we know he launched a boat improperly and driving around with a dog on the roof of his car. here are other pranks pulled by mitt romney. >> as a sophomore in high school, mitt romney cut the break lines of his lab partner's car. we'll be back with other hilarious pranks. in 1964, 17-year-old mitt romney burned down a howard johnson's. see you next time on other hilarious pranks pulled by mitt romney. >> good morning. it's tuesday, may 15th. a beautiful shot of the jefferson memorial and a rainy morning in washington. with us on set nbc chief foreign affairs correspondent and host of "andrea mitchell reports," andrea mitchell.

we have an msnbc contributor, jonathan capehart and editor for the "huffington post," sam stein. mike barnicle along with willie geist. i guess all of you have seen the flurry of polls out. the usa today/gallup poll, on the front page of usa today, which i'm sure millions of you will, you see the headline, two in three say a better economy is ahead. there is some positive news. you would think that benefit would accrue to the president. right now, it's not. 71% rate today's economy conditions as poor. 29 say the economy is in good shape. the poll shows americans are optimistic about their financial

future. 6 in 10 predict the economy will be good one year from now. i guarantee they are not saying that in europe. 56% say the economy will get better if mitt romney were elected. 9% less. 46% say president obama would improve it if he gets a second term. when asked their opinion of the two presidential candidates, mitt romney is closing the gap on president obama with 50% of the voters having a favorable view of the massachusetts governor. let's stop right there. my god. andrea, we have been talking about this for a long time. the gop primary often was a freak show. it was a reality show. it damaged the republican brand. look how quickly those numbers have changed. >> yeah. >> they have changed because republicans are getting in line, whether they like romney or not, they are getting in line behind their candidate.

>> and it's hard to tell whether it's because they like him or they really don't like the president. >> right. >> the party is coming together. those numbers on the economy tell you everything you need to know as to why the romney campaign was so determined to get back on the economic news. >> a double digit lead almost. nine points on the economy. of course, "the new york times" and a lot of people in washington and new york have been talking about gay marriage so much so that sometimes they don't have time to change lights in the studios. this is why i'm dark right now. >> i was wondering if it was my glasses. >> no, your glasses are very fashionable and chic. the fact is, it comes down to the economy. by nine percentage points in one poll, they trust romney more than obama on the economy. >> this weekend, when asked the

question, what is the political impact of the president's same-sex marriage declaration. come november, people are not going to care about this issue. in the new york times poll, 7% care about same-sex marriage. 50% or 60% care about the economy. while mitt romney is viewed as the one who can, you know, lead the country better to a better economic future -- >> right. >> -- i think two out of three people say the economy is getting better similar to the result in the new york times poll. if you are the incumbent, you want people to feel the economy is better. romney is closing the gap. >> he has. let's go to the cbs/new york times poll we were talking about before. the times poll headline, poll finds doubt of obama's step on gay marriage. it's a headline for "the new york times." they have been headlining the

gay marriage decision every day on the front page for a week. the cbs news in new york, they have. it's the masters 2000 what? 2003 again? it's a big deal in manhattan. >> across the country. >> in chicago. >> depending on your perspective. >> it's a big deal in north carolina. it's not as big a deal as you say, for most voter, 7% of americans saying this is a top issue. anyway, in the new york times/cbs poll, romney is ahead 46% to 43%. the poll shows romney's support among women voters topping the presidents. remember the gender gap mark halperin? what happened? romney had the latest cbs/new york times poll, you look inside the numbers, 6% more of the

respondents were democrats than republicans. this poll was tilted democratic. still, more women supporting romney right now. >> well, that poll shows democrats did well. there's disinnocence in the numbers. people's optimism with the economy with romney doing better. the trend is clear in the national numbers. national numbers aren't what decides this. the president is going to crater in a lot of the red states. it's going to throw off some of the numbers. he may do worse in the red states than romney does in the blue states. that makes the numbers skewed. it's clear, as romney gets further and further away from perry and santorum, his overall favorable/unfavorable looks better. it's clear governor romney is consolidating support among people unhappy with the president.

the president has a floor on the support and a ceiling. that's the key number for us the rest of the way. can the president get to 50% if it's a two-person race? it looks today like it will be a pure two person race. can the president get to 50? if you look at his numbers in the national polls, right now, it's in question. >> mike barnicle, let's talk about the issue of same-sex marriage. do you think that had anything to do with the fact that the gender gap has been closed, almost overnight. look at the numbers on same-sex marriage, according to the poll, 24% say the president is doing it because he thinks it is the right thing to do. 67% tell "the new york times" he's doing it only for political reasons. note the cbs/new york times poll, again, oversampled registered democrats 36% to 30%. you can see the gender gap going

from 16% for barack obama just a month ago to 3% for mitt romney. something is happening. perhaps it's just something that happened this past week. is it is gay marriage issue? what's going on, mike? >> i'm with you on the gay marriage issue. i don't think it's much of an issue. it won't be a big issue when it comes to voting in the fall. what i think might be happening here in those numbers is there are an enormous number of women in this country who are heads of households. they work, they raise a family, they go shopping, they buy things and they are fearful of the economy. despite the numbers in the economy and the polls you just had, i think the question, depends on how the question is phrased, an extraordinary number of people hope the economy will get better. not that they expect it will, they are hoping it will. i think it might have something to do with the numbers when it

comes to women supporting romney. the other factor here that i think is playing out and we have a spot, a new commercial that the obama campaign made attacking romney and bain capital. it's understandable. it's going to be hard to demonize romney. he's not a scary guy. no matter what they do, i don't think they can make him out to be a scary guy. >> i tell you what, i brought this up yesterday. i was outnumbered 17-1 on the set. mika will probably start sending telegrams from the south of france when she hears me say that, but populism does fot work. al gore tried it in 2000. barack obama is trying it now showing the workers put out of work by romney. it doesn't work in america.

americans understand capitalism. they understand it's ugly at times. my father was laid off for a year and a half. anyway, we'll show the romney response in a second. i want to ask you this, sam. >> sure. >> two out of three voters say the economy is going to be getting better. it's extraordinary. it's like a band leader kicking in to "happy days are here again." i don't understand why barack obama doesn't benefit from the enthusiasm right now in these numbers? >> it might end up happening overnight as long as people feel optimistic about the country. they will credit the person in the white house. maybe it's the shining light of the polls for the white house. it's also difficult for anyone to argue things are getting better when the country doesn't feel it personally. it's a big problem. it's one democrats face in 2010. it's not a coincidence they moved quickly off the gay

marriage debate. >> did they move quickly off gay marriage? >> as quickly as they could. >> i kept seeing stories talking about how they were going to exploit the gay marriage issue. >> listen, stuff gets ran in the context of that week's debate. it was a huge issue. him coming on and saying it was going to dominate the new cycle for a couple days. it was clear from the get go they wanted to move on. it's not like they planned it. >> they didn't. the reason they wanted is they feel right now, i was just in chicago, they feel they have a window to define mitt romney as someone who can handle the economy. they have to do it before it comes in. that's why they are spending $25 million in may. it's why they are going after bain capital and will talk about romney for two, three or four

weeks. >> willie, if they are trying to focus on the economy, they have americans going past newsstands with a picture of barack obama on the cover of "newsweek" declared as america's first gay president. the question has to be asked, is that something that helps the administration or not? this entire issue, because again, the chattering class suggests it does. gosh, look at the lightning. i look like ringo. half of my face shaded. >> t.j. is going to get around to that. he's got a lot on his plate. >> at break, oh, you wanted the light on your face. my bad. >> to your point, for all the complaints about what went on with the republican campaign and everyone saying can't we focus on the issues, this week we have turned to the economy. the obama campaign put out the

ad going after romney for his time at bain capital. they were ready for that. they had a video ready. you are seeing a clear distinction saying this is the way capitalism works. there are winners and losers. we had failures. barack obama is taking the other side of the position. in total, the obama campaign is painting him as a bully. you know, you had "the washington post" story. he was a bully in prep school and a bully at bain capital. he took what he wanted and left with a bag of cash. romney campaign doesn't view it as fair. they are drawing a clear line of what capitalism means for both candidates. >> let's look at the ad now. >> steel dynamics is a perfect time. >> this area was just farmland. >> it's incredible from when i started we had close to 1400

employees. now, we are over 6,000. >> i think there's a lot of pride in what we dilt. >> sdi almost didn't get started. when others shied away, romney's team stepped in. >> building a dream with over 6,000 employees today. >> if it wasn't for steel dynamic, this company wouldn't have a lot. >> there's response. andrea mitchell? >> one of the things to wrap up on the gay marriage issue, which you want to talk about so much. >> hold on a second. i want to talk about so much? "the new york times" wants to talk about so much. seriously. let's try to get women into augusta national and talk about it every day. >> my point is, "the new york times" poll shows you how many people think two-thirds of those polled think it was a political decision, not a decision from the heart. it has to do with the way it was rolled out. the unintended way with joe

biden on "meet the press" and having to play catch up. i think the people got it. those paying attention got it. now, trying to get back to the economy, i'm not sure this works because as you were just pointing out, how do you demonize mitt romney for all of these deals 13 years ago. >> every horror story mitt romney has at bain capital, he's got ten success stories. you show me a negative story about bain, i can take, you negotiation i can give you ten 30-second commercials of jobs creates. economic miracles. people walking around with hard hats on. women saying mitt romney's team put, you know, food on my table. i don't see this as the president's way forward to a victory. this is the thing that energizes the left.

