luke russert and politico's mike allen both rejoining us. luke, to you. there were some protest votes. some of them were frivelous and certainly no coalescing around any real challenge. >> what happened on the house floor today is significant. the only time since 1913, when the house went to 135 members, you saw a second ballot at 1233. we came close today about john boehner having to be elect odd a second ballot. it did not happen. there was a protest against it. i counted 12 folks who voted against boehner, and there are some who abstained. >> just a second. i think they're about to announce the vote, luke. well, it looked as though they were about to. we'll break to hem when they give us the vote count. as you were just saying when i so rudely interrupted. >> not at all. that's what they try to do. they try to quiet everybody down in the chamber. here we go. >> the total number of votes cast is 426, of which the honorable john a. boehner of the state of ohio has received 220. the honorable nancy pelosi of the state of california has received 192. the h

let's go over to luke russert also watching this for us. what are you hearing in terms of eric cantor and speaker boehner now. >> it's a wild story, richard. i have some details about that meeting that happened on capitol hill. i heard there are about 40 members who spoke um in that meeting. 37 of the 40 who spoke up spoke out against the bill. one member who is pretty close to the house speaker, john boehner, told me "it was like living in another world, listening to some of the things my fellow members were saying." talking about maybe we should have hundreds and millions in spending cuts to this amendment we will send over. this member told me he felt his colleagues did not have a clear idea of what exactly was happening throughout the country. that this idea that the senate last night had an 89 members voting together in a bipartisan way, that this was missed on his colleagues in the house does does this mean? eric cantor said he was not for it as it currently was. he wanted to see an amendment. john baoehner has been silent about this.

russ either, russert test o hard on these issues for decades. mr. . >>> well, off to the floor of the house debate, it continues in about 30 minutes, roughly in that time frame we could know whether there is a deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. they're debating it right now. that will end in about 15 minutes, and then we expect a vote to begin on the senate floor, that bipartisan effort with broad support, at 2:00 this morning. joining us now by phone is ezra klein of "the washington post," and nbc political analyst. ezra you are probably watching this. and for many of us watching it if you will did you think it was going to come down to the income thresholds? i was reading your latest post. and it was the first item listed on the major parts of this deal. >> yeah in some ways i think the income threshold has long been one of the big sticking points, right? and early in this process, president obama was very very aggressive in arguing the point that he was not allowed taxes -- hopes that tax rates, for people making $250,000 or above, him goi

right now, let's go to the south part of the mall there, luke russert. what is going on there? >> well, there is a concert that was four years ago and replayed for the folks who might not have been down here, and we are seeing the 6,000 national guard troops mobilize ed fd for the e and the 4,000 district of columbia police officers joined by 2,000 of their friends from around the country. there is a heavy security presence, but not as much as last time, craig. because we expect 500 to 700,000 people here and last time it with was 1.8 million and more sort of room to breathe, and that is what the organizers said, they want the people to walk around and see the mall and see different vantage points. we want to show you what is going on and a lot of the people are walk around, probably thousands and people selling t-shirts down there which is a great d.c. pastime which we often see and then this amazing row of port a johns which they want to alleviate some of the problems there because there was too much crowding there, and now they made a nice long row of them from 7th and madis

luke russert. i hear you now. >> reporter: how you doing, sir? >> all right. >> reporter: how are things? >> have you seen a ton of tourists out here? >> there's ton of tourists, but thankfully the weather is not that bad. it's nice and sunny here. i'm going to show you what we've got. the capitol behind me. we will have an intense security presence here tomorrow so, if you're going to come use metro, 6,000 national guard troops are expected as well as 6,000 d.c. cops as well as officers from around the country. let's look at the preparations and what they're putting forward so if you do come to the inauguration you won't be in too much pain. over there a whole row of por a port-a-johns, more than last time and easier to access them. and then if you look all around here, the way in which the security is being done is very shall we say fragmented so you've got your holding pen here in front of me, the media down there further down the mall towards the washington monument. the whole idea is they want the 500,000 to 700,000 people that come this tim

