[applause] building a better iowa means building iowa for the future. it means investing in our state's infrastructure. so let's invest in broadband internet. and, let's also invest in iowa's roads and bridges. [applause] over the past few years, rhetoric has trumped results when it has come to action for infrastructure funding for iowa. a recently completed battelle study demonstrates the need for us to take a hard look at adequate road funding. the study shows that without action, funding available for road and bridge maintenance will fall short of what is needed to remain competitive and, most importantly, safe. without action, iowa's roads and bridges face an uncertain future. our farmers will find it more difficult to deliver their commodities to market. business and industry will look elsewhere when considering where to invest and grow. as the study found, sound infrastructure remains a prerequisite for economic development. this is our opportunity to pave the road to iowa's strong future. together, we can find common ground and pass a bipartisan

is iowa skippable for a candidate?s always skippable if that is your strategy and your strategy works. we know of certain candidates who skipped certain states and went down in flames but several of them quite well skipping states. iowa -- >> you are saying that you can skip iowa if it works but you have to make a judgment in advance, right? is christie smart to make an investment there? >> i think anyone should play iowa if they can. there is a strategy out there where you can skip iowa and still win, ask john mccain. >> is this time different because you have a field of some any strong candidates were you can almost see a scenario given everyone who is in it that you have a lot of people who end up with 10% and there is not one or two or three people coming out of iowa the way there has been in the past. >> the more visibility you get -- >> i agree with fred. look at the visibility you get. most republican candidates energy to invest some time, get noticed, be on the trail. you do not know what will happen in the fie

king in iowa is not a big deal. people are singing candidates show up all the time -- seeing candidates show up all the time. it is an opportunity for them to be on stage. the people who are not on stage may feel that. >> immigration has been a bigger issue in iowa. is it a big issue now among republican activists? >> it is a big issue because hispanics are the largest growing minority population in iowa. there are a lot of towns in iowa where immigration is a big deal. >> the other big thing is congressman king and other iowa politicians senator grassley, joni ernst, did any of them show their hands about a favorite candidate or will they stay all neutral? >> they will stay neutral to a point. but he thinks the next president should be a governor. that leaves out a lot of the field. >> chris christie has spent a lot of time together. not shuit down and shut up, but will jersey play here? >> i think chris christie does play in iowa. i think people really like it when he gets up into the face of media, when he is agg

king in iowa is not a big deal. people are seeing candidates show up all the time to things that they may not agree with the host. it is an opportunity for them to be on stage. and the people who are not on stage may feel that absence. >> immigration has been a bigger issue in iowa. is it a big issue now among republican activists? >> it is a big issue because hispanics are the largest growing minority population in iowa. there are a lot of towns in iowa where immigration is a very big deal. >> the other big thing is congressman king and other iowa politicians, senator grassley, joni ernst, have any of them showed theds about a favorite candidate or will they all stay neutral? >> they will stay neutral to a point. but, terry branstad thinks the next president should be a governor. that leaves out a lot of the field. >> the jimi hendrix of the freedom summit is a governor. that's chris christie. who has terry branstad on speed dial at this point. they've spent a lot of time together. i say to you not sit down and shu

today over 600 veterans have been matched with jobs in iowa through homebase iowa initiatives.ight cities and counties are standing ready to embrace veterans and their families as they transition to civilian life and date of our college and universities have earned the distinction of homebase iowa chance for the designation and for the commitment they have made to welcoming service members to the campus. already all work together has resulted in 24,000 jobs being posted on the homebase iowa jobs bank. our work is bringing new business to the state as well. this month i met with one of the owners of capitol armament company a former united states marine will who informed me that the company is relocating from minnesota to iowa in part because of homebase iowa and the friendly business climate that we offer. [applause] simply put, working together we have ensured that veterans leaving the service of boundless opportunities to live, work, and prosper and iowa demonstrating that no veteran should have to worry about finding a job after sacrificing so much for our state and our nati

