. >> more from jonathan karl at the white house. the president briefed through the night, jon. >> reporter: george, it has been a sleepless night for the president, international security and homeland security teams. it was lisa monica, counterterrorism adviser and someone by the way from boston that was tasked with keeping the president up to date overnight on the very latest developments and it has been anround the clock operation. from the very beginning, george, they have been concerned, of course, with what happened in boston, but also with the prospects that something else could be following and that the perpetrators were at large. so you can imagine how closely they are tracking this. wrapping up, george, what has been one of the tensest weeks of the entire obama presidency, just think about it, you had the bombing in boston on monday, followed by those ricin letters, one addressed to the president, another addressed up to a senator on capitol hill and, of course, you had the explosion in texas. now, obviously nothing connect

abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl now on the mind of this young leader, raising the stakes day after day. >> reporter: imagine the cia's dossier on the world's most mysterious leader. until shortly before he took power 15 months ago, this was the only known photograph of kim jong un, a snapshot of a boy just 11 years old. >> we still debate how old he is, we think perhaps 30, but i still see quotes as 28 or 29. >> reporter: bruce clinger is the former head of the cia's korea unit. >> very little is known about someone whose finger is on a nuclear button. >> reporter: but here's what we do know, he and his older brother are believed to have studied under fake names at this private high school in switzerland. former classmates have offered a window into who he is, describe the -- describing the kim jong-un they knew, as a calculating leader on the basketball court. >> jong un would call them together, would point out the successes or the shortcomings of the players. >> reporter: the family's private sushi chef has said the sfaurth ruthless dictator kim jong- jong-il, d

jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. >> and the president said father kapaun reminds us of those heartland values -- honesty, hard work, decency, and humility. >>> coming up next here, a warning for everyone in this tax season. families promised big refunds, but some landing in big trouble and big debt instead. ♪ ♪ ♪ (vo) purina cat chow. 50 years of feeding great relationships. i on my feet and exactly, and itwhere i needed more support.ts then, i got my number. my tired, achy feet affected my whole life. until i found my number. i tried the free dr. scholl's foot mapping center. in two minutes, i got my foot map and custom number. i'm a 440. that matched up to the dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic inserts with the right support and cushioning i need. i am a believer. i'm a believer! i'm a believer. go to drscholls.com for locations and learn how to save $10. trust your instincts to make the call. to treat my low testosterone, my doctor and i went with axiron, the only underarm low t treatment. axiron can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. axiron is not for

abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl at the white house tonight and jonathan, we noticedhat the president used carefully chosen words on this today. >> reporter: sure did, david. but make no mistake. this was tough talk from the president. and it came as the white house reaffirmed that all options are on the table when it comes to syria, including military action. this video, from a syrian opposition group, purports to show the gruesome aftermath of a deadly sarin gas attack in march. part of the mounting evidence that the syrian government has used chemical weapons against its own people. >> to use potential weapons of mass destruction on civilian populations crosses another line and that is going to be a game-changer. >> reporter: but notice he said potential. the president said the evidence is still not definitive. >> we have to act prudently. we have to make these assessments deliberately. >> reporter: the president has resisted taking military action in syria or even arming the rebels. that's what could change. jay, did the president mean it when he said use of chemi

abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl has been at the white house today tracking the reaction of the president. >> the president was informed within minutes and brought together his national security team. he met in the white house with his chief of staff and with his homeland security adviser. got on the phone with the fbi director muller, directed the response and then with officials up in boston. but diane, when the president came out a short while ago to talk to us in the briefing room, he vowed that his administration would get to the bottom of who was behind it and hold them responsible. and he also had a message for the people of boston. >> i directed the full resources of the federal government to help state and local authorities protect our people, increase security around the united states as necessary, and investigate what happened. the american people will say a prayer for boston tonight. and michelle and send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims in the wake of this senseless loss. >> the president and his top national security advisers h

abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl has been at the white house today tracking the reaction of the president. >> the president was informed within minutes and brought together his national security team. he met in the white house with his chief of staff and with his homeland security adviser. got on the phone with the fbi director muller, directed the response and then with officials up in boston. but diane, when the president came out a short while ago to talk to us in the briefing room, he vowed that his administration would get to the bottom of who was behind it and hold them responsible. and he also had a message for the people of boston. >> i directed the full resources of the federal government to help state and local authorities protect our people, increase security around the united states as necessary, and investigate what happened. the american people will say a prayer for boston tonight. and michelle and send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims in the wake of this senseless loss. >> the president and his top national security advisers h

abc's chief white house correspondent, jonathan karl, starts us off. >> reporter: the president portrayed gun plan as a moral imperative. >> this is not about me. this is not about politics. this is about doing the right thing for all the families who are here that have been torn apart by gun violence. it's about them. and all the families going forward, so we can prevent this from happening again. >> reporter: he invokes the memory of those gunned down in newtown four months ago.

here is rogue with jonathan karl. >> where does karl rove, histori historian, rate president bush? where do you put him? >> look, the greats you can't touch. george washington, abraham lincoln, ronald reagan, fdr, the greats. but, yeah, i put him up there. >> i put him up there. there you have it. w. coming in just shy of the greats. i personally put him in a category all by himself. next, former congressman and three-time presidential candidate ron paul took a dive back into politics this week and endorsed georgia republican congressman paul brown now running for the u.s. senate. ron paul says he and brown share a commitment to keeping tabs on the federal reserve. that's one of their focus issues and their thoughts on evolution. >> i've come to understand all the stuff i was talking about evolution and numerology, big bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. >> i think there is a theory, a theory of evolution and i don't accept it. i just don't think we're at the point where anybody has the absolute truth on either side. >> so ron paul has a fellow science skep

here's abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> the president referred to the bombing as the event in boston, but make no mistake, the white house is treating this as a terrorist attack. when the president came into the briefing room a short while ago, he vowed to find out who was responsible and hold them responsible. we still do not know who did this or why. and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. but make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this, we'll find out why they did this. any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice. >> the president said he's directed the full resources of the federal government to help not only with the investigation in boston and the recovery in boston, but also to secure other parts of the united states as necessary. the president was informed of this just minutes after it happened and immediately began to receive briefings from his national security team. we have a photo of the call he had with fbi director muller in the ov

abc's jonathan karl reports from the white house. >> reporter: top congressional leaders who have been the investigation say that it bears all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack. senator dianne feinstein, the chairwoman of the senate intelligence committee, told abc news' jeff zeleny, "it could be foreign, it could be home grown, but it is terrorism." the president in his remarks to the country did not to that word. >> we still do not know who did this or why. and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. but, make no mistake we will get to the bottom of this. and we will find out who did this. we'll find out why they did this. any responsible individuals, groups, will feel the full weight of justice. >> i asked senior administration officials about that. what i was told was, quote, any event with multiple explosive devices as this appears to be is clearly an act of terror and should be approached as an act of terror. but the administration makes it clear this is still an ongoing investigation. very little is known. there is no information about whether or not

>> rose: welcome to the program tonight jonathan karl chief hite house correspondent for abc news on gun control, the president's budget and immigration reform. >> well, another big moment in washington, right? i mean first you have a democratic president defiing the aarp. we thought that would kind of never happen, credited for being maybe the most powerful lobbying force in washington. if there is another most powerful washington lobbying force it's the nra. >> rose: right. >> and the fact the nra came out, they were against having a-- you know, this bill go forward. it goes forward in the senate. and then you have, you know, pat actually and joeansn, two of the most conservative senators in their respective parties and both lifetime a-rated nra members come forward with a proposal that would at least do something in the way of gun control, you know, expanding background checks. it's only partial, you know, part of the president's plan but it is something. you know, it's significant movement. we're still a long way from anything actually passing. but it's significant movement. >> r

