in the same class as barbara mikulski. every 6th january since, including today, barbara mikulski and i have been sworn in together. taking that oath is humbling and meaningful for every senator. but it's a little more meaningful this time around for senator mikulski, for maryland, and for our country. she's now the longer serving woman senator in our nation's history. she's had a path-breaking career, and that's an under estimate. she was the first woman elected to the statewide office in maryland, and the first democratic woman elected to the united states senate. she was the first woman to serve in the senate democratic leadership when we elected her the secretary, and she was the first woman ever to serve on the senate appropriations committee. a woman who's record she breaks was a significant senator in her own right. margaret chase smith of maine was the first woman to be elected in the house and senate. i know senator mikulski very, very well. she's my friend and confidant. more than any records, she's most proud of

barbara mikulski stepped into the history books this week, becoming the longest-serving female senatorhistory. the 74-year-old told diane sawyer that working in the senate makes her feel 15 years younger on the inside. >> the history of the women in the senate is short. i might add, 4'11" short. >> reporter: through 35 years on capitol hill, barbara mikulski's size never diminished her towering presence. >> you might not be able to see me over the microphone, but i hope that you can hear me. >> reporter: fearless -- >> get ready to fight. >> reporter: direct -- >> i will not vote for something that is a gamble. >> reporter: and now, as she enters her fifth term in the senate, she says, she is humbled. >> i never thought of myself as a historical figure. to me, history is powdered wigs and jane adams and abigail adams. dad, i know you're watching, and your daughter is now a united states senator. >> reporter: your dad was a grocer? >> yeah, my father was a grocer. but politicians were a political machine, old games who smoked cigars with pot bellies. and this table was my mother's dinin

today senator barbara mikulski becomes the longest-serving woman united states senator. for anyone who has had the privilege of working with or working for senator mikulski, this milestone comes as no surprise. she is a devoted public servant and a dogged advocate for her constituents. she has spent the vast majority of her life in public service as a social worker, as a member of the baltimore city council, then as a member of the house of representatives, and finally as a united states senator. with each step, mr. president, her constituency got larger, and she worked even harder to fight for the people of maryland. senator mikulski is no stranger to celebrating firsts or milestones. she was the first democratic woman to be elected to the senate in her own right without succeeding a spouse or a father. she was also the first woman to serve on the united states senate appropriations committee. it is also worth reflecting on how far we've come in the 24 years since senator mikulski was first elected. she was one of only two women in the senate in 1987. in the next senate,

today senator barbara mikulski becomes the longest-serving woman united states senator. for anyone who has had the privilege of working with or working for senator mikulski, this milestone comes as no surprise. she is a devoted public servant and a dogged advocate for her constituents. she has spent the vast majority of her life in public service as a social worker, as a member of the baltimore city council, then as a member of the house of representatives, and finally as a united states senator. with each step, mr. president, her constituency got larger, and she worked even harder to fight for the people of maryland. senator mikulski is no stranger to celebrating firsts or milestones. she was the first democratic woman to be elected to the senate in her own right without succeeding a spouse or a father. she was also the first woman to serve on the united states senate appropriations committee. it is also worth reflecting on how far we've come in the 24 years since senator mikulski was first elected. she was one of only two women in the senate in 1987. in the next senate,

. >>> in washington, maryland democrat barbara mikulski will make history when she returns to capitol hill this morning. mikulski will be sworn in for her fifth term as u.s. senator, making her the longest serving female senator in u.s. history. >>> and happy birthday to actress diane keaton who turns 65 years old today. happy birthday to her. >>> all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." >>> and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. the latest details on what to expect from the new session of congress. >>> and the former ceo of anheuser-busch breaks his silence after the mysterious death of his girlfriend found inside his mansion. >>> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm veronica de la cruz. thank you so much for watching "early today," just your further stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a terrific wednesday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vi

