Transcripts For MSNBCW Andrea Mitchell Reports 20160113

Following the ripple effects from the state of the union speech where the president directed his spent pent up frustration about a Republican Campaign that hes not fully addressed on such a grand scale. We need to reject any politics, any politics that targets people because of race or religion. When politicians insult muslims whether abroad or our fellow citize citizens, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid is called nam names, it doesnt make us safer. Thats not telling it like it is. Its just wrong. It diminishing us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. It betrays who we are as a country. Chuck todd is nbc political director and host of meet the press and host of mpt daily. Chuck, you were saying last night as we watched and lived through this together that this was barack obama the real voice of barack obama unleashed. Hes been frustrated for months as hes watched this Republican Campaign. And last night this was the subtext of the entire speech. Absolutely. It was a rebuttal. At least seven responses to donald trump. At least one even to chris christie. Throw in marco rubio in there. You could see during the Foreign Policy section, you could see there were a lot of ways he was essentially rebutting, you know, almost as if okay thereve been all these Republican Debates. Your name was mentioned, mr. President. You get an hour to respond. You know . And thats what when you really look back on it, i think you can see that in many ways, thats how they wanted to frame the speech. Because guess what. That is what this campaign is about. If the republicans win, then they successfully have sold the country on the idea that president obama was wrong last night. That we arent going in the right direction nap we are weaker, et cetera. If president obamas party is to win a third term, then his argument is what would have to come out on top in order to get it. So this is the argument, america. And nikki haley, the republican response from the South Carolina governor, an important figure of course because of the importance of South Carolina coming up in the primary calendar. And here is nikki haley after criticizing republicans saying we republicans have to answer, we have to look in our mirror for the nature of politics as well as the democrats. And also calling out donald trump by name. Heres what happened when matt lauer asked that on today. I respect all of those people and understand their opinion. But i disagree. I think a lot of what when you were talking about those loudest voices, angriest voices, in that context you were referring to donald trump, correct . He was one of them, yes. Mr. Trump has definitely contributed to what i think is just irresponsible talk. And it didnt take long. You know, instantaneously on twitter. Ann coulter, Laura Ingraham calling her out for being too tough on donald trump. So you have a real divide in the Republican Party. It was played out on stage last night. And certainly on the today show this morning. It is. And its funny with nikki haley. Im old enough to remember when she was the outsider. And the establishment in South Carolina was trying to destroy her and stop her from gaining election. And many and she was a Tea Party Favorite when she won that first term. So its amazing how things can shift and change. But i have to say in looking, in watching the response to her, you know, ive been a little bit slow to agreeing to this idea that the Republican Party is about to totally split in two to the point its going to be so fractured they cant bring the party back together. Watching that last night where in front of a mainstream audience, probably that leans slightly democratic because usually weve noticed that over the years in republican state of the unions, it leans republican. And in democrat state of the unions it leans democrat. Why they could be upset nikki haley was putting out there, that goes if the party cant heal in a moment like this, in a situation like that, then maybe the establishment wing is going in one direction and maybe they wont put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Watching why one of those rare moments, a successful woman and a woman who represents a successful governor in South Carolina appearing for the Party Getting plaudits, why they would take shots at her right away. Look. There is a theres a half of basically party. Wants a more confrontational tone. Doesnt like this idea of sort of saying lets put down our rhetorical arms, essentially. Thats what many conservatives believe republicans have been doing too much in washington. So thats why there was i think from some corners of the party such a visceral reaction to what he said. Then you have other corners that just want to win. They see her as the person you just described. A great young, generational face of the party that has been sorely missing for them. And returning to the state of the union speech, the president s speech for a moment, this was the rhetorical finish. I wanted to play that for you and ask you about it. Thats the america i know. Thats the country we love. Clear eyed, big hearted, undaunted by challenge. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. Thats what makes me so hopeful about our future. Clear eyed and big hearted. Where have you heard that before . It sounded an awful lot like coach eric taylor from kwp friday night lights. Yeah we got a little friday night lights in there. It was a more loosely written speech. About the only thing missing was the david bowie reference given we lost him this week. I wouldnt have been shocked to see it in there. This felt more personal to the president , different than weve seen before. The real challenge is sometimes these if this is what hes going to actually Campaign Around the country on, i am curious what the focus is going to be. Is it going to be more about rebutting the tone of the republicans or is it going to be focusing on broken politics . I do find and we talked about this yesterday, andrea, the fact that one thing was the same in both speeches. That our politics is broken. I am curious. You dont see many candidates actually running that are making that their front and center issue. You could argue Bernie Sanders does talk about it more than others. But im curious to see if other republicans might take it up. And of course it was barack obama who broke out of the spending limits in the first place. And now of course hes gotten the religion of doing something in campaign financing. Always in the last year of office and when youre not running again, isnt it . Indeed. Chuck, good to see you. Thank you very much. And for the democrats today the news today is a new National Poll showing Bernie Sanders cutting into Hillary Clintons National Lead by 13 points over the past month. With voting in iowa around the corner. As clinton tries to ignore sniping aimed at her husband from donald trump. Savannah guthrie asked her about that this morning on today. Hes saying that you played the socalled woman card and that you called him essentially sexist. And when you did that, you opened the door to these attacks about bill clintons past misconduct. Oh, you know, im not going to engage with him on these matters. The voters can make up their minds. Does he undercut the effectiveness of bill clinton as a surrogate for you . Oh, i am so proud my husbands out on the campaign trail. Joining me now for our daily fix, chris alyssa, julie pace, and kasie hunt. Well, first to you chris, any time Hillary Clinton laughs that way, sometimes yes. You wonder is it the kate mckin nonor Hillary Clinton laugh where shes uncomfortable with the question. Talk about the trademark laugh and yes. I mean, i think she does that to sort of say, oh, you know, no big deal here. But look. She doesnt want to talk about her husbands past indiscretions. Frankly from a political or personal level, i get both of those things. I do, however, think if youre trying to understand why all of a sudden does Bernie Sanders in range in iowa when he hadnt been, in range nationally at least in the cbs New York Times poll when he hadnt been ahead in New Hampshire by margin between 13 and 14 points depending on the poll you look at, its hard to see what it is unless its the insertion of bill clinton in the campaign. Donald trump attached to what Bernie Sanders has said about Hillary Clinton. Because nothing else really has changed. It has to be at least a factor here. And julie pace, as you watch this and watch the way the president is responding, you know, Hillary Clinton is out with a new ad today on guns. She says i stand with barack obama. She doesnt mention Bernie Sanders. But theres been a lot of really heated rhetoric between the two of them in the last 48 hours or so since these polls have really tightened. And julie, im not sure sorry, andrea. Yeah. I just caught the end of that. Could you say the question again . The polls and the fact Hillary Clinton is now saying in a new ad today i stand with barack obama on guns. Its time to make a choice. She doesnt mention Bernie Sanders. But shes really making guns one of the touch stones of this campaign as she tries to differentiate between his record and hers. Shes essentially making this the center piece of her campaign right now. If you watched her campaign over the last four or five days, this has been an area where they think they can draw contrast with sanders. They think it could weaken him with some of the liberal progressive voters in the country. Because they are still aligned with sanders on so many other issues. But i think more broadly it has exposed the fact that the Clinton Campaign is nervous. Theyre seeing something not just in public polling but presumably in their private polling and any focus groups. Theyre showing that enthusiasm and momentum are with sanders. It doesnt mean he will be the nominee. If there is enthusiasm as he likes to say in the democratic race, its behind him, not Hillary Clinton. And then youve got ted cruz and donald trump in iowa not only new polling showing them, you know, very, very closely tied. But kasie hunt, when you look at the rhetoric in the last 24 hours, trump and cruz for the first time really going after trump. This birther thing seems to really be getting under his skin. And trump today tweeting that theres no way ted cruz can continue running in the republican primary unless he can erase doubt on eligibility. D dems will sue. His attacks are devastatingly effective. They just asked jeb bush what its like to be attacked by donald trump. He manages to find exactly the issue thats going to cause a problem. And for ted cruz, there was a conservative columnist Erick Erickson who put up a post about how ted cruz excuse me donald trump was helping in the attacks. An update said the Cruz Campaign gets in touch with us to say we are seeing changes in polling around the birther issue. I view that as an attempt by the Cruz Campaign to try and get some of the right wing media folks to help them out on this issue and maybe, you know, try to neutralize it a little bit. The reality is its something that many of those commentators whether its rush limbaugh, ann colter, or others have been quiet on this. And theyve been otherwise defensive of cruz. Thats clearly not the case anymore. And just got to show you one moment. A