nbc's luke russert has been reporting for us and he was speaking with members early and heard from one member, luke, and i found this very interesting, you said that that member told you that was in the room for one of the meetings in the conference, 40 members spoke up, 37 spoke out against the plan, and 3 spoke for it. who are those three? who might they be? and what is the sentiment they have that they're so brave as it sounds to be one of the few? >> reporter: well, with he don't know who those three were exactly, but you saw on our air a little while ago mr. latourette saying he would support the plan because he did not think it was right to hold the middle class hostage in these types of negotiations. but, richard, right over my left shoulder behind me about 20 yards is john boehner's office. we're told there's a leadership meeting going on right now amongst the top players in the house gop. they're trying now to possibly sculpt an amend. they could add to this bipartisan senate bill that passed with 89 votes early this morning to try to bring it on the house floor as early as to

outgoing republican congressman steven latourette told nbc's luke russert the senate bill did not standuch of a bill in the house. take a listen. >> i think it's a little unreasonable for senator reid to say that something they produced on new year's eve, produced by a bunch of sleep-deprived octogenarians is what we should adopt within 48 hours. >> laetset's bring in mike viqu. we understand there have been meetings throughout the afternoon. >> reporter: the future of this bill, the deal to avert the fsk fiscal cliff and is in turmoil. here is what's happening right now. house republican leadership has just concluded a meeting in the speaker's suite of offices in the usa capitol. they have called a second meeting of all house republicans that's due to start at 5:15 in about 15 minutes. they're going to review their options, what can be done. meanwhile, a senate aide tells me that the senate is done. they are gone for the 112th congress that expires on noon thursday. if the house chooses to amend the senate bill, as you reported, it was sent over at 2:00 after an overwhelming bipartisan

we'll discuss the gop's deficit dilemma when luke russert joins us next on "now." jenna shared her recipe with sharon, who emailed it to emily, who sent it to cindy, who wondered why her soup wasn't quite the same. the recipe's not the recipe... ohhh. [ female announcer ] ...without swanson. the broth cooks trust most when making soup. mmmm! [ female announcer ] the secret is swanson. mmmm! itbut sleep train's huge foyear eends sunday. salels, get beautyrest, posturepedic, even tempur-pedic mattress sets at low clearance prices. save even more on floor samples, demonstrators, and closeout inventory. plus, free same-day delivery, set-up, and removal of your old set. don't wait, sleep train's year end clearance sale ends sunday. superior service, best selection, lowest price, guaranteed. ♪ sleep train ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ >>> today, the house is expected to pass a bill that would suspend the debt ceiling for three months with only republican support. in an about-face, speaker boehner is taking up the democratic position and urging his party not t

luke russert, thank you so much for that. we will of course be watching that. the latest of what's being offered to the gop conference. joining us now is jared bernstein. jared, always good to see you. what do you make of this latest development in the fiscal cliff discussions? >> who could have guessed the things we get screwed up at the house of representatives. right? i felt luke just gave a very youthful rundown of -- let me try to simplify this in a way that makes sense to me and hopefully some viewers as well. if this bill is amended, that is if there are enough republicans to vote for that 300-plus billion in more spending cuts, then this deal is as good as dead as far as i can see. because there's no way that -- it would have to go back to the senate. because the amended bill would no longer be the one that 89 senators voted for. and there's no way it could get a majority in the senate. the democrats at that point in the senate would abandon the bill. so if luke's suggestion that this does -- that the amendment doesn't get over the goal line, it doesn't

. >> in december of 2001, you told tim russert you had no intention of running for president. >> and i didn't. >> so things change. but do you feel that joe biden as the vice president has the right of first refusal as it were within the earth? or is it an open competition if you decide to run? >> well, american politics is always an open competition but i have no, you know, i have no position on any of this. >> andrea got a little out of her. politics is always an open competition. in that interview, she talked about how the hard fought 2008 campaign, president obama and bill clinton made an mends. sheer is what she said first here on "the daily rundown." >> what was the break through the turning point for president clinton and president obama do you think? >> i think bill certainly worked very hard for the president in the '08 general election. he also consulted with the white house on some of the economic issues. and was very committed to you know, being as good of a supporter as he possibly could. and they just got to know each other more than they ever had before. i don't think

