and stronger. i'm on the top of the world for that night and next morning i'm like a puddle of suds. i can't do anything. >> doesn't it energize the soul to go out and visit with the people that you broadcast to and you realize that this -- we have chance to make a difference? it drives me. here i am taking up your time. it's not friday night. to ed's point traveling around the country doing this book tour stuff has had this wonderful benefit for me. i've met so many people that watch the show. when i do the show it's like me and the camera guys. it's me and the stage manager. me and rob, that's it. so go eye to eye and you're bothering to come out and see me, it's been moving and exhausting.

it's like i leave everything on the field and the next morning i can't believe i did it. any way, thank you to you at home for staying with us for this next hour. this is the united states capitol building. that's the capitol building with its iconic dome. at the top of the dome, what is that thing. that's a lady. it's the statue of freedom. it's a lady in a toga with a sword and shield. she's 19 and a half feet tall. she was last fully renovated in the 1990s. they cleaned her up and put her back up using this helicopter which is no small thing when you're a 19 and a half feet tall lady and weigh 15,000 pounds. now there is scaffolding around this dome. we called the architect to find out what's going on with the statue of freedom. they told us it's getting a good cleaning as well as a new sealant to protect her from the

elements. i think this work is supposed to be done in time for next presidential inauguration which is this upcoming january. i don't know if they were up there fixing her up today or not. look at this. look at -- look closely. three guys at work at the very tiptop of the capitol dome today having the best day on earth. look at their view. look what they're able to see from where they are standing. this is so incredible. there's two guys at the top. there's another guy toward the bottom. what those three guys are betting is the best view in the world of a modified 747 that's giving a piggi back ride to the space shuttle discovery. it's being followed by a chase plane on the upper right corner. that's a nasa t-38. it's a small plane. it's the hardest working shuttle in the program. it spent over 39 missions in space.

looks like its earned its retirement. you can see that today. in order to get the shuttle from the kennedy space center to d.c., where it will be put on display, nasa mounted the shuttle to the modified 747. there's an incredible time lapse video of what it takes to put this on top of the other aircraft. they say they have a three inch leeway total in tomorrows of houf it has to fit on there. when they knew they would have to make this delivery, they made advance planned. they got clearance and let everybody know they were not going to fly the shuttle to dulles airport and drop it off. they decided they would give it the best welcome. they rolled out the red carpet

in the sky. they flew at a low altitude down the mall and by the washington monument. they did a tour of d.c. for the space shuttle discovery. it's not the animal equivalent of that. there is, even though it's just a plane and a space shuttle here. there's something kind of emotional about this. there's something moving about seeing this spacecraft being shown to the country. it was almost like an honorary procession. even if you're not as sappy as space as i am, it's a different kind ov moving to see how much this means to so many people. this is footage of the people that lined up in florida this

morning near the space center in florida to watch it leave there for the last time. those people live by the space center. maybe you expect them to love it. these folks turned out in washington, d.c. the washington post did some great reporting on this talking to people who had driven to washington from places as far away as michigan. people have taken the morning off of work, people pulled their kids out of school. there's a parking lot where people realized they could park to watch. every single parking space of the 2,000 was full today. there was an overflow crowd camped out along route 28 leading up to the airport. people were watching throughout the downtown washington area on capitol hill. members of congress tweeted the pictures they took from their pictures. this was the picture many mark warren's office. senator jeff morgan ran outside and captured this picture of himself pointing at a shuttle. john mccain camped out with his wife and with his 100-year-old mother, so they could all be

together to watch it go by. people are excited. this is not a sad thing. it's not a chest thumping kind of thing either. it's a moment. it's people being inspired by, awed by. people being proud of this thing we have done as a country. what we saw today in this show stopping moment in washington was the opposite of partisan, the opposite of divisive things bigger than ourselves. it's cool. it's profound. it's a reminer there are a lot of things on which we agree even in washington. today, was a day in washington where that we're all in this together feeling came both from this noble awe inspiring thing that our government did with the space program but it also came from the most opposite of inspiring thing that another part of the government has done

as well. >> this morning shameful allegations, 11 secret service personnel and five from the u.s. military accused of heavy drinking and soliciting prostites. they were irritated at their drinking and loud partying. local women were coming in with agents. the scandal might have remained secret if not for an angry prostitute. >> from the highest space to stripper hubs of colombia all in one day. the secret service scandal that overshadowed president obama's trip to latin america this weekend is huge news. it's called the biggest scandal in the secret service. even half of what happened, this may have forever sullied the reputation of the most elite law enforcement in the world, let alone the country.

