re-election mode for months, but the campaign announced it's officially kicking off next week. vice president biden isn't waiting. he's got a campaign speech in new york today. we are rolling out the battleground map this morning. game on. plus, the hazards of austerity as britain slips into it. the lessons of britt itch prime minister david cameron's worst week in office, yet. and, john edwards may be considered a liar and a louse, but then is he criminally guilty? critics from the left and the right say the charges are amerimurky and he's getting a raw deal. they warn if legal moves like this succeed, what's to stop the prosecutions in the future. it's thursday, april 26, 2012. this is "the daily rundown."

i'm chuck todd. we have been telling you the general election is on. now, the obama campaign is making it official. just yesterday, the deputy campaign manager was equivocating on the idea. when are we going to see him have his first campaign rally? >> i'm not going to wager a date on your show. i think sometime soon. >> well, soon is literally hours later. cutter's boss, campaign manager jim messina made the announcement. >> good evening, everyone. welcome to the general election. we are announcing the president and first lady will hold their first two campaign rallies saturday may 5th. >> they will take place at ohio state university in columbus and virginia commonwealth in richmond. he called it a ramp up, not a zero to 60 moment. shortly after the call, a text message went out to millions of supporters. the news was on twitter and

shared on facebook. the campaign is sending a message with the ohio and virginia picks. we can get to 270 electoral votes the old way. we are confident about the 2000 and 2004 path to 270 through ohio. we have our own map that gets us to the magic number through virginia. we'll show you our updated map in a moment. the first lady will join the president in may on saturday. today, vice president biden will give the fifth of a series of campaign speeches designed to draw distinctions between the obama administration and romney and the republican party. the topic is foreign policy. it will take place at new york university. according to excerpts, he will say president obama ended the war in iraq responsibly. he set a clear strategy and end day for the war in afghanistan and cut in half the number of americans serving in harm's way. he repaired our alliances and

restored america's standing in the world. he'll continue the back to the future theme we have been hearing from the obama campaign doing their best to pin the bush foreign policy brand on romney. biden will say governor romney is counting on collective amnesia. americans know we cannot afford to go back to the future, a foreign policy that has america gold, you are with us or against us. lash out, then ask hard questions later. how big an asset will the foreign policy be? when the president acknowledged the fact of the matter is times are still tough for too many people and the recovery is not as robust as we would like. that's from the president thachlt brings us to a look at the battleground map since mitt romney became the presumtive nominee. president obama has a lead in

the map. there are 231 votes in the democratic column ranging from solid blue state that is are likely or lean democratic. then 197 on the republican side that lean like we are solid. we have 110 electoral votes in the toss-up column. first, to the toss up based on polling and what we believe we know from the campaigns and their organization. we give a slight edge to the president in the toss-up states of colorado and pennsylvania. a slight edge to romney and the republicans in north carolina. that leaves us with four pure toss-ups. florida, nevada, ohio and virginia. when you look at that battleground map, the real challenge for mitt romney is two-fold. he's got to put more mid western states in yellow in the toss up. the two states in particular, wisconsin and michigan. second, that western issue. not only would it be helpful to romney to expand the map and get

new mexico back in play, but second, he can't afford to have the west tipping toward the president. frankly, it makes florida and ohio irrelevant to the president's path to 270 because he can get there with pennsylvania and virginia. the parties are likely to spend money in these lean states. new hampshire is from a toss-up to a lean democratic state. some is polling, some the shift of republicans in the suburbs around southern new hampshire. in particular, boston. minnesota, new mexico, michigan, wisconsin. we expect money to be spent by the republicans in all those states trying to get them into yellow. lean republican, we have arizona, indiana, iowa and missouri. of the four, really expect the obama campaign to focus on iowa. maybe they will play around in arizona. although they are pulling back because they don't see the path

