state. the second time around, it was the democrats in the senate who fled the state. mocrats had gone to oklahoma, the senate democrats, they went to new mexico. they stayed out of state for six weeks. they shut down the texas state legislature rather than just let texas republicans quietly roll their bill into law. ultimately texas republicans got their new maps but not before democrats made sure the entire country could see what the republicans were up to. texas democrats use the power of their minority to maximum effect by dragging the process out for as long as they could. you might remember the same kind of thing happened in wisconsin in 2011 when the new republican majority in that state moved to strip union rights. 14 democrats in wisconsin state senate, the whole democratic caucus, fled the state of wisconsin to go to an undisclosed location. also known as the state of illinois. they high tailed it across state lines and in so doing those wisconsin democrats denied the republican majority, the quorum to strip union rights. the democrats filibustered with their

states. they would have 52 votes in the senate and therefore, the majority. that was a great concern of the framers of the constitution. it hasn't really broken down that way. they don't vote by states but they could. >> couple week ago, we were running a hearing with barbara from maryland in the chair. she read a tweet. saying that somebody accused something on c-span. she answered it right there. is that good or bad for the senate >> for many years, from the time television came to the senate 1986, there was a prohibition against laptops and blackberries in the senate chamber just for that reason. people will be responding and any constituent can immediately have contact on the floor of the senate. i don't think it's a good thing. >> is it good for the citizenry to get that far that close to a senator? >> no, i don't think so. the citizenry nowadays, gets very close to a senator through his or her office. a senator voted recently for cloture on the immigration legislation and then ultimately voted against it. the senator within a matter of minutes was diluge

he gets to decide what the rules are in the united states senate. in the last part of president bush's term, they blocked the ambassador to the united nations. he was about one full filibuster. by the democratic members of the senate. with i am saying is, the rules were not changed and then. the rules are not to be changed now. we have a conference coming up. let's see if we cannot work through it. let's see if we cannot work in a way that restores the senate. the senate is supposed to provide a cooling opportunity to slow down rush to judgment. should the senate be compelled to confirm three members to lower official appointments in the federal government who were illegally appointed and continue to serve after they were so found jumble i do not think so. i do not think that dispute is such that would leave the majority leader to print or rules of the senate to override the rules of the senate through a procedure not proper and dangerous to get his way on this matter there are other things that could go wrong if this goes forward. my impression from

the story of the senate walking through the airport. the home state. and the house member, we saw you on television, on c-span. senators becoming so a known member of the state's delegation. that did a lot to push the vote. >> it would have been interesting to see this man, united states senator, majority leader in television. here he is after he retired coming back and giving the speech. i had a suspicion you might have been in the room for this. >> yes. [video clip] >> by mid 1963, various democratic senators had begun to express publicly their frustration with the lack of apparent progress in advancing the kennedy administration's legislative initiative. other senators were equally determined, less open in their criticism. but they were equally determined that i, as a majority leader, should begin to "knock some heads together." after all, they reasoned, democrats in the senate enjoyed a nearly two-to-one party ratio. with those numbers, anything should be possible under the lash of disciplined leadership. 65 democrats. 35 republicans. think of it, s

once you -- he's called the, what, fightingest man in the united states senate? out what that means. >> in 1930, he was elected as arkansas's governor but was immediately selected to fill a senate. in the u.s. robinson held three political of two thin the span weeks. robinson was the last senator hosen be i the arkansas state legislature before the implementation of the 17th mendment that established a collection of senators. in the senate, robinson took on leadership roles including following his had dei 1937, introduced a resolution authorizing the acceptance of portrait as a gift to the senate. the portrait was later presented by robinson's widow and friends. mean about the fightingest man in the senate . >> general commdemeanor. ginn to rages. face would turn scarlet. theould beat his breasts on senate floor. scream, well. as another senator, you wouldn't want to incur the wrath of joe t. robinson because he did indes moniker. >> talked about when the senate changed because of direct election. hat brought on the direct election? what amendment was it? who's be