possible very thin silver lining here. at a time when we think of everything in washington as partisan and fodder for political one upman ship, the disgusting i don't want to pay our hooker scandal is something on which everybody in washington agrees. the republican perspective on the scandal brought to you by house speaker john boehner. >> well, i do think that what has gone on is very embarrassing and it's clear the investigations going on in the pentagon and at the secret service. i hope they get to the bottom of it quickly. >> that's the republican perspective. for the democratic perspective we go to president obama. >> i expect us to observe the highest standards because we're

not just representing ourselves. we're here on behalf of our people, and that means that we conduct ourselves with the utmost dignity and probity. i think i'll wait until the full investigation is completed before i pass final judgment. >> democrats and republicans in agreement on the nature of the secret service scandal and what to do it about. same goes for the other gross out washington scandal of the day. the general services administration worst government department name, best government department parties. nobody has partied like the general services administration since they stopped snorting meth off the toaster ovens. the gsa seemed to have something wrong with it for some time. this conference that they got busted for this year. politico is reporting ha spending went up by 102%. the investigation that led to all of these resignations started a year ago.

the chief of the agency has now resigned and apologized. the guy that was running the conference is pleadsing the fifth. he didn't know up at a house hearing he's pleading the fifth. possible silver lining, at a time when we think of everything as fodder and political one upmanship. the idiotic spending scandal at the gsa is something which everybody in washington agrees. in this case the republican perspective is brought by jeff denham. >> it's got to stop. it's wasteful taxpayer dollars. >> here is the democratic take on it. >> they disregarded one of the most basic tenants of government service. it's not your money. it's the taxpayers money. >> elijah giving the democrats point. we agree it's bad.

let us condemn it as bad. let's fix it. yeah. here is another bad thing. today is equal payday which sounds good but is bad. it's a slightly different date every year. it's the mathematical calculation that women have to work to earn the same money men make. based on the fact that a woman gets 77 cents for every dollar a man gets now in 2012. a woman would have to work all of last year plus january, february, march and april up to today, april 17th of this year just to make what a similarly situated manmade last year alone. today's equal payday not in a good way. the idea of pay equality for women is what everybody sounds like they are in agreement about.

everybody says the same thing. here is the democratic perspective. >> women can't wait for equal pay. i won't stop fighting to address this. >> here is a republican take on it. i support equal pay for women. that's mitt romney in a new interview with abc news. that portion of which has not yet aired. we've got the transcript. you see, everybody agrees in theory. this is one of those issues where it sountdss like everybody is in agreement, i don't think they are all in agreement. it's one thing to say you support the outcome. that somehow women and men should be paid equally but given the fact they are not paid equally now, should we fix it? should there be a policy implemented to fix that? diana sawyer asked mitt romney in detail about this and he is refused to commit on the issue.

i think this is incredible. this is right from the transcript fp if you were president, if you had been prosecute would you have signed the lilly ledbetter pay law? >> it's a legislation i have no intention of changing. i wasn't there three years ago. would you have signed it? i'm not going to go back and look at all the prior laws and say had i been there which ones i would have supported and signed but i support equal pay for woman. see he supports the concept of equal pay for women but he won't say if he would have supported the policy. republicans voted against that. were they wrong? he's really not going to answer whether or not he would have signed it? governor romney, two of the members of congress your campaign has put out to defend you on the equal pay issue both voted against the lilly ledbetter pay act. do you think their votes were right or wrong? scott walker just repealed the

