grassley. i like senator grassley. he helped me pass landmark legislation as a freshman senator, but today as united states senator have the duty to speak, provide advice and consent. as a senator, i have a duty to demand, especially to fill a vacancy in the supreme court.court. senate judiciary chair, senior senator from iowa has a job to do. my criticism is not personal the professional and substantive. the senior senator from iowa outlines that he assumed the chairmanship. promising republicans that i will restore the senate to the deliberative body the founders intended. that is what he said. to tosaid. to restore the senate to the deliberative body that founders intended. he said he took the responsibility of vetting the nominees for a lifetime appointments very seriously. the senior senator from iowa is failing the commitment that he made himself, restoring the senate to deliver the body of the founders intended. the founders of people that wrote the constitution. first chair, this important committee to take the

we gave grassley and add a boy for that. we take it back. we take it back. that's a blistering statement. a revealing statement. we take it back. here's the lesson that senator grassley should learn from this editorial. by refusing president obama supreme court nominee a hearing, or vote they swore when they became a united states senator. this evocation of our responsibility will epitomize their work in the united states as a senator. what they accomplish their careers will be secondary over their job, remember our job is to vote, that that is what we swore to do. follow the constitution. in the constitution's is make clear on this issue. so the stakes should even be higher for senator grassley and the other republican senators, why? because as chairman he has one of the most important proceeding committees in the united states senate. this has is been the case for 200 years. 200 years. the senate judiciary committee was established 200 years ago. in 1816 it was one of the original 11 standing committees, decades past, throughout history president martin va

"history won't forget this misstep by grassley." "the hawkeye" burlington, iowa, the oldest newspaper in the state in iowa. an editorial in iowa's oldest newspaper, as i indicated, "the burlington hawkeye." the misstep is an unprecedented decision by the senior senator from iowa and the republican leader to deny the president to fill the current supreme court vacancy. the editorial ends with this declaration -- and i quote -- "a few weeks back when the longest tenured senator from iowa passed a vote we lauded his service to us. we noted in casting votes on matters before the senate, he was doing what iowans elected him to do. we gave grassley an atta boy for that. we take it back. we take it back. that's a blistering statement. a revealing statement, a substantive statement. we take it back. there's a lesson that senator grassley and my republican colleagues should learn from this editorial. by refusing to give president obama's supreme court a meeting, a hearing, or a vote, they are banning the oath of office they swore when they b

let's bring in senator grassley. senator grassley....was today's

grassley says, not so fast. greg there will not be a recess appointment because the senate is not recess. steve: that is right, and the then democratic senate did this to themselves than 2007, when they wanted to stop george w. bush from making recess appointment. >> we are going to make sure we are in session every day between now and january the 20th, even steve: january 20, 2017, that is the day the next president is sworn in. grassley says the voters will have been had to say, and their new president can espied -- decide on the next supreme court nominee. >> this is about a process. we think it is the right thing to do, the historical thing to do, and the reasonable thing to do. steve: coming up at 10:00, when our exclusive conversation continues with senator grassley, dc, we talked to him since it's , super tuesday, about the possibility that donald trump could win the republican presidential nomination, and we also at ask about the president's impacts on the party. replace grassley the senate say the senat

elizabeth: the men who want to replace grassley in the senate say the he's flat-out wrong. kcci's marcus mcintosh has the democratic response. marcus: two democrats seeking to replace iowa's long serving us senator in washington are both pretty clear when it comes to grassley's refusal to consider a president obama supreme court nominee. >> he is absolutely wrong here it the second -- absolutely wrong. the second worst part is he is absolutely wrong. >> the president has a constitutional duty to nominate the senate has the constitutional duty to act on that nominee. marcus: hogg says there is no president to grassley's stance and the senator is the only thing standing in the way of a full compliment of justices on the supreme court bench by the start of the next session this fall. >> i've looked back to every and the longest period of time to fill that position has been 6 months and 12 days and that was in 1910. marcus: krause says it is time and for grassley to be the states man he was in the 80's -- in the 1980's and 1990's. >> to play games with how we are going to arbit

steve: as for trucks impact on the gop, grassley said this -- senator grassley: every one of our candidates has been guilty of maybe not holding up the highest tradition of the republican party. steve: when it comes to the supreme court nomination, the ball is now firmly in president obama's court. the speculation is that he will nominate someone that is so attractive that it will be very difficult not for the by attractive, i need someone very attractive from a race or gender standpoint, or both. reporting live in front of the supreme court building in washington dc, steve karlin, kcci 8 news, iowa's news leader. stacey: new at 10:00, metro mail problems. it's an update to a story we first brought you in dozens of january. viewers contacted kcci, frustrated with missing mail and packages delivered weeks late. kcci's ryan smith first reported this story. he has new information tonight. ryan: continued issues coming from the downtown u.s. post office tonight. we check back in with customers who complains to kcci weeks ago. >> we don't get our mail. ryan: after your complaints detailing not o