that is the beauty of united states senate. it allows representation for minority rights and what they are talking about doing would undermine and wreck that. senator reid said it well back in 2009. he said this would ruin the country and went on to say but it destroyed the senate to have used the nuclear option and change the rules. make no mistake about it. they are talking about executive nominations today but if you do this up close the door wide open. they will establish a precedent that will only be a matter of time before they use that as judicial nominations and legislation as well. there is going to come a time here in the united states senate where they are no longer the majority and is going to be very difficult to turn back the hands of time if they move forward into what they are talking about doing so i hope cooler heads will prevail again in the united states senate this year and the democrat majority will decide to reverse its plans and continue the tradition and the history the president on the rules of the unit

so this is really a sad, sad day for the united states senate. and if we don't pull back from the brink here, my friend, the majority leader, is going to be remembered as the worst leader of the senate ever. the leader of the senate who fundamentally changed the body. it makes me sad. all of my members are angry. i'm more sad about it, but it's a shame that we have come to this. i sure hope all the democratic senators are there monday night. i'm certainly going to encourage my members to be there. it's high time we sat down and tried to understand each other because many members on the other side are hearing a different version of the facts that are largely unrelated to reality. so, mr. president, i know my friend, the majority leader, will have the last word. he reminds me of that frequently on a daily basis that the difference between being the majority leader and the minority leader is he gets the last word, so i will yield the floor and listen to the last word. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: no m

now, madam president, the united states senate is a very peculiar institution. it is peculiar in the sense that any one member, one of a hundred, can come down here on the floor and utter two magical words which bring the senate to a complete halt, and that is i object. i will not allow the senate to go forward. which means the whole government shuts down. i object, i object, and what we have seen in recent years -- especially since president obama has been elected -- is an unprecedented level of i object, of olds, of -- of holds, of a variety of mechanisms which bring the functioning of the united states senate to a halt. and all of this takes place at a time when millions of people can't find jobs, at a time when kids are graduating college deeply in debt and millions of others are now choosing not to go to college because we're not addressing the issue of higher education. it takes place at a time when our infrastructure, our roads and bridges, roads and bridges and airports and rail systems are crumbling. when our educational system is in need of major reform

my state of 26 million people only gets two united states senators. he presiding officer's state, a smaller state, also gets two senators, and that's part of the connecticut compromise back when the country was founded. the constitution could not have been ratified without this compromise. it initially failed but benjamin franklin later found a better time to reintroduce it and it passed, but here is the real function of the united states senate, and it really comes from a story between thomas jefferson and george washington. of course, washington had presided over the constitutional convention, and jefferson was in paris, and when he returned, he asked washington why he allowed the senate to be formed, because jefferson considered it unnecessary. one body based on proportional representation, jefferson thought, should be enough. washington then asked jefferson if he cools his tea by first pouring it in the saucer, which was the custom of the day. sure, responded jefferson. and so washington said so it is that the senate must cool tempers and prevent h

they are doing it to the detriment of the united states senate. the comments of senator orrin hatch. even in a congress where bipartisanship and comedy are the exception to the regular order, the near employers and on capitol hill was notable and both chambers erupted in the end fewer -- furor that lasted the rest of the day. guest: the farm bill. ripping up a 50 year agreements in order to get it passed with conservative republicans. we had senator reid and senator mcconnell going at it all day. it is rare to see that much attention paid in that much passion on the floor of the house and the senate. both majorities and minorities are upset over the prospects of what was happening in their own chambers. host: we have a few seconds left with sarah binder from the brookings institution. caller: i would like to make a couple of points. usually, when the president nominate someone, they give him deference and he gets the people he wants for his cabinet. the that the number as compared to president obama and present bush and other republicans. they are

