he is addressing the american conservative union. nald trump's vp pick, of course, playing the role of attack dog this afternoon. let's listen in for just a bit. >> they handed me a card about what to say, we needed a bridge or a road, or something about indiana. that we could put in a press release, and i turned to that young lady over there, and i said, you know, this man is are the reason why i became a republican. and i would just like to say something from my heart and my wife, as she always does, just tell them what's on your heart. so i sat down, it's in the blue room. i sat down across from the president for all the world, i felt like i was talking to mt. rushmore. i was a little nervous. but i collected myself and president graciously asked as the cameras were clicking, he said, he said, mike, how's the campaign going? and i said, well, it's going fine, but i've got something i'd like to say. and he said, well say it. and i said, mr. president, i would just like to thank you for everything you've done for this country. and ev

dan snyder with the american conservative union. ell us a little bit about yourself and your background and the american can there be union in this debate. you have to push the button. >> dan snyder, executive director for the american conservative union. we have been long supporters of criminal justice reform. rather than going through the history right now, i want to ask a question and then make an assertion or two. not everybody in this room is a conservative. i assume is that some liberals and moderates and conservatives. i hope we can all agree on the proposition that incarcerating people is a bad thing. ..

. >> thanks.in dan with the american conservative union tell us about yourself and your background and the involvement. >> and the executive director of the american conservative union. we have been part of criminal justice reform back rather than going through that history i will ask a question then make the assertion. not everybody in this room is a conservative by trust. i assume we have liberals and moderates but i hope we can all agree on the proposition that incarcerating people is a top bad thing. incarcerating people deprives them of their liberty. issued be used only as a last resort that the american conservative union we stand that the central role of the federal government is to protect life and liberty and property so if we deprive people of their liberty a better be for a very, veryry good reason.tter it better be f pat should be sitting in this seat he had food poisoning so i am sitting here instead be coins the phrase which to put people in prison we are afraid of not people that we are mad at. so many of our laws are directed at people we don't like or we are mad at no

>> dan snyder, executive director for the american conservative union. we have been long supporters of criminal justice reform. rather than going through the history right now, i want to ask a question and then make an assertion or two. not everybody in this room is a conservative. i assume is that some liberals and moderates and conservatives. i hope we can all agree on the proposition that incarcerating people is a bad thing. .. so many of our laws today are directed at people we don't like or metadata, not people we are afraid of. i used to practice law years and years ago. when i was in law school taking my criminal justice, or rather i criminal law required for graduation i was taught to things. what is a crime? that's the first question we have to answer in class. i suspect most of the people in this room may not know what a crime is. but i was taught that a crime is what the statute says is a crime. that's not true today. there are lots and lots of things that are crimes that have nothing to do with statues. the second thing i was taught in law sch

and if he's anything like the speech he delivered to the american conservative union earlier this weekhe will hit a home run. maria: you have got newt gingrich, what will you be looking for tonight? is there a theme? obviously make america first again. what do you want to see from these speeches to make it seem like it will resonate with the voter? >> i want to hear what eric trump has to say. i have listened to these trump grown children give their remarks about their father. i know a lot of them have dontell vision interviews. but more americans are watching them, they humanize their dad. these kids talking about their dad, that's the most important success. the other speech that's critically important is newt gingrich. making the case to the rest of these republicans who might be recalcitrant, time to get on board. nobody has the rhetorical flair like newt gingrich. >> i agree the best calling card donald trump has in terms of connecting with average voter is his children. i hope they continue the success they have had at this convention. maria: i know you agree donald trump, jr. ro

conservative values. clearly his running mate believes in it and making the case in front of the american conservative union. >> yeah, that is right, jon. what we saw was by far the best speech that anyone delivered at the consxrengz i don't understand why mike pence is not delivering that in prime time, he is be. that's why donald trump choice mike pence. he is a reagan style. mike pence talks in a soft assuring and comforting tone and he understands how to use a microphone, and compare that to rudy guiliani, the traditional way politicians yelling up to the the rafters. mike pence is thoughtful and reassuring and reaganesque and that is the balance that donald trump sees and brings to the campaign. >> so is it helping mike pence's presence on donald trump's ticket. >> what we saw, it has the potential to help. mike pence can do more than just appeal to the base. because there are certainly a lot of swing voters, reagan democrats that are going to be receptive to the message that mike pence delivered. he has to be given a platform and the leash to go ahead and make that appeal. i was surplied. a lot of the

