richard shelby's office is now confirms that capitol police are investigating a suspicious package at senator shelby's office in russell and at this point, again, at this point, investigator rs saying there's no connection between the suspicious letter, there was a substance found inside, no connection between that an the boston bombings. you're looking at new video we're just getting in. again, this is video from the capitol where that package is being looked at and senator shelby's office, that suspicious package, they're also saying, we have confirmed there are some similarities between two letters, the letter that was sent to the senate, also, the letter sent to the white house. jonathan dienst is standing by right here. results again may be available by late today at the earliest, we understand. >> that's right. they discovered these letters yes and the official lab tests take about 24 hours for that kind of test to be done, but preliminary field testing on both the letters to senator wicker's office and to the white house, both intercepted at off site facilities, have preliminar

other offices including senator richard shelby checked after reports of suspicious packages. both here on capitol hill and back in local districts. nothing else found. but there's a heightened concern here after boston and what happened there on monday. plus, a courthouse evacuation after a bomb threat there yesterday, not connected to this, according to authorities at least as far as they know right now. but mail headed to capitol hill, well, that's on hold this week. richard. >> tracie potts with the very latest on that developing story. thank you. also developing this morning, after a roller coaster day of reports on the investigation into the boston bombings, it appears authorities have pictures of their suspect now. the front page of this morning's "boston globe" proflames "authorities have image of bombing suspect." we also know the identity the third victim killed in the blast, 23-year-old lingzi lu. 29-year-old krystle campbell and richard martin were killed. >> reporter: good morning, richard. let's talk about the investigation first. the authorities have been vestin

media say a suspicious letter was also found at the congressional office of republican senator richard shelby of alabama. and senator roger wicker was also targeted this week. >>> chinese warships patrolled disputes islands wednesday as part of an exercise. the senkaku islands are controlled by japan but claimed by china and taiwan. china's state-run media say the ships are part of their navy fleets, including a missile destroyer and a missile frigate. the vessels entered the waters on tuesday night and stayed until just before dawn the next day, after conducting drills in the western pacific. they practiced inspecting and seizing suspicious vessels. a reporter from the state run news agency on board the destroyer quoted a senior fleet officer as saying, the islands are an integral part of chinese territory. the officer also said it's perfectly legal and justifiable for the navy to navigate in the waters around the islands and that there is no cause for criticism. chinese media noted that april 17th is the anniversary of the signing of a treaty ending the sino-japanese war in 1895. china clai

the police investigation centers now on the offices of senator richard shelby in the russell senate building and joe manchin in the heart senate office building. the lockdown is unrelated to the incident involving the president's letter. >> thank you so much, we want to take you to the boston bombings as we told you, abc7 news anchor has been in boston. we are getting word that either there has been an arrest or it is imminent but a suspect i.d.'s through surveillance video. what are you seeing out there? >> i am seeing a lot of people checking out what is going on but our affiliate in boston is reporting an arrest has been made in the bombing of the boston marathon that happened two days ago. they are also reporting as you said they were able to identify the suspect through surveillance video that was on top of a lord and taylor store a couple blocks do my left. there has been a lot of activity going on today. we did see a fire ladder coming and aiding the f.b.i. they were all in their white suits and they went on top of a roof which was across the street from the lord&taylor with evidence

senator richard shelby's office is on the third floor of russell, one of the three alerts discussed. boston, no link there, and i remember after 9/11, there was anthrax, but the timing is interesting. cheryl: jerry, i know we brought you in to talk about other issues in politics, but can you stay on the story awaiting, again, to see jay carney to address the media and press briefing. we'll be live here, but first, gerri, thoughts on the packages, threats to the officials in washington, not surprising, but the timing is disconcerning. >> yeah, looks coincidental. two things to keep in mind is the letters, they seem real. you know, two letters unone to somebody in the senate, the other to the white house. those seem to be real. the packages less real. we're at a time in washington, back to the anthrax scare, where things look suspicious today that didn't look suspicious two days ago. bear that in mind. the other thing i would say is this is an interesting indication that the post-app thrax scare and post 9/11 system works. both intercepted not at the white house or office, but remote s

