument is that we are depriving young people from the ability to learn how to drink responsibly and socially in a sort of public setting that's been part of european culture, obviously, for centuries where you might get a glass of wine at a family celebration. and you learn how to use alcohol responsibly. what's happened with the 21-year-old drinking age which was instituted with the best intentions is it's driven drinking unmonitored. we've seen a huge increase in binge drinking. >> we're seeing it -- let's be transparent here. we live in the same town. >> we do. >> and we're -- let's not even talk about 18 years and older. i'm struggling. i have two teenagers.

the drunk kids that stumble around our town every friday and saturday night. i'm talking most of them. most of them. freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors. >> and those are high school kids. >> and they're binge drinking. how would this help? >> i don't think anyone is arguing that high school kids should be, you know -- >> but doesn't this bring it closer to -- i mean, if you move it down to 18, isn't that going to actually move the problem of children starting earlier to even younger? >> we already have the problem of children starting earlier. and i think what she is arguing is that we have made it impossible to help as adults to help them learn the difference between irresponsible drinking. >> so we've got to go, but also just let people know also you've got a story on a fascinating book by 43-year-old -- interesting title. marx 2.0.

i was looking at -- saying that. >> thomas has caused a stir in financial and political circles. arguing that debate on the table. >> fairly obvious as far as the problem goes. people make more money on the investments than the rest of america makes on labor that we're going to have inequities. >> so his mainly opposite argument that wealth will trickle down, he's saying as the wealthy control more capital and the capital increases faster than the economy grows, that has the economy grows you're going have growing income inequality. he likens to where the u.s. is now to where france was in about 1789. >> we know now that went. we'll check out the latest edition of "time." thank you, nancy gibbs. coming up, harry reid knows one big difference between koch brothers and sheldon adelson.

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♪ how many points do you need? >> i need 18. >> that's all you need. >> that's all i need. >> what chance do you have of dating a girl who's a ten? >> four. >> name a kind of place where people keep checking their watch. >> at the airport. >> try again.

>> restaurant. >> name a noisy insect. >> pass. >> name something a person's belly does. >> growls. >> try again. >> throws up. >> fill in the bank. a married couple might be deeply in what? >> love. >> try again. >> marriage. >> love was the number one answer. i'm sorry, folks. >> you have to pick different things. hi, everybody. i'm here in time for news you can't use. family feud, it was a long drive home for the family there. family feud, the first member comes up, is asked the questions -- >> is that still on the air. >> it is. the first family member gave a lot of the top answers. when she came up, if you say the top answer or an answer they gave, they give you this buzzer. you have to go on to the next answer.

but she was unable to provide answers that had any scores associated with them from their polling. so she got the goose eggs and the ones she passed. >> the answer was love. >> well, that was the top polling answer. she could have come up with another fan. >> mika's not a family feud viewer. >> guys, that game just doesn't work. that doesn't make any sense. >> news you can't use. >> news you can use coming up at the top of the hour. >> it's too hard. you can't win it. >> news you can use coming up at the top of the hour. republicans attempting to -- fifth amendment rights. can you believe that? >> i will not walk a path that's been tread by senator mccarthy. i'm not defending miss lerner, but i cannot vote to violate an individual's fifth amendment rights just because i want to hear what she has to say.

>> congressman elijah cummings is our guest. and what happens when mom makes more money than dad. the new generation of bread winning women. all of that when "morning joe" returns next hour. maybe the roughest, most violent hour of "morning joe" ever. i'm taking you on, kraimer. and when you put them in charge of making an unbeatable truck... ... good things happen. this is the ram 1500. the 2014 motor trend truck of the year and first ever back-to-back champion. guts. glory. ram.

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mika are talking about dresses. >> and jurs. she's injured. >> can i ask you something? have you or a member of your family been injured on the job? >> yeah. >> what happened? >> well, i was -- >> we have a standing cam over here. >> i was entering the building this morning and i was in a rush and -- it's swelling. it's down a little bit. >> it's ice. that must hurt. >> and the door was on top of my foot. and my 2-year-old has this great expression, he knocks something over and says uh-oh. i was alone and i said uh-oh. >> you can sue nbc. >> do republican dos that? >> yes, we do. the ethics rules of this state forbid me from promising you a

big cash settlement, but i promise you a big cash settlement. one of my favorites. >> joining the table, the very injured and in pain and she's always in pain when she's sitting here with me, but today issue just in pain. and the host of msnbc now alex wagner joins us. and in washington, nbc news chief white house correspondent and political director chuck todd. >> chuck did it. >> here we go. back off of chuck. >> jim cramer, jeremy peters still with us as well. >> what? >> nicole is blaming you for her injury. >> she is now. >> he had that door rigged. >> how did she snow? the trickiness of powers at 30 rock. >>. >> who would blame you after all the terrible things she said about you? you spoke with senator harry

reid yesterday and talked about why he was going after some businessmen and not other businessmen. take a look. >> they are the two richest people in the world. they're in it to make money. that's their whole goal here is to add zeros to their billions. i don't think that's the case -- >> you don't think that's thes say with adelson? >> i know sheldon adelson, he's not in this for money. he's in it because he has certain ideological views. now, sheldon adelson views are keeping with the democrats on choice, all kinds of things. don't pick on him. he's not in it to make money. >> don't pick of sheldon. >> but the headline above the fold in today's "washington post" suggests sheldon adelson is benefitting from this

donations. he's donated to groups around the country and many are siding with him to try to outlaw online gambling. adelson as one of his team members called it is playing three levels of chess. even bringing on strategists including blanche lincoln of arkansas to pushback online gam ling. >> jim cramer and i were talking about how destructive online gambling is and the addiction it causes. this is about harry reid. and for harry reid to say sheldon adelson is not in it for his business interests seems absurd. >> it certainly is a reminder that i've always said nevada is a one-party state. and that party is the party that takes place on the strip by the guys that own the strip. and it does seem as if it is amazing in some ways how you see this in nevada where members of

both parties will line up and be supportive of these casino moguls. reid yesterday with me essentially endorsed brian sandoval, the republican governor. there's this power structure there that they all just sort of -- they're not as aggressive against each other if -- and you have to ask yourself if it's because the casino folks are happy. then others are happy. it was amazing to me what he said about adelson. >> -- when the governor may be running against harry reid two years from now. >> well, you know, reid's reasoning by the way was because there's no good candidates running against the governor. and it sounds like maybe you kill them with kindness. >> all right. i want to show another part of your interview. senator reid also weighed in on the prospect of hillary clinton running for president again.