chuck grassley has won a lot.an you make the claim he's out of touch with what iowans think about this issue given his track record? >> well, we've been watching him over the last few months and definitely believe that public opinion is not with him. i think he is very vulnerable on this issue. and we intend to keep it in front of the public. i think it is having a real effect on him. his answers are just not -- don't hold much water. and iowans see through that. you know, we pride ourselves in our politics and people can see a lot of double speak when they hear it. >> do you predict he'll lose the general election regardless of whether you're the nominee or not if he doesn't hold a hearing? >> you know, i think i'm the best candidate or i wouldn't have gotten into the race. we know that it takes someone with some name identification and someone that can seriously challenge him. as you said, i've won a lot. i've lost a few. i am a known person here in the state as chuck grassley is and i think this is going to be

grassley chairs the judiciary committee. majority leader mitch mcconnell and democratic leader harry reid also took part in the meeting. we're nearing the end of one of the biggest days on the election calender... today is an enormously important day. super tuesday i believe is the twelve states choose candidates today - ten where both parties compete, plus the democrats in colorado and the republicans in alaska. the latest polls show donald trump and hillary clinton hold commanding leads. and it appears clinton is eager to take trump on... at some point you can't just say whatever pops into your head if you want to be the president of the united states of america. polls in alabama, georgia, vermont, and virginia close in a little less than an hour. alaska's caucuses should end around eleven. some people would rather work in the kitchen instead of the oval office. and the "iowa restaurant association" is looking for them. today, it held events at the iowa events center to match employers with potential employees. one of them

just as chuck grassley is. this is going to be a good head to head contest. >> tell me, governor, what your sense is beyond this issue or the other areas in which senator grassley is vulnerable? he obviously has been in that office for a pretty long time now and seems to be one, not just won a number of election gs, but won them commandingly. what are the other issues on which you think he would take the fight if you're the nominee? >> well, you know, we never know in an election how things will turn from now until next fall, but i definitely believe that he is vulnerable on issues like protecting social security, affordable health care, affordable college, raising the minimum wage. these are all issues that should be happening. he and the republican leadership are stone walling on them, and there are things we need to make happen. and soon, after this next election. >> just a political analysis for your state, it has become a battle ground at the presidential level has gone blue the last couple cycles, but has

senator grassley must have been listening. who in iowa are displeased and disappointed with their senator. the "des moines register" quoted one of grassley's disappointed followers as follows -- he seems to be doing what other people are saying, not what he thinks is best. that has recently colored my opinion of him in the past week. another iowan who supports the senator told the newspaper -- quote -- "i just think he is making a bad mistake. it is purely a political party play. there isn't any space in this situation." close quote. now as each day passes, the junior senator from iowa is trying desperately to justify his blind loyalty to the republican leader and to donald trump. senator grassley is grasping for an irrational, rationale, anything that will excuse him for not doing his job. that desperation has now taken senator grassley down a very dark path. last thursday, the senior senator from iowa addressed the conservative political action conference called cpac. that took place here in washington. in his speech to them

so the stakes should be higher for senator grassley than the other republican senators. why? because as judiciary chairman sen. grassley presides over on of theone of the most important and prestigious committees and the entire senate. this is been the case for 200 years. one of the original 11 standing committees, that is how long the committee has been in operation.

mark: i will republicans crank up the pressure on grassley, let's see if grassley fold.it is safe to say, the wikipedia page has gotten a major update since this morning. president obama introduced him to the nation as a public-school educated, harvard graduate from chicago. in his first remarks to the garland himself gave us more information on his biography. >> my grandparents came from western russia in the early 1900s, fleeing anti-semitism, hoping to make a better life for their children in america. they settled in the midwest, eventually making their way to chicago. my father ran the smallest of small businesses, from a room in our basement. , as he madeith him the rounds to his customers, always impressing upon me the importance of hard work, and fair dealing. so this is president obama's third opportunity to nominate someone to the supreme court. the first two were women. already, progressive groups like democracy for america expressing frustration that the president miss an opportunity to select a more liberal nominee, maybe someone to bring more diversity to co