state version of the fair pay act. do you think he was right or wrong to have done that? we put both of those questions to the romney campaign. so far they have not given us a comment. there's a ton of noise in the political system in which we pretend to be fighting about things that we agree on. republican when republicans lost their minds about nancy pelosi using some about deem and pass and it was the worst thing in the whole world. republicans have just decided to use deem and pass to pass their budget in the house of representatives. deem and pass. everybody agrees on this. pretend to fight about it. republicans and democrats screaming at each other that they value women who don't work outside the home. you're saying the same thing as me. i'm saying the same thing as you. is this still a fight? both sides substantively agree and there's low moments like the secret service scandal where

we're all in agreement in our disgust. there's also high moments like the space shuttle over washington where we are all in agreement in our respect and humility. the things worth moving heaven and earth for and reporting on things like presidential campaigns, the most illuminaing thing in the world, the stuff that's really important to focus on in politics and in the media about politics are the issues on which there's actual agreement on which you would do a and you would not do a. you would do b. good on diane sawyer of asking this question but trying to pin him down on this ought to belighting up the news. lighting up the political world now. steve, thanks for being here. >> happy to be here. >> what do you make of mr.

romney not committing on whether or not he would have supported this legislation? most republicans voted against this. >> i think this illustrates the bind he's in. it's a bind that nominees for republican nominees which is you got start appealing more to the middle. everything is heightened with romney. he's coming to the republican nomination at the worst time for somebody with his background. he's suspected of being a moderate and got the nomination not by running as a moderate but by saying actually, i was hiding it before but i totally agree with you now. he ran a very conservative platform. the republican party will take the most conservative platform. he gets the nomination but gave the conservative base everything it wants. they want somebody like them that's opposed to lily led better pay act. she's saying one of the

signature achievements was a good thing and number two, i disagree with the conservative base that i just spent the five years telling they can trust me. he can't pick that fight. at the same time the can't say everything they want him to say and that will give away just how extreme the republican party base has become in the obama era. he trying to straggle it by saying i wouldn't get rid of it but saying if a republican congress sign a repeal bill, would you sign it. he's going to try to play this game as long as he can. >> they've had to go very for right to get the nomination and go back to the center. this happens to a greater or lesser degree with a nominee. what's the timing in certainlies of when they can start telling the base to buzz off? the reason he seems electable is

his perceived moderation. doesn't seem like they are in denial any longer that anybody other than mitt romney is going to be the nominee. shouldn't he be making that pivot now. >> i'm not sure there's a time with mitt romney and the republican party in 2012 where that's going to be possible. bill clinton back in 1992, the sister soldier that came in. he took some flak for that but the democratic party was comfortable with him. the conservative party is so uncomfortable with the idea of straying at all from a pure tea party ideology, where they would rather lose elections than sacrifice their principles or do something they perceive as sacrificing their principles. we saw it in 2010 when the tea party candidates won. they did lose in the fall, but i think they would rather lose than sacrifice what they believe in.

>> i was watching the end of "the ed show" when ed was playing the comments about from ted nugent needing to behead the president and saying he would be dead or in jail if president obama was reelected. i'd not seen anybody play the long form comments. i was glad they cut it that way. you hear him talking about assassinating the president. foulking about enough that he might be killed in the process. you can't get more radical than that. and his praise for mitt romney and how america needs to get behind mitt romney and if these blood kurlding patriots don't get behind him they don't know what he's made of. i feel like hearing that makes me feel like it doesn't matter

no what. >> the republican members of the house are now sending clear signals to romney that listen, we understand you got to pivot a little bit here but nothing fundamental. nothing on the paul ryan budget. nothing on taxes with the rich. nothing fundamental can you give up and expect us to go along with it. i look back at like dole in '96, bush in 2000. i look at candidates that had some suspicion along the base. they didn't face what romney is facing. >> because we need you on tv talking about that perspective,

you're great. thanks a lot. have you heard, republican congresswoman michele bachmann says republicans are for women's right to choose, which is new for michele bachmann and it's deeply, deeply confusing. ok! who gets occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. the chevy cruze eco also offers 42 mpg on the highway. actually, it's cruze e-co, not ec-o. just like e-ither. or ei-ther. or e-conomical. [ chuckling ] or ec-onomical. pa-tato, po-tato, huh? actually, it's to-mato, ta-mato. oh, that's right. [ laughs ] [ car door shuts ] [ male announcer ] visit your local chevy dealer today. now very well qualified lessees can get a 2012 chevy cruze ls