>> everybody knows i love the clintons. including chelsea. >> and do you want her to be the nominee? do you think there should be a healthy primary process? >> why nopt -- i rarely think primaries are healthy. >> oh, you don't think they're good for democrats. >> for anybody. >> why's that? >> 'em being facetious. >> you think it would be better for secretary clinton if she has a serious democratic rival. i believe that the primary was with obama and clinton was an extremely healthy process. i think it was wonderful. >> i think you are going to be in a new category, chuck, of fantastic awkward moments. >> that was strange. >> my god. >> but mika and joe, they all revolve around the same topic. >> yes, they do.

>> hillary clinton pen people that didn't support her in '08. and you asking -- i'm just saying, that's two. i'll wait until there's a third before i decide there's a pattern. >> i think there is a pattern. i've seen it too. and i think it happened yesterday on our set before you went all -- everyone on the set we were talking about a story related to the clintons and everyone like this. >> sort of froze up. >> then you just went off which is good. >> yeah. still some -- >> i don't know. let's try alex wagner on this. >> alex, here's harry reid, the guy who went to barack obama way early in his senate career and said you need to run for president. >> where is he on hillary? >> he's not ready for hillary. i love the clintons. i don't want her to be the nominee, but i love the clintons. >> well, this is like -- the myth making and the fear amongering around the clintons like don't cross them otherwise a door in the floor opens up.

also they are the future of the democratic party and incredibly accomplished. >> is that true? the door on the floor opens up. >> we are led to believe there is this clinton industrial complex where names are kept, sins are recorded. >> whether or not they are pouring over their notes on a nightly basis would be up for discussion. you can see in his -- especially now that barack obama is gone. >> saying he wants a healthy primary process. >> joe -- >> we're seeing this more and more. some hesitancy among high-profile democrats. not just blindly get behind hillary clinton. >> you wonder if it's -- look. you know, everybody's trying to

figure how do they handle this stuff behind the scenes? were there real bitter feelings among the folks who pick eed oba over clinton. i mean, jim clyburn has told us about his uncomfortable phone call. you can't help but wonder that the way things went down in '07 and eigh'08, that when all this momentum was going towards obama, that maybe some of these wounds didn't heal inside the party. as much as we'd like to think they did. >> we talked about south carolina and jim clyburn. that was really ugly when the race card was allegedly played by bill clinton. things got really ugly there. but nevada, there was also that scene of bill clinton wandering around the strip accusing the democratic apparatus out there of fixing the election. >> which is code for harry reid.

right? >> right. accused harry reid of fixing that primary too. so there are obviously a lot of scars from 2008. >> that's what i think it is. scar tissue. >> really? i think it might be more of what alex is saying, but i'm scared to say it. but i just did didn't i? you did, didn't you? >> yeah, kind of. i think. don't tell anybody. >> there are reports at some point everyone has to get on record saying this is the deal. and we've seen it in the press too. anyhow, let's move on to the attack in benghazi in 2012 which has nothing to do with politics some say. but they're facing strong criticism this morning for attempts to fund raise off the attack which left four americans dead. republican congressman trey gowdy who is leading a select committee in selecting the attacks says it would be wrong to raise money off benghazi. here's what he said on "morning joe" yesterday.

>> i have never sought to raise a single penny on the backs of four murdered americans. there are -- still and even in a culture of hyperpartisanship, certain things ought to be above politics like the murder of our four fellow americans. >> but about 30 minutes earlier, the national republican congressional committee sent out this fund raising e-mail from a website called benghazi watch dogs.com. the e-mail lets recipients link to a page that asks for donations up to $500 and refers to them as benghazi watch dogs. >> nicole, i agree with trey. don't fund raise off of the death of four americans. and yet the same morning the nrcc is trying to give donations of $25 to $500. >> it's stupid. and i think it's going to stop because it's unsustainable. the select committee is going to go forward and be taken seriously, they have to stop.

what fascinates me about this story is democrats have no appetite to get to the bottom of why susan rice who to me is one of the most promising women and competent which in the obama administration, was denied the privilege of serving as the country's secretary of state because of what she said in large part because of what she said on five sunday shows. what she said on five sunday shows was we now know crafted by the white house. why don't democrats want to know how that message came together when it resulted in literally -- that secretary of state post was ripped out from underneath her because of what she did on the sunday shows. we now know the white house shaped that message. and the fact it's so political, that democrats have no appetite for understanding why she said what she said, i don't believe in the moment the white house is covering up what happened. but i think they are not being forthcoming about how those

messages were crafted. >> and they're asked -- i said a couple days ago if i'm practicing law and a judge asks for discovery and i'm supposed to turn over everything pertaining to one subject and i don't turn over a document that goes to the heart of it which said susan rice, you are to say this and not this and came from the west wing, a judge would hold me in contempt of court. i would go to jail. and in the first place, they're trying to show hillary clinton. they're not going to find this out in the investigation. they're trying to show hillary clinton as quote, too tired, to go on the sunday talk shows. so they shove susan rice out there on something she's not qualified to talk about because it's not under her jurisdiction. it was under hillary's jurisdiction. then they gave her talking points on an issue she hasn't been following. scene she's basically set up to be knocked down. >> okay. couple things. i would just say 13 hearings, 25,000 pages of testimony.

if that's not some kind of appetite to explore this, i don't know what appetite is. >> we're still in documents that the white house is holding back. >> i think it's fair to ask the question why was this -- >> all those investigations obviously didn't mean a whole lot, did they? because the white house we just find out last week is not cooperating. >> alex is right. the cia and the state department turned over enough information that we learned a lot of important things. these were not state department outposts which is a good fact for hillary clinton. they were cia outposts. that made the financial issue not a political football. and alex is right. there were hundreds of thousands of pages turned over except for the document created in the west wing. and let me tell you something. as the white house communications director, when the white house sends out talking points for a sunday show, they trump anything that came from anywhere else. >> but if you re-read that e-mail, i mean, everybody has focused on one of the four talking points. the other three are totally benign and exactly what you would expect from the white house. the fourth one, i think, is open

to interpretation. there's a lot of litigation that will continue about that. but for this to launch a thousand ships -- >> where's the ambiguity? >> fir when you have something that goes to the heart of the matter? >> does it? >> yeah. when they say susan rice don't talk about barack obama's policy -- >> failure of policy. >> talk about a videotape. of course you know this goes to the heart. don't insult our intelligence on this. >> i'm not. >> when they're telling her to talk about a videotape, you're saying that doesn't go to the haert heart of the matter? >> i believe the number one talking point on that e-mail was our job is to keep americans safe. we will not waiver in that. that was the number one. >> i'll wave that flag. >> these attacks were. >> reporter: that doesn't negate what happens at the end. >> there are two things to litigate here. one to your earlier point, why

is this e-mail coming out now? there's a legitimate question. >> why is it? >> i don't know the answer to that. i think the white house should be asked. the second, there was an assessment the cia had as for whether these attacks were rooted in protest. that nuance was stripped from the e-mail ben rhodes sent. >> because we now know the cia, their analysis did not include any connection between the video. the cia testified that certainly there were protests in the region, but not that they were tied to the video. that's why the white house talking points are so -- i think are being viewed with such a degree of suspicion by republicans. >> can i raise a point here quickly? i think what we're really getting at here is what will the select committee in the house tell us that's new. alex you raised this question. four house committees have looked into this. i wonder if they decide to subpoena hillary clinton.

