>> luke russert is interesting. he is sort of a prince. he gave an incredibly moving eulogy at his father's funeral. looks was funny. a lot of people cast aspersions on him. nepotism gets thrown around a lot. it is quite obvious that he would not have gotten that job. but ultimately washington takes care of its own. but luke russert has had an interesting few years and i have been impressed with how he has handled himself. and really has come through a lot of the criticism he has gotten. it seems like he is doing ok. >> luke russert gave the eulogy at his father's funeral earlier. this is from the kennedy center. >> earlier today i delivered my father's eulogy and i would like to share a few excerpts. i'm sorry to every charity club that you belong to, he had the same speech for all of you. he would just tinker it a little bit. [laughter] i would like to do the same thing for all of you. [applause] that's what i will do. >> as you observe this funeral, you saw things that you did not like or things that were worthy of you commenting on --

luke russert is going to be here next. has a great new tribute to his dad and our late friend and colleague, tim russert. plus more with my exclusive interview with senate majority leader harry reid. [male announcer] ortho crime files. gross misconduct... ...disturbing the pantry. a house, under siege. homeowner calls in the big guns. say helto home defense max. with the one-touch continuous-spray wand. kills bugs inside... ...and prevents new ones for up to a year. guaranteed. nothing to see here people. ortho home defense max. get order. get ortho®. could mean less waiting for things like security backups and file downloads you'd take that test, right? well, what are you waiting for? you could literally be done with the test by now. now you could have done it twice. this is awkward. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90. comcast business built for business. (meowright on cue. (laughs) it's more than just a meal, it's meow mix mealtime. with wholesome ingredients a

you needed tim russert. when he died in june of 2008, i saw it as an inflection point in media in politics and politics in the country. it was the dawn of an epic general election campaign which resulted in barack obama getting elected. the economy was about to crash. the first campaign that was fully acted out in the online -- in cyberspace. politico was this new force and was gaining traction in that election. in a sense, tim russert's death .eft a vacuum in the space there is his real anarchy in the tenet gallery with new media coming in. the country was uncertain. in a sense, the center had not really been replaced since tim died. for a lot of reasons, tim was a consummate washington figure and also a consummate american figure. >> how can one man be that important today with all the stars? >> first of all, "meet the press" as a franchise was the place where politicians had to go to prove their mettle. yet some unlike sarah palin bursting on the scene a few months after tim's death and you ,onder if tim

up next, growing up russert.show friend luke russert takes off his political reporter hat just for today and joins us to bach about lessons from his dad, the great tim russert. much more "cycle" ahead. ameriprise asked people a simple question: can you keep your lifestyle in retirement? i don't want to think about the alternative. i don't even know how to answer that. i mean, no one knows how long their money is going to last. i try not to worry, but you worry. what happens when your paychecks stop? because everyone has retirement questions. ameriprise created the exclusive confident retirement approach. to get the real answers you need. start building your confident retirement today. start building your confident retirement today. when folks think about wthey think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more

anyway, the next month will mark six year since the death of tim russert. he was known for his sharp political mind and tough questions which drew answers that in some cases changed political history. his son luke russert has written the preface of the 10th anniversary paperback of tim's book about his dad. luke says i know why i love my dad. he was my best friend, but years after his death, i often wonder why the man who threw around the baseball with me watched game, made me laugh and forced me to memorize vocabulary cards still resonates so vividly. perhaps his best quality was he always got people. my dad could relate to anyone. luke russert is nbc's congressional correspondent and joins me right now. it's great. >> the book was great. tim russert had not been a start of our medium, of news gathering, news analysis, this book still would have been great. what's great about it, you've come far because you've done all this in your youth. your dad came from a regular family, a working class family. his dad with a garbage man. what i love, in fact, we were

