Transcripts For MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Reports 20130213

Ripped over by gun violence, they deserve a simple vote. Senator marco rubio, delivering a combative republican response. No government isnt going to help you get ahead. Its going to hold you back. More government isnt going to create opportunities. Its going to limit them. Mr. President , i dont oppose your plan because i want to protect the rich. I oppose your plan because i want to protect my neighbors. But it was that unscripted lunge for water thats lighting up social media. The senator made light of the moment by tweeting a picture of the water bottle and cracking jokes on the morning talk shows. I needed water. What am i going to do, you know . It happens. God has a funny way of reminding us were human. Good day. Im Andrea Mitchell. Live in washington. For the daily fix, chis and chuck todd, chief Political Correspondent and host of the daily rundown. Two speeches, two different approaches. Chuck todd, we see the president on the road today. Hell be on the road the rest of the week. Did he muddy up or cover up his middle class message, economic message with that incredible and emotional appeal at the end . Or would the speech have just sort of disappeared quickly, the state of the union speech, without the emotional ending. This speech was being set up. It was sort of runofthemill. Felt a little clintonesque aspect to it the way clinton used to do state of the unions. I want to do this, i want to do this. A series of smaller issues in a large framework, if you got it all would be a big change, but small things that he wants to get done in a larger context. But, you know, this speech is going to be remembered for the last ten minutes. And ill tell you, you just cant help you watch him his ability i dont think people understand how hard it is to get members of congress. Even on the half of them who agree with you as a sitting president , to act like an audience in a congregation. Or act like an audience in a campaign rally. They lived the moment. When i saw Jeff Sessions standing up clapping and looking for the 102yearold woman up there. You thought, boy, they all bought into the moment. Thats something its a nice moment for washington. Although john boehner did not get up for the 102yearold woman. No, but he got up or other things too. Please, its at the end of the speech. What about marco rubio, theres been a lot of nitpicking. Overall, its a very hard job to give the response, the republican response. Theres been very few examples, and you, chris, anyone who has given a democratic or republican response that has been effective. We saw bobby jindal with Brian Williams last night in a very effective interview. But we know how ineffective his response from new orleans was when he tried it. So what about marco rubio and his especially message. I feel like its that infamous Sports Illustrated jinx. They put you on the cover, its the worst possible thing for your career. Unless youre wearing a bathing suit. Well geez im not going i will not address. That. She is trying to suck you into a kate upton conversation. Exactly. Im fully hydrated and im just continuing forward. Dont reach for your water. President of the United States is addressing the cabinet. The supreme court. All the members of congress. The diplomatic corps. Theres sort of a grandeur of the moment just visually. No matter what you do, bob mcdonald, the governor of virginia a few years ago sort of surrounded himself with people. We know the bobby jindal speech came off awkward. Marco rubio, someone joked he looked like he was sit on the set of downton abbey. Yes, the grab for water, you could tell that his voice was going out. Is something that the internet is going to live with for the next 24, 48, 72 hours and democrats thrilled to for a very long time. Do i think its something that ultimately matters . No. I thought the best thing marco rubio did in that speech. He did something that mitt romney couldnt do for the four years that he was campaigning. Marco rubio was able to say, president obama says were the party of the rich. Were not. Im looking out for my neighbors. I care about medicare. I care about these things. Im not a wealthy elitist. He did that well. You know if he didnt lunge for the water, thats what wed be talking about today. I think in the long run, thats what we winds up talking about. I think thats the message he articulates Going Forward as the leader of the party. The fact that he gave the speech also first in spanish. You know, he has been working on that Bipartisan Group of senators. And they will tell you you the democrats will tell you that he is working very closely with them, trying to make Immigration Reform a reality. But i wonder though, if yet, he didnt talk about that in his speech. He didnt talk about what hes doing about bipartisan pr approaches. What i found interesting, sigh felt that marco rubio, polltested well. The message he was doing, there was no change. He was delivering the romney ryan stump speech. It was not the evolved republican message . Well, its not a change message. Evolve you get into that, people will but it was not changed. The question is, did he broaden if this is about did bobby jindal and marco rubio start hey, theyre trying to get into the persuasion game. They got to start making the idea for why theyre right. Marco rubio had tea party support, but there is another cohort of another tea partysupported senators and ted cruz, the freshman from texas is the exemplar of that. This is what happened yesterday on the chuck hagel vote on armed services. When john mccain