>> all right. gene, what did you learn? >> i learned some pretty disturbing things about my favorite of the food groups, bacon. it's kind of -- kind of shakes everything i knew about the world. >> right to the core. >> yeah. >> mark halperin? >> mika will be multi-tasking, reading "hard choice" and watching the nba finals tonight. >> no doubt about it. if it's way too early, it's "morning joe," but chuck todd is next with the daily rundown. thanks so much for being with us. and my dear friends, as always, thank you for your patience. gone to carolina in my mind. could senator lindsey graham defy tea party conventional wisdom today? or will the gop establishment have to be funding a big runoff campaign? today's primaries will define some of the most watched races this november. we'll talk to the professor, trying to unseat eric cantor and the democrat hoping to fill a virginia vacancy. plus, on the borders.

unaccompa unaccompanied, undocumented children are overflowing detention facilities in texas and arizona. authorities are scrambling to see to their basic needs. and turning the page, as hillary clinton's book tour hits the fever pitch today. nbc's cynthia mcfadden will be here to talk about her sit-down with the former secretary of state and what this means about 2016. good morning from washington. it's tuesday, june 10th, 2014. this is "the daily rundown," your election 2014 headquarters. because it's primary day. let's get right to my first read of the morning. if it's tuesday, somebody's voting somewhere, and today, it's voters in five states that are going to the polls. there's a runoff in a sixth, arkansas, where the republican race for attorney general has gone into overtime. but today's marquee contests are in south carolina and virginia. senator lindsey graham, congressman eric cantor are

hoping to crush some tea party opponents. when south carolina senator tim scott was appointed to the u.s. senate 18 months ago, lindsey graham looked like one of the most endangered incumbents in the senate. then one by one, members of the state's congressional delegation, from congressman nick mulvaney to trey gowdy made it clear they would not challenge lindsey graham, leaving six little known, poorly funded candidates, competing today, to try to force the race into a runoff and get a two-week, one on one with them. in the latest poll in the race, none of them have cracked double digits. the question today is not whether graham wins, but whether he wins more than 50% of the vote and avoids that june 24th runoff. yesterday, closing out his campaign with a five-city bus tour, graham sounded pretty confident. >> at the end of the day, i really do believe there's a contest going on in the republican party, between the ronald reagan republican, where 80% is a good day, and

ideological purity. if everything holds, we're going to win tomorrow without a runoff, and i think we're going to win decisively. >> if you win tomorrow without a runoff, what do you think it says about the gop? >> i think it says that solving a problem and being conservative and not being consistent. >> very interesting, that lindsey graham wants to make his victory count for something more than just simply surviving, as far as endorsing a way of legislating. graham has raised more than $12 million for his re-election. much more money than all of his opponents combined. and he's been unapologetic about the idea that electability is an asset. >> we've given away four seats over the last four years, because we nominated people who couldn't withstand scrutiny. if you nominate me, that's not going to happen. i'll beat the democratic's brains out. they know they're not going to spend 15 cents here. >> senator tim scott is also on the ballot today, but is running virtually unopposed. immigration reform is the fault

line in both south carolina and in congressman eric cantor's re-election bid in virginia. and ahead of today's primary, an out of state pack, americans for legal immigration, has been running robo calls against both graham and cantor. take a listen to one of them >> eric cantor and senator lindsey graham need your thanks for supporting amnesty for undocumented illegal immigrants on election day next tuesday. both eric cantor and senator graham have indicated they support barack obama's kind of plan to give amnesty to tens of millions of illegals. >> now, cantor faces tea party-backed economics professor, dave bratt, in the richmond area seventh district. and though bratt has raised virtually no money and cantor is expected to win comfortably today, cantor has decided to spend more than $1 million to defend himself against attacks, particularly on the issue of immigration. >> tens of thousands of illegal immigrants are pouring across the border, on the promise of eric cantor's amnesty. >> many of us have been shocked

