is it still the al franken decade?es, it is. >> reporter: what would comedian al franken say about senator al franken's first term? >> he would say i did well. because i'm the same person. there aren't two different people. >> reporter: would he have fun with you at some point? >> when i made fun of politicians, it was because they were screwing up in some way. i don't think i could find anything, frankly. >> reporter: nothing? >> whoo. that would be a really hard subject to satirize. i've just been impeccable. >> reporter: impeccable? >> yeah. i've made some small mistakes, i suppose. >> reporter: but as republican senators tell me, not a many as they hoped. several gop candidates are running. even in off the democratic year, for now, franken holds a double-digit lead. how difficult is it right now to run as a democrat in president's second term? >> i'm very comfortable. >> reporter: president obama is saying democrats should not apologize for the health care law. >> i think the rollout was pretty disastrous. i don't

senator al franken has been little most outspoken critics of comcast purchase of time warner cable.r askingnt a about their commitment to net neutrality. cory johnson i spoke with the senator. i asked if he thought -- had gotten a response from his letter. >> they just got it. tv about howng on they are buying time warner cable and that will extend net to a greater number of consumers. that is because they are required to buy the conditions f their acquisition of nbc universal back in 2010. that runs at in 2018. they refuse to say what they will do past 2018. >> i want to play a portion of that ad. here is seven seconds of that ad from comcast talking about their commitment. make life online better for more people. you start by extending net neutrality protections. >> ok. they start by buying the second-largest cable provider and they are the first largest cable provider. you start by buying the third largest internet broadband writer. you are the first largest broadband provider. live up to the conditions were imposed on you by the fcc. the moment those conditions stop applying to

up next, al franken joins us to talk about consolidation in the tv industry.time warner cable and comcast to directv, we get his thoughts on how he feels it will impact those businesses and consumers. ♪ >> welcome back. i am emily chang. spotify now has more than 10 million paid users and more than 30 million users listen for free. they still face appears competition, including pandora and a possible apple beats. they spoke about their future with charlie rose. >> for spotify, we started off with the ability to play music. we are now becoming experience for every moment of your life. going forward, what i hope is that we can take this technological shift and move it from not just being about listening to music to being about how we create music. >> you can catch the full interview tonight on "charlie rose" at 8:00 and 10:00 eastern. this week center al franken sent a letter asking him to explain the commitment to net neutrality. announcing a plan for at&t to buy time warner for billions. he joins us now from capitol hill. cory johnson also with us. senator, th

next we will hear from senator al franken and why he is so against the merger. ♪ >> you are watchingst of bloomberg west." i'm emily chang. senator al franken has been one of the most outspoken critics of comcast's proposed purchase of time warner cable. he recently sent them a letter asking about their commitment to net neutrality. cory johnson i spoke with the senator. i asked if he had gotten a response to his letter. >> well, not yet. they just got it. they have been going on tv about how they are buying time warner cable and that will extend net neutrality to a greater number of consumers. that is because they are required to by the conditions of their acquisition of nbc universal back in 2010. that runs out in 2018. they refuse to say what they will do past 2018. >> i want to play a portion of that ad. here is seven seconds of that ad from comcast talking about their commitment. >> how do you make life online better for more people? you start by extending net neutrality protections. >> ok. they start by buying the second-largest cable provider and they are the first largest cab

al franken has been one of the most outspoken opponents. letter to comcast's ceo, asking him to explain. of letter comes on the heels another proposed mega-telecom merger with at&t announcing a plan to buy directv for nearly $8 million. -- $50 million. he serves on the subcommittee of eight senate judiciary committee. he joins us from capitol hill. cory johnson is also with us. take you for joining us. have you gotten a response for your letter yet? >> not yet. they just got it. they have been going on tv and how theyhow -- touting are buying time warner cable and that will extend net neutrality to a greater number of consumers. but, that is because they are required to by the conditions put on their acquisition of nbc universal in 2010. this is -- that runs out in 2018. they refused to say what they're going to do after 2018. >> let me play that. >> go-ahead. >> i want to play a good portion of that. i just saw it today. here are seven seconds of that ad. >> how do you make life online better for more people? star by extending net neutrali

