chris matthews, host of "hardball."e, let me read you a tweet from texas congressman randy weber, on the floor of the house waiting for the socialistic dictator who has been feeding us a line. i don't know what that means but gives you a sense of what the flavor of the obstruction still is five years into the presidency. >> have we confirmed that's an actual member of congress and not a fake twitter feed while they're trying to troll us into condemning them, while it's somebody who's been made up? >> i am glad you asked that. i had an identical thought and i double checked. it's a verified account and yes, randy weber is exactly the congressman from the 14th district of texas because i totally thought the same thing, but, of course, it is impossible to tell the difference between parody and actual gop members of congress often. >> let's make sure we give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's been hacked by somebody who crawled out of the comment section on youtube. and assume that isn't somebody who's actually go

a round of applause for chris matthews. [applause] thank you, thank you very much.

hint, chris matthews is on this week's list. "hannity" starts now. >> and in what they hoped would be the big lead on their stories, governor chris christie's administration and their involvement in the closure of the george washington bridge that led to a traffic jam does not compare to the scandals that plague the obama administration. now, you're not going to hear this in the main stream media. for example, just learning after one of his top aides was involved in the lane closures over a political revenge, governor christie came out and did what any leader should do when they discover improper behavior in their ranks. >> i come out to apologize today to the people of new jersey. i apologize to the people of ft. lee. and i apologize to the members of the state legislature. i am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team. >> think of that. that word, those words, i apologize. now, that is a phrase that nobody in the obama administration seems to know. they never say it, for example, remember when

i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews. chris returns tomorrow. president obama has returned from a two-week vacation in hawaii, kicking off a critical month for his presidency. if you need a refresher, here is where things left off. at the last press conference before he left, he was repeatedly asked to reflect on what some people described as his worst or toughest year in office. >> if i look at this past year, there are areas where there have obviously been some frustrations where i wished congress had moved more aggressively. if you look at immigration reform, probably the biggest thing that i wanted to get done this year, we saw progress in the fact that it didn't hit the timeline that i prefer is obviously frustrating, but it's not something that i end up brooding a lot about. the health care website problems were a source of great frustration. it's not that i don't engage in a lot of self reflection here. i promise you, i probably beat myself up even worse than you or ed henry does. on any given day. but i've also got to wake up in the morn

"usa today's" bureau chief susan page, and of course, chris matthews.t to come out. he's going to be speaking about the economy as he shakes hands and gets ready to go up to the podium. quickly, susan, what we're hearing from him is what the agenda is. this is teeing up income inequality and the state of the union in two weeks. >> that's right. and a big speech for him. he needs to recapture a little momentum going into the state of the union, going into this new year. >> and here's the president. >> thank you so much. thank you. it is good to be back in north carolina. [ cheers and applause ] if you have a seat, go ahead and have a seat. if you don't have a seat, don't. it is good to be here at the home of the wolfpack. i want to thank your chancellor, randy woodson, for the introduction and the great work he's doing on behalf of students all across the system. i want to recognize my secretary of energy who is here. give him a big round of applause. he's doing good work. your governor is here. the mayor of raleigh nancy mcfarland. [ applause ] the mayo

. >> chris matthews, the host of msnbc's "hardball" recalling the working relationship between reagan and form earn speaker of the house. chris matthews was an aid to the former speaker saying despite the political derchs between the speaker and president reagan, they worked towards compromise. this is about 45 minutes. [applause] >> hi.

