kelly o'donnell, chuck todd following this all. what do we know about the calendar, elect legislative calendar and timing here? >> tomorrow both parties will meet with their members late in the morning to lay this out so they can see the details. it is hard to count votes before people have actually seen the specifics. one of the interesting thing is house speaker john boehner friend to republicans as an approach to hold president obama accountable. that is a way to present it that might be more appealing to his members. it will be described quite differently to democrats. the clock begins for the voting. >> chuck, pick up on kelly's point, what didn't the president get here? >> reporter: what didn't he get? he didn't get the big debate in what he wanted to do on revenues. he wanted to make this a balanced package when he came to taxes. he didn't get that. what he got was a punt. what both parties got was a punt. let's not pretend anybody won a big victory here. they just delayed the big zpit the big debate about entitlements and t

iowa's republican governor terry branstad, republican strategist mike murphy, nbc's chuck todd, "the washington post's" eugene robinson and politico's jonathan martin, coming up after this break. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. [ male announcer ] if you're in a ford f-150 and you see this... it's the end of the road. the last hurrah. it's when ford's powertrain warranty ends. but in this ram truck, you've still got 39,999 miles to go. ♪ guts. glory. ram. ♪ [ doug ] i got to figure this out. i want to focus on innovation. but my data is doubling. my servers are maxed out. i need to think about something else when i run. [ male announcer ] with efficient

chuck todd in iowa. chuck, thanks. >>> then there is this note from the campaign trail, and perhaps confirmation that campaigning is exhausting for the candidate and the advance staff. today happens to be the 34th anniversary of the death of elvis presley. michele bachmann is a big fan. she was in south carolina today and chose to mark the wrong elvis milestone. >> get started, let's all say happy birthday to elvis presley today. happy birthday. we played you a little bit of "promise land" when we pulled up. you can't do better than elvis presley. and we thought we would celebrate his birthday as we get started celebrating take our country back tour. >> michele bachmann later corrected herself and added, "as far as we're concerned, he's still alive in our hearts." >>> now, we turn from politics to food prices, specifically a noticeable rise in prices. they are way up, in some cases, and the experts who watch these things say they will keep going up over the coming months, as farmers struggle with bad weat

our chief white house correspondent chuck todd traveling with the president tonight in alpha, illinois. chuck, it's clear the heat is on this topic now. >> reporter: that's for sure, no issue has dogged this president during his time in office more than this inability to jump-start the job market so while he's promising to unveil yet another new plan to do this, he's facing a public that's growing increasingly impatient. call it the frustration tour, the president's third day face to face with voters upset about the economy. those waiting in line for the final town halls of his bus tour, wanted to talk about one thing. >> i don't want to hear about another commission, we have too many commissions now. i want to hear specifics, you know, let's get the people back to work. >> why would he postpone his statement to the public that he's got a jobs plan for after labor day? >> i'm unemployed, a lot of people are unemployed and so that's my main concern that we get the economy moving. >> reporter: and inside the president heard more anxiety. >> every week i sit around the kitchen table of fa

we have two reports and we begin with chuck todd in ames, iowa tonight. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: we're in the middle of the single most important 48 hours to date. on saturday a new candidate gets in, texas governor rick perry. tonight a very contentious debate is likely. why? because the iowa straw poll could end some candidacies. even before tonight's republican debate in iowa, gop front runner mitt romney found himself on the defense. >> i'm going to let you speak in a moment. >> you came here to the listen to the people. >> i came here to speak. and you'll get to ask your question. hold on a second. >> reporter: visiting a state where he has spent very little time this year, romney showed a rare burst of emotion when challenged on taxes by a group of democratic activists. >> i'm not going to raise taxes, that's my answer. i'm not going to raise taxes. if you want somebody that's going to raise taxes, you can vote for barack obama. >> reporter: moments later he was heckled again, this time over the issue of corporate taxes. >> one is we could r

chuck todd at the state fair tonight, chuck, thanks. >>> we turn now to the economy, what a week it's been for anybody with money in this market. wild swings, every day of the week, it's finally over for this week and here finally is where we stand, stocks went up again today, nearly 126 points on the dow. the other indexes regained some ground as well. but for the week, the dow was down. overall 1.5%. we have asked our friend sue herrera from cnbc to join us once again from their global headquarters. and, sue, to me, the lead story today was, this consumer confidence number, it's not a surprise, i mean we could have guessed it. but it's just stocking to realize that the last time it was this bad was 1980 when jimmy carter was in the white house. >> i think you're right, brian, we all knew it wasn't going to be a good number, but it was way, way below what wall street thought it should be. consumers are more pessimistic about the economy than they have been in some time, three decades. and that's because of the problems in washington, high unemployment and the wild ride in august that

thanks so much, chuck todd. looks like a nice day out there. thank you jeff for joining us tonight. >>> coming up, the biggest winner wasn't on the stage. he's the most interesting guy right now. rick perry, governor of texas. he's announcing tomorrow. he's teased it all over the place. he could be a nightmare for romney, get in there and beat him in iowa, then challenge him in new hampshire and take him in south carolina and win the whole thing. he could challenge the president, too. he could be it. k, jogging strol. you've been stuck in the garage, while my sneezing and my itchy eyes took refuge from the dust in here and the pollen outside. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. it's the brand allergists recommend most. ♪ lily and i are back on the road again. where we belong. with zyrtec®, i can love the air®. you could save a bundle with geico's multi-policy discount. geico, saving people money on more than just car insurance. ♪ geico, saving people money on more than just car insurance.

