of course, there's the added complication that if, you know, mitch mcconnell loses the senate majorityens, the likelihood of republicans losing the senate majority goes up. and in that case, then, you know, then democrats have to make a decision. do they allow a confirmation vote on obama's nominee or think they can do better under president clinton? i think that's unlikely. i think that they would probably jump at the chance to nominate president obama's -- excuse me, confirm president obama's justice whenever they get the chance. but there's a lot of different ways this could go. >> bob lives in oxford, pennsylvania, independent line. hi. >> caller: good morning. and thank you for c-span. i watch you regular and i think it's one of the best shows on television. my thing is, it's the law. it's in the constitution. that the president that's in office at that time has every right to nominate a judge in a vacancy. i've called my senator toomey and told him that he put his hand on the bible and swore to uphold the constitution and that constitution says that the president has the right. a

allow that. >> and earlier this morning i was joined by the republican senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell. senator mcconnell, welcome back to "meet the press," sir. >> good morning. glad to be with you. >> i want to start with something you said in 2008 about judicial vacancies. here it is. >> our democratic colleagues continually talk about the so-called thurmond rule under which the senate supposedly stops confirming judges in a presidential election year. it's a seeming obsession with this rule that doesn't exist. it's just an excuse for our colleagues to run out the clock on qualified nominees who are waiting to fill badly-needed vacancies. >> senator mcconnell, i started my interview with harry reid with a similar quote from him essentially you guys have changed places in your position on supreme court vacancies. and it seems to me the only difference is the political party affiliation of the white house. >> well, there was no supreme court vacancy in 2008. that's what we're talking about here, chuck. you have to go back 80 years to find the last time a vacancy on the supreme court c

mitch mcconnell has said no hearing at all. >> mitch mcconnell has said a lot of things but his republicanover that cliff with him. they're not going to do it. i said this is going to break, you're going to become a supreme court justice. in addition to the people agreeing to meet, we have republican senators, senators that are veterans senators saying maybe what we should do is do it in the lame duck. orrin hatch, lindsey graham -- >> four years from now if you're in the fourth year of a republican presidency, you don't think the democrats should do whatever it takes to prevent that republican president from appointing a supreme court justice in a presidential year before the election? >> not only do i think they shouldn't do it, they wouldn't do it. whoever is elected president has -- is elected for four years. obama was elected for four years. he filled that duty he had to the american people. he was re-elected. he has an obligation to do his job for four years, not three years. senators have an obligation to do their constitutional duty -- >> do you blame republicans though for wanting

>> mitch mcconnell has said a lot of things. his republican senators are not going to go over that cliff with him. they're not going to do it. as i told merrick garland, you're going to become a supreme court justice. in addition to people agreeing to meet, we have republican senators, senators who are veteran senators, saying maybe the lame duck. orren hatch, lindsey graham. if you're going to do it in a lame duck, do it now. >> four years from now, if you're in the fourth year of a republican presidency, you don't think the democrats should do whatever it takes to prevent that republican president from appointing a supreme court justice in a presidential year before the election? >> not only do i think they shouldn't do it, they wouldn't do it. whoever is elected president is elected for four years. obama was elected for four years. he filled that duty he had to the american people. he was reelected. he has an obligation to do his job for four years, not three years. senators have an obligation to do their constitutional duty

they're the kind of people who keep voting mitch mcconnell to the senate essentially. there is an establishment republican base in louisville, the mcconnell kind of people. my guess is a lot of them went for rubio opposed to cruz or trump. >> the old republicans from the civil war drights days, they're ideal logs. heidi, i would love to know where those people are voting today, born republican, almost like what religion you are, you vote that way because it's family tradition. those republicans i know still exist. where are they voting? >> i think they're voting for ted cruz. ted cruz started early on, according to evangelical voters. i think what we're starting to see is even though he face flopped in a lot of the southern states, he's going to make the argument looking at kansas and potentially here a strong showing in kentucky to the point where donald trump is -- we're all watching him, kind of holding back and feeling like he's maybe not going to take this state. that's a surprise. so i think they're basically coming back to cruz, maybe unifying somewhat as well wi

it's can mitch mcconnell keep a united front. mark kirk in illinois say, we can meet with him, kelly ayotte, vulnerable new hampshire in 2016 say i'll meet with him but i'm not comfortable with a vote. you'll see some of those folks, ron johnson of wisconsin, some of these people, rob portman who are in races in swing states -- >> ted strickland won big in ohio. rob portman has a race on his hands. >> the real dividing line is will you see a bunch of senate republicans call for confirmation hearings or vote, i'm still skeptical. >> chuck grassley do? he is up. he has to think about a general election now. >> he does have to worry about a general election but you don't want to hurt all your base. so i think grassley will stay put. this is a base election for both sides. and i don't think garland will bring out those activists in any way, shape or form on either side. that's probably a good thing. some people care about process, not many voters. they care more about bigger issues. this is not going to be about the supreme court. th