torrential rains pummelled northwest iowa. in the soup county town of rock, iowa. the rock river surged over its banks and into the streets and homes of residents. a few short weeks before rabb ray citizens and community leaders were wondering if they'd be able to recover. when i arrived in rock valley i had little doubt. in a town of just 3,500 people, 1,700 people showed up to help sandbag. members of the town helped evacuate a local assisted living home. emergency managers stayed up throughout the night to ensure the safety and well-being of locals, their homes, and the town's infrastructure. and when the cycles of rag ray from around the globe arrived in rock river, the city was ready because they worked together. when a challenge arrives, we iowans get to work. we know that by working together we can find a solution to any problem. the 86th general assembly is upon us. with it comes an opportunity. working together and moving forward is the iowa way. let's come together again and make our schools stronger and safer, our communities more connected, our families

iowa on the rise.applause] in the past four years 168,700 jobs have been created. i was on a been slashed by nearly 30% in over 9 billion in private capital investment in iowa. we passed the largest tax cut in our state's history. it is being of limited throughout the state. we invested historically and our children's future through transformational education reform. we didn't working together. together. we worked across partisan lines to pass historic home-based iowa package that attract veterans leaving the military service to come to iowa to fill high quality careers available here. our actions are working. today, over 600 veterans have been matched with jobs in iowa through home-based iowa initiative. eight cities and counties have become home-based iowa communities standing ready to embrace veterans and their families as a transition to civilian lives. eight of our college and universities have earned the distinction of champs for the designation and the commitment they have made to welcome servic

iowa grassley.is a man who job to six miles and did he asked if i wanted to jog with him. i said i can't jog 500 feet. he jogged six miles and was waiting for me when i got to the capital. i saw him go in and face national media over and over and over again that day. he never took a note card with him. he even talks to media with his heart the same way he talks to us with his heart and the country with his heart. i would say there is not another state in this union that has a senator with the integrity, with the intelligence, and with the iowa values. that is the reason why we are proud, every single one of us are proud, that there is a farmer on the judiciary committee, and that's our farmer. [applause] i will not belabor the point anymore. i want to introduce to you the embodiment of iowa, the embodiment of republicanism, the embodiment of this great state i wanted to bring out a farmer from butler county who is the chair of the judiciary committee, senator grassley, on out. -- senator grassley co

it is pretty exciting here in iowa. host: some are calling this the most open republican primary since 1940. that goes back a long way. guest: i think that is correct. i don't think there is any front runner here in iowa. i think those candidates who come here often and communicate with the voters one-on-one and set up a good infrastructure and organization and have a fair shot. i think it is anybody's guess as to who might come out on top in 2016 here in the caucuses. host: who was the audience at the freedom summit? guest: people from all over the state, activists. i would guess 99.9% of the people in that audience will go to their caucuses. so this is their first point of entry by which to gain information as to where candidate stands, how they interact with people, their perceptions of how they might fit in as a nominee for 2016. host: let me ask about the demographics of new hampshire. it's a very different set of voters that candidates are going after from the iowa caucuses which tend to be more conservative. and

the iowa thing. a come out of nowhere triumph in iowa. the strength in the evangelical community is still strong, his show, the values and things he puts forward and he may be the most talented republican in this field. >> and i am not saying they will all vote for him again but if you look at other people seen as strong iowa candidates in his lane, people like rick perry, ted cruz, rand paul, rick santorum -- my cup to be m --ike -- mike huckabee has to be strong. when they come after him for his arkansas brecker, -- his arkansas record, can he take the hits? >> let's start with a strengths. one thing about 2008 that impressed me was the line he had which was, i am a conservative that is not mad at anyone. that was a powerful thing to say. he speaks to downscale voters. for those reasons the obama white house in 2012 worried more about him than mitt romney. >> i got to tell you, if the guy runs the table in iowa, i think he can do it. if he built a team and he figures out a way, dominate south carolina, he is a strong candidate. the othe