elizabeth: plus, grassley at the white house. what's on the agenda for the iowa senator's meeting with president obama, coming up. >> you are watching kcci 8 news. eric: also this hour, they're taking over the well. girls' state basketball in full swing in downtown des moines. we'll take a look at the big in store for today. good morning and thanks for waking up with kcci 8 news this morning. metinka: that is where they got the most snow right along highway 20 overnight. three to four inches totals coming in. it is still snowing from clarion through fort dodge. in this dark a blue shaded area, this is where we got the moderate -- we've got the moderate snow coming down. partly to mostly snow-covered runways. it is 25 now in des moines. we've got wind chills close to five to 10 degrees. the snow will be moving out by midmorning. you'll need warm coats all day long. eric: let's show you the road conditions. we are going to take a look at the road conditions. the southern half is just fine in the green. it doesn't take long to find

here's the lesson that senator grassley should learn from this

elizabeth: plus, grassley at the white house. what's on the agenda for the iowa senator's meeting with president obama, coming up. >> you're watching kcci eight news. eric: also this hour, they're taking over the well. girls' state basketball in full swing in downtown des moines. store for today. good morning and thanks for waking up with kcci eight news. elizabeth: it is tuesday, march 1. we are starting off march with some snow. metinka: it is a when tree picture out there. -- whenwe are still catching a couple of snow flurries with moderate snow pushing down through mingo and back through the east. in des moines we have barely seen accumulation but a long side of highway 20 a few inches fell. the five in -- 25 in des moines. the snow will move out by midmorning and roads will start to get in better shape by this afternoon. heading for 32 as a high. eric: we are up to 18 school delays. keep an eye on that. there is no problem at 511ia.org. conditions. you can see pink in northeast iowa. completely covered in snow or be careful

including the grassley sit-down. what the iowa senator has to say after meeting with president obama. how they plan to move forward on the empty supreme court seat. plus scott kelly is back on earth. what he accomplished in his year in space. it's girls state basketball week here in des moines. forward today.ad moderate to severe plaque psoriasis most of my life. but that hasn't stopped me from modeling. my doctor told me about stelara it helps keep my skin clearer. with only 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses... ...stelara helps me be in season. stelara may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara your doctor should test for tuberculosis. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection, have had cancer, or if you develop any new skin growths. do not take stelara if you are allergic to stelara or any of its ingredients. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, c

senator grassley: thank you, they will be.nator vitter: thank you for holding this important discussion. instructives really and somewhat ironic, given it is the justice scalia vacancy, to hear all of these arguments from the left, that the constitution requires, demands a hearing and a vote in a certain timeframe. most outside of groups on the left are clearly making that argument. think it is sort of ironic, given we are debating a vacancy 'seated by justice scalia death, because justice scalia --ght us for and foremost first and foremost, read the words, don't just make it up as you go along. do not use these big tools like legislative history to get to whatever and you want to get to. i think it is instructive because the left wants a new supreme court justice who will not read the words, who will make it up as they go along and get to a preordained stopping point. however, they can get theire. again, words matter, and the constitution, and the other relevant words, in this case, the senate rules, are clear. they do not re

leahy: i will let senator reid and senator grassley speak for themselves.emember when i was chairman of the judiciary committee, i made a decision of one names -- when names would come up, and wouldn't, and come up for a vote and i make sure they did. that's is not happening now. i cannot imagine if i was chairman, with a republican president, whether it was an election year or not, saying if you nominate someone for the supreme court, we are even going to have a hearing on it. if i did, certainly in vermont, people would say i was being totally irresponsible. i realize that senator mcconnell, who, after all, said his primary goal is that president obama fails, has said no. that is not what the constitution says. mr. bresnahan: you mentioned senator mcconnell. in the meeting with yourself, president obama, vice president biden, and senator reid, he said to you democrats that you are hypocrites on this, basically, that in this meeting, the only four that had filibustered a supreme court nomination were you four democrats. what is your response? sen. leahy: e

tomorrow, grassley, but got -- grassley, mcconnell, harry reid, and patrick leahy, a democrat, will all meet at the white house. it is the president's responsibility to nominate prospective justices in the senate's responsibility to approval reject a nominee based on their qualifications. the republicans say the next justice will be determined once the 26th elections are over and the new president is sworn in, in essence to give the people a say into the next justice is. there is also an ideological split on the court. of the eight justices left, four they said they will meet tomorrow, but it will probably not change their minds. we will see. that is why we are here. we will have the story tomorrow at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00. todd: and emotional goodbye hilton coliseum tonight. how cyclones fans honored their seniors. stacey: plus it's the remedy , finally giving him some relief. >> within a couple of hours my pain had gone to point where it was non-existent. speaking openly about his stacey: a windsor heights man is telling his story to kcci in the hopes it pushes a new medical cannabis

