o'rourke: i do. i know many of the details have yet to be worked out and i think that is part of the leadership we are working on. absolutely. i love this melenchon. -- i love this ambition. >> thank you. mr. o'rourke: hi, thanks for coming out. >> i am also one of your test -- -- one of your testers. mr. o'rourke: thank you for helping us in the race. >> am already testing. i was testing when waiting for you. mr. o'rourke: tell me your name. >> ruth. mr. o'rourke: thank you so much. >> thank you so much for running. here.an, i am a professor mr. o'rourke: thank you. what do you teach? >> occupational health -- mr. o'rourke: nice. what is your name? >> jack. mr. o'rourke: right on, jack. jail? i am beto. thank you for coming out. hi, beto. >> sarah. thanks for coming out. mr. o'rourke: i appreciate it, thank you for the warm welcome here. hi, beto. nice to meet you. >> thank you so much. they don't fish thank you. beto, nice to meet you. >> your question was really good. >> hello. beto: hello, nice t

o'rourke: i love you! served on the city council for six years, and i do not think this is a secret, but when he first approached me about running for u.s. congress, i was not excited. i was very concerned. it wouldaid about what do to our family, and i was afraid it might change who beto was. so, just like the city council race, we got after it, started knocking on doors, talking to people, and what was so clear to me was there was so much important work before us that we needed to put everything behind, to work for the people of el paso. [cheers and applause] ms. o'rourke: and there is nothing more he loves the to come home, being in el paso, hiking in the mountains, to explore the wilderness and be with friends. beto has not changed. so when the time came, i was confident about our decision to run for the u.s. senate, and i cannot tell you what an amazing experience that was. i saw how so many of you here today supported everything that you had in that campaign. [cheers and applause] ms. o'rourke: i was

o'rourke: thank you. thank you. tanks a lot. hey. >> how was it? rep. o'rourke: it was great. had an amazing running partner. or a lot of amazing running partners. whoe was this guy noah works at the v.a. and university of iowa hospital. he was talking to me about what he sees at the v.a., what he would improve. talks on the health care system. we talked about music. he is a musician. he does jacket from the pain i distracted me he from the pain i was feeling. it felt really good. >> can i ask you a question? rep. o'rourke: absolutely. >> congrats on the race and thanks for coming to iowa. i am self-employed and right now my premium is over 10% a month, which is a lot for anyone. the problem on top of that is the out-of-pocket cost on health care. it is out of control. i am a college student as well. for me, if i were to hurt my ankle today, safe all -- say fall and trip on something, that could basically put me in a position where i could probably not finish college and i would be in debt for a long time. i know in the past you said that you supported medicare for all. i am n

inside this profile, there's a quote from amy o'rourke, beto o'rourke's wife. amy bris witled at an aes kay t chastised him for taking an excellent adventure while leaving his wife and kids at home. you were an author at cnn. and it gets to beto o'rourke's celebrity and position that he's treated differently than other candidates and specifically female candidates? >> that's right pit wa. i was dis appointed that the author didn't read my original essay and then beto o'rourke's wife had an odd interpretation of it as well. the point of that piece was to talk about the ways in which beto o'rourke benefitted from white privilege. the idea that he could go off on this accident adventure. i think he only felt emboldened and free enough to do that because he was white and male and his wife could in fact stay home and look after the kids as she said there were she could support the kids. that's what that piece was about. there couldn't be a female candidate or african-american candidate who could do that kind of exercise and get so much praise for it. he was talking

o'rourke: [speaking spanish] [cheers] mr. o'rourke: [speaking spanish] [cheers] mr. o'rourke: [speaking spanish] [cheers] mr. o'rourke: [speaking spanish] [cheers] [chanting] mr. o'rourke: we will not allow ourselves to be defined by our fears or differences. instead, we shall be known for ever after by our ambitions, our aspirations, the resolve, the creativity, the service and sacrifice we brought to bear in order to achieve them. our ability to campaign in this way with people, not corporations or pacs, the people who come together to ensure that we win the nomination, to ensure we defeat donald trump. [cheers] mr. o'rourke: but people in every state and every territory, from every walk of life coming together to show the power of people is what is necessary to accomplish our priorities. i am so grateful to be able to run, to serve you as the next president of the united states of america. [cheers] mr. o'rourke: i am so grateful for every one of you who has joined or will join this campaign and sacrifice some part of your life towards success of this great country