he's been, working iowa longer and harder than any other candidates. he's been trying to woo the social conservatives. for him not to show up was interesting. >> go ahead. >> i was going to say, jeb and to a lesser degree myth has emerged as the foil for all of this. they're trying to advance in their own lane they're doing so going after the guys in the other lane. jeb bush, the sheer volume of the folks that were there and weren't there, there's a lot of people dye vietding the conservative vote. if you're jeb bush and you appeal to the center right crowd, the we want to win crowd, business crowd, you don't have to get 51%, you have to get 27% if that field is divided. that's the best news. it took eight hours to complete. >> you have ideological divisions, immigration will be one, education standard might be another as you go through that. emphasis issues. who wants to talk about abortion, same-sex marriage, who doesn't. you have generational issues. romney and bush, older republicans. huckabee you put in that group. younger faces, republican scott

outside of iowa the fight is for the money. that happens in the big cities and with the big republican names who cannot only write checks themselves but have a network of people they can bundle together. so that's the bigger fight that's going on outside of iowa here. >> keeping track coast to coast all year long. you go so we don't have to. thank you. gwen: thanks everybody else as well. we have to go now but as always the conversation will continue online. that's on the washington week web caps extra which you can find later tonight and all week long at pbs.org/washington week. among other things we'll talk about the white house digital strategy and why it has to do with green lip stick. you have to watch. keep up with developments with me and judy woodruff on the pbs "newshour" and we'll see you next week on "washington week." good night. >>> next on "kqed newsroom," the new president of the san francisco board of supervisors targets violence in an unconventional way. >> we need people who are getting paid to work with our y

host: where in iowa do you live? caller: i don't live in iowa. this is the only way i could get through. host: thank you for your call. we ask that you be honest when you tell us where you are phoning from. host:guest: with all due respect, that is the same rhetoric we've been hearing since the days of franklin d. roosevelt. the republicans are opposed -- republicans want to give people an opportunity to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. the democrats want to keep people dependent on the government. the facts do not line up with the colors comments -- the caller's comments. caller:host: what is happening behind the scenes in your state? guest: i haven't talked to him about that conversation he had but i think it is encouraging that they spoke. i'm sure that he encouraged him to come to iowa, as he has all of the candidates. our state central committee that i'm part of signed a pledge of neutrality. we welcome all candidates to come to iowa to make their case. i'm sure the conversation entailed him coming to iowa and participating in the dis

i have been invited by the iowa republican party. i have been invited by the iowa republicans. this is the fifth time i have been invited to this state by congressman steve king. [cheers and applause] if i was too blunt, to direct, too loud, and to new jersey for iowa, why do you people keep inviting me back? [cheers and applause] even more importantly, if the values i'm fighting for every day in new jersey and all across this country are not consistent with your values, why would i keep coming back? i wouldn't. i do because our values are consistent and we are fighting together to make this a better country. [cheers and applause] we know what this is about. this is conventional wisdom for washington d.c. that argues that a conservative republican governor from new jersey can't possibly share the same values with conservative republicans here in iowa. they were wrong every time they have said over the last five years. for your welcome today, they are wrong again today. [cheers and applause] i'm here today because i have been a friend of iowa and iowa has been a friend to me. ou

i've fwon iowa 11 times in the last five years. >> hey iowa can anyone stop hillary?> yes. >> reporter: who stood out? the new faces. >> in a republican primary every candidate is going to come in front of you and say i'm the most conservative guy to ever live. gosh darnest, who did lead on conservative? well, you know what? talk is cheap. >> reporter: ted cruz brought the house down. ben carson was a favorite. and karly fiorina went on offense. >> like hillary clinton, i, too, have traveled hundreds of thousands or miles around the globe. but unlike her, i've actually accomplished something. >> reporter: and surprise standout was scott walker. >> i like the direction they're headed. maybe that's why i've won the race for governor three times in the last four years. >> reporter: right now mitt romney and jeb bush are looming over the republican field. but they didn't show up on saturday. and nobody seemed to miss them. >> it looks like you might be running against mitt romney again in iowa? >> groundhog day, right? >> i can give you a little bit of news about mitt. mo

