. >> jonathan alter and ezra klein on today's super pac announcement. >>> marriage equality earns a massive victory in the courts today. activist dan choy and melissa harris-perry are here with the latest. >>> the woman at the center of the susan g. komen planned parenthood conflict resigns. we talk to terry o'neill. >>> how do you plead to the charge of political solicitation by a public employee? >> guilty. >> in wisconsin, more bad news for governor scott walker as the legal issues continue to pile up. >>> good to have you with us tonight, thanks for watching. we come to you from minnesota this evening, the land of michele bachmann and con ser va tifs are proud of that. also conservative wilderness when it comes to selecting the candidate that they want to see go up against president obama. here in the middle of the country, again, rick santorum seems to be energizing the conservative base. minnesota, i can tiell you is nt a country club conservative state. middle class voters who care about gays, guns and god. i attended a newt gingrich event in bloomington to check out the enthusiasm.

ezra kline has broken it down. the actual cost of president obama's policies would total about $983 billion in terms of what it ads to the deficit. compare that to the cost of bush policies during his time in office, more than $5 trillion added to the deficit. we got to talk about it. let's turn to msnbc policy analyst and washington post columnist ezra kline. great to have you with us tonight, ezra. >> good evening. >> i have to start also with this, the house gop declares unanimously that the bush tax cuts did not blow up the budget. every house republican voted thursday to reject the proposition that the bush tax cuts added to the deficit. i mean, this is revisionist history. and i -- i view this as -- we now have a lie that is into the record. your thoughts on this? >> the bush tax cuts, number one, $2 trillion from 2001 to when obama came into office and if we extend them again, about $4 trillion with the growth of the economy. you want to know how you know the bush tax cuts added to the deficit. you mentioned

rachel maddow, ezra, good to have you with us. >> good to see you ed, thank you. >> thank you for sticking around at home. we begin with a big day on the annual political calendar. no day -- today is budget day. president obama introduced his budget at a speech in northern virginia. >> we're releasing the details of the budget. don't worry, i will not read it to you. it's long and a lot of numbers. but the main idea in the budget is this, at a time when our economy is growing and create be jobs at a faster clip we have to do everything in our power to keep on it track. >> i will also not read you the budget i would kind of like to. because i'm super excited. i love budget day, i love budget day because i love budgets, love them. not just because i have an unusual and what some may say is an unhealthy fixation on charts and tables and graphs, but to be clear i do, i love budgets they force to us make trade-offs to decide what is important, to be honest what we are willing to sacrifice to get it. the budget is as honest as the government ever is with itself and the people. what is a a feral

ezra kline gets to the truth. later, i'll show you how wisconsin governor scott walker taught arizonans how to bust unions. we're right back. [ male announcer ] to the 5:00 a.m. scholar. the two trains and a bus rider. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by you. and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be. ♪ because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. learn more at keller.edu. >>> coming up, ezra kline and sam stein set the facts straight on the deficit and how republicans will spin the latest cbo report. >>> after we broke the story about teachers working without pay in a pennsylvania school district, it's gotten attention from the white house and the media. find out what ellen degeneres did, and it's great. what she did for this school. >>> and the susan g. komen foundation is facing more backlash after pulling grant money from planned parenthood. the president of the national organization of women joins me tonight. share you

ezra klein of the washington post he has it next with the explanation. you only need one. stronger than the leading value brand, they win this test. puffs ultra soft & strong, they always impress. trouble with a car insurance claim. [ dennis ] switch to allstate. their claim service is so good, now it's guaranteed. [ foreman ] so i can trust 'em. unlike randy. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. [ camera shutter clicks ] ♪ [ male announcer ] it's hard to resist the craveable nature of a nature valley sweet & salty nut bar. >>> how the republicans attack the social safety net. is winning votes from people who rely on government programs? ezra cliens breaks it down for us. >>> don't forget to tweet us using #edshow, we're right back, stay tuned. . >>> republicans say they are the party of self-sufficiency, independence, individualism, you pull yourselves up by your boot straps. that is if you have boots. you don't rely on any of this government money. social programs, that is for slackers out there, you know? but hold the phone. in 2010, 48.5% of americans,

. >> ezra klein on the policy of the big bank settlement. bob shrum on the politics. >>> debate over contraception is exploding in the faces of republicans. >> the constitution unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country. >> national organization of women president terry o'neill joins us with the latest. >>> you can put that and work together and compromise. but we don't have shared goals with the democrats. >> it was day one of cpac in washington and it was ugly. >> before president obama was elected, no president had ever gone around apologizing to the world. >> we'll debunk the lies with joy ann reid and martin bashir. >>> sean hannity released his evidence that the president didn't want to kill bin laden. tonight i will embarrass him again with the facts. >>> good to have you with us, thanks for watching. republicans, they screamed bloody murder about class warfare, haven't they? americans, we haven't been buying it. it's time to roll out the new war, the culture war, the past 24 hours, rick santorum fresh off the three-state