amy: talk about the american conservative union confederation event tuesdaday night. >> the american conservrvative unioion had a a conversatation t whether conservatives would be supporting trump. pence showed up as a surprise keynoter, telling cononrvatives at the primaries were over and it was time to get in line and he alsohim, and tried to convince them that trump opposite good man he used that phrase a lot of times in his speech, this good man. amy: explained governor pence's involvement with what is called the religious freedomm rerestoration act, seen as a yor sleep anti-lgbtq law -- seen as anti-lgbtq law that he signed on. >> it is a law he signed last spring, an effort to pass the state laws that would rereally give special legal protection to anti-lgbt discrimination, would allow business owners and other to claim religious exemption from nondiscrimination laws. ofsigned it with a lot religious leaders around him. they were very happy. but there was huge backlash led by the business community. he was forced to sign an amendment to that law that said it be used to discrimin

lou: joining us now chairman of the american conservative union matt schlapp and sarah westwood. there was not much there. i don't believe that donald trump thinks in any way she would make a good president, do you? >> no i would know i would agree with that statement. donald trump is trying to make this election on everything that they need. the democratic party that doesn't even work its own voters. they have to have super delegates superdelegates do it for them. they haven't lot of ammunition. you couldn't have asked for a better setup. hillary clinton to get off unscathed from the fbi right before the convention. i don't know about you i'm so excited to be in cleveland next week. and to watch what is going to unfold. how about you. >> we've made our republican conventions so the nilla and sennosides they are impossible to watch. usually the speeches are edited. we move way to the middle. they are terrible shows. i am excited about the fact that it seems like the people around him realize they have to make it real and they want people to tune in and besides that the activists

prize fighters case the ring on the nights of a big bout, pence showed in remarks to the american conservative union in cleveland yesterday that he, too, will take it to the opposition, albeit in his more restrained way. >> the agenda of barack obama and hillary clinton has weakened america's place in the world and stifled our nation's economy, so we must decide, here and now that hillary clinton will never become president. >> i think the charge against hillary clinton will be prosecuted every day by trump u. but i think what mike pence does is follow behind and fill in with some of the details. >> i really have to say, martha, if this is an unconventional ticket, it's just one more unconventional feature of an unconventional cycle. back to you. >> and you, james rosen, are no negotiati negitism. >> you cannot believe you pulled that out, you snob, you. >> all right. welcome back with this convention planners said to be planning something new this time around, but there's something a little bit strange in the air they never expected here in cleveland. oh, boy, i hope i don't catch this. we'll tell

later -- >> mike pence, presumptive republican vice presidential nominee speaking at the american conservative union here in ohio making the case for donald trump. you know, sam, we're talking to sam for the trump campaign, national campaign, co-chairman, it was interesting, he's going to be officially nominated tomorrow night. speeches mentioning him, videos, and last night, barely heard his name mentioned. did you notice that? >> i did notice that. i was pretty -- it got off to a a roaring start there. i will tell ya, very emotional, and i think that the speech that marcus gave, and it's because i know marcus and that's probably one of the reasons that it affected me so, and it set the tone for me for the rest of the night. i was really anticipating really gang busters evening. i was not disappointed. i think they really blew the doors off of the place, and i felt that dave clark, sheriff dave clark, was just spectacular in his articulation of the case he made, and finally, melania, and not to diminish any of the other speakers. you know, my good friends up on the stage last night, too, joni ernst

the reaction there in cleveland? >> reporter: good afternoon, shannon. among conservatives it's overall been fairly positive. governor mike pence has served in congress, during his time there has a perfect score from the american conservative union planned parenthood, curbs on abortion, certainly an attempt to try to mollify those in the republican party who say donald trump isn't conservative enough. we ran into a number of republican voters just before the announcement was made and talked to them on whether or not they thought mike pence would be a good decision, and many said they thought it would be a good idea. >> i'm excited. he's an old friend of mine. he's somebody who probably has the most integrity of anybody in america that i know. he's a hard worker. he's from the midwest. i think he's a great pick for donald trump. >> i think that would be an excellent pick because he's midwestern. he has great common sense values, midwestern values. i think he would be a wonderful pair together, the personalities will blend nicely together. i think it's wonderful. i think if donald trump chooses him, everyone will back that up. >> reporter: trump and pence have had their differences. pence is a long time supporter of free trade agr

