mark pryor ohold as ten point lead.arry landrieu tops the republican field by more than 20 points. although she'll have to survive a runoff if she can't get 50%. and kay hagan holds a slight lead over her opponents. the new website we love called the upshot, nate joins us now. it was interesting in the south you write democratic incumbents have won 85% of the time since 1990. 70% of time since 2000. so we hear doom and gloom. the power of the incumbency is quite strong. >> it is. and i think that the case against being so strong mainly comes from 2010 when democratic house incumbents were almost uniformly defeated. but then just two years later in 012, democratic senators were relocated and significantly outperformed president obama in southern stretches of the states. bill nelson did 16 points better than the president. and the president lost arkansas and louisiana by 17 and 24 points. so if nelson who is not the world's strongest candidate can do 16 points better than the president in the florida panhandle, it's not h

mark pryor looks like he's doing okay when it comes to re-election. i don't think he hurt the senators. where do you want to see that $50 million spent? >> part of the problem is that the nra has been very good at manipulating this conversation. as the president said a year ago, they've lied, literally lied to the american people about what was in the bill and what the consequences would be had it passed. your dealing with conflicted voices. we want the money to be spent on political ads, organizing, our group is doing the same. we already raised more than the nra spent last cycle in their politics. there's money in this for the first time on the side of common sense, responsible solutions to the obvious tragedy of gun violence in the country. >> basel you wrote about this on thursday on the "new york times" site. you said high incumbency rates and aggressive gerrymander iing have insulated many house members from this issue. so you're saying bye pass this? >> it's difficult to unseat an incumbent. there are some notable except n exceptio exceptions,

in arkansas, mark pryor leads republican tom cotton by a whopping ten points. north carolina democratic republican kay hagan is holding on, leading tom tillis by two points. mary landrieu leads by more than 20 points. that's a little misleading. landrieu is going to need 50% to avoid a runoff. it does show she's very much in that game. finally in kentucky, republican institution mitch mcconnell is barely fending off allison lundergan grimes. 44% to 43% the margin there. joining me, howard fineman and michael tomasky. howard, i'll start with you. we've always known kentucky is going to be a dog fight. we've had indications that arkansas was a little more favorable to democrats than people had been thinking, so in one sense this is confirming there have been a sense for a little while now, but the big take away for me, when i take a step back, it's almost shocking to think of the south, this region that's moved so decisively against president obama, none are states he carried in 2012, the south could be the salvation of democrats in 2014. >> well, it's remarkable

. >> and that takes a jab at d democrat mark pryor for a controversial comment that he made, and we couldnot get mr. pryor to come in or get a comment, but we did get republican congressman tom cotton who is trying to replace him, and by the way, thank you for your service, sir, and tell us about the ad and why you made it like that. >> sure. great to be on with you, and i found it curious when senator pryor said that i had a sense of entitlement about my military service, and the thing that made me think of was basic training, and taught us humility and accountability, and putting your buddy ahead of yourself, and frankly, if question had more of those values, congress would be more respected and since they are one of the least respect and the military is the most respected. >> well, i think that when it comes to democrats, they are entitled to have contraceptive free, and stay on the parents' insurance policies until they are 24 and i'm not sure that the sense of sbentitlement should n be pointed at them instead of yourself. >> and you know, when you are walking around in the middle of

mark pryor? no, a big x for mark pryor, same thing with landrieu and hagan same thing.design? >> probably. i'm sure some of them, you know, called her privately and asked that it be kept off the record. obviously, they don't want to be associated with her and glitches and rollout and obamacare generally. a few of them are defending obamacare. i've noticed that senator begoch said favorable things. you know -- >> well, he still voted for her. >> a republican indicated ahead of the election by just a few thousand votes. i wouldn't call him secure. >> kay hagan, mary made the same promises. >>> coming up next tonight right here on a busy news night on "hannity". >> risky behavior sometimes with tragic results -- [ laughter ] >> shortly after filming that piece, that young woman blew out her left butt cheek. >> jon stewart tak, our biggest supporter on spring break. >>> could all this attention actually make spring break safer for your sons and daughters? we'll debate that next. set your dvr hannity the series so you never miss a show and we don't miss you straight ahead wh