i do not dislike mitch mcconnell , i don't have patriots in my whole body against mitch mcconnell. a part of allowing people like trump to be around. because of what they have done, there's tremendous concern by the american people. they think the system is broken. it is broken. i have hope that the next congress can be better. it will only come back if there soa return to collegiality that we can get done. right now, there is a path of getting nothing done. >> to think there is a place for moderates in the republican party today? ied a lotave primar of them. moderates.go to the one said to tip o'neill, i'm going to start a hispanic caucus. he said, are you going to meet in a phone booth? boothter be a small phone because they don't have anybody to fill it right now. i would say a few things, we got a lot done. >> ferry productive. -- very productive. sen. reid: the first congress of obama, the best ever. we had a lot of people to work .ith right now, you have to search hard. thank you so much for your comments. i think we have time for questions. .dentify yourself sen. reid: after

merrick garland this week to be his nomination to replace antonin scalia, republican senate leader mitch mcconnell immediately announced that republicans would not even give garland a hearing. mcconnell said the choice should be made by the next president. democratic senate leader harry reid immediately criticized senate was abdicating its responsibilities. i spoke to both mitch mcconnell and harry reid. i began with a conversation with senator reid that took place yesterday. let me start with a piece of sound on judges that you said over ten years ago. let me play it and get you to react on the other side. >> the duties of the united states senate are set forth in the constitution of the united states. nowhere in that document does it say it has a duty to approve nominees. >> the senate's constitutional duty to give a fair and timely hearing and a floor vote to the president's supreme court nominees is invileable. which is it? what is changed since 2005 when yoyosaid there is nothing in the constitution that said a vote, toto2016? >> this is the same thing as you talk about, the biden rule. there

that was mitch mcconnell in 1990. n 2005 he, said, our job is to react to that nomination in a respectful and dignified fashion. at the end of the process, to give that person an up or down vote. as all nominees who have majority support have gotten throughout the history of the country. i'm trying to figure out, what has changed? representative beatty. mrs. beatty: thank you so much, congressman jeffries. hearing you quote those things, three things come to mind. first, let me say that congressman steny hoyer was absolutely right when he said this issue of not filling the vacancy is not related to only one group. so i want to say, after hearing from you've said and many others of our members of the congressional black caucus, it's important for us to know why we are calling on the senate republicans to do their job. and that's because we are the voice for those who are not often represented. we are the voice for those when you talk about issues related to women and women's rights, when you talk to or about issues tha

i spoke to both mitch mcconnell and harry reid. began with a conversation with senator reid that took place yesterday. let me start with a piece of sound on judges that you said over ten years ago. let me play it and get you to react on the other side. >> the duties of the united states senate are set forth in the constitution of the united states. nowhere in that document does it say it has a duty to approve nominees. >> the senate's constitutional duty to give a fair and timely hearing and a floor vote to the president's supreme court nominees is invileable. which is it? what is changed since constitution that said a vote, to 2016? >> this is the same thing as you talk about, the biden rule. there is no biden rule. what happened then was worked out. it was an effort to try to get something done. what i have tried to do during my entire career in congress and in the senate is to get rid of obstruction. and what we found the last eight years especially with republicans, boehner first, mcconnell, is everything was obstructed. that w

mitch mcconnell, orrin hatch, those two senators in particular have to take the flack. cause when kirk has got to say something like this, and he can let mcconnell take the flack. they're going to play this game where some will act independent, but say oh, it's mitch mcconnell's fault. so they're going to play a game where it's shifting, saying, you know, man up and vote. but i'm sorry, my leader won't let me do it. >> that's what you were talking about, perry. at the end of the day, the thing mitch mcconnell wants most is to remain senate majority leader. he cares about that more than the presidential race. so the best thing for republicans to do is what? is it to play mitch mcconnell as the pin cushion, but in their own states, say they're open to the nomination? >> i think what you and mark said is perfect. of you can sort of pretend to be faux outraged about how we're not having a vote and i want to have a vote. and i'm not sure -- i don't know mark kirk so i shouldn't question his sincerity. but i do think it's easy to be out there saying. also, another thing is the