then chuck todd hosting a special edition of "the daily rundown."the doctor who says mental i'llness may ne all of your missed opportunities in one place. ♪ the front-row tickets you never bought. the lucrative investment you never made. the exotic vacation you never took. but there's one opportunity that's too good to miss. the lexus golden opportunity sales event, with exceptional values on the lexus rx. but only until september 6th. see your lexus dealer. that's me with the blow dryer and the flat iron until i see smoke. so pantene said, "breakage and split ends? no problem." they gave me this pantene called breakage to strength. [ female announcer ] the keratin protection pro-v system helps prevent then repair split ends. zero fear of breakage, 100% more strength. no regrets, just health. i'm not giving up the heat. [ female announcer ] the breakage to strength system from pantene. >>> we head to ames, iowa, for an inside look at michele bachmann's campaign as the minnesota republican looks to unseat president obama. bachmann is making bold comm

i'm chris saliza in for chuck todd. let's get to libya. president obama summed up the situation there monday from martha's vineyard. >> the situation is still very fluid. there remains a degree of uncertainty and there is still regime elements who pose a threat, but this much is clear. the gadhafi regime is coming to an end and the future of libya is in the hands of its people. >> for more on the politics of the libya situation at home, let's bring in nbc news deputy political director, murray. we heard from the president. this is the second time in two days he said something about libya. he emphasized situations are still fluid. what happened yesterday with saif gadhafi? does that change anything in terms of the politics of this or we still in a victory towards president obama? >> it seems to be a victory for president obama. it is a fluid situation. richard engel's reporting is that the rebel forces are at gadhafi's compound. that's probably not good news for gadhafi and his family. we talked about this in the past. these have been a tou

with me still the group including of course the chief white house correspondent my partner chuck todd. chuck -- >> we swapped seats. >> we swapped seats as we start "andrea mitchell reports." this loose transition. we're expecting the president to come out and the president clearly this is is not a victory round. he's going to be signing a bill later today. the bill has to be signed, sealed, dlvrd, driven signed by the speaker of the house, the senate protem. he will sign it in private. no public ceremony. this is not one they're wrapping a flag around. >> your not going to see a lot of president sometimes after a big thing like this you might see him do a bunch of tv interviews. you might see him do a bunch of -- those things are not going to happen. he's got a big fundraiser today. and his 50th birthday. here's the president right now at the podium. >> good afternoon, everybody. congress has now approved a compromise to reduce the deficit. and avert a default that would have devastated our economy. it was a long and contentious debate. i want to thank the american people for keeping

nbc political director chuck todd will host our special coverage at the top of the hour. >>> 430 members of congress voted on the debt deal last night but only one of those casting members united the entire chamber. [ applause ]. there she is. as we mentioned, congresswoman gabrielle giffords returned to the house floor to cast her fitter vote since she was shot in arizona seven months ago. both sides of the aisle giving her an extended standing ovation. a short time later nanciy pelosi praised her friend and colleague. >> we are all privileged to call her colleague. some of us very privileged to call her friend. throughout america there isn't a name that stirs more love, more admiration, more respect, more wishing for our daughters to be like her than the name of congresswoman gabby giffords. thank you, gabby. >> joining me now is florida congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. it's nice to see you. >> you too, thomas. thanks. >> i understand you and representative giffords really treated this as a state secret. when did you first learn that she would be coming back and want to be casti

. >> that's an unreported story, chuck todd. it's a different deal. >> here's what it also means -- ron paul could win today, he could finish second. by the way, if he finishes second, it's pawlenty in third. but paul with these new rules, he's got every incentive to stay in and can live off the land. she might decide she has every incentive to stay in. if you're going to get proportional representation of delegates, then there's no incentive to do anything other than that. but it's a weird calendar, by the way. we've got a bunch of early states. super tuesday's not so super this time. it's back to eight or nine states. then there's a gap because a bunch of states canceled their presidential primaries and just put it back with their regular primary schedule. may and june could be a busy time of the year again. >> looks more like a democratic race. >> vacation in april. it's -- we'll have to do a week-long vacation in april and get back to work. >> we haven't figured that vacation thing out, you or i. chuck todd is taking over co

