war joined by nbc's kelly o'donnell. it seems the best question you could ask mr. weiner tonight, is this behavior, this sexting of pictures after yourself something you did after you were exposed or something that happened before you were exposed and resigned from congress? >> and chris, that's really an essential question because the hugh hilliation that he suffered publicly in 2011 after admitting then exchanges with var women he did not meet but had relationships online, he said he was going to seek treatment. he apologized to his wife and ultimately forced from congress. and he left everyone with the impression that that misbehavior was something that he was able to put behind him. so fast forward two years later and it seems the fall from grace is on rewind. it was humiliating then. it seems to be more compounded now. on the internet today, there was very graphic exchanges that were printed on the internet and photos and all of that kind of stuff. you can let your mind run wild. and under pressure to respond, anthony weiner put out a paragraph long statement.

thank you so much, chris, kelly o'donnell, jonathan martin. thanks for joining us today to help us kick it all off. >>> here is a special moment in our highlight reel from last night's all-star game. both teams stayed on the sidelines be of this moment to give mariana rivera his moment alone in the spotlight as he came out to the mound. the game's greatest closer received a standing o from the 43,000 fangs at citi field and also untold numbers of us watching at home. rivera who is retiring at the end of the season went on to pitch, naturally, a perfect inning. the biggest play of the night belongs to prince fielder's line drive in the ninth. that turned into a triple. it was a hustle play that even surprised the big guy himself. just take a look. >> he's going to motor all the way around to third with a triple. >> is that a great moment or what? his teammates were also pretty excited. e sweeter... because all these whole grains aren't healthy unless you actually eat them ♪ multigrain cheerios. also available in delicious peanut butter. healthy

today's democratic party reunion on the hill, we start with nbc news capitol hill correspondent, kelly o'donnell. kelly, tell us, what is the reaction today to this meeting with the president? >> first, there was singing. "happy birthday" was sung here. let's get that out of the way. the reaction, i think, is basically an acknowledgement that the president gave time to his fellow democrats, that is always appreciated. they have a lot of the same concerns. and all of them, who are heading home to their districts and states, will be encountering voters who are concerned about these issues. and they want to be on the same page, so the president, very clearly, is trying to steer the conversation to middle class issues, jobs, student loans will be part of it, and the cost of higher education will be something he'll be talking about, over the august recess, when he will be traveling part of the country. so part of it is that. less about some of the complications related to the new health care law. he did face some questions about that. and he also faced questions about what will be our conversations o

joining me now is nbc's kelly o'donnell and nia-malika henderson from "the washington post." let me go to you first, kelly. what is your reaction to this press conference? >> well, it is startling, reverend al, to see this kind of a public spectacle in this sort of a humiliating sequence of events. we've all seen lots of falls from grace. we've all seen lots of stumbles by people in public life, and some can rebuild and go on. this seems so different because of the nature in a very modern way of this kind of behavior that becomes so public and so accessible by voters and people who are able to read this stuff online. it adds to the level of embarrassment. it's different in that here we see a spouse, huma abedin who had been very graceful and dignified throughout these past several years put in a position where she speaks with a heartfelt and obviously some pain there. and people -- some know her publicly because of her own formidable career. and then you have the heat of a campaign just just seven weeks until new york democrats decide who they want to be their nominee for the

daily fix, msnbc contribute who are "new york times" reporter and capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell. first to you, chris. the president -- first, actually, chris, hang on just a second. i should go to kelly first. the president is up on the hill. i want to hear what the feedback is after the democrats met with him on the house and senate side today. kel? >> reporter: andrea, this was a happy occasion. there was not some of the grumbling we heard in the past. it was an opportunity for members of congress on the democratic side to have face-to-face time with the president. that's always a major bit of currency that they can now take home into their districts and states and be try to talk about the issues. the headline is about trying to emphasize the middle class. that's not a surprise but it's a reemphasis of a bunch of the domestic issues the president is trying to shine more light on. he is telling members that he will be out around the country making speeches on various topics that are part of his agenda. he hopes that members will match some of that. and it is a way to try to spr