they will be joined by al franken.oday at 1:00 your >> coming up, an online goldmine. that's what instagram is if companies can find out how to monetize those photos. mogul ismbling bankrolling a campaign against online gambling. we will hear from the one and n.ly sheldon adelso >♪ >> it's all about gambling here on "market makers." wynn lasto steve week. the always outspoken sheldon coulson joins us now -- sheldon adelson joins us now. he has spent so much money lobbying against online gaming. he's the king of gambling. >> the irony. maybe the hypocrisy as well. we are making rounds on the las vegas strip are for something like that. he has come out -- you know sheldon adelson. he is the republican donor who spent $100 million to try to put mitt romney into the white house in 2012. now he is putting that money to ban online gambling. he says it's a moral obligation he feels on his part because he says once gambling goes online, is going to exploit poor people. first --ay for you >> coming from the business, i want to

going to defend the state because you think you'd rather talk about something else. >> so that's al franken for a democrat, even one who is running in basically what is a blue state. minnesota is very blue even though franken just barely won re-election. >> if you look at the poll out today, the disappointing news is that even though the unemployment rate dropped and even though a lot of the problems with the health care website have been addressed and they've got good numbers there on enrollment, it hasn't budged. attitudes towards the affordable care act, the president is in a weaker situation now than he was four years ago and that was not a midterm election. >> there's a slew of numbers asking republicans who they would vote for in the fall, the republicans or democrats. this looks very similar to 2010 when the republicans recaptured the house. does this mean, do you think, dana, that democrats are due for a shallacking and that democrats are going to lose the senate? >> republicans are pretty confident that they are actually going to gain seats in the house. never mind, you know, democ

broadband provider to charge companies for faster delivery of their content we speak with senator al franken on the neutrality. credit squeeze and its subsidiaries engage in an extensive and wide-ranging -- the bankolding actively helped its account holders to deceive the virus by concealing assets and income in illegal, undeclared bank accounts. rosee bank stock price after the settlement and the chair of the bank's board says credit suisse is as white as snow. why no senior executives have gone to jail, occupy wall street protesters have been sentenced to 90 days in prison. we will look at who goes to jail and who does not. and the data pirates of the caribbean. did you know the nsa is working with the drug enforcement agency to record every phone call in the bahamas? and we remember civil rights pioneer vincent harding. all that and more coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. thailand's military has imposed martial law. protesters have blocked elections and cause for the ouster of a caretaker government. soldiers have blocked off

nearly half of the senators are democrats, like minnesota's al franken. >> i believe, in the interests of our veterans, that we need new leadership. and that's what this is ultimately all about. >> reporter: but top house leaders from both parties said today they were reluctant to abandon a decorated four-star general. house speaker john boehner. how do you feel now that you've seen the inspector general's report? >> well, i'm going to continue to reserve judgment on... on general shinseki. the question i ask myself is, is him resigning going to get us to the bottom of the problem? is it going to help us find out what's really going on? and the answer i keep getting it no. >> reporter: there is some concern up here that, if shinseki leaves, it will send a false signal that the v.a.'s problems have somehow been solved, and that it's time to move on. and that's dangerous in a place like congress, norah, which is famous for its short attention span. >> o'donnell: nancy cordes, thank you. and the scandal is about v.a. hospitals keeping veterans waiting for months for appointments, and in s

al franken wants the company to address security concerns after research in germany posted a youtube video of them exploiting this scandal. and new supreme court judge has blocked the state subpoena seeking users who -- rent out their apartment on the site. the new york attorney general says she will issue a new subpoena to see users who are breaking new york law. it could be a game changer when it comes to privacy laws. the european union's highest court has ruled against google, saying users have the right to be forgotten. that means that google and other search engines must grant request to remove links to personal affirmation if a person's fundamental rights are harmed and there is a public interest in publishing it it was filed by a man who wanted links about his 1998 repossession taken down. google called the situation disappointing. cory johnson is with me here. this could have huge implications. >> this is a fascinating case of a new law being applied. the eu is trying to figure out what an individual's right is on the internet. the phrase they are using, essentially is the r