to 50% in that state. they only see 47. bottom line, this is a map that gets small for romney if he doesn't do what we were talking about, get the mid western states in a toss up and make inroads with hispanic voters. speaking of hispanic voters if the arizona law is upheld, how much will it fire up latinos? it's hard to predict how the supreme court decision would play out. the court upholding the law would energize latinos in a big way. it's an emotional issue that generates a lot of emotions on both sides. that was clear outside the court yesterday. based on their questions, while inside, a majority of the justices seemed to uphold one of the most controversial parts allowing police to check the status of people they arrest and release them if federal authorities don't want them held. john roberts said, it seems the federal government doesn't want to know who is here illegally or

not. what does state sovereignty mean if it doesn't include the ability to defend your borders? what is the consequence of that for state that is don't border a foreign country? a liberal said the law could be upheld if they would not detain people including u.s. citizens longer than they would otherwise be held after a routine arrest. after the arguments, arizona's governor declared victory. >> i thought the hearing went very, very, very well. i feel very confident. as i walked out there there that we will get a favorable ruling in june. >> if you are mitt romney, aren't you ruling for the court to overturn the law? you can see that argument is not selling well. she meant the argument about the idea that hispanics could be unfairly targeted. when you look at the politics of

this, does the romney campaign want this upheld and the possibility this law is being enforced beginning the enforcement of it in this campaign year? while the debate rages stateside over spending versus debt, europeans are learning the hard way that tough belt tightening doesn't prove results in the short term. it slashed government spending from britain to greece. europe is in crisis. britain is experiencing a double dip recession since the 1970s. they tried to dampen domestic fears of what this would do on cnbc yesterday. >> we live in a global economy. we are not an island of prosperity. we get affected beyond what happens on their shores. europe contains the risk of a major problem. they let the reforms take some time to work. our economy should get

strengthened through that. >> matt frye is the washington correspondent for the uk itn. he's a friend of the show. welcome. >> thank you. >> britain's double dip recession began in 2011. the gdp shrunk. that is the definition of double dip recession. what is going on? >> essentially, the government's plan to starve the patient back to health with an austerity program has not done what it's supposed to do, kick start growth. it's not just a problem in the uk, it's all over europe. most of germany is the exception. they have been in power for two years. they have another three years before they have the next election. at the same time, you don't get the impression britain rediscovered the economic. the consumer confidence is low.

unemployment is rising. it's flat lined. >> how much -- >> i don't know what the right recipe is. >> how much of this is, how much will david cameron say it's not because of our austerity measures. all of europe is sick. it's given the uk a cold. >> he's said that to some extent. he said they were terrible numbers and didn't expect it to be bad. it's the clever political thing to do. you can't blame everything on europe. the point of the policy has been to try to decouple britain emotionally from europe. look, we are different. we are not in the euro crisis. this would wash up on their doorsteps. he's got to play it clever. he can't blame it all on europe. >> is he thinking of creating a stimulus package? >> he said definitely not.

he's constantly asked about it. they say they are sticking at their plan. they are reluctant to change plans half way through an administration. >> we talked about this being david cameron's rough week. economy is everything in any form of democracy. this country or the uk. there's been other stuff going on. the murdock trial. it's been washing up on his doorstep, why? >> there's a couple things going on here. the murdock thing has been going on for years. the hacking scandal went on for years. there's an inquiry going on for months now. essenti essentially, what it's doing is unpicking the relationship between the government, the media, the public and the police. it is extremely complex and sometimes sleazy. >> talk about a crisis of trust. there's a corruption level on so many levels. >> so many levels.

>> police, media and government. why is it hitting cameron? >> the cameron government and the sky takeover, the biggest satellite company in britain, was going to be the biggest satellite deal. murdock was going to buy the remaining shares of the company and the accusation is cameron's secretary was too close to murdock's people, to james murdock, the son of rupert. it's not been proven yet. the whiff of coziness becoming claustrophobic between cameron and the murdock's has haunted him over and over again. it's where cameron -- weekend house. itis where all these people meet, apparently. >> we were talking offset. you said where is the election going to be decided?

you said iowa, ohio, virginia. we said no, no, no, it's in germa germany. why? >> angela merkel, the unofficial head, the head of the most powerful economy of the world, he policy of extreme austerity visited upon countries feel like colonies within the euro zone. if that went wrong and there are signs it might go wrong. if a patient is starved to death, and not back to health, the euro could collapse. it would have an impact on the dollar. no one wants to admit it could be decided by angela merkel. >> a pleasure to have you back. >> thank you. >> i have a feeling we'll see you more. the mad cow concerns. was catching the one case in california a fluke? what's being done to keep it from spreading.