o'rourke: i agree with you. not only do we not take any pac money, or any lobbyist money, but if we are going to be successful on all the things we are talking about, we will have to get out of our governments altogether. is interrupted by the special interests who by the election. anything, confronting climate change, universal health care. america.g with rural it will take people, not corporations. people that10% of feels like we are working [indiscernible] and there are a lot of issues and people are very ill. [indiscernible] rep. o'rourke: one of the things we just talked about is the bill congressd by two people. it allows those who have employer-based insurance to keep employer-based insurance. it ensures that americans who have insurance and those who do not can immediately enroll through medicare and have a provider. if there is a transition from private to -- we have to be prepared for that. the retraining for those jobs may not exist tomorrow. thent to be very clear, plan that is exciting to me is thos

i'm joined by aaron blake and betsy woodruff as we await for o'rourke's arrival. >> o'rourke minivan watch. reminds me of when hillary clinton -- >> this is not my favorite shot in the world. i'd rather be looking at the senate. >> was clinton's vehicle called the scooby-doo mobile? it was some sort of a cutesy term for the van that she drove around in. >> look at that. that's vaughn hillyard in our shot. i don't know if you can hear me. we're just going to do this. what are you seeing? what's going on? >> beto o'rourke is driving himself in his dodge caravan. >> where is he? >> he's arriving here to ft. madison high school. come along here, brad. walk this way with me, brad. he is presently sitting in his van. he arrived here about a minute ago. he was doing an interview with radio iowa. can you see him here, brad? he's going to be meeting up with junior and senior high school government class students. obviously, back in texas, he made it a ritual as he crossed 254 counties. there's 99 of them here in iowa. this is a start. he's in the southeastern most county here in the state. th

o'rourke: i agree with you. not only do we not take any pac money, or any lobbyist money, in this campaign but if we are , going to be successful on all the things we are talking about, we will have to get out of our governments altogether. our government is corrupted by these special interests who buy the election. anything, confronting climate change, universal health care. partnering with rural america. it will take people, not corporations. people, not tax. >> iowa has 10% of people that who are working for insurance. we feel like we good -- we do good work. there is a lot of fraud and other issues. people are very ill. they don't go running in races and things like that. how do we balance this center with the jobs and health insurance and so forth? rep. o'rourke: one of the things we just talked about is the bill introduced by two congress people. it allows those who have employer-based insurance to keep employer-based insurance. it ensures that americans who have insurance and those who do not can immediat

for now, back to head liners, beto o'rourke. >>> in 2011, beto o'rourke took on the establishment by challenging sitting texas senator sylvester reyes. the underdog wasn't only facing an entrenched core of reyes supporters in el paso. he was also up against reyes' powerful friends in washington, d.c. to fight back, beto used a relatively new strategy, putting to use his skills on social media, reaching out to the masses for smaller donations. >> beto raised, frankly, not a bad amount of money. but he wasn't going to be able to match it. >> with president obama and former president bill clinton voicing support for reyes, it looked like the status quo would prevail in west texas. but the cavalry in the form of a super pac was on its way. >> late in the campaign, you have this super pac that gets engaged. their purported purpose was, we believe primary elections should be more competitive, that too many people get passes in primary elections. >> the super pac bombed reyes with negative ads. >> sylvester reyes's time in congress adds up. >> reyes claimed one of the donors with ties to th

. >> yep. >> what is beto o'rourke to you? i sit here and i wonder -- is he barack obama 2.0 or is he gary hart 2.0 or jon edwards. sort of fast rising comments that burnt out as fast as they rise or sustaining comment like barack obama? >> i was struck by a couple of things i heard this morning. he talked about movement and this is not about me, it is about you. and, that was really reminiscing of obama. i think there is a couple of things that's positive for him. i don't get the policies back and forth. there is probably not much difference in policies in anyone in this field. i don't think it is going to be fundamentally and democrats have landed on a set of policies that they're going to be unifying around. can he be that generational change agent? can he own the anti -- you and i talked about it before. bernie did as well as he did against hillary clinton because he was the antiestablishment candidate. can he compete in the antiestablishment candidate and strongly in the next generational change lanes where he'll be compe

