it's a big state, texas. if you go through the six clinics, are there some people who are going to have to travel an awful long way. >> people are already having to trouble an awful long way. as a result of the passage of the new laws many clinics have not been able to obtain hospital-admitting services, and clinics have closed. women in that area now have to travel to 100 miles to san antonio or corpus christi. now the legislation requiring clinic to surgical to take affect, only a few will be able to stay open. the traffic costs, women having to take off work, child care, it puts a heavy burden on women to get the procedure now. >> we work closely and every day we talk to latinas who live in the area and are dealing with these restrictions right now. we talk to women who have month paid time off work and taking time off work may jeopardize jobs and women who don't have cars. the notion that hundreds of miles of driving some how accessiblaccessible, it just dor out. the reality, the area is the size of conne

texas went first essentially. texas did it before everyone else thought it was cool. republicans didn't wait until 2010 to take over texas like they did in all those other states this they took over the texas state government election completely after the 2002 election. and in texas, once republicans got control of the state government in texas, they used that control to immediately start going after reproductive rights and access to abortion. after winning everything in the 2002 election, republicans got swoorn in and took control in 20034. the first omnibus anti-abortion bill was passed in 2003. that bill established a waiting period for texas women who wanted to get an abortion and also restricted the types of places where abortions could be obtained in the state. that was 2003, as soon as they got in power, they passed that bill, then in 2005, texas republicans passed another anti-abortion bill. in 2007, they tried to pass another anti-abortion bill, interestingly they failed that year. in 2009 they tried again to pass that same bill and failed, it wasn't for want

texas flies the texas flag even with the american flag because texas was a republic. i think texans still have that independent spirit that our ancestors had. things are different in texas. it's a whole different country and the reason is because our history is different. it's because the people of texas , all different backgrounds have that still, that independent spirit about freedom. remember our ancestors who gave their lives, gave their property so we could have freedom and independence and texas could be an independent country even for nine years. that's why historically i think that we appreciate those people who want independence. appreciate people who want liberty. right now, those folks in the ukraine trying to keep out some dictator. i call him a dictator, president putin of russia. so, mr. speaker, we celebrate today and honor today march 6, because it is one of those three important days. march 2, texas independence. march 6, 1836, the alamo failed. we remember those people. and april 21, 1836 is when texas got independence and started its quest for being

texas. something that is happening in texas tonight as he speak. we are reporting this here at this point, nobody else in the country has this story except us. i'm going to explain that news in a moment. but it relates in a way to the headlines that you may have already seen today out of texas, the political news out of texas is about the primaries that just happened there. the big national headline out of the texas primaries is george p. bush, of course, jeb bush's son and george bush's nephew, he avoided a runoff and became the republican nominee for land commissioner in texas. which is a powerful job in that state. hey america, get ready for more bush family politicians. also, the two members of congress who were facing tea party challengers in their primaries, john cornyn and pete sessions, those veteran republican legislators fended off their challengers from the tea party, and that, of course, must be a relief to them. but tea party candidates did do pretty well in some other races against other incumbent republicans running at the state leve

first was texas in 2011. the texas legislature meets every two years and basically every two years since republicans have taken over, they have done what they could to pass new limits on abortion rights in the state. 2003, 2005 is, 2007, 2009, 2011 with the ultrasound bill and then 2013, the most sweeping omnibus anti-abortion bill in the state yet. the compounding effect of those laws already had been to make abortion very, very difficult to get. and very, very difficult to provide in texas. the second most populace state in the country. but the most recent law, the law passed by texas republicans in 2013, the one that wendy davis made her national name for herself and set up her gubernatorial bid by opposing with her very last breath is different than all the rest. in texas, they have made getting abortion not just hard, but in some places in the state, they have made it basically impossible. >> what you've seen with these cumulative restrictions, in 2011 there were 44 facilities in texas providing abortion

