from making it easy for a new flame to be added into the mix, fascinating stuff. that's going to do it for me this hour. i'm chris jansing. i'll be heading to cuba to cover the president's visit there. he lands on sunday. "mtp daily" starts now. if it's thursday, as donald trump marches on, the stop trump forces seem stumped. is the answer a third party? rally around cruz, kasich, an open convention. how about more attack ads? trying all, throwing anything against the trump wall and just hoping that something, anything, sticks. this is "mtp daily" and it starts right now. good evening. i'm chuck todd in washington. i don't want to mention march madness, i don't want you

flipping away yet. see the scores on your phone. welcome to "mtp daily." the republican party cute in a cross current fignightmare. trump is well on his way, though not a slam dunk to potentially hit 1237 before the convention to win the nomination. right now he's got 261-delegate lead over cruz. he needs to win 54% of the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination. it's an achievable goal for trump. consider he won 60% of the delegates this past tuesday. and that was in a four-man race. now, it's down to three. there are no good options for republicans when it comes to trump. basis fractured, party's infrastructure is a mess, establishment hates the front-runner, the tea party hates the establishment and everybody down ballot is caught in the cross fire. republicans may have to choose between saving 2016 election and saving the party. according to nbc exit polls nearly 30% of the millions of

republican primary voters this week said they would not vote for trump if he's the nominee in november. only half said they definitely would back trump. we're seeing some republicans signal they'll go nuclear and support clinton if trump is the gop nominee, count christine todd whitman and kathleen parker among the bunch. trump is the weakest candidate to face clinton. if that's the case it's a nightmare sent nacenario for republicans. there are 24 republican seats up compared to 10 for the democrats this is 2010 senate clasp many of the battleground seats could be flipped by democrats if republicans have to surrender to trump at top of the ballot. but if they wrestle the nomination away from him all hell could break loose. trump is warning there could be

riots. we don't think he was kidding. neither do republicans. john kasich unloaded on trump in social media posts today saying, quote, a true leader urges peaceful debate over violence. leadership requires responsibility. paul ryan criticized trump's rhetoric today during a press conference on capitol hill. >> you agree with donald trump's statement there would be riots? >> if he -- if someone with a clear lead and delegates -- >> nobody should say such things in my opinion to even address or hint to violence is unacceptable. >> this is a delegate dance for ryan as he navigates the cross currents. ryan said he'd be neutral at this summer's convention. kind of has to be. he's the chairman of the convention. but that's the tip of the iceberg. it's a similar dilemma of only bad options for the party with the supreme court. cracks in the gop's .

he's won praise from republicans in the past. according to our recent poll, majority of the country says they disapprove the republican decision not to consider the nominee. which is why it's no surprise that republican senators facing tough re-election races like kelly ayotte of new hampshire, rob portman of illinois, they all are open to meeting with garland despite the risk of backlash from the gop base. on this one republicans may have to choose between saving some of their incumbents or keeping the base happy. it's a dog eat dog world in the republican party now. chaos and confusion. we saw it in all of the stop trump activities. a group of an tie trump conservatives meet, called for a unity ticket to emerge at the convention to purge trump from the party. here's erick erickson on fox today.

>> 1860 lincoln, it took him three ballots to become the republican nominee. the other candidates should be able to do it as well. >> club for growth announced it was pouring more money into tv ads in the state of utah. they say their strategy's no longer to stop trump. focused on containing his delegate lead. they want a fight so the campaign will be targeted in places they can deny him delegates. and there's north lindsey graham who compared choosing between trump and cruz to a choice between being poisoned or shot. marco rubio on the hill, praised cruz and appeared to take a shot at kasich. according to the local press, up

in minnesotaing rubio told minnesota supporters this, quote, inanding a general election with a nominee that is significant percentage of the base thinks stole it, even though you did it through the rules of the rnc would be pretty much fatal for the party. our first guest, advising the kasich campaign. facing an onslaught from warring factions in the party. cruz is urging him to drop out. >> to be the republican nominee takes 1237 delegates, only two candidates have any plausible path, john kasich and me. it's mathematically impossible for him to beat donald trump. he can't get to 1237. the longer kasich stays in the race, the more it benefits donald trump. >> trump appears to be tag teaming an effort with cruz to deny kasich viability at the convention. according to the current rnc rules, which could be changed, each candidate needs to have won

