will deliver us to a bright future of loving monogamy. thank you for being here. that is "all in." the rachel maddow show starts right now. >> it's all love, chris. and thanks all of you at home for staying with us for the next hour. we begin with big news for two unusual presidential candidates. bernie sanders and donald trump. a new poll showing trump maintaining his lead among iowa republicans, 22%. and that's after the gop debate meaning iowa vote here's have more experience segregation presidential candidates, they are still giving trump some serious consideration. and they must be basing that on his message. in iowa, he doesn't have much of a campaign to speak of. he spent the last few months mostly doing phone interviews from new york on tv. not exactly town halls in des moines. that has been donald trump's strategy here all along.

he has been could not an air war, making his case from afar and leaving all the retail politicking to others. and it appears to be working, although it is certainly early. another strategy though is waging a ground war. that is of course, where democratic presidential candidate and socialist senator bernie sanders is excelling. he is in the field. meeting with voters, gathering with crowds, even in red states. one of his biggest crowds was out in phoenix, arizona. a state that mitt romney won by 9 points. many political insiders initially underestimated bernie. we know that now. if you watch this show, however, you may recall rachel reporting on bernie's early crowds in the beginning of the summer. >> just days after he had his big campaign rally kickoff in burlington, vermont, bernie sanders ended up in iowa speaking to a packed house in davenport, iowa. the organizers had to open a wall to make room for the crowd. the new york times is describing

that crowd as the largest crowd attracted by any candidate from either party in iowa all year. bernie sanders. this was the scene in keen, new hampshire on saturday. where a crowd of almost a thousand people crammed into a tiny local rec hall to hear bernie sanders speak. this is the one candidate on the trail right now who can turn out, i kid not, 5,000 people with a facebook post. a huge overflow crowd at the drop of a hat. thrilling his supporters and bewilledering the national political class. bernie sanders turned out 11,000 people to see him in conservative phoenix, arizona. >> now that is not nothing. a few big crowds, however, can still be dismissed as nukes, especially when lined up against the big polling deficits he was facing. and plenty of experts note huge campaign rallies don't always translate into actual votes. when people have talked about his appeal and momentum, they're mostly citing those crowds.

not voters, not polls until now. iowa and new hampshire are crucial contests for this race. clinton won new hampshire in 2008 and had been looking good there. the bernie momentum had been rooted in the crowds he's drawn. less on the number of potential votes and polling that he might have. new hampshire polling, for example, look at this. showed clinton was beating sanders, 47-8 in march. in may he inched up. by last week, he was within striking distance of hillary clinton. now, today, this self-proclaimed democratic socialist who is largely seen as a protest challenge. that guy, that guy is now in first place. he is 7 points ahead of hillary clinton in new hampshire in this new poll. maybe hillary clinton will continue to allow this bernie momentum to play out without directly acknowledging it until she homes it may eventually die down. but bernie's ground game is so strong.

he drew the most special compliment you can get from trump. trump is now comparing his appeal to bernie's. >> would you give up your microphone a protester? >> i would never give up my microphone. i thought that was disgusting. he is getting the biggest crowds and i'm getting the biggest crowds. we're the two getting the crowds. believe me, that won't happen to trump. >> the truth is that sanders has repeatedly draunl far larger crowds than donald trump and he is doing it with an explicit grassroots ground game. we spoke to the sanders campaign. they've deployed 39 paid staff members and 11 field offices in iowa alone. they're opening more offices this weekend. we asked trump about his numbers in iowa. while his campaign didn't provide new numbers, the count showed ten staffers in iowa and no field offices at all. one iowa co-chair says there is an office somewhere in des moines.