. >> nbc news white house correspondent kelly o'donnell is here with us. is the weiner comeback now effectively over? >> voters will decide but there is something different about this that suggests anthony weiner is more trouble than the first time he asked for public forgiveness. i think it comes down to the fact he now acknowledges that his conduct online with the really raunchy racy communication with women he says he has never met, went on longer than we thought. it was enough people thought to lose your career in congress to be publicly humiliated and find out it went on for a period i don't want that time and that seemed to have startled people. then the question is did his wife know all of the details and why is she supporting him a way she had not before? no one can get inside their marriage, that is their business but they have put themselves forward as a powerful couple seeking a chance to serve new york and voters have to see is it about judgment, truthfulness or is this something they could overlook. >> do we know precisely how many women were

. >> joining me now is capitol hill national correspondent kell kelly o'donnell. explain why americans out there who are confused why a simple majority isn't enough to mean that majority rules. >> well, part of what makes this so important is that the senate is supposed to be different than the house. where a simple majority always rules. the senate has prided itself on being a place where there could be a slower contemplation of legislation or nominees that kind of thing. so the word nuclear really is aptly chosen because it is, in part, a deterrent when they call it the nuclear option it gives you the idea this must be a bill deal, right? the idea is to get senators to back off and find a way to negotiate. what happens is whatever party is in the majority, it's democrats now. back in 2005, it was republicans in charge of the senate. there are times when either party will see an advantage to try to change these rules. and usually both will ultimately back off because they know there may be a time when their party is in the minority and wants to have its own right

thank you, kelly o'donnell. thank you, joan walsh, and thank you jim warren. >>> up next, what is behind huma abedin's performance? the wife showed up. the spouse was there, as she often is in these cases of huge embarrassment. never asked to go to a press conference before tonight. i wonder why. she went out and spoke to the media on behalf of her spouse. we'll get to what she might be speaking, and what is motivating her besides love or ambition or a combination. this is "hardball," the place for politics. [ female announcer ] made just a little sweeter... because all these whole grains aren't healthy unless you actually eat them ♪ multigrain cheerios. also available in delicious peanut butter. healthy never tasted so sweet. also available in delicious peanut butter. and didn't know where to start. a contractor before at angie's list, you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare written by people just like you. no company can pay to be on angie's list, so you can trust what you're reading.

kelly o'donnell reporting on capitol hill. thanks so much. >>> coming up later in this hour, i'll be speaking with maryland's democratic congressman chris van hollen fresh out of the house democrats meeting with president obama, so stick around for that. >>> our other big story today. new york city mayoral candidate anthony weiner fighting back in the face of campaign implosion. he leaved a new video on his website saying that he is not about to give up. it's just not an option. >> i know newspaper editors and other politicians that say, boy, i wish that guy weiner would quit. they don't know new york. they certainly don't know me. quit isn't the way wrol in new york city. >> during a campaign event last night, weiner gave a feisty seven-minute answer when he was asked right off the bat about his cesexting scandal. >> i decided i've got good ideas. i decided i have shown a lot of independence and standing in front of you today do you think it was easy? i don't know if i'm going to get any votes at all but i'll stay here and ke

nbc's kelly o'donnell is on capitol hill with us for the latest developments. kelly, give me more of a feel on the ground. we know that the august recess is upon us, just days away, the fifth of august, but what was the feeling there? >> reporter: well, definitely a sense that by meeting with the president, democrats can go home to their districts and states, with the freshest interpretation from the white house about the agenda ahead. trying to really get everybody in the democratic party on the same page. the president explained he would be doing speeches around the country, talking about issues that pertain to the middle class, really, the domestic issues, and trying to encourage democrats in congress to do the same. there were, of course, questions about some of the plans that are upcoming, implementation of the health care law, what to do about the budget. there are sources who tell us, when the president talked about some of these issues, there were positive reactions in the room. obviously, that's coming from democrats who were there. there weren't any re