leaders apparently coalescing around giving arkansas senator a vulnerable dem, mark pryor, the lead on a bill to protect the medicare eligibility age. looks like they're parsing out little individual things for each particular person's campaign. right? >> i think that's right. it is a political strategy. it is clear that's what they want to do. there was a democratic strategist, gretchen -- i think he was quoted in politico in just the last few days. he said the less we're talking about obamacare, the better. mark pryor was asked point-blank a few days ago if he would again vote for obamacare knowing everything that he knows today. he sort of awkwardly and uneasily said yes. then tried to change the subject. this is clearly what the democrats are attempting to do, to change the subject and get voters focusing on things other than that economy, other than that health care law. i think it is going to be a heavy lift but they are certainly going to give it a shot. i think republicans will have a very easy push-back against mark pryor on this particular bill on medicare because he voted to

much of the burden of gun violence falls on the african-american community, which mark pryor really needs to turn out to win. we hope he sees the light and changes his view on that subject. i think he'll reap the benefit of that. >> mike bloomberg is putting $50 million into this effort which is more than what the nra spends in a year. >> that's right. but as the mayor has said, this is not about money or matching dollar for dollar, it's about getting out there into the grass roots and grinding it out. because most people agree with us about background checks, but needing tougher enforcement of current laws. you just have to get out and find those people who have not found a way to get involved. but they do want to get involved because they want to know their kids are going to come home safely. that's what every town is trying to do, get them to vote for people who want common-sense gun laws. that's how you change the culture and the laws. >> thank you very much for being with us. just as that ceremony continues in georgia, we've been watching, and that bill is about to be signed into law

do you remember mark pryor who pitched for the cubs?e was on the mound for that famous game in 2003. i was at a game in lehigh valley and he was trying to make it back as a middle relief pitcher. he has had injuries. as he is jogging in from the bullpen, the promotion was whack an intern. it is a box. two fans take plastic bats and whack the intern. while they are playing that game, in walks mark pryor. no one even sees. nobody knows your name here no matter who you once were. >> not only that, the mode of transportation and the privileges are quite different. there are huge tangible differences. the minimum salary for a major-league player is $500,000 a year. most minor leaguers make under $100,000. if you have been around a long time, you might get up around $100,000. in the major leagues, they stay in the four seasons and the ritz. in the minor leagues, you carry your bags and you have a roommate. brett tompko, trying to make a comeback at 41, said the food in a major-league clubhouse is not that different from the food in a minor-le

the only way to do that is to beat mark pryor. we can get the job done. >> pryor's camp released a series of ads targeted towards seniors. just last week cotton inviolated pryor with no moderators or panelists. the news out of arkansas this week is reports of his demise has been exaggerated. can you keep defying the political gravity and hang on to a crucial seat for both parties? joining us to discuss this contentious race in arkansas is david ramsey. joins us live from arkansas. david, thanks for taking time this morning. i admit at the start of this year i was one of those people who looked what happened to lincoln in 2010 and said it's arkansas, it's a midterm, it's the obama presidency, republican with any name is going to beat the democratic incumbent. are you surprised that mark pryor is as competitive in this race and what is the key of him being ahead right now? >> i think everyone is a little bit surprised because of the dynamics you just described. you have an off-year election, given the demographic, that's going to lea