so this is really a sad, sad day for the united states senate, and if we don't pull back from the brink here, my friend, the majority leader's, going to be remembered as the worst leader of the senate ever. the leader of the senate who fundamentally changed the body. it makes me sad. all my members are angry. i'm more sad about it. but it's a shame that we've come to this. i sure hope all the democratic senators are there monday night. i'm certainly going to encourage my members to be there. it's high time we sat down and tried to understand each other, because many members on the other side are hearing a different version from the facts that are largely unrelated to reality. so, mr. president, i know my friend, the majority leader, will have the last word. he reminds me that frequently, the difference between being the majority leader and the minority leader is he gets the last word. so i'll yield the floor and listen to the last word. >> mr. president? >> the majority leader. >> no matter how many times he says it, he tends to not focus on what he has done to the senate. as i indicate

chair, republican state senator jane nelson, then hauled from the chamber by state troopers. you,ank you for being texas legislature. you have radicalized hundreds of thousands of us and no matter what you do for the next 22 days, women and their allies are coming for you. let's start down the line. senator campbell, you are an ophthalmologist. you're not an expert on reproductive health. senator hager, you are -- >> >> just a minute. but excuse me, this is my government, ma'am. i will judge you. and i will speak against an ophthalmologist who says everyone on the internet can see what you're doing right now. this is a farce. the texas legislators is a bunch of liars. is gary oldham here? go ahead. >> [inaudible] >> the texas house vote was on wednesday.

a showdown is expected in texas today after a state senate committee approved a bill critics say wouldtually and abortion access in the state. an earlier attempt to pass the bill was thwarted last month when protesters raise their voices to drown out the proceedings following a nearly 11 hour filibuster by texas state senator wendy davis. another hero to emerge from the battle in texas this week was sarah slamen. the video of her testimony monday went viral. for being you, texas legislature. you have radicalized hundreds of thousands of us. no matter what you do for the next 22 days, women and their allies are coming for you. senator campbell, you're an ophthalmologist so i won't be making you the expert on reproductive health. we can give you all of the children with chlamydia and herpes in their eyes since we don't have sex at in the state. senator hegar, you're about as -- >> wait a minute. >> is is my government. i will judge you, man. his this counting against my time? ?he senator talking against me >> yes, it is. >> i will just talk over her. this is how big of a fraud i knew you

because you missed something incredible happening in the texas state senate. >> it was a late and wildht at the texas state house. a day long filibuster ending with a controversial vote on abortion restrictions. >> democrat wendy davis took the senate floor at 11:18 in the morning. the goal: filibuster for some 13 hours until midnight when the special session of the legislature would expire. >> john: it's just like the plot of frank capra's classic movie "mrs. smith wants an abortion." what exactly is at stake? >> at stake, a ban on abortions after 20 weeks and a requirement that all procedures be done at surgical centers. that would reduce the number of available abortion clinics in the state from 47 to 5. >> john: hold on. is five abortion clinics in 269,000 square miles really so bad? think about it. texas will still have three more abortion clinks than it has six flags amusement parks. let's be fair. when we're talking about math. if senator davis can talk 13 hours, texas women won't have to drive 13 hours to get an abortion. okay. how hard can that be? >> you can't trade off with

overrule the end of parliamentarian of the united states senate. that is what he is talking about doing. when senator mcconnell says he wants to break the rules, to change the rules, that is exactly what he means. that is exactly what we are talking about. >> question. >> let me just finish my thought. that, colleagues, is the dangerous thing. stability in the senate requires us not to willy-nilly every time we have a tempest in a teapot, as these three nominations are, every time we have that kind of thing, that we up and change the rules. there will be times, no doubt, when things will get so intense, over big, big issues, that actions get taken. history would record whether they are wise or not wise, but, colleagues, we do not need to be changing the rules of the senate every time it becomes inconvenient for the majority leader. he has already done this once. he changed the rules of the senate when the senator was making a motion to get a vote when he was denied the right to have a vote, majority leader filled the tree, would not allow a vote. he

