what does the joni then think of the joni now?o idea where -- you know, that i would -- i had jazz in high school, you know. miles, kind of blue, and hendricks and ross, i knew everything about it -- so in my 20s, i would never think that i would be playing with miles' people. that i would. so that's why i guess i'm in awe looking back on it you know. like to these collaborators who are my friends, you know. i just hadn't revisited it for a long time. and i -- that's what struck me most other than, you know trying to get the sequence where the storyline led and the music led beautifully, you know. i had such a range. i could play in any key. it's not like a symphony where it's all one key. but they flow. they all flowed. it's not -- not joni's weird chords, you know, like i guess i did things that were innovative in the history of music, in the way i used -- >> what they call weird is innovative. >> right. >> they hadn't caught up with you yet. >> the fogeys thought they were weird. when the jazzers thought they were weird or when

it is high-risk, high reward for joni ernst. she has to do a compelling job leave people wanting to hear more from the gop. >> before the president speech, a key republican is dismissing the latest tax plan. tell us about it. >> i spoke with senator orin hatch. he is a critical player. senator hatch is not impressed with the presidents latest proposal. take a listen. >> it's more and more of the same, robbing peter to pay paul instead of helping both peter and paul to survive and help this country be on its way from a physical standpoint. >> senator hatch conceded it will be an uphill fight to reach agreement with the white house on anything with regard to tax reform. he did not take it off the table. a bigger focus might be a business tax reform, but even senator hatch said that will be tough. train will be a likely area of bipartisan cooperation on the hill. >> thank you so much. coming up, more on the state of the union. we will preview tonight's speech and discuss how much of the president's agenda is likely to get done in t

the announcement i want to make is senator joni ernst will be delivering the response to the state of the union for our side this year. she is a perfect choice. americans voted for change, and the senator ernst will explain what the new congress plans to do. and what it is already doing to return focus to the concerns of the middle class and away from demands the political class. joni ernst has dedicated her life to iowa in the country, serving in the military, the iowa national guard, for more than 20 years, and has deployed overseas. she is focused on growing an economy and expanding the middle class. >> thank you.

it will be given by freshman senator joni ernst of iowa.e hog-tieing -- >> that would make sense. >> there are some that could say she could emerge as a star past gop responders like governor bobby jindal discussed as presidential nominees but not all reaction to senator ernst is positive. a proabortion group sent out a press release calling her window-dressing. nbc's luke russert fired off against military record. joan any ernst meet or i can rise continues. this time last year she was unknown pig farmer. tuesday she will deliver the gop response. we're asking if this conservative women held to different standard than liberal women. go to you, kennedy left came out with fangs before like sarah palin. they find them to be deeply threating. joni ernst as senator brown pointed out earlier made a lot of history. first woman senator from iowa. has mill day remember -- military member. luke russert? >> he had a layover in the middle of country or visited a hog farm? >> what he is doing he is trying to undercut someone left sees as threat. >> we'

their speech, we will bring you the republican response live being delivered by freshman lawmaker joni ernst from iowa. at the joint retreat by house and senator -- house and senate republicans, -- this was a briefing that majority leader mitch mcconnell and the present of john boehner held. it is about 15 minutes. >> good afternoon. republicans continue to make the american people's priorities jobs and economy, our priorities. we have had a great opportunity this year to make progress for families and small businesses, and we look forward to continuing to make progress. we have already gotten off to a great start by passing a number of common sense jobs bills to help grow our economy. the president's focus is on the past, on the old politics of pitting one set of americans against the other. on the ways of top-down washington solutions. what has that produced? record debt and a shaky economy. the country is ready to move on. we need to start growing american economy, not washington's. our challenge, our opportunity is to pass common-sense solutions that will help expand opportunities

joni ernst is his attempt to do that.ect it to be about personality and republican themes and not specifics to the president's speech. >> it is interesting. because the republicans acquired bower and were able to take over -- power and take over the house and the senate based this strategy and being the bad guys essentially, and saying they would give the president nothing. is it making heads spin on capitol hill that suddenly now that they are in charge now they want bipartisanship and warm nl and coziness and such? >> well i think a lot of democrats will say it is facetious. and you do hear that. but what is fascinating, joy, is mitch mcconnell the clever political player the best chess player in politics, he has the vulnerable blue state republicans from 2016 and he realizes that what he did to a great electoral success doesn't work this time around. so whether or not that accounts for any results, we'll see. >> and people talked about mitt romney. and everybody is talking about it now. thank you. >>> and debbie wasser