now we're going to hear from mike pence, donald trump's running mate when he addresses the american conservative unional edition of "andrea mitchell reports" reports. make sure to tune in tonight for complete prime time coverage of the republic national convention starting at 7:00 eastern and follow us on facebook and twitter and right now, craig melvin is right here next to me in cleveland, craig, take it away. >> great to see you, thank you very much. >>> hey everyone, i'm craig melvin live at the corner alley in cleveland, ohio. day two of the republican national convention. we are in for a bumpy ride. today on msnbc, crisis control and turmoil for team trump. everyone still talking about melania trump's big rnc opening night speech and how strikingly similar it was to another aspiring first lady's debut convention speech in 2008. >> to know to the only limit to the height of your achievement -- >> the know that the only limit to your achievement -- >> is the reach of your dream -- >> is the strength of your dreams and -- >> your willingness to work for hard them. >> and your williss

and ben domenech is the publisher of the federalist and matt schlapp is with the american conservative union. mike pence is now on the ticket, what does that mean? >> it is a good thing for donald trump in general. this is a guy who has been in washington, so he is respected by a lot of the leaders that donald trump still needs to reassure out. there he is a evangelical christian. this is a community that donald trump really needs to get 0 to come out and vote for him this fall. he is a policy guy, ran the republican study committee which is something that is really valued by a lot of people out there who care about conservative policy and he is just an articulate guy as well too, he will be across donald trump's message. then a lot of people i have talked to go through that list of qualifications and note that that is quite different than donald trump. is this a sign of the -- coalition or a march that might have some difficulty staying together? >> i think it is an attempt on the part of the trump campaign to form lies him as a candidate and a direct geographic play to compete in the midwe

chairman of the american conservative union, how are you doing, matt and good afternoon to you. >> i have to interrupt you in a moment if clinton starts there. >> sure. >> in the meantime, is this poll significant or is it just another one along the road? >> when you look at these ballots, the trump versus clinton number, i think what you can say we look at this poll and all polls it's a very winnable race for these candidates, the one thing we see, hillary clinton can't get over 50, any poll. it shows you that she's having trouble sealing the deal even when trump goes way off the tracks like he has in the last four weeks. i think it shows you that when it comes to the negative, although donald trump does have high negatives, she has very high negatives for someone who has been in politics for so long, married to bill clinton, two-term president. her negatives are very high -- >> go ahead. does she need barack obama now? >> yes, she needs barack obama for a couple of reasons. number one, one of the things this poll shows, bill, there's not a lot of energy for bill clinton. democrats s

dan schneider with the american conservative union. yourself and your background in the american conservative union's involvement in this debate. >> so dan schneider is the executive director for the union , we have been long supporters of criminal justice reform but i think rather than going through that history now, i i want to ask a question and then make an assertion or two. not everybody in this room is a conservative, i trust. i assume we've got some liberals and some moderates and some conservatives. i hope we can all agree on the proposition that incarcerating people is a bad thing. incarcerating people deprives them of their liberty. it should be used only as a last resort. at the americans conservative union, we stand for the principles that the central role of the federal government is to protect life, liberty and property. if we are going to deprive people of their liberty, it better it better be for a very, very good reason. my colleague had food poisoning over the weekend and he was planning to be here but i'm here in his

think he grave us a preview yesterday with that unexpected, unscheduled speech before the american conservative unione did something that he typically see a g.o.p. nominee speaking about reagan and speaking about unity and about the humility of reagan. and i understand from our own reporting that that is, you know, a theme that he is going to echo as well today. i think his speech will be mostly in the beginning, at least, more positive in contrast to some of the other speeches that we have seen from republican establishment members. but he will, of course, get into drawing that contrast with hillary clinton as well. >> you know, fun to listen to the music and dancing. we will see that next week at the democrats i'm sure. i don't see governor kasich out there dancing. do you see him? he is not here dancing? >> is he not dancing. i saw his speech he gave the other day that basically was a rebuttal to donald trump. he is still on the other side. and still poking at donald trump contrast with him. a lot of republican delegates are not happy about it: >> i wonder who dropped that story as well today, str