if luke russert -- tim russert had not been a star of our immediate wrum, of news gathering and news book still would have been great. what's great about it, you have come far because you've done all of this in your youth. but your dad came from a regular family, working-class family. his father was a garbage man. and what i love -- in fact, we were talking how we're careful with our garbage now. we always make sure the senior producer and i agree, we make sure personally because of this book never to leave sharp objects in the hefty bags because they cut the hands are or the guys. >> the garbage guys. >> the moment that got to me in this book -- you have to read this book -- is the emotional moment when tim is riding around in a garbage truck with his dad. and even though that's not the most celebrated job in the world, the pride he had in being with his dad. >> it's something that resonate ed so vividly with him. and i remember my father often talking about how he was able to interview popes and presidents. but some of his proudest memories were, in fact, on that garbage truck with

you're getting it done. >> that's a great preface, tim russert, big russ and me, with luke russert's> thank you, andrea. appreciate it. >>> speaking of great role models, she led the way, is leading the way for women journalists. because i don't think she's really retiring. honoring barbara walters. unlimited cash back. let that phrase sit with you for a second. unlimited. as in, no limits on your hard-earned cash back. as in no more dealing with those rotating categories. the quicksilver card from capital one. unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you purchase, every day. don't settle for anything less. i'll keep asking. what's in your wallet? >>> she has interviewed every president, and first lady, since richard nixon. been on television for more than five decades. and claims she's retiring on friday. i don't believe it. i expect we'll be getting an interview request within weeks. but given that at least officially barbara walters is retiring and she's an institution, i would like to offer her the congratulations of everyone here at the white house, including president obama, and

luke russert, thank you very much. erica? crisis in nigeria and the search for the hundreds of missing school girls. this morning, the obama administration making a rare move. first lady michelle obama gives the weekly presidential address today to add her voice to the growing pleas for the girls' safe return. kristen welker is at the white house this morning. good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning to you. that's right, for the first time ever, in fact, the first lady is delivering the weekly address alone, adding fresh urgency to the crisis in nigeria, only the second first lady in recent history to deliver a solo address, laura bush being the first in 2001. >> in these girls, barack and i see our own daughters. >> reporter: first lady michelle obama usually stays away from foreign policy. but the missing nigerian girls are sparking international outrage and today she is also speaking out, delivering the weekly address solo, for the first time. >> these girls embody the best hope for the future of our world. and we a

nbc's luke russert covers capitol hill and what do we expect to hear from eric shinseki today? >> eric shinseki will say he will call for a nationwide access review of the va to investigate all aspects of the department and look into this matter specifically in phoenix as to whether around there is a secret list pertaining to delay times and it ended up in essence essentially leading to the premature deaths, we believe of those 40 or so veterans. chris, though, from a political standpoint, expect this to be a contentious hearing. a lot of people have called for eric shinseki to resign. the group has called upon him to do the same and this is the first time he's answered difficult questions. the obama administration is cognizant of that. they appointed rob neighbors to assist general shin success seke overview of the department. he has to show two things. he has to show contrition and ownership of the issue. this has become a political problem for the administration and if they are not in charge of an important issue of this country. veterans affairs. you have the iraq and afgha

russert wrote the prefer for the edition. luke, "big russ & me."ear his voice. >> it's a wonderful thing, people often go to me and they say -- they recognize me in an airport or coffee shop. they try and place me. oh, you're tim russert's son. some people think that gets old. it never gets old for me. it's endearing or heartwarming. sometimes, i get a pat on the back. >> i can't tell you what happened to your dad. it happens all the time. there's just a hush that goes over the crowd. it really is, it's remarkable. i can't think of another public figure whose name we talk about or bring up. and the reference for your father all these years later, nothing short of extraordinary. >> tv still remains an mri machine to people out there. the mri machine that is tv gave them an accurate portrayal of a guy who wasn't talking down to anyone, a guy who was there to get a job done for people watching tv, for presenting the news with very little spin or twist and he was going to ask what you wanted to find out. >> one of the lessons that my grandfather taught