makes his base go oh, aren't capitalists like romney evil? it doesn't win the independence. >> isn't it further proof, joe, that given all the millions and millions of dollars spent in political advertising from now through november, it's like a toxic waste syndrome on tv. we are not going to be able to turn on tv -- >> what cuts through that, mike. of the billions of dollars on 30-second ads, what will cut through and grab that woman that is head of household, get her attention and make her say that guy is going to lead the country the best over the next four years. what's the message? >> what cuts through it is the obvious, the basics. how much are you paying for gasoline? when you put gas in your car to go to a job you hope is going to be there for four or five years. do you have the ability to take

your family out to dinner? do you have the ability to put your pen in your pocket and get sneakers at the mall when they cost $70 to $75 a pop? if people feel optimistic about their ability to pay and look in their kids eye and think they have a good future coming along, that will cut through it. >> part of the purpose -- we should keep in mind, they are putting $70,000 behind the ad in five states. they are hoping we talk about it. it's to paint romney to a national audience in a way he has been painted to this point to a massachusetts audience. the bain ads are recycled material from 1994, 2002 and a little from 2012 when newt gingrich ran them. no one has seen it nationally. they are hoping to portray him about moneybags who doesn't care about gas prices and the cost of

milk and the stuff mike went through. he's raiding the pension fund of the workers. is it fair? probably not. is it an attempt to define romney? yeah, it's the strategy. >> what do the romney people feel about it? do they feel they can answer the attacks with a positive story? >> they dochlt they think the election is going to be about the president and his record. again, if you look at the latest numbers, they have reason to be optimistic about that. increasingly, romney's running mate, his performance in the debates and the supreme court decision is going to be a big deal. for people, it's based on the real life pocketbook situation. the contours of is the president up to the job? has he done a good job in office is going to be shaped by the supreme court decision. it's coming at a time leading into summer that is going to be

a huge deal. it's romney's case, the president is not up to the job. whatever the court decides, uphold it or strike it down, romney will have a big chance to make that argument. i think -- i personally think, i could be dead wrong, but if i'm on the obama team and trying to get independent voters, having gay marriage and health care come up in late spring before the election, i don't want that happening. i just don't want that. >> and immigration. >> and the supreme court on immigration. the supreme court on racial preferences. a lot of things coming up. we have a lot to talk about. andrea, a meltdown in greece. americans may be optimistic but our european partners are not. >> it will affect us. >> no doubt about it. coming up, we are talking to republican senator olympia snowe of maine.

she is leaving the u.s. senate. we are going ask her why. secretary of agriculture, tom vilsack will be here. "the washington post's" eugene robinson. richard wolffe will join us for the must read pages. here is bill karins with a check on the forecast. bill, rainy down here. what is it looking like for the rest of the day? >> the rain is heading up i-95. there's going to be downpours causing significant travel delays on the roads and the airport. here is a look at the radar showing heavy rain from washington d.c. up to baltimore. it's heading to the east, northeast. it will slide up to wilmington, delaware an hour from now. it will arrive in new york city some time around 9:00 or 10:00 this morning. you can expect the downpours when it comes through. light rain in northern new england.

central, p.a., soaking rain to continue throughout the day. the forecast, the worst of it comes through during the first half of the day. temperatures are warm. it's muggy out there this morning. a chance of strong storms in chicago and milwaukee later on this afternoon. then from raleigh to columbia, south carolina, strong storms. that's it for the worst weather. if you are from texas to the midwest to the inner mountain west you are seeing a gorgeous stretch of weather. new york city is dry. rain expected around 9:00 or 10:00. you are watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. [ truck beeping ]

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speeches. obama was like you can be whatever you want to be. romney was like i can be whatever you want me to be. his campaign staff loves chick-fil-a. he revealed he doesn't know what to say at a commencement speech. >> let's look at the morning papers as you look at a dark, drizzley start to the day. the no"the new york timesthe n" picture of obama after the commencement address and urged graduates of the women's college to fight for a seat at the head of the table. >> wall street journal, the president of france sworn in hours ago. he'll jump into the euro zone crisis. nicolas sarkozy slipped out of

the presidential palace. >> that's a good way to avoid french tomatoes being thrown at your car. roger clemens former trainer testified he injected the cy young winner with steroids multiple times during the 1998 season. he's on trial for clergy and denied taking performance enhancing drugs. willie geist, perhaps the worst performance of a red sox pitcher in front of congress. the worst performance since two or three nights ago. you knew he was lying. >> i can't believe we are still talking about roger clemens and steroids. enough. enough. the london telegraph. chief executive news international will learn this morning if she will face charges over the tabloid phone hacking

scandal. they are looking into the phone hacking and paying off of public officials. >> the boston globe, plans are moving along to build a stat statue -- on boston's city hall. what a great, fitting tribute that would be. >> long overdue. they should have had a statue of bill russell decades ago. better late than never. >> what a great man. willie? >> look at the play book. jonathan martin. good morning. >> hey, willie. >> we are going start in california this morning. governor jerry brown out with the plan proposing massive cuts. over the weekend, the budget deficit had grown by nearly $7 billion. what is he talking about here and what are the politics of this?

>> they are $16 billion in the hole. this means massive budget cuts and tax increases coming to california. it's important for a couple reasons. first, the country looked to california as the trend setter. politics and culture, both. it's been the case for decades now. for california to have this fiscal mess, a gut punch to the rest of the country. it's front page news in the new york times for a reason. it's the ninth biggest economy in the world. it's a symbol of the challenge we are having here in america economically. sacramento is a story politically. the problems 24r are the problems everywhere. you have a polarized state capital with democrats who will not cut programs and republicans who won't raise taxes. you know, very, very polarized politics with folks in their corners. you hear about it there.

it's the same problem in washington and the state capitals. >> jonathan martin, good morning. >> hey, mark. >> is jerry brown the right person to solve this? he's gone through 42 political lives. does he have the political skill to get something passed that balances and moves the budget back toward balance? >> the whole argument for arnold schwarzenegger was outsider. brown has been governor before. he knows where the bodies are buried in that capital. i'm not sure anybody can solve the problems in california. the parties are so locked 234 a death match because they are so tied to the most, you know, partisan, you know, districts you can imagine. i'm not sure it's fixable by any governor. >> jonathan, what does the issues, the problems in california have to say about

other states and other governors running for re-election and people running for governor of the states, big states where they are also consumed with huge pension liability costs state after state after state? >> well, it says that the governors are going to have to make very difficult decisions and try and do so based on a polarized e welcome trat. look, brown is going to have a hard time getting a tax increase through. he has to go through the state and sell a tax increase to the voters. it's going to be very, very difficult to do that. it's the same for governors everywhere. >> jonathan martin with a look inside the politico play book. >> thanks. >> we brought you a couple minutes ago the former chief executive rebecca brooks was charged with the phone hacking scandal in great britain.

we have charges with her interfering with the police probe. we'll bring you up to speed on that. coming up, a first for bryce harper going deep for the first time in his young career. highlights and also nba playoffs next in sports. plus, chris matthews plays a little "hardball" on jeopardy. this is good. >> full name of the u2 pilot shot down in 1960. chris? >> who is gary powers. >> we need the full name. >> who is gary powers? >> no. today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online.

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let's talk sports in the nba playoffs. lakers and thunder kicking off in oklahoma city. still bad blood thanks to the elbow thrown by metta world peace. he added fuel to the rivalry saying the other day he would not greet james harden before last night's game because, quote, i don't shake the hands of substitutes. he is the sixth first guy off the bench. the sixth man of the year.

metta world peace does not shake the hands of substitutes. this is how they greeted metta world peace last night. >> number 15, metta world peace. ron artest and harden would meet again later in the evening. stand by for that. harden played well. a steal for the dunk. 17 in the game. thunder up 15 at the half. this one never really close. kevin durant goes up to his buddy westbrook. in the fourth, watch your spot shadow. harden and metta world peace get tangled up. this time, harden goes down hard. 119-90. kevin durant had 25 points. hockey stanley cup playoffs,

rangers and devils traveling across the river. rangers coming off two consecutive seven game series. scoreless in the beginning of the third. puts the rangers on the board and they pile it on. rangers win 3-0. they play tomorrow night at the garden. quite a first month in the major leagues. top of the second, nats up, 1-0. hudson, right field. harper drops it. an error. scores a run. he redeemed himself in the third inning. dead center. 429 feet. that is the first home run of bryce harper's major league career. the nats are up. they win the game, 8-567.

nobody in the stands in washington. >> i thought the same thing. was it raining in d.c. last night? >> yeah, it was raining. >> it must have been. >> they are not drawing as well as they should be. >> my gosh, i know. >> they are in first place. >> look at that. it's like when i went to games in atlanta in 1975. nobody is there. >> yeah. >> i had to get up early. >> gosh. unbelievable. all those sides, willie. a first place team, remember the signs for 20 years, baseball in d.c. you got it. show up. >> they have a couple huge stars on their team, too. >> they have a big team. straussburg and harper. they have a good team. >> why aren't people showing up? >> it's a weak night in washington. people work hard in this town. >> oh, come on.