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senator proposed add protest amendment to the republicans bill. it would ban men frp using their sperm for anything other than procreation. the daily show a few days ago, on comedy central asked an oklahoma republican co-author what he thought of the democratic protest amendment. >> i think the johnson amendment is an attack on personal liberties from the government. it's embarrassing this was even brought up because it's a ridiculous notion. >> you're not going to believe this pro-life state senator's reasoning. >> it would be a huge free choice issue. the government is telling a man what he can and cannot do with his body. >> okay. >> there's not another individual that knows what's better for you than you. >> and who are women to think they can control our bodies? >> right.

who is a man to think they can control women's bodies? >> you. >> that was the daily show last week getting right to the heart of the matter. over the weekend it kind of played it out again. michele bachmann got trapped in the same rhetorical whirlpool and could not get out. >> women don't need anyone to tell them what to do on health care. they can make their own choices for their own body. >> not what you mean, right? does the fact that republicans keep saying pro-choice things mean that they are now pro-choice? no. are republican abortion politics getting more bewildering particularly for the mitt romney for president campaign? yes they are. that story is next. out to all the allergy muddlers. you know who you are. you can part a crowd, without saying a word. you have yet to master the quiet sneeze. you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts.

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one under appreciated factor in this election is the last election. even as everybody is reporting on the presidential race starts to focus on the real battlegrounds, the real swing states, i think it's under appreciated that so many of those states got brand new conservative governors in 2010. in florida, it's going affect things in 2012 that they elected a very controversial, very, ver conservative governor in rick scott. if florida isn't the ultimate swing state, what is, ohio. it's going to matter in their last round of elections, ohio elected a very, very conservative governor in john kasich who has been very controversial while in office. in wisconsin, which republicans want to think of as a swing state the republican party chamber is from wisconsin. they're proud of having elected scott walker as governor there. republican governor scott walker is kind of a problem for the republicans now. this was the headline on

politico.com this afternoon. the nominee for governor in washington state secretly recorded at a political event last week telling people i'm not scott walker. >> now unfortunately because of a couple of governors plarl scott walker, everyone thinks someone will be scott walker. i'm not scott walker. this is not wisconsin. this is washington state. >> republicans running for office now by talking about how they are not scott walker. scott walker went to illinois and michigan today and was greeted with huge protests in both states. scott walker is unpopular when he's not at home. these controversial governors in the states are going to affect what happens in their states in the presidential election.

frankly to the extent that guys like scott walker and rick scott and john kasich is nationally famous. they define what it is to be a republican, they are going to affect the 2012 race even beyond their individual states which is why the democratic party is do i think this. i have to say i think because this ad using a clip of me describing a policy. the democratic national committee released to us tonight this ad that they will start running tomorrow. this isn't out anywhere else. we are the only ones who got it. this is an ad that calls on mitt romney to answer for the enthusiastic endorsement he's been tauting for the controversial governor of yet another swing state. the governor of pennsylvania. >> pennsylvania governor tom

corbitt catching flak for defending a controversial bill that's being discussed in the general assemble. >> a forced ultra sound bill for pennsylvania, it would mandate vaginal probe ultrasounds. it could be mandatory that it's placed in the woman's sight line. >> they would have to make sure the woman can see it. >> making them watch, does that go to far in your mind? >> i don't know how you make anybody watch. you just have to close your eyes. >> again, that's an ad that the democratic national committee is going to start running tomorrow. it raises an important question about this campaign, i think it's an open question, whether or not this phenomenal tide of anti-abortion legislation, beyond what they have done in congress but in the states, whether it's going to hurt the republicans in this year's election including at the very