let's bring in senator grassley. senator grassley....was today's worthless? at first...you said process a step at a time...then your republican leader mcconnell advise you not to hold hearings. when joe biden was still a senator in 1992..and george hw bush was president...he seemed to advocate for letting a justice's vacancy wait til the next president. that never actually happened...but if biden hadn't said that...would and we are a step closer to picking the next president. today is super tuesday... voting is well underway in a number of states, with others still set to caucus tonight. hillary clinton and donald trump are poised to pick up the bulk of the delegates. trump could sweep 10 of the 11 super tuesday states. ted cruz is looking to take his home state of texas, calling it a must-win. like trump, clinton could win every super tuesday state but one. vermont is the home state of party rival bernie sanders... clinton wouldn't say outright today if she thinks she'll face trump come november... hillary clinton, presidential candidate "he could can interv

it's time for grassley to put aside partisan political games, and do his job." stephanie/ram: turning now to the day in court... and the boone county case that's taken years to get in front of a jury. it's day six of the alexander fazzino murder trial. fazzino is the death of his wife emily, who was found dead in the bathtub. his defense team says prescription drug abuse is to blame. stephanie: her own mother told the jury emily wanted private rehab in her parents home in the fall of 2011. emily's mother said, under doctor's instructions, she went through four days of detox to get off her pain medication. it was all kept a secret from the boone community as well as emily's father, siblings and from her husband. she told the jury she then thought emily was cured and never saw her under the influence again. " four day rehab at my request and i honored it" stephanie: despite all this testimony, cindy beckwith said she thinks her son in law was to blame for now emily's doctor also took the stand this afternoon to talk about drug use. we'll hear more about that and t

>> well, it's not going to flip grassley.t has to flip mcconnell, and that's a harder proposition. i don't think people buck mcconnell on things like this, unless there a complete revolution. unless they really think this becomes a major, major electoral issue. i still have a hard time the supreme court is ever a major electoral issue, except for the true believers already decided any way. so, but this is a process. and the white house didn't just release tape of merrick garland talk about being a judge, it released tape of him essentially ground zero at the oklahoma city bombing, and the president talked about that in his remarks. and you could see, actually when the president was talking, you could see that that was the moment when judge garland actually almost lost his composure. he feels very compassionately about being someone to protect victims and convict the guilty. and that is not -- he is a judge, but he was a prosecutor all his life. they will ride that horse to town. you can be sure of that. >> nina, just followin

so i don't blame senator grassley's colleagues for their reluctance. the judiciary committee once had a proud history of independence and transparency. this committee is 200 years old. one of the 11 committees that was formed when this body came into being. so it's understandable their reluctance. it's understandable the republican committee members won't abdicate their independence. i don't blame those senators for being reluctant to follow the republican leaders' orders for refusal to do their jobs. i don't blame them for their rerubbing tans to banish the independence of the judiciary committee's past. ensuring this once-powerful, independent, strong committee, repetition is -- reputation is nothing but a memory. so i wish the committee republicans had not been more reluctant -- i'm sorry -- had been more reluctant to sign onto the cornyn-grassley letter, a pledge not to do their jobs, and it appears most voters do also think that they should not have signed the letter. according to a new cnn poll that came out last night, two-thirds of republicans

todd: we haven't following all day -- a sitdown with senator grassley. moments after his face-to-face with the president. steve karlin is live in washington tonight. you can hear how the meeting president has an uphill battle as he plans to announce the nominee. that is coming up at 6:00. kurtis: a little sure -- chill in the air. tomorrow's high, 43. late tomorrow night and early thursday we could see light rain changing to light snow. a better chance for a accumulation: northeast. quiet on friday. 50's on saturday. 60's on sunday. thunderstorms on tuesday. stacey: thank you for joining us tonight. the cbs evening news is next. we are back with kcciter. dad: i know. spots. culligan man: the problem is your water! anncr: a culligan whole-house water conditioning system gets rid of sediment or impurities. so keeping everything spotless is effortless. mom: hey. dad: the culligan man. culligan man: morning! with 40 megs of internet speed from centurylink, a family of four can all be online at the same time, streaming, gaming, or downloading movies. yeah, th

senator chuck grassley to the white house today to discuss the supreme court justice vacancy. grassley -- who heads the judiciary committee -- has said he will not consider a nominee until after the presidential election. president obama would like to make the replacement before then. senate majority leader mitch mcconnel will also be there for the meeting. people in the grimes area will no longer have a new ymca facility to look forward to. this land along highway 141 is where a new y-m-c-a facility was supposed to go up. knapp properties donated the land a decade ago, but the "y" still rents out space at the grimes community center. now the "y" says it's selling the land, and ditching the project completely. in a statement released yesterday, the company said it will put the money toward other projects already underway -- which could include the still unfinished pool in downtown des moines. the iowa events center is busy that's where a top chef style event is putting them head-to-head at the stovetop. channel 13's josh nugyen is live from the convention center this morning t