>> they don't work hard in boston and new york or atlanta? give me a break! >> they are all at embassy parties. >> that's the thing about the four-day workweeks in boston, right, sam? >> the city is a bunch of people from other cities. i'm not a nats fan, i'm a red sox fan living in d.c. >> washington, d.c. is the only city in america where everybody in the house and senate on wednesday afternoon say have a nice weekend. >> that's true. it's a very small group of people. >> jonathan capehart is a big nationals fan, right? coming up next, we have richard wolffe. played well my friend. richard wolffe is here. he's going to join us for the must read opinion pages. back. this is the smith family. we asked them to bring in their favorite dvds

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♪ welcome back to "morning joe." a nice shot of washington. with us now is richard wolffe. richard, we usually do must read op-eds. we have "the new york times" poll out, the usa today poll out. some of us think, perhaps a month ago, some of the polls were outliers on the left. >> yep. >> suggesting there was a massive gender gap.

perhaps the one showing romney up three points by women doesn't make sense, either. what do you think? >> i think it's a two or three point election. you are going to get polls like that. for those of us who covered the 2004 election, there were these kind of polls all the time. bush's polling at 2004 was declining. iraq was falling apart. you get polls like this and did it really tell you what was going to happen through the summer and post convention? no. we have a long way off to be calling or for the supporters to think they know what way it's heading. the romney people will feel good today. the poll has been favorable for democrats. i wouldn't put money on it. >> we were on set in 2004. polls didn't make a difference. polls on election day, at 5:00,

everybody was talking about president kerry. >> ohio was miscounted. >> there were open bottles of champaign at 3:00 in the afternoon. >> they started calling him mr. president. what are they thinking inside the obama white house right now? what is the plan moving forward? they do, i believe, have a problem. the problem is mitt romney has come off a couple months of terrible, terrible performances. >> right. >> this is like spiderman on broadway getting terrible reviews and still being the top moneymaker. >> yeah. >> it's the same thing with romney. romney -- and sam brought it up. they put him in hiding. he does one event a day. they run 30-second commercials, that's it. >> you dodge. you don't have to show up anymore and answer questions. romney has done that well.

he's consolidated that position. he's not getting beaten up in the same way. a lot of that support has come back to the opportunity for chicago now is to tell the bigger story. there are missing pieces to the romney story. how he got to be serious, again. why he's in public service. the transformation from high school, the bullying and assault, whatever you want to call it to being a serious guy. we don't know that piece of his story. we don't understand fully, a lot of people don't understand private equity. that's the blank page they are trying to fill out now. is it going to work? are people tuning in? is it drown out and forgotten after memorial day? i don't know. they are spending a lot of money. not just the stuff we see on tv. the hidden story is what's online. it's effective. millions and millions of dollars that's been spent. >> andrea?

>> the romney camp and romney trying to define her husband as a future president and warming him up saying he's a wild and crazy guy. the romney camp knows he is not well defined. they are rushing to define him in their own way in a controlled way. romney does not do sunday talk show interviews other than fox. he's not been questioned intensively. it's a completely controlled campaign where they are trying to air brush who he is. we don't really know who he is. how much do we know about the president, either? >> mark halperin, it sounds like the romney campaign decided to make it a referendum on barack obama and keep romney out of sight as much as possible. he's been gaffe prone. maybe they keep him off the stage. >> he needs to be acceptable. they wanted this to be a referendum on the president's record. they like the fact the president

seems to be playing defense. the boston campaign looks at the president talking about his record saying things aren't as good as they could be, but are getting better. they think it's a winning argument, an argument they can overcome. i think governor romney needs a narrative. if you look at everyone who has won the presidency in the television era, you need a narrative. where did he come from? what does he believe in? they have time to do it. most of the country is not paying attention. they have, again, his running mate, his convention speech. as andrea said, they can flush it out. about his motive, why is he running? it doesn't have to be a home run? it has to be enough to disqualify him. he calls barack obama the espn man. in 2008 his campaign had a tone. this year, he's like bill

clinton in 1996. brooks says, let me ask you if you agree or not? obama is an underdog. his leadership style is keeping him afloat. is that a fair look at where we are now? >> i don't think he could say he's a slight underdog. he has a huge advantage. air force one, the money he's raising and the way he can control a narrative. we are talking in the media, for better or worse, the same-sex marriage thing was classic. they can shift the balance saying this is a debate about what bain did or romney did in massachusetts and whether he raised taxes. they have those abilities that a challenger has to struggle for. he has a record. you are asking what are his motives. for the opaqueness of obama's character and the way he wants to be cautious and risky, it's true. he has record. that story line is out there.

the question is how can they package it up? >> finally, the most important question, liverpool finishes eight? >> yeah. >> they are behind everton? >> terrible. >> we know what that means. >> painful. >> do the red sox guys fire him up into the owners box? >> it's hard for me to say this, but it's time to go into the skyline box and look down upon his people and sago to the promiseland without me. >> thanks so much. what is up next? >> news you can't use. chris matthews on "jeopardy" arguing with alex trebek. you have to see this clip. we'll be right back. i love cash back.

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>> is it time? please tell me it's time. >> that's live capehart. it is time for the news you can't use. the president of the united states will be on "the view" today. they released a clip for us. a pop quiz. his knowledge of pop culture. >> we know you know a lot about politics and the law. do you know about pop culture? >> we'll find out. >> i have some questions.

>> fire away. >> let's see what you have been reading. which kardashian was only married for 72 days? >> that would be kim. >> very good. [ applause ] >> okay. >> because it was a ballplayer. i know the ballplayer. that's how i know, from watching basketball. >> i'm sure you don't watch the show. >> this one you may not know. i'm hoping you don't. what is the controversial sex book on millions of women's bedside tables? >> i don't know that. >> good. okay. next. >> i'll ask michelle when i get home. >> mark, he's sneaking a look at "50 shades of gray" don't you think? >> him? >> yeah. >> no, not on espn. >> he had to cover himself, i don't know kim kardashian, i snow kris humphreys. >> he knows the answer to the book. there's nobody who doesn't.

he reads every sunday. he knows. >> he does. let's get to the real reason we are all here this morning. to watch chris matthews on "jeopardy." up against robert gibbs, lizzie o leery of cnn and chris matthews answering questions the only way he knows how. >> let's go back to, ah, what is cross word clues -- i mean, i'm sorry, $200 for cross roads. >> pay attention now. at blank, soldier. four letters. chris. >> at ease soldier. what is at ease. ease. >> the full name of the u 2 pilot shot down. >> who is gary powers. >> we need the full name.

>> who is gary powers? >> no. lizzie. >> frances gary powers. full name. she selects. >> chris thought if he said it enough, they would accept the answer. gary powers. the look on his face was priceless. chris was runner up, so he gets one. he got $10,000 for his charity. good work by chris. coming up next, eugene robinson is going to join you in washington. later, senator snowe. keep it on "morning joe." dogs are the best of the best of the best. they don't get any bester than this! omg it's kosher. with no fillers, by-products, artificial flavors or colors. hebrew national. the better-than-a-hot dog- hot dog.

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♪ jp morgan is one of the best banks. jamie dimon is one of the best bankers we have. they were making bets in derivative markets. we don't know all the details yet. it's going to be investigated. this is why we passed wall street reform. >> welcome back to "morning joe." a shot of rainy washington. we are here in d.c. with sam stein and andrea mitchell. the associate editor of the washington post, eugene robinson. in new york, mike barnicle and

mark halperin. mike barnicle, i thought it was interesting what the president said about jamie dimon and jp morgan chase. i think the president understands tone matters. a lot of guys on wall street have abandoned him in part more because of tone than laws passed. i thought that was an olive branch to the most powerful guy on wall street, jamie dimon. >> given what's happened, i think jamie is going to trip over himself lunging for that olive branch. he's got the shareholders meeting today he's presiding over. jp morgan chase shareholder. they are trying to separate the two jobs. >> it's not going to happen. it's not going to happen. >> the whole industry is now in a wildly different position

today than they were a week ago. it is amazing what that $2 billion loss did to their chances of even tinkering any further with them. >> by the way, gene robinson, the headline in the wall street journal, jp morgan moves to protect jamie dimon. i am a skeptical of big business as i am big government. if i'm a jp morgan shareholder, stay where you are. this guy guided them through a hurricane of all hurricanes. at the end, jp morgan chase emerged the most powerful bank in the world. >> he did very well during the whole downturn and collapse and everything. he came out with the healthiest bank. i thought it was interesting, though, the president was so sort of gentle with his remarks.

i expect he wants, sort of reciprocal from jamie dimon. >> it's a relationship we were talking about off camera. if the president had a do over, i think he would do that over. jamie dimon was a friend and confidant early on. that relationship soured quickly. jamie is a guy, even this week after the headlines that any president would want on his side. this may be a chance to mend that relationship. >> that relationship, perhaps in particular because dimon has vulnerabilities right now. right now, he is no longer going to be the industry's point person to fight against tightening of the enforcement of dodd/frank that is just being

written. he's got a lot of enemies. he needs help from the administration more than anything else. >> the president's got to thread the needle here. there are assets of having allies on wall street. at the same time, $2 billion loss is going to open up a wave of anger against the banks for doing these risky bets so close to the catastrophe on the markets. they are calling for dimon to step down from various boards. what does the white house do? do they double down or say this is risky, we need financial reform? >> i think they do exactly what the president did yesterday. mark halperin, you talk to the men and women who run wall street, they don't hate barack obama because he's talking about raising taxes. in fact, jamie dimon said in public and private, raise my taxes. just make sure you invest my

money wisely. they are not angry because of dodd/frank. would they like to avoid dodd/frank? yes. it's mainly the demonizing of wall street. the easy populism that the white house has practiced over the past three year that is angered them the most. the president can say, see, look, i told you. we need to reform wall street. jamie dimon is a good guy. the bank is a good bank. seems to me maybe he's handling it the right way politically. >> he endorsed ricky martin's performance in "avita". >> old on a second. have you seen his performance in "avita"? wow. >> it's amazing. >> it works on two levels. there's no doubt a lot of wall

street executives are bothered by the policy than the president's rhetoric. this is a different kind of rhetoric. it plays defense on what romney is going to run on. he's going to run on barack obama, nice guy, doesn't understand how the economy works. doesn't get the policy that is hampered americans ability to recover from the recession. what the president is saying, in effect when he praises a company like jp morgan chase is i get successful business. i understand they are successful and why they are successful. if he's vulnerable, it's not only his economic record but elite concern that is he doesn't have a plan for a second term. >> what is really offending the business community, what's really got under their skin is his refusal to come up, stand out for simpson/bowles.

it's what they said before this was all disclosed. they want to see a long term trajectory. they want to see some sort of plan to deal with what they see as an impending crisis down the road. they think there was a real leadership moment and the president blew it. >> mike, this whole idea that rich guys on wall street are wearing top hats and don't want to pay higher taxes is not the case. jamie dimon said i'd be glad to pay higher taxes. others have said the same thing. their fears are long term fears regarding the debt. that affects their bottom line. let's talk about jamie dimon for a second. you have run political campaigns. there's always one guy or woman out there you want on your side because they will pick up the phone and call people saying hey, hey, he's all right.