bill: have you spoken to mitch mcconnell and chuck grassley? yes, and we are sticking to our plan, the plan we outlined a few weeks ago. bill: do you know what was discussed two weeks ago when mcconnell and grassley weren't to meet with the president? >> i'm not certain what was discussed. i had a brief conversation with senator mcconnell afterwar i believe senator mcconnell communicated again the message we communicated in recent weeks. bill: does your position of no, and if the committee continues along that line, what is the impact on the chances of half a dozen republican senators up for reelection in november, what does it do to their campaigns? >> what i heard from most of them so far, perhaps all of them, they understand the need to do this. they understand it's not an easy thing to do, but sometimes this job isn't about being easy. it's about standing behind what we believe is the right thing to do. bill: the white house referred to justice kennedy in the 1980s when president ray began was in his second term. the bruising battle with ro

first, mitch mcconnell junz me from louisville. senator, support for your hard line on the garland nomination seems to be breaking half a dozen republican senators have now said they're going to meet with garland and late this week illinois senator mark kirk said this just man up and cast a it's been only four days and it seems like your ranks are breaking, sir. >> senator kirk is a terrific senator. he's going to be re-elected in november. i think what we need to focus on is the principle, the principle. who ought to make this appointment? you have to go back 80 years the last time a vacancy on the supreme court created in a presidential election year was filled. you have to go back to 1888 when grover cleveland was in the white house to find the last time when a vacancy was created in a presidential year, a senate controlled about it party opposite the president confirmed. the senate has a role to play here. the president nominates, we decide to confirm. we think the important principle in the middle of this presidential election

almost immediately the republican senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said no dice.alk to our legal panel what it means to cases before the current supreme court. >>> governor john case sick holding a -- john kasich holding a rally in pennsylvania after win had his home state state of ohio. we'll talk about kasich's possible path to convention battle ahead. >>> hillary clinton had a big night last night winning primaries in florida, illinois and north carolina and ohio. looks like she might have won missouri although remains too close to call. we'll talk about what it means to her race and look at the democratic nominating process overall coming up on "happening now." andrea: big use indeed. thanks, jon. >> hillary clinton crushing the competition last night. she is using her victory speech to pivot to the general election and taking on gop front-runner donald trump. let's watch this. >> when we hear a candidate for president call for rounding up 12 million immigrants, banning all muslims from entering the united states. [booing] when he embraces torture, that doesn'

majority leader mitch mcconnell says there is absolutely no chance the candidate will get a hearing. john terret joins us from washington, d.c, john senate republicans are leaving no room for negotiation. >> you know what, toant, there really aren't, good evening live from washington, d.c. i think there's too much at stake with a four-four court as we have at the moment. the republicans are adamant they reject the nominee, nothing personal, the fact that the nomination has been made by this president. no confirmation hearing for him they say. a highl highly respected and wel publicized d.c. jurist. >> president obama stared down his republican opponents announcing a nominee to replace antonin scalia who died last month. >> a selected nominee who is widely recognized not only as one of america's sharpest legal minds but someone who brings to his work a spirit of decency, modesty, integrity, even hand heness and excellence. >> 63-year-old plarld is chief6d is chief judge on the washington, d.c. circuit known in legal circuits as the nation'nation's second highest . a job he has held 19

how do you get mitch mcconnell to save -- >> i think you go to mitch mcconnell on hand and knee and say could cause my defeat. let's at least have a hearing, and if we vote no, we vote no. the problem with that is, it's going to be -- with this nominee, the president was very, very smart. with this nominee, it's going to be hard for them to figure out a reason to vote no. and what's interesting is, he's gotten broad support among democrats, even sort of the very, very progressive-type blogs have been quite positive about him today. so you have the democratic base behind this guy. you have the republican electorate saying, have a hearing. you have toomey stuck. he's going to have to go to mcconnell and say, we've got to have a hearing. >> you know -- >> and not just toomey. toomey as an example. today ayotte was one of those six senators who said, at least i'll sit down and talk with him. >> that's smarter. >> first step. >> by the way, when you talk about the net roots on the left, you've pointed out the fact that sometimes the hardest people to please are those on your side philosophic

within minutes majority leader mitch mcconnell was on the floor of the senate.re will be no hearing. republicans who think the next president will be a republican want their man to choose a successor. >> it seems clear that president obama made this nomination not -- not with the intent of seeing the nominee confirmed but in order to politicize it for purposes of the election. >> reporter: in other words, if the senate doesn't give garland a confirmation hearing, it will become a 2016 campaign issue, and a very big stick for the democrats to hit the republicans with. indeed and the president is urging the senate to spending its two-week recess, which begins today thinking seriously about the ramifications. if they don't offer a fair hearing and up or down vote. >> has there been any softening at all, since this announcement yesterday? >> well, the white house certainly things so. a list of names coming up now. chuck grassley of iowa very powerful member of the judiciary committee, he has said he is prepared to meet with the judge after the recess is over, if som

what puzzles me about this, is if i were mitch mcconnell or advising mitch mcconnell, i would say i gethe politics. have the hearing, and then vote against him. >> but at least have the hearing. and if you can't get the majority of senators to vote against him, you couldn't be majority leader. and the president himself talked about institutions today, that really does undermine the institutions which are essential for our country to function. >> this is the job of the president. >> and the job of the senate -- >> to have the hearing. thank you very much. >> my pleasure. >>> underwater with no relief in sight. communities in texas and louisiana brace for more rain. >> we're here to fully get into the nuances of everything that's going on, not just in this country, but around the world. getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> ali velshi on target. >>> today this is what it looks like along interstate 10 in texas. it is shut down because of the flooding of the main river. residents used sandbags to try to keep flood waters out of their homes

