all right. that's going to do it for this edition of "way too early." good week, gang! "morning joe" starts right now. ♪ good morning. it's friday, may the 30th. great to have you with us on "morning joe." beautiful shot of new york city. is barnicle getting you laughing already? >> it hasn't even started yet, he's off the rails. he was feisty in makeup. he was really recoiled when they offered him some lip balm. i knew it was going to be one of those days. >> what's your thing against lip balm? >> with us on set msnbc contributor and lip balm user -- >> no. we could really slander him by saying that.

he does not have lip balm on. >> mike barnicle. also nicole wallace. and sam stein. and in d.c., the washington anchor for bbc world news america, katty kay. so mika is of course in the south of france as she always is. >> it is that season. >> it is. on her way over, she stopped in florida. she was in miami last night. her mother had a great book event for her book, and it was a packed house. we went to one of these and it is remarkable having ms. brzezinski talking about her artwork. >> does she bring the chain saw with her? >> only if i'm there. and we're all going to be there. if you want to see her use her chain saw as she chases me

through a bookstore, we'll be at politics and pros monday. that's always a great place to do book events. and willie, you're going to be in wellesley. >> yes. lip balm country. >> where all the men wear lip balm. >> coming up with my dad. >> okay. very good. >> let's keep this lip balm theme going through the show. it's not odd enough already. >> sure. >> the book is selling well, by the way. gazillions of books. >> it's done well despite the fact our publisher is in a fight with amazon. >> can i talk about this? >> it's unbelievable. >> our publisher is -- basically amazon is strong arming our publisher so you couldn't

preorder our book and when you buy it now -- >> i ordered it -- i had reader frustration. i thought it'll be here in the morning. i clicked the buy button. it said item ships in one to four weeks. we say lots of nice things about amazon, i love amazon. but that freaking sucks. >> it does. for me i've got platforms to promote. we'll be okay. you could kill a book for a first-time novelist. it didn't help, but we made the best seller list. which is great news and it's a great father's day gift. but it's an uphill climb. >> order it now. and go to barnes & noble.com. i ordered it there too. >> why are they doing it? >> it's complicated. it's above my pay grade, but it's about marketing, it's about what gets to price e-books. they're negotiating right now the terms of the deal.

this is a negotiation tactic by amazon. >> screw them, okay? never buying amazon again. >> apparently it was a deal that went really bad between the companies. did you see the final scene of "scar face"? >> like that? who was up on the balcony. >> i don't want to get into it. i just -- >> really. spraying the -- >> and nobody was wearing leadership balm. >> he did come up. listen. i don't want to talk about it. i hope these kids just get together and realize that sometimes big coke deals go wrong. when they do, what do you have to do? what did the god father tell us? you got to move past it. keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. speaking of the enemy of the people, donald sterling.

>> big news. appears the nba's donald sterling nightmare is getting closer and closer to being over. steve ballmer reportedly set to purchase the los angeles clippers for $2 billion. the proposed sale of the team now goes to league officials pending their final approval. ballmer already has been vetted by the nba because he tried to purchase the sacramento kings last year. he wanted to move that team to seattle. that's why the deal didn't go through. experts have declared donald sterling mentally incapacitated which makes his wife the sole trustee. she can move forward with a sale without donald sterling's approval. but his attorney says he is not selling the clippers. he has not agreed to sell at any price. >> will the experts interview his lawyer?

>> who ruled him mentally incapacitated? because if a court has ruled him mentally incapacitated, he doesn't have the right to do anything. his lawyer may as well be representing a tree stump. >> is it worth that much? >> i guess there are tv deals coming up and they'll make more money. >> the minnesota team was just bought for about $500 million. small tv market there. >> you wonder how they can keep up we the lakers. the clippers before this blowup became the offbrand. they started playing better. i remember six months ago being in l.a. calling joe saying what do you want. he says get me a clippers cap. so i got him a clippers comp which he promptly put in a drawer three or four weeks ago and said i'm not wearing that. but it was sort of a cool off

brand. it was the alternative brand to all the hollywood schlubs running to get on the floor of the lakers game. >> yeah. as sort of the kobe era ebbs, he's in his last couple years. now the rise of the clippers with blake griffin and doc rivers. this is the sexiest team in the league. >> big report coming out a couple of days ago on the v.a., willie. it's scathing the ramifications still. >> this continues. an obama administration official tells nbc news that veterans affair secretary eric shinseki is on thin ice. more than a hundred members now of congress are demanding new leadership at the v.a. follows reports of wait lists and other problems at facilities across the country. the list now includes 30 democrats including 11 in the

senate. nine of those are up for re-election in november. boehner and cantor have not called for shinseki to call down yet. they're framing to say president obama is the one who ought to be held accountable for this. white house press secretary jay carney was asked repeatedly yesterday if the president still has confidence in secretary shinseki. he seemed to struggle answers one way or the other. >> does the president right now have confidence in secretary shinseki. northern? it's a simple yes or no question. you told us last week he does have confidence. does he have confidence now? >> what i would point you to is what the president when asked about his view on secretary shinseki. i'm not going to improve upon his words in this regard. >> he wasn't asked directly if he had confidence. >> i understand that -- the word play here, but i think that -- >> it's not word play.

it's a central question. does he have confidence in a member of his cabinet? >> you can see this coming, sam stein, as me professor used to say, like a freight train coming out of the mist. you should see this coming. is shinseki about to go? >> it certainly seems that way. when you have 30 democratic senators, 1/3 of the entire senate basically saying -- what time is it? like 6:10? the wagons are circling. and essentially what you have is a situation which the obama administration needs to not look like they're just reacting. at the same time they don't want to take too long because there are serious problems at the v.a. they have their own study going on. my guess with a little bit of reporting in here is they're going to wait to get it and probably produce i would suspect a series of reforms to go along

so it looks like a comprehensive response. it needs a comprehensive response. it's an almost potentially criminally bad situation at the v.a. >> katty, the ripple effect of this among democrats specifically but members of both parties, it's going to be enormous potentially in the fall. because this what's happening now is not new. the v.a. has been straining under the bureaucracy for many, many years. the care once a veteran gets to many of the veterans hospitals is first rate. but getting there is the real issue. >> yeah. that should be the focus of this, right? i think john baoehner is right when he asks the question if we get rid of shinseki, does it get rid of this problem? do we have to privatize some of it? would that be a more effective use of the country's dollars

when it comes to the v.a. totally publicly funded? i think there has to be a real discussion about we spend "x" amount of money, we need the best possible care for our veterans. we're not getting it now. how should we get it? you touched on the risk here which is this quickly gets wrapped up in midterm election politics. you're starting to see that already with some republicans trying to use this as a way to paint the president as unable to lead not just in this but in other areas as well. i think we have to be a little wary of that when we're talking about the care we're giving our veterans. >> you know, nicole, the v.a. and aye said it time and time again, the v.a. has been a mess for a long time. it was my least favorite agency to deal with when i served. they were just horrible. they didn't give a damn. they just didn't. it was horrible. that said, let's just look at this from a management view.

shinseki has been in charge for six years. over the six years, the wait lists have been -- just become horrific. the worst ever. over the six years, we now find out there's secret lists where vets that have served this country were shoved to the side, delayed care, denied care, perhaps died because of that. all of the time when funding for the v.a. went up 70%, 75% over the past six years. went up 70%, 75% during the bush years. this is not a funding issue. this is a management issue. who else do yo go to if shinseki was there for six years? >> it's not like the situation has stayed the same since he's been in charge of the v.a. it's gotten much worse. and you don't have to know a lot about these issues. you only have to know a little to know how bad it is for the

vets themselves. so i see this as something that i would be very, very careful about using in a political context. this should be one issue where both parties pledge to leave politics out of it until it's fixed for the veterans. sadly i feel we're not at a time and place where that's even possible, but the fact that boehner and pelosi seem to be seeing this in a similar fashion gives me a little bit of hope. but i would hope desperately that they could try to fix it for the veterans before they try to make a political analysis out of it. because i think it's a giant loser politically because both parties have been in charge of oversight of the v.a. while this has gotten as you say criminally bad. >> part of the problem is we have so many people returning from war now. and "the new york times" did an amazing stat in today's paper which is the percentage of primary care visits in the last year has gone up 50% and the

percentage of doctors are up only 9%. they are overburdened in terms of work. i'm not sure more money would help. there's been more money. they need more facilities and doctors, but the republicans are going to push to allow them to opt out to a private place. >> is that a bad idea? >> i don't -- it could be a great idea, could be a bad idea. that's where the real debate's going to be. what do you do to reform the system. >> republicans that don't like that idea, what's the response to letting vets that have had to wait for 30 days for perhaps life-saving care get a voucher, opt out, and go somewhere else? >> i would gather that they -- some of them would say let's do that. the problem's too critically important that they should at least get some care. but they would probably want to couple it with resources to get more doctors in the v.a. system. maybe more facilities if the v.a. system. right now they serve 8.9 million

people. that's a lot of people for the amount of facilities they have. >> i'm worried the whole conversation about this has been should shinseki stay or go. the real question is what is the way to help fix this which has failed so many people. >> that's the problem if you just go to shinseki, you miss the reason. >> we'll have the head of a v.a. on. he has some solutions. >> i do have to say shinseki's been there for six years. i don't care what i'm running. if i'm running a place for six years and the backlog catches up on you and seems to surprise you. then what happens in phoenix may be happening elsewhere, i'm sorry. whoever's in charge, whoever's running the post, that person is gone. and we need to find somebody else to do it. i would love to see somebody like a colin powell step up.

i think somebody suggested it on twitter, i think it's a great idea. a guy like mitt romney. have romney go in for the fight of his life, save the v.a. get somebody like that outside that knows how to run things. i guarantee you get a guy like colin powell or romney in there or find a democratic business leader and about three or four days in they're going to go, you do what? wait. what do you do? they'll -- >> it's principally right now a management problem. it's the management of the v.a. the care once you get to a veterans hospital is remarkably good. many veterans will tell you that. but it's getting there. and we're in the east coast now talking about this. you go out into the middle of america and you're talking about -- >> drive to another state. especially the mental health services. you have to cross three states to get to a mental health facility. >> there is no access. >> if you put on a uniform and

fight for this country and you give your all for this country and you come back wounded or you come back with challenges, you better hope to hell you live east of the mississippi. because you're treated like a second class citizen west of the mississippi in this system. it's outrageous. >> there is another element to the problem. 20 years ago if you look at composition of the house of representatives and the united states senate, you'd see a huge percentage of veterans serving. you look at the composition of the house of representatives and the united states senate today, you're talking very, very, very few. >> i agree with you about the management and the top. i just hope the politicians who are slamming the podiums today about shinseki keep slamming them after he's gone if he does, in fact, go. because the real problem lies beneath. >> you can't just give it to one guy. what else do we have in the news? >> the scandal in the v.a. is already affecting the midterms.

