prophetic. >> that is "all in" for this evening. the "the rachel maddow show" starts right now. >> the first day of school is always awkward. always. in eighth grade, i regret to say, i decided to start the year with a perm. what could possibly go wrong? there's always something wrong with the first day of school. but, today, in washington, the first day of school was truly one of the strangest ones i have ever seen or heard of. there were things that happened today that were shocking. there were things that were historically unprecedented. there were things that you could have seen them coming. but somehow, today, when they happened, they were just way more than anyone expected. i've got to say, i thought this show was going to be a totally different show today until i saw what happened today in washington and then we threw it out the window. days like this are why people

who love politics love politics. today was amazing. let's start with joe biden. he loves the united states senate. but, as vice president now, he has an important official role on the first day of any new senate because the vice president is also, technically, the president of the senate. and so it is joe biden's job now to swear in all of the senators on the first day of school. vice president joe biden loves this day. he, perhaps, lives for this day. if you're a senator waiting to get sworn in to a new senate, it's joe biden's world and you are just visiting.

>> my daughter, ellie. >> ellie, how are you? >> not just the senators and their families. it was also the senate staffers who were treated to the full biden today.

>> next one, this next one was amazing. this was joe biden today greeting incoming senator jonie earnest of iowa. watch. >> gail, i mean joni. okay. man, it's getting late.

now, watch this next one very closely. specifically, watch the vice president's mouth very closely. this is joe biden approaching the next group of people for the next swearing in. that was his mint popping out -- wait, here we go. oh, yeah. slow-mo. that was his mint popping out of his mouth. watch it in realtime. listen. feast yourself. there is nothing nefarious about this. this is just pure, unbridled, unscripted politician joy from a politician who feels very happy doing what he was supposed to be doing. this is joe biden unplugged.

>> i like kids better than

people. what was the -- you took your daughter to bed, a beautiful butterfly, the next morning, this's a snake in the bed? i have no idea. no idea. vice president joe biden today, proving that loving politics is in part about loving our country and loving governance and loving the good fight over governance especially when it was well 46 fought. it's also watching characters act out in the world. the white house even put out a mini video of him today. >> the single most important legislative body in the world. and it is an enormous honor.

i served there for a long time. and i consider it -- i consider myself a senate man. to it's good to be going back. and it's good to be able to perform this function. >> that was put out by the white house today after joe biden's most joyous day ever on capitol hill. you may have noticed one thing was missing. harry reid was nowhere to be seen today. that because harry reid, now, looks like this. he is seriously banged up. he was apparently working out

using a resistance band and it snapped while he was using it. it broke bones in his face and ribs. it really banged him up. look at this. he released a video of hems with a bloody eye, bloody face, bloody swollen hands. harry reid cheerily explaining why he had to be absent and how sorry he was to miss day one of the new congress. get well soon, senate minority leader harry reid. that's kind of just what today was like. >> you tell your congressman, you vote for louis gomert, i'm

done with the republican party. not a dime. not a phone call. not a vote. if you vote for boehner, you're done. i want you to vote for louis gomert. you vote for boehner, i'm done with you. tell everybody you know. call them now. call them, call them, call them. tell the g.o.p. you're done with them. you're done with them. if they leave boehner in. >> the man thrown out on his ear will be louis gomert. yes, you are thinking of the same louis gomert that i am. >> we're going to borrow more

money from the chinese to possibly give them money back to create habitats for wild dogs and cats that are rare. there's no assurance that if we did that, we wouldn't end up with moogoo dog pan or moogoo cat pan. >> the gentleman -- >> on my asparagus. and, yes, because today was that kind of day. it wasn't just something that existed purely on talk radio. the republicans actually did go through the process of running against john boehner for speaker

today. >> go. try. try. >> are there are additional nominations? >> madame clerk, i have a nomination. >> you may proceed. >> i present for the election of office of speaker of the house of representatives for the 114th congress, the name of judge louis gomert, a representative from the great state of texas. madame clerk, judge gomert proudly serves the first district of texas. >> louis gomert nominated today to oust speaker john boehner, as were congressman ted yoho of florida. one republican nominated rand paul.