the president lost a centralable ally in jamie dimon three years ago. he's lost $2 billion yet 2 billion out of $2 trillion in assets. .1%. i think, again, this is a great opportunity for the white house to not only build a connection back to jamie dimon but also back to wall street through jamie dimon. if anybody watching this thinks jamie dimon is weaker now, you don't know wall street. he's still king of wall street. >> there's no doubt about that. he's a widely respected and, you know, an admired figure in wall street for the way he's run that bank over the past ten years or so. the larger point is, people on wall street, when you speak to them, it seems they are upset by several things. not the policies so much in

washington. not the dodd/frank legislation. not the amendments to the bill, the proposed amendments to it. they are upset at the demonization of wall street that has been going on for a few years and language. to andrea's point, they are more upset about the lack of certainty that businesses face each and every day. at least that's what they say. the lack of certainty. the failure to adopt anything out of the simpson/bowles amendments. combine it with the fact that on the other hand, they are going to get justifiably crucified because people think of banks as places where you put your money and the banks invest the money, not bet the money. it's what's happened here. this is exposed a larger rift in financial services that everyone knew was there. now, it's plain to see on the front pages of every paper,

banks bet money instead of investing money. it's been going on for years. the movement of money is complex, hard to understand by people like us. i think it's hard to understand by people in the banking industry. this is a vulnerable point here. >> no doubt about it. there are a lot of people on wall street that think romney will be better for the economy because he's one of them. also, gene, we have been talking about this fascinating usa today poll. two out of three americans say the country is improving. what a big difference from europe this morning. yet, barack obama trailing mitt romney by nine points. it would make the economy better over the next four years. what are the challenges this white house faces right now with running against a guy that's had a terrible three or four months on the campaign trail but still is ahead of him in a lot of key numbers. >> you always want to be ahead

in the polls if you are going to be behind you would rather have them now than four or five months 23r now. two, i think they have to join the economy issue. they have to go after romney's strength, essentially and say, okay, mr. smarty pants economy guy, let's see what you are going to do. let's see what you propose to do and lets run those numbers and look at the data. by the way, here is what we've done. here is where we brought the economy. it's not perfect. but we think our policies work better than yours do. they have to hit that head on, i think. trust that the people will come to a more subtle view rather than here is a business guy. here is not a business guy. we'll go with the business -- again, they have to break into

that. >> you are writing about it in the washington post. romney is no economic savior. his plan involves tax cuts and deregulations. a repeat of the bush area policies that led to the crisis. they keep things blurry. a successful businessman who will put us back in business. for details, we'll mail you the prospectus. our scam in which preachers persuade people that god's rule is for christians to be rich. make he lives in a mansion and his wife drives a couple cadilla cadillacs. it's not believable even then. >> you read it so well. >> it reads itself. the pace is so wonderful. rex reed says baffo. but, you know, though, it seems

to me when i hear -- it seems like everybody is campaigning in 1994. barack obama runs populous ads. i'm like are you serious? yeah, your base likes it. come on, man. nobody believes demonizing wall street is going to get them back to work. republicans talking cut taxes, cut regulation, cut spending. again, straight out of the 1994 handbook. >> yeah. >> it's as if nobody realizes this is 2012 and we face challenges that we have never faced before as a country. >> who develops a way to speak to talk about the economy and the future that connects the people that gives them a vision of a better tomorrow, if we do this, if we do that and the other. >> do you think either do? >> nobody has done it yet. i wrote months ago, whoever does that is going to win this

election. >> these two campaigns are trying to move the dial here and there. trying to create a narrative to work with voters. i was talking to the obama people. they are hostage to events outside their control. you can move the dial, then next week, greece falls apart. >> people are discounting greece falling apart. they are worried about spain, por portugal, italy. >> france, when they fall off the cliff, france falls off the flif. when france does, we all need to duck. >> it doesn't matter if you have a vision for a 21st century economy to sell to the voters. >> being the incumbent is not a great advantage. >> not in this election. >> mark halperin, look at the headlines. contagion fears hit the market. if things meltdown, it impacts

us. we are interconnected. ask john corzine. it's the same with china. they are not going to grow at 9%, 10%, 11% anymore. they are facing problems as well. we are going into dark times economically globally. does the president adopt or say that he wants to adopt simpson/bowles and challenge the republicans? does he take this opportunity that comes w the economic chaos to say we are going to make the dollar stronger than any currency on the globe and we are going to be the last safe bet internationally? >> well, everybody should have on the radar we are going to have meetings in the united states in camp david and chicago. the president meeting with heads to talk security and economics. it's a time when he may be able

to use the benefits of incumbency to look like he's in control of the world economy. i think they are dangerous events for the president. any of the foreign leaders can undermine him. if there's a crisis, he has to handle it in a way that looks like he's in charge. they are big, upcoming moments. the rest of the year that the president is hostage to events in europe and to the extent that markets react badly and the m k macro looks bad, many think it will throughout the year. he's going to have a harder time making anything but a referendum in office. all romney has to do is be acceptable. >> i'm looking at the front page of the new york times. polls find doubt on obama's step to gay marriage. do you think the president's statement earlier this week is

having an impact on the poll that is show a dramatic swing against the president and the swing for mitt romney in some areas? >> i think it's too soon to say how it's filtering through. it's energizing supporters. he needs to be back on the economy. i think under the circumstances, he handled it as well as he could have from a political point of view. he needs to be back on the economy. i don't think he can embrace anything that year. bowles/simpson, it has substantial tax increases in it. he's got to focus for his own political point of view and contrasting with romney, the paul ryan budget. >> let me ask you about gay marriage. "the new york times" has been playing it prominently over the past year. >> they have? >> yes, they have. i keep bringing that up every three minutes. this is the paper the president

reads. it's the paper i read, other than "the washington post." >> i realize you were just -- >> and i love the wall street journal as well. "the new york times" is the one paper i read every day. if you are a progressive and if you read this paper every day, you may take your eye, if you are president, off the political realities that north carolina defeats the same-sex marriage or bans same-sex marriage and civil unions by 20 percentage points. in 2008, in california, it was minority that is killed prop 8. it doesn't help him in african-american churches more than it does in white e v churches. they had the north carolina story someplace. >> they did. >> yeah. but your point is well taken.

there is -- you know, there's a certain sort of new york-washington access cheer leading that goes on. >> cheer leading. it's not just the jerry fallwell wing of the republican party that is concerned by this. you have, again, democrats that are hispanics. a lot of african-americans. >> yeah. i don't think the election is going to pivot on this issue, however. i think if president obama has to worry about whether african-americans are going to vote for him, then, you know, he can pack it up. >> he doesn't have to pivot on the issue. if you get 7,000 voters pivoting on it, it's the difference between a win and loss. >> three states it's going to hurt him on badly, florida, north carolina and virginia. >> and ohio. >> and ohio. a lot of conservative blue

collar catholics in ohio. >> we'll see how it rolls out. the plus side for him is that it's the first thing he's done in awhile for his support base and for many independents who voted for him last time because they got caught up in the hopy changy stuff. >> right. >> it's the first sort of 2008ish thing he's done in a long time. >> the president takes a stand. >> it requires courage and looks toward the future, toward a different future. i think it's important. >> i agree with that. >> eugene, stay with us. still ahead, we are going to talk to republican senator olympia snowe and tom vilsack will be with us on the set. up next, chuck todd. from bloomburg business week, josh green. you are watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. ♪

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♪ romney's objective was to make money. bain capital made money. if we lost, they made money. if we survived, they made money. it's as simple as that. he promised us the same thing he's promising the united states. he'll give you what he gave us. nothing. he'll take it all. >> that's a new ad release third-degree morning attacking mitt romney for bain capital. here with us now, political director, the host of the daily rundown, chuck todd.

and josh green. so, chuck todd, let's begin with you. you got a new poll coming out? >> next week. >> thank god. >> everything is all over the place. >> you said a month ago when the numbers came out like an 18-point gap. you said listen -- >> six-point gap. >> i'm talking the gender. >> oh, gender. >> you said the poll was taken under the worst of circumstances for republicans. i'm sure it was an outlier. this new york times poll, as a republican that's been following polls for 30 years, we ain't ever ahead three points among women in may. i say never. never. >> you have a poll. they did this. i it's a call back. you do a type of poll you haven't done often at "the new

york times" then get a result like this. >> it could be correct. >> that's right. >> we do not know. >> you take the eight ball and say shake it later. i mean this and no disrespect. they have a good methodology there. >> they oversample democrats in the poll. that said, my over/under for the genter gap, 11. >> i will be shocked. >> there's nothing that changed. what i have been curious object, what did last week look like -- >> hold on. i put the line at seven. >> you realize -- no, i'm not going to say anything. we'll get accused of manipulating the data no matter what it is. >> which way do you go? >> if i say over, i'm part of manipulating. if i say under, it's the same thing.

>> i get the joke. anyway. >> our twitter feeds are probably exploding. >> what i would worry about if i were the president, josh, right now, mitt romney, the republican party has had a miserable six months for their brand. it's been savaged. in most polls, "the new york times" poll, they say it's a dead heat. if you are obama's people, it's like that 1988 skit where who was it that looked over? >> john. >> he says i can't believe i'm losing to this guy. what do i have to do? >> if you look at the last poll, who is more likely to change the tone in washington. the answer is mitt romney. it's what president obama was supposed to do. it's what the obama folks r gunning for. >> this is up nine points on who can do the best on the economy. you have written a piece about

private equity. it's interesting. this is what you wrote. david versus goliath problem. it's impossible to separate attacks on romney's private equity career from attacks on private equity. the industry is at a considerable financial disadvantage when it comes to defending itself. you can't match the level of spending of a presidential campaign. it has a david and goliath problem. the response to romney's ad, hey, that happened two years after i left. he's not going to defend private equity. >> a lot of people have the misimpression we have mitt romney up there, he's our guy. he's going to defend us. he's going to defend him.