republicans descending on iowa. >> can you really compete in iowa? >> announcer: some key players making major moves. why what's happening this weekend could shake up 2016. >> you're in iowa. >> announcer: complete coverage from the hawkeye state. >>> and, deflategate getting bigger. >> i'm embarrassed to talk about the amount of time i've put into this. >> reporter: the surprising new steps the patriots are taking now. could this supersize scandal overshadow the super bowl? from abc news, "this week" with george stephanopoulos begins now. >>> good morning. you're going to see we have a lot of news to analyze on several different fronts this morning. we begin with the latest atrocity from isis. one japanese hostage dead. isis demanding a prisoner swap to save the second. and at least one american hostage still being held. brian ross is here with the latest. good morning, brian. >> reporter: good morning, george. while the hostage being threatened is japanese, the u.s. is very much involved in the efforts to free him. in part because of the close rela

host: where in iowa do you live? caller: i don't live in iowa. this is the only way i could get through. host: thank you for your call. we ask that you be honest when you tell us where you are phoning from. host:guest: with all due respect, that is the same rhetoric we've been hearing since the days of franklin d. roosevelt. the republicans are opposed -- republicans want to give people an opportunity to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. the democrats want to keep people dependent on the government. the facts do not line up with the colors comments -- the caller's comments. caller:host: what is happening behind the scenes in your state? guest: i haven't talked to him about that conversation he had but i think it is encouraging that they spoke. i'm sure that he encouraged him to come to iowa, as he has all of the candidates. our state central committee that i'm part of signed a pledge of neutrality. we welcome all candidates to come to iowa to make their case. i'm sure the conversation entailed him coming to iowa and participating in the dis

[applause] he has been a tremendous advocate for iowa. all of iowa. whether it is our manufacturing industry our farmers, our seniors, our children. chuck grassley is iowa. he is iowa. we can not take his race for granted. i am asking all of you to continue with this wonderful effort we had in 2014, and focus your effort ahead to 2016 and make sure that we hold this seat in the united states senate. we want iowa to remain red. we have worked so hard to get here. we will not be a purple state. we will be a red state. [applause] ha-ha. let's work together for senator grassley. i know we can. i expect you to be knocking on doors and making phone calls. i am where i am today because of the work you did. i know we can pull together to keep senator grassley where he is. we can maintain a majority. let's go a step forward. what else is important in 2016? we are all aware we have to take back the white house -- [applause] if we expect to get through this gridlock and have signed into law the wonderful legislation we are working on between house and senate. we

one other connection to iowa.omeone else who else from the state, speaking of bristol maybe you have seen her in the news recently. photos of herbert posted. they were candid photos of her just nothing on but leather. beautiful leather. [indiscernible] she was trained here in iowa. another scandal with the palin's. these pictures were posted because she has been trained as a companion for my youngest child, trig. this healthy labrador, she was trained by the same talents at the copy jake foundation that train service dogs for our veterans. [applause] so we have an honor to be a part of that organization and that charity, and our dog. we are happy she is from puppy jake. these pictures, it was just scandalous that i would show our big, strapping, healthy lab letting my little boy use her as a stepping stool to get to reach the kitchen sink. i took a picture and said this is what turning a stumbling block until a stepping stone is about. who would have thought it would have become a scandal. they just let logo. they

think iowa is a winner. we have a strong group of potential candidates. i'm excited about it. >> reporter: wisconsin governor scott walker seemed to get the thumbs up from the crowd. >> time and time again the protesters were trying to intimidate us. >> reporter: walker used his three successful elections against big labor to tout what he called new leadership using conservative reforms outside of washington that work. >> we need leaders in america who understand who ultimately understand the measure of success in government is not how many people are dependent on the government. the measure of success in government is how many people are no longer dependent on the government. >> i heard the conventional wisdom. don't they know i am from new jersey. >> reporter: new jersey governor chris christie dealt with interruption in stride and showcasing his pro life with the conservative crowd. >> the notion that our party must abandon our belief in the sank sanctity of life in blue states to be competitive is not tr