mary landrieu and mark pryor seem to be in the fight of their life. are you desperate to get something on the board zbrp especially on the heels of obamacare and that not being too successful for them. >>> the drone strikes targeting terrorists in yemen. what we are learning about these attacks today. and the feds have okayed powder alcohol. yep. powdered alcohol. just add water to make booze. is that really a good idea? >>> also, a recent satellite image shows something mysterious in scotland's loch ness. some claiming it is the loch ness monster. so that brings us to our facebook question of the day -- what do you think this satellite image actually is? tweet me. use the #le did ttherealstory. >>> a chaotic scene on easter sunday as a car crashes into a church. this happened in florida. police in ft. myers say the car slammed into the packed church just as the annual easter concert was about to begin injuring 21 people. church members used jacks to lift the car off people who were trapped underneath the debris. the driver said she was simply looking

and arkansas's mark pryor said there's no excuse for the other delay.eeds to approve this project now. on the other hand, billionaire environmentalist activist tom stier who pledged to spend $100 million to help democrats keep the senate called the decision rotten eggs for transcanada and good news on good friday for those who oppose keystone as not being in our best interest. yesterday on nbc's "meet the press" the chair of the democratic national committee insisted that the latest delay in approving the pipeline did not take politics into account. take a listen. >> are you worried as the party chair this shouldn't be resolved before the election because of the potential impacts it could have? >> as a member of congress, i want to make sure the right decision is arrived at and that the president makes that decision carefully and doesn't factor politics into his decision. which i don't think he is. >> but nbc's political director chuck todd had a different tennessee opinion on "morning joe." >> it is only politics that has been involved in every part of

. >> cotton is asking mark pryor for a series of five debates to be held around the state. >> what doou say, mark pryor, you and me alone, five times around arkansas, no moderator, speaking directly to the people. >> expect those votes to appear in democratic ads over the next eight months. democrats worried about turning out their own voters in the fall were also hoping the gop would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by nominating weak tea party candidates who cannot win a general election. however, that has not panned out so far. republican incumbents are surviving. the next wave of right-on-right primaries kicks off on may 20 in kentucky. on tuesday democrat allison grimes announced she has outraised mcconnell for the second quarter in a row. she reports winning 2.7 million compared to mcconnell's 2.4 million. he has spent more than $2 million in his primary against bevin. >> can republicans take care of an electorate expected to be whiter and older or can we see more moments like this one, rand paul caught on camera after scott brown made his senate run official? >> if we wan

senators mark pryor know tom carper, mark warner and mary landrieu. they have gotten real cold feet when it comes to the minimum wage. how hard is it for these senators to go home to a red state and say, i'm for helping people in the poor sector of america. arkansas senator mark pryor said he will increase a minimum wage increase to $10.10 an hour? i'm sure it is a big coincidence that walmart happens to be based down will in good old arkansas. senator tom carp he said a raise to $9 an hour would be a better chance of passing. virginia senator mark warner said he is willing to negotiate with republicans on the rate. i haven't found any republicans willing to negotiate on minimum wage because they're all against it. then we have senator mary landrieu of louisiana. she supports an increase but wants more time to debate the time line on when it is all going to be implemented. and how to address wages for tipped workers. think about that. she is concerned about how we're going to address wages for the poor. remember, senator landrieu, not to pick on her.

there is mounting evidence of mark pryor's strength.t's get into it with howard dean, ran the dnc, and senior political analyst, david axelrod. welcome, gentlemen. let's start and stay when you are on a campaign in the thick of it. of course you want to read things and read the polls as positively as possible you. have done this, you have been in a lot of the races. but you got to step beyond that when you go out in public, right? >> well i think also you have to look at the preponderance of data. there have been a series of polls showing pryor moving too the lead. a reason for it. hitting tom cotton on positions on medicare and social security. and the people of arkansas dent -- don't like what they're hearing. there is an explanation. i think the guys look silly. making the polls the issue. don't think voters care about polls, candidates, positions. democrats are making cases right now. >> yeah, governor dean, having run for governor, run for president, in a, environment where people do track these polls a lot. why do you think they'r