"we hope the saner heads in the republican mitch mcconnell to do their job. if merrick garland can't get bipartisan support, then nobody can." garland's nomination -- if confirmed -- would shift the balance of the court's leaning for the first time in decades. we want to get another check on this morning's forecast. frank joins us with ahead. now that not one... but two polar bears were not were they were supposed to be at the cincinnati zoo. berit and little one took advantage of an open door wednesday morning, making their way into a hallway behind the exhibit. they were found in a "behind the scenes" area. zoo officials say that area was secure, though guests were asked to move inside or leave the park as a precaution. those living near the zoo expressed some concerns. "my first reaction was that i'm glad i don't let my cat outside. cuz it's just that's kind of frightening to think that you could just come home and there walking in your front yard" no one... including the bears... were hurt. the bears are expected to be back on exhibit by tomorrow. happeni

whoever that might be. >> senator mitch mcconnell from kentucky. back to andrea mitchell. you were saying? >> i was saying that first of all, senators on the republican side are going to have to think about what would a president hillary clinton do and whom would she nominate. who would donald trump nominate among those senators who are not supporting donald trump, and others who are very concerned about a ted cruz presidency. if he becomes the nominee and were to win the election. the other thing is that the white house is mobilizing. now, it may be fruitless, as kelly o'donnell was certainly w hillary clinton do and whom should she nominate. who would donald trump nominate among those senators who are not supporting donald trump and others who are very concerned about a ted cruz presidency, if he becomes the nominee and were to win the election. the other thing is that the white house is mobilizing. it may be fruitless as kelly o'donnell is certainly reporting, but they're thinking at any rate they could get a lame duck session. a lame duck session after november or even

mitch mcconnell laid out the battleground again today not that it wasn't laid out before, but it was laid down most emphatically today on the floor of the senate. here's more of what he has to say. >> the american people are perfectly capable of having their say, their say on this issue. so let's give him a voice. you let's let the american people decide. the senate will consider the matter when it looks at the next president nominee. >> of course this has ramifications for the white house in 2016. should it turn out that the republicans deny the nomination, a hearing and never release a confirmation hearing then i for the nomination leading up to the election. >> how are they reacting to the announcement. >> our blackberries lit up. here is planned parenthood, judge garland is a competent judge who has secured bipartisan support. now that the president has upheld his constitutional duty it's time for the senate to up hold theirs. here is the national rifle association, americans need need a president who will nominate a justice who will support the second amendment. and from patrick

i spoke with mitch mcconnell today. we had a great conversation.have to bring our party together. >> i have to thank the people of the great state of ohio. i love ya. >> reporter: governor john kasich got his first win of the campaign, taking his home state. he noted the contrast between his tone and trump's. >> i want to remind you again tonight that i will not take the low road to the highest job in the land. >> reporter: but there are not enough delegates left for him to win the nomination, and his only hope is that trump falls short and the republican party has a brokered convention. marco rubio had hoped to have that role himself, but got walloped by trump. and with that, the florida senator announced he was suspending his campaign. still amist the hometown support, he chastised the republican party. democrat bernie sanders did not get shut out tuesday night. he picked up delegates even in the states he lost, and he pledged to keep his progressive campaign going. >> the reason that we have defied all expectations is that we are doing something

in the meantime, i want to bring you up to date on what mitch mcconnell had to say in a certain phone call with donald trump. yeah, they did touch base, but i'm not sure if it was the kind of touching base that donald trump welcomed. that's after this. ♪ ♪ (cell phone rings) where are you? well the squirrels are back in the attic. mom? your dad won't call an exterminator... can i call you back, mom? he says it's personal this time... if you're a mom, you call at the worst time. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. where are you? it's very loud there. are you taking a zumba class? because you can't beat zero heartburn! i take prilosec otc each morning for my frequent heartburn ahhh the sweet taste of victory! prilosec otc. one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. frodoers don't stop. wake up, every day is a chance to do something great. and for the ones they love, they'd do anything. sears optical has glasses made for doing. right now, buy one pair and get another free. quality eyewear for doers.