i'm in for chuck todd. bottom look the hour, quick look what's driving the day.ama will spend a few more hours in washington meeting with the national security team before leaving for his family to martha's vineyard for a ten-day vacation. >>> and vice president biden meeting with xi jinping in china. he told the vice president it is essential for gobel security. >>> and the market could be helped today by news unemployment claims reached their lowest week average since april. >>> other stories making headlines -- the white house is expected to call for the resignation of syrian president bashar al assad today. senior administration officials tell nbc news we expect a written statement from the president followed by one from secretary of state hillary clinton. similar action by the european union. the treasury department is expected to announce sweeping new sanctions against assad and his have a sheregime. >>> pope benedict areirived in spain for world youth day. the visit comes at europe was mired in crushing debt and chronic unemployment. the pope told reporter

. >> joining me live now is nbc news chief white house correspondent and political director chuck todd who is also the host of msnbc's "daily rundown." and chuck, the criticism out there that the president has not had a unifying vision and moved on to jobs and the economy right now, and what are some of the details of the plan that you have heard? >> well, that is the problem. we don't have too many details. with know what the president is talk about in terms of some of the bills that have been pending before congress, that he has been pushing the free trade agreement tas he talks about, h, panama and colombia and the payroll tax cut and a couple of the patent reform, and a tax incentive and the creation of his infrastructure bank that would create a way to privately help finance some transportation projects. then today, it is like another day of a lot of the little items that some that he needs congress to do, but it is not rolled up into one big package, and that sounds like what is likely to come in september is that it was last night in the town hall where he was declarative that h

nbc news chief white house correspondent and host of "the daily rundown," here on msnbc, that's chuck todd live from the gop political center of the earth in iowa. welcome, chuck. >> how you doing, matt? we're at the state fair. i can tell you, about 25 feet away, sarah palin, working the crowd right now, as we speak. >> so what's your -- what trechts ytrecht interests you as we head into this weekend? it's kind of a crazy carnival atmosphere, right? >> it is. and when it comes to the ames straw poll, it always is. a very fetive, like no political event i've attended. i go to every one of them. they're a lot of fun and i would argue, election day were like the ames straw poll you'd have an 80% turnout. this is interesting, because it's sort of a three dimensional republican primary going on and a split screen where all the candidates are. so tomorrow you're going to have this sort of minnesota primary which is broken out between pawlenty and bachmann. winner take all at the straw poll. rick perry in south carolina announcing at the red state conference there, making his bid to be the conse

chuck todd is nbc news political director and host of "the rundown." uck, it's just too much drama. rick perry and sarah palin showing up, perry obviously coming out this weekend but palin, what do you think her game is? >> reporter: well, with palin, you know, there's a gathering, 700 credentialed media going to ames, the whole political world on the republican side of the aisle is here, and you know, dipping her toe in the water. she's done this before. she's going to do it again. we knew she was coming here over labor day weekend and instead, she seemed to move that up. but the real -- what you are noticing is the impact already of rick perry. so for instance, michele bachmann suddenly decided to go to the same event that rick perry is going to be in in waterloo, iowa sunday night. you see mitt romney starting to engage a little bit. today i was just at the state fair, he was on the des moines register soap box, they actually stand on soap boxes, and he was having to deal with hecklers. it was clearly an ambush, a planned protest from democratic side

. >> to the white house now, the chief white house correspondent chuck todd is standing by. chuck, how close? >> well, david, they are very close. they have agreed on if framework as far as we know. and the framework is this, the agreement that the debt ceiling will be raised past 2012. the agreement that we are only talking about cuts only. about $1 2rtrillion up front in the first six months and then $1.8 trillion worth of cuts for the rest of 2012. what had been the sticking point for the last three weeks had been this issue of an enforcement mechanism, and what will force congress to do these cuts? republicans wanted another vote on the debt limit, but that is not something that the white house wanted. so what is agreed to is an across the board cut so that in the super committee that is created cannot come up with the cuts, there is an across the board cut that includes medicare and include the pentagon and it will be a tough spending cut that will start in 2013 and one that is painful for both parties, david. >> the sticking point is still the house of representatives.