to read eric cantor's lies about his own pro-amnesty record. eric cantor saying he opposes amnesty is like barack obama saying he opposes obamacare. >> dave brat, by the way, will join me in just a moment. just miles away in virginia's suburban washington eighth district, seven candidates are competing in what a staffer for one virginia democrat calls disneyland for progressives. it starts with former lieutenant governor and ambassador, don byer. he's considered the front-runner, but his opponents are each trying to out-progressive each other. mark levine, a radio talk show host, not that one, calls himself the progressive. evan adam says he's the proven progressive champion. northern virginia is a place where being a progressive advocate of president obama is a safe choice, politically, and byer, a key fund-raiser for obama's 2008 campaign, has made the most of endorsements from former obama staffers. we're actually in arlington,

virginia, that might have impact. finally, by the way, don't let today's shiny metal object, lindsey graham's re-election fight, distract you from the fact that two vulnerable governors are on the ballot today, although they're not vulnerable today. they will be in november. one is nikki haley and the other is paul lepage. both will sail through primaries, but that won't be true in the fall. ha haley faces a repatch by paul la sheen. and there's a third candidate on the ballot in november, tom irvine, a former primary challenger to haley has twice the number of signatures he needs to run as an independent. there's also a three-way race in maine where the vulnerable and very combative governor there paul lepage faces mike michaud, would be the first openly gay governor if elected.

and then there's eliot cutler, an independent who lls beat lepage four years ago. he has made some enemies, calls legislators idiots, telling the naacp to, quote, kiss my butt, and comparing the irs to the gestapo, and he memorably said this of one state senator. quote, he claims to be for the people, but he's the first one to give it to the people without providing vaseline. ladies and gentlemen, the governor of maine. can the three-way race save lepage. and michaud's bid opened up the second district state in that state. it's the largest geographic district east of the mississippi, actually. two democrats from the state senate, emily kaine, backed by emi emily's list, and troy jackson, are competing for that one, to take on whichever republican

wins the nomination. and again, there's an open seat. should be fairly competitive, particularly in an off year. as i said, we'll be talking to two virginia candidates in just a moment. but first, i want to go to my colleague, nbc's perry bacon. he is leiv for me in spartanburg, south carolina. and perry, it is remarkable, i think, when we look back, if lindsey graham gets 50% plus one today, in this very crowded primary, it's actually one of the more remarkable feats, considering his voting record, how unapologetic he's been about it, in a state that has arguably the most conservative electorate in the country. >> exactly, chuck. it's not just that he voted for obama, he also voted for immigration reform, is that he goes around bragging about these things. like, i've been covering these primaries where the republican nominee, the incumbent against the tea party challenger. mitch mcconnell, talks about how conservative he is.

and graham spent yesterday in every event talking about how eager he is to get immigration reform done, how much he wants to work on that, how much he wants to work with president obama. how he wants to define conservatism as a more compromising idea. it was very striking to see him in this year, campaign the way he has. >> and you've been making the point about tim scott. i mean, let's remember who the real star of conservative politics is, in south carolina. it isn't lindsey graham, it's tim scott, isn't it? >> that's exactly right. lindsey graham has been this incumbent in here for a long time. but this is a really great story about how well tim scott is doing. i mean, there are very few plaques who have been elected senator in the first place. he not only is on the verge of winning a senate race, but on the verge of winning it overwhelmingly in this primary. hill finished well ahead of lynds graham today, and it shows you how well he's done. he's kind of been born of the tea party and the tea party here really likes him. i talked to voters yesterday,

even in seneca, which is the town lindsey graham lives in, and they were much more excited about scott than graham, because they feel like they're going to vote for graham, but they're still wary of graham on immigration. they think he's two eager to work with president obama, versus scott is a strong opponent. >> well, tim scott will likely be the largest voter getter in november. that's for sure. perry bacon on the ground for, thank you very much. now let's turn to the challenge, to congressman eric cantor in virginia's seventh congressional district. dave brat joins me now on the phone. good morning to you, sir. happy election day. >> good morning, chuck. happy to be on, thanks. >> let me ask you this. define amnesty for me. what does it mean to you? >> i think the working deaf anything out there is the pathway to legalization and citizenship. and in that instance, eric cantor is the author of the house principles, which allows for 6.5 million illegals to