mark begich and mark pryor, the last two being up now. are you willing to risk mark begich and mark pryor in the immediate future, losing their re-election because voters who are with you, with gun sense, voting against them and then making the senate even more impenetrable to gun legislature? >> look, i think what u to do is make it clear that people are going to be accountable for their votes. 16 states and the district of columbia have passed background check legislation in this country, and it's macing a huge difference. 49% fewer suicides with guns. 39% fewer intimate partners killed with guns. 38% fewer, cops. we're saving lives. colorado that passed background checks, clearly a purple state, passed background checks in july. 160 people have been stopped from buying a gun who were prohibited because they were a felon or they were psychiatrically impaired or because they were a minor. you can't put a price tag on that life. that is amazing. >> right. but you guys, you know, changed in wisconsin, colorado, but what about places like fl

mark pryor's lead over tom cotten has been growing and now holds a 3-point edge. mary landrieu is likely headed for a runoff in louisiana. and mark begich of alaska has distanced himself from the president. they are within striking distance. >>> authorities are investigating a deadly accident in california overnight that's left nine people dead. officials say a fedex truck crossed a median slamming into a tour bus. both vehicles quickly went up in fla flames. the bus was carrying high school kids going to visit a local college. seven students were killed in addition to both drivers. there are more than 30 people who are also injured in the crash and officials say they are investigating if the fedex truck swerved to avoid another car that was also involved in the accident. >>> new details are emerging about a bizarre kidnapping plot in north carolina that has five men facing charges. the 63-year-old was kidnapped by gang members because his daughter, a prosecutor, helped convict a fellow gang member. the fbi's hostage rescue team found her wednesday night thanks to

harold mentioned mark pryor running in arkansas and there's an add from americans for prosperity, the koch brothers. here's a portion of that ad and how they're trying to target mark pryor. >> it's like living in a haze. you don't know whether you're going to have insurance or whether you're going to be able to afford your insurance. it was taken away from us. or it was given back to us. or it was taken -- we don't know what it's been now. i think the american people are tired of this constant angst, this constant crisis. they want certainty in their lives. >> so it's the idea of what's the impact, the confusion already that that's the attack against it. >> exactly. and by the way, i think you could find someone who doesn't have a southern accent who is confused by this act. we always seem to find the character hog seems a little countrified who can't just fathom this. there there are plenty of smart people equally hazy about what is really going on. >> the most portrait this week, the white house was right to talk about the numbers. but they shouldn't be doing a victory lap right now

if mark pryor wins or loses to older -- >> very much the kind of liberal populist that's filling the void. we're going to take a break. we'll have more from the round table. coming up next, the president, as we've been talking about, went on the offensive over health care this week, but it is a winning issue for the democrats in the midterms or is it still something they have to deal with going uphill? i will discuss the challenges facing the party with the chair of the party, debbie wasserman schultz, coming up after this. >>> "meet the press" is brought to you by -- [ yodeling plays ] worst morning ever. [ angelic music plays ] ♪ toaster strudel! best morning ever! [ hans ] warm, flaky, gooey. toaster strudel! crest 3d white whitestrips vs. a whitening pen. i feel like i'm going to miss a spot. i think you actually might have. i feel like my lips are going to, like, wash it off. these fit nicely. wait, it says to use up to four times a day? oh, gosh. i'm not going to do that. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white whitestrips adhere to your teeth evenly and safely remove stains below

host: that's in the mark pryor campaign in arkansas.ant to share with you a story that got a lot of attention, the "new york times" had a pome out last week showing that mark pryor up by 10 percentage points in arkansas, but this piece saying that despite the "new york times" poll -- and this is from the "new york times" dashese problems ton lurk for democratic incumbents in the south. guest: quite right, and they are all in states where barack obama is not popular with the electorate. these are red states we're talking about here. but democrats what they're doing right now in cases like this they're running -- i wouldn't say away from obama, but definitely running for the care in obamacare, that the a.c.a. offers benefits that are very important and will be increasingly popular. and now is the time to point this out and to not act like i made a mistake by supporting the a.c.a. host: john from cincinnati, ohio, our guest, if you're just joining in or listening on c-span radio is clarence page, syndicated columnist and on the editorial b