again, beto o'rourke's wife amy is on the stage right now to introduce him and of course when beto o'rourke takes to the stage, we'll go there too. let's talk a little bit now about what to expect. i want to bring in cnn contributor wes lowry and cnn political analyst sabrina seddiquey. what kind of details do we need to hear from beto o'rourke today and what kind of detail does the audience in el paso need to hear? >> i think there are two challenges facing beto moving forward. the first is how does he quickly capitalize on the excitement. people were so excited for him coming up against ted cruz and they want to see if he can capture that lightning in a bottle that led him to such great fundraising. the second as he appeals to a broader, bigger swath of the electoral is, is there substance behind the sizzle. can he talk about issues at the border. how hard does he come at trump, much less the other democrats in the race. a lot of people recognize the excitement around beto and there's a real question now of can he show people and prove to people that he's got the substance. >> sabrina, we

he's in iowa on the trail with beto o'rourke. here's some more about what beto o'rourke said about why he's running for president. >> the challenges we face, the interconnected crisis in our economy, our climate have never been greater. they'll either consume us or afford us the opportunity unleash the genius of the united states. >> that sentiment was echoed in a column about beto o'rourke. these are difficult and po t potentially dangerous time for the united states. ugliness is being met with more ugliness. o'rourke is the kind of politician the country needs because he is full of grace. the author joins us now. there he is. in my hand i have his new book "on freedom." they for being here. before i talk to you about beto o'rourke i want to understand the article you wrote about him during his campaign. does that withstand the fact he's now the 13th candidate in the race? does that translate into you thinking -- you endorsing him for president? >> well, i don't have an endorsement. i'm an observer. i worked for president obama.

. >> former congressman beto o'rourke is in. just moments ago the texas democrat announced his bid for the white house with a three-minute video and an invitation to el paso later this month for a campaign kickoff. welcome to "morning joe." it is thursday, march 13th. i'm alongside katty kay, white house reporter jonathan lemire, staff rattner and kimberly atkins. we've got a lot to cover this morning, including beto o'rourke's presidential bid. we'll talk to the author of the vanity fair profile that just dropped ahead of today's announcement. plus paul manafort's legal trouble went from bad to worse. new york wants a crack at him in a criminal case that the president cannot pardon away. >> also ahead, we'll talk about the college cheating scandal and the staggering 750 families who may have been involved. plus matt whitaker has left the department of justice but some things he said to congress last month just aren't going away. it surrounds his comments with president trump about michael cohen. but we begin with former congres

the president recently took aim at o'rourke in el paso. >> they'll say, beto o'rourke -- that's his last name, right? beto o'rourke had a wonderful rally of about 15 people. >> reporter: o'rourke faces a tough primary field filled with a diverse array of candidates and even steeper competition if former vice president joe biden enters the race. despite the challenges, o'rourke signaling he is ready for the fight. >> the only way for us to live up to the promise of america is to give it our all and to give it for all of us. we are truly now more than ever the last great hope of earth. >>> now we want to bring in scott mcgrew. i know you worked in iowa, covered the caucuses before. talk to us, o'rourke. he is there now. why is important to start the ground workow first states, primary in new hampshire, the first caucus in iowa. he is there trying to drum up support because he has to look really good in the two states if he is going to continue to -- for voters to take his serious and raise a lot of money, as well. >> what are the normal activity there with among the people there? what are

and beto o'rourke makes it official, joining theid prtial race. but can the rising democrat turt enthusiasmo votes? welcome to our viewers on public television in the u.s. and around the globe. for the third day running, british mps have juggled high-stakes with high drama, and once again the outme is anything but clear. tonight they voted to approve the governme motion to delay brexit beyond the planned march 29 deadline. that was the date the u.k. was supposed to withdraw from the eu. this is the moment the results were announced. ayes to the right, 412. the nos to the left, 202. the ayes to the right, 412! the nos to the left, 202! ayes have it. ayes have it. jane: the motion means theresa pomay can ask the eu to po brexit by three months or longer. the ming depends on whether she can get backing for her brexit pla which has already been rejected twice. but any delay has to be agreed byhe other eu member states. 27asitome of the reaction from today's vote. >> there are now two options. ono vote for the deal, get it through, leave in an orderly

robert francis o'rourke also known on this program as bow zoe--bozo. this three-term congressman is most famous for his love of skateboarding, open borders and, of course, losing to ted cruz in last year's mid-term election. yesterday, speaker pelosi, couldn't name a single, not one legislative accomplishment for o'rourke in three years. by the way, she wasn't alone. the texas democratic party chair also struggled to describe, well, any of beto's accomplishments, maybe because there weren't any. take a look.yb >> nanci pelosi was asked today about his biggest accomplishment. she couldn't really name one, even though he served in the nurse on a brief time, admittedly, but you're telling me he'sam an honest politician? that's his biggest accomplishment in life? >> well hean -- the entire time that he served in the united states house of representatives, the republicans controlled the house of representatives. >> sure. >> they wouldn't allow anything to pass that was sponsored by a democrat, so the fact he wasn't able to get major name recognition -- >> n