the first lap is from senator al franken. heh hehe this -- hehhhh. the next one is desmond tutu. he hee heee this -- hee heeee. that's what you get that? >> who talked into doing that? >> grover norquist. the tax cutter, now turned into antiunion. he's also against corporate welfare. that's a tough thing to break through. in the book, i shot a breakthrough year. the free revolution committees of correspondence? that started with people you know in your community and your neighborhood, left-right. you joke about it, get together, and make your needs known to him members of congress a state legislature. in the media starts saying, hey, this is bubbling up, we have to pull it. , what mightl it happen is the media starts covering it. the think tanks in the academic world start putting out reports, and it bubbles up on the election scene. the problem with all these 25 areas and more of left, right, convergence and alliance, is there off the table. when they're not on the table, you can't get to first base. bottom-up that i just described, and plus maybe a billionaire or two who might

you wrote it with al franken, a u.s. senator. he might be there tonight.ng. if you're in washington and you don't have a ticket to the dinner, you can go see kevin. you can catch him later this month doing standup comedy at comedy off broadway in lexington, kentucky, and two new movies out this month. we'll be right back. a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. try phillips fiber good gummies. they're delicious, and an excellent source of fiber to help support regularity. wife: mmmm husband: these are good! marge: the tasty side of fiber. from phillips. ameriprise asked people a simple question: in retirement, will you outlive your money? uhhh. no, that can't happen. that's the thing, you don't know how long it has to last. everyone has retirement questions. so ameriprise created the exclusive.. confident retirement approach. now you and your ameripise advisor can get the real answers you need. well, knowing gives you confidence. start building your confident retirement today. stick with innovation. stick with power. stick with technology. get the flexcare

al franken has been pretty outspoken in the senate about how he feels about this.thes out reasons impact on consumers. most people on an individual level know their experience calling up the cable company trying to get something. what can comcast do to win the customer better? you see the numbers. they have a billion 200 million people around the world using facebook. netflix just hit 35 million. we are getting 7 million more customers. a little bit i agree totally with trying to give the industry a better opportunity to have a footprint regionally that can't compete better. to your question, if you go out to the show, you will see our platform which is a game changer. being able to take the brains of that experience that for 50 years has been in a box and move it to the cloud to a state-of-the-art technology and the able to quick remote control and as fast as you can normally can indicate with a box now go to denver and back in the same amount of time, which is haveboggling and therefore wherever in the cloudy might be going is going to give consumers better servi

one from al franken. like this. second laugh is inspired by great human the rights leader. it is like this. hee, hee, hee, hee. call ird laugh is when i the wall street authority laugh. ho, ho. host: where did you get this? found it. guest: i was in the clip. into doing lked you that? guest: grover nordqvist. too.s competing the tax cutter now turned into antiunion. don't think he should get into that area. but he's also against corporate subsidies andrate bailouts. years ago.d now he is give of ohio and corporate welfare and not doing anything about it. it is a tough thing to break through. book i show how to break through here. revolutionary re committees of correspondents of patriots? they start with committees of correspondence in people in your left, right. joke about it, get together and ake your needs known to your members of congress and your state legislature. the media starts saying hey, this is bubbling up. it.be away ought it poll if they poll it like corporate welfare or patriot act or enforcement, e then what might happen is the media starts covering it. think

there was -- al franken used to send in a long sketch. do you remember what it was called?? >> seth: yes. >> one, two, three -- >> both: fart doctor. [ laughter ] >> and it was about a doctor who could -- it was like a procedural show where the doctor could tell what was wrong with people by smelling their farts. >> seth: yes. [ laughter ] exactly. >> which is funny. it didn't come out that great. we never did it. and he just kept sending it and sending it. and finally, i actually did end up making it a joke fake sketch on "30 rock" just to, like, stop. >> seth: oh, right. >> he emailed me. he was like, "you owe me money for fart doctor." [ laughter ] >> seth: of course, we both worked with fred when we were there. >> i don't remember. >> seth: you probably have fond memories of working with fred. [ laughter ] >> oh, fred! yes, fred. yes. [ laughter ] hi, fred. >> fred: hi. >> how are you? i actually had a weird memory of fred today. which i hadn't thought about it in so long. but fred used to do this really weird bit in the writers room. because a lot of time get wasted. s