grassley has been vocal about who he thinks should pick a nominee -- the next president. pushing for the process to happen now, under the current president. grassley says the talk lasted only about 20 minutes and was more cordial than he expected. we spoke with him yesterday following the meeting, here is what he had to say. this is not about a person. it doesn't matter who it is. it's also a matter of the very important role that the supreme court takes in our process. both sides say they have the constitution on their side. the debate will continue as president obama gets closer to selecting a nominee. today the statehouse turns its attention to a plan to help ease the transition to privatized medicaid. yesterday state lawmakers got a sneak peak at a bill that would provide more oversight to the changes. democratic supporters say it's designed to safeguard the more than half-a-million iowans who use medicaid, plus encourage others to use it. but republicans are pushing for changes to bill. today the full senate is expected to debate ideas. the medicaid switchover is cur

bill: have you spoken to mitch mcconnell and chuck grassley?> yes, and we are sticking to our plan, the plan we outlined a few weeks ago. bill: do you know what was discussed two weeks ago when mcconnell and grassley weren't to meet with the president? >> i'm not certain what was discussed. i had a brief conversation with senator mcconnell afterwar i believe senator mcconnell communicated again the message we communicated in recent weeks. bill: does your position of no, and if the committee continues along that line, what is the impact on the chances of half a dozen republican senators up for reelection in november, what does it do to their campaigns? >> what i heard from most of them so far, perhaps all of them, they understand the need to do this. they understand it's not an easy thing to do, but sometimes this job isn't about being easy. it's about standing behind what we believe is the right thing to do. bill: the white house referred to justice kennedy in the 1980s when president ray began was in his second term. the bruising battle with r

they can get him confirmed so the key is grassley and the early signs, grassley has not moved, otherrepublicans have. >> we have seen susan collins and kelly i ought. some are public into her up for reelection recognize that being in transit be a political problem and look, merrick harland is a constant washington insider. this is a rare moment where barack obama is playing the beltway inside game. he has conservative friends including john roberts and has worked with her pelicans on the is if you did this were not going to pick someone like ryan sandoval, this is the closest you can do to make republicans in this town feel uncomfortable about not giving this guy his due. a lot of -- i think the president has done a pretty smart pick for a variety of reasons. we will talk more about this aat you can see there is not lockstep thing. not everyone is falling in line with mitch mcconnell right off the bat. grassley faults. it is safe to assume that his wikipedia page has gotten a major update. a harvardroduced as graduate and a fellow harvard graduate from chicago. in his first remarks t

let's hear from senator grassley in response to senator reid and listen to what he had to say and get the history and providing many of the very sound reasons for these biden rules. and they boil down simply to two fundamental points. first, the president should exercise restraint and, quote, not name a nominee until after the november election is completed. end of quote. and as i said on monday, president lincoln, a pretty good role model for this practice. or stated differently, the president should let the people decide. but if the president chooses not to follow president lincoln's model, but instead, as chairman biden said, quote, goes a way of ph philmore and johnson, and presses, then the senate shouldn't consider the nomination and shouldn't hold hearings. it doesn't matter, quote, how good a person is nominated by the president. end of quote. or stated plainly, it's the princip principle. not the person that matters. >> so there's the response. talk about the response and the influence of joe biden on this? >> senator republicans best friend on this issue, ironically. when se

grassley for there donnelly dashes. mr. grassley: i ask that the reegdz -- reading be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: i ask unanimous consent that i and senator shaheen and senator king be recognized for a 15-minute colloquy. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. whitehouse: thank you. we rise, we are here today to express our disappointment with what just took place. i am one of the authors of the underlying bill. i think it is a very good piece of legislation, but it would make a really significant difference if it had some funding. and the simple fact that we have to face is that this bill has no funding right now. i know that colleagues on the other side have come to the floor to say that there's funding. $80 million, $400 million. but in point of fact, i must disagree with them. let me list the points that show, i believe, why there is no funding to this bill at this point. the first is that the funding they point to was passed out of the

now, senator grassley is interested in building a record.ses to meet with the nominee, even if the nominee is from iowa. he refuses to hold a hearing. he refuses of course to have a vote. he isn't interested in inquiries or building a record through his obstruction he's already choosing to close the door on a potential nominee. he's even said that he will not consider the nomination of his fellow iowan judge jane kelly, even though she was overwhelmingly elevated from the trial court to the appellate court in this body with, of course, grassley leading the charge on her behalf. so what he said about his fellow iowan jane kelly is a little strange, a little odd because it was senator grassley who strongly supported judge kelly and pushed her confirmation to the eighth circuit court of appeals. senator grassley says he will preemptyively reject judge kelly or any other qualified nominee -- listen to this one -- out of principle. that's because republicans apparently only princele is obstruction. the -- followed what donald trump suggests, dela