comes in as a critic and ends up having to defend chuck hagel because of the very sharp attack from ted cruz. Lets watch. We saw with his nomination something truly extraordinary which is the government of iran formally and publicly praising the nomination of a defense secretary. I would suggest to you that is unprecedented to see a foreign nation like iran publicly celebrating a nomination. I want to put on the record that this senator feels like that senator cruz has gone over the line. He basically has impugned the patriotism of the nominee. Senator hagel is an honorable man. Hes served his country, and no one on this committee at anytime should impugn his character or his integrity. So, chuck todd, ted cruz has made a mark already. This isnt the first instance . No, hes not. Ive been thinking about this, this new if you want to say this is more evidence. But you know, i remember a young Rick Santorum coming in breaking some traditions. Boy, did he. Breaking when he did this, three, four, five years later when he realized that was sort of offending people. He changed a little bit. He couched his rhetoric. I wonder if some of the old bulls on the republican side somebody is going to pull ted cruise aside and say, look, nobodys telling you you shouldnt speak up. But theres some decorum. We do things a little differently in the senate. He may not take to it well. He seems like a man in a hurry. Chris, before you jump in, i want to share with the both of you the washingtonian has a great article about one of our colleagues. Apparently, somebody was in the dog park and heard a fellow washingtonian yelling chuck todd, chuck todd. They didnt see our intrepid correspondent. And somebody in the dog park has named their Labrador Chuck today. Why does not dog not have a goatee. It was at the westminster dog show. Thats a good looking dog. And you are a good looking dog, too, if im not being too sexist. Im such a dog lover. Chuck, thank you. Thank you. Meanwhile, president to completely talk more seriously about last night, president obamas emotional appeal, for congress to at least vote, at least have a vote on new gun laws did not impress marco rubio, as the florida senator made it abundant clear this morning on cbs. First of all, our heart is broken for those people as i said last night. All of us would want to prevent that from happening again. And anything that would work to prevent that again we should want to vote on. The problem is, everything the president is proposing would do nothing to prevent what happened in newtown. New york congresswoman Carolyn Mccarthy joins me now and of course a leader for new gun safety laws and was in the chamber last night. First of all, your response to marco rubio and as to whether the president s call for a vote on some of these proposals is go together make a difference . Well, thank you for having me here, i have to say, even know i was in the chamber and i had brought someone who suffered from gun violence from my hometown, i have to say i dont believe he was actually talking to us. He was talking to the American People. I also know he was talking to victims not only in the chamber but across the country. And i think thats what we need to do and i think he did that on purpose. We understand that the majority of American People do believe that we need to do and should do and can do something to reduce gun violence. You know, you met me during my first run for election, and i ran on t gun issue. And its been certainly a very long, long journey to be to be very honest with you. But i do believe with my heart and soul that we can get something to do, to reduce gun violence in this country. Congresswoman, do you think that what do you think is actually going to get through . Is it going to be the sort of lowest common denominator in terms of consensus, background checks perhaps that the nra once supported at least . Or is it going to be something that the government gets to controlling handguns . And i know the assault rifle, a separate issue among many of the law enforcement. The handguns, we had the parents of the teenager of chicago, Hadiya Pendleton sitting with the first lady last night. Nothing could have been more heartbreaking than seeing those people and seeing others. And your pain is of more distant years but no less raw to you. You lost your husband and your son was was grievously injured. You know, i look at it with handguns. On some of the things we are going to be doing. Closing the gun show loophole because most of those guns are illegal guns. Theyre not people that went through their background checks and bought these guns. The majority of them are buying them on the black market. Theyre going to the gun shows. Theyre getting them over the internet. So legislation that were talking about can stop that. Its not going to stop immediately. But its something we can do long term to save lives. You know when youre talking about over 11,000 homicides a year, i understand that people say, well, youre only going to be able maybe correct 8 to 12 . Well, that 8 to 12 are quite a few number of peoples lives. They dont even talk about the lives that we can possibly save from serious injury. I believe that we can actually do something. Im hoping that my republican colleagues will certainly work with us to pass legislation. And i believe we can. Were waiting for the senate because its going to be easier for us on the house side, for them to come over with a bill. We can adjust it if we can, but it will push the house side to take something up. And i think thats important. Congresswoman, briefly, isnt there also a big problem among democrats . This is a regional issue as well. Youve got democrats from rural areas and other parts of the country, beyond the northeast, who are as fiercely opposing any kind of new gun laws as are republican members. To be very honest with you, if you look on the democratic side, yes, we have members that come from areas that this is not going to be a great vote for them but you know what, let them vote no. But we have identified and certainly through polling and everything, were only identifying eight democrats that would have a real problem for voting for anything. On the republican side, there are a lot more republicans that should be voting with us that will not hurt them. So, again, were trying to make sure that republicans and democrats and by the way, andrea, i happen to think that here in congress, we are hired to make tough votes. And many of us, on both sides of the aisle over the years have made tough votes. Ive always felt that i certainly want to continue working here. I enjoy working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. But if i have to make a vote that maybe my whole district will disapprove of me, but its good for the whole country, and they fire me, then thats what im here for. Theres so many subjects that come up besides the gun issue that certainly immigration issue. I was always for reform immigration. Back on long island it was not a popular subject. But it was my job to teach people that. The same with the gun issue. Try to understand a lot of things that were hearing, the rhetoric that were hearing are not true. All were trying to do is have gun safety. Cut down on the amount of people that die and then we have done our job. Carolyn mccarthy, always good to talk to you. Thank you very much, congressman. Thank you for having me. Up next, the sequester with only two weeks left before automatic cuts kick in. Is there a way out . Gene sperling join us next. And were live in california where the man hunt for Christopher Dorner came to a fiery end. Just ahead on Andrea Mitchell reports. In America Today were running out of a vital resource we need to compete on the global stage. What we need are people prepared for the careers of our new economy. By 2025 we could have 20 million jobs without enough College Graduates to fill them. Thats why at devry university, were teaming up with Companies Like cisco to help make sure everyones is ready with the know how we need for a new tomorrow. [ male announcer ] make sure americas ready. Make sure youre ready. At devry. Edu. I just served my motherinlaw your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much. I told her it was homemade. Everyone tells a little white lie now and then. But now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] shes right behind me isnt she . [ male announcer ] progresso. You gotta taste this soup. When every day is a new adventure theres a new skin care lineup that can keep up. Start fresh and finish sparkling 24 7 with new olay fresh effects. Catch them if you can at olayfresheffects. Com and this breaking news from nbc news. Nbc news has been told by three military officials that general john allen, the proposed nominee to be the supreme allied commander at nato in europe is likely to withdraw his name from consideration to avoid further questions at hearings, even though hes been cleared of all inpropriety regarding that jill kelley email situation which emerged from the petraeus controversy. General allen has spoken with the secretary of defense and chairman of the joint chiefs. He has not spoken with the president who could still try to talk him out of it. But were told that general allen is likely to withdraw his name from that top job at nato. Meanwhile, president obama is selling the message that helping the middle class is job one. Even as the president spoke, it was clear looking at john boehner that the House Speaker was not impressed. Last night, the president offered up more of the same. Higher taxes and more stimulus spending. And just as disappointing, were weeks away from the president s sequester. Joining me now is Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic council and assistant to the president for Economic Policy for the white house. First of all, what about the republican complaints that the president said every dime is paid for. That he did not specify how hes going to pay for these new programs. Your response . Well, you know, unfortunately, thats just a political remark. Its not based on any substantive facts at all. You know, whats very clear, weve cut the deficit by 2. 5 trillion. Its been bipartisan. 3 in spending cuts for every 1 of revenue. The speaker know, republicans know that the proposal the president had on the table that they walked away from, including over a trillion dollars of spending cuts, including savings. And had only about 580 billion in revenues. So, you know, there was another 1. 8 trillion of deficit reduction that was on the table. 