if mark pryor wins or loses to older -- >> very much the kind of liberal populist that's filling the void. we're going to take a break. we'll have more from the round table. coming up next, the president, as we've been talking about, went on the offensive over health care this week, but it is a winning issue for the democrats in the midterms or is it still something they have to deal with going uphill? i will discuss the challenges facing the party with the chair of the party, debbie wasserman schultz, coming up after this. >>> "meet the press" is brought to you by -- [ male announcer ] it's one of the most amazing things we build and it doesn't even fly. we build it in classrooms and exhibit halls, mentoring tomorrow's innovators. we build it raising roofs, preserving habitats and serving america's veterans. every day, thousands of boeing volunteers help make their communities the best they can be. building something better for all of us. ♪ [ banker ] sydney needed some financial guidance so she could take her dream to the next level. so we talked about her options. her valuable ass

if mark pryor wins or loses to older -- >> very much the kind of liberal populist that's filling the void. we're going to take a break. we'll have more from the round table. coming up next, the president, as we've been talking about, went on the offensive over health care this week, but it is a winning issue for the democrats in the midterms or is it still something they have to deal with going uphill? i will discuss the challenges facing the party with the chair of the party, debbie wasserman schultz, coming up after this. >>> "meet the press" is brought to you by -- you think you take off all your make-up before bed. but do you really? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. can your makeup remover do that? [ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover. it would be a scary process... can your makeup remover do that? truecar made it very easy... for me to negotiate, because i didn't really need to do any negotiating at all. save time, save money, and never overpay. visit truecar.com >>> we are back. the president'

if mark pryor wins or loses to older -- >> very much the kind of liberal populist that's filling the void. we're going to take a break. we'll have more from the round table. coming up next, the president, as we've been talking about, went on the offensive over health care this week, but it is a winning issue for the democrats in the midterms or is it still something they have to deal with going uphill? i will discuss the challenges facing the party with the chair of the party, debbie wasserman schultz, coming up after this. >>> "meet the press" is brought to you by -- [ thunder crashes ] [ female announcer ] some people like to pretend a flood could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ] it doesn't. stop pretending. only flood insurance covers floods. ♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk. i tell them aveeno®. because beautiful skin goes with everything. [ female announcer ] aveeno® daily moisturizing lotion has active naturals® oat with five vital nutrients naturally found in healthy skin. where do i wear aveeno®? eve

another one democrats are celebrating, arkansas, mark pryor, plus ten over his opponent. republicans don't buy this. but gives democrats a little bragging rights. tougher for the democrats, but still happy to be on top in north carolina. kay hagan is plus two. 191 days out. very tight race there. look at this one, kentucky, mitch mcconnell is the senate republican leader, up just one point over his democratic opponent. that assumes he survives the tea party primary challenge. and out in colorado, a state the president carried twice. mark udall is the democratic opponent. some people say a det dead heat. some people say forget the polls until you get close to election day. look at this instead. where is the president in a mirm election year? in louisiana, 54% disapprove of how the president is doing his job. in neighboring arkansas it's 60% who disapprove of how the president is doing his job. over in north carolina, that number is 51%. better for the president, but still a majority disapproval of his job performance. in mitch mcconnell's kentucky, 60% disapprove of how th

then you have people like mark pryor and mary landrieu who seem a little more hesitant. the democrats are risk and are not sure how to come down. if they go for the $10.10 level it might alienate businesses and backfire. >> the single woman is a key part of the electorate for the democrats. >> the economy is not getting better so quick that they can run on that and say happy days are here again. on the other hand, they need an issue, even though they have controlled the white house, where they can say it is not our fault that the bad guys are blocking a good thing from happening that would help you. the minimum wage appears to be the best of those issues that hit both of the spots. it is aspirational and casts the democrats as an underdog. >> what did you learn today? >> jason furman has a lot of numbers but they do not have a path forward. in the first term, they were a lot more aggressive in getting it passed the finish line. i think the white house feels like it they get too involved it will just scare republicans away. they're counting on democrats on the hill to get