that's after grassley and other republican senators met with obama earlier today. grassley says he thinks the next president should select the nominee after being sworn in. but obama and other democrats want to fill the seat sooner than that. let's go back to joe now for a final look at tononht's forecast. after winter roared back into portions of the state to start the month of march, the weather quiets down tonight. clearing continues and the winds die down leaving to lows in the teens for most of eastern iowa. anotherer system, very similar to the previous one quickly zips through the region late tomorrow and early >>> breaking news tonight. the first major clues coming in right now. the super tuesday showdown. as we come on the air, the first exit polls are in. what the voters are saying. what's driving them at the polls. can donald trump be stopped? dozen states. >>> trump and his 11th hour pitch. >> i can do practically anything. >> marco rubio and ted cruz, battling to take trump cown. >> donald trump will be an embarrassment to america. >>>>onald trump coul

grassley: i call up the feinstein-grassley amendment number 3362. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: the senator from iowa, mr. grassley, for mrs. feinstein and mr. grassley proposes an amendment numbered 3362 to amendment numbered 3378. mr. grassley: mr. president, i'm pleased that we're considering the bill before us as entitled comprehensive addiction and recovery act, acronym coir, and that we're here on the floor -- acronym cara, and that we're here on the floor discussing this very important issue. since i spoke about the bill earlier this week, i'm going to not have more opening remarks at this point. i look forward to a bipartisan process where we're able to consider any amendments and move this bill forward. at this point, i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call:

grassley...the chairman of the judiciary committee... says he will not consider a nominee but...president obama says he would like to find a replacement before then. two newton inmates are still missing after making a run for it this weekend and correctional officers say it feels like deja vu.... michael amodeo and jessy foley were nowhere to be found saturday night during a routine check. the two are now the second and third inmates to escape the confines of newton's facility in just one month. 28-year-old edward shorter attempted the same thing when he walked away from the facility. he was captured a day later in des moines. the department of corrections says it can't say for sure whether the latest escapees pose a threat to the public.... most people, if they make this choice, they dont want to get caught, so a lot of times they try to stay hidden as much as they can so its a real difficult question to answer as far as if theres any public safety or not.' the department of corrections says officials are investigating the escape and di

todd: grassley arrived with the rest of the senate group at the white house this morning. president obama hoping to hold hearings and vote on his supreme court nominee. >> how would you characterize today's meeting? >> very, very cordial. todd: many have speculated that president obama could go around congress. steve karlin shows us why that won't work, coming up. caucuses, it is finally super stacey: primaries and caucuses in 11 states up for grabs for both the democrats and republican candidates. report. click campaign 2016 update, polls have just closed in three of the 12 states voting the super tuesday. >> on the democratic side, cbs news projects clinton the winner in virginia and georgia. sanders in his home state of vermont. >> to project any winners on the republican side. based on the exit polls, sample precincts, and both in so far, we estimate georgia is likely to go to trump. trump is battling john kasich in vermont, and dio in virginia. -- marco rubio in virginia. >> we are looking for him to do better outside of his home state of virginia. ken ted cruz do any

if they go ahead and nominate grassley or confirm grassley they bought whatever he does on the supreme court. >> every senator for himself. >> they can say it was out of my hands. >> every senator for themselves. that is the problem in the gop, they are not operating as a cohesive unit because there is no leadership on this. >> good to have a judge way in. we hear it all the time, the us is the great american melting pot. a new report shows how much. the number of immigrants and their children now number 61 million people. what that means for all of us next. ♪ in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today. all across the state, the economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, the lowest taxes in decades, and new infrastructure for a new generation attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in rochester, with world-class botox. and in buffalo, where medicine meets the future. let us help grow your company's tomorrow - today - at business.ny.gov it's everything you've always wanted. and you work hard to keep it that way. ♪ sometimes, maybe too hard. get cla

issue with the president.senator grassley called the talks "cordial." "the president stated his position, mcconnell stated the little bit and i think that it started out with the understanding, both from the president as well as from our side that it wasn't a meeting where we were trying to change people's minds." minds."even though grassley says he won't hold hearings on a nominee -- president obama still plans to nominate someone in the coming weeks.at least two republicans *have* broken ranks -- calling for any nominee to receive hearings and an eventual vote by the senate. the state of iowa has the highest number of structurally deficient bridges in the country.that means one or more of the bridges stuctural parts is rated in poor or worse condition. condition.a naional report from the american road and transportation builders association says iowa has more than 5-thousand bridges with structural issues.you'll find a lot of those in rural iowa -- where there's less traffic. "we're still trying to figure those big old bridges that are on very low vol