the only new big splashy development i see coming out of this committee is getting hillary clinton before congress. and we don't know if that's going to happen. we know republicans would love to see her testify before congress, because they have been trying to prove for a year now that the obama administration and hillary clinton know more than they're letting on. and that's why you're seeing all this fund raising off this. you can bang up republicans for fund raising off of this, but it would be political folly for them not to. the enthusiasm, the intensity with which the right views this issue is very hard to overstate. you go to town meetings and you hear benghazi come up even more than obamacare sometimes. that's what this is about. >> i want to go to capitol hill, congressman from maryland elijah cummings. >> good morning. >> if the tables were turnd and the republican administration had not released an e-mail like that, wouldn't you be asking a

lot of questions? >> yeah. i'd be asking why. let me start off by saying -- wait a minute. speaker boehner can shut this fund raising effort down right now and he should. >> we all agree. >> you shouldn't be raising money in regard to this matter. joe, if you want to send out a message. send that one. >> i sent it out at the top of the 6:00 hour. so go ahead. >> and so with regard to the e-mail, you know, i don't know how they go about sending these things out. but i do know it takes time to have to go through and make sure they are obeying a subpoena. and i'm an attorney. i know. i've seen quite a bit. but at the same time going back to what alex said, keep in mind. as i recall, there's one reference to benghazi in this e-mail. and that the e-mail that they're

talking about with regard to rhodes, it was consistent with what the cia was already saying. they have three parts to this investigation. one, the talking points. two, what happened that night. and three, what are we doing to keep our people safe? come on now. you just spent about ten minutes talking about their talking points. i want to make sure we keep our people safe. and hopefully this committee, if it's a fair committee and it's one that is truly bipartisan, we've tried the partisan route and apparently that hasn't gotten us as far as we need to go according to republicans and we need to do something that is fair. as leader pelosi has said, even steven and be treated more like an ethics committee. so that there is bipartisanship with regard to issuing of subpoenas. bipartisanship with regards to wherever to discovery. and bipartisanship with regard to depositions and access to

witnesses. that has not happened in my committee. i can tell you. it's been becausically one sided. >> you know, i agree with you. it needs to be a straightforward committee. i personally think there needs to be six republicans and six democrats on there. republicans don't need to fund raise off of it. but there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. and this e-mail that has been sent from the white house as nicole said, that takes precedent over everything else when it is -- >> i'm sorry, joe. i have to disagree with you on that. >> no, no, no. >> hold on a second. don't twist my words. >> no, no, no. i'm telling you what i'm saying. >> when susan rice gets an e-mail from the west wing to instruct her what to say on a sunday talk show, if you don't think that takes precedent over any other document generated by any other department in the united states government, then you don't know how white house is run. >> well, i do know.

and i know that whenever folks from the white house go out on these talks shows on sundays and others, they send out talking points. but we got to go back to the document. now, it does not take a select committee depending more and more of americans' money to get to the bottom of that. i don't see what this select committee is going to be able to do that we couldn't do in our committee. keep in mind, we have -- chairman issa has four subpoena powers. he has used it without consultation from the democrats. he has that. >> let's talk about yesterday. lois lerner. let's stop talking about benghazi. i think you'd agree with me we should move on. >> all right. >> the house voted yesterday, "new york times" jeremy peters reporting to find lois lerner in contempt. what's your take on that? you compared it to mccarthyism. >> oh, i'm sorry. i thought i was talking to

somebody else. >> if i have you here, why would i want to talk to anybody else? >> i thought you were talking to jeremy. let me say this. this is the first time since the 1950s and '60s that a committee has stripped somebody of their fifth amendment right and then at the same time went on to a contempt citation. and this is unprecedented except in the mccarthy era. 9/ even in that era it failed. i wonder where we're going here. it seems as if there has been an effort to, again, my argument was not that i don't want to hear what miss lerner had to say. i want to hear it. but you know what? there's something that is more significant than that. and that is upholding the constitutional rights of every single american. that's what this a isn't.

>> jeremy, you wrote about it. tell us about it. >> well, i think it's certainly more than just about any episode that i've witnessed on capitol hill in the last year, illustrated how far apart these two parties are. congressman, i would ask you, certainly the atmosphere that's so poisoned right now has led to democrats saying we're not going to participate or we don't think we should participate in any of these investigations that republicans are spearheading. so i just wonder with the benghazi select committee convening, what do democrats have to gain by participating in that? because mrs. pelosi has said she's not sure she wants democrats on that committee at all. >> well, i think pelosi wants fairness. and i can understand both sides of it. she's seen what's happened with the four investigations that have happened in the house and they've been strictly partisan. and then she has also seen the way that we've been treated in

the oversight committee and other committees where a staff report is put out without any democratic input whatsoever. and that, you know, the subpoenaing of witnesses with no consultation from democrats. so what she's looking for is a fair situation. on the other hand, if we are not in the room, i'm concerned about that because i can't imagine a hearing being at all fair if we're there. if we're not there. but at the same time i could understand leader pelosi's position that we don't want to legitimatize something that is obviously a partisan effort. >> all right. >> so it's a tough issue. >> all right. >> congressman cummings, thank you so much. it's always great to have you on the show. >> alex, stay if you can. then we'll watch you again on

4:00. and chuck todd, we'll see you at 8:00 and we'll give you an update on the lawsuit. >> on my foot. >> against nbc. >> and a story on tattoos. did you get a tat, chuck? >> you'll have to wait to find out. i may have started the process. it's hard not to get caught up. >> stop. >> also coming up -- >> the odds were stacked against us. everybody told us we weren't supposed to be here. we moved from apartment to apartment. >> kevin durant's mother joins us after that emotional speech by her son. and the rules for top earning women different than they are for men. yes. we'll talk about all that when we come back. ♪