minnesota's al franken will also sit down for a rare interview.this week" with george stephanopoulos is right after our newscast at 8:00 this morning. >>> a tesla job fair ended just two hours after it started yesterday after an overwhelming response. thousands of people showed up at the job fair that was supposed to last until 5:00. instead it was shut down at 10:00 a.m. because of capacity and safety concerns. tesla officials say the hiring process is still open, but now people have to apply online. >>> wouldn't it be nice to know exactly what chemicals or how many calories are in the food you eat, how much alcohol is in your beer, what pharmaceuticals are in your pills? well, now you can. here's abc news reporter jonathan bloom. >> we have cheese we bought. >> point it at the cheese and you get this. it matches the nutrition label so closely you would think they copied it. but it also works on foods with no label. >> it can tell you how ripe an apple is, how sweet it is. >> it is an infrared spectrometer called sio. it shines a light and record

minnesota senator al franken speaking about the late congressman jim oberstar. after that, discussion about whether a criminal record hampers efforts to reenter society. about therogers talks appropriations process early this year. so congress will mop face a continuing resolution or government shutdown. you can watch newsmakers at 10:00 a.m. sunday and 6:00 emv c-span. >>eastern on c-span's newest book. a collection of interviews with top storytellers. in my case, i came in with no documentation and ability to get a job or education. when i first came in, and cross the border between x: united then came to the san joaquin valley to work as a margaret worker was no challenge there were not thousands of people trying to get the jobs. i was pulling the weeds. >> dr. alfredo, one of 41 unique voices from 41 years of our book notes and conversations. now available at your favorite bookseller. >> is the time of year for height listed take the advanced placement exam. today on washington journal, students had a chance to ask teachers about the test. this is 40 minutes

. >>> then, al franken in his first sunday interview. >>> and we're behind the scenes at the white housese republicans give john boehner a harder time than they give me. which means orange really is the new black.

he reminds me of the book by al franken when he was a comedian, "lies and lying liars who tell them." >>> also a crack in the solid republican wall of resistance to the hike in the minimum wage. why some leading republicans say it's time for a raise. >>> and the mom whose daughter's life may have been saved by medical marijuana. that's a story a lot of people were thinking about and what she's doing to change the laws around the country so that other children can be helped. >>> finally, let me finish tonight with the power of "snl" and now comedy central. don't get in their target zone ever. and this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ male announcer ] zzzquil. it's not for colds, it's not for pain, it's just for sleep. because sleep is a beautiful thing™. ♪ zzzquil. the non-habit forming sleep aid from the makers of nyquil®. the non-habit forming sleep aid those little cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all y

minnesota democrat al franken has questioned the a.t.&.t. deal and, last month, the proposed comcast purchase. >> we are here to question whether this deal is good for competition, whether it's in the public interest. i'm against this deal because i believe it does not meet either test. i believe this deal will result in fewer choices, higher prices, and even worse service for my constituents. >> ifill: but comcast executive vice president david cohen defended his proposed merger. >>> while this transaction will make us bigger, that's a good thing, not a problem. most of our real competitors are national and global and larger than us. >> ifill: the a.t.&.t.-directv merger could face similar scrutiny. it could be finalized within a year. >> ifill: what do these deals mean for consumers? and why are corporate giants spending tens of billions to try to get even bigger? we turn to two people who know this field well. matt wood is the policy director for free press, a non-partisan organization advocating for media and technology policies. and jim

clay aiken is hoping to follow in the footsteps of celebrities turned politicians like sonny bono, al frankennd ronald reagan but he's hard a a slam dunk. ray ellmers is -- moving on to indiana, a state known for wild challenges in the past. just recently think about senator richard luger's defeat by richard murdoch back in 2012. but there are two republican membe members facing tea party challenges. we'll see if those folks pop in the results tonight. we'll also be watching how the fallout of the state's same-sex marriage vote ends up playing out. >>> three republican legislatures in the northeast part of the state in indiana are facing primary challenges after the general assembly delayed the enactment of the constitutional amendment until at least 2016. >>> finally in ohio, congressman john boehner's challenge from j.d. winteregg who is known for losing his job after making fun of boehner's name may be taking up oxygen. it's the first test of the fire brand republican governors elected on 2010 who are on the ballot this year. the governor is in better shape than anyone would have predicted