we'll have anszs on that. plus, the bigger picture of jobs and the agricultural economy. what's going on everywhere else in the country where everything is coming up green these days. a deep dive into the john edwards trial. the questionable legal grounds and the far reaching consequences of prosecuting politics. a look at ahead at the president's schedule. watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. we'll be right back.

you know, those farmers, those foragers, those fishermen.... for me, it's really about building this extraordinary community. american express is passionate about the same thing. they're one of those partners that i would really rely on whether it's finding new customers, or, a new location for my next restaurant. when we all come together, my restaurants, my partners, and the community amazing things happen. to me, that's the membership effect.

what happens when classroom teachers get the training... ...and support they need? schools flourish and students blossom. that's why programs like... ...the mickelson exxonmobil teachers academy... ...and astronaut sally ride's science academy are helping our educators improve student success in math and science. let's shoot for the stars. let's invest in our teachers and inspire our students. let's solve this.

the first american case of mad cow disease in six years was

found in a dairy town in central california. it's the fourth known case of the disease. it's hitting a beef industry reeling from a drought on the southwest and the pink slime controversy. joining me is tom. we planned this to talk about larger issues. i want to talk about larger issues but update me on the mad cow situation in this cow. how did you figure out it? how did you find it and are you convinced it's the only case? >> we do random testing and sampling. as a result of that, this cow was discovered, taken out of the food supply, didn't threaten the food supply. dairy products and beef products are safe. they understand and appreciate the fact our system worked. our food is safe. >> what is the next step? there's random testing. you identified the cow, now the

next step is what? >> make sure we do everything according to international rules and regulations and agreements. we are taking the test results and looking at it through an international agreement and sharing the results with our trading partners. there will be an additional investigation so that we know all the ramifications. we are confident it is working the way it is supposed to. we are confident in our beef supply. part of my job is frustrating because people work so hard, the ranch and farm families work so hard to do the right thing. the system works. it gets everybody spun up, but the system worked. >> i want to talk about the larger issue. we talk about the rough economy. the agricultural midwest and plains states have low unemployment rates. iowa, nebraska, kansas, north

dakota, south carolina. some of it is energy. others is the agricultural states are doing well. it's a good news story that doesn't get a lot of attention. why is the agricultural economy holding up so well? should we be doing more to invest? >> great story. first of all, our farmers are the most productive in the world. 85% of things we consume are grown here in the united states. we had a record export year last year $137 billion. a surplus in agriculture. it helps improve farm income. we expanded the market. people want to know where they food comes from. they want a connection. it's a growing and important part of the job. we look at the energy aspects of plant and crop production. we are making virtually everything in an economy from what we grow and raise. new job opportunities and market

opportunities for farmers all of it led to record income. when farmers are doing well, they can buy a tractor and it creates factory jobs. >> let's talk about iowa. you are the former governor of iowa. when you heard after ethanol subsidies, what was your reaction? when do you stop a sub sid di-. >> fuel produced allowing us to reduce our reliance on foreign oil. it was time for it to be reduced. >> you are okay with it? >> we are okay with it. it creates a requirement that we produce so much biofuel each and every year. when we reach 36 billion gallons, we will reach that.

it's 1 million jobs, chuck. it's expanded income opportunity. they will be created. they are new advanced biofuels. this is an unlimited opportunity to reshape our economy. the president's vision is clear. we are going to be a government that spends less, invest in research and education to allow us to get into the business of innovating and creating. that's the key. >> let me ask you one political question. why do you think we have iowa leaning romney and not ro barack obama since it was a state the president covered? >> they spend a lot of time in your state. we had a lot of republican candidates in the process. they went after the president every single one of them. they later turned to each other. that's number one. two, we have a republican governor. republican house. a very small democratic majority

in the state senate. a lot of issues discussed in iowa are republican leaning issues. that explains it. the president, first lady have been to iowa. if you did a poll today, iowa is leaning back toward blue. >> if the president wins a second term, will you stay? >> it's the president's call, not mine. >> pleasure to see you. thanks for coming on. we'll get a preview of the day next. plus, which reality tv star is thinking of running for governor. god help us. first, the trivia question. which department boasts the longest serving cabinet secretary in u.s. history and who was it? tweet me. the first correct answer gets a follow up thursday from us. the answer coming up next on "the daily rundown." [ male announcer ] you've never tried miracle whip, but one thing's for sure -- you don't like it. but you've never tried it? see the problem here...