beto o'rourke is from el paso, texas so i think he has a better sense. look at the crowd that he had when president trump went to the border. again, my point is -- >> very small. >> it is a very complicated -- actually, it was bigger. >> it was not bigger. that's not true. that's just not true. >> my point is it's -- it is true. it's a complicated issue and part of what beto o'rourke will talk about is the fact that, yes, there is a crisis at the border that president trump has created. now, he, like other democrats have said -- >> 4,000 people came across the border on monday. that's a crisis -- >> ben, ben. >> under obama's dhs secretary said yesterday it is a crisis at the border. >> hold on, ben. karen, finish your point. >> so my point is that democrats have been very clear that they're for border security, and you're right, some of the folks who are down there have some of the best ideas. again, that's why they wanted money for whether it was drones, whether it was other kinds of technology, you know, all of that, and port security frankly because

beto o'rourke/ (d) presidential candidate"hey everybody! what's up?" beto o'rourke ... making it official ... turning a long flirtation with a presidential bid into formal campaign. visiting iowa for the first time ever today, the crowd so big inside this coffee shop, he took his message to the countertop.beto o'rourke/ (d) presidential candidate think there's ever been a greater moment in our lifetimes and for this country."in a morning video to supporters, he outlined the high stakes of the 2020 campaign ... beto o'rourke/ (d) presidential candidate "this moment of peril produces, perhaps, the greatest moment of promise for this country and for everyone inside of it."at the white house, the president said he was watching - and took immediate aim at those pronounced hand gestures.pres. trump"i think he has a lot of hand movement. i've never seen so much hand movement. i said, 'is he crazy or is that just the way he acts?'"o'rourke barely mentioned the president at all reporter"so president trump made fun of your hands today."beto o'rourke/ (d) presidential candidate"oh

this is a show of force day for beto o'rourke. it happens to come at the end of the fund raising quarter, which is no small coincidence, i'm sure. the campaign has a chance to show their strength across the state of texas. it's an important early primary state for democrats. we are seeing something we don't see often, amy o'rourke, the candidates wife on stage introducing her husband. o'rourke is at her side. she doesn't usually give big speeches like this. it speaks to the way the campaign is trying to kick this off. what happens the last two weeks were largely smaller scale events. the candidate hopping up on counters in coffee shops, meeting people in homes. this is what the o'rourke campaign wants the country to see their guy can do. they bring big crowds, get people fired up. this is what he did in the texas senate race and hope he can ignite. it will be interesting to see the size and scope of the rally in the biggest city of texas and in austin, the most liberal city in texas this afternoon. they are trying to draw a lot of

. >> yeah, look, o'rourke wants to be a unifying figure. he doesn't want to run a race against the other democrats that are running. he's not even really running against donald trump as much as he's trying to be someone who he says can unite the country at a time when they need it now. when i pressed him for specifics about how he stands out from this field, he said he brings two things specifically to the table. first, his home state of texas and its 38 electoral votes could become a target, as could other conservative states where he might play a little bit better than some of the other progressive candidates. and second, he says he feels like he's uniquely qualified to talk about issues around the border and immigration. he comes from arguably the p preeminent border states in the country. you've set it up in the intro, peter, beto o'rourke is undoubtedly a star. the question is can he be a successful politician. we didn't hear a lot of specifics from him about the policies he wanted to pursue or how he would do them. it will be interest

he never asked o'rourke for political favors. >>> o'rourke recently acknowledged in an interview with reuters he was a member of the old evident computer hacking group in history. the cult of the dead cow named after an abandoned texas slaughterhouse is known for releasing tools to let me hack computers. he kind the term hackivism. no evidence that o'rourke engaged in activity such as breaking into computers or writing code. o'rourke said of his time with the group, it's a profound value of being a part of the system. looked at it critically and having fun. the cult of the dead cow is a great example of that. interesting. >> maybe we can have more cyber security then if o'rourke is president. >>> the republican national committee took a swipe at democratic presidential candidate beto o'rourke in a tweet celebrating st. paddy's day. it used o'rourke's mugshot from 1998 drunk and driving arrest and linked it to his irish heritage. they placed a leprechaun hat on o'rourke. o'rourke goes by his nickname beto which was given to him as a child. both democrats and republicans condemned the t