he reminds me of the book by al franken when he was a comedian, "lies and lying liars who tell them." >>> also a crack in the solid republican wall of resistance to the hike in the minimum wage. why some leading republicans say it's time for a raise. >>> and the mom whose daughter's life may have been saved by medical marijuana. that's a story a lot of people were thinking about and what she's doing to change the laws around the country so that other children can be helped. >>> finally, let me finish tonight with the power of "snl" and now comedy central. don't get in their target zone ever. and this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ my mom works at ge. when folks think about wthey think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety syst

." >> well, the ads also target senators tom carper, al franken, tom udall and tim johnson. these are the folks that they've got to get on board. there's no doubt big oil is getting very desperate within w information that's out there. even if the keystone passes the senate the final decision still rests with president obama and also the legal wranglings that are taking place in nebraska. meanwhile, some lawmakers and out-of-the-mainstream conservative commentators are ready for a big compromise. they think it's a good idea to tie the keystone xl pipeline vote to the increase in the minimum wage in this country. nothing could be worse. republican congressman tom cole recently floated the idea. >> would i look at a minimum wage increase i thought there were other things attached to it that would create jobs like keystone and additional things? i think i would car which because i think job creation is such an important thing. >> well, that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy that he'd consider it if we give into big oil. earlier today senator john thune said republicans woul

i know why al franken doesn't do it, he wants to be local. all those local media markets. i don't know why not. >> where does tom wolf fit in the history of politics? >> if he beats tom corbett, he will be the first guy ever to beat an incumbent governor. i think a lot of people he has a ten point spread or better coming out of this because eddie rendell beat lynn swann. >> swann actually led. >> by ten in june. this month if he's up by more than ten, david cohen has pointed out he has a ten-point spread, then he can win. if it's closer than that, i think it's very good for corbett. corbett could pull this off. you know what, turnout. the democrats, as you and i know, are disheartened right now. they're not good from playing from behind anymore. i don't know why they lost the ability to play from behind. you have to learn how to play from behind because you have to play from behind. i wish i had an hour or two. >> you have an hour later today. >> i'm not going to do it on "hardball." >> we can switch roles at 7:00 if you want. i'll set you up

it is one from al franken. it goes like this. [laughter] the second laugh is inspired by desmond tutu the great human rights leader. it is like this. hee, hee, hee, hee. [laughter] the third laugh is when i call the wall street authority laugh. ho, ho, ho. [laughter] host: where did you get this? host: we found it. guest: i was in the clip. host: who talked you into doing that? guest: grover norquist. he was competing too. the tax cutter now turned into antiunion. i don't think he should get into that area. but he's also against corporate welfare, corporate subsidies and bailouts. we testified years ago. now he is give of ohio and presiding over corporate welfare and not doing anything about it. it is a tough thing to break through. in the book i show how to break through here. remember the prerevolutionary committees of correspondents of the patriots? they start with committees of correspondence in people in your neighborhood, left, right. joke about it, get together and make your needs known to your members of congress and your

week"0 eastern, "this with al franken, kareem -- kareem abdul-jabbar, and rick santorum.ncludes sunday" guests adam schiff. "state of the union" follows at 3:00 with ron johnson and joe manchin and eliot engel. "face the nation" with lindsay graham, mayor eric garcetti, and richard williams, the father of serena and venus williams. a sunday network t.v. talk shows are on c-span radio and brought to you as a public service by the networks and c-span. rebroadcasts of the shows begin at noon with "meet the press." you can listen to them all on c-span radio on 90.1 fm in the washington, d.c. area, xm app,lite radio, the free or online at www.c-span.org. >> do you find it curious nasa did not skip a line for you to say? >> in retrospect, they might have wished they would have. the late julian sher who handled nasa relations with the outside world was adamant headquarters never put words in the mouth of their people. not just astronauts but anybody. they let people speak for themselves. they made it known what the party line was and what the nasa position was. but beyond that,