i do have to stick to what senator udall and i have stated on the public record. ien i did indicate that thought the public would be stunned and angry when they learned how the patriot act was being interpreted, i was talking about the bulk collection of the phone records of millions and millions of law- abiding americans. with respect to other approaches, what i can say is under the patriot act the government's authority to --lect is limite limit his list limitless. >> based on that, in what other areas do you think americans should be most worried when it comes to survey land -- surveillance and collection? >> i am concerned about the fact that the government will not state really what the rules are with respect to tracking americans on their cell phones. repeatedly athis public hearings and the intelligence committee. the government official position is first they have the authority to do it. they said they are not doing it now but they will not spell out the rules today with respect to the rights of americans with respect to cell phone tracking. >> let me ask

i come from the smallest state geographically in the country, rhode island. we have two senators. ve two members of the united states house of representatives. but myself and my colleague senator chafeee stand up and speak and from the force of any of the largest states in this country that is an essential part of our federal system, an essential part of constitution that provided this wise balance between majority rule and minority rights, majority power and minority rights. and we are in danger of seeing that power, i believe, arrogantly displayed, potentially undercutting the rights of one senator or two senators or eight senators to stand up, to speak truth to power, to challenge the views, to awaken the conscience of the country, to prevent the accumulation of so much power that we slowly and perhaps inperceptively sde to a position where there is no effective challenge. and that would do great disservice to this constitutional balance. mr. president, this is a serious debate. a very serious debate. it is one in which i hope cooler heads prevail it's one in which i hope we all

tell you last december during the debate you specifically spoke on the floor of is the united states senate about what is really cad the back-door search loophole of the act, and that's a loophole that allows for the examination of phone calls and e-mails on americans without a want form that's somebody that i believe needs to be closed and apropos

today i'm launching my candidacy for the united states senate. >> bill: there she is. her qualifications for the senate? >> her last name is cheney. >> bill: stop there. [ laughter ] i think that's it. >> certainly, that's a number of republicans in wyoming have said she just recently moved back from virginia. >> bill: last year. >> she's much more affiliated with washington republicans. she was a fox news contributor. she's someone who has a very, very famous family name. and a lot of republicans were -- looked at this and wondered, really? even the lone house member from wyoming who said she would be interested in -- should he retire. said it was bad form. there is a sense in wyoming she's not really from wyoming. she's got a famous name and will take on a well liked senator. mike enzi is not a squish. he's not too moderate. he votes very republican. he has a very republican state. >> bill: been there 18 years. >> 1997. people like enzi. so this idea of what is essentially a washington carpet bagger coming back to wyoming because she has a famous name, you know, puts

former florida state senator dan gelber argues that the stand your ground law made it harder for the jury to convict george zimmerman. gelber writes, "when the legislature passed the stand your ground law, it changed the rules of engagement. it eliminated the duty to avoid the danger, and it eliminated any duty to retreat. here is the actual jury instruction read to florida juries prior to the legislature's enactment of stand your ground. the defendant cannot justify the use of force likely to cause death or great bodily harm unless he used every reasonable means within his power and consistent with his own safety to avoid the danger before resorting to that force. the fact that the defendant was wrongfully attacked cannot justify his use of force likely to cause death or great bodily harm if by retreating he could have avoided the need to use that force. and here are the instructions the george zimmerman jury received. >> if george zimmerman was not engaged in an unlawful activity and was attacked in any place where he had a right to be, he had no duty to retreat and had the right t

tell you last december during the debate you specifically spoke on the floor of is the united states senate about what is really cad the back-door search loophole of the act, and that's a loophole that allows for the examination of phone calls and e-mails on americans without a want form that's somebody that i believe needs to be closed and apropos of your conversation, i think this is a unique time in our constitutional history. i don't think we should let this time go by without striking a better balance between security and liberty. you seem to be suggesting there are not constraints or safeguards on the information we