can the texas model be exported to washington, and can we make the washington, d.c., model the new texas for the economy? >> well, i think there's a bigger issue. and the issue is do you believe that our founding fathers had the right vision when it comes to the tenth amendment? that washington's supposed to do a few things really well. like foreign policy. i tell people, you know, cogent foreign policy, and heck, deliver the mail on time. preferably on saturdays. but do you believe in that model? that the states are the ones that should be empowered, that the states should be given the decisions about health care, about transportation infrastructure, about education policy? and the federal government do a few things. i really believe in that. and then let andrew cuomo and rick perry or greg abbott, the next governor of texas, let them compete out there amongst themselves. >> you have this massive obamacare. it's been a political disaster. it's a health care disaster. what specifically would you do? what would a president perry do? would you fix it? would you repeal it? there are some th

in texas. it a really big place p. you now how people say -- the rio grande grand valley is the size of connecticut. the texas city of san antonio is 250 miles away from the rio grande valley, it's not an every day trip. it's remote. the four counties that make it up are quite profoundly poor. the two biggest cities rank first and second for poorest in the nation. along with that remoteness and that poverty come health troubles, preventable, treatable diseases at rates that do not seem like they should happen in the united states. for example, women who live on the texas border are a third more likely to die of cervical cancer than women in other parts of this country. poverty has its own health risks and if far south texas those risks are compounded by being hard to access medical care there. in the year 2011, texas republicans made that uphill fight even more uphill. they cut stay funding for health clinics that serve women specifically. and they didn't just trim that funding. they basically

and rick perry will say texas weathered the recession because there are fewer regulations in texas and is just friendlier to business than other states, because of that less regulation. is he right? >> texas has always been a state that has been blessed with natural resources, and generation after generation, we have made the best of oil and gas. >> mm-hmm. >> yes, it's partly that atmosphere that is so texan about hard work and entrepreneurship and you pull yourself up from your own bootstraps mentality. but it's also understanding when neighbor needs to help neighbor. let's face it, that almost $14 billion the economists will say will be in our rainy day fund, that's from oil and gas. >> you're saying it wouldn't have mattered -- >> i'm going to tell you that it is building upon. but right now, what the republican leaders are doing, come to texas because it's a cheap place to do labor. do we want to be the place where you have low-paying jobs in that doesn't bode well. >> should texas raise the minimum wage to $10.10? >> i think it needs to be reflective of a life of dignity. i mean,

clinics in texas. when that happened, the doctor said the law was an insult to women's intelligence and said he would continue to perform abortions, whether that means under the cover of a mesquite tree, on a shrimp boat, he said i won't give this up, i am not going to abandon these girls. the first part of the new law requires any doctor who wants to provide an abortion in texas have to get admitting privileges at a hospital near to where they're going to be providing those abortions. texas hospitals not eager to hand out privileges, let alone those who do abortions so dr. minto has not been able to get the administratoring privileges. so he's not been able to perform abortions since november. instead, he has turned to helping women who have tried to end their own pregnancies on their own without a doctor. they've been crossing the border to go to mexican pharmacies to buy drugs to self-induce their own abortions or buying the same drugs on the local grayish/black markets at flea markets. when they ru

>> in uvalde, texas. >> 7.6 square miles in southwest texas. >> he's an authentic texas character. >>low texan matt profiled him early in his career. >> that part of texas is flat and dusty, and in some ways, freaky. if you grew up there, it feels normal. >> matthew is born the youngest son to kay and jim mcconaughey. matthew plays on the golf team and wins an award for best looks at long view high. after graduation, he enrolls in the university of texas at austin. always a good student, he reveals on inside the actor studio that acting wasn't in his original plan. >> i was headed towards law school. so i started off with liberal arts philosophy, then i was going to go to law school. then i switched to go to film school after my sophomore year. >> it's here at this austin hotel where a chance meeting becomes matthew's life changing moment. film students drinking at the bar when he learns a casting director working with independent filmmaker is sitting nearby. matthew introduces himself and somehow gets an audition for linklater's next movie, "dazed and confused." >> i'm thinking about

as texas takes its turn in our tdr 50, who was the first republican presidential candidate to win texasn a general election? the conversation about her mortgage didn't start here. it began on her vacation in europe on the day she arrived in london. someone set up a bogus hotspot, stole her identity and opened some credit cards in her name. but she's not worried. checking her credit report and score at experian.com allowed her to better address the issue... ...and move right in. experian. live credit confident.™ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ (music) defiance is in our bones. defiance never grows old. citracal maximum. calcium citrate plus d. highly soluble, easily absorbed. >>> another quick update on the weather. cools are closed, roads are a mess, temperature dropping, and many of the mid-atlantic states here, as the storm moves north this morning. nbc news correspondent richard lou