he interviewed beto o'rourke for the april issue of the magazine that's out tonight. joe, he in your piece says everything but i am a candidate for president of the united states. what do you think he's going to say tomorrow? >> well, you know, my educated guess, based on all the facts that are coming in this evening and the fact that he did this story, obviously, is that he's going to run, that he feels compelled to run. he spent some time in the wilderness, you know, after his loss to ted cruz and he gave it a lot of, you know, thought and he confided with his wife and family and came out the other side of that and decided this is it. i got to do this. >> joe, as usual, as i've come to expect from you, beautiful writing, important insights that you pick up, your author's eye picks up, and all the time you clearly spent with beto o'rourke and his wife. and there is a passage in the middle of your piece where they're on their way back to texas from taping the oprah interview and beto o'rourke's wife amy starts to realize that what he did on that show, she believes, is

the big issue with beto o'rourke is then versus now. the world was introduced to him as a political phenomenon, if you will, last fall. these were the kinds of headlines you were seeing when he was running in texas. these are the top democrats in the country last year running for office who raised the most office. it wasn't all these incumbent u.s. senators. it was a challenger in texas, beto o'rourke, and it wasn't even close. we say he raised a ton of money in the fall. that's why. remember, we say then versus now. every democrat has been dreaming for a generation of flipping texas. ted cruz is one of the most unpopular republicans with democratic activists. beto o'rourke, in the brains of democratic activists he hit a lot of pleasure centers last fall in the race against ted cruz. as you say, he came up short. what's he up against now. he's not running against ted cruz, he's running against democrats and in the early polling, single digits, you got biden, sanders, harris, you got him clustered in with a bunchovbunch of candidates. he

in other words, beto o'rourke is a capitalist. he also had a run-in with the law, 1998 he was driving in el paso county when he struck an oncoming truck and tried to leave the scene. he was arrested for driving under the influence. while alcohol damage his reputation, we'd apparently help state. when o'rourke was on the el paso city council and the war on drugs was raging across the river, he introduced a resolution to open debate on whether to legalize marijuana. it passed the council unanimously, but then congressman sylvester reyes, a conservative democrat, convinced the el paso mayor to veto the resolution and convince council members not override the veto. o'rourke was so livid he vowed it to challenge ray is in the primary and won. it marked the first time a member of congress lost for being too tough on drugs. and last month, when o'rourke was asked on msnbc about the wall, between mexico and his home town of el paso, he said this. watch. >> would you take the wall down now? >> yes. absolutely. i would take the wall -- >> l

so what is the key to beating beto o'rourke? >> he's about to face the first scrutiny of his career. vanity fair was a great fluff piece but when he's about to find out is at the enduring media attention he received while running for senate in texas against senator cruz is not going to be the same media attention he will receive around iowa. kennedy: and they are members of the media who are protective of people i kamala harris and bernie sanders. and when those two cans get together and turned their sights on beto o'rourke because it is been talk to his operative was trying to undermine bernie. it will get dirty and beneath the surface. >> in people forget that beto o'rourke didn't do too well in his own, he barely exceeded 60 percent. and he lost most of the hispanic heavy counties which are supposed to be his big deal in texas. this is a guy that the dimmick primary is not really proven himself running again for a large office. we'll see how is able to do but i want to end and giving a little credit. to say that he is a campa

o'rourke: hey. >> how was it? rep. o'rourke: it was great. i had a lot of amazing running partners. at the end, this guy noah was talking to me about what could be improved from the v.a. and the health care system. he is a musician. it distracted me from the pain i was feeling. it felt really good. >> can i ask you a question? rep. o'rourke: absolutely. >> thanks for coming to iowa. i am self-employed and right now my premium is over 10% a month, which is a lot. the problem is the cost of health care. it is out of control. i am a college student as well. for me, if i were to hurt my ankle today, safe all and trip -- fall and trip on something, that could basically put me in a position where i could probably not finish college and i would be in debt for a long time. i know you support medicare for all. i am not sure where you fall on that, but do you think health care is a human right? if so, if you were elected president, would you support health care programs where every .single person in the country could receive full medical care, dental free of cost? rep. o'rourke: the answer to