♪ ♪ you make me happy [ female announcer ] choose the same brand your mom trusted for you. children's tylenol, the #1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade.

of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians (female announcer) most life insurance companies look at you and just see a policy. at aviva, we do things differently.

we're bringing humanity back to life insurance. that's why only aviva rewards you with savings for getting a check-up. it's our wellness for life program, with online access to mayo clinic. see the difference at avivausa.com. guys. come here, come here. [ telephone ringing ] i'm calling my old dealership. [ man ] may ford. hi, yeah. do you guys have any crossovers that offer better highway fuel economy than the chevy equinox? no, sorry, sir. we don't. oh, well, that's too bad. [ man ] kyle, is that you? [ laughs ] [ man ] still here, kyle. [ male announcer ] visit your local chevy dealer today. right now, very well qualified lessees can get a 2012 equinox ls for around $229 a month. the stories i'm watching this morning, speaker john

boehner says the house will hold a vote on student loans. legislation will be paid for by cuts to the health care law. it would double to 6.8% in july if congress fails to act. interestly enough, boehner's first gamette on this got some support from the democratic leader nancy pelosi. capital police are investigating a threat against marco rubio. the reports came on the day he gave a foreign policy speech. >> more people are free to grow their economies, free to pursue their dreams, free to become prosperous. i left my last page of the speech. does anybody have my last page? did i leave it with you? >> speaking of lighter moments, that's right, tareq salahi

thinks he's found a way to get a trip to the white house at the governor's dinner. he'll run as a republican to replace outgoing governor bob mcdonnell. salahi, that's some republican primary debate. we are minutes away from the opening bell. jackie is here. jobless claims down a little bit. what is that going to do to the market? >> good morning. we are looking at futures pointing to a lower open on wall street because of the weekly jobless claims. they are down 1,000. not a great number. just showing a weaker pace of healing in the still struggling labor market. a couple big earnings misses. also watching johnson & johnson. the new ceo taking the reigns at the shareholders meetings.

al lex out lined the recall of the products we have seen over three years. an update on walmart. the comptroller will open an investigation into the bribery scandal. back to you. >> thank you as always. next, talk about politics making strange bedfellows. when the left and the right are questioning whether the case against john edwards is bogus. could it open the doors to prosecutions? a deep dive into the edwards affair. you are watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing.

what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. pull on those gardening gloves. and let's see how colorful an afternoon can be. with certified advice to help us expand our palette... ...and prices that give us more spring per dollar... ...we can mix the right soil with the right ideas. ...and bring even more color to any garden. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. it's grow time. get one-quart perennials, four for just $10.

hi, i just switched jobs, and i want to roll over my old 401(k) into a fidelity ira. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started; i can help you with the paperwork. um...this green line just appeared on my floor. yeah, that's fidelity helping you reach your financial goals. could you hold on a second? it's your money. roll over your old 401(k) into a fidelity ira and take control of your personal economy. this is going to be helpful. call or come in today. fidelity investments. turn here. well, john edwards has been described as one of the moist hated men in politics right now. cheating on your wife, coverin it up while running for the

greatest position of the land. today, we look into john edwards prosecution and whether his actions no matter how morally questionable amount to criminal behavior. >> there's no question i have done wrong. i take full responsibility for having done wrong. i will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that i have caused to others. but, i did not break the law and i never, ever thought i was breaking the law. >> remember edwards is not being tried for cheating on his wife. it's for what prosecutors say was nearly $1 million in campaign donations to cover up the affair to save his candidacy. it's a different standard than politicians were accused of playing fast and loose with finance and ethics laws. >> i said from the very beginning i had been falsely