also, politico reporting that donald trump will start building a ground game in the early states. and it is possible his unconventional approach could work. some kind of early air raid followed by a late game to turn buzz into volunteers precinct captains and votes. for all of his supposed radicalism, bernie sanders is using the more conventional old school approach here. a bottom up, grassroots field effort that slowly but surely turns excitement into those crowds. and then grows those crowds into measurable support. and then tries to turn that support into a lead and maybe just maybe turn that lead into voter turnout for those primaries. maybe the newest story in the 2016 race is a very, very old one. joining us now, a national political reporter for the "boston globe." good evening to you. >> hi there. >> what do you think bernie is doing right and is this more

about what he stands for or what he's doing on the ground in the field? >> well, there's one thing he is doing right and that's authenticity. it come to his appeal is entirely based i believe, on the thing about him that seems so unusual. that he is a socialist with this hair flapping around. but he comes across to voters and to, you know, even to moderate democrats as a very authentic person who has stood for, who isn't going on change his beliefs with the tide. i think that's what america is looking for right now. the polling that you mentioned in new hampshire, i found quite stunning. if you look at it a little more deeply, sanders is beating clinton among liberals but he is also beating clinton among moderate democrats. self-described moderate democrats are flocking to sanders. that says that something more than just his socialist message.

the messenger that they're falling in love with. >> we can put that opt screen. you're talking about the breakdown as people self-identified moderates in new hampshire which is a very active political class there. going for sanders. so not just that liberalism. yet you also put your finger on the other port thing about him. yes, he is authentic but he is authentically socialist. he struggled to deal with something if he remains a serious candidate, some democrats are going to worry about. can you elect a socialist in the united states of america? take a listen. >> what's the difference between a democrat and a socialist? i used to think there's a big difference. what do you think it is? >> the difference between -- >> a democrat like hillary clinton and a socialist like bernie sanders. >> what's the difference between being a democrat and a republican. >> what's the difference between being a democrat and a

socialist. what's the difference between and you a socialist? >> the relevant debate we'll be having over this campaign is what's the difference -- >> i think there's a huge difference. >> i understand the struggle there. but sometimes the nonanswer is telling. >> absolutely. that is the absolute concern that the democratic elites have. that playing out in a general election. to me, that leaves the door wide open for a man who is sitting in south carolina right now on vacation with his family, sitting vice president joe biden. if there is anything that is going to tempt him to get into the race, it is seeing that weakness in hillary clinton's polling numbers. >> is it a weakness for her or is it a real enthusiasm about some democrats and some as we say, moderates and liberals in new hampshire may feel a chance to express something exciting about this guy without worrying that he is really going on eclipse clinton?

because that poll and many others say they don't think he'll be a nominee. >> right. and that is the best number for hillary clinton. her electability number. the people who are support her because she is electable. to me that's like, that, if you vote from a place of emotion which many people do, you know, that's a place of logic. it is like marrying the person who your parents really want to you marry. it is like, are people really going to make that choice in this day and age? and you know, i see what sanders' success. people are like, he is rising in the polls. maybe he could be the nominee. so -- >> finally, before we go, i want to ask you. is there something that hillary clinton or others in the democratic party need to do to engage with his ideas?

not necessarily attack him. but have that conversation that the party chair didn't want to. there is a way to advance equality without gov control of economy, without the type of socialism they are associated with. >> i think she needs to start talking about the issues he is talking about, absolutely. i wrote about that today on the front page of the "boston globe." this lengthy list of issues that liberals care about. that hillary clinton hasn't even addressed in any meaningful way. and i don't know that she has to come down on their side but i think the fact that she is just not even talking about them. and is punting again and again and saying i want to talk about the issues. i will be talking about the issues. meanwhile, they have bernie sanders out there, you know, stating a case. and many of them probably don't agree with everything he has to say but it is so wonderful and refreshing to have somebody saying some of these things. i think that's the lesson the clinton team really needs to

learn from this. >> national reporter for the "boston globe," thank you for joining us tonight. >> there's a lot more ahead including what donald trump had to say about planned parenthood. something no other major republican candidate is saying. and you don't want to miss this. we have a preview of rachel's exclusive election year special right here that will air tomorrow on msnbc. please stay with us.

surgery on jimmy carter's liver was said to be successful at the time. during that surgery, his doctors discovered that cancer has now spread to other parts of his body.

president carter did not disclose what type of cancer he's been diagnosed with. he says he will be providing more details next week. and he'll be rearranging his schedule so he can be treated at emory hospital in atlanta. jimmy carter will turn 91 in october. president obama spoke to him from his vacation on martha's vineyard tonight saying in a statement, the former president is, quote, as resilient as they come. again, the news tonight is that former president jimmy carter diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer. we'll bring you more on this story as it develops.