r(m g senator from iowa, joni ernst.guard. #irst w chris mentioned ever to represent iowa in tkn!%ujuáy according to her office, senator ernst plans to tell america that the ljñ republicans leaders in w÷ message you sent in november loud and clear and now she says we're going to get to work toÑ.h/w change the direction of washington and the direction that it's been taking our country. now the republican response to the state of the union from joni ernst. iowa.wÑ we appreciate the pry sharing his. tonight, though, rather than respond to a spee> like to talk about your priorities. i would like to have a conversation about the new republican congress you just elected and how we plany;víç to washington focus on your we heard thep clear.rñ youf and now we'regjia getting to wo change the direction washington has been taking our country. we were raised to live simply. not to rywaste. it was a lesson my mother taught mewú8 every rainy morning. you see, growing5éró up, i ha9f one good pair of shoes. so on rainy school days, my

i'm joni ernst. as a mother, a soldier, and a newly elected senator from the great state of iowa, i am proud to speak with you tonight. a few moments ago, we heard the president lay out his vision for the year to come. even if we may not always agree, it's important to hear different points of view in this great country. we appreciate the president sharing his. tonight though, rather than respond to a speech, i'd like to talk about your priorities. i'd like to have a conversation about the new republican congress you just elected, and how we plan to make washington focus on your concerns again. we heard the message you sent in november -- loud and clear. and now we're getting to work to change the direction washington has been taking our country. the new republican congress also understands how difficult these past six years have been. for many of us, the sting of the economy and the frustration with washington's dysfunction weren't things we had to read about. we felt them every day. we felt them in

all of a sudden mitt romney, joni ernst, rand paul and ted cruz, the least able to believe that one.hey are all talking populism like they are democrats. we'll see. are they for real? are the republicans populist? >>> plus, the president's call to action was not so much about him as it was for the future. for republicans, the future may be, let's face it, hillary clinton. a true liberal like he's identified himself. and in politics and in sports, how far is too far to go to win? the new england patriots are going to the super bowl under a cloud of controversy that they may have deflated game balls to gain an edge. do you believe it? >>> and finally, are the republicans, is mitt romney serious about closing the income gap between the little people and him? does he want that to happen? really? mitt? this is "hardball," the place for politics. >>> well, president obama hit the road after last night's state of the union and he's going to some unchartered territory, at least for him. his first stop was boise, idaho, today. it's a state as red as it gets and obama has never been there as p

jonie ernst, you might remember her. she's going to deliver the republican response. if you're not quite sure who she is, here's a little flashback of how most of you met joany ernst. >> i'm jonie ernst. i grew up castrating hogs. i'll know how to cut pork. let's make them squeal. >> it is interesting. that was a great ad. she broke out of a field. robert, out of the state of iowa, what are they hoping to accomplish. it's a tough job. >> what arrived for joni ernst, shooes running in a competitive party. she's a king maker and she's giving the state of the union response. it's like when cathy mcmorris-rodgers gave the response last year. republicans know they have problems to reach out with republican voters. they also believe ernst because she has blue collar roots and has background and appeal, that it's beyond the wealthy and i'm sure that it attacks a lot of republicans. she is the voice they want. >> right. one thing i would note on this, i find it so interesting that the way to attract women is to be symbolic. that they're women. >> that's right. we happen to do

for the republican response. >> senator, do you have any tips for joni ernst tonight?drink lots of water. >> reporter: at 4:35 on the north lawn of the white house, abc's john karl spoke to valerie jarrett. >> he does have a bounce in his step. it is reflected in the fact that the economy is strong, the state of our union is good. >> reporter: that bounce in his step likely the result of recent abc news poll numbers showing the president's approval rating has jumped nine points since november when his party got clobbered in the midterm elections and the republicans took control of both the house and, for the first time in years, the senate. at 7:50, the white house tweeted a picture of obama's suit for the big speech, with the #yeswetan. at 8:00, the white house said that representative foxx was chosen as the designated survivor. the cabinet secretary who will spend the evening at an undisclosed location ready to take control in case anything dire should have happen during the speech. back in 2006 jim nicholson who was the secretary of veterans affairs was the designat