a majority of delegates from at least eight states to be considered for the nomination. kasich only won one. trump's convention adviser told politico, quote, cruz folks would never allow rules to be changed and of course we wouldn't either. charlie black, advised reagan, both president bushes, chief adviser to mccain '08 campaign and now strategic adviser to john kasich. how are you? >> i'm fine. >> let's discuss the call from senator cruz. make the case for why kasich should stay in and why it's better for cruz if kasich stays in. >> well, it's real none of cruz's business who runs. 19 people ran, you're down to 3. he's got some warped idea if he had trump one-on-one that he could beat trump. there's no evidence of that either. so he needs to go out and try to win primaries and caucuses and

quit whining, that's all. john kasich would have a very good collapse to win an open competitive convention that went more than a couple of ballots. that's the strategy, he's going to win more primaries, too. >> john kasich might not be able to get his name into nomination on that first ballot because of this convoluted rule added four years ago due to reaction of ron paul. >> it's a ron paul rule. >> do you think you can strip the rule? >> there are 21 more states. >> you think the it's possible governor kasich can win majority of delegates in seven more states? >> sure, it's possible. got 21 more contests. i don't know if he will, but he's going to win more primaries and events and then we'll see where we stand. i do not believe if governor kasich wins a few more events trump can get to 1237 going into the convention. if we don't, then you're going to have a contest, first ballot,

people are bound on the second ballot, a few more bound, by the third ballot almost everybody a free agent. tend to be local party officials, state legislators, sheriffs. people who aren't for trump if they have a choice. >> is there a number, a range, that you have, obviously involved in '76 last time in a position like this. after the last day of primary voting both ford and reagan were short. neither had a majority. by the time of the first ballot ford got the majority. what number do you hope to be keeping trump to? need him less than 1,000 going? what is the number that you think you need to have to keep him from being able to find his way to 1237? >> i think if he got close to 1237 he might get system whatever he gets. 0 the first ballot -- >> that's his high water mark?

>> 1,000 is not a bad guess. i don't have a target. 1,000 is probably a good guess. if he got 1,000, he's go to get less on the second and maybe less on the third. i think senator cruz locked in with what he's got. his people will be loyal as delegates because they're doing a good job on the ground picking delegates which trump is not. if you add it up, trump goes if with 40%, cruz goes in with and 25%, 35% either for kasich or were to rubio or uncommitted, which gives you a chance for a mainstream conservative against two outliers who can't win the general election to win. >> i assume the most important thing you may need is evidence of who will do best in a general election? >> absolutely. >> how important will those -- how important is those general election polls in the last two weeks? >> very important. but even going back to now,

before now, you have clear evidence that trump and cruz lose to mrs. clinton and kasich beats mrs. clinton. look, primary voters don't care about electability, you and i both interviewed many. they want to vote for the person they like. >> yeah. >> for their heart. when you get to the convention and delegates are all people grassroots leaders in the party who have sacrificed thousands of volunteer hours, our elected officials, they want to win, and i believe -- >> that means keeping the house, more than just the president? >> they care about but they want to win the white house. when we get there, you can continue to show as you can now that john kasich would beat mrs. clinton, the other two can't. >> quickly, why has it been -- why is there this hesitance with leaders in the party who will say trump's a bad idea, trump's this, trump's that, but if he's the nominee i'll support him. what has been this? why has it been hard for the