colonel in the iowa army national guard. while deployed overseas with some of america's finest men and women, i've seen just how dangerous these kinds of threats can be. the forces of violence and oppression don't care about the innocent. we need a comprehensive plan to defeat them. we must also honor america's veterans. these men and women have sacrificed so much in defense of our freedoms, and our way of life. they deserve nothing less than the benefits they were promised and a quality of care we can be all be proud of. these are important issues the new congress plans to address. we'll also keep fighting to repeal and replace a health care law that's hurt so many hardworking families. we'll work to correct executive overreach. we'll propose ideas that aim to cut wasteful spending and balance the budget -- with meaningful reforms, not higher taxes like the president has proposed. we'll advance solutions to prevent the kind of cyberattacks we've seen recently. we'll work to confront iran's nuclear ambitions. and we'll defen

he needs to do well in iowa, if he's going to run he needs to do well in iowa.ithout dave he'll be in real trouble out there >> next thing, jeb is taking his campaign, a new kind of campaign with a lot of technology. dave is a great guy on technology. it's a big deal. >> it's a huge deal. sometimes we make too much out of these things, almost can't make too much out of this. >> scot walker is still higher than a kenosha beach wind surfer after a winning weekend in iowa. >> how high is that? >> he's now released a super patriotic video intended to make him look super presidential. here are some highlights. >> dreamed, stifled. a foreign policy that apologizes for america. and projects weakness abroad. to reclaim our destiny, we must turn to bold, fresh, new ideas and those incubators of reform the states. >> in america we take a day off to celebrate the fourth of july and not the 15th of april because in america we celebrate our independence from the government not our dependence on us. >> in sum this video is two minutes long, 16 shots of the american flag, 10 p

[applause] now, iowa -- iowa plays a unique and special role in the political process.he men and women gathered here today and across the state, you have a responsibility that you take very seriously to scrutinize any candidate for national office, to look them in the eyes and to hold them to account. i have got to say, a lot of people had the reaction, i don't trust politicians. and that is worth applauding because i agree with it. you know, in a republican primary, every candidate is going to come in front of you and say, i am the most conservative guy to ever live. well you know what? talk is cheap. the word tells us, you shall know them by their fruits. and one of the most important roles of the men and women in this room, the men and women of iowa will play is to look each candidate in the eye and say, do not talk. shown me. if you say you support liberty show me where you stood. if you say you support religious liberty, show me where you stood and fought for it. if you say you oppose obamacare show me where you stood up and fought against it. [applause] if you say

people who think jeb bush might skip iowa or doesn't need to do well in iowa are wrong. this gives jeb bush a better chance, even though candidates matter more than staff, to win iowa. >> something implicit in your comment, this isn't just he's got dave cotchel to go do iowa. he's bringing in dave on n a role at the pack. campaign manager. >> national campaign manager. >> national campaign manager. huge deal. dave is a great guy. national press likes him. he's got good relationships throughout the political world. he does, as you said, put jeb in a position to come pete if not make him the frontrunner in iowa. there's not going to be a frontrunner in iowa, but gives him as good a chance to win there as anyone you could hire. and it kills romney, not just the way you said, ching is important, but also out there. mitt romney, the only way mitt romney could do what he did in 2012 is because new hampshire was written off for him he needs to do well in iowa, if he's going to run he needs to do well in iowa. without dave he'll be in real trouble out there >> next thing, jeb is

>> in a state like iowa, i think more like new hampshire which is after iowa, how they play in floridathey get the big money to play in the big field because the ad rates are so high and such a big state. but i think how you play in iowa, whether or not you go too far to the right or not which is what we saw mitt romney doing, which is why some think that's why he lost because he went so far right in iowa. >> woodruff: we have only a few days to get it figured out. we're almost there. nia-malika, amy walter, thank you. >> thanks. >> woodruff: finally tonight the power and appeal of virtual reality and what it could mean for storytelling. it's long been discussed in video games and other media. now its moment appears to be arriving in the world of film. it's getting a lot of buzz at one of the country's major film festivals this week. here's jeffrey brown. >> brown: i am flying through san francisco. yes, it's true. i'm a bird. soaring among the buildings of the city by the bay. oops, i crashed. well, i sure felt like i was flying. but i'm actually stretched out somewhat awkwardly on a