look luke russert who would tie himself to the train for a deal. >> i would do that. we beat the thunder, professor. what a win. >> i was right there, my brother. right there with you. >> there we go. >> now we have to go to break. coming up, it has been two years since the deadly rampage that left congresswoman gabby giffords severely wounded, but as we reflect on violent rampages in the last few years, comprehensive reform on the nation's gun laws remain stuck in a time warp. we will discuss just ahead. meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid. when you're carrying a lot of weight, c-max has a nice little trait, you see, c-max helps you load your freight, with its foot-activated lift gate. but that's not all you'll see, cause c-max also beats prius v, with better mpg. say hi to the all-new 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid. sdmrurchlgts he has conquered the hip-hop world, film, and television, and even a conservative backlash to a well-intentioned white house visit, and today he is taking on "now." artist and actor common joins us in studio for a discussion on violence, am

reaction coming out, look russert is getting some response now on that development. >> i actually just ran into them. the speaker's office says, speaker banner felt that this was a very important vote and the best deal that the republicans could get. he very much wanted to solidify the tax issue, get it in place permanently. that is why he voted yes. but as we were talking about before, you don't see these divisions within the house gop leadership. they are pretty much all together. sometimes you saw when nancy pelosi was speaker, she would vote against a war funding bill and the division we have seen them historic plea. a lot of people were looking at paul ryan, marco rubio voted no. grand paul voted no. paul ryan, a yes. what message does that send? that gave cover for republicans to come on board. john boehner, he got a lot of criticism today. he did not have to vote, but stood up and voted. he showed his conference what he thought. it was pseudo courageous. >> even though he did not have to vote, as you have underlined for us so far. we have some response there from a representativ

nbc's luke russert joins us now live from capitol hill. he's following it all. luke, we understand that you've confirmed that a very special guest will be present when the democrats meet, when the house democrats meet. who is it going to be? >> that's right. for the first democratic caucus meeting of 2013 they'll hear from none other than vice president joe biden who will come here to capitol hill to brief them about the deal similar to what he did last night for his senate democratic faithful. he was really influential in helping get a lot of democrats to vote for the bill. it is expected he'll do the same thing today when he talks to his house democratic friends. now, there should be no surprise. nancy pelosi when the white house asked her to get votes she is very good at it. she got votes for the budget control act, for health care. there should be no reason she shouldn't be able to get the votes today. with vice president biden coming to capitol hill it rests the nerves of any anxious democrats who don't like the deal because they don't like the $400,000 thr

let's get right to nbc's luke russert who is on the hill and where things stand. first, let's listen into the start of this session. >> the speakers are in washington d.c., january 1, 2013. i hereby hereby appoint the honorable robert j. dole to act as speaker in temporary on this day, signed john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. >> the prayer will be offered by our chaplain father conroy. >> let us pray. eternal god, we give you thanks for giving us another day, a new year. the political struggles of the past year have revealed the divisions that exist in our nation. there are many american citizens who are angry, frustrated, and anxious for the future. this day is a day of history. send your spirit upon the members of the people's house. may an imperfect compromise when viewed from the perspective of our differences not be undermined by a desire for political victory. this is difficult for all. give each member the grace of courage to forge a constructive solution for the good of the nation and all americans. help us to trust that no matter w

it's a fascinating dynamic. >> one day we hope you'll get a break, luke russert, thank you very much. >>> after the break, so crisis ave averted, right? most americans won't see their tax rates go up, they will see less in their paychecks. and that's not to mention what this deal will do for the deficit. we'll talk fiscal realities when ezra klein joins us next on "now." [ male announcer ] at scottrade, you won't just find us online, you'll also find us in person, with dedicated support teams at over 500 branches nationwide. so when you call or visit, you can ask for a name you know. because personal service starts with a real person. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. our support teams are nearby, ready to help. it's no wonder so many investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade. >>> there's no spending cuts, we're adding $4 billion a day to the debt. >> i thought we were in a deficit crisis. i thought our families were being put at risk by this massive debt. what does this do about that? >> tonight, we will pass 83 provisions that remove federal r

that is the question that luke russert asked. >> i am not on the whip team, i can't give you a firm answer. there will be no votes from republicans and yes votes, i have no idea. >> that is the question, should they vote for this thing, which by the way contains some crazy provision about congressional pay, describe what this provision does. >> i concur -- >> it suspends their pay as long as they don't -- >> it puts their pay in escrow until basically the next congress if they don't pass a budget. >> let me just read one thing from the constitution of the united states. >> no law varying from the services of representatives shall take effect until the election of representatives -- you can't pass a law about your pay during that congress. >> with great respect to the congressman here, i'm not an elected official. what i hear him saying is we have a very difficult budget situation. and therefore, we have to go full speed into total dysfunction. and i just don't see how those pieces add up. i mean, if you're really serious about trying to do something about the deficit, which is a long-term