>> did he give back any money he made? >> no. no, no, no, no. we think of them as rich mitt romneys and they have a lot of money, but they have a tough time defending themselves. you have a $1 billion presidential campaign paying an image of romney, but the industry in general. >> you are not going to have romney spending comparable money. >> it's how the president was. black stone is a private equity. they are technically number two. there was a group in ft. worth. they are twice as large as bain. the president was there talking about the free market saying -- it's funny, obama took pains because you have a big bain executive that's raised over 100,000. no, we are not saying it's bad. people if they say that's their

sole reason for running the economy, they are not good for the ovl office. >> that must have been awkward going table-to-table. >> no, i'm only bashing one part of it. >> i'm for free enterprise. mark, to you. >> on the cbs/new york times poll that chuck broke down, the reality is, the best indication to me of where things stand is people in romney world don't look at that poll and say to us, you know, that over states things. things aren't going that well. it reflects the reality of the fact a lot of countries made up their mind about the president. i have not heard from chicago very much saying this is not a good poll. so, we don't know exactly what's causing the factors going into this. maybe the way the gay marriage

thing was handled. maybe romney away from the primary. there's no doubt as of now, the romney people feel like the fundamentals favor them. maybe the discussion of bain plays into that. it's a debate on the terrain of the economy. >> i did hear from chicago last night who said don't pay atngs to "the new york times" poll. i'll talk to you about that offline. i want to show you this headline. a poll finds doubt obama's step on gay marriage. chuck todd, you and i are from different parts of the state of florida. a massive state not only geographically, but electorally this fall. your father and mother, when you were growing up, like my father and mother growing up would be skeptical of a president that came out in support of gay marriage. i say that to say, well, this

decision is celebrated in manhattan and washington and los angeles and other urban centers, progressive urban centers. in florida, and virginia and north carolina and the hispanic community in south florida and the cracker community in central and north florida, this takes a lot of conservative democrats off the table for the president. >> well -- >> culturally. >> i thought the way -- that's what i'm curious about how last week was handled. it's interesting what mark said about the two campaigns. neither campaign was in the field last week. they are all going into the field this week. they don't know how last week went. there is fingernail chewing, if you will, about how last week went. talk to somebody in the obama campaign and they share your concern. how political did it look?

they are convinced three months from now nobody will remember biden had to drive this and it was fund raising and all this. it will be seen in a better light. i tell you, i think -- you brought up those states. the biggest swing state this could impact is iowa. >> wow. >> that is where the president was making a comeback. he was down and making a comeback. >> in iowa you have a recall of three judges? >> it became a big fight of this idea of wait a minute, judges are telling us what to do. look, it split the state right down the middle. >> yeah. >> if there was a state that i thought in talking to both campaigns they agree, iowa is the one place where they think long term, if this gay marriage thing has impact it's there. the other thing about last week and the fingernails in chicago chewing their fingernails a bit. any day they are not talking

about the economy, do they get punished by the voter. >> that's the question, do they want to focus on the economy or want to focus on other issues? >> i don't think they wanted to focus on gay marriage. they got back into the fight. it's a time they are defining romney before memorial day. let it set in with voters and here they are talking about gay marriage. the blowback as you saw is two-thirds of people viewed it as being motivated by politics. it's not what you want when you are making a bold position on a dicey, social issue. >> all right. by the way, chuck, i would take the over. >> you're taking the over? i need to make sure. see, you make sure you are not manipulating the data. >> i'm doing my best. chuck stay with us. we are talking about really compelling interactive features of the new -- >> all right. >> all right, "morning joe" will

be back in one minute. amazing. look at that. it just seems -- ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] virtual wallet can help you be that person who's good with money. see what's free to spend. move money with a slide. save with a shake. feel good about your decisions.

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welcome back to "morning joe." so, you want to talk about mighty love? >> mighty love? >> one of the great songs of the 1970s. let's walk through right now nbc politics app. >> we finally have an app. a lot of people have been complaining. what does the ms stand for? microsoft, hello. aren't you a tech company? >> this is our home page you are looking at now. it puts everything together. you can scroll through this and that. you can go through show. god forbid you missed something on "morning joe" and you forgot to tivo it. for the five people that might, well, you know, basically the eight to ten best segments here. you can catch up with it. >> so, let me ask you the

important question. do you have an electoral map on there. >> you asked, you do. did you read the questions? >> no. there it is! >> here is the fun stuff. you get to do your own map. anybody can do their own map. >> let's go ahead and take -- let's presume florida and north carolina are off the board right now. >> giving it to who? >> romney. >> romney, north carolina. book. 241. >> now take virginia off. >> for who? >> give it to romney. >> give it to romney. >> i'm wondering 23 he solidifies it, what are we looking at? >> 254. he needs ohio. ohio puts him over. >> it's looking like 2000. >> that would be that. give me another scenario. here is a problem for him.

>> take ohio away from romney. >> okay. take ohio away from romney. >> it's still an up hill battle for romney. where does he go? >> give the west to obama? >> except arizona. >> right, right, right. are you giving colorado, nevada, new mexico? >> yeah. >> 254 with pennsylvania. >> he's not going to get pennsylvania unless things change dramatically. romney -- here is the thing he would need. if he doesn't get ohio, he's got -- >> he's got to get west. >> take ohio off the board. give ohio to the president. >> we put him at 284. >> so, what does romney do to back that off? >> i think -- nevada is one they think they can win. >> i think they can win nevada, too. >> he thinks they can win new

hampshire. >> i think he can win new hampshire. he's six short. here is the thing. you have given him his best scenario. when they talk about this election, they talk wisconsin, michigan, ohio and pennsylvania. one of those four. they cannot afford. they have to win one of those four. >> romney has to win what? >> michigan, wisconsin, pennsylvania or ohio. >> he's not going win wisconsin or michigan. unless things change. >> if colorado is off the map, it's something that is -- colorado puts him over. >> romney can win colorado. he's more likely to win michigan or wisconsin. >> what about versus pennsylvania. >> more likely colorado than pennsylvania. >> colorado, ohio? >> it's a toss up. republicans always say they are going to win it. >> bottom line is, if you don't

like the map you do or i do, do your own map, send it to us and tell us in the nicest way to stick it on twitter. >> okay. >> that's why we have this app. >> very good. chuck todd, thank you so much. that looks fantastic. coming up next, we are going to talk to secretary tom vilsack. 150th anniversary of the u.s. department of agriculture. keep it here on "morning joe." u) most life insurance companies

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agriculture john vilsack. he's here to talk about the anniversary of agriculture. 150 years ago, i guess, who was the president then? >> president lincoln was the president. the congress that year established the inner continental railroad financing, the university system and the usda. >> in the middle of the civil war? 1872. >> 1862. really, let's not use it as an excuse we can't get anything done. >> wasn't 1862 the emancipation and the gettysburg address? '63? >> i believe the proclamation. '62, the thing was written and i think the emancipation of d.c. was '62. >> thank you for covering for me. you're a good wing man. talk about 150 years later about the department of agriculture.

what are you celebrating today? >> if lincoln were here today, he would be shocked, surprised and pleased with what usda is today. less than one tenth of 1% of the usa produces what we consume. >> your exports are great right now. >> trade surplus of $42 billion. a record. i think he would be pleased. >> where does that go? the $42 billion. who are our and two. mexico, japan and south korea. >> and what's our cash crop? what do people buy more than anything else? >> virtually everything. but china has basically purchasing 40% of our soybeans. >> wow. >> this is an under appreciated and underreported aspect of the economy today. you know, the reality is in the midwest, things are good in terms of unemployment rates going down, particularly in

rural areas at a faster rate. 1 out of every 12 jobs in this country is connected to what happens on the farm. when we have record income as we did last year, first time in the history of the country. over $100 billion of net farm income. it's a really good story and it's an inspiring story. >> so my family is from the south. so many members of my family, my grandparents grew up on a farm. my great aunts and uncles grew up on a farm in rural georgia. it's a lot of people's stories. a small farmer going away? >> not necessarily, joe. we saw 100,000 new farming operations in the last couple of years. we are establishing -- >> by the way, sam, you're tied with farming operations. >> the president has a strategy for rebuilding the rural economy. local and regional food systems. production agriculture and exports. recreation and outdoor conservation. and the bio-based economy.

virtually everything at this table today can and is being made from crop material. >> you are reorganizing -- >> it requires us to look at workforce at our office structure and how we do the business of usda. process improvement, reducing time to make decisions. >> now it's -- in terms of small farmers, i can see how small farmers could grow like high-end arugula or something like that. that sell for a premium price. >> we have to get you out to iowa. >> seriously, you are sounding like michael ducalkis in 1988. tell iowa farmers to do -- >> my question is, joe, how can a small farmer grow soybeans or seed corn? that's really for the big boys, right? >> well, they can't. but they can basically raise something that a local school district would be willing to purchase which is what we're doing. we're building local supply

chains. storage facilities and food hubs that will aggregate enough of these small operations so that a school, a university, a prison, any institutional purchaser of food will have access to locally produced and grown produce. >> we need to go, but before we do, was it chuck todd who said we needed to ask -- yes. so chuck todd is responsible for this. we were talking about gay marriage. the fact it's split iowa in half. obviously the three justices, supreme court justices voted off the bench a couple of years ago. how does a president's decision this past week, his statement this past week, impact iowa in the 2012 election? >> let me just say that i think people respect the president for his personal view on this. i think what's more likely to dominate iowa and the conversation is that we have an unemployment rate of 5.5%. the economy is doing well. if indeed it's going to be the economy, i think you'll see iowa in the president's column at the end of the day. >> thank you so much, mr. secretary.