texas and rural southwestern louisiana.ust west of louisiana's cajun country on the gulf coast you'll find the small city of beaumont. and in that small city of beaumont, texas a long-standing reproductive health care clinic there has been providing cancer screenings and contraception and all sorts of reproductive health care, including abortions, for the women of beaumont and the women of east texas and the women of southwest louisiana, who have seen the clinics in their state shut down and who have been making their way across state lines to east texas, to beaumont, to see the doctor there instead. beaumont is a mostly african-american city. it's not a big place. it's not well off. it's got over 20% of the population living under the poverty line. but it's also a place where people come to for services from the whole region. it can make more than six months to get an appointment with the only low-income women's health provider in the area. the whole women's health clinic in beaumont is the only abortion provider for a 260

>> texas. >> 7.6 square miles in southwest texas. >> he is an authentic texas character.ellow texan profiled him early in his career. >> that part is flat, dusty, and freaky if you didn't grow up there. if you did it feels normal. >> he is the youngest son to jay and kim mcconaughey. a former football player turned oil pipe salesman. jim moves the family to east texas in the oil boom where matthew plays on the golf team and wins an award for best looks at longview high. after graduation he enrolls in the university of texas at austin. always a good student, he revealed on "inside the actor studio" that acting was not in his original plan. >> i was headed towards law school. and i switched to go to film school after my sophomore year. >> it is here at this austin hotel where a chance meeting become a big moment. he learned a casting director was sitting near by. he introduces himself, and somehow gets an audition for the next movie "dazed and confused." >> the thing i love about high school girls -- >> "dazed and confused" releases in 1993. the charter in only a handful of

texas election law requires a runoff. a slew of crowded primaries mean many campaigns won't be over until after a runoff. it will test the strength of the tea party, in a state that the republican party has not lost statewide race since 1994 when a host of conservative hopefuls, capture conservative lightning in a bottle. texas republican party to the right, his shadow has not hurt his counterpart in the senate, jon cornyn, even though cruz has refused to endorse him so far. >> likely going to stay out of the incumbent republican primaries and that is true outside of texas and inside of texas in congressional races. i like jon cornyn. he and i have worked together very closely. we've agreed on the vast majority of things. there are some areas on which we disagreed. >> cornyn's primary kicks off half a dozen right on right senate contests we're tracking this year, but races that were supposed to be heavyweight matches appear to have fizzled. it started with the challenge to senator mike enzi by liz cheney in wyoming. last

joining me now, carolyn jones, a contributing writer for "the texas observer" and the pro-choice texas. heather, i want to start with what's going on with you in texas. the first part of the law, trap law, talk about that, and then the second part of the law or the next phase actually goes into effect in september, which is going to make it even worse.

. >> uvalde, 7.6 square miles in southwest texas. >> he is an authentic texas character. >> fellow texan matt size profiled mcconaughey early in his career. >> that part of texas is flat and dusty and in some ways kind of existentially freaky. if you did not grow up in there, but if you did, it feels normal. >> matthew is born the youngst son to kay and jim mcconaughey, a former football player turned oil pipe salesman. jim moves the family to east texas during the oil boom where matthew plays on the golf team, and wins an award for best looks at longview high. after graduation, he enrolls in the university of texas at austin. always a good student, he reveals on inside of the actor's studio that acting was not in the original plan. >> i was heading toward law school and so i started out with the liberal arts philosophy and go to law school, and then i switched to go to film school after my sophomore year. >> it is here at this austin e hotel where a chance meeting becomes matthew's life-changing moment. film students drink iing at the bar when he learns a casting director working with r