anti-trump forces to recruit more mitt romneys? >> i just think a lot of people are hesitant. some people are afraid of a bully. >> trump himself? >> yeah, bully makes a lot of big threats. i'm not afraid of him, and a lot of other people aren't afraid of him but some people say why get involved? the guy will attack my business record. >> it's not worth it. >> look at the ricketts family. >> the mom. >> the mother, the mother. who wants their mother dragged out in the press? some people are hesitant. i think there will be plenty of support for john kasich now, both in his super pac and campaign. you're going to see more active campaign. more news coverage. the more people see of john kasich the more they like. he's going to do well in other primaries. >> where does he win next? >> i don't want to pick a state. i haven't looked at polling since they joined the campaign two days ago. plenty of opportunities in the midwest. >> wisconsin and pennsylvania

two spots he should do well. >> those are two lodge cam, indiana, maryland, delaware, even new york. he's going to compete in new york, if he doesn't come in first, he's going to win some congressional districts and delegates. connecticut another example. there's a lot of opportunity for kasich. stay tuned he's going to win more events. >> sounds like a lot of april. charlie black, enjoyed it. rocking cleveland, contested convention talk. hard and fast rules we need to change. john kasich might need them to change. we'll dig deeper into that with ari melber knee deep in the rules. a break in the chain, not every republicans falling along with the supreme court nominee.

2016 presidential hopefuls are now heading west, looking ahead to the next contests on

the calendar on tuesday. we've got the arizona primary and utah caucuses for both parties. the democrats will caucus in idaho for republicans, arizona's a winner take all state with 58 delegates up for grabs. but the cruz campaign is lowering expectations in the grand canyon state that borders are mexico, saying they'll play hard but they're not expecting to get any of arizona's delegates. remember, trump has the arpaio endorsement. on the democratic side, sanders holding a rally in flagstaff. clinton won't be in arizona until monday but the campaign's running ads focusing on immigration, education and guns, featuring gabby giffords. tuesday a first in american politics, utah republican party is offering online voting for their caucus. there's never been online voting for a presidential primary before. utah republicans who want to cast online ballots have until midnight tonight to preregister.

helping family, missionaries and military workers throughout the world. if utah's experiment goes smoothly, we will start seeing other states start thinking about taking voting online. much more "mtp daily" straight ahead. with my moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, the possibility of a flare was almost always on my mind. thinking about what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections,

or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. raise your expectations. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, control is possible. march madness has a new meaning with the supreme court showdown. organizations uting the battle as a fund-raising platform. quote, conservative forces that have clashed in the past like heritage action and majority leader mitch mcconnell working closely together. mitch mcconnell reiterated his on sil opposition to the nomination. >> we simply disagree. republicans think the people deserve a voice in the critical decision. the president does not. so we disagree in this instance and we logically act as a check and balance. >> the white house is putting on

the full-court press for their nominee. they've launched a social media campaign. merrick garland met with harry reid a short while ago. also with member pat leahy who moments ago on msnbc said holding a hearing should be a priority over the upcoming recess. >> it makes the senate look small to have somebody say, i'll phone it in, i'll talk about phone with the supreme court nominee. that's beneath the united states senate. the senate should stop taking recesses and start sitting down and do its work. >> no republicans are on the schedule yet for merrick garland but chairman chuck grassley agreed he will meet with garland. if i can meet with a dictator in uganda, i can meet with a decent person in america. few other republicans are open to meeting garland. most republicans who have agreed

are in vulnerable seats in 2016. jeff flake the only republican member of the committee other than grassley who has agreed to a meeting. >> if republicans are not successful in the november election, i hope we are, but if we're not, then we ought to look at this nomination in november. i would rather have a less liberal nominee like merrick garland than a nominee that hillary clinton if she were president would put forward. >> senator susan collins of maine is not up for re-election in november but does believe garland deserves a hearing. she voted for him in 1997 for the dc circuit. nice to see you. >> thank you so much. >> let me start with how you would be advising senator mcconnell to handle this mom nation. would you be treating this the same way we've treated all sorts of other supreme court nominees and if ideology's a reason to