begich is part of an attack ad in alaska. >> veterans died waiting for care that never came. mark begich sits on the veterans affair committee. his response, if there's a problem they need to fix it. if there's a problem? four years ago the inspector general failed the v.a. office in 13 of 14 areas. now some senators are blocking bipartisan legislation to shake up the v.a. and enforce accountability. tell senator begich when veterans are dying, it's a problem. >> willie, i get this. because just a couple minutes ago nicole said i hope nobody's as big a sleaze bag -- >> i didn't use that word. >> -- that would politicize this would be a sleaze bag. >> that's made by the karl rove group. >> smart people involved there.

i don't like this issue as a political issue. i said that already. >> does it make you sad? >> listen. it makes me uncomfortable that we don't even have all the facts and we're already using it as a political issue. >> are you going to call karl rove in is. >> no. i'm not going to call anybody anymore. i'm throwing my phone away on the way home. >> it's going to be straight out of "breaking bad." leave the chicken shack and break the phone in half. >> it barely works anyway. i don't like this as a political issue. >> are you disappointed in karl? >> i'm not. >> come on. >> say some provocative. come on. >> i don't like this as a political issue. veterans whose lives are at stake. >> so cross roads gps, that's the group on that. other groups raising money off this. in some ways republicans have harry reid to thank. republican doe nonors are respog to the koch brother attacks but not the way the democrat

intended. an uptick in the money now being funneled into shadow groups not required to disclose their names. for instance crossroads has raised just a fraction of what it took in in 2012. but cross roads which keeps its contributors private is raising more cash than ever. are expected to play an even larger role this time around. >> the harry reid strategy against the koch brothers is making american politics even less transparent. >> well, it appears it's pushing money into darker corners of our political system. >> i like that. darker corners, shadow groups. must be what harry reid envisioned all along. still ahead on "morning joe," we're going to continue our quest to find someone who can define the obamacare

doctrine. we keep promising "morning joe" mugs. >> i got a mug. >> people don't get it, so we got to hand out rice-a-roni the san francisco treat. and we're running out of supply. so we hope somebody can do it. we're going to bring in a young contesta contestant. he's a good guy. i think he can nail this thing. >> he just came from a spelling bee too. >> jon huntsman will be here to try to explain it up next. we have a look at hillary clinton's new book. they've identified the chapter the republicans are going to be reading over and over and over again if they have a boring life. that's next in the playbook. and it's friday. so why not some random video dancing with babies? isn't that what we do on friday? >> yeah. >> that's ahead on news you can't use. i'm telling you. this will change your life. i think. >> smiling changes your life, so yes it will.

>> exactly. bill, what's going on this weekend? yesterday's weather, unbelievable. top ten. >> easy. we don't have many of these low humidity days left. summer is coming with the heat and humidity. we have another cool, crisp morning for you in new england. temperatures in the 50s. we're going to warm it up with sunshine. what's different about today is we will spark a few thunderstorms later this afternoon. we're mostly looking for areas new york city northward. it's not going to rain out your day or your friday night plans, but there will be a couple storms that will be hit and miss up through new hampshire. still getting drenched on pensacola, mobile, destin. that area still under a flood threat. and the weekend weather pattern, overall we're pretty warm from the great lakes through texas and south. let me take you through the forecast.

this is your friday forecast. afternoon storms in the northern plains. we won't see anything too chilly except boston. then finally for your sunday looking for a beautiful weather pattern for new england right through the mid-atlantic. a great sunday and really the only trouble will be there in the northern plains. overall i don't think you could ask for a much better weekend. really no severe weather, no tornadoes. and looking good as we head into june. washington, d.c., looking for a nice afternoon. you're watching "morning joe." ♪ we are a collection of smalls.

a home saved. a hero homebound for a new opportunity. a kitchen that kick starts careers wells fargo invests in our communities a little differently. small measures that add up to make our whole even greater. little by little we can do a lot. because... small is huge. visit www.wellsfargo.com to see how big small can be. [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪

♪ what decade were the killers from? were they from the '20s or '30s? it's been awhile since they've had a hit. >> that's not true. >> what's the last hit the killers had? >> a few months ago.

>> he had a solo album that was successful. >> look at you. >> big killers fan. their concerts still draw huge crowds in new jersey and new york. >> wow. i never knew this. >> you're going after all my sacred cows this morning. karl rove, the killers. >> well, let's take a look at the morning papers. "the chicago tribune," the santa barbara student that killed people before taking his own life in his video claimed women don't appreciate him. now the local sheriff's department knew of other videos he had posted but never checked them. officers responded to a welfare check at his home about a month before the rampage, but elliot rodger convinced them he was

fine. >> "the washington post," measles cases have hit a 20-year high. almost 300 cases detected. half have been tied from the philippines. >> mark that off for the summer. >> we're not going now. >> i was going to go. you could buy good stuff there. i'm not going to the philippines now. >> i was going to go to manila saturday. >> i was too. >> one direction is there this summer. >> look at you. >> what are you talking about? >> that was such a random factoid. >> i have fun facts. it's going to be a bad day. >> great day. amazing. >> the beatles trip to manila didn't go so well. there were mobs threatening to kill. >> let's hope one direction has a better trip. >> that's the first thing when you heard philippines. >> he was grasping for what they had going on.

>> how did you know that? >> i don't know. >> what are you? concerts r us? >> are you more of a harry gurl or zane girl? >> i don't know who those people are. >> i see the posts. >> yeah. actually, yeah. >> how about "the new york times." the fda is putting new regulations on tanning beds, mike. >> no. people around here are going to be very upset. >> just have one brought into your home. they will require manufacturers to post new warning labels. no one under the age of 18 should be allowed to use the beds. companies will have to ensure consumers don't emit too much radiation. do people still go to those? >> they still have those? >> i think the kids are doing the spray tan thing. >> my preference is the bed, but you know. if you got to go quickly, do the spray tan. >> you're old school.

>> friday night 8:00, you haven't done the bed, you do the spray tan. >> do you have a in-home spray? >> no i have an in-home bed. >> really? do you know somebody that has one? >> somebody at this network that has one. >> one step closer to taking customers into space. its first space flight could come as early as this year. the company says 600 people have already signed up. and the price -- >> how much is it? >> $250,000. >> basically the same as u.s. air. >> do you pay for your luggage on that thing? >> $50 for a suitcase. $10 for peanut. >> this week's parade magazine, little league baseball turns 75 years old. >> you know, jack's getting into t-ball now. just turned six.

and i was -- there's a guy from england over here and he was talking about it. he said he didn't know if his kid would be there. just reflecting back, i said my best memories growing up as a kid was putting the uniform on, putting up the socks. of course i lived in the era where you cut the elastic and the socks went up like lou brock. but it was just the best time i had in my life. >> i still watch the little league world series. i love it. >> i can't think of a time in my entire life i was more excited than putting on that uniform. >> joe biden, the vice president of the united states, once told me when he was selected for his first little league team, the night before his first game he slept in his uniform he was so excited. >> you waited to see what color you were going to be. the dark blue, the red, the green. who was going to sponsor your team. maybe the hardware store or the

ice cream store. >> chico's bail bonds. >> let's go to politico. with us now correspondent mike allen. he's got a look at the playbook. >> good morning. and happy friday. >> there it is. there it is. it's time. so you guys, of course, obtained an exclusive look at another chapter if hillary clinton's new book. her reflections on the 2012 attack in benghazi. mike, a lot of people waiting to hear what she was going to say about this. what'd you find? >> these are the 34 pages that everybody's been waiting for. the chapter is called "benghazi under attack." referring to her and the tragedy that night. maggie haberman got this chapter and says hillary clinton is more defiant than defensive. she goes after her critics saying those who insist of politicizing this strategy would have to do it without me. she says there's been a lot of

misinformation, speculation, and key phrase here outright deceit in talking about benghazi. she says that republicans on the hill, she says she's a former senator. she respects the role of congress, but she says some of these people are broken records about unanswered questions. and here's another great quote. she says there's a difference between unanswered questions and unlistened to answers. maggie points out there's going to be a campaign around the chapter. democratic groups are going to be briefed on what's in the chapter so they'll know what to say. tommy vitor, a former bush aide, a being brought on to help communicate about the book. and the lets president obama off the hook. she said president obama ordered that everything possible should be done to help our people in libya that night. >> tommy vietor, former aide.

she says it's unworthy of your great country. those who insist of politicizing the tragedy will have to do it without me. what's your sense for argument's sake she does run for president, about how much this issue of benghazi will nag her? >> republicans have found it's a very effective issue for them. they think it's a real opening. it opens questions about the effectiveness of her record. she wants to be able to run on being an effective secretary of state. so that's why republicans are going to jump on it. willie, this chapter tries to close off a lot of the questions by questioning the motives of those who are asking them and saying we just don't know. she talked about how will all the attackers out there, they weren't all motivated by a video. but she acknowledges you can't say none of them were either. >> all right. mike allen with a look inside the politico playbook.

thanks so much. >> happy weekend. still ahead, the epic finish to last night's scripps spelling bee. an ending that has not happened in more than half a century. >> it's unbelievable. they released the monkeys on stage. half the kids, like, bites. i've never seen anything like this before. >> it was chaos. >> you don't do that. this is -- it was awful. >> you can show a little bit of ut. >> no. >> plus the incredible save that rangers goalie henrik lundqvist pulled off to put them in position to go to their first stanley cup final in 20 years. sports is next. ♪

people join angie's list for all kinds of reasons. i go to angie's list to gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians. the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. we cannot let the fans down. don't worry! the united states postal service will get it there on time with priority mail flat rate shipping. our priority has always been saving the day. because our priority... amazing! ...is you! the amazing spider-man 2 delivered by the united states postal service.

first the cookie at check-in. then a little family fun. with breakfast for 4 and wifi. join us for the family fun package. doubletree by hilton. where the little things mean everything. you wouldn't have it she any other way.our toes. but your erectile dysfunction - it could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours.

if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about experiencing cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial.