but texas is important, democrats not only here in texas but nationally recognize, if you can make texas competitive state, if in fact wendy davis, generates the kind of turnout and this group can generate the kind of political machinery to re-establish the democratic party as a competitive party, if that can happen, then texas can become competitive and any future presidential democrat candidate say in 2016, 2020 or 2024, if this can win california, new york and massachusetts, and texas, they are halfway to the electoral votes to win the white house. >> last question, you were the first person to bring out the inconsistencies in davis's biography among the core of texas reporters following that story. how much do you think that particular story hurt her prospects? >> i think it's hurt her prospects in the short term. ultimately though, among other things, it has given a wake-up call to wendy davis's folks that they have to do a better job in vetting her and presenting who she is and as a candidate. i came away from that interview with wendy davis with one very distinct impression, she i

the country and in the state of texas.fter listening to you viewers, here's what we said, colorado. we decided to head west. great state of colorado, take a look at the politics of the sen ten yal state. one of the big reasons why colorado matters if the republican party can figure out colorado, maybe they can figure out their problems for 2016. that's it for this edition of "the daily rundown." coming up next, chris jansing. it is social skefsh i have day at cpac. interesting to hear those speeches. catch all of it here on msnbc. [ coughs, sneezes ] i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] centennial your eyes depend on a unique set of nutrients. [ male announcer ] that's why there's ocuvite. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite has a unique formula that's just not found in any leading multi

texas was the first to mount anti-aircraft guns.ched planes and installed commercial radar first. and she was the first u.s. battle shall designated a permanent memorial museum near houston. that's where we join bruce, the executive director of the battleship texas foundation and very pleased to have with us fireman first class howard mills, u.s. veteran and former crew member of the texas. mr. mills, let me start with you. why is the ship so very special? >> well, i was 18 years old. i didn't know what a bottle ship -- battle ship was when i went in the navy. i went aboard this thing and i was lost for about a week before i finally found the place that i was supposed to be in. and then -- the ship itself was my home for a little over two years and the men aboard the ship were very close to me and i tried to be as close to them as possible. none of us, and i was -- that i was familiar with, had ever been in this situation before where we were doing cargo duty, hauling things from the united states to the british isles and then come

. >>> texas takeaways.emocrats like the top of their ticket, but there may be a catch as republicans find the oldest member in congress facing a runoff, and next generation bush on the path to statewide office. >>> plus, as new poll numbers again show rising support for same-sex marriage, a kentucky legal case fight gets emotional. we'll talk to the state's attorney general, jack conway. >>> and good morning from washington. it's wednesday, march 5th, 2014. and this is the "the daily rundown," i'm kristen welker in for chuck todd. we begin with the crisis over ukraine where all the action seems to be on the diplomatic front. this morning, secretary of state john kerry kicked off a meeting of the u.n. security council in paris, designed to try to end the standoff in the ukrainian region of crimea. kerry began by reading a 1994 agreement he says has been righted by russia's incursion. >> the united states of america and russian federation and the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland reaffirm t

all the states of the following texas and will continue to follow texas because they have to pay forheir budgets. they have to pay for those people going to prison. the federal government prints money. where is the biggest harm in the federal government? the mandatory minimums. we have to create alternatives and we have to stop putting that don't have to be there to know their mistake. i was sentenced to three years. i know many were sentenced to a year and a day. it is not really a year and a day. it is a life sentence. i knew a 19-year-old young man. a military man. he sold night vision goggles on ebay. he went to prison for three years. if that guy lives to be 110 years old, he is going to be a convicted felon and it will have his entiren him for financial future. anything he wants to do with his family. there is a list. they have a list of 50,000 different things that come from that label of being a convicted felon. you have to do something to change that. you can't punish some before life for making a mistake. more times than i can count. this country that has constitution, as i

and in the governor's race, a recent university of texas-texas tribune poll gives abbott the lead over davis in november. >> woodruff: we take a closer look at the gubernatorial battle in the lone star state with wayne slater, senior political writer for the dallas morning news. wayne, welcome back to the program. tell us a little bit more about this governor's contest. i guess there's not a lot of attention about tomorrow's primaries. people are already focusing on november. wendy davis introducing herself to the voters. how has she done that? >> well, the campaign -- wendy davis' campaign decided at the very beginning they were going to lead with their compelling personal narrative. the narrative was she was a divorced mother living in a trailer who worked her way up through harvard law school and electoral success now in the texas senate. as you indicated, in the piece, part of that story is not precisely true. so she has stumbled coming out of the gate. by leading that story, part of it true, part of it not precisely true, it confused some democratic voters and, in the case of wend