accused of things i never did nor did i intend to do. i'm innocent. >> i have no attempt to commit any crimes. i didn't commit any crimes. >> i'm here to tell you i am innocent of the charges brought against me. i will be vindicated. >> i have not and never and there's no evidence i did anything to enrich myself. that i have done anything corrupt. >> i have violated no law, no regulation, no rule of the house. i have done nothing unlawful, unethical or i might add unprecedented. >> as often happens in these trials, they focus on the salacious details. edwards had an affair with rielle hunter. there's a paper trail showing edwards received $925,000 from two supporters. at the same time the affair was going on. here is where we get into the

gray area. the prosecution needs to prove the money was a campaign donation meant to influence and protect his campaign. if so, they are subject to federal law. if not, they are not. that's the crux of the case. the six counts are based on the fact the amount exceeded the limit for donations. the other two charges that he conspired to take the money and filed false reports to keep it secret. the defense says that's a legal theory that's never been prosecuted. the money used to pay auffrey el hunter was a gift. it was never meant to finance it. critics agree on that point. because none of the money went to the campaign and none of the money went for campaign expenses in as much as maintaining a mistress is not a campaign expense, it's difficult to see why it should be prosecutored as a finance violation.

the case is a stretch. why does it matter? >> some are concerned expanding the boundaries of finance law, you make a complicated situation worse. this is not a civil charge, it's criminal. if convicted, he could get 30 years in prison. the same threat hangs over every public official who takes campaign donations. there's concern prosecutors could go after their enemies unfairly. all this happened in 2007-2008. if he just had a super pack to pay for all of this, would we be here today? it begs the question. imagine if he was running for president now under these laws. joining me now to break this down is former fec commissioner and campaign finance attorney. where do you stand on this? the federal government's case, is it taking this authority to

criminally prosecutor people that knowingly violate campaign finance laws to a level we have never seen? >> this is an unprecedented case. this is a criminal case where you have to show beyond a reasonable doubt that john edwards and his campaign knowingly and willfully violated election laws. there are fec precedences that could be read to be contrary to the prosecution's case here. it's a murky area. >> if you look at andrew young's testimony, he's laying out there was a conspiracy to find a way to pay her off. they took pains to make sure they didn't funnel the money through a campaign account. >> right. a very strong case could be made there was an effort to pay her off even if he wasn't running for president. >> do you think that's a second part they have to prove? >> were the payments for

influencing an election or were they contribution that is had to be reported by the edwards campaign? an actual requirement. the concern about the case is that historically criminal violations centered on core areas, reimbursed contribution cases, the straw donor cases. foreign national contributions. a pattern in practice of wrong doing. the government can show there's clear evidence they knew the conduct was unlawful. i think that's problematic in this case. >> let me ask the super pac question. the new ways lawyers are interpreting it. does this mean that if john edwards had a super pac paying off auffreoff reel hunter --

>> campaign expenditures. they would have had to provide detail about the nature of the payments. there's more flexibility in today's campaign finance than five or six years ago. it's another part of this case. it's very old. we are years after the fact. >> there's new law. >> new law. is this really the best use of the government's resources in this area? i question that. >> how much money is being spent? >> a ton. this course may go on to appeal. this may be spilling into 2013 and beyond. again, i think it's a very different case than foreign national contributions where straw donor schemes and people being reimbursed for political contributions. everyone agrees the activity is unlawful. >> there's another argument here that those sympathetic to the

justice department will say if they don't try to prosecute this, they turn the other way and say it's politics, it's going to happen, it only leads to more people skirting the law a little bit. if you prosecute it, it means others will really be on the straight and narrow. >> it's an important point. no one is saying there shouldn't be a civil case against john edwards seeking civil penalties through the election committee. they have an enforcement procedure. it's a lower burden of proof. you can't put someone in jail through it. no one is saying it shouldn't be examines. when the justice department is involved, they wait for it to conclude. it's a more appropriate way of handling the case. >> is the fec have any teeth? >> the fec in these kind of cases often can reach consensus on core areas of the law.