♪ all right. let's do some sports. we're going to start with hockey. stanley cup playoffs. the new york rangers had a chance to move on to the finals he hosting the canadiens. check out this save by king

lundqvist. he hits the puck with his hand to keep it out of the neat. to keep the game scoreless right there. >> that is unbelievable. >> and a couple minutes later, the rangers dominic moore scores to give them the one-goal advantage. a shutout. one goal is all new york needed. rangers win 1-0 and go to the stanley cup fielt for the first time in 20 years. >> how exciting is that? people in new york, you don't hear it, but they're crazy for the rangers. it's so exciting. >> the atmosphere at the garden last night was incredible. it was electric. and this city is going to be very excited now because they're either going to play los angeles or chicago. you have two great teams, two big markets. this is very good for the nhl. the kings can finish off chicago tonight in l.a. if they lose, they tie it up, go back for game seven. >> come on, blackhawks. i would love to see the rangers

play the blackhawks. >> yeah. >> two original six teams. >> let's go to san antonio for the nba playoffs. thunder and spurs, game five. western conference finals. tight game in the first. russell westbrook, a thunderous jam. oh, my. >> that's thunderous. >> that's a point guard, by the way. okc had an early five-point lead. but tim duncan for san antonio, guy keeps getting it done. spurs blow out the thunder. now one win away from a return to the nba finals. it's a weird series. if you're at home you blow them out. other home, they blow them out. >> he's still playing. tim duncan. >> still doing it. >> comes in with bob koozy and is still playing. >> after the game coach gregg popovich of the spurs faced some tough questions from the media? >> five games, five blowouts. to those of us who don't really know the game, how do you explain that?

>> you're serious? you really think i can explain that? >> in simplest terms. i know you can. question is, will you? >> good lord. and they pay you, don't they? >> very little. >> thus the question. >> got him to laugh, which is -- tonight the heat get another chance to close out their series with the pacer. two-time masters winner bubba watson known for his creativity on the golf course, his latest trick shot on the mini golf course unbelievable none stles. >> bubba here. we play the course backwards.

>> you're welcome! >> if you couldn't love that guy any more, just hangs out at mini golf courses. >> i don't believe this. >> you're such a cynic. >> i am in this case. >> boom. bubba watson, ladies and gentlemen. >> is there a putt putt course around? >> i'm really good. i'm awesome. yeah. i can bowl too really well. >> can you really? >> yeah. >> any upcoming dates on the one direction tour or just the one in manila? >> that's the only one i know about. >> just the one across the pacific. coming up next, mike bloomberg gives the commencement address at harvard and has a

warning for liberals. what's he calling modern day mccarthyism? that's next. ♪

i make a lot of purchases for my business. and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase like 60,000 bonus points when i spent $5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at office supply stores. with ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. travel, gift cards even cash back. and my rewards points won't expire. so you can make owning business even more rewarding. ink from chase. so you can.

♪ former mayor michael bloomberg has a message for america's universities. tone down the political bias. and yesterday bloomberg delivered that message to a packed house of faculty and

students as commencement speaker. he attacked schools that reward scholarships and teachers who conform to ideological standards calling it a form of modern day mccarthyism. >> intolerance of ideas whether liberal or conservative is noless antithetical to -- 96% of all campaign contributions from ivy league faculty and employees went to barack obama. 96%. there was more disagreement among the old than there are among ivy league donors. great universities must not become predictably partisan. and a liberal arts education must not been a education in the art of liberalism. >> what a -- i'm sorry, what a

great message. >> wow. >> what a great message coming from that guy. because at the end of the day, it doesn't do liberals any good to just have parrots running around repeating the same thing they want them to think. >> leave it to him to call them out. i sort of -- i think republicans gave up on that frontier. >> it's good he went to the lions den but i think it's a simplistic message. just because you donate to barack obama doesn't mean you agree with everything on the democratic platform. there's shades of gray. there are shades of gray. >> not -- >> are you serious? >> the ten-year process. if you were a conservative and intellectual and you rye to go through the tenure process at a lot of these schools first of all, if you even get a job you're going to get your knees

chopped out from under you. is it a coincidence 96% of the professors in ivy league schools gave money to barack obama? or is there discrimination? >> of those who donated. >> do you think that's a mistake? >> do i think it's a mistake? >> do you think that just happened? >> obviously there are acidemia is filled with people who define themselves as liberals. however, just because you gave to barack obama doesn't necessarily agree with everything. >> sam, are you suggesting that the -- >> i'm not saying they agree with conservatism. but there are different forms of liberalism. you could be a centrist, you could be a socialist and still donate to barack obama. >> i think that's probably true. students get a diverse view of the left. that's probably right.

>> but not -- [ overlapping speakers ] >> the larger issue that he addressed that provoked the rest of the speech, the content of the rest of the speech was the fact that his police commissioner ray kelly went to brown university this past wednesday to speak and was shouted down and off the stage. >> i think that's stupid and reprehensible. why students don't want to be subjected to a different set of viewpoints is silly. the fact professors donated to barack obama is overstated. >> it's the same thing. you talk about political correctness, katty, condi rice is basically kept from going to rutgers. we could give one example after another. ray kelly shouted down. the question is what type of intellectual ghetto do these people want to live in? they have cordoned themselves off from -- one of the great

articles i read about john roberts when people asked why he was so good in front of the senate judiciary committee. he said i went to law school, there were only two of us that believed that way. we would get booed, shouted down. so we had to make sure that we had the sharpest arguments going whereas if you had a liberal argument, you could be sloughed in your approach and people would applaud you. give me your observations. >> i think it's appalling and depressing that condi rice, ray kelly got shouted down, christine lagarde had to pull out of giving a commencement address this year as well. why on earth wouldn't students want to have the exposure to different points of view and to hear from these incredibly accomplished, high profile people who have led all of their lives and done ground breaking things? wouldn't you want to hear from the first woman to lead the

international monetary fund? i think that's depressing that schools are becoming so narrow and that the students feel that anyone who is outside the bounds of their prescribed set of values, they don't want to hear from. i mean, that's not education anymore. >> i also think it's caving to the smallest group. in the case of rutgers, it was a small group who didn't want condi rice there. why was the forced not to come to the school? if you don't agree with her on one or two issues, that's not a reason to not bring her to the school. she comes from the segregated south and she was friends with the little girls at the 16th street baptist church and she rose up to be who he is. there's an incredible story about america in there. and to rule all that out in this case because you disagree with her on a couple issues is so intellectually foolish. >> our top universities are actually becoming more closed minded by the year. i remember in the '80s, '90s, closing of the american mind that was talking about getting a

political correctness here. it is worse today than it's ever been. >> feels like it. that's for sure. >> coming up on a different intellectual note, what happens when the moderator runs out of words at the spelling bee? highlights straight ahead. ♪ ♪ (woman) this place has got really good chocolate shakes. (growls) (man) that's a good look for you. (woman) that was fun. (man) yeah. (man) let me help you out with the.. (woman)...oh no, i got it. (man) you sure? (woman) just pop the trunk. (man vo) i may not know where the road will lead, but... i'm sure my subaru will get me there. (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

[ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ sweets become salaries. an oven heats up a community la cocina, a small kitchen that kick-starts the careers of 41 entrepreneurs. they bring the talent. we help fund the tools. it's a small way we help that's been huge for the community. little by little we can do a lot. because... small is huge. visit www.wellsfargo.com to see how big small can be. but with less energy, moodiness, and a low sex drive,

i had to do something. i saw my doctor. a blood test showed it was low testosterone, not age. we talked about axiron the only underarm low t treatment that can restore t levels to normal in about two weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer, worsening prostate symptoms, decreased sperm count, ankle, feet or body swelling, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing while sleeping and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. ask your doctor about axiron.

♪ that's the idea. my mind is open. you guys need to open your mind. still ahead, secretary of state john kerry says the president isn't getting enough credit for this foreign policy. yeah, that's going well. syria, yeah that's going well. and iran. check check. wait a second. seriously? >> let's hear him out. >> we'll hear him out, but -- oh, dear lord. former governor jon huntsman will weigh in on that. and with the sale of the clippers imminent, donald sterling is saying no deal. but he may not have a say in the matter. also there's now major support to remove eric shinseki from the v.a. how is the white house going to respond? and later we can reveal the top

places to live in america to save money. >> with your parents. >> that n that garage apartment. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] people all over the world know us, but they don't yet know we're a family. we're right where you need us. at the next job, next adventure or at the next exit helping you explore super destinations and do everything under the sun. 12 brands. more hotels than anyone else in the world. so wherever you want to be, whatever you want to do, chances are we're already there.

save up to 25% and earn bonus points when you book at wyndhamrewards.com.

the most free research reports, customizable charts, powerful screening tools, and guaranteed 1-second trades. and at the center of it all is a surprisingly low price -- just $7.95. in fact, fidelity gives you lower trade commissions than schwab, td ameritrade, and etrade. i'm monica santiago of fidelity investments, and low fees and commissions are another reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. now get 200 free trades when you open an account. as the company that's all about printing. but did you know we also support hospitals using electronic health records for more than 30 million patients? or that our software helps over 20 million smartphone users remotely configure e-mail every month? or how about processing nearly $5 billion in electronic toll payments a year? in fact, today's xerox is working in surprising ways to help companies simplify the way work gets done

and life gets lived. with xerox, you're ready for real business. ♪ kabaragoya. >> i know it! i know it! i totally know it. okay. kabaragoya. c-a-b-a-r-a-g-o-y-a. what?

>> what? you know, that never happened to me because i never expected to get anything right. welcome back to "morning joe." mike barnicle, nicole wallace, and katty kay are still with us. joining us is president and ceo of politico jim boeheim. and iraq and afghanistan vet paul riecoff. we love having him here to update us on capitol hill. here's thomas who has a look at last night's incredible finish. >> this was cool. the scripps national spelling bee. this is the first time something happened in years. >> they let the bees loose? >> no. but we have two winners now. >> really? >> everybody's a winner there. this was an amazing night last night. we saw that off the top, the one kid -- surprised me he's 15 in

the eighth grade. >> maybe that's why he won. >> that kid didn't win. that was just the funny kid. their enthusiasm is fun to watch. but it's not only the kids that make mistakes. sometimes the moderator can mess up. >> watch for his reaction on the language of origin. >> may i have the sentence please? >> tabitha discovered while all her bmilk shake brought all the boys to the yard -- i'm sorry. i was reading the wrong sentence. kurt enjoyed a dish of fashawatha and greens. >> what is that sentence used for? her milk shake brings all the boys to the yard? >> that's a very explicit song. >> yes. so this year's competition ended up with this classic

head-to-head matchup moment. >> if you spell this word correctly, we will declare you and sriram co-champions. feuilleton. no more questions. get the letters out there. >> okay -- whatever. >> however you say it, just spell it. >> f-e-u-i-l-l-e-t-o-n. >> correct. >> wow. >> there we have it. look at that shared prize. ladies and gentlemen, we have a tie. that's 14-year-old new yorker sriram hathwar and 13-year-old texan ansun sunjoe. wasn't it funny when he said whatever. >> whatever.