daniel webster got a nomination. one member of congress voted present, others just didn't show up. in the end, the last time this many members of congress voted against a major party's nominee to be speaker was the year 1860. so, yeah, they didn't make it. this was insult rather than injury. but, still, the most decent against a speaker since before the civil war. but that's just the kind of day it was. and, meanwhile, turning in the background while this was now against the speaker of the house, there's the fact that there has been no revolt whatsoever to this member of congress ascending to the leadership of the house. the congressman in question,

steve scalise is the one on the left here. the one on the right is ex-klu klux klan member who now admits to speaking to when he was a louisiana republican state rep. the reason the job has opened up is because eric canter, former house majority, was ousted by his own party in a primary this past year. eric canter is the highest ranking jewish republican ever in congress. and when he was forced out, he was the only jewish republican in either the house or the senate. the republicans have now decided to fill with a guy who is now only starting to apologize for his past association with a very anti-semitic neonazi name called david duke. there has not been a peep of revolt against steve scalise.

he's being called to at least apologize to congress as he assumes this leadership job. but republicans have just hoping that if they keep quite about it long enough, it will just blow over. meanwhile, the former klan leader is saying he will continue to name names. we did get a call back from david duke after our queries to him yesterday when we queried him about who else in congress might be on his list. ought to make a nice start to the congress after a fittingly bizarre first day. president obama will veto that bill if they pass it.

they'll know it before they even start. their second announced priority after keystone. the right now says they are against the republican party, political right now says they're against the republicans trying to do that bill as well. so all systems go. their number one priority will be vetoed. their number two, they maybe don't want anymore. the right wing media wants the aspersions on my asparagus guy. harry reid is making jokes not safe for children and, honestly, i've got to say, i mean, it all kind of feels okay. oh, my mint.

it at least feels okay today if what you like is a little surprise in every box. politics is always a little bit fun. politics is rarely as much fun as it was today. i was not expecting to get a ford. we went around the country talking to people who made the switch to ford. it felt nicer than my bmw. good gas mileage... ecoboost makes a four cylinder engine feel like a six cylinder. my dad went and turned in his lexus and got the exact same car as me. he had to have it... i'm very happy with my escape. i don't know if i'll ever not buy a ford. make the switch to america's favorite brand. check out special offers on ford escape at ford.com or see your local ford dealer. ♪ hey! guess what day it is?? >>hump day! hummmp daaay! it's hump day! >>yeah! >>hey mike! mike mike mike mike mike! >>mike mike mike mike mike. hey! he knows! hey! guess what day it is! hey! camel! guess what day it is! >>it's not even wednesday. let it go, phil. if you're a camel, you put up with

this all the time. it's what you do. (sigh) if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. ok...

you know how in cheesy legal tv dramas, there's always a dramatic moment where the courtroom door swings open because somebody walks in who nobody expected to be there? there was a real life moment kind of like that today during the sentencing of bob mcdonald on multiple felony corruption charges today. the one person who nobody k379 today be there turned up for that sentencing. that story is next. stay with us.

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this is wt samson high school. mascot? the pirates. it's a smaller elementary school nearby, mascot, the sharks. those two schools make up the simpson's school system has been around since 1931. these two school buildings were built in the 1970s and 1980s. they need an updated kitchen, new bathrooms, retrofitting for standards that have changed a bit in the past four decades. instead of doing that, they've decided to build one big new school to replace both samson high and the elementary. this new school houses up to 275 students and is expected to cost $65 million. >> wait? for 275 kids?

that's kind of nuts. that's like a quarter million per kid. why would it be so expensive in this school district? well, for one thing, all the materials have to be purchased outside the country where the wt samson high school is located. all the materials for this have to be brought in by barge, as do the people who will construct the school. they have to stay there for the duration of the construction. and all of this has to be done through government contracts that have to be approved by congress. wt samson high school and its replacement slated for completion in 2018, it's located in guantanamo bay, cuba. as military personnel and civilian contractors continue cycling through that naval base and sending their kids to the

samson school system, the number of people held at the detention center is dropping fast. with the pentagon now saying it's going to release more in coming weeks. as the number of prisoners falls and, now, seems to be falling rapidly, the cost per prisoner is rising fast. today, the new york times reported what they say is the obama administration's big plan for what to do with guantanamo before president obama leaves office. he may not let president obama close that prison. but apparently, he let him speak sm what you to ship out another 40 to 60 prisoners.

that would bring the per-prisoner to per-year cost to something like $5.5 million per guy per year forever. or at least as long as the congress insists that those prisoners have to be held at that one, specific prison on the island of cuba. there's a couple of weird things going on here. i'm sort of surprised aren't getting more attention. first of all, there's this guy. until a few days ago, that is, when he left. one thing that remains a total mystery is why he's leaving now. now that the administration is planning on sending a dozen or more prisoners home pretty soon, why is he leaving now?