it's good to see you. >> thanks, ezra. >> next up, newt gingrich's fabulous career on facebook. not sending a friend request.oi on my feet and exactly where i needed more support. then, i got my number. my tired, achy feet affected my whole life. until i found my number. i tried the free dr. scholl's foot mapping center. in two minutes, i got my foot map and custom number. i'm a 440. that matched up to the dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic inserts with the right support and cushioning i need. i am a believer. i'm a believer! i'm a believer. go to drscholls.com to find your closest walmart with a foot mapping center. but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance. i was worried it would be hard to install. but it's really easy. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. yeah. you're not... filming this, are you? aw! camera shy. snapshot from progressive. plug into the savings you deserve with snapshot from progressive. >>> this afternoon newt

it's good to see you. >> thanks, ezra. >> next up, newt gingrich's fabulous career on facebook. not sending a friend request. today my journey continues across the golden state, where everyone has been unbelievably nice. mornin'. i guess i'm helping them save hundreds on car insurance. it probably also doesn't hurt that i'm a world-famous advertising icon. cheers! i mean, who wouldn't want a piece of that? geico. ah... fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent oh dear... or more on car insurance. what a bargain! [ female announcer ] sometimes a good deal turns out to be not such a good deal. but new bounty gives you value you can see. in this lab demo, one sheet of new bounty leaves this surface cleaner than two sheets of the leading ordinary brand. so you can clean this mess with half as many sheets. bounty has trap and lock technology to soak up big spills and lock them in. why use more when you can use less? bring it with new bounty. my sunglasses. [ tires screech ] ♪ oh, it was the first time i fell in love ♪ ♪ the first time i felt my heart ♪ [ man ] people say i'm for

, you're not helping. >> ezra, you're not helping me at all here.arder for me to defend mitt romney. >> that's not helpful? >> well, it's helpful if you're a progressive who writes for the "washington post," not so if you're a small-government conservative. >> that's an issue, right? it's an issue where we've come to the point where those issues are progressive. what about a mortgage refinancing program is progressive? what about moving some taxes away from work on to carbon to get down carbon pollution is progressive? that's just good policy. the fact that it's become progressive, it's a problem for republicans. >> if you have your world view -- >> which part of my world view is needed there? >> the fact that you want the federal government to step -- you think the prob with the president's policies are that his stimulus programs weren't big enough. >> but wait, wait, wait -- >> i was talking about your arguments. and as far as carbon taxes go, it might shock you, but a lot of americans when you have unemployment at the rate we have, a lot of ameri

jonathon alter and ezra kline have reaction. rush limbaugh says the president is monkeying with the numbers on the latest jobs report. he's going in the zone. the susan g. komen story is exploding. the head of the komen is caught in an apparent lie. terry o'neill will join me for the latest. we'll be right back. >>> welcome back to the ed show. thank you for watching tonight. in this political cycle decision makers are lerching one thing, money counts. so the obama campaign will now start raising money for democratic super-pacs. it's a reversal, but the president of the united states and his team is recognizing the political reality here. president obama still believes citizens united needs to be overturned or reigned in, but until then democrats must take advantage of the same rules as republicans or they're going to lose. democrats face the prospect of half a billion dollars in republican super-pac money from the koch brothers and karl rove's crowd, that's a half a billion dollars in negative advertising. democrats either get

thank you for coming in, ezra klein. herbie hancock was among music's royalty at clive davis's pre grammy party when word of whitney houston's death began to spread. we'll talk with him and with "the new york times" pop music writer, coming up next. ♪ [ sniffs ] i have a cold. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath ] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! but not your wrinkles? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. its retinol formula visibly reduces wrinkles in just one week. why wait if you don't have to. neutrogena®. one golden crown. come on frank how long have we known each other? go to e-trade. they got killer tools man. they'll help you nail a retirement plan that's fierce. two golden crowns. you realize the odds of winning are the same as being mauled by a polar bear and a regular bear in the same d

we go inside the number with ezra klein and robert reich. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor, i misspoke. i wish i wouldn't have said it that way. . >> mitt romney is trying to cover his tracks. but he's only making it worse. bob shrum on his downward spiral. >>> the komen foundation, reverses course on funding for planned parenthood. or was it a head fake? terry o'neill is back with the latest. gasland director josh fox got arrested tuesday. >> this is a public hearing i'm within my first amendment rights. >> today, josh fox returns, to talk about breaking news from the obama administration on fracking regulations. >>> good to have you with us tonight folks, thank for watching. i want to tell you there are things happening in wisconsin we'll get to later on in the show. >>> first tonight, we show this chart a lot. i love charts, really tells a story, gives you a snapshot and tells you what the trend is. we show it a lot, because the private sector job growth under president obama and president bush tell a different story. you may notice something different about it tonight. the