vote down, vote him down? >> well, supreme court nominees are almost always contentious and in the past we've heard democrats say what the republican leader is saying now. >> right. >> from my perspective, we ought to follow the constitution, it's clearly within the president's right, indeed his obligation, to send to the senate a nominee and then we have our duty to either consent or with hold our consent. that's the normal order. that's the way we ought to proceed. >> what is your criteria for deciding whether somebody deserves that seat? look, this is something we haven't had, i'll go back to '91, where the new justice, ideologically, would change the seat that they would be taking, thomas for marshall? this would do that. so i understand the hesitation. what is your criteria deciding

whether merrick garland deserves that justice scalia seat? >> when i evaluate any judicial nominee, like at the individual's integrity, intellect, background, qualifications, fidelity to the contuesday and respect for the rule of law. i do want to see a judicial nominee in the mainstream. i voted against some of president obama's nominees who i felt were outside of the mainstream but voted to confirm majority of them because they were within the mainstream. >> is ideology something worth -- is it -- is it changing the makeup of the court i'd lonl cali? do you think that is enough of a reason to vote somebody down? if they meet all of the other qualifications? >> if they meet all of the other qualifications and are within the mainstream of judicial philosophy and have respect for separation of powers and the

rule of law, then i think that generally the person should be confirmed. but i will tell you that there have been nominees whose views have been far outside of the mainstream and i don't think they belong on any court, much less the highest court in the land. but i don't have an ideological litmus test, per se. >> do you think we're going to have a hearing? what's your sense? you've been there a long time. you know how this works. what do you think? >> i'm pleased to see that many more of my republican colleagues are now indicating that a willingness to sit down and meet with judge garland. originally virtually no one was willing to do that. now i'm hearing more and more voices from my colleagues who are willing to sit down with him. let's see what happens.

i think most of us are in the position that i'm in i'm voted for him back in 1997. in fact i think it was my first vote on a judicial nominee as a new senator. but i haven't followed him in the 19 years since then. so the thing that's great about a hearing, following the regular order we get to vet him. we get to review all of the numerous rulings that he's handed down, over 19 years he's served on the dc circuit. that's the way the system should work. >> how do you -- you've been always a part of these gangs or groups of senators who try to fix these judicial impasses. if memory serves, during the back and forth with democrats, a gang of 14, we name the gangs, apparently, you were part of that gang. is there a way to permanently fix this so that the senate --

as you pointed out democrats have played this game, republicans have played this game. if hypocrisy were water, we'd all drown in washington. what can we do to fix this? we sort of have a guide post now. >> back when we did have the gang of 14 in the bush administration, when the democrats were holding up well qualified nominees a group of us, 7 democrats, 7 republicans came together and set a standard where there was an agreement there would be a filibuster only in extraordinary circumstances. and that worked well for a while to break the logjam. whether that could be replicated in today's environment i just don't know. i think it's unfortunate that we're in the kind of situation that we're in today because we really owe a duty to the

american people to give this nominee fair consideration. >> i've got ask you one trump question. if he's the -- >> oh, no. >> are you comfortable supporting him? >> as you may well know, i was early supporter of jeb bush. i cruz crestfallen he did not do well and is out of the race. and i've decided to just wait and see how the process unfolds. every prediction i've made during this presidential cycle has been wrong and so i've decided that i'm just going to wait and see what happens. >> you're not ready to commit to supporting the republican nominee if it's donald trump? >> i'm not ready to endorse anyone else at this point. >> but you can't even bring yourself to say i'll support the republican nominee no matter who it is? >> i always have supported the republican nominee. this year's the most unusual year that i've ever seen.

i would not have guessed that an avowed socialist would win primaries over hillary clinton. so there's a lot of strange things going on on both sides of the aisle. >> all right. are you committing to support the republican nominee? i'm sorry to ask you four times here. you seem hesitant. >> well, i want to wait and see how the process plays out. i don't know who that nominee's going to be. and also, it's going to make a difference who that person chooses as the vice presidential candidate. >> all right. susan collins, i'll stop. i'll let you go. >> thank you. >> republican from maine, thanks for coming on. appreciate it. coming up, rule of law. we'll dig into the rule changes that may need to transpire 0 to make a contested convention a reality. how far are anti-trump forces willing to go? later flint fallout.