. >> nbc's luke russert. do we know what happened? >> as of right now, we do not. what we can say is the balloon actually went into the power line. why did it go into the power line, if it was weather related, if it was pilot error, that has not been figured out at this time. we know the ntsb has been dispatched and are assisting in the effort. some harrowing accounts of eyewitnesses from what they saw. take a listen to the virginia official describing what eyewitnesses told them. >> that's what we had witnesses tell us, they may have seen two jump or possibly somehow they got out. whether they leapt on their own or maybe the basket and the condition of it, they fell, we don't know that for certain. we've also seen video that people have provided us, that it does have that appearance, is two people exited in whatever fashion the basket. >> that sort of goes along the lines of what some eyewitnesss told our affiliate, alex. one eyewitness saying they actually heard someone in that basket scream, oh, my god, i'm going to die. and then one stayed with it. perhaps it w

. >> up next -- >>> some aspirational thoughts from one one luke russert.do for luke russert. not what your country can do for you! and a retirement planning calculator. now i know "when" i'm going to retire. not "if." take them on the way you always have. live healthy and take one a day men's 50+. a complete multivitamin with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. age? who cares. >>> in 1961 established the peace corp and kennedy says the peace corp was needed to help nations that were, quote, struggling for economic and social progress. kennedy continued, quote, our freedom and the future of freedom around the world, depend in a very real sense, on those nations's ability to build growing and independent nations where men can live in dig any, liberated from the bonds of hunger, ignorance and poverty. 53 years later, those words still ring true and thankfully, the peace corp is still in service, a living testament to kennedy's dream while america's relationship with the world is not only based on mill tarp intervention and. economic trade by social service

luke russert here in washington, d.c. i remember visiting you at your house in georgetown.e trying to get dave walker into the presidential debate to talk about fiscal issues. you're certainly someone who's passionate going back to when you were just a teenager. i've got to ask you, how have you been received on the campaign trail? i would imagine folks, like a breath of fresh air, 24-year-old kid with some ideas. >> i do think that's how people are perceiving it. i was at the polls all day on tuesday. which is pennsylvania's primary election. about nine out of ten people who came out stopped to sign my petition to help add my name to the general election ballot. because although there are three candidates in the race, the voters only have two choices, the status quo of politics as usual, or another option, someone who can represent the people rather than the party of their campaign contributors. i think the people of the tenth district have a unique opportunity this year to send a shock wave to washington, that this isn't going to stand anymore. >> i wonder if you and your

republican base for the midterms, but speaker john boehner dodged repeated questions from our luke russert on whether gop should be fund-raising off of benghazi. >> speaker boehner, four americans died in benbenghazi, sh should, you be able to fund raise off of this? >> no, our focus is for the answers for the families. >> and should you be able to -- >> our focus is getting answers for these four families. >> joining us now to discuss this is what we are looking at a new york times editorial board it is a that the hottest competition is house republicans vying for the seat on the benghazi kangaroo court also known as the house select committee to investigate the scandal. they should not hesitate to skip it, because the presence lends legitimacy to the farce. and the opposing view is that you don't want to be seen as running away as a democrat, and afraid of the investigation, and that is how the republicans will paint it. we are expected to hear from nancy pelosi in an hour, and dafna, what is she is going to do? >> well, debbie wassermann schultz guided everyone there. they are not runni

. >>> joining me now is editor at large of salon, joan walsh and luke russert. joan, let me go to you first here. it seems like there is a new page in the democratic playbook that let's try to delegitimatize this. we've given up on trying to get republicans to shut down the process, the ball is in motion. let's try to delegitimatize it inspect terms of the rules and regulations as much as possible, whether that's the number of seats, whether that's subpoena power, whether that's access to documents. do you think that's a good strategy? >> i do. i mean i wrote earlier this week that i think they should boycott it, so i'm a hard liner on this. i think they have no reason to expect this will be a fair process, alex. i think we can look at what darrell issa did. you showed in your intro those wonderful clips of him cutting the mike on elijah cummings like a thug. slit his throat, cut the mike. >> shut it down, shut it down. >> you know, the way that congressman cummings has been treated is very telling. he's been treated with disrespect. the way their investigation