donna campbell a republican state senator in texas and supporter of the bill that places restrictions on the late term abortion. >> senator, doctor, so many to choose from in your title. we heard from wendy davis and her supporters and so many that feel as she does. the government and you reference in your remarks to keep its hands off of their bodies and they view it as an issue of women's rights and women's health. your thoughts on that. and first of all, she doesn't speak to the voice of majority of women and texans. texans and texas families are pro-life. they don't want the government involved when it comes to the actual procedure, yet they want government dollars to support the procedure and when we simply ask that the same standards be

it's not just at the state level. in the senate, mitch mcconnell and john cornyn are sending letters to professional sports leagues like the nfl and nascar telling them not to cooperate with any promotion about upcoming health care implementation warning the leagues against taking sides on obama care. we are seeing an entire national party dedicated to a form of sabotage. the intent of which is to make sure that the ordinary working people have a hard time getting health insurance. that's it. i mean, think about how perverse that is. we're the republican party and we're here to break things. they're not just playing politics. they are playing with people's lives. joining me now is nicole lamoureux, executive director of the national association of free and charitable clinics. msnbc has partnered with the nasc for a one day free clinic in new orleans this wednesday july 3rd. nicole, my first question for you is for these folks, say the 700,000 pennsylvanians who are making between the federal poverty line for a family of four, aroun

overrule the end of parliamentarian of the united states senate. that is what he is talking about doing. when senator mcconnell says he wants to break the rules, to change the rules, that is exactly what he means. that is exactly what we are talking about. >> question. >> let me just finish my thought. that, colleagues, is the dangerous thing. stability in the senate requires us not to willy-nilly every time we have a tempest in a teapot, as these three nominations are, every time we have that kind of thing, that we up and change the rules. there will be times, no doubt, when things will get so intense, over big, big issues, that actions get taken. whetherwould record they are wise or not wise, but, colleagues, we do not need to be changing the rules of the senate every time it becomes inconvenient for the majority leader. he has already done this once. he changed the rules of the senate when the senator was making a motion to get a vote when he was denied the right to have a vote, majority leader still the tree, would not allow a vote. he used a te

sylvia garcia is a democratic state senator from texas. senator garcia, let me begin with you. i don't get it. my reading of roe versus wade says that the standard is set based on viability. at 20 weeks, we're not talking viability. it would seem that on its face, this bill would be unconstitutional. so why go through all the effort if that is in fact going to be the holding of a court some day? >> well, we've actually been asking ourselves that same question here in texas. i agree with you. i think on its face it appears that it would be unconstitutional, but ultimately, of course, it will be up to the courts to decide. as you stated earlier, wisconsin yesterday, of course, a federal court there has already put an injunction on implementation of their actions, so i think the same thing will happen here in texas. i think we're on a path to litigation in the courts, ultimately, with this bill if it passes. >> ilyse, it seems to me you may as well say one week after conception we're going to ban all abortion because that would have the same constitutional standing as would the 20

state senator laticia took a crucial victory lap. then it was wendy davis' turn to thank the crowd that carried her over the finish line during her filler buster and took aim at governor perry. >> let's remind that governor perry that fairness is and always will be a fundamental texas value. [ cheers ] [ applause ] >> texans deserve someone who will stand up for them and their values. it shouldn't be unusual for a public official to stand and fight for the men and women who elected them. it should be a job requirement. >> now truly inspiring protests aside, texas observers are saying that texas are you pub cans learned their lesson from last week and will figure out a way to get the bill passed. that may be so. >>> look at the pictures of thousands of people on the steps of the capital on a monday at night fighting in a strait that has a democratic party for so, so long and i'm reminded of an old organizer saying, you can't win if you don't fight. joining me now a democrat that represents district 26, including san antonio. my first

but after our investigation aired earlier this month, a state senator is now calling for change. >> yourvestigation brought to light a pretty alarming difference between us and 45 other states. >> reporter: it's an alarming distinction, the state senator was surprised to learn. california is only one of five states with no education requirements for boaters but has the second highest rate of boating accidents in the nation. >> i was surprised, particularly when compared to other states. >> reporter: several bills have been introduced to require a safety course for boaters, but all have failed. why hasn't it passed? >> in the six and a half years i've been in the legislature, i haven't heard a lot of discussion about it. your investigation is probably the strongest conversation i've heard about it. >> reporter: do you feel like they failed you? >> yeah. >> yeah, i think so. i think they'd feel differently if it was their own, you know. nothing happens until it's your own. >> reporter: but for marianne and jason, it's an issue think can't ignore. they shared how they tragically lost their