look forward to seeing you later on at the festivities. >> thank you for doing this. we'll be forever appreciative. >> thank you so much. secretary tom vilsack. and straight ahead, retiring senator olympia snowe weighs in on the changes taking place on capitol hill and whether moderates are a dying breed. was that a rhetorical question? you're watching "morning joe." i should be arrested for crimes against potted plant-kind. [ clang ] my house is where plants came to die. ♪ but, it turns out all i was missing was miracle-gro potting mix. it's got what a plant needs. even plant food that feeds them for up to 6 months. you get bigger, more beautiful plants. guaranteed. who's got two green thumbs thanks to miracle-gro? uh, this gal. boom! everyone grows with miracle-gro.

coming up next, we'll break down new polling on the economy. look at that shot of new york. a miserable day. sam stein, mike barnacle, andrea mitchell and mark halperin along with tv's own willie geist. "morning joe" back in a minute. [ male announcer ] when this hotel added aflac

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washington, d.c. back with auus on set, andrea mitchell, jonathan capehart, willie geist along with mike barnacle and mike halperin. let's start with new polling from the "usa today" and gallup. on the front page you look at the front page of "usa today" which i'm sure many of you will today. and you see the headline, 2 in 3 say a better economy is ahead. and so there is some positive news, and you would think that that would -- that benefit would accrue to the president. right now it's not. 71%, though, rate today's economy conditions as poor. 29% say the economy is in good shape. still the poll shows americans are optimistic about their financial future. nearly 6 in 10 predict the economy will be good one year from now. guarantee you they're not saying that in europe this morning. 55% say the economy would get better over the next four years if mitt romney were elected.

9% less, 46%, say president obama would improve it if he gets a second term. when asked their opinion of the two presidential candidates, mitt romney's closing the gap on obama with 50% of voters having a favorable view of the massachusetts governor. let's stop right there. my god. and, andrea, we've been talking about this for a long time. the gop primary often was a freak show. it was a reality show. it damaged the republican brand. look how quickly those numbers have changed. >> yeah. >> and they've changed because republicans are getting in line, whether they like romney or not. they are getting in line behind their candidate. >> they are getting in line behind their candidate and it's hard to tell because it's because they really like him or they really don't like the president, but the party is coming together, and those numbers on the economy tell you everything you need to know as to why the romney campaign was

so determined to get back on the economic news and get away from gay marriage and other issues. >> a double-digit lead almost. nine points on the economy. and, of course, "the new york times" and a lot of people in washington and new york have been talking about gay marriage. so much so that sometimes they don't even have time to change lights in studios. which is why i'm a little darker right now. >> i was wondering if it was my glasses. >> no, your glasses are very fashionable and chic. but the fact is it comes down to the economy. and right now, by nine percentage points, at least in this one poll, they trust romney more than obama on the economy. >> and this weekend when asked the question, you know, what's the political impact of the president's same-sex marriage declaration, i said come november, when people go into the voting booth, they're not going to care about this issue. in "the new york times" poll, it's like 7% care about same-sex

marriage, but i think it's around 50% or 60% care about the economy. and while mitt romney is viewed as the one who can, you know, lead the country better -- to a better economic future, i do think that two out of three peoples in the "usa today" poll say the economy is getting better. a similar result in "the new york times" poll. if you are the incumbent, you want people to feel that the economy is better because it could go to your benefit. but mitt romney is closing the gap. >> he really has. let's go to "the new york times" poll we were talking about. and the times poll headline. poll finds doubt of obama's step on gay marriage. it's a headline for "the new york times." they've been headlining, obviously, the gay marriage decision every day on the front page for the past week. so, anyway, the cbs news and new york -- they have. it's the masters 2002, 2003 all over again. >> it is a big deal. >> it is a big deal in

manhattan -- >> across the country, joe. it's a big deal. >> depending on your perspective. >> it's also a big deal in north carolina. i would just suggest it is not as big a deal as you say for most voters. 7% of americans saying that this is a top issue. so, anyway, in "the new york times"/cbs poll, it's a statistical dead heat but mitt romney is ahead, 46% to 43%. also romney's support among women voters now topping the president's remember the gender gap mark halperin? what happened? mitt romney now ahead in the latest cbs/"new york times" poll, and as you know, because i know that you look inside these numbers, 6% more of the respondents were democrats than were republicans. i mean, this poll was tilted democratic and still, more women supporting romney right now. >> well, that poll also historically democrats tend to do pretty well in.

it's a little dissidents in these numbers. hard to reconcile people's view of the economy with governor romney doing better. but the trend is clear and the national numbers. national numbers aren't what decides this. as we know, the president is going to crater in a lot of the red states and that's going to throw off some of these numbers. he may do worse in red states than governor romney does in the blue states. and that makes the national number skewed a little bit. it's clear. some things are pretty clear. as governor romney gets further and further away from fight with newt gingrich and rick perry and rick santorum, his favorable/unfavorable looks better. and also governor romney is consolidating, not just republican support but report is amongst people just unhappy with the president. the president has a floor on his support but also a ceiling. and that's the key number for us the rest of the way. can the president get to 50% if this is a two-person race, and it looks more today than a couple of weeks ago like it will

be a pure two-person race. can the president get to 50%? you look at these numbers right now, that's in question. >> mike barnacle, let's talk about the issue of same-sex marriage. do you think that had anything to do with the fact that the gender gap has been closed almost overnight? you look at some of these numbers on same-sex marriage according to the poll. 24% say the president's doing it because he thinks it's the right thing to do. 67% tell "the new york times" that he's doing it only for political reasons. and note that the cbs/"new york times" poll again oversampled registered democrats, 36 to 30%. and you see that gender gap also going from 16% for barack obama just a month ago to 3% for mitt romney. something is happening. perhaps it's just something that happened this past week. is it the gay marriage issue this past week?

will that fade away? what's going on, mike? >> i am kind of with you on the gay marriage issue. i don't think it's much of an issue and won't be a big issue when it comes to voting in the fall. what i think might be happening here in those numbers is that there are an enormous number of women in this country who are the heads of household. they run the show. they work. they raise a family. they go shopping. they buy things. and they are fearful of the economy. despite the numbers on the economy and the polls you just had, i think the question -- it depends how the question is phrased. an extraordinary number of people in this country hope the economy will get better. not that they expect the economy will get better but they are hoping the economy will get better. and i think that might have something to do with the numbers when it comes to women supporting romney. the other factor here that i think is playing out, and we have a spot, a new commercial that the obama campaign has made

attacking mitt romney and bain capital and all of that, which is understandable, but it's going to be very hard to demonize mitt romney. he's not a scary guy. and no matter what the obama campaign does, i don't think they can make him out to be a scary guy. >> well, and i'll tell you what, i brought this up yesterday. i was outnumbered, i think, about 17-1 on t set. mika will probably start sending telegrams from the south of france when she hears me say this this morning. but i'll tell you, populism does not work. al gore tried it in 2000. obama is trying it now. it doesn't work in america. americans understand capitalism. they understand it's ugly at times. i talk about when my father was laid off for a year and a half. he still didn't oopt anyway. we'll show the romney response in a second. i want to show you this, sam

stein. two out of three voters say the economy is going to be getting board. that's extraordinary. that's sort of like a band leader kicking in to "happy days are here again" and the audience coming up and beating him up. i don't understand why barack obama doesn't benefit from that enthusiasm right now in these numbers. >> it might end up happening over time, right, so long as people continue to feel optimistic about the direction of the country. they will then credit the person in the white house. maybe that's the shining light of these polls for the white house. but it's also very difficult for anyone to argue that things are getting better when a lot of the country doesn't feel it personally. and so that's a big problem that the white house faces and one that democrats faced in 2010. you know, it's not a coincidence that they moved quickly off of the gay marriage debate and into the bain advertising. more is it a coincidence -- >> did they move quickly off gay marriage? >> as quickly as they could. >> because i kept seeing "time's" story talking about how

they were going to exploit the gay marriage issue. >> things get written in the context of that week's debate. obviously it was a huge issue and the enormity of him coming out and saying it, regardless of whether there's any policy implications was going to dominate the news cycle for a couple of days. it was clear they wanted to move on to bain. >> they planned it -- >> the reason they wanted to move on to bain is because right now, they feel that they have a window to define mitt romney as someone who can handle the economy and they have to do it before all that third party money comes in and dominates the arrow. that's why they are spending $25,000 on ads in may. they are going after bain capital and talking about mitt romney as a steward of the economy for the next two, three, maybe four weeks. >> yet, willie geist if they are trying to focus on the economy, they have americans going past newsstands with a picture of barack obama on the cover of "newsweek" being declad america's first gay president.

and i -- the question has to be asked, is this something that helps the administration or not? this entire issue, because, again, the chattering classes suggest that it does. gosh. look at the lighting. i kind of look like ringo on "meet the people." half of my face shaded. the other half -- >> t.j. will get around to that in our 8:00 hour. he's got a lot on his plate. >> t.j., at break we go, oh, you wanted the light on your face? my bad. >> looks good. >> to your point, joe, for all our complaints about silly season and everything that went on in the republican campaign, everyone saying can't we just focus on the issues? it seems like this week or the last couple of days we have turned to the economy. the obama campaign put out the ad going after romney for his time at bain capital. you are seeing a clear distinction between romney saying this is the way

capitalism workss. we had successes and some failures and obama taking the other side of that position. in total, i would say the obama campaign is painting him as a bully. you had "the washington post" story. he was a bully during his time in prep school and a bully as a businessman at bain capital where he'd go in, take what he wanted out of a company and leave with a bag of cash. obviously, that's -- the romney campaign doesn't view that as fair. they are drawing a clear line on what capitalism means to both candidates. >> let's take a look at that ad right now. >> beginning of steel dynamics is a perfect time for a story. >> this area was just farmland. >> it's just incredible from when i started we had throws to 1400 employees. now over 6,000. i think there's a lot of pride in what we have built out here. >> sdi almost never got started. when others shied away, mitt romney's private sector leadership team stepped in.