with the president.afterwards, senator grassley called the talks "cordial." "the president stated his position, mcconnell stated the republican position, i added a little bit and i think that it started out with the understanding, both from the president as well as from our side that it wasn't a meeting where we were trying to change people's minds." minds."even though grasslsl says he won't hold hearings on a nominee, president obama someone in the coming weeks.at least two republicans *have* broken ranks, calling for anan nominee to receive hearings and an eventual vote by the senate. new developments right now -- after accusations of interference were leveled agagnst the interim head of public safety on the university of iowa campus. campus.last night, fox 28 news reported that david visin is accused of refusing to pull over so deputies could question his stepepn about a drunk driving hit and run. visin blamed his actions on a diabetic event.now, the university says visin reported the incident to his superior, but that informatioiodn't reach the iowa board

she is going to be calling on grassley.e's the chairman of the senate judiciary committee, she will call on him to do his job, at least has she defines that job, arguing that the court job should be at the top of voters' minds and that voters should be concerned about the kind of nominee trump might put forward. it's an issue where she appears to have the electorate on her side. our new nbc news/survey monkey online national poll as well as other polls have consistently shown the majority would like to see senators take up the nomination, rather than punting to the next administration. you see the numbers on your screen right there. and to that end, merrick garland, the nominee, was on capitol hill today. he was meeting with two democratic senators, joe donnelly from indiana, and ben cardin from maryland. and in this clinton speech, the one we're waiting for any minute now -- in fact, it looks like it's about the to start now. so let's listen into hillary clinton on the politics of the supreme court. >> >> thank you all ver

grassley voted against garland because he did not want the d.c. court of appeals to expand or stay at 11 members. he thought it was a waste of taxpayer money. that's what democrats will hone in on, saying grassley had no problem with him in the past. same from orrin hatch. now, in terms of procedure -- >> i'm going to cut you off. >> there you go. >> the president and judge garland are coming out to the microphones. accompanied by the vice president. >> good morning. everybody please have a seat. of the many powers and responsibilities that the constitution vests in the presidency, few are more consequential than appointing a supreme court justice. particularly one to succeed justice scalia, one of the most influential jurists of our time. the men and women who sit on the supreme court are the final arbiters of american law. they safeguard our rights. they insure that our system is one of laws and not men. they're charged with the essential task of applying principles put to paper more than two centuries ago, to some of the most challenging questi

grassley: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i come to the floor this morning because of the important subject that's before us, the bill that deals with the opioid epidemic, follow-on heroin problem, a bill that was reported out of committee unanimously, a very important piece of legislation. but right now we have an fortunate political gamesmanship that has overtaken some of my democratic colleagues at the very same time that everybody on the judiciary committee knows that we need to pass the comprehensive addiction and recovery act. that goes by the acronym, c c-a-r-a, cara, for short. it happens that the epidemic is not a political game. it's a real problem out there, a massive hearing that we had in committee that demonstrates that. i'm very proud that the senate has taken the cara bill up. after this public health crisis festered for so long while the senate was controlled by the democrats. tragically, for example, heroin overdose deaths more than tripl

committee, gaveled in by chuck grassley. it is about an hour and 45 minutes. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> i know we are going to have the floor ines on the committee on this subject. i did not know we had a vote scheduled. i would like to finish about 11:40, so we all get a chance to vote. we have several bills on the agenda for the first time, as well as for nominees, three of those are right for a vote. i would hope to move those three out of committee.

bring pressure on to senator grassley. gov.: i started talking about this issue very soon after would notalia's death must immediately a chuck grassley informed us that he was not going to hold any hearings and he is evidently not ever backing off of that. i think that is the wrong approach and that that is an obstructionist way of handling government and we deserve better. with the name garland put forth by the president yesterday, i think that we should need to have a hearing and learn about this gentleman. i think that a senator grassley's job as the chairman of the judiciary committee. john: the on the merits of the argument, talk to me about the politics and explain the theory of the case by which you think this is a case by which he could be vulnerable? believe he is vulnerable on this issue. this election cycle we really have seen so much dissatisfaction with politics as politicalplaying games i think because the voting public across this country and definitely here in iowa is fed up with that. we saw that in our caucuse