media say a suspicious letter was also found at the congressional office of republican senator richard shelby of alabama. and senator roger wicker was also targeted this week. >>> chinese warships patrolled disputes islands wednesday as part of an exercise. the senkaku islands are controlled by japan but claimed by china and taiwan. china's state-run media say the ships are part of their navy fleets, including a missile destroyer and a missile frigate. the vessels entered the waters on tuesday night and stayed until just before dawn the next day, after conducting drills in the western pacific. they practiced inspecting and seizing suspicious vessels. a reporter from the state run news agency on board the dest y destroyer quoted a senior fleet officer as saying, the islands are an integral part of chinese territory. the officer also said it's perfectly legal and justifiable for the navy to navigate in the waters around the islands and that there is no cause for criticism. chinese media noted that april 17th is the anniversary of the signing of a treaty ending the sino-japanese war in 1895. chi

a third suspicious package may have arrived at the office of alabama senator richard shelby. investigators do not currently believe there is a connection to the bombing in boston. meanwhile, law enforcement officials in massachusetts are combing through more than 2,000 tips, looking through photos like this one, shall shows a bag sitting by a mailbox before the explosion. it is unclear at this point whether or not the bag has any relevance, but appears to be near the center of the explosion. president obama will be in boston tomorrow to attend a memorial service for the victims. for the loved once of those killed and maimed in the explosion, there is only confusion and many unanswered questions. joining me today here in new york city, nbc news capitol hill correspondent luke russert, and misterrorism expert michael leiter, and bob herbert, a distinguished senior fellow at dimos. >>> let's go to kristin welker for more. >> reporter: alex, good afternoon. here's what we know at this hour. this letter was received yesterday at an off-site mail facility. i want to emphasize that.

down the hall from where i am senator richard shelby's office is effectively in lockdown. i got an e-mail from his communications director saying that somebody went to the office and gave the person at the front desk a letter that they shouldn't have gotten and it shouldn't have happened because that's not the protocol. the protocol is anything that's sealed needs to start at the offsite facility. so that's why a hazmat team has been here. that's why that particular as you can see down the hall right there, that hallway is closed off and we can't go down there. as you see i'm standing here, so they're not that concerned about the safety of others around this building. separately you just heard a little about a spokesman from the capitol police department, in the hart building there's also some activity going on. what they're calling it is sheltering in place. that's the way they're describing what these staffers and even some senators need to do. those in their offices are asked to stay in their offices. those who are out cannot go back in as they look for whatever it is t

the police investigation centers now on the offices of senator richard shelby in the russell senate building and joe manchin in the heart senate office building. the lockdown is unrelated to the indent involving the president's letter. >> thank you so much, we want to take you to the boston bombings as we told you, abc7 news anchor has been in boston. we are getting word that either there has been an arrest or it is imminent but a suspect i.d.'s through surveillance video. what are you seeing out there? >> i am seeing a lot of people checking out what is going on but our affiliate in boston is reporting an arrest has been made in the bombing of the boston marathon that happened two days ago. they are also reporting as you said they were able to identify the suspect through surveillance video that was on top of a lord and taylor store a couple blocks do my left. there has been a lot of activity going on today. we did see a fire ladder coming and aiding the f.b.i. they were all in their white suits and they went on top of a roof which was across the street from the lord&tlor with evidence back

in the hallway outside of senator richard shelby's office was cleared after reports that he also received a suspicious package. in phoenix there was report of a suspicious package at john mccain's office. and karl levin's office was evacuated because of similar circumstances. a man has been arrested with a backpack full of letters, and he is in custody. coming up rt rybak will give us his take on the votings, plus at least progressives have mark sanford to keep their sparts up. and later, scrutinized and also misunderstanding, a new documentary, revisits the remarkable life and times of angela davis. it's wednesday night, we're just getting started, you're in "the war room," and we'll be right back. party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know that i'm going to be the first one to call them out. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us. >> if you believe in state's rights but still support the drug war you must be high. >> "viewpoint" digs deep into the issues of the day.

