on the west coast in 2010, incoming washington center critics senator patty murray had got help from citizens or strengthen security action fund. it spent $640,000 promoting her record. who was a high and the money in those races? good question. the organizations are set up as a tax-exempt nonprofit. that means they can keep the names of donors and the amount they give secret. >> that is what we should all be concerned about. >> issue oriented nonprofits have been around a long time, but the landmark supreme court decision, citizens united, allows them much greater influence in elections. >> they can now raise money from corporations and run independent expenditures expressly promoting a candidate or attacking a candidate. this is really a powerful tool for them to be able to shape the outcome of the elections in complete secrecy. >> in the patty murray race, another nonprofit spent a lot of money trying to beat her. >> we cannot afford six more years of patty murray. >> crossroad gps's founder is karl rove. crossroad spent $70 million in the 2010 election. it plans to raise and spen

. >> the veterans affairs secretary testifying on capitol hill with patty murray. on the hill, leon panetta saying the pentagon would be planning for the potential of automatic spending cuts. you heard from senator murray. the spending cuts that come with sequestration. as a way of background if congress fails to raise a certain amount of money part of the budget control act put in place last year the automatic cuts would take place beginning in january of 2013. that would include $500 billion in cuts from the department of defense. you heard from patty murray the impact it would have on veterans affairs and the veterans returning from the wars in iraq, afghanistan and elsewhere in sur ves outside the united states. >> you're listening to c span radio's washington today. we are heard in the washington, d.c. area. >> at the white house tonight the president will be honoring more than a million american troops who served in iraq by welcoming a small cross section to a formal white house dinner. among those in attendance, a colonel in the u.s. marine corps, todd rosier

what i think patty murray stated so strongly is that this isn't about this exemption. they deal it with all over the country. it's the fact that they don't want women to have access to birth control and that's certainly true of the republicans who stood before you earlier today. >> senators barbara boxer of california, patty murray of washington, as they spoke to reporters on capitol hill again this morning as we said, ohio republican, house speaker john boehner, who is catholic and one of 12 children, called the contraceptives rule an unambiguous attack on religious freedom no our country and accused the president of violating the first amendment's freedom of religion and then joined by his republican colleagues on both epds of the u.s. capital. senator kelly ayott is a republican from new hampshire and she spoke at the ohio clock on capitol hill. >> we've seen with the president's health care bill and the regulations issued by health & human services and an unprecedented front to rid religious liberty. if we put religious institutions and faith-based organizations in

senator patty murray is next with her announcement of this agreement. >> you know, hear the same thing from middle class families every single weekend when i go home. more than anything they want certainty and they want security. they want peace of mind and the assurance that back here in this washington we aren't working against each other. we're working for them. that's why as senate democrats we've been working hard to make sure they have the support they need. if they get laid off. it's why we've pushed republicans to extend support for doctors, to provide medicare for our seniors, and it's why we have insisted on a middle class tax cut for our hard-working families. and here we are, finally, after months of republicans dragging their feet on a full year extension and after struggling to just get two months of middle class support over the holidays, we are now on the verge of a deal that is not perfect by any means but will tell families in my state and across the country that we're looking out for you and for our economic recovery. but of course, with the republicans here in the s

we will talk to patty murray. the senate will vote this week. ♪ uhh!lyson ] just keep walking... ♪ oh, come on! ♪ ugh, again! [ sniffs ] that's what i'm talkin' about. [ female announcer ] new head & shoulders green apple, with an enticing scent. works on the scalp for up to 100% flake-free hair that's irresistibly fragrant. [ both laugh ] [ female announcer ] new head & shoulders green apple. with scottrader streaming quotes, any way you want. fully customize it for your trading process -- from thought to trade, on every screen. and all in real time. which makes it just like having your own trading floor, right at your fingertips. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. try our easy-to-use scottrader streaming quotes. it's another reason more investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade. >> the senate is supposed to vote this week on an amendment from senator roy blunt that allows employers and health insurance providers to opt out of health care coverage, it is said that they are trying to preserve the rights of not vio