now, chairman ted grassley, at least the white house yesterday said that grassley's office had said grassley planned to meet with the nominee in a couple weeks after the senate recess, but grassley this morning made it very clearly that he made no such promise, that when he spoke to garland personally on the phone yesterday he said garland should call him back after the recess is over and check in with him again, and they would decide how to go forward from there. >> woodruff: now a few republican senators have said that they will meet with him. is that right? just handful. >> just handful. about five or six. susan collins of maine, who has been known for a long time to be ad many rat from the very outset she said she thinks the nominee, whomever obama picks, should get a full confirmation process, should get a full confirmation hearing, should get a confirmation vote, so it's no surprise she reiterated this week that she would meet with merrick garland. three senators that are running in battleground states in 2016 said they would go ahead and meet with garland, kelly aidea aidea -- ayotte

he is saying okay, we are willing to sit and meet with garland, including grassley, they will reiteratey will not consider him as a nominee or any nominee for that matter right now. the white house believes there is a chance some vulnerable incumbent republicans could be won over and public pressure will be strong. now the white house is using a lot of twitter, special hash tags. yesterday, the president had a phone call with progressives. he urged them to get out and involved and get their voices heard and work on this to show that garland should have a fair shot. it is strange. on the one hand republicans are saying i don't know why we're talking about this. we made it clear we're not going to hold hearings, but you have the white house expressing confidence that this nominee will ultimately be confirmed. what it will boil down to is what do republicans see as their least damaging optioning to consider this consensus nominee or wait and see if there is is a democratic president, who they would bring forward. is it better to be seen now as not obstructing the process or as some republi

>> the key is going to be grassley.irman grassley will never have a hearing unless mcconnell goes for it. there will be a lot of pressure on him in iowa and he cares what iowans think about him. if grassley decides he wants to have a hearing, the whole thing changes but until grassley schedules a hearing obviously he can't be confirmed. >> and this nominee makes president obama's eight-year point for him which is that he's putting out somebody eminently qualified? >> trying to be president. >> that many republicans have voted for the past and now he can say if they obstruct him, if they won't even talk to him they're doing it to defy me. >> as they have time and time again. >> isn't there an orrin hatch quote out there where orrin hatch said in an earlier nomination that if they had put him up there wouldn't be a fight. >> he said it about this one. >> i'm saying when there was a fight in the past -- >> i think he said it about this vacancy. >> alex, what do you have? >> this was in 2010 after elena kagan was nominated

that was chuck grassley back then.e are going to get in a couple more phone calls if we can, but i need to squeeze in some campaign 2016 news. the front page of the washington times, the rnc moves to scrap the convention rulebook. try to forceill more transparency at the convention in july, aiming to scrap their rulebook in favor of .impler procedures the changes would not guarantee mr. trump the nod but would make it easier for all sides to see what sorts of changes anti-trump factions are attempting. some members of the rnc want to ditch that massive roll book which is based on the parliamentary handbook of the u.s. house, and instead use robert's rules of order to govern for action at the convention. call for these to presidential primaries in missouri. you can see there that hillary andton has 310,602 votes bernie sanders has 300-9000 and 71 votes. votes, about three percentage points apart. says thengton post race is in limbo pending a recount decision by bernie sanders. the paper saying that democratic front runn

if anyone knows his mind, it is senator grassley. each of us is entitled to our opinions on issues that come before this body, even controversial ones. but i want to condemn in strongest possible terms the notion that a difference of opinion with senate democrats means that senator grassley is compromising his own integrity or the independence of the judiciary committee he leads. these attacks come very close to impugning his character, and that sort of behavior is beneath the dignity of this body. i have to say it's discouraging to me to see this going on. like you're going to bully senator grassley into changing his mind? come on. madam president, the minority leader came to the floor earlier this week to seize on the comments of the senior senator from texas to manufacture another what i consider to be cheap political attack on the republican majority. in those comments, senator cornyn had speculated that the nasty political environment could unfortunately turn any supreme court nominee into a political pinata. the minority leader

john: what do you think flipped grassley to get a hearing? nina: it does not have to flip grassley.has to flip mcconnell and that is a harder proposition. i don't think people bump mcconnell unless there is a complete revolution, unless they think this becomes a major electoral issue, and i still have a hard time believing it is ever a major electoral issue. except for the true believers who are already decided anyway. this is a process. the white house did not just release tape of merrick garland talking about being a judge. it also released tape of him at essentially ground zero at the oklahoma city bombing. the president talked about that in his remarks. you could see, when the president was talking, you could see that was the moment when judge garland actually almost lost his composure. he feels very passionately about being somebody to protect victims and convict the guilty. he is a judge, but he was a prosecutor all of his life. they will ride that horse to town, you can be sure of that. ron: there are a couple of republicans we have heard today that have broken with senator m