>> building a dream with over 6,000 employees today. >> if it wasn't for a company like steel dynamic, this county wouldn't have a lot. >> now so there's the response, andrea mitchell. >> one thing to wrap up on the gay marriage issue which you want to talk about so much. >> well, hold on a second. i want to talk about so much? >> that was irony. >> seriously, let's try to get women into augusta national, okay, and talk about it every day. >> my point is, "the new york times" poll shows you how many people think, you know, two-thirds of those polled think this was a political decision, not a decision that came from the heart. that has a lot to do with the way it was rolled out. the unintended way with joe biden first on "meet the press" and then them having to play catch up. i think the people got it. those who were paying attention to this, you got it. and now trying to get back to the economy. i am not sure this works because

as you were just pointing out, how do you demonize mitt romney? for all of these deals 13 years ago? >> every horror story that mitt romney has at bain capital, according to democrats, like steve rattner, he's got ten success stories. so you show me a negative story about bain, i can take, you know -- i can give you 10 30-second commercials of jobs that were created, economic miracles, people walking around with, you know, hard hats on. women saying mitt romney's team put, you know, food on my table. blah, blah, blah. i don't see this as the president's way forward to -- this is the thing that energizes the left. makes his base go aren't capitalists like mitt romney evil? at the end of the day, it doesn't win middle america or the independents. >> isn't it further proof, joe, that given all of the millions and millions of dollars that are

going to be spent in political advertising from now through november, it's going to be like a toxic waste syndrome on tv. eer not going to be able to turn on tv without seeing -- >> what cuts through that, mike? of the billions of dollars spent on 30-second ads, what will cut through and grab that woman that you were talking about that is the head of the household and get her attention and make her say, that guy is going to lead the country the best over the next four years? what's the message? >> what cuts through it is the obvious. it's the basics. how much are you paying for gasoline when you put gas in your car on your way to work to a job you hope is going to be there for another four or five years rather than go offshore. i think what cuts through it is, do you have the ability to take your family out to dinner twice a month on a saturday night? do you have the ability to put your pen in your pocket and give your kids enough money to buy sneakers when sneakers cost $70, $75 bucks a pop.

if people feel optimistic about their ability to pay and their ability to look in their kids' eyes and think their kids have a pretty good future coming along, that will cut through it. coming up next, we'll be talking to longtime republican senator olympia snowe about what's behind her upcoming retirement. we all know the answer to that, but we'll ask anyway because it will be fun hearing her trash the senate. plus also some of the big headlines on the west coast. first, here's bill karins. he's wrong all the time on any coast. bill? >> just in the middle of the country a little more accurate. good morning. rain this morning in washington, d.c., has cleared out. now that rain is heading north. areas of downpours are going to cause morning delays at the airports in philadelphia and in new york city. you can see washington, d.c., just clear. just about over with in baltimore. philadelphia, the rain is just beginning. it's about a two-hour period of rain. keep that in your morning plans. further up the coast, new york city, best chance for rain some time between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. and probably end by noon or

1:00. that's kind of the worst of the wet weather out there. late today, a slight risk of strong thunderstorms milwaukee to chicago to the quad city, grand rapids. large hail the biggest threat. no tornadoes really the last week or two. this is the middle of tornado season. just keep our fingers crossed that that great trend continues. the west coast, another beautiful day in seattle, the pacific northwest. hot in the desert southwest. and even as we go into tomorrow's forecast, the only real troublesome weather will be in the new england area with rain heading out. most of the country is in for a real treat as we go through the middle to end of this late spring week. seattle, clear skies. what a great stretch of weather. no rain in the forecast either. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks.

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with us now, republican senator from maine, senator olympia snowe. senator, we were just asking the question, sam and i, who is going to win the stanley cup? no, we weren't. are you going to miss it? this has been a part of your life for 34 years. what happens the day after you leave washington? >> you know, it's true. obviously, it has been a part of my life for more than three decades. so it will take awhile to condition to that. and it was a difficult decision, obviously, when i made it, but it was for the larger question in committing the next six years if i was fortunate enough to be re-elected. and that's what i started to really ponder shortly before i

made the ultimate decision and announcement. >> want to talk about how so little is getting done in the senate now. before we do that, i wrote a post yesterday for politico because christie's numbers in new jersey which were just unbelievable. but i cited yankee politicians that help the republican party dominate the northeast for a century. teddy roosevelt, hanery cabot lodge. prescot bush. ruddman. william cohen, jim jeffords. every new england state, it was all republican, and now most of that is gone. why? >> well, it's a good question. obviously, the tilt within the republican party has moved to other regions of the country. and we, you know, we're a broad umbrella within the republican party. and president reagan espoused that when he became president as part of the coalitions. they built coalitions to get things done.

>> that doesn't happen anymore, does it? >> no it doesn't. you see the evaporation of republican representation throughout the northeast. some of that is coming back. at least moving in the right direction as opposed to the opposite direction in some ways. but it has evaporated. when i come to the senate, we had a centrist coalition. and i saw that, you know, of course with jim jeffords and arlen specter. and then when jim made the decision to become a democrat, i said to him, jim, what were those moderate lunches about every week? because we used to talk about our issues or our frustrations and we used to bond together as moderates and how to work together within the conference. and unfortunately, you know, that doesn't happen much anymore because there are so few on either side of the political aisle. we're seeing the elimination on both sides. that's why you are seeing the harsh lines of polarization and

partisanship unfold in the senate. and it does mirror the country. but i think that most americans -- americans i talk to in maine, across the country that i've traveled, they universally believe that the government should work and want it to work especially in these terrible times. >> when you see someone like richard murdouch, when he was asked what the definition of bipartisanship was. his answer was demthe krat when agree to republican policies. when you hear something like that, what do you think or feel? >> you think somehow you'll be able to persuade people of your point of view. the united states senate requires 60 votes. and since the inception of the cloture vote, it's only been seven times that one party has been filibuster-proof majority. so you have to ahave 60 votes.

until that happens, we have to figure a way to get by those differences. so that's the point. if they don't come your way, then what do you do? and that is what's disturbed me. we don't transcend those differences anymore. we don't get past them. >> mike barnacle, you are a good new england republican. for a lot of people born after 1960, they don't realize that john kennedy was the exception and not the rule in new england. but it wasn't just in the '40s and '50s when republicans ruled. i've got a pop quiz for you, mike. how many times in the '70s and '80s in presidential contests did democrats win in vermont, new hampshire, maine, or connecticut? >> i don't know the answer to that. >> they didn't win one time. republicans in the '70s and the '80s not so long ago swept

connecticut, vermont, new hampshire and maine. how much things have changed since the 1990s. >> well, i mean, to that point, joe, and to senator snowe's point, just in massachusetts, i mean you had republican governors frank sargent in the '70s. bill weld in the '80s. paul solucci, republican in the '90s. so senator snowe, i would like to ask you, dwhoot ywhat do you the future of the national republican party is? is it going to incorporate people like you? does it have room for people like you or is it just going to go the way indiana seems to have gone? >> well, i hope not. i hope there will be room and to tolerate the disagreements. president reagan espoused that as well. use the litmus test and those things that unite us as republicans. and those areas we disagree, let's agree to disagree. and that's not happening anymore. and it has to be tolerance for varying views, if you want to become a majority party in this country and sustain that

majority. and i think we have to demonstrate, do we have the ability to govern? if we capture the senate, for example, and the presidency, it's going to be very important to be able to demonstrate that and not just engage in ideological absolutes which is also happening. >> you know, when i was growing up, to be a senator, to be a united states senator was at least, on my block, i mean, it's one of the greatest honors you could have. people looked up and revered senators. now it's hard to find somebody that is serving in the u.s. senate who privately doesn't tell you when the camera is off what a miserable job it is because of the partisanship and because you can't get anything done. when did the -- when was there such a turn? you talk to governors that become senators. they can't leave fast enough. >> i know. because they are used to governing. they have to achieve results and

be practical. it evolved over -- evolving over the last decade but become more pronounced. and the senate is totally locked down now. we, on our side in the minority, we don't have the ability to have an open amendment process. in fact, you know, the current majority we have 59 times in which we've been denied the ability to have an open amendment process. on the other side we have cloture votes. so there's going to be some ability to reconcile on both sides to have communication. we don't deal with the big issues anymore. >> it is locked down. harry reid basically stopping anything from getting to the floor that might embarrass democrats. you have republicans filibustering or not allowing anything to go past a cloture vote. and we're on complete lockdown while greece melts down, while europe contagion sweeps across europe. i mean, we're not even having a discussion on simpson/bowles.