a few days after they returned from iowa, michael stopped breathing again. the paramedics were baffled and their logbooks showed it. >> things didn't fit together that a kid would hold his breath long enough to make him have seizures or quit breathing. >> then, on sunday, february 7, while ray reid was relaxing downstairs -- >> come upstairs, michael's in trouble! >> he heard tanya's screams from the master bedroom. michael was having another breathing episode and was rushed to the hospital. >> the nurse on duty noticed something unusual. on michael's cheek was some red parallel scratch marks, scratches that looked like they had been made by the boy's fingernails. to the nurse, it looked as if michael had tried to remove someone's hands from around his neck and mouth. just a few moments later, an interesting coincidence, tanya reid asked the nurse to look at her finger. it was bleeding. >> i don't think i probably would have noticed if this had been my child, that i had a scratch on my finger and i certainly wouldn't have mentioned it to anybody. >> michael

so our only goal in iowa was not to be knocked out. i'll never forget driving around during the caucus night, what do you do if you're a big shot? got nothing to do. you're waiting. i remember driving around and seeing hundreds of church school buses. and i thought oh, my god. pat robertson. and what ralph reed had done, that was when it really started was he had organized all the church groups, a lot of them had church suppers and then they all went to the caucus. so the result was robertson came in second. there was huge publicity about it. and, you know, george bush had to get his act together in new hampshire. >> you did come in third and i bet you had deep fried twinkies 'cause you haven't lived if you haven't gone to the iowa state fair and this deep fried twinkies. >> i have had the twinkie as, the hot dogs. if eating thet would have made you president, one of my guys would have won. >> thanks so much. you can read susan's column in newspapers across the country every wednesday and friday and they're still talking right now at t

great to be back in iowa.great to be back here at this theater where believe it or not, the sweater vest was born. i don't know if you know that or not. the first time i wore a sweater vest was when i hosted an event here with pleick huckaby and i guess i gave a good speech so they must have thought it was the sweater vest and not me. it's great to be back and see so many friends and meet some new friends. i have been asked over and over and over one question since i've been here. i get it from every person, same question over and over again. and i am going to end the spence. -- suspense and i'm going to announce that bela is doing great. [applause] karen and i want to thank each and every one of you and i mean this from the bottom of my heart, for all of your prayers through the election when we were dealing with bela and her health issues and all of them since. we felt them and as you'll find out soon, karen and i are publishing a book about raising bela. it's called "bela's gift," because she is. and we are

nbc's kelly o'donnell has our report tonight from des moines, iowa. >> reporter: hundreds of iowa conservatives lined up early to kick off a republican search party. >> today's summit begins the 2016 iowa caucus season. >> reporter: billed as the iowa freedom summit, a showcase of potential candidates brought together by iowa's outspoken congressman steve king. >> do you believe that the next president of the united states is going to be speaking from this stage to you today? >> reporter: an all-day rally of conservative personalities like tea party favorite ted cruz. >> if you say you oppose the president's unconstitutional executive amnesty, show me where you stood up and fought. >> reporter: to a newer voice, neurosurgeon ben carson. >> we cannot allow the progressives to shut us up through political correctness. >> reporter: with sleeves rolled up, wisconsin governor scott walker sounded like he's already in. >> i'm hopeful to work together with you to help us provide that kind of leadership that is new and fresh and bold and aggressive that's been proven. >> reporter: showman more than can

so today, cedar falls is iowa's first gigabit city. [applause] that sounds like something out of a "star wars" movie. gigabit city. here's what it means. your network is as fast as some of the best networks in the world. there is hong kong, tokyo, paris, cedar falls. [laughter] right? [applause] that is the company you are keeping. you are almost 100 times faster than the national average. one hundred times faster. [applause] and you can log on for about the same price as some folks paid for a fully loaded cable bundle. today, you have small businesses like mark's that are serving clients worldwide. google named you the best city in iowa for e-commerce. what you are showing is, here in america, you do not have to be the biggest community to do really big things. you just have to to have some vision and you have to work together, and we are seeing that same kind of innovation and energy and foresight in communities across the country. in lafayette, louisiana, companies are bringing jobs to the city in part because of their fast, next-ge