analyst eugene robinson, columnist for "bloomberg view" al hunt and nbc capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell in new york, msnbc contributor mik

nbc's kelly o'donnell is live on capitol hill for us. thanks for joining us, kelly. so the president mapped out his new grand bargain, what he's calling a new grand bargain yesterday. republicans are saying no deal. so what are their main complaints and how does the president move this forward? >> well, the glimmer of hope was that the president was talking about corporate tax reform. that's something that both parties do agree will be helpful to the economy. so then the real problem comes when republicans say by bringing in new revenue, let's say those corporations who have kind of parked their money overseas, would be bringing it back to the u.s. at a reduced rate. so that would flood in some new tax revenue. the president would like to use some of that for infrastructure and job creation. republicans say that kind of a revenue stream ought to be used to help lower the overall corporate tax rate for a longer term stimulus for the economy by making it easier for american companies to do business here. more competitive. because the rate in the u.s. is currently 35%.

thank you, kelly o'donnell. thank you, joan walsh, and thank you jim warren. >>> up next, what is behind huma abedin's performance? the wife showed up. the spouse was there, as she often is in these cases of huge embarrassment. never asked to go to a press conference before tonight. i wonder why. she went out and spoke to the media on behalf of her spouse. we'll get to what she might be speaking, and what is motivating her besides love or ambition or a combination. this is "hardball," the police for politics. uncomfortable it c. [ crickets chirping ] but did you know that the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath? [ exhales deeply ] [ male announcer ] well there is biotene. specially formulated with moisturizers and lubricants, biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy, too. [ applause ] biotene -- for people who suffer from dry mouth. >>> liz cheney is off to an abysmal start to unseat her opponent in wyoming. let's check the "hardball" scoreboard. a new ppp p

joining me now with details on today's deal, nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell. lly, let me start off with you here. you know, we said what's old is new again. the tactic that worked in 2005, if it is to be called a tactic, certainly worked this time. but it's interesting to see the bigger picture, what this might do. could we see an opening of doors in washington? >> reporter: well, tamron, the tool of the nuclear option was effectivedeterrent. that's where it gets the name. it does seem there has been a point here where for this day there's more harmony than i've seen. there's still a lot of mistrust. there's still a lot of weariness. but that conversation that went through the night you talked about where senators of both parties were able to talk privately without staff, without tv cameras, and really have a conversation seem to really make a difference. also, neither party really benefits from changing the rules because there could always be that moment when the shoe is on the other foot, either party could be in the minority and would not do as well if they

joining me now for our daily political fix, nbc capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell, and chris cillizza, managing editor of postpolitics.com. no nukes. for how long, kelly, and only for these few appointees? >> i think from talking to senators in both parties there's been a kind of deep exhale here and nobody wants to get into this again. they also dealt with filibuster rules back in january so we can see history perhaps repeat itself somewhere down the line but there is a sense that the big meeting they had last night, without staff, without cameras, democrats, republicans sitting together talking for 3 1/2 hours actually made some difference. by that i mean you had members coming out telling us they really felt they were heard, they understand the concerns of the other side better. it seemed like of cathartic. they've resolved this today where they will go forward with votes. it was kind of a sign of good faith with one of the initial nomination votes today, a procedural vote got 17 republicans, far more than needed. it was a good sign at least on this issue at this moment, k

nbc's capitol hill correspondent, kelly o'donnell. nice to see both of you.spondent pete williams. pete, we kept you downstairs because we really only had so many seats at the table for right now. but i do want to start with you. give us the latest if you can from the department of justice in terms of those new guidelines in the way they handle leak investigations. >> two substantial revisions that the downtown will announce later today we are told by officials. the first one deals with when the news media is notified that the government is seeking records, like phone records, such as it did with the ap during the investigation that became so controversial earlier this year. the new rules say that when the government wants these records it will normally tell the news media and give the news media a chance to go to court and resist and try to prevent the government from getting those records. under the current rules, the presumption is you don't tell them. under the new rules, the presumption is you do tell them unless, "it would pose a clear and substantial t