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here with us now, personal finance expert and contributing editor to money magazine, farnush author of "when she makes more." ten rules for bread winning women. this is so timely because she makes more more often now. >> in her marriage. >> even though she makes less in general than men which is a whole other issue. >> i'm disgusted by that. go ahead. >> 24% of married women today are making more than their male spouses. that's up four times since the 1960s. i'm in this demographic, however, when i got to reach this point, i realize even with my experience covering the financial terrain for over ten years, helping people with their finances, i feel confident managing my own money. this was complex territory for me and my husband. you look at what is happening statistically when she makes more and enters a relationship,

there's more divorce, more infidelity. i did my own survey of over a thousand women in this country and found she struggles how to make it all work from career to housework to her romantic relationship to money. >> which, i'm sorry. let's just go right there. because i think men can't handle it for the most part even if they say they can. i think it's really tough. >> it can emasculate them. >> they must not pay rent in manhattan. my husband would think it was awesome if i made anybody close to what he makes. >> there's been a lot of headlines since i wrote this book like is bread winning women is problem? the reality is no. we want to celebrate this. the problem is we have antiquated expectations and different ideas of what it means. >> here's the deal. the long-term analysis, i think, has yet to be written.

i like your rules. i want to get to them because they're really important. but i think women who make more probably burn out sooner. and it all balances out in the end. am i wrong? >> well, we live longer than men, that is for sure. >> also to your point about women who are successful wanting to balance all these other things is women are successful in the work place, one would assume all those career go getterism would translate to other areas and you want to make sure everything else was okay on the home front. when she makes more, she does more housework which is insanity. it's like she's trying to overcompensate. >> in every way. let's talk about that. you have good rules for bread winning women. face the facts. rewrite the fairy tale. definitely. that's over. >> i love number six. >> level the financial playing field. what are you talking about? >> especially in the relationship where she makes more, emotions can muck up how

to manage money. you want to make everyone's money have meaning. that's what i get across in that chapter. >> i have to get to five. hack the hypotheticals. five, cater to the male brain. what is that? >> this is about sayi ining the are gender differences in how men and women need to be communicated to. you tell me you're doing too much housework and you're burnt out, this is how to communicate with your guy. men want to provide. they want to help. >> isn't it just sex? i don't get it. wait. i don't get it. >> well, there's that. >> what? are we all talking around the same thing here? >> honey, i need your help in this thing and give him the gift of duty. >> he wants to be your hero. it's not just i forgot to make dinner, help me. he needs to take over the domain. >> doesn't that just reinforce this whole male/female dynamic at the root of the problem? >> yes and no.

i'll tell you two things. the couples that thrive most when she makes more are the ones who transcend expectations in the gender roles. >> then they can put the seamless app on their phone and they don't have the conversation. >> as long as there's dinner on the table. but you have to respect there are gender differences in how what our needs are and how we communicate to one another. you can't expect that your man will anticipate you. you can't. you've got to communicate effectively. >> like i said -- >> and number six. buy yourself a wife. >> yeah. okay. some of these are really good. >> that's a great one. >> i think number five you might want to redo the definition. i'm going to help you out here. >> well, the headline can ensite for sure. if you read the chapter, you will get it. >> i would love to have a wife that makes more money than me. because i wouldn't wake up at 6:00 in the morning or at 4:00

in the morning if i did. no, seriously. please, please. i would take a rich, rich wife. >> you are so full of b.s. >> no. seriously. >> oh, please. >> i think you got company. >> look at barnicle. he's got a woman that makes more money. he lives at fenway. that's the life i want! >> thank you so much. >> my pleasure. thank you. >> fascinating. coming up at 8:00, a closer look at the keystone debate but from the perspective by our neighbors to the north, canada's investors will weigh in. >> they're not happy and do not piss off the canadians. we'll be right back. ♪ passenger: road trip buddy. let's put some music on. woman: welcome to learning spanish in the car. passenger: you've got to be kidding me. driver: this is good. woman: vamanos. driver & passenger: vamanos. woman: gracias. driver & passenger: gracias.

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♪ on tomorrow's show, katie couric and deion sanders. >> that's great. >> katie is going to be talk about her new movie "fed up." it's making a lot of waves. showed the trailer at thrive. everyone was talking about it. she's really excited about it. one of her latest and greatest works. i think what she should be most proud of. >> it's about giving up sugar. i'm not going to do that. >> you might after you see the

movie. >> then i'm not going to see the movie. >> especially when it talks about our kids and diabetes. >> i love talking about this issue. so i appreciate it when people come on the show and make it a primary focus. katie couric, thank you. can't wait to see it tomorrow. >> we're go to have frosted flakes at the break. >> eric shinseki is pushes back on calls for his resignation. ahead in our 8:00 a.m. hour. up next, new research into the causes of dementia and how it could all come down to what you eat. stay with us. ♪ mine was earned in korea in 1953.

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ceo dr. john nosworthy. this marks the 150th anniversary of the mayo clinic. that's amazing considering all the work you do. >> let's talk about dementia right now. i'm concerned about it because one of my aunts has an extreme version of it. my mom is suffering with dementia and has for some time. you're saying diet has something to do with it. >> i'd be happy to do that. i have with me today dr. roberts who's an expert in this area of nutrition and dementia. i'll pass it over to dr. roberts. >> thank you. most people know that what they eat affects their hearts. but what most people don't realize is what we eat also affects our brain.

we studied people 70 years and older. those who reported eating high amounts of carbohydrates in their diets, in particular sugar, were more likely to develop problems with their memory and their thinking and decision making. later in loo i have. this is what we called mild cognitive impairment which is a very strong risk factor for developing alzheimer's later on in life. >> so a diet heavy in sugars throughout their lifetime? or the use of sugar after they turn 70? >> well, we asked them the questions at the time when they were 70 years and older. so we asked them about the diet in the year prior to the study. this gave us an average look over a one-year period. what types of foods they were eating. sop if they had high carbohydrate intake and high intake of sugar, we found they

had a risk of mild cognitive impairment which often leads to dementia later on in life. >> just one second. doctor, if you look at overall diet in life whether it starts at 70 or not in terms of increasing dementia, aren't a lot of these substances we are finding fairly addictive. and so you find that if you eat sugar as a child, it ends up staying with you for the rest of your life. it's hard to change that diet at 70. >> well, mika, i think you're right. i think there's a lot more need for research in this area. we need to continue to fund the nih and do the work that's necessary to understand this particular aspect of lifestyle, life decisions, diet. you're absolutely right. the habits we form when we're young do tend to follow through for mid-life and late-life. it's highly probable that the findings of what we're eating in mid-life do reflect what we eat as a child. but that's an area that needs

more research. >> dr. roberts, could you tell us specifically what food groups are we talking about in terms of at age 70 or age 60 or whatever. what food groups should we be wary of eating? >> what the study specifically looked at right now was looking at the relative balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fats. and if you look at those groups, i think it's the relative proportion of what you're taking in terms of the calories that you're putting into your body that's important. if you're eating healthy protein, healthy fats, and a healthy amount of carbohydrates. typically if you reduce the amount of simple sugars which are the sugar you add to the food, the sugar you get from your desserts, the candy bars. those are the things we don't want you to be eating. we want you to be eating vegetables, healthy proteins, healthy fats. and there's a lot in the literature about fatty acids.