luke russert.arlier today luke also spoke with steven la turret about the resistance to the bill and where the republicans will go from here. >> you're a close ally of speaker boehner. what happened in conference today? what was to problematic with this bill for house republicans? >> it's heavy on tax increases. and it has nothing on spending reductions. and spending reductions are not only nonexistent, it adds billions of dollars of more spending. so that's not the balanced approach the president was talking about. >> where do we go from here? you think there will possibly be a vote tonight on an amended bill? >> the overwhelming consensus in the conference was the leadership should go back and huddle and find an amendment that actually addressed spending in a responsible way. it's not going to be some amazingly huge package, but at least a token or symbol. with what the president himself has suggested. just to lay down the markers to move forward that it's not just taxes. it's spending as well. >

joining us now is nbc's luke russert live from capitol hill. >> welcome back, buddy. >> thank you.'m delighted to have you with us. if you had been responsible, luke, for leading an institution to an approval rating of just 10% last year, if you were deemed to be the most disliked member of the house leadership with a net favorability rating of negative 20, if you couldn't even persuade your own colleagues to vote with you on a fiscal cliff plan "b," would you, luke, expect to be re-elected or fired? >> reporter: well, me personally, martin, i have the benefit of not running for the speakership of the united states -- >> that's not an answer, luke. would you expect to be re-elected or fired? >> reporter: well, i would argue that the approval rating of congress is a bipartisan approval rating, but i think what you're seeing here today that happened in washington, d.c., martin, is quite interesting. speaker boehner got very close to having to be elected speaker on a second ballot. since 1913 when the house grew to 435 members, that's only happened once, which was in 1923. we looked l

i'm luke russert in for thomas roberts. the cliff averted. folks on the left and right are still up in arms, a bill this will keep the country back from the brink is ready for signature. that signing will likely happen in hawaii where the president arrived in just the last hour to finish up the holiday trip with his family. he left the white house right after the passing of the bill. >> a little less drama, a little less brinksmanship, not scare the heck out of folks quite as much. >> the republican-run house gave final approval by a vote of 267-167 but not until after some strong dissension from gop ranks. >> it's way past the senators' bedtime and they were blurry-eyed when they were reading it. we're trying to fill in the gaps of where they missed a few thing. >> i think it's unreasonable for senator reid to say that something produced by sleep deprived octogenarians is something we should pass within 48 hours. >> 85 republicans crossed the aisle to say yea. boehner turned a page in his statement saying, quote, now the focus turns to spend

. >> in december of 2001, you told tim russert, you had no intention of running for president. >> and i didn't. >> things change. do you feel that joe biden as vice president has right of first refusal as it were within the party or is it an open competition if you decide to run? >> well, american politics is always an open competition but i have no, you know, i have no position on any of this. >> reporter: for now. clinton said she can't imagine waking up next week and having nowhere to go. she said maybe i'll go back to sleep for a change. brian? >> andrea mitchell at the state department for us, thanks. >>> while the second term cabinet is not yet set, the last remaining republican in the obama first term cabinet announced he's leaving. ray lahood told the president he is moving on. former illinois congressman launched a huge safety awareness campaign against distracted driving during his four years as secretary, among other things. >>> inspiring milestone from johns hopkins hospital, where last month an army veteran has lost all four limbs underwent a remarkable transplant. today,

nbc's luke russert and bill cohen -- william cohen, sorry.nk you so much for joining me. >>> next, we'll go to the bous for all of the last-minute detai details. for you... ♪white house for all of the last-minute details. inging the heartburn blues. hold on, prilosec isn't for fast relief. cue up alka-seltzer. it stops heartburn fast. ♪ oh what a relief it is! >>> this is the last friday of the president's first term, and prepses are under way right now for his second inaugural address on monday. it's been a busy day for republicans and democrats as they haggle over raising the debt ceiling or not. let's get the latest from kristin welker at the white house. hey, kristin. >> hey, karen. >> there's been some serious stuff, this back and forth today between the white house and john boehner and harry reid and nancy pelosi. is there any response that you're getting from the white house to this latest, quote, unquote pru unquote, plan that the republicans have put forward? >> reporter: the white house is sort of echoing what you're hearing from ma