. >> you senators al franken. >> he is a veteran of the air force who lives in arizona.e is a president of the naacp and a member of the board of the national naacp. welcome. >> thank you. >> let's begin with just your personal story. you have been dealing with the delays and issues with that va facili facility. tell me what happened. how many times you went to this va facility. what did you not get? >> i quit going to the va facility because the treatment and the way you're dealt with there. i started going. i was very, very fort nate. i refuse to go to the va although i am a disabled veteran. they have to deal with and shake it to the side. it's frustrating. >> what were the complaints. >> less than a person when. it was dealing. hours on end. i remembered numerous times that their appointments scheduled. he will call you or you get there and say you're sorry, we have to change this. it's going to have to be rescheduled and the rescheduling was something out of nowhere. >> let's talk about way back when. i know this is incredibly serious business. you, yourself, and i

you had the colorado, the montana and then al franken prom minnesota. can expect the days are number for the secretary of veteran's affairs. >> we will see. so far the word from the white house is they stand by him. he put out on opt-ed talking about things he wants to do which raises questions why he d d did didn't enact them sooner. the president is accused of being disengaged and this is another situation it is going to come back to him. >> the white house said he was briefed on this and the president quote found the findings extremally troubling. this wasn't a surprise to anyone. there has been an dotal statements throughout the va for years. we know when he was a presidential candidate and every year up until now he has talked about the wait times. so i don't think the investigation talk and the first effort he made in front of reporters at the white house briefing room sat well with anyone, republicans or democrats. >> i think americans would expect there is a plan in the work and people are considered to replace eric shinseki. there is going to b

guests include senator al franken and a former fcc commissioner.miss this coverage. still ahead, more from my interview with las vegas sands ceo sheldon adelson. i will ask the casino mogul about his big bet on macau and how it is paying off. stay "in the loop." ♪ global outlook. sheldon adelson's las vegas sands was the first floor and casino to build in macau after the government broke up the -- it was a matter of building another las vegas and asia. sheldon -- >> that's me. >> we are here in the venetian in las vegas. you have a venetian in macau. what you wanted to do was build a las vegas and macau. you could just pick it up. in asia. else saw that? >> i guess that is what a billionaire is made out of. >> but really, people thought you were crazy. been inurse, i have dozens of businesses. everybody thinks i am crazy. nobody wants to recognize that doing something different than what people do routinely is vital. nobody wants to recognize that. the only way i can prove it is to do it and succeed. but why do i have to convince other people? i di

. >> al franken of minnesota. >> we need new leadership. that's what this is ultimately all about, our veterans getting the proper care at the right time. >> california republican duncan hunter, a marine who served in iraq and afghanistan said the v.a. failures have shaken his generation of veterans. >> it's quite simple, the trust between the v.a. and our veterans, the trust between the v.a. and me, the trust between the v.a. and the men that i served with and for, it's broken. >> reporter: shinseki's fate appears to be sealed. the only question now really is a matter of timing. one top official here at the white house told us the president would like to resolve the situation, quote, as soon as possible. >> major, thanks. new developments this morning in the boston marathon bombing case. a friend of the suspects is due in court today. he is accused of blocking the bombing investigation. vinita nair is here with the charges that came out a short time ago. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. he has not been charged with participating in

that's something senatorial fra al franken is worried about. >> there's a proper role for departmenttter and for fcc to look at this is it in the public interest? i say it isn't in the public interest. this is a violation of antitrust. >> he was on "new day" with us this morning. at&t trying to get regulators on its side promising to expand broadband to 15 million homes and buildings mostly in rural areas, a priority of the obama administration. prices have only been going up in this space for years. rates for premium tv are going up 6% a year. that's way more than general inflation. and there's really no promises here that they won't continue to rise. but could consolidation help? so one argument is bigger at&t would have power to negotiate better rates from content providers. doesn't mean consumers get that savings. consolidation is what's happening in this space. look at the different deals we've had. comcast/time warner. rumors and talk about sprint wanting t-mobile and rapid consolidation here. i think that's definitely the path of least resistance for these companies. regulator