conference today, taking some tough questions, including from our own chief white house correspondent, jonathan karl. >> reporter: president obama had a clear message for the american people today. there will be no rush to military action in syria. for one thing, the evidence is incomplete. >> what we now have is evidence that chemical weapons have been used inside of syria, but we don't know how they were used, when they were used, who used them. >> reporter: on the domestic front, the president is only 100 days into his second term, and he has already faced a string of defeats in congress on guns and -- >> do you still have the juice to get the rest of your agenda through this congress? >> well, if you put it that way, jonathan, maybe i should just pack up and go home. golly, as mark twain said, you know, rumors of my demise may be a little exaggerated at this point. >> reporter: the problem, he said, is with congress. >> jonathan, you seem to suggest that somehow these folks over there have no responsibilities, and that my job is to somehow get them to behave. that's their job. >> reporter: after

jonathan karl, abc news, dallas. >> one word describing first round of the nfl draft. big. a lot of big linemen being selected starting with offensive tackle eric fisher central michigan. the chiefs made him the first pick overall. in all 18 of 32 picks were linemen. a bit of history made with picks 9 through 11. all three guys from defending national champion alabama. the first time the college team produced three first round picks. one quarterback selected, a.j. manuel from florida state now a buffalo bill. >> they all look so young and tattoo free. >> gigantic. >> the team was gigantic. makes sense three of them got picked right away. >> big guys. >> big. >> huge. 45 of me. >> yes. >> and three or four of me. >> there we go. also from new york, unique bit of entertainment. for some subway riders. so unique it is our "favorite story of the day." >> check out who put on a show at the subway stop steps from our studio. ♪ all my life ♪ all my life ♪ yeah michael buble and naturally seven. if you don't recognize it doing the jackson five classic "who's loving you." >> buble's

abc's chief white house correspondent, jonathan karl, is there now. >> reporter: this was the single best chance to pass any part of the president's plan to combat gun violence and it couldn't even get passed in the democratically-controlled senate. surrounded by victims of gun violence, the president angrily denounced the vote. >> there are no coherent arguments as to why we wouldn't do this. it came down to politics. so all in all this was a pretty shameful day in washington. >> reporter: the president was joined by mark barden, who lost his son daniel in the sandy hook massacre. >> we'll return home now, disappointed, but not defeated. we return home with the determination that change will happen. maybe not today, but it will happen. it will happen soon. >> the amendment is not agreed to. >> reporter: with the vice president presiding, the bill fell short of the 60 votes it needed to pass. prompting someone in the galleries to shout out. >> order in the senate. >> reporter: the vote was a crushing disappointment to the victims of gun violence who had been pleading with senators to

abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl brings the details. >> reporter: this is nra's vision of school safety. >> get down! >> reporter: teachers in ohio getting trained to carry weapons in school. as the nra's wayne lapierre put it just after the sandy hook massacre -- >> the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. >> reporter: today an nra task force concluded a $1 million study recommending armed security in every school. it could be security officers or even teachers trained to carry firearms. >> that can reduce the response time. it will save lives. >> reporter: the president is making a big push for his plan to combat gun violence -- universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons -- taking the campaign outside washington. does the president think he can change votes in congress by going out to the country and making this appeal on guns? >> jon, i don't think it's an issue of changing votes. at no point in this process does the president believe we should leave the american people out of it. >> reporter: to make his case on guns, th

so let's bring in abc's white house correspondent jonathan karl. jon, is it going to pass, do you think, and how soon could it happen? >> reporter: this greatly improves the chances of something passing. this is the very first bipartisan agreement. i would say it has a 55% chance of passing. not more than that, because remember, it still has to get through the republican-controlled house. the earliest that can happen would be this summer. joining the push to get something passed is the first lady. she was in chicago today making a very rare appeal to pass the president's gun-control proposal and getting emotional when she talked about hadiya pendleton, the teenager shot and killed a week after she performed at the inauguration. >> ooh, it is hard to know what to say to a room full of teenagers who are about to bury their best friend. but i started by telling them that hadiya was clearly on her way to doing something truly worthy with her life. >> again, as you say, jon, it is rare to see her out on an issue like this one. let me ask you, if this pa