you've got ed schultz, chris matthews who's lost his mind.ere's a short montage. >> he is an enemy of the country, in my opinion, dick cheney. lord, take him to the promised land, will you? i don't even wish he goes to hell. i just want to get him the hell out of here. and this right wing slut, what's her name? laura ingram? >> i hope you choke to death. >> did you hear what i said? answer me yes or no. >> you've got a big problem, you know that, don't you? maybe you are as dumb as you look. are you with fox, right? >> you're the one who almost hit my wife in the mouth with a microphone? you want to apologize? >> i didn't -- >> i asked you a question. do you want to apologize? i asked you a question. >> when mrs. palin invoked slavery, she doesn't just move her rank ignorance, she proves that if anyone requires discipline from thomas thistle wood, she would be the candidate. >> i want to talk about a controversial word. it is a word that has been with us for years. like it or not it's printed in the pages of american history, a word that was

chris matthews said that was racist because black people live in apartments, not in new york, not all rich people. >> a lot of people live in apartments, i lived in apartment. >> but there is a special racist coding, and then they make fun of an innocent child. >> the use of the race card and jenlder card, and class war nightmare, we'll see a lot of it. >> as i wrote, it was just about gone, and the liberals needed to start to play it again to promote the most left wing the country has ever seen, barack obama. there has been an explosion. if you had a graph of racism sightings, it was through the roof until the o.j. simpson verdict. and going after jesse jackson, repeatedly. it was like a subway token that didn't open the gate anymore. and when obama came back, wow, it just exploded. unfortunately, for liberals, there is no racism. there is more cholera than racism. >> you know what? america elected a black president twice. >> an incompetent black president. that is how much they want to vote for a black president. >>> and coming up next, a wide array, and what made this mom go on the

chris matthews comes back tomorrow night. with chris hayes" starts right now. >>> good evening, from new york. i'm chris hayes. and the first big political battle of the year of the fight over extending unemployment insurance will get a vote tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. today, the battle lines were being drawn. today congress is back in session with the first big fight of this election year. the issue, extending unemployme

i'm chris matthews out in san francisco. let me ignite things tonight with this statement by the former new jersey attorney general and former u.s. attorney, robert deltufo, that prosecutors may be looking at a rico charge against the office of governor chris christie. is this real? is there a case that the pattern of politics here evident in the bridge closings, the possible denial of hurricane relief money to hoboken, the accusations by a democratic of interfering with a judicial proceedings in huntingdon county constitutes evidence of a criminal enterprise? is this what led federal authorities to interview mayor dawn zimmer? would this hold up to jury scrutiny, even a grand jury? is playing rough to redevelop your reelection vote possibly a pattern of action that could be incriminating? is running for president himself in this case a criminal enterprise? well, the rico statute signed into law by richard nixon in 1970 allows a person to be charged for actions which he did not personally commit. it is used by prosecutors to

i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start with this. the big store of governor christie two-hour defense yesterday was what he didn't say. why did the governor of a state, clearly with his eyes on the white house, fail to ask anyone anywhere, any time what the hell was going on at the george washington bridge. when traffic stopped for hours, day after day after day after day, when the democrats in trenton were raising hell, when the media was jumping all over the story, when his to top guys at the port authority were forced to resign. when all of this was on the front page and raging in the nightly news, this big bear of a politician, this guy who dominates the scene not once asked what the hell was happening. not only that, he openly and sarcastically refused to ask any questions. here he is on december 19th, three months in, still refusing to act, ask or think, to do anything that might alert him publicly to what his people had been up to. >> if you want to chase him around, chase him around. that's your business. but i'm not going to

i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews. leading off tonight, retreat or reload?hat's a question now facing the gop. yesterday greg sergeant posed an interesting question in "the washington post." he wondered whether it would be possible to envision a future where republicans and democrats would get into real negotiation over the future of the affordable care act in which case each side will get one thing for the other. in other words, negotiating benefits from the other side. maybe republicans get the sale of insurance across state lines and democrats get a medicaid expansion. don't hold your breath. today republicans in the form of eric cantor tipped their hands with regard of how the health care battle will be fought in 2014. it seems like a repeat of 2013 rather than a negotiation. the gop spent the bulk of last year trying to repeal the entirety of the president's health care law. when that didn't work, they tried to defund it in mid-september. when that didn't work, they tried to delay it. by september 30th on the eve of government shutdown, they tried to de