as we learn more about the victims onboard, luke russert continues to follow the story for us. luke, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lester. while two of the victims have been found, all three have been identified. this as we begin to learn more details about just what went wrong on that hot air balloon flight. officials say the balloon was coming in for a landing when it hit a live wire, sparking a fire that set the balloon back up into the air. >> the fire spread quickly. >> reporter: with the flames cutting the balloon off from its basket, leaving its three passengers to a horrific fate. >> we have had reports, we've also seen video that people have provided us, that does appear to have two individuals who possibly leaped or possibly fell from the basket. >> reporter: carrie hager-bradley saw the balloon engulfed in flames. >> they were just screaming for anybody to help them. help me, help me, sweet jesus, help me, i'm going to die, oh, my god, i'm going to die. >> one killed was pilot dan kirk, the owner of the balloon. seen here in a videoposted on his company's

sadly, luke russert will not be on it. >> they're not paying me. >> who will? we'll tell you. [ male announcer ] some come here to build something smarter. ♪ some come here to build something stronger. others come to build something faster... something safer... something greener. something the whole world can share. people come to boeing to do many different things. but it's always about the very thing we do best. ♪ you always get the lowest price but it's always about the very thing we do best. book any flight or hotel and if you find it for less we'll match it and give you fifty dollars back that's the expedia guarantee intercourse that's painfulit... due to menopausal changes. the problem isn't likely to go away... ...on its own. so it's time we do something about it. and there's help. premarin vaginal cream. a prescription that does what no over-the-counter product was designed to do. it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-seve

luke russert joins me from capitol hill to talk about all of this. luke, start out with the republican response to this. why are they making this move now? >> it's interesting ronan, for months a lot of republicans in the house called on john boehner to have a select committee regarding benghazi and he has been slow to do that. in an interview with fox news at the earlier part of april he said the reason he hadn't moved on that is because various amount of committees were investigating this and did not want to interfere with those investigations that were ongoing. however recently with the release of new e-mails republicans show administration tried to put the blame on this on a video and not some sort of failure of policy, they say it was a huge mistrust and that's why they are moving forward. the back story is there's three reasons. number one by having a special select committee, the leadership can asult control of the investigation regarding benghazi. you had the house arms serviced committee saying oversight was doing it the wrong way with a wit

. >> that's luke russert reporting. investigators are looking for records on the balloon and the pilot and will release a report on the crash in about ten days. >>> president obama took time to congratulation the nfl's first openly gay player. in a statement he called michael sams's selection by the rams an important step forward in our nation's journey. the st. louis rams draft is in the seventh round. sam told us he is overwhelmed, excite and proud to join the rams. with each passing draft pick he was not worried, but thinking about how he was going to sack each of those quarterbacks. >> the breaking news we have been going to throughout the newscast. the firefighters are responding to a fire in san jose. no estimate on when the fire might be contained. the winds are really whipping around the bay area. we will have more on this in a couple of minutes. . >> we are following breaking news. firefighters battling a fire at a landfill in south san jose. these are live pictures of the fire at the landfill. two alarms and n

she would do the tim russert way to do it and she would be tough. >> we need to move on.r hollywood celebrities saying good things about america very often, not the case with richard dreyfuss, talking to huckabee over the weekend about american exceptionalism. >> we are the most revolutionary nation that has ever been and ever will be, we don't know enough about our constitution and our history to know why we should be proud of it. whenever you hear someone say american exceptionalism, you should turn to person and say if you don't prove that statement, i'm going to hit you right in the mouth, because they don't prove it and they can. >> that's not richard dreyfuss. either that or he got bitten a lot more by that shark than he thought. i think what he said is great. it ain't the same richard dreyfuss. >> you said fantastic but not so long ago this guy was a bleeding heart liberal. >> they feel about the constitution exceptionalism. >> back to the constitution and talking about flipping it around. i think he's really appreciative of where he's at in his life. i hope to be