fatty fish. and fruits and vegetables. those are the things we're thinking about. now, the reason these are important is if you go over on the calories and don't balance it out with the amount of exercise you're getting that's what tends to drive you down to develop diabetes. and our study show the people who had type 2 diabetes in mid-life were at high risk of having a shrinking of their brain when we looked at their brains in late life. and so this goes back to the question you asked initially. we need to start teaching people to have the right diet when they're young. when they're in preschool, middle school, adolescence. not wait until mid-life when we begin to tell people to change their habits. so this is something we need to stress. >> yes, dr. rosebud roberts and dr. noseworthy giving us another reason with their search into dementia on why to reframe the diet. the diet has been pushed over

the past 10, 20 years citizen not the right one. thank you both. and thank you for 150 years of great work at the mayo clinic. we'll have katie couric on tomorrow looking at this issue. and what we need to be eating and what we are eating. >> and what you feed your kids. up next, espn's jon gruden is here to break down the draft. >> he's the best, man. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. ♪ when salesman alan ames books his room at laquinta.com, he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. so he knows exactly when he can check in and power up before his big meeting. and when alan gets all powered up, ya know what happens? i think the numbers speak for themselves. i'm sold! he's a selling machine! put it there. and there, and there, and there. la quinta inns & suites is ready for you, so you'll be ready for business.

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another fantastic year of gruden's qb camp. we got guys like teddy bridgewater, johnny manziel. but this guy, i've always wanted is to see this guy in the quarterback chair. >> see you, coach. >> i'll tell you what. you look pretty good over there, man. >> and this is the real jon gruden. that's frank caliendo doing an

amazing impersonation. coach, great to you have round. >> great to have you here. >> first of all, caliendo really has you down, doesn't he? >> i want to get him in here to do you three guys. he's killing me. i mean, my wife thinks he's me. >> what do you see happening tonight with johnny manziel? >> i think he's going to go number two overall. whether it be the rams or somebody is going to move up and take it kid. there's too much production. i think he brings a vibe to your quarterback. somebody's got to pay a price, take a chance and go get this kid. >> the consensus that clowney goes number one to house.

do you think houston says why don't we bring johnny manziel in at number one. do you see that happening? >> i certainly could. i've been a proponent of manziel. he's not a finished product. you've got to have an imagination to coach johnny football and somebody is going to be very fortunate. >> what about the whole spectacle of the draft itself? it begins today, it's going to go on for six weeks, constant television. when you first started out, they could get in a room, go 10, 12, 15 rounds in four hours. what impact does it have on the game, on personnel and the teams? >> that's a great question. this has become such a national spectacle, with the immediate way it is, not just espn and the internet. there's so much knowledge out

there and so much information that's accessible to fans, people are educated in football. people know a lot about these players. it continues to snowball and gain momentum every year. >> i have to ask you about a.j. mccarran, what round is he going to get drafted? >> i'm surprised you're bringing up the crimson tide. you seem to do that every year. >> i got my e-mail saying they're strong at every position except the qb. >> i don't think he has a great arm or great mobility but i see him going in the third round. i'm waiting for some of these great collegiates to become

become great pro players. >> michael reid, what round? >> i think he's going to go late. it has nothing to do with the story line. he didn't do great at the combine. he didn't run real well and speed is the issue. >> and there's a lot of good stuff inside the ticker of derek carr, i think he's going to be a fine pro. >> jon, always great having you. >> thank you so much. >> coming up, chuck todd rejoins the conversation on his fascinating interview with the embattled v.a. secretary. you're watching "morning joe."

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they are the two richest people in the world. and they are in it to make money. that's their whole goal here is to add zeros to their billions. and i don't think that's the case with any -- >> you don't think that's the case with adelson -- >> i know sheldon adelson. he's not in this for money. he's not in this to make money. he's in it because he has certain ideological views. now sheldon adelson, social

views are in keeping with the democrats on choice, on all different kinds things. don't pick on him. he's not in it to make money. >> wow. that's amazing. >> that's pretty funny. >> we all laughed. >> did you see gene earlier? >> oh, gene was laughing? >> gene the laughing machine. >> nicolle wallace and chuck todd is in washington. joining us, nbc political analyst, form are chairman of the republic national committee, michael steele. >> that's twice he's says

sheldon is not involved in politics for any financial reason. i'm not picking on sheldon. i support him on this issue. but he is going around the country spending a lot of money to try to influence people to ban internet gambling. >> and, by the way, who if you have an expansion of internet gaming, who could end up being hurt by this? well, people that own brick and mortar casinos and who owns them? oh, right, sheldon adelson. what's bothering me with the infusion of the billion mayairb the political parties only have selective billionaire outrage. they're only mad at the billionaires that they're not pals with. they're missing the idea that we're allowing oligarchs, i

don't care if they're liberal or conservative, whether it's bloomberg on guns or the koch brothers and regulations, you look at all of this and you say to yourself should the power to decide what issues we're debating lie in the hands of three or four people in american politics and that's what's corrosive in these systems. >> republicans are more concerned about democrats that spend a lot of money and vice versa. >> chuck captured it, deciding what we talk about and how we decide these issues. the fact that we've got harry reid who all of a sudden now doesn't have a problem with sheldon adelson but before was

screaming holy hell about the guy, along with the koch brothers, is just such a disingenuous load of crap -- >> well, that's one way of putting it. >> that is one way of putting it. >> harry reid, at least he was very equivocal about hillary clinton, the prospect of hillary clinton running for president again. take a look. >> everybody knows i love the clintons, i don't need to say more, including chelsea. >> and do you want her to be the nominee? do you think there should be a healthy primary procesprocess? >> why not? rarely do i think primaries are healthy. >> is that right? you don't think they're good for democrats? >> for anybody. >> why is that? >> why go through the trouble? why not just be anointed -- i'm

being facetious. >> i thought you were. you think it would be better for hillary to have an rival? >> i think the process of going up against clinton was wonderful. >> oh, my god. >> that was awful, chuck! no, no, you were brilliant, chuck. but it was so awkward on the other side. >> you're like mr. magoo, inspector clouseau mixed along with somebody else and all of a sudden they say these things that sink them. >> bumbling along. >> you did a great job here but there were about four or five times that we all sort of erupted in laughter with the responses. >> i'm with you. >> and the awkward pauses. >> to me it's what makes a harry reid interview somewhat

compelling. he's this mix of -- he's so mild mannered on one hand, his demeanor. but, man, he's got a sharp tongue. when he paused, it was making my me wonder what does he really want to say? i wish i could read the thought bubble in his head. >> when was the last time that harry reid did an interview that someone on his staff didn't have to clean up afterward? >> i'm not characterizing my interview. >> did you have no interview with anyone on his staff afterward? >> with one thing the folks that used to work with him just say you get used to the point that harry reid is harry reid and he will say what he wants and he seems to be unafraid. by the way, i asked him about the harsh language he uses, whether it was on the koch

brothers or form are president bush. he claims he has never had a regret about a single thing he said, name calling and this evenings li-- things like that. that's harry reid. >> what do you think it is about the state of our national politics that on both sides there's unrest, harry reid among the democrats and mitch mcconnell among the republicans? >> to me it means there's something bubbling beneath the surface that can be very troubling. that is playing out with the establishment types and gop party of the tea party. now the democrats are going to come into this phase as you get closer to 2015 with hillary at the top of the ticket or not is that the establishment really needs to control the way the politics flows.