>> mark pryor is actually running into obamacare.s running and they have this in the republic poll. >> they are ahead. when "new york times" held this last week, they are running and these are things that they didn't think would be competitive. so it shouldn't have been competitive for him in the first place. it shows how incredibly portable he is that even a theory of conversation. that's a pretty big deal. >> i think there is a lingering thing of people been in washington too long. >> is a race against the clock. ironically for both parties because they were in the same position at the same time for the presidential election. certainly feeling great about it. late summer, early fall for the launch of the health care website is is very dangerous territory. >> how do you think this thing is going to shape up? >> in a new jersey resident and the real issue is a nonissue in this includes the tax burden and so i think that is going to be tough so emily, can you look at the dreams that i've talked about. >> chris christie is losing some

we'll check in with mark pryor arkansas. that's a big difference.hey keep saying republicans have a war on women. i'm not sure it's true. we're going to go to our panel tonight. author of the book "the big tent" and stewart varney and dana marino. how does the president do this? didn't this just blow up in their face today? >> this is one of those policy boom ranges they would have liked to have had a clean run. the facts are what the facts are. the explanation the white house tries to use is the exact explanation -- >> did you see jay carney's explanation? we're less discriminatory than everybody else. >> the bigger problem is larger policy issues -- tax reform and education are the things that would help women more. >> we got an element of big time spin. the president has introduced us to fairness week. >> i call it obama doesn't pay women fair week. >> you push for an extension of unemployment benefits. you harp on the gender payment gap to divert attention for the d disaster of obamacare. >> obama is doing a great job to pave the way for a femal

mark pryor, dusty baker was in the dugout. pryor was up to 115 pitches.should have had a reliever in there. the clips that you showed showed multiple fans three or four going for the same ball. moises alou, in left field, like a 27-year-old little leaguer, all of that is a combustible element that has ruined this guy's life. ridiculous. >> and he just wants his anonymity. we'll leave this seat. we hope cubs fans can do the same. >>> when we come back, we'll be back with more on the 100th anniversary of wrigley field. can you start tomorrow? tomorrow we're booked solid. we close on the house tomorrow. tomorrow we go live... it's a day full of promise. and often, that day arrives by train. big day today? even bigger one tomorrow. csx. how tomorrow moves. woman: everyone in the nicu -- all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment. i wouldn't trade him for the world. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we

mark pryor's lead over tom koth ton in arkansas. ry landrieu is likely to head for a runoff in louisiana, but she's leading her top republican candidate as well. and mark begich has done more than any other democrat who distance himself from the president. split polls show him and treadwell within striking distance of each other. i definitely want to send -- i want to send someone to iowa for this race. >> that's going to be a great one. this shows how much movement is in these states. i said in 2010 that we could have a repeat of what happened in 1994. almost a direct overlay where you had a new democrat elected in 1992, in 2008. they both were seen as moving too far left. so there was a rightward shift in the house of representatives. then that over-reach by the house of representatives re-elected the democratic president. everybody expected another big midterm and remember what happened in 1998, democrats almost actually took over the house. shocked everybody. they were expecting a huge vuktry. we republicans were. and newt gingri

senator mark pryor voted for obama care. tell senator pryor obamacare hurts arkansas families. host: you are writing about health care -- dan balz writing about health care -- we are seeing that play out in key senate races. guest: that typifies the republican group and republican campaigns. they are running very personal ads, specific things that show voters this is how the law is affecting you. this is how the law is affecting voters like you and other americans like you. they want to keep this issue front and center. millions of dollars already are being spent running ads all over the country. when you look at polling, attitudes are pretty firm. you have part of the country that is in support of the law and a big chunk of the country that is against the law and not many persuadable's on one side or the other. heading into november it is about who can get its voters to turn out. host: this tweet was sent to us -- this weekend in "the wall street journal," peggy newman writes -- peggy noonan writes -- it gets to the narrative where democrats see minimum wage and single women a