ernst. >> good evening i'm joni ernst.as a mother, a soldier and a newly elected senator from the great state of iowa, i'm proud to speak with you tonight. a few moments ago we heard the president lay out his vision for the year to come. even though we may not always agree, it's important to hear different points of view in this great country. we appreciate the president sharing his. tonight though, rather than spond to his speech, i would like to talk about your priorities. i would like to have a conversation about the new republican congress you just elected. and how we plan to make washington focus on your concerns again. we heard the message you sent in november, loud and clear and now we're getting to work to change the direction washington has been taking our country. the new republican congress also understands how difficult these past six years have been. for many of us, the sting of the economy and the frustration with washington's dysfunction weren't things that we had to read about. we felt them every day. we fe

. >> reporter: freshman senator joni ernst delivered the republican response and painted a different picture.

. >> reporter: in the gop response, senator joni ernst a veteran and republican rising star touted the new republican

at 10:26 joni ernst, sports camouflage heels delivered her republican response. >> and with a little of the union and according to one study only 40% of the idea pros pose proposed in the speech ever becoming law, why do we do this any more? i asked political analyst matt dowd. should we go back to when the president sends a letter? >> it still gets a huge audience and a huge audience of influential people who are supposed to make and divine public policy in washington, d.c. and influence those people and many other journalists around the world cover these things. it's still a moment. >> reporter: it may sometimes be disappointing or dry, but the state of the union is still an important american tradition and, of course if we canceled it, congressman engel would be superbummed. don't mess with the aisle hogs. much more post game analysis coming up on gma first thing in the morning but coming up here tonight on "nightline," bikers swarming the streets of a major american city. why do they do this? we hit the streets alongside them for a firsthand look. no one. wake up! [gasp] oh! you

. >> joni ernst delivered the

a pair of joni ernst's shoes was tweeted more than 1,000 time. john sengal whose wife took over his position tweeted, wife is working late tonight. might work ice cream for dinner. >>> breaking news out of paris. four men are facing terror charges. french prosecuteors say the men are suspected of providing logistical support to amedy coulibaly. doulibaly was later shot dead by police. right now it is not clear where the four suspects were involved in plotting the attacks or aware of coulibaly's plans. >>> now to the nfl and the latest on what could be a huge scandal for a super bowl team 11 days from the big game. deflate-gate. espn says 11 of 12 footballs used in the championship blowout were underinflated. if they have less air in them balls are easier to grip throw and catch especially in the rain. the nfl requires each team provide 12 footballs for their own offenses. rules state that each ball must be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch but according to espn's report 11 balls tested were underinflated by about two pounds pe

. >> the republican response fell to unknown freshman senator joni ernst in contrast with the

. >> reporter: freshman senator joe joni ernst delivered the

. >> reporter: republican reaction both if i recall from joni ernst, she did the official response, and from other republicans we talked to a lot of them thought that this was a

. >> reporter: freshman senator joni ernst delivered the republican response and painted a different picture. >> many families feel like they are working harder and harder with less and less to show for it.

. >> iowa senator joni ernst gave the republican response.

a picture of the shoes joni ernst was wearing, camouflage shoes. of the union wasn't without controversy. iowa republican congressman steve keen tweeted, quote, obama converts prosecutorial discretion by inviting a deportable to sit in place of honor at sotu. i should seat with alito. that deportable 20-year-old anna zamora who was granted temporary relief in 2012 and whose parents could be helped by the president's executive action. as for 2016 contenders mixed reaction from temperature's own party. hillary clinton tweeted barack obama pointed way to an economy that worked for all. now we need to step up and deliver for the middle class. former virginia governor jim webb was more defiant, live tweeting the whole thing, not a fan of the middle class lingo, fighting for hard working americans and small business isn't about class. #web2016. the tweet of the night may go to former congressman john dengel wife is working late tonight. might eat ice cream for din know, #yolo. that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. >>> let's dissect all this. i'