2 of that was spending cuts for every dollar of revenue. But gene, that proposal is so to say that the president is not serious about spending cuts and tough measures is blatantly not accurate. That wasnt the question. The question is, what about the new proposals he made last night . Because what theyre saying is, regardless of what was proposed and negotiated and never reached agreement before so, andrea what about the new proposals for prek, the new proposals for the minimum wage increase . How do you pay for the things he specified in the state of the union . So what the president said very clearly yesterday, he is living within the budget control acts on the domestic spending targets weve agreed to, were living within those. Those will cut deficit to well over a trillion dollars and bring us to the lowest level of congressional spending in 50 years. And like the president said, issues that are compelling like prek, we can meet the savings and meet the goals and still do it without increasing the deficit a penny. Look, i dont think americans believe, as the president said you just cut your way to prosperity. One of the ways you reduce the deficit, you do entitlement reform but you do tax reform that raises the level to lower deficit. Is one that you want to bring the deficit down to encourage more private investment. But you also want to make room for things that make our country great. Eisenhower investing in the interstate highway program. Democrats and republicans increases in mia for bio research. I think it absolutely supports that you can cut lower priority spending to reduce the deficit and that you can use a portion of that to do things that are compelling like prek, universal education for 4 year olds. Because were a country that believes everybody should have a fair start. And the minimum wage has no government cost at all. Thats just a commitment that we as a people believe if you work full time, you work hard, you should be able to raise your family in dignity. Not in poverty. Fair point about the minimum wage. That comes out of the private sector, obviously, and some that argue will cost jobs but we can debate that another time. What about the sequester . What is happening right now that will give people any hope at all and Consumer Confidence because of the gridlock in washington is a real factor . We see that in our polling. What confidence could anyone have that anything could happen to avoid the sequester . Well, andrea, i thought one of the powerful points the president made last night is that weve come out of a financial crisis. Congress should not be manufacturing crisis every few months. Youre absolutely right. That hurts Consumer Confidence. It also hurts Business Confidence and the entire to invest. And i think the point that the president made last night and i think powerfully is that there is another way. And the way is what the American People would like. Its bipartisan compromise. Its in the structure of the simpsonbowles Bipartisan Commission where you combine that with tax reform that reduces the deficit. Thats a reasonable bipartisan way that requires the president to say everyone to compromise. Thats the right way. And i think what hes made clear the idea that an ideological rigidity about taxes would let some people decide they would rather shut the government down. Have harsh spending cuts that hurt defense, national security, education is unfortunate and its unnecessary. And i do believe that there are Reasonable Republicans in the congress who understand the deficit reduction does require serious entitlement reform to reduce the deficit. And there are loopholes and tax expenditures for the most well off and most well connected that could also be closed as part of our plan. To bring down the deficit investment and train for our people. Well leave it there, Gene Sperling, thank you very much, the day after the state of the union. And strong republican reaction to the president s big speech, well be hearing from jason chafets coming up. Plus, is there any chance of finding common ground. And still ahead, jordanian former nasser judah fresh from a meeting just now with secretary of state john kerry. Youre watching Andrea Mitchell reports. Or bestever meatloaf. Go to campbellskitchen. Com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. Campbells. Its amazing what soup can do. All your important legal matters in just minutes. Protect your family. 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New single serve cafe collections from Maxwell House now available for use in the keurig kcup brewer. Always good to the last drop. A somber morning in riverside, california, today as a funeral is held for Police Officer and former marine michael craine. Crain was ambushed by Christopher Dorner. This morning, authorities continue their investigation, sifting through what is left of that cabin which was destroyed by fire. They also await results that could positively identify the remains found onsite of those of Christopher Dorner. Nbcs john yang is up theyre not from that big bear. John, the chase, the fact that he was in another cabin. Two maids came in and he encountered them. And took their truck. And all the events that led to that fireball really exploding last night. Take us through it. Reporter it san extraordinary story, andrea. Its like straight out of a movie. Its very fitting that this is a Hollywood Los Angeles story. He took off in one of the housekeepers the people that had shown up to clean the house. Took off in one of their vehicles and had to ditch had to change vehicles because he spun out on the roads and hijacked carjacked another vehicle and had an accident in that one. Fled on foot. The authorities followed the footprints through the snow to the second cabin where they had him sort of cornered. There was a gunfight. San Bernardino County sheriffs deputy was killed. Another one wounded. Expected to survive, though hell take another series of operations. And as you say, andrea, they have now located the body in the rubble of this cabin. There is a report by the Associated Press that we have not been able to independently confirm that they have found his drivers license with the body. No one is saying that this is definitely dorner, but there seems to be a lot of indications that theyre confident