luke russert, good to see you.f ten-time tony nominee "a gentleman's guide to love and murder." but first, this is "today" on nbc. >>> we are back now with our series "the best of broadway." this morning, one of the hottest shows on the great white way, "a gentleman's guide to love and murder." it just received ten tony nominations, including best musical, best director, lead actor, and featured actress. so get ready for a bloody good time. set in 1909 london, "a gentleman's guide to love and murder" is a light-hearted black comedy that stars bry s bryce in the role of monty navarro. monty discovers he's a long-lost relative of a noble family and is in line to become the next earl of highhurst. the only problem, there are eight other family members before him in that line for the title. each of those characters is portrayed by the hilarious tony-nominated jefferson mays. monty sets out on a path that's less than gentlemanly, knocking off the heirs one by one. at the same time, he juggles a status hungry mistress an

nbc's luke russert covers capitol hill and what do we expect to hear from eric shinseki today?

but the speaker did go full robot today with nbc's luke russert.ke was asking him an embarrassing thing, a special collect committee about attacks that killed the u.s. ambassador to libya in benghazi in 2012. a congressman, trey gowdy to head up the select committee. here he is. >> would you suggest. fellow members while this investigation is going on they not use benghazi for fund-raising purposes? >> yes. i will cite myself as an example. i have never sought to raise a single penny on the backs of four murdered americans. >> yeah. >> so i, so, to the extent that, that they would look to me as some evidence of what is appropriate and what is not. there are two still, even in a culture of hyper partisanship, certain things that ought to be above politics like the murder of our four fellow americans. >> congressman gowdy, in charge of the 3 trillionth benghazi investigation. no one in his words should be raising a single penny on the backs of four murdered americans. one problem with hip saying that, trey gowdy has done fund-raisers at home in south

luke russert and chairman steel, thank you. >>> after the break, today, president obama addressed the growing is scandal and ch probl at the va. we'll talk about what it means for the white house next on "now." sfx: car unlock beep. vo: david's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. all stations come over to mithis is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers. nowchoose one option fromith red lothe wood-fire grill,trios! one signature shrimp dish, and a pasta. all on one plate. three delicious choices. all for $15.99 for a limited time only! come sea food differently today! >>> a day of public for the white house working to contain the fallout from allegatio

nbc's luke russert for us. keep us posted. >> reporter: will do.. >>> let's pivot to the crisis in ukraine n a matter of hours, people in ukraine's eastern region will head to the polls to vote on whether to declare its sovereignty. the vote by pro-russian separatists would make the eastern region independent from the government in kiev. the referendum follows deadly violence friday. at least seven people were killed in clashes in maripol. richard engel is monitoring all of this for us from donetsk, ukraine. do we know what effect yesterday's violence will have on tomorrow's vote? >> reporter: i think it's also important to understand, craig, this is not a normal vote. the ukrainian government does not recognize this vote. the u.s. doesn't recognize it. europe doesn't recognize it. the only people who will actually accept the legitimacy of this referendum will be certain separatists here in eastern ukraine and very likely moscow. so this is not a normal election. there are no international monitors here. there are no official polling stations. it i

luke russert is live on capitol hill. luke, what is the next step here for conyers' office?s there a hearing process in wayne county? what's going on? >> well, conyers' office is acting like there's no big deal, acting like their signatures are valid and they're going to continue to move forward. but we're going to have to see were the people who collected all the signatures registered to vote and what happens next, they're going to look at when they were registered to vote, whether or not they were legally allowed to collect those signatures and if, in fact, they were not, it looks pretty difficult to make the deadline for that august 5th deadline to get the signatures they need because they were supposed to be in already. if you go back through the history of recent write-in campaigns there has been some success, lisa murkowski, she lost her candidacy to joe miller. if you want to go back about 12 years ago here in washington, d.c., mayor tony williams, he had the same exact problem conyers is getting hit with. i talked to one political operative that said john conyers' vo