top of the ticket. this was the signing ceremony in mississippi where republican governor signed a bill to target the one abortion provider left in mississippi. the one last abortion clinic in the state. targeting that clinic with new regulations it probably cannot meet so this bill will use the power of state government to drive that clinic out of business. usually people who support extra egglation bills like this don't admit they are driving to drive abortion providers out of business but the republican governor in this state is perfectly happy that's what he is trying to do. >> i think it's historic. today you see the first step in a movement to do what we campaigned on. to say we're going to try to end abortion in mississippi. we're going to try to continue to work to try to end abortion in mississippi. this is a historic day to end that process. >> if the law has its intended affect, the republican

controlled state government will have banned legal abortion in an american state. it will be virtually impossible, if not actually impossible to get a legal abortion in mississippi. governor romney, are you for it or against it? this is the state where they put that person hood amendment on the ballot which would have been another way to ban abortion in mississippi also likely banning memorial birth control. mississippi voted it done. mitt romney said he would have supported that abortion ban. now that mississippi is trying to effectively ban abortion by other means, mitt romney are you for it or against it? [ female announcer ] women have made it the number one selling

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i bathed it in miracles. director: [ sighs ] cut! sorry to interrupt. when's the show? well, if we don't find an audience, all we'll ever do is rehearse. maybe you should try every door direct mail. just select the zip codes where you want your message to be seen, print it yourself, or we'll help you find a local partner and you find the customers that matter most. brilliant. clifton, show us overjoyed. no, too much. jennessa. ah! a round of applause. [ applause ] [ male announcer ] go online to reach every home, every address, every time with every door direct mail. tax day. happy tax day. it's not a regular old tax day. it's tax day during an election year and that means both partie would like to use this moment to make their own party's points about tax rates and money. that's why senate democrats brought up the buffet rule yesterday. the buffet rule would have meant anyone making more than a million bucks a year use loopholes to pay lower taxes. senate republicans filibustered

the proposed change. they blocked it even though it had enough votes to pass a majority vote. a majority of senators, 51 voted for the buffet rule but not enough to override the filibuster. it not only has majority support in the united states senate. it has majority support among voters. 72% said they were for the buffet rule. they agreed the very rich should not get to pay a lower tax rate. republicans are trying to spin this as democrats want to raise your taxes. democrats are spinning in instead as fairness. democrats are saying the system for too long has been gamed to benefit the richest people in the country and that's not fair. that should stop. >> we can settle for an economy where a shrinking number of people do very, very well and everybody else is struggling to get by, or we can build an economy where we're rewarding hard work and responsibility.

an economy where everybody has a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share and everybody is playing by the same set of rules. >> when you see republicans talk about this issue like on that sunday talk shows or whatever, they seem bewildered that president obama and the democrats want to run on this. it's beltway common wisdom that populism like this, does not work. the economic populism doesn't move the electorate and it upsets wealthy donors who like the system gamed for them. it's getting tested now. it's getting tested just not only by the obama re-election effort but by the states. the new york times is reporting that state legislators in new york, connecticut and elsewhere are are pushing to raise the minimum wage above federal levels in their own state

arguing that 7.25 is too meager for anyone to live on. massachusetts is aiming to get it up to 10 bucks an hour which would make massachusetts with the highest wage until the country. in missouri voters will be asked to vote on a referendum on the ballot. economic populism doesn't move the electorate. democrats shouldn't boter with this stuff, right? the last time missouri voters were asked to vote on whether they want to raise the minimum wage tlrk is what happened. look at this in missouri. 76%. 76 voted yes. this was on the ballot in the midterm elections in 2006. missouri voters voting three to one for three things. raise minimum wage in their state from 5.15 to 6.25 an hour or the federal minimum wage. they voted to institute an