we all love ezra here and ezra loves charts, and by the transit property, this is a chart-laden valentineght now. this is the chart of what the beltway media is obsessed with for 2012 politics in this news cycle. this is my, oh, my holy smokes, the mitt romney going to beat rick santorum story. this shows mitt romney in black, and in red there, is rick santorum, his polling over time. mr. santorum coming out of nowhere, and with that steep climb, now challenging if not beating mr. romney nationwide. this is the story the beltway media cannot get enough of right now. here's why i don't think that is the most important political dynamic in the world right now. yes, mr. santorum has come from nowhere to meet or exceed mr. romney this week. but before this week, mr. romney weathered the exact same storm from rick perry. see him there? that was rick perry back in september, and then mr. perry went away. after mr. perry, mr. romney weathered the exact same storm from herman cain, and then herman cain went away. then from mr. gingrich, and he went away and came back and went away. so though it i

ezra klein is filling in for rachel maddow, ezra, good to

. >>> diffusing budget bombs, ezra klein writes a series of budget bombs, fiscal bombs are set to gong months, including the payroll tax cut, the bush tax cuts, and like a scene out of "mission impossible," congress trying to find out how to save the day. ezra, you write here that these are some serious problems, questions to be answered in the coming months. what happens, though? you describe a drag on our economy because we're debating these. >> that would be i should say the worst "mission impossible" ever. just sitting around. so what we have -- it's a funny thing, i think people think it's the opposite. we have a law, the laws that are currently on the books are -- would essentially get rid of the national deficit. they would eliminate it, but they would destroy growth at the same time. so the big players here are if we do nothing, if congress can't come to an agreement and as we all know, congress is excellent at not coming to an agreement. if they can't come to an agreement, the payroll tax cut expires, the unemployment insurance expansion expires, the bush tax cuts expire for

i'm ezra klein. thank you for watching tonight. rachel will be back tomorrow. stay tuned for lawrence o'donnell. so marriage number one. . >>> saying goodbye. whitney houston returns had her home state as her family makes funeral plans. >>> rick santorum picking up steam in the race for republican votes and diva dogs. coifed canines compete in the kennel club dog show. good morning everyone. i'm lynn berry. this is first look on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with coming home. the body of singer whitney houston is back in her home state of new jersey this morning where plans for a memorial and funeral to be held later this week are being made. meanwhile, questions and the investigation into what exactly killed the pop star continue. nbc's sara edwards has the latest. >> the body of 48-year-old whitney houston arrived late monday night back in her home state of new jersey. earlier in the day, after the singer's remains were released to her family, her body was taken to a funeral home and prepared for a flight back to newark. as houston made her final flight, q

there was a fascinating article, ezra klein's column this morning. how much of the deficit is attributed to policies that president obama signed into law and how much is attributable to policies that were part of the bush administration. he comes up with a calculation, $1 billion obama, $5 being billion bush administration policies. now, debate more or less what you're talking, you know, on this, but this shouldn't be from a columnist in the "washington post" and a couple of think tanks. it would be great to be able to work in a refined basis with you on things like that going forward. but i wish that you would comment on your capacity to deal with the demands of this committee for more data, more methodology, more ideas that are coming thick and fast s, and we want faster turn around and the implications with what we do with the data is profound dealing with trillions of debt and spending in the outyear, what's happening in your budget and your ability to respond to this committee? >> i appreciate your concern. >> please answer in 30 seconds. >> i a

and here is a column put together by ezra kline and worked with one of the think tank agencies here in washington. he says this. george w. bush's major policies increased the debt by more than $5 trillion during his presidency. obama has increased the debt by less than $1 trillion. they broke it down on policies, by policy, which contributed to the national debt for body the bush administration, then if you looked at the obama administration from 2009 out to 2017, and obama administration would add less. >> i don't know where they get those numbers because i've watched what obama care alone is going to be $1 trillion. but we don't need to put the blame here. the whole point of "now or never" is both parties are to blame. that our country is headed towards an iceberg. and we can point fingers all we want. but the bottom line is it's not about party, it's not about ideology. our country on paper is bankrupt already. the only thing that's propping us up is the euro's in worse shape and we're able to print money to buy our own debt which we've been doing the last two years. so i think that

. >> ezra klein called it cruel and violent. no, this country, over the long-term, if we grow, if we have a strong recovery, which requires investments, and fair and impartial share kind of economics and politics, you know, we talk about entitlements, these are not entitlements, social security and medicare, these are rights that americans have worked hard to pay into. a social security -- >> it raises taxes and the debt. >> you know what? here is the trick, unneunfairne romney's plan increases taxes on low and middle class people. if we let the bush tax cuts expire and return to clinton era rates, we will have trillions to deal with the deficit. >> the budget conversation is not one that is away any time soon, we will have more on that after the break and we will address the grows disparity between the rich and poor and that it's exposing a divide in education. that is next on "now." when it comes to paint... ...there's one brand that always tops the charts. so let's grab a few of those gallons- at a price that's now even lower