in december of 2001 you told tim russert you had no intention of running for president. >> and i didn't. >> so things change. but do you feel that joe biden as the vice president has the right of first refusal as it were within the party or is it an open e competition if you decide to run? >> american politics is always an open competition, but i have no position on any of this. >> so what did you find most interesting about the interview? >> andrea mitchell proving hing versatility. she made news with the bite where clinton said she was healthy enough to run even though she had no plans. this was a remarkable electronic farewell tour by secretary clinton. she sat pr for an hour and did a global town hall with broadcasters around the world. here admitting that blemish of benghazi, she had such a strong record. but as she goes out, trying to tie a bow on that point that it's something that was extremely rare for it to happen. but andrea mitchell interview showed she plans to stay in the public stage. she may work with her husband at the bill clinton foundation. she may work some with che

also in there nbc news correspondent luke russert has been at the capitol all night watching this. luke, you know, it started at 2:00 a.m. >> yes. >> there were some positive signs coming from the senate, and boy, that is a long time away from right now. what is the latest you're hearing in terms of timing? >> in terms of timing, i spoke to a few gop aides, and they think about 11:00 for final passage. and just i say that, richard, and just a few hours ago when we spoke we had no idea that this bill was even going to get to the floor. >> right. >> so it's just been an extraordinary turn of events today. it's been like a roller coaster, up and down, sideways, every which way you could think. but they are confident that this bill will be a bipartisan vote, will get a lot of democrats, a decent amount of republicans, and most likely pass by 11:00, latest 11:45. the goal is to try to get it done before the midnight hour, get it done on january 1st. >> you and i have been popping our blood pressure pills all day. >> indeed. >> since 6:00. what is happening on the floor right now? what a

. >> luke russert! >>> taking it to the streets, vice president biden heads into virginia to make the case for new gun law. can a campaign-style push pressure congress to get something done. forewarned on the bayou. louisiana governor bobby jindal has tough talk for his party about what's wrong and how to avoid being stupid. that's his word, by the way. >>> and a deep dive today into a growing threat. find out why some u.s. troops are speaking french to fight terrorists. good morning from washington, it's friday, january 25th, 2013. this is "the daily rundown." i'm luke russert in for mr. chuck todd. vice president joe biden is taking the white house campaign to end violence into virginia this morning, a state known for its pro-gun tradition. biden will hold a roundtable discussion in richmond, with experts who worked on gun safety after the 2007 shooting at virginia tech. virginia's history of protecting pro gun rights legislation has been sustained under both democratic and republican governors. but s

. >> nbc's luke russert is live on capitol hill. good morning. happy new year to you. >> good morning, mara. good to see you in the chair. >> thank you very much, sir. so the house republican conference meets at 1:00. is that speaker boehner's best chance to sell this to republicans? >> reporter: it is. this is by no means a done deal. it did get 9 votes in the senate and one would think such a bipartisan vote in that body would correlate over to the house of representatives but it isn't necessarily the cases specially with the 112th congress. there is some consternation among conservatives for this bill for a few reasons. number one they don't like the extension of unemployment benefits and think that adds to the deficit. they don't think there are enough spending cuts. they also don't like the extension of the middle class tax cuts that were the president's stimulus package. also some liberals don't like the bill because they feel it gives, takes away their leverage to argue for more taxes in the future in terms of deficit deals and the rest of

the mismoves and the finger-pointing are everywhere and we begin with luke russert who was there for it all. i feel like i have been watching the same thing happen for two years since john boehner became the speaker. one deadline after another and has very little wiggle room. it makes his own members so unhappy. the vote for speaker for the next two years is tomorrow. does he even want this job anymore? >> it's a fair question after the hammering he has taken from folks in his own party and chris christie regarding the sandy relief bill. john boehner routinely said he never gets too high or low. he grew up the second of 12 children in a room where there was four kids to a room and he had to mop the floor of his father's bar at 5:00 in the morning every day. this is not an easy job. i think what you saw yesterday was what we on the hill know as a microcosm of leadership style and how it relates to the house of republican conference. it's fascinating that the world was able to see that boehner goes by this idea of letting the house work its will. he gave his members a chance to vent an