>> share them with milk shakes in there. >> let's go to katty kay now. she's going to explain the lyrics to that explicit song in a bit. but first let's do the news. >> those poor kids. i was terrified for them. the nba's donald sterling nightmare may be over. steve ballmer is reportedly set to purchase the los angeles clippers for $2 billion. the proposed sale of the team now goes to league officials for final approval. espn reports that experts have declared donald sterling mentally incapacitated which makes his estranged wife shelly sterling the sole trustee of the franchise. but donald sterling's attorney says, quote, he is not selling the clippers. donald sterling has not agreed to sell the clippers at any price. so watch that space. in business, the u.s. economy contracted in the first

quarter for the first time in three years. the commerce department revised down its growth estimate to show gross domestic product shrinks at a 1% annual rate. analysts report it buckled under the weight of a severe winter. but there are signs that activity has since rebounded. that on top of the news the unemployment rate had come down. >> all these numbers are so confusing. and obviously it's a big deal when you have the economy actually contracting. hasn't happened in quite some time. you never know what's going to happen next with the numbers. whether it's unemployment numbers or the gdp. >> sometimes you don't even know how to read those numbers. you hear that more people are dropping out of the workforce but still the unemployment rate is coming down. i agree, joe. it's hard to work out where the economy is actually headed. ford we know is recalling 1 million cars because of safety issues. the latest recall involves a

power steering issue. 20 crashes have been linked to this issue. of course that continues ford's problems we've been hearing about those a lot this year. the destruction of syria's chemical weapons arsenal will not be completed before the june 30th deadline. president bashar al assad agreed last year. the country already missed an april the 27th deadline for it to hand over its chemical weapons. that expired with damascus. that red line issue hasn't done so yet. and measles cases in the united states have hit a high. 18 states across the country infected. half the cases have been tied to trips to the philippines. the cdc says the biggest outbreak is in an amish

community in ohio where many are not vaccinated. cancel that trip to the philippines. >> mike and i have. beginning of june every year we go there sort of a guy's month in the philippines. it's a long story. goes back to nam. but let's talk about the v.a. serious stuff still coming out. >> very serious stuff. this continues to grow as questions emerge. an obama official saying shinseki is -- they're growing in d.c. more than a hundred members of congress demanding the leadership change. we have 11 in the senate. nine of those senators are up for re-election this november. we've got republican house speaker john boehner and majority leader eric cantor. they have not called for secretary shinseki to step down yet. they're framing the scandal to

say that president obama should be held accountable for this. white house press secretary jay carney was asked specifically and repeatedly if president obama still has confidence in the secretary. he seemed to struggle answering one way or the other on it. >> does the president right now have confidence in secretary shinseki. yes or no. it's a simple yes or no question. you told us last week he does have confidence. does he now? >> what i would point you to is what the president said when asked about his view on secretary shinseki. i'm not going to improve upon his words in this regard. >> he wasn't asked directly if he had confidence. >> i understand that -- is the word play here. >> it's not word play. it's a central question. does he have confidence on this member of his cabinet? >> i don't understand why jay always has to result to insulting. when he's asked a question, usually answer -- >> it's the same reporter these

days. >> why does he go to word play, why does he do that? or like mike would do, i can only tell you what i can tell you. all i can tell you is the president spoke last week and it always seems to be personal with jay carney. i don't understand why that -- does he go back and do people in the west wing give him a high five? i don't understand it. >> it's a very hard job, but, you know, when you are the reporter who wrote the story about mccain's age and then stand at that podium and attack people who are asking about hillary clinton's age, there's instance after instance where he applies a double standard to journalists to the job that he did for a long time. >> i don't get it. let's go ahead and talk about what's going on with the v.a. there are a lot of people in washington with amnesia. a lot of people -- we've been

hearing it for a long time. you have, i have. a lot of people that were promised health care for life, quality health care for life in return for putting the uniform on for this country. and you're right. it's forgotten. here's what i don't understand. most americans i talk to think shinseki should go. most veterans i talk to think shinseki should go. now democrats are joining republicans saying shinseki should go. but we've got the top political leaders in a bubble. boehner, cantor, pelosi still supporting him. what message would you like to give to the speaker of the house? the president of the united states, the majority leader, and the minority leader of the house? >> i want to know why they all didn't track on this sooner. the i.g. report is damning. now we know there were secret lists. they were cooking the boox. this is the appendix.

it's panls of other i.g. testimony going back to 2007. since 2007 there have been i.g. reports, congressional testimonies. this has been out there. every warning sign was there and it was ignored. the problem with the v.a., there's an old saying with the army. failing to plan is planning to fail. shinseki accurately projected the amount of resources we needed in iraq. now he's going to be famous because he failed to project what we needed at the v.a. and we all knew it. now we've got this tremendous mess all over the place. >> obviously it's a dysfunctional agency. it was dysfunctional when i was in washington. it's dysfunctional during the bush years. it's dysfunctional during the obama years. but over the past six years, it's a simple question, have things gotten better under shinseki or worse? is it even a close call? >> no. i mean, quality of care remains good, but access to care still stinks. they haven't been able to solve this problem.

now what you see is the ultimate dysfunction in washington. if they can't get together on veterans issues, they can't get together in anything. there will be a pox on all their houses because they all knew and they're all responsible. and the oversight function was abdicated. they failed to execute their oversight function. >> jim vandehei, why do you have them holding back when the rest of washington is starting to call for shinseki's head? >> i think in pelosi's case, she's trying to defend the president. i think boehner and cantor want the focus to be on the president. they don't want him to pass the buck on this one. for the president, it's unusual because we know how this is going to end. he's going to step down in the next 72 hours. and i think what the president would say and what you saw from that clip in the press conference is i'm dropping every hint i can. take the hint and resign.

you can't lead with hibts. you have to lead decisively. that's where you see the point that people are fleeing. and at some point the president's going to have to respond to that. until you make that change, you're not going to get the type of changes that paul's talking about. but it starts the process of doing it. >> paul, let's talk about two of the key issues. you mentioned both of them. the quality of care, the access to care. veterans are happy we the quality of care once they get to a veterans hospital. let's talk, though, about a huge issue that is rarely talked about. access to care. if you live in montana or texas or oklahoma, these sprawling d midwestern states. >> a few months ago i was talking to you about how they were on a paper-based system for the disability claims. that's how long this has been

neglected. but the reality is the obama administration said it was going to be a priority and they've had six years to fix it. they needed a turnaround artist and secretary shinseki has not proven up to that task. we can't let him be scapegoated. we've got to have institutional reform. >> who is your choice to do that? >> we need somebody from our generation who understands technology that has a track record of turning around big problems, someone who will get to the bottom of this and be a veterans advocate, not an adversary. >> shinseki is a decorated war general. i know mine is a vietnam vet. my father-in-law is in the v.a. system in ohio. and when we talk about the quality of care, if they get the access to it and my dad travels from baltimore to get to walter reed, so he's close. but why do you think it's a generational shift that's needed

to have somebody in there? >> it's all happening so fast. our average members are in their late 20s. they are digital natives. this live online. only 50% of iraq and afghanistan vets are using the v.a. right now. if we come forward b then they're really going to be under water. "new york times" has a great piece today on how the doctors are overwhelmed and there's not enough doctors. we've known that for years too. the doctors have been crying out for help. we need someone who is responsive. >> i am told by former senator bob kerrey, medal of honor recipie recipient, that one of the huge issues that is at the root of this dilemma is the v.a. computers don't talk to the department of defense. >> but that's old news too. >> that's crazy. >> the president stood up in 2009 and announced he was going to create a system to integrate. that was 2009. it's still not done. >> that's crazy. >> can you -- i feel like i've heard you say these things on e

this set for years now. can you talk about public sentiment? you said two things before you came on. one, people don't care. and we talked about the politics of it. we had a conversation in the first hour about how this is becoming a political issue. i found that a little distasteful. you said it's inevitable. >> i think the american public cares. the outrage is off the charts. but we don't have a very strong lobby in washington. we don't have -- >> how's that possible? >> because less than one-half of 1% of the population has served in the military. people care, but they're not familiar with v.a. issues, they're not tracking on veterans policy. right now there are only combat veterans on the senate, two. we've got a huge cultural disconnect that has extended. >> that's the other point from bernie sanders from vermont. as paul points out, he's the chairman of the veterans senate committee. he has not called for shinseki's

resignation. >> we met with him, with the secretary yesterday. we met with everybody on this. we continue to sound the alarm and push forward. we also need people to understand this is not going to be cured overnight. this has been there for awhile. this is going to be an issue for everybody running in november. >> do we consistently promise and underdeliver? >> yes. the v.a. said they were going to end veterans homelessness by 2015. they've done great work on homelessness, but they're not going to cure it by 2015. consistently unrealistic promises. >> thank you for coming. we appreciate it. we appreciate the work you do. >> thank you, sir. i think we'll have some news coming up in possibly the next week or so. love to have you back. >> any time. >> still ahead on michael jackson -- "morning joe." which is easier maintaining a life with things purchased with bitcoins?

superfoods. don't you think? >> eating is easy with bitcoins. >> but it's like green stuff. >> who the hell really cares? michael haines is here to talk us through two important "gq" investigations. and coming up, john kerry says look at ooish and look at syria as examples of success in president obama's foreign policy. wow. former governor and ambassador jon huntsman will react to that ludicrous suggestion. and sunday on "meet the press," michael bloomberg will be with david gregory. more "morning joe" in just a minute. ♪ ♪ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer.

[ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ my mom works at ge. and now you get hit again.asis. this time by joint pain. it's a double whammy. it could psoriatic arthritis a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks your joints on the inside and your skin on the outside. if you've been hit by... find out more about psoriatic arthritis. take the symptom quiz at doublewhammy.com and talk to your doctor. we are a collection of smalls. a home saved. a hero homebound for a new opportunity. a kitchen that kick starts careers wells fargo invests in our communities a little differently.

small measures that add up to make our whole even greater. little by little we can do a lot. because... small is huge. visit www.wellsfargo.com to see how big small can be.

♪ welcome back to "morning joe." members of the obama administration suggests the president doesn't give himself enough credit for what he's done around the world. it's a position echoed by secretary of state john kerry.