and the republicans are back are iowa. >>> good afternoon. i'm abby huntsman and no it is not time for the iowa caucus. that is more than a year away. but the iowa freedom summit kicks off bright and early tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. start. an early friday night. hopefuls are getting start in the first in the nation caucus state to show their best to the state and distinguish themselves to another wide open republican field. speakers cramming as much as they can for 20 minutes on stage. and it is hosted by advocates united and steven king is making an anti-immigration stance when the gop is trying to win over hispanic voters. king igniters a fierre after there were immigrants sitting with the first lady in her box. and mitt romney nor jeb bush will be in iowa. but it is a pretty good place to hang out. but i digress. they put it this way, they are competing in the establishment bracket and iowa is the background for the conservative area but they are going to palm springs. just 654 days until the election. so let's get to kerry dan. and all of this

. >> but he's been invited to iowa, but failed to take the bait. >> if i was too blunt and too loud for iowa then why do you people keep inviting me back. >> and others interrupted rick perry as he blasted the president for failing to protect the texas border. mitt romney and jeb bush did not attend but donald trump did and rallied the gop right against both as damaged goods. >> so you can't have romney, he choked. you can't have bush. >> the potential caucus candidates were here to make new friends, not news. so they stuck to the talking points and all live another day. it is also clear that mitt romney and jeb bush have a lot of work to do in iowa. >> carl cameron reporting from des moines. thanks. >>> and now let's bring in ohio governor john kasich who wasn't in ohio this weekend but has been on a cross country tour, increasing chatter he may run for president in 2016. governor welcome to fox news sunday. >> always good to be with you chris. >> in his address, the president talked about middle class economics, raising taxes on the wealthy to help secure working families. what is wro

you've seen that actually already in iowa.l remember it was caught on video when steve king and rand paul were sitting down to lunch together and a dreamer came up to confront king and paul mid bite stepped up and walked away. >> the audience is looking at that video right now. >> it's something of an awkward moment. if they are able to successfully create moments like that this time, you never know how many times we'll see that on repeat for next year. >> glenn, republicans arriving in iowa will be greeted by a headline we found interesting. look at the des moines register front page climate change threatens to pummel iowa economy. is that something the politicians will have to address there? >> i would think not. >> i assume it's not a popular subject. >> i don't really think they are going to talk too much about it. it is pretty striking. we're seeing this more and more in texas we have the prolonged drought and epic drought in california which is killing production agricultural production. it's going to become an issue soo

he comes from western iowa, and that is the conservative slice of iowa. he is up in the sioux city area, north of des moines, and move west. that is his constituency. he represents that rock red conservatism in iowa which is concerned about immigration. he has used his hard-line view on immigration to become a national political figure. 6, 7 years ago he was well known as someone opposed to partisan immigration reform. since he became someone on a lot of news programs and was making speeches in congress, he has become a savvy player nationally. even know he is a rank and file member of congress, not a committee chairman, he declined to run for the senate in 2014. he is a backbench member of congress in terms of his official position. his political influence continues to grow, because he knows he can use his perch and i was to shake the debate. he told me last night, he does not want to have a litmus test. he is not giving strict guidance. he does not want to talk about foreign policy or immigration. he will have their ear. chris christie has already gone

this is a discerning audience in iowa. what are folks in iowa looking for, ed?ew conservative. the 1200 people that showed up at this nine or 10 hour event the most die hard possible. who would sit there and listen to all day speeches on a saturday? i wouldn't but i give them very credit. they're volunteers. but what happens at the events is they drag you to the right. you have to be more and more conservative and you can't be a moderate and you can't be a centrist and it was not a george bush crowd or a jeb bush crowd but at the end of the day, jeb bush was out raising lots of money and that's equally as important. >> when i come back to you, i want to get your take on who did well but joe, first, last hour karl rove told martha you do not want to pander when you go to iowa. what is your experience? >> that is exactly right. look. what happens is the candidate comes through iowa it's like the circus is coming to town. and so you get a lot of people to come and it really matters once they're there that you got something to say and i think ed is right about this