barbara mikulski, 74 years old, just became the longest-serving female senator in history. and we're going to tell you more about her story later this week. but way to go, senator mikulski. >>> with all those grand entrances on capitol hill, one notable exit at the white house. press secretary robert gibbs announced he will step down in early february after nearly two years in the post. and seven years as one of the president's closest advisers. he plans to step back and recharge, unless something new comes along. >> i told the president i'm happy to serve as ambassador to italy in the second administration. >> he called his time with the president the opportunity of a lifetime. >>> and coming up next, a crucial and wrenching decision made by parents every day. they know that vaccines protect their children from serious illness. but many still fear that the vaccines might cause autism because of all of the reports through the years. well, tonight, there is new outrage over the doctor who first reported a link, only today, to be debunked, and now he stands accused of deliber

agreement in the senate today on its first order of business, approving a resolution on honoring barbara mikulski, who just set a record for longevity. >> i'm senator barb mikulski from the great state of maryland. >> couric: they call her senator barb. at just 4'11" she sometimes gets lost in photos, but on the t nate floor there's no way to miss her. >> the planet earth that i'm on tells me to pass health insurance. >> couric: with her victory in 1986 she became the first female democrat elected to the senate in her own right. >> there are as many women serving today as had served in all of american history when i arrived. >> couric: she broke boundaries and today entering her fifth term. >> senator would you raise your right hand please? >> couric: she broke a record. republican margaret chase smith was the longest serving woman in the senate at 24 years. but a lot has changed since 1973. >> what would i say to margaret chase smith today? i don't blog, but i tweet. >> reporter: but mikulski says her most important social network is still the women of both parties with whom she serves. >> now w

to join my colleagues on the senate floor today in honoring my mentor and dear friend senator barbara mikulski on becoming the longest serving woman in history. for more than 24 trail blazing years, senator mikulski has been one the senate's fearest advocates for women, families, and for the people of maryland who have now elected her to the senate for five consecutive times. before she arrived in washington in 1977 as the representative for the third district of maryland, senator mikulski already had it's distinguished career in public service working in baltimore as a social worker, community activist, and city council member. when she was first sworn in as the women of the -- as a member of the house, she was one of just 18 female members. when she entered the senate ten years later as the first democratic woman senator elected in her own right. she was one of just two women in this upper chamber. they only motivated and emboldened senator mikulski. she continues, as she does today, work her ethics, human, and constituents. she has broken many barriers in her career. she was the first women

surprised today when we see women in power in washington, it is only because we had pioneers like barbara mikulski. as she recently told cnn, quags i might be the first, but i don't want to be the last." there are now 17 women serving in the united states senate and senator mikulski, the dean of the women, is our leader and our champion. i was both humbled and honored to have her escort me when i was sworn in as a united states senator two years ago. that was just the beginning of her ongoing mentorship. all of the senate -- although the senate can often be bogged down by partisanship, i appreciate that senator mikulski encourages and creates an environment of teamwork, respect, and friendship. but while we today mark her place in history has a woman senator, she is widely regarded as one of the most respected, accomplished, and effective public servants in all of congress. to use senator mikulski's own words, she has shoitsd a not about gender; it's about agenda. she is one of the senate's strongest advocates for science and technology and the importance of unvesting in innovation to spur our eco

five termer barbara mikulski, democrat of the state of maryland. tonight. >> good evening, brian. it was a very special night. we came in two by twos. a little bit like noah's ark but there was a great sense of warmth and comradery. very different from other states of the union. >> i was going to ask you because in the time since you left the chamber and maybe were awaiting to do media interviews or talk to the stations back home in baltimore or what have you, some of the analysis has been that because of that closeness and jumbling up the usual party combinations and the cliques that the reception in the hall was different, more civil, yes, but it gave the president a different appearance on television as if it was received perhaps in a more bland fashion to match the different tone of the speech. what do you think about that? >> well, first of all, i think the crowd -- the -- my colleagues were in a very sober mood. these are very sober times that are challenging the country. i think the fact that we were organized ourselves for substance and not