we believe it's in richard shelby of alabama.ot unusual to hear about packages on capitol hill. anything that looks out of the ordinary should be taken very, very seriously. we find these things veryly frequently, buttiveen the state of where things are right now, boston, the letters that appear to contain ricin, that were sent a senator and maybe the president, everything has a different feel as you can imagine right now. >> all right, dana bash, keep your eyes peeled. right now we want to go to tom fuentez. he has key insight. the first question has to be this. monday, bombs in the boston mary on this, right behind us. two days later, a letter with ricin shows up addressed to senator roger wicker, and a similar suspicious letter addressed to president obama. it seems like an awfully big coincidence. >> it appears to be, and as of now, there is no indication from the first letter to the senator that it was related to the boston attack. that's the preliminary indication nap letter is still being examined for ricin at the lab, and

down from where i am right now was shut down because of a suspicious package going to senator richard shelby'sin another office building there were two floors effectively on lockdown because of suspicious packages there. actually they were given the all clear. but it does give you the sense of how much people are paying much more attention to even questions about whether anything is suspicious around in some state offices, carl levin of michigan, they, too, issued press releases saying they had suspicious letters coming and they turned it over to officials. you know, with going back to your initial question, jake, with regard to anthrax, definitely you get the feeling that they're saying there are no definite connections but you have that sense of anxiety you did during the anthrax attacks which were just not too long after 9/11. >> and, of course, that vote you're talking about, that is the bill from the west virginia democrat joe manchin and pennsylvania republican pat toomey. you're saying it is expected to go down. one last question for you, dana. what if anything will the senate do differ

on capitol hill, suspicious package was delivered to the office of alabama republican senator richard shelbyrt senate office building, a loud speaker told senators and staffers there was a suspicious package and avoid until further notice. that situation was cleared. bottom line, everybody we talked to says they are following the rules to the letter, those two letters have certainly gotten a lot of attention on capitol hill. neil? >> neil: all right. thank you very much. we want to bring you to this developing story on capitol hill. the senate just voted 54-46 in favor of expanded background checks as part of getting a gun, expanded check on whether you really should have a gun. that is in favor. but it needed 60 votes to pass. so because it didn't hit that 60 vote threshold, it's essentially failed. to former ny detective pat rosnin on what he makes of that. >> very, very disappointing. we conduct thousands of background checks across the country. they're quick, inexpensive, they're concise, and as the courts have become more compliant in conveying information relative to arrests and convic

senator carl levin democrat, richard shelby republican. jeff flake republican.anchin democrat. and most recently joe cornyn republican. all suspicious packages all have been cleared as safe. the level of anxiety over our safety is peeking not too dissimilar to those extremely tense days following 9/11. remember the rumors anthrax is in your building? people running out of buildings? >> i had to self-medicate myself at every bar just to get over that. i have a problem covering these stories simply because ricin when -- whatever it is which i guess is a made from caster beans, i guess. anybody can generate this kind of terror. the ease it can be committed conversely dictating the news. if somebody can send a letter we should be ignoring it. the more we play it up it eggs losers on. this is easy to do. not just for stuff like this. but talking about mass shootings and things that you inject terror into people's lives, the more that you focus on these things the more likely things will continue. this simple crackpot with an envelope. >> you are saying you don't want

sreenivasan: in all, there were three questionable packages, including one sent to alabama republican richard shelby. and at the white house, the secret service intercepted a letter. >> there was a letter sent to, addressed to, the president that at a offsite mail facility was noticed to have contained a suspicious substance and tests were undertaken. >> sreenivasan: new accounts said the letter tested positive- - initially-- for ricin, a deadly poison. so did a letter to mississippi reic wicker that surfaced yesterday at a senate mail facility in maryland. but officials cautioned, initial tests are often wrong, and more conclusive testing was in progress. the bureau did say both envelopes were postmarked from memphis, tennessee and contained a message that read: "to see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance." they were signed: "i am k.c. and i approve this message." missouri senator claire mccaskill said police have a suspect in mind, but she offered no details. enix, arizona and saginaw, michigan, investigators examined two more letters sent to local offices o

and richard shelby, a democrat and a republican. contractors justify these salaries they are making? guest: the argument here is that they need pay high salaries in order to attract talent. they are essentially public employees and the republicans are often arguing that public employees are overpaid. there is an anti -- there is an inconsistency there. if the government can get employees that are confident the contract should be able to two big. -- able to too. the threshold is set at what employees of big publicly traded employees get. the government can turn around and bill them and pay more in profits on top of that. host: one of those contractor groups talking about this proposal that shelby and mikulski was trying to lower the salary-cap. he is the president and ceo of that group that deals with federal contractors. he says -- he also says much of the rhetoric on contractor conversation is intentionally misleading and reflects the stark reality of today's contracting environment. we are taking your calls on this issue a federal