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talk to your doctor about xifaxan. the phrase contested convention, it's been floating around in the political stratosphere a lot. the rnc rules and regulations can bring talk down to earth. we'll explain how far some leaders would have to go in order to force a contested convention this summer. first up, cnbc's seema mody, the market wrap for the day. >> stocks ending in the green st. patrick's day, dow jumping 155, s&p 13, and nasdaq up 11. jobless claims rose less than expected climbing by 7,0 to 265,000. job openings increased in january to 5.pa million. hiring rate ticked lower to 3.5%. shares of caterpillar rose 2%.

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. i learned after becoming speaker on the chair of the convention, i will have to obviously bone up on all of the rules and all of those things. nothing's changed other than the perception there's more likely to become an open convention than we thought before. so, we're getting our minds around the idea that this could very well become the reality and therefore those of us involved in the convention need to respect that. >> that was speaker of the house, paul ryan, publicly acknowledging, a, there could be a contested convention and, b, he's the guy that has to chair it. the last time republicans went into the convention without a

presumptive nominee was 40 years ago when gerald ford arrived in kansas with more delegates than his challenger, reagan, but not enough to secure the nomination. that's the potential way we could be heading to things in a wild finish in cleveland in july. there's a long way to go before we get there. a lot needs to happen before anyone could contest donald trump even after the primaries. the biggest reason, under temporary rnc rules donald trump is the only person still in the race who can get on the ballot in cleveland. here's why. according to the rules, right now a candidate must win majority of the delegates in at least eight states to considered viable at the convention. we told you that trump has yet to win majority of any vote in a primary contest thus far, but when it comes to delegates, and that's what the rnc rule is about, trump has won majority of delegates in 11. so for anyone else to perhaps get the nomination the rnc would need to change the rules. how does that happen?

ari melber has been digging into that and joins me now. he's going to show his work. ari, go for it. >> right, you put your finger on. what happens with temporary rules the process starts with 56 members on the standing committee on rules. they offer up the rules and rule changes, right prior to the convention. final say comes from convention committee on rules, 112 crucial party insiders, man and woman from each state and territory and could take proposals from the rnc and they have the final vote on the rules. here's how they came to order last night at 2012 convention. >> the chair instructs members of the committee on rules and order of business to gather on the floor between arkansas and missouri delegations located to my direct left. guides with yellow signs will be there to direct you to your meeting room. >> that is literally how it

works. those delegates following guys with yellow signs, insiders that decide the rules. we know the nominee was decided but the committee drafted a special rule that you mentioned, blocking ron paul from the ballot, the idea to protect mitt romney from embarrassing roll call vote on television, and then speaker boehner brought out the rules chair, john sununu to formally adopt the rules. >> mr. chairman, i move adoption of the rules of the republican party and the resolution. these rules will provide a strong governing framework for our convention and for our party. thank you. >> now that is supposed to be smooth sailing but because of the opposition to that ron paul rule that i mentioned, listen to how the delegates voted against the plan. >> without objection the previous question is ordered, the question is on the adoption of the resolution, all those in

favor signify saying aye. >> aye. >> all those opposed no. >> no! >> the ayes have it. resolution's adopted. without objection, the motion is on the table. >> that was loud and contentious. boos you heard on the floor, those were delegates in 2012 angry about what they saw as unfair rules and that of course is over a fight that everyone knew was ultimately about symbolism and whether ron paul was get a vocal vote or not. imagine a floor fight this year overrules that would actually determine who is a nominee who who controls the party. rules are set by the rules committees and rules are often amended. it a normal thing. we are talking party rules, not laws. so anything, chuck, can happen. >> i was remained, if you recall, and i forgot that

moment, i remember antonio vi villariagosa chair of the convention, they did not include jerusalem as the symbolic capital of israel and did not have god in the platform. they revised. the nays had it but he had to overrule it at that moment. >> right. chuck, that type of thing there, over what people might see as well, a piece of text in a platform or in this case ron paul thing ultimately not the end of the world. >> that was well explained. appreciate it. let me turn to tonight's panel. rebecca burg, editor at washington free beacon, and democratic strategist, jamal simmo simmons. there you go. feel like we're boned up enough? i feel like we're going to learn