he just published this op-ed saying the road to closing guantanamo is clear and well-lit. but he is leaving his job of trying to close it. as yet, with no one in place to replace him in the administration. what's going on there? to have this huge policy change, i don't understand. the other weird thing going on here concerns these guys, congress. i'm just pointing at nothing. imagine, congress. as the pace of prisoners being sent home from guantanamo has really picked up and there have been all of these dozens of transfers, congress hasn't really made much of a peep at all.

congress hasn't been complaining about all of these prisoners. has congress just not noticed that it's happening? do they not know what they used to say about this? are they softening their resistance to emptying guantanamo out and closing it? even if they had been quiet so far about this, now, the new reporting says the administration is about to start freeing dozens more prisoners from there, in pretty short order. is congress going to pipe up about that or not? also, if you work at guantanamo or you're one of the dozens of men serving indefinite time there, what else identity like there now. joining us now is carol rosenburg. she has been covering guantanamo in a heroic effort since

january 2002. she's been given the title of dean of the guantanamo press corps. carol, great to see you. thank you very much for being here. thank you, rachel. >> first of all, if i said anything that you can correct or that doesn't comport with your understanding of what's going on with these releases and the politics around them right now? >> i know that guantanamo reporters shouldn't be saying these things, but i don't know why cliff sloan is leaving. it came as a surprise to me. i think that it's a hard job and i any he's coming to the end of his surge. i think there's one or two more transfers, and if one were to bow out, this might be the time. >> in terms of those expected transfers, one of the things that cliff sloan explained in this op-ed is it hasn't been as hard to find other countries and the world who are willing to take guantanamo prisoners.

he's basically saying if you push on those diplomatic doors, you will find them to be open. do you have any expectation about how many people are in the pipeline to go sometime soon or what the list of countries is that's willing to take them? >> we know that estonia is going to take one. there's one other country, and i'm not sure which one it is, but i don't think it's going the be a large scale transfer. >> i mean, part of the question that i have about that is, you know, what are going to be the logistics of that, is there going to be an american political backlash? i have to wonder how that resonates at guantanamo among the people involved in the legal defense and the military commissions to imagine this

institution shrinking so fast, if that really is the plan, in coming weeks and months. i wonder what kind of impact that is. >> i think the attorneys who are cleared to go are hopeful that they will find countries for them. i think there's an understanding that the yemenese are not going home. and i think in terms of the guard force, the detention center shrinks in terms of detainees. but the job stays the same. they're mostly u.s. soldiers and contractors. >> that goes to the financial issue and the political situation. if the obama administration is planning to get the prisoner numbers a lot lower, that means the ratio, the pro-prisoner cost will keep going higher and higher and higher. if you've got 60 people in a

facility that's getting increasingly decrepit, i guess, does that logistically become such a concern that there has to be a political solution to it? >> congress doesn't seem to mind to pay the bill. it is huge numbers in terms of the per prisoner cost. but it's still a small prison. in terms of the need for 2,000 guards and prisoners, i'm just not sure. >> carol, thank you. as always, for your reporting, i have told you this before, but i'll tell you again. it is a great service to our country and thanks for being here tonight.

it's nice the see you. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back. stay with us. and flu doesn't treat your runny nose. seriously? alka-seltzer plus cold and cough fights your worst cold symptoms plus your runny nose. oh, what a relief it is. ♪ ♪ ♪ first impressions are important. you've got to make every second count. banking designed for the way you live your life. so you can welcome your family home... for the first time. chase. so you can. nexium, the purple pill, is available without a prescription for frequent heartburn. get complete protection. so no matter where you go, or who you're with. nothing is holding you back. this is nexium level protection™.