annual cost of living increase for anybody making the minimum wage so it goes up with inflation. with those huge majority for raising the minimum wage. what else happened in missouri that same year. that same year, democrat claire unseated a republican incumbent senator. she was an emphatic supporter of the minimum wage ballot proposition and that helped her win. research showed that democrats in missouri were twice as likely to vote for her because of an initiative to increase the state's minimum wage that won easy approval in november with 76% of the vote. if you've liked having a democrat relace a republican senator from missouri these past six years, you can thank economic populism for that. you can thank minimum wage for being on the ballot in missouri. what's happened in missouri

since that election? despite the overwhelming vote in favor of a minimum wage rise, that was the first pay raise in nine years in missouri. despite the huge votes in favor of the raise, missouri republicans have been trying over and over and over again to get rid of it. so far the republican efforts to get rid of it have not been successful. this year, the senator is up for re-election. it's been six years. at the same time, chances are that another minimum wage increase is going to be on the ballot this year in missouri. organizers have pushing to raise the wage to 8.25. the three republicans that are vying to challenge her all pose increasing the minimum wage. also it should be noted, they don't have any idea what they

are talking about. >> what is the federal minimum wage? would you vote to increase it? 60 seconds. >> the issue of the federal minimum wage has been an issue for small businesses. >> do you know what the minimum wage is? >> no, sir. >> no, sir. that was businessman john bruner, one of the republicans vying to run for that senate seat in missouri. here is another run. sarah stillman. >> how about you? >> $7.50. >> are you in favor of increasing or decreasing? >> increasing? >> i'm not in favor of increasing it at this time. >> any explanation. >> i think it's high enough as it is. >> it's not as high as you think it is. it's not 7.50. it's only 7.25. good effort to give the right -- you gave the wrong answer with such confidence. finally, we have to go to the third republican vying to run. it's current missouri congressman today akan. give it your best shot. >> how about you todd. what's the minimum wage?

>> my belief on this is another example of the wrong thing that the government does. >> you know what the minimum wage is? >> somewhere in that six or seven but i don't know the exact number. >> kudos for putting it to them. all three republicans that want to run against claire are against raising the minimum wage. also, they do not know what it is, but they are against it. back in 2006 missouri was not the only state asking voters if they want to raise minimum wage. voters in colorado, arizona, montana, nevada and ohio were all pretty much just as enthusiastic as missouri was about voting yes to raising the minimum wage. beltway common wisdom says this stuff doesn't work. beltway says it doesn't win elections. missouri proved that wrong in 2006 and they might prove it wrong this year. president obama is trying to prove that wrong at the national level. one prominent democrat who has

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or we can build an economy where we're rewarding hard work and responsibility. an economy where everybody has a fair shot. and everybody's doing their fair share. and everybody's playing by the same set of rules. >> there was a perennial argument inside the beltway about campaigning on the idea of fairness in the economy. on the idea of everybody getting a fair shot. the argument is essentially between those who think that is a dumb idea and those who think that ought to be illegal as an idea. but president obama is trying to prove the beltway wrong by campaigning on economic fairness this year. ohio democratic senator sherrod brown has frankly always campaigned to the issue of economic fairness. it's been central to his career and to every election he's ever won. thank you very much for joining us. >> great to be back, rachel. thank you.

>> we were talking a moment ago about the 2006 elections and having minimum wage referenda on the ballot when senators like claire mccaskill in missouri and you in ohio were elected. do you think that made a difference in your race? >> yeah, i think it does a couple things, gets some people out to vote that might not have been planning to vote because they can go out and vote themselves. it's not just the minimum wage worker, it's the one right above minimum wage that usually gets bumped up. the reason that it works is it tells you something about the character of the candidates because politics is not really left, right, center and compromise and all of that. electropolitics is about whose side are you on? i'll stack myself up against any opponent who's against the minimum wage and let them justify why they're against the minimum wage, why they're for tax cuts for the richest people in the country, why they think