mary landrieu, mark pryor. who are progun, pro-second amendment, who wouldn't vote for president obama's gun control laws they tried to get through the senate last year. those are the people he is going to be targeting. by doing that he is helping republicans and "new york times" piece he wrote today which he said that if there is a god, that god already let him into heaven, that interview. he says he doesn't care who has control of senate. so he doesn't quite understand this concept that republican is pro-second amendment and if he continues to get them elected he has not going to get his gun control agenda through on national level. jon: emily miller, interesting. good talking to you. thank you. >> you too, jon, thanks. jenna: right now undercover officers in miami making a bust after watching five men for what appeared to be a police raid. there was only one little problem. that these guys actually weren't police officers. arthel neville at breaking news desk with the latest. how does that work out, arthel?

and other endangered democrats like mark pryor in "arrrgh" and mark begich in alaska, facing the same problem. >> just to alert folks at home, this the scene at the white house. the rose garden outside the oval office. the president will be doing a little crowing. not an april fool's joke, announcing more than seven people have enrolled. the details is how many of these didn't have coverage before. that's something we might not know for a while. they say it's a good start and this will start easing doubts and angst bat the law do you think it still in these vulnerable democrats notwithstanding, we have hit the high point of disapproval for the law and from heaven on out -- steny -- >> it will give them something more positive to talk about. we should talk about another aspect of obamacare and that is the medicaid expansion, and millions of people have sign up for medicaid under the new extended rules for medicaid under obamacare. we had an estimate there were 4.5 million previously uninsured people who signed up for medicaid. the president will talk about this. if you listen to democr

and mark pryor, no excuse for another delay. ragging on this keystone project. and swipes from mitch mcconnell commenting on the president's year of action saying i guess he was not serious about having a pen and a phone. and let's bring in aisha moody mills from thegrio.com, and republican aid joe watkins. let's start with you, aisha, not mincing the words there, but t net-net, how does this hurt them? >> well, i don't necessarily think it hurts them, but it is a delay. you know, the reality is that there is a much bigger picture to the happen in the midterm elections and making this decision was calculated in that the president wants to create time and space where his decision is not going to affect anything politically, and not going to be seen as a political gesture. >> and joe, i want to play a little bit of sound from you, from the dnc chair debbie w wassermann schultz. >> as a member of congress who represents hundreds of thousands of people of florida i want to make shure that the right decision is arrived at and that the

or in arkansas, you ear running against mark pryor, do you want oball ma care to be repealed so the people on medicaid because the arkansas governor expanded they're going to be kicked off? the people on the exchanges will be kicked off? what does mitch mcconnell say about those 370,000 kentuckyians that are on the most successful state exchange in the country, thanks to the leadership of governor brasheer. it's a devil's choice for them. >> i'm going to have to leave it there. thank you both for your time tonight. have a great holiday weekend. >> you, too. thanks. >>> still ahead, should a man be sent to prison 14 years after his crime if he's turned his life around with a job and a family? that's tonight's "justice file." also, republican candidate compares taxes to apartheid. it's unbelievable. and it's part of a disturbing pattern. but first, rand paul is once again playing fast and loose with the facts. i guess old habits die hard. but he's up in tonight's "gotcha." [ hypnotist ] you are feeling satisfied without standard leather. you are feeling exhilarated with front-wheel drive. yo