steve russert grilling bill diblasio.ou. >> thank you. >>> straight ahead, a senate vote on the debt ceiling in 30 minutes. what we expect to happen there and what it means for the larger budget bat until d.c. asional have constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. behind the silver of philadelphia cream cheese. it always begins with fresh, local milk, blended with real wholesome cream. going fresh from the farm, to our fridge, in just six days. because we believe in fresh taste. that's the way we set the standard for intensely rich, luscious flavor. so our story of fresh taste always ends... deliciously. when it comes to taste, philadelphia sets the standard. >>> in the next hour, the senate is expected to vote on and pass the house's debt ceiling deal. a bill that su spends the debt limit for four months and foregoes the threat of defa

. >> it sounded familiar, so we looked it up, in december of 2001, you told tim russert you had no intentionf running for president. >> and i didn't. >> so things change. but do you feel that joe biden, as the vice president, as the right of first refusal, as it were, within the party, or is it an open competition if you decide to run? >> well, american politics is always an open competition, but i have no, you know, no position on any of this, i have no opinion about it. i'm still secretary of state. i can't really engaged in politics, and for the foreseeable future, i don't think that i will be at all political, because there's just so much else i need to do. i need to determine my fill an fl tlopic activities, i'm going to write and speak. >> two pacs already engaged. >> i just learned that. >> supporters of president obama helped retire your campaign debt and left you, in fact, with a quarter million surplus. is that another thank you? does that signal how close you have come, despite the past campaign? >> i think the president said it very well, i mean, we've not only been great partner

year, chris cillizza and our correspondents on the hill, kelly o'donnell from the capitol and luke russert right here on the set. thank you all very much. first you, kelly, the late-night deal that averted the fiscal cliff left a lot of things still to come. what's the next fight? >> reporter: well, in addition to everyone's body clock being a little off, they have to gear up -- it's so true. they have to now begin looking forward, and what you're hearing from republicans, for example, is to say, okay, the tax issue has been resolved. the president got a victory stemming from his campaign of making permanent the middle class rates, raising it only on the highest end earners, so the president can claim that victory, and they are ready to turn the page and follow up on something the president mentioned before he left for hid hawaii, and that is they need to look at things like entitlement programs, medicare in particular, to see if they can make changes that would reduce the deficit over time. so one battle down, another one commences, and we will see they'll fight over the country's borrowi

let's bring in the gaggle luke russert, jackie kucinich and basically the barack obama super pac billto all. >> jackie, let me start with you. there's a campaign, it's back. also campaign starting up this week. there is a campaign on guns, but this is a campaign both pro and con on chuck hagel. the white house seems pretty engaged on it. walk me through it. >> we haven't had a nomination in a long time. we were sitting in the green room trying to remember what the last one was. >> became really contentious. >> yeah, so, this is going to be interesting. i think at the end of the day, you have a lot of these democratic senators saying okay to chuck hagel. but he has relationships with some of these members that go back a long time. mccain has had a different history with and they were friends and then they weren't and very different views. >> competitive. >> they competitive. >> mavericks in 2002. >> mccain supported hagel in his first bid for senate and hagel is one of the few senators to endorse mccain. >> you know, it's interesting, this personal one-on-one meetings and i believe the

. >> joining us now is clarence page, a columnist with "the chicago tribune" and nbc's luke russert liveitol hill. welcome to you both. clarence, what hope is there for gun control, immigration, climate change if true conservatives have to be to the right of eric cantor? >> well, not a lot of hope you would think. it's a real problem for those who want to get any kind of progressive action through at all or any kind of compromise. there are very few people left in the house, especially on the republican side, who feel obl e obliged to their constituency as far as their views are concerned. they feel more obliged to the folks who are funding their campaigns or funding the campaigns of their potential opponents in a future primary fight. so it's gotten to be a very cynical politics that i'm afraid heritage has become a part of moving from being a research institution into being a lobbying force. >> i'm assuming clarence you include heritage alongside with the nra and others? >> certainly then ra has become an organization whose members are gun owners but the money comes from the gun indust