is the governor of texas.ause] the president of the americans for tax reform a, grover norquist. [applause] bernard kerrick, the former new york police commissioner. [applause] we will discuss the consensus among conservatives that the criminal justice system is broken and in need of repair. crimes, topansion of the height reset a schism rate of 40% to the cost of our prison conservatives concluded that our system is out of control. think of the resources wasted on a witchhunt against scooter libb he and ted stevens. it was not until after he had been defeated for reelection and .as replaced think of the swat team that rated gibson guitars. why did they need a an armed team to raid a business? who knew fish or wildlife had a think of the widening net for crimes in which we incarcerate people. transpose numbers on the epa. inadvertently mislabeling a shipment of orchids. there has been an alarming increase in the scope and authority of government. you would think a agents would have enough trying to catch terro

we are not just talking about texas.ri state house advance ad measure to impose a lee-day waiting period on women seeking an abortion. if passed the law would make abortions for complicated and costly to women traveling to missouri's one and only elective decline nick st. louis. on friday, michigan's so-called rape insurance law went into effect. requiring women in that state to buy an additional insurance rider if they want to be reimbursed for an abortion even in the case of rape. south carolina is on its way to joining texas in requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. which will make it tough herb for them to practice. in oklahoma a slew of new restriction easily passed the state senate last week. including requirement for hospital admitting privileges within 30 miles of the clinic. here is the thing. so-called abortion abolitions don't want these piece meal laws. they want to make all pregnancy termination illegal. even to save a woman's life. msnbc.com national correspondent trave

my dad grew up in texas. he was born in colorado but grew up in texas. we met his extended family. she bought a house. >> jimmy: on the vacation? on the trip? >> yeah. she's an aquarius. she's subject to whims. >> jimmy: is that right? wow. >> so we ended up, you know, using our vacation clothes as clothes for the school year. >> jimmy: you never went back for your stuff? >> no. we literally did not leave. we stayed for a year. but i really loved it here. you know, i got my glamour shots. you know. i got -- my eyebrows looked like this. >> jimmy: how long have you been here this week? >> i've been here since wednesday. >> jimmy: since wednesday. tell me everything you've eaten since you've been here. have you eaten anything since you've been here? >> yeah. i've eaten so much. you have to have barbecue. you have to have all of that. i usually go to giro's. i didn't go to guero's this trip, which is crazy. [ applause ] i went to moonshine. [ cheers and applause ] i went to uchi, which is really good. [ applause ] japanese. that was awesome. yeah. this is one of my favorite festivals

--would you fly in texas? >> would he fly in texas? >> i am not sure that it matters that present. he came to texas and raised money for rga and flew well. trying to pick any of us against each other at this point in time is -- >> i would not do that. >> it is not healthy for the republican governors association. >> it has been said that edward snowden is more of a whistleblower than a criminal. do you agree? >> i think we have rules, regulations, and laws in this country that mr. snowden broke. if washington dc or the nsa are breaking some of those laws, then we need to go after them. from my perspective, and i don't know all the details, but we have rules and regulations and we cannot have people passing out information that could do damage to our military, could damage our intelligence gathering. there are people in this world that want to do really bad harm to the united states and making all that information available the way snowden apparently did is against the law. i would suggest to you that he is more a criminal that he is a whistleblower. >> do you worry that rand paul's

still ahead tonight on this new york studios, texas governor rick perry will join me for a texas steakt ahead. 24 hour. lots of tablets. one pill. you decide. prevacid. ♪ 24 hour iwe don't back down. we only know one direction: up so we're up early. up late. thinking up game-changing ideas, like this: dozens of tax free zones across new york state. move here. expand here. or start a new business here... and pay no taxes for 10 years. with new jobs, new opportunities and a new tax free plan. there's only one way for your business to go. up. find out if your business can qualify at start-upny.com over one million hours of research. are inside are specific vitamins and minerals to help support your heart, brain and eyes. centrum silver. for the most amazing parts of you. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back