harry reid has been very good as a checkpoint along the way. that interview was one of those examples that, yeah, whatever i didn't like about hillary in 2008, i still don't like. >> i'm afraid to say it. >> but i'm afraid to say it but if i need to, i will. >> you look at jim clyburn, very important, an recall primary state. he's angry with the clintons, he just wrote about it in his books and a lot of scar tissue in 2008 when he suggested it was rigged. >> but i love him. >> but i have no intent of making her road easier. >> it's interesting to go after the koch brothers. i'd ask chuck the fact that harry reid continues to go after the koch brothers, it's kind of falling on deaf ears. there are certain base democrats

that get all riled up on it but they're not making that case otherwise to make those two villains of the right. >> this is an entire democratic campaign strategy because they have this idea if they demonize the koch brothers, they can somehow make the republican candidates in some of these places, they can turn the koch brothers moo bain capital, for instance, feigned a w-- find a is there a business where the koch brothers are advertising and they can localize it and make the republican own it. step one is raise the name idea of the koch brothers, so reid is using his senate time to do that. but in our most recent poll, we checked out what the koch id

was. it seems now they're having the conversation with themselves for the koch brothers, they haven't created some sort of anger in the middle with persuadable voters. >> amid calls to resign, the head of the department of veterans affairs will stay the course. jim, tell us about the scandal that's weighing on the military right now. >> mika, it seems we've heard of all of this before. the v.a. has long been accused of not providing american's veterans with the military and medical care that they need when they need it. this case is different. it rises to a different level where the allegations appear to border on something criminal. the latest scandal comes out of the v.a. hospital in phoenix where as many as 40 veterans reportedly died while waiting

for treatment. >> secretary aaron shinseki said he was surprised by the allegations but accepts full responsibility. are you willing as secretary of v.a. affairs to accept full responsibility? >> i am. i asked the inspector general to go and conduct a complete, detailed, thorough investigation. >> reporter: some in congress and the american legion demand shinseki resign. but he brushed it off. will you resign? >> i would say i serve at the pleasure of the president. >> reporter: it's alleged hospital administrators buried appointments in a secret list and then ordered the files destroyed. >> it really cuts to the core of our country's confidence in the

v.a. the entire public has lost confidence in the v.a. >> congress is poised to way in on all this as early as today. we expect to see subpoenas issued for v.a. hospital records that they have failed voluntarily to provide to congress. a round of hearings is expected next. congress will want to know what happened here and what went wrong and was there any criminal activity involved. >> given shinseki's background or career, is there a level of huge shock that he has been unable to make a crack, a dent into the v.a. bureaucracy? it's as bad today as it was five, six, ten years ago. >> i've followed general shinseki and now secretary shinseki for years. he's always been one to hide his emotions, high shock or anger or frustration really. but when i asked him yesterday

do you really completely understand the level of outrage over all of this, he said, "i think i do." he is so focused on getting the job done in sort of a militaristic-type fashion, we do this, this, this, hourly he doesn't seem to grasp the level of heart break and in some cases some suspect as a result of what may be criminal activity. it just doesn't seem to register with him at this point. i believe he is angry, he says he was taken by total surprise by these allegations. but this spreading to at least four or five different medical facilities. >> jim, thank you so much for

being on this morning. >> thank you. >> chuck todd, we'll see you today at 9:00. >> in tattoo parlor, right? >> i want to say today's show has really shown your range. >> thank you, mika, after beating me up. >> i've been back handed praising you. >> at least you admit it was backhanded. >> is this the same tattoo parlor with nancy pelosi? >> it is the same tattoo parlor where they did the little fake gag. this was on our trend political question. someone your house with a

tattoo. it's one of those cultural this evening -- things we all know but haven't seen it in a number. everyone you know probably has a tattoo and notice we're not judging you anymore, there's not a stigma anymore. >> well -- >> no, it is less so. you see it everywhere. you're like, whoa, there is sort of a radical change over the years. >> i know you upper east siders don't have tattoos but the upper west siders. >> barnicle? >> a couple. chuck and i are on the all-ink team. >> straight ahead on "morning joe," kevin durant's having a year to remember and he says it's all because of one woman.

>> i wasn't supposed to be here. you made us believe, you kept us off the street, put clothes on our back, food on the table. you sacrificed for us. you're the real mvp. >> his mother wanda pratt is going to join us later. that is so moving. and up next, it isn't just washington who has something at stake with the keystone people line. but first here's bill karins. >> how can you not root for kevin durant. i want to show you some pictures from the central plains yesterday. we dealt with severe weather. we didn't get the tornado but we did get the hail. i think the hail was very impressive. today it could be enormous, like the type of hail shattering windshields. ardmore reported golf ball-size

hail. let's wrap up yesterday. five tornadoes, none of those caused any injuries or fatalities, the hail was widespread. the same store is lingering in the central plains. texas, minnesota, wisconsin at risk from severe weather today, tulsa, little rock, dallas. if we're going to get any baseball size hail, the size of your first, it's going to happen in the red area today. from des moines to aims, just south of minneapolis. if you're also the new york city airport around 30 to 45-minute delays. low ceilings, light rain moving through this morning. that's not going to be in d.c., though. if we get any storms in d.c., it will be late today. the greatest threat today will

be hail. getting warmer in the d.c. area, feeling more like summer, temperature about 81 degrees. you're watching "morning joe." ♪ ♪ they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. abecause the more you know, the more we can help you. cut. lower. shave. chop. and drop your insurance rates.