>> i don't think the president, frankly, takes enough credit for the successes that are on the table right now. i mean, if you look at what has happened in ukraine, the president led an effort to try to keep europe unified, to put difficult sanctions on the table. europe came along. that was leadership. in syria the president obviously made his decision to strike syria. and appropriately sent that decision to congress. congress didn't want to move. but we came up with another solution. which was get all of the chemical weapons out rather than one or two days of strike. in addition, the president has engaged with iran. we're on a course to absolute collision where they were building a system where standing opposed to that. but the president just put in place a series of sanctions, a capacity to bring iran to the

table. i think we are more engaged than at any time in american history and i think that case is there to be fully proven and laid out. >> that's not the generally held impression. >> no, it's not. and the reason is there is a general, frankly, not fully informed, not factual convention sort of process that gets played out in the media. >> first of all, first of all, the blue lighting. right? that blue lighting on him? i've seen better lighting in mausoleums. >> that was unfair to the secretary. >> yeah. look at that. he looks almost lifelike. secondly i'm just wondering like you all are, we all would love to have instead like a sound machine with the waves, john

kerry talking in a loop when we go to bed at night. >> john kerry app. >> just have him talking. >> that's terrible. >> i like him, but it's the truth and everybody knows it's the truth. >> much better lighting on our next guest. >> by the way, can i just say for people at home watching the show, it is. we come in on style and not substance. it's much easier that way. i did a recent interview where i was scolded for talking policy. stop talking policy. i want to talk about, like, baseless internet rumors. >> i saw that. >> stop talking policy! i want to -- let's talk about generalties and baseless internet rumors from two or three years ago. so we're trying to do the same thing here. seems to work for some people. >> who's here? >> former governor and -- >> that's lighting.

look at him. he's in hollywood movies. listen, if you're doing a movie and the aliens are invading and you want a president sitting behind the desk to deliver the line, today my fellow americans is the day we kick their ass. that's the guy we want back there. jon huntsman, we're going to get serious. because that's -- >> it's friday. >> it's what you do best, right? >> we're paid to do this. i want to ask you first of all, we've been talking about it all week about the president's foreign policy. and i said it is extremely hard to define exactly what barack obama said his foreign policy is. the world is change ed radicall

since 1989. it's not clearly defined. it is a much more fractured world. six years in, president obama trying to define is a little disappointing. is barack obama's foreign policy? >> well, i think it's a lot of hedging right now. when a strategy ought to drive the discussion and policy. in much of kerry's speech which i thought was pretty defensive based on his record was all based on hedging. you engage in a hedging strategy when you have nothing else to do. where's the grand strategy behind the american role of the world? you say that we're ever-changing our place in the world. and that's true to some extent. but we also have to recognize that today's moment is not unlike 1815 after the treaty of paris or 1919 after the treaty

of versailles or after the end of world war ii or 1989 after the end of the fall of communism and end of the cold war. it's crying out for a strategy and articulation of america's role in the world. it isn't calling out for, again, a defensive kind of diatribe about my policy versus george w. bush's foreign policy. which i think was petty and unnecessary. you had george w. bush in 2002 at west point articulate his vision of preemption. the world deserves and needs more from the united states right now. and the american people need more as well. this is a critical moment in history. >> willie geist. >> governor huntsman, although the speech at west point was not popular. we've heard it from all siends of the aisle.

wouldn't you agree it rang well with some americans who say my gosh we've been in afghanistan now for more than a decade. by the end of 2016 when this is finally over, it'll be 15 years since 9/11. don't you think some of the american people look at this speech and say finally get us out of those places. we don't want to be sending our troops in. do you think it has some meaning for -- not for foreign policy analysts but for the american people. >> i think willie, iraq and afghanistan no longer passes policy. we're beyond that moment. we've talked about it. we've chewed on it. we've all identified the mistakes of the past. now what do we do? where do we go? and what is the grand strategy for the united states? and how do we use the tools that are available to us. you know, tools like energy. what are we going to do about a booming energy market here in the united states that has export potential that could be a very, very powerful weapon if used appropriately. there's been no discussion of that. you know, what about china, what about russia, there was little

discussion in his speech about either one of those two. a lot about comparing and contrasting with the previous administration. but i thought much of it may have been music to the ears of putin and xi jingping. you don't like to deploy our men and women willy-nilly without a lot of thought and strategy behind it. but in some cases it needs to be done. and we have veterans who deserve the very best. i thought thought it fell well short of what the american people and the world deserved to hear coming out of the united states at a crit in history. >> you just heard the governor talk about the president's speech close to the editorials written about the speech.

one conundrum that's been raised by a couple of people is why did he step on the afghanistan announcement the day prior to the speech by injecting afghanistan in the troop withdrawal in the timetable rather than insert it into the speech itself? >> i think the purpose of this speech was you have a very frustrated president who feels that people just don't get it. that he's a hard core realist and if you look at every issue you're talking about issue by issue, he would argue he has the sanest approach that has the highest degree of success. and in private and public and in that speech that is what he is telling everybody. he's meeting with columnists, reporters, giving speeches. he believes what he said several weeks ago about hitting singles, that being the route to success on foreign policy. he believes passionately in that. he's double downing on that concept. they wanted to use that speech to put that in perspective. you heard it from the governor, it's just not that inspiring.

it's not inspiring to the left, nor to the right. that's why he has critics everywhere -- >> is it accurate? the president sending signals when the president says look to ukraine? why would we want to look to ukraine where we had to go back on nuclear proliferation treaty with ukraine in exchange of giving up nuclear weapons and many would say his weakness led to putin invading ukraine. do we look to syria? which john kerry suggested we look to syria where over 150,000 people have died. many believe if there were ever a time to take action in syria, that time as passed because now radicals are running the show there. do we look to iran where those talks have broken down? he has not -- i mean, if those are their three examples of the president hitting singles, they're playing a different league than the rest of the world. >> but at least take two of those. take iran. they would argue sanctions got us to the point we are today.

and most people feel like yes, there's been a break down in talks recently but you're seeing changes in the regime. take a look at syria. the president would say what do you want to do? arm the rebels earlier? don't know it would make an appreciable difference in the country. i think the president would push back and say what do you want to do take the john mccain approach? he has now said on the record in the last two years he would have used military force in seven or eight different locations. is that really the smartest approach -- >> and that's the president's problem. that's what's insulting to those of us who understand you don't just have two boxes to check in foreign policy. jon huntsman, quickly to you and then sam stein. jon, barack obama always does an either or. six years in where he's trying

to find his foreign policy, he's still talking about the republicans. president obama still talking about the republicans six years in. we don't want to hear your campaign speech from 2008 that made people in wisconsin get on their feet and cheer. tell us where we go the last two years of the obama administration. >> another denunciation of george w. bush. another denunciation as if we need another. no real strategy. and it's kind of politics as usual when the american people need to be lifted and inspired. and the world needs to be led. make to mistake about it. the world has turned to the united states for leadership. in terms of how we're going to lead out every way. and we have not signalled any clear guidance in terms of how we're going to do that. this is too little too late. where were these words two years into the first term? >> one of the things that we've ignored about that speech, one component and one thing that will probably be inspiring as jim said to the basis the

climate change component speech. he actually put that in his foreign policy. to nicole and to the ambassador, what we've seen in the past couple weeks is boehner saying he's not a scientist can't comment on the global warming. why is your party behind the ball on this? do you believe this is a foreign policy issue? and what do you say to boehner and rubio who are not buying what the scientists say is an obvious fact? >> listen, i am on my own party with climate change. let's not walk away from this question yet. i think this notion that president obama's foreign policy was articulated -- >> the climate change question. >> on climate change, i think you've got one of the most articulate voices in our party on set, i'll yield my time to him in a second. on foreign policy, the notion that you can defend -- my favorite thing that happened in

washington was this comment that he's not getting enough credit on foreign policy. he's not getting enough blame on foreign policy. the notion that he -- you don't have to be a republican to travel around the world -- >> they would argue and say we didn't launch a war on iraq. >> the fact that his legacy on foreign policy would be because he didn't start a war in iraq. he wasn't the president, thank god, after 9/11. >> why do you say thank god? >> please. it would take me three hours to explain whiny coal, myself, and millions of say thank god he wasn't president after 9/11. but let her finish her point. it makes he sapd you keep interrupting her. >> you're right. i learn my lessons. >> listen. i think the fact that on foreign policy they can't convince "the new york times" editorial page they're doing the right things says everything you need to know. forget about any republican critique of this president.

forget about john mccain's very divergent views on foreign policy. and "the new york times" times editorial page a loyal supporter, it's not just a stunning development in terms of his foreign policy, but i think it is an interesting signal about what hillary clinton's going to face if she runs for president as part of the obama foreign policy team. >> governor jon huntsman, thank you for being with us. >> pleasure to be with you, joe. >> and are we being too tough on the president? not you, of course. >> i think you've got some noble, i won't call you a supporter. >> he skipped to climate change. he didn't even try to talk about foreign policy. >> big foreign policy problem. the governor is the only one that admits. >> read the piece.

>> whatever. i tried. >> thank you. >> i'll leave now. >> tomorrow willie you and your dad are going to be selling books, lots of books at wellseley at 3:00 p.m. for good talk dad. >> mike, if you want to drop by, come on. if you're in boston, come see us. >> you're going to be hugging each other, crying, weeping. >> because it's that kind of book. yes. >> and on monday, mika and i are going to be with her mother in washington, d.c. for discussions on her book "lure of the forest." brzezinskis don't cry and they punch people in the face who do. we're back in a moment. ♪ ameriprise asked people a simple question:

can you r lifestyle in retirement? i don't want to think about the alternative. i don't even know how to answer that. i mean, no one knows how long their money is going to last. i try not to worry, but you worry. what happens when your paychecks stop? because everyone has retirement questions. ameriprise created the exclusive confident retirement approach. to get the real answers you need. start building your confident retirement today.

we cannot let the fans down.

don't worry! the united states postal service will get it there on time with priority mail flat rate shipping. our priority has always been saving the day. because our priority... amazing! ...is you! the amazing spider-man 2 delivered by the united states postal service.

listen. i'm not qualified to debate the science over climate change. but i am astute enough to understand every proposal that has come out of this administration to deal with climate change involves hurting our economy and killing american jobs. that can't be the prescription for dealing with changes in our climate. [ laughter ]

>> the prosecution rests. >> one of the great quotes is rubio's i'm not a scientist, man. you know, it's humility. they're not going out saying florida is going to be underwater in 50 years. coming up, americans saying they're afraid they're not going to be retire comfortably. we'll tell you because willie and i put it together -- i missed you, too.ou. hi buddy.

mom! awesome! dad!! i missed you. ♪ oh... daddy. chevrolet and its dealers proudly support military appreciation month. with the industry's best military purchase program, for all that have served. hey there can i help you? (whispering) sorry. (whispering) hi, uh we need a new family plan. (whispering) how about 10 gigs of data to share and unlimited talk and text. (whispering) oh ten gigs sounds pretty good. (whispering) yeah really good (whispering) yeah and for a family of 4 it's a $160 a month. what! get outta here! (whispering) i'm sorry are we still doing the whisper thing? or? (whispering) o! sorry! yes yes! (whispering) we'll take it. you wouldn't have it she any other way.our toes.