but you will see some of the democrats who are going to be far, far away are the this, and the mark pryors and the mary landrieu's don't want to talk about the person or the affordable care act, because it is hurting democrats who want to focus on the economy and the economic messages rather than talking again about obamacare. >> and obviously, some republicans, perry, see it as an opportunity, a as we have been saying, they will bring up the issues that they see with obamacare at this confirmation hearing, an unlike most of us, most people are not sitting home to watch every single minute of the confirmation hearings, and so does it change it, and make it more difficult for the democrats? >> well, i don't believe it does. as jackie said, the key problem for the republicans running in the red states is not whether or not they voted for burwell, but obamacare or not. the vote that was problematic to them has already occurred and any democrat running for re-election is going to have to defend the obama care. it is a situation that is going to be in the next two weeks to have it disabused as

official start of what will be one of the most bitterly fought fought battles this year between mark pryorr-way democratic primary will decide which candidate will take on one of the most vulnerable republican candidates in the country, tom corbett. tom wolf leads the others in a recent poll. nearly half of pennsylvania voters remain undecided. finally in oregon, four republicans are fighting it out to take on that state's democratic governor. joining me now, nathan gonzalez and -- i knew you as sierra, bu not anymore. congratulations. >> thank you. >> and it is mitch mcconnell and matt bevin, and he is spending like he wants to win in a resounding manner, but it has opened him up to attacks from the right, and rand paul is not publicly endorsing him. >> and unless the dynamics change, he is going to win, and i avoid talking about the margins, but it is applicable here, 70/30 or 55/45 and the answer is somewhere in between, but then the task is that we will look at in the polls, how quickly can mcconnell consolidate the republican base over the couple of months afterward, will that jgenera

we'll check in with mark pryor, arkansas, $5,799 difference.keep saying republicans have a war on women. i'm not sure it's true. we'll go to our panel and hear reaction author of the new book called "the big tent" debuting number thee on amazon.com. we love dana's new hair cut. >> most important thing is you're here. >> i love being here. >> how does the president do this? didn't this just blow up in their face today? >> this is one of those policies boomerangs they would have liked to have a clean run. something that's a noble goal but the facts are what the facts are. the explanation the white house tries to use is the exact explanation -- >> did you see jay carney's explainition. we're less discriminatory than anybody else. >> they are looking for that flexibility all businesses are looking for. bigger problem is larger policy issues, tax reform, education. >> boomerang -- >> there are lies, damn lies, statistic, hypocrisy and pure spin. what we got today was an element of hypocrisy and big time spin. the president just introduced this to fa

i was speaking to senator mark pryor's campaign last week who is locked in a very tough battle and theyay equal pay is a really great, really importantish shoo that each republican women are very concerned about and where republicans are clearly vulnerab vulnerable. they're going on the attack on it and democrats across the country doing the same thing. >> abby, donald trump says he knows what women really think about president obama. listen to this. >> i saw the president about a week ago starting with the women. he's trying to now get the women against large factions of people, including republicans and conservatives, by the way. but the race card is being pl played. the women card they're starting. women are extremely angry about being used. >> the women's card? women are extremely angry about being used? talking about equal pay. talking about women's right to choose, that's using women? >> i'm not sure donald trump is the right person to be talking about what women actually care about. if you look at recent polling, the majority of women feel the gop doesn't understand many of the p

in arkansas, the political obituary had already been written for senator mark pryor, running for re-election in a state that president obama lost by 24 points in 2011. 24 points! and senator pryor, of course, voted for the affordable care act. but he's beating his prm challenger, congressman tom cotton, by ten points. and you will recall that congressman cotton is a huge opponent of obamacare. but here's the thing about arkansas. more than 150,000 people in that state got access to health care through the private option. the state's version of the medicaid expansion ushered in by obamacare. and even tom cotton, house republican, tea party tom cotton is disassembling about whether he would get rid of the private option in arkansas when he fantasy repeals obamacare. this is dynamic is one we are seeing in the polling again and again. in kentucky, a state barack obama lost by 23 points, senate minority leader mitch mcconnell was in the fight of his political life against democrat allison lundergen grimes. but steve baa shir, who cannot run, as a 56% approval rating. bashir has been one of the m