become legal and gain a pathway to citizenship. and he's been in favor of the dream act, the kids act, and enlist act, which all follow that definition of amnesty. so eric, of course, in the primary, for the last two weeks, says he's against all of this, and even against all of his own bills that he's written. but i think the voters know and we're having overwhelming success here today. >> so let me clarify. you do not believe there should ever, for the 11 million undocumented folks that are here in this country right now, that they should ever have a chance to become citizens, even if they, quote, unquote, get if the back of the line? >> if they go through the legal process of the united states of america, it's a loaded, biased question -- >> well, i understand that -- >> a very simple answer -- i'm for legalization, if they follow the rule of law, as it's written, in the united states -- >> so let me ask you --

>> and legal structure. >> so what do you do with those -- >> but the problem is, once you incentivize that, we're seeing the humanitarian crisis on the border right now. and that's the problem. we have 100,000 kids leaving their parents, coming over the board. today the news is $2 billion to spend -- to help those folks out. i teach third-world economic development. i went to seminary before i did economics. they're all children of god, right? was if you want to give them a good outcome, what you've got to do is establish the rule of god and strong property rights in the home country. the answer is not for the united states to absorb 7 billion people. it's clearly the wrong path and if you incentivize the wrong path, you'll get more of it. >> i guess i go back to the answer on 11 million, at what point. if you, yourself, eventually would be okay if they became citizens, if they followed a legal path, i've heard some people argue that that's still

amnesty. >> yeah, well, i mean, i don't want to spend time on the wrong issue, and that's the wrong -- after the financial crisis, those numbers were all taking care of themselves, and if we track workers that have the everfy system in place, that will take care of itself, right? so the numbers were all going down, until president obama and eric cantor, and eric cantor this past friday slipped up and admitted he wants to work with obama on the kids, in quotes, as of -- and if you incentivize more people -- it's at the top of the drudge news story right now. 100,000 kids, and the kids themselves have said, we've heard there's a kids act. and eric cantor is the author of the kids act. if you want open borders, vote for eric cantor, because he's opening the borders. and i'm an economist. this isn't theoretical. look at the data. the kids are coming across the border and it's a humanitarian crisis. i don't know how much simpler i

can make it for the voter, but that's what's going on. >> mr. brat, i'll leave it there. i'm a little concerned we're going to lose you on the phone there. i know you're on the campaign trail, be safe, and we'll be checking back in on your race and see what happens tomorrow. let me turn now to former lieutenant governor, don byer. he's running as a democrat in virginia's eighth district. and if you're going to have ideological whiplash, the seventh and the eighth may be numbered next to each other, but having radically different debates. mr. byer, good morning. >> good morning, chuck. >> ambassador, why congress -- you've been a statewide elected official, you've run for governor, you've been an ambassador. in some ways, considering the polarized congress that we have, the likelihood that the democrats could be in the minority for a long period of time, why do you want to be there? >> chuck, i really wanted to spend all my adult life in public service. and i so loved those years as lieutenant governor and the four years as ambassador, but we were frustrated and embarrassed by a

dysfunctional congress that couldn't get things done, that was too partisan. so the opportunity, sort of the once in a generation opportunity to go and try to be part of the solution in congress and move things forward, was just too great to resist. >> now, how do you think you can do that -- you know, your primary has been a race to the left in the way that the seventh has been a race to the right. and i'm actually going to do a larger examination of that. do you think you can be somebody who votes in the middle, who somehow votes as a centrist, a compromiser, however you want to describe it, without worrying about your primary back, if you end up winning? >> well, i wouldn't frame it quite that way. i mean, i don't think ours has been a race to the left as much as it's been an effort to be authentic. you know, i've talked about climate change, the american economy post-globalization, about common sense gun measures. and these are things i deeply believe, but also things i don't think need to be democrat versus republican or right versus left.