more. this is the law of unintended consequences because of ron paul. they're sitting in a situation where trump can basically squeeze everybody out. >> he can. we're in a situation really where we don't know even with the rules are going to be at this convention. so it's really tough to predict what is going to happen, how crazy it's going to get. we're in a situation where even the rnc members and leaders and the republican party leaders like paul ryan are having to bone up on rules themselves. these rules have never been put to the test, never studied closely in modern politics. it very interesting. >> matthew, we live in an age where we're distrustful of institutions, distrustful of the idea there's a special set of rules that nobody knows about, so wait a minute, all of those votes i just did, this could be the ultimate playing into the hands of donald trump in a way that you never thought you were playing into the hadn'ts. >> i love how the ghost of ron paul will haunt 2016 republicans.

>> this is because they didn't want his name. >> for so many poetic ironies in the election cycle, here's another one. i'm more skeptical of the contested convention. the inertia of the race, the fact that kasich won't get out the fact the debates are over, you see conservative voters in state after state moving toward donald trump, i think he'll have the 1237 by june. >> that's my sense, too. however, funny watching today, there's a feeling -- you know, even anti-trump forces, jamal, seem to be not sure what to do -- he is a guy that feels like a shark to me. if he's not moving, he's dead. so if suddenly people are not paying as much attention, that's when he can start losing primaries. >> he can start losing prime mars and start losing cool. trump likes to do things that will engender attention.

he's an applause junkie. whichever way this shakes out, there's 20%, 30% of the republican party really not happy with the result, whether he's the nominee or not the nominee, which united states a good thing for democrats who are looking to pick up voted. >> this goes to the broader thing. it feels as if the party is -- there's -- they have prisoners dilemma-type choices, both are bad options. denying trump creates a problem with his supporters. giving it to him creates a problem with swing voters. >> denying trump, you have ted cruz waiting in the wings and republicans are unhappy with that either. so there's really no good option at this stage and i think republicans are coming to the realization that any anti-trump efforts are too little and too late and they should have tackled this problem earlier than they're tackling it right now. >> what do you if your ron johnson, pat toomey? >> i think if trump is the nominee, you're portman, toomey, in a senator in a state around

the gration you hug donald trump and hope you get some of the voters new to the political process who feel aggrieved because of globalization, you get them to vote for him. it exactly the vote for you, because they're voting for him. >> you advise to hug him more? >> absolutely. they won't do it because like many republicans and conservatives, they're probably deeply offended by what donald trump represents. but like you say, it's a prisoner's dilemma. you're going to lose either way. the only chance of survival, i think, if you say i understand it, you're angry, i'm going to wb with nominee. >> democrats have faced this issue before, not like this, the decision to run way from a nominee or run with them. running away never works. >> never works. >> sorry, yes there's always the example of one or two that survive and everybody says, ah, genius, you're like, no, you were statistical anomaly. >> it's more so true now because the parties have divided up and people have gone to their corners there are fewer swing

voters than there used to be. people declare themselves as independents but they are either democrats or republicans. >> i was looking today for that republican who survived in '08 or the democrat that survived in -- it takes -- '04 salazar, barack obama won. salazar was the best example who won in a state carried by bush. that didn't exist in '08. >> the benefit that we get for having donald trump is that you don't have to educate voters about who donald trump is. if ted cruz is nominee, democrats will spend millions trying to tell them who he is why he's bad. walk up to in i bartender or barber, everybody knows donald trump. >> even if they're voting for him. >> the polls in november, this is bigger than the one in 2008.

you will have prizes not only like salazar surviving, you'll have people like rand paul. >> he couldn't survive -- >> you're having 20%, 30% of the republican party not showing up to vote. >> trump will drive democratic turnout. >> this might be worth taking away at the convention. >> it might be. that's were republicans are hoping and pushing for the contested convention outcome because they see kasich or cruz taking contested convention as a much better option for their party. >> it's like keep the options open. >> as you said they might not even make it there. >> you're going to stick around. another group out there against trump announcing a new boycott. ♪ in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today. all across the state, the economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in buffalo, where the largest solar gigafactory in the