red carpet moment, if you will. John kerry a shoutout to john kerry about what hes wearing. Secretary, who are you wearing . [ laughter ] just a moment. Anyway. Sounded a little bit like our part. E could have been there. Thank you all so much. For his first state of the union as speaker, paul ryan had to prepare for all of that tv face time sitting behind the president trying not to smile, the poker face. Then head told todays matt lauer it took another aspect. He has conquered the odor in his office from that fivepackaday guy john boehner. It doesnt smell like smoke, does it . I was going to ask you about that. There was a rumor there was an overwhelming tobaccotype smell in here. Two packs a day in here for five years. Whatd you do to get rid of it . Everything. New carpet, upholstery, paint. I couldnt get the smell out of here. Coming up tomorrow interviews with donald trump and Bernie Sanders. Coming up here on Andrea Mitchell reports, rapid response. How frantic diplomacy between kerry and his iranian counterpart helped to free ten u. S. Sailors after they drifted into irans territorial waters. Everyones lookin red carpet ready. My man, lemme guess who youre wearing. Toenail fungus . Whaaat . . Fight it with jublia. Jublia is a prescription medicine. Used to treat toenail fungus. Use jublia as instructed by your doctor. Jublia is workin it most common side effects include. Ingrown toenail, application site redness,. Itching, swelling, burning. Or stinging, blisters, and pain. Oh fight it with jublia now thats a red carpet moment ask your doctor if jublia is right for you. Visit our website for savings on larger size. I built my business with passion. But i keep it growing by making every dollar count. Thats why i have the spark cash card from capital one. I earn unlimited 2 cash back on everything i buy for my studio. And that unlimited 2 cash back from spark means thousands of dollars each year going back into my business. Thats huge for my bottom line. Whats in your wallet . cell phone rings where are you . Well the squirrels are back in the attic. Mom . Your dad wont call an exterminator. Can i call you back, mom . He says its personal this time. If youre a mom, you call at the worst time. Its what you do. If you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. Its what you do. Where are you . Its very loud there. Are you taking a zumba class . New video just released on Iran State Television showed the ten u. S. Navy sailors held by iran after their boats drifted into iranian waters yesterday and were freed by irans revolutionary guard. This is secretary of state kerry earlier this hour. This kind of issue was able to be peacefully resolved. And officially resolved. That is a testament to the Critical Role that diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure, and strong. Im joined now by jim miklaszewski. Mick, first to you. They are back in bahrain. But how did this snap that it was an accident, not an instrugs. So alls well thal ends well. Still a mystery as to what went down. Thats right. Its under intense investigation by the u. S. Military, the navy, the pentagon. How did this happen . Initially it was said to be a mechanical failure. Then a navigational error of some kind. Its totally unclear. Those ten sailors are back in bahrain now where theyre undergoing a reintegration protocol. It happens with every kind of hostage or p. O. W. Release where theyre examined medically and psychologically to make sure theyre okay. But its particularly jarring to people here in the pentagon, of course, to see that image of ten u. S. Sailors on their own boat, on their knees, hands locked behind their heads. Its not a pretty site. Its had quite an impact on a lot of people here in the pentagon. Allowed themselves to be boarded. It ended well. But it was pretty ugly in the process, andrea. And very briefly, in looking at those sailors, the ten sailors when they were prisoners, one of our colleagues looked at those pictures and said these are not special ops guys just for their bill. There was no indication this was espionage or this was a special operation . No. And one of them being a woman sort of rules out special operations forces. They were pretty much routine sailors on routine missions up and down the coast. Im sure somebody has a good idea pl but this investigation will likely take weeks before we see any results. And its so unusual to see it being resolved so quickly. It says everything about whats at stake for iran with the nuclear deal and with the change in leadership. But possibly also the division in the leadership in tehran. Thats absolutely right. The management style is a lot more diplomatic to the predecessor who had a similar incident with some british sailors. If that had been the same scenario, the situation would have been much worse. Resolved relatively quickly. I think thats a key indication of how desperate iran is to make sure this nuclear deal goes through. If this had escalated beyond todays resolution, it could have jeopardized the whole deal. And that would have been a major headache. They would have had to explain to the iranian people why the economy wouldnt rebound and that would have been very, very difficult at home. So this has ended well for the rouhani government as well. Thanks so much. Im joined now for more on this from ambassador Wendy Sherman who negotiated the Iran Nuclear Deal alongside john kerry and knows all of these players better than any other american perhaps than john kerry. Thanks for join b us. It certainly took a lot of attention and scrambling on behalf on the part of secretary kerry, people in the white house right before the state of the union from this