american conservative union said he thought he and liz were friends and had this to say to nbc's kelly o'donnell yesterday. >> she said that if i ran, she wasn't going to run but obviously that wasn't correct. >> did she call you, sir? >> no, well, he called me a long time ago and said she was considering it. >> what's your relationship with her. >> i thought we were friends. >> cheney's trying to turn enzi into the newest version of robert bennett. and richard lugar. conservative senators who were primaried and beaten to the right. alan simpson, the outspoken former wyoming senator a personal friend of both the cheney family and senator enzi had this to say in the "new york times." quote, it's a disaster. a divisive ugly situation. all it does is open the door for the democrats for 20 years. yesterday simpson released a statement saying he cares both for liz cheney and mike enzi and has nothing more to say about this. the state's lone member of the house of representatives cynthia loomis called cheney the shiny new pony in politics. and called her poor form. >> i don't think she's going about i

nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell.st of weekend political junky morning show, steve. it's surprising, and yet not. >> exactly. we already knew he was into this difficult to talk about stuff online. what is so surprising is the timing. that he made the decision to get back into public life. to try to go for his ultimate dream job. already knowing this would likely company out. really, for people who looked to the magazine spread last summer and thought, okay, they're moving forward. to find out it was still going on after that is troubling. he is defiant today. >> how are voters going to react to this? it's interesting to me, if you want to look at trends. it's tough to make a trend out of three women who stand by their personally flawed husbands. but the ones who speak out, hillary clinton, it saved bill clinton. wendy vitter spoke out and it saved david vitter arguably. ones who don't speak out -- it's interesting, but i wonder if huma helped him yesterday in a way that maybe none of us can understand. >> it was an un

. >> joining me is capitol hill correspondents kelly o'donnell. good to have you here.dition brings kirsten gillibrand within ten votes of the majority. does that give her the fire power and conservative cover to move forward? >> thomas, there are three dozen senators who have signed their name to this legislation and it is important to have kind of a continued pressure. kirsten gillibrand has been working on this quite some time and have names like rand paul and ted cruz stepping forward. rand paul saying i don't see any reason why a conservative wouldn't support this, that is helpful. others believe the military brass does not believe this kind of a change should happen there is resistance there. some suggestion of taking different steps like not permitting military leaders to overturn a conviction, there's a long way to go yet, but this is getting attention and kirsten gillibrand has been doing the hard work of having private meetings and talking to her colleagues and making something happen to bring the pressure up. this would go forward when the senate deals with t

. >> meanwhile, mike enzi told our own kelly o'donnell that cheney's bid won't stop him from running for re-election. >> i keep being asked and i keep giving the same answer. and i don't know how else to answer. >> at 69, you don't feel like it's time to retire? >> absolutely not. around here, that's median age. i'm in good health. i'm on the committees that can really make a did i refference. i prefer to talk about the time in office to gain trust of your fellow senators. that's how you get things done. you really don't get things just talking to a few people on your own side of the aisle. >> interestingly, enzi is a longtime cheney family friend, but he demured when he was asked if he was close to liz. >> i haven't known her very well. she's been in and out of wyoming a bit. and i've seen her at several meetings. but i can't say that i know her. i fished with her dad. he and i have anchored the one fly-fishing contest before. >> have you heard from the former vice president? >> no, i haven't. >> if you had a chance to speak to him about this issue, what would you say? >> if he does