as i was saying, there are fec that is not unlawful under a civil standard. to be in a criminal setting is problematic. >> it's a jury trial. it's a different story. >> it's where it could end up on appeal. >> always a pleasure to talk to you. coming up, thursday political panel is here. who would have guessed former president jimmy carter could be so eloquent about the merits of mitt romney. first, the soup of the day, el paso chicken and rice. not just any chicken and race. el paso. that means thaw put pepper in it. hopefully chipotle. we'll be right back. does any mother ever feel like their kids are adults? i have twins, 21 years old. each kid has their own path. they grow up, and they're out having their life.

i really started to talk to them about the things that are important that they have to take ownership over. my name's colleen stiles, and my kids and i did our wills on legalzoom. [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help you take care of the ones you love. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side. is the pain reliever orthopedic doctors recommend most for arthritis pain, think again. and take aleve. it's the one doctors recommend most for arthritis pain. two pills can last all day. ♪

my high school science teacher made me what i am today. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron,

and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller. over the last three years we've put nearly 100 million dollars into american education. that's thousands of kids learning to love science. ♪ isn't that cool? and that's pretty cool. ♪ and she's looking directly at your new lumia, thank you at&t. first, why don't you show her the curved edge... now move on to the slick navigation tiles -- bam, right into the people hub. see megan, colin has lots of friends. hey, colin, what kind of phone is that? whaaa -- oh megan -- when did you get here? [ clears throat ] ohh yea no, let's... [ male announcer ] introducing the beautifully different nokia lumia 900. only from at&t. rethink possible. mitt romney is waiting for

rick santorum's endorsement, but in the meantime, president jimmy carter is weighing in. >> i'd rather have a democrat but i would be comfortable. romney has shown in the past, in his previous years as a moderate or progressive that he was fairly competent as a governor. >> our panel today, daniella gibbs with the center for american progress. governor i'm going to start with you. you ran as a moderate republican in the state. >> a less conservative than today's conservative republican. is jimmy carter right? is mitt a moderate? >> they drive me crazy. he's got a record, a platform. he's been a governor. he's got years of speeches.

he is a right of center candidate. in that sense, contrasts 100% almost with the president, which is what i love about the race. you can call them conservative, whatever it happens to be. the contrast is terrific. you have the major candidates, both smart guys who disagree on the major issues of the day. itis what elections are about. >> former president carter didn't get the memo. calling mitt romney the most conservative republican nominee since barry goldwater. it's not what carter said? >> no. i'm going take the governor at his word and they say he's more than right of center. he's right, right of center. i'm not sure if, with all due respect to the former president, how much he's been paying attention. romney went to the right extremely since his time as

governor. >> that seems to be, we are in the mode now, the define romney mode. what was interesting to me, a bunch of republican governors. i want to ask the former governor about this today. we are giving advice to the romney campaign. stop focusing on only attacking the president. >> they were watching him during the primary going to the right over rick santorum. i don't know how right that is. i think they want him to get away from that and start talking about what he would do instead of going after the president. i mean look at the documents they put out. there's a lot of attacking the president. there is some substance. it's not all there, yet. >> where are you on this? i felt what i heard on tuesday night, why not obama. i didn't hear a lot of why romney. >> it's the economy, it's jobs, unemployment, fiscal issues, the debt, the budget. his record hasn't changed one bit over the years. >> what is it?

does he have to put out -- >> of course. i think we are being defensive now because the white house is trained. it's a natural reaction in that regard. throughout the campaign, he's been positive, his vision, his views, his platform. the 90-page booklet on issues. >> a lot of that is talking about what the president has done wrong. >> not that one. >> the one that -- >> well, that's what elections are about contrast. again, here is what i'm about. by the way, here is what the other guy is about. by the way, this is why we are right. that's what elections are about. i find nothing wrong with it. >> it's true. it's all within rhetoric. there's no policy. he supports the ryan budget. except for what was overheard at that secret fund-raiser that no one is supposed to listen to, he hasn't put out a lot of substance. he knows the american people are going to reject it.