abc's chief white house correspondent, jonathan karl, on the day and the presidents who offered praisend a little dose of humor for each other. jon? >> reporter: we saw some laughter and some tears. there are very few times in american history when you could have seen as many presidents gathered together as we saw here today. a lot of history on one stage, five first ladies, five presidents. ♪ >> reporter: it was a tribute to the younger president bush, but also to his ailing 88-year-old father. >> it's a great pleasure to be here to honor our son, our oldest son. we're glad to be here. god bless america and thank you very much. [ applause ] >> good job. >> too long? >> dad taught me how to be a president. before that, he showed me how to be a man. and 41, it is awesome that you are here today. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: the dedication of a new presidential library is one of those rare moments where partisan politics, ever so briefly, melts away. >> what i know is true about president bush, and i hope my successor will say about me, is that we love this country and we do our

and so, let's bring in abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl tonight. jon, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, david. well, the president's comments were meant as a complimentin ic saying that she was good looking. but they triggered quite a backlash and he was forced to do something presidents rarely do -- say "i'm sorry." she's one of the democratic party's fastest rising stars. >> california state attorney general kamala harris. >> reporter: even mentioned as a possible presidential candidate. she's also a long-time friend and supporter of the president. but when mr. obama gave harris a shoutout during a closed door fund-raiser yesterday, his language struck some as inappropriate. "she is brilliant and she is dedicated and she is tough," he said. but then he added, "she also happens to be, by far, the best-looking attorney general in the country." today, the white house said the president apologized to harris. >> he fully recognizes the challenge women continue to face in the workplace and that they should not be judged based on appearance. >> r

jonathan karl has been tracking the administration's response. jon, tell us the news. >> reporter: just a short while ago, the white house informed us that the president will travel to boston on thursday to attend an interfaith memorial service for the victims of the marathon bombing. earlier today the president summoned his national security team to the white house, including his attorney general, the secretary of homeland security and the fbi director, for a meeting in the oval office, to get the latest on the investigation. right after that meeting, diane, the president came into the white house briefing room, and he told us that the american people refuse to be terrorized. but he also made it clear that this bombing was an act of terrorism. >> this was a heinous and cowardly act, and given what we now know about what took place, the fbi is investigating it as an act of terrorism. any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians, it is an act of terror. what we don't yet know, however, is who carried out this attack, or why, whether it was

leader who thinks young leader exactly playing aggressive game on the world stage so suddenly jonathan karle being pieced together tonight. >> imagine the cia information on the world most mysterious leader before he taking power 15 months ago this was tomorrow known photograph of kim. snap shot of boy just 11 years old. >> we still debate how old he is. we think perhaps 30 but he might be 28 or 29. >>reporter: bruce is the former head of the cia korea yichbility very little is known about somebody's's finger on a nuclear button. >> he and older brother study under fake names at this private high school had in switzerland. former classmate offer a window into who he is. describing the map they knew as calculating leader on the basketball court. >> he would call the team together. would point out the successor the shortcomings of the players e-family private chef said the father ruthless dictator after drinking heavily one night dismissed his oldest son as quote girl and insatisfied that boy is like me. but interestingly now kim is imitating his grandfather, north cae founder. notice the hai

for give them lord for they know not what they do jonathan karl the what it house. >> remarkable. >>l be back >> students and staff at dear valley high school waiting test troults see if infected with tuberculosis. contra costa county health officials began the testing on more than 200 people at that school who may have been exposed by a student diagnosed with disease last month. now officials say even a positive test for infection does not necessarily mean a person will contract the disease. >> means the tb germ is in the body and sleeping and you are not infected and not sec at all. don't have any symptoms. around 10% of people develop tb disease over the life time if they have tb infection. >>reporter: people infected can be treated to avoid contracting tuberculosis. student diagnosed in fact is already fine after treatment and back in school doing okay. >> well breakthrough here in the bay area could soon help with one of the world most deadly health threats malaria. this new drug is considered the first real breakthrough in the field of synthetic biology. brain child of scientis