i would like to go to congress and try to bring lots of people from both sides of the aisle together to talk about how we make progress on climate change, how we preserve our world. >> what is it about that you think you can bring that's somehow going to change the tone in washington? >> well, by nature, i'm a peacemaker. i have always been a person that believes deeply that we listen carefully. i don't think anybody goes to congress because they don't love their country. we just need to figure out how to work together to actually find that common ground and move forward. and do that without compromising our basic values and principles. >> all right, don beyer, we'll be watching tomorrow morning. you heard it just a moment ago. from dave brat, undocumented children are crossing the border at alarming rates. but immigration is a pressing

issue far beyond the campaign trail. the sudden surge and what we can do it. the former commissioner of customs and border patrol will be here next. but first, a look at today's planner. of course, election day, hillary clinton interview, a lot of stuff going on. we'll be right back. if healthc, if it becomes simpler... if frustration and paperwork decrease... if grandparents get to live at home instead of in a home... the gap begins to close. so let's simplify things. let's close the gap between people and care. ♪ ugh. heartburn. did someone say burn? try alka seltzer reliefchews. they work just as fast and taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. mmm. amazing. yeah, i get that a lot. alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. enjoy the relief.

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now to the very troubling story about children coming to the u.s., many of them alone, fleeing countries that are racked with violence. 47,000 unacompanied children have entered the country illegally, since last fall. but the number has surged in recent weeks, creating what is now a full-fledged humanitarian crisis, right here in the united states. and it's also created a political problem, one that's giving critics of immigration reform one more reason to keep the debate at arm's length and to make sure reform doesn't

happen, at least until the border security issue is dealt with. the obama administration says its violence in places like honduras, el salvador and guatemala that are driving these kids to the united states. murder rates there are among the highest in the world. the children are leaving their families and m coming by themselves, including a large number of pre-teen girls, to look for relatives already in the united states. once they arrive, the law says that the kids are turned over to health and human services within 24 hours. fema is now getting involved. some are being sent to emergency shelters and military bases in texas and california. a third is being opened at ft. sill in oklahoma. others are being moved to arizona, to ease pressure on the border patrol in texas. but there's a lot of concern now about what happens to these kids, and whether they'll be able to stay once they've arrived. and while the administration, again, blames the violence in central america for creating this situation, there are others who blame the president, citing

the executive action he took in 2012 that let some undocumented children defer deportation if they came to the u.s. as minors. now, that was a part of a specific date. it doesn't actually apply to these kids that have come over the border since. still, arizona governor jan brewer, whose furious about the government's decision to move some of these kids to her state, wrote this. "the if the obama administration put half the effort into securing our border as it has invested to institute this operation, our state and nation would not be facing this situation. this is a crisis of the federal government's creation." congressman bob goodlaugh also called it, quote, an administration-made disaster. and the alabama republican, jeff sessions, a big opponent of immigration reform, called ate direct and predictable result of the president's sustained and deliberate campaign to dismantle immigration enforcement. but again, the administration says, that's not the case. they point out if this was a

result of policy changes, you would see an increase in immigration from all over, not just those three specific countries. violence has driven immigration spikes in the past, from china and mexico in the 19th and 20th century, to an increase in asian immigrants during the vietnam war. so far, the administration has been focused on just getting these kids some shelter and something to eat. they still haven't figured out what happens next. so let me figure that out, or at least lest try. jason ahern is with the chertoff grew. good morning to you, sir. >> good morning, chuck. how are you today? >> i'm okay. so this is something we have dealt with in the past. these various surges. from everything you understand, how do you believe this surge in children crossing the border is from? >> is it directly from violence or do you think it has to do with administration policies. >> what we have in our hands here is an international humanity crisis as well. i think you have to take a look at some of the factors that are driving it.