it is. The lapd has reduced their heightened alert. And also, theyve scaled back their protective details. Of people listed in dorners manifesto. Last week, or after the manifesto came out, they had protective details around, about 50 families, now, thats down to about a dozen. Andrea. And the fact is, though, john, he was found or he ended up in a cabin that was across from the checkpoint that the police up there had set up. And is there any question that they had either checked that cabin before or hadnt checked enough cabins. Or were only checking vacant cabins and could have overlooked what happened over these days . Reporter yeah what they can doing, they were knocking on cabin doors, if there was no answer and there was no sign of forced entry, theyd move on. So apparently, had was able to get in in a way that didnt leave any evident signs or obvious signs that there had been a breakin. We can only presume this cabin had been checked. They got no response, no signs of a breakin so he moved on. But he was right across the street over the weekend, presumably watching the activities, watching press briefings, and it wasnt until the two women showed up to clean the cabin yesterday that he was discovered. Just incredible. Also the fact, lets face it the San Bernardino Sheriffs Office and lapd had different takes on this at different times. It was a very complicated state wide man hunt, really, just the sufficient of movies as you say, john yang, thanks for being with us. Coming up the state of the union budget fact check with david leo nard. Stay with us. Quicken loans understood the details and guided me through every step of the process. I know wherever the military sends me, i can depend on quicken loans. [ whispering ] thats crazy, the cookies the best part. Creme. Cookie. Creme. Stop yelling. You stop yelling. [ whispering ] both of you stop yelling. [ whispering ] im trying to read. [ male announcer ] choose your side at oreo. Com. 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Programs that he claims will not add a single dime to the deficit. Joining me now with economic Fact Checking is the New York Times David Leonhardt and author of the new book heres the deal. David, your response to the economic side of those proposals . Lets do one positive and one negative. The positive i would say, if you look at history, i think theres a lot of evidence for the idea that certain basic investments that if the government doesnt do them, the private sector wont do them are crucial to growth. Which the president returned to. I think history supports that idea. Education, science, research. If the government doesnt do it, no one will. And its crucial to growth. And i think hes right about a lot of that. If youre going to make critique, i think he boasted about a number of things that are the product of a weak economy than any policy. He boasted about the idea that carbon admissions are down. He boasted about illegal immigration is down. Health care costs have slowed. All of those are a mix of things but also that theres a weak economy and hes sort of taking credit for them. In particular, the drop in foreign oil imports as the economy slowed, obviously, there was less need and more production on the natural gas side. Exactly. Lets talk about heres the deal and some of your proposals and how you thing those can be tailored for the political realities of what were facing. Gridlock in washington. The sequester, the failure for any meaningful dialogue between the two political parties. Democracy is messy, right, this idea that theyre going to be fine is misplaced. You hope you go three steps forward and two steps back. Rather than two steps forward and three steps back. I think one of the real problems here is is that ordinary people look at washington and they say, whats going on . One of the things i try to argue is part of whats going on, washington is reflecting us. We want low taxes. We want medicare and Social Security that doesnt change. We want a strong military. And you put all of these things together and you end up with the deficit. So its not just politicians that make choices, but we have to make choices about what kind of government do we want. We have to have one that adds up which two sides of the ledger balance. Where do you think the president stands in terms of entitlement reform . He says he can do it, there can be meaningful reform. Is he really meaning on taking it on because that means taking on medicare . What hes done, hes put to the side medicaid. He thinks medicaid is krascratc. With medicare, he says he doesnt want to raise the retirement age, at least in the immediate term. He said hes open to two things. He didnt talk about it in the speech. But negotiations. One, hes changing the technical formula for Social Security. A lot of republicans favor that. And through his health care bill, hes in favor of trying to tweak medicare in little ways to try to have less waste and health care that doesnt make you healthier that the government pays for. Basically, his attitude is, they could make some changes now. As we get down the road should we make more of them or fewer. And do the republicans want to get into medicare, given how incredibly popular it is. David leonhardleonhardt. Thank you. In rome, Pope Benedict celebrated his final mass. The mass was held inside to st. Peters basilica so more people could attend. His add vocation telling the vehiclely audience that hes resign for the good of the church. The vatican announced that the papal conclave for the next pope will begin the week after march 15th. Well be right back. Wow. [ buzz ] delicious, right . Yeah. Its the honey, it makes it taste so. Well, would you look at the time. Whats the rush . Bee happy. Bee healthy. With clusters of flakes and os. Oh, ho ho. Its the honey sweetness. 