on wednesday, the texas state senate approved the ban on abortion after 20 weeks. >>> president obama talks about immigration reform with two key senators, republican john mccain and democrat pat schumer helped craft a bill passed by the senate. >>> and in 1979, nbc's reported on the fiery return to earth. >> pieces of skylab flashing in the dark entered the atmosphere and in a flaming conclusion marked the end of this final passage. >>> i'm paige hopkins. thanks for watching "early today." have a good one. >>> crews spend the night clearing crash debris off runway 28l. in this video you can see a crane removing wreckage. there's still a lot of work to be done before that runway can actually be reopened. dude morning to you. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm jon kelley. good morning everyone. the teardown of asiana flight 214 coming hours after the victims showed up at the scene to pay respects to the two teenage girls killed in that crash. "today in the bay's" bob redell is live in south san francisco with details on the very emotional return. bob, good morning. >> reporter: good morni

. >>> texas state senator tracy davis is not ruling out challenging governor perry in next year's election. there's already polling on how she'd fare in the deeply red state of texas. she trails the already popular incumbent by 14 points, 53 to 39%. perry is expected to announce monday whether or not he'll seek a fourth term. >>> the only democrat who comes close to getting him, he trails 53 to 40%. >> the tsa blog team is instagraming pictures that they found, grenades, handguns, wallets. that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. >>> now for your 4th of july forecast, here's nbc's dylan dreyer. >> good morning. it looks okay. >> finally some good news. >> believe it or not considering it has been raining in most areas up and down the east coast for quite some time. we are going to see some of our heaviest rain this morning down through the southeast. we could use some rain in the southwest. maybe an isolated thunderstorm. the area of low pressure, the high pressure out west is keeping things hot and dry. we do have flood watches and warnings especially down across the southeast wher

the spotlight in the aftermath of the george zimmerman trial. >> joining me from florida, the state senator calling for marissa alexander to be pardoned. dwight bullard, a democratic senator. also sponsored legislation to repeal the stand your ground law. senator, my first question for you, why have you become involved in this case? why are you making this appeal to governor rick scott? >> well, chris, i've been convinced social justice is necessary for the people of florida. when we look at the plethora of things our governor scott has chosen to ignore, whether it's health care for the neediest floridian, or seeking justice for marissa alexander, there has to be a time when we draw a line in the sand and that time is now. >> watching the reaction to the verdict and watching things in florida right now, it's hard to get a sense of what the mood is in the state there and in the state capitol, particularly. do you think the governor is feeling any fallout from this verdict from his task force which he keeps pawning the stand your ground law on, from the mounting pressure for him to pardon mar

any citizen should be able to have answered, much less an elected representative of the united states senate, real quickly, i wanted to get your opinion being a member of the armed services committee. senator gillibrand's bill from new york that would obviously take the sexual assault authority from under the chain of command in the military picking up big republican support with rand paul and where do you stand on that legislation and do you think it can move forward with that republican cover? >> i don't think it can move forward. i'm a retired judge advocate from the air force. i think you have support on both sides of the aisle from my position that we need to come down heavy and hard on sexual assault and sexual harassment but we don't need to take the commanders out of that decision when it involves the military. we can do a lot better. but to take the commanders out of the chain of command is not a step we need to take. it would be unnecessary to solve the problem and would be harmful to good order of discipline in the military. >> snort, thank you very much. we appreciate it. >> than