o'rourke took the plunge today. he is now in the 38 race and he told vanity fair, quote, man, i'm just born to be in it. tonight senior correspondent mike tobin looks at the latest event in beto mania. [cheers] >> after the long tease less than subtle hints and jack ramblings as he travels the country beto o'rourke made it official in a video with his wife by his side from the couch in their el paso home. >> i'm running to serve you as the next president of the united states of america. this is defining moment of truth for this country. >> promising a listening tour across the nation, o'rourke is on the ground in iowa starting his day with a meet and greet that coffee shop. and then another at burlington beate bean counter coffee house. the economy, bitter political divide and climate change. >> literally not to be melodramatic literally the future of the world depends on us right now here where we are. so, yes. let's find a way to do this. >> with star power like oprah winfrey in his corner o'rourke is on the next

but now beto o'rourke, bernie sanders, are at the top of the crowded field. how does the lady get to the head of the pack? john delaney joins me now. congressman, you didn't get back from iowa until 12:30 this morning. you've been to iowa 14 times, new hampshire 14 times. south carolina, you're going to go to all 50 states. >> yep. >> how do you compete against beto raising $6 million on day one? >> beto and i came into congress together, so beto is a friend of mine. mine strategy is obviously very much focused on the early states. one of the reasons i got in so early, i think i'm the right person for the job and i have the right vision for the country, but not enough people knew who i was or still know who i am. but i'm pursuing kind of that old-fashioned early stage strategy. we're doing well in the early states. we have very high name i.d. i've been to all 99 counties in iowa. this weekend i had packed houses at all of my events, 50, 60, 70 people turning up in small towns in rural iowa. >> well, beto o'rourke, as you point out, you were elected at the sam

and beto o'rourke is in. he was so excited that he jumped on top of a diner counter to take questions from voters in the key early state of iowa. as jeff zeleny reports, he has already gotten president trump's attention. >> hey, everybody, what's up? >> reporter: beto o'rourke making it official, turning a long flirtation with a presid t presidential bid into a formal campaign, visiting iowa for the first time ever today, the crowd so big inside this coffee shop, he took his message to the countertop. >> i don't think there's ever been a greater moment in our lifetimes and for this country. >> reporter: in a morning video to supporters, he outlined the high stakes of the 2020 campaign. >> this moment of peril produces, perhaps, the greatest moment of promise for this country and for everyone inside of it. >> reporter: at the white house, the president said he was watching and took immediate aim at those pronounced hand gestures. >> i think he has a lot of hand movement. i've never seen so much hand movement.

beto o'rourke admitted that he did not know much about it. he said he liked that he admitted that he didn't know much about it and that he asked for more information for more understanding. another woman at a coffee shop walked in undecided, came out saying she wanted to vote for beto o'rourke. she said she felt inspired. here is where they can all agree. almost every single one of them will tell you, it's very early. >> i'm running to serve you as president of the united states of america. thank you. >> reporter: beto o'rourke's official campaign announcement coming via video after months of speculation. >> the challenges that we face right now -- >> reporter: the former texas congressman laid out his motivation for getting into the race. first stop, iowa. the southeast, part of a tour today that includes stops in three counties that flipped from president obama in 2012 to donald trump four years later. it's his first visit to the state. >> this is my first time to ever visit iowa. >> reporter: o'rourke hoping to win over undecided democrats

and i grabbed a few moments with o'rourke. his campaign kicked off four months after his loss to senator ted cruz, which was one of his favorite applause lines because it is one of the best showing he can make because it was the best showing a democrat had in an election. >> when i heard you saying, you came up short. what if you hadn't? would you be in waterloo? >> i might be in waterloo. i don't know if i would be in waterloo and all of the communities i've been in, running for president. i was running to serve amy stat. and i made the commitment that i was going to serve every one of the six years in public trust. i have an opportunity, now, to do something the country badly needs. i get a chance to be part of something that the country badly needs. that's come together at this very divided moment. not just coming together for the sick of it. but coming together to achieve the really ambitious goals together. >> you're not the first to say i'm going to bring this country together. a democratic president and a lot of people

you o'rourke has been in the political spotlight since he -- that o'rourke has been in the political spotlight ever since he ran against ted cruz for u.s. senate. [inaudible] ♪ [inaudible] donald!o [inaudible] [laughter] ♪ [laughter] [inaudible] >> while we wait for former texas congressman beto o'rourke to kick off his official campaign for president, here is a quick preview of the week ahead in congress. >> daniel newhouse the reports on congress for national journal. he joins us for a look at the week ahead. let's start with senate rule changes. we could see significant change in the u.s. than it. -- u.s. senate. what is mitch mcconnell attempting to do? >> he wants to limit the amount of time it would take to debate judges and nominations, executive branch nominees, judges or subcabinet positions. this would not apply to the supreme court or to the cabinet, but mcconnell wants to limit debate from 30 hours to just two hours, which would speed up how many judges or how many nominees president trump can get through the senate. >> the senate has already approved about three doze