now i present governor o'malley, united states senator barbara mikulski. [applause] >> good morning, everybody. what a beautiful day the lord has given us to bring us together in friendship, fellowship and freedom. and its is all leave the o'malley block of the irish that could bring out the sun shine on a day like today. remember the weather forecast? stormy weather. o'malley changed that. remember the economic forecast? stormy weather. o'malley is going to change that too. it is a fair day for the o'malleys, a bad hair day for me. my heart is filled with joy today. here we are for this historic occasion. the 77inauguration of a maryland gov.. martin o'malley will become our 64th governor, the oldest state capitol in continuous use and the first peacetime capital of the united states. and yesterday was also a special day for governor o'malley. it was his 40 eighth birthday. let's give him an early shout out. dear friends inauguration, usually about pond and circumstance but given where our country and our state is, this inauguration is less about pump and

. >>> now, over in the senate, history was made, as maryland's barbara mikulski was sworn in for a fifth time. that makes her the longest-serving woman in history. the 74-year-old, famous for one-liners was first elected to the house in 1976. >>> down the street from the capitol, there's a major staff shakeup at the white house. here's a look at who is in and who is out. press secretary robert gibbs will step down from the podium in february, after seven years at the president's side. but he's not going far. >> i will continue to provide advice and counsel to this building and to this president. >> so far, there are three candidates to replace gibbs. but no decision has been made. also on the way out, highly-respected former fed chair, paul volcker, who will end his term on the economic advisory panel next month. so, who is in? former commerce secretary william daley will likely be the new chief of staff. he met with the president last night. and the architect of the 2008 election, david plouffe, starts his new senior adviser role come monday. >>> amid all those changes, president obama

democrats will control 53, including five-termer barbara mikulski, now the longest- serving woman in senate history. >> for me, it's all about service. fighting for a stronger economy, safer america. not about the past, it's about the future. >> reporter: the senate's first order of business was beginning a debate over rules that govern debate. majority leader harry reid and other democrats want to rein in repeated filibusters. >> no one can deny that the filibuster has been used for purely political reasons-- reasons far beyond those for which this protection was invented and intended. >> reporter: in turn, republican leader mitch mcconnell insisted the public wants more debate, not less. >> and the response they're now getting from some on the other side, instead, is a proposal to change the senate rules so they can continue do exactly what they want with even fewer members than before. >> reporter: that momentary clash foreshadowed bigger fights to come from repeal of health care reform to spending cuts as the 112th congress gets down to work. >> lehrer: and for more on the launch

surprised today when we see women in power in washington, it is only because we had pioneers like barbara mikulski. as she recently told cnn, quags i might be the first, but i don't want to be the last." there are now 17 women serving in the united states senate and senator mikulski, the dean of the women, is our leader and our champion. i was both humbled and honored to have her escort me when i was sworn in as a united states senator two years ago. that was just the beginning of her ongoing mentorship. all of the senate -- although the senate can often be bogged down by partisanship, i appreciate that senator mikulski encourages and creates an environment of teamwork, respect, and friendship. but while we today mark her place in history has a woman senator, she is widely regarded as one of the most respected, accomplished, and effective public servants in all of congress. to use senator mikulski's own words, she has shoitsd a not about gender; it's about agenda. she is one of the senate's strongest advocates for science and technology and the importance of unvesting in innovation to spur our eco

united states senator barbara mikulski. [applause] >> good morning, everybody.at a beautiful day the lord has given us to bring us together in friendship, of a ship, and freedom. it is only the martin o'malley lot of the irish to bring out the sunshine on a day like today. do you remember the weather forecast? stormy weather. do you remember the economic forecast? stormy weather. governor o'malley is going to change that, too. it is a firm date for martin o'malley. a bad hair day for me. my heart is filled with joy today. here we are for this historic occasion. it is the 77th inauguration of an american governor. ourin o'malley will become 64th governor sworn in for his second term at the oldest state capitol in continuous use. yesterday was also a special day for governor o'malley. it was his 48th birthday. shout give him an early sho out. [applause] inauguration's are usually about pomp and circumstance. given where our country and our state is, this inauguration is less about pomp and more about our circumstances we face enormous and significant challenges. w