but your erectile dysfunction - it could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about experiencing cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial. the most free research reports, customizable charts,

powerful screening tools, and guaranteed 1-second trades. and at the center of it all is a surprisingly low price -- just $7.95. in fact, fidelity gives you lower trade commissions than schwab, td ameritrade, and etrade. i'm monica santiago of fidelity investments, and low fees and commissions are another reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. now get 200 free trades when you open an account. ♪ with us now, contributing editor from fortune magazine gene shatski. and donna risotto. you looked at the middle income

families. worried they're not going to be able to retire. where do barnicle and i go -- >> me first. >> -- when we decide we want to join a bowling league and just live out our years? >> the interesting thing about this analysis and the folks at interest.com, they actually took a different look at the numbers. they looked at the median income of people versus how much it costs to live in various places. and spotlighted some real opportunities to save money. which is great. because people right now are saving on average absolutely nothing. so for example, in baltimore there's a big opportunity to save money. washington, d.c. -- >> why is is this? >> because incomes are higher than the cost of living. so you should be able to if you play your cards right, get into a place to live that's reasonable in these cities and put some money away. the reason that people aren't putting money away is because

they're not prioritizing the saving. they're spending too much. or they're putting more into this place they're living in simply because their check doesn't bounce. >> jean's right. there's a big relationship. cheap doesn't mean it's a good place to live. it's the relationship between income and affordability. money magazine does the best places to live every year. one thing we do is look at the economic viability of the area. it's fine if it's cheap and you can go bowling for nothing, but you really need a place where you have jobs, low taxes, affordable homes. but to have jobs and income, strong income, the more you're going to be able to save. >> we're talking about the best places to save. where are the best places to live? >> you never see it on the coastal cities. it's expensive in the northeast particularly in california. you see a lot of -- washington, d.c. is a good example and some of the suburbs. you see a lot in the midwest

around the minneapolis area, omaha, southwest around texas. strong energy sector. >> yeah. >> i think something that especially families that are looking to relocate from a city like manhattan which is incrediblyrelocate from a city like manhattan, which is expensive and makes it near impossible to save are schools. people want quality public schools if they're going to relocate. how does that factor in? >> it plays very strongly into the research that money does. i was at "money" magazine for ten years. >> and it should play into the cost of your neighborhood -- >> putting your kid in a private school could cancel out -- >> if you live in a good school district, you're going to be able to sell your house, and good health care. those are the things that are

just as important as affordability. >> but i think what people miss with this is the reason that affordability is so important is because you got to save money. nobody else is going to put aside money for our retirements. we have to do it ourselves. >> katty kay. >> i think this is so interesting, the relationship saving and cost of living. i was wondering, have you seen since 2008 in the crash numbers of people significantly numbers of people actually following the pattern of moving to places that are cheaper to live in and where they can make more savings? is that a basis on which people are deciding where they should live? >> i think the strength in the housing economy has enabled people to move more because they can sell their houses and there are more opportunities for jobs. >> we're seeing people move to places like north dakota where the economy is booming. what we're not seeing them do,

katty is save. >> well, have you lived in north dakota? there's a lot to spend money on. >> like what? >> i don't know. you said they're not saving in north dakota, what are they spending their money on? >> i got to get my maserati and drive to fargo on the weekend. >> what's really interesting about savings, it's just so hard for human beings to do because we're so focused on the here and now. so the best way to save is just do it automatically, make a good decision one time and let it go. >> many people the issue of retirement is a huge, huge issue lurking out there in the immediate future. we pay very little attention to it. >> human beings are wired to focus on today. things that are off in the future -- like the me of today doesn't know the me of 30 years from now and so convincing me

that i have to put away money for her is a really, really difficult thing to do. you got make the good decision once. let your employer automate you into saving money and just go with it. >> i totally agree with that. and i think there has to be a different reality about retirement. people doesn't retire at 65 now. we live a long time, we're able to work longer. and you won't need to save as much if you're going to work longer. >> we want to thank you guys for coming. and look at this, you called this -- >> grapes, peaches, apples -- >> you're the apples. >> plum. >> you're a red delicious apple. >> exactly. there you go. that's what all the kids say. still ahead this morning, super food and jerk sports dads.

we have an inside look at "gq"'s latest issue. we'll be right back. ♪ it was the longest da in life, it's how you get there that matters most. it's important to know the difference. like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. my doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. and that i had to take action. so he talked to me about xarelto®. [ male announcer ] xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe that doesn't require regular blood monitoring or changes to your diet. [ brian ] for a prior dvt i took warfarin, which required routine blood testing and dietary restrictions. not this time. ♪ while i was taking xarelto®, i still had to stop racing, but i didn't have to deal with that blood monitoring routine.

♪ you made great time. i found another way. [ male announcer ] don't stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, unless your doctor tells you to. while taking xarelto®, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious bleeding, and in rare cases, may be fatal. get help right away if you develop unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® is proven to reduce the risk of dvt and pe. with xarelto® there is no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto® was the right move for me.

[ male announcer ] ask your doctor about xarelto® today. for more information including savings options, download the xarelto® patient center app, call 1-888-xarelto, or visit teamxarelto.com.

coming up at the top of the hours, i guess they've decided that sterling has lost his mind. >> donald, yeah. >> and also calling for the resignation of eric shinseki. will the white house continue to stand by their man? no. ♪ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪

my mom works at ge. ♪

my mom works at ge. first the cookie at check-in. then a little time to kick back. earn double hilton honors points with the 2 "x" points package and be one step closer to a weekend break. doubletree by hilton. where the little things mean everything. sweets become salaries. an oven heats up a community la cocina, a small kitchen that kick-starts the careers of 41 entrepreneurs. they bring the talent. we help fund the tools. it's a small way we help that's been huge for the community. little by little we can do a lot. because... small is huge. visit www.wellsfargo.com to see how big small can be. little things, anyone can do. it steals your memories. your independence.

insures support. a breakthrough. and sooner than you'd like... ...sooner than you think. ...you die from alzheimer's disease. ...we cure alzheimer's disease. every little click, call, or donation adds up to something big. alzheimer's association. the brains behind saving yours. good morning. it's 8:00 a.m. on the east coast, 5:00 a.m. on the west

coast. back with us on set, mike barnicle. we have the lip balm. willie, and nicolle wallace who has been on the phone with karl rove over the last couple of hours explaining why she called him a sleaze. that's horrible. you can't do that. >> karl is brilliant. >> you're really disappointed. just really upset. >> one of the best in the business. >> you think he's let america down? >> no, i think he's on to something. >> do you think your children are worse off, all of our children are worse off because of what karl rove is doing? >> no, no. >> exploiting this veterans crisis for cheap political gain? >> that's what you were saying in the break. tease n that's not what i say. >> i think we should leave politics out of the veterans affairs issue. for a few more days.

>> she says it so much more eloquently but she's like a bar fighter off air when she talks about karl rove. and sam stein is here. and katty kay. >> it appears donald sterling's might -- nightmare is getting closer and closer to being over. >> steve ballmer has put in an offer to buy the clippers for $2 billion. espn reports experts have declared donald sterling, quote, mentally incapacitated, which makes his estranged wife, shelley sterling, the sole trustee of the franchise. she can now move forward with the sale of the team without donald's approval, but donald sterling's attorney general says, quote, he is not selling the clippers, he has not agreed to sell the clippers at any

price. that's from the attorney of donald sterling. >> are the experts going to get a chance to interview donald's lawyer, who just said that. >> who has ruled him mentally incapacitated? >> who knows. >> if a court has ruled him mentally incapacitated, he doesn't have the ability to do anything. his lawyer might as well be representing a tree stump. that's the fascinating part of the story. >> i mean, $2 billion, that's the other side -- $2 billion. i guess it's an l.a. market and there are tv deals coming up. >> the minnesota team was bought for about $500 million, small market there. l.a. market is huge. he's keeping it in l.a. >> you wonder if they can keep up with the knicks and the lakers. the clippers before this blowup sort of became the off brand. i remember six months ago being in l.a., calling joe, going what

do you want? he goes get me a clippers cap. so i get him a clippers cap, which he promptly put in a drawer saying i'm not wearing that! it was the cool, off brand, the alternative brand all the hollywood schlubs running to get to a clippers game. >> doc rivers and if sterling leaves, this is the sexiest team in the league. >> a big report a couple of days ago on the v.a. it's scathing, the ramifications still. >> an obama official tells nbc news that veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki is on, quote, thin ice, amid growing calls for him to be resign or be

fired. this follows reports of secret wait lists and other problems across the country. the chorus now includes more than 30 democrats, nine of those senators are up for reelection in november. john boehner has not called for shinseki to step down yet. they're framing it that president obama ought to be the one responsible for this. jay carney was asked repeatedly if the president still has confidence in shinseki. he seemed to struggle a bit answering one way or another. >> does the president still have confidence in eric shinseki. it's a yes or no answer. you told us last week the president had confidence in him. does he have confidence now? >> i'm not going to improve upon his words on this regard. he talked about --