we'll check in with chuck todd next. >>> a couple with more than 200 million reasons to smile. you're watching msnbc saturday. wouldn't you like to be them, right? ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] more people are leaving bmw, mercedes and lexus for audi than ever before. experience the summer of audi event and get over 130 channels of siriusxm satellite radio for 3 months at no charge. >> iowa is the state that launched barack obama and iowa will be the place where that presidency is coming to an end. you get to choose tomorrow and i couldn't be more excited. >> michele bachmann just one of nine republican presidential candidates on the ballot today in the iowa straw poll and that voting will run for six hours during the day. for a preview i'm joined by ames, iowa, by host of msnbc's "the daily rundown," you need no production but i'll say it any way. good morning, chuck todd. >> good morning. >> baseded on what we've seen over the last week, who do you think the top three are and does that match up with who will most likely be the overall primary front runners? >> when you talk to iow

nbc's chuck todd hosts a special edition of the daily rundown with those poll results. >>> president obama is telling voters this morning if they're as frustrated as is he with congress, they should pick up their phone it and they will their representatives to shaep up where. >> if you refuse to settle for politics where points is more important than settling problems, if you believe it's time to put country before party and the interests of our children before our own, then let them know. maybe they'll get back to washington ready to compromise. >>> cnbc chief washington correspondent john harwood is live at the white house for us. good saturday morning to you, john. >> hey, alex. >> what's the president saying, larger strategy, big picture as he urges people to call their representatives? >> it's a presidential version of the transition where tim pawlenty goes from minnesota nice to more aggressive. we're seeing a transition from obama cool to obama hot and what i mean by that is the president has been negotiating with republicans on capitol hill the president decided try to go ove

chuck todd and eugene robinson will be here.ins with a check on the forecast. >> good morning. boston and new york city a much better day for today. i think you will enjoy the forecast the next couple days. the morning commute for the rush hour, so warm in d.c. at 93. we drop the temperatures for awhile. yesterday, 107 in dallas. we are going to be 100 today. 39 days in a row. three away from the record in dallas. you can see we are doing 100s through the upcoming weekend. bad storms in arkansas and oklahoma. you are watching "morning joe," brewed by starbucks. ♪ [ country ] [ man ] ♪ gone, like my last paycheck ♪ gone, gone away ♪ gone, like my landlord's smile ♪ ♪ gone, gone away ♪ my baby's gone away with dedicated claims specialists... and around-the-clock service, travelers can help make things better quicker. will your auto and home insurer... be there when you need them most? for an agent or quote, call 800-my-coverage... or visit travelers.com. new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and

you know this, really, paving roads is the only shovel ready job. >> chuck todd, thank you. fting. yeah! go washington. >> i love politics. >> chuck, what do you have on the show today? >> we have ray lahood talking about the faa. >> that will be good. that will be good. coming up -- thank you chuck. >>> protesters continue in syria. now, the u.n. is getting involved. the latest on that, next. >>> first look at the cover of time magazine when morning show returns. [ male announcer ] looking for a complete picture of your money? meet pnc virtual wallet. it comes with a calendar that shows you all your finances at once. it lets you know when your money's going out. and when it's coming in. it even tells you when you're running low. we call that danger days. it's built to help you see your money in a whole new light. experience everything virtual wallet has to offer at pncvirtualwallet.com. pnc bank. for the achiever in you. ♪ excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same langu

our chief white house orrespondent chuck todd iscc1: standing by. chuck, how close? >> reporter: david, they're very close. they've agreed on the framework as far as we know, and the is this -- the agreement that the debt ceiling will be raised past 2012, the agreement that we're talking only, about a : trillion dollars up front in this first six months and then about $1.8 trillion in cuts for the rest of 2012. now, what had been the sticking point for the last three weeks had been this issue of an enforcement mechanism, what will force congress to do these cuts? republicans, of course, wanted another vote on the debt limit. that is not something the white house wants. so what was agreed to is an across-the-board cut. so, if this supercommittee that is created cannot come up with the cuts, there will be an across-the-board cut that will include medicare, it will include the pentagon, and it will be a tough spending cut that would start in 2013 and one that would be painful for both parties, david. >> the sticking point is still the house of representatives. they pass

join us in a minute with robert gibbs and chuck todd.ght back. [ male announcer ] this is the network. a network of possibilities. excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves. no, he doesn't have it. yeah, we'll look on that. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. say i'm missing england... i type in e-n-g and he gives me a variety of options. would you like to have a look at a map, my lad? ah, why not? should we check on the status of your knighthood? yes. again? yes, again! please. thank you! with my digital manservant, i'll never be homesick again. would you like me to put the kettle on, sir? no! i'd like you to get rid of that ostrich. it's been here a month. [ male announcer ] the new hp touchpad starting at $399.99. ♪ >>> if t

next, chuck todd is on the road with president obama.th a check on the forecast. >> good morning. a nice weather day today. thunderstorms in florida. what a great day in new england. temperatures mild. everywhere else is in the 80s. temperatures are mild. texas in the 100s. we would love to cool you off. it's not going to happen for a couple weeks. houston, the driest and warmest temperatures of the year. maybe we'll cool off slightly saturday and sunday. dallas is right behind with 10 degree heat through the weekend. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. [ male announcer ] this...is the network -- a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... for greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here i