lou: chairman of the american conservative union, matt schlapp, also a trump surrogate. its importance and with melania, with tiffany, with ivanka tonight, this big guns to try to reach women with his message about turning america around. lou: you know, i can recall, matt -- and i'm sure you can as well, monica -- in one of the debates he was sort of hit on this issue, and it hurt him. he was bragging about his polls, doing so well, and he was -- [laughter] he was killing it, if you will, with men, but lagging with women. >> right. lou: he was de and they love hearing that he's a fantastic father. lou: on the other hand, donald trump has projected himself as what he is, a great, big, bigger-than-life figure who is immensely successful, is not used to -- well, if you will, always showing his -- [inaudible] just to hoe his human side. it's quite a balancing act, isn't it? >> yeah. carrying his message to all constituencies. lou: you're one of those folks going to be fanning out, matt schlapp. what do you expect tonight? >> i think he's going to hit it out of the park. actu

the american conservative union is the host of cpac, the annual conference for conservatives. we had a panel on the main stage at cpac on the prospect of criminal justice reform, what are the prospects of it. you might be interested in that. we had one democrat and three republicans on the panel, and the democrat was the one most aggressively not wanting any reforms. a couple of the republicans were saying some modest reforms, and the third republican on the panel was saying aggressive reforms. so i don't think it's such a binary thing. mcconnell, why doesn't he just bring it up? like most legislation, it's complicated and there are different people who have different priorities and different interests. maybe that's why i keep on stressing some of the philosophical foundational questions so that that informs the thinking going forward that we have to respect the sovereignty and the dignity of the individual. we have to presume innocence until proven guilt. these are some bedrock principles that i think we need to restore as well as the first branch of government. the first bra

national convention earlier today, north carolina, joining us now is the chairman of the american conservative union that there were bonuses given to top officials at the va for keeping two separate lists. one is when people actually requested help, and two was when they actually got it, and the phony list that's, oh, we gave them help within two days. meanwhile, people were dying. >> this plays into the whole what's going on in the country which is they want to try someone new. this idea of putting a politician back in charge in washington when we have all these serious problems, it's not just what's happening overseas, when they come home, we treat them so shabbily. the idea that you bring in an outside guy who's run a bunch of things well to actually shake things up at the va, i think it helps trump. >> what do you think of the difference between the two conventions so far, mercedes? i mean, this is the chaos, confusion, corruption convention to me. >> well, it's a -- the difference is that the republicans really had it all out in the open to a certain extent. you could see the tension in the roo

who was chairman of the american conservative union. matt, are are you happy with the pick?i talked to conservatives across the country who feel like this is the ticket we need. >> all right. doug, in terms of what the attacks will be. no doubt they will go not only donald trump but mike pence? >> first. let me say mike pence was a solid guy. i was with him in the yankee game and we had a pleasant chat. but ideaoggically he is in the far gay marriage and lights for lgbt americans and he differs with donald trump on a lot of issues. while pence is a good man and shore up the right for the republicans, he doesn't offer the degree of inclusiveness that help the republicans in the way they could in the key swing states in the midwest they need to win. >> this is elizabeth warren who has come to like twitter quite a bit. hopped on there and this is what she had to say. donald trump and mike pence are a perfect match. two small insecure men who use hate and fear. terrifying mike pence a heart beat from the presidency. but it is terrifying. what do you say to that? >> you can't cri

the fact that they are at the table under lines that something could be accomplished. >> thanks. dan schneider with american conservative union. tell us about yourself and your background. >> you have to push the button. >> now is it on? >> dan schneider, executive director of american conservative union. we have been long supporters of criminal justice reform. i think rather than going through that history i want to ask a question and then make an assertion or two. not everybody in this room is a conservative, i trust. i hope we can all agree on the proposition that incarcrating people is a bad thing. incarcrating people deprives. we stand for the principles that the central role of the federal government is to protect life, liberty and property. if we are going to deprive people of their liberty, it better be for a very, very good reason. pat noland should be sitting in this seat but he got food poisoning over the weekend so as his boss i get to sit in the seat, instead. he coined the phrase that we should put people in prison that we are afraid of, not people we are mad at. so many of our laws today are directed at people