do you like austin, texas? >> i love austin, texas. [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: you love it.hey're so warm and welcome and they make you feel at home. the southern hospitality. you know, the music, the atmosphere, the food. the people. i mean, i love being here. >> jimmy: it's great, isn't it? when you say hospitality i would imagine when you go almost anywhere, especially when you come to a place like austin, people are constantly handing you pot. is that true? [ laughter ] >> i'm not going to tell. >> jimmy: you're not going to tell. [ laughter ] if that were hypothetically to happen, is that something, would you throw it away or would you -- >> what? [ laughter ] >> jimmy: i know. i'm talking crazy. because you never know what you're going to be handed, right? >> there's some great farmers in texas. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: is that one of your first stops, to visit your friend willie nelson? >> you know i love willie nelson. willie is a dear friend of mine. he's always been like a dear friend to me from the first moment i've met him. i treasure our re

and texas had apparently not supplied oklahoma with the drugs if needed in an earlier execution and texas years ago was asking for help from state all around the country of how to do it the shortage. general inneys oklahoma from a feeling a little embittered by the lack of help from texas, were joking, as you said, they wanted in exchange for their help, 50 yard line tickets to a football game between oklahoma and texas, and then another colleague said, actually, we want more than that. texas should throw the game for four years in exchange for our help. they went on to say, yes, we should be brought onto the field during halftime and sort of lauded and celebrated for our valor in helping texas carry out its tradition of death penalty injections, lethal injections. then they actually took it further and said, for this, we should actually get passes to toll ways and other sort of roads that cost money in texas. >> susan, your news organization is in colorado. why are you the one that is exposing what is going on in oklahoma and texas? could you talk about what left you having to report thi

and historically half as many texas democrats vote in gubernatorial primaries as texas republicans.ch is why walking the streets of heavily democratic neighborhoods is the focus of jeff dalton. >> there has probably been a lot of depression, why bother, we're not going to win. >> reporter: even now and she trails greg abbott by 11 points in the polls, dalton and his team are optimistic, the november matchup could be a success. democrats though, say if davis doesn't win, she'll at least build momentum for taking texas competitive. they are encouraged that by 2020 more hispanics and more young people will become eligible voters. bullard is already a democratic party volunteer, even though his father is stanchly republican. have you tried to sway him? >> yeah, i have tried to appeal to him. >> reporter: has it gone anywhere? >> sometimes it does. sometimes it doesn't. >> reporter: but the fact that the debate is happening at both the kitchen table and across the state is something texas democrats see as progress. heidi zhou castro, al jazeera, dallas. >> reporter: it would be a real sh

are we, what is going to happen tomorrow in texas?going to be forced to hear more from steve stockman in the coming weeks? >> this could be the political end of steve stockman. it's not the end of the tea party resurgence. in texas, the old saying goes, if you want to run for office, you got to know how to lead a prayer and shoot a gun and the additional thing is you got to be a part of the second coming of ted cruz, stockman hoped that he was going to be a part of that post-ted cruz tea party wave. i don't think he's going to be successful. but there are other candidates running up and down the ballot to the right who are appealing to a very strong margin aliya in the republican party. >> i think marginaliya is strong. i have to remind the audience of some of the things ped amounted here. the official obama barf bag sold by representative steve bachmann's team for $one ask, who are the long-2er78 repercussions ooooo -- -- long-term repercussions? >> i am seeing a split. i think what is happening at the state level we are going furthe

the gentleman from texas. mr. burgess: mr. speaker, seeing no other speakers on my side, i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: to the gentleman from texas, i say it's possible i'll have one more speaker. if i see her arrive i will yield to her. otherwise i'm prepared to close. i yield myself the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. polis: mr. speaker, this week the number of people who lost their unemployment benefits as a result of congress fails to extend the emergency unemployment compensation program has climbed to two million americans. if we defeat the previous question, i will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up legislation that would restore unemployment insurance to provide much-needed relief to countless families april cross the country and -- across the country and stimulate our economy. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the recor

welcome to texas hill country. where matthew mcconaughey was born, raised, and still calls home. it has produced some pretty colorful characters. after a career spanning two decades, matthew is finally getting his dew for playing another remarkable texan in one of the year's most celebrated movies. >> one story, rooted in texas, now oscar nominated. it's texas grown lead actor oscar nominated, too. >> welcome to the dallas buyers club. >> i was fortunate to be in what i think is a damn good movie. >> matthew mcconaughey in his moment. >> this is celebration time now. >> the actor with the major