it was o'rourke's appeal. you know, what he was doing in texas, he wasn't trying to persuade sen tryst republicans to vote for him, although some did. he was trying to convince likely leaning democratic voters it was worth it to show up at the polls. he did that successfully. not enough to win, but more than anyone in the past. >> thank you very much. appreciate your time this morning. you are kind to commend joe hagen's piece, i will xhnd yours as well. >>> when we come back, the russia investigation may come to a close. new insight into the timing of when robert mueller is going to release his report. going to release his report - [woman] with my shark, i deep clean messes like this. this and even this. but i don't have to clean this, because the self-cleaning brush roll removes hair, while i clean. - [announcer] shark, the vacuum that deep cleans, now cleans itself. make yourself comfy. it's the biggest streaming collection of british telly ever. enjoy loved classics from the bbc and itv and discover exclus

beto o'rourke ready to run. he is in iowa for three days of events and he already confirmed he is sbis entering the race fo president. in a text message, he says i'm really proud of what el paso did and what el paso represents. it is a big part of why i'm running. before that, o'rourke told v vani"vanity fair," you can prob tell i want to run. i think i'll be good at it. this is the fight of our lives, not the fight of my political life. i want to be in it, man. i'm just born to be in it. sounds like springsteen. >> he is a red state democrat who lost a tight race to ted cruz, but that election launched him into the national spotlight. i raised a whopping $80 million. 44% of that money came from out of state. o'rourke joins a primary field of more than a dozen democratic candidates and he says there is an overrepresentation of white men in government and he will have an administration that reflects the nation's diversity. >>> a ferocious so-called bomb si cyclone leaving behind a mess in the rockies. about 1100

where does o'rourke fit on that line? >> beto o'rourke's record in congress is much more toward the moderate side than the liberal side. he is as moderate as joe biden according to vote records, you see it on the screen. this looks at all of the roll call votes cast in congress, and o'rourke is actually to the right of not just bernie sanders or cam la harris but of the average democrat running. that's an interesting question whether the electorate of today which is more liberal than four years ago, eight years ago, 12 years ago, going to nominate toward the middle. more than that, he has to fight over moderate voters with joe biden who may or may not get in the race. if biden does, it may squeeze o'rourke out in the center of the electorate. >> the big question is voter turnout. i can't believe we're looking at that already on what to expect in the next presidential election but what are any of the indicators that we're going to have decent turnout in this presidential election? >> i think one of the big questions about

we have breaking political news, breaking beto o'rourke news. the former texas congressman jumped in the race last week. one of the big questions was would he generate the kind of grassroots national support that he did for his senate race? could he raise the kind of money he did then? well, we have an answer. a in the first 24 hours they say they raised just over $6.1 million in online contributions. that is more than any other candidate did their first day this year, slightly edging senator bernie sanders. >> the contributions we're told coming from every state and u.s. stairer to. news of the historic windfall comes after his weekend kickoff that had him barnstorming across iowa. he now has plans to travel to other key primary states, as one does. mj lee is live in jackson, mis, with more on these breaking details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, guys. beto o'rourke announcing his first fundraising numbers, these numbers were so highly anticipated and just bears repeating, $6.1 million in just the first 24 hours since he announced hi

the big test for beto o'rourke. can he live up to the hype? spanish speaker who came within of upsetting ted cruz in texas officially is in for the 2020 race. he has a busy three days planned across iowa which, of course, holds the nation's first presidential contest. beto brings some big advantages. he's charismatic, prolific fund-raiser. oprah fell in love with him. lebron wore his cap during that texas race but beto also brings some big question marks as well. plenty of critics eager to label him as style over substance. that new profile in "vanity fair." in it, the writer notes that he is decidedly not the street fighter many democrats crave. o'rourke also joining the contest much more difficult than the one he faced in texas. big names like kamala harris, elizabeth warren, bernie sanders already soaking up support. >>> plus another happy warrior waiting in the wings, former vice president joe biden. all in all, it will be the toughest fight of the 46-year-old's political life. let's start this conversation in ft. madison, iowa, with nbc r