al franken was inconsistent. dianne feinstein said it's hard to see who this guy is. >> it's normal to be vague about policy positions. itis standard in judicial hearings. what's remarkable about this and why democrats are so resist tent is they feel we have a democratic senate and president, we ought to be able to get justices on the bench. i think that's the reason for the resistance. if they are angry, be angry with pat leahy. this seems dumber to me than waiting so long to change the filibuster rules. it was a durable institution where the democrats say we have the protection of it when we are in the minority and it will help us block undesirable nominees. the rules have changed over time. there's no reason to expect a republican senate won't revert back to the rule they had last time where you don't have the blue slip. leahy is giving power to the republicans he can't expect back in return. he's written an op-ed. this is the advice and consent role. when the thing is a veto point, it's not advice, it's a dec

support particularly in the senate from zero elizabeth warren and al franken, and others. a lot of demofrcrats who want tl eliminate that tax as well as in the house. and also the keystone pipeline. it is clear. so i think if we get an opportunity to vote on this legislation it will have a good shot atis passing. >> it is an election year. how much more alleges that you will receive? su >> i think we will have to see. some. we have to deal with the numberr of issues from trade to the medicare got fixed, sustainablee growth rate, make sure our to ma doctorkes can get paid for the services rendered. transportation bill. we will have to confront that there is a the highway trust fund, likely to go bust or be insolvent sometime this summer, probably july or early august. pr is working on a proposal. we have to deal with transportation, trade issues, particularly with what is happening in europe. we have an aggressive trade agenda and will have to afford these least some of these issues which will require some level of bipartisan cooperation. >> congressman, we have talked to a

from elizabeth warren to al franken and bob casey and others. there are democrats who want to eliminate that tax. is pretty clear there's a lot of support for that. an opportunity to vote on this legislation there is a good shot it would pass. host: how much more legislating a we going to see on major issues? guest: we are going to have to see some this year. he has to deal with a number of to thefrom trade medicare fix or the sustainable growth rate. we have to make sure our doctors can get paid for the services they rendered. to confront to have that issue. there is a highway trust fund. it is likely to go bust. john delaney is working on a proposal to deal with that as well. what issue, particularly is happening in europe, we have an aggressive trade agenda. we are going to have to move forward on at least some of these issues. host: we have talked to a lot of members on -- lot of members of congress on this program. i don't think i ever met or -- or or read somebody talk to somebody who supports the medical device tax. could that as a standa

from elizabeth warren to al franken and bob casey and others.re are democrats who want to eliminate that tax. is pretty clear there's a lot of support for that. an opportunity to vote on this legislation there is a good shot it would pass. host: how much more legislating a we going to see on major issues? guest: we are going to have to see some this year. he has to deal with a number of to thefrom trade medicare fix or the sustainable growth rate. we have to make sure our doctors can get paid for the services they rendered. to confront to have that issue. there is a highway trust fund. it is likely to go bust. john delaney is working on a proposal to deal with that as well. what issue, particularly is happening in europe, we have an aggressive trade agenda. we are going to have to move forward on at least some of these issues. host: we have talked to a lot of members on -- lot of members of congress on this program. i don't think i ever met or -- or or read somebody talk to somebody who supports the medical device tax. could that as a standalone

the senators from minnesota, amy klobuchar and al franken, offered tributes to the late congressman alltop this is 25 minutes. ms. klobuchar: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: mr. president, i come to the senate floor today to honor the life of a truly remarkable man, a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, a dedicated friend and a true public servant. jim oberstar was a man of purpose and grit who never stopped fighting for the people of his district, the people of northeastern minnesota. his resilience was like the resilience of the people that he represented. he was one of those rare people who was just as comfortable in the aurora, minnesota, parade in khakis and tennis shoes as he was at the french embassy. one unique thing about jim oberstar was that he always broke into french at a moment's notice and he would literally speak french at the french embassy and paris, but he might also speak french at the aurora parade even though no one else there spoke french. whether he was biking the masabi trail or fishing on sturgeon l