trump's campaign has been nothing if not colorful. >> i'm using my own money. i'm not using the lobbyists. i'm not using donors. i don't care. i'm really rich. >> marco rubio. >> i think he is highly overrated. i think he is an overrated person. i look at him. they say as he young ronald reagan. i don't think as he young ronald reagan. besides that, i have far better hair than he does. we have losers. we have losers. we have people that don't have it. sadly, the american dream is dead. >> i have an absolute way of defeating isis and it would be decisive and quick and very, very, it would be very beautiful. >> you've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals. your twitter account -- >> only rosie o'donnell.

i am the most fabulous whiner. i do whine because i want to win. >> are whiners winners? >> i am a whiner. i keep whining and whining until i win. >> so donald trump has made his mark by saying outlandish things. we know that. the more outlandish for him, it seems, the better. in an interview last night, trump had something surprising to say when it came to this big political debate over planned parenthood. >> let's say there is two planned parenthoods in a way. you have it as an abortion clinic. that's actually a fairly small part of what they do. but it is a brutal part. and i'm totally against it. and i wonderful do that. they also, however, service women. we have to help women. we have to look at the positives also. i'm totally against the abortion aspect of planned parenthood but i've had many women, many republican conservative women come up and say, planned

parenthood serve as good function other than that one aspect. >> do you know who took that seriously? planned parenthood. after that they released this statement saying donald trump seems to realize that had banning all abortions, shutting down the government, and defunding planned parenthood are extreme positions that are way too far outside the main stream for even him to take. it isn't a set of hypotheticals to make republicans look bad. it is a list of things republican candidates have called for. >> we did defund planned parenthood when i was governor. you could take dollar for dollar, i'm not sure we need a half billion dollars for women's health issues. >> defunding planned parenthood is one thing. what about this idea, shut down the federal government? >> honestly if it came to that, i would. i hope it doesn't come to that. if we are not prepared to stand up and fight over this, what are we prepared to stand up and fight over?

>> they should prosecute planned parenthood. and it is really striking that the democrats are willing to embrace your and my taxpayer funds. >> what i have advocated is that we pass a law in this country that says all human life at every stage of development is worthy of protection. >> would you really let a mother die rather than have an abortion? with 83% of the american public in favor of a life exception, are you too out of the main stream are this to win the general election? >> i'm pro-life. i've always been pro-life. >> unlike hillary clinton who has a radical position, i defunded it more than four years ago. >> that's what's going on in the field. the talk about cutting down planned parenthood is often referred to as some kind of abortion politics. that's not really accurate. while the organization does provide some abortions, the federal government already bars it from using federal funds for any abortions.

that was further solidified after the congressman henry hyde. as planned parenthood explains, this is on their website right now for anyone who wants to see. planned parenthood participates in a federal funneling program called title ten. this program doesn't pay for abortion care. planned parenthood is already legally barred from using its federal funding for those abortion services. so republicans claim they want to defund group over abortion which is as a practical issue sort of moot. and yet this is having a substantive impact on women in some states. three states have said, they will block hugs of dollars in medicaid and state funding for planned parenthood even though they've warned it may be in conflict with federal law. so on a substantive statewide level. on a policy level it isn't going anywhere.

it will be brought up time and time again even if donald drops out of the race. >> the republicans are putting forth some very radical and offensive positions when it comes to women's lives, women's reproductive health, women's employment, women's opportunities. we'll let the republicans go back and forthwith each other but i want to point out, there is not that much difference in the policy that's they are proposing when it come the american women. >> trump and the rest gop field may be weighing in on planned parenthood now. but so is the democratic candidate who would like to face them and who has been putting women's health issues front and central for a very long time. joining us now on these evolving politics, political reporter for the "washington post." good evening to you. >> hi. nice to talk to you. >> does donald trump make a difference here for the way republicans come down? >> it is really interesting. what trump said today, last

night, rather, is actually right. he is not very detailed in many of his policy proposals and many of the things he talks about. but he's right. abortion is only part of what planned parenthood does. and most republicans support the idea that there is an organization, a place where women can go, low income women, young people who need health services. and that that is a separate thing than an abortion clinic. and the position he articulated is pretty main stream moderate republican orthodoxy. that you can oppose abortion on many or most counties. but still want exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother. or not go so far as to say that