. >> andrea mitchell in for chuck todd. have a great weekend. >>> what women the i am packet be on markets after the dow plunging more than 500 points. as markets fall, disapproval of congress soars. 82% disapprove of the way congress is doing their job. harry reid announces a bipartisan deal to reopen the faa. 74,000 transportation and construction workers can get back to work. a short term fix after labor day they'll be right back where they started, gridlock. it's friday, august 5th, 2011 and this is "the daily rundown." and we begin with the jobs report providing some small relief, a silver lining i guess to what has been a gloomy economic picture. 117,000 jobs were added last month, that brings the unemployment rate down to 9.1%. mark zandy is chief economist of moody's anl lit ticks and joins me now. the reaction is going to be some relief but it's still not enough job creation to even keep up with the pace of population growth. mark, what's your take? >> well, you're right. but i'll have to tell you, i feel relieved

i'm chris cillizza, in for chuck todd. what a difference a week makes, this time last friday, the gop field consisted of mitt romney and a crew of republicans fighting for second billing. then michele bachmann grabbed a big win in ames, and tim pawlenty dropped off. all of that happened in just the last seven days. to where will we stand in the next seven days. with me now, nbc political reporter h -- it feels like he's always been with us. if he entered like a ball of fire, and then there were some things he had to say that got the establishment a little worried. >> the president said i needed to watch what i say, mr. president, actions speak louder than words. >> i don't know what you all would do to them in iowa, but we would treat them pretty ugly down in texas. >> it's a theory that is out there, it's got some gaps in it, but texas would teach both creationism and -- >> a lot of people in texas know rick perry but a lot of people outside of texas don't necessarily know who he is. rick perry has got essentially two pat

chuck todd with us from there. chuck, take it away. >> reporter: a detante, no more than that. and it capped off a really contentious debate and despite the bipartisan support for the deal, it's a deal nobody wants to take credit for. president obama didn't praise the deal, only express relief. >> our economy didn't need washington to come along with a manufactured crisis to make things worse. >> reporter: he called the $2.5 trillion deficit reduction package simply "a first step" and argued more must be done. >> yes, that means making some adjustments to protect health care programs like medicare so they're there for future generations. it also means reforming our tax codes so that the wealthiest americans and biggest corporations pay their fair share. >> reporter: the bill he signed in private passed the senate with a large bipartisan majority but few expressed enthusiasm. >> to say that the legislation before us is not ideal is truly an understatement. >> this bill does not solve the problem. but it, at least, forces washington to admit that it has one. >> reporter: it remai

and stick around, because chuck todd straight ahead with the daily rundown. >>> the great debate. team bm grap he wills with what to sell and how to sell it new jobs plan. do they go big and pick a fight with house republicans or do they go more tactical and pass what they can? >>> the perry surge. is the the texas governor the flavor of the month or is he pierce through in a way that will make mitt romney change his battle plan. eight days up the big nbc politico debate. we'll break it down with one of the moderators. >>> and irene may have disappeared, but the death tolle continues to rise. areas of the catskills and new england devastated by georged rivers, widespread flooding, steps of up tos simps towns simt off. it's tuesday, august 30th, 2011. all that plus more from former vice president dick cheney speaking out again live this morning as he picked a fight with president bush. let's go right to my first read of the morning. we'll start with jobs. will the president go big on his jobs plan as the white house finalizes the plan ahead of next week's speech, the west which i t

it's time for chuck todd and "daily rundown." >>> hurricane politics. irene leaves over 20 dead, millions without power, and epic flooding in her wake. but despite the damage, was the swift reaction and preparation by city, state, and federal officials all about the katrina effect? nobody wants to become a member of this infamous storm b team. they're not questioning irene's impact, massive flooding there. and further south, power needs to be restored, roads need to be cleared, travel is snarled. if you're traveling at all this week, stay tuned, we'll have the latest. plus, cheap shots, that's what colin powell is saying about charges in dick cheney's new book. one of many bush officials speaking out about the former vice president's memoirs. it's monday, august 29th, 2011, i'm chuck todd. it's great to be back. also this morning, president obama losing traction with african-american voters, a lot of voters, but also african-american voters. we're going to talk to kasim reid about that. >>> it's been a story of lessons learned. with the failures of the

stick around for "the daily rundown" with chuck todd. >> washington hunkers down while anxiety grips wall street. main street, president obama fails to call markets. will he now try calling congress back to work early. today it's fed chief's ben bernanke's turn to stave off another day of a panic selloff. >>> on wisconsin, remember this scene from february? all eyes are back on wisconsin today where six republican state senators involved in that budget fight face recall votes today. is this a bigger referendum on scott walker and the republicans or on the sharpness of the teeth in what remains of the labor movement. >>> the texas tea step. governor rick perry has been considering a 2012 run for months, signaled his intent on making it clear he is running on saturday in a speech in saturday. that's the same day as the ames straw poll. >>> the story is what's going on with our economy. let's get to my first reads of the morning. the president getting hammered. accused of hunkering down in a moment of crisis when a lot of americans are looking for anything from washington on the economy