>> he wasn't asked directly if he had confidence. >> i understand the word play here but i think that what is more important -- >> it's not word play. it's a central question. does he have confidence in a member of his cabinet? >> you can see this coming, sam stein, like my tort professor used to say, like a freight train out of the midst. is shinseki about to go? >> the wagons are circling. essentially you have a situation where the obama administration appears threatening. they don't want to react to congressional pressure. they have their own study going on. ron nabors is leading it. my guess is they're going to wait for that to get in and approa produce i would expect a series of reforms, a comprehensive

response. it's almost a criminally bad situation at the v.a. >> katty, the ripple effect among members of both parties, it's going to be enormous in the fall. what's happening now is not new. the v.a. has been straining under the incompetent bureaucracy for years. the care once they get to many veterans hospital is first rate but getting there is the real issue. >> and that should be the focus of this. i think john boehner is right, if we get rid of shinseki, how does that fix this problem? i think that should be the whole focus of the investigation, the whole focus of washington's energy right now ought to be on fixing the problems at the v.a. do we have to privatize some of it? would that be a more effect of use of the country's dollars when it comes to the v.a.? is it better off totally publicly funded? at the moment some veterans are

using private facilities but only about 10%. there has to be a real discussion about we spend x amount of money, we need the best possible care for our veterans, we're not getting it now, how should we get it. this very quickly gets wrapped up in mid-term election politics. you're starting to see that already with some republicans trying to use this as a way to paint the president as unable to lead, not just in this but in other wears as well. weep have to be a bit wary of this when we're talking about the care we give our veterans. >> i've said it time and time again, the v.a. has been a mess for a very long time. it was my least favorite agency to deal with when i served. they were just horrible. they didn't give a damn. they just didn't. it was just horrible. that said, let's just look at this from a management view. shinseki has been in charge for six years. over the six years the wait

lists have been -- just become horrific, the worst ever. over the six years, we now find out there's secret lists where vets that have served this country were shoved to the side, delayed care, denied care, perhaps died pause of because o of the time when funding for the v.a. went up 70, 75% over the past six years, went up 70, 75% during the bush years. this right now is not a funding issue, this is a management issue and who the hell else do you go to if general shinseki has been in charge for six years and why wouldn't that be a campaign issue for both sides. >> i don't have a strong opinion whether he stays or goes. it not like the situation has stayed the sim since he's beamen charge of the v.a. i see this as something that i

would be very, very careful about using in a political context. this should be one issue where both parties pledge to leave politics out it have until it's fixed for the veterans. and it's sadly that we're not a time and place where that even possible. but the fact that boehner and pelosi seem to be seeing this in a similar fashion gives me a little bit of hope. i would hope desperately they would try to fix this for a veterans before they make a political analysis out of it. i think it's a giant loser politically. both parties have been in charge of oversight of the v.a. as you say has gotten criminally bad. >> the percentage of primary care visits in the last few years has gone up 50% and the percentage of doctors at the v.a. has only gone up 9%. they are overburden in terms of

work. as you pointed out, there's been more money to the v.a., they clearly need more doctors. but the republicans are going to allow them to opt out to private services. >> is that a bad idea? >> it could be a great idea, it could be a bad idea. what do you do to reform the system? >> the republicans that don't like that idea, what's the response to letting vets that have had to wait for 30 days for perhaps life-saving care, get a voucher, opt out and go somewhere else? >> i would gather some of them would say let's do that, the problem is too critically important right now that we should give them the voucher if they have 30 days on a wait list so they can at least get some care. but they probably want to couple it with resources to get more doctors in the v.a. system. right now the v.a. serves 8.9 people. that's a lot of people for the amount of facilities that they have.

>> i'm a little worried that the whole conversation should be should shinseki stay or go. the real conversation is what are the solutions to fixing this massive bureaucracy that have failed so many people, notnd this president but the previous president and the one before that and the one before that. >> do i have to say, though, shinseki's been there for six years. i don't care what i'm running. if i'm running a place for six years and the back log is that much worse and it catches up on you and what's happening in phoenix may be happening elsewhere, i'm sorry, whoever is in charge, whoever is running the post, that person is gone and we need to find somebody else to do it. i would love to see somebody else like colin powell step up. somebody suggested it on twitter, it's a great idea. a guy like mitt romney. make it apolitical. have romney go in for the fight of his life and save the v.a. get somebody like that outside

who knows how to run things. you great guy like colin powell or romney in there or find a democratic miss leader and about three, four days in they're going to go you do what? wait -- what do you do? >> well, it's principally right now a management problem. it's the management of the v.a. the care once you get to a veterans hospital is remarkably good. many veterans will tell you that. and we're on the east coast now talking about this. you go out into the middle of america and you're talking about -- >> you drive to another state. >> you're talking about driving two hours to a v.a. >> you have to go across three straits for a mental health facility. >> if you put on the uniform and you fight for this country and you give your all for this country and you come back wounded or you come back with challenges, better hope to hell you lf east of the mississippi because you're treating like a

second class citizens west of the mississippi in this system. outrageous. >> there is another element to the problem. 20 years ago if you look at the composition of the houchs in the united states senate, you see a huge percentage of veterans serving. you look at the composition of the house of representatives in the united states senate today, you're talking very, very few. >> i agree with you about the management and the top. all i say is i hope the politicians slamming the podium today about shinseki keep dlam p slamming them after he's gone. the real problem lies so deep. >> what dols we have? >> the scandal at the v.a. is impacting mid-term elections. senator mark begich is the target of a new attack ad in alaska. >> a national disgrace. veterans died waiting for care that never came. senator mark begich sits on the veterans affairs committee.

his response, "if there's a problem, they need to fix it." if there's a problem? now some senators are blocking bipartisan legislation to shake up the v.a. and enforce accountability. tell senator begich when veterans are dying, it is a problem. >> willie, i got this. you know, just a couple minutes ago nicole said i hope nobody's a bigot sleaze bag -- >> i didn't use that word. >> that would politicize this would be a sleaze bag you suggested. >> i didn't say that. >> she's sweating now. why? >> that ad was made by cross roads, group, a karl rove group. >> does it make you sad? >> it makes me uncomfortable that we don't have the facts. >> are you going to call karl

rove on your way -- >> no, i'm not going to call anybody anymore. i'm going to throw away my phone. it's just an iphone, it barely works. >> they don't work anyway. >> i don't -- >> you disappointed in karl? >> i don't like it being a political issue at this point. there are veterans whose lives are at stake and i don't like it as a political issue. >> so crossroads gps. in some ways republicans have harry reid to thank. the republicans donors are responding to the majority leaders reports about the koch brothers. the organization, which is

required to name names to the federal election commission has raised just a fraction of what it took in in 2012. but crossroads, which keeps its contributors private is reportedly raising more cash than ever. tax exempt groups are expected to play an even larger role this time around. >> you're saying the harry reid strategy against the koch brothers is making american politics even less transparent? >> it appears it's pushing money into the darker corners of our system. >> still ahead, amazing for me, humble bee keeper. that's how i ran. that's how i started. >> you were a swashbuckler. >> i was a swashbuckler. i would go in to get products -- >> you need honey. >> we have somebody who is a humble bee keeper to being an

international beauty product producer. the unlikely story of the man behind the multi-million dollar company bert's bees. as a matter of fact, i'm wearing it right now. up next, the chapter of hillary clinton book that's going to be the most important if she runs for president. but first, bill karins. the weather absolutely unbelievable. yesterday was one of the most beautiful october days we've had in may in a long time. >> after being a little hot, it's starting to feel like fall. humidity left, blue skies money that was in the new england and the mid-atlantic. we have a lot of heavy rain streaming up from the south right through louisiana, anywhere from florida, mississippi, am bam a, on-and-off rain all day today. still the flood watch up in effect. it shouldn't be as bad today, 1

and 2 inches between new orleans and mobile will the targeted area for potential rain and flooding. mild air east of the rockies. a little cool but not bad. mild air in the northwest. new england will see some chilly nights and showers. even the boston area a chance of showers or storms. then the weekend forecast. no one will have a washout of a horrible weekend but a few strong storms in the northern plains. we'll continue with the afternoon showers there. overall, what a greatnd to may. we'll look at june and the start of hurricane season next week. new york city, another cool morning will lead to a gorgeous afternoon. you're watching "morning joe." ♪ ♪

the most free research reports, customizable charts, powerful screening tools, and guaranteed 1-second trades. and at the center of it all is a surprisingly low price -- just $7.95. in fact, fidelity gives you lower trade commissions than schwab, td ameritrade, and etrade. i'm monica santiago of fidelity investments, and low fees and commissions are another reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. now get 200 free trades when you open an account.

he had a solo album that was very successful, brandon flowers. i'm a big killer fan. their concerts still draw very large crowds in new jersey and new york. >> wow. i didn't know you knew that, nicole. >> you're going after all my sacred cows today, karl rove, the killers. >> unbelievable. let's take a look at the morning papers.

the ""chicago tribune," the local sheriff's office realizes they knew of other videos he posted. elliot rodgers convinced officers he was fine. he later wrote that if they had checked his bedroom, it would have, quote, been all over. >> and measles caring are high. 288 cases in the u.s. a lot of the cases coming from the philippines. >> let's mark that off of my schedule. >> i was going to go on saturday. >> one direction is there this summer. >> that is such a random

factoid. >> i'm a variable fan fact of useless information. >> the beatles trip to the philippines didn't go so well. they insulted amelda marcos. >> joe is grasping for what they had going on. >> how did you know that? >> i don't know. >> what, are you on concerts are us? >> are you a -- >> i don't know who those people are. >> the fda is putting new regulations on tanning beds. >> oh, shoot. >> some people around here are going to be very upset. some people have they brought into their homes. >> they will require

manufacturers to post new warning labels. the fda says no one under age 18 should be able to use the beds. the fda will able to regulate designs before they go to market. do people still go to those? >> do they still have them? >> can't you do a spray tan? i think the kids are doing the spray tan. >> my preference is the bed you go if you got to go quickly, you do the spray tan. friday night, 8:00, if you haven't been in the bed, then you do the spray tan. >> do you have an in-home spray? >> no, i have an in-home bed. >> we know somebody at this network who has one. >> oh! >> and they are one step closer to taking people to space, with our without a good tan.

600 people have already signed up. the price is $250,000. >> it's basically the same as u.s.air. >> this week's "parade" magazine, little league baseball turns 75 years old. today 2.5 million kids play little league in more than 80 countries around the world. >> jack is getting into t-ball. he turned 6. there's a guy from england here saying he doesn't know if his kid would be in there. i said my best memories growing up as a kid was putting the uniform on, putting up the socks. i lived in the era where you cut the lastic and the socks went up, looked like lou brock running o bases. it was just the best time i've had in my life. i can't think of a time in my

entire life i was more excited than putting on that uniform. >> joe biden, the vice president of the united states, once told me he was wh he was selected for the first little league team, the night before his first game he slept in his uniform, he was so excited. same thing. >> you waited to see what color uniform you were going to be, the dark blue or red, green. who was going to sponsor your team, the hardware store, the pizza place? because then could you go afterwards and get free stuff. >> chico's bail bonds. >> let's go to politico. the chief white house correspondent is mike allen. he's got a look at the play book. hey, mike. >> good morning on happy friday. >> there it is. it's time. >> you have obtained another look at hillary clinton's new look "hard choices," her reflections on the 2010 attack in benghazi. a lot of people waiting to hear what she was going to say about this. what did you find? >> these are the 34 pages that everybody's been waiting for.

the chapter is called benghazi under attack. of course that's referring both to her and to the tragedy that night. maggie haberman got this chapter and in it says hillary clinton is more defiant than defensive. she goes after her critics. she says that those who insist on politicizing this tragedy will have to do it without me. she says there's been a lot of misinformation, speculation and key phrase here "outright deceit" in talking about benghazi. she says that republicans on the hill, she says she's a former senator, she respects the rule of congress but she says some of these people are broken records about unanswered questions. and here's another great quote. she says there's a difference between unanswered questions and unlistened to answers. maggie points out there's going to be a campaign around this chapter. democratic groups are going to

be briefed on what's in the chapter so they'll know what to say. tommy vitor is being brought on to help communicate about the book. she says president obama ordered that everything possible should be done to help our people in libya that night. >> mike allen, thanks a lot. still ahead, how does one man go from living in maine to being a worldwide beauty mogul? that's ahead. ♪ ♪ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪

she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ ♪ (woman) this place has got really good chocolate shakes. (growls) (man) that's a good look for you. (woman) that was fun. (man) yeah. (man) let me help you out with the.. (woman)...oh no, i got it. (man) you sure? (woman) just pop the trunk. (man vo) i may not know where the road will lead, but... i'm sure my subaru will get me there. (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

ameriprise asked people a simple question: in retirement, will you outlive your money? uhhh. no, that can't happen. that's the thing, you don't know how long it has to last. everyone has retirement questions. so ameriprise created the exclusive.. confident retirement approach. now you and your ameripise advisor can get the real answers you need. well, knowing gives you confidence. start building your confident retirement today.