planned parenthood shouldn't exist or should be denied all federal funds. it was interesting to hear him articulate that and he is staking a moderate republican position there which means he is not catering to the very conservative parts of the republican party that are supporting him now. so that's interesting. >> would suggest that somehow his style or this whatever momentary buzz he has in the polls gives him an idea to avoid pandering on certain issues, although he is pandering in other ways. can you help us understand why the abortion politics have migrated to focusing on one organization? in the old days of looking at the supreme court and row v. wade have given way to this obsession with folks like we just showed. yeah, defund the whole government over this. >> certainly the journal cover videos from last month, opened

the door to this. whatever you believe those videos show, it is not good news for planned parenthood. and it is difficult to defend the organization when you have the disturbing idea that they could be participating in any way, shape or form in the bartering or trade or sale of parts of an aborted fetus. that is a difficult thing to talk about. a difficult thing for defenders and supporters of planned parenthood and the serves they provide, to separate out and try to describe what is actually happening here. and it allowed, as i say, it opened the door to this part of the debate. and certainly, it allowed the marco rubios and the scott walkers in the republican debate last week to have something to point to. >> what does hillary clinton get

to do with all this? >> well, she said on the specifics of the planned parenthood video, she has called that aspect disturbing. she moved very quickly to try to capitalize on what rubio and walker said during the debate. to say really? a very small percentage of republicans think that there should, that you shouldn't have exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. and what kind of, where is the republican party going here? was her point. and certainly, the democrats, hillary clinton, leading the pac, are trying to show, hey, we're back to a republican war on women. whether or not that is really the case, they didn't have a lot of fresh evidence to point to in this cycle. and this entire else has given them that ammunition. >> and reporter for the "washington post." thank you for joining us. >> thank you. still ahead, a programming note for tomorrow that you will not want to miss.

no way no how. plus, material front-runner for a campaign ad of the year. maybe the deck eight, maybe ever. we'll see how it stacks up to our most reason favorite. i'm jerry bell the second. and i'm jerry bell the third. i'm like a big bear and he's my little cub. this little guy is non-stop. he's always hanging out with his friends. you've got to be prepared to sit at the edge of your seat and be ready to get up. there's no "deep couch sitting." definitely not good for my back. this is the part i really don't like right here. (doorbell) what's that? a package! it's a swiffer wetjet. it almost feels like it's moving itself. this is kind of fun. that comes from my floor? eww! this is deep couch sitting. [jerry bell iii] deep couch sitting!

mr. chairman, members of the committee, the first matter i would like to report on is the progress of the investigation. we have received almost 100% of the materials which the senate

select committee has collected and analyzed in connection with its investigation. i would estimate that there are, we've received over 100,000 pages of printed material. >> did you spot her there? in 1974, a recent law school graduate named hillary rodham was one of the attorneys working on congress's impeachment investigation of president nixonon. this was before she was the first lady of anything. she was a young, ambitious staffer. this footage is pretty incredible to see and it features some truly madmenesque behavior on the parts of members of congress. it is remarkable. and tomorrow night here on the rachel maddow show, there is more from where that came from. for months, rachel and her producers have been doing a really deep dive into the nbc archives to find the tape and

the best stories of the candidates that you've probably never seen before. it is called the tale of the time. naturally. and rachel will be right here tomorrow night to bring you a very special first else. they have found some amazing footage that tell a unique story about these presidential candidates. how they got their start. how they became who they are and the battles they've been fighting along the way. >> hillary roham clinton is a twofer. today on capitol hill, those two titles commanded a great deal of attention and a little tension. nbc's lisa myers reports on the first lady's day as first witness. >> you're going to blind me. >> it was a sellout crowd with 200 lining the crowds. hillary clinton was succinct and to the point. >> americans can no longer wait for health care reform. as we sit here today, literally

hundreds and hundreds of americans will lose their health care insurance. >> two other first ladies have testified before congress. eleanor roosevelt and rosslyn carter. but hillary clinton is unique in her political power and her broad policy influence. >> first, there is no free lunch in this health care plan. it won't be free. everybody will be paying something. >> later before another committee, she suggests it be post possibly until savings are achieved to pay for them. >> until we get everybody into the health care system, we cannot control costs. >> reporter: hillary clinton recently told senate democrats that she would soon fade into the back ground and leave the limelight to her husband. the senators objected, saying hillary, not the president, is the most effective and most credible salesman. it is and not about just about hillary clinton. there are some fascinating republican candidate stories including a visit with the bush brothers in 1985.