." >>> i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start tonight with this. with at least a dozen subpoenas issued and a growing list of office holders past and present scurrying for protection both legal and political, the reputation of new jersey itself stands on trial. it's not just the re-elected chris christie who faces peril but those in both parties and the legislature as well as the governor's office. can the leaders and key investigators in trenton get to the bottom of this operation road hog that has disgusted the country or will they be blocked by a system that protects the politician while ignoring the public? well, the good politics now of catching the perpetrators and preventing such acts from happening again overwhelm the people who have committed those acts and sought to hide them. well, the good politics of catching the bad guys in this episode beat the bad politics of those who now nervously wait for the wheels of justice to commence. as the machinery of this investigation emerges this friday with each new output of subpoenas, this is the qu

i'm chris matthews in san francisco. let me start tonight with this. anything you say can be used against you. we've all heard that. it's our american right not to testify against ourself. what about your e-mails? what about the voicemail messages you left for a co-worker? what about some stray offthe cuff line you texted about what's been happening at the office, or a pal asked what was really up with this george washington bridge mess? all this is now being vacuumed by federal investigators in new jersey. anything you ever said on a voice mail or in a e-mail or in a text message, any memo you wrote to anyone, including yourself, it's all being gathered in the giant electronic fishnet being thrown out there to capture evidence in the widening scandal that could tie governor chris christie's aides and appointees to crimes and they to him. nothing can stop this accumulation of fact, not even the fifth amendment. the people in this widening scandal can refuse to testify on the grounds it could incriminate them. what they can't do now is withhold or destr

>>> good evening, i'm rachel maddow alongside chris matthews. here in new york city. it is state of the union night. no matter who is president, no matter the exact political circumstances in the country at the time of the state of the union. this is a night that is always political christmas. as you see the supreme court justices filing in there. anticipation, mystery, a little bit of drama. ceremony. applause. the occasional gnashing of teeth. tonight is one of the best nights in politics every year. we have live coverage of president obama's fifth state of the union address until 1:00 a.m. eastern tonight. including the reverend al sharpton, chris hayes, steve schmidt and way too many members of congress who are going to join us from both the democratic and republican persuasions. if you're following along online tonight, i highly recommend @ronanfar row on twitter for remarkably good live tweeting of the speech. chris matthews, we're watching it get under way in the house chamber tonight. we have had some advance word of what to expect in terms of policy. what are

joining me now is chris matthews and michael steel. or is this news mostly because the clintons have more power to reward and punish politicians in american than any other couple in the nation? >> one of the reasons i like you so much on the air is this is because the kind of stuff you jump on. i think the lesson of this article is that the clintons do keep score and they keep count for people who do favors for them. i've seen in pennsylvania the last couple of years they go out there very hard for people who have been loyal to them in the primaries back in the '08 campaign for obama. you can buy your way back into their good graces by raising a couple of million or whatever. these are stories you hear. i can't verify them. i think their malleable. i don't think they're permanent. i think they do live in a world in which you have new friends and old friends and sometimes people are bad to you for a while and then you get back together again. he didn't take a whack at hillary clinton on what she had done. he went after her nature. this i

i saw chris matthews with a little cameo there as well.eason two of "house of cards" was released on valentine's day, that way you don't forget that date, all you men out there. >>> now, you may have heard of steven seagal's considering running for governor of arizona. well, david letterman got his hands on the first campaign ad. >> this election, the people of arizona want a candidate they can trust to get the job done, and that man is steven seagal. mr. seagal has a long track record solving the most challenging issues of today. immigration reform. >> ahhh! [ laughter ] >> small business solutions. transportation. steven seagal, leadership you can trust. >> ahh! >> there with steven seagal there, caseyry beck. that guy's got about 16 different black belts, so i think he's very well qualified. we should just elect pimm. now, jon stewart is catching up on the story since he was on break and is surprised with the restrictions on marijuana use in colorado. >> i imagine, you know, it's not going to be like the wild west out there in colorado.