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fundamental safety of the people do not belong in government, and you need to resign, too, governor. >> consistently took action from that point forward. >> there are a lot of -- you had the authority, the backing of the federal government, and you did not act when you had the chance. >> i agree that the epa should have done more, they should have rushed in sooner, to rescue the people of michigan from governor snyder's vindictive administration. to thrive in an ever-changing environment, companies must adapt. but one thing should remain constant - a financial relationship with someone that understands and cares about your business.

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it's dozens of rabbis, planning to boycott donald trump's speech. over what they say are trump's hateful comments on the campaign trail. bernie sanders by the way is the 2016 presidential candidate who has not committed to attending. now to the what, hamilton, advocating for hampton, lynn manuel miranda, the man behind the broadway show method with jack lou about changing the $10 bill. his fans will be very happy with the redesign. now to the where. it's cuba, ahead of president obama historic visit next week, my colleague lester holt will be there on sunday and monday. andrea mitchell will be as well hesing her show. now to the when. crowded at your pub. ncaa tournament and st. patrick's day happening now. it's like a hailey's comment. well, actually not quite. that happens every 76 years.

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we're going to beat the buzzer here on march madness. miami tips off. the panel is back. rebecca, jamal. do you think it's a good one or not. >> no, i've always been skeptical of it. mr. president, it's your prerogative, send the guy or lady up, we'll meet, do the vetting, and now i think they put themselves in a box, because i think garland is probably the best they could have hoped for. if i were advising the mcconnell or whatever, i would say hold the hearings, get -- do the process. be polite. >> and vote it down. >> or more likely you're going to lose in november, confirm him in the lame duck, so you could get the best possible outcome before the new president. >> rebecca, i threw the lame duck, no, if we're going to keep our word, we're going to keep

our word. that's a problem wore the republican establishment. this has been why is donald trump so successful, because he says these guys don't keep their word. they tell you one thing, and then that's the danger. >> it is a problem, but i guess it will be cost benefit analysis that they have to run during the lame duck, depending on who the next president is going to be. i am sure some republicans would say maybe it's worth going back on our word to prevent hillary clinton or donald trump from naming someone even less acceptable to republicans. this is a nominee who said a week ago would be a great choice for this position. it's tough for republicans to keep fighting this. >> jamal, if there is criticism from democrats on this pick, it's that he didn't -- the president basically found somebody to make mitch mcconnell's life miserable. >> right. >> but didn't anything to do to excite the democratic base. >> a lot of people on the left in the democratic party who are not happy about this choice, because they want somebody who

is much more -- someone can rally around and be rah-rah about it. but he wants to push the republicans to give him meetings and let's see if they can get a vote. we'll see if it works. i would probably argue, it's going to be very hard for any republican to go back home on a weekend, having gotten a vote or voted for the president's supreme court pick. >> well, the only shot this has is -- >> hillary has to win. >> hillary winning and getting it in december. >> right. >> by the way, if you're hillary clinton, rebecca, i assume the last thing you want, the first thing on your agenda is to deal with the supreme court vacancy. >> a stamp on the presidency, and maybe by that point, she'll have a democratic congress, thanks to donald trump. so maybe it would be something she would want to do. >> this is a -- >> it is not a supreme court election. trump will determine everything about this election. the concern that you're not --

>> i've had republicans say to me nobody is going to vote on this. >> it's all trump. >> i've got to go. thank you all, we'll be back tomorrow with more "mtp daily" and "with all due respect" starts now. you can watch more march madness after that. i totally had web versus gilmore in the finals. happy st. pat's and top of the evening from all you all from houston, texas. judge garland on cruz's side, grass greener? what is black and white and red all over. this new york times story, we'll talk about it, the presidential nominate in both parties head into spring, the lagging candidates getting more and more pressure to exit. talk about cruz v