. >> kelly o'donnell on capitol hill for us, thank you. >>> so your beloved dog runs away or you thinkat would you pay to get him back? a new brand of thieves is finding that the potential pay-out is big. they are pet flipping. stealing dogs and contacting the owners and then asking for a rich ransom. joining me is daniel shackle, animal care and control administrator for indianapolis. good morning. good to see you. is this new? is it growing? or has it just been going on under the radar? >> i think this is going on for a long time. potentially under the radar but with the increase in social media, it's come to the forefront. >> people are asking for a lot of money for these dogs, right? >> they can. they can use it to extort money from the folks or resell them on the site that sells animals. >> it's not just limited to indianapolis. we have heard this from kansas to all across the country. if it happens to you what should you do about it? >> if your dog is stolen contact your local police department or your animal care and control and let them know what happens so they can investigate

kelly o'donnell has that story. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah.the world's joy over the royal baby, just wait. there is real excitement here among zoo visitors and panda experts about the possibility of a new giant panda cub. there's only four zoos in the u.s. that have giant panda. all of them on loan from china. there's excitement about a new arrival in 40 to 50 days. >> reporter: great expectations. one of washington d.c.'s most famous couples. >> they're cute and neat and the kids love it. >> reporter: giant pandas could, and we must stress could, have a new addition on the way. >> it's exciting because baby pandas are adorable. >> reporter: smithsonian's national zoo panda cam gives everyone a 24/7 glimpse but mother nature is mysterious and false pregnancies are common. they made a video showing an ultrasound machine done on her. zoo keepers are collecting clues like a spike in her hormones last friday. >> you can't tell from her behavior. the only way is she either gives birth or you might get an ultrasound imagine. >> reporter: this potent

here's nbc's kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: showing her father's important name and no-nonsense style, liz cheney speaks about politics -- >> we need someone who isn't afraid to fight for what's right. >> reporter: cheney, who turns 47 this month -- >> i believe it is necessary for a new generation of leaders to step up to the plate. >> reporter: is trying to knock out a well-liked conservative. three-term incumbent, wyoming's mike enzi. he's a friend of her dad. >> we've entered the one fly fishing contest before. >> reporter: have you heard from the former vice president? >> no, i haven't. >> reporter: an attorney and former state departmentficia official, mother of 12. she returned to wyoming after many years in d.c. fellow wyoming republicans don't support her now. >> i think that liz is fantastic. has a great future ahead. i think this is the wrong race at the wrong time. >> i wish that liz cheney had had a paycheck in wye onlying from -- wyoming from some time in her life. >> reporter: she's raising funds for the primary next year. enzi says that's not the wyoming way. >> wyoming

analyst eugene robinson, columnist for "bloomberg view" al hunt and nbc capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell in new york, msnbc contributor mike barnicle, and pulitzer-prize winning historian jon meacham. mike barnicle, something about the home run derbies hard to take your eyes away from. >> i like the home run derby better than i like the all-star game actually. you see the players interacting with their kids, their children on the field. it's a nice night. >> no doubt about it. and al hunt, bryce harper, second place. >> bryce harper second place and batted against his father which i thought was good. it was a nice touch. >> his father hit him with the snich and he didn't charge the mound. >> and gene robinson, how exciting to have this going on so you didn't have to watch the nonsense going on on other news channels where everybody was doing their best to try to divide sides, one side trying to inflame, the other side trying to grant absolute ab solution. >> it was a respite. i watched the home run derby last night. i think, you know, i had been all day, you know, wrote a column and was

kelly o'donnell has details on that. kelly, good morning. >> good morning, matt. this is a provocative twist on the case of edward snowden and on going tensions with russia. the suggestion that the u.s. could, could tell russia that it will skip the big olympic party in february but when jeopardizing the olympic games for american athletes, get vladimir putin's attention? >> a different kind of olympic torch. >> i love the olympics but i hate what the russian government is doing throughout the world. >> reporter: senator lindsey graham is turning up the heat before russia plays host to the world for the winter games. >> the 22nd olympic winter games in 2014 are awarded to the city of sochi. >> reporter: now playing host to nsa leeker edward snowden in the moscow airport where he requested political asylum. >> i don't know if putting the olympics on the table is the right answer but i know what we're doing is not working. >> reporter: graham says the u.s. should consider using it's political muscle to threaten a boycott to pressure putin for more cooperation. >> ye

nbc's kelly o'donnell joins us now from dallas. od morning, kelly. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. and the former president has tried to steer clear of any hot political issues for years. but today a noticeable change. this morning he said he believes the current immigration debate should have a benevolent spirit, thinks a solution is possible, and the first public event he held at his new library was a naturalization ceremony for new citizens. george w. bush is on a roll of high-profile events. appearing with president obama in africa. hands-on service projects with mrs. bush. and making rare comments about an issue like immigration. >> we have a problem. the laws governing the immigration system aren't working. the system is broken. >> reporter: aides to the former president insist, he is not injecting himself into congress's current immigration debate. been there, done that. >> we should establish a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work. >> reporter: remember bush tried, but failed to get com