accidental intrusion. Give us some insight into what was going on in these frantic calls with zarif. As weve heard, secretary kerry was with secretary ash carter of the pentagon at the time that he heard about this. He left the meeting with senior philippine officials to call zarif, the foreign minister of iran. He had several conversations with him before the state of the Union Address. He made it clear that this was an accident. That no one was entirely clear what had occurred here. Minister zarif gave assurances they would be released quickly. That happened our time about 3 30 this morning or so. They wanted to wait until the daybreak took place in farsi island in the persian gulf so there would be safety. And our sailors are safe which is of course our primary concern. But i think the point secretary kerry made, the point your reporters made is critical here which is we now have a diplomatic channel for communication. We know who to call. We know how to resolve things. There was community about the transfer between the coast guard and our forces. And having these lines of communication, this way to have a resolution is critical. Because we know unfortunately that there are likely to be other incidents ahead. Because although we have this very, very critical deal to make sure iran does not get a nuclear weapon, we dont have a normal relationship with iran. We expect there will be very many difficulties ahead because there are things that iran is doing in the region that are not helpful at all. They have american citizens detained in tehran which is of great concern to us. So we have to keep working all of these issues to make sure americas security is secure. And if secretary kerry can pick up the phone and call zarif, one wonders why cant he call and say release those prisoners. I know its not one of the sanctions relief but youve heard the concerns. I share a all of the concerns. One of my great regrets is before i left as undersecretary, i was not able to get all of the americans home. I know my colleagues led by secretary kerry, by the president of the United States have been very engaged in trying to continue the work thats necessary to bring all the americans home. And im going to remain hopeful because i know as the president said in the state of the union last night, he is a man of great resolve. As is secretary kerry. I know no one will rest until all of the americans are home. And i know my colleagues are hard at work on that. Secretary kerry said today that kbremgs implementation day is going to happen. There were reports not confirmed about pouring concrete into the reactor core. This is actually coming together. The core out of the plutonium reactor so it cant create weapons grade plutonium and pour concrete into e is this cylinders so it cannot be started again. The National Atomic agency has to verify all the steps are taken. I know that iran has reported today that it has people in vienna working with the iaea. The iaea is visiting the facilities to make sure the work is done, that all the verification and monitoring is in place. And so i think the secretary of state has said this is likely to be sooner rather than later. The iranians have said the same. And so i would expect this to happen very soon. Wendy sherman, thank you very being with us today. Thank you. And still ahead, terror arrests. Three russian nationals detained in istanbul following a bombing in a popular tourist area. A report from Richard Engel coming up. Hey this is lloyd. To prove to you that the better choice for him is aleve. Hes agreed to give it up. Ok, but i have 30 acres to cover by sundown. Well be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. Yeah, i was ok, but after lunch my knee started hurting again so. More pills. Yep. Another pill stop. Can i get my aleve back yet . For my pain. I want my aleve. Get all day minor arthritis pain relief with an easy open cap. Youre down with crestor. Alright now theres a way you can get crestor for 3. Adding crestor, along with diet, lowers bad cholesterol. Crestor is not for people with liver disease, or women who are nursing,pregnant, or may become pregnant. Tell your doctor all medicines you take. Call your doctor if you have muscle pain or weakness; feel unusually tired; have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. These could be signs of serious side effects. Ask for the crestor 3 card. Ask your doctor about crestor. Theand the kids always eat sky their vegetables. E. Because the salad there is always served with the original Hidden Valley ranch. In turkey three russian nationals are in custody today following yesterdays suicide bombing that killed ten people in downtown istanbul. Russian and turkish News Agencies are reporting the three suspects are accused of having links to isis. Joining me now from istanbul is nbcs chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel. Richard, the whole russian turkish relationship, the downed airplane and all the rest, this is the backdrop for the terror attack. Do you think is going on. Well, you think relations within iran and between iran and the United States are complicated. The relationship between turkey and russia right now which is essential for the war on isis, its essential in tensions between nato and russia, is a complete mess right now. These people, these three russian nationals, many have confirmed they are detained. The question is when they were detained and for what reason. Russia said they were detained before the attacks, the Suicide Attack in istanbul yesterday. And the turkish government is saying they were detained in connection with that attack. So there is a dispute there clearly. And it goes to this