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when rob blagoyavich went to prison in 2012, the sentencing guideline said he should get 30 years to life in prison. when william jefferson got busted for blocks of cash that he had in his freezer and all

the corruption charges in 2009, the sentencing guideline said he should get 27 to 33 years in prison, he actually got 13 years. when congressman rick renzi got convicted on multiple charges, rick renzi actually got three years and he'll be out pretty soon. so it's not like politicians usually get the book thrown at them. in the case of public corruption, they tend to go pretty low on the low side or lower than anybody's expecting. it was still quite a shock when

sentenced to two years in prison. there are no cameras in the courtroom, but the federal prosecutor who brought the case and who had argued for bob mcdonald that prosecutor was described with his face twisted in anger. that 10- to 12-1/2 year recommendation was what the federal probation office had said bob mcdonald should get in this case. the judge, today, widely respected president ronald reagan, he reduced those sentencing guidelines at just 6468 years. and then when it came time to hand down the sentence, he handed down that range. he acceptability bob mcdonald off for just 24 months. the public downfall started in march 2013. a weird article explaining just who had mysteriously paid for

the governor's daughter's wedding. that story led to one revelation after another. at a time when many people thought bob mcdonald would be prepping his 2016 presidential campaign, he will be booking into federal prison. he's due there on february ninth. a week and a half after that, his wife, maureen, will face sentencing for her multiple felony convictions in this case, as well. joining us now, a political reporter. thanks very much for joining us today. it's good to have you here. >> thanks for having me, rachel. >> can you just tell us broadly your impressions of what it was like in the courtroom today?

both before and after the sentence was handed down? >> i have to tell you, it was a complete 180 when governor mcdonald was stunned on 11 counts of corruption in that courtroom. today, quite the opposite. i have to tell you, the most dramatic moment happened when former governor doug wilder took the stand as a character witness. he crosses a generational line as well as party lines to say that governor mcdonald is one of the most hon lab people i have ever met. at that point, the prosecution comes back on the stand and says, well, governor wilder, isn't it true that when you're governor, that does not give you a license to take bribes? the governor says yes, that's true.

and the prosecution fires back and says it's certainly true that there needs to be justice in this case, for all of virginia. the fireworks fly when governor wilder shoots back and says what justice is there in this case when your star witness, johnny williams, who's accused of starting these bribes, is at home in florida? he's not going to prison. there will be no justice in this case. >> at that point, there's no cameras in the courtroom. although you re-enacting is pretty great in terms of understanding it. what he says, the guy offering the bribes, he ought to be going to jail, the courtroom burst out in applause. >> a multitude of people try to rise up out of their seats and cheer for the former governor. this was a huge blow to him and his family.

he had his hand on his face saying, oh, my goodness, i can't believe this. it was something really extraordinary. >> let me ask you before all the character witnesses took the stand. it was a surprise moment when governor mcdonald's wife, maureen, arrived at the court room, the one thing everybody agreed on before heading into today is that she would not be seen. his defense was to blame her. it must have been a big surprise when she arrived today. >> huge surprise. you could hear a pin drop as soon as maureen mcdonald made her appearance flanked by her

sons, bobby and sean. it was a surprise to see them as well. but the whole family united. even their oldest daughter, jeannine, was there who, in a letter to the judge, accused a mother of being mentally unstable. it was unbelievable to see maureen mcdonald make an appearance. and then, after the sentence comes down of just two years in a federal prison, he turns around and gives his wife a quick peck on the cheek. that is something that we've never seen in trial. he gave her a cold reception if there ever was one. we were all extremely shocked to see that happen. >> political reporter nbc 12, richmond virginia, mike, thanks

for being here. appreciate it. >> thanks, rachel. all right, speaking of excellent local journalism. there's some further local journalism of the heroic variety coming up in our next story. this is a story that will make you proud of our nation's first amendment. but it should make you want to buy a beer for the next great local reporter you meet down at your local pub. please stay with us. this is a good one. for most people, earning cash back ends here, at the purchase. but there's a new card in town. introducing the citi® double cash card. it lets you earn cash back when you buy and again as you pay. that's cash back twice. it's cash back with a side of cash back. the citi double cash card. the only card that lets you earn cash back twice on every purchase

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>> this is such a doozy. i'll tell you how it ends the moral of the story is you can't keep a lid on it. as much as you might not want people to hear the bad news, if they have a right to hear the bad news, they're going to hear the bad news. and you trying to keep it under wraps is only going to make it worse for you. okay? case in point. behold kirby delauter. he's a county commissioner in maryland. an elected public official. recently the "frederick news post" posted this fairly innocuous article how county commissioners were adjusting to changes. it was noted that he had reportedly complained that the county commissioners no longer had enough reserved parking spaces. that reference in that article apparently made kirby delauter a