and one of them, i think, is joni ernst, the new new york senator from iowa who is every bit as crazy as palin is but a lot smarter, and at least a u.s. senator. whereas mrs. palin has nod held public office for six years or so. people like her and ben carson who is also crazy, but at least is a medical doctor. but she's been pushed off the stage by people who appeal more to the republican base at this particular moment. >> so what is it that the republican dna that they're drawn to people that you just described? >> that's a really excellent question. i think part of it is the martyr status. that think think by supporting people who are criticized in the mainstream media, even if they're legitimately criticized for saying stupid things wrong things, that this is somehow

the announcement i want to make is that senator joni ernst will be delivering the response to the state of the union for our side this year the she is a perfect choice. americans voted for change and s.n.o.r.e. ernst will expend with the new congress plans to do. and what it is already doing it will return washington focus to the concerns of the middle-class and away from the demand of the medical class. lieutenant colonel john ernst has dedicated her life to iowa and to our country. serving in the military i went national guard, for more than 20 years and has deployed overseas. senator ernst is focused on growing a vibrant economy and expanding the middle class. >> thank you. everybody, thank you so much. thank you, speaker, and thank you, leader also but i am truly humbled and honored to have this

joni ernst, the newly elected senator from iowa. might remember her campaign about castrating hogs and vowing to make them squeal in washington. >> i'm joni ernst. i grew up castrating hogs on an iowa farm so when i get to washington i'll know how to cut pork. >> more importantly, ernst is a combat veteran, and in a minute we'll show you the silent salute she gave to the military but first let's listen to her story of a hard scrabble upbringing on an iowa farm. >> as a young girl i plowed the fields of our family farm. i worked construction with my dad. to save for college i worked the morning biscuit line at hardy's. we were raised to live simply not to waste. it was a lesson my mother taught me every rainy morning. you see, growing up i had only one good pair of shoes so on rainy school days my mom would slip plastic bread bags over them to keep them dry, but i was never embarrassed because the school bus would be filled with rows and rows of young iowans with bread bags slipped over their feet. our parents may not have had much b

i'm joni ernst. a mother, a soldier, and a newly elected senator from the great state of iowa, i am proud to speak with you tonight. a few moments ago, we heard the president lay out his vision for the year to come. even if we may not always agree, it's important to hear different points of view in this great country. we appreciate the president sharing his. tonight, though, rather than respond to a speech, i would like to talk about your priorities. i would like to have a conversation about the new republican congress you just elected, and how we plan to make washington focus on your concerns again. we heard the message you sent in november, loud and clear. and now we're getting to work to change the direction washington has been taking our country. the new republican congress also understands how difficult these past six years have been. from many of us, the economy and the frustration with washington's dysfunction, we felt them every day. we felt them in red oak, the little town in southwest iowa

i'm joni ernst. as a mother, a soldier, and a newly elected senator from the great state of iowa, i am proud to speak with you tonight. a few moments ago, we heard the president lay out his vision for the year to come. even if we we may not always agree, it is important to hear different points of view in this great country. we appreciate the president sharing his. tonight though, rather than respond to a speech, i'd like to talk about your priorities. i'd like to have a conversation about the new republican congress that you just elected, and how we plan to make washington focus on your concerns again. we heard the message that you sent in november loud and clear, and now we are getting to work to change the direction that washington has been taking our country. the new republican congress also understands how difficult these past six years have been. for many of us the sting of the economy and the frustration of washington's dysfunction weren't things that we had to read about. we felt them every d

and i think will be listening for someone like a joni ernst.out health savings accounts things like that. i think you will have to begin, if you're a republican we know you're against obama. the great thing for democrats and republicans in 2016 -- his name is not on the ballot. if you want to compete in that contest, it's your turn to shape the ideas of not only what you're against but what you're for. >> when we return let me for with the president's big night tonight. you're watching "hardball," a place for politics. ♪ [audible safety beeping] ♪ [audible safety beeping] ♪ [audible safety beeping] ♪ the nissan rogue, with safety shield technologies. the only thing left to fear is your imagination. now save up to $1,000 when you finance the 2015 nissan rogue. nissan. innovation that excites. push your enterprise and you can move the world. ♪ ♪ but to get from the old way to the new you'll need the right it infrastructure. from a partner who knows how to make your enterprise more agile, borderless and secure. hp helps business move on all the po

