steve schmidt, thank you for that.me the honest truth and you're right about both parties being panderbears. thank you, eugene robinson. coming up, getting the candidates to engage with one another. you know how the referees try to get the boxers to put their dukes up and keep engaging with one another. that will be the challenge for moderators tonight. we'll talk to two reporters who have moderated debates to talk about how they stir up excitement and create newsworthy moments for the audience. live from vegas where the first democratic debate is tonight. you focus on making great burgers, or building the best houses in town. or becoming the next highly-unlikely dotcom superstar. and us, we'll be right there with you, helping with the questions you need answered to get your brand new business started. we're legalzoom and we've already partnered with over a million new business owners to do just that. check us out today to see how you can become one of them. legalzoom. legal help is here. alright team, we've got an f15

thank you, chuck todd, steve schmidt and michael steele. you will all be with us throughout the night. anyway, we will be right back. don't want to miss, by the way, our late night edition of "hardball", 10 eastern, postdebate coverage. i will be joineded by senator rand paul and governor john kasich all coming to sit in these chairs. >>> coming up, grudge match, what will we see tonight between trump and carson, trump and jeb? we will preview tonight's hottest matchups with the game change authors, both coming here next. this is "hardball", live from boulder, cnbc republican presidential debate. and he would have wanted you to have it. it meant a lot to him... yes, ge makes powerful machines. but i'll be writing the code that will allow those machines to share information with each other. i'll be changing the way the world works. (interrupting) you can't pick it up, can you? go ahead. he can't lift the hammer. it's okay though! you're going to change the world. the markets change, at t. rowe price, our disciplined investment approach remai

joining me steve schmidt, the reason i want to talk to you, you know, the nature of this polarization of the electorate combined with the electoral college is that either major nominee basically starts with like a 45% floor. the battle is very, very constrained in terms of who's persuadable. that's kind of the theory we're seeing people operate under. do you buy that general framework we sort of see both sides more or less accept as fact. >> absolutely. the obama campaign in 2012 came to the determination in the 1 states where the election will be decide in fact, only 5% of the likely voters were persuadable by either campaign. that was much of their focus with the data, the analytics, the targeting being able to identify early on the actual individuals who will decide the outcome of the presidential race. >> but that's a vanishing small number of people. >> a small number in a country with 350 million people. dem graphs with destiny. even before we talk about the candidates, whether they're good at debates or not, if you look at just the states where democrats have won six out of the

steve schmidt, thank you very much for joining us by telephone. we have already heard one gdp member of the house say in effect that this minority in the party has now cost the gop not one, but two speakers. boehner stepping down from his post and now mccarthy deciding he can't stand for his. luke russert is standing by with yet another member of the gop caucus. luke? >> reporter: hey, brian, i'm here with charlie dent, republican from pennsylvania, definitely more moderate. what happened today? >> it's pretty obvious what happened. members wanted to take down john boehner, i always said would try to frag the next guy. they just did it to kevin mccarthy. kevin mccarthy had a strong majority of votes among the house republican conference. did he have 180 votes or something closer to 210 votes. he did not have 218 votes. the concern was that if kevin were to go on the house floor, present himself as a speaker candidate, that he failed to get 218 points and would obviously be embarrassed and humiliated. i think that's what largely drove this decision

steve schmidt stay with us.d patrick kennedy with a tell all book on what is likely to be a member of stored. rain has stopped but that doesn't mean south carolina is out of the woods yet as dams begin to breach. we'll get an up date from mark sanford and his take on the race for the new speaker of the house. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. that's where at&t can help. at at&t we monitor our network traffic so we can see things others can't. mitigating risks across your business. leaving you free to focus on what matters most. tand that's what we're doings to chat xfinity.rself, we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. have been closed. fresh water has been cut o

i expect steve schmidt on all of his political conclusions and on trey gowdy's role as a prosecutor,e have been issues in that they have held these hearings and net yesterday called panetta and other security people -- >> or gates. >> or gates. they called sidney blumenthal, who wasn't in the state department and inappropriately one would say sending her e-mails. there are all of these issues, a a aidben. so it has undercut the committee's credibility with a lot of people. i think they did a real service, most people would say, by uncovering the fact that she had a private server. so that is one of the issues. i think if they really focus today as you and chuck todd and the others were saying earlier, if they focus on what happened before, during and after benghazi, were there security failures, that this secretary of state should have, despite past denials should have been aware of and should have been following up on, that is their best line of inquiry today, to carry out their claim that they're not being political. >> we have 17 minutes to go before the announced gavel start to t