very angry man. and you don't want to see kirby delauter when he's angry. this weekend, he posted this online, attacking the local reporter who wrote that piece for the "frederick news post." shame on bethany rodgers for an unauthorized use of my name and my reference in her article. she contacted me by phone yesterday. i did not return her call and did not authorize any use of my name in her article. bethany, please understand, you need to know who you're dealing with. you could have earned my respect. instead you've shone that you will sell your soul for the liberal agenda at the "frederick news post." let me be clear, do not contact me and do not use my name or reference me in any unauthorized form in the future. >> this is from an elected official who as far as i know has not trademarked his name. but he is furious that a reporter reported on him as an elected official and used his name without his express

permission. to her credit, the reporter responded to this elected official directly, quoting here, wow. well, just to answer a few of these accusations, first offal all, there's no requirement to get a person's authorization in order to mention them in the paper, particularly if that person is an elected official. it's not just our right but our responsibility to report on people like you who occupy positions of trust in our government, and i make no apologies for doing that. she goes on in this vein. the guy then immediately responds, use my name again unauthorized and you'll be paying for an attorney with a capital a. your rights stop where mine start. so to be clear, this is an elected official in the state of maryland threatening to sue the local paper for reporting on his actions as an elected official. unless he expressly authorizes the use of his name. like he's the happy birthday

song or something. naturally, the local paper responded in the only way they could possibly respond, they published this editorial about this local official, kirby delauter, forbidding the paper from using his name. the headline as you can see kirby delauter, kirby delauter, kirby delauter, and they go out of their way to print his name 27 names. none of them with authorization. the paper is also now reporting on this local official threatening to sue them for covering him as an elected official which has given their managing editor the opportunity to see things like this in paper, quote, kirby delauter can certainly decline to comment on any story, but to threaten a reporter for reporting on his name is so ridiculously stupid that i'm speechless. and now naturally because of all

this, there's a fake kirby delauter twitter account raging about how the liberal media should not be allowed to use conservatives' names without permission. now he's a national laughing stock with his untrademarked name all over the news. even outside the frederick, maryland, news, this guy is now the guy who says as an elected official, he has the right to decide whether or not his name is used in the news. it's amazing. something similar, though, happened today in portland, maine, where the always fearless "portland press herald" decided they were going to flip a one-finger first amendment salute to somebody else who was trying to shut down news coverage of something that people have a right to know about. in portland, it concerns the case of a prominent local attorney who was facing multiple felony charges stemming from a domestic violence case. the court proceedings were not that remarkable. the man entered a plea in conjunction with one of the charges which resulted in some

of the other charges being dismissed. but here's the thing. here's why this is now a big story. the guy who was on trial somehow convinced the judge in his case that his court case should be treated as a secret. he somehow persuaded the judge to direct members of the media who were covering the story that they would not be allowed to report on what was happening at the trial. this is from the "press herald." the judge told members of the media as the hearing began what they could and could not report. a reporter protested the order and asked for time to contact legal counsel. the judge denied the request and said the hearing would proceed without delay. after consulting with their own attorney, the "portland press herald" decided to not comply with the order from the judge. and so the "portland press herald" published what actually happened in that courtroom. because you know what, it wasn't some matter of national security, this guy's case. it wasn't secret troop movements or something. it wasn't something involving a child or some other sensitive

case around which there might be case law saying you have the right not to be exposed in the press. this was embarrassment. normal criminal case in open court that somebody decided to turn into a state secret because they found it embarrassing. and in so doing, they turned what should have been a very low key case into a much bigger story, because honestly, you can't keep a lid on it. not with a brave press in this country. and thank god we have a brave press. if people have a right to know, people are going to know. and if you try to keep them from knowing, it is only going to make it ten times worse and it's going to make the ten times bigger and it's going to make heroes out of the folks that call your bluff like the "frederick news post" in maryland and the "portland herald" in maine. the local mall is having a epic and visible and rather heroic fit of defiance and blowing the whistle. and that story is amazing and it's coming up on tomorrow's show. now it's time for "the last word" with lawrence o'donnell. >> talk about a cliffhanger. go ahead, take five minutes.

tell us about the mall. i can't wait. >> i could unfortunately, that's the thing that's worrying about me. i could. >> thank you, rachel. john boehner was re-elected as speaker today and some of the republicans who dared to vote against him have already been punished. >> let's talk about this new congress. >> today is a festive day. >> opening day, swearing in is always a festive, celebratory day. >> the new congress completely controlled by republicans. >> or as republicans put it, aloha. a. >> john boehner now officially re-elected. >> new congress, same speaker. >> boehner looks lamer. >> the honorable john a. boehner. >> i want to thank my family.