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Dont drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. Those whove had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. Having less pain. Its a wonderful feeling. [ female announcer ] ask your doctor about lyrica today. Its specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. To hear more of phylliss story, visit lyrica. Com. Secretary of state john kerry has just completed a meeting with his counterpart from jordan, foreign minister nasser judeh. With both men realized the need to restart the Palestinian Communications with twostage resolution. The foreign minister joins me here at the table. Thank you very much. Thanks for being with us. Good to be here. Peace talks have been stalled. Completely stalled for four years. What gives you any hope that the new president and secretary of state are going to put energy into this . Well, its not just about hope. And if were going to rely on hope in the previous track record, then a lot of us would be pessimistic. Were extremely convinced this is of paramount importance. This is the core issue. Seeking peace in the middle east i think that were all in agreement over and its apparent. Y, youre absolutely right. There was a major evidence in 2010 which has stalled. We in jordan, his majesty king, early in 2012 conducted what we called exploratory talks to try and wedge the gap between the two parties to try and create an atmosphere to talk. Of course, it actually helped but what is missing at this stage say process, unfortunately, weve had too much process and not enough peace. A process that would lead to direct negotiations concerning all foreign state decisions. This is a priority. Well, at the same time, weve had the arab spring. You had a war in syria a civil war in syria with more than 60,000 people dead. You have the refugees. You still have the refugees from iraq and now the refugees boarding your economy in syria. Whats happening in egypt has got to be an extreme concern. So youve got a real crisis in your neighborhood. In the middle east, huh . And this is not the first time that the middle east witnesses terrible upheaval. But thank god for the stability between jordan. And were still living in the region. Were very, very conscious of whats happening in the region. I think you basically answered the way that i would answer. By looking at the region, looking at the turbulence in the region and bringing to the foreground the fact that the palestinian issue, the palestinian israeli peace talks are more essential than ever to be revived at this stage. Come may, the Palestinian Conflict is the main source of instability not just in the region but far beyond. This is what secretary kerry had to say about syria today. I can assure you my goal is to see us change this calculation. My goal is to see us have a negotiated outcome. And minimize the violence. It may not be possible. What more should the United States be doing . There are those in the senate, john mccain and others saying we should have awe nofly zone, more support to the rebels, and others know theres a real deputy between the defense and the white house and others deciding if youre on the rebels with so many al qaeda rebels youvy ma the blowback that we experienced in the 90s in afghanistan . This is exactly what we see in jordan. And weve been asked in the past to give an opinion as to arming the rentals. And the king said give us a c. V. And give us an address. We want to make sure theyre going to right people and not the wrong people. There are different approaches out there. Yes, theres general disagreement over certain issues. But i think theres agreement between all the parties including china, by the way, that we have to have a solution that kicks in to end the violence on the were you hand. And take syria into transition. What is. Happening on the ground in syria today is a civil war. I know some people steer clear of calling it a civil war but it is a civil war of a political nation. And the worst Case Scenario for all in the middle east is for that so slide into a sectarian civil war. If you compare that with the composition in egypt, in syria, you have lots of minorities each one of them republicing 3 , 4 of population put together in the majority. So the risk and potential of a sectarian area with violence we have to put that political situation kicking in and get the transition in place and then restore dignity to the great syrian people. How do you get assad to give up power . Again, this is a process. Were seeing gestures from opposition. We have statements from the Syrian National coalition saying hes willing to talk to representatives of the regime, so long as they dont have blood on their hands. This is a positive step forward. We saw statements talking about the regimes and its important to put all the components together in trying to get people talking. Well, its always a pleasure. Thank you so much for seeing us. We look forward to see you you in aman and the travel with the president as well. Look forward as as well. We have Great Sadness at nbc and especially for me. Tom aspell, my friend, colleague, a great correspondent for nbc died monday after a twoyear battle with cancer. Tom was one of the best. Spent decades in the middle east. Always calm in the fray. Selfless around the globe. He began back in 1970, it was his lens that captured some of the Iconic Images as saigon fell to forces in 1975. Later as an intrepid and fearless correspondent tom covered it all. From bosnia, from chechnya, baghdad and kabul, always as the us in president steve capus recalled where others were fleeing. He was a great story teller. The wit and ready smile. A native new zealander. He leaves his wife and two sons. He was only 62 years old. A loss that will be deeply felt. I got your campbells chunky soup. Mom . Whos mom . Im the giants mascot. The giants dont have a mascot ohhh eat up new jammin jerk chicken soup has tasty pieces of chicken with rice and beans. Hmmm. For giant hunger thanks mom see ya whoaa. Oops mom . Im ok. Grandma . Hi sweetie she operates the head. [ male announcer ] campbells chunky soup. It fills you up right. Yeah we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. And i relieve nasal congestion. Overachiever. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multisymptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. Nyquil® cold and flu doesnt. Relieves nasal congestion. Its been said that beauty is in the ewell. Behold. Der. Behold water so blue it merges with the sky above. Behold Natural Beauty above the sea, and far below. Behold smiles so wide they stretch across the face of an entire nation. Behold. The islands of the bahamas. All your important legal matters in just minutes. Protect your family. And launch your dreams. At legalzoom. Com we put the law on your side. Joining me now is a member of the House Oversight and government reform committee. Thanks so much for being with us, congressman. Lets talk about what Gene Sperling had to say and the president said. Is everything he proposed last night is paid for. I have a hard time believing that. I havent yet seen it. One of the things we believe as republicans that the democrats and president need to do is produce a budget. It has been four years since the senate has presented a budget. He is all right late. If we can agree on a budget, Everything Else falls into line. What about reports that republicans in the caucus want the sequester to go in and it will produce deeper cuts and you have more leverage to negotiate after that. We do believe a true balanced approach the president got, we need spending cuts. There should be more of a shared sacrifice. I like to see entitlement reform and tax to get rid of the tax loopholes. Im in favor of that, but we have to get to the details. Some of the things the president said i agree with, but that nothing will cost money in terms of the deficit, that is stunning. I cant believe thats true. If it is, show us a budget where he believes thats true. And the emotional core of the speech was the ending of the speech on guns and gun violence. Have you heard anything in the gun proposals that you could support . I think the intersection between use of lethal weapons and allowing access from the mentally challenged that shouldnt be making these decisions background checks . We have to make sure that the system we have now is working. For instance, more than half of the states dont populate the Mental Health database so that the fbi can do the proper checks right now. I called my governor and we talked with the Governors Office in utah and they populate that. They threw more than 10,000 records into the system. Things that we should be going and fixing, but i dont agree with the president on all the things he wants to do, but that should be common ground. I want to go there with it. Thanks. Thanks for being with us today. That does it for this edition of andrAndrea Mitchell reports. News nation is next. We found it together. On a walk, walk, walk. Love to walk. Yeah, we found that wonderful thing. And you smiled. And threw it. And i decided i would never, ever leave it anywhere. Because that wonderful, bouncy, rollaround thing. Had made you play. And that. Had made you smile. [ announcer ] beneful. Play. Its good for you. More likes. More tweets. So, beginning today, my son brock and his whole team will be our new senior social media strategists. Any questions . Since we make radiator valves wouldnt it be better if we just let fedex help us to expand to new markets . Hmm gotta admit thats better than a few likes. I dont have the door code. Whos that . He won a contest online to be ceo for the day. How am i supposed to run a business here without an office . [ male announcer ] fast, reliable deliveries worldwide. Fedex. Woman what do you mean, Homeowners Insurance doesnt cover floods . [ heart rate increases ] man a few inches of water caused all this . [ heart rate increases ] woman 2 but i dont even live near the water. What you dont know about Flood Insurance may shock you including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as 129 a year. For an agent, call the number that appears on your screen. All stations come over to mithis is for real this time. Step seven point two one two. Verify and lock. Command is locked. Five seconds. Three, two, one. Standing by for capture. The most Innovative Software on the planet. Dragon is captured. Is connecting todays leading companies to places beyond it. Siemens. Answers. Im tamron hall. The news nation is following developing news. The followup president obama picking up where he left off in the state of the union. Just wrapping up a rally in north carolina. The perk was ordinary folk fist they worked hard, they could do well. Our middle class when its growing and thriving and there laters of opportunity for people to do better each year and make sure their kids are doing even better than them, thats the american dream. The president reiterating many proposals he pushed and including expanding prescho