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scratching their head asking what's it all aboot? washington. >> there are 84 pipelines right now between canada and the u.s. -- >> there are 84 pipelines between canada and the united states? why is this such a big deal? >> that's the question we have. when we look at the state department reports, it basically says that if the oil doesn't come on a pipeline, it will come on rail. and they've been proven to be correct. the amount of oil, crude oil on rail coming to the united states has grown 50% one year and the next year. what the consequences? higher emissions, higher risk for people. again, according to the state department, and higher costs. >> so the state department and

canada both support the peopleline because it's better for the environment and safer for people close to the transporting of it. >> that's right. for three reasons we support it. it's become -- the people opposed to it five years ago said if you have do not approve the pipeline, the oil will stay in the ground. that's fallen like a house of cards in terms of the facts because the oil is just coming done on rail. when you look out your window and see more tanker trucks, you see more tanker cars on railways, you should know it's a consequence partially of not approving a pipeline and having go on rail. the oil is coming from canada, from north dakota and montana. it's just the way it's getting to the gulf coast. >> what about legitimate environmental concerns, though, around nebraska and the water ways and potential leakage? we're all familiar with leakage. what about legitimate environment an concern

environmental concerns? >> there was concern about the route in nebraska and it was moved away from the aquifer. the highest security was put in place and approved by the state of nebraska and by the state department in the u.s. >> what's the impression that you have to sort of try to explain or translate to your government or your public about the state of the politics around this issue? >> we're a democracy, unlike some of the other places that import to the united states. >> i'm sorry, this has become one of those polarized issues where on one network people celebrate the peopipeline, on another -- it's become incredibly polarized. >> we would like it to go back to a fact-based, merit-based decision. when people talk about an energy

efficient bill in the senate. it's more energy efficient to transport oil on a pipeline than it is to transport it on a truck or on a rail car. now, there is a role for rail but to have people say no to the pipeline is actually to say yes to higher greenhouse gas emissions. >> are people surprised that president obama has been mired in the politics of all this? >> we thought the state department would inform the president and the american people. we like a fact-based decision making in our country. >> we don't do that much here. >> you have that great quote that you're entitled to your own opinion but you're not entitled to your own fact. we would like the second part of that. >> you hear varying numbers of figures, 25,000 jobs, 50,000

jobs. what are the fact-based -- >> everything i'm using is coming from the state department, not canadian talking points. >> isn't that amazing? >> 44,000. >> the obama state department says 44,000 jobs? >> yes. >> the obama administration says 44,000 jobs, the obama administration says this is coming out of the ground anyway. it's stunning. with all this information, though, do you feel, does the canadian government feel and canadians feel let down by the the administration? >> i feel the only way for the debate to go forward is for people to say factually canada is going to get its oil from other places. we have routes to the east going to india, we have routes to the west. we have these two routes to the united states and keystone is one of them. we prefer obviously to work in our neighborhood to have energy independence with canada, the united states and mexico.

so somebody has got to stand up and say the oil is coming down and it's either going to come down on a pipeline or it's going to come down on rail and it's going to come down on trucks. somebody has to stand up and say that because it's higher emissions the way it's coming down as we speak today. >> all right. why don't we leave it right there, ambassador gary doer. thank you so much. great to have you on the show. >> coming up, fedex answers the age old question, really? does size matter? >> the answer is yes. business before the bell is next and we'll explain why. ♪ early in the evening, just about supper time ♪ good. woman: vamanos. good. driver & passenger: vamanos. woman: gracias. driver & passenger: gracias. passenger: trece horas en el carro sin parar y no traes musica. driver: mira entra y comprame unas papitas. vo: get up to 795 miles per tank in the tdi clean diesel.

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this bill would designate yogurt as the official state snack money. >> what exactly are we defining as a snack? >> you have breakfast, lunch and dinner and then you have snacks. >> did you consider, say, the potato chip? >> no. >> cheese cake? >> cheese cake of thought more of a desert. >> raisins? >> no. >> cashews? >> never. >> can we consider the carrot cookie? >> the bill is passed. and lastly let me talk about the

state muffin. >> that's real. >> that was real? >> real as in that really happened in a legislative context? >> it did in albany. they can't figure out how to bring jobs to upstate new york, but they can talk about yogurt and pretzels. >> stop lying to our viewers. that did not happen. there's no way that happened. ha, ha, ha, very funny political show, that did not happen. no one is going to get me to believe that happened. >> sarah, a question was asked in the tease regarding fedex about size. do you have the answer? >> yes, turns out size does matter for fedex. >> all right, let me write that down. okay. check. >> this is a huge change, especially for those of us, including myself, who order toilet paper or paper towels online. fedex is going to change the way

it prices ship big size. it's called dimensional pricing instead of just by weight. it's a big deal because people increasingly order everything on amazon.com, not just heavy stuff like books. they order paper towels and toilet paper. zappos, the shoe company, which is owned by amazon, they get free shipping to get customers more interested and to buy online. is this going to have to be a shipping cost on the customer or are online retails going to raise their costs to absorb this? and the fed chief is going to be speaking on capitol hill, day two. she sees economic growth but she is worried about two things she flagged, the housing market, a potential slowdown there, no longer contributing as much to the economic recovery and

geopolitical tensions like what's happening in russia and ukraine. >> cothank you so much. coming up next, this is big, barnicle. coming up, my first 45 i ever got was an osmonds -- >> we love them. >> course you do. why would you not love donnie osmond? see if he can turn it around and see if people can start hating him. i don't think it's possible. we'll try. donnie osmond up next! ♪ do you want my love or are we through ♪ ♪

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>> it's a a commercial right here, baby. >> you're converts. >> we look at each other and see the phones and go, okay, we just connected. >> you know what they call that? >> i'm not going to put it down but i don't like it. >> once i went to the samsung -- >> really? >> oh, yes. >> there's no going back. once you go samsung -- >> you never go back. >> how are you, guys? >> good. >> thanks for having me on. >> award winning singer donny osmond. >> it was my first single. >> no. ♪ one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch girl ♪ >> do you know that was written for the jackson 5? >> no. >> i'm picking songs that influence me and one of the

songs of michael jackson's "ben." that was written for me. >> no? >> i was on tour and they said let's get michael to sing it. >> a beautiful song. >> everybody song on this album has a story like that. >> you guys really lined up, late 60s, early 70s, the jackson 5 and the osmonds, man. it's hard for people who follow -- >> how old were you? i was. >> 5. i was like 12, 13 when "one bad apple hit" and 13, 14 when "puppy love" hit. >> how did you survive this when, let's face it, michael had a much rougher run of it and you look at child stars time and time again. >> joe, can i poii can point to

things. my parents, i have great parents. family. it gets down to that. i married up. as a matter of fact, it's our 36th anniversary today. >> no way! >> where is she? >> get over here. come over here! it's your anniversary, come on. that's not going to work over there. >> i got to tell you something. sit on my lap. 36 years. ♪ and they called it puppy love ♪ >> this is debbie. >> i'm thomas. >> i just want to say something, she's not just my wife. she's my business partner now. we just came out with a company called donny osmond home. it went from 0 to 60 overnight. home furnishings. she's amazing. >> so now we're working together. >> what's your name? >> debbie.