the texas state senate passed the bill late friday... the house approved a on wednesday. the bill includes a number of restrictions that critics say will effectively shut down most clinics that perform abortions in texas. among the provisions of the bill is a regulation that outlaws abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy unless the health of the woman is in immediate danger >> we put the limit at five months >> under the new walt all abortions in taxes must be performed in an ambulatory surgical center and doctors must have ending privileges at a hospital within 30 mi. of the clinic. women who want to induce an abortion by taking a pill will have to do so at a certified abortion facility with a doctor present >> another year in the books taste of chicago is wrapping up in grant park this evening. the five days festival featured 39 restaurants along columbus avenue. 20 additional restaurants that pop up for just a day or two. as well as a group of food trucks over at butterfield. no official numbers just to get on attendants >yet on attendants >ce >> the first two boats hav

character who thinks poor john wilkes booth was misunderstood and happens to work for a united states senator. that is coming up. >>> first tonight, democrats have said enough and are calling attention to one of the most outrageous acts of gop obstructionism which is, of course, saying a lot given the stiff competition in the category of outrageous acts of gop obstruction. by refusing to confirm the president's nominees, republicans have effectively shut down the supreme court of labor law in this country. the national labor relations board. and today 201 house members sent a letter to senator mitch mcconnell demanding that the filibuster of nlrb nominations come to an end. >> without the nlrb, 80 million private sector workers will have nowhere to turn for legal protection. hardworking americans deserve better than mitch mcconnell's political stunts. >> a pillar of american justice is if you don't have a remedy then you don't have meaningful rights. >> our republican colleagues treat labor rights as toxic. they're wrong. >> if you don't have a remedy, you don't have meaningful rights. suprem

at this hour, the texas state senate is set to accomplish what a dramatic filibuster accomplished a few weeks back. it was -- it would -- it would force abortion clinics to operate under the same regimen as hospitals. how many other states are we talking about? >> well, at this point, just halfway through there year, over a dozen states have enacted some form of new restrictions on abortion in total, 43 different restrictions on abortion. these are figures that are put together by a pro-choice advocacy organization but their numbers are well-respected by both sides. the texas bill would do a number of things. it would basically require abortion clinics to operate as ambulatory surgical centers. only six of the abortion clinics in the state at this point do meet those standards so that may mean that dozens would have to shut down. it would also put a ban on all abortions after 20 weeks of gestation. this is another time of murtha we have seen very popular in state legislatures across the country and was also passed by the united states house of representatives just last month. gwen: marc

eally had a significant impact on the united states senate. he's the member of the board of directors. he's done amazing thingings his whole career. number one accomplishment for me, mr. president, is not how times or terms he's served his e senate, but accomplishment for his wonderful family. his wife, elaine, has been a helpmate for him for these many decades. grandchildren, six children, and now 10 great grandchildren. although we disagree on he's a person i have great respect for. i'm so grateful to him over the for always expressing concern about me personally. and his kindness and concern for my family. congratulations. [ applause ] >> mr. president. senior senator for utah will quantity of for the his votes, but for the quality of his work. a man of extraordinary character we're happy to have this intermission here to another ate him on yet accomplishment. and a long and outstanding career in the united states senate. [ applause ] >> taking a look at capitol returns tuesday at noon eastern. on the agenda, a bill to fund transportation an

. >>> the controversial abortion bill down in texas now heading for the state senate. >> shame own. ame own. >> quite the scene late last night, lawmakers leaving the texas state house to boos from protesters after they held a provisional vote on abortion reform. this morning, house did pass it provisionally. the new bill would eliminate abortions in the state of texas. a second special session was called just for this vote. it did not pass. vet first time around, texas state senator wendy davis managed to get up and speak during a filibuster for about 11 hours until that first special session ended. >>> pg&e's penalty tine for the san bruno explosion is on hold for now. attorneys for the california public utilities commission are asking for a the massive more than $2 billion fine to be dropped. the problem is whether that penalty fine actually punishes the company. lawyers discovered the pro-vopo fine would be tax detuck table for pg&e and comes with too many credits and perks. lawyers are drafting a new proposal they plan to sit in next week. >>> an exclusive from our investigative