oil companies should continue to get subsidies when oil is more than $100 a barrel. and it's clear to any voter that's paying attention who's on their side in those kinds of elections. you know, that's why the minimum wage is putting it on the ballot. one, i think it's great for the economy because it brings people's wages up so they have a chance at a middle-class dream. in reaching that american dream. but it's great politics, too, because the voters really see what's in your heart? what's in your soul? what do you care about? whose side are you on? and if the voters think you're on their side, they vote for you. >> in terms of ohio this year, thinking about the relatively controversial republican governor you've got in your state, thinking about ohio, of course, the subject of so much focus as a presidential swing state, thinking about your own re-election effort and especially all that money being spent from out-of-state groups against you. do you feel like populist issues are back at the center of ohio

politics? >> sure, i do. of course, i do. they spent $5.1 million in attack ads against me, more than any other state in the country. it's clearly hurt because it's allot of negative stuff out there, probably funded by the oil companies, we don't really know, because this is politics 2012, unfortunately. and look back -- and you've talked about this on the show -- in 2010, republicans won everywhere around the country talking about jobs. what they did in ohio, they attacked collective bargaining rights, women's rights, voters' rights. and the voters saw, these people around on my side. these are people that want to undermine democracy, take away women's rights, and they're going after workers and going after the middle class. the collective bargaining issue, the first time in american history, i believe, that collective bargaining was actually voted on in a statewide ballot. it was clearly an issue whose side are you on? and if you're on the side of the middle class, if you're on the side of people who aspire to join the middle class, you voted to preserve collective bargaining rights. if you're for tax cuts for rich people, you voted and you don't like collective bargaining rights, you'd be against the minimum wage.

that stuff goes together. and when people evaluate candidates -- and that's why this year, the people that opposed collective bargaining rights are still on the ascendency in ohio. >> ohio senator sherrod brown running for re-election in ohio, thank you very much for being here tonight. always nice to have you here. >> thank you, rachel. if you have had a tough day -- even if you've had a great day, if you've had a day of any kind whatsoever, i suggest you stick around for "the best new thing in the world" today. now matter how you're feeling, it will improve the a you are feeling. it's the best one in a really long time. stay tuned. [ male announcer ] with six indulgently layered desserts,

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the teacher that comes to mind for me is my high school math teacher, dr. gilmore. i mean he could teach. he was there for us, even if we needed him in college. you could call him, you had his phone number. he was just focused on making sure we were gonna be successful. he would never give up on any of us. "best new thing in the world" in a long time. imagine in middle school where the most popular kids are nerds. total nerds, board game nerds. that middle school exists, and it is awesome. >> thank you for calling i.s. 318, home of the national chess champions. >> that recorded greeting is the first thing you hear when you

call i.s. 318, which is a public school in brooklyn. in williamsburg, brooklyn. it's a school where the chess players are the school's heroes. it's a regular old new york city school that has developed a really winning chess program. developed it over years. they devoted time and resources to it. they've now enrolled about half of the 1800-member student body of this middle school in chess classes. there's a new movie that is playing in film festivals right now called "brooklyn castle" which is about i.s. 318 and its amazing program. the film's going to be out in theaters later this year. the woman who made the movie told "the new york times" today that the chess geeks are the heroes of the school. it's cool to be really smart. it's cool to be into chess which is totally cool anyway, but that was before what happened this weekend. i.s. 318 is a middle school, right? it's not a high school. it's a middle school. so grades six through eight. kids roughly ages 10 to 13. and this middle school just won

the national high school chess championship. they beat the best high school kids in the nation. it's like a college basketball team beating an nba team. look at these awesome kids. james black, isaac bariev, matthew kluska and justice williams. williams and black, the ones on the far right and left, are already rated as chess masters. the only thing i mastered in middle school was self-pity and the viola clef. beating them something is frankly better than the best new thing in the world but, but "best new thing in the world today" is all i have to offer. to the chess team of i.s. 318 in brooklyn, congratulations, you guys. the rest of us are absolutely in awe. that does it for us tonight. now it is time for "the last word with lawrence o'donnell." big surprise. a new poll shows that voters