that quote from msnbc contributor steve schmidt, who of course ran the john mccain-sarah palin campaignsteve is quoted making this observation in a new front-page freakout in the conservative "national review" magazine that's titled "the establishment thinks the unthinkable: donald trump could win the nomination." this is the lead of that piece. this is amazing. it started as whispers in hushed corners. could it ever happen? "and now just three months from the iowa caucuses members of the republican establishment are starting to give voice to an increasingly common belief that donald trump, once dismissed as a joke, a carnival barker, and a circus freak, might very well win the republican nomination." "long-time gop strategists who were expecting trump's act to wear thin a couple of months ago now worry that he cannot be stopped, or at least that he has a significant chance of winning the nomination." this is a conservative magazine, and they're quoting establishment republican figures. it's the same theme today at mcclatchy news service. "trump still up with just over 100 days to go ti

that quote from msnbc contributor steve schmidt who, of course, ran the john mccain/sarah palin campaignis quoted in a new front page freakout in the conservative national review magazine that's titled "the establishment thinks the unthinkable, donald trump could win the nomination." this is the lead of that piece. this is amazing. it started as whispers in hushed corners. could it ever happen? and now just three months from the iowa caucuses, members of the republican establishment are starting to give voice to an increasingly common belief that donald trump, once dismissed as a joke and circus freak might very well win the nomination. "long time gop strategist who's were expecting his act to wear thin a couple months ago worry that he cannot be stopped or that he has a significant chance of winning the nomination." this is a conservative magazine. it's the same theme today at mcclatchy news service. trump still up with just over 100 days to go in iowa. sub titled donald trump is better organized than you think. the battle for establishment votes, presumably nondonald trump votes, the b

steve schmidt, the man who steered jaohn mccain's presidential bid and whether paul ryan can usher ine unity. and what's at stake for the party when hey grill hillary clinton on the hill tomorrow? and i'll also talk to one of the republicans on the benghazi committee, as well as one of the few democrats in the house who voted in favor of starting the benghazi committee in the first place. his senate campaign is now calling that decision a circus. we'll get into that. >>> but we start with the big news of the day, biden's announcement. today ends 82 days of speculation about his presidential ambitions. in fact, here's a timeline of the twists and turns. august 1, maureen publishes a column suggesting biden might run because of his son beau's dying wish. three weeks later, biden meets with elizabeth warren at his residence. four days later, he tells dnc members on a conference call that his heart and soul are pretty well banged up, but he left a hint he was thinking about it. september 3, in a speech to atlanta synagog, biden cites the emotional energy of his family as the most relevant

>> steve schmidt is right. it's that centerleft position that she occupied very effectively.are not denmark. we are not going to be denmark. we are the united states of america. denmark's solutions are not all the right ones for the united states. i think that will strike a chord with people. she just knew what she was doing on that stage. she really did. she knew when to inject a bit of wind when chafee brought up the e-mails. she just said no. that was probably the biggest laugh of the evening. she knew when to be kind of tough and pointed. look, i think a lot of republicans looked at that performances and said, okay, wow, this is what we are likely going to have to deal with next year. and its formidable. >> i think they will prefer to run against denmark after tonight. anyway, now for some low lights of the evening, if you will. lincoln chafee offering a somewhat that response to a question about a previous vote he made in the senate. he said he was too green to think. let's watch. >> governor chafee, you have attacked secretary clinton to being too close to wall street.