clearly, when you take a look at what has happened over the last three years, there has been a spike in activity of unaccompanied minors coming across the border from principally the countries you named of honduras, guatemala, and san salvador. i think one of the things you look at there, honduras has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. these individuals, these young, unaccompanied minors are escaping desperation and death in their countries, and are coming here to hopefully reunite with some of the family members that are already here, either legally or illegally. and the numbers went up a little bit more last year, and i think the estimates this year are looking at, if it continues on its current rate, 90,000 individuals that are unaccompanied minors coming into the country. and i think one of the thing anecdotally that's coming from some of the interviews of the individuals who are apprehending these individuals, there is ambivalence in the immigration policy spop we have to take a look at how do we go ahead and establish a higher level of

control than we have today? >> so what happens now to these kids? you say there's ambivalence in the policy. they get interviewed, they've crossed the border illegally, what does the law say? are we to send them back to their home country? i understand that essentially, they're given a court date, but then released. they're not held anywhere. and most of these folks when they're given a court date, they don't show up for court. >> you state some very key issues that need to be sorted out. what the law and policy calls for, unlike canada and mexico, where there's the process to be able to turn them right back to their host countries after processing here in the united states, individuals from other than mexico and other than canada, they have to go through a different process. as you stated, 72 hours, and then the border crossing and then it's turned over to hhs. whether they then turn them over to family members here in the united states or then to foster home or other sheltered locations while they await their

court date. and oftentimes they don't show up for those dates. the other things that's coming up, that is the message getting back to individuals in those high-risk locations, that if you come to the united states and do get apprehended, there's a high probability you'll either be reunited with a family member or you'll be able to put in a foster home and released into the united states, which accomplishes one of the objectives they're trying to achieve. >> which is escape their own crisis. essentially, would you call it -- are they looking for asylum? >> well, you know, asylum, i think if you can take a look at the legal determination, you could make an established, credible, fear determination. we've seen it with many different individuals, showing up at our borders over the years, where they come and actually make a statement of credible fear. and that's something that would have to go before an asylum judge to make that determination. i think it's a case that can be made and probably in some circumstances is being made. whether that would be established and whether they would be granted that, that would be up to the immigration

judges. >> this sort of tugs at the two sides of an american political debate. on the one hand, there's no way that an american, you know, give us your tired, your hungry, your poor, turns away a kid, but at the same time, the immigration debate is a heated debate. this seems almost like an unsolvable crisis. >> let me put the politics aside. i'm a 33-year operator and i look through it at the eyes of the people who are still up there protecting the borders and it does tear at their heartstrings when they're looking at these young kids and young betweens coming across the border individually. and let's look at the path they're taking to come from central south america. >> they're risking their lives. >> and oftentimes, they are having their lives taken, they're being beaten and raped in some circumstances as well. so there is a high level of desperation. and that does tear at the heartstrings of the border patrol agents that then proceed them and provide the greatest level of care. and good news for the department

of homeland security for taking a look at some of the overcrowding that's going on in south texas. because it's important, as you look at border security at large, while arizona was kind of the front and center for the war over the last few years on this aspect, it's now rio grand valley sector. so the numbers are surging there. that's why you're seeing some of the shifting to arizona for some of the temporary housing, because the capacity is there, because it's been there for a period of time. but let's also make sure, as far as that they're provided the appropriate care, while they're in custody, before they're released to hhs and handled from that point. it's a terrible situation and one that's going to continue to get worse. >> and this isn't about lack of border security. the border patrol agents are getting these kids. this is about what happens to these kids once they're in custody. it's not like these kids are sneaking across the border and nobody knows they're there. the security is there. it's what we do with these kids when the border project agents get them, correct? >> that's absolutely correct. and i think one of the things a lot of focus oftentimes gets put

on the southern aboborder. are we doing enough? can we do more? i think we can do more. but this is an international issue. and when you're taking a look at the situation in those three central american countries, there has to be heavy focus to see what we can do to increase the stability in those regions so the criminal activity, corruption, and desperation these kids are feeling can be managed better so there's not that feeling that they have to flee. and many are staying in mexico, many are going to panama, to costa rica, to belize, to other safer nations. so this has to be looked at more than just a u.s. problem and what can we be doing in south texas or arizona. we need to continue to look at this globally. >> our political discourse probably does not have the ability to handle that discussion. thank you for coming on and outing some substance and knnuae into what is a very, very tricky and sad situation. >> my pleasure.

coming up, the hillary clinton book tour, it's just beginning and she's already raising a few eyebrows. could her comment on her family finance end up being something that haunts her for a longer period of time than you might think? that's ahead. but first, our trivia question. before president obama, who was the most recent democratic presidential nominee to win virginia twice? the first person to tweet the correct answer will get a shout-out. ♪ now printing is so affordable and convenient, you can print all you want. hp instant ink. save on ink and never run out again. plans start at just $2.99 a month. welcome to the future of printing.