>> given your dad's loyalty to president reagan this time around, particularly, would you expect the president to support your dad if he wanted to make a run for in it '88? >> don't touch it. >> i don't think he should as president. but it would be a nice surprise. >> you said don't touch it. >> you're assuming he's running first of all. >> would you like to see him run? >> i would. >> i would too. >> not only did they get to see their dad run. they had both gotten to do it themselves. there is an incredible george w. bush moment that you will not want to miss. and of course, we had to. there will be lots and lots of vintage donald trump. >> to relax, this high roller doesn't just buy a ticket for the game. he buys the entire team. yes, the new jersey gentles football team. >> i just very much enjoy sports. and it is just a very small thing, it is a hobby. nothing else.

>> not surprisingly, trump has big plans. >> i like the idea of buying this, competing against, directly against the nfl for a number of years, creating the same thing. fighting them, going to war with them and see what happens. >> the tale of the time. it is a very special edition of the rachel maddow show. tomorrow night, rachel will be back for it. she's been at work on it for a long time and she is very excited about sharing with it all of you. that is tomorrow night right here. cleaning the gutters. have you touched the stuff? it's evil. and ladders. sfx: [screams] they have all those warnings on 'em. might as well say... 'you're gonna die, jeff.' you hired someone to clean the gutters. not just someone. angie's list helped me find a highly rated service provider to do the work at a fair price. ♪ everyone can shop, but members get more with reviews, live customer support, and better pricing. come see what the new angie's list can do for you.

take a look at this tape. this was the scene earlier tonight in the northeastern chinese port city of tianjin. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> hundreds of people have been injured and at least 17 killed after a series of huge explosions went off in a warehouse storing hazardous goods there in tianjin close to beijing. close to 300 people have been admitted to hospitals. police saying an unidentified number of people were trapped. local news outlets reporting it triggered blasts at nearby businesses. the explosion took place at a warehouse there in the port area. it is still unclear exactly the nature of the material that caused that huge explosion.

we do know that the explosions happened within about 30 seconds of each other and shortly before midnight local time. these explosions were so large the china earthquake network kreshlt reported the first blast strength was equal to that of threaten tons of tnt. in the second blast, the equivalent of get this, 21 tons of tnt. 17 people reported killed. calling for a massive effort to rescue those who may still be trapped. more ahead on our show tonight. play stay with us.

it was a joyous scene for so many when the supreme court legalized same-sex marriage this summer. the arguments in the case were fascinating because the judges were asked to grapple with a deep question. what is the point of marriage? what is it for? what is its purpose? opponents of same-sex marriage

found themselves on the defensive trying to offer explanations for why marriage had to be restricted to only straight couples. one of the reasons is that marriage's goal was physical procreation which only straight people can do, they said. of course, not all straight people, by the way, and not straight people of all ages. opponents argued this would ruin that. ruin procreation as the goal and harm children. the court didn't simply protect same-sex marriage when it ruled against the opponents in that historic opinion. just anthony kennedy said same-sex marriages are aaffirmativively good for children. many same-sex couples provide loving and nurturing homes to their children, whether biological or documented. hundreds of thousands of children are being raised by such couples. and clueding them from marriage thus conflicts with the central premise of the right to marry,

he wrote. without the recognition of the predictability marriage offers, their children suffer the stigma of knowing their families are somehow lesser. the marriage laws at issue here he wrote, thus harm and humiliate the children of same-sex couples. and with that reasoning, the court struck down the state laws banning gay marriage in part because in the court's opinion, those laws, far from children, as they were originally sold, they actually harmed them. last week a federal judge in nebraska struck down that state's ban. citing this decision and in that ruling, almost every ban in the country on same-sex couples documenting children is now out of the picture. there is one left. and this morning, four mississippi gay couples challenged their state's ban in court and they've picked an icon to represent them. ronalda kaplan who took case to