brinker, thank you very much. >> thanks, andrea. >> and now we are joined by democratic senators patty murrayara boxer of california. senator murray, can you respond from your information about planned parenthood, what is the flaw in the way they are providing services and what are you planning to do about it? >> well, look, this is really a sad day for many of us who have have been proud supporters of an organization whose mission has been to save women's lives. who also know that planned parenthood's mission is to save lives, and the tremendous work they do across this country in providing preventative services, so women don't miss out on their screenings for mammograms and diseases, cancer that can take their lives. so it's a very sad day. and susan g. komen has put in place a policy that says directly that they will not provide funding for organizations like planned parenthood, because of a partisan witch hunt in the house against planned parenthood, an investigation. i would ask that all the members of susan g. komen to reconsider that policy, because it's dangerous for women and it's da

just a few hours ago patty murray went after friess for what he's trying to dismiss as a bad joke. >> on national television one of the chief financial backers for rick santorum, the republican candidate that's now surging toward the nomination, suggested that contraception once was as simple as a woman putting aspirin between her knees. really? shocking, appalling, and insult. >> this morning foster friess wrote an apology on his blog. he wrote, i can understand how i confused people with the way i worded the joke, and their taking offense is very understandable. to those that applauded my comments and remembers the joke, thanks for your encouragement. to those who thought it was callously encouraging, i ask for your forgiveness. that focusing on foster friess. we're going to talk about that with our panel in a second. still more angry reaction to that panel we saw yesterday, the morning panel where there were no women visible as witnesses not there. >> one of the things that democrats have done skillfully in the last 24 hours is make that argument with the visual of only men seated

. >> senators patty murray and barbara boxer joining us today, decision 2012 could a car crash lead to a brokered convention. and a loss, the death in syria of than though any shadid, for his reporting from iraq, survived a kidnappi inpin inpin he brought back stories that had to be told. >>> good day, i'm andrea mitchell. rick santorum's super pac is on the air in might be. but that is not what people are talking about. >> wait until you hear what his money man foster friess said this afternoon. >> foster friess. >> foster friess. >> foster friess. >> nbc's david gregory we have a fire storm here but there's a larger question, how santorum handled it and how foster friess handled it and what he said in the first place, david? >> i was there with you when he said it to you yesterday, sort of catching my breath. you know, i actually did not hear that formulation before. i guess i'm not old enough. it was a stupid thing to say, he has acknowledged that. i am not one that believes that santorum faces a huge amount of fall out over this. has tried to create distance and condemned it. there

also weighing in here, senators barbara boxer and patty murray.vernor mitch daniels in his first interviews since delivering the republican response to the president's state of the union address. he's also, of course, hosting the super bowl. so we'll have a lot to talk about. about. go, giants, on at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car, and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life, or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money. at liberty mutual, we help you move on with your life, so get the insurance responsible drivers like you deserve. call us at... or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you. liberty mutual

today, democratic center patty murray of washington state congratulated komen with this caveat-- >> we will remain vigilant to make sure politics doesn't come between us and our health care. >> reporter: the komen foundation was recently ranked the nation's second most-trusted nonprofit, but this week it managed to outrage people on both sides of the nation's most divisive issue, abortion. >> i think we've seen this week a disgraceful display of planned parenthood using real thug tactics to bring pressure on them. >> reporter: you called planned parenthood thug-like. they say it's groups like yours that have been bullying the komen foundation. >> we have been working very diligently to get all the information out there about how planned parenthood does business. there are real serious and substantive questions about their financial stewartship of the public monies that they receive. >> reporter: scott, planned parenthood said today it has raised more than $3 million in the past three days. opponents of planned parenthood say that's proof the organization doesn't need the $700,000 it ge

patty murray describes the amendment as quote: and much like virginia where the contention transvaginalas amended to be a transabdominal bill and another bill lasted a fortnight before its sponsor said he was water down the bill which: but the bill goes even further: it might be legal, but you can sue. let's bring in the political reporter for the "huffington post." thanks for your time. >> thanks for having me. >> i assume it would still be iffy in a republican controlled house. what is it purpose? >> i think it's purpose is to galvanize voters. republicans are fired about this. democrats are also fired up about this and it is getting people into politics who otherwise wouldn't necessarily be and i think republicans are courting the catholic vote right now, and a lot of people criticized obama's birth control mandate, and so this is a way of saying nobody has to cover health care for anyone. unfortunately that -- the problem that democrats have with it is it takes the decision away from the women. where is the employer conscience mattering more than the women's conscience? >> in politi