in boston, and a suspicious package was delivered to the office of alabama republican senator richard shelby who was checked out by authorities and told we were given an all clear a short time ago. the bomb squad was sent to the nearby heart center office building. a loud speaker told senators and staffers, there was a suspicious package on the floor of the building and please avoid until further notice. that situation has been cleared. fox has obtained an operations bulletin updating what was known about the letters. both letters to be related post marks and targets and verbage out of memphis, tennessee and quote, i am kc and i approve this message. and senator carl levin says that his office in michigan, in saginaw, michigan, received a suspicious letter and everybody on high alert on capitol hill and taking these concerns very seriously. megyn. >> megyn: thank you, i want to tell our viewers as mike was delivering his report, two more, two more suspicious letters have been reported. we're going to find out whether this is reportable from me to you in terms of the names of the senators, th

boston, the recent mailings and suspicious package delivered a short time ago to alabama senator richard shelby'sice. we are told everybody is okay. but when you have these incidents and heightened security these are the things that happened a short time ago. the senate republican leader had this to say on the senate floor. >> this morning i'd like to recognize the postal and law enforcement officials for their excellent work in detecting and preventing this threat before it even reached the capitol. they proved that the proactive measures we put in place do in fact work. >> reporter: he's making reference to suspicious letters that were sent to capitol hill after the 9/11 attacks and these letters have been kept away from the people that they were addressed to, jenna. heather: mike emanuel live on capitol hill. thank you. jon: let's talk now with texas congressman michael mccaul, he is chairman of the homeland security committee and has received several briefings on what happened in the boston marathon attacks. these have been informal briefings as we understand it, congressman, and certainly we

senator richard shelby. >> this is the first step in the erosion of our rights under the second amendmentyou were one step away from hitler. >> no, i'm talking about now. >> all right. >> stephanie: warren in gary indiana. you are on the "stephanie miller show." or not because -- now you missed your chance. okay. jill in ithaca you are on the "stephanie miller show." good morning, jill. >> caller: good morning steph and handsome friends. >> stephanie: my handsome friends. >> caller: yeah, it's time for us to not take this anymore and go to washington directly during the week, not on the weekend -- >> stephanie: hey, we could change our theme song back to we're not going to take it anymore. >> caller: yes, and the people that can't get to washington can get to their state capitols. in the meantime call, and write. i have a number. it's called the capitol, 202- -- oh i'm sorry, wrong piece of paper. i'll get it to you another time -- >> you can google it. >> caller: yeah, sorry about that. >> stephanie: that's okay. no worries. herb from new york. >> caller: good morning. i'm from your own

richard shelby. chuck grassley and mike grapple.when the nra said it is okay to vote yes, they did. when the nra said vote no, they did. we say jump. you say how high. >> a stream of comments on twitter by the way at bpshow, please follow us there. you could play along with the show. lots of people stand with joey, our last caller. they're just as upset as he is. john also says when someone gets a gun from a gun show or a person and does a massacre, these politicians will be called to account. and sam says the senate in its present form is broken, not capable of serving the american people. find us at bpshow on twitter. >> bill: again the argument that this is government gone too far is just so -- it doesn't even pass the laugh test. we have background checks and we have since 1994 at gun dealers. if it makes sense to get a criminal check for somebody buying a gun at a gun dealer you tell me why it doesn't also make sense to have a criminal background check for somebody buying a gun at a gun show. or on the internet. i mean, there's

his colleague from alabama, richard shelby, one of my dear friends, he and i don't vote much alike.but our relationship is one of respect and admiration for one another. that's what we have to do in this body. so, mr. president, i never question the patriotism or love of country of any senator, because if i did, i would be wrong. so it was deeply disturbing that an anonymous individual would attempt to send deadly poison to senate offices as well as the white house. it appears through the swift action of the capitol police and federal law enforcement officials, the suspect has been apprehended and these cowardly anonymous attacks i hope will be brought to justice very soon. this incident does not appear to be related in any way to the tragedy in boston. nevertheless, tras it is a remir to the senate community and visitors to remain vigilant at all times. senate offices should continue to follow mail policies that are in place for their safety in this investigation. the system in place protects the senate community. maybe people say, well, it is not good enough. it is good. i remembe