almost cold war dynamic that were seeing between turkey and russia right now. After the russian plane was shot down after the Turkish Air Force targeted and shot down the russian fighter jet relations have become incredibly bad. If you listen to russian media, it always used to be focused on crimea and how the government in kiev was a nazi government, was a world war ii playing out again. Now if you listen to russian state media, its all against turkey. How turkey is a state sponsor of terrorism and turkey believes that russia is playing games. Its supporting enemies. Its supporting kurdish activists. And we been seeing a lot of activity where the russians and the turks effectively are pushing each other. Theyre arresting each others nationals. Theyre sending each other business back from the airport. Theyre making it harder for the two people to trade and travel between the countries. And at a deeper level, they are both accusing each other of meddling and being involved in supporting terrorist groups and militant groups in each others countries. A very complex relationship. Richard engel, none of this is good for the war against isis. Thank you very much, richard. And coming up, the president s defense of his war on terror with former Fighter Pilot now a congresswoman. If you doubt americas commitment or mine to see that justice is done, just ask osama bin laden. Ive been blind since birth. I go through periods where its hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. Learn about non24 by calling 8448442424. Or visit my24info. Com. Different things his new smart phone does. It reminded him of his magic eraser. Its not just for marks on walls. Its tough on kitchen grease. And bathroom grime too. Hes your. All aroundtoughcleaner, mr. Clean. Its easy to love your laxative when that lax loves your body back. Only miralax hydrates, eases and softens to unblock naturally, so you have peace of mind from start to finish. Love your laxative. Miralax. Both al qaeda and now isil pose a direct threat to our people because in todays world even a hafl of terrorist who is place no value on human life including their own can do a lot of damage. But they do not threaten our national existence. That that is the story isil wants to tell. We dont need to build them up to show that were serious. And we sure dont need to push away vital allies in this fight by echoing the lie that isil is somehow representative of one of the Worlds Largest religions. President obama last night defended his record against isis and he also criticized republican antimuslim rhetoric. Im joined now by Congress Woman mcnally. Served 26 years in the u. S. Air force as the first female Fighter Pilot to fly in combat in u. S. History. Thank you very being with us. Want to ask you about the war of words between republican candidates and the president on how we are combatting terror. Well, let me first say, andrea, this is my second state of the Union Address as a member of congress and while theres a lot of political theater that goes on in that setting i was looking at the meaning of me representing arizona thoenz floor of the house the 94th time the president of the United States addressed the body of congress in such a matter. Very meaningful to be there. When it came to the National Security issues, i think it was a missed opportunity. I was hoping the commander in chief would come with a strong, new strategy to defeat isis, to allay the fears of my constituents and americans about this growing threat that just yesterday morning in the House Armed Services committee, his forming acting director of the cia said is a lethal threat to america. I particularly asked in that hearing about the threat of weapons of mass destruction. That isis has said that they want to not just acquire but develop and how that really is a game changer for us. So it was an opportunity for our commander in chief to lay out a strategy to the rest of the world and to americans. And he really missed that opportunity. Hes continuing to show that hes a bit tone deaf to how people feel about this threat that is now in 20 countries. And in all 50 states in america. And weve got to have a new strategy to address this. It is a lethal threat to our country. I want to ask about nikki haley. The republican rebuttal to the speech also did call out some republicans saying in particular during anxious times it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices and we must resist that temptation. And republicans should look in the mirror because they are part of the reason why people dont trust government. How do you feel about that . Well, andrea, i served 26 years in the military. Ive been in congress for a year and i can tell you my focus with my background and expertise in National Security is to actually look at the facts, address the threat and make sure were keeping america safe from that threat. I dont think a lot of the rhetoric and the stoking fears unnecessarily is useful. And i think it sometimes can be dangerous. But we do need to call the threat what it is. And we need to make sure that we are working across the board to address this threat. We had the king of jordan in a round table yesterday with us. And he said this is christians, jus, and muslims need to be fighting in a war against this muslim threat that is metastasizing in 20 countries now. So we need to be addressing this threat seriously and getting away from the rhetoric. Also want to ask you about legislation you have introduced. A Bipartisan Legislation regarding some of the women who were in the special operations in the air force in world war ii known as the wasps who have recently under order of the secretary of the armmy are no longer given the privilege of having their ashes or remains at arlington. What brought this about . Andrea, this is absolutely a cruel decision by the secretary of the army. These wasps were pioneers in world war ii. A thousand of them flew over 38 airplanes. 