stick around for chuck todd from iowa at java joe's. >> all right. piercing through the hawkeye state, the republican candidates out in force for the 2012 campaign coming to a head. the next 48 hours could radically change the shape of the race and there are two candidates not on the ames straw poll ballot casting large shadows. before the poll, the debate. republicans face off for the third time tonight. last time the president was the target. this time, the candidates turn fire on each other. and how many times will rick perry get mentioned? all this as america watches the dow plunge over 500 points again. and washington's popularity sinks to new lows. we'll tell you how markets are heading before the opening bell. it is thursday, august 11th, 2011. i'm chuck todd. this is special edition of "the daily rundown". i'm excited. in my adopted home state of iowa, i'm coming to you live from java joe's, the state is the center of the political universe as this weekend. we'll be here today and tomorrow and on saturday, we're bringing you the straw poll re

tweet me the answer at chuck todd and @dailyrundown. the answer and more um coming up on "the daily rundown" right after this. >>> customers can buy a kit and design their own board or take a course where mike and brad share their expertise and passion. for more watch "your business" sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. does your buisness have the financial control it needs? here's what you can the expect from regions. a bank that provides you with real business expertise. check. a professional optimization of your cash flow with a regions cashcor analysis. check. cash management solutions and the smart lending options you need to grow your business. check. plus, it all comes with award-winning service to help you achieve more balance. interested? let's talk. looking good. (bike bell) there's so much to learn. i just shut down. but liberty walked me through it all... like when i test... at night or after i eat... makes a big difference. a good diet and testing your blood sugar regularly can help you manage even reduce the risk of complicat

. >> chuck todd in iowa tonight. >>> we also want to point out this bus trip by the president marks the debut of two new identical black busses meant for presidential travel and maintained by the secret service. prior to this, presidents have often traveled in plain old leased busses with minor modifications and security concerns about that have been raised going back to the clinton administration and through the bush 43 years, that the president is somehow vulnerable in a rented bus. these new busses cost $1.1 million apiece. and notably, the gop nominee will travel in one as well this campaign season when they receive secret service protection. one other note from today, president obama today made mention of an op-ed article getting a lot of attention. the billionaire warren buffett made the case in today's "new york times," the same case he's made to us here in the past, saying in effect that he's not being asked to pay enough in taxes. buffet wrote in part, my friends and i have been coddled long enough by a billionaire friendly congress. it's time for our government to get serious

chuck todd was there. >> i need to respond to that. >> reporter:

chuck todd made an excellent point. the more republican senators that support this makes it easier on john boehner to sell to his conference. it if it comes out with 75, 80, over 40 republicans or 45 republicans or whatnot it makes it easier for boehner to say, look, the entire team over there is going forward with this. get on board. you know, don't let us own this type of default which would be very, very politically damaging. and, quite frankly, chris, the president was thanking the american people for tweeting and calling and e-mailing, the real culture of dysfunction has become a stain on not only capitol hill but also the white house. and when you talk to folks who have been around here for a while, there is this desire to try and rid themselves of this view that congress is incapable of getting anything done. listen to the words of mcconnell and reid. this is a great night for america. it shows we can come together and do big things. no one is happy with this deal. usually if nobody is happy then perhaps they did

salonpas. >>> bottom of the hour now, i am andrea mitchell in for chuck todd today.k look at what's driving the day. tropical storm emily is sliding into haiti and the dominican republic at this hour with winds of 50 miles an hour and torrential rains. the danger is even greater, of course, in haiti because there more than 600,000 haitians are still living in tent cities without permanent shelter 18 months after last year's devastating earthquake. >>> and here at home, the searing heat reached 114 degrees at little rock. missouri and kansas also expect to hit triple digits today. >>> secretary of defense leon panetta will hold his first press briefing since taking over at the pentagon today at 2:30. >>> and the opening bell has just rung on wall street. investors are hoping to build on yesterday's modest gains. the first time that the dow closed up in nine days. >>> and other stories making headlines now. new numbers show just how hard americans are being hit by this tough economy. there are more people in the u.s. relying on food stamps than ever before. nearly 46 m

chuck todd made an excellent point. the more republican senators that support this makes it easier on john boehner to sell to his conference. it if it comes out with 75, 80, over 40 republicans or 45 republicans or whatnot it makes it easier for boehner to say, look, the entire team over there is going forward with this. get on board. you know, don't let us own this type of default which would be very, very politically damaging. and, quite frankly, chris, the president was thanking the american people for tweeting and calling and e-mailing, the real culture of dysfunction has become a stain on not only capitol hill but also the white house. and when you talk to folks who have been around here for a while, there is this desire to try and rid themselves of this view that congress is incapable of getting anything done. listen to the words of mcconnell and reid. this is a great night for america. it shows we can come together and do big things. no one is happy with this deal. usually if nobody is happy then perhaps they did