the democrats haven't put a budget out in over 1,000 days. nothing is happening. >> we're not doing the routine business. what would be the normal course of business on budget resolutions and appropriation bills, one of the last two years we didn't have any appropriation bills or a budget resolution for the first time in the history of the budget act for the united states senate. but you are absolutely right. we're not doing the routine business, let alone the major questions. we've relegated it all to lame-duck status. and people understand that. they understand what's going to happen to this country. the one word that people raised with me constantly is that they are fearful about the future. and they don't -- we should be in a position to exhibit that can-do spirit and get it done on taxes, on regulations, on a debt reduction passage, passing a budget. but we're not doing anything in the united states senate. >> how miserable is this lame duck going to be? >> it's going to be a very difficult one. every transformational issue that you can think of, and in a short period of time i've asked

the leadership why not lay the groundwork for tax reform now so we're prepared in the aftermath of the election to deal with these questions. but we're not doing anything in that regard to make it happen. >> did you ever think when you first got to the united states senate that a day would come that oren hatch was too liberal to be elected in a republican primary? >> no, no. >> can you believe that? >> no. >> orren hatch, a conservative champion for decades. >> i know. >> now it's orren hatch who may be thrown out in utah. >> it's interesting. i hope not. it's true. if you were to use the analysis of these ratings of a lot of conservatives wouldn't withstand that scrutiny today. i think that's just, you know, how it's all, you know, been distorted and perverted, frankly. and, unfortunately, it's a

reflection on what's happened in the united states senate. that we're not dealing with the major questions. and people know it. that's what we've got to return to. and rise to the occasion with the highest levels of leadership between the president and the legislative branch and address these mighty questions. i am on the finance committee. why aren't we dealing with tax reform? i've argued this since the president became president and in february of '09, regulatory reform. we've denied all of these issues to be addressed in the senate and forfeited our ability to lead the country. >> mike barnacle, we're talking a lot about the republican party but the center is being hollowed out also in the democratic party as well. you look at a hero like bob kurrkur kerrey, a moderate who worked with allan simpson. a guy who gave bill clinton's people a lot of pressure on fiscal issues. the second he announced he was running for senator again out in

kansas, or nebraska, he got absolutely destroyed by the left online. some horrible things said about him. it seems like in this new political culture, there's very little room for centrists. >> you know what's interesting about it, and listening to senator snowe, it might bear this out. anecdotally as the senate and the house, as congress itself, retreats into ideological corners, it seems that they are completely unaware of the fact that the country is really not in an ideological corner. if you go to portland, maine, or lincoln, nebraska, and senator snowe goes home roegularly. she's in touch with her constituency on a regular basis. people know instinctively they couldn't lead their lives and do their jobs that they have and operate efficiently in the way the senate and the house operate. they couldn't do it. you have to get along with your neighbor. you have to get along with your employer.

you have to get along with your family. but somehow this thing is really gone off the trolley tracks and the country itself is paying the price, as senator snowe can attest to. >> mike is absolutely right about that. there's a total detachment and disconnect from the real world and what average people are experiencing. and that's what i heard repeatedly as i have traveled. and i still don't understand why it doesn't resonate in washington and in congress in the house of congress to do something about it. people are suffering. they are experiencing real hardship. and we're not grappling with the questions that could turn this economy around. that's why you are having this sub par economic growth. these messaging amendments they talk about in the united states senate. talk about messaging amendments? messaging amendment doesn't put food on the table, doesn't elevate your wages, doesn't create a job or lower gasoline prices. it's all about the next election. we've been all about the next election since the last

election. it's true. i mean there was no difference between campaigning and governing anymore. and yet people are out there experiencing significant financial hardship and they don't understand how it can be so broken in washington. >> can i have a dissenting opinion here? i think a lot of the problem is that, you know, the minority party doesn't want to concede a victory to the president. and democrats during this election. and i take -- i agree with you that there's ideological encampment on both sides, but it's unfair to say there hasn't been anything introduced to stimulate job control. there's been a list of things introduced. some would have been utterly uncontroversial in years past but it's been stymied in this congress. how can we do things like transportation investments when there's been a basically filibuster on any additional spending. >> first of all, you have to work it out in communication with both leaders, and i think that that's always important.

i think the second part of the question is that it's got to involve presidential leadership as well on some of the overarching issues. that's when i urged president obama early on in his administration. adopt the reagan model of leadership. engage the congress and bipartisan leadership to get this done for the good of the country. there's blame to be shared and assumed on both sides. there's no doubt about that. but it's something that the leaders have to work out within the chambers, and with the president of the united states. this is the agenda. identify it at the outset of the congress and hit the ground running. the debt ceiling is a good example of that. that elevated the fear to a new level. in fact it was a study that was done that underscored that. of all the events that have occurred over the past 20 years it was the debt ceiling fiasco that enhanced the fear the greatest among the american people. they thought -- it was political and financial brinksmanship at

its worst. >> that was awful. i hated it. >> the answer to your question was, no, you can't have a dissenting opinion. thank you, senator, for being here. thank you for your service. we wish you were staying, but we understand why you need to go. coming up news, developments in the phone hacking scandal. one of the big players and who is involved got hit with charges of a cover-up. we've got a live report coming in from london next on "morning joe." [ mechanical humming ] [ male announcer ] we began with the rx. ♪ then we turned the page, creating the rx hybrid. ♪ now we've turned the page again with the all-new rx f sport. ♪

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british prosecutors this morning announce that rebeckah broo brooks, the former news international chief and close confidante of rupert murdoch is among seven people being charged with obstructing justice in the phone hacking scandal. nbc's stephanie gosk is live with us from london with the very latest. stephanie, get us up to date. >> good morning, joe. it's not just rebekah brooks but also her husband charlie brooks. they've been charged with the british equivalent to obstruction of justice, essentially concealing evidence from the police. documents, computers, other electronic devices. and they could now face a criminal trial. these are the first criminal

charges in this scandal since it exploded last summer. there's been an ongoing criminal investigation since january. in response in the charges, rebekah brooks and her husband rl released a statement and called them not only unjust but weak. >> what is the impact of all of this, stephanie? what do observers in london think the impact of this will be on rupert murdoch and his mammoth media empire? >> well, we have to see what happens in the criminal trial and whether they are actually found guilty of these charges. one thing it really points out, joe, is the aftermath of this scandal continued to unfold in the country. you have several different prongs of inquiry and investigations. you have the levinson inquiry, the wider look into politics and this country as a whole. the criminal investigation and there could still be more criminal charges. this is about a cover-up. still are pending charges on

hacking as well as bribery of police officials. and then you also have the parliamentary report which was released a couple of weeks ago that declared rupert murdoch unfit to lead his corporation. his shareholders disagree. they say that's basically a partisan report. this continues to unfold. and the headlines continue to appear in papers here and that could only just chip away at image -- at rupert murdoch's image. >> finally, stephanie, the most important question. has london, in fact, all of the united kingdom, have they gotten over man city's huge last-second victory? oh, my god. >> well, i have to tell you, i'm not a big soccer fan, but that goal was unbelievable. i mean, you couldn't help but watch it and it almost brings a tear to your eye. they are very happy in manchester. that's for sure. >> at least in one half of manchester. >> thank you, stephanie, so much for xhoog giving us the update this morning on some breaking news in great britain.

that could impact rupert murdoch's media empire across the globe. coming up next, jpmorgan faces its shareholders this morning. could its ceo jamie dimon face a pay cut? let me answer that. no. business before the bell coming up next. [ male announcer ] this is the at&t network.

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sven's home security gets the most rewards of any small business credit card! how does this thing work? oh, i like it! [ garth ] sven's small business earns double miles on every purchase, every day! woo-hoo!!! so that's ten security gators, right? put them on my spark card! why settle for less? testing hot tar... great businesses deserve the most rewards! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? here's your invoice. jpmorgan is one of the best managed banks there is. jamie dimon, the head of it is one of the smartest bankers we've got. and they still lost $2 billion and counting. precisely because they were making bets in these derivative markets. we don't know all the details yet.

it's going to be investigated. but this is why we passed wall street reform. >> time to get a check on business before the bell with cnbc's brian schactman live at the new york mercantile exchange. brian, jamie dimon, the question being asked right now. we asked it in the tease and then i answered it. i really need to stop doing that. will jamie dimon's salary get chopped? i don't think so. but maybe i'm wrong. >> well, he's slated to make about $23 million this year, joe. and he's the top dog on wall street. a lot of people think that maybe if he did, that old $1 salary for the year thing it would be great for pr. who knows what will happen. they have their shareholder meeting in florida today. we'll start to learn more about what's going on with him and if they'll try to take the chairmanship away. >> is it safe to say jamie dime son still the most power of, most revered guy on wall street? >> absolutely. he was fuming. he knows his credibility was

hurt. he can no longer be, and you guys had a really good conversation on this. he really can't be the lead spokesperson against regulation now and that's a major problem for him. he was livid and heads are already rolling. the bottom line is about a month ago at the height of his rhetoric against regulation he was asked is he still a democrat. he said yes, but barely. and i like the conversation you had about the window here for obama because i think that he can curry some favor here if he toes the line in just the right way. and jpmorgan and jamie dimon, of course, they are taking a major pr hit. they aren't going to lose a lot of money overall because they are so huge, but it is a stain. >> brian, let me move you along to the headlines not only across america but the world. ft talks about how there is a faith fades in the firewall. contagion fears hitting the markets not only across europe but also across asia. this meltdown in greece.

irresponsibility and the politicians' irresponsibility in putting together a winning coalition is really going to have an impact that could reach across europe and into france and the united states. >> listen, it's a mess and a lot of people think that greece will be gone from the you're pope with our markets, you can't talk about decoupling. but it's more about the market sentiment that's a problem. there's fear, contagion in the banks. they really started to protect themselves. i want to say quickly, germany had surprising growth in the last quarter. so the eurozone avoiding technical recession. but the bottom line, not so great when you think about germany as carrying the entire region on its back. >> no doubt. they continue to do that. brian schactman, thanks so much. we'll look foafford to seeing y on set soon. coming up next, we've got the headlines from the west coast when "morning joe" returns.

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all right. here's a quick headline from the west coast papers. "los angeles times" governor jerry brown released his plan to disclose california's rapidly growing deficit. includes a four-day workweek for some state workers, slashing welfare and health care benefits and cutting millions of dollars from state colleges. brown warns the deficit could grow signif capitally if voters reject his proposed tax increases. >> i like the idea of a four-day

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opening line. maybe the funniest opening line in a decade. what did you learn today? >> when presented the chance to ask secretary vilsack a question, eugene robinson wants to know about high-end arugula. >> straight out of 1988 when dukakis told iowa farmers they should start planting belgian endives. >> i learned that without people like olympia snowe, moderates in the republican party are truly an endangered species. >> how great she is if you want the republican party to be a national party. a lot of people don't. willie, what did you learn? >> chris matthews' answer to alec trebek is gary powers. >> what is the name? >> francis gary powers. >> if it's way too early, what time is it? >> stick around now for chuck. bain pain. that's the name of the game. right now for president obama's