38 of them died while serving. After the fact they were given active duty status. They werent at the time simply because of sexism. And they are personal friends and mentors to me as i was breaking through barriers myself. As we are opening up all positions to women in the military, they are closing the doors of arlington to these wasps. She wanted to be in arlington and shes being denied. This is an egregious violation of these heroes. Ive introduced legislation to stop it. Arlington says, you know, were running out of space. Ive been thinking long and hard on this. I have the eligibility to be at arlington and my will says i want to be there. If they dont have space for elaine harmon, she means so much for me, im going to give up my space for her. Stop with excuses and allow our heroes to be laid to rest in Arlington National cemetery where they deserve to be. This is so important for future generations to know about these pioneering women that opened up the door for women like me and women around the world to be aviators and to serve in the military. This is the right thing to do. Im calling on the secretary of the army. He has all the authority he needs to change his policy now. Let elaine and the other wasps be laid to rest as the heroes they deserve. Congresswoman martha mcsally, passionate on this issue. Well follow up. Well stay on this. Absolutely. He can change it right now. Thank you, andrea. Good to see you. And make sure to tune in at the top of the hour. Thomas roberts speaking with donald trump. And coming up, taya kyle with her response. Youre watching msnbc. Our cosmetics line was a hit. The orders were rushing in. I could feel our deadlines racing towards us. We didnt need a loan. We needed shortterm funding fast. Building 18 homes in 4 ½ months . That was a leap. But i knew i could rely on American Express to help me buy those building materials. Amex helped me buy the inventory i needed. Our amex helped us fill the orders. Just like that. Another step on the journey. Will you be ready when growth presents itself . Realize your buying power at open. Com arent moving in the right direction,bers it can be a burden. But what if you could wake up to lower blood sugar . Imagine loving your numbers. Discover oncedaily invokana®. With over 6 million prescriptions and counting, its the 1 prescribed sglt2 inhibitor that works to lower a1c. 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Tell your doctor about any medical conditions, medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. Using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase risk of low blood sugar. Imagine life with a lower a1c. Are you loving your numbers . Theres only one invokana®. Ask your doctor about it by name. Starts with arthritisg pain and a choice. This is sheldon, take tylenol by orthopedic doctors. Or take aleve,. Ommendr just two aleve can keep pain away all day. Back to the news. While youve been president , we are at the lowest murder rate in our country. Alltime low of murders. Were at an alltime high of gun ownership, right . Im not necessarily saying that the two are correlated. What im saying is were at an alltime low for murder rate. Thats a big deal. I understand background checks arent going to necessarily stop me from getting a gun. But i dont know it would have stopped anyone from this room from killing. It feels like a false sense of hope. Why not celebrate where we are . Taya kyle was married to u. S. Navy s. E. A. L. Chris kyle, the subject of the film american sniper. And shes also author of the book american wife. She took on the president as you saw over his executive actions on gun laws. And taya kyle joins me now. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for having me. What is your beef with the president on the executive actions . Why do you think that would first of all not work, isnt the best approach, or infringes Second Amendment rights . I think the executive order, the issue i really have with it is that there are a lot of people who feel very passionately on both sides of this issue. I think we all have the same goal in mind. If there is a way to eradicate murder in the United States, lets do it. If we could keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, lets do that too. Or people who choose to do evil or terrorists. The thing with the executive action that bothers me is its not due process. Its not what we have set up. Any time were looking at something that could pull back on freedoms or is important to do shouldnt be just one mans decision. It should be up to the house and senate. And they should have to answer to their constituents and the people who vote for them as well. Thats supposed to be the way the process works. Now, the man who killed your husband in that tragic loss that you are still suffering, would he have in any way been affected by background checks if the president s orders or other background checks had been in place . You know, its a very valid question. Its something ive gone over in my mind overall in my mind. The question is no. This is a person who worked as an armor in the military. So it wasnt his access to guns. As i think is typical for all who commit evil. Its not their access to the weapon, it is more they choose to do evil. Its thought out. This guy in particular, he had problems that his mother didnt tell chris, to my understanding. So it wasnt just ptsd. Ptsd typically does not make