association and running for 2016 but this week there was one subpoena issued and yet credit math -- chris matthews let with chris christie. as we talked about, what else they could cover like west virginia? what are not we looking into other issues? >> even msnbc former bush white house aide said her networks and others are propping up the mayor who made the charges of political pay back involving hurricane sandy aid. >> she has more hits on msnbc then votes running against chris. >> if you are a new jersey mayor you can make up anything and msnbc will put you on there. >> you say "makeup," are you suggesting what they saying is not true in do you think altogether of the allegations against chris christie --. >> i have to say, it is being over covered and christie has problems getting the nomination for the g.o.p. presidential nomination but i don't think this is one of them. that should be covered. the problems should be covered but we are two years away, it will be a long nominating process. people who live outside the new york and acela corridor are mystified by the coverage. i live in st. paul

but this week, there was one subpoena that was issued and yet chris matthews, as recently as thursday, led with chris christie. and that is a problem. as we were talking about, what else could we be covering, like west virginia? what are we missing? why aren't we delving into other issues? >> even like nicole wallace says her network and others are propping up dawn zimmer who made the charges of political paybacking involving hurricane sandy aid. is there something to that? >> barbara has more hits than she got votes. if you're a new jersey mayor right now, you can make up just about anything and msnbc will put you up there. >> injury saying make up. are you insinuating that what they are saying is not true? >> how -- >> she has a journal. >> these are suggestions that you might have. and i want to say about this, too, i think it's being overcovered. i think christie has some problems in getting the nomination for the gop presidential nomination. i don't think this is one of them. i think those things should be covered, but also we're two years away. this is going to be a long nominat

i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews. chris returns tomorrow.om a two-week vacation in hawaii, kicking off a critical month for his presidency. if you need a refresher, here is where things left off. at the last press conference before he left, he was repeatedly asked to reflect on what some people described as his worst or toughest year in office.

i'm chris matthews in washington. the web begins to tighten as the investigators of the new jersey governor select a council and move towards the issue of subpoenas, getting christie's people in the chair and getting them under oath is the main issue. what the investigators need to ask is why every single member of the christie team without exception thought it was in the governor's interest to jam shut the commuter traffic lanes to new york, to render a whole community freeze fried for four days while his gang filled glee like they were high schoolers pulling off a prank on the school principal. nobody in the crew said a word against the caper, not a one. even when faced with resistance they pounded full speed eahead. they proceeded enthusiastically with their plan to punish the people of ft lee. now the governor says he will support an inquiry if he finds it appropriate. does this mean he reserves judgment and the right to claim executive privilege should the new jersey assembly plan to hear from the chief of staff

. >> you never shut up like chris matthews either. >> you have patsies on. >> oh, stop it. >> you don'tybody pushing you on your argument. >> you want a job t at msnbc, i got it. >> fox has lower standards. i would rather have a job on fox. >> want to talk about low standards? do you want to go there? >> welcome to the call center. my name is earline davis. how can i help you? >> you're on the radio with sean hannity. >> you took my call, answered our questions. the next day what happened? >> they fired me. >> the response today we set up a special site e-mail. jobs@hannity.com. >> yes, sir. >> we'll send you the e-mails and make it right. we appreciate you telling the storiful you didn't deserve this to happen to you. we'll help you out. >> we found our friend a better job and continue to wish her, and her family the best. and did we for get highlights? you can sound off or use hannity and we continue with our studio audience the arlene story maybe weshg got her a better job with benefits on a career track she got a year's pay. >> sean would give anyone the shirt off his back. no matte

i'm chris matthews in san francisco. let me start tonight with this.ing you say can be used against you. we've all heard that. it's our american right not to testify against our self. what about your e-mails? what about the voicemail messages you left for a co-worker? what about stray off the cuff line you texted about what has been happening at the office or a pal asked what was really up with this geor

i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews. leading off tonight, retreat or reload?n now facing the gop. yesterday greg sergeant posed an interesting question in "the washington post." he wondered whether it would be possible to envision a future where republicans and democrats would get into real negotiation over the future of the affordable care act in which case each side will get one thing for the other. in