>> this is the challenge for romney, he's allowing the obama campaign to say here is what we know. you support ryan, so run against ryan. swhak are elections about? always the incouncilman bant. >> always? >> of course. >> if it were, bush would have lost, right? >> elections are about the incumbent. his record of what happened in this country. what he campaigned on. it's fair stuff. it's been there. you'll see more. now, the battle is there. now we have, we know the real season is over. we are out there. it's engaged. >> governor, trivia time. time. we ask which department boasts the longest serving cabinet secretary in u.s. history. who was it? the answer agriculture department secretary james wilson, longest serving

secretary. he served 16 years under presidents mckinley, roosevelt and taft. how about that. we'll be right back. you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. day after day. well, shoot, that's like checking on your burgers after they're burnt! [ male announcer ] treat your frequent heartburn by blocking the acid with prilosec otc. and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn.

let's bring back the panhandle, daniella gibbs leger. let me ask you if the supreme court upholds 1070, do you believe it helps your cause to get latinos fired up in this election? >> absolutely. they are closely following this case and they are closely following what mitt romney has said and what he will say about this case. i think he's going to try and etch a sketch to the middle on immigration. he can't erase the last six months, self-deportation of not supporting the dream act. so i think this case, if it comes down the way people have been talking about, that it's definitely going to energize

latinos. >> governor, is it better for romney if this law gets thrown it, so it doesn't do this? >> the number one issue in the spanish community is jobs, economic empowerment. >> can't have the conversation because of immigration. >> certainly can. you'll see it. it's an issue. >> it's a huge issue. the economy, yes, is very important. when you talk to the latino community, do polling, even if they themselves are documented, no one doesn't know someone that isn't documented, family or close friends. >> the tone is when i -- tone more than anything else. >> has an impact on the map. look at western states, colorado, nevada. it suddenly the president doesn't need a florida and ohio. >> you want to bet? take a bet. absolutely needs florida and ohio. we tend to get lost in that because of what we do. it's substance, issues. >> does mitt romney need to

address this more clearly, embrace the dream act? >> secretary rubio is working on that plan. >> why didn't romney endorse it right then and there. >> play it out. it's a campaign. >> shameless plug. >> it's april. third printing. your show, third printing. >> "turn this car around." jackie. >> i'm going to say congratulations to michael steele and mary, they are getting married. congratulations. >> speaking of latinos and demography, my good friends are doing great work on changing demography of this country. check them out on twitter. >> michael steele, the governor. >> my shameless is go caps. second round, something we'll all agree on. that's it for this edition of "the daily rundown." see you here tomorrow. coming up next, chris jansing & company.

did i really hear these shoutouts? here is a look at your business travel forecast. meteorologist bill karins stormy weather in areas in the ohio valley, sliding to the east coast. especially from richmond to areas of washington, d.c. chance of rain and storms for you today. we should be nice in atlanta today. southeast looks great. texas hot once again near dallas. showers for seattle. maybe a thunderstorm in the desert of phoenix. wasn't always. i should be arrested for crimes against potted plant-kind. we're armed, and inexperienced. people call me an over-waterer. [ female announcer ] with miracle-gro, you don't have to be a great gardener to have a green thumb. every miracle-gro product helps your garden grow bigger, more beautiful flowers and bountiful vegetables. guaranteed. so even if... i have all these tools, and i have no idea how to use them. [ female announcer ] everyone grows with miracle-gro.

you won't just find us online, you'll also find us in person, with dedicated support teams at over 500 branches nationwide. so when you call or visit, you can ask for a name you know. because personal service starts with a real person. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. our support teams are nearby, ready to help. it's no wonder so many investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred.

before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists.

good morning, i'm chris jansing. it may sound like the general election campaign has already started. >> you've got the spokesman for the speaker of the house who says we're, meaning me, my administration, we're just talking about student loans to distract people from the economy. now, think about that for a second. because these guys don't get it. this is the economy. this the economy. >> the official kickoff for president obama is actually next weekend. first lady michelle obama will join the president at his first official campaign rally at two colleges in ohio and virginia. supporters got e-mails and text messages about it last night. but a new fox poll shows the race is locked in a dead heat. let me bring in tim carney se