i'm linda schmidt, fox 5 news. steve: budweiser upping its bid to acquire miller. today anheuser-busch raised its or offer to $103 billion in cash and stock, the fourth offer they've made to acquire miller beer. it would create a global beer giant with 31 percent of the global suds market. dari: daniel felds is sidelined >> how his teammates let him know he's still in their thoughts. >> and time to make travel easier for pet owners. first here's tonight's new york minute. columbus day weekend means pumpkin season is in full swing. families spent the day at white post farms taking part in the annual fall farm festival, a tradition for years. >> we enjoy seeing people year after year to bringing their kids back here. it's something that we want to live on multigenerational. dari: the festival continues over the next two weekends. >>> you started drawing a picture of a sailor. dari: the children's museum used this columbus day to teach kids about maritime exploration and how sailors use flags to communicate. >> it's been going very well. they like to spell out their n

steve: linda schmidt is in dumbo where they turned it into a [music] >> reporter: they have a lot to sing about in brooklyn bridge park in dumbo. st. ann's warehouse, a performing arts organization, has officially opened its new $31 million theatre on water street. the 25,000 square foot waterfront theatre is nestled next to the brooklyn bridge. st. ann's warehouse converted a precivil war tobacco warehouse and turned it into a home for culture for generations to come. >> it's taken two years to build it. it's taken about five years to get it. and it's been probably in the twinkle of a lot of people's eyes. it's been around for 20 years as an idea. >> reporter: the 1860 landmark building is now a state-of-the-art theatre where international companies will perform. >> it's a very open, flexible space that changes quite often, depending on what the artist wants to do. careful to preserve the original brick structure. >> we complimented the clay brick with the glass brick, which is the glass wall that keeps the building alive and well and it glows at nighttime and allows daylight to fil

joined by chuck todd, moderator of "meet the press," michael steele, the former rnc chair, and steve schmidttegist in john mccain's campaign. let's go over that interesting fact. we talked earlier tonight. it seems like the candidates for whatever reason telegraphed their punches. why do they go in and say i'm going to get trump tomorrow, i'm going to get carson tomorrow? why do they do that and then go in there and have their punch stop there? >> i think if you're john kasich, i get it. everybody is talking it about trump, carson, bush, rubio. nobody was talking about john kasich. so i have to get it in kasich, i get it with christie and paul. both of them telegraphed hits on each other. stuff like this. probably the one that's the head scratcher is jeb telegraphing it a little bit because he's a main guy. he didn't need to do that. look, like i said, i det it for kasich. he wanted in the conversation. >> michael, i thought -- go ahead. >> you're working the reps. >> they're working all the time, but the other thing is you get prepped in such a way to do that. and to have that line. and you

mike barnicle and steve schmidt are back with us, joe. also joining the conversation, mr.ims he is not cranky. >> mika. can i ask you something? >> yeah. >> did you change shirts or lupica? >> no. >> i just said that. i just said that! same thing. >> no. i was hot. i just didn't like -- i -- i want a smaller size. >> you mean you thought you were -- you thought you were too hot for viewers and everybody was tweeting inappropriate things to you like they always do? >> i love the sweater. i just need a smaller size. it's just hot. >> there is nothing for me in this conversation. there is not one -- >> all right. >> there's nothing for me here. >> maybe -- okay. in washington senior contributor to for "the daily caller" matt lewis is with us as well. guess who is too hot, lupica? daniel murphy. >> it's almost impossible to process. i was saying to mike and steve before, this is what happens in baseball in october. the baseball guys go down the line and say, murph, we want to talk to you. don't try to understand this or explain it. for the next three weeks we'll turn you into

and i think steve schmidt's quote really stands up here. he's the guy that helped john mccain.opportunity to see the current field of dems all on the same stage. certainly there's a likelihood that the weakness of the field will become more apparent than they are today. and it's good for biden then. >> you've got governor lincoln chafee there. senator jim webb, martin o'malley former governor of maryland for eight years, bernie sanders the socialist and then center stage hillary clinton. >> and he's the phenom. he's the unbelievable story. >> let's see how socialistic he is tonight. meanwhile, talk a little bit about president obama. he had a tough interview with steve croft over the weekend on "60 minutes." president got a little testy. he sat down for an interview for the new york review book that's going to run next month, it's going to be out on november the 5th. and you know what? as the president looks back over his legacy, in office, you know what? he's a little angry at fox news. because before fox news, we started tearing into him, people really used to like him in pla