here is abc's jonathan karl reporting on what intelligence officers have been able to piece togetherorld's most mysterious leader. until shortly before he took power 15 months ago this was the only known photograph of kim jong-un, a snapshot of a boy 11 years old. >> we still debate how old he is. we think perhaps 30. i see quotes of 28, 29. >> reporter: bruce klinger is the former head of the korea unit. >> little known about someone whose finger is on a nuclear button. >> reporter: he and his older brother are believed to have studied under fake names at this private high school in switzerland. former classmates offered a window into who he is. describing the kim jong-un as a calculating leader on the basketball court. >> jong-un would call the team together. point out successes or shortcomings of the players. the family's private sushi chef, said the father, kim jong-il after drinking heavily dismissed his oldest son as "girlish" and said of kim jong-un, "that boy is like me." interestingly now, kim jong-un seems to be imitating his grandfather, the north korea founder. notice the

jonathan karl, abc news, dallas. >> one word describing first round of the nfl draft. big.e tackle eric fisher central michigan. the chiefs made him the first pick overall. in all 18 of 32 picks were linemen. a bit of history made with picks 9 through 11. all three guys from defending national champion alabama. the first time the college team produced three first round picks. one quarterback selected, a.j. manuel from florida state now a buffalo bill. >> they all look so young and tattoo free. >> gigantic. >> the team was gigantic. makes sense three of them got picked right away. >> big guys. >> big. >> huge. 45 of me. >> yes. >> and three or four of me. >> there we go. >>> also from new york, unique bit of entertainment for some subway riders. so unique it is our "favorite story of the day." >> check out who put on a show at the subway stop steps from our studio. ♪ all my life ♪ all my life ♪ yeah michael buble and naturally seven. if you don't recognize it doing the jackson five classic "who's loving you." >> buble's new album was released this week. just going to assume

jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. >> a powerful story. >> very emotional.ss in church ruins at the camp. even with the guards looking on. >> unbelievable. remains apparently never recovered. the war, surviving p.o.w.s walked out with a four-foot wooden crucifix they made in his honor. >> remarkable. >> what a great man. >>> coming up next, a really cheesy segment on national grilled cheese day. >> my co-anchor, diana perez, sleeping in this morning. last week went out and found the best grilled cheese sandwiches. we will show you how to make them. stay tuned. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. >>> i have been waiting for this story, patiently all week. from the "insomniac kitchen" today is national grilled cheese day. my co-anchor diana perez went out and found the best grilled cheese sandwiches in new york. >> not only did she find it so nice showing us how to make it. that's why this is our "favorite story of the day." let's take a listen to diana's cheesy report. >> reporter: it is national grilled cheese day we ar

we heard him say at the news conference the rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated when jonathan karl of abc asked him does he still have the juice to get the rest of his agenda through congress. dan, does he have the juice? >> well, he has some juice. but we've seen throughout his presidency, particularly after the 2010 elections, how difficult it is for him to get the congress to go along with the things he wants to do. and we thought perhaps after the re-election he would have a little bit more strength to do that. but very quickly we fell back into the same divisions. and it's hard for him to overcome that. >> woodruff: why? why doesn't he have what people thought after the elections that people might have. >>it just really striking to me the difference five months make. you know, right after the election people around the president were saying this is a pan date. this is a ratification of everything that he was trying to do. but i think it's been a confluence of a bunch of different circumstances. i think a lot of this has to do with the predicate that the president himself estab

jonathan karl. >> mr. president, you are 100 days into your second term. on the gun bill, you seemed to put everything into it to try to get it passed. obviously, it didn't. congress has ignored your requests. you got 92 democrats in the house voting question. my question to you is, do you still have the juice to get the rest of your agenda to this congress? >> well, if you put it that way, jonathan, maybe i should just pack up and go home, golly. you know, i think it's a little, as mark twain said, rumors might be a little exaggerated at this point. but we -- you know, we understand that we're in a divided government right now. republicans control the house of representatives. in the senate, this habit of requiring 60 votes for even the most modest piece of legislation has gummed up the works there. and i think it comes to no surprise, not only to the american people, but even members of congress themselves, that right now things are pretty dysfunctional up on capitol hill. despite that, i'm actually confident that there are a range of things that we're g