but in any event it was called to my attention that chris matthews has gone through a litany of similar comments that some of them have said over there. you mentioned martin bashir, and serious allegations. that is how he responded when chris christie hugged the president. it was a physical rejection of barack obama as president. he said i have to believe it is ethnic with these people who criticize the people. he said that the opposition to obamacare, tom coburn's objection, look at the pattern, on and on it goes, he is not fired. he is an on-air host. >> i am glad you bring it up. it is the m.o. of that network, over and over and over again, they accuse republicans and conservatives of being racists because they may oppose barack obama's politics, the only thing worse than racism is the false charge of racism. i don't really accept that apology because you have a network that is dedicated to character assassination. >> not every host there is that way. but some of the more prominent ones are, and the question is what is going to be done about it now that it is reaching critical mass,

for our special coverage ott address itself, i will be joined by chris matthews, along with chris hayesmidt and ed shultz who piece going to be reporting live from the capital. this year, the republicans have decided to do three competing responses to the president, which should itself be an amaze thing. but again, tuesday, state of the union, which we celebrate, like christmas, all day long here at msnbc. so you need to mark your calendar for tuesday. call in sic. we'll be right back. ttle room over the pizza place on chestnut street the modest first floor bedroom in tallinn, estonia and the southbound bus barreling down i-95. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored to be part of some of the world's great stories. that began much the same way ours did. in a little dorm room -- 2713. ♪ this magic moment ♪ ♪ this magic moment (voseeker of the sublime.ro. you can separate runway ridiculousness... from fashion that flies off the shelves. and you...rent from national. because only national

. >> here's the thing i thought -- it was to me, the message wasn't even -- and i thought chris matthews said this, i was sort of surprised by the vective that came from the speech. i thought the speech -- the message last night was for the love of god, just don't do anything to screw this up. please, no more crisis. >> the message of the speech was, we need to work together. it wasn't just the minimum wage that the president proposed, he talked about creating the my ira treasury bond so the low wage workers can create a retirement account for themselves. he talked about making sure we can focus on those manufacturing hubs, we've been able to establish two. >> here's the thing. >> he also -- it comes against the backdrop of the uncountry that is -- you know, there's this populous resurgence, there are people in the streets, fast food workers that have been agitating for some of what the president spoke to yesterday. that is often how change comes about. the republicans, the desperation of their response is a measure of the cluelessness, the out of touch, the desperation. >> particularly

." >>> will good evening i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start tonight with this huge political bomb shell out of new jersey. what happens when the hard evidence of political skullduggery catches up with a politician's all out denials. what happens when a possible presidential candidate, contender even gets connected to the kind of underhanded trickery and vengeance taking that he claimed he never had anything to do with. as i say, trenton, we have a problem. governor chris christie has made it clear he had nothing to do withholding up traffic on the george washington bridge to set all score with a local mayor who didn't endorse his re-election. this morning's bergen record showed emails and text messages from governor christie's own office to be closely involved in what happened those mornings that the entrance to the george washington bridge. they show that officials closed those lanes as retribution against the local mayor just as christie's critics had been contending. quote, time for some traffic problems in fort lee. christie's

chris matthews comes back tomorrow night. "all in with chris hayes" starts right now. >>> good evening, from new york. i'm chris hayes. and the first big political battle of the year of the fight over extending unemployment insurance will get a vote tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. today, the battle lines were being drawn. today congress is back in session with the first big fight of this election year. the issue, extending unemployment insurance to 1.3 million of the long-term unemployed who have lost their benefits just three days after christmas. democrats want the benefits extended. and they think they have a winning issue. >> this is typical for republican members of congress. not republicans, but republican members of congress. the vast majority of american people believe that unemployment benefits should be extended. >> but the tea party right wing, the same folks who brought you the shutdown, are rallying the troops against the bill. coming out hard against the unemployed. at a time when millions of voters across the country kno

i'm chris matthews in washington. he kr chris christie george washington bridge scandal in just a minute. >>> he said the president stands guilty today of predatory behavior with former white house intern monica lewinsky. he described clinton as, quote, someone who takes advantage of a young