texas holds 140 billion in petro wealth. time i interviewed you you told me by 2015 you expect a $15 billion surplus, you don't have state income tax. >> here is the key to that, somebody asked today, we were speaking at a group. they said how do you pay for your police officers, your fire, the services? and the fact is you grow your economy into it. i mean, we are the either fourth or fifth lowest tax burden in the country. in the state of texas. >> by the way, you're in the number one tax burden state in the country right here in new york. >> i know that, that is one -- >> i'm getting the hell out of here. >> that is one of the reasons i'm up here recruiting business. you fish where the fish are, right? >> right. >> hey, why wouldn't wall street one day pack up and say we're sick of it? go to dallas, texas. go to houston, don't go to austin. that is our story out there, whether we -- you know, go into california, which i was in last week, and talked to the folks. mr. we how your kids's education is going to turn out. think

we are coming to you live from austin, texas. that's very nice. appreciate it. [ cheers and applause ] i have to say, thank you so much. we've been broadcasting from austin all week and i'm sad to say this is our last night here, which is -- i would cry but my tear ducts are clogged with queso right now. we head home and then on monday i'm going on "the biggest loser" and work some of this weight off. you know it's a good trip when you have to request a seat belt extender for your flight back. speaking of seat belt extender, where is guillermo. guillermo, come out here and say hello and good-bye to everyone. [ cheers and applause ] hey -- you know, guillermo -- >> guillermo: it's okay. >> jimmy: the pants are supposed to go over the boot. >> guillermo: it's okay. >> jimmy: are you sad that we're leaving, guillermo? >> guillermo: yeah, very sad. >> jimmy: did you tell your wife you can't wait to get home? >> guillermo: yeah, i did. >> jimmy: you did, okay. [ laughter ] i really cannot overstate what a good time we've had here. i've learned a lot of

do you see that in texas? >> we do see that throughout the u.s. and also in texas. seeing a of the wage difference in india and china, higher wages, and the u.s. wages and productivity are up. you're certainly seeing it in taxes. a lot of it is in oil and gas related because of the renaissance of the oil and gas industry. most wouldggerate happen with the shale gas and normal manufacturing, after all, energy is a small component of most manufacturers cost -- except for aluminum, petrochemicals. >> president clinton in the energy department, and i think in the democrat tradition, within texas, or is your president pro-business enough for this nation? >> i don't know about the nation as a whole, certainly, the whole atmosphere in the united states is a lot better than it is in some places in the world right now. in particular i'm a there -- >> does that make is the locomotive? >> the stock market is pretty much at its all-time high. is related to politics or not, i don't know. but those are pure facts. >> i think you should get out of cash. >> i would get out of cash.

the polls are open in texas ahead of this year's midterm election.and the pressure is on to get voters to the polls. 101. sorry, highy joe castro is in dallas for us. really, all eyes are on senator wednesdayy davis who seems to be holding the hopes of the democratic party in this red state. >> reporter: that's right, we're at the dallas county democratic headquarters where just under two hours polls in this county will close, and people here they're looking at it as every last phone call, every last inch pushed counts. even though today's primary, they're looking further ahead to norm when they'll go head on with opponent texas attorney general greg abbott. and texas democrats say this election season is still early, and there is still momentum to carry forward. >> this is the dallas democratic party. >> the phones are ringing off the hook. and the pizza is flying out of the box. the headquarters of the dallas county party is in full-on election mode. >> pretty buzzed up right now. >> reporter: early voting numbers are promising. here in dallas and

and let me tell you, women are mad in texas. democrats are mad in texas.ve not voted in a very long time are mad in texas. and the best thing that could happen is to have the farthest right wing fruitcake on the ticket run against her. >> is that greg abbott you described? >> he is one of them. with greg we can go after him on the redistricting and fighting the medicaid expansion. there will be a litany of issues that people are angry about. those are the people who are starting to turn out the vote and have a lot of excitement about wendy at the top of this ticket. >> thanks for coming on. state representative donna dukes. i'm going to learn that name and hear it many times. anyway, thank you wayne slater. you always give us the goods. >>> up next, the debate over charter schools. it's a red hot fight right in new york city. did they succeed where public schools have failed or do they just get the best students and get the best numbers? this is "hardball," the place for politics. >>> st. patrick's day comes early today. bill clinton was at the university