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an unfortunate reminder that the war may be coming to an end in afghanistan, but it is not over. five american soldiers were killed in what's being called a friendly fire incident in southern afghanistan. defense officials tell nbc news that the five killed were special operation forces, conducting security sweeps on polling places for this weekend's runoff presidential election.

one afghan soldier was also killed. according to u.s. officials, the team called in for air support when they were attacked by taliban forces. then something obviously went terribly wrong with that air strike, and it was u.s. soldiers that are killed, not taliban. this comes as the u.s. is trying to wind down the war in afghanistan. but we still have thousands of troops on the ground there in harm's way. well, virginia is supposed to be a swing state, but right now it's a perfect snapshot of the polarization of america. up next, a tale of two districts. i'll be back in three minutes. o, and i am so thankful to angie's list for bringing us together. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

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...like usb connectivity, so you can enjoy your favorite music. mom! mom! mom! mom! mom! mom! hi mom. and a multi-flex sliding rear seat, for your passenger's comfort and your own. start your summer off right and get this 2014 chevy equinox ls for around $199 per month. find new roads at your local chevy dealer. back to our tdr 50 rook. this week, of course, we're in the state of virginia. it also happens to be primary day. do you think we coordinated the calendar a little bit? anyway, virginia may be a swing state, but in some places, candidates are running as fast as they can to the right and left, feeding the political polarization that's brought washington to a grinding halt. take, for instance, virginia's seventh and eighth congressional districting. they don't actually touch, even though they're numerically together. they are about an hour away from each other on the map, but in

political terms, they are worlds apart. virginia's seventh district, located just north of richmond, it's solid red. it's been represented by house leader eric cantor for more than a decade, and before that, for decades by another republican. 12 years ago, the district backed. but this year, cantor has his hands full when the candidate tried to run further to his right. dave brat has been on the stump, portraying the congressman as a puppet of washington that's betrayed his district. but what's fascinating is that just up the road in virginia's eighth district, they're having a completely different conversation up there. democrats are trying to replace jim moran and are running as fast as they can to the left. in this race, progressive didn't a dirty word, it's part of the campaign's slogan for the top candidate, don beyer. >> he'll fight for common sense gun laws to keep our communities safe.

proven, principled, progressive, don beyer, democrat for congress. >> another candidate, mark levine, bills himself as the aggressive progressive, and state senator adam evan encourages voters to call him a liberal. he even has signs that says, liberal is not a dirty word. and whoever wins the primary is of course going to win the district. that's because virginia's eighth has only become a deeper blue district over the years. located in virginia's northeast corner in the d.c. suburb, the district went to al gore by 15 points in 2000. in 2012, obama doubled that margin, winning the district by 37 points. there's a 50-point difference between the seventh and the eighth in this state. these two districts are practically neighbors, and yet they will collect two completely different candidates, at least on ideological promises. doesn't help that gerrymandering made it so the districts were even more polarizing after they were redrawn after the 2010

census. it's a microcosm of the ideological divide happening all over the country, proof again of why it's so difficult to get anything done in washington. joining me now, jonathan martin, a virginia native, and amy walter, also now a virginia resident. >> as are you. >> we will boost turnout from 5% to 6% if we all show up. jonathan, you've been in this state a long time. this is a moderate state. it's always been, center left, center right, as far as its politics are concerned. >> historically, center right. >> in the modern era, probably now more center. but either way, that's how you get elected. and yet, we are -- and even its members of congress, over the years, had been, blithely, before -- >> we can go back and forth. but now that gerrymandering, right here even in virginia, a swing state, it's not producing moderates, it's producing employ polarizers. >> and you have eric cantor, and don beyer, a well-known figure