what patty murray stated so strongly is this is not about this exemption. it is about the fact that they don't want women to have access to birth control, and that is certainly true of the republicans who stood before you earlier today. >> i spoke with the l.a. catholic archdiocese. the way they have got around that requirement, what they tell me was the california law requires that insurance companies to provide contraceptives, etcetera, and it is not unlike the federal law, does not require the employer to cover it. so there are catholic institutions in california that are not paying for contraceptives. >> you mean catholic affiliated institutions. it is a totally catholic institution and their mission is religion, -- many hospitals do this their own way. one way is they will contract with an outside entity to provide the particular benefits. there are many, many ways. the point is, there is nothing for people to be ringing the bells about. this is a compromise. this make sure that religious freedom of everyone is respected. that includes the women of thi

. >> the way back machine that washington senator patty murray is talking about has been defined by this photo of an all-male panel during a congressional hearing about contraception yesterday. i >> it does not look right to conduct a hearing dealing with the rights of women and not have a woman on the panel. >> today, rick santorum is trying to explain this comment on birth control from a high dollar, high-profile supporter. >> back in my days, they used. aspirin for contraceptions. the dow's put it between their knees and it was not that costly. >> santorum called a de "stupid joke." the fight over whether businesses have to provide birth control is continuing. >> people are opposed to this mandate for a simple reason -- because they are in favor of religious liberties. >> other say that denying contraceptive coverage betrays some of the most basic needs of millions of women. >> look at the list of services that would be denied. lifesaving, help saving services. >> services and the leaves at the center of the escalade moral and political battle. critic of an escalating moral and politi

democratic senator patty murray can't believe this is happening in 2012. >> for millions of american women, reading the news this morning was like stepping in a time machine and going back 50 years. for many women and men waking up to the news this morning may seem like there is a swift and sudden attack on women's health care but i'm here on the floor of the senate to tell you all there is nothing sudden about it. there is nothing new about the republican attacks on our family planning decisions. >> the senator from washington is absolutely right. republicans in congress have introduced anti-women legislation since they took over the house last year. they passed a bill to eliminate funding for family planning and defund planned parenthood. they tried to eliminate exceptions for the health of the mother and anti-abortion legislation. they tried to remove caps on out of pocket health care expenses, in fact republicans think they can rally their social conservative bases by really leaning hard on these issues. but they are alienating the public. this is starting to look like the replay

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. >> senator patty murray putting it in context. suddenly the beltway media is be willed bewilderd by the guy ahead is the guy who staked his career on being super anti-gay and super anti-abortion. the guy whose primary legislative record from his time in the senate is his anti-abortion record. the guy main streaming his long time opposition to contraception. the guy who this weekend argued women should not have pre-natal testing covered by insurance. rick santorum has always been like this. this is not a new fangled version, this is who he has been as a politician. remarkable that a major party would pick a guy like rick santorum to be their nominee. but not remarkable for any of the reasons the beltway pundits think. it's not like they are choosing him for the potential nominee because they don't understand this. because they don't know his social conservative views. not like social issues are a hidden agenda that he has and actually people really like other things about him. this is what rick santorum has to offer as a candidate.

. >> same to you, coming up next, our interview with maine senator snowe, senator patty murray will bene of those renewed debates the gender war continuing. and looking forward to super tuesday. join us in a few minutes. ncer ] water was meant to be perfect. crisp, clear, untouched. that's why there's brita, to make the water we drink, taste a little more, perfect. reduce lead and other impurities with the advanced filtration system of brita. achoo! [ male announcer ] but when she used tissues, she went crazy wild. tissue after tissue, she always took a ton. until mom explained with puffs ultra soft & strong, you only need one. two times stronger than the leading value brand, they always win this test. soft non-lotion pillows, they're sure to impress. now the tissue monster had gone away, and puffs ultra soft & strong saved the day. a nose in need deserves puffs ultra soft & strong indeed. for those who prefer lotion, try puffs plus lotion. i get congested. but now, with zyrtec-d®, i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec®, plus a powerful decongestant. zyrtec-d® lets me breath freer