. >> nbc's luke russert and kristen welker both join me now. luke on the hill and kristen at the white house. luke, there was a lot of anger on the committee today and it was bipartisan? >> reporter: not only was it bipartisan, andrea, for covering capitol hill sometimes you see things and it usually -- there was genuine outrage there. i just came from house speaker john boehner's press conference, speaker of the house -- >> luke, we've got a problem with your mike. i'm going to cut to kristen while we try to fix the capitol hill connection. kristen at the white house. do they realize just how unsuccessful the president was at stemming the anger yesterday? >> hello, hello? >> while luke -- >> reporter: the chief criticisms is that the president had a lot of strong words yesterday but hasn't taken any action yet as you pointed out at the top of the show. he has dispatched his deputy chief of staff rob neighbors to go to the phoenix va to assess the problem to get to the bottom of the problem and issue a series of recommendations by the end of th

i'm luke russert. they're best buddies, where does that leave us?ions out for the hurricane season, while out west they could sure use some rain. i may be krystal ball, but i have a serious forecast for the weather. >> a poker expert in the guest spot going all in. the author who inspired the hit "21" calling allison's bluff. i'm toure. since we're talking about vegas, let's get ready to rumble! it's time for "the cycle." >>> start your engines, memorial day travel rush is under way. 26 million will be traveling through the end of the weekend on monday. it's the unofficial start of summer, which doesn't actually happen until june 21st. by the way, when does spring start? memorial day is the first sign of lifeguards, boaters, picnickers, amateur barbecu

let's go to luke russert on capitol hill. first off, luke, we do know who is going to participate.nticipate. who will the democrats be? >> well, the democrats will be a few heavy hitters. first you have elijah cummings, and he has a lot of experience in checking republicans because he is the counter point to darryl issa. you also will have adam smith, who is a ranking member of the armed services committee, someone who knows the issue of benghazi very well, as well as what the military response was. you also have adam schiff with the appropriations and also on the permanent select committee on intelligence, so he knows a lot of the intel back ground. then you have linda sanchez, on weighs and means, and tammy duckworth, armed services committee member. tammy duckworth was wounded in had the wars over this past decade. someone who democrats like to have front and center on national security issues because she's so well versed in that culture. the big story here, joy, is that nancy pelosi after going back and forth within her conference and, there is a division in the leadership. jim

we're going to have luke russert on and talk about his -- how his father's book about his -- luke's grandfather so to have the great willy randolph who also managed the mets. excited about that. i'm going to talk about harvard's movement toward privilege training for their kennedy school of government. folks, really important stuff going on up there. can't wait to see it. the cycle coming up next. at wou- hi dad. she's a dietitian. and back when i wasn't eating right, she got me drinking boost. it's got a great taste, and it helps give me the nutrition i was missing. helping me stay more like me. [ female announcer ] boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. all with a delicious taste. grandpa! [ female announcer ] stay strong, stay active with boost. grandpa! tigers, both of you. tigers? don't be modest. i see how you've been investing. setting long term goals. diversifying. dip! you got our attention. we did? of course. you're type e* well, i have been resear

. >> joining me now from washington is nbc news capitol hill correspondent luke russert following today's hearing. luke, what stood out most about the secretary's testimony? ? >> what stood out most to me is we expect the a contentious hearing and while there were a lot of difficult questions, it was a rather solemn hearing with not the usual fireworks we come to expect which sometimes turn into side shows. tfgs interesting that general shinseki refused to get specific about what types of changes the va will make after this bombshell of a report that came out regarding those 40 deaths that potentially could have been avoided. he said he would not get into specifics because still awaiting an inspector generaler's report about the va and in terms of moving the story forward, what you saw from shinseki was i'm mad, i'm upset and i acknowledge there's issues but i'm not going to get specific about what i'm going to do to change it and he would not say whether or not he's going to fire those directly involved he did not want to get out ahead of the process. that upset folks calling for his res