we're joined by basically the perfect guest, senator al franken, the democrat from minnesota.een vocal about the media mergers. senator, it is good to have you. it will be about what the future will be. how this plays first into this screen, then the computer screen and the handheld screen. what does this mean for the internet? who wins and loses? what do you see when you look at this merger? >> well, i'm very skeptical. i'd like to see some hearings on this. i think christine was exactly right. that this usually leads to higher fees for consumers. and less choices, usually. we need to keep as much competition, let's face it, this is going exactly the wrong direction, you know, during the comforecast/time warn cable. not time warner. time warner cable hearings, comcast said well, this is going to create more competition. and all of these big companies -- there's going to be a dog fight, and you know, they're just buying each other. and the fewer players there are in the space, i believe the worse it is for consumers. and employ constituents in minnesota will be paying more for

late wednesday night, senators al franken and jeanne shaheen added their voices to the chorus of democrats for shakeup of leadership at the v.a." also weighing in, senator mark udall as well of thehat is just some reaction coming from congressional members when it comes to the report, but specifically taking a look at the calls for resignation of eric shinseki. we want to get your thoughts this morning, if you agree with the legislators or not. here is how you can weigh in. host: if you want to give your thoughts from up first is tricia minneapolis, minnesota, on our republican line. caller: good morning, and yes, he should go. he is at the top and for him to say he didn't know nothing -- this has been going on for years. the president knew about it and they sit there and lie and get on tv with smiles on the faces laughing at people. i blame the voters because they ofd to vote these people out office. they are crooks, letting illegals into the community. they are crooks of the time and they need to go, and the people of america, you need to vote them out. host: north carolina, independent

money on politics to establish that corporations do not have the rights of personhood sherrod brown al franken over one hundred members of the congress have now spoken out in favor we have robert lawrence lessig at harvard common cause move to amend dot org and i would do everything in my power in congress and also as a voice outside of congress to magnify the move towards a constitutional amendment i don't think anything less than that will fundamentally handle the problem and marion you would be representing the district with the highest per capita income in the country now you've spoken at multiple occupy wall street rallies where you've called for tighter financial regulations and higher taxes and those efforts seem like a kind of a tough sell in such a wealthy part of the country are you concerned about how your message will resonate in that district. it's only a tough sell if you assume that people are selfish and we're not you know i say you know at the beginning i was told marianne you go on and on about how among all advanced nations of the world we have the second highest child pover

and back in the united states democratic senator al franken of minnesota is voicing concerns about technology and privacy is questioning the security of the new samsung galaxy s five which lets people use their fingerprints to access the phone's functions including making payments your fingerprint becomes your password but passwords are supposed to be secret right well as the senator from minnesota pointed out in a letter to samsung fingerprints are the the opposite of secret you leave them on countless objects that you touch throughout the day he says your car door a glass of water even the screen of your smartphone if hackers get hold of a digital copy of your fingerprint they could use it to impersonate you for the rest of your life particularly as more and more technology start relying on fingerprint authentication. said cation excuse me and the letter franken listed thirteen questions security questions about the technology and requested a response from the company within the month last year's i phone five s. as touch id technology the feature was hacked by researchers just days after it

franken's al criticisms about the degree to which comcast will have large market share -- it is not a national number. the government will get that wrong. it is local power. inn you have 60% or 70% 10 of the top 20 markets. small programmers -- a tough environment. >> you say it will spur big deals. like what? >> one or both of the satellite companies pared. i think you have to. when you think about their a sense thates they would want to partner with verizon or at&t. not better off combining with at&t? >> i do not know which is better. it's a really good idea, given that comcast is everyday banging on your door, saying i can do all three. i thought verizon's appetite for that kind of service was limited. depth of the the business, but my understanding is that verizon was not going to aggressively roll that out. i think fio's has been aggressive. >> the people that have that love it. >> may be verizon and at&t look at this landscape and say we wee a wire in the home and can compete with the cable company. maybe they conclude that they -- that that is not enough and therefore a $50 bil