to people in virginia. >> and if you ever bought a volvo. >> over on broad street. >> exactly. >> you sort of know who they are. yes, both are fending off primaries in which they're trying to embrace a more ideological version of themselves. anybody who knows lox in virginia knows that eric cantor is center right -- >> no, they bottom want to be, the old model. that's the interesting thing. >> they are not ideologically driven figures. these are people who are members in good standing of the sort of centrist elite -- >> they would both be allowed in the same country club. and that would be totally collie sh cliche. >> but the voters, this is blue meat and red meat. >> that's the question. to your point about it. now we're going to boost turnout from 5% to 6%. the general election doesn't mart. and yet, we're not going to see any increase in turnout. any appreciable increase in turnout. so for all the hang wringing

voters do, they still aren't showing up to vote in a place where this vote is more important than their vote this november. >> but i have to say, as somebody who's lived in this district and felt that their vote for congress is just sort of like, it doesn't really matter, because in many ways, there was a machine and you never had a choice on anything, has california figured it out? is this basically the answer on gerrymandering, as we've seen here? which is, you know, force this top two so all voters get a shot at deciding, at decidie ining w kind of democrat -- >> is that how it's working out, though? >> in some of these districts, it is. >> i think the jury is still out on california, whether or not this is going to actually, go down to the benefit of centrist party or if it's still going to produce more ideological candidates depending on the state. >> i think it i think changes the mind-set. people feel like in california, at the very least, they can

challenge the party orthodoxy and not worry about losing right out of the gate, right? and governor engineer where i brown saying, i can work with republicans because they're not going to get drummed out as easily as they would have been drummed out in the old season. >> like lindsey graham, who wants to take his potential victory and say, hey, it's an endorsement for more pragmatic conservative governments. >> and this touches on a point i've been fixated on for months and wrote about in april. if you look at the recumbent republican senators who lost the last three cycles, it was not only ideological. it was a matter of candidate preparation and strength of opposition. robert bennett, utah, 2010. dick lugar last year, cochran now on the ropes in mississippi. >> right. >> they were not ready for these campaigns. lindsey graham has not run to the right to appease the club for growth. he's unapologetic for immigration reform. lamar alexander in tennessee, the same deal. they were seclude in preparing for these campaigns, raised tons of money and scared off the most formid able opponents. >> and on june 24th, we could

have two incumbent senators from the south. there is a sense that the tea party base of the party, particularly in the south, may be will overwhelm these guys no matter what. >> what, in mississippi -- in a lindsay or cochran. that they could get pulled into runoff and still overwhelmed, despite, in lindsay's case, a well-run campaign. >> they could. but at the end of the day, what's really interesting, what we're seeing too, the candidates that are coming in now are less, at the cook report for interviews, they are less focused on trying to be that bomb thrower, in rare exceptions, you'll see in mississippi. i don't know that you're going to get the kinds of -- >> so you're saying we have hope. >> there's a teeny bit of hope. >> but if cantor wins and beyer actually wins, how do they govern govern. >> we'll see. eric cantor wants to be speaker. so we'll see.

fresh off our hillary clinton interview, our own cynthia mcfadden will join us next. but first, our tdr soup of the day is at the crock & roll in virginia, they're serving up collaalollard green soup. >> where's the peanut soup? >> we had that yesterday. thanks for watching. we'll be right back. mmmhmmm...everybody knows that. well, did you know that old macdonald was a really bad speller? your word is...cow. cow. cow. c...o...w... ...e...i...e...i...o. [buzzer] dangnabbit. geico. fifteen minutes could save you...well, you know. [annpurina pro plan can can help him achieve it. ♪epic classical music stops ♪music resumes