released his own budget proposal on wednesday to consider all of this joining me from washington jonathan karl, he is chief white house correspondent for abc news. i'm pleased to have him back on this program. welcome back, jonathan, great to talk to you. >> thank you very much, charlie. great to be with you. >> rose: where should we start? let's start with the president's budget. obviously some democrats believe he went too far. republicans saying he didn't go far enough. what did he accomplish? and where are we? >> well, he got a lot of credit from those that have been beating the drums, talking about the need to take on entitlements an deal with the long-term deficit situation. but politically he didn't get much. i mean the republicans didn't give him really any credit at all. and then you have on his liberal flank people like barry sanders saying this is out yaj us-- outrage us that the president is, in the words of some progressives, stealing money from seniors, stealing deserved benefits. so it's hard to find somebody up on capitol hill that was truly ready to give the president credit.

i want to check in with chief white house correspondent jonathan karl standing by in the briefing roomn briefed by the national security team here at the white house. including the attorney general, the fbi director, and the secretary of homeland security. no indication of a major break through in the invest gags. they don't know who is me hind it. the president issued a proclamation ordering flags to be lowered at half staff at al federal buildings. the flag here was lowered about half hour ago. that was as mark of respect of the victims of this essentialless act of violence. here's the president. >> good morning, everybody. i've just been briefed by my national security team. attorney general holder, secretary napolitano, and lisa monaco on the attacks in boston. we continue to mobilize and deploy all law enforcement resources. obviously, our first thought this is morning are with the victims. their families. and the city of boston. we know that two explosions gravely wounded dozens of americans and took the lives of others, including an 8-year-old boy. this was a heinous and cowardl

abc jonathan karl was the latest in washington. that is the first we've seen the first lady go in public policy. >> reporter: that's absolutely right. with the senate poised to take its first gun control vote in a decade later this morning the first lady is clearly stepping into the fray. it's something we've rarely seen from michelle obama, the first lady speaking in chicago, making an appeal to congress on a hot political issue, the president's plan to combat gun violence. >> these reforms deserve a vote in congress. >> reporter: mrs. obama choked back tears as she talked about attending the funeral of hadiya pendleton, the teenager shot and killed one week after performing at her husband's inauguration. >> i told them that there is a reason that we're here on this earth, that each of us has a mission in this world. and i urged them to use their lives to give meaning to hadiya's life. i urged them to dream as big as she did. >> overnight in washington victims of gun violence, including family members of some of those killed at sa

more from our chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. jon, a delicate balancing act. they want to deter north korea, defend against the possible attack but have to be careful about provoking one too. >> reporter: that's right. no doubt that the white house is taking this very seriously. i am told the president is getting regular updates, not just on the north korean military developments but even the rhetoric coming out of north korea. but, george, the real goal right now is to try to turn the temperature down so while the u.s. has made it clear with those military maneuvers that they will respond to any attack coming from the north, they want to turn the temperature down now because the biggest danger is a miscalculation that could lead to war. >> and, you know, we've seen these cycles of bluster from north korea in the past. new factor here, though, is this new, young dictator, kim jong-un, and not much is known about him. >> well, that is exactly right. we've certainly seen over the top rhetoric from his father. i mean year after year this happens in an effort to t

. >> jonathan karl is with us as well, what are you hear right now, new details coming out? wrapped up his briefing with his top national security team, unlike earlier this week, this is all hands on deck, including the secretary of state john kerry who is traveling, via joining teleconference and the cia director, john kerry just held a press conference, he said that i think it's fair to say we have been in a pretty direct confrontation we vil. right now, diane, the big thing for the nation gnatal security, trying to establish any international connections there are. again, the big question, is there anybody else out there? >> let's take that question to richard clarke, from everything we have seen, is this something where they had a lot of outside help or would require outside help? >> it wouldn't require outside help, it may be a case, we certainly don't know, this is speculation and we label it as such, it could be the case that they were remotely inspired by someone like the awlaki killed by the u.s. earlier, he was reaching out to people in the united states via the in