luke russert following reaction on capitol hill.e have also got janelle ross from "the huffington post." let's start with peter and the big takeaways here. >> reporter: as you heard, the president now shaking hands out here, this had the same impact of a campaign-style event for this president. recognizes this is the first trip of his second term. he's really trying to deliver on that campaign promise of immigration reform to the community that helped deliver him, his re-election. the latino community. this is the state where 27% of the population is latino and he chose this as the backdrop to deliver the speech today. senior advisers say the intent of the very public campaign to put pressure on the republicans to see this thing through. to finally help pass a bipartisan bill on the issue of immigration. he focused on topics very similar to the ones heard from this president before. when's not changed is the language of this. what has changed is politics of it. specifically the fact that the president won with more than 17% of the l

. >> for the latest, we go to nbc's luke russert live for us on capitol hill.uke, we've heard the cacophony of attacks on chuck hagel from

in december of 2001, you told tim russert you had no intention of running for president. >> and i didn't>> can we come to the agreement that the door is being left wide open? she tactfully positioning herself with an artful response. don't expect secretary clinton to give an answer now, but this is something we as liberals should be pushing for big-time. we are now a center-left country, and we need a strong standard-bearer once president obama step downs four years from now, and president obama's popularity is now the highest it has been since the first few months he was in office. today's poll numbers are a reflection of the president's inauguration speech when he spoke boldly of progressive values in the country. i'm joined tonight by joy reid, managing editor of the grio. i mean, if she were to run, if she were to announce, wouldn't there be just this groundswell enthusiasm because we know she is so qualified? >> well, i think partly because of her clear and obvious qualifications, but also, hillary-land has a pent-up desire for this woman that has never gone away there was tremendou

let's get to the him and nbc's luke russert. will it pass tonight or what? >> reporter: most likely, yes. it is an interesting coalition of members of congress to get it forward as well as a very interesting and unusual way forward for this bill to get the total allotment around the $50 billion needed to add on to the 9 they voted for. you will see a coalition comprised of mainly democrats and then republicans from states that were affected by superstorm sandy on top of that you will have republicans of gulf area states where they need perhaps federal disaster relief funding in the future. the way to go forward, though, there's a vote on the $17 billion for relief to go toward immediate reconstruction projects right now. that will come up, expected to get widespread support for the house and then an amendment on the remaining 33 billion put towards future development projects and future things needed in regards to superstorm relief in terms of infrastructure. not a lot of republicans are on board for and carried by democrats in that coalition i told you abou

bolling stole my schtick and i stole it from tim russert and bolling is corrupted, got a big board. >sean: ouch. >> look, you're right. 4 billion dollars out of that 4 1/2 billion dollars is to hire 15,000 more police. is that going to stop us at newtown? a cost of 266,000, we're going to hire 15,000 new police. >> sean: per? >> $266,000 per, looks like for two years. >> sean: and the states have to pick it up from there. >> look, we have nearly 800,000 uniformed police officers today in the united states. do we really think that having 1.9% less and 1.9% more police officers is going to stop newtown. >> sean: unless you put them in the schools? >> speaking of that, we have 150 million dollars to get 1,000 new resource people for schools, at $132,000 a person. there are 98,000 public schools and 33,000 private elementary and secondary schools in america so we're going to provide one certain for over 0.75% of those schools, it looks like a patronage program, who are going to get those out of 130,000 plus schools, who is going to get the 1,000 people. we've got 70 million dollars in the

luke russert is standing by. >> good afternoon, brian.s lining up for a review by the president that he'll do once the lunch is complete. the house of representatives is over my right shoulder and for the president's first term they have seen him as a blocking minority. i got a comment from kathy mcmorris rodgers, already the president has not left the capitol. already coming out with a statement that says, quote, elegant words must be matched with deliberate absence to establish the fiscal health. the ones she mentioned in his address, she's coming out against the president for senate inaction on a budget. the house is in session tomorrow. we expect a vote on their plan to raise the debt limit on wednesday. it shows you, brian, how quickly things go from the ceremonial to the political. >> and luke, it strikes me if we had a president departing town today instead of staying in, you'd be standing on the helipad. >> which would be a cool place to be. you're a security aficionado as i am, i have never seen so many motorcades in one place at