thanks so much, chuck todd. looks like a nice day out there. >> beautiful. >> thank you, jeff. >>> coming up, the winner of last night's debate wasn't even onstage. we'll talk to him. the most interesting guy, rick perry, announcing tomorrow, he could about nightmare for romney, could get in the there and beat him's in iowa and challenge him up in new hampshire and take him in south carolina and win the whole thing. he could challenge the president, too. people wonder. if he could be it. that's next. you're watching "hardball." only on msnbc. as much as i can about a company before i invest in it. that's why i like fidelity. they give me tools and research i can't get anywhere else. their stock screener lets me search for stocks with more than 140 criteria. i can see what their experts are thinking and even call them to bounce an idea off of one of their investment professionals. a good strategy relies on good insight. if you wanted to learn more about a company, i think you'd actually have to be there. >>> the

also, we're going to bring in chuck todd live from des moines.eck on the forecast. bill? >>> sunny and beautiful forecast, mika. good morning, everyone. if you're waking up in the northern half of the country this is one of those days you've been waiting for, lots of sunshine, dry weather, low humidity. the perfect summertime. 80 to 85 degrees. what's so nice, too, all the lakes and the pools and the ocean are still very warm from the hot sunner. very enjoyable to head to the pool or the beach. in texas that's the exception. 40 days in a row with 100-plus temperatures. all the way back to june for the last 90-degree day. friday is the day we're going to tie the record. saturday we would break it. some clouds around so the high may not get to 100. that would be a close call. the rest of the country showers and thunderstorms likely in the southeast. gorgeous weather from st. louis to chicago up through minneapolis. enjoy what should be a beautiful thursday. in this box is what i need to control my diabetes, to stay healthy - and get on with my life

senate democrats and republicans will meet tomorrow, and it is presumably out of the senate, and chuck todd said that the more republican senators that supports this makes it easier on john boehner to sell it to the conference, because if it comes out with 75 or 80 senators behind it and over 40 republicans or 35 republicans or whatn whatnot, it will make it easier for boehner the say, look, the entire team over there is going forward with this and get on board, you know, don't let us own this type of default which would be very, very politically damaging, and quite frankly, chris, you know, with the president thanking the american people for tweeting and calling and e-mailing, the real culture of dysfunction has become a stain not only on capitol hill, but the white house. when you talk to the folks who have been around here for a while, there is a desire to try to rid themselves of this view that congress is incapable of getting anything done. i mean, listen to the words of mcconnell and reid and great night for america showing that we can come together and accomplish great things. nobody

i'm chuck todd. got a lot to get into. this could actually be the final day we talk about washington and the debt ceiling. so after months of this partisan impasse, the senate will formalize the debt deal today. president will sign it into law. don't expect a huge victory lap from the white house. he'll probably speak after he signs the bill, but beyond that, how much does he have to celebrate? if the debt debate proved one thing to america, it is that washington, at least in their minds, is broken. and, boy, has there been damage to the reputation of everyone in this town. and a new washington post pew poll, americans put their disgust into words, calling budget negotiations ridiculous. 66% of them. disgusting, 42% of them. stupid, 36%. and terrible, at 25%. no one comes out of it looking good. 42% have a less favorable view of republicans in congress. 37% have a less favorable view of the president. 34% think worse of speaker boehner. the senate votes on the debt deal at noon. house leaders finally whipped members to sup

i'm chuck todd. quite the packed monday. let's get right to my first read of the morning and it starts with the downgrade. economic uncertainty could be the greatest obstacle for president obama's re-election campaign and standard & poor's decision to downgrade the country's credit rating for the first time ever doesn't help that anxiety. here's s&p's managing director, john chachambers, on the substa of their decision. >> we have a negative outlook, which speaks to a longer time frame, from 6 months to 24 months. and if the fiscal position of the united states deteriorates further or if the political gridlock becomes more entrenched, then that could lead to a downgrade. >> here's former fed chairman alan greenspan giving the downgrade a little more context. >> this is not an issue of credit rating. the united states can pay any debt it has, because we can always print money to do that. so there is zero probability of default. what i think the s&p thing did was to hit a nerve that there's something basically bad going on and

senate democrats and republicans will meet tomorrow, and it is presumably out of the senate, and chuck todd said that the more republican senators that supports this makes it easier on john boehner to sell it to the conference, because if it comes out with 75 or 80 senators behind it and over 40 republicans or 35 republicans o whatnot, it will make it easier for boehner the say, look, the entire team over there is going forward with this and get on board, you know, don't let us own this type of default which would be very, very politically damaging, and quite frankly, chris, you know, with the president thanking the american people for tweeting and calling and e-mailing, the real culture of dysfunction has become a stain not only on capitol hill, but the white house. when you talk to the folks who have been around here for a while, there is a desire to try to rid themselves of this view that congress is incapable of getting anything done. i mean, listen to the words of mcconnell and reid and great night for america showing that we can come together and accomplish great things. nobody is hap