anybody murder someone else. Trajly they usually hurt themselves. In this case this was a person who was using drugs, who got out of trouble by telling police that he had ptsd, they would take him to a Mental Hospital. The Mental Hospital and say he doesnt have anything we can diagnose. He has something they would label something other than psychosis and they would release him. He got through the cracks through the privacy laws where the hospital couldnt talk to the police. Saying this guy has a drug problem. Things like that are more of the issue. Even having said all of that, i dont think theres a way youre going to stop every evil act. Certainly not this one. Taya kyle, thanks for joining the conversation and following up. And of course, our condolences on the loss that you and your family have gone through and are still going through. Thank you for being with us today. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. You bet. Coming up next, rush hour. Well check in on a busy and crowded 2016 campaign trail today. Youre watching Andrea Mitchell reports on msnbc. Why fit in when you were born to stand out. The 2016 Nissan Altima has arrived. You have to feel healthy. On the outside. At your core. Trubiotics a probiotic from one a day naturally helps support both your digestive and immune health by combining. Two types of good bacteria. Trubiotics. Be true to your health. At ally bank no branches equals great rates. Its a fact. Kind of like reunions equal blatant lying. The company is actually doing really well on, on social media. Oh thats interesting. I i started social media. Oh it was my. Baby. To folks out there whose diabetic nerve pain. Shoots and burns its way into your day, i hear you. To everyone with this pain that makes ordinary tasks extraordinarily painful, i hear you. Make sure your doctor hears you too i hear you because i was there when my dad suffered with diabetic nerve pain. If you have diabetes and burning, shooting pain in your feet or hands, dont suffer in silence step on up and ask your doctor about diabetic nerve pain. Tell em cedric sent you. As you were watching the speech tonight, the president coming in, did you stop and think could i imagine myself being that person, walking in, making that speech, being the president of the United States . Well, actually, to be honest with you that thought did go through my head, yes it did. And you could imagine it . Yes. So which political story will make headlines in the next 24 hours . Chris alyssa is back with us. Hillary clinton would call that a nightmare. But Bernie Sanders just is now dreaming the dream. As this race gets a whole lot tighter. Yeah. Look, andrea. Hes i will say for myself where i did not think he would be able to get to which is well within striking distance in the first two states. You know, with three weeks less than three weeks left been iowa. Ive written this and i believe it. People say even if he wins iowa he cant win the nomination. I dont think thats true. If he won iowa and nampss, there would be a reckoning in the days between the New Hampshire vote and the vote in nevada and then the vote in South Carolina. That she could very well struggle with. Doesnt mean she wouldnt be the nominee still. But this is looking like a much tougher fight than i at least expected a month ago. And in that scenario, he would be competitive in nevada, a caucus state as well. And youve got bill clinton in New Hampshire. And ted cruz moving to South Carolina. A busy campaign day. As we get down to the crunch, the cruz trump phenomenon is getting really interesting. Yeah. I mean, look. We always knew that bromance or whatever you wanted to call it between trump and cruz would not last. It has not. The one thing i would say and you mentioned the visits of whos gone where. Its always important. Its even more important this close to a vote. Watch where they are going. Watch where their campaign is deciding to spend a day or where their top surrogates are spending in a day. Where they go matters even more now than it might have six months ago. Chris alyssa, thank you so much. That does it for us. Weve got to go. Its time now to talk about tomorrow on the show. Republican president ial senator rand paul will be with us on Republican Debate day, the night of. He isnt going to be on the debate platform. Hell explain why. Follow us online on facebook and twitter. A must see show next. Two candidates donald trump and Bernie Sanders. Switch to geico because you could save hundreds on car insurance. Ah, perfect. Valet parking. Evening, sir. Hello heres the keys. And, uh, go easy on my ride, mate. Hm, wouldnt mind some of that beef wellington. To see how much you could save on car insurance, go to geico. Com. Ah car alarm sounds its ok the possibility of a flare swas almost always on my mind. Thinking about what to avoid, where to go. 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Brand new Des Moines Register Bloomberg Politics poll shows that texas senator ted cruz with a small lead over donald trump. By three points. And bh are stepping up attacks on each other. Heres what ted cruz said last night to lester holt when asked about trumps hits over his citizenship. Mr. Trump is relying on ultra left wing liberal law professors at harvard to make his argument. The same ones are major supporters for Hillary Clinton. And some folks are asking, gosh, why is it that Hillary Clintons biggest are echoing. Its not just senator ted cruz. Heres president obama making a not so subtle remark last night in the state of the Union Address. All the talk of americas economic decline as political hot air, so is all the rhetoric you hear about the america getting stronger