because i like joni ernst. it's a tough job. she's never done anything like this.to get ready, right? and she's got on the camouflage high heels. and i think she did fine. now, the best of joni ernst tonight was not about the xl pipeline and we hate obamacare. republicans know this. that's who they are. if she's trying to say to republicans, i'm fighting obama, she did it. but where she started talking about washington dysfunction, i think she hit a big, big talking point in american life. because americans right now, democrat and republican, according to recent polls, nbc, "wall street journal," and more, think that the dysfunction is hurting them. and what you heard from joni ernst is, i'm the kid that worked at the hardee's biscuit line. but i believe you can make it in this country. but washington's got to do something. i think that's a little bit of a shift on the republican rift about big government and government's too much and we shouldn't be -- no, here's joni ernst saying here are certain things that need to be done, and can be done if president obama is

joni ernst never mentioned the world.orse the president's executive action. but he did talk in more of a kinder gentler tone that congress should do some stuff on immigration. >> it tells you everything you need to know about the republicans' fundamental challenge. they can't sync their responses to the president's speech last night. it's a remarkable thing. it captures the fact that they're constantly trying to accommodate a very culturally conservative. older white base and at the same time try to move beyond that base to take back the white house. and there's tensions are on vivid display when you look at those two speeches. >> what do we think about when we look forward. it's all about 2016. hillary clinton tweeted she loved the speech. we watched elizabeth warren in case and she said she loved the speech. >> the 2016 mike huckabee or jeb bush all of them said pretty much the same thing, the president is in denial ignoring the results of the election. ted cruz said forget about him. move on. >> and they're arguing for

and this year it is iowa senator joni ernst. me to talk about this is cnn national political reporter peter hamby. i guess first off, who is senator ernst for those who don't know and why was she picked for the rebuttal? >> well if you covered the last campaign joni ernst was a breakout star. >> famous for castrating pigs and -- >> that's right. she ran a tv ad saying i castrate hogs i'll get to washington and cut pork -- >> make them squeal. >> right. she is kind of perfect for the state of the union response. the response does two things. one the opposition party gets to introduce a rising star to the american public and it tells you a little bit about where they stand, especially heading into the next election. in 2006 the governor of virginia democrats chose him to give their speech. in 2009 bobby jindal was chosen to respond to president obama's first address to congress to show that we're a diverse party as well. republicans are still struggling a little bit with women. in the last election they did better than they did in

freshman republican senator joni ernst just got a new job. start guessing.sign of unit or park for controversy. duke university announcing a weekly call to prayer from the center of campus. what exactly is a call to prayer? listen. ♪ >>> duke is planning to do this across the entire campus tomorrow. initially members chant the call from the duke bell tower on friday. this afternoon they announced calls from prayer from the quad. lt. colonel oliver north joins us. i don't know what difference it means whether they do it from the bell tower or the quad, it goes across the entire campus. your thoughts about this colonel? >> it's the call to prayer. it's an ancient custom. you and i have heard this all over the middle east. >> you hear it wherever you go in the middle east. >> exactly now you will hear it anywhere you want or don't want on duke university's campus because it's going to be broadcast from multiple speakers. here is the problem with this it's more of what hillary clinton suggested a few weeks ago when we shed we need more empathy. more staj more co

now republican senator joni ernst has a new job. start guessing.hat's coming up. protecting my future. thank you for being my hero and my dad. military families are thankful for many things. the legacy of usaa auto insurance could be one of them. our world-class service earned usaa the top spot in a study of the most recommended large companies in america. if you're current or former military, or their family, see if you're eligible to get an auto insurance quote. ♪ [container door opening] ♪ what makes it an suv is what you can get into it. ♪ [container door closing] what makes it an nx is what you can get out of it. ♪ introducing the first-ever lexus nx turbo and hybrid. once you go beyond utility there's no going back. a big hug for the people of france. that as outrage grows over senior officials not showing up at the paris unity rally. >> they didn't sent anyone and i think that was a big mistake. >> i think this is sort of quibble ling a little bit. >> it's just inconceivable to me that the president wasn't even aware apparently, that this ev