it was mexican texas.as was then its own country for a little bit less than a decade before texas ultimately became an american state. but, say, just for the sake of argument, that pseudosecessionist texas governor rick perry got his way and texas decided to go back to one particular era of texas' good old days. back to the country it used to be part of right before it became a republic and then an american state. let's say, just for the sake of argument, that texas decided to become part of mexico again. if texas decided to once again become part of mexico, obviously there would be a lot of consequences for texans. they would lose their u.s. citizenship. they would become mexican citizens. they would, you know, start using pesos instead of dollars and all the rest. it would also have pretty big consequences for what remained for the rest of us in the united states of america. obviously if texas went back to mexico, the usa would shrink, geographically and we would shrink by about 26 million people. also,

. >>> then the 2014 election starts today and in texas. why what is happening there is a huge test of whether new voting restrictions will help the voters that many have said they would hurt. >>> right now harry reid is on the senate floor talking about the coke brothers and we're on it. predicting the future is a pretty difficult thing to do. but, manufacturing in the united states 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. it's amanda. hey sweetie. what? [phones rings] okay, i'll send it. one hundred seventy-two dollars for a chemistry book, what is it, made of gold? just use citi popmoney. boom. ah, she's feeling lucky. hey sweetie...cancun, yeah no, you'll be spending spring break with your new chemistry book. with citi popmoney it's easy to send money to just about anyone, anytime. visit

is something that texas democrats see as progress. witness ten years due to a demographic shift alone, the possibility that texas goes from republican to democratic, is a real possibility. that's because by the year went 25 hispanics will become the largest voting block in texas. and if we look back at the last presidential results, texas hispanics voted obama over romney by more than 40 points. russia could be undermining it's own economy. and they are throwing bees from the balcony right now. we will keep a close eye on the situation, it is fat tuesday in the big easy, now underway. the united states? >> you don't have a right to make judgements about it... >> they re-trace the steps of myra, a woman desparately trying to reunite with her family. >> to discover, and one of their children perish in the process, i don't know how to deal with that. >> will they come together in the face of tradgedy? >> why her? it's insane. >> experience illegal immigration up close, and personal. >> the only way to find out is to see it yourselves...

a recent poll from the university of texas and the texas tribune puts abbott 11 points ahead of davis is a think that greg abbott will beat wendy davis maybe by high single digits. over the last 20 years even competitive democrats have lost by 12 to 16 points, so when i say that davis is likely to lose by 7, 8, 9 that means she is running more pest till. >> alcompetitively. >> all of you deserve to have your voices heard. >> reporter: democrats appreciate supporting a candidate who they see as having a fighting chance in a state that hasn't elect ahead i democrat as governor since ann richards in 1990. brandon, al jazerra dallas. >>> coming up ahead it's hollywood's big day. a sneak peek at the preparation for the academy awards coming up next. >> talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america >> oh my... >>> welcome back to al jazerra america, i am morgan radford live in new york city. russian troops have surrounded a ukrainian military base in crimea, the ukrainian prime minister calling it a deck los angeles raise of war. and asking every single army reservist to respond. nato is me

being the governor of texas, you have to do with issues. you don't have the opportunity to push them off or have a cr or what have you. we have a balance budget but a minute. i think that is a good thing. i was the u.s. had that restriction. >> he has not had that opportunity? >> he has chosen to go his row. he is serving a great role in the senate. >> let me ask about the primary in texas. it appears that the tea party, the more right-wing challengers, did not do very well. >> i am not sure that i have analyzed that election well enough. i know the people of texas have a lot of really good choices in the republican primary. there are lots of good conservative individuals that did not make it to the top of the heap. the fact is there are some great candidates that will be serving in texas. >> this is not a turn away from the right? >> greg abbott is going to be a fabulous governor. he has proven himself day in and day out, a committed conservative. i think texas is as steady as you go. >> chris christie also got a pretty good reception at c