♪ the city streets are empty now ♪ >> e.l.o.? welcome back to "morning joe." time for business before the bell with cnbc's sara eisen. the news came out yesterday, we actually will an economy that retracted the first quarter. that's big, big news. how are the markets going to respond? >> interestingly enough they set another record high yesterday. we just got news a few seconds ago actually on spending numbers for the u.s. economy for the month of april, and we saw a decline. talk about slipping. it was 0.1%, minimal, but it was the first decline in more than a year and comes off of a really solid spending month in the month of march. so really mixed signals on this

economy. we do see futures pointing to a down start. this is the last trading day of may. if you add it all up, there a lot of wild swings and crazy moves in march. >> how does that turn out for people don't follow the market watching this show. you have an economy that retracts and yet the market goes to a high. >> traders wrote off that quarter a bit saying, look, it was the weather, it froze the economy, froze activity, froze consumer spending. so many of the big box retailers, macy's and what not, all across the east coast had to close for some days. economists are say we go could see economic growth anywhere from 3% to 4%.

>> oh, my gosh. that would be great. >> consumer spending is 70% of this economy. and that has held up relatively well. >> sara, thank you so much. have a great weekend. >> you, too. >> coming up next, there's a very good chance you've used one of his products. the global rise of multi-million dollar company burt's bees. but the story of the man behind the company is quite something. just a humble bee keeper. >> i know him. >> it's unbelievable. we we'll be right back. ♪ the day we rescued riley was a truly amazing day.

he was a matted mess in a small cage. so that was our first task, was getting him to wellness. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. from contractors and doctors to dog sitters and landscapers, you can find it all on angie's list. we found riley at the shelter, and found everything he needed

at angie's list. join today at angieslist.com first the cookie at check-in. then a little weekend to remember. join us for the celebration package. with sparkling wine, breakfast and a late checkout. doubletree by hilton. where the little things mean everything. if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain. this is humira helping me lay the groundwork. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage in many adults. humira can lower your ability to fight infections,

including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. take the next step. talk to your doctor. this is humira at work. ♪ ♪

>> welcome to taiwan! >> it's called broadcasting. >> broadcasting. all right, that's a scene from the new film "burt's buzz," a profile of co-founder of the company burt's bees. here is the director of the movie. it's great to have you here. tell us why you wanted to take and examine burt's life and times. what you find is a pretty simple guy but he has a pretty amazing life product he's put out. >> yeah, i met burt in maine for another project. and one of the first things he said to me was is i'm an evolutionary, not a

revolutionary, i never wanted to change the world. i thought what a thing for someone to say who has had such a big impact on the world. he was a photographer for time life magazine. he took photos of malcolm x and alan ginsburg. he's someone who had an impact and is completely non-phased by it. >> how does he go from that kind of a background, living in manhattan, professional photographer up to the edge of the universe living way up in northern maine and coming up with lip balm? >> hold on a second, maine is not the edge of the universe. >> it pretty much is. >> in many stages of his life,

he took a photo and we show it in the film of a woman in the apartment he used to live in sitting at her window looking out. he said one day he realized i'm going to be that woman, she never left, unless i get up and do something with my life. he said he felt trapped by the city. he picked up, moved up to maine, he had a hive of bee, he called it an act of god, it found him. he started selling honey on the side of the road, making $34 a month, he said that's all he needed to live, living in a tiny cabin. then he met a hitchhiker, her name was roxanne. she was living in a tent with her kids. he picked her up and said what are you doing with the wax that you're storing? he said, well, i'm not doing anything with it. she said maybe we can make it at wax candles and sell it at craft

fairs. and that's how it started. within 30 years, a huge company. >> how much money do they make a year? >> does burt make or the company? >> the company, whatever. >> i don't know much about the company. for me this was really burt's story, not the company story. >> i think the answer is a gazillion dollars. >> you said you met burt because you were working on another project. what was the other project and what drew you to burt? >> i worked with the actress that did a series -- isabella

rosselini, we did a series called green porno, they're safe sex, not to be confused. she was out to do some short films in that vain in the state of bees on colony collapse and she said let's go up and meet burt and that's where i met this fascinating guy money. >> so in 2007, because i know this stuff off the top of my head and i don't have an ear piece in. it's my understanding the clorox company -- i'm trying to remember because it was '07, you know, the whom summer of love, but clorox, mike, apparently bought this company for, i don't know, like $925 million. >> yeah. >> that's close to a billion dollars, if you're a university of alabama fan. so a billion dollars and he's living the simple life. that's awesome.

>> he didn't get any of that. he was out of the company before that. >> he got screwed then. >> he made some money, right. >> burt left the company well before the clorox sale, and there was -- and we get into it a little bit why he left the company. he claims all he got was the land that he's living on now. >> he had that already, though, right? >> he was living there. it wasn't his property but once the company was sold, that's what he got. he got the land. but here's the thing. he doesn't miss the money, nor does he need it. if burt had $200 million in the bank, he wouldn't be living any differently than he lives now. somebody said it's like chips for him. his philosophy is just about what he has. somebody asked me what makes burt tick? it's an interesting question, i said, you know, the sunrise. this is a guy that really just goes day by day.

>> well, "burt's buzz" is going to be in theaters, on demand and on itunes on june the 6th. thank you so much for being with us. this looks like an absolutely fascinating moving. >> coming up, explaining how to stop the perfect bar, which is in the new issue of "gq" when we return. we need it right away! we cannot let the fans down. don't worry! the united states postal service will get it there on time with priority mail flat rate shipping. our priority has always been saving the day. because our priority... amazing! ...is you! the amazing spider-man 2 delivered by the united states postal service.

and i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase i make a lot of purchases for my business. like 60,000 bonus points when i spent $5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at office supply stores. with ink plus i can choose how to redeem my points. travel, gift cards even cash back. and my rewards points won't expire. so you can make owning business even more rewarding. ink from chase. so you can.

we have the editor of "gq" with the latest issue featuring channing tatum. i don't know a single movie he's been in but i know he's important. i'm a huge world cup fan. >> who do you like? >> thank god. well, i like america. is there anything wrong with that? i cheer for england also. but anyway, i love soccer, i love rio. you've put it together once again. >> the beaches of rio. >> tell me, why is this "gq"'s -- >> if a man is going to brazil, you're not going to be in the

stadium the whole time. >> well, women like brazil, too. >> women like many things about brazil, the brazilian wax -- >> wow, i promised to be good and you went right there. >> this guy is the next mcconaughey. >> no way. no one's the next mcconaughey. >> mcconaughey says this guy is a great hustler, he's a fantastic actor. >> are you his agent? >> i'm just a guy who works at "gq" magazine, talking about the cover. >> mcconaughey would have probably told you he didn't predict himself to be the next mcconaughey. >> these guys all start off and he did this movie with stephen soderberg, put up his own money, $6 million and came out by some accounts earning 40 million. he works with very smart guys in

holly. >> the other thing i want to talk about is "50 cent is my life coach"? >> he went to 50 cent and started as rapper, started the products line, he's a multi-millionaire now. basically how do i get my life together? >> oh, my god, i love this picture. look at the father trying to get the little girl to jump into the pool. >> olympic training starts young. >> you google the phrase baseball -- little league father arrested, you get about 6 million hits on google. >> what is the article. how do you prevent that? it's how to not be that father. mike i think has taken on a lot of these guys. >> michael, i apologize for being so hard hitting in this interview. but we've called you out on this channing tatum thing.

this also, this bitcoin thing right here, you called it out. this is garbage, right? >> i googled it once because i felt i needed to know what it is and i've been told it's nothing. >> yesterday the dish network with 14 million subscribers announced they were going to accept bitcoin. this is not fringe anymore. >> what's up with showing the coin slot? >> it's the bitcoin slot. >> this is not hbo. you're talking about the porn collection, you're talking about -- >> you're talking about the dark corners of the internet business. a lot of bitcoin takes place in that world. >> they do, though, raise the bar when they talk about an excuse to watch of course one of the most important television shows of our time "pretty little liars." >> it could be the working title for -- >> when are you going to accept

bitcoin as the cost for "gq"? >> never. >> it's going to get bigger. >> you saw the picture. >> and cocktails. >> we'll end with something where at least people are fully clothed, the one page in "gq" this month where people are actually fully clothed. your mother has to be so proud of you. >> how do i do this if i want to build the perfect bar? how do i do this? where do i start? >> you got to get your sort of like leading characters, which are the great gin, rum, and then you sort of move out from there. but it's also like the smaller thing. >> what's the essential drink for me? >> manhattan. you need to get there fast when you get off of work. >> how do you make the best manhattan, my friend? >> you open up a bottle of a little vermuth and put it all

together. >> you don't really know, do you? >> i don't really drink it. >> thank god mika is in the south of france. she would burn the set down. ♪ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ]

[ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ we are a collection of smalls. a home saved. a hero homebound for a new opportunity. a kitchen that kick starts careers wells fargo invests in our communities a little differently. small measures that add up to make our whole even greater. little by little we can do a lot. because... small is huge. visit www.wellsfargo.com to see how big small can be.

you wouldn't have it she any other way.our toes. but your erectile dysfunction - it could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure.

do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about experiencing cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial. welcome back, kids. it's time to talk about what we learned today. mika and her mom going to be on

"politics and prose." what did you learn, thomas? >> i'm reupping my "gq" subscription. >> what did you learn? >> i learned too much about mike barnicle's cd collection. >> i learned that burt bee's got screwed up there in maine. >> and the one direction international tour dates, which is bizarre. >> and whether they're going to be in seoul. and of course general shinseki just had a press conference, talked about making major changes. doesn't sound like he's going anywhere. to get all the information on that, stick around because chuck todd is next. have a great weekend and as always, my friends, thank you for your patience. ♪ shinseki speaks just moments