the challenge for joni ernst is to deliver her address without any side show distractions.b that might be a difficult task for someone who as a candidate made a name for herself as a hog cast castrater. >> when i get to washington i'll know how to cut pork. i approved this message because washington's full of big spenders. let's make them squeal. >> she makes good on that promise tuesday night, then we might have a lot to look forward to. up next, a historic move, the supreme court announces it will take up gay marriage. major: ok fitness class! here's our new trainer ensure active heart health. crowd: yayyyy! heart: i'm going to focus on the heart. i minimize my sodium and fat... gotta keep it lean and mean. pear: uh-oh. heart: i maximize good stuff like my potassium... and phytosterols, which may help lower cholesterol. major: i'm feeling energized already. new delicious ensure active heart health supports your heart and body, so you stay active and strong. ensure. take life in. [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ] [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ w

there is some optimism that's coming out, despite what senator joni ernst had to say. regarding the president's foreign policy sir, as you well know, he made the line assertion that the u.s. stopped isil's advances that's one of the major lines from his speech that's being refuted or saying it doesn't match the realities of what's happening on the ground. so while the president's words regarding the economy, the numbers speak for themselves, his rhetoric did not match according to many who reported from that region what's happening there. >> well i think all of us know that the american people are very wary of our men and women losing life and limb in these walls. they want them to come to an end. now exactly how we should effectively do that i leave up to the experts, but i do know in talking to the american people that i've interacted with they want us out of these conflicts, they want us to stop trying to be the policeman of the world, they want our young men and women fighting only when it's necessary to secure the country. and so much of what has taken place, espe

heavy ever cut joni ernst hair? >> no. >> jeff bradley?no. >> heavy ever cut -- have you ever cut will blitzers hair? >> no. >> my cup to be -- mike huckabee. i was there that day. the day when there were 70 reporters. there is a lot going on in this part of town. there was a weird mural on the wall. this building behind me is now a church but in 2008, it was the headquarters of barack obama's presidential campaign when he ran against hillary clinton and john edwards. this is a seafood restaurant in the mowing -- des moines. it is a seafood restaurant. eight here once and i thought about it, des moines, iowa and lobster? we are here by a pork tenderloin place. we are going to order and go big. this is the best tenderloin in the world? >> i would agree. they make it homemade everyday. >> that roger man was roger simon, not just guy i ran into in the lobby. what did you think of that tour? >> i think you make des moines look really cool. it is cool. >> we will be right back with a very exciting promo after this. ♪ >> we are live 24/7 online.

first they announce they picked the new senator from iowa, joni ernst to give the reply to the statef the union. she is perhaps the only one to the right of senator ted cruz. that was their pick, and once they picked her, there was no immediate announcement there would also be a tea party republican response. so, half of the republican party finally decided to merge into itself. to clerk it's official response and the tea party response into one big unified response in joni ernest. have they finally found someone right wing enough to be for the party party and the tea party. is there just one republican party in this country? no. not at all. they have since announced that once again there will be two republican responses to the state of the union. joni ernest, and the i am familiar with your country guy kirk clawson will be giving the other response. full speed ahead. >> the character on the left is i know, i told you so. on progressive.com you can compare our progressive direct rates with our competitors' rates, so shopping is easy. you don't sound like flo. [high-pitched] yeah, i d

. >> well you do joni ernst and then i'll ask. >> i wanted to ask you about joni ernst.u laid that out so well because i was jocking, you did it so brilliantly. the republicans spent a lot of time sitting last night but a number of responses after the speech one of them the main one joni ernst, freshman from iowa if you had never seen her before you see a women -- a war veteran, really the first female to win the senate in iowa. from very humble beginnings and she spoke about that last night. let's take a look at that. >> we were raised to live simply not to waste. it was a lesson my mother taught me every rainy morning. you see, growing up i had only one good pair of shoes. so on rainy school days my mom would slip plastic bread bags over them to keep them dry. but i was never embarrassed because the school bus would be filled with rows and rows of young people in iowa with bread bags over their feet. >> this is a new face and someone who can speak to the middle class and something they are hoping to do in 2016. was it effective? >> i think it was effective in her senat