. >> chairman of the american conservative union and a good guy to talk about republican unity or disunityheard what speaker ryan said last night. is this a unified party or not? >> i actually got to see speaker ryan at breakfast. he's doing the responsible thing. he's made clear he has issues with donald trump but he realizes the alternative, that hillary clinton is a disaster and i think it's great. >> you're a veteran of the george bush administration? >> the younger bush, let's make it clear. [laughter] >> i remember the old man. but any way, there's a story out that the younger bush he may be the last republican president ever given what's going on with donald trump's campaign. this isn't a guy to hyperbole really. >> it's a provocative statement. the republican party is changing. donald trump cause this, he was entrepreneur politically as he is in business. he was smart enough to see it. the fact that there's a huge section of our party, 30-50% that want to focus on different issues and want to get back to basic issues of sovereignty and constitutionalism and he saw that and got in f

conservatives to unite behind donald trump. and compared trump to the late president ronald reagan. he made the comments in a speech to the american conservative unionveland. >> i have a sense of this man. i have a sense of his heart. i have a sense of his hands on style of leadership. and for all the world, he reminds me of ronald reagan. >>> airbnb agreed to collect and pay los angeles hotel taxes under a three-agreement with the city. the deal could bring in nearly $6 million in annual revenue. starting august 1st, the company responsible for paying the 14% tax owed nightly by people who rent out rooms. >>> and tiger woods will not play in any professional events for the rest of the year as he continues his recovery from back surgeries according to a report by his agent. woods will have missed four straight majors. we wish him the best of luck in the recovery. some wonder whether he will ever come become. >> i hope i'm wrong and i'm on record as saying i don't think he'll play again. his body is just breaking down. even he acknowledges it's harder and harder and harder to come back and these were major surgeries he went through this time. >> exte

when i was chairman of the american conservative union he was head of the republican study group.o he respected intellectually in the congress and respected as a governor. the retail politicians is donald trump. the insider will be mike pence. his job is to convince the 30 governors to go campaign for the ticket and convince house members who are skeptical that the ticket is a responsible one and he'll be good judgment to the equation. >> but it is an interesting choice on the part of donald trump. he is gone with somebody who is an evangelical and shore up the base even though they were with donald trump and somebody that the capitol hill version of the party will be comfortable with but he hasn't done anything, in this convention is different from 2012 because you don't have the young, non-white stars. no nikki haley, no marco rubio. and not a lot of diversity on the stage. and as you, yourself are adding new parties and voices to the party and are you upset that trump has doubled down on essentially white voters. >> i tweeted there are more hispanics playing in the final of the

is this a compromise of the american conservative union's values or a chance to express your values and find them attractive to a broader audience? >> i think your first question related to the legislative process. can left and right compromise? i just want to reiterate that so much of what is going on now within the criminal justice sphere is not legislative in orientation. it should lead politics and should control the people. that runs counter to founding of our nation as staff knows well we believe that sovereignty resides in the person and our whole constiitution begins with not just we the states or founding fathers but we the people. there is a conflict now where it is the left pushing the bureaucracy to move ahead of the people so it creates these laws outside of that political process. by political process i do not mean partisan process but how people govern themselves and as we have seen the legislative branch diminish in stature. one consequence we need to congress needs to take its rightful place in this process and we need to return to a place where members of congress can

i will tell you, doing some of these freedomfests around the country through american conservative unionr. trump would be there to speak and i was one of the females to speak and the fabulous carly fiorina would be there to speak and i got to see him there and on the stump. people relate to what he is saying and he has tapped into the frustration and anger of the american people this year more than anyone i have seen. >> let me talk to you about that, the frustration and anger. donald trump's numbers among women are not great. the party platform is pretty socially conservative, do you worry that this trump candidacy is alienating women and specifically, young women that -- maybelicans may be want to make inroads with? rep. blackburn: there are a few things to consider. number one, millennials are more pro-life than their minds -- than their moms. >> they are also pro-lgbt. rep. blackburn: that is true, those are two issues that come up most. national security and a and economic security and that is trump-pencell see a to get able -- ticket able to take the lead. people are tired of the i