. >> kelly o'donnell has the latest. good morning to you. >> good morning to both of you. seven weeks before the democratic primary there's calls for anthony weiner to get out of the race for new york city mayor. despite lies, incomplete answers, he claims his mistakes are personal, yet again, he has given up his secret life on the internet. pwrarb and defiant at a tuesday night campaign event. >> i won't stop fighting. >> reporter: but anthony weiner's campaign for redemption and new york city mayor is in crisis mode. >> let me just reiterate to my wife how sorry i am that i did these things. >> reporter: with his latest embarrassing admission about online sex. >> there's no question that what i did was wrong. this behavior is behind me. >> reporter: the 48-year-old democrat faced cameras and new revelations that he continued exchanging explicit sexual messages and photos with women online at least one year after that conduct forced him out of congress in 2011. >> some of these things happened before my resignation. some of them happened after. but the fact is that that w

kelly o'donnell is here with the latest on this. good morning to you. >> good to see, you matt. part of a scandal response playbook is to say you want to talk about the issues and reach out directly to voters. anthony weiner is trying that amid calls for him to step aside and open mockery. he wrote an open letter to voters saying, "i will not quit you." anthony weiner was met with a mix of boos and jeers at a public housing hearing wednesday night. controversy has made him the target of jokes. he even made fun of himself when a moderator asked all the democratic candidates for new york city mayor to name their favorite social media. >> facebook or twitter? >> all i can say is, delgado, don't ask me. >> reporter: but no laughs earlier outside his apartment where weiner offered up a nothing to see here strategy. >> at the end of the day, citizens are more interested in the challenge they face in their lives than anything that i have done embarrassing in my past. >> reporter: but past is relative. voters now know that weiner continued his explicit sexting with women online, long af

kelly o'donnell is on the story for us. good morning to you. >> good morning savannah. anthony weiner keeps talking and we get new specifics. a range for how many women were involved in his secretive life of racy messages leaving open the possibility there could be more and we meet a 24-year-old woman giving her side of the online encounters and the impact of it all is showing up in new polling. >> reporter: anthony weiner helped out at a brooklyn soup kitchen where he stirred the pot again. >> it's not dozens and dozens. it's six to ten i suppose but i can't tell you absolutely what someone else is going to consider inappropriate or not. >> feeling more heat, he offered more specifics about how many women he or his online alter ego carlos danger secretly sexted with after he quit congress in 2011. >> how many did you have with women after you resigned that >> i don't believe more than three. >> sidney weathers claims to be one of them online and by phone. >> i feel sick about it. i'm disgusted by him. he is not who i thought he was. >> reporter: she says it went on for

joining me for our daily fix, terry o'donnell down in texas and managing editor of post politics.com. kellytalk about what the former president is doing. just this quick note, we hear now that bush 41, former president george h.w. bush is going to be coming to the white house on monday for a points of light celebration. it's the annual meeting, the award of the point of light, which is his tribute to volunteerism. president and mrs. obama will be welcoming a whole bush contingent, including thankfully president bush 41 well enough to travel, which is all good news. >> well, andrea, in talking to the former president 43 he referenced his dad today and said he is doing well. has difficulty walking but he is so pleased that he has recovered from that scare we had earlier in the year. there seems to be a bit of a bush resurgence of the moment when it comes to this more public life for the former president. we saw him in africa with president obama. he's been inching forward on interviews on matters of the day. while he's very clear he doesn't want to be in the politics, the first event that he