steve: an nypd lieutenant, one of new york's finest, even not on duty. linda schmidt shows us how she's helping people in need. >> this was a medical mission, back. >> reporter: alison used her vacation time for more than a vacation. it was an opportunity for her to change the lives of impoverished children. allison, a lieutenant with the nypd, hiked four days on the inca trail in peru. it raised money to pay for the life altering cleft palate and lip surgeries for children in peru. >> not only can it be life-threatening because they can't get the proper nutrients, they live in darkness. they're supposedly cursed. their parents are ashamed of them. them. >> reporter: she met several of the families whose children were undergoing the corrective surgery. she carried the children into the operating room and was able to watch the surgeries. allison participated through the smile network, a non-profit international humanitarian organization based in minneapolis. it's been operating in developing countries for 12 years. medical teams donate their time and talents and volunt

steve: an amtrak train went off the tracks this morning in central vermont. dari: linda schmidt is joining us. >> reporter: we'll get to that in just a second. the final destination of the the train derailed this morning about 10:30, injuring seven people, after it hit rocks that have fallen off a ledge on to the tracks. >> we're very, very lucky there was no loss of life. >> reporter: officials say the train derailed 10:30 this morning, sending a locomotive and one passenger car over an embankment in northfield, vermont. >> it's a steep area. if you talk to the passengers, they'll tell you that -- one of them said it was unbelievable. there were senior citizens bounding up this cliff that the cars fell down. >> reporter: these pictures were posted on twitter by brian bell. his parents were on the train as part of a fall foliage sightseeing trip. it was headed from vermont to washington, d.c., when it hit rocks on the tracks. 98 passengers were on board. seven were injured. of nature where they fell on to the track. >> reporter: investigators believe the rockslide happened somet

steve: thank you. at least two people dead following deadly shootings at colleges in texas and arizona. >> linda schmidt has the latest. >> reporter: good evening to both of you. it has happened again. day. coincidentally, the shootings today on the college campuses happened on the very same day that president obama is visiting the campus in oregon where eight students and a teacher were gunned down just last week. >> this is not going to be a normal day at nau. our hearts are heavy. >> reporter: students at northern arizona university huddled together, some hugging, others looking stunned as the university president and police broke the news. >> one of our students, steven jones, 18 years old, produced a handgun and shot four of our was a confrontation in a parking lot on campus between two groups of students about 1:20 this morning. it escalated to violence and authorities say freshman steven jones pulled out a handgun, shooting and killing one student and injuring three others. the parking lot at the campus in flagstaff, arizona, is just outside housing for many of the campus' sorority fraternities.

steve: what would you do if the elevator you were riding in got stuck? do you go for help or put? dari: that's what happened to one man. linda schmidt has the story from williamsburg. >> it felt like he was alive and we knew that the energy -- we knew he passed. >> mona shared her heartbreaking story with us. her good friend, 37-year-old eran modan was crushed. they were with a group of friends and had gone to a friend's apartment in williamsburg. >> we were only in the elevator for a few seconds. the elevator just dropped and shot straight up. >> reporter: he tried to climb out of the open elevator doors when the elevator fell, crushing him. >> as it went down, he tried to jump out. the doors were open. it shot straight up. when it shot straight up, it took his body with it. >> reporter: inspectors are investigating the accident at the apartment building on hope street. city records indicate the building had four violations between 2009 and 2013. but the minor issues were resolved. >> there's no outstanding work ongoing with the elevator. so there's no permits, no work. it appears to be a tragic accident that we need to further inv

steve: one ad reads you spent the night in brooklyn but left your birth control on staten island. maybe the iud is right for you. is straight talk the best way to raise awareness? linda schmidt is live in the >> reporter: good evening to both of you. this campaign, first of all, is directed at women. it is not directed at men. it encourages the use of iuds as a form of birth control. this is a three-month campaign that has kicked off. the birth control ads deal with one-night stands. this one says you spent the night in brooklyn, but you left your birth control in staten island. maybe the iud is right for you. another reads, the iud is 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy. that's one less thing to worry about. maybe the iud is right for you. the city health department is featuring them as part of a new birth control campaign. this is the president of the national organization for women in new york city. >> i think it's great. i think the more information that exists about effective contraceptive methods, the better it is for women. >> reporter: the ads target just women, not men. and they encourage the use of intrauterine devices known as iuds. the ads do not mention