the supreme court two years ago. she argued the justices should overturn it and she won. then right after winning that case, she went to mississippi where she argued in federal court that mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage itself was unconstitutional. she made that case in mississippi of all cases and she won that. now, she is returning to mississippi, we can report, for this next battle. maybe a final battle over the state's gay adoption ban. the fact it is the only such ban left in the country and that gay marriage is now legal nationwide shows how much and how quickly the nation is changing. in another sign of all the evolution on these issues, we want to tell you the very governor who signed this mississippi ban into law in 2000 has recanted. his explanation strikes a note tracks with justice kennedy's logic. writing there are far too many children in america in need of a loving home who are shuttled between temporary homes and

group shelters that fail on provide the stable nurturing environment all children deserve. i came to understand that a person's sexual orientation is nothing to do with their ability to be a good parent, he wrote. the colonel governor of mississippi, that is a pretty different story. this statement today saying the current statutory law in mississippi prohibits adoption by couples of the same gender. this was added by the legislature in 2000. i hope the attorney general will vigorously defend the state against this lawsuit. we reached out to the attorney general but have not heard back yet. if he said does plan to vigorously defend this law, he will be up a pretty seasoned opponent. joining us now, that seasoned attorney that he might find himself facing off against. we want to mention the book, then comes marriage. it will be out in paper back in october.

>> a pleasure to be here. thanks for the seasoned. >> it is just facts at this point. you've done so many of these cases. you are optimistic about this one. >> what he said is factually correct. it is factually correct the law prohibits gay couples from adopting in mississippi. it is factually correct that it was passed in 2000 but it is legally totally impermissible for a law like that to exist on the books and to treat married gay couples and their children. >> the people you're representing. what is their current situation under this law and how would they benefit? >> these are really compelling stories. we have two couples who have children. one is a 14-year-old boy. one is an 8-year-old girl. even though they have two parents, two mommies who have been their mommies since birth.

only one of those is their mommy legally. as the 8-year-old girl, i want both my mommies to be my mom ois my birth certificate. and every kid is entitled to have their parents be their legal parents. >> we've discussed this before in court. why is it that the opponents to marriage equality got so stuck on the adoption issue? as a matter of law, before it was a matter of politics, it actually set them backwards. >> yeah. i think because as the arguments developed over time, the only difference that they could come up with between a gay married couple and a straight married couple was this possibility that some straight couples accidentally procreate. in other words, they get pregnant by accident. what will happen to those kids? that was the only distinction they could come up with. that distinction became the central part of argument for why gay people shouldn't be treated equally under the law.

it makes no sense. the court concluded that and i'm confident the court in mississippi will conclude that. >> if you win that characters you're in a position where many have pointed out. these family issues seem settled. yet employment discrimination and other types of discrimination can still exist. >> it is somewhat surprising. i think, on one sense it is surprising. it is ridiculous in many states like mississippi, you can be married as a gay person but you can be fired from your job for being gay. that's nuts and we need to fix that. on the other hand, if you think about how our society and our government recognizes the relationship between two people, the loving committed relationship between two people, it is through marriage. what distinguishes gay people from everyone else is who we love. so it makes sense the key to establishing our equality under the law is through marriage and being parents.

if you think about it, it makes sense. >> let me ask you a straight political question beyond the courtroom. >> i'm just a country lawyer but i'll try. >> do you think 2016 may be the first race in a while where republicans aren't running against your cases and clients? >> i think it is. i think none of them really want to run against our cases and clients. i think they'll have a tough time running on these issues. i think they have no desire. some of them mouth the words but i don't think any of them including the governor of the state of mississippi really means it anymore. >> all right. roberta kaplan, thank you for being here. for the purposes of cable news hosts, the worst political ads are, in our view, kind of the best. tonight we have one that makes you want to stand up and cheer or fight a robot or something. we'll explain. just stay with us.