the fact that they are at the table under lines that something could be accomplished. >> thanks. dan schneider with american conservative union. tell us about yourself and your background. >> you have to push the button. >> now is it on? >> dan schneider, executive director of american conservative union. we have been long supporters of criminal justice reform. i think rather than going through that history i want to ask a question and then make an assertion or two. not everybody in this room is a conservative, i trust. i hope we can all agree on the proposition that incarcerating people is a bad thing. incarcerating people derpive -- derpives them of thingprives th. we stand for the principles that the central role of the federal government is to protect life, liberty and property. if we are going to deprive people of their liberty, it better be for a very, very good reason. pat noland should be sitting in this seat but he got food poisoning over the weekend so as his boss i get to sit in the seat, instead. he coined the phrase that we should put people in prison that we are afraid of, not people we are mad at. so many of ou

the european union. conservative prime minister david cameron made the decision to step down after he failed to convince voters to stay in the eu. >>> call it the original brexit. 240 years ago. americanst to coast. marking our nation's independence day, and we are live with the celebrations, coming up next. your car got rear-ended and you needed a tow. did your 22-page insurance policy say, "great news. you're covered?" no. it said, "blah blah blah blah..." the liberty mutual app with coverage compass™ makes it easy to know what you're covered for and what you're not. liberty mutual insurance. >>> across the country americans celebrating the fourth of july in the nation's capital, floats and bands cruise pass the national pal. the ann san francisco, crews setting up for a big fireworks display. organizers set up an app that will sync music to the show inch tennessee, music city celebrating independence day. no surprise, with lots of music. abby is live in beautiful nashville with more on that. hi, abby. >> reporter: wore having way too much fun here in nashville. i'm at this bar and restaurant itch had lunch here an hour ago. great burgers, sweet potato fries, a bam is warming up -- a

joining me now, american conservative union chairman and trump surrogate matt schlapp and kelly environment conway. -- kelly anne conway. are you feeling better about being in thegin but still in the lead. >> hillary clinton hasn't seen 50% in a national poll or swing state poll in quite a while. what will they say that will turn around the 60% of americans who say she is neither honest for trustworthy. tonight hillary clinton will talk about coal country. she told us earlier this year in west virginia she promised to put them out of business. you know who heard that? not just the people in west virginia and not just the coal miners. the coal miners in kentucky and the steel workers in pittsburgh. all of these states where trump and pence are competitive that both mccain and romney lost. lou: kelly anne raises the 68 number. it looks like the biggest obstacle she faces. >> i think kelly anne who is a great pollster agrees with me. this cake is baked. it's proven lie after proven lie. i don't think there is much she can do to reduce those numbers. the only thing she can do is doing everything possible to make donald trump not a realistic alternative to herself.

to american conservative union chairman on how republicans can counter this promise of giveaways particularly like this. now, matt, let me alert the audience. ultimately families making 25,000 dollars or less will have no tuition for instate college universities, the clinton pointing out that's 85% of families in america begins immediately at 85,000 and every year it phases in a higher and higher bracket. that's a huge give away, gets a lot of bernie sanders voters affordable for folks. they love the idea of the government stepping in between the students and their parents and this tuition bill and paying it for them. and i don't think that's going to solve any of our problems in higher education where we see so much of it pedaling this left wing ideology to our kids. and i think we need more competition in college not more government giveaways. charles: right. to your point, matt, the audience should know that college has surpassed all forms of debt. the highest out there. we're not talking about mortgages. over a trillion dollars a lot of this has come since president obama came in office. got rid of the middle man, the governme

the scale for you. they seem to be working against bernie sanders. >> again, i don't know anything, i don't know anything about, about these emails. i haven't followed it. martha: matt schlapp, chairman of american conservative union house political director for former president george w. bush. marianne marsh, former senior advisor to john kerry. bill: live and in person. you're a real person. martha: fun to see mary ann not in the box. hillary clinton doing a bit of a sergeant schultz i know nothing. how is that possible. >> of course she doesn't knowing anything about it, they are not her emails. martha: she heard about this kerr cuff. >> she knew you debbie wasserman schultz had to resign yesterday because it became about debbie wasserman schultz and not about clinton-kaine. 24 hours comes tim kaine, vp pick, amazing job, yet all everyone is talking about is debbie wasserman schultz. if a change should been made, not shoved been four years ago, not four months before the election. martha: emails reveal there was thumb on the scale towards hillary clinton, and bernie sanders. why not address that head on. you know what, i'm not okay with, that is why we're making this change? >> i think two things. first of all