what do you make of the o'rourke candidacy so far? he's drawing crowds, getting a fair amount of attention on cable and network news? is he the real deal? >> i don't know. i mean, this is a long process. i'm glad that we have so many candidates who have stepped up and, you know, who put their names and put themselves out in here. but a lot of these candidates haven't been tested before and the purpose of this primary process is to really test them under fire, on policy. and not just the personality. but do they have the real chops to govern? i think that we're ready for that. and the primary process is going to show that. i don't know at the end of the day whether it's going to be beto o'rourke or somebody else who ends up winning the democratic nomination. >> do you want joe biden to get into this thing? >> i do want him to get into it. it's important for all these voices to be heard. at the end of the day, for me, all of these guys are pretty much progressive enough. i just want somebody who is going to beat donald trump, get him ou

o'rourke made a stop in detroit for a meet and greet today. his campaign says the texas democrat raised about six point one million dollars in the first 24 hours of his 20-20 presidential campaign. that is the largest announced first-day haul of any 20-20 democratic contender to date.... topping the five-point-nine million dollar one-day total that senator bernie sanders announced earlier this year... and well above the 1-point-five million california senator kamala harris raised in the first 24. (ken) o'rourke also made a campaign stop in cleveland today.he has pledged not to a

o'rourke described his campaign number as a proof of concept for what he is trying to do. take a listen. what message due hope that message sends to your opponents, your supporters? >> i hope it's sending a mablg for people out there looking for a different way to run a national race. a race that is premised on our faith. >> reporter: do you know what your average contribution was? >> i know people contribute fareed every state in the union. >> reporter: o'rourke told we reporters he didn't want to be talking about this he wanted to focus on northeast iowa. you note, he doesn't bring out the specifics, how many were new donors, how many were folks in texas that might have been familiar with him before. that's not the kind of thing, halle, it's notable in the sense that it dove tails of what i heard is maybe the main criticism of o'rourke at these things. people come away feeling inspired. they think he is a great and hopeful speaker. people tell me they hope he would be more specific about policy. the lack of specifics is one thing. they want to hear more about specifics o

. >> reporter: beto o'rourke kicking off his presidential bid. >> o'rourke is undoubtedly a star. the question is, can he be a successful politician? >> i have experience finding ways to work across the aisle. >> police are investigating the murder of a man believed to be the head of the gambino crime family. >> francesco cali was shot and killed outside his home. >> a major court victory for sandy hook families. >> gun-maker remington can be sued over how it marketed the rifle used in the massacre. >> all we want is our day in court. >> glor: and, once homeless, he's now been accepted by 17 colleges and counting. >> this feels really great. i feel accomplished. >> glor: good evening. i'm jeff glor. and this is our western edition. and we're going to begin with this president's first veto, and the widening divide over a wall. the republican-run senate today firmly rejected the president's declaration of a national emergency at the border. a dozen republicans sided with senate democrats. the final vote was 59-41. the veto hasn't officially happened, but it will, the president promi

she said her plans are to vote for beto o'rourke. this was a small crowd who liked what he had to say. he talked about education, about health care. that was the very first question. they asked about things that impact rural america given that we are in the southeastern part of iowa. his campaign is making no secret of the strategy in terms of they are going to places where they are focussing on places here during this three-day iowa trip that was won by president obama and then in the very next election won by president trump. so they are kind of targeting the forgotten. in a way that is sort of hearing him talk in this small coffee shop felt like a bit of a flashback to the mid term campaign when he was up against senator ted cruz. he raised $80 million. now, he did not win. it was a narrow loss of three points. he is hoping that he can engage those young voters, inspire people to come on his side, but the question is, how will he differentiate himself with so many candidates? this is a very crowded field. he said i plan to be myse

>> you are looking at live pictures here of beto o'rourke. he's campaigning this morning in michigan. and he just took the lead in at least one key measure of the 2020 race. what is that measure? well, you're just going to have to stick around to find out. that's right, john berman. ♪ looking to lose weight this year? try fda-approved alli®. for every 5 lbs you lose, alli® can help you lose two to three more by preventing about 25% of the fat you eat from being absorbed. for the only fda-approved otc weight loss aid, try alli®. 12 hours? 20 dogs? where's your belly rubs? after a day of chasing dogs you shouldn't have to chase down payments. (vo) send invoices and accept payments to get paid twice as fast. (danny) it's time to get yours! (vo) quickbooks. backing you. with 25 million bookable [can we switch sides?] [yeah!] in hotels... [maybe, like tilt] resorts... homes and more... [you got it?] [oh that's good, yeah] bookers always find what they're looking for... be a booker at booking.com it turns out, they want me to start next month.

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