♪ our original dough is hand tossed and made fresh. there's a good reason why we never use frozen dough. it's because, there is no good reason to ever use frozen dough. ♪

okay chart imitates life. we are in the middle of another election season and republicans have been busy going after their favorite target. >> so you are in the oval office. you are saying obamacare. >> it's got to go. >> it's got to go. >> repeal and replace with something terrific. >> it's got to go. stamping out obamacare is a gop obsession. talking point number one on the campaign trail.

perhaps we don't need to replace it with something terrific quite yet. every day seems to bring in more evidence that obamacare is working, as a factual matter of national policy. the latest data to come out on that today, well, the year after president obama took office in 2010, the number of uninsured across the country was 49 million. when obamacare started to kick in 2013, the number started to go down to 45 million. that's not a huge change, but it was an early indication many people thought this was working. now, after obamacare's been in effect for two years, look at what's happened. the uninsured number is down to 29 million. the number of people without health insurance has been cut by 116 million or one-third since the beginning of obamacare can. all of this success may not be reflected in the day-to-day political sparring. these numbers don't lie. the law is working as intended.

so, yes, chart imitates life.

tom campbell is he what he tells us or what he has become over the years, an fcino, fiscal conservative in name only, a wolf in sheep's clothing, a man who literally helped to put the state of california on the path to bankruptcy and higher taxes? fiscal conservative, or just another same-old tale of tax and spend authored by career politician who helped to guide us in to this fiscal mess in the first place. >> that ad, the demon sheep ad run by carly fiorina remains one of the -- in the election.

from the preview voice to the mad glowing eyes that were supposed to represent, we're not sure, we think a wolf to the demon sheep man crawling away. showing off the human boots. a master class in political theater. we can't believe her campaign lost the academy award to "kings speech" that year. >> the oscar goes to "kings speech." [ applause ] >> you know, that is a stunning turn of events. who can forget that? any way, demon sheep is not the only campaign ad that stands out for its insanity in recent years. with one of the best parts of covering the election is seeing the insane ways that candidates spend their money. >> i'm not a witch. i'm nothing you have heard. i'm you. >> we can take this country back. ♪

♪ i am america one voice united we stand ♪ i am america ♪ >> for insurance executives, john klein is music to their ears. ♪ because if congress repeals obamacare, insurance companies will go back to charging whatever they want. >> connected to a lone shark ring, run by an international gangster, who also contributed to peter's campaign. [ belching ] ♪ i've tried to lie but should they know ♪ well now they know ♪ danny goeb ♪ danny goeb i can't lie to you anymore ♪ >> for more than 20 years joe manchin has gotten his hair cut by the same barber, his wife gayle. >> remember when we chilling at his vacation home. >> the guy that, nor. >> he wants to be an iowa

senator and threatens to sue us over chickens. ♪ >> i'm joni ernst. i grew up castrating hogs on a farm. when i get to washington i will know how to cut pork. >> each of those ads is special in their own way. one candidate has upped the ante for the coming elections and his name is wyatt scott. if you don't recognize him as one of the 2016 presidential candidates that's because he's not running for president. he is running for parliament in canada. >> hey. i'm wyatt scott and i'm running for parliament for the new

riding a mission, frazier canyon. i'm an independent candidate and i'm here to fight for canada! university is too expensive. services like health care and social programs should be expanded, not cut. the indigenous people aren't even protected by their own government. change is coming to canada. i'm here to lead that charge. are you ready for the shift? i am. my name is wyatt scott and i'm running for parliament! >> slaying dragons, making friends with aliens, taking down robots with laser beams, 2016 candidates the bar has officially been raised. that does it for us tonight.

you can always find me on facebook.com/arimelber.com and rachel is back tomorrow night. facebook. find rachel back here tomorrow night. up next, "first look." it's thursday, august 13th. right now on "first look," china is urgently dealing with aftermath of multiple mass explosions. dozens dead, hundreds injured. we have the latest. the donald offers names of people he'd like in his administration. hillary clinton's e-mail server is now in the hands of the fbi. you'll meet the largest shark ever captured on film. sad news about jimmy carter. breakfast of champions takes on new meaning. bad timing as we kick off your thursday morning. "first look" starts now. good morning everybody. thanks for