>> what do you think the secret is to a long marriage? >> i don't know, honey, what do you think? >> she's always right. >> did you see that? >> i don't know. there's no secret. i think you just work at it and you have fun and enjoy the journey. >> whatever it is, you two should sell it because you look amazingly happy. >> we just found out we're having our seventh grandchild. >> there's no way you're a grandmother. what is it did donny that keeps you in love with him? >> ooh. i don't know -- >> be careful. i could kick you off my lap. >> he's just a really sincere, great, down-to-earth kind of person. >> 36 years. what present did he give you sn today? >> today? >> being on this show. actually, we're in town to do some meetings for donny osmond home. it's a work in progress.

we just found out home depot is going to carry some of our products and wayfair.com is carrying, bill.com is coming on board. we have manufacturing partners calling us. >> who would you describe the taste you two are embracing with donny osmond at home? >> it's a style of comfort and casualness and something you can bring your family into and relax. it's not traditional or stuffy. >> you two are relaxed right now. it's not a traditional interview, sitting on the lap. >> has this ever happened? >> no. >> how about this one -- >> after 36 years -- >> that's not happening. >> i'll let you go back and sit. debbie, congratulations. >> whoo! i liked it when he sang to you. that was nice. >> i love this week, this is my

week off, i can come to new york and celebrate our anniversary. we're in vegas next week. marie and i are celebrating our 1,000th show. we were supposed to be there for six weeks in '08. we just got the award for best show of las vegas third year in a row. >> oh, my gosh! >> and that's saying a lot. that's the entertainment capital of the world. >> how are you guys -- you're like the benjamin buttons ageing in reverse. >> must be that mormon lifestyle. >> both of you guys. you guys look amazing. >> i don't know. >> you work out, you eat well, give us some secrets. >> he just did. you don't see her on a bad day.

>> do you do "i'm a little bit country, i'm a little bit rock 'n' roll." >> oh, yes. this is amazing. a couple weeks ago after the meet and greet, there were four generations of ladies, there was the great grandmother, the grandma, the mom and the little girl. she was 5 years old. the great grandmother new me from the andy williams show and i said how does this little 5-year-old know me? she said every time we get in the car she says i i want to hear donny osmond's anaconda song. i said there is no anaconda song and she started singing

♪ anaconda puppy love >> that's so cute. >> your wife made the show this morning. i love it. >> i love her. >> happy anniversary. >> have a good day. >> we're going to top this, believe it or not. i know it's hard because donny osmond is right here. hold on. it's going to be okay, donny. there wasn't a dry eye in the room as kevin durant declared his mother the real mvp. >> oh, that tops it. his mom, wanda pratt joins us next. is that okay? >> that's great. ♪ my music makes me whole, i'm a little bit country ♪ ♪ and i'm a little bit rock 'n' roll ♪ let's share the news tomorrow. today we failrly busy. tomorrow we're booked solid. we close on the house tomorrow. i want one of these opened up. because tomorow we go live... it's a day full of promise.

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♪ ♪ i love basketball so much, i love playing it. i just never thought that i could make it to college, nba or stand up here today in front of you guys and be an nba mvp. it's just a surreal feeling. i failed so many times and got back up. i've been through the toughest times with my family but i'm still standing.

[ applause ] >> and last, my mom. i don't think you know what you did. you made us believe, you kept us off the street, put clothes on our back, food on the table. when you didn't eat, you made sure we ate. you went to sleep hungry. you sacrificed for us. you're the real mvp. [ applause ] >> okay. every time we watch that, we all start crying, but i hear she's crying, too. and she should and for good reason if a good way. that was oklahoma city thunder start and the nba's 2014 most valuable player kevin durant, playing tribute to this woman, the real mvp, his mother. welcome to the show. >> thank you so much to all of

you. >> this is thomas roberts. i was hoping you would be here in person so i could get a hug from you. can you put your arms towards the camera for a virtual hug? >> of course, of course. >> it's hard to watch that video and not well up for anybody. you have to be heartless. how special was it for you to see that honor for your son, so long overdue in many regards but to know how special you are in his mind's eye to be named the mvp? >> oh, wow. i was just really overwhelmed by it. i knew that he's would mention me, but i did not know he would do it so distinctly. and it really just kind of touched my heart. i was overwhelmed. and i was pleasantly surprised of course. >> mike. >> miss pratt, first of all, thank you very much for the gift of your son. who gave us all a gift the other

day with that incredible, emotional speech. but secondly, there are those of us who believe that the hardest job in america is being poor. and being poor and a single mom raising children, as you did, could you talk about the degree of difficulty involved in rai raising your children when you fear what might happen on a street corner on their way to school and taking care of those boys. talk about that a bit. >> well, we were -- we had very humble beginnings of course, but it was our life. and i decided that i was going to make the best of it. the way that i had to help my boys to stay away from the ills that were in our area is that i was always involved in their lives. i made it my business to sacrifice my personal desires and wants and sometimes my needs

for their goals and dreams. so i was always there. some considered me as a hovering mother, but i felt it would be best if i knew their friends, their friend's parents, if i knew the environment, what was the sea pleasant rec center, know the environment there. i made it a point to be in their lives. >> michael steele. >> wanda, thank you for the hug first off. i appreciated it all the way here in chicago. but you know, your story and your son's story is very familiar to many of us. and as your son was talking and listening to you now, it reminds me of my mother. this weekend is mother's day. just contextualize for moms out there that balancing act of raising your kids and providing for the family but then looking at a moment like that, that shot of you in that moment where you

teared up, what was in your hea heart? was it like a job well done or there's more to do? how do you push yourself even after you've achieved the success and seen the success for your son, do you still push more or do you sit back now? >> well, i -- i'm learning how to sit back. that part is really difficult for me. as mothers of young men knows, but my sons, they are helping me to do that. there are times when they come to me and they'll tell me that they need to talk with me, so i try to wait for that opportunity, but it's a learning process for me. but i'm trying. >> you know, wanda, when kevin said you kept us off the street, put clothes on our back, food on the table, when made sure we ate, you went to bed hungry,

kevin gave us all an extraordinary mother's day present and you have today as well. thank you so much for being with us. >> wanda pratt, thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you. happy mother's day. >> i want another hug. >> don't be greedy. >> yes! >> there's always another hug from mom. >> thank you so much, wanda and thank you for your extraordinary example. coming up next, what if anything did we learn today? [thinking] i'm still working. he's retired. i hope he's saving. i hope he saved enough. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. whether you're just starting your 401(k) or you are ready for retirement, we'll help you get there.

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♪ time to talk about what we learned today. >> we all look forward to nicole who has a mother's day announcement. >> one of my favorite mother, barbara bush, is running a literacy fund and they will match any donation 100%. >> wow! >> coming up, chuck todd and "the daily rundown" next. majority rules. my exclusive interview with senate majority leader harry reid. he pulls no punches and has some fancy footwork when it comes to 2016. and jim clyburn on t