luke russert joins us. what an accident, a freak accident. >> reporter: yeah, freak accident that created a social media firestorm, alex. last night around 8:00 p.m. is when this tragic accident occurred, at the beginning of a three-day hot air balloon festival here about an hour and a half south of washington, d.c. witnesses reported that there is an explosion after the balloon upon trying to land hit a power line. there is a pilot with two passengers in that balloon. the gondola or the basket as they like to call it became separated and absolutely terrifying eye witness accounts we're told. one lady reporting that she heard someone in that basket screaming out, oh, god, i'm going to die. then her daughter in fact saw a figure fall to the ground. now the police have not released the identities of the victims. it's unclear if they have been found yet. we'll find that out around 8:00 a.m., but the search has been a little bit more difficult than i shall usual last night and because of the crash site. take a

luke russert is joining us, and we are waiting to hear from nancy pelosi, but what might we expect? >> well, expect her to say whether or not house democrats s will be participating in the house committee on investigating benghazi. i took a poll yesterday talking to the house democratic members, and it was straight 50-50, and a lot of them said, no, we don't want any part of it and we don't want to legitimatize it, because we want to be there because if they subpoena people like susan rice, john kerry, and hillary clinton, the presumptive 2016 presidential nominee, we have to be there to debate them. and so that has been going on, and the last look that we got is that they were leaning towards participating, but it remains to be seen what nancy pelosi is go ing the stay and do. and they have a little bit of the time, mind you, but they are saying that they want the republican leadership to respond to the demands of the possibility of equal representation which the republicans said they would not wa want to do and to figure out how authority tative the subpoena power will be and if t

. >> gabe, luke russert here. i was on assignment in moore about a month ago right where you're at.as struck by the resiliency not just in the adults but the kids seemingly able to persevere on and understanding what occurred was obviously a terrible loss and a terrible moment. but really about pushing forward and moving forward. talk about that for the general public that might not ever go to moore, oklahoma. this town is really rebuilding and they really are persevering. >> reporter: that's exactly right. this town really prides itself on being resilient. moore has suffered through three major tornadoes in the last 15 years. we have been coming back here every few months. i was here last year on the night of that tornado and we've been coming back every few months doing reports. it's been quite remarkable not just to see the physical rebuilding but also the emotional rebuilding. we were at the premiere of a tornado documentary that premiered last week. and really this community has come together and has begun to really share their story all along. as you mentioned the kids are eag

. >> also want to belatedly thank luke russert for being with us for the breaking news this morning. we are keeping an eye, by the way, on capitol hill where house democratic leader nancy pell owes where i is about to name the five house select committee members the democrats will send on benghazi, and as i speak, here she comes. nancy pelosi coming to the podium now. let's take a listen to what she has to say. >> good afternoon. what happened in benghazi on september 11th, 2012 was a tragedy for the families and loved ones, for those that were lost -- who lost their lives, for america's diplomatic corps and for all americans. unfortunately, the republican obsession about benghazi has not been about the victims or their families or our country. we had hoped that the house republican leaders would not go down the path forming a select committee. we've already been there. eight reviews have been conducted in the house and senate. 25,000 documents released. it was not necessary to put the families or our country through this partisan exercise once again. over the past two weeks we have

i got to tell you, i think i said this to luke russert earlier in the week, you can't say it's a kangaroooo, are a kangaroo. they have lent bipartisan legitimacy to a process they called invalid. the said family members who had loved ones who perilled in the benghazi attack to suffer through it. and we are going to have to cover it, not as a partisan circus with just one party at the table, but as a bipartisan set of hearings that are now legitimate, that now have to be covered, that have to be covered wall to wall in essence. i think democrats have have essentially, they have legitimized, they have rubber stamped the process. >> well, so, governor rendell, i know your view on this is you think democrats, nancy pelosi made the right move, democrats should be taking part in these hearings, should be on the committee. let me give you a demotion, you're no longer governor rendell, you are now a member of the house, a philadelphia seat in the u.s. house and nancy pelosi put you on this committee. listen to what joy ya reed said, the committee is in session, you are sitting there, how do you h

i'm luke russert here in d.c. in for ari melber this week. think of it as c-span, but louder. wait.