>> god bless the great state of iowa!come when i come to iowa. >> like hillary clinton, i, too, have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, but unlike her, i've actually accomplished something. >> back to iowa where believe it or not the sweater vest was born. >> is hillary a new democrat or an old one? >> i am seriously thinking of running for president. >> those are some of the 2016 gop presidential hopefuls who spoke at saturday's iowa freedom summit. the gathering was also notable for who was not there, jeb bush and mitt romney no shows. but cnn's peter hamby is on hand and joins us from des moines. i, too, like the donald am seriously considered running. >> shocking. >> does anybody believe him when he says it? >> reporter: no. he's not running for president. this is the third or fourth time where donald trump has floated his name for president. he's always good at getting media attention wherever he goes. reporters that write that he is serious are contributing to the problem and encouraging him. sarah palin has s

so they are interested in iowa.ople are but they just want to take it slow and steady. romney's case is a little bit different because he's only been kind of in the race so to speak, for a few weeks now. so he's still in this space where he's trying to figure out if he's actually going to run. he's lird a fewhired a few people to help on a volunteer basis. he's still figuring it out. romney still confronts a blitz of the same problem. i think he has a little bit more good will with the gop base because he's been the nominee and the standard bearer for the party than jeb bush. but he still has to figure out if he is actually going to run. >> yesterday when i watched i thought this is an illustration of where it went wrong, in my opinion, nor the gop last time. because if you go in there and you placate that crowd and you hit them with all the applause lines, you're dealing yourself a deaths nail in a general election if you win the nomination. just my two cents. peter hanby, thank you for your report. we appreciate i

remember mitt romney almost won iowa with about 30% of the caucus vote. but again, this is the conservative action in the republican party. the establishment action was actually last night in san francisco, where jeb bush was speaking to an auto dealer convention. and he actually talked about that meeting, that intriguing meeting he had with mitt romney in salt lake city a few days ago. this is what he said about that. >> i went to visit governor romney. i have enormous respect for him. the meeting was set up three months ago, under slightly different circumstances, i guess. and i was happy to be able to you know continue to have the meeting. we talked about the patriots. we talked a little bit about politics. not as much as you might imagine. we talked about the future of the country. talked about a need for a more engaged foreign policy where the united states accepts world power status because it brings peace and stability in the world. >> so if you talk to people in bush and romney world about this meeting that happened the other night, there isn't an

what you're really seeing here is iowa other than chris christie everybody that spoke there in iowa was trying to be the conservative candidate, particularly the social conservative candidate. you're going to have the almost think of them as divisions or constituencies inside the republican party. in iowa we'll see the fight for social conservatives. jeb bush and mitt romney are fighting for the establishment, business wing of the party. some governor is going to pop up as the anti washington candidate. who emerges from all of these? then they'll face off at som point. i think what iowa was about is whether social conservatives can unite behind one candida l a good reality show in the maki you can see "meet the press" right here on nbc4 right after "news 4 today." >>> someone you know could be running for office today. the nationals holding trials for their racing presidents. the tryouts are happening later this morning, but they're not open to the public. candidates had to send in a cover letter and a resume for a chance to be tom, george abe, bill or teddy. they'll have to perform a f

billed as the iowa freedom summit and organized by citizens united and iowa -- steve king. >> do you believe the next president of the united states is going to be speaking from this stage to you today. >>> it's an all-day conference of potential gop candidates. rick santorum, scott walker. >> we took the power from the special interests. >> donald trump, who took a swipe at two fellow republicans. >> you can't have romney, he choked. you you can't have bush. >> texas senator ted cruz. former governor rick perry. >> thank you so much iowa. >> and sarah palin all among the tea party favorites. >> today was a test for new jersey governor chris christie in front of iowa conservatives. >> our values are consistent and we're fighting together to make this a better country. >> but notable for not attending, senators rand paul and marco rubio, mitt romney and former florida governor jeb bush, who on friday -- >> i know you're on the fence. >> no i'm not. >> a little fun at the national automobile dealers association convention in san francisco. >> i'm seriously considering the possibility o