i'm chris matthews back up in new york. let me start tonight with. this governor chris christie now faces the ticking clock. each second takes him closer to the moment when those he has blamed for this bridge scandal testify under oath. if he has signalled to any of them or any other staffer or appointee that this is the way he wanted things done, this story will develop like an old polaroid snapshot. we'll see the reality that has appeared until now only in murk and shadow. we will know precisely who told what to whom. today governor christie said he would not let the bridge scandal define new jersey. well, it doesn't, governor. it defines you. >> now the last week has certainly tested this administration. mistakes were clearly made. and as a result, we let down the people we're entrusted to serve. i know our citizens deserve better, much better. now i'm the governor. and i'm ultimately responsible for all that happens on my watch, both good and bad. and without a doubt, we will cooperate with all appropriate inquiries to ensure that this breach of t

i'm chris matthews out in san francisco. chris christie's world. if you're the governor, you should and probably do have two women on your mind. one is your lieutenant governor kim guadagno, who must be on the verge of freaking out tonig

i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start with this.e of governor christie two-hour defense yesterday was what he didn't say. why did the governor of a state, clearly with his eyes on the white house, fail to ask anyone anywhere, any time what the hell was going on at the george washington bridge. when traffic stopped for hours, day after day after day after day, when the democrats in

i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start with this. mistaken identity? how else do you describe the polar difference between the new jersey governor described in today's "new york times" from the man who said he didn't know nothing? in today's times" piece, we read christie was intimately involved in his town by town campaign of pressuring targeted mayors to endorse his re-election. we're told that christie's people sharpened their attack on each mayor's pressure points. their big dollar contributors who get them elect and re-elected to offers and their big dollar development deals that give them economic sway locally. as we can see in this office layout in the times, the christie political operation was just across the press room from his own office, not the huge distance he portrayed in that press conference he gave. that's bill stepien, christie's one-time deputy chief of staff and later his campaign manager with an offices in christie's suite outside the governor's office. bridget kelly took that same office when she succeeded stepien as deputy chief

i'm chris matthews in san francisco. let me start tonight with this. heard that. it's our american right not to testify against our self. what about the e-mails you left for a coworker? what about stray off the cuff line you texted about what has been happening at the office or a pal asked what was really up with this george washington bridge mess. all this is now being vacuumed by federal investigators in new jersey. anything you ever said on a voice mail or in a eai

i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews.tarting off tonight, the wind isn't just blowing to the left. it's gusting. practically overnight elizabeth warren gained folk hero status thanks to an anti-wall street message. and her allies showed political muscle this summer by taking on the white house and winning. the issue, president obama's top choice to lead the federal reserve. larry summers. guess who's running the fed right now? because it isn't larry summers. now the president is hitching a ride with the base making income inequality and raising the minimum wage to hallmarks of the progressive cause a center piece of his 2014 agenda. and it doesn't stop there, not by in means. just yesterday after democrats were out of power for two decades, new york city officially handed the mayoral reins to bill de blasio. but that's not what grabbed headlines at yesterday's swearing in ceremony. it turned to the guy leading the oath of office. that would be bill clinton as his wife hillary looked on from feet away. in "the washington p

." >>> i'm chris matthews in washington. let me start tonight with this.th at least a dozen subpoenas issued and a growing list of office holders past and present scurrying for protection both legal and political, the reputation of new jersey itself stands on trial. it's not just the re-elected chris christie who faces peril but those in both parties and the legislature as well as the governor's office. can the leaders and key investigators

i'm chris matthews in washington. new jersey governor select a council and move towards the issue of

i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews.ically overnight elizabeth warren gained folk hero status thanks to an anti-wall street message. and her allies showed political muscle this summer by taking on the white house and winning. the issue, president obama's top

i'm chris matthews back up in new york. let me start tonight with. ck. each second takes him closer to the moment when those he has blamed for this bridge scandal testify under oath. if he has signalled to any of them or any other staffer or appointee that this is the way he wanted things done, this story will develop like an old polaroid snapshot. we'll see the reality that has appeared until now only in murk and shadow.