old buddy nate cohen is back, and why both the gop and the dems will be championing a famous tim russert refrain come 2016. wonder what that is. the cycle will roll on. it's monday, may 12th. surance... ...and we'll replace destroyed or stolen items with brand-new versions. we put members first. join the nation. ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ (meowright on cue. it's more than just a meal, it's meow mix mealtime. with wholesome ingredients and irresistible taste, it's the only one cats ask for by name. life with crohn's disease ois a daily game of "what if's". what if my abdominal pain and cramps end our night before it even starts? what if i eat the wrong thing? what if? what if i suddenly have to go? what if? but what if the most important question is the one you're not asking? what if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation? for help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisadvocates.com to connect with a patient advocate from abbvie for one-to-one support and education. i'm a messy person. i don't like cleaning. i love my son,

russert and $39 a go to 74.f for the price point for giving or elevated quality because are selling direct to consumers not selling three stores ignore the website and at the end because that be and have the customer really high-quality budget is brought for a great price. this ideal customer yoga lot of places to go department stores toasty there's all kinds of things online. how's this different. critics a different as we actually have a woman into the right size and offer that elevate quality enterprise point. the rabies we can use our customers and less product design and development to create even the better product for. right now strapless for summer which is amazing for kicking off the stars susan or adding more and more and stalls over the course of the next few months watter common mistakes that you think when make when it comes to finding the perfect fit. when you get a brand new brenda brock it should be quite tight are on the band. it should only be will again one finger and behind and all is will si

we had tim russert my year. and in a lot of cases they pick more comedic speakers.e students have a lot of input into the process. there's time to hear from different voices. >> i know. i know. absolutely. why couldn't he come across the river? i don't understand that. >> why should we know today? our answer is right after this. and here's what you get after a full day of chasing that cute little poodle from down the street. mm hmm delicious milo's kitchen chicken meatballs. they look homemade, which he likes almost as much as making new friends yes, i'll call her. aww, ladies' man. milo's kitchen. made in the usa with chicken or beef as the number one ingredient. the best treats come from the kitchen. predibut, manufacturings a prettin the united states do. means advanced technology. we learned that technology allows us to be craft oriented. no one's losing their job. there's no beer robot that has suddenly chased them out. the technology is actually creating new jobs. siemens designed and built the right tools and resources to get the job done. carsthey're why we

. >> thanks so much, luke russert. >>> developing now to cheers of, we are russia. separatists in eastern ukraine are turning out in large numbers today to vote on whether to split from the country, and create their own so-called people's republics. just how legitimate the vote is, depends on who you ask. nbc's richard engels in donetsk, ukraine, with the latest. richard, i know you've geetd pictures out today of barricades, even molotov cocktails at the ready. what happened with this referendum today? and has there been any violence? >> reporter: first of all, this referendum is only considered legitimate by the people who are voting it. the government of ukraine, which is recognized by europe and the united states, calls this referendum absolutely illegal. washington said it will not recognize it. but still, people are coming out, and it's hard to know exactly how many people have been voting, because it is something about ad hoc referendum, there are no international monitors here. there's no real centralized system. the ballot papers aren't -- they don't have an

but i knew that there was a book to write when i was sitting in tim russert's memorial service in 2008 at the kennedy center and was watching the thing degenerate into a cocktail party and watching all of the mafia families, the clintons, the obamas, the mccains, the democrats, the lobbyists, everyone, sort of coming in to pay respects but ultimately watching from the aisles of the kennedy center people throwing business cards around, people trying to book the clintons on their msnbc shows that night, people angling for the next big job. it became a very, very self-conscious spectacle. and at that moment, i knew that we had reached a tipping point. we in washington had reached a tipping point of the kind of maybe self-regard, self-celebration that has grown up here versus, you know, what was actually a very, very solemn ceremony for a beloved newsman. and from that point on, i started taking notes and doing a bunch of interviews and scaring a lot of people. and there were a couple of points along the way that people actually learned that i was unpleasant because i wasn't finished yet.