abc's jonathan karl is at the white house, and jon, this is about cuts to social security and medicare, considered a risky move. >> reporter: that's right, robin. this is something we've never seen from a democratic president in the budget that will come out next week, i am told the president will include cuts to medicare for wealthy retirees and reducing the annual cost of living increases for social security. these are the two most cherished programs for democrats, of course, the budget also says that he would only do this if republicans agree to some $500 billion in tax increases and as you know, robin, they're not ready to do that. >> yes, that's true. also, raising eyebrows overnight the president out in california at a fund-raiser speaking about the attorney general for california. can you enlighten us on what the president said, jon? >> reporter: this is about kamala harris, one of the fastest rising democratic stars in the country. she's even mentioned, robin, as a possible future presidential candidate, but at a fund-raiser last night, a closed fund-raiser, the president said

karl marx: a 19th century life. please welcome to the program jontan sperbe -- jonathan sperber. sir, thank you so much for being here. the book is say "a 19th century life: karl marx." the first prize is that he fathered barack obama. >> it was interesting. >> jon: well researched i might add. we have in our minds a two dimensional character -- most of the icons of the 19th century of the 20th century. you have really brought to life that third dimension, his personal life, all that. it creates a much more confusing but humanizing portrait of the man. >> i think that's very true. marx drugelled all his life with -- struggled all his life with money problems, worked very hard as a journalist. people don't know that. he wrote for the world's largest newspaper in the 1850's. >> jon: he was doing well, a pretty successful journalist who was making a little bit of coin and the whole thing goes to -- >> being a free lance writer then as today is not an easy way to make a living. >> jon: he would have been, i think a blogger. he was prolific -- >> yes. >> jon: but, you know, as you go t

jonathan carl. >> where does karl rove historian rate president bush? among the best presidents, not so great?here do you put him? >> look, the greats you can't touch. george washington, abraham lincoln, ronald reagan, fdr, the greats. but, yeah, i put him up there. >> i put him up there. there you have it. w. coming up just shy of the greats. i personally put him in a category all by himself. >>> next, three-time presidential candidate ron paul took a dive back into politics this week and endorsed georgia republican congressman paul broun running for the u.s. senate. ron paul says he and broun keep tabs on the federal reserve, and one of their focused issues and another common bond, their thoughts on evolution. >> i've come to understand all that stuff i was taught about evolution, embryology, big bang theory, and all of that is straight from the pit of hell. >> i think there is a theory. theory of evolution. and i don't accept it, you know, as a theory. just don't think we're at the point where anybody has absolute proof on either side. >> ron paul, a science skeptic going to bat for him. th

jonathan karl? >> mr. president, you are 100 days into your second term. into it to try to get it passed. congress ignored the events to try to undo the sequester cuts. there was a bill that you tried to veto that got 92 democrats in the house voting yes. my question to you is do you still have the juice to get the rest of the agenda for your congress? >> if you put it that way, jonathan, maybe i should pack up and go home. golly. you know, i think it's a little -- as mark twain said, rumors of my demise make media a little exaggerated at this point. look, we understand we're in a divided government right now. republicans control the house of representatives. in the senate, this habit of requiring 60 votes for even the most modest piece of legislation has gummed up the works there. and i think it comes to no surprise, not even the american people, but members of congress themselves that right now things are dysfunctional on capitol hill. i feel confident the bipartisan work done on immigration reform will result in a bill that passes the senate, passes the

jonathan carl. >> where does karl rove historian rate president bush? among the best presidents, not so great?ok, the greats you can't touch. george washington, abraham lincoln, ronald reagan, fdr, the greats. but, yeah, i put him up there. >> i put him up there. there you have it. w. coming up just shy of the greats. i personally put him in a category all by himself. >>> next, three-time presidential candidate ron paul took a dive back into politics this week and endorsed georgia republican congressman paul broun running for the u.s. senate. ron paul says he and broun keep tabs on the federal reserve, and another common bond, their thoughts on evolution. >> i've come to understand all that stuff i was taught about evolution, big bang theory, and all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. >> i think there is a theory. theory of evolution. and i don't accept it, you know, as a theory. just don't think we're at the point where anybody has absolute proof on either side. >> ron paul, a science skeptic going to bat for him. >>> finally, here's one that hits close to home for me. the philadelph