i'm chris cillizza in for chuck todd.re the storm hits, the impact of hurricane irene is already being felt up and down the east coast. millions of people from north carolina to new york are bracing for the worst. airlines are paring back flights, and major events are being put on hold. nbc's luke russert is live in washington, d.c. luke, what can you tell us? >> well, good morning, chris. the airlines have already taken the steps to cancel a lot of flights that originated in the northeast going down to the carolinas, as well as around new england. so far we're seeing a lot of airlines offer fee-free changes. meaning if you were scheduled to fly into an area affected by the storm, essentially south carolina up through new england, you will have an opportunity to not only get a refund, but if you want to switch your fight, get it free of charge. also, we have some delays in terms of amtrak. service below washington, d.c. has now been suspended. they're going to look at anything that's in the low-lying area where track coul

joining me now, chuck todd, and nbc's andrea mitchell, the host of "andrea mitchell reports" here on msnbc. so, chuck, this is an interesting and certainly iwould say, the most challenging task john boehner has had as speaker of the house. he's going to have to try to sell to members of his caucus, especially tea party members -- well, let's remove the tea party members. some of the more conservative to moderate members who have concerns about this package. a deal that maybe they find even less palatable than the last one they voted on? >> well, yes. look, that's the bottom line. democrats were told to be prepared to find 90 to 100 votes. leaders pelosi and hoyer think they can get the 90 to 100 votes. do the math. subtract that from 216. that tells you approximately minimum what republicans need 120, 125. for speaker boehner's politics is he comfortable going with a bare majority of the majority and going with this and endorsing it. i think at 8:30. i'm told it's an informational phone call. but i'm not being told what kind of information. is he delivering information as in more deta

chuck todd, we have bachmann coming out in the straw poll, tim pawlenty this morning saying he is nowe race, governor perry saying he's in. where are we on this big political weekend? >> well, it was a shake-up and we have a top tier. it is mitt romney, rick perry and michele bachmann. there are a couple other candidates that can make some waves. ron paul proved he can do that. he's going to be a nuisance to the field. rick santorum is going to live off the land, as they say. but this is -- we have our top tier. it's those three, and the question now is, and we'll see it tonight in waterloo, the first showdown between perry and bachmann, but you have the two of them fighting for, as david brody, i think it is, the tea-vangelical vote, combining the tea party and the social conservatives. >> the big question is why iowa matters and does it matter as you're trying to look toward the general election? "since the 2000 contest, a succession of socially moderate contenders have chosen to largely bypass the caucus, concluding that it is dominated by religiously devout voters. fergus cullen h

porto chuck todd and that's and after well while russian premier league leaders are in group b. with into milan lille and tubbs anspaugh however twice russian champions rubin are out after drawing one want him to french giants live on wednesday night revealing needed a two know when all bets are interest and to go through after losing the first leg three one can't be the thing that's called a struct with thirteen minutes left to give the russian side hope but as they search for a second title court on the break likely come next equalized and they are one four two on aggregate as well as where benfica are also throughout the beating as a twenty three one surprise check package victoria design yet also made the last thirty two at the expense of copenhagen belorussians lied about their bodies soft also progressed as did under pressure also you did it in eighty two under spike the home side missing a penalty against you three one on aggregate. fantastic chicken offering to complete your brain creates a challenge of the challenge. so i'm very happy with the goals you came. down compo

. >> ahead in the next hour, chuck todd and dick durbin, arianna huffington and plenty more.be right back. [ male announcer ] this...is the network -- a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... for greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. >>> you have been quoted as calling this agreement a sugar coated satan sandwich. was that your quote? is that how you feel about the deal? >> it's a very accurate quote. when you lift it, it's what religions teach, take care of the poor and the aged. when you look at the phone calls i have got, 7-1 in favor of a balanced deal and preserving medicare, medicaid and social security. i'm concerned about this because we don't know the details. until we see the details, we are go

media you would think of the election would literally weeks days away pay particular attention to chuck todd ridiculous countdown music that makes it sound like we're just watching the clock until the world comes to an end the president. we'll give them each week our jobs in the government just after labor day a concession to critics he said something he shouldn't have said it was overly dramatic and then like we needed joke about how he got smacked on the head and lectured to the liberal heckler school board when they challenged republican mitt romney. we should keep an eye for president obama's campaign machine now using the tea party as a wedge in the race for the white house against their i've repeatedly stated over the last week or two that i think covering elections the campaigning it's important you obviously want to be as informed as you possibly can as to who the candidates are the want to get the votes of americans every place in the most powerful position in this country but that doesn't mean that all other coverage should stop and you should only focus on the campaigning especial