and then patty murray wrote this based on that, and also that all-male image of the contraception hearing. i feel she wrote like i woke up on the set of "mad men." and when women could put aspirin in between their knees to avoid getting pregnant, this after republicans opened up a hearing on birth control and banned women from testifying. we already accumulated 65,000 signatures on the agenda, and i am too bad to stop. it's time to punish people by taking away their jobs. >> i see it as a trampling of rights. this is a distraction and not about birth control. nobody is talking about birth control. this is about whether or not a church and members of a church in an arc diocese should be compelled to pay for something, abortion and sterilization, and yes, contraception, should be compelled to pay for something they hold to be morally wrong and in fact a sin. and at the end of the day, it will cost president obama a lot of votes with catholic voters, and it's reminding people of the obamacare bill and itself and all the hidden perils there, and his response to it was arrogant. it's not a com

listen here to senator patty murray. >> we are asking the members of susan g.ve in the past the bipartisan efforts that women across this country support to make sure that women's health is protected, no matter whether you're a republican to ar democrat, or you're young or you're old that's what we all support and that's what we want them to support. >> reporter: now, the susan g. komen foundation is under investigation by a house committee. it has been under investigation since september. this committee wants to know how the group is using its money, if the group using federal money to fund abortions. now, we spoke with the chairman of this investigative subcommittee, republican congressman cliff sterns. he says simply that any allegation that his investigation is politically motivated or really any connection between their investigation and the decision by susan g komen is just not true. listen here to him. >> well, that's not true, it's not one particular member, it's are the entire oversight investigation committee is asking planned parenthood to give some

two of them, patty murray and robert boxer on our show, directly to her.g down. they say that the reason is because, as you just showed, they have changed their procedures for grants. but the bottom line is, it's only planned parenthood. out of 2,000 grantees being targeted this way. the suspicion among critics is this relates directly to the hiring of this woman from georgia who ran on an anti-planned parenthood, anti-abortion platform for governor and has been very outspoken on this. >> the resignations now are coming in at the komen foundation. >> yes. >> molly williams resigned of this decision was made. she was in charge of helping dispense those funds throughout the country. today, debra anthony, the executive director of the l.a. branch of the komen foundation, resigning. i could see how painful it was for you today, andrea, doing this interview. and watching senator boxer afterwards and her outrage over what's happening here, which does seem purely political. i didn't get any kind of confidence at all in the defensive answers about this not being a

and patty murray of washington state had this to say.financial backers for rick santorum, the republican candidate that's now surging towards the nomination suggested that contraception was once as simple as a woman putting aspirin between her knees. really? shocking. appalling. an insult. >> told you, my mom calls and she says we're not talking about it enough on television. >> it's funny you bring up your mom here, i have been thinking precisely the same thing, there's a generational oddity about this. like i'm surprised. my mother was a young woman very active in the sort of reproductive rights movement in the early 1970s because women didn't have the right to choose, because birth control was not as widely available. and i think she thought she fought that battle that that was over and sort of whatever would happen, you know, after that, we'd have other fights but that one was settled. and the idea that my daughter might now be going into a world where contraception would be less available to her is just a stunning reversal of someth

has dug her heels in and she's going to keep this going. 26 senators led by frank lautenberg and patty murraygned a letter protesting this decision by the common foundation with 22 members of the house had signed a letter as of this afternoon. so there is a building backlash. i mean, one of the things you have to wonder is why would corporations like yoplait and dell computers and new balance shoes, all these corporations that are listed on komen's annual report as in the million dollar club, they're going to have to move away from komen. they're not interested in funding a -- an organization that strictly has a political anti-women's health agenda like komen does now. so, you know, you have to think that what -- what miss brinker has actually done has been really to lead this organization right off a cliff. >> all right. now last summer, republicans held the government pretty much hostage over planned parenthood funding. the outrage over this, you know, it seems to be bigger. what is the difference? >> you know, honestly, i think that the difference that it is one thing for politicians to ta