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the gap begins to close. so let's simplify things. let's close the gap between people and care. ♪ hillary clinton, of course, is kicking off a ten-day media tour. she's doing interviews across the country for her new book, "hard choices'. she'll talk to every interview, including our own tonight. but on her first interview that aired on nbc, hillary clinton made a rare misstep in how she talked about her personal finances. >> we came out of the white house not only dead broke, but in debt. we had no money when we got there and we struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages for houses, for chelsea's education, you know, it was not easy. >> well, this was more of an

example of a politician, perhaps, who only hangs out with millionaires and donors and feels poor by comparison. that's what that sounded like. and this gets to one of hillary clinton's potential vulnerabilities, how does she relate to average americans, having been so far away from being in their shoes. this morning in a live interview, the secretary of state attempted some damage control. >> well, let me just clarify that, i fully appreciate how hard life is for so many americans today. it's an issue that i've worked on and cared about my entire adult life. bill and i were obviously blessed. we worked hard for everything we got in our lives and we have continued to work hard. and we've been blessed in the last 14 years. >> so, first interview out of the gates, and there's a little bit of damage control. my colleague, cynthia mcfadden, has the next interview. we'll hear portions of it tonight on the "nbc nightly

news." she's already done it. we've seen some portions of it now. cynthia, good morning to you. >> good morning, chuck. >> so there you go, she's already been doing a little bit of damage control on that front. but you've interviewed her numerous times and i look at this book, and it looks like a book of somebody who has not done yet with american politic, because she is not drawing blood and not really a tell-all, and what was her demeanor with you? is this the demeanor of somebody whimsical and ready to end the political career or somebody careful in how she answered the questions? >> well, i would say whimsical and ready to get back into the fray. you know, chuck, as you say, i have travelled with her from iowa to moscow, and she looked happier in moscow than iowa. you know, she was a relaxed, commanding, and she said that this is what hillary clinton looks like when she is rested. she said that she is loving life right now and as you know, she is not ready to make a decision, but the book does read like

really her explanation for the last four years and the vision of the world, and it is careful, but a few shots that she takes and one of them is at the president. and she and sarah palin come out on the same side of this one. >> we have a little sound bite. we will play it. >> the day she was nominated the obama campaign did contact me and asked me if i could attack her. and i said, attack her for what? being a woman? attacking her to be on the ticket to draw attention and there is plenty of time to do what i think is debate. >> and she said that as required by law, with the state department, she has sent information to the state department, but importantly, the state department had a few security things that she did have to take out, and the white house did not ask her to take out anything. >> and the white house had a copy of the book a long time ago, and yes, they did, and they seemed to be most concerned

about the benghazi story, and did you get that sense? >> yes. and we talked extensively about benghazi and the chapter as you know it is written in specific terms and very, very detailed. if i asked her if she kept a diary during her time as secretary of state and she said she took extensive notes and when i asked her if she would turn over those notes to the house committee, she said, no. so there you go. >> and i have a feeling she may get a subpoena. there you go. thank you, cynthia. >> well, it is always a pleasure and i look forward to doing more with you, chuck. >> excellent. and you can see more of cynthia's interview sit-down with hillary rodham clipt tclin she sat down with her for over an hour and she got to every topic dunder the sun. when it comes to good nutrition...i'm no expert.

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with bergdahl and the swap for sergeant bergdahl for the five taliban prisoners, and the real story continues what is next for the prisoners at guantanamo bay and since it opened in 2002, 709 people have been sent to the prison and right now, 621 prisoners have been transferred and nine died in prison. and of them remaining, 88 from yemen, and the most lethal al qaeda franchise, and 15 of these are considered "high value" detainees meaning they have knowledge of imminent terror plots and if released would continue a threat to the united states. and last week, president obama told my colleague brian williams we will whittle away at the number of prisoners there in guantanamo to get out of afghanistan and the question remains how will this happen? who is it? which ones are they?

expect a good 60 to 70 to get realized a and the question is and probably all of them will be the taliban ones. anybody with an al qaeda tie gets held h, but everything else is probably up in the air. a that is it for this edition of the daily rundown and gitmo will be open more than likely for the next president of the united states. and up next chris will be talking to senator chris blumenthal who just came out of a briefing about sergeant bowe bergdahl. i'm meteorologist bill karins and on this tuesday, downpours, torrential downpours are likely in mississippi, alabama and tennessee and through louisiana. we will see the hit and miss showers and storms through the northeast and the mid-atlantic and humid air mass through the east of mississippi and we are hot in the east coast and in phoenix, you are topping out at 109 today.

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